The more you delve into your meditation practice, the more you will hopefully begin to understand your own universal timeline. Knowing and accepting that you have lived many different lives and will most likely live out many more can be hard to grasp, especially if you have been brought up to believe differently. However, most people will experience at least one past-life memory while meditating, regardless of whether or not they recognize it as such. Others may experience a memory so real they can no longer deny the existence of their total self and all the lives they have lived. And it can all start by meditating with an intention to better understand your own timeline. First, let’s talk about past lives.
What do we mean by “past” lives?
As Albert Einstein famously said, “The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. ... The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”
In most cultures, we are taught early that time is real. Time helps us organize the reality we perceive. It is embedded into our language. But when we observe from a bigger overview—one that includes physical as well as nonphysical experiences—the concept of time loses significance. So, for the duration of this writing, when we say “past” lives, we are referring to other lives, other life experiences, different lives; life experiences outside of time. As Albert Einstein famously said, “The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. ... The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”
Past life discovery
Discovering a past life for the first time can easily happen in your meditation practice. It can happen in any Monroe Institute program. It could also randomly happen to you at any point in your life. I accidentally stumbled into one of my own past lives at a young age. I can’t explain what happened other than I saw something one day and just “knew” without a second thought. I traveled to the place where this past life occurred, and on that trip I had dreams about her/me the whole time I was there. I recognized buildings I had no right knowing about, as I was in a foreign country, and I just knew.
I like to say that a past life will present itself to you when you need it the most. Generally, I stumble into a past life experience when I am in strong need of an aspect that I had an abundance of in that previous life. In times where I need to be fearless and fight for the future I want, I tend to have memories, thoughts, or dreams of myself in a life where I was a brave warrior. If I need creativity, I tend to see aspects of the more creative lives I once lived presented to me. So, personally, I think when the time is right, you will surely have an aspect of who you once were present itself to you in the way you need it, whether or not you are looking for it. However, there are also ways to discover this in your meditation.
Limiting beliefs are beliefs that we think to be true that do not presently serve us in any way. They can negatively affect the way we react to situations, the way we problem-solve, our interactions with others, and the way we see the world.
If you’d like to meet aspects or your total self or see who you were in a different life, you can always make that your goal in a meditation session. Set that as your intention and see what comes to you. You may be presented with someone you have dreamed about before and never realized was a part of your total self. You may meet someone totally new. Regardless, if the time is right and your focus is clear, the possibilities are endless.
Limiting beliefs
Limiting beliefs are beliefs that we think to be true that do not presently serve us in any way. They can negatively affect the way we react to situations, the way we problem-solve, our interactions with others, and the way we see the world. Think about how children are generally open and caring. They see magic and know that anything is possible. As we get older, we begin to believe that not everything is possible, and we see obstacles and problems in situations all around us. Sometimes we judge a situation before we have a chance to live in it. This is due to our limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs can be as common and terrible as believing we are not good enough. They can also be mantras that we tell ourselves, such as “I will never get my big break,” “I never win,” “Everyone else has it easier than me,” or “Bad things always happen to me.” Whatever they may be, limiting beliefs do not serve us, and they can very strongly change the way we react to the world around us. A lot of times they can make us put people off and push ourselves away from others. And, by believing that the worst will always happen to us, we can attract the worst to us, as well. Why do we have these limiting beliefs? Many reasons. We have them due to the way we were raised. We develop them as we move through our daily experiences in the world. And we can even have them stick around from past life traumas.
How limiting beliefs from past lives can affect our present.
Our souls can hang onto patterns we deemed important so many lifetimes ago.
Something that I find incredibly interesting about past lives is that they can and do influence our present—for the good and the bad. Past lives can shape our limiting beliefs, affect our relationships, and even craft some of our fears. It’s possible that we never fully feel comfortable with our parents due to a limiting belief we are clinging onto from a past life. If you didn’t trust your parents in a past life, it could make it harder to trust them in this life. Perhaps we have triggers or fears that make no sense, and they are likely linked to some trauma we experienced many lives ago. Our souls can hang onto patterns we deemed important so many lifetimes ago. We can have trouble releasing these fears if they are not effectively worked through. This is, in part, why past-life regression therapy can be so beneficial. I’ve known people who have worked through fears and troubles with their current family members that were linked to problems they faced in other lives. It can even carry over into physical manifestations. I hold a lot of my stress in my lower abdomen thanks to the physical traumas I suffered in a life I lived not too long ago.
What can we do about this?
It can be hard to let go of the past or to get rid of problematic patterns we may be holding onto, but it isn’t impossible by any means. To let go of these limiting beliefs, you first need to recognize them. I recommend making a list of the ones that effect your life the most. Call attention to them and begin to recognize how they make your life harder. Then, go into your meditation. I like to go to Focus 12 for this but Focus 15 is also a great Focus level to let go of patterns that no longer serve you. Focus 15 can put you in a place so distant from your current problems that it may help you bring things into perspective a little better. Either way, once you are in your meditation, focus on the belief you want to get rid of. See how it negatively effects your life. Then, acknowledge that you no longer need this and let it go.
This may take some time and many sessions depending on how long you’ve been holding onto the pattern you are trying to release. But know that you don’t need it. Know that it doesn’t serve you. Know that it doesn’t define you. And push that pattern away from you; uninvite it into your life. See how much better your life is without that pattern in it, and really manifest that new way of living. Eventually, with time and focus, you can find that pattern to be a distant memory.
Recognizing the patterns and limiting beliefs you have carried over from those lives can be extremely beneficial for you.
Discovering your past lives can be a very exciting and enlightening experience. Recognizing the patterns and limiting beliefs you have carried over from those lives can be extremely beneficial for you. And working to improve your life so you can experience your best life now is such a wonderful thing. With focus and determination, you can let go of your limiting beliefs and live the life you want. Good luck on your journeys into your timeline!