Past Life Dreams

Past life dreams can be among the most difficult of dreams to figure out. They may seem symbolic, or even feel as if they are just wishful thinking. And since technically, past lives, or reincarnation, cannot be proven, they fall into the realm of unverified personal gnosis (UPG), which means that though the spiritual insight may be important to the dreamer, it doesn’t necessarily carry any weight with anyone else.

If you don’t believe in past lives, then knowing if your dream is from a past life isn’t really an issue. You can just look at the dream as an archetypal journey from the collective unconscious, and see what it means to you.

However, there are many people who have had dreams and felt at a soul level that it must have been from a past life, especially when they’ve dreamt in great detail about a place they have never been, and can later verify the information. And though only about 38 percent of the western population believes in reincarnation, worldwide this belief is in the majority, so dreaming of past lives would not be considered unusual.

Past life dreams can happen for several reasons. It may be that you are experiencing a real life challenge that has its roots in a past life experience, or it may be that you’ve met someone who you knew in a past life. Past life dreams may also happen to the spiritual seeker, who is actively seeking to find out more about themselves, and their connection to the Universe. However, since dreams are meant to help the dreamer through their current life situation, the best course of action is to see how the dream can help in the here and now.

Past Lives and Relationships
Sometimes dreaming of a past life can shed light on a current relationship.

Mike had started to feel shame about his very active sex life with his wife, Heidi, and he found himself withdrawing from her. Then he had a dream where they were actually brother and sister. After this dream he was able to pinpoint that his shame came from feeling as if he were with his sister and not his wife. He knew that in this life he had committed to her as her husband, and was able to reconcile his feelings toward her.

Past Lives and Phobias
Sometimes our past lives hold the key to current life phobias and fears.

Leslie was fine driving as a passenger in a car, but when it came time to learn to drive, she was filled with a terrible anxiety. Neither of her parents could understand this as they thought all teens were excited to drive. Leslie was 22 years old before she got her driver’s license. She had a dream where she was a teenager – only in her dream she was a young man. She took her parents’ car without asking, and hit and killed a pedestrian. Leslie was able to tell herself that in the dream, she had been irresponsible and careless, and this life was much different. She learned to drive with no problem.

Distinguishing Past Life Dreams
Past life dreams will usually have a certain feel to them, so it’s important to keep a dream journal. You may not know they are past life dreams until you determine how they present themselves to you. Often they appear more vivid, or will have detailed settings in another time. You may even find that you are dressed in clothing from a particular period.

I’ve kept a dream journal since I was 16 years old. When I was 35 years old, I was taking a class on medical intuitive. I had a block to a particular technique, so my teacher did a reading on me. She went into a past life. As she told me the story of that particular life, I thought it sounded vaguely familiar. Later I went back through my dream journals – and at the age of 25 I had recorded a series of dreams, mixed in with my symbolic dreams, that told the story of that past life in great detail. Each of those dreams stood out due to the remarkable clarity of the color. On the page of those particular dreams I’d written the word “bright” in the corner. None of these dreams had been particularly dramatic on their own, except for the color, so it hadn’t occurred to me they were from a past life. When I went and read them in sequence though, they told the same story my teacher had told me.

Though past life dreams can be hard to pinpoint, their message can still bring clarity to current life situations, allowing healing to take place and reminding us that we are part of a bigger story that transcends space and time.