How Derived: Spontaneous Dreams in Childhood of a Past Lifetime
Researcher: Karen Pigott
Narrative by Karen Pigott, Edited by Walter Semkiw, MD
Belle Starr: February 5, 1848-February 3, 1889, Born in Missouri
Karen Pigott-Born in 1957 in Missouri
Karen Pigott’s Recurring Childhood Past Life Dream of Being Shot off a Horse
Karen is a registred nurse who works in a hospital surgical unit in Colorado. She has also worked in emergency rooms, as well as other medical settings. As a young child, she started having dreams of a past lifetime as a woman outlaw.
Karen’s past life memory provided below, which occurred when she was five years old, is the last event in Belle Starr’s life.
“As I rode even to the spot where he stood behind the bush I heard a loud blast and felt searing pain strike me in my upper left back, neck and face. I fell to the ground and lay on the damp earth. I was lying on my stomach and tried to raise myself up with my arms and was only able to lift myself up just a tiny bit and as I did this a second blast from the shotgun was fired into me.”
It is unusual for a five-year-old girl to have a recurring dream of being shot in the back, off a horse. Karen did not attempt to validate her memories until she was 14 years old. In the narrative that follows, after each memory is described, her validation of the memory through historical research is presented. Place your cursor on image comparisons to enlarge and the arrow keys to scroll on the enlarged image,
Please note that the strength of this reincarnation case rests upon the extremely detailed memories of a past lifetime that Karen, as a child, accessed through dreams, which were later historically validated. Karen experienced these memories long before she read anything about Belle Starr.
Karen’s Childhood & Her Desire to Learn about a Past Lifetime in the Wild West
Karen grew up in Raytown, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. In 1967, when Karen was nine years old, her family moved to Torrance, California, as her father was hired by the company, TRW. In 1972, when Karen was 14, her family moved back to Missouri.
At this time, Karen started to read about women outlaws in an attempt to identify a past lifetime that she saw in her dreams. As such, Karen began trying to validate her memories 9 years after her recollections of a past lifetime started to occur. Karen explains:
“In the summer of 1972, I started to become more and more interested in reincarnation. I felt like I was being either guided or pushed into my pursuit by something, I did not know what. My mother and I would go to the library for books and I would get books on past lives. I became driven in my pursuit to find out who I had been. All I had to go on was all my dreams that I had about the Wild West.
I came up with an idea one day that I should get books on women in the Wild West. I reasoned that it should not be too hard to find this past lifetime, as I didn’t think many women in that era had been shot off a horse, because men did not treat women that way.
To save time, I decided to just read the last few pages of these books to see how these women died. I read about Calamity Jane, Cattle Kate, Big-Nose Kate, Belle Boyd, Little Britches, Cattle Annie and Belle Starr.”
Belle Starr was Shot in the Back Off her Horse: A Scene from Karen’s Past Life Dream
“When I read how Belle Starr had been shot off her horse I became excited, almost hysterical. I had never heard of Belle Starr prior to this moment. I ran down our stairs to the kitchen where my mother was cooking. I said ‘Mom I know who I was! I was Belle Starr, have you heard of her?’
She replied that she had and told me of movies that had been made about Belle. I do not think at that point my mother believed that I was Belle Starr in a past lifetime, but she soon would. Even the name Belle Starr was familiar to me, as familiar as my own name.”
The Story of Missouri and the American Civil War
Historical points that will help the reader understand events in Belle Starr’s life involve Missouri’s situation during the US Civil War. Missouri was a border state between the North and South, in which pro-Union and pro-Confederate forces both existed within Missouri. Missouri citizens were in conflict over the issue.
When the Union, or North, won the war, sanctions were placed on Confederate supporters. In addition, violent grudges existed based on relatives being killed during the war. Some Confederate supporters, rather than acquiescing to Northern sanctions and domination, took to a life of crime. Belle Starr and the people around her were in this camp.
The Killing of Belle Starr’s Brother turns Belle into a Confederate Outlaw
Belle Starr’s brother, whose name was Bud, was a Confederate sympathizer and he served with Quantrill’s Raiders, a Confederate militia group. Union soldiers surrounded a house in Missouri that he was being sheltered in and Bud was killed as he tried to escape.
When her brother was killed by the Union Army, Belle became a Confederate sympathizer and she became acquainted with other Confederates who became outlaws, such as the Jessie James and Frank James, and the Younger brothers, led by Cole Younger.
With this introduction, Karen’s past life memories and other experiences will be presented in her own words.
A Childhood Spirit Being or Extraterrestrial Experience at Age 5, 1963 in Raytown (Kansas City), Missouri
“I was 5 years old in 1963. We were living in Raytown, Missouri at the time. Raytown is a suburb south of Kansas City, Missouri. One night my older brother, Rob, wanted to show me a book of his on the stars, planets, solar system and galaxies. The book he was showing me was a book and record combo. A narration by Walter Cronkite went along with the pictures. After a couple of minutes Rob asked if I would like to see the Big Dipper. I did not know what a Big Dipper was, but went to the window so that he could point it out.
As I looked up at the sky in the direction over our neighbor’s house to the south of us, I immediately saw a huge white light. It moved back and forth and from side to side gently. I then heard a mechanical male sounding voice asking me: ‘Can you see us?’
I started screaming and crying. I then heard the voice say. ‘Do not be afraid, we won’t hurt you.’ I told my brother to make it go away.
He could not hear the voice or see the light. I ran and hid under his bed but could still hear that voice telling me to come back to the window. I said ‘no, no,’ over and over but eventually, I went back to window because that voice kept saying ‘come back to the window, we won’t hurt you.’
I then heard that voice ask ‘What is your name, how old are you?’ The next thing I remember is the sound of my mother running up the stairs yelling for us to stop fighting.
My brother told her we were not fighting and that ‘Karen is afraid of the Big Dipper.’ I told my mother about what I saw. Realizing that something had scared me she suggested that all of us go out to the front yard and I could point out what had frightened me in the sky.
It was a clear, cool night. We all went outside and then my mother asked if what I saw was still up there, but it was gone.”
A Mechanical Extraterrestrial or Spirit Being Voice Tells Karen She was a Horse Thief in a Past Lifetime
“I believe it was the next night that I had a strange dream. In it I heard that same mechanical voice telling me that I had lived before and that I was a horse thief. In this dream I was shown an image of a young girl with dark hair and wearing a long skirt.
Every night after I saw the light in the sky, I had these kinds of dreams. It was always narrated by this male voice. It was like I was being taught something. I remember in one dream the voice told me that:
‘The entity that is your brother is one that you were married to in your past life.’
I had never heard the word ‘entity’ before, but to this day I remember that word was the one that was used. I told my brother about all of this, but he became afraid and begged my mother for me to stop talking about past lives.”
Karen Sparks an Interest in Reincarnation & Tells her Mother that She Chose Her as a Parent before She was Born
“My mother did not know what to say to me but she became interested in reading books on reincarnation. She did not believe in that subject until I started telling her about my dreams and past life. She recalls that as a child, I had told her that I picked out my parents for this life and that we all do.”
Karen Hides Herself from the Extraterrestrial or Spirit Being Mechanical Voice under Stuffed Animals
“I soon became afraid to sleep in my room after having so many strange dreams. I was being pestered by the ‘dreams.’ Every night I would go out in the hallway after everyone was asleep and cry. I was so afraid. I begged my parents to let me sleep in their room. I was allowed a few times but my parents got tired of it and I was told to go back to my room.
I asked them to put my bed behind my door. I would then have the door open so my bed was partially hidden. I put all my stuffed animals on top of me so no one would know I was there. I tried everything to hide from my night-time guests. My brother to this day remembers when I was afraid of the Big Dipper. For several years I believed the Big Dipper to be one giant light in the sky.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at age 5 in 1963, of Being Shot Off a Horse & Killed by Shotgun Blasts
‘When I was around 5 years old, in 1963, while we were living in Raytown, Missouri, I had a recurring dream in which i was shot off the back of a horse. The dream always started out the same way. I was accompanying a man to a farmhouse. The next morning we say goodbye and he left through the back door and rode away. I watched him ride off and then I rode back the way we had come the day before.
After riding for a bit I noticed that I was being followed by this man who was supposed to be going into town. I wondered why he was following me and expected him to catch up to me to explain what he was doing. He just kept following me.
I stopped at a friend’s house for a rest and then started back home. I did not see this man behind me but I still felt uneasy about him. I finally made my way down a trail towards a river. I saw out of the corner of my eye this man. He was hiding behind a bush but he was hardly concealed by it. He was wearing a bright shirt, white I think. I did not know if I should speak to him or just pretend I did not see him. I decided to ignore him and not take him seriously, but I should have. I saw that he had a shotgun raised in his arms.
As I rode even to the spot where he stood behind the bush, I heard a loud blast and felt searing pain strike me in my upper left back, neck and face. I fell to the ground and lay on the damp earth. I was lying on my stomach and tried to raise myself up with my arms and was only able to lift myself up just a tiny bit and as I did this a second blast from the shotgun was fired into me. I fell back to the ground. I recognized the man who shot me as my Uncle Floyd in this life. In the dream, he was an Indian.”
Walter’s Questions: “How many times did you have this dream? In your contemporary lifetime at the age of 5, did you live around horses? Did the dream correspond to any events that you saw on television or heard about from other sources?”
Karen’s Answers: “I had this dream of being shot in the back off a horse approximately 4 to 5 times during my childhood. I had no horses around me other than what I would see on farms while driving on the highway. This dream did not correspond to any event that I had seen on television or heard about.”
Walter’s Questions: “In the dreams, did you feel physical pain when you had the dream? As a 5-year-old, how did you react to this dream? Did you tell your parents about it? If so, how did they react? Would your parents be able to talk about these childhood dreams of yours?”
Karen’s Answers: “At the moment of impact I would feel a temporary sensation of pain but it was very quick and instantly went away. I was not sure how to act at age 5 to this dream. I initially told both of my parents about the dreams, but my mother was more receptive.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dreams: “In the summer of 1972, when I was 14 years old, I was reading the book Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen by Burton Rascoe. On pages 233-236, I came across the chapter of Belle Starr’s death. Her death and the events leading up the death were all described in this book. Everything that I had dreamed of being shot off a horse was written in this book.”
Note regarding image comparison: Facial features would be more similar if Jim July Starr and Uncle Floyd were captured in the same pose. In the photos presented, Jim July Starr holds his head backwards, while Uncle Floyd holds his head slightly downward.
Karen’s Interpretation of her Past Life Death Dream at 5 Years of Age: A Past Life Relationship Revealed
“From the book, I now understood the dream I had when I was 5 years old. I realized that the person who shot me, Jim July Starr, was my Uncle Floyd in my current lifetime. My Uncle Floyd and Jim July Starr have a very similar physical appearance. Jim was a Cherokee Indian and I had married him so that we could live in the Indian Territories, away from the Missouri law.
I could now recreate the details of the recurring dream that I had since I was 5 years old. Jim and I were visiting a friend’s house and we later left. I was going back to our home in the Indian Territories, while Jim had to go to Fort Smith to face charges of theft. In the dream, while I was riding home, I soon sensed that someone was following me. I now realized it was Jim. That was strange, I thought. Maybe he changed his mind about going to Fort Smith.
He never caught up with me but instead stayed back a comfortable distance. I stopped by another neighbor to chat along the way back and I think this is when Jim rode past me. I left the neighbors home and continued on my way. I almost made it to the river’s edge when I was shot in the back and neck. I saw that it was Jim.
I was not close to my Uncle Floyd. He was nicer to my brother than me. My mother had told me that my uncle did not like women very much and I had the same impression of him. My Uncle Floyd was half Indian, while in my dream, I saw him as a full-blooded Cherokee.”
Walter’s Questions: “How did you react when you read this account? How did your parents react?”
Karen’s Answers: “I did not want to think that the man in this dream was my Uncle Floyd. I could not ignore the similarities, not only regarding the face but the way he stood. The mannerisms were all the same. When I read about Jim July Starr, I also noticed that the manner of speech was the same.
It is written that when Jim July was planning on the murder of his wife, he needed to borrow a gun. He borrowed a shotgun from a local farmer’s son. Jim July Starr told him he needed to, ‘Kill some fox that had been killing his chickens.’ My uncle would word sentences this way.
In the dream, I noticed that the stance that Jim July held, when he aimed the shotgun, is the same stance that my Uncle had a habit to maintain.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at Age 12, of Belle Starr’s Burial with Cornbread thrown into the Casket
“I had dream in 1970, when I was 12 years old and while we were living in Torrance, California, which added details to the event in which I had been shot off my horse. As I lay on the dirt after being shot, I was aware that my daughter was riding fast to the spot where I lay after she had been told of my death. I watched her from above riding down a trail and crossing a river.
In this dream, I also saw a scene in which my body was being prepared for burial. I was placed in a coffin and people filed by to pay respects. The Indians who attended the funeral threw pieces of cornbread into the casket as they walked past my body. I did not like seeing this and thought it was dirty.
In this dream, I was out of my body at times and I was also in it at times as well. I do not know why this was. Maybe I had second thoughts about leaving?”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “Two years later, when I was 14, I read Glenn Shirley’s book, Belle Starr and Her Times, The Literature, the Facts, and the Legends, and on page 240, this incident is described. It is mentioned that the Cherokee people did throw cornbread into Belle’s casket, based on an old Cherokee custom.”
Walter’s Question: “How did you react when you read about the Cherokee people throwing cornbread into Belle’s coffin?”
Karen’s Answer: “Reading about the cornbread was more than coincidental for me. In the dream I did not like cornbread being thrown into my coffin, but I could not do anything about it.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at 12 or 13 Years of Age, of Warning Confederate Soldiers of Union Troops
“I was riding in the countryside and came upon a quaint home with Union soldiers milling about. I stayed overnight with this family. I pretended to be worried about staying out later than I should and that my family would be worried about me. I did this so the soldiers would not be suspicious of me. I may have also said that it was too late for me to start back home and needed to stay the night.
I realized that this family consisted of Union sympathizers, with Union troops staying with them. I knew that this information would be vital to the Confederates.
I ate dinner with this family and their guests. I played the piano for them and then the Union troops left the house. I was alone in this house and standing on the stairway listening to a conversation outside between the family patriarch and a military man. I realized that my brother was in danger, as the Union troops were looking for him.
I stayed the night at this house. The next morning I had my horse brought to me and as I was getting ready to leave, I broke off a branch of some bushes. The daughter of the family was standing there watching me. I had the feeling that the family did not trust me. As I rode off I muttered something like ‘I will beat them.’ I think it meant that I would beat the troops into town. (I noticed that the daughter was a little overweight with light brown hair).
I rode fast and hard and came to a clearing in the woods. The trail went down into the clearing and then it went uphill and curved to the right. In the clearing some Confederate troops were doing chores. I rode past and as softly as I could speak I gave these men the location of the house where the Union troops were.”
Walter’s Questions: “Why did you pretend to be worried about staying out late? How did you know that the Union troops were talking about your brother, as opposed to someone else? Did they use your brother’s name from that lifetime?”
Karen’s Answers: “I had to pretend to worry about staying out late because women just did not do that kind of thing then. I also did not want to arouse suspicion.
I knew the Union troops were looking for my brother because he had made their lives miserable. After I had played the piano everyone retired for the night. It was getting dark. I was preparing to go upstairs for bed when I heard a visitor outside talking to the owner of the house.
I stood on the third stair listening and I heard my brother’s name mentioned. The troops were looking for him. I knew I had to get home early so I could warn him. My brother and I were well-known in the area.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of her Dream: A year or two after this dream, in the book Belle Starr by Rascoe, Belle’s daring ride to save her brother Bud is described in detail. This ride is also mentioned in Belle Starr by Glenn Shirley, pages 49-51.
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory in 1971 of Receiving Her Brother’s Body and Harassing Union Soldiers
“I had a dream when I was 13 years old, in which I had accompanied my father to retrieve the body of my brother. The wagon did not have a cover over it. It had what I think is called a buckboard in the front.
I went into the house with my father to where my brother’s body was kept. We brought out his belongings first which included his gun. I sat in the wagon while my father went to get his body.
There were Union troops milling around saying unpleasant things about my brother and some of the comments were directed towards me. I picked up my brother’s gun and pointed it at the troops, but they just laughed at me.
During the ride back home my father was very angry about the incident. He said that I should have kept my cool and should not have brought any further attention to the family. I would not look his way and just stared out toward the country side. It was a hot day and humid.”
Walter’s Questions: “How did you know it was Belle’s father in the dream?”
Karen’s Answer: “I recognized him as my father as we had the same relationship as we did in this life. He was an authority figure to me. I also had a short dream when I was a child (in this life) in which I was outside a small cabin. Inside was my mother and she was brushing her hair. I kept asking her where my father was. My father then walks out into the clearing to our cabin. He had been away on a trip. I had been told he had to go to the capital. I guess that meant the capital of Missouri. My father looked pretty much the same. He was the same soul as my father.”
Walter’s Question: “How did you know that Belle’s father reincarnated as your father.”
Karen’s Answer: “Belle’s father in the dream had my father’s mannerisms, way of talking and expression in his eyes that made me associate. In the dream, he had the same body build as he did in this life.”
Walter’ s Question: “How did you know that it was Belle’s brother in the dream?”
Karen’s Answer: “I remember the emotion of the dream and the anxiety from my parents. I noticed the way both parents reacted and how I felt. I felt like I had lost a close family member and I remember in the dream that the person was referred to as son//brother.”
Walter’s Question: “Do you know who Belle’s brother is in your contemporary lifetime?”
Karen’s Answer: “My brother in Belle’s lifetime seems to be my cousin first Steve. In the Belle lifetime we were very close.”
Walter’s Question: “Did you learn about Belle’s history before this dream?”
Karen’s Answer: “I did not learn of any of this before the dream. I did not know who Belle Starr was.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “A year or two later, when I was 14, while reading the book on Belle Starr by Rascoe I realized that the events of this dream, of picking up a brother’s body, with harassing Union troops in the background, had occurred to Belle Starr. Belle had gone with her father to pick up the body of her brother Bud.”
Walter’s Comment: It is truly amazing that as a child you had such detailed memories that correspond so accurately to the lifetime of Belle Starr.
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at Age 14, of Taking a Photo with a Holster & Guns
“After the death of my brother, I went into a town with my mother to shop. I had put on his holster and guns. I did this to send a message to the Union troops that I meant the business of revenge for his death. My mother did not want me to wear them because she felt that I was just ‘asking for trouble.’
In order to make my point that I was serious about revenge, I had my picture taken wearing the pistols. My mother is off to the side watching the photo shoot. She was not very happy with me. I look over to my right in this picture because I felt looking directly right into the camera might be too harsh a look.”
Walter’s Questions: “How did you know the person in the dream was your mother? Was this incident historically confirmed?”
Karen’s Answer: “I would know my mother anywhere. You could blindfold me, take away my hearing and stand me in a room next to her and I would know her. We were very close. I have read that the day after Belle’s brother was killed, Belle and her mother went into a nearby town. I think Belle was wearing the gun belt, but I have never read that her mother accompanied her into the photo studio.”
Karen’s Past Life Memory, at Age 14 in 1972, of Being Locked in a Closet, with a Romantic Rescue
“I was sitting in a closet apparently locked in there for punishment. Later, when I was let out the closet and sitting in my bedroom, I noticed that someone is climbing up a ladder. The man is there to get me. It is dark outside. I climb down and find that there is a horse waiting for me as are several other people. The man that climbed up the ladder I realize is my brother in this lifetime.”
Note regarding image comparison: Facial features would appear more similar if Jim Reed and Rob were captured in the same pose. There is a resemblance noted in the eyes .
Karen’s Historical Validation: This incident is described in Belle Starr, by Burton Roscoe, page 121 and page 156. After reading this book, I had further insight about this dream:
“Belle had gotten pregnant out-of-wedlock. I did have a dream about having this baby. The father was Cole Younger, but he always denied it and denied knowing Belle Starr. This hurt Belle (me). I had met another outlaw who l knew as Jim Reed from Reed Hill Missouri. He wanted to marry me. He knew I had a baby that Cole had fathered but Jim said he wanted to help me and give the baby a last name. Jim came to visit me and the baby. I sat in the front room of a house and waited for him to come. He came in and proposed to me. I said I would but I did not know when.
For reasons that I do not know, my (Belle’s) parents hated Jim Reed and they locked me in the closet so that I would not be able to see him. Eventually, my parents let me out of the closet.
It was dark outside when I heard someone call my name. I looked out and it was Jim Reed, who was putting a ladder up to my window. He had come to elope with me. As soon as we were down the ladder we ran over to our horses and rode a short way. A group of men who were Jim’s friends were waiting. We were married right there by the leader of this group of outlaws. This man had been a preacher before he became an outlaw.
Jim Reed, the man I married, is my brother, Rob, in contemporary times. Recall that in my experience with the ‘bright light,’ when I was 5 years old, the mechanical male voice told me that my brother was my spouse in a prior lifetime. The voice was referring to my brother’s past lifetime as Jim Reed.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at Age 14, of Robbing a House
“I had a dream in which my brother in my current lifetime, Rob, I and another young man were up on a mound or rise of earth looking down towards a home. It was clear to me that we were going to rob this house. I was the one who went up to the door and knocked on it. As I did the other two behind me forced their way in. I was dressed in male attire so that no one would know my identity. We tortured this man to give us his gold. He lived and we all went to trial but he could not positively identify the men.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “Burton Rascoe book, page 172. Jim Reed and Belle Star did rob a man as described in the dream.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory of her Husband’s Coffin and Defying the Law
“I am riding up to a building holding my daughter as I ride. I tie up the horse while looking at the building. I am aware that I am probably being watched. I do not want to go into the building but I have to. As I walk in with my daughter I notice approximately 4-5 men standing around a coffin which has been placed in the middle of the room. I am asked to ID the body as my husband, but I lie and say it is not him. I sense that the men are very disappointed. I left with my daughter feeling vindicated.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “Scott, Belle Starr in Velvet, pages 82-83. After Jim Reed was shot and killed, Belle had to go identify the body. If I (Belle) could do that then the killers would get the reward money. I did not want that to happen so I walked in and said that the dead man was not Jim, but it was really him lying there.
Some books on the subject of Belle say that this is most likely did not happen, but I know it did.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory of Belle’s Son Riding Her Horse Too Hard and Giving Eddie a Whipping
“I am running into the horse stall and noticed that my horse had been ridden hard. I immediately go into the barn and find my son sleeping there. I am not too happy that he has taken it the night before and ridden it that way.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “Belle Starr, by Burton Roscoe and Belle Starr by Glenn Shirley. Belle did not get along with her son Eddie who was fathered by Jim Reed. Belle gave Eddie a severe whipping with a riding crop after he had taken her prized black stallion for a ride to a party in a nearby town. He had ridden it hard and in the morning Belle discovered that Ed had fallen asleep in the barn. Ed never forgave Belle for the whipping. This was an emotional dream for me, it was horrible.”
Walter’s Question: Do you know who Eddie Reed is in contemporary times?
Karen’s Answer: I am quite sure that Eddie reincarnated as my son, Mike Jr.
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at Age 13 & Prior to Reading About Belle Starr, of Her Husband Shooting a Man
“I was at home with a man who I think was my husband in that life. I hear a knock at the door and I answer the door. When I open and see the person standing there I start to smile, but just then my husband takes out his gun and fires into the man, killing him. I am very upset and watch my husband and some ranch hands take the dead man out to the yard next to the house. They all stand around him in a circle. I go and saddle up my horse because I do not want to be there, I have to get out. I ride past all the men and glare at my husband.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of Her Dream: “After the dream I read an account of this. I cannot find where it is.
I know that it happened though. I do not know why this man was killed. Belle was living with her second husband, Sam Starr, when one day a person came to the door. As I (Belle) opened the door, Sam pulled out a pistol and shot the visitor. I did not know why he did that. Sam and a bunch of the outlaws who were staying at our ranch took the body and buried it not too far from our house. It was reasoned that no one would think of looking there for a body. As described, I was very livid about him shooting a friend of mine and ran past the group of men to get to my horse. I saddled up and rode past the crew and as I did I glared at Sam.”
Note: Sam Starr is pictured to the right.
Karen’s Past Dream & Memory of Breaking Up Pearl’s Relationship with a Lover
“Belle’s daughter, Pearl, had a boyfriend who Belle did not approve of. Belle did not want Pearl to marry the boyfriend because he did not have enough money to support her. To break up the relationship, Belle sent Pearl out-of-town, not knowing that Pearl had become pregnant by this man.
While she was away, Belle wrote a letter to the boyfriend in which she pretended to be Pearl. In the letter, she wrote that she had married a man with money just like her mama wanted. It was a lie that worked. The man married another woman while Pearl was out-of-town.
When Pearl returned and happened to see her old boyfriend, they figured out Belle’s dirty scheme. In my dream, a close friend of the family knew of Pearl’s condition and mentioned it to Belle. Belle did not know anything about it and became irate. This close friend of the family was the town’s postmaster and had been like a grandfather to Pearl. It was not unusual for him to be confided in. When I (Belle) found out about Pearl being pregnant; I went ballistic and at first blamed the postmaster for being responsible for Pearl’s condition.”
Historical Validation: See below
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory of Playing a Joke on Pearl
“I am talking to an elderly neighbor who is a close friend. During our conversation, my daughter and her friend run by us giggling and having fun. It is around Halloween. I tell this neighbor that I plan on playing a prank on my daughter.
He gets serious and asks me if I think that would be a good idea since Pearl is in a ‘delicate way.’ I am shocked not knowing exactly what he is implying. When I realize that she is pregnant, I immediately react with anger and let him have it. I then go after my daughter.”
Walter’s Question: Is Pearl’s pregnancy and Belle’s rouse to get rid of the boyfriend documented in history books?
Karen’s Answer: “Yes, it is. When I had this dream I did not know what it was all about. The one thing that sets these dreams apart from other dreams is the emotions that are involved. The emotions are magnified. For this dream, I just had a dream talking to a neighbor and then he says something that just sets me off. I go and tell my daughter that I know about everything. I experience sadness and depression in this dream.”
Historical Validation: Pending
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at 12-13 Years of Age, of a German Photographer
“I was riding into town with a deputy sheriff to answer a charge of horse stealing. I am riding past store fronts and joke with the sheriff that I would like to go into a couple of the stores to shop. I ask him if he would mind waiting for me. I also tell him that I am tired of all the attention I get every time I come to town. As I ride towards the town I see a short bald man to my left motion for me to have my picture taken. He has an old-fashioned camera on a tripod. I tell him that I will stop on my way back home.
On my way back I see the little man with the German accent off to my right just ahead of me calling to me to have my picture taken. I tell him I have changed my mind and do not want the picture taken. He replies ‘You promised’.
He continues to ask me to change my mind. I finally look over to him while stopping my horse. I let him take the picture, but I pose with a smirk, and then continue on riding. Since I really did not want to have my picture taken, I did not want to smile at him so that is the reason for the smirk.”
Karen’s Historical Validation of her Dream: “This is a famous photograph featured in Rhoeder’s Gallery in Fort Smith. This photo is featured in the book by Glenn Shirley, page 196. This dream occurred before I read about Belle Starr”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memory, at Age 14, of Taking a Photo with Blue Duck
“I have been asked to take a picture with someone I hardly know. This person is a young man who has been in trouble with the law. I also am in trouble with the law and that is the reason the 2 of us are at the sheriff’s office. This man is named ‘Blue Duck.’ I agree to have my picture taken and so I just stand there. I am not happy with what I am wearing as I think the small print makes my hips look large.”Karen’s historical validation of her dream: “This photo is shown in Glenn Shirley book on page 197.”
Karen’s Plea on June 18, 1974, at Age 16, to Meet her Past Life Love, Cole Younger, in Contemporary Times
“As noted, when I was 14 years old, I had started reading about Belle Starr and came to believe that I was her in a past lifetime. By the age of 16, I had read much on Belle. I was impressed by one fact of Belle’s story and that is how much she loved Cole Younger. When I was about 16-17 years old, I said out loud, ‘If Belle (I) loved this man so much in that lifetime, please let me find him in this life.’”
Karen Meets her Past Life Love, the Reincarnated Cole Younger, at the Age of 19
“When I first saw my future husband, Mike, I was drawn to him. He looked so familiar. We met in the summer of 1977 when we both worked at the Broadway department store in Torrance, California. He walked by my counter at the start of our shift. I met him again 2 weeks later at Hermosa Beach, where a group of people from the store played volley ball every Sunday night. I met him on his 21st birthday. I am sure that we were destined to meet. We even remarked shortly after meeting each other that it seemed like we had been together forever.”
Karen’s Past Life Dream & Memories, at Age 23 in 1981, of Belle Starr’s Love of Cole Younger and of being Rejected
“In a dream, I am watching some men that have been visiting my family getting ready to leave. They are sitting on horses and talking to my parents. I am very much taken with the oldest man. He is sitting on the horse closest to me. I whisper something to him but he is not acting interested in me. He answers me in a somewhat louder voice and I am not happy with what he is saying to me. I am embarrassed as my parents can hear him as well.
I notice that he is wearing baggy western clothing; baggy pants, shirt, cowboy hat and boots. His voice has a slight Midwest accent. I realize that this man is my husband, Mike, in my current life and I love him very much. I do not like him very much in this dream. This dream happened after we were married in 1981 and were living in our first apartment.”
Historical Validation: I had clarification of this dream after reading a book about Belle. The men visiting my family were the Younger brothers. I think the James Boys were there as well. The person I was attracted to was Cole Younger. We were romantically involved and I (Belle) became pregnant out-of-wedlock. Cole was the father, but he would later deny that we had a romance.
In the dream, the Younger brothers were all on horseback and my parents went out to them to say goodbye. My parents threatened me to stay in the house and not come out, as they did not want me to say goodbye. I stayed in the house and watched everything from a window. An older man was keeping an eye on me so I would not run out. I do not know who this man was, but I think he was a relative. Anyway, I ran out to them and went directly to Cole and said good-bye.
Cole Younger & Belle Starr Get Romance Right This Time Around
“In our contemporary lifetimes, Mike (Cole) treats me like a princess and he loves me for who I am. We have a wonderful marriage and have been married for almost 29 years. I think we finally got it right this time around.
In 1981, when I had this dream in which I realized that Mike is the reincarnation of Cole Younger, I didn’t tell him of any of this. I wasn’t sure how he would respond. Again, I was 23 years of age when I realized that Mike was Cole, which was four years after we had met.”
Karen Reveals to Mike that She was Belle Starr in a Past Lifetime and that He was Cole Younger
Seven years later, in 1988, one morning I told Mike about my beliefs regarding reincarnation. I thought he would think I was crazy or something but instead he listened. I told him about discovering that my past life dreams were replicated in a couple of books and how odd that was for me.
I told him that I was Belle Starr in the past lifetime, as the dreams I had reflected events in her lifetime. I also told him that I think I knew who he was, but I did not reveal who I thought he was at that time.
I am amazed at how much Mike looks like Cole Younger. Even his two brothers resemble Cole’s two brothers. All brothers have an intense interest in the Civil War history and they even lived a few miles from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
As mentioned, I told him in 1988 that I thought I had been Belle Starr and would offhandedly joke about it from time to time. I finally told Mike that I though he had been Cole Younger in a past lifetime in the year 2000. He knew of my beliefs, but I was never sure of what he thought about all this in the year 2000.
At this time, I now believe he does, in fact, believe that I am the reincarnation of Belle Starr. Mike, by the way, is an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) charge nurse, who is a natural leader.”
At 42 Years of Age, in 2000, Karen gets Palpitations at the Past Life Location where Belle Starr Lived & Shopped
‘In the summer of 2000, my family and I took a trip back to Missouri. We drove there from Southern California. Along the way we went through Oklahoma and stayed at a hotel on Lake Eufaula. The hotel/resort was old and had not been remodeled since the early 70’s. It was hot and humid.
My husband knew the reasons why I wanted to go through that part of the country but my children did not know. We drove around the lake and went towards the dam. The roads were clear, a lot of people on boats and in the water.
As we drove past the dam going in an eastwardly direction, I began to experience nausea and light-headedness. My heart was racing and I felt skipped beats. This was all experienced in one certain area of the highway. I told my husband that I was ok and to keep going because I did not want to stop.
Walter’s Question: Is there any reason from Belle’s lifetime that you would experience nausea, light-headedness, etc, at that particular spot? Was Lake Eufaula a place Belle visited?
Karen’s Answer: “Belle’s home is very close to Lake Eufaula and the dam. Belle shopped in Eufaula many times.
A Past Life Reaction: Karen gets Sick at the Spot that Belle Starr was Murdered
“We eventually drove back to our hotel but went on the road that was on the other side of the river. When we reached a spot that was directly even to the spot on the other side of the river where I felt ill, I started feeling ill again. I could not wait to get out of that area. I also felt extreme sadness and depression.”
Walter’s Question: ” Is there a reason you would feel ill at this second spot? Why do you think you felt sadness and depression?”
Karen’s Answer: “I have discovered since the trip that it was on this stretch of road where Belle was murdered.”
Reincarnation & Similar Appearance: Mike Realizes that Karen Physically Resembles Belle Starr
“On our way to Missouri we went to see Fort Gibson, which had been a fort in that area for about 150 years. It felt very familiar to me. We made our way to Missouri and stopped in Carthage for lunch. We went on a sight-seeing trip. Carthage is the hometown of Belle Starr.
We stopped in the town’s museum and found it all interesting. My husband saw a picture of Belle Starr before I did. He came over to me and said:
‘I think you ought to see this.’ As I looked at the picture my husband said; ‘You have the same eyes and mouth.’ This was very emotional for me.”
When Karen is 46 Years Old, Her Mother Unexpectantly calls her by a Past Life Name, Belle Starr’s Nickname, “May”
‘In 2004, my parents were visiting us from Arizona. My mother and I always shared talks about spiritual matters. One morning during one of these conversations, my mother said something that was really odd. We were in my living room which was very bright, as I do not like to have a dark house. I like the sun to shine in and brighten the rooms. The glare was bothering her so she asked me to close the shutters in the room while we talked. She said:
‘May, will you please close the shutters; the room is too bright for me.’
I instantly got up and closed them, but realized that she called me ‘May.’
As I sat down my mother said, ‘Karen, I do not know why I called you that, that’s strange.’
I told her, ‘Mom–that was my nickname in my life as Belle Starr’.
It was a weird moment. My mother did not know anything about Belle except that she was an outlaw. I gave my mother a book to take home and read about Belle. I believe that my mother in this lifetime was also my mother in my lifetime as Belle, so my mother may have had an unconscious memory from that past lifetime.”
Walter’s Question: “Did your mother specifically deny reading about Belle previously? Did she deny knowing that Belle’s nickname was Belle? Are you sure that you did not tell your mother about the nickname May?
Karen’s Answers: “Yes, my mother denied reading anything about Belle Starr. It is my understanding that she did not like the fact that I could have been Belle Starr. She did not like anything related to the Wild West and especially a woman who could have been a bandit. I believe her because her interests in reading were mainly Hollywood biographies, spicy novels and mystery-intrigue novels.
I never told her about the nickname May. I myself did not know about it until 2003. All the books I read prior to that referred to Starr’s nickname as being Belle.
While my mother and I were talking at this point she seemed very tired. My mother was drifting in and out of sleep and was very relaxed. It is then that she asked me to close the blinds and she called me ‘May.’ My mother and father both passed away in 2005.
Similarities in Personality & Karen’s Reflections on her Past Lifetime as Belle Starr
“I find it interesting that I was born in Missouri in this life, just like last time. I have had an intense love of horses and would not mind having a gun, but I know that I will never buy one. Belle, of course, was an excellent horse woman and very skilled with guns. When I was little I had always thought that Kansas was a bad place but I do not know why I felt that way.
In this life I was an extreme tomboy and so was Belle. I would fight anyone who challenged me and Belle was like that as a child.
As noted, I firmly believe that my oldest son Mike Jr. was Eddie in the last life and my daughter Melissa was Pearl. She looks so much like Pearl. Melissa even sees the resemblance.
My parents were the same parents, as I had dreams about them and they were the same personalities. My brother was Jim Reed. My parents really catered to him. Perhaps they were making up for the way they felt about him in his past life.
I know that I did not like myself in the Belle lifetime and I feel my soul was ready to depart that life at the time it did. I am so aware of my actions now and how I appear to other people in that lifetime.
I do not want to make the same mistakes that I made before. I believe that we all have a blueprint of some sort for what we need to accomplish here on earth. My lessons this time around are about family, to be more inclusive with other people and to let other people shine. I also think that this blueprint/plan includes who we have in our lives and the number of children we have.”
Walter’s Question: ” You love to play golf. Are you a good shot in golf, like Belle was a good shot with guns?”
Karen’s Answer: “Yes, I have a strong swing. I drive pretty far (for a woman).”
Past Life Karma of Being an Outlaw
This case presents a chance to better understand karma, the principal that every action has an equal reaction or consequence. Karma will be discussed in greater detail in the section Soul Evolution. It is thought that karma can be worked out in two ways. An immature soul, who does not admit wrongs that have been committed, may need to experience these wrongs directly. In this way, karma is worked out in an “eye for an eye” manner.
More mature souls, in between lifetimes, acknowledge mistakes that have been made and proactively plan to compensate for wrong actions through positive service.
In this set of cases, Karen was the outlaw Belle Starr, while her husband, Mike, and his brothers were the outlaws Cole Younger and the Younger Gang. In their contemporary incarnations, all four of these individuals are in service fields. As noted, Mike, who led the Younger Gang as Cole, has demonstrated leadership again by becoming a respected ICU charge nurse. One of his brothers serves as the Chief Financial Officer of a physician’s group and his other brother has served as a firefighter.
By reincarnating into professions of service, it is proposed that Karen, Mike and his brothers are dealing with karma incurred during their outlaw lifetimes in a positive, constructive way. Instead of using violence against people, Belle Starr and the Younger Gang, in their contemporary lifetimes are using their skills to save lives. Rather than experiencing “eye for an eye” consequences, they are working off karma incurred in their prior lifetimes through service.
As noted before, the strength of this compelling reincarnation case rests upon Karen’s very detailed memories of a past lifetime which were corroborated through biographies on Belle Starr. If this reincarnation case is accepted, it demonstrates the following principles:
Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Karen has made the following past life matches related to her case:
Belle Starr | Karen Pigott
Cole Younger | Mike Pigott
Younger Brothers | Mike Pigott’s Brothers
Eddie, Belle’s Son | Mike Pigott, Jr. son of Karen and Mike
Pearl Starr, Daughter of Belle Starr | Melissa Pigott, daughter of Karen and Mike
Jim Reed, First Husband of Belle | Rob, Karen’s Brother
Jim July Starr | Karen’s Uncle Floyd
Of greatest importance, Karen’s love in the past lifetime, Cole Younger, reincarnated as Karen’s husband Mike. In addition, Belle’s children in the past lifetime, Eddie and Pearl, reincarnated as Karen’s and Mike’s children Mike Jr. and Melissa.
Physical Resemblance: In the matches presented above, physical resemblances do exist, though some are stronger than others. Perceiving a strong physical resemblance is dependent on obtaining photographs of subjects in the same pose.
Geographic Memory: Karen had emotional and physical reactions at Lake Eufaula, locations where Belle Star had lived and shopped. She felt physically ill and experienced extreme sadness and depression at the location where Belle was murdered, which is similar to the reaction that Jeff Keene had when he was intuitively lead to the spot where he was almost killed in a past lifetime in the Civil War battle of Antietam.”
Planning Lifetimes: As a child, Karen spontaneously told her mother that she chose them as parents before she was born. This also occurred in the James Huston Jr. | James Leininger reincarnation case. If it is true that Karen, Mike and his brothers purposely reincarnated as nurses to work off karma in a constructive manner, then career planning is also observed in these cases.
Similarities in Linguistic Style: Karen described that Jim July’s written phrases were similar to the speech of her Uncle Floyd, who Karen has identified as the reincarnation of Jim July. Similarities in linguistic style were documented in the John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene reincarnation case through a formal linguistic analysis.
Innate Talents: Belle was an expert shot with rifles and pistols. Karen is an accomplished golfer and has an aggressive personality, as did Belle.
It is unclear whether this phenomenon represented a spirit being or perhaps an extraterrestrial source that was communicating to Karen. Other authors have described a mechanical voice as representing extraterrestrial communication.
One example involves Jack Sarfatti, PhD, a physicist who worked with Gary Zukov on The Dancing Wu Li Masters, a book on quantum physics. In an article in the April 2000 issue of Fate magazine, written by Preston Dennett, Sarfatti described his experiences with a mechanical sounding voice that was apparently generated by a computer on an alien spaceship. In this article, Sarfatti relates:
“In 1952 and 1953, when I was about 12 or 13 years old, I received a phone call…in which a mechanical sounding voice at the other end said it was a computer on board a flying saucer. They wanted to teach me something and would I be willing? This was my free choice. Would I be willing to be taught—to communicate with them? I remember a shiver going up my spine, because I said, ‘Hey, man, this is real.’ Of course, I was a kid…but I said, ‘yes.'”
Dennett continues the story: “Sarfatti was impressed. He ran and got his friends, and they gathered together in his bedroom, awaiting the upcoming promised contact. Unfortunately, nothing occurred, and Sarfatti assumed at first that it was just a clever practical joke. At this point, his memory of the event strangely ends. But according to Sarfatti’s mother, the first phone call was followed by a series of similar phone calls—each giving Sarfatti information that would leave him forever changed. Says Sarfatti:
‘My mother remembers this experience very well. It turns out that I had forgotten most of it. This was really something that occurred over several weeks. Apparently what happened, which is completely blanked from my memory but not from hers, was that I continually received phone calls, many phone calls from the same source. My mother says I was walking around really strange. She began to get worried about me. Finally, one day she picked up the phone, and she heard this computer. She remembers the voices…. She said, ‘Leave my boy alone!’ The Jewish mother talking to the flying saucer or whatever they were. And that was the end of it. We never got another phone call after that.'”
In his autobiography entitled, My Story, Uri Geller, a psychic with documented psychokinetic abilities such as bending spoons with his mind, also described contacts with alien beings that were facilitated by a mechanical sounding voice.
Extraterrestrial or ET Contact & Michael Tamura’s Clairvoyant Insights
I myself, Walter Semkiw MD, can share a similar experience. I was at a past life regression conference in Colorado Springs in 2006. I had just seen Barbro Karlen give a presentation regarding her past life memories of being Anne Frank. I was quite moved by her talk and reflected on how her presentation should be videotaped for greater access. I subsequently produced a videotape of Barbro, which is featured in Evidence of Reincarnation.
After Barbro’s presentation, I walked down the hallway and met Jeff Keene, who was also attending the conference. As I spoke to Jeff, my own voice had a strangely mechanical sound. At the same time, I felt pressure along the left side of my face. I thought this was extremely bizarre, as I had never heard my own voice sound mechanical before, nor have I experienced this since. I was also puzzled by the sensation of pressure on the left side of my face, which had never happened before, nor has it happened since.
I looked around and noted that there was a small dome above us and I attributed the mechanical sound of my voice to the dome, which I thought must have been producing an echo. On the other hand, I reflected that I didn’t hear an echo, rather, I heard my voice sounding mechanical.
Afterwards, I met with Michael Tamura, a spiritual teacher who has been clairvoyant since childhood. I told him about the strange experience I just had in which my voice sounded mechanical as I was speaking to Jeff Keene.
Michael told me that the reason that my voice sounded mechanical was that extraterrestrial beings were tuning into me, as they have a great interest in reincarnation research, which they perceive as a crucial step for humanity’s evolution. Michael also told me that the extraterrestrials had placed an energetic device on the left side of my face which allowed them to listen in on my conversation with Jeff. The translation device that the extraterrestrials used caused voices to sound mechanical.
What struck me was that I did not tell Michael about the sensation that I had of pressure on the left side of my face, when the mechanical character of my voice occurred. Michael’s ability to perceive a device on the left side of my face made me think that his explanation may be valid.
I myself am not clairvoyant nor had I had any other possible experiences with extraterrestrials, but Michael’s perception of an energy clamp on the left side of my face corresponded exactly to the sensation that I had while speaking to Jeff Keene. I know to the average reader, this experience that I had must sound very hard to believe, but it did happen.
My experience, Jack Sarfatti’s childhood experiences and Uri Geller’s story support that Karen’s experience with a strange mechanical sounding voice is not unique. There are many documented cases in which spirit being involvement has been observed in reincarnation cases. It is possible that in addition to spirit beings, extraterrestrial beings are coaxing us into learning about reincarnation and past lives.
Jenny McLeod was born on November 7, 1949 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her parents were Hamish and Margaret McLeod and the family soon settled in Tore, near Inverness.
In 1967, Stevenson traveled to Tore, Scotland, to research the case himself. Stevenson interviewed family members and he confirmed that Jenny did not learn details of this proposed past lifetime through normal means.
Bessie had nine children, one of whom was Mary Gordon, who was Margaret’s mother and Jenny’s grandmother. Recall that it was Mary Gordon who was feeding Jenny when she made her past life statements.
