Past lives?

[Umeko]

I think I've posted this before. Reincarnation is a deeply ingrained part of my belief system (Toaism/ Buddhism).

As a child, I've dreamt of fleeing or rushing to protect someone or something.

As to the Japanese aspect, samurai class female , possibly Christian. Living in really chaotic times. With social upheaval and religious persecution.

Eerie little slips as a young child. First, referring to Granny's Goddess of Mercy statue as Virgin Mary. ((In Tokugawa Japan when Christian persecution was at its height, Christians practised their faith secretly by crafting statues of the Virgin as the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.))

Two, prayer beads. Hiding the rosary beads in my Catholic babysitter's house for goodnessknewwhy. ((During the persecution, being caught with any Christian symbol was tantamount to treason. It's common for entire clans to be sentenced to death or torture.)) Either that or i get a kick out of driving my poor sitter nuts.

As to non-human past lives: Tiger.

[Gentatsu]

Very cool. Very interesting. Keep researching.

[Otemba]

Wow, that was very informative! Sounds awesome! I want to hear more.

[Umeko]

Okay, this is one really weird dream. I can't say for sure if it is a past live dream or something else. The setting is turn of the century China. I am in this very big but sinister-looking courtyard. No grass or garden landscape.

There is a little girl in the yard, dressed in that era's Chinese clothes. She is just standing there crying. I have the feeling that the girl is not an ordinary girl, but a princess and this courtyard was somewhere in the Forbidden City. I hear a woman screaming in Mandarin: "My daughter!"

I sense someone running towards the child (I don't see anyone, just a feeling), trying to hug the child, only to be pulled away by someone or something. Then the girl's eyes go real wide & she goes quiet. Like she's seen something so shocking, she's totally numbed.

Another type of dream I sometimes get are those where I'm sure I am looking at an event to come or an event that is past.

Example1: Tsunami dream. I dreamt of the sea going out as I watch from the windows of a beach chalet, I get a really uneasy feel. I hear a roaring sound, I rush out to warn everyone off the beach... I wake in cold sweat. This dream was very vivid, about a few years before the Asia tsunami. When it happened, I was in a chalet similar to that in my dream. I saw the disaster on TV. My heart almost dropped. Thankfully, the tsunami spared my nation (Thank God).

Another time, I dreamt of unearthing bones on the beach near my home. Fact: the beach was a massacre site during WWII. After the war ended, the remains were removed and interred in the civilian war memorial.

Normally, 'past' dreams are when i am a watcher. I normally do not participate although i exprience strong emotions. 'Future' dreams are more tricky. I exprience strong emotions, but i do not get it until the actual event happens. Then I get a deja vu feeling although it was impossible I had exprience it before.

--------- Back to Christianity in pre modern Japan----------

The religion was introduced by Portugese and Dutch traders. The starting point for conversion was Nagasaki as it was a port of call for the merchants. Christianity found support among the peaseant classes as well as samurai by the civil war.

There were several Christian revolts against the Tokugawa. Despite attempts by the Tokugawa regime to stamp out the religion, it went underground and survived until the Meiji era.

There are museums & a park in Shimabara, Nagasaki commemorating the Japanese Christian martyrs. The crosses were erected later. In the museums, you can see how the Christians continued their faith right under the noses of the authorities. The Virgin-Goddess statue was one way, another was the alteration of rosaries so they resembled the Buddhist rosary.

[Otemba]

Wow...another fact added to my mind. Kool...

[Pendance]

very kool!

[Umeko]

umeko said:

As to non-human past lives: Tiger.

Okay, this is freaky. It still sends chills down my spine. It happened a few weeks back in a public place with some jerk who -never mind- Anyhow, like any outraged girl, I confronted him and the guy actually HIT me.

Before I knew it, I was roaring like a tiger and had a VERY strong urge to rip out his throat with my hands. I think I gave him some claw marks to the throat before he escaped.

Kinda spooky because it's like something took over me. Maybe if i weren't so petite, I might have inflicted some serious damage. When tigers hunt, they inevitably go for a crushing grip on the throat.