Do you believe in reincarnation?

Anything's possible.  Certainly as plausible as a great Arbiter in the sky, raining down either blessings or lamentations - depending upon how hard one prays. 

I have considered myself a spiritual person who is learning about Buddhism. I grew up in the Catholic church so I was pretty much raised on the heaven and hell narrative. Since learning about Buddhism I absolutely thought I believed in reincarnation. Sounds like a truly beautiful scheme to keeping reliving until you actually achieve a state of Nirvana.

For a while after Esther died I felt her around me. I dreamed of her. I thought I felt her presence. I read the first post yesterday of that grief thread and backed right out. Because I haven't felt her presence around me in a while. Damn, now I'm crying. Chloe says she feels her presence around her.

I'll just tell you at this point I'm not sure what to believe. I absolutely don't and won't ever believe when we die, it's just over. But I could honestly say based on where I feel I am right now, reincarnation looks mighty attractive. Because for whatever reason, I no longer feel Esther. And right now it's just breaking my heart.

I keep saying maybe Chloe needs her more. To feel her more. Or maybe she just isn't wanting to come back to this earth and see us suffering. Or maybe she's just moving on into another life now.

Either way, I had hoped I would continue to feel her presence. And I don't feel like I do.

If one believes that there's an all-powerful God, then it stands to reason that this would be within his power. There's no way of knowing if He uses it, or not, IMO.

I understand most Christian religions not wanting to present this as a reality to their flocks--it might lead to being less fearful of their purported punishment/rewards system. The Christian Science church addressed this by saying, "One doesn't return to positions outgrown," but who's to say that one has outgrown being human if he hasn't experienced all the variations and experiences that can offer?

Personally, I hope so, if only as an opportunity for karmic justice.

((( JG ))) What works for me is, I try really, really hard to imagine their presence near me. They may or may not be there, but I get comfort in sensing/ assuming, if you will, that they are with me. I’m so very sorry for your pain and loss. ❤️

In Buddhism, you are not necessarily reincarnated in the same form. So, theoretically, some of us could have been insects in previous lives. You essentially keep leveling up (or down) with each reincarnation until you reach Nirvana. Sometimes you’ll hear people joke about something like “I hope he comes back as a roach so I can step on him.” I don’t know if I really believe in reincarnation or not. I truly don’t know what happens to us after death.

ETA - As for our souls wandering the earth for 40-49 days before moving on, I sort of believe in that. I don’t know if it is a “soul” or some energy, but I do feel that energy stays around for a little while.

Yeah that bigfoot thing. I kinda doubt it but I want to believe it. Unless I am in a tent out in the woods. Then I am TEAM NO SUCH THING.

Some people treat religious beliefs similarly. They believe in hell & wish their enemies to go, until they want to do something that their religion tells them would send them there. I sometimes think that without the ability to cherry-pick beliefs for convenience, there would be no organized religion at all. 

That's intriguing. Would love to hear these experiences, if  you'd be inclined to sharing.

Never say never, but I have a hard time believing it. And if I’m honest, thinking about it makes me uneasy.

DH says I drowned on titanic in a previous life. I have an irrational fear of water but I also love the history of titanic and the time period. I also own a replica of a ring they found on titanic, not sure why but I was very drawn to it and I’m not a fancy jewelry person.

I think because anything supernatural makes me uneasy. I have never liked thinking about it.

There is a quote that comes to mind--- "you only live once. But if you live it right, once is enough."

When I was a baby in my crib, I would cry when I heard fire engines. Not police or ambulance, just fire. When I got a little older, I had a terrible fear of fire. No candles on my birthday cakes, no fires in the fireplace, nothing. I was way too young to have a reasonable fear of fire and there was nothing in my past to explain it. My mom and I are convinced I must have died in a fire in a past life.

When I was about 9 I went on a school trip abroad to a country I'd never been to. I freaked the teachers out by talking about the town as we walked around because I knew what was around the next corner etc.