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Past Lives: Some Helpful Information, by Marilou Trask-Curtin

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

A short while ago I had a phone call from a friend who had read of the upcoming release of my book Reincarnation: One Woman's Exploration of her Past Lives. Deep into the upbeat conversation she admitted to me that she had always had both a fascination and a fear of the subject of reincarnation. She also admitted, somewhat hesitantly, that she had always wanted to try a past life regression but was worried about the results she might be given—meaning that she didn't want to hear she had been a really nasty person in another incarnation. She was also concerned about the trust factor with a regression therapist and wanted information on what a session felt like, and any other details I could give her.

I was happy to oblige, and gave her information from my own experiences. Of course I alerted her to the fact that a past life regression would be different for each individual, and once she said she understood that we were off.

I began by telling her that it had been a huge step for me to begin regression sessions back in the 1980s (and this despite the fact that I had been brought into the presence of a person ideally suited for the job of leading me onto the next magical part of my spiritual journey). I admitted to my fear of finding out about my previous incarnations, but I also had to admit to a feeling of trust in the timing of the whole thing; I stated that I believed in that saying, "When the student is ready the master will appear." This trust I had in the absolute synchronicity of meeting my therapist had translated to a feeling of trust in the man and in the panorama of events playing out in my life at that time.

I then told her something I had learned after my regression sessions: a way to find clues to past lives from her present lifetime—clues often present since early childhood. It was a very simple technique and required no other person to be involved.

I told her to ask herself four questions:

1. What things deeply interested her? (Music, art, writing, any job or hobby she would be willing to do for hours and that gave her a sense of time being non-existent)
2. What time periods of history held a fascination for her?
3. What periods of history or even specific geographic locations made her uncomfortable or even repulsed?
4. What scared her? (Here would be things like fire, water, heights and so forth)

As examples I told her of my youthful fascination with ancient Egypt and medieval times. I touched on my terror of water and my almost equal fear of childbirth that had been present since I was very young. I loved writing and reading, and as a four- or five-year-old had enjoyed copying text over onto a notepad. So, it was not a surprise to me when after my regression sessions ended most of my loves and fears were echoed in my past lives.

She was amazed and said that she would begin to write out a list of answers to the four questions that very night. She admitted it was a comfort knowing that she could get a handle on her past lives by following these easy steps.

Then she wanted to know more about what a regression session actually felt like. Again, I told her I could only speak from my own experience and that a session would most likely be very different for her.

My initial regression session actually began without much warning. I had gone for an appointment with the regression therapist so that we could talk about reincarnation, ghosts, and so forth. During the appointment he told me he would like permission to regress me immediately, and that request catapulted me into something akin to both fear and fascination. Of course, I decided to take that first step and never looked back. And yes, I told my friend, there was an element of trust and also of being aware on a soul level that this was somehow the right time for me to be going through this experience.

As for what it felt like to be regressed, I have a favorite sentence for what I experienced: "It was like being awake/asleep." I was both aware and alert to my physical self being in the office of my therapist, but I was also fully living and being present in the times and circumstances I was regressed to. I had full and total awareness of feelings of sun warmth on my body, scents of flowers, cold winter winds, and so forth. I interacted with the people I met in each time period and they interacted with me. Some of it was like playing a role in a movie of my past selves, and yet also watching that story play out. It had some fearful moments but even then I had a safety net in place with my therapist who had given me instructions on how to deal with those moments. And even when I moved into the phases of a lifetime where I was transitioning to death, there were boundaries in place that made that not seem so bad.

I concluded by stating that I truly believed that my regressions had been a necessary part of my life journey. The time spent in these sessions brought me into great understanding of myself as an eternal and immortal being. I learned many valuable lessons about myself and my fellow humans during those months with my therapist. Most importantly, I learned that we had been taught wrongly about ourselves—that we were not bodies with souls but rather we were souls using a physical body to gain experiences in lifetime after lifetime.

This knowledge changed my entire outlook on life and death, and from that I continue to grow and learn every day of my life during this incarnation.

My friend was quiet after my explanation and then uttered a soft, "Wow."

I continued with a little more advice sensing she might like it. I admitted that I had been very fortunate because of the timing of various mentors who came into my life just after I had had a third near death experience. And then my regression therapist entering my life in the way he did and at the precise time that my soul was ready for him to appear was a continuation of the miracle of timing. He was a professional man and a certified hypnotherapist and he led me carefully yet firmly along the path I needed to follow for the next phase of my journey in this incarnation. He opened my eyes to the vastness of eternity and brought me to understanding of so many of the fears, loves, and ideals that were a part of my present lifetime. Without this knowledge I might have stumbled through my life unmindful of so many things that would have probably impeded my soul's growth. Without my regressions I knew my life would have been mostly one dimensional and devoid of a greater understanding. I will be forever grateful to my mentors and my therapist for being the lights I needed in my life.

My friend wanted to know how she could find a past life regression therapist. I told her that the first place to start might be locally. Many cities—even the smaller ones—often have a good base of spiritually enlightened people. The world has thankfully changed a great deal as it regards spiritual communities since the time I was undergoing regression sessions. Contacting one of these groups is usually relatively easy.

There are also online sources, and in this more modern time, past life readings can also be done at a distance and often without the need to be regressed by hypnosis or in an office.

I cautioned my friend to make sure that any therapist she may choose is one she has checked out. If the therapist has a website, check it out. Read any testimonials there. Call the person and speak with them on the phone. Where did they get their training? Could you have a reference or two to speak with about the therapist's work with them?

If the therapist asks for any info other than perhaps your name or phone number or email address (some may ask for a date of birth) give that info but no more. Readings can be sent as an email attachment and they don't usually require a physical address. Never give out your social security number. My therapist knew my name, date of birth, and mailing address and that was it.

Find out the cost for the session or sessions. The cost should not be exorbitant.

By the time our conversation was winding up, my friend had decided to write out her list of answers to the four questions and go ahead and seek out a regression therapist. I wished her the very best of luck as she began the next phase of her spiritual journey. I told her that I admired her courage and her open-mindedness, and she thanked me for my time and promised to order my book—for which I thanked her.

When we spoke a few months later, she told me she had found a marvelous regression therapist who was out of state and doing long distance sessions with her. Amazingly enough she had discovered a lifetime spent in ancient Egypt, and so far not one "nasty" thing had been uncovered about her past incarnations.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2014. All rights reserved.

Some time ago I met a man I felt a really strong connection to, and it got me thinking about past lives. Suddenly, I feel a very strong need to learn about my past lives and how they may be affecting my current experiences. I bought a book on regression and I asked a friend to help me with the process. She told me she wasn't comfortable with the idea, because she said that exploring past lives can be dangerous if traumatic experiences are recalled. She urged me not to do it, or at least to find someone with lots of experience to guide me through it. I feel like she's making a big deal out of nothing. Do you think it can be dangerous? Also, do you have any advice on how to go about exploring our past lives? Thank you!

Lillian

Dreamchaser:

Some people believe that exploring past lives can be dangerous, and some people think it is perfectly safe. Your friend is obviously one of the ones who feels it is risky.

I personally feel that if it is done properly, and not as a parlor trick or a form of entertainment, it can be very helpful.

Your friend is right in one aspect: Sometimes we find out very traumatic or frightening information while exploring previous lives. We were not always happy, well-behaved, or even goodhearted people. We have all had some really horrible lives.

For example, in one life I was a priestess who threw newborn babies into a volcano as a form of sacrifice. I really felt justified in doing this in that life, but in this life, I find it appalling. You cannot, under any circumstances, expect all your lives to be full of joy, goodness and happiness.

This man is a catalyst for you to go and find out what you need to know about your past lives. In my own past life journeys, I've found that there are common themes in each lifetime I have lived, including this one.

The one theme that comes to mind now is that in every lifetime, I lived and died alone. As my regular clients may remember, I am also single in this life and live alone, except for my teenagers, which we all know is LIKE living alone. You will find that a lot of issues, problems, traits, etc., that you have in this life were present in prior lives as well.

The way that I personally explore past lives is to picture myself walking around in this big field full of wildflowers. I make sure that I am totally present in that field, and then I find the bridge of time.

It is just a wooden bridge. I always make sure to take the same number of steps over as I take back. I have heard that you can warp time if you do not count and use the same number of steps. I don't know if that is true, but I'd rather not find out the hard way.

When I get over the bridge, I look down at my feet and see what gender and color I am. I then look around at where I am and who and what is around me. Then I start to walk around and ask questions about who I am and where I am.

In this way, I slowly start to uncover the past lives I've lived. The hardest part of the whole process is convincing your mind that it is real and that you are NOT making it up.

If possible, I also view my death in that life so that I can see how it ended and why, for oftentimes, that will prove important in understanding the baggage I carry from that lifetime.

I wish you safe and enlightening journeys into the past.

*****

Astrea:

Unless you're in the hands of a qualified psychotherapist who is also trained and experienced with hypnotic regression, then yes, trying to discover your past lives through regression can be very dangerous and emotionally traumatic.

This is one situation where you don't want to place yourself in the hands of a beginner or someone who is an amateur or "new" at what they're doing. Your friend was smart to refuse your request. She didn't want to be responsible for what might happen to you if you received traumatic information.

Past life "memories" tend to be highly emotionally charged and personal, and even the happy ones can be upsetting. Discovering the "where and when" of yourself in other times is an intense experience, and it may not be a pleasant thing for some people.

Buying a book on regression probably won't enable you to access those lives either. Most people gradually uncover this information over a period of many years, because otherwise, the human mind can't process it.

Even the most open and accepting person is probably going to be thrown for a loop by seeing her own death. Also, no matter how well adjusted you are, there are some things that you probably don't WANT to know. For those things, you need someone with you who can guide you through this complex inner maze.

There are some psychiatrists (more than you might think) who will attempt something like this with you after a period of counseling. Most of the time you will have to work with a therapist for six months to two years before they will attempt any kind of regression with you, and this is different from regression for buried memories - that's a different kind of work altogether.

If you want to know about your past lives without undergoing extensive therapy first, find someone who can either channel that information for you or read it from your birthday, cards, or whatever tool they use. When I do those reports for people, all I need is their birth date, time and place (that is CRUCIAL!) and my cards.

I can't explain how it comes to me, but it does. Many readers can do this for you. Shop around until you find one with whom you feel you have a good rapport.

Some readers can get you started finding out things on your own through different kinds of study, and some will be able to tell you things simply by talking to you. This is safer, less expensive and a good bit more FUN. I also think these past life readings are just as valuable as digging through your own subconscious for past life memories.

Regression isn't the only way!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.