Same Soul, Many Bodies, Brian L. Weiss, MD.

Same Soul, Many Bodies, Brian L. Weiss, MD.

The main value of this book for me was that it made me realize I had formed beliefs around reincarnation that were quite possibly wrong. Once you start to develop beliefs they have the potential to shape your actions and, for me at least, the point of spiritual development is liberation, not restriction, so you’d want to be pretty sure that those beliefs are valid. In fact, it’s worth examining the origins of your beliefs and ascertaining if the premises are somewhat flimsy.

This is an easy read, based on the stories of regressions into past lives and progressions into potential future lives of a selection of Weiss’ patients. In addition, Weiss occasionally philosophises and adds in little exercises for personal development. You will at times possibly find yourself questioning the validity of some of the patients’ memories and future projections but, if Weiss’ accounts are accurate, you cannot fault the therapeutic benefit of the work he does.

One of the myths about reincarnation, it seems, is the promise of better life if one denies oneself here. Not so, asserts Weiss: life on the planet is to be enjoyed and one is to fulfill one’s creative potential rather than sacrifice their own fulfillment for others. That doesn’t mean we don’t live up to our responsibilities, simply that if you fall into the habit of self-negation you may find yourself in a life where you’re physically incapacitated so others have to look after you.

Another one I’d imagined was that if you were rich in one life you’d be poor in the next. This, of course, is too simplistic. If you think about it, one’s wealth status might have an important lesson to play in one’s life lessons. The point is, people might repeat very similar patterns from life to life, misusing power and wealth but being given opportunities to correct themselves each time.

Essentially, Weiss concludes that spiritual growth occurs when a person learns to love self and others. Nothing new here but we probably cannot hear it often enough. It’s not enough though simply to love, we must free ourselves from compulsions, fears and uncontrollable anger. This requires a degree of courage and creativity.