article from Psychology Today on reincarnation<\/a> \u2013 in particular the work of Professor Ian Stevenson, who catalogued \u201cover 2,500 cases, from cultures around the world, where small children would describe previous lives and deaths they had experienced that turned out to correspond in detail with those of real people whose stories the children could not have known.\u201d<\/p>\nThe writer, Michael Kaplan, points out the scientific difficulties with Stevenson\u2019s work. The largest problem is the inability to test the hypothesis that reincarnation is the explanation for these past life memories \u2013 there was \u201cno potential counterexample where a child with the same apparent memories could be shown not to be reincarnated.\u201d When you consider there are well over 6 billion people in the world, 2500 cases could be statistical coincidences. Could be.<\/p>\n
To his credit, Kaplan (who I gather is somewhat skeptical about such things) admits that even though Stevenson\u2019s studies are outside the realm of proper science, that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re wrong.<\/p>\n
Belief in reincarnation was found in many ancient cultures, both in the East (with the Hindus, and some forms of Buddhism) and in the West (including the Celts). The Egyptians \u2013 and the three monotheistic faiths which succeeded them in the region \u2013 preferred a one-shot life\/afterlife arrangement. Who\u2019s right \u2013 if either of them? We have no way of knowing.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had past life memories. I have no memories of being \u201ca princess or mighty warrior,\u201d as Kaplan complains too many people claim. But the first one I remembered was of a battle: I fought briefly, then my throat was cut. I didn\u2019t remember pain so much as shock and terror, and then darkness.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a few others \u2013 some just memorable scenes, others much longer and more detailed. I\u2019ve never remembered anything I could verify, but these memories feel very different from either memories from this life or from my imagination. Perhaps they are just my imagination \u2013 in the absence of conclusive evidence, I have to admit that\u2019s a possibility.<\/p>\n
But I don\u2019t think so. They feel real. And they make sense, in terms of helping explain who and what I am.<\/p>\n
Life is a mystery \u2013 and so is what comes after this life.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was at Avebury in 2007. But before I went, I had memories of being there in the 1930s. Via WitchVox, here\u2019s an article from Psychology Today on reincarnation \u2013 in particular the work of Professor Ian Stevenson, who catalogued \u201cover 2,500 cases, from cultures around the world, where small children would describe previous lives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>I was at Avebury in 2007. But before I went, I had memories of being there in the 1930s.