Hi everyone 🙂

Philosophy Thursday is here. I’m experiencing a bit of a creative blockade (I write, but I’m not satisfied with the outcome), so I’ve decided to postpone the posting of my new short story until next week.

Instead, I’ve chosen to reflect a bit upon the matter of reincarnation and share my experience with it. I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the term, but for those who are not, it’s the belief that our souls could return after death in order to experience another life in a new body.

The concept of reincarnation is mainly associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s also very important in New Age philosophy and Neopagan belief systems. Moreover, it was at the roots of some historical pagan beliefs.

As I’ve mentioned on Laura’s blog, I have a strong connection with Odin. In fact, I’ve embraced Norse Paganism as my path, although I don’t strictly adhere to the traditional way (Neither did Odin, as he himself experimented with the female branch of magic – Seidr, for instance). I believe, understand, and live with it as I feel, though I’m familiar with both traditions and Eddas. I’m also trying to educate myself extensively when it comes to archaeological and historical evidence, so that my tree had roots which will nourish the leaves and fruits on its branches.

People who are not closely familiar with Norse traditions usually only hear about two places where you end up when you die: Valhalla and Hel (named after the goddess of the dead). However, it’s not quite so. Firstly, those who fall on the battlefield are divided between Odin (Valhalla) and Freya (Fólkvangr). Secondly, there are other gods’ halls and the entire nine worlds of Yggdrasil. There are speculations (with which I inwardly agree) that the souls of the dead may simply go to the halls of their patron deity.

There is yet another interesting detail. When I was reading Poetic Edda, it caught my eye immediately that it was literally stated in the text that in the past, people could live several lives, returning from the halls of the dead to Midgard, but they don’t do it anymore. You can learn more about it here. The author of this text, Snorri Sturluson, was a Christian monk who wanted to preserve the traditions of his people while editing and adding pieces to promote Christian beliefs. So, it is possible that Norse and Germanic people believed in reincarnation as well!

Anyway, I believe in reincarnation. Not only because it gives me a certain consolation and proposes a specific physical immortality, but also because I find this concept logical, as one life is not enough to learn all the spiritual lessons that are meant for us. Moreover, correcting your mistakes by being put into certain life experiences is more logical and progressive than being put into Hell for eternity (whichever one we have in mind).

So, in my personal opinion, after death, we travel the worlds and rest in the divine halls, coming back to Earth occasionally to learn, experience, develop, and grow, because in the end, it is about our advancement, becoming better people (better souls?), and surpassing everything that confines us from doing it.

Additionally, I myself experienced three past life regressions (hypnotherapy sessions that help to remember past lives). One was conducted by my aunt’s friend, who was a professional hypnotherapist. The other two instances I received in return for my astrological readings. All were free of charge, and I believe it was important for my present incarnation to learn something about my soul’s past experiences.

I wasn’t shown any lives where I was royal, mighty, or famous. I lived both as both men and women, though probably female incarnations happened to me more frequently. I often was a slave, a blacksmith, a musician (neither popular nor fancy), and a sailor. I often experienced the lives of monks, and nuns, and I was a priestess of goddess Diana. From these incarnations, I probably acquired my present linguistic talents, love for meditations, and books – I aimed for bookcases earlier than I learned how to walk. Seriously. I also became interested in divine and spiritual matters from a very early age. I know I wasn’t shown everything, though. I definitely had some very traumatic experiences, which were hidden from me, and it is for the good. There should be a reason anyway, why I’m insanely afraid of the films and books about WW II.

There was one incarnation that I remembered on my own when I was 5 years old. My family aren’t Buddhists or Hindus, or even New-Ageists or Neopagans. I grew up in a very liberal Christian background, by ‘liberal’ I mean my grandparents on my mother’s side. I didn’t hear about past lives back then; everyone was more preoccupied with the Apocalypses and the end of the socialist era which probably merged into one thing in their minds.

It was an evening, and I was lying on the bed in my grandparents’ house, looking at the amber sun rays falling through the windows. It was a ground floor, so I also observed a crowd of people passing by, and their long shadows, like an array of black stripes, glided against the wall. All of that was important in awakening my memory. Then I felt an enormous longing suddenly filling my heart, a strong surge of nostalgia – so strange for a little girl I was back then. And suddenly I started remembering things that I never experienced before, never saw on TV, or heard from someone.

I guess I may once share this story with you, but I started forgetting some details already, as I don’t think about this that often. It was a sad life, but I had no choice but to live it the best way I could.

Do you believe in reincarnation? Do you have any memories of your past lives or ever undergone regression hypnosis?

Thank you for reading this post and take care! 🙂

© MarvellousNightmare on Coconut Doesn’t Exist

You can contact me via leomoria93@outlook.com