Past life / soul novel idea
Last night, I began work on a novel I want to write about past life
regression / children believing that they are someone else or have
imaginary friends. Why schizophrenic's choose the characters that
inhabit their minds, telling them to perform certain tasks / have
inner conversations. All of these subjects have fascinated me for
the majority of my adult life. Seeking explanation; I have studied
various psychological text books / internet and interviews.
This will be a fictional novel and centres around my interest in Noetic Science and what happens to the energy we release immediately after death (known as the soul to some). This energy cannot disintegrate, therefore, sits in the atmosphere all around us (do you see where I am going with this), my fictional tale has the energy being absorbed into a childs brain at birth, hence giving them a multiple presence in the mind. Past life regression uncovers details of the "soul energy" contained within a person, details of that energy's previous life etc, not our own pre-existence. Without this energy (from the dead), life of humans on this planet would not be able to continue.
Obviously this is a fictional tale with a great deal of scientific fact thrown in and is centred around the lives of four main characters, one being a child of six yrs. My niece; Sophie, believed for many years that she was somebody else. She re-named herself, dressed a certain way, even spoke in an odd accent sometimes. This worried some members of the family, but I found the whole thing interesting and because she was not scared or misbehaving, advised that they let it run its course. Oh, and she knew songs that she could not possibly have heard / learned. Sophie does not remember any of this now (six years on), though she still has bizarre dreams - just like her Aunty Kiki.
A dream has brought this all together for me and i'm really excited about writing it, so much so that I stayed up most of last night consumed in it all, neglecting my current WIP!! (Could have been the wine)
Is this something that people will read??
My brain would not settle until I had written down all of the character information / scenes / details. It's still buzzing now and I am beginning to think that I am going mad.
Anyway, I have now opened up my current MS in an attempt to re-immerse myself in the world of angels.
Anyones opinions would be greatfully received before I go and spend more hours / pages / words on this idea (though not until mu current MS is finished). I have already written 17k words on the idea as detailed above!
This will be a fictional novel and centres around my interest in Noetic Science and what happens to the energy we release immediately after death (known as the soul to some). This energy cannot disintegrate, therefore, sits in the atmosphere all around us (do you see where I am going with this), my fictional tale has the energy being absorbed into a childs brain at birth, hence giving them a multiple presence in the mind. Past life regression uncovers details of the "soul energy" contained within a person, details of that energy's previous life etc, not our own pre-existence. Without this energy (from the dead), life of humans on this planet would not be able to continue.
Obviously this is a fictional tale with a great deal of scientific fact thrown in and is centred around the lives of four main characters, one being a child of six yrs. My niece; Sophie, believed for many years that she was somebody else. She re-named herself, dressed a certain way, even spoke in an odd accent sometimes. This worried some members of the family, but I found the whole thing interesting and because she was not scared or misbehaving, advised that they let it run its course. Oh, and she knew songs that she could not possibly have heard / learned. Sophie does not remember any of this now (six years on), though she still has bizarre dreams - just like her Aunty Kiki.
A dream has brought this all together for me and i'm really excited about writing it, so much so that I stayed up most of last night consumed in it all, neglecting my current WIP!! (Could have been the wine)
Is this something that people will read??
My brain would not settle until I had written down all of the character information / scenes / details. It's still buzzing now and I am beginning to think that I am going mad.
Anyway, I have now opened up my current MS in an attempt to re-immerse myself in the world of angels.
Anyones opinions would be greatfully received before I go and spend more hours / pages / words on this idea (though not until mu current MS is finished). I have already written 17k words on the idea as detailed above!
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I started writing mine two years ago and scrapped it until I had some great feedback at the Winchester Writers' Conference. An agent in the states wants to see the finished product (they have only read the synopsis) so I have to finish it, though I would prefer an agent over here. Its called Dreme Guardian, and it's been a big part of my life for a while. It was another dream turned into a novel. I dream't it all from start to finish so had to write it. :)
*laughing out loud at your wine comment*
Wine makes me stupid too, especially in the presence of others. It also makes me hyper, so I don't sleep. I try too, but I get restless legs and start bloody twitching. So, fighting the droopy eyelids, I wander off to my computer and attempt to write.
It's possible to work on two novels at once. Whenever I feel blocked on one thing (which I think is cos my unconscious mind needs to work on it for a while) I immediately turn to one of the other things I'm working on. I'd say work on whatever you're most excited about at the time.
I'm a little sceptical about past life regression. I've read accounts of apparently impossible knowledge etc, but have also read convincing rational explanations of the phenomena. Did you know that hypnotism (as used in regression) greatly stimulates the creative part of the mind? Also, brain injuries have been known to cause personality changes, and even the ability to speak a previously unknown foreign language. There are clearly deeper mysteries here, and a broader approach could lead in some surprising directions!
When people write about the subject of past lives, they tend to be very partisan. I'd like to read something with a more balanced approach to the subject, bringing both open-mindedness and scepticism to bear.
There is scientific fact as well as ethereal.
Thank you for your encouragement and I don't feel so guilty about writing more than one novel at a time now! :)
Although I do believe in past lives and I certainly believe that some children are born with knowledge of their previous lives, I also agree with Wrathy that the novel would work best if involved some level of open-mindedness rather than certainty.
Yes, I have also heard that children forget all past experiences by the age of seven. In astrological terms, this is a very significant age when growing up begins - you could say that the final vestiges of babyhood give way to childhood. Uri Geller once told me that children below the age of seven can bend spoons with no problems at all - they believe that it can happen because they haven't yet been told otherwise by adults. But after the age of seven they can't do it nearly as easily because by then they've been taught that such things aren't possible. And therefore they aren't.
My elder niece had past life memories of being burnt to death in a church. She's now nearly 12 and I must ask her if she still remembers that. When I first saw her, 24 hours after she'd been born, I held her, stared into her eyes and asked her where she'd come from. (I mean spiritually, by the way, not physically, as even I know the answer to that one!) She seemed to be sending me all sorts of information and even looked quite impatient when I didn't understand it.
Daphne du Maurier is not familiar but I will go and research her now.
Loving that you have spoken to Uri Geller, amazing eccentric man.
Thank you for your advice and information :)
Oh but would I read the book? Course I would. Don't be daft!
Thanks again for the encouragement :)
"When I lived before I was a man teacher, I had a red montego estate with a tow bar, but I died and went in my space egg to the moon of eggs and played with the other space eggs until it was time to come and be Ben..."
As you could guess you could hear the old proverbial pin drop.
I only have one very strange episode from when my son was little, he was a bit of a science genius but never talked about another life. When he was four, the life van came to the school to talk about the digestive system and healthy eating with the kids. Present in the group were around four teachers, teaching assistants and about 60 children. The woman started talking about chewing food porperly etc when my son thrust his hand in the air (I am recalling the teachers stories), he just would not settle (they thought that he needed the loo). After a couple of minutes they finally asked what was up and he stood as if he was going to do a presentation, what he said next shocked everyone hence the reason that they came to me. He told them about anatomy, that food is swallowed down the esophagus where it travels through to the stomach, he talked about the intestine, bowel and bladder. He was four and we had never talked about it before (apart from the normal, where does poo come from etc). His teacher actually called me into school to talk to me about it. Perhaps he was a doctor / biologist in a previous life or is inhabited by a doctors energy?? I love your four year old's story. Would everybody mind if I quoted some of these tales in my book? Obviously no names etc (apart from thank you's). Thanks Norman :)
Thanks Babblefish - I am taking your advice.
Spangles is quite right. Daphne Du Maurier has had great successes with this sort of material. She is still a very popular author.
I agree with Babblefish - it all hangs on the characters. I think they have to be convincing and we have to care about them and believe in them, and then we can believe in their experiences. The sort of book I put down immediately is the one where the characters are subsidiary to the meaningful plot, which revolves around A Serious Spiritual Message. As Sam Goldwyn famously said, if you want to send a message, call Western Union!
Have you read Jenny Cockell's book Across Time and Death: A Mother's Search for her Past Life Children? She believes that she was a woman called Mary Sutton in Ireland in the early 20th century, and she set out to find Mary's children. There's quite a lot about her on the internet. You might also find it helpful to look at the novels of Barbara Erskine and Phil Rickman, if you don't already know them. They don't deal with past lives (or not the ones I've read, anyway) but they do deal with the paranormal in a very successful way. Especially Barbara Erskine.
I will certainly ask my niece about the church next time I see her. I'm lucky because I had open-minded relatives while growing up, and vividly remember discussing the transmigration of souls with my grandmother over tea when I was small! Sorry, that sounds a bit pompous but isn't meant to be. We just talked about whether it was possible to come back as a wasp, for instance.
The character's are currently growing inside my tiny brain.
In my dream there was a child psychologist sitting in a play environment (play therapy room) talking with the six year old girl about who she believed she was. The paranoid mother had taken her daughter following multiple episodes of strange and unexplained behaviours (won't list on here yet). The little girl was well spoken with an extensive vocabulary (too advanced for her age). Mother was impatient and stressing about the behaviour thinking her daughter was schizophrenic /odd, shouting at the little girl whenever she talked about her past life (or who she thought she really was). Sceptical and a non-believer; mother had been raised in a strict religious (my sons nan is a lay reader so this could have had some bearing) household and was taught that all of this stuff was mumbo-jumbo (crap).
The scene when the little girl was born was so vivid it was wild!
As the mother pushed for the last time and the little girl was born, there were sparks of light all around (invisible to everyone in the room apart from me and baby). The sparks of energy were absorbed through the fontanelle of the little girl and as she cried for the first time another woman's tears were echoing inside the babies head. This energy continued to talk to and sooth the baby as she got older and when she began to speak, the energy would speak with her. Her mother thought that she had an imaginary friend and asked all of her friends about it.
I'll stop now as I could tell you the whole story and it would take forever. Cut a long story short; one of the mother's close friends had done past life regression and talks to her about it but mother dismisses it. Mothers friend starts talking to the little girl, secretly recording the conversations, and the friends fall out over it all. There is much, much more. I'm glad people share my interests, it's good to know you're not alone.
Mcallan - Thanks mate :)
My advice is to keep a notebook and pencil next to your bed ready for when you wake. I say pencil because I used to keep a pen but it leaked all over me. After scribbling down my dream I went back to sleep not realising that I was covered in blue biro ink. It was all over my face, chest, hands, in my hair!! Never again. It wouldn't come off either! :)
I'm sorry you have had a tough time but you have the right attitude towards your past, it has made you who you are today. This is a reflection of my own views. You sound like a strong and forgiving person; I like that.
If and when I post some stuff up here with regards to the schizophrenia subject please critique. Although I have knowledge of the subject, I don't have a vast amount of experience, and experience is what matters! Thanks again GP :)
I find it frustrating following blogs, there need to be a 'watch this blog tag'.
It is easy to get carried away with an idea and have a manic phase and think ithat it is the best idea on the planet and then come a cropper, but it sounds as if you have masses of material. Usually when you are excited about a topic it comes across to the readers.
I knew someone (closely) who went to regression therapists and had amazing experiences of themselves as a Roman soldier.
There has been a documentary on children in India who believe they had a former life. They are treated in a special way as if they are gifted, it is not seen as unusual, as it might be in the west.
As there are programs watched by millions concerning ghosts and psychics make lots of money from their books and shows I feel sure there will be a demand.
Good luck to you.
The aura is said to be egg shaped and hence, presumably, that's a suitable shape for a soul. Now how could a four year old know anything like that?
For as long as I can remember I've had 'odd' but very real experiences. As a child I used to tell myself 'When I grow up I'll know what that meant.' Of course it didn't happen. I have ideas and some beliefs, but try always to keep an open mind. I formed what I call my Template and check how things that have happened to me fit into it. Mostly they fit a progression through many lives, taking what we've learned so far, digesting it in a kind of evaluation phase between and deciding what next we want to work on before choosing the situation we need to be born to in the next life. The more lives we've lived through, the longer the memories last in each following life.
Perhaps working on your 'Fiction' will clarify a few things for you. I've found meditation can bring sudden flashes of what I think of as Enlightenment', that is ... becoming or being in the heart of the matter.
I know I'd love the story you have in mind, and hope you'll complete it.
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