Evidence for Reincarnation

Proof is Difficult

Proof of reincarnation in the judicial sense is difficult to establish as the memory of a past life does not normally carry over to the present one. The new brain in this body, which governs our present behavior, is quite distinct from that which governed the behavior of the previous body and we are probably fortunate that this is so. It is often difficult enough to face up to our current problems without remembering all those of our previous incarnations.

But many do remember - especially young children who, as Words­worth reminded us, are close to their spiritual selves in their early years.

Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation

In the book with the above title Dr lan Stevenson has carefully tabu­lated many such memories with names, dates and signed testimonies from witnesses.

One of the best documented cases is that of a young Indian girl Shanti Devi living in Delhi (born 1926) who at the age of three began to recall details of a former life in the town of Muttra eighty miles away. She said she had married a cloth merchant, given birth to a son and died ten years later. Her claims continued and when she was nine years old her family wrote to her claimed husband who visited her home unannounced and was immedi­ately recognized by Shanti Devi. A committee was set up to witness her visit to Muttra and testified that she did in fact recognize other relatives; knew the way to her former house, which she recognized and, in fact, revealed that money had been hidden in the house. The hiding place was found and her former husband admitted he had removed the money.

The Pollock Family

Another well recognized case is that of the two little girls of the Pollock family who were killed by a run-away car in the town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. Twin girls born two years later to the same parents claimed dolls of the former children as their own. One said "That's my Mary", the other girl said "That's my dolly that we had a long time ago!"

The Bloxham Tapes

Arnell Bloxham, president of the British Society of Hypnotherapists, used hypnotic regression to record patients' memories of what could be previous lives. In one case a Welsh housewife, Jane Evans, remembered being a twelfth-century Jewess in York, England. She described how they were persecuted and took shelter in the crypt of a small church just outside Coppergate. The church was identified as St. Mary's in Castlegate, an adjoining street , but it did not have a crypt. However, later on, during extensive building work, a crypt was found under the altar.

Reincarnation Novels

Some novels appear to be based on memories of past lives. Joan Grant's Winged Pharaoh for instance reveals detailed knowledge of life in Egypt three thousand years before Christ.