Reincarnation
“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.”
I’ve heard this quote many times and learned recently it is attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest and philosopher. This surprised me as I have heard the quote many times in yoga classes, which stems from ancient India and has roots in Hinduism and Buddhism yet I have never heard it in all my 12-years going to Catholic school - but the Jesuits are a different breed of Catholic.
I worked at Saint Joseph’s University for 8 years, a Jesuit college in Philadelphia, and even though I was no longer a practicing Catholic, I fell in love with the Jesuit approach to life. I am grateful I was able to experience their faith and I picked up some of their values as they aligned beautifully with my own.
During my time there, I learned that “finding God in all things” is a core tenet of the Jesuit faith. This emphasizes that God can be found in all places and at all times, not just during religious experiences but also in the mundane routines of life and the challenging parts of existence. According to Jesuits, God is found everywhere and in every person. There is no hierarchy of individuals.
During an HR training when I first started there, I was told, “We must actively work to find God in all things. And if the word God is not landing for you, then replace it with love or beauty.” This open-mindedness blew my mind wide open! I had no idea Catholics could be so liberal thinking.
The main point, I was told, is the act of seeking, the intention to find the beauty of God’s love everywhere and in all people. This framework helps us to find wonder and awe, making meaning out of our lives and building connections with others. This equity of God being everywhere, within all people, aligns with my personal beliefs so even though I’m not Catholic, I could get on board easily.
Cura Personalis or “care for the whole person” was another important principle of the Jesuit faith and is something I believe and practice in my daily life. We are all complex beings and our mental, physical, and social health is just as important as our spiritual health. One impacts the other and so to be strongly spiritually, we must also work on our mental, emotional, physical, financial, and social wellness.
Another core tenet of the Jesuits is to “act with and for others for justice.” Uniquely, when Jesuit priests traveled the globe to spread the word of Jesus, they didn’t try to colonize the people, teaching them a new language and introducing them to the Catholic faith by making them fear hell and then converting them. Instead, the Jesuit priests took the time to learn the language of the people they visited and assimilated into their way of life. They role-modeled their faith and introduced them to Jesus from their worldview. This way took much longer.
Remember Pope Francis? He was a Jesuit and often spoke about our duty to fight for the rights of the most marginalized. Jesuits seem to be open-minded and empathetic and courageous to stand up to wealthy and powerful. These concepts make Jesuits stand out from the rest of the Catholics, in my experience.
So it makes me wonder - what would they truly think about reincarnation? (Yes, I know the Catholic faith leaders explicitly reject the idea of reincarnation but Jesuits often stray just a bit off the path paved by Catholic leaders)
Back to the Idea of Reincarnation
In the last two weeks, I read two books by Brian L. Weiss, M.D. First, Many Lives, Many Masters written in 1988 followed by Messages from the Masters written in 2000. Both relay insights from the past-life regressions that Dr. Weiss had done with his clients.
His first book has sold millions of copies and been around for half a century but it’s new to me and I’m simply enthralled by the ideas. I’ve been talking about these books to anyone who will listen as I’m so intrigued by reincarnation.
In the book, he shares how he is a medically trained doctor and traditionally trained psychiatrist and used talk-therapy, medication, and sometimes hypnosis to help clients deal with trauma and cure their phobias and fears. Then he met a client who changed his skeptical mind as she shared, under hypnosis, about her past lives.
The stories are fascinating and, while some are hard to prove, there are times that people in past-life regressions will have information that they don’t otherwise know, including speaking in a language that they don’t know how to speak in this lifetime!
You’d think I’m part of his marketing team the way I’ve been sharing the astonishing story with others! I promise, I get no kickbacks. It just has me reeling about the possibilities. Check it out so we can talk about it!
Knowing that we never die, our souls continue on, brings me such comfort. Many faiths believe this - but to extend that idea further, saying that we come back to human form again and again to keep learning and growing is an exciting idea.
I've always said I’m a life-long learner. I’m in the education field and believe my calling is to teach and help others learn, grow, and heal ~ all while I do the same right beside them. Like the Jesuits, I aim to work “with and for others.” The idea that my purpose here is part of my soul’s evolution is inspiring.
“Relationships aren't measured in time but in lessons learned, and love is the greatest lesson.” - Dr. Weiss
Dr. Weiss shares about the idea of soulmates, saying that we reincarnate as humans, often together in groups - like a cohort learning program. We decide that we want to learn about a specific topic, like overcoming addictions or what it means to love someone unconditionally, and we say, “let’s go live this type of life together.”
Have you ever met someone and you just click? You connect so easily that it feels like you’ve known them forever? There is no work to be done to build the friendship, it’s just obvious you two are friends- as if you were walking a path together, split to take different routes for a time but reconnect as the path comes back together.
When I met my husband, we both felt an instant connection. Yes, he gave me butterflies in my stomach and made my heart skip a beat but he also made me feel very comfortable. I’ve always described our first date as “easy.” He feels like home to me.
We’ve talked about it over the years and I think he’s one of my soul mates on my learning journey with me. I feel like I’ve loved him for 1,000 years. Of course, I have no idea what happens when we die but I like this idea of an eternity of loving, learning, growing, and evolving.
What do you think about reincarnation?
Journal Prompts:
What do you think happens after we die? Is reincarnation something you think is possible? What have you learned from religious teachings or others about this and what does your gut tell you?
If you align with a particular faith, write about it’s core teachings and what they mean to you. Are there other faith traditions that also speak to you? What aspects of their tenets do you like and appreciate? Write about how your values show up in numerous faiths to help build a bridge between them - and find God in all things.
Do you have any soulmates in your life? Who are they and how did you meet? How do you feel when you are with them and why do you think your souls connect on a deeper level?
Bonus Prompt: What is a book you read that you couldn’t stop thinking about or talking about? Write about what made it so special to you. *Share it in the comments please!
Community Writing and Healing Practices
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I love that you don’t shy away from big topics Katie! I was also raised Catholic but don’t identify with the religion. You taught me more about the Jesuits in this post than I ever remember knowing about them! Really interesting. I love for you that you have found your soul mate in your husband … you write so beautifully about your relationship (I often quote an earlier post of yours about how you take care of yourselves for each other). I just completed the prompts and practice about death in chapter 3 of your memoir but still haven’t unraveled all my feelings about it so this post is more good for thought, thank you.