If Christopher Penczak's teaching schedule brings him anywhere near you, I suggest you sign up for a workshop! I attended his plant familiar class at the Sacred Space Conference, and one of the other ones he taught was past lives regression.
Chris presented a logical aspect of this that has always bothered me a bit--how can so many people have been Cleopatra in a past life? There are just too damn many for any of this to work. The concept he suggested was this: suppose that our consciousness, after death, goes back to a big pool. This is a repository for your essence, what makes you you.When a new being comes into existence, that being is filled with consciousness from the pool, so there may be some essence from Cleopatra, and some from my grandma, and some from medieval midwife, and so on. It's like a new cup dipped into the pool.
A further point he made was about manipulating your past life regression with your imagination. Even if this is the case, what you bring up is what you need to work on, whether is genuinely from a past life or not. Most past life regressions, he maintains, are really kind of basic & boring: tending the baby, tending the house, planting, tending the fields, work of some type.
My past life was...goodness gracious, I can't believe I'm admitting this, even on an anonymous blog..............
as a jellyfish. OK, it was a big, gorgeous jellyfish rising up above the edge of the earth & lit from within. You know how there is the exquisite Tree of Life, the World Tree? It was a jellyfish like that. But yep, when I was led to look back for a past life, I was a jellyfish. So I bought the little beany baby jelly in the photo so that I would have a tangible reminder.
After this experience, I went on to read Shirley MacLaine's book, Out on a Limb, about her spiritual awakening, and how she came to believe in past lives. She was incredibly skeptical at first, probably even more skeptical than I. Her book is not perfect, but it is worth reading, and it's cheap & easy to find in used form.
Have you looked up the symbolism of the jellyfish?
ReplyDeleteI find past lives an interesting topic. I'm not 100% sure where I stand on myriad of thoughts regarding them - but I do love to ponder!
From what I know, jellyfish can symbolise understanding of the value of floating, rather than swimming, through trying emotional times and also the ability to become untangled from the webs of peril in life.
ReplyDeleteBright Blessings*
I've enjoyed Christopher's workshops on more than a few occasions, though not recently. Would love to again, that's for sure. I like his books, but I *love* him in person. He's got a knack for that kind of sharing and teaching.
ReplyDeleteAs for past lives, yeah - most are quite ordinary, lacking drama of any nature. Some are, like yours, surprising (and not) in their manifestation. It's the rare few that are suspiciously (or outright undeniable as) historical, of significance and loaded with extreme drama.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: In my next life, I would love to return - again - as a tree. If only to live to pre-sapling, to be nibbled away after winter's melt by a hungry deer. :)
During meditation, I have often played around with the idea that we are all different pieces of the same soul. The idea is very similar to the pool of consciousness.
ReplyDeleteI saw a whole bunch of jellyfish in a huge glass aquarium in Hawaii once -- love how they propel themselves around by hydraulics essentially! They have a vicious sting -- you were fierce in your past life!
ReplyDeleteJellies in the water are beautiful to me. But they have no brains. :) I guess I should look up the symbolism, since I have just been focused on the factual stuff.
ReplyDeletei love all of shirley maclaines books. did you receive your box yet?
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! I thought that I had left a comment on your blog saying such! It came a little while ago, beautifully packed, and I loved it all! My boyfriend sent me some tulips for Ostara, and I arranged it all around them. Thank you!
ReplyDelete