Why do we forget our past lives?

[Moog]

I don't know who else to ask.

What are your ideas?

[JUPITERASC]

Not everyone forgets their past lives

[Moog]

Originally Posted by JUPITERASC

Not everyone forgets their past lives

okay, tell me about your past lives. And can you remember mine?

Perhaps a re-phrasal; why do most of us except some Greek heroes and some kids in Ireland and China forget our past lives? Must have forgot to dip 'em in the water of forgetting.

Wouldn't it make more sense for us to remember, so we can connect the suffering we experience in this life to events from the past life? What's the mechanism there. Is there a point to the forgetting?

[StillOne]

Originally Posted by Moog

Is there a point to the forgetting?

I think it's so we can learn more. We start with a clean slate so maximum absorption is possible.

I feel if we come in with some memory we will most likely be judgmental and biased already... prohibiting us from possibly learning what we incarnated to learn in this lifetime.

idk speculating... which I like to do...

[Moog]

It's a speculative thread... speculate away, go nuts

[JUPITERASC]

Originally Posted by Moog

okay, tell me about your past lives. And can you remember mine?

Perhaps a re-phrasal; why do most of us except some Greek heroes and some kids in Ireland and China forget our past lives? Must have forgot to dip 'em in the water of forgetting.

Wouldn't it make more sense for us to remember, so we can connect the suffering we experience in this life to events from the past life? What's the mechanism there. Is there a point to the forgetting?

fwiw, IMO those who belong to a culture that negates/does not believe in past lives necessarily are unaware of the possibility of past lives AND therefore unwittingly simply 'do not notice' incidents related to their own past life memories and/or 'simply do not notice' when very young children mention - or seem to recall past life memories.

fwiw, IMO, alternatively, those cultures accepting of past lives find it the norm to take heed of young children, attentive to the possibility of past life recall

fwiw that's only my opinion

[Moog]

That's an interesting perspective. I don't recall memories from my past lives while I was a child, but maybe I forgot them.

It does seem that children are more open to things that are outside the remit of consensus reality.

It pains me a little to notice that quality ebbing away from my niece as she ages.

[tsmall]

I seem to recall reading something somewhere (usually the case with me) about an ancient belief that babies are born remembering everything, with all the wisdom of the ages, but that as they develop language they forget. Wish I could remember where...

Isn't that part of the reason we study astrology, though? To help us understand and identify previously accrued karma?

[Moog]

It's one idea. The alternative is that it's just pure luck what alignment of stars you're born under.

Any other ideas there? Perhaps I'm not imaginative enough. I wouldn't mind broadening the conversation out a bit

[dr. farr]

According to one esoteric theory, the shock of the reincarnation trauma (back into the physical world) causes the memories (of the life just past) to be forced very deep into the "subconcscious" of the reincarnating being, causing the instictual drives (supporting the new life) to dominate the individual until new experiences in the new life in the physical world, develop new memories in that individual.

As far as luck of the draw regarding astrological influences, this same esoteric tradition (with the memory hypothesis mentioned above) claims that the subtle energetic state of the discarnate entity is attracted to the same resonant energy field of the future parents, and by resonant vortex is "swept" into the resonant field of the fertilized ovum at the moment of conception, at which time 2 astrological considerations impress the energy field of the newly incarnated entity:
1) the blood line astrological "charges" of the 2 parents (as seen in the composite of the parents' own astrological fields)
...and...
2) the current astrological influences at the time of the conception (conception chart indications)

At birth, the final imprint upon this pre-set susceptible field of the new born, occurs.
(the pre-set susceptible field is composed of the blood-line impression plus the conception time impression, and may be further modified by impressions during the pre-natal epoch)

...anyway, an interesting hypothesis!!

[tsmall]

Originally Posted by Moog

It's one idea. The alternative is that it's just pure luck what alignment of stars you're born under.

Any other ideas there? Perhaps I'm not imaginative enough. I wouldn't mind broadening the conversation out a bit

Well, that's definitely an alternate idea. However, if you are concerned with past lives, and being able to remember or not remember them, why would you think that it's all pure luck? Seems to me that if it's just luck there is nothing to the whole past life concept.

Let's try the question from the other way 'round. What purpose would it serve to be able to recall all of our past lives?

[StillOne]

Originally Posted by Moog

Any other ideas there? Perhaps I'm not imaginative enough. I wouldn't mind broadening the conversation out a bit

Well, I've read theories where souls choose the timing of incarnation to the position of the planets (which is akin to the lessons we are to learn in this life). This of course also depends on past karma.

I would think a soul times the reincarnation in order to have the opportunity to learn as much as possible. Or a soul is instructed to reincarnate at a particular time for specific lessons (i.e. indigo children).

Existing as a human is interesting in the sense that essentially it is simply, "Here I am and now I must go..." in design.

[StillOne]

Originally Posted by tsmall

What purpose would it serve to be able to recall all of our past lives?

Maybe to know where you've made prior mistakes and so you can evolve faster instead of making the same mistakes. Also, I would think, since this is an imperfect ideal that there is a possibility for a higher reincarnation should you understand how to learn lessons and evolve past the pitfalls of sin, etc.

[Stephen]

Moog,
Look at your south node - sign, house and aspects, you'll learn about your past lifes.

The North node is what you hope to achieve in this lifetime.

Forgetting is universal compassion.

Stephen

[Moog]

I'm experiencing my north node dasha as we speak.

Apparently I want to be an astrologer.

[JUPITERASC]

fwiw - An Ancient Buddhist Teaching that is common knowledge amongst Buddhists/those who follow Buddhist principles advises:

(1) "If you want to know what kind of a life you led in your past life - and/or lives - then look at your present life”

(2) “If you want to know what kind of a life - and/or lives - you will have in your next life then look at your present life."


fwiw IMO the teaching is based on the idea of 'karma'

btw remember that 'karma' = 'action' and is neither reward nor punishment but simply means that - when the right conditions occur - then any act made with intention delivers a result in line with that intention.

Originally Posted by tsmall

...However, if you are concerned with past lives, and being able to remember or not remember them, why would you think that it's all pure luck? Seems to me that if it's just luck there is nothing to the whole past life concept.

Let's try the question from the other way 'round. What purpose would it serve to be able to recall all of our past lives?

fwiw IMO tsmall that is a question well worth mulling over!

[Bina]

My feeling is it could be overwhelming and traumatic to remember your past lives, for all the things that have happened to you and that you have done, it'd be difficult to be conscious of all that and start a new life.
Are you really ready to know all your past mistakes and live with this knowledge? And to know about all the painful experiences you may have had? - most of human history is pretty grim and we're all bound to have had traumatic experiences in past lives.

I agree with Stephen that forgetting is universal compassion - an act of divine grace.

Only when you really need to know something from a past life or when you are ready to deal with it you might remember.

I do believe the soul keeps the memories and lessons learned, so you don't have to start at square one every time you come back, whatever you have learned gets integrated on a deeper soul level, nothing is lost. You just don't need to remember all the details. This explains why people born on this Earth are on different levels of evolution and have different abilities and talents, it is what is brought forth into this life from previous incarnations.

I do think children can sometimes remember details about their past life (generally the last life) , but as they get older they forget, as they get more into the reality of this life.

[Caro]

I think more people are awakening to this idea now in the west.
I think many children are very aware of this but it is either educated out or religion does not allow them to express it.

the experiences I have had - spirit is so loving they only show you what you are ready to receive and it is always done with love.

[Prominent]

I still have a memory from when I was a baby where I was being thrown down a metalic shute thing and becoming tighter and tighter until i was crushed to death.. I don't know if it was just a dream or what, but i remember it feeling very surreal at the time almost unreal and very depressive.

[Moog]

Originally Posted by tsmall

Well, that's definitely an alternate idea. However, if you are concerned with past lives, and being able to remember or not remember them, why would you think that it's all pure luck? Seems to me that if it's just luck there is nothing to the whole past life concept.

Well, I was just throwing ideas around. I don't necessarily subscribe to one idea or another. I do believe that there must be some meaning to all this incarnating and manifesting. Karma seems a reasonable idea to me, the more so now that I've seen astrology working.

Let's try the question from the other way 'round. What purpose would it serve to be able to recall all of our past lives?

By observing more closely the things I do and their connection with what happens, I gain a better understanding of how to sew more 'good' and reap less 'bad'. Maybe that's enough. But why doesn't the universe make it easier? Dat's what I wannna knoow

Hmm, I think I see your point, now. Like, what good is knowing what transpired last time? We still have to process/transcend/endure it now anyway.

[Prominent]

We forget so that others can remind us, and so we can learn how to remind others who have forgotten as well. If we see something that doesn't know, it gives us reason to speak to them- to call out and proclaim what we are. If everything knew where they came from, then they'd know where they were going, and so, there may not be any movement at all to anything, no reason to say anything.

[Sunny]

I totally agree with JupiterAsc.
When I see this

that forgetting is universal compassion - an act of divine grace

I only understand this by a christian point of view. The problem with the forgetting is for me that you'll not have any chance to rectify your errors or even to understand why you did them. In this way you are the one who suffer your past life, not this one who'll advance in the better way. And also, if you remember some aspects of your past life by experiencing events in your actual existence, then you can know that you're paying your debt and that it is paid.

Sunny

[retinoid]

i think it is a mistake to think our soul's time or what not is the same as our mind/psychological perception of time. we are purely making a construct of reincarnation based on our MIND's perception of what time is, which is false time. Since time doesn't truly exist (outside of things that change like our bodies or physical objects), it may be that our soul experiences all lives as one life. Our mind, however, experiences this life as a separate life from all of our other lives.

Why doesn't our mind remember? Because it either 1) doesn't operate on the level to experience all our lives like the soul. 2) is deluded. 3) has forgotten. I don't think someone deliberately prevents us from knowing. But it may not be worthwhile to even know.

[Bina]

Originally Posted by Sunny

I totally agree with JupiterAsc.
When I see this "that forgetting is universal compassion - an act of divine grace"
I only understand this by a christian point of view. The problem with the forgetting is for me that you'll not have any chance to rectify your errors or even to understand why you did them. In this way you are the one who suffer your past life, not this one who'll advance in the better way. And also, if you remember some aspects of your past life by experiencing events in your actual existence, then you can know that you're paying your debt and that it is paid.

Sunny

Hi Sunny,
my concept of "The Divine" is much broader than Christianity!! All religions and many philosophies speak about God and the Divine in one way or another. You can also call it Love or Universal Consciousness, Higher Power, etc. IMO this is at the core of all of us and everything in existence - I don't expect everybody to agree with this, but it works for me.
Besides Christianity doesn't include reincarnation in it's belief system.
If you read further in my previous post, I also explain that IMO the soul does remember and integrate the lessons learned on a higher level, you just don't need to recall all the details consciously. I don't think you just keep on making the same mistakes just because you don't remember your past lives. I think your soul automatically draws you to the experiences which give you a chance to rectify your past mistakes, whether you are aware of this or not -this is what is meant by the Law of Karma. Understanding of this process may also happen on a soul level.
Further I wrote that when you need to and when you are ready you may remember things about your past lives relevant to you.
Just generally my feeling is that it'd would be too painful to remember all of your past lives with all the details, therefore the memories are not there on a conscious level, the grace is that you have forgotten, so you don't have to suffer all the pain again.
Hope this further clarifies my previous post!

Bina

[Inline]

I think there is a real reason we do not remember or better said, we forget, our past lives and it is a blessing in disguise.

It's so that that we can restart each new time with a clean slate. And for those souls that do remember parts and pieces of their past from which they can later then build on - this is also a path toward our betterment

In another thread where a similar question was asked, there was a discussion about a film of an extremely, intelligent woman who was not able to forget a single memory from her entire life. She was fighting with her sister whom she now hated, because she wasn't able to forget any of the slights and fights they'd had while they were growing up. Her memories kept coming back and she was unable to forget and ultimately, forgive her sister. She ended up alone, depressed and miserable.

There is a real benefit to our well being when we are not able to remember painful experiences, because it allows us another opportunity at dealing with the problem again, without predjudice and maybe this time with more success.