Tag: Multiverse

The Reincarnation Theory Of Otherkin

The Reincarnation Theory Of Otherkin

Author:   Lupa   

Otherkin are a pretty controversial group of people, even within the relatively tolerant realms of NeoPaganism. While we live within the same world as everyone else, working and/or going to school, building and maintaining a variety of relationships, paying the bills, and otherwise leading completely mundane existences, we have other aspects to our personal realities that aren’t quite so everyday. We know/believe that there’s something not quite human about us and we can spend this entire lifetime figuring out just who we’ve been and who we are now.

Some identify as nonhuman, relatively humanoid species such as elves and faeries; others believe there is something of the dragon, gryphon or sea serpent about them; and still others identify strongly with animals native to this plane, well beyond the totemic bond. Yes, it can be a bit of a brain-breaker to try to resolve the conflict between what’s commonly divided into “fantasy” and “reality.” That’s why most `kin spend time trying to figure out just why it is we feel that we’re different in a such a….er…different manner.

One of the most common explanations for being Otherkin is reincarnation. This necessitates a belief in a soul, of course, and the belief that the soul is not species-specific. While some people say that once a(n) (insert species here), always a(n) (insert species here), others maintain that the soul is itself neutral and can be incarnated into any body possible.

Neutral as the soul may be, it still tends to carry material with it from life to life, depending on how strongly the experiences of each life imprinted on it. Some souls are better at keeping their egos intact through each death-birth process than others; this is perhaps why some people have thorough recollections of their previous existences while others have just a few tidbits here and there. It just so happens that for a few people the memories that imprint strongly don’t come from this particular Earth-reality.

It’s debatable whether these lives occurred on alternate Earths or physically different planets entirely. Some Otherkin seem to have a really good idea of where they come from, even being able to pinpoint galaxies or individual stars that correlate to our Sol. I’ve also heard people claim the idea that our world and numerous others inhabit the same basic place, but are layered according to energy resonance (think physical vs. astral plane).

It’d be easy to accuse Otherkin of simply being entirely too imaginative. After all, aren’t elves and such meant to be in the realms of fantasy fiction or, at best, the spirit plane? This is where belief comes into play. Even the most solid cases of reincarnation can’t be thoroughly proven, and sometimes we do have to go on faith to an extent. Consistency seems to be the key to a more likely story. Repeated past life regressions that continually bring up the same people, places, themes and identities are a lot easier to argue for than a single wishful thought that the bearer is afraid to test for fear of being wrong. Some Otherkin, particularly among elves, report shared memories with others, including incidents where the two (or more) parties had not previously communicated with each other on the subject.

The truly skeptical can argue against this all day long—what if one or more people were just saying “Yeah, I remember that,” to go along with the crowd? What if it’s a group delusion? What if? What if?

It’s important to stringently question ourselves and not blindly accept whatever comes our way that looks pretty. Yet if we chase away belief entirely we shut ourselves off from a lot of potentially positive developments in our lives. After all, belief is the basis of spirituality and magic, and Gods know that enough Pagans, Otherkin and otherwise, desire or even need these things in our lives. So while we’ll acknowledge the words of the skeptics and keep close watch on ourselves to make sure we don’t convince ourselves that pixie ‘kin really can fly, we will allow ourselves some belief to explore our possible pasts.

As to why we ended up here, there are a number of possibilities:

Because we needed to learn something about being human. Many reincarnationists believe that we enter into the lives that we do in order to learn a specific lesson. There are quite possibly lessons that only the unique experience of being human can teach. Perhaps some `kin are here to better understand humanity so that they can therefore adopt certain human behaviors. Maybe Earth today has a balance of creation and destruction, Nature and technology, that is unique in the Multiverse. Perhaps some of us came here from someplace better as punishment/rehabilitation for some wrongdoing; or maybe from somewhere worse so we can get a breather (after all, this place certainly isn’t all bad!) Just as a soul may be born as a cougar to learn to be more aggressive or a way to learn patience, the experience of being human might be how some souls learn what to do—or not do—with modern technology, or our particular blend of sex and love, or whatever else it is that makes us human.

Because this world needs our help. Let’s face it—to a lot of folk in the magical and Otherkin subcultures, this place is in trouble. The environment is constantly under siege, millions of humans live in poverty-stricken, war-torn areas, disease is rampant and some days it just seems like the whole biosystem is about to collapse under the pressure. There are Otherkin who feel they came here with the purpose of alleviating some of the pain. There’s the theory that other sentient places in the Multiverse are well aware of us and want to try to help us, if for no other reason than to keep us from destroying everything around us. So souls come from these places in order to help out what is seen as a state of emergency. Take the concept of thinking globally, and expand it across the Multiverse. Predictably many of the Otherkin under this heading dedicate themselves to social, political, spiritual and related causes meant to make a positive impact.

Because we walked in. Walk-ins are a unique group among Otherkin; they’re not really so much a category as another explanation. A walk-in is a soul that enters a body well after birth. In some cases this happens at a point when the original soul abandons it (often at a time of great physical/emotional/etc. trauma, though this is not always the case). Other times the walk-in soul shares the body with the original soul. The souls involved may all have had nothing but human lives, but they show up in the `kin community commonly because it’s a safe haven for them to be open about who and what they are. Walk-ins may come in with a purpose, or simply with a curious desire to have a body again but not wanting or being able to enter a newborn body.

Oops. Species dysphoria does occasionally occur among Otherkin. This means that there are those who fully believe they were born into the completely wrong body. I’ve seen this most commonly among therianthropes—those who identify as nonhuman, Earth-native animals—but it happens in other groups as well. Stories vary as to why the soul ended up in the wrong body, ranging from “Well, I thought I was headed into a fox kit, but I guess I missed” to “I’m here against my will because of something I did in another life” (see the first theory listed above).

I dunno. You tell me. There are plenty of Otherkin who have absolutely no idea how they got here. While some do search for answers, many just shrug, chalk it up to unknown forces and go on with their lives.

Again, it’s entirely possible that we’re all just over-imaginative or even delusional; but then again, the same could arguably be said for anyone who claims to believe in reincarnation, spirits or magic. No doubt there are probably plenty who claim the Otherkin label who probably do need to do a lot more seeking before they come to this conclusion; after all, when you don’t feel you fit into this world, escapism can become an extreme behavior in a tiny fraction of individuals. Needless to say, there are thousands of people in this world who are Otherkin, who identify as such and who live perfectly functional, happy lives with no ill effects from their identities. The theory of reincarnation offers many of us a way to explain this feeling of being Other, so we can find peace with ourselves in our entirety.

Types of Magic Practitioners

Types of Magic Practitioners

 

White Magician Expert of Protective and Purifying Spells. Forwarded most notably by the New Age movement, it focusses on the use of the “White Light”, protection, protective auras, stasis, cleansing, suppression of discord, and working on the mystic level to sustain and strengthen ethereal structure.

Black Magician Master of Manipulating Entropy. Grounded in the application of the laws of thermodynamics, the nature of decay, radiation, the effect of emotion on the body, and civil engineering and/or anatomy.

Psi Mage Expert at Psychic and Mental Control. Studying recommendations include telepathy, telekinesis, magnetism, secular and occult empathy, general psychology, emotion, motivation, hypnotism, cognitive processing, consciousness, states of awareness, sleep deprivation, learning, decision making, group dynamics, “Zen” concept, and other aspects of psychological classification and analysis.

Nature Mage Master of Nature and Natural Forces. Stressing the relationship between sound and plant growth, holistic medicine, botany, ley lines, earth spirits, photosynthesis, and astrological, minerological, and magnetic influences on earth.

Enchanter Expert at Enhancing Objects, People, or Areas. Employs a working understanding of vibratory rates, radioactive decay, music, energy impressions, quantum and magnetic resonance, body conductivity, and Ayurvedic philosophy.

Elementalist Expert of Controlling the Four Elements, and Influencing Weather. Studies the nature of natural phenomenon (electricity, heat, cold, wind), biochemistry, composition philosophies (Heraclitus, Anaximenes, Thales, Empedocles, Xenobius, etc), body composition, thermodynamics, natural entropical disarray, and physical laws of attraction and repulsion.

Diviner Expert of Future and Fortune telling. Heavy study in the mathematics of randomization, probability, chance, psychology, deja vu, precognition, instinct, sixth sense, visions, dreams, self-fulfilling prophecy, chaos theory, game theory, sociology, group psychology, identification and interpretation of patterns, and free-energy theory.

Summoner Expert at Summoning Spirits or Entities. Academia for this art includes telemetry, attempts at long-distance telepathic communication, vibrational states, dimensional theory, multiple personalities, schizophrenia, possession, multiversal theory, the Ethereal realm,thought-forms, and the nature of the Mind. There are a great many ritual texts worth reading as well.

Life Mage Expert at Manipulating and Sustaining Life Force. Emphasis on anatomy, biology, kinesiology, alternative healing methods, herbology, theories of life force, chakras, meridians, acupressure, acupuncture, reiki, ethereal body, medicine, Breathism, and chi as vitality.

Necromancer Expert at Manipulating Death Essences. Focussing on dim mak, animal biology, study of chi, toxicology, viriology, bacteriology, immunology, the Kreb cycle, phosphorylation, free radicals, anatomy, psychological effects on the body, the nature of hallucination, auric poisoning, “miasma” concept, acupuncture theory, lou channels, chakras, life meridians, medical biochemistry, and death deities.

Sorcerer Expert Manipulator of the Twilight Realm. Focussing on interpretational abstractions, geometry, Jewish “hell” concept (abyss), pre- and post-Christian “hell” concept (both Greek), the nature of emotion, multiversal theory, lucid dreaming, astral projection, the nature of physical interpretation (the five senses + sixth), Eastern “void” concept, dimensional theory, meditative trances, trance states, and physics related to holographic reality models.

Wizard Expert Manipulator of the Astral Planes. Focussing on non-Euclidian geometry, geometry, mathematics, multiversal theory, astral projection, astral forms, dimensional theory, the nature of perception, meditative trances, trance states, and physics.

Celestial Mage Calls on Deities to Intervene. Relevant studies include history of religion, cultural sociology, historical sociology, anthropology, history of religion, theology, High Magic, the bible, the koran, the Keys of Solomon, the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, John Dee’s Angel studies, Johannes Trithemius, shamanism, Intelligent Design theory (ID), and examinaton of other various holy writs and mythologies.

Satanic Magician Expert of Manipulating and Expressing Internal Forces. Pertains to LaVeyan “Satanic Magic”, Luciferianism, thought-forms, chaos theory, mind over matter, nature of perception, chakras, cause and effect principles in open systems, “crimson” magic as per CoS, self-fulfilling prophecy, and specific emphasis on microcosmic effect on macrocosms.

Luna’s Grimoire

Quiz of the Day – What Soul Sign Are You?

What Soul Sign Are You?

by Annie B. Bond

 

This elemental approach to the human soul is a fascinating way to understand  who you are, especially in relationship to others. Do you crave attention from a  partner? You may be a Fire type. Do you like to organize and plan activities  with your significant other? You may be an Earth.

Take this simple quiz to find out your soul-type so you can learn more about  the ways you relate:

1. You sometimes have regrets, but nonetheless you revel in the joy of having  created an effect, whether good or bad. You live in a drama of sorts, either  emotionally or creatively.

2. You are a person who needs attention, who needs to be recognized and  admired, who is sensitive and easily hurt over the smallest thing, who can love  and hate with equal passion.

3. You are a person who thrives on love and passion in personal  relationships, who needs to be number one in their partner’s life, who likes to  have their own way, who feels easily neglected and is capable of being quite  jealous when their spouse’s attention is somewhere else.

4. You are a person who needs to plan before acting, although you are  determined to turn your plans into action. You make lists and like to take  control.

5. You pay close attention, striving for perfection, even in the little  things, generally organized, especially in situations you consider important,  sensitive but able to reason and to be fair, steady, and reliable.

6. You thrive on being the organizer in the family; are loyal to your spouse  and expect the same respect and loyalty in return; can seem on occasion to be  bossy and you like to take charge; you like to be romanced and need genuine  affection.

7. You don’t like pressure, and you don’t like to be upset or argue, but you  do like new people and new experiences.

8. You love animals and children, do not sweat the small stuff, and are  usually easygoing, happy to go along in life without fuss, generally calm, and  somewhat passive.

9. You thrive on simply being loved, are undemanding in your personal  relationships, like to keep things simple and uncomplicated, hate arguments and  fights, and will try in most cases with your spouse to pacify and keep things on  an even keel.

10. You usually find a way, through compromise, to please others and  yourself. You are able to evaluate and solve problems by negotiating and seeking  harmony.

11. You avoid attention, shy away from the limelight but still like approval  from others for work well done; you strive to be fair and considerate of others’  feelings, but can be so immersed in your own life that you can be neglectful of  issues outside yourself or your family.

12. You thrive on the ability to communicate with your spouse and family;  feel the need to always strive to be seen to be reasonable, even when they  perhaps cannot be, and are strong-minded and capable of standing your ground in  an argument when issues are important.

If you answered yes to 1, 2 and 3, you are a FIRE.

If you answered yes to 4, 5, and 6, you are an EARTH.

If you answered yes to 7, 8, and 9, you are an AIR.

If you answered yes to 10, 11, and 12, you are a WATER.

Free Will And Reincarnation: Who Ever Said Anything About Earth?

Free Will And Reincarnation: Who Ever Said Anything About Earth?

Author: Zula

When the idea of reincarnation versus free will is addressed, nonbelievers often ask, “Why would anyone want to come back to this miserable dirtball of a planet, with all the wars and famine and violence here?” or variations of the question along those lines. I counter this question with yet another question: who says we must return to Earth?

Consider for a moment, if you will, the immensity of the universe. In our galaxy alone there are over two hundred billion stars, and Sol, our beloved sun, is only one little star in this relatively dense clump of cosmic matter. Scientists also estimate that there are one hundred billion galaxies in the entire universe. If one assumes that the Milky Way is an average-sized galaxy, as most astronomers do, that means that there are about 2 x 1022 stars in the entire universe. That is a two with twenty-two zeroes after it. I don’t even know what to call a number that big! How can anyone honestly believe that, of all those stars and all the planets orbiting those stars, Earth is the only one with life on it? The chances of such a thing are just too slim. In my opinion, it is the epitome of arrogance, ignorance, or both to claim that we have the sole privilege of life in this vast universe.

I think it is a general consensus that the spiritual realm is not bound by physical ideas like “distance,” so it is just as easy for a spirit to be on one side of the universe as the other. If that is the case, then when a soul is ready to return for another foray into the physical world, it is just as likely to end up on Earth as it is on Xar*** VII or some equally alien planet – assuming, of course, that a soul does not have a particularly strong attachment to one planet or another and chooses to return to that same planet again and again.

And even then, no one ever said we must be reincarnated in the same dimension. There is a relatively new way of thinking called the quantum theory. One aspect of this theory is called the multiverse theory, which states that every time there is a variable, the universe splits so that each possibility is realized in a different dimension. Now considering that there are variables all the way down to the atomic level, such as where an electron will be at any given point in an electron cloud; that means there are essentially an infinite number of parallel universes coexisting side by side.

Since this division of realities has gone on since the beginning of time, this means that there are universes completely different from our own. There is a universe where Hitler won World War II. There is a universe where the Aztecs are the dominant culture on the planet. There is a universe where dinosaurs never went extinct. There is a universe where Earth was never formed – this can go on and on ad infinitum. In the same way that psychic beings are not bound by distance, I believe that they are not constrained by the concept of reality as we know it. After all, if they have no bodies, why should they be stuck to move in four dimensions – back and forth, left and right, up and down, and forward (and possibly backward) in time – like the rest of us?

Of course, this is assuming that the multiverse theory is true. This, unfortunately, has not quite been determined yet. However, the fact still remains that the number of possibly inhabited planets is huge, and the number of life forms in the universe is even bigger.

Now, I will freely admit that I am a neophyte – I have known about quantum physics longer than I have known about Paganism. I would not be surprised if I made some glaring mistakes on the whole concept of reincarnation, free will, the gods and the spirit world, et cetera. If I have, I apologize for any offence right now. However, from what I know and what I have experienced, it makes sense when one thinks about it.

If one were to be reincarnated as all the types creatures on Earth, one would still get a rather limited experience. After all, all living things that we know of are carbon-based, oxygen-breathing (or carbon dioxide-breathing, in the case of plants), with only five or so senses of varying degrees of sharpness. Our mental capacities are also somewhat limited, regardless of what form we assume. Imagine how different a perspective one would get as, say, a creature made of pure energy that glided serenely through space, a species that had mastered time travel, or even a super-intelligent shade of blue! The lives of these creatures must be completely different than anything that we can possibly experience on Earth; I doubt anyone could even imagine it with any sort of accuracy.

The purpose of reincarnation, if I understand correctly, is to allow a soul to gain wisdom from its physical experiences. The only way to gain true wisdom, in my opinion, is to come in contact with as many different ideas, sensations, etc. as possible. Only then can one develop a truly informed philosophy. Considering the vastness of the universe, and considering that Earth and what we experience here is just a tiny speck of all the possibilities, then the only possible way for the soul to gain true wisdom is to traverse the expanse of the universe and experience all different possible forms of life there are to be had.

With that in mind, free will takes on another level of significance. When one dies, one has the entire universe at one’s metaphysical fingertips. One can literally become anything in one’s wildest dreams. Ever wondered what it’s like to be a velociraptor? To travel through space at the speed of light? To have twelve arms? All the curiosities, all the musings that one has ever had can be answered – if one chooses to find out.