Chapter Three - Philosophical Matters

A subject upon which there is little agreement (sometimes even in the spirit world) is ‘Reincarnation’. Here are two talks offering some clarification, and the second one probably came about because several weeks after we had received the first one, and before a circle meeting, we had been chatting together about reincarnation, and our spirit friends must have heard and concluded that we needed some more guidance.

 Spirit (Ling); Greetings.

My friends and I have been getting together again and discussing various things, and tonight we will pass on to you some ideas that we have, that may help you, help others.

There seems to be a tendency to always make a fetish out of reincarnation.

Now as you know, we ourselves cannot emphatically say that yes it occurs as people imagine, life after life after life, physical that is.

We all know that various spirits at some stage in their development, possibly of their own volition, possibly with the help of their tutors or friends, do decide to enter a physical body for learning, but whether this continually occurs we can not say. The spirit has freedom of choice, so it would appear, (in our thinking), that there would be many who like earth life, and who may wish to return a number of times... but, when you are on earth, we cannot see the point in striving to find out about previous lives, or even worrying about them at all.

Look at it this way. You people in your mature years… are you worried about your kindergarten or pre-school years? No I didn't think so, so why should one worry about one's kindergarten years in the development of spirit?

It can be an ego trip if one can convince other people, (and no doubt in convincing them trying to convince one's self), that one was an engineer for the Pharaohs, in fact you had something to do with building their great tombs; or you were a belly-dancer for some great King; or you discovered America - or so many things.

But how many people say, "I got hung because I murdered”; “I was a highwayman who robbed”; “I was a low-life of some particular type"? No, you never hear of those, so what is the point!

So with these people who are saying, "But I was so and so", or "Why can't I remember?"... Perhaps you could point out the idea that we have just suggested, "Are you interested in your kindergarten years?"

The whole of life is progress. All right, in twenty years B.C., forty years A.D., eleven hundred, or during the time of Elizabeth the First you might have chosen to be on earth; and what you learned is part of you now. But surely, one could also look at it this way, that a person who has to return many times to earth must be an exceedingly slow learner; because there is so much to offer on this side that it would surely only be for a very particular reason, that voluntarily you would return.

We of course understand that there are spirits who need to return, but we think as one develops it becomes a matter of choice and it does not matter one little bit while you are on earth if you can remember, or not remember, your past lives.

It is what you are now! Not what you were ten years ago even, it is what you are today; not yesterday, today, and more important, what you are going to be tomorrow, because it should be an onward, upward climb - no looking back!

When you join us there is the opportunity to look back and make adjustments, but not now. Now is the time for learning, for progress.

The evaluation, which is a very simple process when you arrive here, helps you decide that,  “Right, this is what I will do, this will help people and perhaps it will help me.” 

Leave that decision until later. Point this out to people. Give them the opportunity to see that they are possibly wasting a lot of time, in unnecessary conjecture as to what has happened in the past.

I hope this will aid you in aiding others.

Is there anything that you wish to ask?

Sitter; Ling, as an indication of frequency of return, do you personally know of anybody who has had a desire to return?

Ling: A desire to return... no I have not. I assure you of that. (Laughter) But I have known some who have returned because of the work that they can do to help others; but it is never frequent - not amongst those that I know.

We feel that it is something that you can dismiss- all right for someday, but forget about it meantime.

Well my friends, that is all for tonight from myself and my friends, and we hope it will be of some benefit, not necessarily for you people, but for those you may contact.

Thank you.

Goodnight.