Times long past are shadowed gray,
A touch of something we feel each day.
We think we've led these lives before,
And coincidence makes us wonder more.
Perhaps you lived in Ancient Rome;
Maybe Egypt was your home.
Perhaps you come from a recent past,
A scene of fighting, or trumpet's blast.
You may be a warrior, truth be told,
But let your heart be strong and bold.
For with this knowledge, you may try,
To right the wrongs of time gone by.
The old Karmic rule has followed you,
So you have a chance to right your wrongs too.
What ever you do and whatever you say.
Don't let your head get in your way.
Because these Past things right from the start;
Deal not from the head, but from the heart.

Many Wiccans believe in Past Lives - that is, they believe that a person living now may have lived one or even more lives in the past as well. This is called Reincarnation - it is a belief that is also shared with those of the Buddhist religion.

Wiccans believe that as all comes from energy, and so back to that energy all will return. But some also share the belief that one must grow in knowledge spiritually, and almost as the Buddhists believe, must become Enlightened, learning all that the Energy truly is and contains, in order to return to the energy which we come from. Often times, this takes more than one life to accomplish, hence we are born and live and die to learn one lesson, and come back in a new life to learn the next.

Of course, there are Wiccans who also believe that the Cycle is never ending. Another belief about Past Lives as well has to go back to Energy - all things are created of Energy; people, plants and animals alike. So it is highly believed as well that not only are we reincarnated as humans but also as other forms of life too.

It is sometimes difficult to determine whether someone has a past life or not. As the cycle is continually changing, and souls are reaching that point that is called "Enlightenment" within the Buddhist religion, new souls are also being created. You may be an "old timer," having gone through cycle after cycle already, or you maybe a brand new soul, untouched by Karmic retributions and Auric intrusions.

Some people who have had past lives may find themselves being drawn to things from those times, or may feel that they are, in a sense, repeating themselves. For example, someone who lived in Ancient Egypt may find themselves interested in hieroglyphics, or in the Egyptian gods, or simply have a love for (to the point of almost "worshipping") cats, which were a very important symbol to the Egyptians. More recently, someone with a strong interest in wars, particularly one or two specific ones, may have fought and possibly died during that time.

As for felt repetition, an example of this could be that someone who was a famous musician during the Renaissance could be attracted to some form of that same kind of instrument in this current life time. A girl with a Native American past life could show up in her high school band as a floutist or percussionist, and be told that she is "a natural" (a key phrase if someone looks at home doing something, or is good at it from the first time they try). Some reenactors who really get into their parts may be because they were actually someone like that in a past life. However, just because you're interested doesn't necessarily mean anything, finding out your past life or lives requires alot of soul searching, appearing coincidences, and a few links from your time in this life to the next.

Let me give you an example: Since I was a child, I have been very fascinated by mythology, especially those of the Ancient Norse culture. Angels have impressed me, but the form and beauty of the Valkyries always sticks out in my mind when I think of them. I have taken to the teachings of the Seax-Wica from a friend of mine very well, we are both interested in many things. I love cold, rain and snow, like to tell stories, detest war and fighting, am fascinated by swords and also the Ancient Celts, I moved across the US and left my home to live with my sidnificant other, and would like to go both to Ireland and the Scandinavian peninsula someday.

Now let me put it all into perspective for you: I believe that in a past life, I was one of the Asatru. My friend and I in this life were sisters, I would go out with the longboat crews and the other warriors, my sister (also a warrior) would stay at the camp and care for the elderly, children, and "weaker" women. I believe that my last voyage was to the country that is now Ireland; I believe that I fell in love during a "raid" with a Celtic druidic-type of person, meaning someone who lives by himself (who in this life would be my future husband), and I felt so strongly about it that I left my own clan and my whole world behind to live with this man. Now this may be kind of hard to swallow, and even more difficult to actually believe, but I see some strange coincidences. Don't you?

There are many ways to discover whether you have a past life. Hypnosis can be used to go back within your subconcious and explore recessive memories from the past. However there are other things you can try. There are methods of Scrying and of Dream Magicks that you can use to discover what your past life might be. As I had mentioned before, feelings of deja vu or fascinations with certain kinds of topics, music, clothing, periods of history, or anything like that could clue you in. Discovering your past lives can be just as difficult sometimes as it can be to discover your family heritage, but keep in mind that it's like a huge jigsaw puzzle that is just waiting to be put together. Some of the "unfair" things in your life might be due to something in your Karmic history, either from this life, or from the ones past. Just remember to be careful in this life to do as much good as you can - you don't want that extra baggage to follow you into your future lives as well.

Have you ever met someone for the first time, and instantly felt like you have always known them, or thought there was something very familiar about them? You may have discovered one of your soulmates, or in other words, one of the souls that has traveled with you through past lives and incarnations. These could be your best friends, your family members, teachers or classmates, co-workers, or even people you have just met in passing. It is believed by some that clusters of souls that become attached to one another in the Other Realm will often stick together close within this one, so that even though in a physical form we do not know our true purpose or lesson we must learn in this life, our soulmates are [subconciously] there to help us discover what this might be.

Most often when people think of soulmates, they believe that they are the person you are meant to be with. However, what they are truly referring to is their "Twin Flame." Experts tell that Twin Flames are two people who are like two halves of the same whole; they think similarly, they feel similarly, sometimes they can feel each other's emotions without being physically present (or even knowing that they are, especially if they have not met their Twin Flame), they may even look quite similar to each other - like twins. Twin flames are supposed to be the perfect match of two become one.

I do believe in twin flames - however, I have my own theories on them as well. It is difficult - often next to impossible - for a person to reach the point spiritually and mentally and physically that they can find their twin flame. If it does happen, it is a wonderful thing; but, I believe that sometimes it is not possible to find your Twin flame within your lifetime, no matter how spiritually ready you are. Sometimes your twin flame may not have an incarnation during your life time - they may instead take their place as your Guardian spirit or power animal in order to guide you. They may be a pet, a child, a sister or brother, or in some other form. If you find that you cannot "find" your twin soul, do not despair - sometimes it's not meant to be, or perhaps it's just waiting for a time when you are not looking but fully prepared for what might happen.