Reincarnation and the Law of Karma

Compiled from the works of William Walker Atkinson, Annie Besant, and Manly P. Hall

 

The Cycle of Necessity

 

"Reincarnation" refers to the repeated embodiment in flesh of the Immortal part of man's nature. It is the doctrine that the human Spirit does not perish at the death of the body, but persists as an Entity that, after an interval of rest, reincarnates into a new body. It proceeds to Live a New Life, largely Unconscious of its Past Existences, but containing within itself the "Essence" of its past experiences, which go to make up its new "Character."

 

Reincarnation teaches that the Soul enters this Life not as a fresh Creation, but after a long course of Previous Existences in which it acquired its present inhering peculiarities. All the qualities we now possess—in body, Mind, and Soul—result from our use of ancient opportunities. As we sow, so do we reap. The future flows by the Divine Law of Cause and Effect from the gathered momentum of our past impetuses. This Progressive Cycle of Consecutive Re-Embodiments, covering the time from the beginning of Individualized Existence to the completion of material experience, is known as the Cycle of Necessity.

 

 

The Universality of the Belief

 

The doctrine of Reincarnation has always been held as Truth by a large portion of the human race. It is not a discarded doctrine, but one fully alive and vigorous today.

 

Ancient Egypt and Chaldea: The inner circles of the Egyptian Mystics Understood the Inner Truths of Reincarnation. The ancient Chaldeans and Persian Magi also taught that the Soul survived and passed through a series of Existences until it Attained Purity.

 

Classical Greece: Pythagoras brought the doctrine of Metempsychosis from the East and taught it esoterically to his disciples. Plato taught that the Souls of the dead must return to earth to wear out old earth deeds, receiving benefits for the worthy ones and penalties for the unworthy ones.

 

The Jewish Mystics and Early Christians: The Kaballah teaches that Souls undergo repeated Rebirth for the purpose of Advancement, Unfoldment, and Purification. Many of the Early Christian Fathers, such as Origen, St. Augustine, and Justin Martyr, Acknowledged or Taught Reincarnation openly before it was Condemned by Later Church Councils.

 

India and the East: India is the natural Mother of the doctrine, where it is accepted by the Hindu and Buddhist peoples as the only rational doctrine concerning the Past, Present, and Future of the Soul.

 

 

Between Incarnations: The Heavenly Rest

 

Where does the Soul dwell between incarnations? Occultism teaches that the Soul does not pass to a physical "place," but Transitions Through Various Spiritual States.

 

Following physical death, the entity discards its physical and etheric vehicles. It then passes into Kamaloka (the astral plane of desire), where it Slowly Sheds its Passional and Emotional nature. Once Freed from these lower desires, the Higher Triad passes into Devachan (the Heaven World).

 

Devachan is a State of Profound Spiritual Rest and Assimilation. Here, the Soul 'Mentally Digests' the Experiences of the Life just completed. The period of rest Varies with the Degree of Attainment gained by the Soul. Less advanced Souls, or those highly "earth-bound" by material desires, may reincarnate very quickly. However, more Advanced Souls, having cultivated the Higher parts of themselves, Enjoy a much Longer Period of Rest, meditating upon their experiences and weaving them into Permanent Moral and Mental faculties before returning to physical birth.

 

 

The Justice of Reincarnation and the Law of Karma

 

Reincarnation provides the only logical, philosophical Explanation for the Apparent Inequalities and Injustices of Life. If Souls were freshly created at birth, it would be a Manifestation of Profound Injustice for a Divine Power to arbitrarily thrust some into Opulence and Health, while dooming others to Wretchedness, Disease, or Criminal Environments.

 

Reincarnation explains that our presence on earth is not the effect of caprice or chance; it is A Sequel and Result of Previous Lives. We are what we are because of what we have been.

 

"Karma" is the Law of Cause and Effect as applied to the Life of the Soul. It is the Law whereby the Soul Reaps the Exact Results of its Own Sowing. It is not an arbitrary system of rewards and punishments handed down by a vengeful Deity, but a Great Natural Law Operating along Exact, Immutable Lines.

 

Pain and Suffering are not "punishments" for sin, but rather warnings from Nature that the Soul is on the wrong path. Spiritual pain is an indication of Spiritual friction, urging the evolving Soul to find a better way onward. By Understanding Karma, man ceases to be a helpless slave of chance and becomes the Master of His Destiny, using the Immutable Laws of nature to Consciously Shape his Future Character and Circumstances.

 

As Berry Benson beautifully expressed in his poem "The Kindergarten of God," life is a school where the Soul Learns Lessons across multiple days (Lives). If a Lesson is not Learned, the Soul must "come back tomorrow" until the Lesson is Mastered. Through the Cycle of Necessity, the Soul slowly but surely treads the Path of Evolution, growing ever Upward Toward the Divine.