CHAPTER FOUR

Reincarnation

We must analyze again in more depth this controversial subject because of its profound theological importance.
Some people feel immediately the reality of reincarnation just by reading or hear the word itself; others need to reason the concept and they seek for arguments for or against; most of them will probably accept this reality and others will nevertheless reject it.
According to the law of cause and effect, the possibility of continuing our experiences after death allows us to practice all the spiritual knowledge we have acquired and correct the mistakes made in our previous life to be able to acquire the knowledge that allows us to achieve spiritual control over matter.

Let's analyze some theological aspects.
The Church has chosen to impress on us fear of hell and eternal punishment, instead of conceding us the indispensable knowledge to choose and be independent from blind obedience, or the promises of going to Heaven.
Reincarnation, instead, is a privileged mechanism that certifies divine justice, God's divine love, Divine Esence, Nature or the name each of us give to it.
The same as a genius, who is born and not made, there are truths which whom one is born and manifest themselves harshly or gradually and they awake us to a reality that gives new meaning to our lives.
This happens with reincarnation, not all of us will be able to accept it, that is why in the year 553 the Council of Constantinople, not presided by the Pope but by a layman (Emperor Justinian I), declared as "heresy" the teachings of Origenes of Alexandria and other Fathers of the Church, all of them favored the philosophy of reincarnation.
Fifteen clauses were condemned by the council, some of them were: preexistence of the souls, reincarnation, eternity of creation, etc.
Nowadays, due to the natural evolution of mankind and the mental awakening that is happening, an awakening that is not equal for all of us because there are souls with more and some with less experiences, most people would accept reincarnation by inspiration not dogma.
The council would not have established what it did, symbolically for the future, if it had been presided by Pope Virgil, who was in fact supposed to do it, but who was held back in Rome by force. He would have accepted the teachings exactly as they had been transmitted because he favored reincarnation. So, the end of the nineteenth century would have been very different, with the majority of the Christians accepting those principles.
Pope Virgil and his successors, Pelagius I, Pelagious II and Gregory I, rejected what had been proposed by the council. This lasted until the year 604.
Presently in the West, the most reluctant to accept the possibility of reincarnation are, in general, the Christian groups, whom it will be impossible to convince by showing them some biblical vesicles; they will give a different interpretation of them anyway.
This knowledge is millenary, but the cosmic concept is new in light of the present human evolution and the modern physic science.
However, we cannot forget that the first wise men, Fathers of the Church, bounded by the teachings left by Jesus Christ accepted reincarnation.
Justin the Martyr (100 - 165) said: " The soul lives more than one time in a human body, but it cannot remember its previous experiences".
Saint Clement of Alexandria (150 - 220) said: "But before the foundation of the world were we, who, because destined to be in Him, pre-existed in the eye of God before,--we the rational creatures of the Word of God, on whose account we date from the beginning; for 'in the beginning was the Word'."
Exhortation to the Heathen - Chapter I
Origen of Alexandria (185 - 254) he emphasized several theological principles. He said: "Preexistence of souls exists: "The soul has neither beginning nor end… [They] come into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of their previous lives" (De Principiis)
"There is a constant process towards perfections, first we are vessels made of mud, then made of glass, afterwards we become silver and finally end as golden goblets. "
"All the spirits were created without guilt, "and all of them must finally return to their original perfection. "
"Every soul existed from the beginning. It has passed through some worlds ahead and will pass through others before it reaches the final consummation."
"There are innumerable worlds that follow each other during the eternal ages. "
"Or is it not more in conformity with reason, that every soul, for certain mysterious reasons (I speak now according to the opinion of Pythagoras, and Plato, and Empedocles, whom Celsus frequently names), is introduced into a body, and introduced according to its deserts and former actions? ".
Origen Against Celsus - Chapter XXXII
Sinesius (370 - 430) manifested: "Father, grant that my soul may merge into the light, and be no more thrust back into the illusion of earth."
"The soul which did not quickly return to the heavenly region from which it was sent down to earth had to go through many lives of ‘wandering.’"
Archbishop Puacher Passarelli from the Order of the Capuchins, apostolic preacher attached to the Vatican is in favor of the thesis of reincarnation, wrote to Senator Taurredi, who had his same beliefs, the following words:
"If it were possible to popularize the idea if a plurality of existences in this world, it would become a way to comply with the divine will of allowing men to redeem they sins, purify themselves and make an effort to be deserving of God and immortal life.
This would be an important step that would solve intricate and painful problems that hurt the human soul.
Each day I think more in this truth, that will bring many benefits to religion and society."
Even if it is true that in our western world the idea of reincarnation is gaining strength, the belief and doctrine of reincarnation has been known since remote times and sustained by several existent religions in all of Asia and taught by multiple philosophical and spiritualistic schools. Many well known philosophers, such as, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato and many others, believed in the truth of the law of rebirths.
There is a phrase said by Pythagoras to his most advanced disciples: "A life in the flesh , is nothing more that a link in the long chain of the evolution of the soul".
I could quote many phrases of other philosophers and from some Fathers of the primitive Christian Church, but I will conclude the introduction to this subject quoting only one sentence from the Gospel, for those that practice Christian doctrine or belong to any Church of Christianity. Because reincarnation or the return to a physical life is very clear in the New Testament.
When Jesus, the Messiah, spoke to a crowd that was following Him, and he referring to John, the Baptist said: " For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.(Matthew 11,13-15). Because this return of Elijah to the flesh had been announced by the prophet Malachi (IV - 5)
The gospels of St Matthew (17,12-13),St Mark (9,10-12), and St Luke (1,12-17), clearly state that Jesus said that Elijah had come back to the physical life, reincarnating in the person of John The Baptist. You can check it out.
So, Jesus the Messiah stated that Elijah, the spirit of Elijah naturally, had come back to the physical life, had reincarnated in the person of John, the Baptist (Johanan, son of Zachariah and Elisabeth).
Facing this assertion from the Messiah, could there be any more doubt?
Why, then, is the truth hidden by the Christian churches?.
Reincarnation was a part of the Christian doctrine, in the first centuries of the primitive christianism, that pure christianism of love and sacrifice.
This foundation of spiritual progress based in rebirths, has appeared again in the middle of the XIX century, due to the efforts of a missionary of spiritism, known by the mane of Allán Kardec who has contributed greatly to the task of reviving this truth in our western world.
Only living through many experiences can we achieve evolution for the values of our soul, and so human race can improve as whole.
Really there are three postures or theories in this subject that I will analyze next.
I submit them to your scrutiny, because nothing should be accepted by dogma or imposition, but must rise from our own reasoning, from our own feeling. We must accept only those ideas that has affinity with our thoughts. Feeling this affinity in concordance with our own discernment is the only way to apply real faith in all our actions.
1. The Materialistic Theory sustains that life is a trip from birth to death; the mind is the result of determined correlations of matter; men is the highest intelligent form of life in the cosmos; and his intelligence dies when the body disintegrates after death. There is absolutely nothing after death.
2. The Theological Theory establishes that with each birth a newly God-created soul enters the experience of life, changing from an invisible status, through birth, to a visible existence. After the short period our life takes in the material world, we go, through death, to the invisible beyond, from where there is no return, and our eternal happiness or unhappiness is determined by our acts during the infinitesimal period delimited by our birth and death. Infinitely infinitesimal if compared with the Universe. This theory sustains the immortality of the soul.
3. The Theory of Reincarnation or rebirth teaches that each soul is born from God, and it is developing all the divine possibilities, in the same way that a seed develops a plant, we ,by going through successive reincarnations in a human body start improving the quality and developing the powers given by our divine nature; all humanity will achieve their goal of perfection and return to their origin, divinity. The soul is immortal but it develops through multiple incarnations.
The purpose in showing these three theories, one against and two in favor of life after death, is for the reader to assess the postures of different schools of thought in this primordial matter, so important for our feeling and thoughts, that is not always explained in detail.
The fact that a mystery is beyond our powers of human comprehension does not mean that we should not try to understand it, up to what our intellect allows us.
Those of us who understand the Divine Laws that rule us, accept karma and know that evil is a transitory aspect and good is a permanent aspect, that life after life, due to evolution, the return path to our Creator is traveled; that there are not inferior or superior people, because we are all brother and sisters and as spirits, born from the divinity, with some souls being more evolved that others, because they were born before.
We are not guilty of our ignorance or our ignorant acts. It is not the fault of fate or chance to be born in the circumstances we are or to be the person that we are. The universe is ruled by Divine Laws from which we do not escape. Everything has its reason to be. You should not harm others, but must not at the same time accept to be hurt by others. We must not attack but we must defend ourselves.

Each soul has latent attributes that it needs to manifest. Nothing happens by chance, everything has its reason to be. Each soul receives, to accomplish its mission a cosmic program that allows the soul to choose the genetic code it needs for its body at the same time with the environment that will surround it.
It is not easy to understand the reason behind the social differences between humans and even harder it is to try to explain them.
An individual is born in a family that teaches him moral values and provides an environment of elevated ideals from the cradle, while another is born to a world of selfish interests were it is taught to lie and steal. Would it be fair to demand the same from both? Is it fair to reward one for living and honest life when it has been placed in an environment where he could hardly do otherwise?, or to punish the other for eternity , when he finds himself in such adverse circumstances that he can barely understand what morality means? If only one life existed this would be what would happen. Would that be fair?
There must be a key to the matter and it is the theory of successive lives and the law of cause and effect.
There is no such thing as chance or fatality in human life, neither is there divine injustice to some and rewards to others. Voluntarily the soul decides to incarnate and be who it is as a human being. we are what we have asked to be before being born, and we have requested that to be able to overcome tests and express attribute to be able to grow. We must transcend the world overcoming our limitations that bound ourselves to it and because of that before incarnating, in the spiritual plane we ask for a harder test so as to ascend, evolve, improve, progress more.
The law of karma or cause and effect is best observed in the differences there are between human beings.
Those who suffer a lot do so because in their previous lives could not understand humility, understanding, love, qualities that must be lived and practiced. Those who have hated a lot incarnate again to suffer their own hate.
Those who have much progress little, because, in general, them are more attached to the material plane because of the lure of gold, power and flattery, the test is harder for the ones that have much than for those that have almost nothing. Those who have much if they attach themselves a lot to those riches cannot pass the test of abundance and in their next incarnation must manifest humility, a test far more difficult to pass. Those who have little, and don't accept their circumstances with humility and faith, and rebel against them, cannot pass the test and must go through it again.

Those who suffer now will understand and help the suffering people in their next life.
Those who suffer hunger, pain, and misery will then help the hungry, sick and abandoned.
The planet is a gradual school for the incarnated souls, each life is a new level, grade. In the planet we go through short basic courses and other more advanced ones. Our fondness to material things bounds us to incarnation, by unattaching ourselves from material things we are freed from the chains of physical form. Still there are people that feel that Earth is the center of the universe and the only possibly inhabited place.
Those who live in fear of the eternal punishment caused by the actions of this unique life and chance, will apparently be good, noble and fair only because of fear of punishment and not through real evolution of their spiritual aspect. They will wear a mask of goodness, justice and nobility, but their aura or radiating energy, that surrounds every one of us, will show the real internal status of the person.
It is not enough to repress, we must overcome.
We cannot know what light is unless we get to know the darkness.
We will not become wise of we were not before ignorant.
We will not understand what is eternal and immortal if we do not experience the illusion of the temporal and mortal before.
We cannot understand the suffering of others if we have not suffered previously.
We cannot enjoy freedom completely if we have never been slaves of our senses.
We cannot understand, feel or express love, goodness, charity, peace, forgiveness, understanding, humility, faith, fraternity if we have not overcame hate, evil, greed, envy, jealousy, revenge, fanatism and every other aspect of self-love.
This natural evolution is achieved in several lives, in each of them our soul is allowed to manifest some of out positive attributes so as to be able to grow and develop. We should remember that each time a positive attribute is manifested the negative opposite vibration disappears, because the evolution of the positive is permanent and the negative is temporal. So all the bad and negative attributes of a person are a lack of manifestation of the positive attributes.
Everything positive achieved in one incarnation vibrates in our spirit and helps it grow. Everything negative generates a debt with the law that must be paid in the next incarnations. This debts attach themselves to our spirit but are not part of it.
The true teachings indicate that there is always evolution, in each life there exists a relationship of cause and effect with the previous life, and we are born again to redeem past errors and express new positive attributes.

Negative aspects are vibrations whose frequency is in opposition to the positive vibration of the soul, so it cannot live in it permanently. This explains the fact that there is no eternal punishment, neither is there a backward individual evolution.
It is time to understand that nothing that is negative that happens in the physical plane can affect or condemn for eternity the subtle aspect of our spirit that is really what each of us is.
Smugglers and criminals, corrupted and power abusive men those who had much and shared nothing, the suicidal, all of them may have a long stop in their evolution but never go backwards. Then in a new human life they will ask to make voluntary sacrifices so as to redeem the pain they have caused and with suffering, effort and sacrifice be able to manifest humility, tolerance, understanding and love to others as much as they can.
The birth-death, death-birth cycles are a constant spiral of ascent, that starts from a primitive initial point, basic, an it ends in divinization, that is to say coming back to the original point where it started as a divine seed, coming back as a divinized spirit, with all our faculties and powers developed.

Every one, even the most negative person, is a creature of God, made from the same divine essence and destined to make his faculties shine and illuminate his fellow men with his light some day.

Now, we will comment upon some scientifics aspects of this subject.
Thanks to regresive hipnosis, used nowadays as therapy for some psicological conditions, it was demonstrated that patients not only regressed to to their first years but also to their previous life. There are thousands of cases analysed by several researchers and many respectable books that have been published that are based in many clinical accounts. Regresive hypnosis is used to treat some phobies that cannot be cured by classic therapy.
Some psichiatrists do not believe in reincarnation, but due to the good results, they ask their patients to go back to theri previous life and in general there is the cause and the solution.Other professionals have had so many experiences with patients form different religions that they accept and defed scientifically the theory of reincarnation.
It is not my intention at this point in my essay to get into a discussion about the phenomena surrounding this subject, (it will be in other chapters), so if you need to pursue this subject you can find information in the bibliography.
Why then, if there exists so much varied and logic evidence, is it so difficult for people to accept reincarnation and why are they often afraid of it?
Maybe the answer can be found deep inside each being, maybe the acceptanc of this law is related to prejudice, habits, education and in some mesaure to the comfort of having someone else be "guilty" of the bad things that happen to us and our difficulties.
It is easier to say: "Such is life!", "It is destiny!", "It is God's punishment!", "It is circumstances!", "Things happen by chance", because if we do not accept reincarnation then we are not so responsible of our life, of our tests, of our circumstances, of our choices.
Knowing this law implies absolute responsibility of out actions, feelings and thoughts and of everything that happens to us in life.
There is another question that could invalidate all of the above and it is: Why can't we remember our past lives with more clarity or the plans we make before being born? There are several reasons for this lack of memories, and all of them have to do with the love and mercy of God.
First, that memory of the past would restrain our freedom of action in this new experience, because we would be bound by hatred, resentment or bad habits that only momentary oblivion can help us overcome.
What woulld happen if we remembered that we were roman slaves, that we fought in the Coliseum arena, wouldn't we be full of resentment, hate, revenge? and what if we were to detect, in this life, the people who wronged us? How would we act?
On the other hand, violent or traumatic memories that we suffered in a past existence could create in us feelings of guilt or remorse, according to circumstances, and that would not help us contniue in the road of progress with a more optimistic point of view.
Life should be faced with faith, happiness, hope, optimism, without fears.
We must remember that our past lives are not recorded in our current brain, the physical organ were our spiritual mind manifests itself and that receives the information of the present existence, they are recorded in our esencial Spirit that resides in tis plane, according to its evolutionary stage.
Another objection could be that if we do not remember the past then we are wasting time and are always learning from scratch.
The answer is that what we really forget is the way in which we learned o acquired a positive or negative experience, we do not forget the experience itself.
Per example: We develop our will power through different lifes. That will power is not lost when we die, it becomes part of the spirit that life after life develops its virtues and redeems its errors. We will be able to use that will power and make it stronger in the currect existence even if we do not remember the previous experience through which we acquired it: it comes naturally to us and is part of our personality. The same happens with every other aspect.
In that way, conscious or unconscious of the existence od the superior laws that guide and conduct us, we follow the road of progress by using our free will, deciding over conflicts, circumstances of life that make us responsible of our actions, feelings and thoughts.
Acquiring this knowledge can bring peace to our hearts and enligthment to our minds in moments of distress and in conflictive situations. This knowledge will give us hope and security in the unbreakable love, prevision and divine justice that gives each being the means necessary for his evolution. In this road we are never alone because the physical separation of those we love does not mean an affective or spiritual separation. Quite the contrary, the bonds of love, affection, true friendship and brotherhood, trascend frontiers and nurture our spirits that with humility, strength and happiness continue advancing in the road of evolution.

I do not believe that anyone, except the materialists, should have a lot of difficulty accepting this law. There are many scientific, filosofical, religious or sectary organizations that believe firmly in reincarnation.
"The brahmans teach that souls are dressed in a subtle body, that in turn, wrapppingitself with a thick cover, accompanies them in every tranmigrations, keeping ,in that way, their individuality."
The egiptians believed in the inmortality of the soul. In China, Lao- Tseu, the great philosopher, preaches eternal life and transmigration of the souls. So did the greek philosophers, such as Plato who "tought that souls existed before the body". In cristianity we find that Jesus says: "In truth, in truth I tell you that nobody can see the Kingdom of God if they are not born again..."
So, does not men in his conscience feel that he is eternal, that his is a particle of the Universal Soul? Analysing things deeply, onle life only would not be enough to acquire all the knowledge that certain people possess. In everyday life we are easily conviced: How many times must we repeat a lesson or experiment to finally learn it? Although, many men make works of art and manifest extraordinary gifts and singular proficiency in the execution of certain tasks, they excel in science as eminent scientists. This innate faculties, as they are called, are nothing more that the ones learned or developed in previous existences.

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