Reincarnations Do we have a Choice ?

[Chrysaetos]

Most psychics in the west say so, because that's what their cultural upbringing is (free choice, liberalism).

If you ask eastern guru's, I'm sure most of them would say our circumstances are based on good and bad actions/karma.

What we are looking at with these explanations is a fundamental difference between west and east. One believes we come here out of free will, free choice etc. and the other believes the soul/self is trapped in the web of karma and has to get out. This is a major difference.

Who is right? I don't know.. But I do know that their religious/spiritual beliefs are shaped by their cultural upbringing.

[Verunia]

Originally Posted by Chrysaetos

If you ask eastern guru's, I'm sure most of them would say our circumstances are based on good and bad actions/karma.

Good point, I was actually going to type something similar before I came across your post, lol

My belief is that choice is not needed. We are in the flux of all living things' movement, and we shall be moved to where it is we need to go. For what purpose maybe will be revealed to us, but would knowing if we had a choice or not in reincarnation really make a difference?

Or would it just make us feel more comfortable?

[Xan]

It seems we tend to see our attitude toward rebirth from our current point of view, forgetting that after death and before birth our perspective is quite different.

Before we take on a new incarnation we consult with our teachers and council of elders in the spirit realms, to choose what kinds of abilities we want to develop further, what we want to resolve with individuals we are close to, what we want to contribute to the world, and what challenges we need to have in order to develop the most.

Dr. Michael Newton has two fascinating books written from many people's memories of the between lives period: "Journey of Souls" and "Destiny of Souls".


Xan

Originally Posted by Chrysaetos

Hi Summerland,

You say ''our souls'' so does that mean we are ''possessed'' somehow by this ''soul'' ?

It's indeed hard to imagine why individuals would choose such circumstances. Where lies the point in experiencing such things?

We are our souls just wearing a body. Just as you would chose a vehicle to drive. You are not the vehicle, but the driver. The soul incarnated into the body that will best serve the souls purpose in this lifetime. On the other side, we can take on any form that we choose. If a person dies in a horrible crash, the soul is not going to appear on the "other side" in that condition; it will appear as the person it was until it adjusts to being in spirit form again.

do we have a choice? from what i have been taught, only if we can face ourselves after death, if not, then its back to the world again. if we can face ourselves then we will go back to the source with our identity. if we are generally a good person and cant, you are reborn. if you are a negative person and cant, it is oblivion for you, no identity and in the source. if you are a negative person who decides to face yourself, you will be reborn.

[Uma]

I used to believe in free will. Now I think choice is an illusion, not that anything is set in stone but that it's all cohersion by unseen forces.

"Like flies to wanton boys, they use us for their sport." (Hamlet speaking about the gods)

I suspect our current perspective on this would be based on one of two things. Do we trust in the process or not?

If we think that the afterlife can be as sleazy as this one can sometimes be, then trust would be a hard one to come by.

But if balance is our thing, and we sense within, a living intuition of eternal integrity, then we're more likely to embrace an evolving unfolding.

Here's the barometer I use...... when I focus on the first choice I feel notably down, when I wrap myself around the later I feel wonderfully at ease...

Intuitively the second option is my enduring home..... it has been for as long as I can remember... :^)


PS. I adored your response SandybytheSea!

I believe I am an aspect of a Spirit, like the way Lobsang Rampa describes the Overself or the Oneself. That makes sense to me and it helps me visualise the relationship. Just right now he's in my ear and I asked him what the point was of me living this Life, right here and now. "Because it's helping me" came the answer. Some days he'll talk my ears off, some he'll be as cryptic and tight-lipped to the point of distraction :-) According to him my Soul chose these experiences before I became incarnate, and what happens in my Life 'feeds back' to him. I've also been told this is my final incarnation.

I don't believe Spirit sees things they way we do. Many have asked why anyone would choose a Life that wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I don't believe Spirit sees good and bad the way we do. If the Universe an't distinguish between good and bad then who are we to argue, unless it's to get a perspective on it? I believe karma is like a coin - everything in this Life is like a coin. Perhaps the karma in one Life is to buy someone an ice cream, obviously it might be someone else's karma to receive it so as Spirit you decide who's buying and who's eating. The karma in the next Life would be the flipping of the coin - the original buyer wondering what it would taste like and the original receiver wondering what it would be like to give one.

Originally Posted by Greenslade

The karma in the next Life would be the flipping of the coin - the original buyer wondering what it would taste like and the original receiver wondering what it would be like to give one.

And then hopefully,
by the next life that follows,
it'll finally occur to them
that sharing an ice cream
is the enriching key
to a mutually satisfying
and
empathetic experience... :^)

Dear Friend,
Incarnation into physical existence is the quickest way to evolve spiritually. This is the reason for physical existence. However, we must not forget that we have free will. On transition from the physical to the spiritual world we enter a multi step process. The first step is one of rest and recouperation. If you think of reincarnation as a school this step is the end of term break. Because of free will we can take as long as we like resting.
The next step is one of reflection where we can reflect on the last physical life we experienced and learn from our mistakes.
After this we can progress from the spiritual "mental world" to the spiritual "higher mental" level. At this point we can decide to reincarnate and also decide the general experiences we will be subjected to. Because there is no such thing as time or space in the spiritual levels, we can wait untill we feel we are ready to progress at each stage of the journey. Of course dear friend this is my understanding of the process, which does not mean it is an indisputable fact.
Peace be with you.