The Akashic Records Part Two: How Past Life Beliefs Influence the Present

In Part One, the Akashic Records were described as a vibratory level that holds the memory of our past lives. An understanding of the soul’s journey through reincarnation can help us appreciate the eternal nature of the soul; remind us that we are more than this mortal frame, and that each soul has as many lifetimes as needed to become fully self-realized. In addition to storing the memories of past lives, the Akashic Records also hold the memory of the soul’s true purpose. That purpose is to express our Divine nature and to see the Divinity in all. Even as an acorn contains the potential for the mature oak, and the embryo holds the pattern for the adult, each soul contains the blueprint of its spiritual potential.

Each lifetime provides an opportunity for the soul to remember this potential, yet it is easy to lose sight of this purpose amidst life’s demands and struggles. For the soul, anything less than its true nature can feel frustrating, agitating or depressing. When we feel “something’s not right,” this might be regarded as an urging from the soul that something needs healing or understanding. These are reminders to seek higher ground, higher perspective.

Past life circumstances can have tremendous impact on our attitudes and beliefs—beliefs that may be fundamentally affecting us in the present. Our core beliefs have direct impact on our expectations, emotions, and behaviors. These deep-seated beliefs are either moving us in the direction of our soul’s purpose or taking us off course.

A client requested a Crossing of Paths Reading with her ex-husband, who was threatening to take full custody of their children as a way of punishing her. In a past life, she had married the same man. Early in that marriage he was conscripted and at war for several years. In his absence, she raised their son to have great admiration for his father. Sadly, he returned a changed man, bearing painful physical and emotional wounds. He directed his anger at the wife, who did everything she knew to make him happy. He died bitter and angry. She interpreted his criticism as evidence of her lack of worth. This fundamental belief in her unworthiness still plagued her in this life. The Reading encouraged her to remember her true essence and value.

In our discussion after her Reading, she expressed a deeply held belief that echoed these feelings of unworthiness. She feared that in another past life she had done terrible harm to her children, and worried that now her children might be taken from her as “karmic payback”. I explained that while karmic law is designed to bring balance, it is never about punishment. I suggested that a truer model for balancing karma would be to continue protecting and caring for her children as best she could, no matter what happened.

This deep belief in her unworthiness—a message she had received (and accepted) in more than one lifetime—was a core belief needing correction and healing. Additionally, her erroneous view of karma created a belief that she deserved to be punished. If she had done harm in the past life, the best way to make amends would be to cultivate her innate desire to nurture and protect her children. Doing so would bring her into greater alignment with her Divine nature. This new perspective opened the door to more productive beliefs and behaviors. By contrast, if she were to continue believing that she deserved to suffer, this would only lead her away from her soul’s true heritage of love and joy.

Not every soul who experiences trauma or degrading treatment believes they are unworthy or deserve to be punished. Each soul is endowed with free will; it can choose to accept or reject messages such as unworthiness or guilt. This ability to choose is a powerful resource for the soul. It is understandable, however, that a child, or someone in a heavily repressed circumstance, might feel powerless to choose. Those who explore past lives at length discover this is often the case

As Roger Woolger, a Jungian analyst and past life therapist observes, “In every past-life complex ever studied, there lies frozen or buried a strong emotion or feeling (fear, shame, guilt, pride, rage); a buried thought or assumption (‘I can never do enough,’ ‘I have to do it alone’)…often a bodily pain (headache, sexual block, skin rash..); and always fragments of a script or story,” [such as being victimized, betrayed, or somehow failing to do our best] “So it is no exaggeration to say that our karmic wounds from the distant past become the complexes of the present” (Woolger 34).

Healing is facilitated when these buried memories are safely brought to the surface and viewed with compassion. Frozen feelings begin to melt in the light of spiritual understanding. New and better choices can be made—choices that are healthy, responsible and life-affirming. Forgiveness of self and others can unfold naturally when viewed from this higher perspective. One can detach from old dramas; the energy once used to protect and defend can be used for creative expression. The Akashic Records are revised in this way and edited to tell the story of the soul’s courage, integrity, love, and strength.

Part Three will explore how emotions that appear excessive or irrational (including phobias, anger, and depression) can have their origin in past lives, and what can be done to clear and heal them in the present.

Work Cited

Woolger, Roger. Healing Your Past Lives: Exploring the Many Lives of the Soul. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True, 2004

First published in Pathfinder News 2006

© 2006 Rhonda Leifheit – All Rights Reserved