Past Life Memories Come Through

Written by Anna Raimondi, Spiritual Counselor

As a Spiritual Counselor, I incorporate my experience as a Grief Counselor, Hypnotherapist and my ability to see spirits on the other side order to help people heal and understand their relationships. Frequently, comprehension of the complexity of our relationships goes beyond talk therapy and even counsel from the spirit world. It often lies in the understanding of relationships from our past lives. Learning about our past lives gives us a unique insight into why we attract certain people and perhaps the reason why we are attracted to certain people or personality types.

It was beautiful spring day when Glory first came to me. As she bounced through the open door to my office, her spirit was light and free. She exuded an air of freshness and love of life. Yet, under this façade, her energy was heavy and her spirit felt drained. Her life on the surface appeared to be one out of a fairy tale; her successes had been monumental and her relationships passionate and fulfilling. Looking below the surface, I could see pain, withdrawal and remorse. I could feel the questioning, the “why me” echoing from her deepest core. She said she had made the appointment for a past life regression out of a sense of wondering. I saw longing. I saw questions unanswered. I saw a pull to the past. I said a silent prayer that her session would somehow bring her to closure; somehow resolve the issues lingering in her heart and mind.

Glory had never experienced hypnotherapy or any type of past life regression or therapy. She was a newbie and did not know what to expect. I explained that sometimes the experience is subtle and the person feels little change while other times, it is earth shattering and the change is wonderfully cataclysmic. In either case, past life regression therapy, can open the heart, mind and spirit to the memories of who we were in days gone by. Days of long ago and far away which live on in our sub-conscious minds. Sometimes these memories arise in the dream state, sometimes in the waking state as a flash or a sense of déjà vu. During a past life regression session, the memories become real and the reliving of them can be exciting and emotional. She expressed her excitement and readiness for this adventure and so we began.

Glory was a good candidate for regression therapy in that she trusted me and followed hypnotic suggestions very well. After bringing her through her current life time back to her mother’s womb, she easily crossed over to the in-between place; the place between heaven and her current life. She was able to describe being in her mother’s womb and her reluctance to reenter this world. I heard the hesitation in her voice as she spoke of her impending birth. Moving through the session, I brought her to two lives which, on the surface, seemed innocuous and insignificant. Our past lives are not always the stuff of movies; jammed packed with adventure, pain, passion. Moreover, they may not have a tremendous impact on this our present realities. Past lives are lessons lived, and some past lives, have greater lessons for our present life than others. It is the way of our soul journey. On a conscious level, we do not possess control. Yet, some of our past lives have huge impact. And so it was with one of Glory’s lives. It was when Glory went to a third life that the session took a turn.

Following suggestion, Glory moved into a life where she was a young woman of about twenty-one in the nineteenth century. She saw herself in a church marrying a gentleman for whom she did not feel love. She also recognized that he did not feel a passion toward her. As she became the memory of this woman standing at the altar, she felt a sense of quiet acceptance. As she looked into her husband’s eyes, she saw hardness and a stoicness that frightened her. This was her wedding day; she should be happy and looking forward to a life of joy. This was not the emotion that she felt at all. Instead there was a sense of dread. As I moved her ahead in that lifetime, she recognized an old friend from her present life occupying the body of her sister in her regression. As in this life, this woman was jealous and envious of her. Instead of protecting her, this “sister” helped to engineer her demise. She saw her husband and her sister condemning her for being different, for not fitting in. They wanted her to ignore who she was, whoever that may have been, and be the “perfect” woman and wife. In her silent rectitude she could not do that. She was who she was. As the session continued, we learned that her husband embarrassed that she was not his dream of perfection, had her committed to an insane asylum. She was twenty-three at the time of her confinement. As she called forth the memories, Glory began to sob uncontrollably. She felt trapped inside the walls of a place she did not belong. She was surrounded by people who needed help, yet she did not. She described being in a white room and knowing that she could not escape. Her body trembled with her tears for a life wasted and the unjustifiable judgment by her husband and her sister. Her soul was not lost yet her life seemed to have no purpose.

Moving Glory to her deathbed in that life time was enlightening. She saw herself as an old woman of eighty-three lying on a cot ready to expel her last breath among hospital personnel. She was alone in the world. When her soul was able to reflect on the lessons of that life time, she conveyed an understanding of mental illness. The years spent locked up in a mental institution, perfectly sane, allowed her to witness and understand the complexity of mental illness. She learned compassion, first hand, from a pure human prospective, for those with mental disease. Her openness allowed her to learn and accept these people at a soul level.

So what did this all mean? How could this help her in her current life?

After bringing Glory back to the present moment, she allowed me a glimpse into the connection between the memory of this past lifetime and her current life. She said that she had always attracted people with serious mental illness. Although she was a mental health professional, those with mental disease flocked to her. Her first boy-friend was clinically depressed and ultimately ended his life and her first husband had an addictive personality, was unstable and an alcoholic. He never did get his life in order. As time went on in her life, she met more and more people that exhibited various forms of mental illness; people who, although they hid their illness from others, expressed it to her. She never understood the reason they felt drawn to her or her attraction to them. Ultimately, she married a man who had a host of mental illnesses. She was instrumental in helping him overcome and get the help he needed to live an enjoyable life. She did not run from him, but, rather, helped him through. When I questioned Glory as to the reason why she thought these people were attracted to her, she easily related the answer from the depths of her soul. She said the attraction was because she did not judge them. Based upon her past life experience, she now understood that she had witnessed mental illness first hand. Her lesson was brought forth into this lifetime to help those who were experiencing these similar illnesses. She helped them to the best of her ability as a friend, a wife and a lover. She was not a therapist, just an everyday healer to these various people.

After the session, she felt a sense of acceptance of her life and the people that she had and will attract. Although the pain of the past life time lingers with her to this day (she cannot listen to the recording of the session), she has a sense of peace. Her relationship with her husband has strengthened as she recognized her place in his life on a soul level. She moves into relationships with others now understanding her role and the need for her compassion. She has also become a cog on the wheel of a group to understand the fundamentals of mental illness and its societal acceptance. She is helping to change the world’s view of mental illness.

Glory’s past life regression helped her to understand her relationships in this lifetime at a level that most never comprehend. As her relationship with those around her flourish; as she becomes instrumental in her husband’s growth; she is able to grow on a soul level. Her journey continues both physically and spirituality. 
She is confident that she is living her soul’s purpose.

The lesson for all of us is to allow our past lifetime memories to come through to put our relationships and feelings from our present lives into perspective. It is important for us to live life with as much knowing as possible to fulfill our soul quest. Live your life with the eyes of the soul wide open.

Anna is one of the premier Spiritual Counselors in the New York tri-state area and has clients all over the world including Europe and the Middle East. She uses her intuitive abilities in her healing practice. As a Reiki Master; Chios Master, Advanced IET practitioner, Shamanic Practitioner, Meditation Faciliator and Hypnotherapist, she provides healing to the whole person -- mind, body and spirit.

Afterlife Communications—A Ray of Hope

With excerpts from "Array of Hope, An Afterlife Journal", by Lynda Lee Macken.

On a mild October evening I plodded along the cobblestone streets of New Hope, Pennsylvania. I noticed the local ghost tour making its rounds in the historic and very haunted village. Reluctantly, I headed toward Farley’s Bookshop where for the next two hours I would sign my book, Haunted New Hope, and absent-mindedly listen to readers share their ghost stories. Normally an enjoyable event, my feelings ranged from numbness to extreme heartache.

My mother, Liv, had passed away and I endured the most awful, gut-wrenching emotional pain I ever experienced. Now that she was gone, I also suffered from a lack of purpose. In my loneliness and sorrow, I felt like I was the walking dead.

Ducking into one of the shops to kill more time, my eyes were drawn to a square purple magnet imprinted with the following proverb: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” That’s exactly how I felt—I thought my life was over. Yet this quote inspired a ray of hope.

I believe in the supernatural. I’ve collected ghost stories ever since I was a kid. I’ve witnessed apparitions which motivated me to chronicle true ghost stories in five states. I’ve appeared on radio and television to share my experiences and also consulted with television producers regarding ghostly phenomena. Never did I think that I would one day write about post-mortem visits from my mother. In fact, I didn’t think I would ever pen another word that’s how disheartened I’d become. My mother played an active role in my regional ghost book publishing venture. Actually, as she lay dying I implored Liv not to haunt me! I was only joking, even though it occurred to me she might.

For years I’ve enjoyed my mother’s after death communications. Liv’s continued presence in my life is a transformational gift for which I am eternally grateful. Array of Hope, An Afterlife Journal presents the many ways my late mother communicated comfort and consolation. Most of the contact with my mother is telepathic—I hear Liv’s voice in my mind. Liv’s positive and uplifting words helped me to cope with her loss. Hearing her telepathically soothed my grief, accelerated my healing and spurred me on spiritually. Liv’s afterlife communications impelled me to confront my deepest questions about mortality and the soul’s survival.

Exactly one week after my mother passed away, I concentrated on clearing out my parents’ house since my father, Edmund, passed 77 days earlier. Their neighbor Sharon stopped by to help. While keenly aware that my mother’s hour of death, 2:35 P.M., approached, strains of a Simon & Garfunkel CD filled the nearly empty house.

The house stood vacant for over six months, so when the phone rang, it startled me. Who could possibly be calling? Suddenly the atmosphere took on an ethereal quality; events seemed to transpire in slow motion. I heard Simon & Garfunkel singing Old Friends. I walked toward the den to answer the telephone.

“Hello? Hello?” No answer. I again became aware of Simon & Garfunkel singing, “Time it was, and what a time it was, it was…” It was 2:35 P.M.! The exact time of my mother’s passing one week ago!

I asked Sharon how many times the phone rang. “Two.”

I dropped onto the couch and allowed a torrent of tears.

The precise timing of the call is extraordinary, along with the “coincidence” of the evocative song lyrics, and the number of rings. My mother didn’t always like to answer her phone so we developed a “code” so she would know it was me who was calling—ring twice, hang up, and then call back. Furthermore, I had included those same lyrics from Old Friends on the last page of Haunted New Hope as a tribute to my mother.

Jean Fellacher, a psychic from Queens, New York phoned me on the one-year anniversary of my mother’s passing to order a copy of Haunted Long Island. Usually people don’t call me at home to order books. I could hardly believe I held a connection with a psychic on this poignant anniversary. I don’t believe in coincidences; everything happens for a reason.

“You wear very little make-up. You’re very natural.”

As soon as I heard this statement, I knew my mother’s involvement. Liv always complained I didn’t use make-up even as I wore it!

“There’s a woman on the Other Side. She’s short. Not too thin but yet not heavy. She has curly hair.” (My poor mother slept on curlers practically every night of her life!). Jean laughs and says “This is a very happy spirit. She’s so happy.” I cry. “She says you were her rock.”

That did it. Now I’m certain Jean is communicating with my mother. Liv always called me her “rock.”

In a subsequent telepathic communication with my mom the next day she said she “planned” the psychic connection. Liv connected with me through another astonishing event which occurred shortly after her passing. As I climbed the steps to my parents’ empty house I felt my mother’s hand on my hip. Liv habitually supported herself in this way as she climbed the stairs. I spun around fully expecting to see her, the sensation felt so real! Their next door neighbor, Sharon, saw me grab my back and thought I injured myself. This time I tangibly felt Liv’s touch and viscerally reacted to it.

Twenty months after my mother’s passing, my friend Ellen and I sat on my front porch. I noticed an odd look on her face as she held her hand to her mouth. “What’s the matter,” I asked her several times without response. “What’s wrong?” Finally, after quite a few moments she said she saw my mother. “I didn’t know you two looked so much alike.”

Indeed, we do. I knew she saw my mother. I asked what she wore. Ellen described a favorite jacket but mostly she focused on Liv’s physical appearance so similar to mine. My psychic friend explained that at first she noticed a pink glow and then the luminosity transformed into the image of my mother sitting on the arm of my chair. Liv seemed to be enjoying an afternoon visit with us girls, much as she would have in life.

In April 2009, I was extremely ill one evening and since I'd never been sick, or even to a doctor, I felt afraid and anxious. I called my nurse friend Mary who took me to the emergency room. Mary stayed with me for the entire four hours. The doctor sent me home with medication and a directive to have my gallbladder removed, which I did and now I’m fine.

Other than my clean bill of health, the best part of the experience is knowing I have good friends on both sides of the “veil.”

My mother's spirit manifested to Mary as she drove home at 3:00 in the morning. Only my mother’s face appeared and she thanked Mary over and over for “being there” for me as she was so worried I was alone. (My mother used to be a huge worrier so her personality hasn’t change now that she’s on the other side!)

Needless to say, Mary, who’s a psychiatric nurse, felt “freaked out” and thought she was hallucinating and/or losing her mind. She told the vision to go away, that she was scared. Later, as she showered, my mother again communicated to Mary although she didn’t materialize this time. She apologized for frightening her.
 The night of my ordeal I “heard" my mother’s reassuring words but her actual manifestation to Mary is awesome to me and another example of her “living” presence. Our loved ones and their love for us are eternal. We are always loved and we are never alone.

Submitted by Lynda Lee Macken, February 14, 2010

Purchase Lynda's book Array of Hope, An Afterlife Journal.

More Dramatic Afterlife Occurrences

My aunt has told us about the “case of the lost necklace” that occurred around the first occurrence of the perfume. She has a necklace that she wears all the time, and only takes off at night when getting ready for bed. One day, she realized that she hadn’t put it on, and went to her dresser to get it. It wasn’t there, nor was it anywhere in the house as she frantically went searching, hoping it hadn’t fallen off while she was out somewhere (shopping). She was about to give up when she felt a tugging around her neck. She looked down and, voila!, the necklace was around her neck. But not just around her neck, it was being pulled outward from her neck as if someone (mom?) was standing in front of her holding it out so that she could see it. Now, those of you who wear glasses, and it has happened to me many times, can probably regale us with stories of looking for lost glasses only to discover them residing still on your nose. However, on the occasions when that has happened to me, I usually realized my error by putting my hands up around my eyes only to discover they were there all along. However, I’ve never had glasses jump off my nose or be gently taken off by some unseen force and held up in front of my face so I could see where they’ve been all along.

My father has also started experiencing some non-olfactory phenomena. Once when he entered the bedroom he and my mother shared, the touch lamp by her side of the bed (which he never, ever used) was on. On another occasion about 8 months ago, he decided to take a nap around 5pm. Now it is important to know that he turned 90 this year, and his hearing, which has been poor throughout his life, hasn’t gotten better with age. Well he was fast asleep when a loud crash abruptly woke him up. He thought that there must have been an accident outside in front of his house. He went to look and nothing was amiss...outside. However, when he returned to the bedroom, he discovered that a framed picture (of my mom and my oldest son), a religious icon, and a Christian cross were lying three feet away from the night table that is at the side of the bed. The lamp, telephone, and clock remained on the table undisturbed. It appeared as if someone had swept the other items onto the floor, a good three feet away from the table. Now, the hard-nosed skeptics would argue that maybe a slight earthquake or a truck rumbled by toppling the less weighty items. But, three feet away??? None of the other items (which were of an impersonal nature) were disturbed or in any disarray. My father cannot extend his arms that far...especially from lying down and across the full-sized bed. And nothing else in the room was disturbed -- except for my father’s sleep.

These are the types of events that keep us thinking that there is more to our existence than our physical lives here on Earth. Science is not going to explain it, the hardcore skeptics will always come up with some practical possibility (as improbable as it may be) and the non-believers will always turn their noses up at it and shrug their shoulders. For those of us that believe that the afterlife does exist, these are just a few more little nudges to keep us smiling.

Submitted by Dr. D.

Uncle John Comes to Visit

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about some Afterlife Communications with My Mom. On another occasion, we and my aunt smelled my mom’s perfume once again. Since it was February 14, we thought it was her way of saying Happy Valentine’s Day. But in retrospect, perhaps it was something more she was trying to relate. My uncle John (pictured at left) passed on February 15, 2009. He wasted no time letting everyone know that he was OK.

About a year ago, he had asked his daughter’s husband if he could borrow their extra cane. They looked all over the house but could not find it. Two days after the funeral, my uncle John found it for them. As my cousin’s husband was walking down the hallway the cane literally fell out of a closet right in front of his feet. Now, you have to understand that my Uncle John, being who he was in his earthly life, would have done exactly the same thing if he was able. He knew the cane was there and he was likely frustrated at the fact that they couldn't find it. He likely would have found it himself and tossed it in front of them just to say...What's the matter with you? I found it!

That same night when my aunt (pictured at left) got into bed for the night, she felt that someone was in the bed with her. She knew her daughter was no longer staying with her and she turned over to look. There was Uncle John, laying in bed. He turned to look at her, and then vanished.

Aunt Olga passed only a few months later on April 29...her birthday.

My aunt and uncle have been there for me throughout my life and were some of the most sane and down-to-earth people. They attended church regularly, worked hard throughout their lives and were always there for their family -- very much a working class family just trying to make their way. They are greatly missed. May their spirits rest and be fulfilled.

Submitted by Dr. D.

Communications from the Afterlife: Hi Mom!

It was a typical wintry day in Connecticut in February, 2006. I was doing my usual programming and taking an occasional break, going out the side door of our home office to have a smoke to think about some programming issue. It had been 8 years since my mother died, and except for the unexplained event of the fan above the stove turning on by itself at my father's home in Michigan a week after she died, there hadn't been any events that one could point to as being a possible afterlife communication from her. While I had always hoped that she would some how in some way let me know how she was doing, I only experienced silence...until that night.

Before I get into the events of that night, and all the subsequent events that have followed to this day, let me say that we live on a hill in a very residential section of a small town in Connecticut, where the streets are empty by nightfall. Not even an old western ghost town is as silent as our streets are at night, especially in the dead of winter. The only sound generally is the wind rustling the leafless tree branches. So when I got up to have one of my usual smokes (around 10PM, yeah we work day and night) I wasn't expecting anything unusual in the least.

I opened the door and stepped out, and was blasted by a strong smell of perfume. Immediately the fragrance reminded me of my mom, of times when she and my father were going out somewhere, all dressed up in some formal attire. I am a suspicious sort, so before saying anything to Michelle who was busy at her computer, I walked out to the driveway to see if anyone else was around, though why there would be, and why they would be so heavily scented, was beyond me. The perfumy smell was strong up and down the driveway, and of course, the streets were completely empty. Given my smoking, my sense of smell is not what is used to be, so what I was experiencing was extremely strong. Thinking that maybe I was experiencing a memory activated in some way similar to Penfield's electrodes on people's brains, I went immediately back into the house and without telling her anything, I asked Michelle to step outdoors. She immediately smelled it.

Had this happened at any other time of the year, I may have written off the scent to some type of flowers or bushes, but this was in the dead of winter! Michelle, being more of an expert on such matters than I, said it was definitely perfume, a sweet scent exhaled from application to human bodies, and not exuded from rose bushes and their like.

Had this been the only occurrence, I would probably not be writing this, but it has continued to this day, and other events have begun to manifest as well. Briefly I would like to describe some of them.

It wasn’t until it happened a few times that year that I finally called my dad (he will be 90 this year), my aunt (my mom’s twin sister) and uncle, and my cousins (my aunt’s children) to tell them about it. My dad, my aunt/uncle and one of my cousins live in Michigan, and my other cousin also lives in Connecticut. (I mention this now because it will be important later in this article.) None of my family or friends had experienced anything resembling a communication from my mom or anyone else that had passed. Since 2006, we (including our two youngest children, now 6 & 7 years old) have experienced it numerous times. One summer day in 2006, we experienced it in the hallway leading up to the kitchen, in the kitchen and living room. The only window that was open was in the bathroom (yes, I inspected all possible avenues of entry in order to be convinced it wasn’t coming from outside).

Since that February night in 2006, the perfume smell has occurred at least 4 times in the house, and countless times outside. One time in particular was unusual, Michelle and I were getting the little ones ready for bed when all of a sudden, Michelle started calling me frantically to come into their bedroom where the perfume seemed to be emanating from outside their second floor window. I ran down to go outside and stood under the window. When I arrived, the perfume seemed to be getting stronger where I stood, and Michelle confirmed that it was getting weaker where she stood by the upstairs window. As I walked back to the side door, the scent seemed to be just ahead of me, as if someone (mom, I presume) was walking in front of me. It continued in that manner until I reached the side door and re-entered the house.

Now if Michelle and I were the only ones experiencing this, I suppose everyone, including my family, could attribute our experience to having watched Loony Tunes one too many times. But here is where the story gets even more interesting.

My parents were married the first Saturday of October, on October 2, 1943 to be exact. On the first Saturday of October in 2006 (the 7th) we again smelled the perfume very strongly outside our home in Connecticut. As was my wont since it has been happening so often, I called my father to let him know. To my surprise, he said he smelled it at his home in Michigan on Monday, which "coincidently" was Oct 2, their anniversary. Why he didn’t tell me about it on Monday, I can only attribute to his reticence about such matters and not wanting to being classified as wacky as us. A few months later, my cousin Mike, living in Connecticut, called to tell me he and his wife also smelled perfume in the driveway of their home. My aunt called shortly thereafter to tell me she and my uncle also were smelling perfume in their home in Michigan. Since then, they have smelled it numerous times as well, including last summer when we all smelled it together while we were visiting them in Michigan.

Have you experienced similar events? We would love to know. You can share yours by commenting here or visiting our forums. We have other experiences that we will share over the coming weeks.

AfterlifeData.com Interviewed on Ghostly Talk Radio

Dr. Dennis Grega has been interviewed on Ghostly Talk Radio. Joined by Michelle Szabo, the interview aired on March 1, 2009. They discussed why AfterlifeData.com was created, reviewed some background and sources and described some of their own experiences with the afterlife.

An archived version of the interview can be heard on Ghostly Talk Radio. The segment was about 36 minutes into the show and lasted for approximately 25 minutes.

Our Animal Connection

We have passed this story on to many friends, but wanted to share it with a wider audience since it was such a powerful experience for our family. It is about how our animals show us how they can stay connected with us and how much they care, while they are here and after they pass. Some might think we are ready for Bellevue (a hospital in New York City famous for its mental facility) after reading this, but if you were there, you would know how real it was and still is to this day. I will try to do the story justice...

I have had cats all my life. Most recently, we have had a family of four young cats plus our matriarch named Kitty. She had little use for the young ones, but tolerated them so long as they kept their distance. Kitty was the type of cat that told you when she was hungry, when she wanted to eat, when she wanted you to pet her and curled up next to you when she knew you needed her. She was truly a loving kitty and very much a part of the family. She was nearly 17 when she passed 2 years ago.

Several months before she passed, we noticed a rather large lump in her neck. After taking her to the vet, they suggested that it was either a cancerous growth or a hematoma. Because of her age, they were reluctant to operate. We certainly didn't want to put her through anything that would make her quality of life miserable. After some testing it was decided that it was likely a hematoma. After 2 rounds of steroids to help her eat and regain her strength, she stayed with us for a couple of months and then passed quietly.

The morning after her passing, we were having our breakfast and preparing to bury her, when we heard an unusual banging. At first we thought maybe it was from someplace else in the house. Upon the second series of bangs we realized it was coming from outside the kitchen door. Our 5-year old son said, "Kitty is back!" As we opened the door, we saw a cat that we have never seen in the neighborhood, clamouring for our attention by knocking at the door! (No animals had ever come knocking on our door...and none have come since.) All 5 of us petted this needy kitty and she loved every second of it...much like Kitty did. Once we finished, she bounded happily away and took a brief seat on a tree stump in the back yard, looked back at us for a moment and calmly left – never to be seen again.

Did Kitty come to say goodbye? Did she come to say that she was OK? We think so...and we are so glad she did.

We encourage you to discuss this blog article in our Animals forum.