1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Have you ever given any thought to reincarnation. I know 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: it seems kind of hard to grasp the idea that 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: who you are could actually be transplanted into another body 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: with a whole different life and a different set of circumstances. Right, 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: But think about this. What about the mom of a 6 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: three year old who told her that in another life 7 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 1: he was a woman who died in a fire. Plus, 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: there are big names like Henry Ford, General George Patten, 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: Beatle George Harrison, and author Charles Dickens who were all 10 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: believers in reincarnation, and some even told stories of their 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: past lives. I'm Mattie Steele. Life after Life. That's next 12 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: on the backstory. The backstory is back. Does the idea 13 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: of reincarnation fascinate you, creep you out? Or maybe a 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: little bit of both. Let me tell you something. When 15 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: I was a really small little girl, maybe four years old, 16 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: my brother, who was around six, used to tell stories 17 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: that always started with, well, well when I was an 18 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: old man in my other life dot dot dot, and 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: then he'd talk about something he saw or did. My 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,119 Speaker 1: mom said he actually started telling those stories when he 21 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: was just able to talk at two years old. It 22 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: wasn't something she encouraged or discouraged. She'd just let him 23 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: share and eventually it stopped. But there have been so 24 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: many stories from other folks that I wanted to explore 25 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: this idea a little bit. Some are incredibly famous personalities 26 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: and others just regular folks, often little kids, because researchers 27 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: say they're more likely to still be able to access 28 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: those kinds of memories. Now this one's going to give 29 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: you goosebumps. A young mom, Erica Ruhlman, said her little boy, 30 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: five year old Luke, was constantly calling dolls and other 31 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: toys Pam. He would also talk about once having been 32 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: a girl with black hair and wearing earrings like his 33 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: mom wore. So finally Erica asked Luke who PAM was. 34 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: He said, I was, well, I used to be, but 35 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: I die and I went up to heaven. I saw 36 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: God and then eventually God pushed me back down, and 37 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: when I woke up, I was a baby, and you 38 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: named me Luke. She pressed him for more details, and 39 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: Luke told her that when he was PAM, he lived 40 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 1: in Chicago. He took the train a lot, and he 41 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: died in a fire in a big building. Then he 42 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: made a hand motion as though someone was jumping out 43 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: of a window. When Erica googled the facts, she found 44 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: a news story about a fire in the Paxton Hotel 45 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: in Chicago in March of nineteen ninety three. Nineteen people 46 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: were killed in the fire there, including a woman named 47 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: Pam Robinson, who died when she jumped out of a window. 48 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: Erica said, Luke couldn't have known about the fire in Chicago. 49 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: He'd never even been to Chicago, and they had certainly 50 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: never talked about it. And another little kid with memories 51 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: of another life was James Lininger. He was born in 52 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: Louisiana in nineteen ninety eight, and during his whole childhood, 53 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: James had recurring nightmares of dying in a plane crash. 54 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: By the age of two, he was actually drawing detailed 55 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: pictures of World War II fighter planes. Then he kept 56 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: repeating the name junior, James, What would you do? Most 57 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: parents figured they'd look into it, and they were shocked 58 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: when they came up with the name James Houston Junior. 59 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: He was a pilot in World War Two who died 60 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: in combat in nineteen forty five. James knew everything about 61 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: him and had even recreated the insignia on the plane's 62 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: wing before they ever came up with the pilot's name. Now, 63 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: some people say that in past lives they were iconic 64 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: individuals we've all heard of. But here's the thing. There 65 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: are also a ton of well known folks you wouldn't 66 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: expect to be believers who have stories to tell. Take 67 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: founding father Ben Franklin. He famously believed that after death, 68 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: the human soul returns in a new body. At the 69 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: age of twenty two, he said his life's work would 70 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: never be lost because he'd be back in a new 71 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: and more elegant addition to revise and correct it, and 72 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: at eighty eight he wrote, I look upon death to 73 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: be as necessary to the Constitution as sleep. We shall 74 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: rise refreshed in the morning, finding myself to exist in 75 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,839 Speaker 1: the world. I believe I shall, in some shape or other, 76 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: always exist. And Henry Ford, admittedly quite the narcissist, explained 77 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: his accomplishment saying genius is experience. Some seem to think 78 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: it's a gift or a talent you're just born with, 79 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: but it's actually the fruit of long experience in many lives. 80 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: In a nineteen twenty eight interview, Ford said, I adopted 81 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: the theory of reincarnation when I was twenty six years old. 82 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: Neither religion nor work gave me complete satisfaction. Work is 83 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: futile if you cannot utilize the experience you collect in 84 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: one life in the next. When I discovered reincarnation, it 85 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: was as if I had found a universal plan that 86 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: gave me a chance to work out my ideas. Time 87 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,719 Speaker 1: was no longer limited. Some are older souls than others, 88 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: and so they know more. The discovery of reincarnation put 89 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: my mind at ease, and I would like to communicate 90 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: to others the calmness that the long view of life 91 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: can give us. And this guy, General George Patten, maybe 92 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: the toughest and most feared general in World War Two, 93 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: spoke extensively about his multitude of past lives, almost all 94 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,559 Speaker 1: military centric. He claimed to have been a prehistoric mammoth hunter, 95 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: a Greek foot soldier, a medieval warrior, and a marshal 96 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: for Napoleon, just to name a few. He believed that 97 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: after this life he would be reborn to lead armies again. 98 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: He wrote poetry and at least one focused on his 99 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: past lives. Through a Glass Darkly reads in part so 100 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: as through a glass and darkly the age long strife, 101 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: I see where I fought in many guises, many names, 102 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: but always me. And finally, there's the late Beatle George 103 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: Harrison's take on reincarnation. Through his belief in the Hari 104 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: Krishna movement and transcendental meditation, he maintained that we could 105 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: stop the cycle of reincarnation through spiritual growth. His song 106 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: Art of Dying explores that idea. But George did see 107 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: the value of rebirth when he said, friends are all 108 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: souls we've known in other lives were drawn to each other. 109 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: That's pretty beautiful. All these stories, whether spiritual truth or 110 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: some kind of neurological trick, remind us of our deep 111 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,799 Speaker 1: desire to understand who we are and what essential part 112 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: of who we are will last beyond this lifetime. Hope 113 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: you're enjoying the Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a 114 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: review and follow or subscribe for free to get new 115 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically, and as always, feel free to dm 116 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: me if you have a story you'd like me to cover. 117 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. 118 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 119 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 120 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 121 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 122 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 123 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 124 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The 125 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.