Category: Change of Religion, Nationality, Race

Xenoglossy & Phobia Reincarnation Case of Sharada | Uttara Huddar: A Past Life Personality Preserved Intact within the Soul

Reflections of a Past Lifetime in a Phobia, as well as in Dreams and Literature such as the case involving Uttara Huddar whose past life personality Sharada shows Psychic abilities by taking over Uttara’s consciousness lightly simulating a Spirit’s possession.

How Case Derived: Spontaneous Emergence of Past Life Personality

Researchers: Satwant Pasricha, PhD & Others, Research Summarized by Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD from Born Again

ReincarnationResearchIndia

This case involving Uttara Huddar is especially fascinating, as the past life personality, whose name is Sharada, would spontaneously take over Uttara’s body and would remain for varying periods of time. In most reincarnation cases, the contemporary individual views the past incarnation as a distant memory and retains control of consciousness.

In contrast, in this case, Sharada, the past life persona, would completely take over the consciousness of Uttara’s body to the extent that Uttara had no memory of what occurred while Sharada was manifesting. Sharada’s appearances occurred over a period of at least nine years.

As such, the Sharada | Huddar case demonstrates an interesting property of the soul, which is that the soul retains past life personalities within it. This is discussed further in the section entitled Soul Evolution.

This case also shows that nationality and ethic affiliation can change from one lifetime to another. An amusing aspect is that the past life personality, Sharada, showed prejudice and disdain towards the ethnic group that the contemporary personality, Uttara, belonged to. This shows that it does not make sense to establish one’s identity too strongly on national or ethnic ties, as these can change from one incarnation to another.

History of Bengal in Relation to India

IISISReincarnationResearchWestBengalUttara and her family lived in Nagpur, a city of 1 million, located in west central India. In the map provided above, Nagpur is seen near the center of India. Sharada stated that she lived in Bengal, which is over 1200 kilometers or 750 miles from Nagpur. In the map provided to the right, Bengal would be located in the area highlighted in yellow and in the area where Bangladesh is now situated.

The history of this region of the world is complicated. Bengal is a region located between India and Myanmar, which formerly was called Burma. In 1947, when India gained independence, Bengal was split into two countries along religious lines. The western section became part of India, which came to be called West Bengal. Kolkata, previously known as Calcutta, is the principle city of West Bengal. The eastern part of Bengal eventually became the nation of Bangladesh. West Bengal and Bangladesh still share the common Bengali language.

In India, several different languages are spoken. The major Indian languages are Hindi, Bengali and Marathi. Though the three languages derive from a common ancient root language, in contemporary times, they are as different as are Spanish and Italian. Bengali speakers do not understand Hindi or Marathi, nor do Marathi speakers understand Bengali or Hindi.

Xenoglossy in Reincarnation Case of Sharada | Uttara Huddar

Uttara, the contemporary personality, could only speak Marathi, the language of her parents, while Sharada, the past life personality, could only speak Bengali, a language that Uttara and her family members did not understand. As such, this case represents an extraordinary case of xenoglossy.

Xenoglossy is the ability to speak a language without learning the language by normal means. Sharada never learned Bengali, nor did she understand it in her normal conscious state. Yet when Sharada took over Uttara’s body, she could speak Bengali fluently.

IISISReincarnationCaseEvidencecobra200In addition, Sharada provided the names of her family members in Bengal to investigators, which were factually verified through Bengali genealogical records. Uttara, the contemporary personality, had no knowledge of these family members from a past incarnation.

More amazing is that Sharada, the past life personality, was not aware that she was dead. Rather, she acted as if she was still alive, transported though time from the ninetieth century to the present. Sharada did state that she was bitten on a toe of her right foot by a cobra, which was the last incident that she described in her lifetime, but she did not seem to realize that she had died from the snake bite.

Sharada had no understanding of modern inventions, such as kitchen appliances, tape recorders and motor cars, which should have made her realize that she was appearing in a different era. Still, Sharada maintained that she and her Bengali family were still alive and well.

Uttara Huddar and her Family

IISISReincarnationResearchGaneshLet us get to know the characters in this interesting story. Uttara, the subject of the case, is the daughter of GM and Manoram Huddar. As mentioned, the family lived in Nagpur, a city of one million people, where the main languages spoken are Hindi and Marathi, though 10,000 Bengalis also live in the area. GM Huddar’s family had lived in the Nagpur area for generations.

GM Huddar fought for Indian independence and he graduated from Nagpur University, later becoming a landowner and farmer. Mr. Huddar spoke Marathi. He did not know Bengali. Manorama, his wife, spoke Marathi and Hindi, but she spoke no Bengali. Family members never went to Bengal and they had no Bengali neighbors. The Huddar family worshiped the Hindu deity Ganesh, the being with the elephant head, who is pictured to the right.

Spirit Being Involvement in Reincarnation Cases

When Manorama was pregnant with Uttara, she would often dream that a cobra was about to bite her right big toe. Manorama would kick off the snake and then wake up. It was as if Manorama was experiencing the persona of Sharada, Uttara’s past lifetime, in these dreams. Sharada, it seems, was trying to communicate to Manorama, Uttara’s mother, that Sharada would be born to her.

This is reminiscent of the dream in the Hanan Monsour | Suzanne Ghanem reincarnation case, also researched by Ian Stevenson, MD. In that case, Suzanne Ghanem’s mother told Ian Stevenson about a dream that she had, which occurred shortly before Suzanne was born. In the dream, Ms. Ghanem saw that she would have a baby girl. Then she saw a woman who appeared to be about forty years old, who she later realized looked like Suzanne. This woman in the dream said, “I am going to come to you.” In other words, Suzanne appeared to be announcing herself in the dream, just as Sharada seemed to announcing herself to her future mother though the dream with a cobra biting her right foot.

Ian Stevenson, in fact, called these dreams in which a soul seems to be signaling its upcoming incarnation to future relatives as “announcing dreams.” Stevenson was told of announcing dreams by the relatives of subjects in many reincarnation cases.

The Monsour | Ghanem reincarnation case, by the way, is also important in that it shows that facial features can remain the same from one lifetime to another.

Reflections of a Past Lifetime in a Phobia, as well as in Dreams and Literature

Uttara was born on March 14, 1941. Uttara had a normal childhood, though she did have a phobia of snakes. The snake phobia was severe from ages to six to eight, as judged by her father.

IISISReincarnationResearchEvidencePonyPhobias related to past life trauma are observed in reincarnation cases. For example, in the Rashid Khaddege | Daniel Jurdi case, Daniel had a phobia of fast moving cars. In his past lifetime as Rashid, he died when a speeding convertible car he was in flipped over. The Khaddege | Jurdi case is another reincarnation case which demonstrates that facial features can remain the same from one lifetime to another.

Uttara had a recurrent dream up until the age of eight, in which she saw her husband coming to her riding on a pony. When he arrived, he caressed her pleasantly. These dreams, we shall see, reflect the lifetime of the past life personality, Sharada.

As a child, Uttara had a special interest in Bengal and Bengalis, and she read translations of Bengali literature. This interest appears to have been related to her past lifetime as Sharada, who lived in Bengal. Note that Uttara read Marathi translations of Bengali literature; she did not learn the Bengali language.

Uttara, as a young adult, went to Nagpur University where she received a master’s degree in English and master’s in Public Administration. She was hired as a part-time Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration at Nagpur University. Her education and work history indicate that Uttara is an intelligent and grounded woman.

Sharada, A Past Life Personality, Emerges

IISISReincarnationResearchBengaliVeilIn 1973, when Uttara was 32 years old, she was admitted to a hospital in Nagpur for asthma and a gynecological problem. She was under the care of Dr. J. R. Joshi, who was Bengali. In the hospital, a yogi came to give lectures and instruction on meditation. Uttara began to practice meditation in the hospital.

Uttara’s behavior then started to change and she began speaking a different language, which was determined to be Bengali. She also began to dress differently, wearing a sari in the Bengali style, placing a portion of the sari over her head, creating a veil. Maratha women, such as Uttara, did not wear saris in this way. Uttara would leave the hospital, stating that she “wanted to go to a place where she thought she belonged.” (1)

Her parents were completely baffled at this turn of events, as they had no connection to Bengal. They puzzled at how their daughter could all of a sudden speak Bengali, a language that neither they, nor she previously, could speak. Further, as their daughter now only spoke Bengali, they could not communicate with her.

Sharada Describes a Past Life in West Bengal

Through Bengali interpreters, Uttara gave details of what appeared to be a past lifetime. She stated that her name was Sharada, not Uttara. She said that her father’s name was Brajnath Chattopadhay and that he was a priest at the Kankalini Temple near Bardhaman, also called Burdwan, in West Bengal. The existence of this little known temple was later verified.

Sharada said that her mother’s name was Renukha Devi. She said her mother died when she was 2 years of age. Her father then was remarried to a woman named Anandamoyi. Sharada said that a maternal aunt named Jagadhatri Mukhopadhaya, who lived in Saptagram, raised Sharada after her mother’s death. As such, Sharada spent most of her childhood in Saptagram, in what is now West Bengal.

IISISReincarnationResearchPregnantSharada said that when she was seven years old, she was wed in an arranged marriage to Vishwanath Mukhopadhaya, who was an Ayurvedic physician in the town of Shivapur. Her husband moved from village to village on a pony to see his patients. Later, when Bengali interviewers again asked Sharada what her husband’s name was, as a gesture of respect typical of Bengali women, she would not speak her husband’s name, rather, she wrote it in Bengali. Sharada could write, as well as speak, in Bengali, while Uttara could not.

Of interest, when Sharada first manifested in the hospital while Uttara was under the care of Dr. Joshi, Sharada acted towards him as a wife would, which made Dr. Joshi uncomfortable. She seemed quite attracted to him. When Uttara found Dr. Joshi dining with a female employee of the hospital, she turned into Sharada and scolded Dr. Joshi in a fit of jealousy.

As Dr. Joshi was a Bengali physician, as was Sharada’s husband, Ian Stevenson wondered if Joshi stimulated Sharada’s appearance. As one point, Sharada stated that Dr. Joshi was her husband. It is possible that Dr. Joshi was Sharada’s husband, Vishwanath Mukhopadhaya, in a prior incarnation. This hypothesis, unfortunately, could not be verified or refuted.

Sharada said that she had two miscarriages and then became pregnant again for the third time. When she was five months pregnant, she journeyed by cart from Shivapur, where she and her husband lived, to Saptagram to visit her maternal aunt who raised her. She left a diamond nose ring and 125 rupees at home, for fear that bandits on the road would steal these valuables.

Less than two months after arriving in Saptagram, Sharada said that she was plucking flowers in the garden when a snake bit her on the right toe. This is the last event that Sharada described in her lifetime.

Multiple Researchers Investigate Xenoglossy Reincarnation Case of Uttara Huddar

At this point, I would like to share that the Sharada | Uttara Huddar reincarnation case was studied exhaustively by multiple experts over a period of years. A newspaper story regarding this case came out in 1975, which drew the attention of Ian Stevenson, MD, who collaborated with professors in India.

As examples, Professor P. Pal, a reincarnation investigator and a native of Bengal, as well as Dr. R. K. Sinha, also a native of Bengal, were deeply involved. Dr. S.K. Das, a professor of Bengali, also testified that Sharada was truly speaking Bengali. Tape recordings of Sharada were made and studied. Ian Stevenson worked with these various researchers and compiled their findings in his book, Unlearned Language.

Verification of Statements Made by Sharada, the Past Life Personality

In May 1975, Dr. Sinha, one of the researchers involved in the case, visited Saptaram in West Bengal and inquired about a family described by Sharada. After much effort, he found Satinath Chattopadhaya, who produced a genealogy of ancestors extending back to the nineteenth century. A beautiful and very ornate example of a geneological record or family tree is provided below.

IISISReincarnationResearchFamilyTreeBrajnath Chattopadhaya, the name Sharada stated to be the name of her father, appeared on the genealogy.

Dr. Sinha brought the genealogy back to Nagpur and asked Sharada to name her relatives. Sharada made the following identifications accurately:

Father-Brajnath

Mother: Renukha Devi

Stepmother: Anadamori

Brothers-Kailasnath, Srianth and Satinath

Grandfather-Ramanth

Uncle Devdas, corrected as Devanth

Based on Sharada’s ability to accurately name these relatives, as confirmed by the genealogy, Ian Stevenson became convinced that Sharada was referring the Chattopadhaya family as her past life family. If this is correct, then her memories or statements were objectively validated. Unfortunately, names for her husband and father-in-law could not be verified from the genealogy, as they belonged to a different family tree.

Of note, Sharada said that a monk took one of the male family members to become initiated in the Nath order. She said that villages afterwards called the family the Nath family and that family members took on “nath” as a suffix. The genealogy did confirm that nath appears as a suffix for all male family members to this day. Again, Sharada’s statements were objectively verified.

Ian Stevenson makes the point that it was unlikely that the Huddar family could have had read the genealogy in advance of the case investigation, as it was written in Bengali, which the Huddars didn’t understand.

Xenoglossy: Sharada’s Bengali Language Skills

Whereas in some xenoglossy cases, vocabulary can be limited, Sharada could speak Bengali extensively. Professor Pal reported: “I talked with Sharada for about ten hours. Neither of us had any difficulty in understanding even a word of what the other spoke. We were talking with normal fluency.” (2)

Professor Pal also noted, “All the while she was talking fluently in Bengali like a normal Bengali girl and I did not notice any difference in intonation from that of a Bengali lady.” (3)

Dr. Roy signed a document that Sharada and he spoke for two hours exclusively in Bengali. Her answers were sensible and she demonstrated complete command of the Bengali language.

As such, Sharada demonstrated what Ian Stevenson calls responsive xenoglossy, where the subject not only can speak a language that has not been learned, but the subject can also respond to questions in that language in an interactive way. Sharada could also read and write Bengali. In contrast, as noted, Uttara could not understand Bengali at all.

Sharada’s Past Life Knowledge of Bengali Geography and Places

In addition to being able to understand, speak and write Bengali, Sharada demonstrated extensive knowledge of Bengali geography and places, even remote and relatively unknown places.

Recall that Sharada had said that her father was a priest at the Kankalini Temple at Kanchanagar and that it was six kilometers from Burdwan, a city now called Bardhaman, in West Bengal. The existence and location of this temple was verified, which was particularly impressive as the temple is not well-known. In fact, the village of Kanchanagar had been deserted, possibly after an epidemic, and had been overgrown by jungle for 50 years.

IISISReincarnationResearchHinduTempleIn another example, when an investigator showed Sharada a photo of the Bengali Hanserhwar Temple of Bamberia, Sharada identified it immediately by name. When asked how many towers the temple had, Sharada correctly stated that there were 13 towers, even though the photo only featured a portion of the temple, showing only seven towers.

She knew that Kali was the goddess of the temple, that the Kali idol had four arms, that the idol was made of neem wood that was painted blue, and that the Rajah of Banberia brought the idol from Benares. All these statements were correct.

Sharada also accurately described the geography encountered and travel time by boat from Shivapur to Shikarpur. She also correctly described geographical details encountered in a trip from Calcutta to Shivapur.

Uttara and the Huddar family had no knowledge of the Kankalini or Hanserhwar Temples, or of geographical details regarding travel in Bengal. Further, the information was obscure and it wound not have been found in the Bengali literature that Uttara read in her youth.

Sharada’s Past Life Knowledge of Bengali Foods

IISISReincarnationResearchBengaliSweetsSharada had a remarkable knowledge of food specialties of Bengal, which she preferred over the food of Nagpur, India. While Uttara didn’t like sweets, Sharada loved Bengali sweets. When asked what her favorite sweet is, she said sitabhog, which is made only in Burdwan, Bengal. She was able to identify sitabhog when it was brought to her. Further, Sharada could distinguish sweets imported from Bengal from imitations made in Nagpur.

When Sharada fasted, she asked for coconut water. Coconuts in Bengal have water, whereas coconuts in the region where the Uddars lived do not.

Sharada preferred to eat rice and she put yogurt in her rice, which is a Bengali custom. In contrast, Sharada and her family preferred bread made from wheat, which Marathi people typically eat. Sharada reported to investigators a long list of foods that were only eaten in Bengal.

Sharada’s Ignorance of Technology

Sharada had no understanding of trains, cars, electricity, electric lights, electric fans or phones. Ian Stevenson wrote that glass bottles baffled her. In nineteenth century Bengal, food and water were kept in earthenware or metal vessels. When asked if she would like to cook Bengalis meals, she said, “How can I cook? There is neither an oven or firewood here?” Cooking on the Huddar’s gas stove was incomprehensible to her. (4)

When she heard a tape recorder play back songs she sang, she thought there was an evil spirit in the tape recorder

IISISReincarnationResearchLooterSharada’s Past Life Bengali Behavior and Disdain of Marathi People

Sharada behaved very much like a Bengali woman, in contrast to Uttara’s Marathi ways. Further, in an amusing and ironic twist, Sharada demonstrated a prejudiced and judgmental attitude towards Marathi people.

Sharada called Marathi people “dasyus,” which means “looters” in Bengali (5). She was demonstrating a typical Bengali attitude towards Marathi people, who Bengalis thought of as inferior. Sharada refused to learn the Marathi language, which she considered a harsh language.

Since she would not learn the Marathi language, Sharada could not communicate with the Huddar family. She spent much of her time alone, reading Bengali books and epics in the Bengali language, which Uttara didn’t understand.

It is amusing and ironic that Sharada was being judgmental and prejudiced towards the Marathis, who would be her own ethnic group in her future incarnation as Uttara. As noted, this case demonstrates that it is not wise to establish identity on one’s nationality or ethnic group, as these can change from one lifetime to another.

IISISReincarnationResearchVermillionForeheadSharada’s Past Life Bengali Behavior

Sharada’s customs and behavior reflected her Bengali culture. As noted, Sharada wore a portion of her sari over her head, creating a veil, which is a custom of Bengali women. Uttara did not wear a sari in this way. Sharada went barefoot when she left the house, as Bengali women in the 19th century did, while Uttara wore sandals or shoes when she went out. Sharada would leave her hair loose, while Uttara pulled her hair into a bun. Sharada sat on the floor, while Uttara sat on chairs. Sharada bathed in cold water, as she would have done in the 19th century, whereas Uttara bathed in warm water.

Sharada applied vermillion or cinnabar to the part of her hair, a custom of married Bengali women. When she asked members of Uttara’s family to help her apply the cinnabar, Sharada became upset when they would apply the cinnabar from the top of her head to the forehead, which in Bengali culture means that she may suffer early widowhood. The proper Bengali way is to apply the cinnabar the opposite way, from forehead to top of head. Sharada also asked that alta, a red liquid dye, be applied to borders of her feet, another Bengali custom.

Sharada would greet older persons by touching her head to the ground, a Bengali tradition. Whereas Uttara was social and friendly, Sharada did not like to appear before strangers, unless they were Bengali. Sharada would not let Uttara’s father or brother touch her, as she did not feel related to them.

Reincarnation & Changes in Religious Worship

IISISReincarnationResearchDurgaUttara and her family, the Huddars, worshiped Ganesh, the Hindu deity with the elephant head. Sharada, on the other hand, worshiped the Bengali deity Durga, represented by a woman with ten arms. An image of Durga is provided to the right.

Sharada followed the Bengali custom of drawing an image of Durga on the floor with powder. Overall, Sharada was much more religious than Uttara, which may have reflected Sharada’s family life, as her father was a temple priest.

Transformation of Uttara into Past Life Personality Sharada

As noted, Sharada first appeared when she was in the hospital under the care of Dr. Joshi in 1973, when Uttara was 32 years old. Sharada’s appearances continued at least through October of 1982, a period of nine years.

Sharada would remain for varying amounts of time. Most of her appearances lasted 1-3 days, though some appearances lasted a week or more. The longest appearances lasted for 41 and 43 days. The frequency of appearances could vary, though for a period of time, Sharada appeared approximately twice a month.

IISISReincarnationResearchCaseEvidenceLotusWhen Uttara returned, she would change the Bengali clothing that Sharada preferred to the clothes that Maratha women wear. Sharada only spoke Bengali, while Uttara never spoke Bengali.

Uttara described to investigators what the appearance of Sharada was like. Uttara said that when Sharada was approaching, she felt pain and tenderness on the top of her head. She could also have the sensation of ants crawling on top her head.

Her tongue would feel like it was being pulled inwardly and that her eyes were being pulled inside her head. She could have the sensation as if she was shrinking. She would begin weeping and then she would lose consciousness.

Sometimes the transition to Sharada would occur during sleep. Uttara would be in her normal state of being when she went to bed, then in the morning would awake as Sharada.

Whenever Sharada emerged, she would ask for flowers and sometimes she would go out to the Huddar’s garden to pick flowers. With this behavior, it appears that Sharada was reenacting the events that led to her death, just before she was bit by the cobra.

Source of Reincarnation Phobia: Sharada Relives Being Bitten by a Cobra in her Past Life

IISISReincarnationCaseEvidencecobra200There were episodes where Sharada even seemed to be reliving symptoms of a venomous snake bite. Her toe would become black, as would her tongue and the inside of her mouth. She would close her eyes and point to her toe and say, “A king cobra has bitten me.” (6) As such, it appears that Sharada was at times reliving her death in the nineteenth century.

Preservation of Past Life Personality within the Soul: Sharada Thinks She is Still Alive and Denies Knowing Uttara

Despite Sharada’s repetition of her death scene, in which she would go out to the garden to pick flowers, she had no awareness that she was dead. Though she would say that she was bitten by a cobra, was put on a stretcher and then lost consciousness, she never would state that she had died.

When she was asked if she was a spirit, Sharada replied, “I am not a spirit, I am a woman” (7)

At times when Sharada appeared, she could not speak. She would point to her throat and tears would roll down her checks. It appears that in these episodes, Sharada did not fully integrate into Uttara’s body, which made her unable to vocalize. During severe phases, she could not take care of herself and the Huddar family had to care for her, even give her water. Normally, Sharada could feed, clean and clothe herself.

On the other hand, Sharada, at times, could act quite autonomously and on three occasions she left the Uddar’s home on her own. Once she left to find Dr. Joshi, who Sharada considered her husband.

IISISReincarnationResearchEvidencePonyWhen asked how she had arrived at the Huddar’s home, she would give different explanations, as if she herself didn’t know. Once she said that her husband left her with the Huddars while he went to holy places along the Ganges River.

Sharada would ask the Huddars to take her to her husband in Shivapur or to the aunt who raised her in Saptagram. Once she wrote a letter to her husband stating: “I do not like it here. I have been here for a long time. When will you take me home?” (8)

Sharada consistently denied knowing Uttara. When asked where Uttara was, Sharada stated that she didn’t know.

Past Life Personality Sharada Shows Psychic Abilities

Sharada, in contrast to Uttara, demonstrated psychic abilities. Once she told a first time visitor to the Huddar’s home that his wife was dead, his son did not help him and that he had to beg for help from others. All these statements were correct. When a servant girl that worked for the Huddars was sent away for suspicion of stealing, Sharada said that the girl was at that very moment confessing to her grandfather and was weeping in remorse. This was later verified as true. It was as if Sharada was still connected to the soul of Sharada | Uttara, which allowed her to see in extra sensory ways.

Transformation from Past Life Personality Sharada into Uttara

Uttara said that when she emerged from the Sharada phase, she had the sensation that “something is falling down in my body.” (9) Recovery could last from 15 minutes to four hours. Uttara could have difficulty speaking Marathi after a long Sharada phase.

Uttara would have no memory of what occurred during her Sharada phase and conversely, Sharada had no awareness of anything that occurred when Uttara was herself.

For example, when Uttara’s mother, Monoram Huddar, died on July 3, 1981, Uttara was in her normal state of consciousness. When on August 8, 1981, Sharada manifested, she had no knowledge that Monoram had died. When told that Monoram had died, Sharada started to cry.

Reincarnation versus Possession

Due to the dramatic nature of Sharada’s appearances, in which Uttara had no knowledge of what occurred while Sharada inhabited her body, one must wonder if this may be a case of possession, where a disembodied spirit takes over the body of person.

In a separate section of this website, I review my working relationship with Kevin Ryerson, who is a professional medium. Kevin channels several different spirit beings, allowing these spirit beings to communicate with human beings. When Kevin channels, he has no awareness of what goes on during the channeling. When Kevin emerges from a channeling session, he has no memory of what happened during the session.

One may even think of Kevin’s ability to channel as the ability to allow temporary possession of his body in a controlled way. Kevin allows a spirit being to use his body for a period of time, though Kevin retains control and can emerge from the channeling state at will.

As such, there are similarities in the way Sharada would manifest to the channeling phenomenon that occurs with Kevin Ryerson. One difference is that Kevin retains control over the channeling experience and can return to normal consciousness if he desires. In contrast, Uttara had no control over Sharada’s appearances.

Ian Stevenson, MD, felt that the Sharada | Uttara Huddar case is more consistent with a reincarnation case, rather than possession, for several reasons. These include:

Manorama’s announcing dream: When Manorama was pregnant with Uttara, she had a recurrent dream in which a cobra was about to bite her right big toe. Manorama would kick off the snake and then wake up. It was as if Manorama was experiencing the persona of Sharada, Uttara’s past lifetime, in these dreams.

Sharada, it appears, was trying to communicate to Manorama, Uttara’s mother, that Sharada would be born to her. Announcing dreams like this are observed in reincarnation cases, not in cases of possession. An announcing dream was recounted in the reincarnation case of Hanan Monsour | Suzanne Ghanem.

Uttara’s Past Life Phobia of Snakes: Uttara had a phobia of snakes, which was particularly severe from four to eight years of age. This phobia appears to reflect a past lifetime as Sharada, who described being bit by a king cobra. Phobias related to past life trauma are observed in reincarnation cases, as observed in the Rashid Khaddege | Daniel Jurdi reincarnation case.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

If this extremely compelling case is accepted as a reincarnation case, it demonstrates the following features:

Responsive Xenoglossy and Personality Retained in the Soul: Sharada could have extensive conversations in Bengali. Professor Pal noted that in total, he conversed with Sharada in Bengali for ten hours. In contrast, Uttara, the contemporary personality, as well as her family, could not speak Bengali at all.

The Sharada personality appears to have been entirely retained within the soul. Sharada did not seem to even know that she had died. Further, Sharada denied even knowing who the contemporary personality, Uttara, was.

Phobia from a Past Lifetime: Uttara, as a child, had an intense phobia of snakes, which appears to reflect her death in a past lifetime as Sharada, by a cobra bite.

Change of Nationality, Ethnic Affiliation & Religious Belief: Sharada, the Bengali past life personality, showed contempt for the Indian Marathi people, which Uttara and her family belonged to. Sharada even referred to the Marathi as “looters.” Though both Hindu, Sharada worshiped the god Durga, while Uttara and her family were devoted to Ganesh.

Spirit Being Involvement & Announcing Dreams in Reincarnation Cases: When Manorama was pregnant with Uttara, she would dream that she was about to be bitten in her right big toe by a snake. It was as if Manorama was experiencing the persona of Sharada, Uttara’s past lifetime, in these dreams. It seems that Sharada, from the spirit world,was trying to communicate with Manorama, indicating that she would be born to her.

Footnotes

1. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 74
2. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 121
3. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 121
4. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 114
5. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 115
6. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 112
7. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 113
8. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 114
9. Stevenson, Ian: Unlearned Language, New Studies in Xenoglossy, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, p 109

 

 

 

 

 

Islam Reincarnation Case of Oma Devi | Nagina: Past Life Case involving Suicide, Religion Change & Renewed Relationships

Oma Devi committed suicide reincarnated in a little over 3 years after her death, demonstrating that suicide does not end the evolution of the soul. Oma Devi was Hindu, but reborn into a Sunni Muslim family.

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Satwant Pasricha, PhD, Associate of Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, by Satwant Pasricha, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life & Suicide of Oma Devi

5 Reincarnation Suicide Case A Blazing FireOma Devi was a schoolteacher who lived in District of Farrukhabad, in the Indian state of Uddar Pradesh, which is the home of the famous Taj Mahal. Her husband was a merchant who sold books and stationary in Mohammadabad. The couple was of the Hindu faith and they had four children, two boys and two girls.

Unfortunately, Oma Devi and her husband had a bad marriage. On May 19, 1987, the couple had a serious argument and in reaction, Oma poured kerosene over herself and set herself on fire, perishing from her burns. She was 47 years of age when she died.

Oma Devi, a Hindu, Reincarnates into a Sunni Muslim Family

In October 1990, about 3 and a half years after Oma Devi died, a girl named Nagina was born to a Sunni Muslim family, who did not believe in reincarnation. The family also lived in the District of Farrukhabad, not far from Oma Devi’s home. Her father, Amaruddin, made his living by transporting people in a tanga, a horse-drawn carriage.

Past Life Behavior: Nagina Reenacts Committing Suicide

Islam reincarnation past lives cresent moonWhen Nagina was a little over 1 year of age, before she learned to speak, one of Amaruddin’s aunts came to visit the family. The aunt asked for some mustard oil, to massage into her hair. Nagina then brought her a bottle of kerosene. The aunt, surprised, asked what she would do with kerosene. Nagina then made the gesture of pouring the bottle of kerosene over her head and she then made the gesture of lighting a match to set herself on fire. These gestures of lighting a match and bringing the lit match to her head became a repetitive behavior.

Past Life Memories: Nagina Reports She was Oma, Who Committed Suicide

When Nagina was 3 years old and able to speak, she said that in a prior lifetime she was a schoolteacher named Oma and that she had 2 daughters and 2 sons. Nagina shared that after an argument with her husband, she poured kerosene over her body and then set herself on fire.

Amaruddin’s family, as noted, did not believe in reincarnation and they tried to suppress Nagina’s past life memories by beating her on the head. This strategy failed, as Nagina continued to talk about her past life.

Past Life Memories: Nagina knows Family Secrets & Mourns the Death of her Past Life Husband

When Oma Devi’s two sons heard about Nagina’s claims of a prior incarnation in which she set herself on fire, they came to visit her. Nagina shared with them details of Oma’s life that were not known outside the family. Based on this testimony, Oma Devi’s elder son became convinced that Nagina was his mother reborn. The younger son did not know what to make of the situation.

The families maintained contact. In April 1996, when Nagina was 5 and a half years old, Oma Devi’s husband died. Despite the conflicts that Oma and her husband had, Nagina was very upset about the death of her past life husband.

Past Life Birthmarks

Dr. Pasricha noted that Nagina had hyper-pigmented or dark colored birthmarks on her chin and lower abdomen, which could have been related to burns incurred by Oma Devi.

Validity of Nagina’s Past Life Story

In commenting on the credibility of the case, Dr. Pasricha noted that it was very unlikely that Nagina’s family would fabricate a reincarnation case that went against their religion, especially one that involves suicide. Though Shiite Muslims are open to reincarnation, Sunni Muslims, the branch of Islam that Nagina’s family belonged to, do not accept reincarnation. Recall that Nagina’s family tried to suppress her talk of a past lifetime though physical punishment.

Dr. Pasricha also commented that it was unlikely that as a one year old Nagina would have learned of Oma Devi’s death and that it was even more unlikely that a family would teach a child to pretend committing suicide. (1)

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Change in Religion: Oma Devi was Hindu, but she was reborn into a Sunni Muslim family that did not believe in reincarnation.

Past Life Birthmarks or Scars: Nagina had dark-colored birthmarks on her chin and abdomen, which Dr. Pasricha noted could be related to burn scars incurred by Oma Deva in her suicide.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Oma Devi reincarnated in close proximity to her past life home, which allowed her to be reunited with her past life family. Though Oma Devi committed suicide after an argument with her husband, Nagina expressed grief when her past life husband died.

Reincarnation & Suicide: Oma Devi committed suicide but reincarnated a little over 3 years after her death, demonstrating that suicide does not end the evolution of the soul. Oma Devi likely generated karma from the pain she caused others, which she may have to experience herself in the course of time. Also, Nagina may face similar circumstances as Oma Devi did, but she will need to react in more productive ways. For a full discussion on karmic issues involved with suicide, please refer to: Suicide Reincarnation Case of Ruprecht Schultz

Footnotes

1. Pasricha, Satwant, Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, 2008, pages 163-165

Reincarnation Case of Hardevbaksh Singh | Nasruddin Shah: Change of Religion from Hindu to Muslim in a Past Life Case

Hardevbaksh, a Hindu, Reincarnates as a Muslim in Nasruddin. Still Nasruddin identified with the Hindu faith and his past life caste as a Thakur and often this causes conflicts with beliefs of his present lifetime Muslim family.

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Satwant Pasricha, PhD, Ian Stevenson, MD Collaborator

From: Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death, Volume 1; Reincarnation Research, by Satwant Pasricha, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life and Death of Hardevbaksh Singh

2 Hindu to Muslim Reincarnation-ElephantHardevbaksh Singh lived in Phargana, a town in the northern Indian district of Shahajahanpur. He was Hindu and a member of the Thakur caste, one of the higher castes or classes in India.

Hardevbaksh was a landowner and raised cattle. His cousin owned an elephant.

When he was about 70 years old, a fight erupted when his distant cousins alleged that Hardevbaksh’s cattle had trespassed onto their fields. Even a son of Hardevbaksh sided with the cousins in this dispute. The group attacked Hardevbaksh and killed him. He died on March 21, 1961.

Hardevbaksh, a Hindu, Reincarnates as a Muslim

Nasruddin Shah was born about a year later in April 1962 into a poor Sunni Muslim family, in the town of Allahaganj, which is about 10 kilometers or 6 miles from Phargana.

At the age of 2, Nasruddin started to talk about a past life in which he was a Thakur. He said that he died in a fight and that one of his sons was among the murderers.

One day, an elephant came to Allahagnj whose rider was from Phargana. Nasruddin claimed that the elephant was his. Nasruddin’s story that he was killed in a fight by one of his own sons and his claim to the elephant thus reached the community in Phargana. The widow of Hardevbaksh Singh heard of Nasruddin’s statements and along with one of her sons, she traveled to meet Nasruddin.

Nasruddin Recognizes his Past Life Wife and a Past Life Son

Upon arrival their arrival, Nasruddin identified the visitors as his mother and son from his past incarnation.

Past Life Behavior: Nasruddin, a Muslim, has a Hindu Mindset

Hindu Animal Reincarnation & Sacred Cow, Walter Semkiw ArticleIn addition to making these identifications, Nasruddin demonstrated behaviors of a member of the Hindu Thakur caste, which was very unusual for a boy born into an impoverished Muslim family. These included:

Refusing, from an early age, to eat beef

Refusing to eat food on a plate used by someone else

Refusing to drink from someone else’s glass

Refusing to collect cow dung to be used as a fuel for heating and cooking

Nasruddin’s family noted that this Thakur behavior, which they regarded as “snobbery,” lasted until he was 13 to 14 years of age. In addition, he refused to go with his father to the mosque, he refused to say Muslim prayers and he refused to join his family in fasting for Ramadan. Nasruddin even would ridicule his family for observing these Muslim customs, such as fasting during Ramadan.

Past Life Birthmarks: Nasruddin’s has Birthmarks that Reflect Hardevbaksh’s Wounds

It was observed that Nasruddin had birthmarks that corresponded to the wounds inflicted on the body of Hardevbaksh Singh. (1)

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Change in Religion & Caste: Hardevbaksh was Hindu, but was reborn as Nasruddin into a Muslim family. Nasruddin still identified with the Hindu faith and his past life caste as a Thakur and in an immature fashion, criticized his family’s observance of Muslim customs.

Birthmarks from a Past Lifetime: Ian Stevenson, MD wrote extensively on how wounds, such as bullet or stab marks, from a prior lifetime can result in birthmarks in the same locations on the body in a subsequent reincarnation.

Footnotes

1. Pasricha, Satwant, Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, 2008, pages 161-163

Muslim Reincarnation Case of Mushir Ali | Naresh Kumar: A Past Life Case with Change in Religion from Islamic to Hindu

Naresh Kumar, a Hindu was reunited with his past life family, the Muslim family of Haider Ali, who accepted Naresh as the reincarnation of their deceased son,

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Satwant K. Pasricha, PhD, Associate of Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death, Volume 1, by Satwant K. Pasricha, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life and Death of Mushir Ali, a Sunni Muslim

Islam reincarnation past lives cresent moonMushir Ali lived with his family in Kakori, a town in the Lucknow district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His family was Sunni Muslim and his father, Haider Ali, was very religious, dedicating himself to praying for others and living off of alms or donations. The family spoke the Urdu language, which is common among Muslim people in the area.

Mushir Ali was the primary breadwinner for the family, selling vegetables and fruits at area markets. In the early morning of June 30, 1980, Mushir was taking mangoes to the market in Lucklow in a horse cart that he had rented. A little over 2 kilometers from Kakori, his horse cart collided with a tractor and Mushir suffered fractures of the ribs on the right side of his body, succumbing to his injuries almost instantly. He was 25 years old when he died.

Mushir Ali is Reincarnated into a Hindu Family but Prays like a Muslim

Naresh Kumar was born in February 1981, less than a year after Mushir Ali died, in the village of Bazbagar, which was also in the district of Lucknow. His father’s name was Guruprasad and his mother was Bishwana. The family was Hindu of the lower middle class. Nasir was born with a birth defect, a depressed area near the middle of the chest, slightly on the right side.

IISISReincarnationResearchGaneshWhen he started to speak at one year of age, Naresh said the words Kakori, the town where Mushir Ali lived, and kharkhara, which means horse cart. When he was 2 years old, Naresh demonstrated unusual behavior for a Hindu boy by assuming the posture of kneeling down and saying Namaz, a Muslim style of praying. Naresh would do this alone and he if he noticed other people watching him, he would stop.

Past Life Behavior and Xenoglossy-A Language from a Prior Lifetime

Naresh also would play by pretending to drive a horse cart. He would tie a rope to a cot, which served as the cart, and he would make sounds as if he was instructing horses to proceed.

In addition, Naresh was heard speaking a few words of Urdu, a language that his family did not speak. As such, this constitutes a case of xenoglossy, in which an individual can speak a language from a past lifetime which was not learned in the contemporary lifetime.

Naresh shares his Past Life Memories and Recognizes his Past Life Father

When he was 4 years old Naresh elaborated further about a past lifetime, stating that he was carrying mangoes in his horse cart when it collided with a vehicle and he died. Further, he stated that he was a Muslim who lived in Kakori. Naresh was eager to talk about his past lifetime and would talk about it whenever villagers asked him about it.

Haider Ali, the father of Mushir Ali, would travel to Bazbagar every Thursday to pray for villagers and to collect alms or donations. After Naresh learned to walk, he would follow Haider Ali around the village, claiming that he was his father. Naresh would even call Haider Ali “Abba,” which means father, and he told Haider Ali that he wanted to go home with him.

Naresh’s family asks Haider Ali for Help, Who is Evasive, Perhaps due to a Fear of the Islamic Community’s Attitude regarding Reincarnation

Naresh kept insisting that his family to take him to Kakori. Bishwana, Naresh’s mother, decided to ask Haider Ali for his assistance, since he was from Kakori, as well as a Muslim. Haider Ali did not seem to want to get involved and instead advised Bishwana to take Naresh to the grave of a Muslim saint in Mazar, so that the boy would stop talking about his previous life. The family did so but it did not have any effect, as Naresh continued to enjoy talking about his past lifetime. Naresh also insisted on going to his previous home and once even started going down the road by himself to go there.

Dr. Pasricha speculated that at this point in time, Haider Ali likely knew that Naresh was claiming to be his deceased son Mushir Ali reborn, but was afraid to say anything due to concern of being criticized by his Muslim community, which did not believe in reincarnation.

Naresh finds his Past Life Home and Identifies Past Life Relatives & Friends

Guruprasad, Naresh’s father, finally decided to take him to Kakori. They were accompanied by some friends. Once in Kakori, Naresh led the group to the house where Mushir Ali lived. Inside the house, he identified several objects that belonged to Mushir, including Mushir’s cap and contents of Mushir’s suitcase.

Naresh also recognized and named members of Mushir’s immediate family, relatives and friends. He also accurately told the Ali family about a bank account that the family had at the time that Mushir died. Further, Naresh mentioned the name of a person who owed money to Mushir, which the family verified. The Ali family added that this individual who owed money paid it back after Mushir’s death.

Reincarnation, Past Lives & Birth Defects

Based on the accurate identifications and statements made by Naresh, the Ali family, including Haidar Ali, accepted Naresh as the reincarnation of Mushir Ali. In retrospect, Dr. Pasricha hypothesized that the birth defect that Naresh was born with on the right side of his chest reflected the trauma and rib fractures that Mushir Ali incurred in the tractor accident which killed him. (1)

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Change in Religion: Mushir Ali was Muslim, but reincarnated into a Hindu family.

Past Life Talent & Behavior: As a child, Naresh would pretend that he was driving a horse cart. In addition, he would pray in the Muslim style.

Geographic Memory: Once brought to Kakori, Naresh was able to lead his group to his past life home and the family of Haider Ali.

Xenoglossy: Naresh was heard speaking Urdu, a language that was used by the Muslim community, but not in Naresh’s family. As such, this represents a case of xenoglossy, where a language from a past lifetime is retained in a subsequent lifetime.

Reincarnation & Birth Defects: Naresh had a depression on his chest wall which seemed to reflect the broken ribs that Mushir incurred when struck and killed by a tractor.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Naresh was reunited with his past life family, the family of Haider Ali, who accepted Naresh as the reincarnation of their deceased son, Mushir Ali.

Footnotes

1. Pasricha, Satwant K., Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death, Volume 1, Harman Publishing, New Delhi, 2008, pages 159-161

Past Life Story of John Elliotson | Norm Shealy, MD: Spiritual Communication or Soul Guidance in a Reincarnation Case

John Elliotson, a 19th century British physician, a medical innovator and pain specialist reincarnated into Norm Shealy a modern internationally renowned neurosurgeon, inventor, writer and specialist in pain management. Shealy is the inventor of TENS Unit, Dorsal Column Stimulator, and the Facet Rhizotomy.

shealy elliotson reincarnation past life semkiw orHow Case Derived: Soul or Intuitive Guidance

Researcher: Norm Shealy, MD, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD, from Born Again and Return of the Revolutionaries

Norm Shealy’s Medical Contributions: TENS Unit & Dorsal Column Stimulator

Norm Shealy is a world famous neurosurgeon, writer and specialist in pain management. Norm is the inventor of the TENS Unit, a device that discharges an electrical current through the skin which blocks pain. He also the inventor of the Dorsal Column Stimulator, a device implanted under the skin that has wires that are implanted next to the spinal cord, which discharge an electrical current to block pain impulses in cases that involve severe and intractable back pain. Dr. Shealy also is the inventor of the Facet Rhizotomy, a surgical procedure in which nerve fibers are cut to reduce pain coming from the joints of the back.

Dr. Shealy is also considered the father of modern comprehensive pain programs, which involve multidisciplinary approach, utilizing psychologists as well as physicians. For all these reasons, Norm Shealy is known in the medical community around the world.

Soul Guidance or Spiritual Communication: An Iceberg Sensation goes down Norm’s back when He hears the Name John Elliotson

Norm Shealy has learned about a past lifetime of his in which he was John Elliotson, a 19th century physician in Britain who was also a medical innovator and pain specialist. In his own words, Dr. Shealy explains how he came to learn about this past incarnation. In the text provided below, Snowmass refers to a ski resort in Colorado.

“In January 1972, I was sitting in a lecture at the Neuroelectric Society in Snowmass at Aspen waiting for Dr. William Kroger to finish his lecture. I was a bit annoyed because he was trying to convince us that acupuncture was hypnosis and he suddenly said, “In the last century a British physician demonstrated that you could operate on patients who were mesmerized. His name was John Elliotson.” When he said that, I felt as if someone had thrust an iceberg down my back and I said to myself, ‘My God, that’s me.'”

Soul Guidance & Geographic Memory in a Reincarnarnation Case: Norm Intuitively Leads a Taxi Driver to Elliotson’s Medical Office

physical resemblance reincarnation“I was neutral about reincarnation at that time. I asked my medical librarian if she could get me any information on John Elliotson and she could not. So in the June of that year, I went to London. I got in a cab and asked the cab driver to take me to the Royal College of Surgeons, assuming that John Elliotson must have been a surgeon.

As we turned down one corner to the right, I was sitting in the back of the cab and suddenly was picked up physically and turned in the opposite direction, again feeling as if there were an iceberg down my back. A block down to the left, instead of the right, was University College Hospital of London (image provided below), where my office had been as John Elliotson. I walked in the building and felt at home.”

John Elliotson’s Medical Contributions to the World

“It turns out that John Elliotson was the first Professor of Medicine at the University College Hospital. He made his reputation in the 1830s giving public lectures on various aspects of medicine. James Wakeley, editor of the Lancet at that time, often published his lectures. During his career as an internist, John introduced the stethoscope and the use of narcotics, both from France where he had studied. He also introduced mesmerism and began to put on public displays of mesmerism in the amphitheater.

He was a bosom buddy of Charles Dickens and William Thackeray. He taught Dickens how to use mesmerism on his hypochondriacal wife. Elliotson was the first physician in London to give up wearing knickers. He had striking black curly hair and walked with a congenital limp.

He also demonstrated that some of his patients who were placed in a mesmeric trace became clairvoyant and easily made diagnoses. Elliotson also inspired James Esdaile to do a large number of operations upon mesmerized patients. Esdaile later wrote a book called Natural and Mesmeric Clairvoyance and mentioned Elliotson’s use of hypnotic mesmerism for inducing clairvoyance. Eventually, Elliotson was asked by the Board of Trustees to stop putting on public displays of mesmerism. Elliotson became angry and resigned.

For twelve years he continued publishing The Zoist, in which he recounted many aspects of mesmerism, including well over 300 patients who were operated on by another surgeon when Elliotson put the patient into a trance. Eventually he was invited by the Royal College of Physicians to give the annual Haverian Lecture because of his contributions to medicine. He gave his lecture on the hypocrisy of science in accepting new thoughts.”

Norm Tears Up his Knickers and Dyes his Hair

elliotson shealy reincarnation past life evidence semkiw knickers“Now to similarities in my own life. At age 9, everyone wore knickers but me. My mother tried to get me to wear knickers and I would have temper tantrums and tear them apart. As a young child, perhaps 4 or 5, I wanted black curly hair so badly that I once went up to an aunt of mine and cut a lock of her black hair. When I was sixteen and just leaving to go to college, I dyed my hair black but I never did it more than once. It was just too much trouble. John was also a Latin scholar and I won the Latin medal two years in high school. When I was 9 years old I had a small stress fracture of the right tibial plateau. It became infected with an abscess. This was before antibiotics and I was told that I would always walk with a limp.

Although from the age four I said was going to be a physician, by age sixteen I always thought I was going to be a neurosurgeon. Between my junior and senior years in medical school, I took a three-month trip to visit various and sundry surgical internship possibilities. I went back to Duke and decided to take an internship in internal medicine instead of surgery, even though I still pursued neurosurgery after the internship.”

Norm Shealy Loves Dickens and Thackeray, John Elliotson’s Old Friends

“Charles Dickens was one of my favorite authors as a child. In 1974, I visited Olga Worrall, the great healer. In a hypnotic trance, I saw her walk across her living room, pick up a book on a table, and put it back down. I later called Olga and asked her what was the book lying on the table in her living room. She said it was Pendennis by William Thackeray. Thackeray dedicated his novel, Pendennis (1850), to Dr. Elliotson and modeled his character, Dr. Goodenough, in that novel, after Elliotson.”

Replication of Talent & Thought in a Reincarnation Case:

Norm Writes the Same Book as Elliotson on Medical Hypocrisy

“I have spent much of this life getting people off narcotics rather than putting them on them. Six months before I heard Elliotson’s name, I published anonymously a novel based on the hypocrisy of medicine in accepting new ideas. I used many of the examples that Elliotson did in his Harverian lecture.

In 1973, again a month before I heard John Elliotson’s name, I received a $50,000 grant from a Fortune 500 company, which had asked to remain anonymous, to study psychic diagnosis.

In 1973, I visited seventy-five individuals who were said to be excellent clairvoyants, and I did a test of medical intuition, or the ability of really untrained psychics or intuitives to do medical diagnosis. We found five who were between 70 and 75% accurate. When I told the seventy-five intuitives I visited that I had this personal feeling that I had been John Elliotson, all seventy five concurred. For some seven years in by life, I published a newsletter, Holos Practice Reports, on alternative approaches to medicine.

In summary, I have never had any question that I was John Elliotson in my last life. John Elliotson was born October 24, 1791. At age 19 he graduated from medical school. Interestingly, I entered medical school at age 19. He died July 29, 1868. Incidentally, John founded the Phrenology Society in London and it is interesting that I went into neurosurgery, which certainly has a lot to do with the skull.”

Reincarnation Case Analysis: Spiritual Comminication or Soul Guidance

elliotson shealy reincarnation past life semkiw building/homeLet us briefly review the key features of the Elliotson | Shealy case. When Dr. Shealy first heard John Elliotson’s name, he knew viscerally that he was Elliotson in a past lifetime. This occurred even though Dr. Shealy was neutral about reincarnation, at that point in time. Dr. Shealy had this inner knowing, which was accompanied by a dramatic sensation of an “iceberg” going down his back, before studying Elliotson’s life and without seeing an image of Elliotson. When Dr. Shealy went to London to research Elliotson, he was intuitively guided to Elliotson’s office at the University College Hospital of London (building featured to the right). This event also was accompanied by the “iceberg” sensation.

These Events signify Soul Guidance, that is, Norm Shealy’s own Soul acted to help him discover his Past Lifetime as John Elliotson.

Dr. Shealy then learned that he and Elliotson had much in common. Both share the trait of being medical innovators, in that Elliotson introduced the use of the stethoscope in England and Norm Shealy has invented the TENS unit and the Dorsal Column Stimulator.

Both have demonstrated an interest in the management of pain. Elliotson introduced the use of narcotics in England, while Dr. Shealy has become a world expert on pain management. In his contemporary career, Dr. Shealy has labored to find ways to manage pain so that people can get off narcotics. Elliotson was an internist, who later founded phrenology, which involves study of the skull. Dr. Shealy first chose to go into internal medicine, then switched fields and became a neurosurgeon.

Elliotson was interested in mesmerism or hypnosis, an interest shared by Dr. Shealy. Elliotson was interested in the observation that hypnosis could stimulate clairvoyance. Dr. Shealy has worked with clairvoyants and medical intuitives, including Caroline Myss. Both have been ridiculed by conservative elements in the medical community for their innovative approaches.

Elliotson gave his detractors a piece of his mind when in a Harverian Lecture, he delivered a speech on the hypocrisy of science in accepting new ideas. Dr. Shealy published a novel with the identical message and utilized the same examples that Elliotson used in his Harverian Lecture. Elliotson had striking black hair which Dr. Shealy, in his youth, tried to recreate. Elliotson gave up wearing knickers, which were pants that went down just below the knee. Dr. Shealy had a tantrum when his mom tried to get him to wear the same dreaded piece of clothing.

physical resemblance reincarnationIt is significant that when I first contacted Dr. Shealy in 2002, he was unaware that facial features can remain consistent from lifetime to lifetime. When I asked him whether he looked like John Elliotson, Norm responded, “I don’t’ know!” Norm agreed to send me images of Elliotson and himself as a medical student, which he thought might bear some resemblance. The images, which are presented at the right, demonstrate matching facial architecture. Much as in the case of Robert Snow, the fact that Norm Shealy derived his own past life case in a compelling manner, believed without doubt that he is the reincarnation of Elliotson and did not even focus on common appearance, reinforces that the consistency of facial features from one incarnation to another is indeed a valid phenomenon.

Please note that Norm Shealy can be considered a medical child prodigy. At four years of age he declared that he would be a physician, by 16 years of age he knew he would be a neurosurgeon, which was the same age that he entered college. Norm entered medical school at the precocious age of 19. He taught at Harvard and by becoming a world famous medical innovator and pain specialist, he replicated the career development of John Elliotson. This case demonstrates how child prodigies can be explained through reincarnation.

Two additional cases that were derived in relation to the Elliotson | Shealy match include the case those of Charles Dickens | J. K. Rowling and Anton Mesmer | John Kabat-Zinn.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Physical Resemblance: Norm and John Elliotson have similar facial features, something that Norm did not appreciate until the year 2000, even though he had been convinced he has been Elliotson ever since the early 1970’s.

Past Life Talent: Norm was a medical prodigy, having entered medical school at the age of only 19. He became a medical inventor and innovator, much like Elliotson was. Like Elliotson, Norm has made major contributions to the field of pain management, though he observes that in this lifetime he has tried to get patients off narcotics, while as Elliotson, he was introducing narcotics to England.

Significantly, Norm and Elliotson have both been medical rebels, who both wrote on the hypocrisy of mainstream medicine in accepting new ideas. They both even used the same examples from history to prove their points, though Norm was unaware of Elliotson’s writing on the subject until after he wrote his own treatise. As such, this appears to be a case where an individual unconsciously drew on past life experience and knowledge. This phenomenon was also observed in the case of Paul Gauguin | Peter Teekamp.

Geographic Memory: When in England, Norm was able to intuitively lead a taxi driver to the former medical office of John Elliotson. This is reminiscent of the case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen, as Barbro, on her first trip to Amsterdam at age ten, was able to lead her parents from their hotel to the Anne Frank House without directions.

Change in Nationality: John Elliotson was British, while Norm Shealy was born in the United States.

Spiritual Communication or Soul Guidance: It appears that Norm’s own soul or perhaps a spirit guide facilitated the development this reincarnation case by sending the iceberg sensation down Norm’s spine when he heard the name John Elliotson in Snowmass, as well as when Norm was in the taxi looking for information on Elliotson in London.

 

Past Life Story of John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene: Spirit Being, Spiritual or Soul Guidance in a Reincarnation Case & How Evidence of Reincarnation can bring Peace

The reincarnation case of John B. Gordon | Jeffrey Keene demonstrates how evidence of reincarnation can help create a more peaceful world. Confederate officer John B. Gordon reincarnates as a Northern Connecticut Yankee, showing how souls can change cultural affiliation and incarnate as a past life enemy. This reincarnation case demonstrates the futility and wastefulness of war.

gordon keene semkiw reincarnation past life ttHow Case Derived: Intuitive or Spiritual Guidance

Researcher: Jeff Keene, video provided at bottom of page

From: Someone Else’s Yesterday: The Confederate General and Connecticut Yankee: A Past Life Revealed

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD, from Born Again and Return of the Revolutionaries

Evidence of Reincarnation can bring an End to Episodes of 911

Jeffrey Keene is a retired decorated fire fighter and Assistance Fire Chief of Westport, Connecticut. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, Keene received a special tour of “Ground Zero.” A relationship has existed between the two fire departments, as Westport’s firefighters have had a tradition of “riding along” with Rescue #1 of the Fire Department of the City of New York. Eleven members of this elite unit, Rescue #1 lost their lives on the morning of September 11, 2001.

Evidence of reincarnation can halt such tragedies, as this evidence shows that we souls can change religion, nationality, gender and race from lifetime to another.

A Reincarnation Case in which the Extraordinary Becomes the Ordinary

Jeff Keene, in his book. writes: “Like most people, I was stumbling through life minding my own business when all at once the world started having its way with me. Suddenly, the extraordinary became ordinary and strange occurrences throughout my life started to make sense.

Before too long I found myself on the front page of a state-wide newspaper and featured in an Arts and Entertainment Network documentary titled, Beyond Death. Getting to the point were the word “coincidence” was worn very thin, I decided to accept the fact that I was being guided and opened myself to what life wanted to show me. Long after I had been convinced of a past life, unusual events kept reinforcing my conclusions, so much so that the only reason I could come up with for such revelations was that I was to share them with others.”

Spiritual Guidance Pushes Jeff Keene around like a Shopping Cart

gordonkeenepastlifereincarnationevidence2Jeff has related to me that the element of guidance in his past life research has been so strong that he has felt like the spiritual world has been pushing him around “like a shopping cart.” Jeff’s story began in May 1991, when he was on vacation with his wife, Anna. They were looking for antiques and stopped in Sharpsburg, Maryland, which was where the Civil War battle of Antietam was fought. Though Jeff had never read a book on the Civil War or had any affinity for that era, he felt compelled to visit the battlefield.

A Flood of Past Life Emotions at Sunken Road

At a portion of the field called Sunken Road, Jeff listened to an audio-taped narration of events that took place in 1862. The battle involved a regiment called the Sixth Alabama, which was commanded by Colonel John B. Gordon. After listening to the tape, as he walked along the old farm lane, Jeff unknowingly strolled into the area that had been occupied by Gordon and his men. At this location, Jeff Keene had the following reaction:

“A wave of grief, sadness and anger washed over me. Without warning I was suddenly consumed by sensations. Burning tears ran down my cheeks. It became difficult to breathe. I gasped for air, as I stood transfixed in the old roadbed. To this day I cannot tell you how much time transpired, but as these feelings, this emotional overload passed, I found myself exhausted as if I had run a marathon.

Crawling up the steep embankment to get out of the road, I turned and looked back. I was a bit shaken to say the least and wondered at what had just taken place. It was difficult getting back to the car because I felt so weak.

I had regained most of my normal composure on the way back and said nothing to Anna about what had just happened. What could I say? How could I explain it to her? I did not have I did not have any answers, just questions.”

gordon-keene-reincarnation-past-life-semkiw-portrait with helmet big imageBefore leaving Sharpsburg, Jeff and Anna visited a gift shop. A magazine, Civil War Quarterly (Special Edition, Antietam), caught Jeff’s eye and he purchased it, along with a souvenir bullet found in the area. At home, Jeff placed the magazine in a drawer that held the family’s phone books, though he did not look at the journal until a year and a half later.

A Psychic Revelation and Jeff Exclaims, “Not Yet!” A Past Life Recollection

In October 1992, Jeff and Anna attended a Halloween party. A clairvoyant named Barbara had been hired to give readings at the party. When it was Jeff’s turn, he asked about his experience at Sunken Road. Barbara told Jeff that he was a soldier then and that he had been shot full of holes at that battlefield. He then had floated above his body, which was lying, apparently lifeless, on the bloodied ground. Barbara then said, “When you were hovering over your body looking down, you were very angry and yelled no!” Jeff relates that there was a pause at that moment. Jeff corrected Barbara, for reasons unknown to him, and exclaimed: “Not yet!”

The next day, Jeff decided it was time to read the souvenir magazine regarding the battle at Antietam that he had purchased in May 1991. Jeff reflected again that it was the first Civil War magazine that he had ever purchased. Jeff opened the journal to a page that had a picture of Sunken Road; the spot were Jeff had experienced the strange flood of emotions. As he scanned the text, he saw a quote: “Not Yet.” The hair stood up on the back of his neck.

Reading on, Jeff learned that “Not Yet” was an order repeatedly given by Colonel John B. Gordon to the Sixth Alabama. Yankee troops were approaching and the men of the Sixth Alabama were anxious to fire. The order to fire by Gordon was not given until the Union troops were less than one hundred yards away. Gordon himself was quoted, regarding the encounter:

Cordon keene past life reincarnation evidence for semkiw guns“A huge volume of musketry spewed out from the sunken road. My rifles flamed and roared in the Federals faces like a blinding blaze of lightning. The effect was appalling.”

Reading of John B. Gordon Brings a Flood of Past Life Emotions

As he read Gordon’s passage, Jeff started to experience the same emotions that he had felt at Sunken Road, and tears came to his eyes. The article then described the wounding of Gordon.

“John B. Gordon of the Sixth Alabama was hit in the left arm, the right shoulder and twice in the right leg before passing out from loss of blood after receiving a wound in the face.”

Physical Resemblance in Reincarnation Cases

Jeff himself writes of what happened next. “I turned back to the page with the picture of the Sunken Road, and on the page across from it was another picture. This time a chill ran through me and the hair on the back of my neck stood up again. The picture was of Brigadier General John B. Gordon. The face was not unknown to me, I knew it well, I shave it every morning.” Jeff noted that in the caption Gordon was identified as a general, whereas in the article Gordon was identified as a colonel at the time of his wounding. Gordon apparently had survived the battle at Antietam.

In his book, Jeff describes how he later retrieved memories of his lifetime as John B. Gordon. Jeff also describes habits and traits he has in common with Gordon. These include a preference to stand with arms crossed, similar clothing tastes and scars on his face and body that reflect Gordon’s battle wounds.

Anniversary Phenomena & Synchronistic Events in Reincarnation Cases

Jeff describes two symbolic events that occurred in relation to his reincarnation story. One involved orders written by General Lee on September 9, 1862, which defined the Confederate Army’s plans to invade the North. Nine copies of the orders were made; one copy was lost in transit and recovered by Union soldiers. This information gave the Union Army detailed information regarding the position of Confederate troops and led to the battle of Antietam. In sum, orders written on September 9 resulted in the Civil War conflict in which John B. Gordon was severely wounded and almost died. The symbolic event in contemporary times is Jeff Keene’s birthday is September 9.

Another symbolic event involving the date September 9 occurred on Jeff Keene’s 30th birthday. That day, Jeff was taken to the emergency room to be treated for facial and neck pain. Doctors could find no physical cause for Jeff’s pain syndrome. The location of his pain corresponded to the facial and neck wounds incurred by John B. Gordon at Antietam. Gordon was 30 at the time of his injuries; Jeff’s facial pain occurred on September 9, 1977, his 30th birthday. This incident appears to represent an anniversary phenomenon related to Gordon’s wounding. Keep in mind that Jeff’s emergency room visit occurred in 1977, which was 15 years before Jeff became aware of his connection to Gordon.

Reincarnation: Linguistic Writing Style Stays the Same

John B. Gordon Jeff Keene Reincarnation CaseIn his book, Jeff includes documents that show similarities in writing style. In his later years, General Gordon wrote a book called Reminiscences of the Civil War, which provided material for Jeff’s analysis. Let us compare two passages, one from Gordon’s book, describing the efforts of his men to put out a fire in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and one from Keene regarding his fire department’s response to an emergency incident. My observation is that the two documents seem to be written in the same “voice.”

At my request, Miriam Petruck, Ph.D., a linguistics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted a linguistic analysis of these documents, which is provided at the end of this narrative. This analysis confirmed that the two passages have definite structural similarities. This analysis shows that not only do facial features remain consistent from lifetime to lifetime, but the way we write and communicate can remain the same. It appears that we are the same mind from one incarnation to another. Only circumstances seem to change.

Past Life Writing Style: John Gordon (from Reminiscences of the Civil War):

“With great energy my men labored to save the bridge. I called on the citizens of Wrightsville for buckets and pails, but none were to be found. There was no lack of buckets and pails a little while later, when the town was on fire…My men labored as earnestly and bravely to save the town as they did to save the bridge. In the absence of fire-engines or other appliances, the only chance to arrest the progress of the flames was to form my men around the burning district, with the flank resting on the river’s edge, and pass rapidly from hand to hand the pails of water. Thus, and thus only, was the advancing, raging fire met, and at a late hour of the night checked and conquered.”

Past Life Writing Style: Assistant Chief Jeffrey Keene (from his letter to the Westport, CT, Fire Chief):

“With my radio restored, man power and apparatus were brought in and put under the guidance of Acting Lieutenant Christopher Ackley. While setting up a plan of action, Lieutenant Ackley displayed good common sense, knowledge, training and a deep concern for the safety of firefighters under his command. A large amount of gas entered the structure by way of a open window. Though we tried to remove all possible sources of ignition, we were able to remove all but two. The owner informed us that the house contained an oil-fired furnace and a hot water heater. There was no way to shut them off from the inside or outside. Using metering devices, a positive pressure fan and opening and closing windows, the hazard was removed.”

Spirit Being, Spiritual or Soul Guidance in a Reincarnation Case

Please note that it is likely that Jeff Keene did not find the spot at Sunken Road, where John B. Gordon was severely wounded, by chance. Rather, I believe that a spirit being or Jeff’s own soul telepathically guided him first to Sharpsburg, then to Antietam and the Sunken Road. Once there, the powerful flood of emotions, which appear to have been triggered by being at a past life location of great significance, eventually led to Jeff solving his reincarnation case. Jeff’s own soul may have also played a part in his experiencing powerful emotions at Sunken Road. As such, spirit being or Jeff’s own soul was responsible for solving this very important reincarnation case.

Reincarnation of Soul Groups

gordon-keene-reincarnation-past-life-semkiw-wilcoxzaletaAs described in the section Principles of Reincarnation, people reincarnate in groups, based on shared karma, emotional attachments and joint projects. Due to the premise of group incarnations, both Jeff and I suspected that his fellow firefighters in the Westport, Connecticut, Fire Department were likely military acquaintances of John B. Gordon during the Civil War. Subsequently, Jeff established several matches between colleagues in his firehouse and officers that fought with Gordon.

One of these proposed past life pairings, which demonstrates a striking similarity in physical resemblance, involves Confederate General Cadmus Wilcox and Firefighter Wayne R. Zaleta. Images comparing General Wilcox and Mr. Zaleta are provided to the right. Jeff has related that Wilcox and Zaleta have similar personalities.

Past Life Memories

In terms of past-life memories, Jeff describes three kinds. First, through a series of meditations, Jeff was able to visualize or remember details of his life as Gordon. Jeff purposely conducted these meditations before he read Remembrances of the Civil War. He documented these experiences and later was able to confirm many details through Gordon’s book and other sources.

A second type of memory involves spontaneously knowing details of Gordon’s life without having learned the information from any other source. As an example, Jeff toured a visitor’s center where artifacts of a Confederate surrender ceremony were housed. Gordon had participated in this specific ceremony. An image depicted the setting of the ceremony, complete with the flag used by Gordon and his fellow Confederate officers in surrendering.

john gordon jeff keene reincarnation past life semkiw flagJeff knew that the flag in the display was not the flag actually used in the ceremony. Jeff recognized the correct flag from an assortment displayed at the visitor’s center. Upon questioning the staff, he verified the flag in the display was indeed from a later era and that Jeff had identified the authentic flag used in the ceremony.

A third type of memory Jeff has experienced can be called emotional memory, as described in the incident at Sunken Road, in which Jeff had the intense emotional reaction when revisiting the scene of a past-life trauma.

This event can also be seen as an example of guidance from the spiritual world, where Jeff was purposely led to the spot where he was almost killed at Sunken Road in the Civil War. This episode can also be seen as an example of Geographic Guidance and Geographic Memory.

Jeff Keene at his Past Life Grave & How Evidence of Reincarnation can bring Peace

Jeff Keene has reflected that during the Civil War, he was a general in the South’s Confederate Army, yet in this lifetime, he lives in the North. Jeff has noted that an ancestor of his fought with the Union Army and as such, when he was John B. Gordon, he may have gone to battle against his own ancestor from his current Connecticut lifetime.

Reincarnation gives us a different perspective on war, one that lets us see how wasteful war is in terms of lives and resources.

I would like to bring this chapter to a close with a section taken from Jeff Keene’s book, Someone Else’s Yesterday. It has great import for our times, given the amount of conflict we observe on our planet today. Note that the passage comes from someone who was, in a past lifetime, one of the greatest battlefield generals that the United States has ever produced. Reflect on how an understanding of reincarnation mollifies the character of even a battlefield hero. Jeff Keene writes:

Physical Resemblance in Reincarnation Cases

“Pause for a moment and contemplate what the world would be like if reincarnation were proven to be a fact of life. How would we then treat others? When dealing with family, friends or acquaintances, we would need to ask ourselves some questions like: Who are these souls? What is their relationship to me? Am I to learn something from them or am I to be their Teacher? The possibilities are endless. We all live in the same house and that house grows smaller everyday. This planet has become a “Global Village.” No longer does it take the written word to tell of events on the other side of the earth. With the flick of a switch we can sit and watch events unfold. Every country affects all others with their finances, pollution problems and petty hostilities. Now more than ever everyone needs to change his way of thinking. No more I, but US. No more Them, but We. We leave a mark on ourselves and those around us, so let us strive to use a gentle touch.”

In the image provided to the right, Jeff Keene poses at the grave of John B. Gordon, his own past life persona.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Reincarnation & Physical Resemblance: Jeff’s case provides one of the most dramatic examples of how facial features can remain the same in reincarnation cases. The similarity in appearance is stunning.

gordon-keene-reincarnation-past-life-semkiw-portrait with helmet large imageReincarnation & Past Life Talent: Linguistic Writing Style can Stay the Same: In comparing narratives written by John B. Gordon and Jeff Keene, we see that the way we communicate, the way our minds work, can remain the same in reincarnation cases. We remain largely the same from lifetime to lifetime, only the circumstances and lessons change from one incarnation to another. The formal linguistic analysis comparing the writing style between Gordon and Keene is provided below.

Spirit Being Involvement in Reincarnation Cases: It is my contention is that it was not by accident that Jeff Keene went to the very spot at Sunken Road where he was almost killed in the Civil War as John B. Gordon. It is very likely that he was intuitively led there by his own soul or by a spirit being so that he would experience emotions related to his past lifetime. This incident is very similar, in particular, to Captain Robert Snow being led to the portrait of the hunchback woman in New Orleans, which allowed Captain Snow to solve his reincarnation case.

From such reincarnation cases, where spirit being involvement is observed, it appears that beings in the spirit world want us to become aware of our past lives.

Soul Groups and Renewal of Relationships through Reincarnation: Jeff has identified several members of his firehouse who he believes fought with him in the Civil War. One example involves Wayne Zaleta, who Jeff believes is the reincarnation of Cadmus Wilcox. An image comparison of Wilcox | Zaleta is provided above.

Change in Political Affiliation: Jeff noted that in contemporary times, he was born in the North of the United States and he describes himself as a Connecticut Yankee. As John B. Gordon, he was a Southerner who fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War. Jeff has mused that his ancestors in his contemporary lifetime could have even fought against him in the Civil War.

As such, this is another case which demonstrates that national and political affiliations can change from one incarnation to another, which shows that war is futile in the long run.

Summary of Reincarnation Linguistic Analysis Comparing Letters written by Gordon and Keene

Performed by Miriam Petruck, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

John B. Gordon Jeff Keene Reincarnation Case1. Close in average number of words per sentence: Gordon-21; Keene-18

2. Use of compound sentences:

Gordon: “the only chance to arrest the progress of flames was to form my men around the burning district, with the flank resting on the river’s edge, and pass rapidly from hand to hand the pails of water.”

Keene: “While setting up a plan of action, Lieutenant Ackley displayed good common sense, knowledge, training and a deep concern for the safety of firefighters under his command.”

3. Use of preposed clauses in complex sentences:
Gordon: “In the absence of fire engines”

Keene: “While setting up a plan of action.”

4. Use of existential-there sentences with negation:

Gordon: :There was no lack of buckets.”

Keene: “There was no way to shut them off.”

5. Adverbial clauses at beginning of sentence:

Gordon: “With great energy,” “In the absence of fire-engines”

Keene: “With my radio restored.”

6. Most of text is in active voice except at the end. In both passages, paragraphs end in passive voice, as if the success came about without the intervention of those involved. Excitement is achieved by altering expected word order, separating two parts of the verb.

Gordon: “was the advancing, raging fire met, and at a late hour of the night checked and conquered.”

Keene: “Using metering devices . . . the hazard was removed.”

Note from Dr. Petruck:

Given the similarities already noted, we must, nevertheless, include a disclaimer about authorship. More specifically, because the texts are very small and the analysis is (necessarily) limited to major structural features, any claim about authorship is, at best, tentative. Further analysis is required to make a stronger claim in this regard.

Larger sample texts that have not been preselected would facilitate a variety of frequency tests on different subsets of words. In addition, it would be instructive to examine such text to answer other questions about the substylistic features of the texts. For example, do they use distinctive vocabularies? Do the texts employ rare collocations (combinations) of common words? Is there any irregular spelling or hyphenation of words, or more generally, punctuation of sentences?

The Reincarnation Case of a Nazi Bomber Pilot | Carl Edon

A Christian Father’s investigation into his son’s reincarnation stories of being a Nazi pilot in the Second World War named Robert. Carl Edon the reincarnation has very typical German features vastly in contrast to his whole family, Robert was a German and Carl Edon was British.

edon-new-mirror-72How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researchers: James Edon, Dr. Nicholas McClean-Rice and Ian Stevenson, MD-Video Provided Below

From: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

A Christian Father Investigates his Son’s Past Life Memories of Being a Nazi Pilot

Carl Edon was born on December 29, 1972 in Middlesbrough, England to James and Valerie Edon. The Edons belonged to the Church of England and as such, they were Christians who did not believe in reincarnation. Initially, they were baffled by statements made by Carl regarding his being a German bomber pilot. Eventually, his father, James Edon, a bus driver by profession, became the first investigator of this reincarnation case.

Similarities to James Leininger Reincarnation Case

In many ways, this story is similar to the reincarnation case of James Huston, Jr. | James Leininger, who as a child remembered a past lifetime as a United States fighter pilot who died in combat in the Pacific, during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Just as James Edon became an investigator of his son’s past life memories, Bruce Leininger, the father of James Leininger, became the investigator of his son’s past life memories. Bruce was a devout Christian, who had difficulty in considering reincarnation as an explanation for his son’s memories, though he did become a believer in the end.

Carl Edon’s Past Life Knowledge of Nazi Symbols & German Aircraft 

reincarnationpastliferesearchholocaustswastikaJames Edon vouched that their family did not have many books in their home and they had none on World War II. Like in the Leininger case, Carl’s parents maintained that Carl had not learned details of World War II from books or television programs.

James Edon noted that when Carl would give details about German air force planes, James Edon himself would have to check out books at the municipal library to confirm that Carl’s statements were correct.

An article on this case was published in the British magazine, Women’s Own, on August 7, 1982. A German reporter interviewed the family and published an article on this reincarnation case in the Berlin newspaper, Morgenpost, on July 17, 1983.

Hitler Nazi SaluteIan Stevenson, MD, worked with a colleague in England, Dr. Nicholas McClean-Rice, who went to interview the Edon family in January 1984, when Carl was 11 years old. On June 13, 1993, Ian Stevenson himself traveled to Middlesbrough and had a lengthy meeting with the family, at a time when Carl was 20 years of age.

Carl Says he Crashed an Airplane, Strikes a Past Life Nazi Salute & Draws Swastikas and a German Eagle

In 1974, when Carl was almost 2 years of age and just as he had began to speak, he began to say, “I crashed a plane through a window.” (1) He said this frequently and as he grew older, he added details. When he was initially speaking of this past lifetime, he would spontaneously make a Nazi salute, with the right arm raised and straight.

GermanEagleCarl told his parents that he was on a bombing mission over England when he crashed. When he learned to draw, which occurred when he was 2-3 years old, he started to draw swastikas, badges and insignias. Carl would draw airplanes and put swastikas on them.

He drew an eagle, which his parents described as the “German eagle.” Carl told his parents that his name was Robert when he flew the bomber and that his father’s name was Fritz. His parents noted that from 1974 to 1976, Carl spoke abundantly about flying his German plane.

Past Life Knowledge: Carl Draws an Aircraft Cockpit and Explains Gauges

At the age of 6, Carl drew a panel of an airplane cockpit and he described the purposes of the different gauges. He said that in the cockpit, there was a red foot pedal, which was used to release bombs.

Past Life Memories: Carl Flew a Messerschmitt to Bomb England

Carl told his parents that when he crashed through the window, he was flying a bomber called a Messerschmitt. An image of a Messerschmitt bomber is provided below and to the right. He said his plane had a number, which was 101 or 104—his parents could not remember the exact number.

Me 264 V 1, Fernbomber, Aufklärer. Werkfoto Messerschmitt (MBB) 6/264

Carl’s knowledge of details of German planes is again very reminiscent of James Huston, Jr. | James Leininger reincarnation case, as little James Leininger had innate knowledge of American and Japanese aircraft from World War II, knowledge that he did not learn by normal means.

When the Edon family was watching a documentary on the Holocaust, Carl said that his air force base was near a concentration camp that was featured on the program. His parents thought the concentration camp Carl referred to was Auschwitz, but they couldn’t remember for sure.

Robert Lost a Leg in his Crash and Carl has a Corresponding Past Life Birthmark

Carl said that he was on a bombing run when he crashed and that he had lost his right leg in the crash. Ian Stevenson had great interest in cases in which a person who suffered a traumatic wound in a past lifetime would reincarnate with a birthmark or scar at the location of the past life wound. In this case, Stevenson noted that Carl had a very large, protruding birthmark on the right groin, and he speculated whether his may have been related to Robert losing his right leg in the crash.

Carl Does the Goose Step, Stands at Attention & Wants to Move to Germany

As noted, as soon as Carl started talking about his past lifetime in which he crashed through a window, he would strike a Nazi salute, with his right arm raised and straight.

Nazi Goose StepWhen walking, he would do the Nazi goose step, a march with knees held straight. When he did the goose step at school, his British schoolmates teased him terribly and they called him a Nazi. This teasing led to Carl ceasing to talk about his past lifetime when he was 10 or 11.

When standing, he would maintain and erect posture and he would have his hands by his side, like a little soldier. He was compulsively tidy and neat, which Ian Stevenson saw as a German trait.

Carl told his parents that he wanted to go to and live in Germany. This is similar to the case of a Japanese soldier who reincarnated in Burma who wanted to move to Japan.

Whereas his parents preferred tea, a British custom, Carl preferred coffee, a German custom. He also had a fondness for sausages, which are very popular in Germany. When at school a play was being rehearsed that had a German character, Carl insisted that he be cast as the German.

Carl’s Past Life German Appearance

Whereas all his family members had brown hair, Carl was very blonde. Carl had blue eyes, like his mother, though most of his family members who had brown eyes. Carl had the appearance of what Hitler esteemed as traits of a superior race.

Validation of Carl’s Past Life Memories and His Death

Unfortunately, Carl’s description of a German pilot named Robert crashing through a window in England could not be confirmed by historical records at the time Ian Stevenson published this case. This is in contrast to the James Huston, Jr. | James Leininger reincarnation case, which was historically validated through the meticulous research of Bruce Leininger.

Tragically, Carl died in 1995 at the age of 22, a victim of murder.

Subsequent Investigation of the Edon Reincarnation Case

The English newspaper, the Evening Gazette ran an article regarding the Edon case on January 15, 2002, which was updated in 2013. This article is provided below: 

The Uncanny Case of Carl Edon

edon-new-mirror-72For years before he was brutally murdered Carl Edon tried to convince his family that he was reincarnated.

Now startling new photos, unearthed after dogged detective work by a local historian, reveal a chilling resemblance between Carl and a German airman, Heinrich Richter, buried in a Thornaby cemetery.

Richter, a turret gunner, perished when his Dornier bomber crashed onto a South Bank railway during a raid exactly 60 years ago today… January 15, 1942.

The wreckage of the Dornier, damaged by anti-aircraft fire before hitting a barrage balloon, was discovered in 1997 buried off Tilbury Road – only a few hundred yards from the spot where Carl was stabbed to death two years earlier.

When the bomber was dug up with Richter’s remains inside, Carl’s parents, Jim and Val, shuddered as they recalled their son’s eerie tales of reincarnation.

But only now – as the Gazette reveals for the first time what the airman looked like – are the Coulby Newham couple looking at their son’s claims in a new light.

“It’s got to be him,” said a stunned Val, when shown a photo of the German in full uniform shortly before the crash over Teesside.

“The resemblance across the eyes and the nose is uncanny.

“Maybe this is the final piece of the jigsaw,” she said.

edon-new-mirror-72The striking picture was obtained after Guisborough historian and author Bill Norman tracked down Richter’s relatives in Germany for a new book.

An uncanny likeness between the two young men and the fact that they share the same scene of death more than 50 years apart are just two of the strange coincidences which have spooked Carl’s parents.

During the excavation of the German bomber it was discovered that Richter’s leg, still inside a flying boot, had been severed in the wreckage, explained Val.

“Carl used to say he lost his right leg in the crash,” she said. “And he had a birth mark at the top of that leg.”

On the day her rail worker son was murdered – by Gary Vinter, later jailed for life – he had been to Skinningrove to collect train carriages.

“The day the Dornier crashed it had bombed Skinningrove first and flew on to Middlesbrough following the railway line,” said Val.

Carl and Richter had made the same journey the day they died.

“There are just too many strange coincidences, and I think if Carl was here he’d be saying ‘Do you believe me now’?”

One of the country’s leading researchers into psychic phenomena admitted he was amazed at the details surrounding the two deaths.

“We research a lot of reincarnation cases, but not many as remarkable as this one sounds,” said David Christie-Murray, member of the Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1882 and now based in London.

“It seems to me to be a fascinating case, and one I’m sure the SPR would certainly be interested in investigating if the family wanted to.”

Carl’s experiences are already detailed in a book called The Children That Time Forgot by Peter and Mary Harrison, and on a US TV show. They’ve also been well documented in British and German newspapers, including the Gazette when Carl was just nine years old.

But his parents said he suffered taunts at school as a result of his ‘past life’ claims.

“When that started happening Carl didn’t like talking about it any more,” said his mum.

“But he always believed it.”

His dad told the Gazette he was cynical at first. “I was sick of Carl going on about it,” he said. “But I probably believe more in reincarnation now.”

The Dornier’s three other crew were buried in Thornaby after the crash in 1942, but Richter was not laid to rest alongside his colleagues until the plane was ‘rediscovered’ 55 years later by water board workers.

Commentary on the Evening Gazette Article regarding the Carl Edon Reincarnation Case

The Evening Gazette article states that Heinrich Richter lost a leg in the crash of his plane, consistent with Carl’s claim that he lost a leg in the plane crash that led to his death. Recall that Carl had a large birthmark at his right groin, which could be related to loss of a limb.

Inconsistencies include Carl’s claim that his name was Robert, not Heinrich, and that he was a pilot, not a gunner. It may be that Carl was confusing his name and function on the plane with another crew member on the fatal, or perhaps another, flight.

Key Points & Principles of Reincarnation

Change in Nationality and Ethnic Affiliation: In his past lifetime, Robert was a German air force bomber pilot, while Carl was born into a British family. This case shows that one can reincarnate into the land of one’s own enemy from a prior incarnation.

Consider whether a German pilot would go to war with England if that pilot knew that in a subsequent incarnation, this very pilot would reincarnate as an English citizen?

This is reminiscent of the reincarnation case of John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene, in which an American Civil War Confederate officer reincarnated as a Connecticut Union Yankee. Jeff has noted that in his contemporary lifetime, he has ancestors that fought the Confederates. Jeff has even mused that his Northern relatives may even have fought against him, as John B. Gordon, in his past lifetime.

The Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen case also very poignantly shows how illogical war really is, as Anne Frank was persecuted as a German Jew and died in a concentration camp, while in her contemporary lifetime, Barbro was born into a Christian family in Sweden.

Physical Appearance: Ian Stevenson, MD, noted that Carl had typical German, Aryan physical features, such as very blonde hair and blue eyes, in contrast to most of his immediate family members.

Similarly, Stevenson noted that in several cases that he researched in Burma, now called Myanmar, several Burmese children remembered past lifetimes as British or American air force pilots who were killed in Burma, a Japanese conquest during World War II.

Whereas Burmese children typically have dark hair, eyes and skin, these children who remembered Caucasian past lifetimes had blonde hair. These cases suggest that though race and ethnic affiliation can change from one incarnation to another, physical features from a past lifetime, such as hair color, can be retained. Retention of such features may be facilitated by the soul’s energy template, which is discussed under Principles of Reincarnation.

edon-new-mirror-72In the Evening Gazette article, Carl’s parents reported that they saw an uncanny resemblance between Carl and Heinrich Richter. The image comparisons provided, a resemblance is seen, though Richter is much thinner than Carl.

Past Life Birthmark: As noted, Carl had a large birthmark at his right groin, which could be related to the Heinrich Richter’s loss of a leg in his plane crash.

A Note on Neo-Nazism and Reincarnation

The reincarnation case of Robert | Carl Edon can provide insight on the Neo-Nazi movement. Just as Carl was attracted to Germany and things German, those drawn to Neo-Nazism may have also had past lives in Nazi Germany. Though this may provide insight on why people may be attracted to Neo-Nazism, reincarnation research also reveals the flaw in the logic of Neo-Nazis.

That flaw is that souls can change religion, race, nationality and ethnic affiliation from one incarnation to another. In the case of Carl Edon, we noted that nationality changed; a German pilot reincarnated in the country that was once the enemy, England.

Similarly, a Neo-Nazi can reincarnate as a Jew, a dark-skinned African or in any other race or ethnic group that the Neo-Nazi is prejudiced against. Not only is this possible, but from a karmic point of view, it is quite likely.

Footnotes

(1) Stevenson, Ian: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, page 68

 

Past Life Story with Physical Resemblance, Phobia & Geographic Memory: Reincarnation Case of Margaret Kempthorne | Gladys Deacon

A personal account of her experience and the details of a personal interview by Dr. Ian Stevenson were the bases for this child reincarnation story case. Gladys Deacon the person who experienced the child reincarnation detailed her memories of her past life and corroborated it with evidences she has collected. in a story she wrote herself.

How Derived: Geographic Past Life Memory

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: European Cases of the Reincarnation Type, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The subject of this case, Gladys Deacon, wrote an account of her story that was published in a London newspaper, the Sunday Express, on June 2, 1935. In addition, Ian Stevenson, MD, interviewed her in 1963. As such, we have two sources of information regarding this very interesting case.

Past Life Phobia: Gladys Loves the Name Margaret & has a Phobia of Falling Down

Gladys Deacon was born on January 25, 1900 in Leicestershire, England. Her father was a carpenter and her parents were Roman Catholic. Gladys had a sister and a brother. She had a fondness for the name Margaret and later learned that her parents had considered naming her Margaret. As a young girl, she had a phobia of falling down

Geographic Past Life Memory: Gladys Recalls a Past Life Fall on a Hill

IISIS Site of ReincarnationWhen she was 11 years old, Gladys and her brother were taken on a trip by their mother from Northamptonshire, where they were living, to Dorset. They were going to visit relatives over Christmas. Gladys describes a scene that occurred during their journey:

“After leaving Yeovil our train stopped for some time, and to my surprise I found the country quite familiar to me, especially a hilly field opposite.

I said to my brother, ‘When I was quite a little girl I lived in a house near here. I remember running down a hill in that field with two grown-ups holding my hands and we all fell down and I hurt my leg badly.’

Here my mother broke in to scold me for telling deliberate untruths. I had never been that way before and certainly never lived there. I insisted that I had, and that when I ran down the hill I was wearing a white frock down to my ankles with little green leaves on it, and the persons holding my hands were wearing blue-and-white checked frocks.

I said, ‘My name was Margaret then.’” (1)

Validation of Gladys’s Past Life Memory of Falling

iisisreincarnationpastlifeevidencecarThe source of Gladys’s memories of an apparent past lifetime remained a mystery for the next 17 years. Then, during another trip to Dorset in 1928, when Gladys was 28 years old, she unexpectedly received confirmation of her past life memories. Let us again let Gladys narrate the turn of events:

“I was motoring in 1928 with my then employer through Dorset. While having a tire changed, we went to a cottage not far from Poole where a young woman got us tea.

Spirit Being Guidance: Gladys Sees Herself in an Old Portrait & Receives Validation of her Past Life Memory

While waiting for it, I saw an old portrait on glass, and to my amazement I saw it was myself as I was then, running down that hill, a child of five with a plain, serious face, in a long white dress sprigged with green.

I exclaimed, ‘Why that is me.’ And of course both my employer and the woman laughed. The woman said, ‘Well, that child died years ago, but I guess you were just like her when you were small,’ and my employer agreed.

IISISReincarnationPastLifeEvidencePortriatSeeing I was interested, the woman called her mother to tell me the story of the child.

She said the child was Margaret Kempthorne, the only child of a farmer. The mother of the story-teller at that time was employed at the farm as a dairymaid.

When Margaret was about five she was running down a hill with this dairymaid and another, when one of the grown-ups caught her foot in a rabbit-hole and they all fell, with the child undermost.

Her leg was badly broken. She never recovered and died two months after…’” (2)

Past Life Memory: Location of Margaret’s Past Lifetime, in Yeovil, is Confirmed

Gladys inquired where the farm, where Margaret fell, was located. The old lady replied that she didn’t know the exact location of the farm, but that it was near the market town, Yeovil, where their milk and farm products were sold.

Gladys asked when this happened. The old lady responded by taking the portrait down and handing it to Gladys, who looked at the back of the portrait where a piece of paper with writing was found glued to the portrait. Gladys narrates:

“I read there, ‘Margaret Kempthorne, born January 25, 1830, died October 11, 1835” (3)

Recall that Gladys was also born on January 25, in the year 1900. Given these dates, Gladys was born 65 years after Margaret had died.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Geographic Past life Memory: Gladys’s past life memories were stimulated by traveling through the physical location of her past incarnation in the area around Yeovil, England.

Physical Resemblance: Gladys, her employer and the young woman in Dorset, where the painting of Margaret Kempthorne was found, all agreed that there was a strong physical resemblance between Margaret and Gladys.

Phobia from a Past Lifetime: Margaret died from a fall which resulted in a broken leg, which led to her death. Gladys, as a young girl, had a phobia of falling down.

Spirit Beings: This case was validated by Gladys fortuitously finding the house where a witness to the life of Margaret Kempthorne lived. There, a painting of Margaret was hanging on the wall, which Gladys recognized as herself in a prior incarnation. In this portrait, Margaret was wearing the same frock that Gladys saw in her past life memories, a white frock with green decorations.

The witness to the life of Margaret, described as an “old lady” by Gladys, was the mother of the owner of the house. This old lady’s mother, the grandmother of the owner of the house, was one of the very people that Margaret was with when she was running down the hill and fell, breaking her leg, which led to her death.

What are the odds of finding this house by chance? Gladys found this house because the car she was traveling in with her employer had a flat tire, which required repair.

It is proposed that the flat tire occurred at that very spot because spirit beings caused that incident to happen, which allowed Gladys to validate her past life memories. This type of proposed spirit being intervention was also observed in the cases of Carroll Beckwith | Robert Snow and John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene.

Planning of Future Incarnations: In reviewing this reincarnation case, we observe a common date of birth. Margaret Kempthorne was born on January 25, 1830 and Gladys Deacon was born on January 25, 1900. Though the common date of birth of January 25 could be simply a coincidence, it could also represent Margaret, from the spirit world, planning her birth on that date to draw a tie from her past incarnation to her future one.

There are cases in which the date of an individual’s reincarnation has been predicted from the spirit world. In the reincarnation case of Felix Fresnel | Cristophe Albert, Felix, from the spirit world, predicted the date, place and family of his coming incarnation. In the reincarnation case of Jaako Vuorenlehto | Taru Javi, Jaako, from the spirit world, predicted the date of his reincarnation.

Change of Religion: Gladys was born into a Roman Catholic family and her mother was quite surprised when Gladys, at 11 years of age, started to describe incidents from a past lifetime. In this case, a Roman Catholic girl became a convert to a belief in reincarnation.

 Footnotes

1. Stevenson, Ian: European Reincarnation Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, pages 52-53
2. Stevenson, Ian: European Reincarnation Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, pages 53
3. Stevenson, Ian: European Reincarnation Cases of the Reincarnation Type, McFarland, 2003, pages 53

 

Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen-From the Holocaust a Child Finds her Past Life Home

From the Holocaust, a child prodigy finds her way home. Barbro Karlen as the reincarnation of Anne Frank.

image descriptionHow Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

From: And the Wolves Howled, by Barbro Karlen

Article from Born Again, by Walter Semkiw, MD

Click on images to enlarge

One of the most culturally significant reincarnation cases involves Barbro Karlen, who I have had he honor of doing joint presentations with since 2001.  I first met Barbro in 2000 and I now consider her a very good friend. I would like to share her experiences with you. At the end of this article, a video may be viewed in which Barbro tells her story in her own words. Enlarge images by clicking on them.

A Toddler’s Past Life Memories of being Anne Frank

Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Less than ten years later, in 1954, Barbro Karlen was born to Christian parents in Sweden. When she was less than three years old, Barbro told her parents that her name was not Barbro, but “Anne Frank.” Barbro’s parents had no idea of who Anne Frank was, as they were unaware of the book, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, also known as The Diary of Anne Frank.

Barbro relates that her parents wanted her to call them “Ma and Pa,” but Barbro knew that they were not her real parents. Barbro even told her mother that her real parents would soon come to get her and take her to her real home. These statements are typical of childhood memory reincarnation cases researched by Ian Stevenson, MD, at the University of Virginia.

During her childhood, Barbro told her parents details of her life as Anne, which her parents thought were fantasies. In addition, Barbro had nightmares in which men ran up the stairs and kicked in the door to her family’s attic hiding place. An image of the exterior of the Frank family’s attic hiding place, which has the red tile roof, is provided below and to the right.

Barbro is evaluated by a Psychiatrist

IISISReincarnationResearchAnneFrankAttic5
Attic Hiding Place of Frank Family

Barbro’s past life memories worried her parents and at one point, when she was a child, they had her evaluated by a psychiatrist. Barbro, though, by this time, had learned that it was not wise to talk about the other world she lived in, the world of Anne Frank, as she noticed that everyone “got tense” when she described her memories to them. When she saw the psychiatrist, she made no mention of her memories of being Anne and was deemed a perfectly normal little girl.

Barbro’s Elementary School Teacher Discusses Anne Frank

When Barbro was seven or eight years of age, she became confused when her schoolteacher began talking about Anne Frank in class. Barbro thought to herself, “How could my teacher know about Anne Frank?” Barbro knew that she was Anne Frank.  Barbro began to realize that Anne Frank was a famous person. “How could that be,” she thought? Describing her confusion as a child, Barbro has related “all this didn’t work for me.”

Imagine how hard it must have been for Barbro to have spontaneous memories of a past lifetime and to have no one to talk to, no one who could help her with her confusion, traumatic memories and nightmares.

Barbro’s Past Life Phobias Related to Anne Frank’s Holocaust Experience

Since childhood, Barbro has had a fear of men in uniforms. Even as an adult, if stopped for a traffic violation by a police officer, Barbro would have such anxiety that she would consider fleeing. In order to get over her phobia of uniforms, as well as to work with horses, Barbro in adulthood, decided to become a mounted Swedish police officer. After completing her training with the Swedish Police Authority, Barbro did become a mounted police officer and she worked with police horses for over a decade.

In addition, Barbro has had an aversion to eating beans since childhood, which the Frank family existed on for nearly two years. Barbro would also only take baths, not showers. In concentration camps, Nazi’s would bring prisoners into large rooms telling the prisoners that they would be given showers. Instead of water, poison gas was piped into the room to kill the prisoners. Anne was first taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where such gas chambers were used to kill those too feeble to perform forced labor. Later, she was transferred to the Bergen-Belsen camp, where she died.

Anne Frank Reincarnation Case Amsterdam
Aerial View of Amsterdam

Barbro also resisted having her hair cut. In concentration camps, new arrivals were stripped naked and heads were shaved, followed by a process of disinfection.

At 10 Years of Age, Barbro’s Geographic Past Life Memory Leads her Parents to the Anne Frank House

Barbro received her first validation of being Anne Frank when she was ten years old, when she was able to find her way directly to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam without directions.

The graphic to the right, which can be enlarged, shows how circular the streets of Amsterdam are. It is easy to get lost wandering the streets of this city, yet Barbro’s past life memories of the streets of Amsterdam were clear. I will now describe the scene, utilizing excerpts from And the Wolves Howled.

When she was ten, Barbro’s parents took her on a tour of the major cities in Europe, including Amsterdam, the city where the Frank family lived. During World War II, Otto Frank and his family had to go into hiding in the attic of the building where Otto had his business, for the Nazi’s had invaded the Netherlands and were persecuting Jews. The Frank family hid in this attic for about two years, until they were discovered by the Nazis, arrested and sent to concentration camps.

The only survivor was the father, Otto Frank, who subsequently was given Anne’s diary, which he later had published. After the war, the hiding place was made into a museum, which is called The Anne Frank House.

anne-frank-house
Anne Frank House

By the time Barbro was ten, the Diary of Anne Frank had been published and distributed in Sweden and her parents had become aware of who the historical Anne Frank was. While in Amsterdam, her father wanted to visit the Anne Frank House. At their hotel, he took the phone off the hook and asked for a taxi to take them there.

Barbro suddenly exclaimed: “We don’t need a taxi, it’s not far to walk from here.” Barbro was so certain that it didn’t occur to her parents to object, they just meekly followed her as she walked off.

“We’ll soon be there, it’s just round the next corner,” Barbro told her parents. She herself wasn’t at all surprised when they arrived at the Anne Frank House after a ten minute walk through the twisting streets of the city. An image of the Anne Frank House is provided to the right. Upon their arrival, her parents stood there speechless and just looked at one another.

Past Life Memories: Barbro Knows Where Anne Frank’s Pictures should have been Found

“That’s strange,” Barbro said, when they stood in front of the steps up to the house. “It didn’t look like this before.” She looked wonderingly and her parents didn’t know what to say. They entered the house and went up the long narrow staircase. Barbro, who had been so carefree when showing them the way, suddenly went white in the face. She broke out in a cold sweat and reached for her mother’s hand. Her mother was horrified when she felt Barbro’s hand, which was as cold as ice.

When they entered the hiding place, the same terrors overcame Barbro that she had experienced so many times in her dreams. She found it hard to breathe and panic spread through her body. When they went into one of the smaller rooms, she suddenly stood still and brightened up a little.

Barbro looked at the wall in front of her and exclaimed, “Look, the pictures of the film stars are still there!” The pictures of the movie stars that Anne had clipped and affixed to the wall, which Barbro saw at that moment, made her feel happy, almost as if she had come home.

reincarnationresearchannefrankbarbrokarlenpictures5
Pictures Affixed by Anne Frank

Her mother stared at the blank wall and couldn’t understand this at all. “What pictures? The wall is bare?” Barbro looked again and she saw that this was true. The wall was bare! Her mother was so confounded that she felt driven to ask one of the guides whether there had been pictures on the wall at one time.

“Oh yes,” the guide replied, “they had only been taken down temporarily to be mounted under glass so that they wouldn’t be destroyed or stolen.” Barbro’s mother didn’t know what to say.

“How in the world could you find your way here first of all, then insist that the steps outside were different and then see the pictures on the wall when they weren’t there?”

Barbro’s mother was full of questions, but Barbro was quite incapable of saying even a single word. She just wanted to get out of there; she couldn’t stand it a moment longer.

Her legs felt like jelly as she went down the stairs. She had never before in her life felt so wretched. The tears ran unrestrained down her face, and her legs would not carry her. When she reached the bottom step her legs folded under her and she fell.

Barbro’s Parents Accept that She had a Past Life as Anne Frank

Barbro relates that these incidents in Amsterdam finally made her parents believe that she is the reincarnation of Anne Frank. After all, how else could she know how to get to the Anne Frank House on the family’s first trip to Amsterdam, and without directions? How could she know that the stairs had been modified? How did she know that pictures of movie stars, which Anne Frank had clipped from magazines, should be found on a specific wall inside the house, when these pictures had been removed so that they could be mounted behind glass?

reincarnation-research-anne-frank-diary2In time, Barbro’s mother responded by becoming very spiritual and a believer in reincarnation. Barbro’s father, on the other hand, seemed annoyed. Barbro relates that her father responded by saying: “I can’t deny that you have somehow been here before. Perhaps you have lived before and have reincarnated, but you are the only one!”

Barbro understood that by being faced with the reality of reincarnation, her father’s Christian world view, where “everything was set right,” was threatened. Barbro was much happier, though, as from this point on as she could talk to her mother about her past lifetime as Anne Frank. She had her mother’s support.

Past Life Talent: Barbro Karlen is a Childhood Writing Prodigy, like Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a childhood writing prodigy. She is not the most famous victim of the Holocaust because she had the worst death. Rather, she become the most famous victim because as a teenager she wrote a book, a diary, that was readable and addressed universal themes, such as the nature of man and man’s tendency to be good or evil. Children around the world have been instructed to read The Diary of Anne Frank to learn about prejudice, which has made Anne’s diary the second most read book in the world, next to the Bible.

Like Anne Frank, Barbro Karlen was a childhood writing prodigy. Barbro relates that learning to write was a great gift. As a child, she could not speak to anyone about her past life memories, but once she learned to write, she could have discourses on her writing tablet.

One day, when she was eleven or so, a family friend read a few of her compositions and realized that this was worthy prose. Barbro was asked if her casual writings could be sent to a publisher, which she agreed to.

Anne Frank Reincarnation-Child Prodigy
Published when Barbro was 12 years of age

At the age of twelve, her first book of prose was published. This book, Man on Earth, became the best-selling prose/poetry book in Swedish history. Barbro became a child celebrity, debating theology with ministers and theologians on television programs. In her teenage years, she had a total of nine books published. These books, written in her youth, have been translated into multiple languages, much like the Diary of Anne Frank.

Barbro’s Past Life Memories Recede, then Reemerge when She encounters Reincarnated Nazi Guards

After her adolescence passed, Barbro’s past life memories began to fade, which was a relief to Barbro, as now she could finally lead a normal life. As she pursued her career with the Swedish Police Service, Barbro thought that she never would be public regarding her memories of being Anne Frank. As Barbro wistfully states in her video interview, though, “never say never.”

It was not until she was in her forties that past life memories began to emerge again. Barbro began having negative interactions with another mounted police officer, who seemed to be persecuting her. It was these interactions that triggered the rekindling of her memories of being Anne Frank and in particular, she recalled scenes from a concentration camp. Barbro realized that this police officer was a reincarnated Nazi guard from the Bergen-Belsen concentration.

Though these past life memories were painful, they gave Barbro the will to write her book, And the Wolves Howled. Barbro relates that she wanted to show that though these guards, these wolves, participated in her persecution in the Anne Frank lifetime, she would not allow them to hurt her again in contemporary times. She wanted to share with others that the soul perseveres and in this way, to provide comfort to others.

Barbro Meets her Past Life Cousin, Buddy Elias, President of the Anne Frank Foundation

As she prepared her book, And the Wolves Howled, for publication, Buddy Elias, President of the Anne Frank Foundation and at the time, the last living relative of Anne Frank, heard about Barbro’s claim to be the reincarnation of his cousin, Anne Frank. Through her publisher, Buddy invited Barbro to his home for dinner, though he asked Barbro’s publisher not to reveal who he was in relation to Anne Frank or the Anne Frank Foundation. Buddy advised the publisher to tell Barbro that their dinner host was a fan of the books she wrote as a child and adolescent. Though he did not believe in reincarnation, Buddy wanted to meet this person who claimed to be the reincarnation of Anne. Buddy and Anne Frank, as cousins, played together in their youth.

Barbro describes her first face to face meeting with Buddy, which occurred in 1995, in the Barbro Karlen: Reincarnation of Anne Frank video, which is provided at the bottom of this web page.

Barbro relates that when they first saw each other, she and Buddy fell into each others arms and cried together. Barbro says she had instant recognition that Buddy was someone she knew and loved from the Frank lifetime. They spoke for two hours at the time of this first meeting and they continued to be very good friends for 20 years, until Buddy’s death in 2015. Barbro would stay at Buddy’s home in Switzerland when she visited Europe and Buddy had stayed in Barbro’s home when he visited her in the United States.

Buddy Elias Speaks at Barbro Karlen’s And the Wolves Howled Book Event

An article from the leading German magazine, Zeitspiegel, was published regarding this event on May 19, 1998:

“Buddy Elias, actor in Basel, is the cousin of Anne Frank and the President of the Anne Frank Foundation. Buddy Elias met with Anne Frank the last time just before the war broke out. She mentions him as “Bernd” in her Diary many times.

Anne’s father, Otto Frank, returned to Amsterdam after his liberation from Aushwitz. He then lived with his nephew, Buddy Elias, in Basel until his death.

Two years ago, Buddy Elias and Barbro Karlen met for the first time. At the presentation of the autobiography by Barbro Karlen, Buddy Elias read parts of it for the audience.

Bruckenbauer: “Buddy Elias, what memories do you have of your cousin, Anne Frank?”

Buddy Elias: “She was a very pleasant person, a lively child with her head full of ideas how to live. We loved each other very much, when the war began, we corresponded with each other.”

“Do you believe in reincarnation?”

Buddy Elias: “Yes, I do.”

“So how is it for you when a woman claims she is the reincarnation of your cousin? Barbro Karlen is not the only one!”

“I have been very skeptical, but Barbro is different from everybody else.”

“How was the first meeting with Barbro?”

“It was very emotional. First time I saw her, I had heard about her. I had a very strange feeling, a very positive impression. It felt like we had a soul connection. Barbro seemed absolutely trustworthy to me. I could very well imagine she was Anne. More than that I can not say. I have Anne too close in my memory to say anything more.”

“Do you see any similarities between Anne and Barbro?”

“The black hair is  obvious!”

“Will you stay in touch with Barbro?”

“Of course, I have developed a very deep friendship with her.”

To view a video of Buddy Elias talking about his relationshp with Anne Frank, please go to:

Buddy Elias, Anne Frank’s Cousin, Describes Anne

Barbro Moves to California, where Walter Semkiw, MD observes that Anne Frank and Barbro Karlen have the Same Facial Features

Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen Past Life CaseBarbro and a female friend of hers took a vacation to experience California’s coastal Highway 1. While on that trip, based on an intuition, Barbro decided to open a Swedish import shop in Carmel, even though she had no prior experience in business or retail sales. Barbro moved from Sweden to Northern California, where I met her. When I first received the phone call in 2000, in which I was told about a woman who claimed to be the reincarnation of Anne Frank, I was very skeptical. When I met her and listened to her story, I came to believe that she is genuine and that I had truly met the reincarnation of Anne Frank.

In her book, Barbro never mentions that she has the same appearance as Anne Frank, as her memories are what are most meaningful to her, not appearance. Upon meeting her, I realized that Barbro has the same facial features as Anne.

In the image comparison featured on this website, Barbro as a seven year old girl is featured on the left side, Anne Frank as a teenager is in the center and Barbro as an adult is on the right side. It appears that we are looking at images of one person in three stages of life. In actuality, we are looking at one soul in two different lifetimes.

Anne Frank & Barbro Karlen: Reincarnation & Similarities in Personality

In addition to facial features, there are many character similarities between Barbro and Anne. These include:

A. Spirituality and a Love of Nature

Lawrence L. Langer, in his essay included in the book, Anne Frank, Reflections on Her Life and Legacy, writes the following regarding Anne.

“Spiritual insight rarely falls from the lips of a thirteen or fourteen year old girl. Indeed, as many of the new entries in the diary will show, Anne Frank was essentially a physical being, a lover of nature, intrigued with her own sexuality.”

These traits are reflected in Barbro Karlen, who at sixteen years of age used her book earnings to purchase a cottage in the woods. She soon populated her property with her horse, two dogs, two cats, a sheep and a flock of hens and chicks. Barbro especially loved her horse and horseback riding, which eventually led her to pursue a  career as a mounted policewoman.

Her sexuality is evidenced by an early marriage and her pregnancy at the age of 18. Indeed, many of Anne’s desires seem to have come to fruition early in the life of Barbro Karlen.

B. Natural literary skills

IISISReincarnationResearchBlossomKingdomAnne Frank had natural gifts as a writer. Similarly, Barbro Karlen was a childhood literary prodigy. Her first book, Man on Earth, which was published when she was 12 years of age and became the all time best-selling poetry book in Sweden. Between ages 12 to 17, nine books written by Barbro, including When the Storm Comes and a Moment in the Blossom Kingdom, were published.

It is interesting to note that Anne Frank always hoped to be a published writer. On May 11, 1944, Anne wrote that her “greatest wish” was to become a journalist, “and later on, a famous writer.” Once again, it appears that Anne’s desires were fulfilled early in the life of Barbro Karlen.

C. Similar Writing Themes

Similar themes are found in the writings of Frank and Karlen. Though one may argue that these similarities are intentional, Barbro Karlen maintains that she has not studied Anne Frank’s works.

Anne Frank, due to the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis, reflected extensively on issues of good and evil. Anne also had a tendency to personify human qualities, as seen in the quotation cited below regarding “Lies.” Anne’s legacy is based on her ability to maintain hope in the face of dismal circumstances. Anne Frank’s most famous quote affirms the basic goodness of man.

Barbro Karlen also writes of good and evil in her book, And the Wolves Howled, in part due to her memories of the Frank lifetime and in part due to persecution experienced in this lifetime while working for the Swedish Police Service. Barbro also has a tendency to personify human qualities, like Anne. Let us compare passages written by Frank and Karlen regarding evil:

Anne Frank-On Evil

“There’s in people simply an urge to destroy, an urge to kill, to murder and rage.”

Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen Past Life Case“I get frightened myself when I think of close friends who are now at the mercy of the cruelest monsters ever to stalk the earth. And all because we are Jews.”

“Yesterday evening, before I fell asleep, who should suddenly appear before my eyes but Lies! I saw her in front of me, clothed in rags…Her eyes were very big and she looked so sadly and reproachfully at me that I could read in her eyes: Oh Anne, why have you deserted me? Help, oh help me, rescue me from this hell!”

Barbro Karlen-On Evil

“If only she could write about how important, even vital it is never to give up in the face of evil, regardless of how dark and wretched everything may seem. Evil was present on the earth and would probably always be there. It would always try to conquer Good.”

Anne Frank-On Good

“In spite of everything, I still really believe that people are really good at heart.”

Barbro Karlen-On Good

“But the more people there were who believed in Good, and in the Good Force within themselves, the greater the possibility of keeping evil under control. If only they could believe in Good, and in the presence of the inner Force, many unhappy people would be able to fight their way up from the darkness.”

“Most people on earth were not yet aware that they could find the Good Force within themselves and that it could help them if they only sought it out.”

Annette Lantos meets Barbro Karlen & Invites Barbro & Me to Washington, DC

Tom Lantos Lantos Foundation for Justice

Annette Lantos is the wife of the late Tom Lantos, who served in the United States Congress for 27 years. Tom, whose picture is featured to the right, was the only Holocaust survivor to be elected to the US Congress. When President George W. Bush traveled to Germany for a Holocaust memorial, he took Tom with him. U2 singer Bono was a close friend, as he admired Tom’s dedication to bringing justice to the darkest corners of the world.

It was Annette and Tom who nominated the 14th Dalai Lama for a Nobel Prize, which he won.

When Annette heard about Barbro’s case, she wanted to meet Barbro, as Annette is also is a Holocaust survivor. Annette, Barbro and I spent almost 3 hours in Tom’s Congressional office in San Mateo, California. Tom and Annette were very much in love and while we were in a conference room, Tom repeatedly poked his head into the room to ask his beloved wife whether she was finished. Annette, fascinated with Barbro’s story, kept sending Tom away.

Anne Frank Reincarnation: Charity Sunshine & Condolezza Rice
Barbro and Walter Meet Condolezza Rice & Charity Sunshine

By the end of our meeting, Annette was intrigued enough by the proposal that Barbro is the reincarnation of Anne Frank that she asked us to attend a “by invitation only” benefit concert at the Kennedy Center, in Washington DC. At this event, Tom and Annette’s granddaughter, Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, would sing and Condoleezza Rice would accompany Charity on the piano. We did attend, sat in the front row and later met Dr. Rice at a reception.

Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice and the Tom Lantos Tunnels

Annette now serves as the Chairman of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. In honor of Tom, recently constructed tunnels along Highway 1 between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay have been named the Tom Lantos Tunnels. Every time I traverse these tunnels, I fondly reflect on Tom, Annette and Charity, and our experiences in Washington, DC.

Children’s Past Life Author Carol Bowman supports the Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen Reincarnation Case

A person who supports Barbro’s case is Carol Bowman, who is a pioneer in studying children who spontaneously recall past lives. In 2006, Carol and Barbro attended a reincarnation conference in Colorado Springs. In addition to Carol learning about Barbro’s case, Carol and Barbro had the opportunity to spend an afternoon together horseback riding. Carol has stated that she judges Barbro’s reincarnation case to be a strong one.

Carol shared an amusing anecdote regarding the time they spent together. To go horseback riding, Carol and Barbro had to take a taxi from the hotel to the stables. Carol was raised Jewish and both women were taken aback when their taxi driver turned out to be a bearded Hasidic Jew wearing the traditional black hat and clothing. Carol reflected, “What are the odds of getting a taxi driver who is a Hasidic Jew in Colorado Springs?”

Reincarnation Symbol
Passage Through Lifetimes

Carl Jung called meaningful coincidences like this “synchronistic events.” As discussed in the section Principles of Reincarnation, it is thought that one’s own soul or spirit beings can orchestrate such a meaningful occurrences to convey messages symbolically.

Anne Frank & Possible Reincarnation Prophecy: God Will Raise Us Up Again

I will cite one last quotation from Anne Frank’s diary, which refers to the perseverance of the Jewish faith and people. It also has a poetic ring of truth regarding reincarnation, perhaps not intended by Anne, yet beautiful all the same.

“Who has inflicted this upon us?
Who has made us Jews different from all other people?
Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly up till now?
It is God who had made us who we are,
but it will be God, too, who will raise us up again.”

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Past Life Physical Resemblance: Anne Frank and Barbro Karlen have the same facial features. It is of interest that Barbro never mentions this physical resemblance to Anne in her book And the Wolves Howled, though others had told her that she looks like Anne Frank. The physical resemblance between Anne and Barbro was first published in 2006 in my book: Born Again

Past Life Talent: Barbro Karlen was a childhood writing prodigy, as was Anne Frank.

Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen Past Life CasePhobias from a Past Lifetime: Barbro had an irrational fear of men in police uniforms, which seems to stem from Anne’s experience with Nazi soldiers and concentration camp guards. Barbro also had an aversion to showers, did not want to eat beans and resisted having her hair cut, which also reflect incidents in Anne Frank’s life, as described above.

Geographic Memory: On her first visit to Amsterdam at the age of ten, Barbro was able to spontaneously lead her parents from their hotel to the Anne Frank House, without directions.

Change in Religion, Nationality and Ethnic Affiliation: Anne Frank was born in Germany, where she was persecuted as a Jew during the Holocaust. Barbro was born into a Christian family in Sweden.

If the Nazi’s during World War II knew that one could be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, the Holocaust could never have happened. Similarly, when Muslim Palestinians realize that then can be reborn as Israeli Jews, when Sunni’s know they can reincarnate as Shiites, Christians understand they can be reborn into an Islamic culture and vice versa, then conflict based on these cultural differences of identity will be mitigated.

Barbro Karlen’s case dramatically demonstrates how reincarnation research and evidence of reincarnation can transform the world in a positive way.

Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen Video Full Length-35 Minutes

Evidence of Reincarnation Video-9 Minutes

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