Have You Lived Before...Will You Live Again

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES June 14, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

Nobody asked me, but…

One of the things that seems to strike a chord with many readers of this blog is the subject of reincarnation. Have we really lived before…will we live again?

The truth is that there is probably no topic in the paranormal world that has so much irrefutable factual support. Scientific proof? Of course not. But then nothing science has alleged can be proven scientifically, either, except for basic physics…and even that has as many exceptions as it has rules. Let’s look at some of the factual support concerning living before and living again:

Some of you may have read the “Before Mommy” story http://thesilkentouch.blogspot.com/2009/01/2204-before-mommy.html. There is simply no rational way a little girl of two or three, living in a city, could even be aware of…no less describe…life in a mountain cabin…without indoor plumbing…using an outhouse for a toilet…hobbling around on makeshift crutches, etc. If you haven’t already read it, please do so. Then tell some of your “Doubting Thomas” friends to read it.

Then there was my blog on Bridey Murphy (one of my favorites) published on (November 8, 2008 Explaininglifesmysteries.blogspot.com) wherein a housewife in Madison Wisconsin, under hypnosis, recalled living in a small village near Cork Ireland. She spoke with a heavy Irish brogue using some words no longer in common use and named and described her husband, their house, their children and the scenery on a trip from Cork to Belfast..even detailing where her family Bible was kept in her house. Of course, she had never been to Ireland; did not know anyone from Ireland, etc.

The Bridey Murphy case became a best-selling book. Because of this, hundreds of newsmen, seeking their fifteen minutes of fame, went to Ireland to verify or disprove what Bridey Murphy had said. The problem was that almost two hundred years had passed and record keeping in small villages 200 years ago was not that good, so they found very little to verify except for her detailing of the scenery on her journey to Belfast.

Those who would challenge the validity of past lives often point to the lack of information which can be empirically validated. Their cry is, "Give us data! Give us names, dates, places.” O.K. How do the skeptics account for this?

On February 11, 1942, the U.S. Submarine Shark, on which James Edward Johnston was a crew member, was depth charged and sunk by the Japanese Destroyer Amatsukaze. All hands including James drowned. The spirit that occupied the body of James appears to have reincarnated again on January 19, 1953 in the body of Bruce Kelly. James Johnston lived so recently that many of the memories recalled by Bruce Kelly have been authenticated by people who knew James Johnston.

Bruce Kelly went to a hypnotherapist because all his life he had a phobia about water and getting aboard an airplane. Under hypnosis, Kelly was regressed and started to say "I'm in a submarine ... I'm dying." The therapist then asked him for the name of the submarine, its ID number and where the incident happened. Bruce answered easily, that the submarine was the Shark SS-174, and that it was part of the Asiatic Fleet, stationed in Manila Bay. He was a crewman aboard the submarine and his name was James Johnston. Bruce was able to answer questions such as the date and time of his death immediately and without apparent effort. He was also able to recall where he was on the submarine and what was happening around him. Friends and family of Johnston have authenticated every detail of what Bruce Kelly said. The therapist also verified information provided by Bruce as to his Navy, civilian and school records.

As James Johnston, he had drowned in a submarine, an elongated, cylindrical pressure vessel which was similar to an airplane in form, fit, and function. Bruce said that he observed the separation of the spirit from his body.

Then there is the case of six-year-old James Leininger of Lafayette, Louisiana. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/news/s_189477.html . "He has always been extraordinarily interested in airplanes," said James' mother, Andrea Leininger. “Lots of kids love airplanes, but James' story is unique: He has memories of being a World War II fighter pilot from Uniontown, Indiana -- Lt. James McCready Huston, shot down near Iwo Jima in 1945.”

At 18 months old, his father, Bruce Leininger, took James to the Kavanaugh Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas, where the toddler remained transfixed by World War II aircraft. A few months later, James Leininger’s nightmares began.

"They were terrible, terrible," Andrea said. "He would scream, 'airplane crash, on fire, little man can't get out!' He'd be kicking, with his hands pointing up at the ceiling."

When James was 2 1/2 years old, he and Andrea were shopping and he wanted a toy airplane. Andrea said to him, 'Look, it has a bomb on the bottom' and he told me, 'That's not a bomb, it's a drop tank.' I had no idea what a drop tank was." Neither of the Leiningers have ever served in the military, nor are they involved with aviation. Until James showed an interest in planes, they had nothing aviation-related in their home.

"I was reading him a story and he got a faraway look," she recalled. "I asked what happened to your plane? 'Got shot,' he said. Where? 'Engine.' Where did it crash? 'Water.' When I asked him who shot the plane, he gave me a look like a teenager, rolling his eyes, 'the Japanese,' as if to say ‘who else could it have been?’

"What little kid knows about the Japanese," she asked. "He said he knew it was a Japanese plane because of the red sun. My husband and I were shell-shocked." James provided other information. He said his earlier name was also James. He flew a Corsair and took off from a small aircraft carrier named the Natoma, and he remembered a fellow flyer named Jack Larson who was later contacted. Larson said he witnessed Huston’s plane crash and verified every detail of what James Leininger had to say.

Foods can set James Leininger’s memories off, too: James’ mother said, "I hadn't made meatloaf in 10 years, so James had never eaten it. When he sat down, James said, 'Meatloaf! I haven't had that since I was on the Natoma.' When we were getting ice cream one day, he told me that they could have ice cream every day on the Natoma."

At first, James’ father, Bruce, was skeptical and set out to disprove his son’s rantings. Instead, he wound up proving every last thing his son said. Bruce began researching his son's memories and discovered a small escort carrier called the “Natoma Bay”, which was present at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Twenty-one of its crew perished. Bruce also discovered that only one of the Natoma's crew was named James, James Huston. James Huston's plane was hit in the engine by Japanese fire on March 3, 1945, went down in flames and sank immediately.

I could go on and detail many more verifiable incidents of past life regression, but this blog has gotten too lengthy already. Next week I’ll detail the most amazing, verified, ‘past life’ of all: The case of Shanti Devi.

If you’re interested in your past life(s), let me know. Stebrel@aol.com

As I said…nobody asked me.