It’s not just adult that have a fascination with their past lives. Children due to their newness on Earth can more readily access memories of their previous life. At times they can even paint vivid pictures of their past incarnation to the adults willing to listen to them! This is true for children around the world.
Ian Stevenson, a psychologist, performed a scientific study that documented over 2,500 cases of children who were able to recall pertinent and intimate details of deceased person’s life. He noted that typically these recollections fade away around age five.
One of the key pieces of evidence of children being able to retain memories of a past life is the ability for them to speak a foreign language that they have not yet experienced in this current lifetime. This phenomenon is referred to as xenoglossy. An example of xenoglossy in action comes from the life of Ivy Carter Beaumont, a young English girl who lived in the early 1900s. Although her family only was exposed to the English language, Ivy was able to speak in a mix of ancient and modern Egyptian. She stated to curious onlookers that this was because she had been a Babylonian princess in a previous lifetime.
Another example of children’s ability to share memories of their past life comes from an ability to identify crucial details of specific locations. This includes being able to explicitly describe places they have never visited or seen in any form of media. Evidence of this phenomenon can is shown by the life of Purnima Ekanayake, a nine-year-old Sri Lankan girl. During a discussion with a professional, she discussed her work as an incense maker at the temple Kelaniya and how she had perished in a tragic bus accident nearby. Her claims were investigated and the person’s life she recalled was positively identified!
A third way kids share their knowledge of a previous life is through first-hand accounts of historical events. James Leininger, was a toddler fascinated by toy airplanes during the day, but had devastating nightmares about plane crashes and explosions at night. After one such night terror, he shared with his parents he had been aboard the USS Natoma during World War II. His parents investigated this story and learn about the horrific explosion of this warship.
If you know a young child who might be trying to share stories of their past life be embolden to ask them questions. When you are able to listen to them, rather than dismissing it as fantasy, you help this child help lingering wounds from the past. You can also become a front-row participant in the wonders of history and the power of reincarnation.