To outline a basic theory of reincarnation
Assumptions:
The universe is infinite, evolving and increasing in the dimensions of omniscience as God and all entities of God existing in physical and non-physical forms, learn, love, create and uniquely experience the varied aspects of the universe. The reason for a universe (The “Why?”) is to allow for the increasing omniscience of God and the evolvement of all of God’s entities. (This does not necessarily imply an infinite material universe, but rather a universe that has no boundaries or limits on either time or space. Specifically, it is a universe that increases with time.)
As entities of God, mankind exists as one aspect of a Divine Plan, while mankind exists as discrete minds experiencing the universe in unique ways. Each mind is semi-independent and yet connected. Each incarnates as discrete beings through an evolving series of lifetimes. Each mind has a degree of free will in both the incarnated and disincarnated states, constrained only by the free will of others and the universal physical and metaphysical laws.
God is just and thereby justice can be viewed as constituting a basic building block of universal law (which in turn, implies the existence of good and evil).
Reincarnation
The mind is immortal, non-physical, and capable of all things attributable to an entity of God. The mind is distinct from and essentially independent of a physical brain and/or physical body. Analogous to spirit or soul, the mind is the essence of the entity of God. Through a series of incarnations, the mind joins with physical bodies in order to experience the universe through the sensory apparatus of different bodies. In this manner, the mind learns, loves, creates, and experiences, contributing to the increasing omniscience of the universe. Each successive incarnation provides greater evolvement for each mind and therefore greater potential in that mind’s contribution.
An essential element in the physical incarnation is a loss of memory, which prevents the mind, while incarnated, from remembering the Divine Plan. This element of a lost memory allows for random, chaotic, and creative actions or thoughts, all of which are external to the Plan. Without such deviations from the Divine Plan, the execution of the Plan would be limited to the pre-conceived Plan and thus no new knowledge or increase in omniscience would be achieved. The unique, unplanned events occurring during each incarnation (within the framework of the Divine Plan) are the main reasons for incarnation. Reincarnation allows for even greater deviations by extending the previously attained mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual states from prior lifetimes into a continuing series of lifetime situations and thus provide for a higher potential level of contribution by each succeeding lifetime.
The reincarnation cycle is initiated at birth, continues as the physical body grows, experiences, and eventually dies. At death, the mind leaves the physical body, relinquishes all sensory aspects of that body, and continues to exist as a discrete mind, independent of any physical body. Because of free will, the mind may continue to exist in this disembodied state (as a phantom, spirit, ghost, etc), attach to other the physical bodies of other incarnated minds, or may go into the “Light”. The Light is a return of the mind to the Host of other minds and the collective body of God.
In the Light the mind reviews its past incarnation (learning from the experiences) and begins planning for its next incarnation. This planning is coordinated with other minds, the overall divine plan, and with guides or counselors. Guides or counselors consist of minds of higher evolvement and include the mind’s Higher Self. The Higher Self is the aspect of the mind that does not incarnate, nor take on physical form, but remains connected to the Host of other minds and available to the mind for direction in the mind’s purpose during a physical incarnation.
While in the Light, the mind has access to all of the accumulated knowledge of the universe, the Divine Plan, and the individual plans of other minds. As a non-physical being, the mind is free to move without restraint in space. The mind is also aware of the past, present, and probable future. Time exists for the mind while in the Light (as well as when incarnated), but poses less of an apparent barrier or constraint due to the mind’s knowledge of the course of universal events. Time exists in the physical as well, but is more dominant due to the lack of foreknowledge of planned futures.
Traditionally, the availability of the accumulated knowledge of the universe is contained in the Akashic Records. Carl Jung and Rupert Sheldrake describe similar concepts to which they refer, respectively, as the Collective Unconscious and Morphogenetic Fields. In all cases the essence of each concept is the availability (under the proper conditions) of universal knowledge, including the continual input from current experiences.
Planning by the mind while in the Light is done within the confines of pre-planned events and tendencies, such that when the mind again incarnates, information on the planned events and tendencies is available. Occult sciences, such as astrology, provide an outline of these pre-planned events and tendencies; thus an individual mind in the Light can plan its next incarnation around specific astrological events. In this way an individual can choose an astrological natal chart in order to specify the psychological makeup desired for the coming incarnation and to provide structure in the lifetime with respect to “external” events. Thus, astrology can be used as a means of communication between the pre-incarnated plan and the mind during its incarnation. Astrology represents a “script” in which “ad-libs” are possible (but only within the context that “The show must go on.”)
Once the next incarnation is planned, the mind may join the physical body at any time while the body is in the womb or at the moment of birth. The mind may also depart the physical body while it is still in the womb or, later, after the birth. Such separation of the mind from the physical body is termed “out-of-body” and may occur frequently in the dream state. The mind may go out-of-body while in other meditative states, but such conscious out-of-body’s are less frequent. During the out-of-body state, the physical body achieves its maximum repair and recovery of physical problems.
During an out-of-body state, a “silver cord” maintains the connection between mind and body. The silver cord has no apparent limitations in length or elasticity and does not constrain the mind while out-of-body. The physical body requires the silver cord connection with the mind in order for the body to rejuvenate and resist decay. A severing of the cord is equivalent to death, in that the mind no longer provides the essential motivating forces to the body’s rejuvenation and resistance to decay.
Mind/Body Connections
The mind connects to the physical body through two primary methods. The mind receives information from the physical body by telepathy. Essentially the mind telepathically reads the brain by “tuning into the particular frequency” of that brain. The brain, in turn, acts as a repository for the sensory apparatus of the body. The mind directs the body through the use of psychokinesis. The mind essentially directs all physical activity by willing the brain to make it so. The telepathic and psychokinetic connections of the mind and body allow for the mind to exist independently of the body, but also allow for the possibility of other minds (such as those in an earth-bound state) exercising control over the body as well.
The mind has access to the Akashic Records, Morphogenetic Field, or Collective Unconscious by telepathic means. Much of this information is obtained through the individual subconscious (particularly in regards to the development of bodily growth).
Disease, illness, and accidents are directed by the mind for its evolvement and possible guidance. Such directions may derive from when the mind was in the Light, or during an incarnation. Just as illness is psychosomatic, so is healing. The mind directs the body through the brain and the immune system, directing the establishment of illness or wellness.
Healing may deal with past lives. Reincarnation allows the mind to connect with a variety of bodies. At the same time the memories of different incarnations (specifically those memories which represent unresolved problems) may continue to influence the mind (and indirectly the physical body of the present incarnation). The memories of each incarnation (during as well as after) are stored in the morphogenetic field. The mind has access to these memories and certain memories will be more accessible because of the similarity of vibrational frequencies between the accessing mind and the memory. Therefore, some of the memories will represent past incarnations of the mind which is accessing the memories, but some of the memories will be of other mind’s past lives (but which have relevance to the mind’s current incarnation, due to similarity in vibrational frequencies). In addition, the intensity or amplitude of the vibrational frequency will affect the accessibility, with trauma and unresolved problems having greater intensity than resolved issues.
Communications
Just as the mind can tune into the memories of other minds in the morphogenetic field, the mind can also tune into another mind’s current thinking, i.e. telepathy between minds. The mind is capable of reading the physical body’s brain/sensory apparatus to which it is attached by means of similar vibrational frequencies. When two minds are operating at similar vibrational frequencies, the two minds can share information through the use of the same telepathy that the mind uses to gather information from its physical body. The degree to which a “mind-reader” is capable of “reading another mind” is the degree to which the “mind-reader” can “de-tune” its own frequency and open its brain to the vibrational frequency of the reader. The greater the intensity or amplitude of the information (or feelings), the greater the accuracy of telepathically transferring information from one mind to another.
The ability to communicate telepathically with other minds derives in part from the inherent connections between entities of God. The sensitivity of this connection to others can be overridden by the greater intensity of the sensory apparatus of the physical body, i.e. subtle variations in thought from telepathically communicated information can easily be overwhelmed by the physical senses. In an out-of-body state the senses of the physical body can be greatly diminished (except for “emergency callbacks”) and thus the mind, while out-of-body, can receive much more information telepathically. (Physical senses can also interfere with the reception of information from the morphogenetic field.)
Information can reach the mind while incarnated and in its physical body through the subconscious. Dreams, hunches, sudden insights, and intuition provide means for information to be given to the mind through the subconscious. Connections between the subconscious and conscious can be made by the mind’s willing the conscious to reduce its sensory input and “listen”.
Guidance for incarnated minds wishing to understand the Divine Plan (at least in part), is provided through such means as intuition, I Ching, channeling, astrology, numerology, Tarot, etceteras. Intuition and channeling may be accomplished through connections to the Morphogenetic Field, Collective Unconscious, Higher Self, or other aspect of the Light. Grace plays a part in that subtle guidance from the Light may sometimes protect the incarnated being from problems. Such guidance, however, can be modified to a greater or lesser degree by the mind’s ego, and can effectively reduce the accuracy of the communications to zero.
Detours
The transition at physical death into the Light can be interrupted for numerous reasons, including: strong emotions of anger, fear, jealously, resentment, guilt, remorse, strong ties of possessive love, confusion and disbelief in an afterlife, and perceived needs. Perceived needs include (but are not limited to) addictions to drugs, alcohol, material assets, and/or other people. In the event a mind does not make the transition, it becomes “earthbound” — essentially it is still emotionally/mentally attached to the physical plane.
Earthbound entities may follow one of several paths. One path is to become a ghost or phantom (which is usually associated with some specific location relevant to its last incarnation). Poltergeist incidents arise from the mind of the earth bound spirit exercising its psychokinetic ability to affect physical happenings. This psychokinetic ability is more pronounced when the earthbound mind is more closely associated (emotionally and otherwise) with the physical surroundings (such as a “haunted house”).
A second path is for the earthbound entity to simply wander in the plane between the physical plane and the Light. This may include detours to what the mind may visualize or conceptualize as hell, purgatory, or simply an empty, gray space. Such wandering earthbound entities may slowly come to understand their predicament, but typically require earthly and/or heavenly assistance.
A third path for an earthbound entity is to attach its mind to another physical body. Just as a mind uses psychokinesis to direct the activities of its physical body, other minds may use the same psychokinetic ability to direct another’s physical body. However, because of the variation in vibrational frequencies between the earthbound entity and the physical body to which it attaches, the ability of the earthbound entity to control the physical body may vary from virtually ineffective control to almost total control.
The control ability of the earthbound entity also depends upon the degree to which the resident mind allows such control (either consciously or unconsciously). A strong mind in its own body can nullify much of the control of its physical body by an attached earthbound entity, but a weaker mind (or one which is heavily distracted, unaware, etc) can lose control to the point of having large parts of its life blanked out. Any mind can also consciously welcome an attaching earthbound entity — through mutual love, the attraction of talents sought by the host mind, or for almost any other emotional, physical, or mental reason.
The mind’s ability to guard itself against the onset of an attachment is in its aura, essentially its immune system against external psychokinetic control of its physical body. The aura’s ability to act in this way depends upon the host mind’s emotional, physical, and mental condition (all interconnected). Drunkenness or drugs can reduce the ability of the aura to defend the body from intruding earthbound spirits or other forms of attachment. But also sudden shocks, illness, accidents, any abrupt changes, voluntary invitations, strong and essentially unhealthy emotional ties to others, etc, can result in weaknesses in the aura, such that earthbound or other entities may attach themselves to the physical body.
Purposes
Minds are not incarnated in order to analyze or attempt to understand all the intricacies of such things as I Ching, Sabian Symbols, esoteric writings, and so forth. All such knowledge will be known when the mind reaches the Light. Instead, minds are here to create, contribute and add experience and love to the universe. It is in all respects, The Fool’s Journey. Joseph Campbell, in The Power of Myth, thinks of such creations and/or contributions in terms of heroes, leaders, and visionaries:
“If your private myth, your dream, happens to coincide with that of the society, you are in good accord with your group. If it isn’t, you’ve got an adventure in the dark forest ahead of you.”
Campbell goes on to describe these heroes:
“They’ve moved out of the society that would have protected them, and into the dark forest, into the world of fire, or original experience. Original experience has not been interpreted for you, and so you’ve got to work out your life for yourself. Either you can take it or you can’t. You don’t have to go far off the interpreted path to find yourself in very difficult situations. The courage to face the trials and to bring a whole new body of possibilities into the field of interpreted experience for other people to experience; that is the hero’s deed. The hero’s sphere of action is not the transcendent but here, now, in the field of time, of good and evil — of the pair of opposites.”
These heroic contributions utilize the physical, mental, and emotional, as well as the spiritual (the attributes of the incarnated state), to achieve something more than is realizable in a discarnate state. With the lack of specific knowledge of the Divine Plan, each mind is thereby allowed to create unique and heroic acts of love. With such creations, the universe increases in omniscience.
The Will of God includes the random and the chaotic, and allows for creativity, uniqueness, and specifically, the creation of love. In Emmanuel’s Book, it’s stated this way:
“The separation from God began a journey of love.
“The individuating consciousness seeks, through the experience of human reality, to know itself fully and completely so that it can return to the Oneness with a greater light and a greater understanding.
“This adds to the reality of the Oneness for all things are in a state of continual expansion and creation.”
It is left to the reader to complete the theory….