I'm just going to throw this out here for discussion. I was pondering this for a little while now and I just can't make my mind up about it, so I would like anybody's opinon on it. I beleive in both ghosts and in past lives. I'm not sure if they both can coexist with each other. Meaning a person who has more then one life surely can't also be a ghost. Does that mean that some people just die and become ghosts while others continue on to live another life. Or are ghost just souls waiting to live another life and when we help them pass on to something better we are actually helping them to be reborn again. Any comments will be welcomed! I'm so confused right now!

Wow! You've really got me thinkin. While I believe in both as well, past lives and ghosts, I've never quite thought of it in that way. But you've made such a good point. I'm going to have to think about that one some more, and hopefully I can give you a better reply.

Hi Blackadder, I absolutely believe in both reincarnation & and hauntings I never once questioned how both can exist.

Thinking about it, it seems natural to me both can exist. Hauntings can be residual, a replay of a certain event. Or they can be because a person cannot move on, either by choice or they may not realize they are dead. Hauntings may just be the discharge of energy that all living things have or spirits that never human to begin with.

I cannot remember the details of the cases I have read about. People who have had past life regressions are sometimes directed to the in between time. They seem to remember waiting for someone or situation and making choices. Given human nature and how people react to things in life, I don't find it odd that they go in different directions in death.

That makes perfect sense Jeannie.

For the 'in between' time, are you referring to the person not being able to move on, or not realizing that they have died? Past life regression is fascinating to me! I've always thought that certain things that we like or are drawn to, certain time periods and such, in this life are from who we were or what we were drawn to in a previous life.

Ex: My Mom's friend has some psychic ability and had told her that she had previously lived in the Victorian era, and that her family had a beautiful house and were rather well to do. When she told me, it made perfect sense because my Mom has always LOVED Victorian anything, and has pracitcally her whole house decorated in such a fashion.

What do you guys think?

Thanks for the replies guys. It just seemed confusing to me that some people have many past lives and yet there are ghost too. I guess everyone has there mission and some include being ghosts and some have more then one life. Very interesting what you guys say. It makes alot of sense! I do believe that if you live a past life then stuff that you are drawn to in the present life can reflect your past life. For example I don't know how to swim. Many people have tried to teach me but I just don't pick it up. I've been able to float for a couple of minutes and then panic will set in and I lose the ability to do even that. I'm assume that something happen in a past life that makes me this way now.

Trinity, the between time I am referring to is souls waiting for people or situations they want or need to be in for their next life. I don't recall ever reading about regressed people haunting the living to past the time.

I have had 2 experiences with past life regression. One was a friend who had a reocurring dream. We went to see if there was a reason for it. I must say as a warning because it was very traumatic. Once she got past the part where her dream ended it took quite a while for the hypnotist to get her past that part. Well, to see someone go from a completely relaxed sitting position to a fetal position in the chair is something I will never forget. And the horror in her voice! Long story short, she was a school teacher during the civil war and she lead a movement to dump all the rifles over a levy into the river. They were convinced this would stop the fighting. The army came and the officer leading the troops hacked her to death. He was revealed to be her husband in this life. The rest of the session was spent trying to ease the trauma of the what she experienced. So we never did get a chance for details. And I will say, for a long time after she experinced residual pain from her wounds from that time. Regression is not to be entered lightly and must be done by an experineced therapist.

I participated in a group regression. We were told to go back to the first non traumatic life we had. I came throught the tunnel we visualised and looked down and saw packed dirt, button shoes and chickens., we then went to the next event in our lives and it was a wedding with fiddle music, I was a guest, not the bride. Then we went to our deaths, I died fairly young late 40's, in my bed. I never married and was perfectly content that I had lived my life my way. What is strange is I have no affinity for the west, yet what few past life flashes I have experienced have been in Colorado, and have been of Native American origin or homesteader type. I had a love at first sight with a guy that had dreams he was a pioneer. And my Native American flash backs would be triggered out of the blue, by daydreams of this man.

Blackadder, I always had a thing about my neck. As a child I never could learn tumbling and somersaults cause I was convinced I would break my neck. I can very rarely were necklaces and I can't begin to tell you what I put the chiropracter through when he had to do adjustments involving my neck. There was the one time my ex attacked me from behind for no reason and almost broke my neck. Where did that come from?

In any case I have always had the feeling I have not been around a long time, a fairly new soul. Despite my love of archeology, I never found my self feeling like I lived in Egypt, or Aztec or Myan times. My boyfriend on the other hand has been around a long time and had a psychic who was teaching tarot cards to me and a group confirm that. She just stopped dead infront of him and tranced. She only stopped when she saw he was getting frightened.

Sorry this is so long but I love this topic. (in case you could't tell )

Ya know, there is an interesting book written by Silvia Brown that touches on the subject of reincarnation and the afterlife. It's a really good read to get someone elses opinion on the subject. (Although she claims that was she is stating is fact....I still take it as opinion...I don't know that anyone REALLY knows) But a lot of what she says does make sense when you get down to it. Most of what she believes follows along the lines of what your saying Jeannie...which like I said, makes the most sense to me.

I don't think that everything we're drawn to has something to do with a past life, but I do think that some things that we are VERY strongly drawn towards do, or could at any rate. There are certain time periods that I feel a very strong connection with. More so then just being interested in or fascinated by.

It's interesting that you both have physical ailments (for lack of a better word, but you know what I mean) that could be connected to something from a previous life. I've been trying to think if there is anything that stands out in my mind, and the only thing that I can think of is the fact that whenever I've gone hiking, I am terrified of being anywhere near the edge of an outlook or cliff. Although, that could just be chalked up to fear of heights of course...it's particularly strong during those times. Just makes ya wonder doesn't it?

I love this topic as well! I could go on and on and on.............

I am very new at this site and very interested in this topic.
I have dreams all the time about someone coming at me from behind. Or someone grabing me from behind. I have a problem with my back and neck. It is like a knife in my back when ever anyone would toch it. It is mostly on my right side. the left seems to be fine. I have never been able to understand why. I have always thought that maybe it was a past life that I was shot or stabed in the back. Does anyone have any way of how I could find out why it is like this?

Hi LOL! Now for my insanity! (jk)
I have always felt that we reach certain planes in each life, each time that we have learned what we were supposed to, maybe we go on to the next. Maybe sometimes there is a greater plan for our souls and what we know?
Its like, as I know none of you have seen, I can yak about anything. I think I have a very old soul because of this reason. Sometimes I just know things out of nowhere, hubby says I am going on "Who wants to be a millionaire."
And I get uncomfortable feeling for things, objects, etc, and bad dejavu. My first dejavu was in first grade, I remember that day, I remembered my teacher, but not as my teacher? Weird!
I beleive in everything and anything! Ghosts, spirits, planes, (and don't say planes, trains and automobiles LOL)I think it all fits together somehow.
Take how we have levels of society, would it be amiss to think that the afterlife didn't have the same? Neighborhoods, groups, etc? I think so.
I also beleive like in the song, looking through the holes of heaven. We are seen and not forgotten, the spiritual link is still there and always will be, but in a different light, whatever it may be.
I will let you know when I get there if they let me near a computer! I am not kidding:)
(((((((((hugs))))))))
Piglet =)

I have been through a past lives regression, and although it only went back as far as the life just before this one, it was a very interesting experience. I was a young man in my late teens, a penniless drifter in Southeastern Arizona. I was sitting on a wooden porch out in front of some sort of store in a very small town. There were a couple of small buildings across the street from me, and my horse was tied right in front of me to a hitch rail. I think that I may well have other lives here in the Southwest, which might explain why I am so drawn to it. Arizona is a place that seems to be a part of me. Even as a child of 8, I could barely wait to get here, and I am not sure exactly why. It felt more like coming home than moving across the country from Iowa to a completely strange place.

Do I think that past lives and ghosts can involve the same spirits... no, not really. First, I don't think a very large percentage of souls linger behind in ghostly form. I think most move on to whatever is next. As for those that do remain behind, I have sometimes wondered if maybe they died too soon, and left something undone. It might not be anything that the rest of the living relatives or friends would even know about. But, I agree... I don't think that a ghost could also be living his/her next life, and haunting people in his spare time.

I have tried regression, didn't work. Nobody can seem to do anything with me! LOL I am not kidding I am incorrigable.
I agree with AZ on they can't be living 2 existences at the same time, and I agree that tragedy or a very sudden death seems to play a large part in ghosts.
I don't remember where I read this, but it was a true haunting documented by Ed and Loraine Warren.
A women had dropped her kids off at school and right after was killed in and auto accident.
A couple months later, they all dad and kids, started seeing her. Making beds, cooking, cleaning, etc.
They looked for help, the family was terrified.
This lady that had died when a connection was made with her, didn't know she was dead. And I remember reading it was very hard for the Warren's to convince her that she was.
They finally did, so the family could have some peace of mind again.
It's like everyone in my family said my deceased father hangs around me cause I am the bubble headed blonde in the family and he's prolly waiting to bail me out? Probably true! And my Gramma also! They always were 2 of my biggest defenders!
((((((((hugs))))))))
Piglet