The Spiral of Rebirth

Reincarnation seems to be one of the most controversial spiritual topics of our time. Hundreds of books are being published on the subject as if the Western world had only recently discovered this ancient doctrine. Reincarnation is one of Wicca's most valuable lessons. The knowledge that this life is but one of many, that when the physical body dies we do not cease to exist but are reborn in another body answers many questions, but raises a few more. Why? Why are we reincarnated? In common with many other religions, Wicca teaches that reincarnation is the instrument through which our souls are perfected. One lifetime isn't sufficient to attain this goal; hence, the consciousness (soul) is reborn many times, each life encompassing a different set of lessons, until perfection is achieved.

No one can say how many lives are required before this is accomplished. We are human and it's easy to fall into nonevolutionary behavior. Greed, anger, jealousy, obsession and all our negative emotions inhibit our growth. In Wicca, we seek to strengthen our bodies, minds and souls. We certainly live full, productive earthly lives, but we try to do so while harming none, the antithesis of competition, intimidation and looking out for number one.

The soul is ageless, sexless, nonphysical, possessed of the divine spark of the Goddess and God. Each manifestation of the soul (i.e., each body it inhabits on Earth) is different. No two bodies or lives are the same. If this weren't so, the soul would stagnate. The sex, race, place of birth, economic class and every other individuality of the soul is determined by its actions in past lives and the lessons necessary to the present.

This is of utmost importance in Wiccan thought: we decide the lay of our lives. There's no god or curse or mysterious force of fate upon which we can thrust the responsibility for the trials in our lives. We decide what we need to learn in order to evolve, and then, it is hoped, during incarnation, work toward this progress. If not, we regress into darkness.

As an aid in learning the lessons of each life, a phenomenon exists which has been called karma. Karma is often misunderstood. It is not a system of rewards and punishments, but a phenomenon that guides the soul toward evolving actions. Thusly, if a person performs negative actions, negative actions will be returned. Good brings good. With this in mind, there's little reason to act negatively. Karma means action, and that's how it works. It is a tool, not a punishment. There's no way one can "wipe out" karma, and neither is every seemingly terrible event in our lives a byproduct of karma. We learn from karma only when we're aware of it. Many look into their past lives to discover their mistakes, to uncover the problems inhibiting progress in this one. Trance and meditation techniques can help here, but true self knowledge is the best means of accomplishing this.

Past life regression can be a dangerous thing, for much self-delusion exists here. I can't tell you how many Cleopatras, King Arthurs, Marlins, Marys, Nefertitis and other famous persons of the past I've met walking around in high top tennis shoes and jeans. Our conscious minds, seeking past incarnations, easily hold onto such romantic ideals. If this becomes a problem, if you don't wish to know your past lives, or lack the means to discover them, look at this life. You can learn everything of relevance about your past lives by examining this life. If you've cleared up problems in previous existences, they're of no concern to you today. If you haven't, the same problems will reappear, so look at this life. At night, study your day's action, noting positive, helpful actions and thoughts as well as the negative. Then look at the past week, the past year, the past decade. Refer to diaries, journals or old letters if you've kept them to refresh your memory. Do you continually make the same mistakes? If so, vow to never repeat them in a ritual of your own design. At your altar or shrine, you might write such mistakes on a piece of paper. Your entries could include negative emotions, fear, and indulgence without balance, allowing others to control your life, endless love obsessions with men or women who are indifferent to your feelings. As you write these, visualize yourself doing these things in the past, not the present.

Then, light a red candle. Hold the paper in its flame and throw it into a cauldron or some other heat proof container. Scream or shout or simply affirm to yourself that such past actions are no longer a part of you. Visualize your future life devoid of such harmful, limiting, inhibiting behavior. Repeat the spell as necessary, perhaps on nights of the waning Moon, to finalize the destruction of these negative aspects of your life. If you ritualize your determination to progress in this life, your vow will vibrate with strength. When you're tempted to fall into your old, negative modes of thinking or action, recall the ritual and overcome the urge with its power.

What happens after death? Only the body dies. The soul lives on. Some Wiccans say that it journeys to a realm variously known as the Land of the Faerie, the Shining Land, and the Land of the Young. This realm is neither in heaven nor the underworld. It simply is a nonphysical reality much less dense than ours. Some Wiccan traditions describe it as a land of eternal summer, with grassy fields and sweet flowing rivers, perhaps the Earth before the advent of humans. Others see it vaguely as a realm without forms, where energy swirls coexist with the greatest energies the Goddess and God in their celestial identities. The soul is said to review the past life, perhaps through some mysterious way with the deities. This isn't a judgment, a weighing of one's soul, but an incarnational review. Lessons learned or ignored are brought to light.

After the proper time, when the conditions on Earth are correct, the soul is reincarnated and life begins again. The final question what happens after the last incarnation? Wiccan teachings have always been vague on this. Basically, the Wiccans say that after rising upon the spiral of life and death and rebirth, those souls who have attained perfection break away from the cycle forever and dwell with the Goddess and God. Nothing is ever lost. The energies resident in our souls return to the divine source from which they originally emanated.

Because of their acceptance of reincarnation, the Wicca don't fear death as a final plunge into oblivion, the days of life on Earth forever behind them. It is seen as the door to birth. Thus our very lives are symbol linked with the endless cycles of the seasons, which shape our planet. Don't try to force yourself to believe in reincarnation. Knowledge is far superior to belief, for belief is the way of the uninformed. It isn't wise to accept a doctrine as important as reincarnation without a great deal of study to see if it speaks to you.

Also though there may be strong connections with loved ones, be wary of the idea of soul mates, i.e. people you've loved in other lives and are destined to love again. Though your feelings and beliefs may be sincere, they aren't always based on fact. In the course of your life you might meet five or six other people with whom you feel the same tie, despite your current involvement, Can they all be soul mates? One of the difficulties of this concept is that if we're all inextricably tied up with other persons' souls, if we continue to incarnate with them, we're learning absolutely nothing. Therefore, announcing that you've found your soul mate is rather akin to stating that you're not progressing on the incarnational spiral.

One day you may know, not believe, that reincarnation is as real as a plant that buds, flowers, drops its seed, withers and creates a new plant in its image. Reincarnation was probably first intuited by earlier peoples watching nature. Until you've decided for yourself, you may wish to reflect upon and consider the doctrine of reincarnation.

Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner © 2000 by Scott Cunningham and Llewellyn Publications. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be printed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.