Reincarnation in the New Testament and Christianity

Reincarnation, Jesus, the Bible, New Testament & Christian Doctrine

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD, from Born Again and Return of the Revolutionaries

Jesus & Reincarnation

In the New Testament, Jews are depicted as expecting the reincarnation of their great prophets. Indeed, these prophets were already thought to have reincarnated in times past. For example, the Jewish sect called the Samarians believed Adam reincarnated as Noah, then as Abraham, then Moses. (1)

Reincarnation of the old prophets was also on the minds of Jews at the time of Jesus. In fact, followers of Jesus thought that he was a reincarnated prophet. Let us reflect on the following passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

“When Jesus came into coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked disciples, saying, ‘Whom do men say I, the Son of man, am?’ And they said, ‘Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.’” (Matthew 16:13–4)

Herod, who was in command of Jerusalem under the Romans, also speculated who Jesus may have previously been. Herod also thought Jesus might have been one of the old prophets.

When Jesus announced that he was the Jewish Messiah, his followers became confused, as the scriptures stated the prophet Elias (or Elijah in Greek) would return and precede the coming of the Messiah. The disciples put this apparent discrepancy to Jesus. The disciples pointed out:

“Why then say the scribes that Elias must come first. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not. . . . Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17:9–13)

In another section of the New Testament, Jesus unequivocally states that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of the prophet Elias: “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. . . . And if ye will receive it, this is Elias. . . . He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:11–15)

Reincarnation is alluded to in a section of the New Testament in which the disciples ask Jesus why a man was born blind. The disciples asked,

“Which did sin, this man or his parents?” (John 9:34)

This passage implies that the blind man had a previous incarnation where he had the opportunity to commit a sin that would result in the karmic consequence of blindness. Without the premise of reincarnation, how could the blind man commit a sin responsible for his handicap, as the man was blind from birth? Jesus didn’t dispute the reasoning of the disciples, though he stated that the blindness was due to other factors.

Reincarnation and the Early Christian Church Fathers

In addition to these citations from the New Testament, evidence shows that reincarnation was part of the Church’s early doctrine and was promoted by Church Fathers, writers who established Christian doctrine prior to the eighth century and whose works were used to disseminate Christian ideas to populations of the Roman Empire. To be considered a Church Father one had to meet the following criteria. One had to lead a holy life;, one’s writings had do be free of doctrinal error; one’s interpretation of Christian doctrine was deemed to be exemplary; and one’s writings had to have approval of the Church.

A number of Christian Church Fathers believed in and wrote about reincarnation:

St. Justin Martyr (100–165 A.D.) expressly stated that the soul inhabits more than one human body. (2)

Origen (185–254 A.D.), who was considered by St. Jerome as “the greatest teacher of the Church after the Apostles,” defended the idea that the soul exists before the body, fundamental to the concept of reincarnation. (3)

Another Church Father, St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa (257–332 A.D.), wrote: “It is absolutely necessary that the soul should be healed and purified, and if this does not take place during its life on earth it must be accomplished in future lives. . . . The soul . . . is immaterial and invisible in nature, it at one time puts off one body . . . and exchanges it for a second.” (4)

St. Gregory also wrote: “Every soul comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life.” (5)

St. Augustine (354–430 A.D.), one of the greatest theologians of the Christian church, speculated that philosopher Plotinus was the reincarnation of Plato. St. Augustine wrote: “The message of Plato . . . now shines forth mainly in Plotinus, a Platonist so like his master that one would think . . . that Plato is born again in Plotinus.” (6)

Other Church Fathers who demonstrated a belief in reincarnation included Synesius (the Bishop of Ptolemais), St. Ambrose, Pope Gregory I, Jerome, St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, and Clement of Alexandria. (7)

How Reincarnation was Removed from Christian Doctrine

If the belief in the pre-existence of souls and reincarnation was prominent in the early Christian Church, why is it not present in contemporary doctrine?

The reason is that a Roman Emperor named Justinian made arrangements for reincarnation to be removed from official Church doctrine in 553 A.D.

In the early centuries of the Christian Church, disputes over doctrine were settled by bishops of the Church, through meetings called Ecumenical Councils. These Councils were major gatherings, which occurred infrequently, sometimes once in a hundred years. To understand the story of reincarnation and the Christian Church, we must go back in time to the year 330 A.D.

In that year, Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, a city which today is called Istanbul. As a result, two centers of the Christian Church developed; the Western Church in Rome and the Eastern Church in Constantinople. The emperors of Constantinople controlled the Eastern Church and dictated policy as they pleased.

As an example, the Constantinople Emperor Leo III prohibited images and portraits from being kept in churches, so icons, paintings of saints, which today are so admired for their beauty, had to be removed from places of worship. On the other hand, the Western Church headquartered in Rome refused to give up icons. Similarly, the Constantinople Emperor Justinian determined Church policy regarding reincarnation.

In the sixth century, the Church was divided over the issue of reincarnation. Western bishops in Rome believed in pre-existence of the soul while Eastern bishops were opposed to it. Emperor Justinian, who controlled the Eastern Church, was against the doctrine of reincarnation. As an example of his interference in Church matters, Justinian excommunicated the Church Father Origen, who openly supported the idea of reincarnation.

To further his agenda, Justinian convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553 A.D., with only six bishops of the Western Church in attendance. On the other hand, 159 bishops of the Eastern Church, which Justinian controlled, were present. An image of Justinian is provided to the right.

It was at this meeting that pre-existence of the soul was voted out of Church doctrine. Emperor Justinian manipulated Church doctrine by stacking the voting deck in his favor.

Pope Vigilius protested this turn of events and demanded equal representation between Eastern and Western bishops. Though the Pope was present in Constantinople at the time of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, he boycotted the Council in protest. Justinian not only ignored Pope Vigilius, but persecuted him.

The Catholic Encyclopedia states that the conflict between the Emperor Justinian and the Pope was so extreme that the Pope suffered many indignities at the hands of the emperor and was almost killed.

Can you conceive today that a politician or head of state could dictate church policy to the Pope or that the Pope would boycott the biggest meeting at the Vatican in a hundred years? Yet this is what happened.

As a result, the Catholic Encyclopedia states, the Council called by Justinian was not a true Ecumenical Council, so the removal of pre-existence of the soul as a Church doctrine should not be considered an actual decree of the Ecumenical Council. (8, 9)

The Split of the Roman Catholic & Greek Orthodox Christianity-Branches of the Christian Church Excommunicate One Another

The rift between the Eastern and Western Church increased in 1054 when the two branches of the Christian Church excommunicated each other. When Christian Crusaders from the Western Church were on their way to capture Jerusalem from the Muslims, they made a point to raze the Christian city of Constantinople. In other words, the Western Christian Church waged war against the Eastern Christian Church.

Following that episode, a permanent split occurred and the Western Church became the Roman Catholic Church, while the Eastern Orthodox Church went its own way. Even today, members of the Eastern Christian Church do not consider the Pope in Rome as their leader. So we see that the political fragmentation within the Eastern and Western branches of the Christian Church is as real today as it was in the time of Emperor Justinian and Pope Vigilius.

The Christian Inquisition, Salem Witch Trials & Psychic Abilities

In addition to Christian leaders fighting among themselves, there are disturbing examples of Christians fighting with those opposed to their doctrines.

The Inquisition was established by a series of Papal decrees between 1227 and 1235 to confront dissident religious movements. In this effort, Pope Innocent IV authorized the use of torture in 1252. Later, the persecution of presumed witches in Europe between 1450 and 1700 arose as orthodox Christianity went through its anxieties resulting from Martin Luther’s Reformation and the emerging scientific paradigm.

The Papal decree Summis Desiderantes, issued by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484, stimulated another wave of torture and executions. This Papal dissertation was anti-feminine and condemned witches. Thousands of innocent women were executed based on confessions obtained through torture.

The last outbreak of this persecution occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Twenty women were executed after a group of young girls became emotional or hysterical while playing at magic. In reality, some of those considered witches in the past may have been girls who had psychic gifts but who were perceived as dangerous by those who were not similarly talented. Today, many women who participate in classes designed to stimulate intuition and psychic abilities remember past lives in which they were persecuted and burned at the stake. It can be dangerous to be an evolved being in a relatively primitive world.

Christian Church Doctrine and the Suppression of Reincarnation

In sum, reincarnation has appeared in Christian church doctrine, but reincarnation as been suppressed in the contemporary Church’s philosophy. One reason is that if reincarnation is acknowledged and research demonstrates that souls can change religion from one incarnation to another, a religion’s claim to exclusive truth is negated.

Still, evidence of reincarnation can help fulfill one of Christianity’s greatest doctrines, that we are indeed brothers and sisters, and that we should love one another as such.

Footnotes

1. Sylvia Cranston: Reincarnation, The Phoenix Fire Mystery, Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, 1998, p. 128.

2. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

3. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

4. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

5. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

6. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

7. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39.

8. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 35–39

9. Sylvia Cranston, Reincarnation, The Phoenix Fire Mystery, Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, 1998, p. 156–160.

Change of Religion, Nationality, Race and Ethnic Affliation in Reincarnation Cases-Introduction

Evidence shows cultural markers of identity, such as religion and nationality, can change across lifetimes. This understanding can make the world a more peaceful place. The symbol for change of religion is a symmetric cross inside a circle. The circle can represent looking up at the dome of a mosque or church. It can also signify that we can incarnate in any culture in our cycle of incarnations.

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Evidence of reincarnation can transform society as it is demonstrates that religion, race and ethnic affiliation can change from one lifetime to another. Most wars and conflicts are based on difference in these cultural markers of identity.

The Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen case dramatically demonstrates this phenomenon, in that Anne Frank was persecuted as a Jew born in Germany, while Barbro reincarnated into a Swedish Christian family.

Ian Stevenson MD cases also show Muslims can change religion across lifetimes.

The symbol for change of religion is a symmetric cross inside a circle, indicating that religions are equal in helping people rise to higher spiritual realms, but to be whole we must not allow religion, race or nationality divide us, as we can incarnate in any culture in our cycle of incarnations.

Change in Religion, Nationality, Race and Ethnic Affiliation Cases

Reincarnation Research Home Page

Reincarnation Case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita: Past Life Patterns & Innate Talent

The reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso is so self-apparent, that it almost solved itself. Let us briefly review the histories of Pablo Picasso and Alexander Nechita here where every detail is discussed.

Affirmed by: Spirit Guide or Spirit Being Ahtun Re in a Ryerson-Semkiw Reincarnation Research Session, 2005

From: Born Again

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Alexandra Nechita as Pablo Picasso Reborn

This case was brought to my attention in a casual way. Indeed, the reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso is so self-apparent, that it almost solved itself. Let me explain how the Picasso | Nechita case evolved.

In the summer of 2004, I did a reincarnation presentation in Boulder, Colorado. A member of the audience was a friend of Wayne Peterson, a retired US Diplomat and former Director of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Washington, DC, who has met four US Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Clinton. Mr. Peterson’s own reincarnation cases can be reviewed at: Past Lives of Wayne Peterson: A Diplomat, Artist, Socialite and Doge

Wayne’s friend told me that I should investigate a young artist named Alexandra Nechita, as her work is remarkably similar to that of Picasso and it has been speculated that she may be the reincarnation of Picasso. I was advised that Alexandra’s work was being displayed in Denver, at that time, at Gallery M.

The next day, I took a drive to see Alexandra’s work and found myself dumbfounded. Though I had observed how linguistic writing patterns can remain the same across incarnations, such as in the case of John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene, this was the first time I had the opportunity to see how talent could be recapitulated by a painter in such a dramatic way. Later, I would observe how artistic talent and even compositions could be replicated in The Reincarnation Case of Paul Gauguin | Peter Teekamp

Though I am no expert in art, Alexandra’s work was so much like Picasso’s, it was simply striking. I asked the director of Gallery M whether there were any photos of Alexandra available, perhaps on a brochure or business card, and whether I could get contact information for Alexandra. The gallery director told me that no photos of Alexandra were on hand and that the artist was a private person and personal contact information could not be given out. In my next session with Kevin Ryerson, though, I asked Ahtun Re whether Alexandra was indeed the reincarnation of Picasso, which he affirmed.

In January 2006, as I was preparing to publish Born Again, on the Internet, I found that Alexandra now had a web site with images of herself. I quickly compared her facial features with Picasso’s and though not as striking as some reincarnation facial matches, I felt her facial architecture was consistent with that of Picasso. Though Alexandra is a beautiful young woman with fine features and Picasso was a rather rugged looking man, the bone structure, the overall architecture of the face and head, I found to be the similar. Later on, I found images of Picasso and Alexandra when they were both children, where a similarity in facial features can also be seen. At this point, I decided to try to contact Alexandra for her inclusion in this book. Little did I know that the subject of reincarnation had already been entertained in her mind.

Pablo Picasso as a Child Prodigy Artist

Let us briefly review the histories of Pablo Picasso and Alexander Nechita. Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881. Picasso demonstrated artistic gifts early in his boyhood and at the age of 15, he was enrolled in Barcelona’s School of the Fine Arts. His painting, Science and Charity, won a gold medal at an exhibit in Malaga when he was 16 and by this time, Picasso had his own studio in Barcelona.

In 1900, Picasso made a brief trip to Paris, where he admired the work of modern artists such as Edgar Degas and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Picasso later moved to Paris in 1904 and established friendships with writers, such as Gertrude Stein and Max Jacob. Picasso also witnessed the emerging popularity of Paul Gauguin while he was in Paris and Picasso was influenced by his work.

With Georges Braque, Picasso pioneered the “Cubist” style of painting, in which landscape images were composed of what appeared to be small cubes. Picasso did sculpture in innovative ways, using a variety of common objects to create abstract constructions. Picasso also became involved in set design, working for the Ballets Russes in Rome. Picasso’s illustrious career culminated in an exhibition at the Louvre, in Paris, which occurred in honor of his 90th birthday, in 1971. With this event, Picasso was the first living artist to have works displayed at the Louvre. Picasso died in France on April 8, 1973.

Past Life Talent: Alexandra Nechita as a Child Prodigy Artist and a “Petite Picasso”

Eight years after Picasso died, on August 27, 1985, Alexandra Nechita was born in Romania. Alexandra’s father, Niko, unfortunately was not present for his daughter’s birth. Niko had left Communist Romania to seek a better future for his family in the United States, when his wife, Viorica, was six months pregnant with Alexandra. Niki would not see his wife and new daughter until 1987, when they were reunited in Los Angeles.

Like Picasso, Alexandra demonstrated artistic talent as a very young child. In fact, Alexandra began to draw as soon as her developing nervous system would allow her to do so. Alexandra became obsessed with her coloring books, which was a concern for her parents, as she didn’t seem interested in the usual things that little girls do, such as playing and skipping rope. Her first pen and ink drawings were done at age two.

A truly startling observation was made by her parents when Alexandra was four years old. Alexandra was drawing abstract figures with two faces and four eyes, as seen in the art of Picasso. Alexandra rapidly built up a collection of original works. At eight years of age, Alexandra’s first art exhibit was held at a Los Angeles public library on April 1, 1994. In a symbolic synchronistic event, on the same day that she had her first exhibit, she also saw the art of Picasso for the first time at the Los Angeles County Art Museum.

Alexandra loved the freedom of expression that she saw in Picasso’s art, unencumbered by rules. Alexandra’s career advanced rapidly from that point on. As cited on her web site:

“She attracted the attention of art critics and the media who began telling the world about this rarest of child prodigies—an artist who had mastered drawing and color, an artist who had created a visual language of her own, in a unique, lyrical, figurative, abstract cubist manner, an artist who had only recently turned nine years old.”

In fact, the press had dubbed her, “The Petite Picasso.” In 1999, at the age of fourteen, Alexandra was selected to lead the Global Arts Initiative, involving more than one hundred countries, sponsored by the World Federation of United Nations. In her still nascent voyage, Alexandra has been a guest on numerous national television shows in the United States, including CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s Today, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Past Life Patterns: Picasso’s Guernica and Alexandra’s Past Life Theory

In early 2006, I tried to contact Alexandra using information provided on her website. She was still only 20 years of age at this point in time. I was put in touch with her mother, Viorica, who was open to reincarnation.

After Born Again came out in 2006, I met Viorica and her daughter at an art exhibition that Alexandra was holding in Las Vegas. Many of the oil paintings were priced close to $100,000. Alexandra also displayed works of art created in glass and other media. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a 20 foot tall metal statue entitled, Hands and Dove, which is presented to the right. Picasso also worked in multiple media and created enormous statues such as the untitled sculpture in Chicago’s Daley Plaza, the bird like monument featured above Hands and Dove.

Alexandra’s Day of September 11 mirrors Picasso’s Guernica

At this event, Alexandra’s manager, Ben Valenty, who has represented her from childhood, was very excited to receive a copy of Born Again, which included the case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita. He shared with me that on his deathbed, Picasso stated that a young child would be born with his talent. I got the impression that Ben himself had wondered whether this child was Alexandra. Then he gave me a copy of her recently released book, entitled Hands and Dove: The Art of Alexandra Nechita.

When I read this book, I had further insight into this theory. Inside, I found an image of her work entitled The Day of September 11, provided above.

This is a huge painting that is the size of a wall. Not only in size, but in content, this painting appeared to be an updated version of Picasso’s Guernica. To appreciate the size of The Day of September 11, look at the left side of the painting and you will see Alexandra herself standing in front of the canvas. This painting is essentially a contemporary version of Guernica which is featured below.

Just as Guernica portrayed the horror of the Spanish city undergoing aerial bombardment, The Day of September 11 captured the horror of the destruction of the World Trade Center. Both paintings feature human beings with arms outstretched skyward. Picasso placed farm animals in his painting and depicted their annihilation, while Alexandra used doves to represent the victims of the towers, who were streaming out towards heaven. Of course, one could suggest that Alexandra simply was inspired by Guernica, but recall that she started doing Picasso like art when she was only four years old, before she had exposure to the art world.

An even more revealing Nechita painting is entitled Past Life Theory, which features the horse head found in Guernica, which is the most famous and recognizable object in Guernica. In her painting, Alexandra gave this horse female breasts and in the right-hand corner of the painting, a red question mark is prominent. By utilizing one of the most famous symbols of Picasso and title of the painting being Past Life Theory, it appears that Alexandra is musing on the question of whether Picasso has been reborn in her.

Past Life Patterns

If the reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita is accepted, reflect on how these souls have demonstrated such characteristic patterns in their development across two lifetimes. Picasso and Alexandra both dove into art as toddlers and demonstrated genius already in their teenage years, becoming world renowned artists early in their lives.

Repetition of patterns is similarly observed in the case of Paul Gaugin | Peter Teekamp. Paul Gauguin and Peter Teekamp, as young men, both became carefree world travelers. They both then embarked on business careers as a way to support themselves. Gauguin and Teekamp both started painting in adulthood as a hobby. Both only decided to pursue art as a full time profession in maturity. Gauguin died poor and unrecognized and Peter, though an accomplished artist, is at this time relatively unknown.

Let us also reflect on how these two cases illustrate that we do indeed build upon accomplishments of past lifetimes. The Gauguin | Teekamp sketches, with the horses, women in circles, men in berets and Jesus on the cross—drawn from above, demonstrate that Peter Teekamp unconsciously replicated Gauguin’s artist development, but at an earlier age.

Similarly, Alexandra replicated Picasso’s development by drawing abstract figures with two faces and four eyes at the age of four. Picasso became a pioneer of the Cubist style of painting in 1907, when he was 26 years old. The media has noted that Alexandra Nechita painted in an “abstract cubist manner” when she was nine years old.

Another case that demonstrates how the pattern of being a childhood prodigy is replicated from one lifetime to another involves The Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen, as Barbro had her first book of prose published at 12.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

If this reincarnation case is accepted, it demonstrates the following features:

Physical Resemblance: Alexandra Nechita’s facial bone structure is consistent with that of Picasso.

Past Life Innate Talent: Alexandra Nichita was a child prodigy artist, as was Picasso. She replicated the style of Picasso in childhood, works in multiple media, as did Picasso, and in The Day of September 11, she did a contemporary version of one Picasso’s most famous paintings, Guernica. Ben Valenty, who has represented Alexandra and is featured in the picture to the right, told me that Picasso, on his death-bed, predicted that a child would be born with his talent.

Anniversary Phenomenon: Alexandra had her first art exhibit at age eight and on that same day, she first saw an exhibit of Picasso’s art.

Change of Nationality and Ethnic Affiliation from One Incarnation to Another: Picasso was born in Spain and lived in Europe, while Alexandra is a native of Romania, who lives in the United States.

Gender Change: Picasso was male who reincarnated as Alexandra, a female.

Jon Stewart Interviews Jesus

“You’re like five fingers on a hand who think they’re separate and make up reasons why not to get along.”

An Essay by: Jan Phillips

I woke up last night to the sound of laughing and realized I’d fallen asleep with the TV on. It was 3 AM and I knew it was Jon Stewart on the television, but I had to fumble around for my glasses to see who his guest was.

Unbelievable! It was Jesus, in his robe and all. His nose was bigger than I thought, his skin a lot darker, but his eyes were more piercing than I’d ever imagined. It was like light came out instead of going into them.

Jon was making some joke about both of them being Jews. Jesus, after laughing harder than I thought he would, said quite seriously to Jon:

“Yeah, that’s one of the weirdest things, isn’t it? How could they forget that the founder of Christianity was himself a Jew?”

Jon was all over him with questions from the daily news. What was his take on the Ground Zero fiasco in which there were protests about building a Mosque in near proximity of the fallen 911 Twin Towers in New York ? Jesus said he’d seen some newscasts on the story and couldn’t believe the drama and fear it was bringing up.

“They want to build a public building for prayer, education and community gathering. That’s a good thing. A better thing perhaps, would be the construction of an interfaith building. There’s room for everyone, and it’s these distinctions between religions that’s causing all the problems in the first place.”

Jon looked incredulous. “An interfaith building??”

“Yes, a multi-tasking mosque, with a synagogue, chapel and meditation hall in it. A building where people of different faiths come together to make a better world together. That’s the point of religion right? It’s not about doctrine. It’s a plan for action, an opportunity to be a bigger force for good. Religion is just the map. Faith is the real adventure.”

“I don’t know,” said Stewart, making one of those funny mouth movements he does after hearing a strange idea.

Jesus pipes in, “What could be better in that spot than a building that represents, by its very structure, a coming together, a new vision that goes beyond religious borders? It’s like taking a good idea and making it great. The real prophets of the day know this. Where are their voices? Why aren’t you interviewing them?”

“Hmm, I thought I was,” says Stewart, tapping his pencil on the desk.

“You know why you have border issues here? Because you believe the borders are real, like they MEAN something. Muslin against Christian, Mexican against American, Republican against Democrat-all those borders are made up. You put up walls to defend your ideas-and not even your OWN, but ideas passed down to you from someone else-and then you make other people look like demons. You don’t get it how connected you are. You’re like five fingers on a hand who think they’re separate and make up reasons why not to get along.”

Jon sat there with his mouth open.

“You’re like children playing war games. You spend all your time, all your energy attacking the “other side” instead of realizing you need to bridge the two sides in order to get across to a higher level of thinking. Even news shows are at war. Look at how you make fun of FOX. What light does that add to the world? All the time you could be giving to real visionaries, all the ways you could be role-modeling good behavior, showing the audience how it really WORKS to bring great and opposing minds together, and you sit there poking fun at another station. That’s really enlightened, isn’t it?”

This was the first time I’d ever seen Jon Stewart speechless. He looked like an embarrassed 6th grader. No pencil tapping now. More like a puppy with his tail between his legs.

“What in the world are you people doing? The ones who call themselves ‘religious’ are often the most immature, the most judgmental and intolerant. What is THAT about? That’s exactly the opposite of what every religion teaches. And I mean EVERY religion,” Jesus said, as he looked away from Stewart and spoke right to the camera.

“All the religions say two basic things,” he said, holding up his fingers in a peace sign.”

“First, there is no distance between you and this one you call God. God is the creative force behind all things. It’s invisible, but you are the manifestation of it. I’m telling you, the Sistine Chapel should have been a mirror.”

The audience laughs, but Stewart stares into those deep eyes of the Nazarene.

He goes on, “You are the eyes, the hands, the feet of that creative force. That energy is in you. It’s called your breath.”

He holds up his index finger and taps on it a few times. “That’s the first thing. Don’t think there’s some man out there pulling strings. Grow up. This civilization-if you can call it that-is YOUR creation. This Earth, it is not a bunch of resources to be exploited. It is not to be owned. It is your mother, the womb that you sprang from. You are its consciousness, its neural cells. The whole Earth is the organism that you belong to. You did not come down to Earth, you came up from Earth, as I did. Its well-being is in your hands. Can you be proud of what you’re doing? Are you going to be the ones who kill it off, after all that talk about pro-life?”

Jesus was getting a little worked up, like that day he stormed through the temple turning over the merchants’ tables. Jon cut to a commercial.

“And we’ll be right back to hear the 2nd basic thing from our guest tonight, ladies and gentlemen, the Jewish prophet Jesus of Nazareth. Stay tuned.”

They were laughing about something when they returned from the commercial, Jesus stretched out in his chair with his long lanky legs covered by his tunic, his sandaled feet hidden under the desk.

“OK,” Jon says, “You were saying there were two things. Let me see if I got this right. There’s no bearded guy up there on a cloud. That God we talk about and fight over is the creative force inside us and around us? It’s invisible and we’re like….(a long pause) its shadow?”

“Not exactly,” says Jesus. “We’re like the physical form of the same energy. The ice-cube version of water or steam. Same elements, different form. The sea and the iceberg. You’re all icebergs in the Sea of God,” he said, half-laughing at his own quaint metaphor.

“But the problem is you don’t realize that underneath it all, you’re all connected. There’s just one big iceberg with a lot of tips. The truth is, you’re Creation continuing the co-creation of Itself.”

“Oh my,” says Stewart. “What about number two? What’s the number two thing we’re supposed to know?”

Jesus holds up his two fingers again, tapping the tip of his middle finger. The camera zoomed in so closely on him I could see a scar on his forehead. “It’s not so much what you need to know-that’s part of the problem, all these people’s’ belief systems. That’s what gets you in trouble. No one has to believe in me to get to heaven. It’s not what you believe in but how you act that matters. If anyone learned anything from reading that Bible they should have picked up that one. There are 3000 references to helping the poor in there. But let me get back…”

“Yes,” says Stewart. “The second thing.”

“The second thing is this: Forget everything you ever learned in any holy book and just treat everyone like a brother and a sister. I mean that literally. If it were your brother coming across the border…your sister with cancer and no health care….your child unable to get an education….your mother with no food in her house. And even further, your brother who was gay or hated gays, your sister who was a corrupt politician, your brother who bombed an abortion clinic, your sister who got an abortion. What does it look like to love unconditionally? To bridge differences, to come together over what we can agree on? Can you get through one day without thinking you’re better or less than another? That’s the thing to strive for. That is living faithfully.”

“But…but…” says Stewart. “What about the Tea Party, the terrorists, what about Fox News and hate crimes?”

“If you think they are so different from you, be the opposite of what you think they are and enact that powerfully in the world. Don’t focus on who’s wrong. Just be a greater force for good.”

“Not focus on who’s wrong? How could I do my show?”

“Exactly. Remember what Gandhi said? Be the change you want to see in the world?”

“Sure. I have that quotation on my refrigerator.”

“Well, it’s time to take it further. You’re evolving as a people. You’ve come through the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the wrongly named Period of Enlightenment.

You’re now in the Information Age. You are growing your consciousness.

In the physical world, you have Olympic marathon athletes who run 10 miles or more a day. They spend every waking hour in training, eating the right foods, researching the right clothing and equipment, working out, following a discipline.

And in the metaphysical world, the spiritual world, you have people doing the same-they are your mystics and prophets-engaging in spiritual practice, accelerating their wisdom, expanding their consciousness, transcending judgment and radiating love into the world. You might be in that category.”

Stewart does one of his choking, ahem things, putting his hand over his mouth. “Out of the question,” he says frankly. “I thrive on judgment.”

“Good to know yourself. You’re all evolving at different rates. In the fall, when you look at a maple tree, you see leaves that are green, yellow, orange and red. They don’t all change at the same time. And that’s what makes life exciting. You all know different things. That’s why you need each other.”

Stewart nods his head in agreement, tapping his pencil on the table again.

“But back to Gandhi. I agree with what he said, but I’ll say it a different way, just to shake things up a bit, which I love to do. By the way, it would make a great bumper sticker: Be the God you want to see in the world.”

“Oh-oh, sounds blasphemous to me,” says Stewart.

“You know as well as I do, every good idea starts out as a blasphemy.”

“OK, great, we’re out of time,” says Stewart, as the camera swings over for a shot of the audience. They’re all standing, some crying and laughing at the same time, the most incredible look of collective awe I’ve ever seen. And Jesus walks over and starts shaking hands with them. What a night!”

This essay was written by Jan Phillips: www.janphillips.com

September 3, 2010: May happiness prevail.

Key excerpt: “You’re like five fingers on a hand who think they’re separate and make up reasons why not to get along.”

Reincarnation and Change of Race: Past Life Story of an African Tribesman | Gedeon Haich and How Evidence of Reincarnation Can Help End Racial Divide: The Death of George Floyd

How Derived: Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

**Elizabeth Haich, author of Initiation, has a Son with Past Life Memories**

Gedeon Haich was born on March 7, 1921 in Budapest, Hungary. Vajdahunyad Castle, in Budapest, is pictured to the right. His parents were Subo and Elisabeth Haich. Elisabeth was raised in a Christian home, but later developed an interest in yoga and eventually she wrote a spiritual autobiography entitled, Initiation.

A section of her book is dedicated to her son’s reincarnation case and she provided quotations from Gedeon in her narrative. In European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Ian Stevenson reproduced these quotations.

Elisabeth vouched that in his childhood, Gedeon did not have any books on Africa or other places with dark-skinned natives. He didn’t see any movies on Africa and he didn’t know any African people. She stated that Gedeon did not learn of African places or customs through normal means.

Past Life Memories, Drawings & Phobia of Swimming in a Lake

When he was 4 to 5 years old, Gedeon developed a habit of drawing people in pictures with dark brown skin. When his European mother, Elisabeth, pointed out that he was making the complexions of his figures too dark, Gedeon ignored her and continued to color them brown.

During the same period of time, Elisabeth noticed another unusual trait during an outing at their family’s summer home near a lake in Hungary. When Gedeon was asked to join other family members who were swimming in the lake, he refused.

Gedeon screamed and struggled to get free, so that he would not enter the lake’s water. Elisabeth couldn’t understand Gedeon’s fear of and resistance to swimming in the lake. She noted that Gedeon didn’t respond in the same way when entering man-made swimming pools.

Past Life Memories: Gedeon Remembers having a Family of Dark and Half Naked People

When Gedeon was 6 or 7 years old, he unexpectedly told Elisabeth that he thought he had a prior lifetime. He said he remembered being in a different country with different people. He said that he had a wife and children. He continued:

“My wife and children and other people there are not like people here; they are all black and completely half naked.” (1)

Elisabeth then asked Gedeon where he lived and he responded by drawing a picture of a hut, with a cone-shaped roof topped with a vent for smoke. In front of the hut was a naked woman with long breasts and next to the hut there was a river with waves on it. Gedeon claimed that this woman in his drawing was his wife.

Past Life Memories: Gedeon’s Past Life Wife has Long, Hanging Breasts

Elisabeth asked why he drew his wife with such long, hanging, ugly breasts. Gedeon looked at his mother as if she was insane. He retorted:

“Because that is the way they were. And they are not ugly. She is very beautiful.” (2)

Further, explaining to Elisabeth why he thought he had a past lifetime, he bemoaned:

“And listen, Mama, I am also asking how it is that every morning, when I wake up and my eyes are not yet open, I immediately have the feeling that I must jump out of bed and go hunting in order to find food for my wife and children. It is only when I get my eyes open and look around the room that I remember that I am a small boy and your son.” (3)

A Past Life Phobia of a River and Lake Monster

Gedeon continued to describe his lifetime and draw pictures that illustrated his narrative.

“We lived in little huts like these, which we built ourselves. Also, each of us made a boat for himself by hollowing out and carving the trunk of a tree.

There was a large river, but no one could go into it as we can in the lake here. A kind of monster lived in the water. I don’t remember what kind it was, but it bit people’s legs off and that’s why last year I yelled so when you wanted me to go in the water of the lake.

I was afraid that there was something in the water that could bite my legs; and even now I get that feeling when I go in the water, even though I know there is nothing dangerous living in the water here. (4)

Ian Stevenson reasoned that the monster in the river was likely a crocodile and that a past life fear of being bit by this reptile was responsible for Gedeon’s phobia of swimming in the lake near the family’s summer house.

Past Life Ability: Gedeon can Maneuver a Canoe like an Acrobat

Still at the age of 6 or 7, Gedeon continued his story. He told Elisabeth:

“And remember, Mama, how, when we bought a boat for the family I wanted to row it. You told me that I had first to learn how to row. But I knew that I can row, because I could make my tree-boat move long the water just as if it were part of me. I could even sit in my boat and flip over to one side, go under the water and come up on the other side, still in the boat.

And you said: ‘All right. Try to row. You will find that you can’t do it.’

Then you were all surprised when I, taking one oar—my arms were too short to handle both oars—showed that I could row and even maneuver the boat between other boats and between people. With my tree-boat, where I lived, I could do everything. You should have seen me! The trees were not like the ones here.” (5)

Gedeon then pointed to a tree that he had drawn, which looked like a palm tree, indicating that his was the type of tree his past life boat was carved from.

Past Life Memories: Gedeon would Hunt with a Bow and Boomerang

Gedeon also drew a picture of himself using a bow and arrow to hunt a bird that was in one of the palm trees. He also drew a curved object that he used for hunting. Gedeon explained that when he threw this curved weapon, it would return back on its own. Though he didn’t know the word, Gedeon was describing a boomerang.

A Past Life Talent for Climbing Trees

When Gedeon was 13 years old, an incident revealed a hidden skill for climbing trees. A neighbor came running to Elisabeth and exclaimed that Gedeon had climbed to the top of a poplar tree that was 20-25 meters high, which is the equivalent of 65-80 feet.

Elisabeth ran out and looked up into the tree. She couldn’t see Gedeon, due to the branches and leaves of the tree, but she could hear him. She demanded that he come down. Reluctantly, Gedeon climbed down slowly, but very skillfully. Elisabeth said he climbed down the tree “like a small monkey.” (6)

Elisabeth asked why he did something so dangerous. Gedeon replied that he had made a nest at the top of the tree and that he could eat cooked corn up there, which tasted much better than on the ground. He also remarked on the wonderful view that he had at the top of the tree.

Elisabeth told him that it was too dangerous for him to climb so high and she ordered him to build his nest on the ground. At that, Gedeon became angry and snapped at her:

“I would like to know who looked out for me when I was in the jungle and climbed trees even higher than this one to watch for animals. Where were you then?” (7)

A Past Life Talent for Drumming

When Gedeon was 15 years old, he asked his mother to buy him a drum. Elisabeth took him to the largest music store in the area, where Gedeon picked out the biggest drum in the shop.

When they returned home, Gedeon started playing the drum with what was described as astonishing skill. He played very complicated rhythms and he appeared to be in an ecstatic state while doing so, even crying as he drummed. After playing an unusual rhythm, he said to Elisabeth:

“Do you see, Mama, that is the way we could send signals and messages to each other over great distances.” (8)

Elisabeth had no idea of how Gedeon had learned to play the drum in a sophisticated way, nor did she understand how he acquired his ability to row a boat with one oar or climb “like a small monkey.”

Past Life Emotions: Gedeon Sobs When He Sees Scenes of Africa

When asked where his past lifetime took place, Gedeon, as a child, would simply state that it was in the jungle or tropics. When Elisabeth suggested to Gedeon, as an adult, that he should read about Africa, he replied:

“What is the point? I know better how things were there and don’t need to know what white men think about them. And when I do read correct descriptions, I weep, even though I try not to do so.” (9)

When Elisabeth went with Gedeon, as an adult, to a movie about dark-skinned natives, presumably in Africa, she noticed that he wept, and even sobbed uncontrollably, during the movie.

Also, as an adult, Gedeon indicated that he felt that his past incarnation was indeed in Africa, noting that he had a strong affinity for Africa, even though he had never been there in his contemporary lifetime.

The Death of George Floyd: How Evidence of Reincarnation Can Help Prevent Future Tradigies Based on Racial and Ethnic Bias

In 2020, the world was been shocked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest. This officer knealt on Floyd’s neck as he was lying on the ground while handcuffed until George died by the lack of air to his lungs and compression of the arteries in his neck that provided blood flow to his brain.

Though the trial of this officer has not yet occured and we do not know what the result will be, there is a consensus that there is a bias in the United States against African-African Americans. I am Caucasian, so I have not experienced this directly, but I remember vividly an episode that demonstrates racial hate, which happened when I was in my medical training.

I was walking on a street in Denver with a dear African-American friend of mine, Keith La Grenade, MD, who was in the same medical training program in psychiatry with me at the University of Colorado.

Without provocation, a Caucasian driver of a car driving by us yelled out: “Nigger!”

I was shocked, as I had never witnessed such a racial insult to another in my life. I asked Keith: “Has this happened to you before?”

Keith answered: “All the time.”

After I wrote these passages, I had the desire to contact Keith, as we had not been in touch in many years. Sadly, I learned that he had died in 2016.

Keith La Grenade, MD Obituary

Evidence of Reincarnation Can Help End Racisim

Evidence of reincarnation shows that we can change religion, nationality, ethnic affiliation and race from one lifetime to another. When people realize this is how life works, the basis of hate and prejudice against those we see as different from ourselves disappears. Those with dark skin can reincarnate as someone with light skin and vis versa.

In this way, evidence of reincarnation can help create a more tolerant and peaceful world

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

As Gedeon’s presumed past life persona in Africa was not specifically identified, his case could not be historically validated. The strength of this case rests upon the unexpected talents that Gedeon demonstrated, which one would not be expected from a Hungarian youth.

These include, as a young child, the natural ability to row a boat with one oar, climbing trees like a monkey and being able to play complicated rhythms on a drum without any prior experience or training.

In addition, Gedeon’s phobia of swimming in lakes or rivers can not be explained without a past life cause. In his past lifetime in Africa, Gedeon remembered a fear of entering a river with monsters that bit people’s legs off. These monsters were most likely crocodiles.

Phobia from a Past Lifetime: As noted, Gedeon had a phobia of natural bodies of water, which seemed to stem from his past life experience with crocodiles.

Past Life Talents & Abilities: Gedeon could steer a boat with one oar, climb trees like a monkey and drum like a professional, without any prior training or experience in his contemporary lifetime.

Reincarnation & Change in Race: Gedeon described himself, his wife and the people of his tribe as dark skinned natives that lived in a land that was most likely Africa. Gedeon, as an adult, expressed a great affinity for Africa, though he had never been there in his contemporary incarnation. He himself thought his past incarnation, indeed, took place in Africa.

Another important reincarnation case that shows how evidence of reincarnation can help create a more peaceful world, where a person was killed for being a Jew in a Nazi world, but reincarnated as a Christian, is the:

Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen

Footnotes

1. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 116
2. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 116
3. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 121
4. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 116
5. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 116
6. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 103
7. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 118
8. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 118
9. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 121

Japanese Soldier Reincarnates as a Woman and Becomes a Lesbian, Understanding Homosexuality & Gender Identity Issues through Reincarnation; Sasha Fleishman

The retention of the mindset of the gender of a prior incarnation is demonstrated in this childhood memory reincarnation case researched by Ian Stevenson, MD. A WW II Japanese soldier in occupied Burma was killed in a strafing run and reincarnated as a Burmese woman, showing how a persecutor can return to life as the persecuted, demonstrating the futility of war.

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Volume IV, Thailand and Burma, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

Nathul, Burma during the Japanese Occupation

The setting of this case is in the village of Nathul, in Burma. During World War II, the Japanese army occupied Nathul, starting in 1942.

As there was a railroad station nearby, Allied fighters and bombers regularly bombed the area and used machine guns to strafe the ground to kill any Japanese soldiers that were spotted. Attacks would often happen twice a day.

As the Allied planes ran sorties during the day, the Burmese villagers of Nathul would scatter into the countryside in the mornings. The villagers would then return to their homes in the cover of the night’s darkness. The Allied attacks continued through the spring of 1945. (1)

Daw Aye Tin and the Japanese Army Cook

U Aye Maung and his wife, Daw Aye Tin, were poor members of the community. U Aye Maung worked as a porter at the railway station. They had three daughters.

During the occupation, Daw became acquainted with a Japanese army cook, who was stocky or heavy set man. Due to the heat, this cook typically wore shorts without a shirt. Daw and the Japanese soldier had a common interest in cooking and they shared their respective knowledge regarding Burmese and Japanese cooking methods. After a period of time, Daw lost contact with this soldier. (2)

Reincarnation & Planning Lifetimes: Daw has an Announcing Dream involving the Japanese Soldier as a Spirit Being

Time passed and Daw became pregnant with a fourth child. During this pregnancy, Daw had a recurrent dream in which “a stocky Japanese soldier wearing short pants and no shirt followed her and said he would come and stay with them” … She recognized him as the Japanese army cook. “In the dream Daw Aye Tin was afraid of the soldier and told him not to follow her. The same dream occurred three times at intervals of five to ten days.” (3)

Reincarnation Birthmark on Ma’s Groin and a Phobia of Aircraft

Daw gave birth to another daughter on December 26, 1953, who was given the name Ma Tin Aung Myo. It was noted that she had a birthmark, described as a dark patch the size of a thumb, on her groin. The birthmark appeared to itch, as Ma would scratch it. (4)

As a child, Ma demonstrated a severe phobia of aircraft flying overhead. When she was 4 years old, as she was walking with her father, a plane flew by and Ma began frightened and began to cry. Her father asked what was wrong, but Ma would only say, “I want to go home, I want to go home.” (5)

Thereafter, whenever a plane flew overhead Ma would cry. In response to her father’s inquiries regarding her fear, Ma explained that she was afraid the planes would shoot them.

Her father explained to Ma that in the past planes shot at people, but that this no longer occurred. Recall that the Japanese occupation of Burma, with the associated Allied aircraft machine gun strafing runs, ended in 1945. Ma was born in 1953 and as such, Ma had never witnessed planes shooting at people. Her father’s attempts to reassure her failed and Ma continued to have a severe phobia of planes for years. (6)

A Child’s Past Life Memories: Ma says She misses Japan and her Family

In addition to having this phobia, Ma often appeared depressed and would sit by herself weeping. When she was asked what was wrong, Ma said, “I am pining for Japan.” (7)

She then began telling her family that she had memories of being a Japanese soldier stationed in Nathul, who was shot and killed by machine gun fire that came from an airplane.

Her memories gradually became more detailed. She said that she had been a male Japanese soldier who came from northern Japan, who was married and had 5 children. He was stationed in Nathul as a cook. (8)

Past Life Memory: Ma Remembers being Shot and Killed by an Airplane in a Past Lifetime

Ma remembered that she was near a pile of firewood and was about to start cooking a meal when the noise of an airplane approached. Ma recalled that the pile of firewood was next to an acacia tree, which stood about 75 meters from the house where Ma’s family lived.

She said that during this incident, the soldier, that she was, was wearing short pants and a big belt, but that he had taken off his shirt. Ma recalled that the pilot of the plane saw the Japanese cook and made a strafing run in an effort to kill him. The Japanese soldier ran around the pile of firewood trying to escape but a bullet struck him in the groin, which resulted in his death. (9)

Ma’s Reincarnation Birthmark is in the Location of the Japanese Soldier’s Bullet Wound

Recall that Ma was born with a birthmark in the area of her groin. Ian Stevenson has found that in many cases in which an individual died of a traumatic wound, such as a bullet or stab wound, a birthmark would be found in the same location in the individual’s next incarnation. In other words, a wound can become a birthmark. (10)

The US War Plane that Killed Ma in a Past Lifetime was a P-38 Lightning

Ma also recalled that the plane that killed her in the lifetime as the Japanese soldier had two tails. The plane Ma was referring had to be a Lockheed P-38 Lightning, which was an US-built fighter that was indeed used by the Allies in the Pacific Theater and in particular, in Burma.

Past Life Phobia of Aircraft

After sharing these memories, when an aircraft flew overhead that would frighten Ma and she was told by her relatives that her fear was unwarranted, Ma would angrily respond, “What do you know? I was shot and killed.”

In 1963, when Ma was 9 years old, a helicopter landed in a field in Nathul. Most villagers had never seen a helicopter and they gathered around to inspect this unusual machine. In contrast, Ma began crying and fled in fear to the family’s home. (11)

Past Life Emotions: Ma wants to go Back to Japan

Ma told her family that she wanted to go back to Japan, as she missed her children from her prior lifetime. She said that when she grew up, she would move to Japan. She wanted a big belt, like the Japanese soldier had, to protect her stomach from the cold. Her identification with Japan was very unusual, as the Burmese did not have any fondness for the Japanese, due to their occupation of Burma and the attendant cruelties that the Japanese inflicted on the Burmese. The family demonstrated their annoyance by calling Ma, “the Japanese guy.” (12)

A Possible Case of Xenoglossy

Her family also noticed that Ma would talk to herself and other children using words they didn’t understand. Though the language Ma was speaking was not identified, it is possible that Ma was speaking Japanese. (13) If so, this represents the ability to speak a language learned in a previous lifetime, a phenomenon known as: Xenoglossy

Reincarnation & Gender Change: Ma Dresses like a Man and is Repulsed by her Menstruation

Ma demonstrated definite masculine traits. She insisted on wearing boy’s clothes and refused to wear girls’ apparel. When her mother tried to dress her as girl, she would throw the clothing aside. When Ian Stevenson asked her about this issue, Ma boasted that she didn’t own even one piece of women’s clothing. (14)

She wore her hair cropped short like a man’s and wore mens’ shirts. The clothing issue became a major problem when Ma was in sixth grade. School authorities demanded that she dress like a girl. Ma refused and had to drop out. (15)

When she had her first menstrual period, she hated it, stating that it was “unbecoming for a man.” (16)

Reincarnation & Gender Change: Ma Accepts that She is a Lesbian

In 1972, when Ma was 19, she told Ian Stevenson that she had no desire to be with men and that she wanted a woman to be her wife. She said that she already had a steady girlfriend at that time. (17)

In 1981, when Ma was 28 years old, she had a girlfriend whom she was living with. Ma said that if she married, she would wed a woman. Ma still talked about joining the army, “to live and fight with the men.” (18)

Change of Gender Reincarnation Cases may Explain Homosexuality in Some

This case demonstrates how reincarnation cases that involve gender change can provide an explanation for homosexuality, lesbianism, transsexualism and other gender issues. Ian Stevenson’s reincarnation studies, in aggregate, show that souls change gender in only 10 percent of cases. If a soul is accustomed to incarnating in one gender and then has a lifetime as the opposite gender, that soul may still identify with the previous, usual gender. This may lead to homosexuality, transsexualism, transgender issues and gender identity disorder.

Sasha Fleischman: An Agender Teen’s Skirt is Set on Fire

In November 2013, 18 year old Sasha Fleischman was taking the bus home from high school in Oakland, California. Sasha was born a male, but prefers to wear skirts. While riding the bus, Sasha fell asleep. A 16 year old high school student then set Sasha’s skirt on fire. Sasha incurred second and third degree burns and had to be hospitalized at the St. Francis Bothin Burn Center, in San Francisco.

Initial media reports characterized the incident as a hate crime, though the defendant’s attorney has indicated that it actually was intended to be a harmless prank, which went terribly wrong. Regardless, individuals who are gay, lesbian or transsexual have been victims of persecution. Recall the case of Matthew Shepard.

It may be that the soul of Sasha is accustomed to incarnating as a female. Though male in his contemporary lifetime, Sasha appears to have a female mindset, which could account for his preference to wear skirts.

Reincarnation, Gender Change & Gender Identity Issues

Other reincarnation cases which demonstrate gender identity issues due to change of sex include:

Chuey, a Boy, Drowns & Reincarnates as a Girl, but Retains Male Traits

Jaako Vuorenlehto Reincarnates as his Wife’s Daughter, Taru Jarvi: Gender Confusion in Two Lifetimes

Poldi Holzmuller, a Female, Isn’t Attracted to Boys, Says She Will Reincarnate as a Boy and Does

Reincarnation can help us be more tolerant of individuals with gender identity issues by giving insight that such issues can be a complication of changing gender from one lifetime to another. In the course of our evolution through lifetimes on Earth, any of us can experience gender confusion when we incarnate into a sex that we are not accustomed to. I do believe that we all do change gender in our course of lifetimes on Earth, as the soul seeks a comprehensive understanding of what it is to be human, through both male and female incarnations

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Reincarnation & Change in Gender: The Japanese soldier was male, but reincarnated as Ma, a female. Ian Stevenson’s past life research indicates that in 90 percent of cases, souls reincarnate in the same gender, inferring that souls have a preferred sex or gender. In this case, Ma retained the masculine orientation of the Japanese soldier, including an attraction to women, which led to Ma becoming a lesbian. It appears that this soul was accustomed to incarnating as a man and though a woman in the incarnation of Ma, retained the mindset of a male.

Phobia from a Past Lifetime: Ma demonstrated a severe phobia of airplanes, apparently due to being shot and killed in an Allied P-38 strafing run in her past lifetime as a Japanese soldier.

Birthmark at the Site of a Past Life Wound: Ian Stevenson, MD, found that when an individual died of a traumatic wound, such as those inflicted by a gun or knife, a birthmark would be found in the same location in the subsequent lifetime. In this case, Ma had a birthmark on her groin, which is in the same location as the bullet wound that killed her in her lifetime as the Japanese cook, according to her past life memories.

Reincarnation and Change in Nationality: The Japanese soldier reincarnated as a Burmese woman. This case demonstrates the futility of war, as the Japanese occupied Burma and persecuted its citizens. In this case, the persecutor reincarnated as the persecuted.

Reincarnation and Planning Lifetimes: Daw, Ma’s mother, during her pregnancy, had a dream of the Japanese soldier in which the soldier indicated that he was coming to stay with them.

Spirit Beings in Reincarnation Cases: As noted above, from the spirit world, the Japanese soldier sent an announcing dream to Daw indicating he would be born to her.

Footnotes

1. Stevenson, Ian: Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Volume IV, Thailand and Burma, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1983, page 231
2. Ibid, p. 232
3. Ibid, p. 229
4. Ibid, p. 238
5. Ibid, p. 230
6. Ibid, p. 230
7. Ibid, p. 230
8. Ibid, p. 232
9. Ibid, p. 232
10. Ibid, p. 238
11. Ibid, p. 233
12. Ibid, p. 234
13. Ibid, p. 234
14. Ibid, p. 234
15. Ibid, pages 236, 241
16. Ibid, p. 236
17. Ibid, p. 236
18. Ibid, p. 241

Past Life Ability, Spirit Being, Mediumship & Spiritual Guidance in the Reincarnation Case of Rosario Weisz | Henrietta Roos-Weisz

Henrietta Roos was born in 1903 in Amsterdam, Holland. Early on, she demonstrated a natural talent for drawing, painting and music, later in life she was able to patch memories and discovered she had a close connection with Goya in the past lifetime.

How Derived: Spiritual Communication

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Introducing Francisco Goya & Leocadia and Rosario Weisz

Francisco Goya was born in 1749 and became one of the most famous Spanish painters in history. The Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, appointed Goya as the Court Painter. Goya, unfortunately, found King Ferdinand a tyrant and in 1819, he decided to move away from the court in Madrid to a home in the countryside, outside of the city.

To his new home outside of Madrid, Goya brought a cousin, Leocadia Weisz, who was born in 1790 and was thus 40 years younger than Goya. Leocadia was married previously and had two children, Guillermo and Rosario, through that marriage, but her husband had abandoned the family. Rosario was born in 1814, just before her father left the home.

Rosario was 5 years old when she and her mother moved in with Goya in his country home outside of Madrid in 1819. Leocadia, who was initially hired as a housekeeper, became Goya’s mistress.

In 1824, Goya was alarmed by King Ferdinand’s repression of a liberal political movement and decided to leave Spain altogether. He moved to Bordeaux, France, where he bought a house and brought Leocadia and Rosario with him. The two women cared for Goya until he died in 1829.

After Goya’s death, Leocadia and Rosario moved back to Madrid, where Rosario pursued a career as an artist. Rosario became a copyist of paintings at the Prado museum. She was later appointed as a Professor of Drawing to Queen Isabella II.

Ian Stevenson has related that Goya had a known habit of painting very fast.

Past Life Ability: Henrietta’s Innate Talent for Art

Henrietta Roos was born in 1903 in Amsterdam, Holland. Early on, she demonstrated a natural talent for drawing, painting and music. At the age of 5, she used a crayon to draw an accurate portrait of her father. At 12 years of age, she did an oil painting of two birds and at the age to 16, she started painting miniature portraits. When she was 18, she painted a portrait of her mother. Henrietta wanted to pursue a career as an artist, but her parents disapproved and would not allow her to do so.

At the age to 22, Henrietta married Franz Weisz, a Hungarian pianist. Henrietta noted that she was more attracted to his name than his personality. The marriage allowed her to pursue her desire to be an artist and at the age of 24, she entered the Dutch Royal Academy of Art, where she focused on painting.

Her talent was noticed and for three years in a row, she was awarded the Royal Award from Queen Wilhemina, which allowed her to go study in Paris.

Past Life Attraction: Henrietta’s Affinity for the Name Weisz

Henrietta divorced Weisz at the age of 30. Though the custom in Holland was for a divorced woman to reassume her maiden name, Henrietta resisted. She told her mother, regarding the name Weisz:

“I don’t know, it is a strange feeling. I can’t explain, that name suits me. I feel one with it, it is more me than my own name Roos. Each time I call my self that way I have the feeling I’m talking about someone else.” (1)

She then moved to France and became fluent in French in a short period of time. For the next 20 years, she made her living as a painter in France, even serving as an official copyist for the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Mediumship: A Spirit Being Speaks to Henrietta and Paints a Portrait through Her in the Dark

One evening in the year 1936, when she was 33 years old, Henrietta went to bed early, as she was feeling ill. Suddenly, a voice spoke. The voice seemed to be coming from the center of her forehead. The voice said:

“Don’t be so lazy, get up and work.” (2)

Henrietta didn’t know what to make of this and she tried to ignore the voice, but it returned and made the same statement a second time. Henrietta still stayed in bed and tried to go to sleep. The voice then spoke a third time, but more vigorously and emphatically:

“Don’t be so lazy, get up and work.” (3)

Henrietta finally heeded the voice and got out of bed. She put her easel under the tiny electric light in her small room. She then felt a force enter her, which made her move the easel to the darkest corner of the room, where she could not see anything at all. Let us let Henrietta describe what happened next:

“My palette, still full of paints, was on the table, also a little canvas board. This I took—and I started to paint, hardly knowing what I was doing, in a feverish haste, for 45 minutes, when suddenly I felt my right become immensely heavy. I had to put down my brushes.” (4)

Henrietta was then finally able to go to sleep. When she awoke, she remembered the voice and that she had been painting in the dark. She wondered if it was all a dream. She jumped out of bed to look at the easel and found a beautiful portrait of a young girl with a far away look. The sight made Henrietta shiver. She was puzzled by this turn of events.

This painting of a beautiful woman is featured on the cover of Ian Stevenson’s book, European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, and is provided above and to the right.

A Clairvoyant Tells Henrietta of her Past Life Relationship with Francisco Goya

Henrietta quickly summoned a friend to see the portrait, who was astonished at the quality of the painting. Her friend exclaimed:

“Oh, Henriette, oh dear, this is wonderful, this is great! You know what we’re going to do? We’ll take it to a meeting for psychic research. Every Thursday afternoon they have a clairvoyant, extraordinarily gifted, and you take your little canvas along.” (5)

At the meeting, Henrietta found the clairvoyant to be a simple and poor looking elderly woman. Henrietta placed her canvas with portrait of the beautiful girl on a table next to the elderly woman, where others had also placed objects for the woman to examine. The clairvoyant took Henrietta’s painting and she fell into a trance. Henrietta said that the old woman closed her eyes and became very pale. Her lips trembled and the old woman very slowly said:

“I see very large golden letters—a name is spelled to me, G—O—Y—A…now he speaks to me. He says: He was a great Spanish painter. He had to fly from his country from his enemies, and it was you who received him in your home in a big southern city in France—until the end of his life. He still is so thankful for this that he wants to guide you—but he is not satisfied, you resist too much, you are too much tied up in your academic education—you never relax and let him guide you, you make it very difficult for him—he therefore made you paint in the dark, so that you couldn’t see what you were doing.” (6)

Henrietta and was impressed with the clairvoyant’s accurate statements. The elderly woman somehow knew that Henrietta was an artist, that she had an academic education in art and that she had done the painting of the girl in the dark.

Spiritual Guidance: Henrietta is Led to Information about a Past Life

Henrietta knew nothing about the personal life of Goya. The same day that she went to the clairvoyant, she had been invited for the first time to the home of a famous French musician. When she arrived that evening, the musician, coincidentally, had a biography on Goya on his bookshelf. She borrowed the book and when she got home, Henrietta opened it to somewhere in the middle of the book.

Again, as if by guidance, the book opened on a page that described how Goya lived with Leocadia and Rosario Weisz in Bordeaux, France, a large city in Southern France, who took care of him until his death.

Through this biography of Goya, the elderly clairvoyant’s statements seemed to be thus verified. Though the information gained, Henrietta finally understood why she had such an emotional attachment to the name Weisz. She had the same name, Weisz, even spelled in the same way, in a past incarnation in which she nurtured Goya in his latter years.

Once she understood this connection, the attachment to the name Weisz, which she retained for three years following her divorce, ended. From then on, she signed her name on paintings as “Henrietta Roos,” not “Roos-Weisz.”

Mediumship: Other Instances in which Henrietta served as a Medium for Francisco Goya

Henrietta had four other experiences in which it appeared that Goya was painting through her. In these instances, she painted very rapidly and produced beautiful pieces of art with ease. Recall that Goya had a tendency to pain very fast.

The most dramatic example involved a wealthy client in Nice, France, whose family hired Henrietta to do his portrait. Henrietta was very fatigued and when then entire family, including children and pets, surrounded her and her easel to watch her paint the portrait, she felt it was impossible for her do the painting.

In her despair, she made a strong mental plea to Goya to help her. Almost immediately, she started to paint rapidly and within a few minutes, produced and amazing likeness of her subject. It became one of her most acclaimed paintings.

Another example where it appeared that Goya took possession of Henrietta’s body occurred in 1960. She had been hired to do a painting of a subject from a photograph. Henrietta describes the scene:

“I had been wanting to paint this portrait many times in the past. The moment I wanted to start it something kept me from doing so, and each time I put down my brushes before even starting the first lines. This time I was not even thinking of doing it—and suddenly (it was a matter of seconds!) I was in front of my easel and did the portrait in a day and a half. Everything around me vanished. The whole world could have changed. I even forgot to eat. When my phone rang, I answered that I couldn’t talk. It was the same furious pace as I had felt when doing the…’girls face.” And another strange feeling is that now I’ve done it, I am constantly wondering how I did it.” (7)

This portrait was also considered among one of Henrietta’s best. Ian Stevenson observed that these events in which Goya appeared to take over Henrietta’s body occurred over a period of 40 years. Henrietta did not feel that Goya directed her or influenced her in her daily life between these occurrences.

Theses instances of Goya taking possession of Henrietta’s body to assist her in painting portraits is reminiscent to me of my experiences with Kevin Ryerson, a well-known trance medium who has been featured in Shirley MacLaine’s books. When Kevin goes into a trance and allows spirit beings to take over his body, they too can use Kevin’s body to make illustrations and diagrams during public demonstrations. After Kevin emerges from trance, he has no memory of what occurred during the session. In contrast, Henrietta seemed to be conscious of what was happening when Goya possessed her.

Past Life Identity: Was Henrietta Leocadia or Rosario Weisz?

Goya stated, through the elderly clairvoyant, that Henrietta had taken care of Goya in his home in Southern France. That same day, a biography on Goya was opened to the page that described how Leocadia and Rosario Weisz had taken care of Goya until his death in Bordeaux, France. From the information given, it was not clear whether Henrietta was Leocadia, the mistress of Goya, or Rosario, the daughter of Leocadia.

To make this determination, Ian Stevenson analyzed the personalities of Leocadia and Rosario to see which matched the character of Henrietta.

Stevenson found that Leocadia was hot-tempered, social, extroverted and a fan of circuses and fairs. She did not paint and did not seem to have much interest in art. Leocadia’s personality, thus did not match Henrietta’s personality, who as quiet and afraid of crowds, such as would be found at concerts, circuses and fairs.

Rosario, on the other hand, was not temperamental, was affectionate and was described as bright and cheerful. Rosario loved animals, as did Henrietta.

Like Henrietta, Rosario as a child had a natural talent for painting and music. Like Henrietta, Rosario did miniature portraits, which Goya praised in a letter:

“This amazing child wishes to do miniatures, and I wish it too; for it is perhaps the greatest phenomenon in the world to do what she does at her age.” (8)

Biographers have noted that Goya had a great attachment to Rosario and even referred to her as his own daughter. This attachment could explain Goya’s desire from te spirit world to assist Henrietta in her artistic development.

After Rosario and her mother returned to Madrid following Goya’s death, Rosario became a copyist of paintings at the Prado museum, just as Henrietta had became a copyist at the Louvre.

In 1840, Rosorio was appointed Professor of Drawing to Queen Isabella II. Later in 1840, she unexpectedly came down with a fever after she was caught in a riot. A biographer attributed the fever to extreme fright, which Rosario experienced when confronted with the angry mob. This reaction is consistent with Henrietta’s fear of crowds. Rosario died soon after, on July 31, 1840, at the young age of only 26.

Due to the similarities in personality, artistic and musical talent, and Goya’s known affection for Rosario, Ian Stevenson concluded that it was most likely that Henrietta Roos, also known as Henrietta Roos-Wiesz was Rosario Weisz in a past lifetime. The interval between Rosario’s death and Henrietta’s birth was 63 years.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

If this very intriguing reincarnation case is accepted, it demonstrates the following principles:

Spirit Being Involvement, Spiritual Guidance & Mediumship: The most striking aspect of this case is that it appears that the spirit of Francisco Goya took over the body of Henrietta Roos on several occasions to help her produce beautiful works of art. Recall that Henrietta did the first channeled painting in the dark, indicating that it was Goya who was doing the painting.

In addition, Goya, from the spirit world, was able to communicate to Henrietta through a clairvoyant, giving her information on who he was and why he was helping her. Goya said that he was guiding her in gratitude for Henrietta taking care of him in a large city in southern France.

Another example of apparent spirit guidance is that Henrietta found a biography on Goya at a musician’s home, on the very same day she had the session with the clairvoyant. When Henrietta opened the book, she spontaneously fell upon the exact page that described how Leocadia and Rosario Weisz indeed took care of Goya until his death in Bordeaux, France. It was as if Goya was guiding her to the book and page where Henrietta could find herself in her past lifetime with Goya.

This is reminiscent of the case of Louise Vanderbilt | Wayne Peterson, as Wayne was guided to a book in a bookstore which when he picked up, he literally could not put down. Against his conscious will, Wayne reluctantly bought the book and later that night, found the key to identifying his past lifetime as Louise Vanderbilt inside that book. Spirit Beings can be very forceful in their guidance of human beings.

Past Life Ability & Talent: Rosario and Henrietta shared that same childhood talents for art and music, indicating that Rosario and Henrietta had studied these disciplines in prior incarnations. Rosario and Henrietta both painted miniature portraits, they both became museum copyists for paintings and both were given special recognition by royalty for their artistic ability. Rosario became a copyist for the Prado and Henrietta became a copyist for the Louvre.

Rosario was appointed Professor of Drawing to Queen Isabella II of Spain, while Henrietta was awarded the Royal Award from Queen Wilhemina of the Holland three years in a row.

The parallels in talent, artistic development and career paths between Rosario and Henrietta are quite amazing. This case is reminiscent of the cases of Paul Gauguin | Peter Teekamp and Claude Ledoux | Wayne Peterson, in which artistic talent and artistic development was also replicated from one incarnation to another.

Another, less dramatic example of ability from a past incarnation involves Henrietta’s ease of learning French when she moved from Spain to France. As Rosario, she had lived in Bordeaux, France, since she was 10 years of age and must have been fluent in French in that incarnation.

Reincarnation & Change in Nationality: Rosario was born in Spain and lived in France while caring for Goya in his self-imposed exiled. Henrietta was born in Holland, though she moved to France to pursue her career as a painter.

Footnotes

1. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 238
2. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 238
3. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 238
4. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 238
5. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 239
6. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 239
7. Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 241

Reincarnation Case of Shiv Behari Jain | Ram Prakash: Past Life Case with Change in Religion

Shiv Behari Jain was of the Jain religion, while Ram Prakesh was born into the Hindu faith, Shiv Behari Jain a prosperous merchant lived in Firozabad, northern India. He died and reincarnated as Ram Prakash who was born on April 10, 1966, about 9 months after Shiv Behari Jain died.

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Satwant K. Pasricha, PhD, Associate of Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death, Volume 1, by Satwant K. Pasricha, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life of Shiv Behari Jain-A Member of the Jain Religion

Shiv Behari Jain was a prosperous merchant or businessman who lived in Firozabad, a city in northern India. He belonged to the Jain religion. Shiv was well-respected, as he was also involved in local politics and charities. He died on July 10, 1965.

Change of Religion: Shiv Behari Jain Reincarnates as a Hindu

Ram Prakash was born on April 10, 1966, about 9 months after Shiv Behari Jain died, in a village north of Firozabad. His parents were farmers of modest means who belonged to the Hindu religion.

When Ram was 4 or 5 years of age, he started talking about a past life. One day, an older brother called Ram by name and ordered him to fetch a glass of water. Ram responded:

“I am not Ram Prakash, I am Jain Saheb” In India, “saheb” is a title placed after a man’s name as a mark of respect. In other words, Ram was indicating that he was a man of stature. Ram later gave his full past life name as “Shiv Behari Jain.” (1)

Ram Prakesh Remembers his Past Life Family and Address

Ram related a number of details regarding his past life, including his address in Firozabad, his past life wife’s name, as well as the number of brothers, sons and daughters he had in his lifetime as Shiv Behari Jain. Ram also remembered the philanthropy that he was engaged in his past life, reporting that he contributed money to a college, a hospital and a Jain temple.

Reincarnation & Change in Religion: Though Born Hindu, Ram Observes Jain Customs

Ram demonstrated practices of a member of the Jain religion, which was very unusual for a Hindu boy who had not been taught these Jain customs. For example, Ram wanted to eat dinner before sunset, drink only filtered water and he would not kill insects. For Jains, nonviolence is a central tenet of their religion, which is why even insects are not killed. When someone gave Ram a portrait of Mahavira, an enlightened leader and reformer of the Jain religion, he would worship in front of this picture twice a day.

Ram Prakesh Misses his Past Life Wealth & Identifies Strongly with his Past Life Persona

Ram was aware that he was much better off financially in his prior lifetime as Shiv Behari Jain. He complained that his family lived in a kachcha house, which was built of unbaked bricks. He remembered that in his past life, he had a large house, a pukka, which was built of baked bricks. Ram recalled that in his previous life he slept on a cushioned bed, whereas in his current life, he slept on a charpoy, a bed made of a frame with with light rope strung into a net. He remembered that he owned a chair that he sat in, but in his contemporary life, he had none.

As he got older, Ram would no longer even respond to his given name, his identification with his life as Shiv Behari Jain was so great. His schoolteachers accepted this and called him “Jain.”

Ram Prakesh Meets his Past Life Family, Who Accept Him as Shiv Behari Jain Reborn

Members of Ram’s village learned of his unusual behavior and the word spread. Bus drivers in the area learned of his story and they passed it on to Shiv Behari Jain’s family in Firozabad, who came to visit Ram. He was able to recognize and name these past life family members.

To test his knowledge, Shiv’s family also showed Ram photographs of their relatives. Ram was able to accurately recognize and name these members of Shiv’s family without assistance or leading questions. Based on his past life knowledge, Shiv’s family accepted Ram as the reincarnation of Shiv Behari Jain. They gave Ram gifts and encouraged that he visit their home in Firozabad. Ram would visit his past life family once or twice a month and stay with them for 5 days at a time.

IISIS daniel jurdi reincarnation past life ian stevenson semkiw L — Daniel Jurdi holds his Past Life Photo

Ram’s visits to the family of Shiv Behari Jain are reminiscent of Daniel Jurdi’s stays with his past life family in Lebanon. This past life case demonstrates a remarkable similarity in physical appearance from one lifetime to another. Place your cursor on the image of Rashid holding a picture of his past life persona to enlarge it.

To learn more, go to: Reincarnation Case of Rashid Khaddage | Daniel Jurdi

Past Life Memories: Families of Shiv Behari Jain & Ram Prakash Deny Prior Contact

Dr. Pasricha interviewed the families of Shiv Behari Jain and Ram Prakash in October 1975. The two families vouched that they had never met or had any contact prior to Ram’s statements of remembering to be Shiv in a past life. Ram’s father related that he once heard Shiv Behari Jain make a speech at a political meeting, but had no direct contact with him. Ram’s mother said she had never heard of Shiv Behari Jain. Dr. Pasricha also noted that their differences in religion and wealth would have made prior relationship between the two families very unlikely.

In an interview in 1975, when Ram was 9 1/2 years, when asked his name, he promptly replied “Shiv Behari Jain.” Shiv’s family was still giving gifts to Ram and he was continuing his visits to his past life family in Firozabad. (2)

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Change in Religion: Shiv Behari Jain was of the Jain religion, while Ram Prakesh was born into the Hindu faith.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Shiv Behari Jain was reunited with his past life family.

Footnotes

1. Pasricha, Satwant, Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, 2008, page 9
2. Ibid, pages 9-12

Reincarnation Case of Mandeep Kaur | Pushpa: Change of Religion in a Past Life Case

Mandeep Kaur, a member of the Sikh religion, lived in New Delhi, India, with her husband and on June 2, 1961, Mandeep’s husband stabbed her to death. About 4 years later, a girl named Pushpa was born on June 16, 1965 into a family of Hindu religion.

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Satwant K. Pasricha, Ian Stevenson, MD Collaborator

From: Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Vol. 1 Reincarnation Research, by Satwant K. Pasricha

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Death of Mandeep Kaur, a Sikh

Mandeep Kaur lived in New Delhi, India, with her husband, who made a living repairing bicycles. Mandeep had younger sisters. Mandeep’s family was uneducated, relatively poor and they belonged to the Sikh religion. A famous place of worship for Sikhs is the Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, which is pictured to the right.

On June 2, 1961, Mandeep’s husband stabbed her to death.

Mandeep Reincarnates as Pushpa, a Hindu Girl

About 4 years later, a girl named Pushpa was born on June 16, 1965 in New Delhi, approximately 350 meters or 380 yards from where Mandeep lived. Pushpa’s family was of the Hindu religion.

When she was 18 months old, Pushpa stated pointing in the direction of where Mandeep and her husband lived. Later on, Pushpa said she was married to a Sikh and she recited the names of her children in a past incarnation. When her family asked what her past life husband did for a living, Pushpa made movements with her legs as if she was pedaling a bicycle.

Pushpa’s Past Life Phobia of Knives & Innate Knowledge of Sikh Religious Practices

When she was between 2 to 3 years of age, Pushpa demonstrated a severe fear of knives. She also had knowledge of Sikh religious practices, which was unusual for a young Hindu girl.

Eventually, Pushpa told her family that in her past life, her name was Mandeep Kaur and that her husband stabbed her to death. Pushpa expressed deep concern for her children from her past incarnation and she wanted to visit her past life family.

The family decided to investigate Pushpa’s claims, making inquiries regarding a Sikh woman who was stabbed to death. They found that Pushpa’s story matched the life of Mandeep Kuar, whose husband was a bicycle repairman.

Pushpa Accurately Identifies Members of her Past Life Family

Pushpa’s family contacted the Kaur family and arranged a meeting, where Pushpa accurately named members of her past life family. When Pushpa met Mandeep’s sisters, who were now older than she, Pushpa treated them as if they were still younger, as if their chronological status was still unchanged.

When Pushpa met Mandeep’s husband and murderer, she demonstrated “coolness and indifference.” (1)

Mandeep’s and Pushpa’s families denied any prior knowledge, acquaintance or interaction with one another. Dr. Pashricha pointed out that though only 350 meters separated their homes, socially they lived in different worlds. Pushpa’s family was well-educated, with members of her family including a medical doctor, a Sanskrit scholar, a journalist and a schoolteacher. In addition, they were Hindu and quite prosperous. In contrast, Mandeep’s family was poor, uneducated and Sikh.

Pushpa Attends the Wedding of her Past Life Daughter

Pushpa maintained a relationship with Mandeep’s family and participated in the wedding of Mandeep’s third daughter.

Dr. Pasricha interviewed Pushpa four times between 1973 and 1975, as well as 17 other informants involved in this case. Dr. Pashricha also reviewed Mandeep’s autopsy report. Her conclusion is that this is a valid reincarnation case. (2)

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Change in Religion: Mandeep was a Sikh, whereas Pushpa was born into the Hindu religion. Pushpa had innate knowledge of Sikh religious practices, even though she was born into a Hindu family.

Past Life Phobia: As a child, Pushpa had a marked fear of knives, reflecting her past life in which she was stabbed to death.

Footnotes

1. Paricha, Satwant, Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, 2008, pages 6
2. Ibid, pages 5-7

Past Life Story with Change in Religion & Geographic Past Life Memory: Reincarnation Case of Gioanna Spontini | Laure Raynaud

Laure Raynaud was born in 1868 in the French village of Aumont, near Amiens. At the age of 17, she decided to work as an alternative healer and was then subsequently employed by Dr. Gaston, which connected her to discovering a past lifetime.

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Adulthood

Researcher: Gaston Durville, MD

From: Psychic Magazine and European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

Laure tells her Parents There is No Heaven or Hell

Laure Raynaud was born in 1868 in the French village of Aumont, near Amiens. As a child, Laure rebelled against the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and her parents had to force her to go to mass. Laure insisted that instead of going to heaven or hell following death, people were reborn in another body on Earth.

Past Life Memory: Laure Tells Dr. Gaston About a Lifetime in a Sunny Land

At the age of 17, she decided to work as an alternative healer, having learned an form of hypnosis. She moved to Paris and was employed by a physician, Dr. Gaston Durville, in his clinic.

Laure told Dr. Gaston about past life memories that she had, in which she lived in a sunny climate, in a large house with tall arched windows. There was a large terrace around the house, as well as a smaller terrace on top of the house. She said that this lifetime occurred about a century ago. Dr. Gaston was skeptical regarding her story, but he listened and eventually it was he who published the report regarding this case.

Geographic Past Life Memory: Laure Finds her Past Life Home near Genoa, Italy

In March 1917, Dr. Gaston sent Laure to treat a wealthy patient of his in Genoa, Italy. As the train approached Genoa, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had traveled through this countryside before. She came to feel that this is where she had lived in a past lifetime. In Genoa, she shared her past life memories and inquired whether there was a house in the area that matched her description.

Laure was taken to a house that one of her hosts thought might be one she was describing. Once there, Laure said this was not the house she remembered, but she thought her past life home was nearby.

They drove further until they came to a mansion that Laure recognized as hers. The building matched the description she had given to Dr. Gaston in Paris. There were large arched windows, a terrace around the house with a smaller terrace on top of the house.

Past Life Memory: Laure Remembers Where She was Entombed in a Genoa Church

More impressive is a memory that was stimulated by seeing this house. She had not had this memory before and as such, it can be categorized as a geographic memory, stimulated by a past life location. Ian Stevenson relates her statement:

“She said that she was certain that in the previous life her body was not buried in the cemetery, but in the church itself.” (1)

Dr. Gaston investigated this statement through church records. The mansion belonged to Benjamino Spontini, whose wife, Giovanna, was indeed buried in the church at Notre-Dame-du-Mont in a private ceremony. Unfortunately, there was no mention of looking for similarities in appearance or personality between Giovanna and Laure.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Geographic Memory: Laure recalled a new specific memory, that of being buried in the local church rather than a cemetery, after seeing her past life home. This memory turned out to be accurate.

This case is reminiscent of the Francesco Foscari | Wayne Peterson reincarnation case. When Wayne took a trip to Venice, he too had an intuition as to where he was buried in his past incarnation as Francesco Foscari. Though it would be expected that Foscari should have been entombed at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Wayne knew that he had been laid to rest somewhere else.

Wayne went to the Franciscan Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, a Franciscan church. There, he was intuitively led to the front of the church. There, he paused at a red rope barrier with a sign that indicated that further entry was prohibited. Wayne received an internal message that he should cross the red rope barrier and go behind the alter. He did, and there, behind the alter, Wayne found the tomb of Francesco Foscari.

Change in Religion: This case also represents a case in which religion or a spiritual belief system has changed from one incarnation to another. Recall that Gioanna Spontini was given the honor of being buried in the church at Notre-Dame-du-Mont in a private ceremony. This indicates that Gioanna was not only Christian, but she must have been a very highly regarded Christian.

In contrast, Laure rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church ever since she was little. She had to be forced to go to church by her parents and she claimed that after death, people did not go to heaven or hell, rather, they would reincarnate. As such, a prominent Christian in a prior incarnation returned with innate knowledge of reincarnation.

Footnote

1. Stevenson, Ian: Reincarnation Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 30

Reincarnation, Jesus, the Bible, New Testament & Christian Doctrine

Jesus & Reincarnation

Reincarnation and the Early Christian Church Fathers

How Reincarnation was Removed from Christian Doctrine

The reason is that a Roman Emperor named Justinian made arrangements for reincarnation to be removed from official Church doctrine in 553 A.D.

It was at this meeting that pre-existence of the soul was voted out of Church doctrine. Emperor Justinian manipulated Church doctrine by stacking the voting deck in his favor.

The Split of the Roman Catholic & Greek Orthodox Christianity-Branches of the Christian Church Excommunicate One Another

The Christian Inquisition, Salem Witch Trials & Psychic Abilities

Christian Church Doctrine and the Suppression of Reincarnation

Alexandra Nechita as Pablo Picasso Reborn

Pablo Picasso as a Child Prodigy Artist

Past Life Talent: Alexandra Nechita as a Child Prodigy Artist and a “Petite Picasso”

Past Life Patterns: Picasso’s Guernica and Alexandra’s Past Life Theory

Alexandra’s Day of September 11 mirrors Picasso’s Guernica

Past Life Patterns

Key excerpt: “You’re like five fingers on a hand who think they’re separate and make up reasons why not to get along.”

Elizabeth Haich, author of Initiation, has a Son with Past Life Memories

Past Life Memories, Drawings & Phobia of Swimming in a Lake

Past Life Memories: Gedeon Remembers having a Family of Dark and Half Naked People

Past Life Memories: Gedeon’s Past Life Wife has Long, Hanging Breasts

A Past Life Phobia of a River and Lake Monster

Past Life Ability: Gedeon can Maneuver a Canoe like an Acrobat

Past Life Memories: Gedeon would Hunt with a Bow and Boomerang

A Past Life Talent for Climbing Trees

A Past Life Talent for Drumming

Past Life Emotions: Gedeon Sobs When He Sees Scenes of Africa

The Death of George Floyd: How Evidence of Reincarnation Can Help Prevent Future Tradigies Based on Racial and Ethnic Bias

Evidence of Reincarnation Can Help End Racisim

Reincarnation & Planning Lifetimes: Daw has an Announcing Dream involving the Japanese Soldier as a Spirit Being

Reincarnation Birthmark on Ma’s Groin and a Phobia of Aircraft

A Child’s Past Life Memories: Ma says She misses Japan and her Family

Past Life Memory: Ma Remembers being Shot and Killed by an Airplane in a Past Lifetime

Ma’s Reincarnation Birthmark is in the Location of the Japanese Soldier’s Bullet Wound

The US War Plane that Killed Ma in a Past Lifetime was a P-38 Lightning

Past Life Phobia of Aircraft

Past Life Emotions: Ma wants to go Back to Japan

A Possible Case of Xenoglossy

Reincarnation & Gender Change: Ma Dresses like a Man and is Repulsed by her Menstruation

Reincarnation & Gender Change: Ma Accepts that She is a Lesbian

Change of Gender Reincarnation Cases may Explain Homosexuality in Some

Sasha Fleischman: An Agender Teen’s Skirt is Set on Fire

Reincarnation, Gender Change & Gender Identity Issues

Past Life Ability: Henrietta’s Innate Talent for Art

Past Life Attraction: Henrietta’s Affinity for the Name Weisz

Mediumship: A Spirit Being Speaks to Henrietta and Paints a Portrait through Her in the Dark

A Clairvoyant Tells Henrietta of her Past Life Relationship with Francisco Goya

Spiritual Guidance: Henrietta is Led to Information about a Past Life

Mediumship: Other Instances in which Henrietta served as a Medium for Francisco Goya

Past Life Identity: Was Henrietta Leocadia or Rosario Weisz?

Change of Religion: Shiv Behari Jain Reincarnates as a Hindu

Ram Prakesh Remembers his Past Life Family and Address

Reincarnation & Change in Religion: Though Born Hindu, Ram Observes Jain Customs

Ram Prakesh Misses his Past Life Wealth & Identifies Strongly with his Past Life Persona

Ram Prakesh Meets his Past Life Family, Who Accept Him as Shiv Behari Jain Reborn

Past Life Memories: Families of Shiv Behari Jain & Ram Prakash Deny Prior Contact

Mandeep Reincarnates as Pushpa, a Hindu Girl

Pushpa’s Past Life Phobia of Knives & Innate Knowledge of Sikh Religious Practices

Pushpa Accurately Identifies Members of her Past Life Family

Pushpa Attends the Wedding of her Past Life Daughter

Past Life Memory: Laure Tells Dr. Gaston About a Lifetime in a Sunny Land

Geographic Past Life Memory: Laure Finds her Past Life Home near Genoa, Italy

Past Life Memory: Laure Remembers Where She was Entombed in a Genoa Church

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**Elizabeth Haich, author of Initiation, has a Son with Past Life Memories**