Past Lives, Dreams, and Soul Travel
Three Keys to a Richer Love-filled Life
by Adrian McBride

Have you lived before? Do your dreams hold the key to a better, happier, more successful life? Would you like to explore ways to resolve everyday problems from a higher viewpoint?

Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, offers ways to enrich your life through a study of past lives, dreams, and soul travel. People of all faiths can find insights and help through simple spiritual exercises.

For me, the study of past lives is not so much driven by a desire to know what lives I have had in the past, but to understand how my present life is influenced by my past. As a youth, I was convinced that there was more to my existence than this one lifetime. More than two decades passed before I had a series of experiences, both in dreams and waking awareness, that proved the truth of my conviction.

My father was dying of cancer and I wanted to talk with him about his transition from this life to the next. It was not possible to talk with him face-to-face because of his heavy medications. With my spiritual guide, Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar whose spiritual title is the Mahanta—the Living ECK Master, I met with my father on the inner planes. I watched as he sat up in his soul body, leaving the pain and problems of the physical. He was amazed and delighted and exclaimed, “Boy, is this ever neat!” I introduced my father to the Mahanta and soon after the experience ended.

My father died not long afterward but I have continued to meet with him several times in dreams and contemplation. In our last meeting my father was youthful and fit, dressed in overalls and working for a moving company. I knew then that he was moving on to his next life. I was filled with joy not only to see him again but also to know that he was all right and alive somewhere in the vast worlds of God. So while this was not a recollection of a past life, it was confirmation that life continues after the death of the physical body.
How does one begin to explore past lives? Here are four simple questions to ask yourself: (1) If I won an all-expense paid trip to any place, where would I go?, (2) What time in history am I drawn to that I like to read about or watch movies about?, (3) Is there someone I've met for the first time and instantly liked or disliked?, and (4) Do I have any unexplained fear or talent?

Any reaction to a place, time, person, or situation can provide a good starting point to ask: Could this be a past life connection? How could this knowledge help me today? In his book, Past Lives, Dreams, and Soul Travel, Harold Klemp writes:

“The key to the knowledge and wisdom gained long ago in the school of hard knocks is inside you. This key is true desire. You must want to make spiritual headway when embarking upon a study of dreams to profit from your past lives.

“So what is the heart of this quest to be?

“Let it be a true desire to become a better human being.

“Love and mercy are the stuff of life. A study of dreams has the power to open your heart to the essence of your real self. Who are you? These spiritual exercises can help you reach out to learn the answer and find the secret to self-mastery.”

He then offers six different exercises in Chapter 5 and suggests that the reader choose one that most appeals to him/her, work on it, and see where it leads.

But what if you can't remember your dreams? To begin your dream study, here are three simple steps that Klemp suggests in his book, The Living Word, Book 2:

1. “Dream - get plenty of rest for a few days. Then go to sleep with the intention of remembering some of the places you visit while your human self is sleeping. (It helps to write the dreams down as soon as you awaken.)
2. Interpret your dreams - ask the Dream Master … to let you see each dream on three levels: the daily, the emotional/mental, and the spiritual.
3. Realize your dreams - take the dream lessons and apply them to your everyday life.”

What is the difference between dreaming and Soul Travel? Soul Travel isn't restricted to a dream experience. Have you ever been flying or falling in a dream or had a very vivid dream? Have you received insight into a problem while relaxing or day-dreaming? Have you ever experienced a feeling of peace or divine love? Have you had an out-of-body experience? These are just four examples of Soul Travel—movement toward a greater consciousness or awareness.

In another book written by Klemp, The Spiritual Exercises of ECK, he offers this simple spiritual exercise to help you free yourself of cares and worries:

“In contemplation or in the dream state, imagine meeting the Inner Master in your home or office. He holds out a wastebasket. 'Take your cares and worries, and put them in here,' he tells you. Visualize taking all the things that are bothering you and putting them into the Master's basket. Feel rested and relaxed as you release them into the hands of the ECK [Holy Spirit].

“If something is unpleasant in your life, change it. You are the creator of your worlds, whether they are on the inner planes or out here. The Inner Master will try to show you how to make your life out here better.

“By turning a situation over to the Inner Master, something is worked off, and out of it can come more harmony and balance.”

With daily practice of any of the Spiritual Exercises of ECK for fifteen or twenty minutes, you will find a richer, more love-filled life.

To read excerpts from Past Lives, Dreams, and Soul Travel (ISBN 1-57043-182-5) visit www.eckankar.org/Books/pldst.html. The Spiritual Exercises of ECK (ISBN 1-67043-001-0) and the other book mentioned above can be ordered online or at bookstores.

Adrian McBride was ordained as a member of the Eckankar clergy in 1989. He has facilitated workshops and classes and presented introductory talks on the topics of past lives, dreams, soul travel, reincarnation, karma, and other spiritual topics in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Estevan, and Swift Current. For information about Eckankar activities in your area please email: a.s.mcbride@shaw.ca or phone (306) 773-1476. Also see the Eckankar display ad on page 15 of the 11.5 January/February issue of the WHOLifE Journal.