Reincarnation: The Universal Recycling Program
There are several schools of thought pertaining to reincarnation. Eastern thought states that a person has the opportunity to right the wrongs he may have committed in a previous life and to do good works that benefit others, thus assuring himself a higher social placing in the next lifetime. If the wrongs are not corrected and a life of dishonesty, cruelty, and/or disregard for spiritual laws lived, the person may be forced by the laws of karma to return to physical life as a lesser evolved lifeform. This may be an animal or an insect, and is one of the reasons that Eastern religions honor every form of life. This belief is called transmigration.
Western beliefs about reincarnation are similar, though they do not include a belief in transmigration, believing that the soul returns only to a human body. Why the need for reincarnation? What is karma? Does that mean we are controlled by karma or fate and have no free will?
All of these are very valid questions that will be answered. The purpose of the soul to incarnate in human form is to allow the soul over many lifetimes to experience the full range of human earth plane experiences, both physical and emotional. From these experiences, valuable lessons are learned which assist the soul in its purpose of growth and development on its way back to union with the Creator. Some of these lessons may include the futility of jealousy, learning that loved ones are more precious than material possessions, learning compassion for others’ physical limitations by experiencing a debilitating disease or injury, or learning that love is the most important emotion in the human condition.
What is karma? That is the label given to the universal laws governing the process of reincarnation. Karmic law states if you, John, take your spouse Mary’s, life in a fit of jealous rage when you find said her in a compromising situation, that in a subsequent lifetime, you will find yourself in her former situation with Mary at the business end of a gun or sword. This is compatible with the biblical statement; ”Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword.” People assume this refers to the same lifetime, but it also can reference reincarnation. Does this literally mean that if you beheaded Mary in the 14th century in a fit of jealous rage that she will kill you when positions are reversed? The answer is…perhaps, but not necessarily. The soul growth that develops from one life to another will progress that soul from a perspective of allowing rage to control his/her physical actions in the 14th century to a more understanding perspective of compassion in the 21st century. Hopefully, Mary will remember on the soul level what it was like to be found in a compromising position and have the will and control to be understanding and forgiving and avoid destroying not only a life, but the opportunity of expressing having learned the lesson.
Where does free will enter the picture? The Creator has endowed each and every soul with free will and the ability to arrive at decisions necessary to advance the growth and development of the soul in the earth plane. I believe that the Creator, by whatever name you call Him or Her, gives each of us the freedom to make decisions and then experience the consequences of those decisions. That is how true learning takes place. It seems sometimes that we learn far more quickly from the painful experiences than from the pleasant. Remember how quickly you learned not to touch a hot iron once you burned your hand on it? Even though your parent watched you carefully, your free will to touch the iron when their attention was elsewhere could not be denied, as a decision to engage in harmful activities, such as drinking while driving, is not denied by God. The driver’s lesson may be learned through a fine at the first violation. Perhaps that is not a severe enough consequence to promote true learning. The driver then is offered the lesson again, but this time the result is a larger fine and the suspension of the license. If the driver still has not learned the lesson, perhaps the next part of the lesson will come in the form of a serious traffic accident, possibly involving the driver’s loved ones. As you can see, the lesson remains the same: Do not drink and drive. If not learned at the early stages, the subsequent stages become more difficult and the consequences harder to endure.
There is much more information written about reincarnation available to those who wish to read more about it. I am compiling a reference list for those who would like suggestions for reading about this and other subjects relating to metaphysics. Simply request the list at my email address and I will get it to you as quickly as I can.
