Reincarnation, the concept that we have all lived past lives, is the door through which I entered a greater level of understanding…. But there are many doors. People have accessed the higher realms through near-death experiences, through mystical encounters, or through meditation…. All doors lead to the same place: a transcendent recognition that our true nature is spiritual, not physical – Brian Weiss, M.D.

 

If you follow any of my writing I believe that everything happens for a reason. We were born to our parents for a reason. People, stories, things and animals come into our lives for a reason. We travel to certain places for a reason.

 

I believe in reincarnation and that we have connections with people in this life from previous lives. One of the many things I’ve been wondering about is why I have this fascination with indigenous culture and shamanism, and why, when I meditate, I naturally journey and meet with mostly animal guides, in particular the whale, the wolf and the eagle take me places and give me insights.

 

I have a strong distrust of Christianity as an institution (but a strong affinity with the Archetype and teachings of Jesus – love and forgiveness) because of the genocide of indigenous people in Australia and because many children were stolen from their families and put into Christian homes and institutions. It saddens me greatly that an ancient culture with so much knowledge of the land and connection to all beings went through so much destruction at the hands of men who thought their teachings superior.

 

Desiring a greater knowledge of shamanism and counselling I ended up walking past Ikon Institute which led to me studying Transpersonal (beyond the ego-self) Counselling, which uses a shamanistic paradigm to facilitate self-knowledge and healing in the client. In the Ikon library I borrowed a book called Miracles Happen by Brian Weiss. This book is all about the transformational and healing power of past-life memories, accessed under hypnosis. “These stories, validate not only the phenomena of past-life regressions but the entire psychospiritual universe” says Brian Weiss in his book. Having experienced the spirit world in altered states of consciousness, it made perfect sense that under deep hypnosis one can access memories stored deep within the psyche about past-lives.

 

I was reading Miracles Happen and thought it would be nice to know a little about my own past lives, in particular my fascination with indigenous cultures in Vancouver, Canada and Australia, and the nature of my relationship with my husband – and our soul’s contract. Then in true synchronistic fashion I had a short course guide open on the kitchen table, and the following weekend there was a past-lives course facilitated by Anne Marie McGlasson, who had trained under Brian Weiss. I booked the final spot in the course, feeling it was meant to be. I was completely open to the experience of learning about my past-lives, my transcendent self, and perhaps releasing any burdens I was carrying into this life.

 

The first thing I experienced under hypnosis was a knowing that I was somewhere in the coastal regions of Vancouver. I was wearing fish-skin shoes, feathers and furs, I had wrinkled dark skin and the distinct feeling I was an elderly male of the first nations. Then I had the memory of being a boy and not wanting to do the initiation task of killing a whale. Then, instead of killing the whale I was riding the whale. Then I shifted countries from Canada to Australia flying via the Eagle (apparently the Eagle is an initiation symbol in some Aboriginal cultures). I was in the Australian bush and I was running to hide from an approaching man. I could hear his boots crunching on the Earth. I had a knowing that I was an Aboriginal girl and I was hiding from the authorities who would come and take me from my family. I couldn’t access much information about the institution but there was a feeling of safety, so perhaps I didn’t experience any trauma there, although removal from my family would have been trauma enough. I also enquired about the red birthmark on my shoulder that looks like Australia but could not access any memories of this.

 

I have a book called The Whaling People of the West Coast of Vancouver Island by Eugene Arima and Alan Hoover. I turned to a page with art of a Man on a Humpback Whale illustrating the Whale Sweetheart story – a mythical story of a young woman who turned away the courting pursuits of a young man preparing to be a whaler, instead desiring to marry the Whale. The Whale came to her in her sleep to lay with her, and when leaving, was followed by the Scorned Lover, he watched the Whaleman return to his Whale body as they swam off together. The Scorned Lover gathered his friends and colluded to kill the Whaleman when he next visited. When the Whaleman returned, the Scorned Lover speared the Whale in between the shoulder blades whilst he was making love to his sweetheart. The Whale Spirit returned to the Whale Body and died. The villagers believed that the Scorned Lover had harpooned the whale in the ocean, and set about boiling and preparing the blubber to eat. As the Sweetheart was eating her Whale, the Scored Lover visited to tell her that she was eating her former lover, and he revealed the truth, that he had speared her lover while they were making love, and as a result she dropped dead never to regain consciousness.

 

I think the Sweetheart was attracted to the soul of the Whale and it was ultimately her soul and her soulmate. At the time of all writing this, I have turned my back on my marriage, instead pursuing my soul’s calling and my soul’s journey. The sadness of this story seems to be for the Scored lover who by not allowing his Sweetheart to pursue her soul’s desire, he ends up losing her. This adventure of looking into my past lives has led me on an unexpected journey of self-knowledge and understanding with a mythical twist. I am the Whaleman and I am the Sweetheart.

If I don’t pursue my souls calling a part of me will die. And I came here in this body to live and to listen to my heart, to achieve my soul’s goal and help others do the same.  

 

Helping others to heal, to understand, and to progress along their spiritual paths is the soul’s noblest duty – Brian Weiss.