A Rational Reason for Reincarnation: Freed from the Fear of Death

A Contemplation of Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss

A Message to the Reader:

The following content includes my personal thoughts and beliefs about the phenomena of life, our existence, and the infinite nature of consciousness. Some of the ideas shared may be incomplete or only in their infancy of development. Others, I consider truths I've learned about the nature of the self, society, and a God that I am only beginning to know. I encourage you to use your discernment when reading this content. There may be some things you agree with, others you don't understand, and probably more you may reject. My only ask is that you contemplate the concepts that resonate with you and leave the rest behind. I share my thoughts not to persuade anyone to think or see the world as I do. We all have our own unique journeys to travel and perspectives to gain. I just hope that my creative expression helps others feel a little less alone and a little more loved as they wander their path back to the heart of the Creator.

We Find a New Perspective When We Look Beyond the Illusion of Mortality

"At first, I was not aware of why I was changing so much. I knew I was more calm and patient, and others were telling me how peaceful I looked, how I seemed more rested and happier. I felt more hope, more joy, more purpose, and more satisfaction in my life. It dawned on me that I was losing the fear of death. I wasn't afraid of my own death or of nonexistence. I was less afraid of losing others, even though I would certainly miss them."

- Dr. Brian Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters [Chapter 4]

When I first read the quote above by Dr. Weiss, I immediately felt that I understood exactly what he was talking about. I have not been fortunate to find anyone who can empathize with how I feel about most things. I am constantly reminded of how different I am and that the way I see the world isn't compatible with mainstream society. But when Dr. Weiss described feeling calmer, more patient, and happier due to his losing the fear of death, it resonated with me and served as a reminder that I am not alone and that others think and feel similarly to me. Sometimes, that belief is all I need to get me through the day.

As my faith evolves and my belief and understanding of reincarnation grows, I have experienced the calm, hope, joy, and satisfaction that Dr. Weiss spoke about. I have begun viewing and engaging with the people in my life differently, too. Recently, after I finished reading Many Lives, Many Masters, I remember looking at my wife, son, and our pets with a more endearing perspective. We've been together as a family for more than seven years now, and it can be far too easy to get stressed and lose patience with some of their more vexing tendencies. Whether that's my wife saying one thing and her actions wholly contradicting it, my son simply being a stubborn and willful 4-year-old, or our pets' unique idiosyncrasies and constant begging for food or affection, each of them has something they do that I struggle to tolerate by the end of a long day.

But now, because of a newfound appreciation and understanding of our souls' journey, I have far more patience with each of them. Dr. Weiss expressed the sentiment beautifully in Chapter 6, "I would look at my children and my wife and wonder if we had been together before. Had we chosen to share the trials and tragedies and joys of this life? Were we ageless? I felt a great love and tenderness toward them. I realized that their flaws and faults were minor. These are not really so important. Love is." Did my wife and son choose to accompany me during this lifetime so all of us could learn its lessons together? If so, how many lifetimes have we shared? An expansion of love and appreciation occurs when you start considering the possibility that the relationships with your family and friends existed long before this life and will continue long after you each pass from it.

I look at my wife, and I feel as if one purpose of our matrimony is to help her heal from not only the traumas that occurred during this lifetime but maybe wounds inflicted in previous lives that require healing, too. We have our problems, just like every other couple that has been together for an extended period of time. And I know there are often moments when she curses me under her breath and wishes to inflict some measure of acute pain upon me, too. Yet, I also know without a shadow of a doubt that our relationship and the bond we share serve a purpose that transcends time and space. She has helped teach me so much about life, love, and my purpose. I wholeheartedly believe I have benefited the most from our time together. Her love changed me. That's why I will never forsake or abandon her. I am devoted to her and the mission to help create warm, loving memories and experiences that will continue to heal and mend her soul.

When I see my son, I can't help but think and feel that he chose my wife and me to be his parents. I believe he came into this life to do something extraordinarily remarkable and inspiring. Obviously, there's no way for me to prove such a statement, but I'm convinced these contemplations and the messages I share with him through these posts will play a role in shaping the person he becomes. He's filled with so much love and kindness. While I believe his mom and I do a good job of demonstrating acts of love toward him and each other, there's just more beaming from him than I believe his mom or I can take credit for. I have a feeling that much of it was carried over from previous lifetimes. He will be much wiser and more empathetic than I am now. I will do everything in my power to lay a foundation enabling him to pursue his purpose in this life.

Now, when I think about our pets, a couple of passages from the Law of One series of books come to mind. In the following exchange between Don Elkins and Ra, Ra explains how humans play a big role in the development of self-awareness within second-density beings like our pets.

"Questioner: Then how does the second density progress to the third?

Ra: I am Ra. The second density strives towards the third density, which is the density of self-consciousness or self-awareness. The striving takes place through the higher second-density forms who are invested by third-density beings with an identity to the extent that they become self-aware mind/body complexes, thus becoming mind/body/spirit complexes and entering third density, the first density of consciousness of spirit.

...

Ra: I am Ra. Much as you would put on a vestment, so do your third-density beings invest or clothe some second-density beings with self-awareness. This is often done through the opportunity of what you call pets."

- The Law of One, Book 1 [Session 13 and 14]

So, even with our dogs (Daisy and Duke) and our cat (Ari), I feel a spiritual responsibility to help them grow, develop, and graduate to their next level of consciousness. Pets are such a blessing in the lives of those who've had the privilege of raising them. While I won't go so far as to say they're just like children, I will say that they truly become a part of the family. Daisy is our loving and protective teenage diva. Duke is my wife's cuddly old man, and Ari is too cool to hang out with us, but he's my son's favorite, and they share a special bond.

Now, I know that it can be a stretch for many to believe that our pets have developing souls that are affected by how we treat them. I get it. Yet, once again, I feel a strong sense of purpose and responsibility to aid each of them as they strive to become self-conscious entities. When I look into Daisy's eyes, there's no doubt that she loves me and cares for every member of our family. After all, I believe the only difference between me and her is the fact that I'm further along my soul journey than her. With that said, I'm certain she will be learning third-density lessons in her next life incarnation.

Focusing on what lies beneath the surface of the illusion in all of my interactions has helped me feel more connected, patient, and loving toward everyone in my life. Knowing that every single experience we have with one another has a lasting, reverberating impact has made me more cautious and purposeful in ensuring they are positive and filled with loving intent. I can no longer be flippant or reckless when engaging with others because I now better understand how much each of those moments can alter and shape us.

So, I will encourage everyone reading this contemplation to take a moment to think about the impressions and impact they want to make in the lives of their loved ones and those they may not know. The sun dawns and dusks each day, and we like to take solace in having clean slates and being able to do it right or better the next time around. There isn't anything wrong with that idea because it allows us to be hopeful for another chance to make a positive impact in the future. But it often provides a rationale allowing us to waste opportunities and not hold ourselves accountable to the present moments gifted to positively impact those around us.

We Discover Our True Purpose When Freed from Our Fears of Death

"How powerful the fear of death is. People go to such great lengths to avoid the fear: mid-life crises, affairs with younger people, cosmetic surgeries, exercise obsessions, accumulating material possessions, procreating to carry on a name, striving to be more and more youthful, and so on. We are frightfully concerned with our own deaths, sometimes so much so that we forget the real purpose of our lives."

- Dr. Brian Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters [Chapter 4]

Without the looming finality of death skewing my priorities and manufacturing an unnecessary sense of urgency for trivial matters, I have been able to focus my attention on the timeless, consequential aspects of our nature that connect us. The copious amounts of time and energy our society devotes to hanging onto our youthful appearances and staving off the inevitability of aging is both sad and predictable. We spend hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on creams, make-up, pills, and plastic surgery to erase wrinkles, tighten skin, and cartoonishly enhance physical features to become or remain desirable to a society incapable of seeing our true value and worth.

We accumulate material possessions and hoard them away because we operate under the ever-present fear of loss and scarcity. We believe all of our resources, including love, are limited, and therefore, we divert an incalculable amount of time and energy gathering and squirreling away what we think we need to help us momentarily feel safe and prepared. But that nagging feeling and fear of emptiness will never go away as long as we're disconnected from the source of all love and abundance. The illusion of death and the idea of our possible non-existence afterward keeps many of us perpetually locked into patterns of living (or surviving) that repeatedly cause us to ignore the spiritual purposes of our incarnation.

When we're able to let go of the fear of death, we're soon bathed in an overwhelming feeling of freedom that unclinches our fists, relaxes our being, and allows us to open our arms and hearts to those once counted as a threat to our survival. We're able to find and practice patience because the illusory timetable for our demise no longer hurries our actions or devalues the moments we have to embrace and connect with the ones we care about. Far too often, we allow the pursuit of fortune, power, and prestige to guide our steps and distort how and where we assign value in our everyday lives. While there is purpose in all events and every moment, I am confident that my voice is being used to help partially remove the veil of ignorance and help others break the cycle of their trite actions and focus their energies on developing the everlasting aspects of their being and assisting those they love to do the same. None of the fortune, power, or prestige we tirelessly gather unto ourselves carries over to the next life; only the lessons learned, and the development earned will follow us beyond the grave.

"I hope that you will be helped by what you have read here, that your own fear of death has been diminished, and that the messages offered to you about the true meaning of life will free you to go about living yours to the fullest, seeking harmony and inner peace and reaching out in love to your fellow human."

- Dr. Brian Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters [Afterword]

As I bring this contemplation to a close, I couldn't think of words more fitting than those shared by Dr. Weiss to end Many Lives, Many Masters. I don't know if anything I've typed or shared with you in this post will sway your thoughts or actions one way or another. Remember, I gave up on changing people's minds and trying to get them to do certain things long ago. As I remind the reader at the beginning of each contemplation, my primary intent is to hopefully make some of you feel less alone and more loved as you continue your soul's journey. Now, with that expressed, I do hope that I've shared a perspective that aids in diminishing the fears of death and non-existence that can keep us from living a life filled with connection, purpose, and passion.

We live in a world and a societal construct that would have us expend most of our energies on the trivial and mundane to keep us from realizing who we really are and focusing our energies on creating healthy, long-lasting changes to our collective conscience. Believing that our existence is relegated to mere flesh and bone and began only a few short decades ago keeps us ignorant of our power and potential and forever distracted by our primal needs and desires. There are many obvious and rational reasons to believe in reincarnation, but they all reside in a realm reached only by faith that lies behind the curtains of our perceived physical reality. And that's precisely why I can't convince anyone that reincarnation is real or not. Its undeniable truth will only be revealed in the heart and mind of the individual standing on a foundation of faith and seeking to connect the conceptual dots that lead to a more comprehensive and illuminating understanding of the Creator.

Take care of yourself, and know that you're never alone and always loved.

A Moment for Gratitude

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Brian Weiss for sharing his story and expertise with the world through his work as a psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and best-selling author. His books from Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy that Changed Both Their Lives (1988) to Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing Power of Past Life Memories (2012) have changed lives and comforted thousands by assuring them that life transcends the physical death and that we, along with our loved ones, exist perpetually beyond time and space.

Dr. Weiss' medical and professional background, accolades, and achievements allowed him to speak from a unique scientific perspective about matters of spiritual significance with inherent religious ramifications. His esteemed status provided him with a voice of credibility that helped pry open some closed minds of a community and profession trained to be skeptical and requiring empirical evidence before acknowledging anything as truth. I can only imagine the public ridicule he endured for us to read and learn of the incredible story of Catherine and the Masters that spoke to him.

Thank you, Dr. Weiss, for helping me see my family in a whole new, fulfilling light. You helped me connect the theoretical concept of reincarnation to the emotional reality of the impact it can have every single moment of our lives. I never understood before reading your book that me and my loved ones could be carrying traumas from previous lives to this one. That possibility has enlarged my capacity for patience, empathy, and forgiveness for all. I also never truly considered the idea that my family's love and devotion to one another could have bound us together through multiple incarnations stretching across eons. That humbles me and makes me love them even more. So, thank you again, Dr. Weiss. I believe everyone should know when they've made an indelible impression on someone else's life.

To my Son, Alexander:

"Our immersion within mortality coupled with fears of death distorts our perspective, skews our values, and causes us to question the meaning of life. But when we're able to pierce the veil of the illusion and bear witness to the energetic Source connecting us all, we will adjust our foci and intuitively learn the purpose and meaning underlying all lives."

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Recommended Reading and Entertainment:

• Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss

• What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Anabella Sciorra

• Cloud Atlas written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski