Post #758

Recollecting Rebirth Oneself and Spontaneous recall, by Martin Willson "Spontaneous recall, generally the recollection by a child of his immediately preceding life, and often of how he passed from that death to the present birth, is more common than is often thought. Normally, especially in the West, a young child who talks of its previous life soon learns not to. Doubtless any mother would tend to tire of repeated requests by her child to go "home" to its previous family, perhaps telling her "My own mother is much better than you." A life spontaneously recalled is generally very recent, so that there are likely to be persons still living who remember the deceased person. In these circumstances, very strong confirmation is often possible. The child may give much detailed information on his former family and home, often not very far away but unknown to his present family, which can be confirmed by visiting the past-life abode. If the child comes on such a visit (as he is generally eager to do), he recognises places, buildings, and people known to him in his former life, and his former possessions, comments on changes since he was there, asks after missing possessions and old acquaintances, and so on. If he died by violence (which apparently makes quick rebirth and spontaneous recall more probable), he may give details of his murder which can be confirmed from police records and witnesses. There can also be other circumstantial evidence supporting the child's claim. If he was known to his new mother in his previous life, she may well have had a significant dream or vision of his coming to her, before his birth. The child may carry birthmarks resembling and in the same place as the wounds which caused his previous death, or even reproducing a mark deliberately applied to his predecessor's body to enable identification if he should be reborn in that family. Some 1600 cases of spontaneous recall in various parts of the world, including 241 in Europe, have been investigated with great thoroughness by Dr. Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia. This work provides the strongest scientific evidence for rebirth that we yet have-anyone of a scientific tum of mind who still doubts the reality of rebirth should definitely read some of the reports of it, in full."