Andrew Rooke – Australia
What Exactly is Reincarnation?
“Rebirth is the pathway of evolution. It is the method by which nature progressively draws into growth or unfoldment the limitless capacities latent in all creatures from atoms to gods. Everything that has life reembodies itself – universes, solar systems, suns, worlds, men, animals, and plants, cells, molecules, and atoms.
Each of these forms is ensouled by a spiritual consciousness centre which is evolving in its own degree, passing ever upward, and unfolding like a seed from within itself its latent potentialities. In the human race we call this process of rebirth or reimbodiment by the word reincarnation, which means “refleshing,” or taking on again a garment or body of flesh. There are various names for the different forms of reimbodiment which pertain to all beings from the highest to the lowest, but here we are concerned only with that form of reimbodiment which pertains to human beings and which is called reincarnation.
Briefly, the purpose of life is to raise the mortal into immortality. Or, to expand the idea somewhat, it is to give time and opportunity for the deathless spiritual potency at the core of our being to develop, grow, and unfold into perfection. For theosophy tells us that the personal self – the everyday self – is not immortal. John Smith or Mary Brown are not deathless beings. They are mere personalities, and as such do not reincarnate. It is the units of consciousness behind John Smith and Mary Brown, of which these perhaps quite ordinary persons are but the imperfect aspects – this root of consciousness in each person, this ego it is which reincarnates. It is through reincarnation alone that we can bring out, and use and perfect, the fullness of that hidden wealth of power and capacity of which we are all conscious in some measure.
"For through reincarnation the ego undergoes every kind of human experience which this earth affords. In each life some new facet of character is shaped by environment. New powers and capacities are unfolded from within. Weaknesses, selfishness, and the faults of passion are corrected by suffering, that wise teacher which enables us to recognize and overcome our egoism and limitations. Every new life gives us another chance. So, if we use well our opportunities, we shall grow steadily from life to life until in some future reincarnation on this earth our character will flower into divine genius and we shall live and work in the fullness of our true spiritual being.” Leoline L. Wright.
Is Reincarnation True?
According to the Ancient Wisdom of many lands and its modern presentation as Theosophy the answer is – Yes. We are repeatedly reborn on Earth taking up another life, using another body of either sex, and with a different ‘Personality’.
How Long do we have Between Lives?
This period varies according to the circumstances of a person’s death, and how attached or otherwise they are to the material world. Although modern after-death research tells us that the gap between incarnations can be just a few years, typically for the mass of humanity, theosophy tells us that the time of rest between lives is 1,000 to 1,500 years. It may be much shorter for children who die young, those who die from accidents or in wars, those who are strongly attached to the material world, and, at the other extreme, those who are committed to service and the cause of spiritual truth may choose to return earlier to speed the spiritual development of humanity. Those not attached to the worldly life may stay away a lot longer.
Are We ever Reborn as Animals?
No, that is a common misconception of many religions probably based on the esoteric truth that animals use various ‘life atoms’ of dead human beings. Once an individual has reached the level of complexity of a human being, he or she must reincarnate as a human being to continue to work out the relationships of the past and to develop and grow in an environment of suitable complexity. There are of, course rare exceptions to this general rule. In the case of irretrievably evil human beings, especially ‘Black Magicians’, they can sink to the level of incarnating in animal bodies.
Why Don’t I Remember Previous Lives?
It was a different physical brain that recorded details for each of your previous lives, so details are not normally remembered by the ‘new’ brain of this life in detail. It is also the compassion of nature that we don’t remember as we were presumably at a lower state of spiritual evolution in our former lives, so our deeds then, if remembered in detail, might have a traumatic and damaging effect on our progress in this life. The influences, abilities developed, character, and spiritual lessons learnt of the previous lives remain and in fact are the ‘you’ of this life. However, at the moment of our physical death, and later in the after-death states, we will see past life details and as we progress along on our individual path of spiritual evolution, we come to be able to remember the past lives that we have now forgotten.
Does Reincarnation Ever Stop?
Yes and No! From our relative point of view, we are aiming for perfection as human beings. This will take many more incarnations. At a very advanced stage of human spiritual evolution, we may choose to take a well-earned rest, or to return to Earth as a, ‘Bodhisattva’, in order to help suffering humanity trailing along in our evolutionary ‘wake’. But then the cycle simply continues at a higher level. In the largest sense, there is no end to the cycle and no end to increasing perfection.
What is the Point of Reincarnation?
Our souls are all part of one soul. At root we are one. Brotherhood is an actual fact in nature when we look at underlying reality. Each of these seemingly separate individualities gains experiences, learns lessons, and ultimately, the consciousness of the Universe gains increasing experience, increases in relative perfection, and increases in self-consciousness.
New Evidence for Reincarnation:
Childhood Memories of Past Lives: Research by university academics, especially at the University of Virginia, Division of Perceptual Studies – Prof. Ian Stevenson and Dr Jim Tucker based on childhood memories of previous lives which in many cases have been found to be accurate when later researched. Regarding childhood memories of former lives, a recent article by Antii Savinainin says: “The second area of scientific inquiry that is relevant here, is research on children who report past life memories. The late Professor Ian Stevenson started this research in the 1960s, and his work continues at the University of Virginia, whose Division of Perceptual Studies has a database of about 2500 cases in which children have provided information on their (alleged) past lives. Typically, children talk about their past lives when they are aged two to five. In some cases, researchers have verified many statements made by the children before their present and past-life families have been in contact. On the one hand, no “perfect” case has been found, which leaves some space for doubt. On the other hand, some cases are very convincing: for example, James Leininger’s (Tucker, 2016). – from ‘Theosophy and Science: Do They Conflict?” Quest Magazine, Winter2020: 108:1, pg 12-16. Available online at: https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/theosophy-and-science-do-they-conflict
Handwriting: similar to the person’s handwriting of the previous life.
Birthmarks: mostly from traumatic injury causing death in the previous life but carried forward into the current life in the form of birthmarks.
Foreign Languages: an ability to speak in foreign languages from a previous life which are unknown to the subject in this life.
Illness-Past Life Correlations: illnesses in the past life leaving their mark on subjects in this life suffering similar conditions.
Phobias and Nightmares: phobias and neuroses in this life which have been found under hypnosis to relate to traumatic experiences usually causing death in a previous life.
Physical Appearance: similarity of appearance with the form of a subject said to be in a previous life where this could be checked.
Past-Life Regression Therapy by Hypnosis: subjects are regressed into their previous life and inter-life and the details of their experiences are found to be accurate, eg the books of Dr Michael Newton and the work of the Newton Institute.
How Do You Know Any of these Ideas are True?
Besides the results of modern research as indicated in the answer to our last question, we can observe the cycle of ebb and flow, activity and rest everywhere in nature. Do you think human beings are any exception? Several researchers have conducted ‘past life regression’ through hypnosis and found people speaking of former lives, and there are many famous cases of where the details of such alleged former lives have been found to be accurate. Much of theosophical teaching is based on the learning of the Masters of Wisdom who have ventured self-consciously into the after-death states and taught us ordinary people what they have observed to be true there.
Some Books on Reincarnation:
Leoline L. Wright: Reincarnation: a lost chord in modern thought. This is a really good, readable and short introduction to the whole subject from a theosophical perspective.
Any of the series of books by Sylvia Cranston on the subject of reincarnation give more detailed information from many different perspectives: Reincarnation: the phoenix fire mystery; Reincarnation: a new horizon in science, religion and society; Reincarnation: an east-west anthology.
William Quan Judge: The Scope of Reincarnation.
G de Purucker: The Esoteric Tradition Vol. 2, pages 593 to 704.
Reincarnation is explored by several authors in a special issue of our international magazine Sunrise: Sleep, Death and Rebirth: Gateways of Life. November 1980 available at: https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/ts/wwsunris.htm
Please check the full bibliography of books on Past Life Regression and Inter-Life Studies in the December 2024 issue of Theosophy Downunder online magazine available upon request to:
We are here on this earth because we have sown the seeds of destiny, of life here, and we come back to reap them, to undo wrongs we did in the past, to reap rewards that we sowed in the past, and that is why we will come back to re-embodiment in the future. We are now making ourselves to be what we shall in the future become. We are now preparing our destiny for our next life on earth. – G de Purucker.
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This article also appeared in the December 2025 issue of The Ancient Wisdom Downunder, a fine magazine published quarterly. For a free copy in PDF format write to ANDREW ROOKE: