Read Energy Movement through Time Part 1 here
I’ve believed in Past Lives since I was very young, I had several dreams as a child that I understood to be glimpses into past lives and the time between lives. Peering into the experiences of another time validated some of the feelings I had even then. But my understanding of karma, like many westerners, was reduced to a punishment-reward model. The idea that positive events are a reward for past good deeds, and negative experiences a punishment for past wrongs, is a pervasive misconception. This piece is focused on past lives and energy movement, but if you’re curious to delve into the karmic healing side of this topic you can find a much longer essay here.
My perspective on past lives and what they have to do with us is rooted in the idea of a core “self” or core energy.
“Your core self is your unique energetic signature, the most fundamental layer of your energy body that is consistent across your whole lifetime. And for those who believe in reincarnation, this extends to your past and future lifetimes as well. Our core frequency has many potential avenues of expression, and has been expressed in many unique ways over many lifetimes.
Take a moment now to consider what is the most essential aspect of who you are— what makes you, you? Often times the first things we think about are influential experiences and how they effected us, and ways that we behave in the world. These might be expressions of your core self. But imagine if the key details of your life experience were different. Let’s say you grew up in a different city, had different parents, and difference life experiences, or even different body characteristics and gender identity, there would still be some quality of you that would be the same. You might have made different choices, had different interests, or even a different personality but deep down there would be something you could recognize in yourself now: This is your core self, your core energy.”
Mikella Millen, from Inward Vision: a Trauma Recovery Workbook
Our core energy holds all the potentials of how we may express our unique frequency. It holds the memories or imprint of all the other expressions we have had. It holds the past and the future. In the perspective of non-linear time all of our experiences are happening simultaneously, and so our various lives are influencing each other constantly.
As I was deep in my own explorations of karmic healing through a series of meditations I did daily from April-July of 2022, I felt an understanding that when we enter deep trance states we can experience a blended consciousness that incorporates those “past” experiences. I have thoughts about how this may relate to fugue states, dissociative phenomena, and trauma response but I’m not ready to delve into that just yet. Suffice it to say that I believe we can remember, or at least feel, the presence of past selves at times when we need to: either because it offers us a valuable resource, or because we have an opportunity to heal something.
While in some ways core energy is about our individuality, it is also about universality. Even as we hold a certain frequency that is unique to us, we also do not exist outside the greater fabric of the cosmos. When we are connected to our core selves we become more aware of the energy around us. We become more attuned and moved by the energy around us. The outermost part of the energy field, somewhat beyond our physical body, is where the oldest energy is held. This is also the part of our energy field most frequently in contact with others. Examining the patterns of our past lives, and how we hold that energy can help us distinguish between direct responses to our environment, and the echoes of past conflicts that are easily stirred.
I have done several past life regressions formally and a couple more that happened spontaneously. I found them very helpful and interesting. They illuminated certain patterns and gifts, and I continue to practice these regressions on my own when needed.
I also think that the content itself is not the most helpful part. Seeing is not always understanding. A deeper meaning can emerge when we feel into the energy of that life, and connect that to the ways we feel it in the present. It can illuminate certain patterns that are not contributing positively to our lives now, and show us places where we are called to resolve patterns. Perhaps more potently, it helps us to see the broader picture of our soul’s story as not only about this lifetime and whatever happened.
One reason why past life (and karmic) healing is so beneficial to trauma recovery is because it allows us to see our traumatic experiences as a small part of a much bigger history. We begin to renegotiate the idea that we somehow deserve the terrible things that may have happened to us. We make room for the role of chaos and free will in our experience— not all lessons are about us, and not all pain has inherent meaning. We create meaning. We can decide what our experiences really mean about us.
Past Life work is related to Ancestral Healing because it is the same basic principle but oriented exclusively to our energy. We are influenced by our families, chosen and biological, but we are not merely a collage of their traits. We hold the stories of our past lives within our energy and our consciousness, but we are not the exact same person that we were before. Each life has its own unique series of expressions, all of them have the potential to be expressed in your life now. But we also can make choices to change direction. If you haven’t looked into the north node and south node of your natal chart (in Astrology) that can be a good starting point for considering the patterns that have lead you here, and the themes that you may be called to work through now.
Past life lineage has just as much influence on us as our ancestral lineage, but it’s less conscious. It’s abstract in the sense that there’s no “proof” of it. Drawing on past life lineage for support is a meaningful addition to ancestral work because it offers other perspectives. It allows us to see ourselves as more than a continuation of the family line, we also bring our own unique strengths (and challenges) that can continue reenforcing or breaking patterns. Indeed sometimes there are intersections between these lineages that offer opportunities for resolution.
On 10/29 I’ll be hosting an in-person healing circle focused on the energetic work of Ancestral and Past Life Healing, during the potent time between the Full Moon and Samhain. We’ll be in a somewhat bigger space (because it felt important to oriented in an actual circle), and you’ll have structure and support to explore your your energetic lineage. There is no need for prior experience, and our emphasis will be on the energy itself rather than needing to retrieve details or memories.
I’m really excited to bring this offering into fruition, and if you are called to this work I hope that you’ll join me 🌕⚡️
Inward Vision 