A Date From a Previous Lifetime

“It doesn’t matter.” Navneet shrugged, “You can use my real name.”

I looked at her. Understandingly, I said, “I’d say the same thing if I were asked.”

The ease I felt in communication with Navneet was from the very beginning. This young girl half of my age, I was just telling her that I might write her session account on my blog. 10 percent of my sessions are writable stories, but less than half of them get to be written as my practice and travel schedules get busier and busier. For those I perceive that I’d have an interest in turning the session material into writing material, I ask for permission, with the reassurance that no identifiable information will be given. Navneet didn’t think too much about it. “I don’t have anything to hide.” She said.

She told me she was going to write a book herself about dating, based on her own experiences.

Upon arrival for her appointment, I asked what she’d like to work on. Navneet said she felt lonely, and that she had a fear of being alone. Five years ago she broke up with her boyfriend. Ever since then she didn’t have much success finding a partner. There are trust issues. She doesn’t feel safe.

I was going through a lot of emotional stress those days as I had to move to another office quite unexpectedly and the impact on many clients was very inconvenient. I told Navneet that it was her first session with me, but it was my last session practicing from the location. I didn’t even know why I emphasized that, but it felt significant.

Navneet’s ease helped me. She said her therapist couldn’t find anything that would relate to that fear. “In this life at least.”

“So,” I looked at her, “you’d like to have a past life regression. Is that so?”

“Yes. I had hypnotherapy a year ago. For past life regression, to get rid of the fear of height and water.”

“Did it work?”

“Yes. It worked! And it was very interesting to see the connectedness with family members as well in past lives.”

Since she had a successful experience in the past, I knew she was going to make my work very easy.

Navneet settled on the couch. I had her get in touch with that fear of being alone. As we allowed the fear itself, which was quite present in Navneet’s life, to tell the story…

Navneet went to a male’s life, as Karan, in his mid-twenties just as Navneet was. Karan was well dressed, standing in a forest, or garden – “I’m not sure. I see trees.” Normally that’s how a past life regression starts. There are impressions, but there’s no clear concept yet.

“Standing there, take a temperature of your emotions. How are you feeling standing there with trees?” A key to moving ahead in a past life regression is not to assume, but only use what was given to me.

“I feel curious. I am… looking for something.”

I brought Karan to the next moment when he knew whether he either found what he was looking for or not.

“No. I haven’t found… It’s a person I was looking for.”

“Would that be a he or she?”

“She!”

“How do you feel when you don’t find her?”

“I feel sad. We are supposed to meet here. She didn’t show up.”

“Is it a romantic relationship?”

“Yes.”

It looked like we got right to the point of Navneet’s fear.

Karan had met her, a girl from “the other village” which was hostile to his, in a market a year ago. She was a pretty girl with long dark hair, fair skin, and a very beautiful smile. On top of all these, the eyes! Those beautiful eyes Karan said he’d never forget*. They were both very afraid of being found out for the year they were together.

“So she didn’t show up, ” I continued with my question, “that means something. Maybe it means she didn’t like you anymore. Maybe it’s a rejection… you don’t know, do you?”

“No… I’m crying.” Karan said.

“When you have cried enough, what do you do next?”

“I just sit there. And wait… What if she comes?”

“How long do you stay there then?”

“I stay there for the night, looking at the direction she was supposed to come. The direction of the river.” It was very obvious to me that it was an extremely painful experience for Karan.

Eventually Karan had to leave. He went home, where he lived with his parents, sister, brother, and a grandma. Two years after that, Karan married a woman that was arranged by his parents. He continued on living a dutiful life, having two children. His wife was kind and caring, but Karan couldn’t forget the girl from the other village.

For the rest of his life, Karan never saw that girl again. And he never stopped asking internally, “Why didn’t you show up?”

Eventually Karan managed to suppress the sadness deep inside himself, and he could have an ordinary life, with his wife and kids, functioning as a merchant.

I brought Karan to the last day of his life. He was 87 years old. His wife had died a couple of years previously. There was a delightful surprise when Karan’s wife was identified as Navneet’s mother. At his deathbed, he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Asked what his last thought was, Karan said it was still about that girl from the other village.

“Knowing what you now know, looking back, would you do something differently?”

“I’d find out why she didn’t show up, like talking with someone from her village.”

“Alright.” I said, again amazed at the great insight coming through at the moment of the death experience, “We will find that out soon. As for now, what’s the last conscious thought when you take your last conscious breath?”

“Pain…”

That was the day Karan died. I knew there was more work to do to release the pain, so it didn’t have to be carried on to another lifetime such as the one Navneet is living.

The spirit lifted itself out of the body, and started to feel lighter and brighter… “I want to find her.” The spirit said.

And in the light, Karan found her. The girl from the other village was there greeting Karan. She was still very beautiful, with those unforgettable eyes. There were many questions in Karan’s mind. In the light, we let the spirit unpack all the answers.

– Why didn’t you show up?

– They found out, and killed me.

– How did they kill you?

– They hanged me.

– When?

– That day.

Tears uncontrollably came off Navneet’s face. I gave her the suggestion that the fear of loneliness could roll down her face with those tears. “She gave this relationship her life. Therefore she did care, didn’t she? With the care, you were not alone, weren’t you?” Navneet nodded her head. I asked, “Back in the forest, when you were waiting, did she come to the meeting point in spirit?”

“Yes, she did! ” Navneet raised her delighted voice, “She saw everything. She was there with me.” More tears came down Navneet’s face.

“But probably you didn’t know because you were so busy ‘missing her’.” I suggested that both of them in spirit go back to that significant forest, to meet each other in their said meeting place. With the reflection of the river, they saw that they had six lifetimes together. Four romantic relationships, mostly ended up being torn apart. “What’s the lesson in being torn apart?” I asked.

“We’ll always be together.” Navneet’s voice said it without hesitation. “That’s weird.” Navneet’s other voice came up judging.

“Always torn apart. Always together.” I recognized it didn’t make sense to the linear mind.

But it made perfect sense to me the hypnotherapist, who daily works in the non-linear reality. I was going to say something about it, at that moment I heard a voice in me saying, “It’s her path. Let her come to the point.”

A physical life is a story we tell. In the stories, we are torn apart.

But we are the storytellers. As storytellers, we are always together, co-writing the stories.

Each physical life is a dream. In the dream, we are torn apart.

But we are the dreamers. In that identity, we are always together.

In wrapping up, I asked the spirit if they will meet in this life. The answer was yes. That soul will find her. That all Navneet could do was to continue to do what she’d been doing. “She’s been looking for me.” This time around there’ll be no reason to be torn apart. I asked if Navneet herself had a question.

“Will I recognize you?” Navneet carried on with the dialogue within her.

“I will recognize you.” The answer came confidently, “and I’ll make you do it. Take the pressure off. And go with the flow.”

It is going to be a date arranged from another lifetime. This time around, I know both will show up.

And in this never-ending expansion, healing is not adding anything onto us, but truly letting go of what doesn’t belong to us.

*One week after our session, I got around to write this piece. As I promised Navneet, I emailed the draft to her for correction and editing. Navneet wrote back within half an hour with this very delightful news:

…
I met him two days after your session. He still got those beautiful eyes. We are dating now, never felt so happy. It’s just been a week but feels like I know him since forever. We just want to see each other all the time and it feels like we are inseparable. I can’t explain the love we feel for each other.

Thank you so much for getting me over that fear. If we are not torn apart in this life and we get married I would surely invite you to the wedding.

Navneet