Reincarnation, and the Plausibility of Old Souls

Posted on by

One of the driving forces behind my upcoming book, Old Souls, is the idea of reincarnation. When I explain the premise of the story to people they usually respond one way. “Do you believe in reincarnation?”

reincarnation-soul-mateIt’s an interesting topic. Everyone seems to have an anecdote to share, whether it’s about how a psychic once told them they were an old soul, or about a boy in Louisiana who convinced his parents he used to be a fighter pilot, and was shot down over the Pacific. These stories often result in interesting conversations about life and death, and what happens to our souls when we die.

I don’t believe I’m going to hell (and never really expected they’d let me into heaven). Although I tried the organized religion “hat” on for a while, it only made my head itch. That’s not to say, of course,  I’d ever try to take anyone’s beliefs from them. My dad is a Christian. His faith helped mold him into the kindhearted, compassionate person he is today. It’s a hat that looks good on him.

quotescover-JPG-87But, because I don’t believe in a neat and tidy, biblicized set of rules and convictions, I feel like I’ve entertained a fairly wide variety of theories about life and nature, and where our souls come from.

What I have come up with is this: I believe in life. In positive energy.  I don’t think there’s a perfect being who watches us all the time, judging us while we steal the last cookie from Grandma’s cookie jar, or a twisted demon who makes us do it. I believe the force fueling evolution and breath and everything around us, is . . . our souls. The desire to be alive, to experience each other and the world around us. I believe our molecules have collected as intricately as they have to give us consciousness, because they were driven by our consciousness to do it. As our environment changes, our molecules will find new ways to persevere, to thrive, until this world is used up and we return to the stardust we came from: drifting with a purpose, to collect in a new world where we can thrive again.

Now, does this mean that I believe that the premise of Old Souls could be real, and that there are three hundred beings here on earth who can remember each and every one of their past lives, and have fought among themselves to control mankind for the last ten-thousand years?

quotescover-JPG-58Not really. But, it has been pretty fun to think about. That’s why I love being a writer. I have been able to let my imagination run wild. My book is made up of tangents, really. It is the result of slipping into a dream-like world where conspiracy theories, plots of world domination, immortality, and the schizophrenic delusions of a madman are real.

I haven’t decided whether or not I believe in reincarnation, exactly. I feel like if we do incarnate over and over, the experiences we gather in each lifetime and the genetic makeup of our bodies–our hormones and our brains–would fundamentally change how we operate from one life to the next.

aBut, my youngest little hellion said something once that really made me stop and think. It’s amazing what children can say sometimes, in their syrupy sweet, innocent voice. It happened last year at bath time. Nonchalantly, he skimmed a Spiderman boat over the surface of bubbly water.

“Mommy, when we all die and come back to life again, I still want to be your Rylie.”

 

So, do YOU believe in reincarnation?

27 thoughts on “Reincarnation, and the Plausibility of Old Souls”

  1. I, like you, don’t conform to organised religion, but I am spiritual. I believe we have souls and we are in some way linked to the universe.

    I gave birth to my daughter within fifteen minutes of a family member being cremated. This was the source of a lot of reincarnation theories in my family, and the ‘one in one out’ theory.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • Oh, wow.
      What an emotional time it must have been for your whole family. The birth of your daughter would have seemed a little surreal, with all that going on.
      It’s so interesting to see how different people think of things like this. Everyone has a story.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • The family member was distant to me, but very close to my Nan, great nan, and auntie. It was mixed emotions for them. I know the distant family found comfort in my daughter being born on the same day.

        Yes, I find talk about the after life and the universe etc fascinating.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓

  2. Hi Jenny, have you seen or read ‘Old Souls: The Scientific Evidence for Past Lives’ by Thomas Shroder? Someone suggested I read it … I couldn’t even hold the book … the boy on the cover … too disturbing … familiar. Not the first time for me either, things happen, words said, unexpectedly but somehow not surprisingly. I don’t dwell on them I have enough to cope with in the life I have.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  3. I would absolutely melt if either of my boys said what Rylie said. I would hope for reincarnation just so that wish could come true.

    I’ve described both of my boys as old souls. As infants, there were often times that they’d look at us as if they had been through it all before and knew exactly what we were doing.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

  4. I grew up going to Catholic schools starting in second grade, in a small Ohio town filled with good German Catholics. I learned and understood all the things I was supposed to believe. I was always bothered by priests and nuns who taught us stuff they couldn’t explain. Even my mom, when I asked about religion and basically asked how do you KNOW, she said that’s the believe part. If it were all facts it wouldn’t require faith.

    So, it was not a surprise that the Doubting Thomas in me got through my Catholic high school and Catholic college (1.5 years before I headed south to a non-Catholic college in Florida), and, once free of the hometown and nearby access to parents, commenced a life of debauchery. Being a thousand miles away from mom and dad, I felt safe in doing so. Needles to say, I stopped going to church as soon as I didn’t have Mom there to roust me on Sunday morning. (In college in Florida, I was rarely home from partying Saturday night in time to go to church Sunday morning, had I an inclination to attend Mass. Which I did not.)

    But then my daughter was born.

    And as they do, kids test you.

    She almost didn’t make it and we spend a long week in the NICU not knowing. I wanted there to be a God. I was willing to trade my life for hers, if God would have such a deal. I prayed.

    She got better, got released, grew for a few years; I stopped worrying about God existing or not.

    Then I saw an atheist on TV asked if his kid was dying of cancer in a hospital if he’d tell the dying child that this was it, a great black emptiness and nothing more. He said no, he would probably lie and say he’d see the child in Heaven, just to ease the kid’s fears.

    I thought about that.

    If my five year old daughter were dying of cancer, or dying in general, or if I was dying…

    If I was dying and thought that was it, a great blackness? That’s just horribly sad. That’s a terrible thought to leave her with. That this great mass of education and understanding and reason and logic inside my head and head would simply cease? Seems like a waste, but it is a terribly lonely and saddening thought. I’d miss her terribly. My wife, my family, I spent lots of time with them. I will miss them, but not like her. I’m still just getting to know her. Five years has not been enough.

    Twenty won’t be, or thirty.

    So I want there to be a Heaven and a God. It makes more sense to my otherwise logical brain that, when I look at her face, there is a deity involved and not a random series of accidents. I can’t explain it, but I look at her face and I know there’s a God.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

    • That is such a beautiful thing to say. It’s really great how much you love your daughter, and how that love shines through when you talk about her.
      It’s hard to believe there are people who believe there is nothing more to the world than the life they are living now. Thinking of a great black emptiness after death is mind boggling, even a little terrifying . . . I can’t even percieve it.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  7. This could be my credo, almost 100%. Besides which, sometimes I believe in a lot of disembodied spirits (of people, animals, plants and even spirits of “aliens”) that move among us. (How can anything be “alien” if the universe is made of the same stuff, really? I guess I mean, alien to Earth.) But it’s amazing how clearly children can see.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I’m glad you agree! I think we may be in the minority though. (And, that’s okay.) The idea of disembodied spirits makes me a little nervous, to be honest. I used to work in an old pub I swore was haunted! A well known psychic came in for dinner once and said she could feel the presence right away. Whether she was feeding off my preconceived fear or not–I’m not sure, but she was an interesting lady!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • One never knows with these mediums! 😉 I have a friend who can see them and hear them. I fully believe her; but I don’t only mean spooks, I also mean nature spirits and just basic cosmic little spirits (also larger ones), mostly beings of “light”. I know I fully believe in angels even in my most agnostic moments, because they have protected my children and me so often I cannot count.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓

  8. Reblogged this on Jazzmelia and commented:
    I believe in reincarnation! Mostly because i don’t believe in nor hell, and i can’t really like to think my soul dies when my body dies. So what happens to the soul then?

    Like

    Reply ↓

  9. Uncanny! Halfway through my book on this topic and like you I had started it and put it away. I wanted to get my other books out of the way first. I have been researching this topic for several years. I can’t believe that this is all there is, or in heaven and hell. A very interesting topic and you make some very valid points.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

      • Past lives revisited through regressive hypnosis. Pure romantic fiction. BUT, with elements of truth. (Hence the extensive research). A topic close to my belief system and weaving it into my story is enjoyable. Cell memory is incredibly obvious in very young children. I’ve experienced it several times, maybe Old Souls?… Looking forward to reading your BOOK. Best Wishes on it. Rita

        Like

        Reply ↓

  10. I love your point of view and can relate pretty much to what you bring up here. I wrote a lot about this in my book too. Your son must be very young because he does still remember. Try to talk to your son. He still knows a lot about who we are.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  12. Correction: (Man, I need a copy editor even for an internet comment) I’m yet convinced of reincarnation, but the book sounds smashing – I will look forward to its release.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  14. My sentiments too. I agree with your words, Jen.
    We were all children once. We only forget everything we knew as we grow up and the world keeps contaminating us with different points of view (religious too). Children are the best to be heard and loved. They just know!
    Your book sounds amazing 🙂
    Hugs!

    Like

    Reply ↓

Leave a comment