There is ample evidence based on case studies involving young children who have spontaneous memories of past lives to conclude that reincarnation is a reality. The most compelling cases come from the work of Ian Stevenson MD at the University of Virginia.
Over a period of 40 years, Dr. Stevenson traveled around the world studying young children with spontaneous memories of past lives that could be objectively validated. Approximately 1200 of these validated reincarnation cases exist, which have been meticulously documented by Dr. Stevenson. Two cases that are especially dramatic because they were followed over a period of about 30 years and demonstrate physical resemblance from one lifetime to another are:
From independently researched case studies, such as those from the University of Virginia, principles of reincarnation can be derived. These include the findings that facial features, talents and passions can remain consistent from lifetime to lifetime. Further, research shows that we reincarnate with people we have known in prior incarnations. To understand how reincarnation works, please review:
How Reincarnation Research can create a More Peaceful World
One the most important findings that reincarnation research reveals is that individuals can change religion, nationality and ethnic affiliation from one lifetime to another. This observation has the potential to help create a much more peaceful world, as conflicts and war are usually based on differences in these cultural markers of identity.
A particularly impressive case in this regard involves the reincarnation of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was persecuted as a Jew and died in a Nazi concentration camp. In my assessment, she has reincarnated as Barbro Karlen, who was born into a Christian family in Sweden. If the Nazis knew that one could be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, then the Holocaust could not have happened. Similarly, if Muslims knew they could reincarnate as Christians or Jews and vice versa, the conflicts we witness in the Middle East would end. Please review the following pages.
What I consider the most important independently researched reincarnation cases are compiled in my book Born Again.
The Purpose of Reincarnation
Though reincarnation research sheds much light on the process of reincarnation, not all questions can be answered through evidence of past lives. For example, the number of lifetimes we go through and the overall purpose of reincarnation remains speculative.
To fill in the gaps that reincarnation research leaves open, I have used another source for information. Since 2001, I have worked with Kevin Ryerson, the trance medium who is featured in the books of Shirley MacLaine. Kevin channels a spirit guide named Ahtun Re, who I have conversed with on a monthly basis since 2001. Ahtun Re and I have vigorous dialogues and over the span of time, I have come to the conclusion that Ahtun Re is truly a spirit being separate from the consciousness of Kevin Ryerson. Ahtun Re has an encyclopedic scope of knowledge and he has also demonstrated the ability to make accurate past life matches. Cases that show this ability can be reviewed at the following page:
When we were created as souls, which are individual expressions of God, each of us was imbued with a certain set of energies or abilities, the sum of which I call one’s energy spectrum. These qualities predispose us to follow certain career paths and occupations. As such, musicians tend to reincarnate as musicians, scientists tend to reincarnate and pursue careers in science or technology and social activists tend to pursue activist roles across lifetimes. Much as we wake up in the morning with a personality consistent from the night before, from lifetime to lifetime, we are similar in the way that we approach life. How we express our energies can be altered by the genetic inheritance and life circumstances we are born with.
Reincarnation and the Establishment of Identity
In early phases of incarnation a chief task is to develop a stable sense of identity. Imagine if in your contemporary lifetime you have no memories of what happened prior to the current moment. You would not have a sense of identity. Experiences through a series of lifetimes builds identity. Identity is commonly based on the religion, nationality and the ethnicity that we are born into. When we are still immature souls, identification with these factors can be too strong, causing separation and conflict. We forget that we all originate from one source.
As we reincarnate, we can make mistakes and hurt others generating karma that must be worked out in future incarnations.
Just as a child must go through school and learn from mistakes in the course of becoming a self-sufficient human being, we as souls develop through the school of Earth life.
Becoming a Universal Soul through Reincarnation
After we establish a strong identity, develop our set of skills to a sufficient degree, work off karma and finally achieve an all-encompassing love of humanity, we no longer have to reincarnate and can instead pursue further experience and growth in the spiritual realms. On average, Ahtun Re says that it takes about 100 lifetimes to reach this point in development. This number can vary significantly based on the earnestness that a soul pursues spiritual growth and evolution through its incarnations.
Many, though, still choose to reincarnate, even when they don’t have to, in order to pursue projects to help humanity evolve. Ahtun Re estimates that at least 20% of the population on Earth is here on a voluntary basis.
Reincarnation: Enjoy the Journey
There are times when life can be very hard. During these episodes, we may dread having to reincarnate, but we do so at the behest of our own souls. As such, we should try to keep things in perspective, be kind to others and enjoy the journey as much as possible.
Evidence of Reincarnation can Help Create a More Peaceful World
In 2010, I placed an advertisement for ReincarnationResearch.com in the Hollywood Reporter ‘s philanthropy issue to seek donations to fund translation of key independently derived reincarnation cases, such as those researched by Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of Virginia, into multiple languages. Since these cases show that a soul can change religion, nationality and ethnic affiliation from one incarnation to another, evidence of reincarnation can help create a more peaceful world. An especially powerful case in this regard is the: Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen
The work of Ian Stevenson, MD and the Anne Frank Barbro Karlen case is featured in the viral reincarnation research video:
To have a positive impact, though, these independently researched reincarnation cases have to be made available to people of diverse cultures.
The ReincarnationResearch.com website page, Principles of Reincarnation, with the 23 independently researched reincarnation cases that are cited, form the template for our translation efforts.
Past Life Attraction: Ben Stiller and the Biopic on David O. Selznick
With the placement of the ad, I was given a complimentary subscription to the Hollywood Reporter. In the November 4, 2011 issue I was struck by an article on Ben Stiller, who was described as “an astute, driven filmmaker,” which is very different from his public, comic persona. My curiosity was further piqued by the following line:
“Two of his favorite future films have show business at their heart, each centered on a larger-than-life character whose moral ambivalence intrigues Stiller and whose drive is perhaps something he relates to. One is about David O. Selznick, the obsessive producer of Gone with the Wind.” (1)
I then read a different article in which it was stated that Stiller very much wants to be involved in the production of this movie on the life of David O. Selznick and is even considering playing the lead role of Selznick.
Affinity Reincarnation Cases: Attraction to One’s Own Past Life
There is a category of reincarnation cases that I term “affinity cases,” in which an individual is attracted to their own past life persona. One example involves the reincarnation case of Dorothy Dandridge | Halle Barry and two others involve the reincarnations of Laurel and Hardy. In this light, I wondered if Stiller might be the reincarnation of Selznick.
I noted that the shape of Ben Stiller’s face is similar to that of Selznick, though Selznick was much heavier in weight then is Stiller. The reincarnation case of Oliver Hardy | Danny Bacher demonstrates how facial architecture can remain the same from lifetime to lifetime, though appearance can vary due to body weight. As with Stiller, Danny is not nearly as heavy as Ollie was.
Spirit Being Ahtun Re Affirms Ben Stiller as the Reincarnation of David O. Selznick
In a session with Kevin Ryerson, I asked about this proposed match and Ahtun Re, a spirit guide channeled through Kevin who has demonstrated an ability to make accurate past life matches, affirmed that Ben Stiller is the reincarnation of David O. Selznick. I then became excited about trying to find members of Selznick’s soul group reincarnated around Stiller. For example, it was Selznick who brought Alfred Hitchcock from England, introduced him to American audiences and made him one of the most famous directors in the world.
Oren Moverman as the Reincarnation of Alfred Hitchcock
In investigating possible soul group connections, I started with the movie that is being planned about Selznick. I learned that the screenplay was written by Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Donald Margulies. Further, I read that an Israeli filmmaker, Oren Moverman, had rewritten Margulies’ screenplay and was being considered to direct the movie on Selznick.
I noted that Moverman bears a strong resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock, with the variation that Hitchcock was extremely overweight and Moverman is not. Like Hitchcock, Moverman started as a journalist and then moved into screenwriting and movie direction. In the session with Kevin Ryerson, Ahtun Re verified my hypothesis that Oren Moverman is the reincarnation of Alfred Hitchcock.
Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives
Past Life Memories: A Railroad Mechanic’s Daughter Remembers a Past Lifetime as a Pharmacist
P. Courtain was a retired mechanic for the Belgium state railroad. His daughter, Blanche, suddenly remembered a past lifetime in which she was a pharmacist in Brussels, 40 kilometers or 25 miles away from where the family lived in the village of Charleroi.
This case was first published in the spiritualist journal, Le Messager de Liege, in 1911. Ian Stevenson later included it in his book, European Cases of the Reincarnation Type.
Blanche’s Childhood Psychic Abilities
By the age of five, Blanche showed indications of clairvoyance, as she would accurately describe her maternal and paternal grandparents, who had died 15 years before Blanche was born. Her parents knew nothing about clairvoyance or spiritualism and they were concerned that Blanche had some type of mental illness.
As such, they took her to a doctor who prescribed a medication, which, along with the doctor visit, cost a great deal–7.5 Francs. The next day, Blanche refused to take the medication, explaining to her parents that someone near her, apparently referring to a spirit being, told her she would get her well without it.
Past Life Memory: Blanche Gives the Address of Her Past Life Pharmacy in Brussels
In addition, she said that she knew what to take on her own, as she had been a pharmacist. Her parents were stunned at this statement. Blanche then said:
“I was a pharmacist in Brussels.” She then gave her parents the address of the pharmacy, with street name and number. “If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself. There is still a pharmacy there and the door of the place is completely white.” (1)
Geographic Past Life Memory: Blanche Leads Her Sister to the Past Life Pharmacy
Two years later, Blanche’s older sister was planning to go to Brussels, pictured to the right, and their parents suggested that Blanche go with her. Blanche then said:
“Yes. I will go and take my sister to the place I told you about.” (2)
Her parents objected: “But you don’t know Brussels.” Blanche replied:
“That makes no difference. Once I am there I will show my sister the way. (3)
The girls made the trip and at the Brussel’s railroad station, her sister challenged
Blanche:
“Now show me the way.” (4)
Blanche replied: “All right. Come on. It is this way.” Blanche then led her sister on a brisk walk. After a period of time, Blanche said:
“This is the street.” Look! There is the house and you can see that it is a pharmacy.” (5)
Ian Stevenson describes the scene:
“Her sister, amazed, found that everything Blanche had said—the street, the number of the house, and the color of the door—were exactly as Blanche had described. No detail was incorrect.” (6)
Geographic Memory: The strength of this case rests upon Blanche’s ability to know the exact address of pharmacy in Brussels, then find it on her first trip to Brussels. Please note that this case was first published in 1911, long before this type of information was easily accessible, such as through the Internet.
Blanche’s ability to find the pharmacy is reminiscent of the Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen reincarnation case, in which Barbro was able to lead her parents to the Anne Frank House on her first trip to Amsterdam.
Spirit Being Involvement: Blanche was able to accurately describe her maternal and paternal grandparents, who had died over a decade before Blanche was born.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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?
In 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.
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:
Barbro Moves to California, where Walter Semkiw, MD observes that Anne Frank and Barbro Karlen have the Same Facial Features
Barbro 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:
“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
Anne 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.”
“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
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.
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?”
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.”
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.
Phobias 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.
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
The mission of ReincarnationResearch.com is to promote reincarnation research, disseminate evidence of reincarnation and to enact the positive societal change that evidence of past lives can bring.
Independently researched reincarnation cases, in particular those published by the late Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of Virginia, in aggregate, provide proof of reincarnation. Dr. Stevenson’s research focused on children who spontaneously had past life memories that could be factually verified. He compiled over 1500 validated childhood past life memory cases.
Significantly, Jim Tucker, MD, another academic psychiatrist who has taken over for Dr. Stevenson at the University of Virginia, has stated on US national television that sufficient evidence now exists to conclude that reincarnation exists. Dr. Tucker made this statement when he appeared on TV with James Leininger after the James Huston Jr. | James Leininger case was aired on ABC Primetime in 2005.
Ian Stevenson wrote in a difficult, academic style, as his target audience was fellow scientists. On the ReincarnationResearch.com website, synopses of his past life cases are presented as easy-to-read stories, to make them accessible to all.
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Evidence of reincarnation shows that religion, nationality and ethnic affiliation can change from one incarnation to another. Most conflicts and wars are based on differences in these cultural markers of identity. Evidence of reincarnation can mitigate conflicts based on differences.
A dramatic reincarnation case that demonstrates that religion and nationality can change from lifetime to lifetime is that of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen. Click on the image provided above to enlarge and assess similarity of facial features.
Other reincarnation cases which show change of religion across lifetimes, including Muslim cases, can be reviewed at:
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ReincarnationResearch.com: A Path to Peace
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In closing, I would like to share a parable from my book, Born Again:
We are the Fish, not the Rivers
Imagine the great cultural movements and religions of the world as rivers. A prophet or visionary serves as a fountainhead, who initiates a philosophy, a nation or a religion. As followers join the founder, the rivulet grows into a stream. The river then builds and flows across time, across centuries. Supporters contribute to the movement, though works of art, architecture, literature and music, and the river grows more grand and deep.
Imagine that we are like fish that descend from the spiritual world and become immersed in these rivers. In one lifetime, we swim in the River of Moses, in another lifetime, we swim in the River of Christ, in yet another the River of Mohammed, in another, the River of Buddha, in another, the River of Hinduism, and so on. While one is immersed in a particular river, we tend to completely identify with that cultural stream. We become a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu or Buddhist. We identify with the particular race, ethnicity and nationality that we find ourselves in. We forget that in other lifetimes, we have swum in the other streams too.
For peace to reign on Earth, we must become conscious of the various paths that we traverse and the various identities that we assume. We must remember that from a spiritual perspective, we are the fish, not the rivers. We are universal souls that experience these varied streams. Let us live with this awareness, so that we may all live in peace.
Reincarnation Research of Ian Stevenson, MD
A particularly impressive case in this regard involves the reincarnation of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was persecuted as a Jew and died in a Nazi concentration camp. In my assessment, she has reincarnated as Barbro Karlen, who was born into a Christian family in Sweden. If the Nazis knew that one could be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, then the Holocaust could not have happened. Similarly, if Muslims knew they could reincarnate as Christians or Jews and vice versa, the conflicts we witness in the Middle East would end. Please review the following pages.
Though reincarnation research sheds much light on the process of reincarnation, not all questions can be answered through evidence of past lives. For example, the number of lifetimes we go through and the overall purpose of reincarnation remains speculative.
When we were created as souls, which are individual expressions of God, each of us was imbued with a certain set of energies or abilities, the sum of which I call one’s energy spectrum. These qualities predispose us to follow certain career paths and occupations. As such, musicians tend to reincarnate as musicians, scientists tend to reincarnate and pursue careers in science or technology and social activists tend to pursue activist roles across lifetimes. Much as we wake up in the morning with a personality consistent from the night before, from lifetime to lifetime, we are similar in the way that we approach life. How we express our energies can be altered by the genetic inheritance and life circumstances we are born with.
Reincarnation: Enjoy the Journey
In 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!”
