Know Thyself, Know Thy Past Lives

Who are you? Those who walk a spiritual path know that humans are more than just a physical brain and body. In Buddhism, there is what we call, “The Right View.” Right View is the first of the eight-fold path which teaches on the wisdom view of reality. Reality from a Buddhist perspective looks at the nature of existence, our true nature as being empty, nonphysical, and simply pure energy consciousness. It examines the nature of suffering and how we create suffering, and the nature of impermanence which is constant change. 

A large part of our suffering comes from falling into illusions. We cling to the illusion that things are fixed, solid, permanent, and separate. Right view involves clear insight. It addresses impermanence, wholesome actions, moving beyond attachment, and ego, so that we can liberate ourselves from suffering. 

I have studied Buddhism for over twenty years in the Tibetan lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who brought Buddhism to the west. Buddhism is a school of philosophy and psychology that studies the nature of reality and consciousness. It is not a religion. Though it does become quite spiritual, when we start to go down the road of past lives, and reincarnation. Reincarnation means we have many lifetimes, and our soul returns to Earth repeatedly to learn what it needs to learn. When we open our view to who we are as an infinite consciousness with many lives, we begin to notice that our past lives influence us in our present life. The veil between timelines and who we have been over the course of the soul’s journey can become quite conscious and integrated. Our past lives impact us every day whether we are conscious of it or not. Past lives influence our likes and dislikes, our perceptions, and decisions, what choices we make, and the people we like or dislike. As a past life regression therapist for over 15 years, I have seen how exploring past lives can help us heal from unknown origins of disease and negative patterns that sabotage us. It can also help us integrate inherent gifts and reclaim very positive traits that can help us discover joy and creativity. 

When we have the Right View, we see ourselves as energy beings with an infinite consciousness traveling through time and space. There is much more to who we think we are, who others are, and who our children are. 

Through deep meditation, anyone can access the hidden lives within. It is as easy as downloading a photo from iCloud. Ha! Yes, you are the technology! Within you is a storehouse of information. Your unconscious has a personal iCloud account that stores this life’s experiences and memories. Carl Jung called this the Personal Shadow, or Personal Unconscious. On a larger scale, there is a collective iCloud account, a storehouse that holds all of your past life experiences and memories as well as everyone elses! This is a massive storehouse of information and memories from all people around the world from all timelines. That is what Carl Jung called the Collective Shadow, or Collective Unconscious, and what Buddhist have called the 8^th consciousness for thousands of years. 

Our lives are constantly being shaped and influenced by other timelines without us realizing it. Carl Jung famously said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, you will call it fate.” 

Buddha gave us the remedy: Meditation. Meditation is the practice of getting to know ourselves in a loving and gentle way. It is a deep dive into the inner world of the psyche and a way of knowing who you really are as interconnected, infinite energy consciousness. The world takes shape because we are manifesting our inner world, projecting it out onto the world stage, not realizing that we are shaping our lives by the internal unconscious. 

If you would like to learn more about past lives and meditation, contact Melanie Ryan at MelanieRyanLCSW@gmail.com

Explore the websites GoldenShadowMethod.com & AncientWisdomToday.com