One In Three
In a survey conducted in December of 2017 by the respected, non-partisan Pew Research Center, their survey revealed that 33 percent of adults in the United States believe in reincarnation. One in three. That is a sizeable percentage.
I was a child that grew up in the Eisenhower-Kennedy fifties and sixties. I was raised in a Protestant denomination where it was a universal belief in a life that was “one-and-done, you’re either goin’ to heaven or hell for eternity when your one-and-done is done”. Any talk of a belief in reincarnation would have been branded blasphemy and you would be branded as a weirdo.
The purpose of this week’s blog post is not to get into a long, philosophical discussion on all the various permutations of reincarnation beliefs in all the various religions of the world. The purpose of this blog post is to get you thinking about this topic and how it concerns you personally in your efforts in the world of manifesting.
Reincarnation ……. What Is It?
So just what is this reincarnation thing that one in three Americans believe in?
Reincarnation is a concept that is loosely defined as your non-physical core essence (your soul or spirit) begining a new lifetime in a different body at some point after physical death. In different forms, it is a central tenet of Eastern religions – Hinduism, Buddism, Jainism, Sikhism and of the Druze. The majority of denominations within Christianity and Islam, as well as mainstream Judaism, do not accept that individuals reincarnate. Of those who believe in reincarnation there are those that state that reincarnation is an involuntary thing while others state that it is a voluntary decision.
Two Views From The West
My in-depth knowledge of the various interpretations of reincarnation among the Eastern religions is far too lacking to even begin a conversation about them. I will put forth two views, two concepts, of reincarnation that my reading has come across that seem to represent the two primary Western prevailing viewpoints on reincarnation. My interest in the subject came about as a result of observations that I have made during the course of my lifetime as well as questions that arose regarding the traditionalist “one-and-done” viewpoint. In between a hundred and one other time grabbers, I have done a certain amount of research into the matter. I heartily invite you to do the same.
Have you ever asked yourself why there is such a huge difference between the lot of one human being and another? Why are some people in the world so fortunate in their lives, while others endure prolonged suffering? Why should this be if God is loving and just and all-powerful?
Those who believe in reincarnation would answer that the life you are currently living today is not the only one. Their answer would continue that you have lived before, many times. One view put forth is that the circumstances that you were born into were a result of how things went in your previous lifetimes. In other words, either good or bad karma. The second viewpoint, somewhat in opposition to the first, is that you plan your life birth circumstances beforehand with the goal of achieving certain life purposes that contribute to your soul’s growth. For example, a soul may choose to be born with Down’s Syndrome in order to be a teacher about love, and compassion and empathy. Thus, in this second viewpoint, the person born into a degree of difficulties or challenges has purposely and meticulously chosen that lot to advance the growth of their soul.
Reincarnation And Manifesting
So just what does the subject of reincarnation have to do with the manifesting of something you desire in your life? Where’s the connection? Well, let’s say that you are a person who has come to lean toward reincarnation being a real thing. Whichever of the two Western views that you would subscribe to (karma driven or soul growth driven), it is critical for you to manifest whatever it is you came here to do. If your purpose was to come here to bring God’s love or compassion or truth or power into experience, then be those things. If you came here to be an artist, then put everything you are into being an artist. If you came here to fix things and be a mechanic, then put everything you are into that. Refrain from sleepwalking through life, merely working to survive and to grab some occasional moments of sunshine. Manifest your life as you intensely desire it to be because that true intense desire is a true “compass needle” indicator of your life’s purpose here. The exception to this would be if your intense desire is to harm anyone, including yourself. If that is the case, you are “off track” and need to manifest a new desire. Go within to the Kingdom of God and dwell there. If you do so, you will get to experience true joy, both before as well as after you “die”, and you will marvel at the growth of your soul.