Are your past lives impacting your spiritual business?
Have you ever had the experience of being passionate, fascinated by something even, but when it comes to telling others about it you have an uncomfortable feeling – maybe they won’t like it as much as you do, dismiss it as total nonsense, or even worse – laugh at you for sharing it?
This is really common amongst the spiritual entrepreneurs that I work with.
For those of us who sense that there is much more to this world than meets the eye, our beliefs can sometimes be outside of the traditional paradigms, or societal norms. Sharing our beliefs or ‘knowing’ (because let’s face it, when we know about the spiritual realms it’s so much more than just a belief) can create a vulnerability – we might be rejected or even persecuted for our beliefs.
For most of us in the 21st century, we know that we are unlikely to be killed for our spiritual beliefs (and it’s horrendous to think that there are still pockets of the world where this is a real danger) and yet the feel we feel publicly embracing our spirituality feels pretty dam real. So why is that?
PAST LIFE EXPERIENCES
Many of us have lived before this life; this is the principle of reincarnation. The experiences that we have in each life; the lessons we learn, the beliefs we create – even our physical wounds, can be carried forward into this life.
Most people would accept that who we are is shaped by the experiences we have; and carrying forwards beliefs from life to life is no different. Our soul grows, develops and progresses through each life we live, and if we were a completely blank slate each time, we would lose that wisdom.
Instead, we carry forward the information buried deep in our unconscious mind. It continues to shape how we live our current life without us ever realising it. You might like to think of it as spiritual DNA.
WITCH WOUNDS
Historically, healing was often regarded as the natural responsibility of women, with skills, knowledge and techniques passed down from family and friends or observing other healers. Before the scientific study of human illnesses, often ‘medicine’ came in the form of herbs, tinctures, amulets or incantations and were perceived as magical in some way.
When the study of medicine and academic training began in the Middle Ages, these were the preserve of men - and so women healers began to face opposition from the authorities (often led from within the church). Those who persisted were often subject to fines, physical punishment, excommunication or even exile. This developed into ‘witch-hunting’ from the 15-17th centuries.
If we faced persecution, rejection or even being killed for our healing or spiritual beliefs and practices in a past life that can show up in a number of ways in your current incarnation – and when you’re trying to build a spiritually based or inspired business, they can be obstacles on your journey to success. These are often referred to as ‘witch wounds’ but don’t necessarily mean that we were ‘witches’ – just ordinary women who were practicing folk medicine or being some form of healers, herbalists or even midwives.
FEAR OF BEING VISIBLE AND SPEAKING YOUR TRUTH
As an entrepreneur it’s important to be able to be visible in your business and communicate what it is that makes your client’s or customers want to buy from you. Your message is everything! It’s how you communicate who you are, what you do and how you do it.
However, if you have been persecuted, rejected or even killed for your spiritual beliefs or practices in one (or often many) past lives, we can come into this life feeling that it’s unsafe to be seen, to speak out and say what it is we feel called to do.
For example, one of my lovely client’s observed a previous life where she was poisoned by a professional rival in a past life as a herbalist, today, she’s a medical professional looking to move into more holistic healing – but worried about being scorned or rejected by her former peers.
Another client experienced a past life where she was an energy healer, who was killed by a mob who believed that she was working with dark energies. That life was terminated with her tongue being cut out and her throat cut. In this life she had been sensing for a while that she needed to explore energy healing but lacked the confidence to follow up on this because it didn’t feel safe to her.
In both cases these client’s gained insight and wisdom from their past lives which created mental and emotional freedom to be able to pursue their interests and embrace them as part of who they are.
SOUL CONTRACTS
If we experience strong emotions, or a traumatic experience in a past life, we often make vows or soul contracts to ‘never’ do something again – or even to ‘always’ do something (such as love someone). Whilst the commitment might have served us in our past life, these vows can be limiting today.
One of my client’s uncovered a life where she had been a French aristocrat who faced execution simply for being a wealthy man. In that life she vowed never to be wealthy again which was creating the belief that it wasn’t safe to be wealthy in this life!
Once we can uncover these contracts we can release or sever them, so that they no longer influence us in this life; either as energetic contracts, or as self-limiting beliefs.
UNCOVERING YOUR GIFTS
Often my clients tell me that they sense that their healing gifts are so much more than they are bringing into this life, but they feel blocked in some way. Often, they describe it as like some sort of information that’s just outside of their peripheral vision that they just can’t quite see.
When we explore past lives, we can uncover gifts and skills that we had in those lives, and if it’s something that would benefit us in our current life, bring the knowledge and skills back with us to the present, to enhance existing gifts, or embrace new ones.
DISCOVER YOUR SOUL'S PURPOSE
As well as exploring past life experiences, I work with my clients to connect with their guides, teachers, angels or higher self (it’s always exciting to see exactly who shows up!) and invite them to accompany us on the journey of discovery. However, in many cases we can also engage with them directly and the number one question that everyone wants to ask is about their purpose in this life – if you’re going to spend time, money and energy growing a business you want to make sure you’re on the right track, right?
When we uncover our purpose, it enables us to step into alignment with it, and we can use it as a benchmark for our future actions to help follow a particular path.
Of course, we also have free will – so you don’t have to follow the guidance received, however we incarnate to have specific experiences, or to gain specific knowledge or wisdom. If we don’t fully accomplish the task in one life, we continue to incarnate with the same purpose until we do.
I like to think of our lives as a bit like a computer game, we come into a particular level to learn a new skill and when we do, we move up a level.
If you would like to find out more about how to heal blocks from this life and past lives to unleash the confidence to get visible as your authentic self and make your unique impact on the world click here.
Helen Hardware is a clinical hypnotherapist and Soulful Confidence Coach. She helps spiritual entrepreneurs to heal blocks from this life and past lives to unleash their confidence and courage to get visible as their authentic self and make their unique impact on the world.
Find her on Facebook or join her free community the Soulful Confidence Collective.