Long after the Alexanders, Caesars, and Napoleons are gone, I believe that the words and thoughts of the poets, writers, playwrights, and philosophers who have set before them the highest of ideals shall be remembered and venerated. For theirs, and those who pursue the mysteries of the human soul, is also the quest for the human heart.

 

This work is the result of an ambitious task that is inevitably incomplete. It is the outcome of countless hours of historical and spiritual study over the course of my life. What began as personal notes turned into a study and then an ambitious task to form a book. The study of the past is more than a study of prosaic historical facts invariably injected with truth, bias, and hypothesis colored by the passage of time.  The study of history is to study ourselves. In its true context, history is interwoven with the study of karma. One’s individual path and karma are influenced and defined by family, group, national, and world history. It is not a blind process, but rather managed by a vast choir of divine higher beings who oversee human evolution.

 

Thus, some pursue the memories of past lives which linger about somewhere in the subconscious. They can be sought, and found, in a variety of ways. They sometimes manifest as visions, feelings, lucid dreams, and a form of “knowing” which resonates in the human heart and soul. They can occur in children, who have yet to develop the veil of the human ego at a young age, in peculiar ways. For example, when I was young…very young…I made a crayon drawing of a man. As I admired my drawing and found that I was quite proud of it, I was compelled to poke holes in it and thus destroy it. Having done so, I then wept for a long while to myself. This strange behavior can be considered from any number of forensic or outer perspectives. However, when all of those aspects are exhausted and produce no answers, that kind of behavior should also be viewed in light of the mystery of reincarnation.

 

The memories, and visions, that bubbled to the surface of the conscious mind over time resonate in countless ways including visions, dreams, and dispositions. If perceived consciously, they may lead to a quest to pierce the veil of human experience. It is a quest to accurately perceive the true origins and causes behind human, world, and cosmic relationships. It is a quest to find the bridge between this world and the next, to find the truth of one’s self, and accurately perceive how things began, progressed, and have formed the world into what it is today. It is an enduring, challenging, and rewarding journey that is the path of the seeker and spiritual philosopher. It is the result of love, yearning, and seeking. As is the case with a scientific pursuit, it is the quest to know.

 

What follows in the pages of this work is a synthesis of historical and spiritual research, observations, and hypothesis. The process of reincarnation is an evolving one that compels the eternal nature of the individuality through time. This journey occurs through an ongoing process of birth, life, death, and rebirth. This book is not the result of vague dreams, fanciful language, or notional ideas that arise from pure speculation, or unrestrained emotions that flow into the mind as immature thoughts and impulses. It has been a careful, if imperfect, study.

 

The quest to pierce the veil, or “Parsifal”, is to perceive the true reasons behind human, world, and cosmic relationships which for most of us are, at our current state of development, invisible. It is a challenging lifelong journey. This quest to unlock the riddle of the invisible, of which the stream of destiny is only discernable within the heart of the individual, is the central theme of this study. With this work, I share not only elements of one unique karmic journey that came into focus gradually over time, and with great effort, but also fundamental spiritual ideas, principles, and discoveries as revealed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner who founded the Anthroposophy in the early 20th century. Following a genuine path, my journey has yielded insights into reincarnation and karmic relationships of one particular individuality as my awareness and knowledge have matured and developed over time.

 

Developing an open and yet trained ear and eye, as it were, has enabled me to establish varying degrees of contact with spiritual guides, friends, loved ones, and guardians who enable us to pursue the path of change. These individuals are interwoven within our lifecycles, especially through one’s dream life, even if we are unaware of it. Our personal relationships come into being through our unique web of destiny and thus each of us is connected to a group of people who share our journeys in both physical and spiritual ways; the most important threads of which are not observable in any outer way. They are matters of the heart and the spirit.

 

This unique book is an honest and diligent attempt to reveal and consider the unique history of one person who has lived repeated lifetimes that occurred during some of the turbulent and transformative periods in history. This task is pursued in the spirit of our age which, according to Dr. Steiner, is to actively pursue knowledge of the spiritual worlds while maintaining balance in our day-to-day lives. The operative law of repeated earth lives is central to the task of learning about how human beings relate to one another and the spiritual worlds. Once a certain degree of unfolding occurs, repeated earth lives is perceived appropriately as a fundamental axiom of human life. It cannot be proven by any scientific method. As Dr. Steiner revealed, this pursuit is one of the tasks of the Regency of the Archangel Michael which began in 1879 and shall continue for 300-400 years. As the leading Archangel of seven Archangels, Michael brings a continual task to humanity that evolves over time. At the current moment, his mission is to bring humanity into balance through what Dr. Rudolf Steiner referred to as “cosmic thinking.” On this path, one is not confined by the dry and mechanistic thoughts gathered by human beings as work our way through our daily lives.

 

Many of the public lifetimes of our study subject are reviewed in this study, but certainly not all. While several lifetimes are reviewed in this study, it is not the intent of this work to influence one toward a fatalistic view of human life. The eternal “wheel of suffering” is an invalid concept. Each life that we lead is vitally important and is overseen, and influenced, by the Christ and the divine higher beings who oversee humanity from beyond the grave who work on behalf of humanity in a myriad of hidden ways through the human soul and the world. Each human being leads a unique path which is the result of relationships, decisions, deeds, thoughts, feelings, and influences that have led to a struggle for human transformation.

 

It is an individual path surrounded by those who are passing through the same struggles but in different ways. The transformation of the human soul occurs only by way of divine guidance, which works within strict karmic laws, that lead to shared fulfillments. Although the laws that govern human activity are consistent, no two paths are the same and the threads that unite us, and separate us, are entirely unique yet the substance of that which drives us to this or that place, or this or that person, or this or that event, is fundamentally the same. One can imagine a massive tapestry of interweaving threads sown together by time, events, and the longing of the human heart that leads one to his or her destiny. This tapestry extends back to the very beginnings of human evolution.

 

In this work, I have followed a consistent process in reviewing and documenting the soul tapestry of the subject of our study: (1) a perception of an event, place, or name perceived through meditation, clairvoyance, lucid dreaming, and intuitive perception. Perceptions attained on this path were subsequently followed by historical research, (2) traditional historical research on generally accepted facts regarding events and personalities, (3) reflection and contemplation of what has been revealed in light of years of spiritual research in light of Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s body of knowledge and my personal inner experiences. These aspects are sown together in each chapter which attempts to review an individual lifetime and karmic relationships. Within this evolving tapestry are many separations and reunions that occurred through some of the most difficult, and transformative, periods in human history. Only towards the conclusion of this work did I discern that soulmates are genuine and this man’s soulmate plays a vital role in his ongoing journey.

 

To establish a bridge to the spiritual worlds, a shift in our current way of thinking is always necessary, especially if one is prone and conditioned to the distractions, noise, and daily minutiae of the modern world. Inspired poets, songwriters, philosophers, and playwrights, for example, establish a bridge to the spiritual worlds through the mind and the heart. It is the result of seeking. Great works that remain within the human consciousness are the result of inspiration or “spiritus”; divine breath. There is a structured path that needs to be observed for healthy spiritual transformation, however, that extends beyond inspiration, which is a force of the human heart. That is just part of it. The path of the seeker must be pursued gradually and cautiously as there are hazards and pitfalls to be considered; balance must be achieved and valid moral principles, founded in the spirit of the true Christ, observed on the path. How we direct our thoughts in response to feelings, experiences, and ideas which arise within us from an invisible source is vitally important. Therefore, we must pursue a balanced path that reflects upon the hidden aspects of the human experience, such as our dream experiences or intuitive feelings, in an informed way.

 

Images of the outer world, feelings, and experiences imprint themselves onto the soul in mysterious ways. Those things that are perceived through thinking, willing, and feeling resonate in our souls and come to life as images, ideas, and experiences each night in dreams and our waking thoughts. Experiences that reside in the soul of a destructive quality harm the soul and can harm those around us. Experiences of a constructive nature, which align with true spiritual values and ideas, contain a loving and altruistic aspect. The latter propels one forward in a transformative way that heals, informs, sustains, and reaches for things unknown. The spiritual energy, if you will, that is channeled and transformed, through the human heart and soul with formal training and lifetimes of experiences, has propelled many of the great minds and artists of history to achieve great things including Goethe, Beethoven, Plato, Aristotle, and Shakespeare.

 

These are men who followed the ennobled and true spiritual path, in their own way, and made tremendous contributions to the world and the communities in which they lived. Pedants and demagogues, who only serve their own interests, do not make a lasting constructive contribution to humanity. Thus, what we seek and achieve comes to life within us and affects everyone in our environment. Constructive or destructive; the choice is ours. The polarities of life, and how we choose to allow them to work within us, have a direct impact on how we perceive and live in the world. If we embrace a genuine commitment to objectivity and genuine spiritual thinking, feeling, and willing, and follow an informed path, our ability to achieve balance and expand beyond the confines of our little lives can and will occur.

 

The spiritual and physical worlds are interwoven. They are separated by the human ego, or “I”, which in an untransformed state creates a veil that must be pierced to see, or perceive, the spiritual worlds. Excessive egotism drives a wedge between the soul and higher spiritual ideals. Aldous Huxley described the ego as a barrier to seeing the universe, or spiritual worlds, in the following way:

 

“To make biological survival possible, Mind at Large has to be funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. What comes out at the other end is a measly trickle of the kind of consciousness which will help us to stay alive on the surface of this particular planet.”

 

Goethe portrayed this journey, and quandary, in the tale of The Green Snake the Beautiful Lily and Faust. The path is the quest for freedom that finds a bridge, and balance, between the two worlds. Our necessary lives in the physical world are intertwined with the spiritual worlds, yet the realm of the invisible remains concealed from us without a method, and path, to pierce the veil. Piercing the veil is the great challenge. We are unaware of the spiritual worlds until we locate certain keys and unlock a perception through education and effort that enables us to look at things a slightly different way. It is a path that needs to be undertaken in an altruistic, heartful, objective, and informed way.

 

Along those lines, keeping one’s self grounded, without being overly influenced by the minutiae of a polarized materialistic life, is an important and difficult challenge. This task should be undertaken while disposing of needless and inherited dogmas, which are often rooted in illusions and falsehoods, that may characterize the environment in which we are born and live. Some dogmas, which were founded on sound moral principles and ideas, are useful and keep us on a good path. Shirking all dogma because one wants to embrace lawlessness is not balance; it is rebelliousness. We cannot allow ourselves to be pulled away into the realm of selfishness because we despise being confined by sound life principles. Conversely, we must now allow ourselves to be confined by rigid rules that blind us to a quest for those answers that lay behind the world of appearance. Thus, a true seeker pursues the task of piercing the veil that lies behind the world of appearance which unveils the true causes of forms, events, ideas, and relationships in a balanced way.

 

It is naïve to think that someone who embraces the seeker’s path is perfect or nearly perfect. This is never the case. On the seeker’s path, however, we must mark our moral attitude against a foundation that is in alignment with altruistic spiritual principles as we branch out into the unknown. If we suffer from personality flaws, vices, or impediments, and we learn to know and control them, we can transform them. If we adopt a genuine practicum for change and take it into the heart and soul, one will find answers to the enduring questions. If we cannot, or will not, take control of self-destructive patterns, fears, and blockages, then they take control of us and lead us into error. They lead us away from the good path. The true ancient Greeks philosophers, who embarked on a path of spiritual initiation which also led to the discovery of scientific truths in the world of nature and logic, referred to this paradigm for human life as finding the “mean” or “balance”.

 

A lasting inner peace will necessarily evade one who succumbs to lower impulses, egotism, and the illusion of physical forms. Homer, through the ancient Greeks, referred to the illusions, and temptations, of the outer world which led to imbalance and error as “sirens”. The sirens sang beautiful melodies and tempted seamen on their routes. They were the illusions of the outer world that confronted Odysseus in Homer’s epic the Odyssey on his harrowing 20-year journey to Ithaca after the conclusion of the Trojan War. He solved the problem by having his crew tie him to the mast of his ship so that he would not fall into a trance and leap overboard to his death. In other words, Odysseus grounded his “I.” These tests were not mere fantasies concocted out of the imagination of fanciful playwrights. Rather, they were real tests portrayed in symbolic form to the public. The “12 Adventures of Odysseus” provide insights for the seeker into the long quest for spiritual transformation or initiation. This path was undertaken by people who were admitted, and passed through, long and rigorous training in the ancient “Mystery Centers.” In the Greek epics, this long process of transformation was a 12-step process. Thus, we observe the 12 Trials of Hercules, the 12 Gods of Mount Olympus, etc.

 

Axioms emerge as fundamental, and insightful, truths as we make our way down the path and pursue the true causes of life’s events, inequities, circumstances, environments, and injustices which have become burning questions that must be resolved to the seeker. Inspiration alone will not lead us to the answers. A seeker searches for a genuine method; a structured path for spiritual initiation and inner transformation. If the method adopted is valid and results are achieved, we can begin to unfold latent inner capabilities and make informed decisions regarding our lives and relationships…and subsequently our destiny and the role we seek to play in the future. We become conscious of the reality that the people and events that we face on the path of life are reflections of ourselves, as driven by karma and our attitude, by way of seeds planted in prior lifetimes which have led to our current circumstances. This difficult path reveals that we are a part of the spiritual and physical worlds as eternal beings. The revelation allows us to recognize the deeds, thoughts, and activities of our unique karmic history and hopefully heal and continue productive relationships with those with whom we love and are connected.

 

1. “Each individual constantly meets self. There are no coincidences, or accidents, that arise in the meeting of people or individuals.”

 

1. “For each soul, each entity, constantly meets self. And if each soul would but understand those hardships which are accredited much to others are caused most by self. Know that in those you are meeting, you are meeting thy self.”

 

1. “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

 

1. “We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life.”

 

1. The spirit world is indeed already unlocked for us; it is always revealed. If we suddenly became as elastic as we should be, we should see ourselves in the midst of it.”

 

1. We need to be awake and alive for the sake of humanity... Humanity is only fully awake when people are able to develop notions and ideas of the world of the spirit. This is all around us, just as air and water, the stars, the sun and the moon are all around us."

 

Along the path of life, people of varying attitudes, backgrounds, and intentions appear before us and sometimes vanish just as quickly. They challenge us, help us, or simply pass through unnoticed. For those who challenge us, they force us to confront the outcome of some past thought, life-pattern, habit, tendency, deed, or attitude. All, however, are connected to us by karma. If we observe relationships around us carefully and objectively, one will observe that at least one of these elements reveals itself in each of our relationships and interactions in our lives. Decisions, oftentimes, are made as a result of profound sentiments and feelings that arise from within the human soul that are sensed as a feeling of the heart that is “certain” that this or that path is the right or wrong one. Perceiving these sentiments clearly, and understanding their origins, is a part of the path of the seeker as many false sentiments, fears, and paranoias arise from lower impulses that distract us and lead us away from objectivity.

 

The inner path of discovery seeks to unravel the Mysteries of the world and the universe as they are inextricably linked. The world was created and is sustained out of the forces of the Universe and a symbiotic relationship exists between the two.  This leads to a quest to understand “God” or the source and relationships to humanity. Thus, the path becomes, in a peculiar way, an uncomfortable experience as one is always pressing forward. It is a journey characterized by changes, experiences, and tests. However, one observes the great heights and depths of the human being on the path, and in themselves, and thus must learn to confront and pass through the swamp of human thinking, feeling, and willing as we work our way through the tertiary world knowing that is filled with illusions and countless injustices which, by the very nature of life, exists. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to fall into the abyss of fatalism which weakens the human heart, resolve, and spirit. On the seeker’s path, one invariably becomes an Odysseus as we travel along Poseidon’s Sea trying to find our way home constantly challenged by events and changes that confront us.

 

"Whatever else you do or forbear, impose upon yourself the task of happiness; and now and then abandon yourself to the joy of laughter.  And however much you condemn the evil in the world, remember that the world is not all evil; that somewhere children are at play, as you yourself in the old days; that women still find joy in the stalwart hearts of men; And that men, treading with restless feet their many paths, may yet find refuge from the storms of the world in the cheerful house of love."

 

Thus, as one studies genuine karmic principles, revelations emerge regarding individual human relationships in ours, and perhaps others, lives. Most of our karmic relationships extend far back into history as we human beings have been here for a very, very long time. To discover the origin of our current relationships, we are compelled to seek out and rely on the use of an otherwise latent faculty that is loosely described in modern terms as intuition. The vast majority of people today use this term to mean something akin to a “certain feeling,” “naturally follows,” or “automatically knows.” On the seeker’s path, the faculty of intuition is just one stage of inner expansion that expands far beyond that ambiguous concept.

 

Genuine spiritual intuition, however, is an expanded conscious clairvoyant faculty that is cultivated and developed over time in an informed way.  It unfolds gradually by degrees and only with great effort. Some who consider themselves “mediums” rely on an inherited ability that is a carry-over from prior lifetimes. If this faculty is matured to a conscious level, which is to say that one learns how to accurately perceive the source and content of information that is received, it becomes a reliable tool for knowledge and discovery. If deliberately sought in a genuine way and in the right spirit, insights regarding karmic histories can be achieved albeit quite gradually and with assistance.

 

Throughout this work, I use expressions such as “intuition suggests…” and “intuition revealed…” in a vague sense which applies to one of the aspects of clairvoyant perception as described by Dr. Steiner which occurs in three stages that sometimes overlap with one another. In Anthroposophical terms, Dr. Steiner describes three stages of spiritual perception and cognition that develop gradually on the seeker’s path; (1) imagination, (2) inspiration, and (3) intuition. In Lecture 1 of The Gospel of St. Luke, Dr. Steiner indicated that people who possess some degree of clairvoyance typically rise to the stage of imagination. However, seekers who achieve a higher degree of advancement, which leads to a higher degree of spiritual attainment or initiation, acquire, and utilize the expanded faculties of inspiration and intuition. Concepts such as these, including spiritual initiation and the “Mysteries,” are elaborated upon at a high level in the chapter A Foundation in Light of Spiritual Science of this work.

 

This gradual study occurred in reality over the course of my life. Naturally, I can only see as far as my vision and discernment allows me to at any given moment. Thus, this study should be regarded as a snapshot. The psychology of the human being works in peculiar ways. For example, one can be attempted to “project” a path forward based on a hidden desire, or egotistical wish, to see something which is the result of an illusion. This is a key flaw in any endeavor; scientific, spiritual, academic, or otherwise.

 

With regards to the facts of karmic insights, only genuine, trained, and mature spiritual vision reveals those insights after having been reflected upon, and evaluated, for their truthfulness. This is the sphere of the spiritual initiate which the author, as a simple seeker and researcher, is not. A true karmic study is one of observation; not a hypothesis, deduction, or inference. Even if one has spent countless hours upon reflection and observation of events, relationships, and ideas perceived through a genuine and a mature form of intuition, mistakes can still be made. Therefore, my egotism will not prevent me from revising findings in the future should the need arise.

 

“The genuine reality of an impression arising through true clairvoyance may show in one way or another our relationship to another person on earth. However, we must remember that through incorrect clairvoyance many previous incarnations are described, relating us to our close friends and enemies; this is mostly nonsense. If the perception you receive is truly genuine, it will show you a relationship to a person whom it is impossible at the time to draw near to. These things cannot be applied directly to practical life.”

 

“It is of course a hazardous undertaking to speak of individual karmic connections, no matter how remote the examples may be, for in referring to karma it has become customary to use expressions of everyday language such as: “This is caused by so-and-so; this or that blow of destiny must be due to such and such a cause, how the man came to deserve it” ... and so forth. But karma is by no means as simple as that, and a great deal of utterly trivial talk goes on, particularly on this subject!”

 

Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was a genuine spiritual initiate, teacher, and thought leader of the 20th century who brought a valid path for mature spiritual perception, and attainment, to the public.  As the highest spiritual initiate who taught publicly in the 20th century in the West, he left behind some 400 volumes of books, lectures, and commentaries. It has been my personal task to align the spirit of this book with his principles and observations which have greatly aided my path of inner discovery. His observations will be referred to throughout this work to provide something of a spiritual backdrop to these historical events that can broaden a reader’s perspective beyond the picture of a mere historical analysis.

 

One of the intentions of this work was to grow beyond a simple cause-and-effect analysis. Yet, I fear that was the inevitable outcome in some instances Thus, I failed, and gained, in this unique study. As the reader proceeds, we must consider that each person in the world is an individual with a unique karmic history and spiritual tapestry. We possess innumerable thoughts, experiences, feelings, and ideas which, in some way, are shared common aspects of the human experience. Thus, from a spiritual perspective, the human being is an art and a science. Sometimes we do well and make sound decisions based on valid and divine spiritual principles. Other times, however, we fail. While there is no judgment from the higher beings who oversee humanity from the spiritual worlds, as led by the Christ, it is a fact that individual transformation is a spiritual quest. It is achieved only with sacrifice, persistence, and perseverance over vast periods of time. Thus, life is a very personal experience defined by the nuances, and depths, of human feeling, thinking, and willing. Suffering is an inevitable and important aspect of human transformation. All seekers, and philosophers, since the beginning of time have struggled with discerning the true causes of suffering.

 

"Suffering is a side effect of higher development. We cannot avoid it in attaining insight. Human beings will one day say to themselves: ‘I am grateful for the joy the world gives me, but if I had to face the choice of keeping my joys or my sufferings, I would want to keep my sufferings for the sake of gaining insight. Every suffering presents itself after a certain time as something we cannot do without, because we have to grasp it as part of the development contained within evolution. There is no development without suffering, just as there is no triangle without angles.

 

By overcoming egotism, human beings get over the mood of depression and feeling lamed or paralyzed. In this phenomenon we can see something that is good: strength out of insufficiency or inadequacy. Thank God that I am encouraged by an inadequate deed–that is, by its failure–to further action! Human striving is not a vague matter of luck. Only those whose free will turns away from the destiny of the human being remain unredeemed. In the synthesis of the world process, suffering is a factor."

 

Thus, a true seeker must learn to embrace the challenges of life. In a karmic review, we must try to stand above past-life experiences, and yet within them, as an objective observer knowing that each soul is an amalgamation of strengths and weaknesses of unknown amplifications and karmic sources. There have been major transformative events in humanity’s struggle and each individual has responded to these experiences in unique ways which have carried forward in the soul and the heart. Many of these transformations have created wounds that need to be healed. These wounds carry forward from one lifetime to the next as aptitudes, appearances, illnesses, and dispositions.

 

The path is the quest for genuine spiritual facts and principles; not the discernment of rules that are produced out of human constructs. We human beings are sometimes influenced, and held back, by policies, rules, and guidelines created solely out of egotism in the modern world. Following the seeker’s path enables one to achieve our true potential and, if we stick with it, knowledge of the immutable laws and rules of the universe; among them are karma and repeated lifetimes. It is an individual path of growth empowering the individual toward true spiritual freedom. It is a journey that molds and develops one’s inner faculties and capabilities so that each person may learn how to:

 

“…use their inner forces and capacities — their forces and capacities of spiritual perception — they will be able, by applying them, to penetrate into the Mysteries of life, into what is concealed within the spiritual worlds behind the world of the senses.”

 

During the course of my life, little studies and books like this one have been very important on my journey in terms of locating authors and references. Many of the spiritual works that are written by genuine authors, who are rarely on best-seller lists, are revealing and insightful. I have cited several helpful works, but certainly not all, in this book. Most of the direct references in this work come by way of Dr. Steiner and were written or lectured upon more than a century ago but this does not mean that they are outdated. It is important to note that as someone who fully embraces the idea of freedom, I do not expect anyone to blindly accept the ideas, observations, and perspectives contained herein. Reincarnation and karma are serious principles that must be undertaken with a reverent and serious mind. As Rudolf Steiner stated:

 

“…it is quite useless today to dabble superficially in the idea of repeated earthly lives and merely take it as a theory. It must be applied to life in a concrete way, although this is still far from people’s liking. At the bottom of their hearts, they are afraid to know and face their inner-being and make no attempt to see in actual life any concrete expression of their abstract beliefs. They are embarrassed at the prospect of confronting their own true being. They do not want to show themselves to the world as they really are, and that is why they put up every obstacle they can to hinder investigation into reality.”

 

While a growing audience has come forward since the 1960s in the West that is interested in reincarnation, influenced by the works of Edgar Cayce and others, people remain as divided today as they have been on philosophical matters. In some circles, the concept of repeated earth lives is a point of mockery and silliness which, from the perspective of any true scientist or seeker who seeks to resolve the riddles of life, is indicative of one who is not prepared, at that moment, to pursue the Mysteries.

 

“…when people are asked today to take the fact of repeated earthly lives in all seriousness and to look a little further than outward appearances, they draw back as if something were going to burn them.”

 

If you, the reader, are new to these concepts, my hope is that you will take something of value from this unique study. All genuine spiritual studies, especially those of past lives, are centered on the ancient axiom “know thyself.” As we are connected to the world and the stars, knowing the world and the universe, per Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s perspective, leads to a knowledge of one’s self as well. It is important to note that the purpose of this work is not to challenge, document, compare, defend, or advocate paths or nuances of spiritual research. There are several critical elements to the informed spiritual path that assist us on the great journey. One of the most important is one’s relationship with those who have died.  

 

The premise of spiritual transformation is not just self-purification, which is a prerequisite, but building a bridge of communication, and vision, to the spiritual worlds in a clear and understandable way. Education is paramount. The spiritual worlds are populated by higher beings and those who have died, including all of our loved ones, who are passing through a transformational process that typically requires years. During this process, we expand through the experiences of our past life, and into the universe, and then necessarily contract, as compelled by one’s unique destiny and karmic relationships, as we approach rebirth. Thankfully, teachers who have correctly perceived the nuances of the spiritual worlds in the modern age have come forward, such as Dr. Rudolf Steiner and Edgar Cayce, and have revealed what they observed and perceived through a supersensible faculty, and capability, that the vast majority of us have not yet mastered and attained. However, the seed for this ability is in all of us.

 

It is invalid to assume that people die, move on, and that is all there is to it. That is childish non-thinking based on fear. The fact of the matter is that those who have crossed the plane of death seek us, speak to us, and try to continue the bonds with their loved ones. If these relationships were destructive or mistakes were made, the dead often try to heal them (but not always). If they were productive relationships, they frequently want to continue dialogue and a relationship…somehow. A block, or veil, between the two worlds makes this bridge difficult. As Dr. Steiner revealed, those of us who succumb to egotistical or materialistic notions are separated from a perception of the spiritual worlds by “dead thoughts;” thoughts, ideas, and notions that are not perceivable in the worlds beyond death.

 

The dead only connect with what is true and alive. They see beyond the façade of physical life, so we should not imagine that our private thoughts, feelings, and ideas are concealed from those who occupy the spiritual worlds. If one is consumed in dry intellectual or mechanistic thoughts, or harmful feelings devoid of the divine aspects of the soul and spirit, the dead cannot, and will not, form bridges with us. In fact, harmful thoughts and feelings form bridges and attract beings who are inimical to divine influences and can seriously exacerbate one’s problems. Muddled, or fuzzy, thinking that quickly shifts from one thing to another, and thus is not structured, also creates a roadblock. As Dr. Steiner revealed, the physical world is one of activity and requires one to engage to effect change. One must be still, and focused, for the spiritual worlds to open up before them so they can be observed…and one must be active.

 

Those who have died are initially forced to reach an individual with whom they are connected through subconscious pathways such as dreams. Thus, one may see a living relative, or friend, appear in a dream objectively as they were in life or in a clothed form. There, they often deliver messages based on insights that can only be perceived, and understood, in the spiritual worlds. Sometimes they wear “masks” to get a message across through the language and symbolism of dreams. Images, symbols, live scenarios, feelings, ideas, and relationships manifest in peculiar ways in our dream life. It requires time, and training, to build a common vocabulary through education, experience, and testing. Dr. Steiner provided a solid foundation and a valid spiritual vocabulary for the modern seeker that reflects spiritual facts.

 

For example, Dr. Steiner observed that numeric sequences when perceived by a spiritual seeker, or dreamer, should be interpreted in reverse. Thus, the sequence “123” when perceived in the spiritual worlds is actually “321” in the physical world. That is because the physical world is a product and reflection of the spiritual worlds. I have perceived images presented to me in dreams where the colors were reversed. For example, someone wanted to share an image, that contained an inherent message, of an object that was red and white in coordinated stripes. In the physical world, I observed the actual colors of the same object to be reversed in the same sequence and thus made the proper correlation. As time goes on, if a bridge can be opened, those who occupy the spiritual worlds will approach, connect, and appear frequently in our dream life.

 

“Masks,” and “costumes,” are sometimes used by those who have died and with whom we are connected in our dream life for several reasons. For example, they may be shy or wish to protect their identity as a person’s thoughts, emotions, and prayers, resonate with extreme intensity upon one whom a person thinks or meditates. Projecting love, and ennobled thoughts and feelings, will be received by the receiver. If one’s thoughts are negative, and one focuses anger or rage on a person who has died, they can and will experience emotional trauma. Dark thoughts, and feelings, produce a black or grey color. Loving thoughts, and ideas, produce vibrant colors that remain, support, and sustain. I have learned, however, that those who have died are also protected from “attacks” by those with whom someone may have a destructive relationship so that they can transform on their proper path. Constructive and informed dreaming can change a person’s life. It is about forming a relationship with someone who has transitioned to the spiritual worlds so that they can share wisdom, direction, and insights about life, relationships, and destiny to their loved ones. This includes our Divine Guides and Angels who oversee our journey.

 

A person who has died may not possess sufficient willpower, or desire, to maintain a link with someone preferring the haven of the spiritual worlds. They may be fearful of their integrity if, for example, they enter into the consciousness of someone who cannot control their thinking, willing, or feeling and thereby generates negative sentiments. These feelings come across as storms, characterized by flashes of light, vibrations, and noise, that can wound inhabitants of the spiritual worlds. Thus, they stay away. Dr. Steiner revealed that a lie, or deception, is the equivalent of a murder in the spiritual worlds. A deceptive notion, or thought, which creates redemptive karma, fades as soon as it is created in the spiritual worlds. Dr. Steiner likened lies and deception, in light of supersensible perception, as a form of murder as that is how it is perceived by those living in the spiritual worlds.

 

What is “inner” in the physical world is “outer” in the spiritual worlds. Everything is visible, and revealed, when one enters the spiritual sphere. We share in the experiences of others as if we were living through them. The dead often suffer from a kind of “thirst,” “overheating,” or “frigidity” that can be offset by being “cooled” or “warmed” enabled by helpful living thoughts, prayers, and affirmations thus restoring balance. Imbalance is based on what we bring with us after death based on our lives. Dr. Steiner designed prayers, and mantras, specifically for individuals that allowed one to remain connected so that we can help them on their path. The “dead,” in turn, will try to aide us with our tasks if they align to spiritual principles.

 

 

"May there be sent to you

My love just as it was

When you were here with me.

May it ease your heat

May it ease your cold

So that you can find your way

From the soul into the spirit realm"

"Whatever happens to you

In the course of time and worlds

My loving heart

With all of its forces

Will be with you

   Bearing

   Helping."

 

In part, this work is a product of such constructive relationships. This effort takes on a heightened spirit if these bridges are pursued with good intent, love, a productive and unselfish relationship, and the good heart. Asking the “dead” for winning lottery numbers, or financial gain, will always meet with silence or failure. The experience of communication with the “dead” is an inner experience. It cannot be shared; only communicated. This inner experience takes shape through several vehicles of the human experience including thoughts, feelings, visions, and dreams.

 

The spirit of this particular book is not to promote egotism and resurrect the personalities of the past as an interesting perusal of some personality that is now dead. One of the purposes is to expand upon the working operative construct of repeated earth lives as a living impulse in human existence interwoven the movement of civilization and the impulse of the Christ, who became Christ-Jesus after the Baptism on the River Jordan in 30AD, and gave His life for the world on April 3, 33AD. This was confirmed by Dr. Steiner through supersensible perception; thus, it is not a matter of faith, dogma, or wishful thinking although it cannot be proven in contemporary scientific terms.

 

Dr. Steiner referred to this event as the “turning point in time” for humanity which occurred at the precise midpoint of human evolution. As he revealed, the influences of Christ-Jesus expand over time and grow closer to humanity as we evolve and change. His forces and influences will become perceptible when each soul is prepared to meet Him. According to Dr. Steiner, the most recent significant expansion, as it were, of Christ into the earth occurred in 1933AD. He referred to this event as the “Appearance of Christ in the Etheric World”. In addition, Dr. Steiner referred to “four sacrifices of the Christ”, and not just one, that occurred over long periods of time in relation to His coming into the physical world. The incarnation of Christ, and His martyrdom, was the result of eons of activity, sacrifices, preparation, and transformation by many people who work on behalf of His mission for humanity and the world.

 

A key theme of this work is that life does not end with death. It continues and the vast majority of people are compelled by destiny and karma to return to the physical world as individuals carrying on a spiritual mission with those with whom they are intimately connected by the past. On this journey from one life to the next, we carry the burdens and balances of our deeds, thoughts, and feelings which are hampered by our weaknesses and those things which remain untransformed. Thus, if one can transform the “I” and lower impulses consciously and in an informed way, one can take the next step on the path that harmonizes the human being and views the past, present, and future in the proper context. We can begin to plan for a brighter future of constructive achievement.

 

Our lives are the outcome of deeds and thoughts reflective of our habits, dispositions, attitudes, and impulses that have, by necessity, followed us as a part of our karma. These karmic threads of destiny are not the result of pure “cause and effect” processes. Rather, they are actively managed and interwoven in the human being by the spiritual hierarchies whom are intimately connected to humanity as necessary learning and transformative tools. The karmic” ledger” of the human soul, in terms of moral achievement, must be balanced. It is a cosmic law. This is a deep mystery yet it follows a consistent process and is overseen by Angelic and divine guides who follow each soul from one incarnation to the next.

 

This work must be viewed as directional, and not a procedures manual, for several reasons. First, I have not perceived every detail, nuance, and factoid of each lifetime reviewed in this work. This is not feasible to my degree of consciousness and knowledge. Second, there would not be sufficient space or time to undertake such a task to document a person’s entire life even if I had such a capability. Third, it would not be appropriate to communicate personal nuances and details to the public based on the moral constraints of spiritual research. For example, what business is it of anyone else regarding what time Julius Caesar typically arose on Saturdays? Fourth, perceptions of inner aspects, such as karmic correlations, are based on a budding form of perception that will necessarily expand, and transform, in the future. Therefore, there are certainly gaps in this study, but it is nonetheless an interesting and informative work that may provide insights to seekers who are pursuing the great question of karma.

 

In this unique journey, the futility of war and the overcoming of antagonism is a central theme of the human struggle. War is the result of evil influences based on greed, egotism, and authority that resonate in the depths of the human being. The outcome of war has always been caused by the influences of opposing spiritual influences, which are anonymous in today’s world without the aid of spiritual perception. In war and conflict that consumes nations and cultures, one is dealing with a variety of influences that are caused by events, albeit political, social, or economic, but arise from inner and outer spiritual forces through human beings.

 

The sphere of human conflict, of which war is the greatest sin, serves no other purpose than to coerce others by force. Because of advances in technology in the modern world which have far outpaced the moral consciousness of humanity which recognizes human accountability in such actions from a karmic perspective, the context of war has become a reality that has no honor in the medieval chivalric sense. It has become a pathway to indiscriminate murder. This reality came to its fullest expression, in historical terms, during World War 2 when carpet and fire bombings of entire cities resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people.

 

War comes to its most horrific expression in the nuclear age through the innovation of weapons of megadeath that can annihilate the entire planet in a matter of hours or perhaps minutes.  As Dr. Steiner revealed, and as shall be quoted throughout this work, Christ-Jesus came into the world at the Turning Point in Time to enable a path for people to overcome egotism and antagonism of which war is the worst and lowest derivative. Thus, the central principle of Christianity as a living spiritual stream of thinking, feeling, and willing, is that each person is a brother or sister. Forgiveness and compassion are central themes to the good path through activity and initiative. Love, which arises from the Christ and the powers of the human heart, overcomes evil that manifests as darkness. As evil overtakes leaders of nations and they wage war on their neighbors, the quandary nonetheless continues from one age to the next; how is one to oppose naked aggression without going to war? It is an enduring question that I leave to the masters and the initiates.

 

A karmic study such as this necessarily requires an informed foundation in Anthroposophy. I encourage a seeker to proceed slowly and read through the chapter A Foundation in Light of Spiritual Science which is based on Dr. Steiner’s body of knowledge.  Occult Science an Outline, Initiation and its Results, and How to Know Higher Worlds are three of his foundational works. In addition, I recommend the Karmic Relationships lecture cycle which comprises some 8 volumes of lecture material where Dr. Steiner provides insights on the nuances of karma and specific examples of fulfillments. These works can be found for free at www.rsarchives.org.

 

Taking a simplistic view of past lives, such as “I have lived before” is certainly a good start but behind this reality are many nuances and complex questions that Dr. Steiner answered for a serious student. If the reader is familiar with Anthroposophy and basic karmic principles, which can also be found in the works of Edgar Cayce, then the information presented in the following chapter is certainly redundant. My position with this work is that simply documenting proposed instances of reincarnation, based on my limited research, does not produce any results. The real value comes in the nature and wisdom of the reincarnating process and examples of specific fulfillments which are also tied to broader spiritual and historical events, Divine beings, and processes.

 

In the West, we have become obsessed with statistical studies which provide little or no value. For example, saying that “I regressed patient X through hypnosis some 50 times and discovered that this person had lived 42 times as a male and 8 times as a female” is essentially meaningless for those who seek deeper answers on karma as a living and operative principle. Dr. Steiner revealed that understanding the world, and the human being, takes great effort.

 

“…we see that there are many such cases and that the process of reincarnation is not so simple as most people of our time think. If, therefore, people investigate earlier incarnations with the help of occult methods, they have to exercise much greater caution. In many instances, it is nothing but childishness if people state or imagine they are the reincarnated such and such, perhaps Nero, Napoleon, Beethoven, or Goethe. Such silly things must, of course, be rejected. But the matter becomes more dangerous when advanced occultists make mistakes in this regard and imagine that they are the reincarnation of this or that man, when in fact they carry only his etheric body. Not only is this an error that is regrettable in itself, but the human being coming to these conclusions would live under the influence of this mistaken idea, and that would have nearly catastrophic consequences. The result of such an illusion would be that the whole development of the soul proceeds in the wrong direction.”

 

As one digs deeper, one quickly finds that the process of reincarnation is far more complicated than anyone thought. The human being consists of nuances and softer elements that are shed, and recast, from one lift to the next. Thus, when viewed from the outside but by someone who cannot pierce to the heart of the matter, mistakes can be made. For example, Dr. Steiner revealed that, in at least one case, a psychic medium was conversing with a residual aspect, or echo, of a soul that had already been reincarnated. The mystery of the astral body, which is an essential component of the human being and is discarded after death, is a difficult study. Thus, two types of mediums, or clairvoyants, operate within the sphere of spiritual research; the initiated and uninitiated. There are degrees of clairvoyance that can be attained and typically no two people share the same degree of maturity in this discipline.

 

“The initiated clairvoyant is not an unbalanced visionary; he possesses, in advance, the consciousness which will be possessed by all men in future ages; he has his feet on solid ground just as firmly as the most matter-of-fact human being; his reason is just as clear and certain but he sees in two worlds.”

 

For the sake of science, let us take an example in light of Anthroposophy. If you were a genuine clairvoyant medium, you would not be able to communicate with the living instance of Julius Caesar, or John the Baptist, because his ego (“I”), etheric, and astral bodies were long ago transformed. His “I” has passed through the process of death and rebirth many times. The only path would be to approach the current or most recent, incarnation of Julius Caesar and he may, or may not, know who he was while in a physical body. If, say, Julius Caesar was passing through the in-between death and rebirth state before discarding the full astral body, etheric body, and ego that he was in his most recent incarnation, and one has a karmic relationship with him and possesses adequate powers of clairvoyance or clairaudience, then communication may be possible if he chose to reciprocate. Time, and cadences, must be considered when undertaking studies of the spiritual worlds, reincarnation, and experiences of psychic mediums. One must keep themselves grounded.

 

We must also remember that people reincarnate in various cadences which are always unique. Some people may reincarnate fairly quickly. Some people may have longer holdovers depending on karmic fulfillments and plans. Some may need more time because a suitable body is not available to accomplish a certain mission or task in the next life. Some are awaiting karmic fulfillments connected to other people. These types of peculiarities and facts must be considered, and perceived properly, in any karmic or spiritual study. Thus, I recommend a detailed review of Dr. Steiner’s findings and observations to proceed intelligently. It is a lifelong study, but one that leads to results.

 

I encourage each reader to do their own homework, develop their own intuitive abilities based on the informed path of spiritual attainment (for example, as described by Dr. Rudolf Steiner and other initiates who engage within certain streams of activity), conduct their own historical and intuitive research, and thus, follow their own path. While one can rely on what is communicated by a genuine initiate, many pretenders are out there. Ultimately, it is up to the seeker to accurately perceive the true facts regarding spiritual-historical research. As a result, this work will inevitably come into conflict with the research of other seekers. The writings, and research, of genuine spiritual initiates, should they be consulted, always take precedence over the research of an aspiring student, such as the author, who has not attained spiritual initiation. I have pursued this lifelong study with the utmost care, diligence, and objectivity, yet findings may need to be revisited as new information comes to light. Therefore, I reserve the right to amend my findings if information received through an expanded perception, or historical research, casts a prior finding into question.

 

It is obvious to the author now, through the wisdom of hindsight, that the subject of our study, as a single individuality over time, is a true Odysseus who set sail from his home on Ithaca a long, long time ago to fight in the Trojan War and, through destiny, has been passing through a long series of tests on his way back home to his beloved Penelope. We all share the same path in one way or another. Each adventure, or trial, that Odysseus faced, and in light of reincarnation, is an utterly committed experience that occurs over many lifetimes. Thus, we will never understand the true nature of our lives, or any other human being, unless we turn to an expanded study of the spiritual worlds and how we, as human beings of a cosmic origin, are connected to each other, the world, and higher beings who oversee human development as led by the Christ.

 

A true study of the human being, in spiritual terms, can only be undertaken when looking at the sum history of one’s prior lifetimes. It must also consider the role of higher beings in our lives, cadences, relationships, and the transitions that were made over long cycles of time. Only through the pathway of an informed study in initiation science, in Anthroposophy or the Edgar Cayce readings for example, can one find the answers to the mystery and riddles of one’s life. It is through choice, and influences, that our deeds, thoughts, and feelings have been etched time and time again into the cosmic ethers; the threads of existence that record our karma and destiny.  We all respond and live within nations and cultures that influence our view of the world, decisions, feelings, and ideas. This area of spiritual study, which deals with larger changes that affect large groups of people across the world, is where a detailed study of Anthroposophy can provide invaluable insights, some of which are shared throughout this work.

 

“Human life, above all in its course through history, can never be really comprehensible unless we turn our attention to what is happening behind the scenes of external history, in the spiritual world.”

 

“Anthroposophy shows…that there is an experience of destiny in which one does not lose the self. In fate, too, one can still feel oneself to be active. Anthroposophy points out, in the impartial, unegoistic observation of human destiny, an experience in which one learns to love the world and not only one's own existence. Instead of staring into the world which carries the ego on the waves of fortune and misfortune, one finds the ego which shapes its own fate voluntarily. Instead of striking against the world on which the ego is dashed to pieces, one penetrates into the self, which feels itself united with the course of events in the world.”