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Déjà vu: Past, Present and Future Lives
There is no past, nor is there any future. Only the present forever. Anonymous
On this page...
The Law of Karma
Past, Present and Future Lives
Before You Begin: A Word of Caution
Karmic Insight: A Tarot Spread
Putting It All Together
Your Professional Practice
Bibliography and References
Learning More: Related Links
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THE LAW OF KARMA
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The law of karma comes from Buddhist doctrine and is related to reincarnation. It teaches that every thought and deed must eventually create its own effects, for good or ill, which then must be endured or enjoyed by the individual involved. Karma is carried from one life to the next and worked out (repaid) over eons of time until enlightenment occurs and there is no further debt.
In its more elaborate form, Karma maintains the balance of cosmic debt. It is important to note here, however, that Western ideas about judgment are foreign to the Eastern philosophy that originally produced karmic theory.
On the individual level, as well as the universal, the law of karma is the principle of adjustment, balance, equilibrium, and harmony on all levels of being. It gives back to each person the actual consequences of the act, wisely adjusting each effect to its cause wherever disturbances occur.
Its action is perceivable and it is the law of readjustment that restores equilibrium to the broken harmony of the world. Karma is not based on spiteful punishment, but an all-wise equilibrium that searches for the Highest Good and a compassionate restoration of order.
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PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE LIVES
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Have you ever been meditating and remember being another person in another time? What about the time you went to a place you had never been before only to be overwhelmed with the sensation of familiarity? Or, perhaps in deep work therapy, you experience traumas from this lifetime, and suddenly find yourself reliving traumas from another lifetime.
The term past life is used to define such experiences, but I believe the phrase is limited because time is not linear and space has more than three dimensions. Mystic Edgar Cayce and physicist Albert Einstein agreed that all things of the past and future exist now, somehow interwoven into a complex reality. Einstein called it the time-space continuum, Cayce referred to it as a multi-dimensional reality.
Mystic Jane Roberts, best known for her Seth books, believed that all our past and future lives are being lived now, each in its own dimension as part of a greater soul, or greater being. According to Roberts, we can penetrate into these other dimensions, or lives, to bring knowledge and understanding for transformation. By doing this, our present life can transform our other lives.
Or, to put it another way, how we live now, in this life, affects both our past and future lives; and, we create our own reality in this life by our beliefs and desires. Of course, getting in touch with our beliefs and desires is where the tarot cards come in handy.
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BEFORE YOU BEGIN...
A Word of Caution
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Working with past lives is effective when the transformation process is the main objective. Past life work is not play and should not be used to boost the ego. We all would like to have been a great leader, or the King or Queen of something in a past life, rather than a common village peasant. This is not at all the point.
Experiencing past life memories can free us from problems or challenges that now hold us back from attaining our greatest potential, or completing our life’s work. Problems related to past life issues correlate to what we are dealing with in the present life, but past life memories can be tricky.
We need to be careful and not use a past life issue as an excuse for negative behavior in this life. We run the risk of misusing the past life connection and heaping up more karma if we blame someone for our negative feelings, give ourselves permission to behave in an antisocial way, or falsely elevate our past life status.
For example, you don’t like your current boss, so in your fantasy past life, you were in charge. Most of the time, whatever problems we have now, we had then; but they may not be as bad now because we have learned a few things in our ensuing lives. Our job is to see a useful connection between past and present, and apply the knowledge with sensitivity to help heal this life’s problems. By so doing, we create a better future.
Past life material is often painful and is best avoided if you are not ready. Timing is everything and the best results occur when the process is natural and unforced. Please seek professional counseling if you need support. Refer to the Professional Practice section below for suggestions on working with the past lives of clients.
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KARMIC INSIGHT: A Tarot Spread
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The purpose of the Karmic Insight spread is to clarify the lessons, purposes and goals of this lifetime. It also looks at unresolved past-life issues that are in the forefront of this life and illuminates your struggles through tarot in a constructive, life-affirming way.
I have chosen nine cards because nine represents integration of experiences, self-awareness and maturity. It is also the number of fate, luck, capability and magic. I have placed the cards in a circle because time is not linear and we are all connected, life without end. The circle starts at the bottom to represent the past, continues clockwise to symbolize the forward motion of our lives, yet ends where it begins because the future is built on the past.
The Karma card is at the center and radiates outward because it symbolizes our soul’s journey through all lifetimes—past, present and future. You will notice several descriptions (possible meanings) after some of the positions. Don’t expect to answer each one. Select the issue that “jumps out” at you, the one that “feels right” or makes the most sense now. Then trust that your intuition is leading you where you need to go for your Highest Good—because it is.
Many times we meet people and have the feeling that we know them from before. We feel connected to them in ways that are difficult to describe yet feel real to us. We may find that we like the same things, or catch glimpses of past life experiences together. Sometimes, a full-blown past life memory will surface.
Two people who feel connected by a past-life can do this spread at the same time, using two different decks. If either of you gets the same card in the same position, the predominance of the same suit, or a similar number of Major Arcana cards, interpret it as a sign of past life connections with this person.
If the cards seem totally unrelated, you might ask yourself what gifts do you have to give one another, or what do you have to learn from one another in this lifetime? Only you can decide if you have had a past experience with this person, but you are together in this life for a reason. What is it?
Shuffle the cards and select one card face down for each of the nine positions below. Take a few deep breaths. When you are ready, turn the cards over and take note of your immediate, uncensored reaction to the cards as a whole. This is an overview of your life—past, present and future—in picture form. How do you feel about the artwork?
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KARMIC INSIGHT LAYOUT
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Note: Please copy this spread for your personal and professional use. If you share it, I ask only that you tell others where you found it and who created it. Thank you!
Well, it is supposed to be a circle...
Unfortunately, my web editor does not grant me circular configuration. I'm afraid you will have to use your imagination on this one.
----------------Card 5------------
--Card 4---------------------Card 6
Card 3----------Card 9----------Card 7
--Card 2---------------------Card 8
----------------Card 1------------
CARDS 1, 2 and 3: THE PAST
Card 1: What you know and keep repeating from other lifetimes. This is your basic approach to all lives, your outlook. For example, are you emotional, rational, sensitive, creative, etc.? This card represents who you know yourself to be.
Card 2: Blocks from past lives, the challenges. Where have you stumbled in the past? It points to areas in this life that continue to be problematic.
Card 3: Strengths from past lives, the lessons learned well. What has made you strong through all lifetimes? This card represents growth that you carry over to the present.
CARDS 4, 5, and 6: THE PRESENT
Card 4: What are you here to learn this time? What are your current challenges or life lessons? If you learn your lessons well, this card represents the wisdom you will gain. Think of it as a card of great opportunity—no pain, no gain.
Card 5: Blocks from this lifetime. Stuck places that never seem to change even though you have done a lot of spiritual work. You may have strong, painful, fearful, or angry feelings attached to this card. If so, respect the work and know that you are doing the best that you can. Consider, too, that you are exactly where you need to be for your soul’s development. Stop the reading if you are too uncomfortable, or seek professional advice. You do not have to do this alone.
Card 6: Connecting present life issues to past life experience. How is the block in this lifetime related to those in other lifetimes? What purpose does it serve? Look for a relationship between this card and Card 2, blocks from past lives. Taken together, what story do they tell?
CARDS 7, 8 and 9: THE FUTURE
Card 7: Action to take for healing and soul development. What would happen if you did this? How would you feel? This action may not be appropriate if you are not ready. Seek outside advice if you need it.
Card 8: The lessons learned and wisdom gained. Your strengths and what you need to draw to you for the fullest expression of your soul’s development through all lifetimes.
Card 9: Karma. Your future direction and where you go from here, the next step on your journey. This card represents your next incarnation and is the link to your past, present and future. It gives you a glimpse of the bigger picture against an eternal backdrop. What is the ongoing theme of all your lifetimes? How are they related? Can you now sense an overriding purpose or meaning to your life? If so, what is it?
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"Symbolism"
©Copyright 1997 Robin Wood
Used with permission of Robin Wood.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
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I believe it is the relationship of the cards to one another that yields the most useful information. (But, I’m a Libra Sun in the 12th House, Libra Rising. I view the world through the lens of relationships.) Look at the spread up and down, across and diagonally to see how cards relate and interact with one another.
For example, look at cards one, nine and five: How can you put what you know (the past, Card 1) to good use today (the present block, Card 5), in order to create your own karma tomorrow? (Card 9, building a better future) Where are the compatibilities or conflicts in the cards? What story do they weave?
It may help to make an entry in your tarot journal. You can also leave the cards out for a while, meditate, or program a dream for more insight. Trust your intuition. Only you can decide the personal value of the layout.
If you need more information, draw another card from the same deck and place it under the position in question as the "Advice or Summary Card", that is, ask for specific instructions on what to do or study next. Any card associated with the unconscious, emotions, the psyche, or Karma is a strong indicator of a past life experience. Of special importance are the High Priestess, the Moon, Judgment (the karma card) and any Cup.
If you pull advice or summary cards, WANDS frequently means sex, passion or the energy to create. PENTACLES implies how much "work" is required in a relationship, situation, or describes money issues. CUPS refer to love and emotions. SWORDS point to conflict and decisions. COURT CARDS indicate your stage of development, self-image, or the people you bring into your life for life lessons. And finally, the MAJOR ARCANA signify Karma and spiritual lessons.
For another perspective, try Llewellyn’s Special Topics in Tarot Series and start with Past-Life and Karmic Tarot by Edain McCoy from the links below.
I created this layout without knowledge of McCoy’s book, so I am interested in how we compare and contrast. Feel free to E-mail me and let me know.
Above all, remember that nothing in tarot is preordained and we are not puppets on a string. Tarot card energies themselves are neutral energies; there is no "good" card vs. "bad" card. Tarot cards symbolize our life situations.
No tarot card configuration is out to destroy us because there is something valuable to learn in every situation, however painful or conflicted. It is up to us to search for the meaning. It is how we apply the energies in force that makes all the difference.
For example, I groan every time The Sun comes up in one of my readings, and I get it a lot. I do not like that card! In my life, the Sun represents burnout or sunburn—laying waste to the desert. I feel overpowered by its rays and I get depressed in the summer.
To most people the Sun means happiness, success, playfulness or attainment—the nourishment required for fertile fields. The energy of the Sun is the same whether sunburn or suntan. The difference is perception. Or, according to Jane Roberts and Seth, we create our own reality through our beliefs and desires.
If we've been using a situation a specific way that creates destructive energy, we always have the choice of using the same energy in a more positive, constructive way—even if only through a change in outlook or attitude. The tarot is a symbolic roadmap, but just like the stars of astrology, the cards impel, they do not compel. You still retain your power of personal choice as the author of your own karmic life.
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YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
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The past life spread can be used as a specialized reading on its own, or in combination with other services such as healing touch or hypnotherapy. I often combine a therapeutic touch treatment with a tarot reading. In my work with past life issues, I have discovered a few precautions and I pass them on to you to do with as you will. (This is just one woman’s take on the subject, after all.)
Based on my observations, past life traumas often underlie the chronic, present-day problems that are difficult to resolve. One role of the healer is to help connect present life issues to past life experiences. Think of past life work in terms of layers, starting with the present and working its way backwards through time.
I believe that past life work should first address the blocks from this lifetime. This starts the healing process, and allows traumas from other lifetimes to bubble to the surface for discovery, one layer at a time. The healer then helps the client relate past life work to present life situations, so that the entire trauma is eventually released.
The timing of discovery is important. When past life information is discovered at the right moment, it will help the person understand himself better and increase feelings of self-love. If it is forced, or done at the wrong time, it can increase a person’s negativity towards self or others. It is never good practice to expose your client to past life information when s/he is not ready for it. The healing of old wounds has its own timetable of letting go. It is not for us to decide.
When doing past life readings, be prepared for your client’s strong feelings, such as pain, anger or fear. Learn to listen well. Compassion takes many forms. Sometimes, just “being there” in the present moment of pain is all you can do. You may also need to stop the reading, or suggest professional counseling, if needed. You can find information on how to make referrals in my book Professional Tarot from the links below. (Llewellyn 2003)
Always remember that the purpose of past life work is healing and soul development. Past life issues are related to the tasks our clients have undertaken in this lifetime and need to do in order to grow. As professional readers, it is not our job to “fix it.”
We are working in a person’s sacred space. It is important that we respect the power of the work. We learn to respect the humility of our position as professional readers in the grand scheme of the universe, and focus on unconditional love—the greatest healer of all.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
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Brennan, Barbara Ann. Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field. New York: Bantam Books, 1987.
--------Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing. 1993.
Campbell, Eileen and J. H. Brennan. Body, Mind and Spirit: A Dictionary of New Age Ideas, People, Places and Terms. Boston: Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc. 1994.
Jette, Christine. Tarot for the Healing Heart. St. Paul. MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
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LEARNING MORE: Related Links
All links open new windows.
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My E-mail: FindingTheMuse@aol.com
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We meet ourselves in a thousand disguises along the path.
Carl Jung
© Copyright 2001-2008 Christine Jette. All rights reserved.
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