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I'm a spiritualist. We don't have memories from past lives for a reason. The most we can usually remember is a name. Now, we know all the truth in the world its only forgotten. The saying, in Ray Bradbury's, Farenheit 451, "Our mind is like a sieve." Is quite true. I do believe in past lives. That's what helps make us what we are today. For instance,

Sometimes you get dreams about the past in a logical order. Or you get deja vu in a place you have never ever been in before, what do you think that is?

I have many that would very well disagree with me on this. Quite so, if you do I honestly don't mind.

I've grown quite a lot since last November. More recently and with a rapid rate from Febuary on. By growth, I mean spiritually. I'm constantly unlocking, changing and finding the truth in things. My ideas/opinions/ thoughts change with what I find. Or strengthen with my findings.

I also believe most of our life we already planned out as spirits. That in this life we have planned what we want to learn and do. From my Mother's death last November I learned a lot from it. That was the start of my awakening. Since then I've progressed rapidly, as I mentioned above.

Also, if we didn't have past lives why do we feel such a strong connection with some things? For instance DM_Melkhar, you have the Renaissance tug and tall ships. I also have the Renaissance tug.

I think a lot of what we are now. Are based on what we learned and forgot in our past lives. We aren't meant to remember them. Its up to us to uncover that truth.

This is all very deep. Like Mel, I have the Christian beleif that we are all individual spiritual persons. I can't say that to me that automatically rules out past lives, though in fact I am personally sceptical. But I do think that it is at least possible that a spirit could inhabit different bodies at different times - it's just that my religion does not teach that this is how it works (PM me if you want more in depth religious discussion). I beleive that our spirits existed in a spiritual world before we were born, similar to how our spirits go to a spiritual world when we die. Then as a Christian a believe in Resurrection, though I am still working on the particular kinks of it all. As for past live regression (here I mean by hypnosis) psycholgists report that far to many people "remember" themselves as famous people, and there are also repeats. I think what Mel said is more likely - we can access past memories without them necessarily having been ours. I once read a whole book about the preservation of memories in the fabric of the universe. I also once heard that informatin can never be truly destroyed.

Past memories don't and do belong to us. At least its what our spirit has been through, learned, ect. We are different in each life. Yet we grow. That's at least what I see on that.

I don't think information is destroyed its just forgotten. You have to search for truth. Which can be very hard to do sometimes.

Mel made some good points there, but I can't say I really agree with all of them. I wouldn't say that life was better off back in the renassaince (or any other time) than today. It depends on what is most imortant to you, but there are some myths today that people in the past were less violent or more moral. These things are not true. I have heard many times how violence and sexuality in the media are evils or our modern age, but in reality the evils are not new - just they take a new form. Besides the diseases and such, people in the past were far less tolerant of other races and religions. Every time periood has its problems.

As for architecture, I am fascinated by it from all periods. I can't say that I am more or less impressed by either of the pictures that Mel showed. In fact there is a Catholic Church near my house that I like the architecture on just because it looks nothing like what you would expect a church to look like. Mostly the different styles look most odd when placed next to eachother. If there is one thing that is more impressive about older architecture it is that people were able to build such huge and beautiful buildings without the use of madern machinery and engineering. However this was also a weakness. When studying medieval art and architecture in college the professor taught us how many cathedrals fell down during construction because they lacked the engineering principles to plan the buildings in advance - it was basically trial and error.

But, to stay on topic, there is nothing wrong with feeling a connection to the past. But it is just easy to romanticize the past by emphasizing the positive points while forgetting the negative.

Actually... there are a number of books out in the last 7-10 years discussing reincarnation from a Christian perspective--they address the individuality of souls, salvation, and a number of other topics from a Bible-based scriptural viewpoint. Very deep and interesting stuff. As an informed, Bible-believing, sacramental and born-again Christian, I believe in reincarnation strongly. I'm really glad this discussion is here!

Jasta,
Who really wants to be IN that pic of Lincoln Cathedral... whether now or way back when!

Actually, according to the experts there are any number of ways--including particularly vivid dreams--to "see" past lives. I've talked to a lot of folks who have amazingly strong, later-proven-accurate recollections that they could not have studied in school or previously had no inclination to research. Pretty cool, actually... I suppose one could explain it by some kind of collective consciousness, or energy impressions being left in places for others to pick up on.

I have been hypnotised, and the results were interesting. I also apparently had quite a conversation with a nursing sister when coming out of anaesthesia once after an operation... smile

As for the line about Lincoln Cathedral... when I look at that picture I want to be there. I feel drawn to it; I've always loved Cathedrals anyway, but that particular architectural style is very compelling for me. If I could be there right now I'd be happy because I'd get to tour it (never have); if I could be there back in time, say to when it was new or when it figured in any of a number of historic situations, that would be fun too. smile I love history and often think about what it would be like to go back in time: how to fit in, what to say, what not to say, how to get along... how to get back to Now...

I happen to live in London, and not all of it is built up into towers and flats.

If you take back streets you can find so much history and life there. In my own opinion the sooner I leave the better I hate it.

Now places like Norwich and Prauge (though not been to the latter) I would love to live there. But also Japan I know it's all new...but I mean the old samuari valleges it's just..where I belong. I have different views and expectations to Mel (though mostly the same, I just love to sit on a hill and watch th wold go by, with what I know..I love to sit and look at a castle or whaever because to me..that's my history and what I want to learn about. I just love to go anywhere and see anything old. But one place that I truly beong in is Norwich. I could stay there forever and be happy.

I has so much history, even though it's slightly built up..I could die a happy woman heh.