Cav's Place

This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time and I think it’s quite suitable to write about it on Samhain. How can Pagans believe in reincarnation but at the same time say they can get in touch with the spirit of any deceased person or that they expect those spirits to manifest themselves at times such as this? Wouldn’t most of those spirits be a bit busy with their new bodies at the time?

I think souls can choose to stay here in a ghostly form, or end up staying here because they don’t know how to leave, but in such cases they’d always be here, not only get in touch for certain occasions or when they are called upon. So if that is considered a way of explaining it, it’s a flawed one. Not to mention that if so many would stay here there won’t be many left to reincarnate!
One might be likely to assume that the souls they think of have already evolved past the need for reincarnation, that the life they knew them in was their last physical existence and they are therefore able to contact you in spirit form at any time, but that’s usually just wishful thinking. However highly you might think of a person, it’s quite unlikely that they have broken the circle of reincarnation at the end of the lifetime you knew them in. Yes, it is possible that a few of them did, but most didn’t. And even some of those who have evolved past the need to reincarnate may choose to come back anyway, in order to help those of us who are still here.

This might not apply to the souls of recently deceased people, under the assumption that they have not reincarnated yet, but even that is a hard call to make. How can you know when a soul will reincarnate and how do you know how time works for souls anyway? Wouldn’t it be possible for a soul to feel as if hardly any time passed between death and rebirth, regardless of how long it has been for us here, and therefore be unable to communicate with us even during that time?
Also, considering the ever increasing human population, it appears logical that the amount of time between death and rebirth will keep decreasing, if we assume that souls do not travel between planets. Though the number of other animals is decreasing, mostly because of us, and if we assume that at least some of the other animals also have souls, there could be plenty of them to go around without needing to hasten the process noticeably. Still, it’s something worth considering.

But either way it is, how can some call on souls of people who have died centuries ago and expect a proper response? Whether those souls are currently experiencing another physical existence, are in between incarnations or have broken the cycle of reincarnation, a reply is unlikely. Even if they are not currently a bit busy occupying another body, the call uses a name and that name is the name they used during one of their past lives. How do you know they still identify themselves with it?
Even if you do get the reply you expect while doing this, couldn’t it come from another entity that assumes that identity for reasons unknown to us? It could be a passing spirit that desires some conversation, it could be an entity that desires some influence over the physical realm, or it could even be some sort of “astral answering service” designed so such calls won’t bother souls that are currently otherwise occupied. Food for thought…

Yes, there are spirits that contact the living, that’s quite clear. Some of them are those who have stayed behind after the death of their physical shell, others have broken the cycle of reincarnation but still choose to intervene in order to aid those of us who are still here, and yet others could simply be in between incarnations. But there is a big difference between that and saying that every dead person’s spirit can potentially be contacted.
Just think of it logically, what are the odds of a random spirit not currently experiencing another physical existence? And, for the cases where it isn’t, what are the odds of it being able to receive the message, caring about it and being able to send a reply as well? The chances of that happening seem quite low to me, and the fact that plenty of such situations do exist is only explained by the very large number of souls available. After all, even a fraction of one percent of tens of billions is still a very large number.
But when you’re no longer talking about all the souls available, but only about your family and friends, and also perhaps a few historical figures you can think of, keep those percentages in mind, even when you think you got a response. It might not be from who you think it is.

Nothing but some seasonal musings, of course. After all, logic and faith often don’t get along too well… But maybe they should, don’t you think?