| Subject: Re: reincarnation |
Author:
Rabid_Wolverine
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Date Posted: 19:55:13 05/24/05 Tue
In reply to:
scarletyoureyes
's message, "reincarnation" on 09:38:29 05/24/05 Tue
Here's a reference or two,
REINCARNATION is the return of the soul to another body after death of the flesh. The soul is considered to enter into many physical lives in order to gain knowledge and wisdom. As one grows as a spiritual being the need to reincarnate in the material world lessens until one is released from the Wheel of Rebirth. What ultimately becomes of the soul varies according to variou Wiccan/Witchcraft traditions, although some Traditions have no tenets concerning this.
In one of the popular verses found in Witchcraft/Wicca, know as the "Legend of the Descent of the Goddess," there is a reference to Witches being reborn within their own family line.
The verse states: "...you must return again at the same time and at the same place. You must meet, know, remember one another and love again." In Charles Leland's 'Etruscan Roman Remains' (1892) he writes in the introduction that "...sorcerers and witches are sometimes born again in their descendants." In Chapter 10 Leland states: "It is also believed in the Romagna that those who are specially of the strega faith die, but reappear again in human forms. This is a rather obscure esoteric doctrine, known in the witch families, but not much talked about. A child is born, then, after due family consultation, some very old and wise strega detects in it a long-departed grandfather by his smile, features, or expression." In this same chapter Leland concludes: "In this we may trace the process by which the witch or sorcerer, by being re-born, becomes more powerful, and passes to the higher stage of a spirit.
In ancient Greece, reincarnation was known as Palingenesis, which means "to have origin again." The Orphic teachings maintained that the soul was preexistent and survuved the physical death of the body it inhabited. It would return again in various physical forms until eventually released to its former pure state. The Greek philosopher Plato (5th - 4th century B.C.) believed the soul was immortal, and that it passed through many incarnations. The Druids reportedly also believed in reincarnation, as was noted by Julius Caesar during his campaign against the Gauls. In his Sixth Book of the Gallic War, Caesar writes of the Druids:
"They wish to inculcate this as one of their leading tenets, that souls do not become extinct, but pass after death from one body to another, and they think that men by this tenet are in a great degree excited to valor, the fear of death being disregarded."
Pomponius Mela wrote that the Druids taught this doctrine because they felt their warriors would be more fearless if death was not considered to be the end of life. Mela felt that the Druids themselves did not believe in reincarnation but were willing to dupe their warriors in order to produce fearless fighters. There is no other evidence or testimony from other sources to support Mela's views on this matter. Neither Mela nor Caesar apparently believed in reincarnation themselves, but were certainly aware of the earlier Greek concept, having been educated men of the Roman Empire. Greek philosophy had been introduced in Rome in 155 B.C. by the Greek philosopher Critolaus.
Various beliefs related to reincarnation among the ancient Celts were recorded by such Greek historians as Posidonius, Strabo, Diodorus, and Ammianus. Diodorus, along with Ammianus and Valerius Maximus, wrote of the Druidic tenets as the "belief of Pythagoras" concerning the survival of the soul and its journey from one body to another. Unlike the Greeks, the Druids taught that souls always returned to human bodies, while Pythagoras taught that a soul could enter into the body of any life form.
The ancient historian Hippolytus of Alexandria said that the legendary Thrachian Zalmoxis instructed the Druids in the Pythagorean faith. Many commentators have noted that the Greek and Roman references to Druidic beliefs concerning rebirth represent a comparison instead of an attempt to report a new concept in a foreign land. In this manner the ancient writers were able to reconcile Druidic belief with the earlier Pythagorean and classical beliefs of the Aegean/Mediterranean cultures.
*****
"Do not grieve for me when I die, for I am still here.
I will be in the evergreen trees of the forest.
I will be in the flowers of the meadow.
I will be in the spray of surf at the beach.
I will be in the sigh of the wind on a warm summer day.
I will be in the waters of the rushing stream.
I will be in the light of the sun, and of the full moon.
I will be with the God and Goddess forever.
I will be reborn."
- Anonymous
How often we may reincarnate, and how much time is spent in Summerland between incarnations is a matter of conjecture among various authors and Wiccan practitioners. How many incarnations we may experience probably depends on each individual spiritual entity. Since the ultimate merging process is one of growth and experience, it is probably up to each one of us as individuals to determine how many incarnations we experience before final union with our God and Goddess. As to cross-gender reincarnation, one could speculate that in order to achieve the complete balance of male and female, which is emphasized in Wicca, one should experience existence as both sexes.
*****
I believe that WOLVERINES are the highest order of life, and that having achieved this state of being, I no longer see the need for personal reincarnation. But since the rest of you have yet to make this apparent leap of faith, you'll have to see to your own path as you see fit. Good Luck :)
*snicker*
Rabid
PS - I thought about tossing in a thing or three about Karma and the eastern philosophies, but I'm tired of typing :p
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