When we are young we see an expanse of unlimited possibilities in our future. In actuality our future is determined by what we and the spirit world together determined would be required for us to learn the valuable lessons that we have either failed or not covered in the past. Hence, our destiny is composed of our past errors.

As part of our curriculum we review lessons we failed in previous lives. Unlike schools we are used to; if we get a barely passing grade, we can move on and never touch the subject again. Spanish classes come to my mind. For some reason, I hated learning Spanish, of course now I struggle in my Portuguese, whereas if I was at least half-smart, I would have studied hard and became proficient in languages. Such are the results of our poor decisions.

Imagine feeling the results of faulty judgments from multiple lives. Well, you don’t have to tax your mind too hard, because, guess what, you are living it! Everything, and I do mean every wrong action we commit comes back to bite us. Karma is real.

It all comes down to the fact that we aren’t allowed to pass until we get it right. The metaphor I have seen used in spirit writings is that we are like the clay pot that must be hardened in the furnace to reach a state of perfection. I prefer the image of the ancient Japanese blacksmith who strikes the metal blade of the Samurai sword over ten thousand times to create hard steel the world had never seen until modern times.

Accountability of Past Lives

This is where, at this stage of discovering Spiritism, you ask yourself, is it fair to be punished for actions that I have no memory of? According to the precepts of our modern value system the answer is no, it’s not fair at all.

But, you aren’t being punished, you are being trained; an entirely different concept. I constantly get asked, how does this square with the idea that Jesus forgives our sins? Jesus and God always loves and forgives us, period. Their love is overwhelming and pervasive and is never withheld. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that we can excuse ourselves from our assigned lesson plan.

When you child tells you he or she is tired of school and no longer wishes to take part in that gulag, do you allow them to opt out? Of course not, it’s back to campus, and sorry, by the way, you still have to do well in math. When you look in the mirror you see a mature adult, when the spirit world glances at us, they see an immature soul who still has a long way to go.

Memory of Past Lives

The next question one asks herself or himself, is how can I learn when I don’t even know what I did wrong? Why can’t I have any memories from my past lives? There are two parts to the answer.

First, the spirit world doesn’t like past conflicts to remain unresolved. We will go much deeper into this later in the book, since entanglements from years ago could be the cause of issues today. Suffice to say, consider the emotional trauma you would experience if you knew your mother or father, your beloved parents, caused you bodily harm in another life. Or worse yet, that you know you were guilty of a heinous crime against those you love.

Jesus told us, in Matthew 18:22 to forgive our brother seventy time seven times. Jesus knew the long term effects of a feud. We just weren’t ready for the whole truth two thousand years ago. Now we are, and we are expected to adhere to it or face subsequent lives in acts of atonement toward those we wronged.

Second, the spirit realm isn’t looking for ever increasing intellectually ability in life after life on the physical plane. We are here to adjust our character and attitude. We are required to crawl, walk, and run through an intense emotional gauntlet, so we will not forget what it felt like when we performed a similar despicable act to another person. Remembering what we did isn’t as important as knowing, deep down in the darkest recesses of our heart and mind that we would never want anyone to go through the trial we just had.

The innate lesson will be recorded by our spirit. It will remain in our conscience and in our instincts, two vital carry-overs from life to life. This is the payoff for years of service. As we mature in spirit, we learn to follow our conscience, and to not rationalize away the warnings we hear inside our mind that what we are doing is immoral. We also possess a better sense of situations and people, our instincts have been honed by watching a parade of different types of scenarios from centuries past.

When you see the oddly mature child or an adult who remains calm in the face of whatever adversity is thrown at him or her, you are peering at a soul who has benefited from their time on earth. On the other side of the coin, the less travelled or more obstinate spirit who refuses to acquire the required lessons from the trials assigned, is quite evident.

We are certain of one fact; we have all been in the shoes of those who are acting unready for civilization. We were, at one time or another, a primitive spirit whose first instinct was to grab what we want and pay no head to the feelings of our fellow humans.

Therefore, the plea from religious sages throughout history to assist your brothers and sisters, no matter their race, creed, or social situation, is based upon the diversity of levels of spirits who are on earth and require help from their fellow students. While the phrase, “All men are created equal” is true in a moral sense whereby all should be treated with due respect, not all men and women enter the planet from an equal starting point. Some are more advanced and will be put in a position to lead the less fortunate to success.

Our Goal

Why do we put up with running the obstacle course of life, over and over again? Because to ascend to each successive level in heaven brings indescribable benefits.

According to Spiritism, the end goal for every soul is to one day become a pure spirit. Jesus is a pure spirit.

Pure spirits move around the universe at the speed of thought. The speed of light is no barrier in the other dimension. Pure spirits are close to God and have enormous power over mind and matter.

The ability to perform acts for good are unlimited and this is the reason why we must endure rigorous training. Immense power demands the ultimate level of discipline. In whatever circumstances, faced with gale force winds of negative emotions, a pure spirit must always be calm and decisive. Ready to support the lowest creature with the same love and understanding as the highest.

Only by removing our blemishes with the blow torch of adverse conditions and hardening our resolve by repeated tests can we attain the level we so desire.

It is said in many Spiritist books, that the benefits of emerging from your trials victorious are hundred fold more than the suffering you received.

Learn about how your destiny is your customized plan for your ascendance in my book, Explore Your Destiny – Since Your Life’s Path is (mostly) Predetermined.

If you wish to dive deeper into exactly how the process of reincarnation works, read my book that reviews the Spiritist literature on reincarnation, The Case for Reincarnation – Your Path to Perfection.