Is your child an old soul?
I'm convinced that in a past life, Boris was an Egyptian embalmer. Just the way he crams his fingers up my nose and twists them around in my sinuses while he's nursing....
Yes, I've been waiting for an opportunity to share that anecdote! In all seriousness, however, author M.J. Rose tells me that children under the age of 5 remember past lives more than people of any other age group. Although I confess I'm a bit of a skeptic as to reincarnation, the possibility is fascinating. That's why, after reading Rose's latest book The Reincarnationist, I asked her to tell me more about children with regard to this subject.
CM: You told me, "children under the age of 5 remember their past lives more than any other age groups." Why is this?
MJR: Some people describe it as a door that remains slightly open till somewhere around 5 to 7 years old. The reason that I’ve read about that makes the most sense is that reincarnation memories are carryovers from past lives and children are literally closer in time to those past lives. Since past life memories are stored in the subconscious as our children’s minds become filled with other information those memories become buried and or confused with the millions of pieces of new information that children take in as they grow.
CM: In the book, Natalie's mother believed her child's memories were just pretend. How would you begin to guess whether your child was pretending, or remembering? What are early memories like in children and how do they articulate them?
MJR: In Eastern cultures--where 60% to 80% of people believe in reincarnation--it’s very different than in America, where only 20% believe. There, when a child says, “Mommy, when I knew you before I was your brother and we lived in a red house,” the mother would first believe it was a reincarnation memory.
As for pretending or remembering, what I’ve often heard is that they are simply not the same kind of stories. Most kids under five wouldn’t make up stories that have the kind of striking details about time and place. Or so I’ve read.
There is so much information about this at a site, http://www.carolbowman.com/. She’s an expert who has written about childhood reincarnation memories and regression.
CM: The events in THE REINCARNATIONIST are grounded in events of historical significance. Is this common among those who remember past lives, or do they recall more mundane details?
MJR: Usually people remember the lives that ended violently or were troubled. So many do remember historical events.
CM: Your characters Malachai and Beryl don't remember past lives. Do some people have the "gift" and others not? Are some personality types predisposed to remember, or does it have to do more with upbringing? (Or, as in Josh's case, physical trauma?) How about boys vs. girls?
MJR: It’s not a boy/girl thing. Or a personality type. Most adults don’t have memories unless they work on finding them through hypnosis or regression. That said, most people if they take it seriously and do the work, can find some memories.
CM: You told an interviewer that as a child, you had recalled details of your great-grandfather's life that you couldn't possibly have known unless you'd been there. Do reincarnated souls typically reappear further along blood lines?
MJR: Reincarnated souls do often return to be with the same group of souls they’d been with before so they can finish what they started, or complete issues that haven’t been worked out. So there are a lot of family connections. A lot of parents report on kids talking about the last time they were together. Or the last place they’d lived.
Interested in more? Check out M.J.'s other blog: http://www.reincarnationist.org/wordpress/
Yes, I've been waiting for an opportunity to share that anecdote! In all seriousness, however, author M.J. Rose tells me that children under the age of 5 remember past lives more than people of any other age group. Although I confess I'm a bit of a skeptic as to reincarnation, the possibility is fascinating. That's why, after reading Rose's latest book The Reincarnationist, I asked her to tell me more about children with regard to this subject.
CM: You told me, "children under the age of 5 remember their past lives more than any other age groups." Why is this?
MJR: Some people describe it as a door that remains slightly open till somewhere around 5 to 7 years old. The reason that I’ve read about that makes the most sense is that reincarnation memories are carryovers from past lives and children are literally closer in time to those past lives. Since past life memories are stored in the subconscious as our children’s minds become filled with other information those memories become buried and or confused with the millions of pieces of new information that children take in as they grow.
CM: In the book, Natalie's mother believed her child's memories were just pretend. How would you begin to guess whether your child was pretending, or remembering? What are early memories like in children and how do they articulate them?
MJR: In Eastern cultures--where 60% to 80% of people believe in reincarnation--it’s very different than in America, where only 20% believe. There, when a child says, “Mommy, when I knew you before I was your brother and we lived in a red house,” the mother would first believe it was a reincarnation memory.
As for pretending or remembering, what I’ve often heard is that they are simply not the same kind of stories. Most kids under five wouldn’t make up stories that have the kind of striking details about time and place. Or so I’ve read.
There is so much information about this at a site, http://www.carolbowman.com/. She’s an expert who has written about childhood reincarnation memories and regression.
CM: The events in THE REINCARNATIONIST are grounded in events of historical significance. Is this common among those who remember past lives, or do they recall more mundane details?
MJR: Usually people remember the lives that ended violently or were troubled. So many do remember historical events.
CM: Your characters Malachai and Beryl don't remember past lives. Do some people have the "gift" and others not? Are some personality types predisposed to remember, or does it have to do more with upbringing? (Or, as in Josh's case, physical trauma?) How about boys vs. girls?
MJR: It’s not a boy/girl thing. Or a personality type. Most adults don’t have memories unless they work on finding them through hypnosis or regression. That said, most people if they take it seriously and do the work, can find some memories.
CM: You told an interviewer that as a child, you had recalled details of your great-grandfather's life that you couldn't possibly have known unless you'd been there. Do reincarnated souls typically reappear further along blood lines?
MJR: Reincarnated souls do often return to be with the same group of souls they’d been with before so they can finish what they started, or complete issues that haven’t been worked out. So there are a lot of family connections. A lot of parents report on kids talking about the last time they were together. Or the last place they’d lived.
Interested in more? Check out M.J.'s other blog: http://www.reincarnationist.org/wordpress/
posted by Christa M. Miller at 7:57 PM
6 Comments:
That could very well be the best ever first paragraph in a blog post.
It also helps that my father's name is Boris. Really brings the image home.
Yup- TMI...
I thought my son was actually an alien but reincarnated demon works for me...
Daniel, I forgot to mention about when I forget to trim his fingernails. :D
Patricia, that describes my firstborn....
Also - it's great to see you over here. Mindy T has spoken very highly of you and LOTTERY!
This may be true because I had a definite sense that my life was going to change when I turned five. I thought it was about learning to read but maybe I sensed the loss of those earlier lives.
Interesting perspective, Patti. I don't have any such memories, though I wonder sometimes about why some cultures, music, and lifestyles have a stronger "pull" for me than others.
I'm among the 20 percent of Americans who believe in reincarnation. Not only do I have vague memories of past lives but my grandson, when he was a child, did as well. When he was five, he often mentioned a boy named Greg.
"Who is Greg?" I said, thinking he was an imaginary friend.
"You don't know him, Granda," he said, "That was before I came to live with Mom and Dad. It was real pretty there"
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