Is Reincarnation Timeless?

There are many different beliefs concerning reincarnation but the common thread is that it is a timeless process. But if that’s the case are we constantly reincarnating or do we only reincarnate under a specific set of circumstances?

Many cultures have stories and legends about reincarnation and it’s a popular belief in many eastern religions. The idea of reincarnation can be both comforting and frightening depending on how you view it. If you view it as a chance to grow or correct mistakes from previous lives it can provide a sense of comfort or redemption. On the other hand you may view it as the soul will never truly be able to rest. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not it’s an interesting and thought provoking concept to consider.

Among the many schools of thought on the subject, the one commonality between them is that reincarnation is a timeless process. By that we mean that is the act of reincarnation is not bound by the constraints of time regardless whether you believe in the cyclical nature of life or the continual expansion of the soul.

This can be a difficult concept to wrap our minds around and may not even make sense, especially when we are so used to thinking of time as a linear progression. But if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture it becomes much easier to see how reincarnation could be seen as timeless.

When we think of reincarnation we often think of it as something that happens after we die. But the reality is that reincarnation is happening all the time. Every time we make a decision we are creating our future selves. In a way we are all reincarnating ourselves every day.

The beauty of reincarnation is that it gives us the opportunity to learn and grow from our past lives. We can use these experiences of our past lives to help us make better choices in this life. As we continue to reincarnate we can continue to evolve and become the best versions of ourselves. And it’s something that is happening all the time, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Where Does The Soul Go When Our Physical Form Dies?

Most of us have heard about reincarnation but what is it and is it real? There are many thoughts and theories on this and just as many questions when it comes to the subject reincarnation.

Do we keep reincarnating or is our soul released after we have made peace and are content with our previous and current lives? Is it something that happens to our soul only after we die?

For some believe that we will keep reincarnating until we reach a state of perfection. Others have the opinion that we only reincarnate a certain number of times and after that our soul is released from the cycle of birth and death.

Whatever your question or view there is no definitive answer. It’s a matter of personal belief. Some people feel that they have been reincarnated many times while others believe that this is their first life. And both beliefs could be true this is because the soul is not exclusive to humans nor is it bound to our Earth. We explain this concept in “Are we spiritual beings having a human experience?“

There are many stories and accounts of past lives. Some people claim to remember their past lives vividly while others only have vague memories. Some people say they were famous figures in history while others say they were ordinary people.

There is no scientific proof of reincarnation but there are many interesting cases that suggest it could be real. If reincarnation is real it would mean that our soul is immortal and that we have the opportunity to learn and grow in each lifetime. We find this an exciting and fascinating concept. We all want to know what happens to us when we die. It’s one of the great mysteries of life.

There is no way to know for sure what happens to us after we die. There are some things that we can do to make peace with our past and present lives. We can try to live our lives in a way that is honorable and authentic. We can also try to make amends with those we have hurt in the past.

Fundamentally it’s up to us as individuals to decide what we believe happens to us after we die. Whatever you believe try to live your life in a way that brings you peace and contentment.

Do We Reincarnate as A Different Form (i.e. Not Human)?

We all wonder what happens to us when we die. Do we simply cease to exist? Or do we move on to another realm? Many people believe in reincarnation, in the belief that after we die our soul is reborn into another body. But what does that really mean?

As already mentioned there are various theories about reincarnation but the basic idea is that our soul lives on after our physical body dies and is re-born into a new body some time later. Depending on our actions in this life our soul may be reborn into a different form. This could be another human body, an animal body or even an inanimate object. Some believe that we may even be reborn into an external being such as a plant or a tree. Others believe that we are dissipated and our energy is released back into the cosmos.

There are various views on this. With those who believe in reincarnation say that it is the only way to explain the “Order of Things“. Some presupposing that our souls are eternal and that we must come back to experience different things in different forms (not necessarily just from this world) and that this cycle continues until we reach enlightenment, only then we are finally released from the cycle of rebirth. And there are those who have the belief that after we die our soul is dissipated and in their reasoning it’s the only way to explain the randomness of life.

Our ancestors have had a fascination with reincarnation for centuries, despite this it’s not been until fairly recently that we have tried to prove it. This is seen In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s where a number of scientists and thinkers became interested in the idea of reincarnation and began to experiment with it. One of the most famous of these was the French psychologist Pierre Janet^[1]. Janet conducted a number of experiments in which he would attempt to hypnotize people and then ask them questions about their past lives.

Interestingly, Janet found that many of his subjects were able to recall past lives in great detail. There were however, some notable exceptions. One woman for example, claimed to have been a man in her previous life. Another subject claimed to have been a chicken!

Despite these oddities Janet’s experiments provided some of the first scientific evidence for the reality of reincarnation. Since then other scientists have conducted similar experiments with similarly interesting results.

So what does all of this mean? It’s difficult to say for sure. However, the evidence from these experiments suggests that reincarnation could be a real phenomenon. It’s possible that we’ve all lived many lives before and will live many more in the future. Who knows? Perhaps you were a chicken in a previous life!

So what happens to our soul if we don’t believe in reincarnation? Some believe that our energy simply dissipates and is absorbed back into the universe. Others believe that our soul goes to a different realm such as heaven or hell.

There is no right or wrong answer and it’s ultimately up to each individual to decide what they believe happens to them after death. What do you think happens to your soul after you die?

Reincarnation Experiments

In the past decade there has been several reincarnation experiments conducted with the aim of providing evidence for the existence of reincarnation. Although the results of these studies are not definitive they do provide some interesting insights into the possibility of reincarnation.

One of the most well-known reincarnation experiments was conducted by Dr. Ian Stevenson, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia. In this study Stevenson investigated cases of children who claimed to remember previous lives. He found that many of these children had birthmarks or other physical anomalies that were strikingly similar to injuries or birth defects that had been suffered by the person they claimed to have been in a previous life^[2].

In another study Dr. Jim Tucker also a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia, investigated cases of children who reported memories of past lives that were strikingly similar to the lives of deceased people who were known to them. For example, one child in Tucker’s study reported memories of a past life as a woman who had been killed in a car accident. The child was able to accurately describe the woman’s clothing and the location of the accident^[3].

These studies provide some intriguing evidence for the existence of reincarnation but they are far from conclusive. Many scientists remain skeptical of the claims made by those who say they remember previous lives and that more research is needed before we can say for sure whether or not reincarnation is real.

Summary

In this post we’ve looked at whether reincarnation is a timeless process, i.e. that we continually reincarnate, or whether it is a finite process whereby once we achieve a certain level of enlightenment we will one day, no longer reincarnate.

We’ve also looked at whether when we reincarnate it is always as another human being or whether it’s possible to reincarnate as different animals or even plants or inanimate objects.

We’ve also looked at whether we are all old souls or whether new souls are being born – and posed the question that if new souls are being born where are they coming from.

It’s a complicated subject and mostly open to individual beliefs and ideas with little scientific evidence. Although there are some solid stories from children that 2 prominent scientists have documented well in the late 20th Century.

Given that physics is quite clear that energy and matter are one of the same and energy cannot be destroyed but can be reused or dissipated. It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibilities to assume that our life’s energy could potentially be reborn into a new physical body of some form or another.

We hope you’ve found it useful and interesting. Please feel free to share it with your friends using the buttons below. If you have a theory or any questions relating to whether reincarnation is timeless or has a finite end, please leave us a comment below using the form.

All the very best and thanks for reading!

References

Paul-Michel Foucault (1966) The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_of_Things

1: Pierre Janet, Wikipedia. Fetched from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Janet on 14th June 2022.

2: Bering J. (2013). Ian Stevenson’s Case for the Afterlife: Are We ‘Skeptics’ Really Just Cynics? Scientific American. November 2, 2013. Fetched from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/ian-stevensone28099s-case-for-the-afterlife-are-we-e28098skepticse28099-really-just-cynics/ on 14th June 2022.

3: Duggan, M. and Wehrstein, KM (2020). ‘Jim B Tucker’. Psi Encyclopedia. London: The Society for Psychical Research. Fetched from https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/jim-b-tucker on 14th June 2022.