by Bryan Jameison

Q: Doesn’t the belief in reincarnation conflict with a belief in God?

A: Not at all. If anything, I believe it puts God in a much kinder, gentler and far more fair and merciful position than the one He now occupies in most mainstream Western churches. The law of karma, which operates through reincarnation, places all responsibility for what happens to us on ourselves as individual souls rather than on God. We, and we alone, have created all of our curses just as we alone have earned all of our blessings somewhere along the way. God has nothing to do with it except to make all things possible. If it were otherwise, we would have no free will.

Q: I’ve read the Bible many times and have yet to see any mention of reincarnation. Is it referred to in the Bible?

A: No, but neither are Chinese people, house cats or the pyramids mentioned in the Bible. Yet we know they all existed at the time the Bible was written. If we were to disavow the existence of everything not specifically mentioned in the Bible, we still would be living in caves and eating our meat raw. Also, those who contend there is no scriptural validation for reincarnation’s existence are obviously assuming that God is either Christian, Hebrew or Moslem because there are great volumes of scripture from other world class religions, which deal with the subject extensively.

Q: Why are you being so hard on the Christian religions?

A: All I have attempted to do is to give them unabridged credit for their actions. If anything, I think I’ve been rather gentle in my treatment, in light of the effect of religious intolerance upon those of us who, now and in the past, have subscribed to a belief in reincarnation. I refer you to the Church’s bloody history. No other religion has so consistently endorsed, practiced or relentlessly pursued the degree of brutal suppression, censorship and eradication of those who believed in reincarnation as has the Christian religion.

Even today, believers in reincarnation often are tarred with the same brush of condemnation as black magicians, pornographers, baby killers and devil worshipers. We often are accused of being ungodly, evil-spirited people who are leading others to a hell they invented. Even today, the same warped beliefs and evil rhetoric, which sent thousands of people to be tortured and murdered in the past, still can be heard coming from too many Christian pulpits. If these people were to make the same malicious statements about racial or ethnic matters, they would be severely censured by the courts rather than being ignored and/or praised by the media.

When one considers the fact my beliefs have been demonized by Christian writers and broadcasters, my lectures repeatedly picketed and disrupted by so called “Christian” hecklers and my work constantly condemned as being Satanic by many Christian leaders, I think I’m exercising amazing restraint. I do not know of any Christian who ever has been harmed by a single metaphysician; nevertheless, there have been thousands of metaphysicians harmed by Christians. I believe for me to ignore this sad situation or fail to confront the intrinsic evil it represents is to invite a repetition of the cruelties of the past. This I absolutely have no intention of ever enduring again. By the way, I have nothing against most Christians, as individuals. It just is their religious extremism I can’t abide.

Q: How do you explain Hebrews 9:27, where it says, “it is appointed for men once to die and then the judgment.”

A: I can’t explain many of Paul’s statements or even tell you how he arrived at his conclusions. Sincere people often make mistakes, including even those who believe they are speaking for God. Could it be Saint Paul may have been wrong? Remember at one time in his life, Paul believed all Christians should be put to death.

Q: If we’ve lived before, why don’t we remember our past lives without using hypnotic regression or other techniques?

A: As I see it, it’s because as Spiritual Beings we usually choose to forget our past lives. There are, however, countless people who spontaneously have recalled their former lives at an early age. This is especially true if they were born into cultures which do not suppress, ridicule or condemn the belief in reincarnation, but accept it.

Many such alleged, well-documented past life recalls are explored in Dr. Ian Stevenson’s book, Twenty Cases Suggestive Reincarnation. Most of his reported cases took place in those cultures. It is important to note his work was not an attempt to prove the existence of reincarnation but rather to present documented studies of spontaneously recalled past lives. It becomes apparent to anyone with an open mind that the events and data in his book go far beyond conjecture, coincidence and the usual range of probability.

Q: Have you ever regressed anyone who has gone to Heaven or Hell after they died in a past life?

A: As far as Hell is concerned, the answer is ABSOLUTELY NO!!! I think this is because we’re about as close to it here on Earth as we’ll ever be. When it comes to Heaven, however, after dying in a past life, most of my regressees describe moving into a heavenly kind of reality, a beautiful White Light beyond the Earth plane. After becoming aware of this new plane of existence, they often describe meeting other Light Beings who always lovingly welcome them. The way they describe their other worldly environment varies from person to person, but usually involves being surrounded by an indescribably beautiful and warm White Light, which permeates their total being with feelings of blissful peace, joy and unconditional love. In addition to this, many also describe going to an indescribably beautiful garden-like setting where they once again meet those they have known and loved before living on Earth.

Q: Have you found any evidence of guardian angels or spirit guides?

A: If you want to count first-person reports, yes. Most of us apparently have at least two or three spirit guides. However, some people have more than a dozen. Sometimes they are the spirits of people we have known, but just as often they are entities with whom we’ve had no Earthly history. I am told angels could also fall into this category.

Q: Does a soul ever stay on the Earth Plane after leaving its body in death?

A: Yes. I have encountered countless souls of departed parents who have remained on the Earth plane for many years in order to guide and protect their children until they reach maturity. Frequently, departed spouses also will stay to help their mates through their grieving process. In many cases they actually may choose their replacements. I have found this type of matchmaking extremely common, especially when the marriage partners shared a deep love for one another.

On the negative side, some souls become trapped by their loved ones’ feelings of grief and/or guilt. It, therefore, is extremely important for those left behind to release those feelings if they wish their departed loved ones to move on. Upon their request, my clients often are “visited” by departed relatives and friends. These departed souls come in to help them resolve and release their unrequited feelings of loss, regret, anger and/or grief. It’s always been healing for both parties when this occurs.

Q: What is to stop us from doing evil things in this life if we believe we’ll just come back and start over again?

A: Nothing. I believe, however, if people were aware that whatever they did to others, good or bad, would come back to them in the exact kind and measure they dished it out, they surely would choose to live their lives much more responsibly, compassionately and wisely.

Q: How do you know if what you’re doing to yourself and others is morally right?

A: A rule I try to apply is one shared with me by a close friend. Before committing yourself to any thought, word or deed, ask yourself, “If this person were my very best friend, would I say, do or think this?” If your answer is NO, to this question, don’t do it! It’s wrong! This same rule of thumb also should apply to you. If you were your own best friend, how would you treat yourself in thought, word and deed?

Q: What is karma?

A: As I understand it, it is the spiritual equivalent of the law of cause and effect. “What you sow, you will reap.”

Q: Do countries have karma?

A: I don’t know about countries, but the people who live in them most certainly do. Souls choose to incarnate into a national environment where they can best fulfill the destiny they either feel they deserve or have earned. What is one soul’s destiny well may be another soul’s tragedy.

Q: Can we eliminate bad karma from our past lives by meditating, doing good deeds or becoming a follower of an enlightened guru?

A: Many believe that; however, I haven’t found it to be so. As Paul said in Galatians, 6:7, “For whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Lamsa Bible). My research indicates there are no exceptions to this law, a law which was taught by spiritual master teachers for thousands of years before Paul was born.

Each act or thought, intent or desire has its own karma. Simply, a good deed equals good karma, a bad deed equals bad karma. Each is separate in and of itself. Because they are separate, one cannot be used to eliminate the other. As far as I can tell, its purpose is to give a soul the opportunity to know what it feels like to be in another’s shoes, and in so doing, the soul learns balance.

Q: If one accepts Jesus as his savior, will all of his past sins be forgiven?

A: If you are talking about escaping the karmic consequences of your past lives, my definite answer is NO! As Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “For truly I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even a yoth or dash shall pass away from the law [the law of karma], until all of it is fulfilled.” In other words, there is no statute of limitations on karma. Every letter or condition of the law will be met in one lifetime or another by everyone. No one else can pick up our paycheck or our tab. It’s all ours, and ours alone.

Q: What happens to bigots who condemn others?

A: We become exactly what we condemn in others, especially if it’s for something others can’t help such as: a physical deformity, nationality, race, sexual persuasion, etc. For example, in one of my lives I condemned and persecuted people for believing in reincarnation. Now look what I do.

Q: What about those of us who feel guilty for having so much when others have so little?

A: You have earned the life you now have. Take it from me, if your life is blessed with good health, prosperity and loving relationships, you have earned those blessings somewhere along the way. There are no free lunches. Unlike the modern practice of buying now and paying later, the Universe seemingly works only on the lay away plan. After you have paid for it completely, you can have it if you claim it. If you feel like sharing, do it, but don’t do it out of guilt.

Q: Have we ever incarnated as animals?

A: Many believers in reincarnation contend we have, however, I can’t give you an absolute answer. Thus far, I’ve never regressed anyone into a past life in which he claimed to have lived as a dinosaur, fish, monkey or anything else we may think of as a lower life form, at least not on this planet.

Q: What were we before we began incarnating?

A: Over the years I routinely have asked my regressees to go back to the first time they became aware of being anything; to the first moment they thought of themselves as “I AM”. Once they reached that point, I asked them, “What or who are you now?” Without exception, the answer is always, “I am Light.” Each person described having the sensation of being aware of everything, while at the same time also knowing nothing; of recognizing his own individuality but without any sensation of “apartness”. Each felt that he was a part of everything that existed, and everything that existed was a part of him.

After asking this question many hundreds of times, I have come to accept that as souls, we essentially are intelligent Beings of Light. We began our journey by “being one with the Light,” the same Light we are able to tap into through meditation, and the same Light with which we consciously merge after leaving our physical bodies in death. What has become undeniably evident to me is we never have stopped being Light Beings but merely have forgotten what we are. I believe this is because our perception of being spiritual entities becomes distorted after we incarnate. It is at the point of incarnating most of us forget what we really are.

I have often referred to my regressees taking their feelings of rage, fear, guilt, etc. to the Light and letting them go. You may ask, “What is the Light?” It is an aura of protective healing energy, which surrounds the person during regression. I believe it is the manifestation of the Higher Self, God, Higher Power, etc.

Q: What do people mean when they talk about old and new souls?

A: I believe they’re usually referring to the number of times a soul has reincarnated rather than to the actual age of the soul. My research definitely indicates all souls are ageless and have, therefore, existed forever. Some have reincarnated on Earth more often than others. That doesn’t mean they are any older. It just means they’re more experienced at messing up themselves.

Q: Are older souls spiritually more evolved than younger ones?

A: Apparently not. Just because a soul has been in body many times doesn’t mean it necessarily has learned anything from its experiences. As they say, “There’s no fool like an old fool.” This also applies to souls.

Q: Do we get better or improve each time we reincarnate?

A: “Better” and “improve” are relative terms. Better than what?

If you mean do we become more spiritually aware the more we reincarnate, I have seen no evidence of it. In many instances, quite the contrary seems to be true. If I am to believe my clients, we were much nicer to each other 100,000 years ago than we are today. We certainly were more aware of certain spiritual realities and damaged the Earth much less.

Now if what you mean by “improve” is that we go from playing the role of villain to one of a saint, the answer again is NO. Sometimes the soul playing the role of a hard-core villain surprisingly may be more spiritually evolved than the one acting the part of a pious minister or priest. One should never judge the quality of the soul by the role it’s playing, even though, in most cases, the outer man usually reflects the spiritual essence of the inner man. The face you have at sixteen is the one nature gave you; the one you have at fifty is the one you gave you.

Q: If we’re not improving, why do we continue to reincarnate?

A: To answer the first part of your question, I didn’t say we’re not improving. I simply said I haven’t noticed if we are. And to the second part, there are an infinite number of reasons why we reincarnate. Among them is, as Spiritual Light Beings, we apparently are incapable of feeling anything physical or emotional unless we are occupying an [earth-type] body. Therefore, if we merely existed as disembodied spirits, we never would be able to feel what it is like to experience love, hatred, compassion, lust, fear, courage, guilt, anger, pity, greed, sorrow or joy. These all seem to be necessary elements if we are to benefit from playing out our fleeting parts on this Earthly stage.

Another of the accepted theories for our incarnating is to fulfill our unrequited desires for Earthly things. It appears to be true that these desires, along with our pent-up emotions tend to be brought forward from one incarnation to another in much the same manner as the unpaid balance on a credit card is transferred from one month to the next until they are put to rest. However, the most widely held belief is that we are here to learn spiritual lessons and once that is accomplished we outgrow the necessity of reincarnating.

Q: Is it true the reason we continue to reincarnate is to evolve spiritually to the point we can unite with the Godhead?

A: It long has been assumed that the underlying reason for Man’s presence on this planet is to eventually realize his own perfection and to become One with the Universe, the Godhead, or whatever term you prefer to use for IT. The assumption of this belief is that somewhere along the way we were separated or cut off from the Godhead. However, I have found absolutely no evidence to support this belief.

From what I’ve seen, the only difference between the Source and ourselves is awareness, not substance. Contrary to the teachings of most religions, my research indicates how that in the beginning we were all Light Beings who were totally at One with all that is. Therefore, as Light Beings, the only thing we can become is more aware of what we truly are and the re-acceptance of that truth. It also would appear that we will continue to be reborn ad infinitum until we once again become conscious of and accept our own divine nature.

Excerpt from Exploring Our Forgotten Lives

See Part I here. See Part III here.