My notable past life.

I've been a student of reincarnation since I was in college. My original interest was as one of a number of fields I was looking at in an effort to empirically demonstrate the survival of the soul beyond physical death. Over the years I've gradually become more and more focused on reincarnation because there's been a compelling accumulation of reasonably unbiased emperical data that strongly supports survival. It's ironic really, proof of this sort ought to be the Holy Grail of most religions and yet it's drifting gradually into focus almost completely ignored by the mainstream faith communities.

I suspected I was somebody well known for a number of reasons including my intellectual abilities and sometimes random reactions from others over the years. Also, I was a student of astrology for many years (less so now) and I have the planet(oid) Pluto closely aspecting my ascendant which according to a number of good astrologers is an indicator being an historical figure.

Unfortunately, I have no clear memories of past lives that I'm aware of, just intuitions. I'm not sure why, possibly because of the psychically unpleasant nature of my childhood, possibly because I'm not ready, possibly because I chose not to, I'm still figuring that out. What I have is my blind and very complicated heart which I must struggle to listen to. I majored in Art in college and I produced a series of drawings with clear references to France and the revolution but I don't recall understanding what they meant at the time.

I do have strong, unaccountable attractions and repulsions that don't connect to anything I've ever experienced in this life. I recognized these as past life connections after reading the experiences of others and I've spent years and years playing historical charades with myself trying to get a reasonable match of some sort.

I finally got curious or maybe frustrated enough to have a past life regression. To my surprise, I recalled being the Duke of Orleans in Louis XVI's France. The Duke is more notable than famous. You can look him up in a good encyclopedia, but he is little known here in America and (ugh) even less well understood. He was certainly no one I'd ever heard of. He is sometimes depicted as "the villian" in French Revolution stories and movies.

I had my regression in January of 2007 and the universe kindly provided a better researched and less biased picture of the Duke when Tom Ambrose published "The Godfather of the Revolution" about 8 months after my regression. There was enough specific information there that I was able to see all the usual things people who actually have memories report in my own life... the parallels, resonances, and the familiar faces of some my associates. I also strongly resemble him physically. There is a portrait of him on wikipedia (the headshot) that looks almost exactly like I did as a young man. I seem to be surrounded by people I can recognize from other personages of the time. My 16 year relationship with my supervisor was strongly resonant of the Duke's relationship with Marie Antionette. She reminds me of her tremendously but unlike then, we are friends and allies which is very healing for both of us. I'd hesitate to identify her as the actual reincarnation of said Queen because it would likely start a dispute. Marie Antionette is one of those iconic, tragic types that seem to attract identifications and there are already a number of claimants.

The Duke has a generally poor reputation, but a close reading suggests to me at least, that he was much more of a hero than a villian in his personal conduct. Perhaps that is as good an indicator as anything of my authenticity. I have no trouble understanding his actions, which are often considered unaccountable. He was certainly much more popular than the king, who was the last of a series of French monarchs who behaved like tyrants. This popularity proved to be a big factor in his downfall. As Churchill said "History is written by the victors" thus social reformers who fail in their missions are often remembered as criminals. It is an occupational hazard I suppose.

I suspect I have another historically documented life or two lurking around in my attic, possibly Roman but I'm such a beginner at this that I can only speculate while I rummage through all the uncategorized stuff I have up there. :-) I've had two other regressions and recalled being a Franciscan monk, and a "civil servant" in the Ming Dynasty, probably in the reign of the fifth Ming. I've also tried regressing on my own and I remembered being a little girl who died young probably in England or France about 1800, a Flemish painter, and I think a dolphin(!).

I have always thought I was a freedom fighter in World War II but this is just a matter of supposition on my part. I have no knowledge beyond what several psychics have told me on the matter, and I generally maintain a little caution with the veracity of psychic revelations. My current project is trying to find out my Victorian/Edwardian identity. I suspect that I was a clergyman, quite possibly Catholic, but this may be a carry over from the monk life. I feel resonance to Cardinal Newman, but inconveniently enough, I was orginally very very drawn to the members of the Bloomsbury group (particularly John Maynard Keynes whom I am unaccountably quite fond of) and they are the bohemian, gay and lesbian antithesis of the Victorian AngloCatholics.

Extremely interesting, Peter! I am particularly struck with the Duke of Orleans. I don't know much about him other than the very little I've read of him and his relationship to Marie Antoinette. (Perhaps you saw me perform in March of 1787 when I sang for Her Majesty at Versailles, on my return to London from Vienna.) Was he executed in the Reign of Terror? I also find it fascinating that you seem to show up in history at the exact same times in which I did, and have similar historical interests as mine.

I was beheaded in 1792. My neck still bothers me a little and I'm still struggling with my feelings about it. The whole thing ended up being a horrible fiasco for the French people who had already suffered enough injustice and brutality for about 10 lifetimes. It does me good to read that it's one of the best places in the world to live now.

Honestly, I have no idea if we've met, but I'd be more surpised if we didn't. I spent a lot of time in England as a young man so perhaps we met there. I've been meaning to look at Mozart's performances and travels to see where we might have crossed paths. As a generally honored guest (I was great friends with the Prince of Wales until close to the end of that life) I would have likely been able to meet the talent. Based on what little I know so far, it's not likely that I was at Versailles that late. The King and Queen gave the Duke much more of the blame for their deteriorating situation that he was responsible for and I became something of a bete noir at court. I spent a lot of time either confined to my estate or abroad for my political and social views.

Since you mention it though, I'll tell you now, I had an unmistakable and friendly vibe of having met both of you in that life. I hesitated to say it because it sounds like one of those bad internet stalker lines.

Peter,

During part of our Grand Tour, my family and I were in Paris from Nov 1763-Apr 64. During that time we performed for the Famille Royale during the Christmas season at Versailles. We stopped at Paris again on our way home from London and stayed from May-June 66.

Later, I lived in Paris from Mar-Sept 1778. There was no contact with Marie at that time, although I did receive an invitation to work as Court Organist at Versailles, a post which I turned down for personal reasons. Perhaps this decision was providential. I was a Chevalier after all, and I too might have lost my head had I accepted.

I'm interested to know when and where you were a Franciscan monk because I was too, in Spain in the 15th century.

I don't have a clear date, but it was probably around 1500 or so. I was telling someone I've worked with for nearly 20 years about my regression and he said without hesitation "It was about 1500." I recalled being in France somewhere near the border of Switzerland. That's the one regression experience that was no surprise to me because I always thought I was a monk. I evidently had a positive experience. Living in a spiritual refuge can be so superior to making one's way in the wicked world.

Living out in the world was my downfall. Consequently, I spent the rest of my life at a monastery in the Pyrenees, making penance for my fall.