PIATKUS

First published in United States of America in 2024 by TarcherPerigee,
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

First published in Great Britain in 2024 by Piatkus

Copyright © Michelle Brock, 2024

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-0-34943-945-7

Book design by Laura K. Corless

Piatkus

An imprint of

Little, Brown Book Group

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

An Hachette UK Company

www.hachette.co.uk

www.littlebrown.co.uk

For Skyler and Jesse, my two greatest teachers

Contents

Introduction

How to Use This Book

SECTION I

HONOR THE PAST

Chapter 1
You Are Not Your Name

Chapter 2
You Are Not Your Looks

Chapter 3
You Are Not Your Race or Ethnicity

Chapter 4
You Are Not Your Gender or Sexuality

SECTION II

LIVE YOUR PRESENT

Chapter 5
You Are Not Your Thoughts or Beliefs

Chapter 6
You Are Not Your Relationships or Roles

Chapter 7
You Are Not Your Suffering

Chapter 8
You Are Not Your “Story”

SECTION III

CREATE THE FUTURE

Chapter 9
The Cycles of Birth and Death

Chapter 10
Changing Your Point of View

Chapter 11
You Are a Soul; Your Purpose Is Love

Chapter 12
It’s Not Who You Are, but Who You Can Become

Acknowledgments

introduction

We have all been here before.

What I mean is, we have all lived in other forms, other bodies, other places, and other times. Yes, I am talking about reincarnation.

Reincarnation—the concept that we all have a past that took place in other lifetimes—is something I have come to believe in. I didn’t grow up with this idea. In fact, I was raised in a tradition that completely shunned such notions.

But I came to reincarnation the most powerful way: through my own experience.

Past lives can be remembered and experienced. I have recalled my own past lives, and the details have revealed that I have been different races, ethnicities, religions, and even genders than I am today.

Over the years, I have also helped guide thousands of individuals into the experience of their past. I have worked with people of all backgrounds and beliefs, and many elements to the journey of the soul through its lifetimes seem to be universal or, dare I say, human.

Our past lives are not ancient, ethereal, or far away, with nothing to do with now. Rather, they are a part of us. In fact, our past lives make up exactly who we are today. They live inside our unconscious mind, impacting our choices, preferences, and emotional states. They create our fears. They rule our negative thought patterns and the formation of our limiting belief systems.

Uncovering your past lives is a matter of learning how to navigate the often-stormy waters of the mind. Your past lives are there, right under the surface. Accessing them is only a matter of knowing where to look.

This book will act as a guide to locating those past lives, and to finding the memories of who you were before.

But then what? After you learn the story of your own past, how do you apply that knowledge to your life here, the one you are living right now?

Although history is interesting, I believe that what matters most is this life, right now, and the future we are creating. If we have already grown old and wise many times, how can we use that wisdom to navigate our lives today?

This book will show you how to use your past lives as a tool to discover your true identity, the one that has nothing to do with the body you are in right now or the life you are currently living. This new identity, as a soul and not a body, can help you find peace in the present moment, change how you look at yourself and others, and construct a new future for yourself that is free of your past.

You read that right.

You are creating the future. I want you to know that what lies ahead has not yet been determined. It is true that certain things will happen, or are “meant to be,” but the path ahead of you has not been forged. You are actively creating this future with each and every thought, word, and action. It is my belief that there is no such thing as fate but, instead, a principle called destiny.

Fate is something we can look at only in hindsight, but destiny requires action. Destiny also contains a spiritual dimension. We hear phrases like “stepping into your destiny,” which means a courage is gathered or a faith is found in order to take that leap. It means an action is taken that represents another step forward in your evolution, toward your purpose.

This is not just your life’s purpose, by the way. Your destiny is your soul’s purpose. By clearing anything from your past that is holding you back, and understanding more about who you truly are, you can step into this divine purpose and the future that reflects your highest destiny. This future will reflect your newfound wisdom, healing, and understanding and bring you all the happiness, love, and joy you could ever possibly find in this lifetime.

I also want to be clear that in my current life as a white woman living in a major urban center within a white supremacist society, I would never lay claim to someone else’s identity in the here and now. One goal of past lives work is to increase our empathy by unearthing our shared human identity, which means being open to hearing the experiences of others, even when it is painful. Listen. Hold space. Stay sensitive; stay compassionate.

We can all work together to change the future for the collective, too, in our communities, in our countries, and across the planet. Discovering your true identity by way of understanding your past lives can help make a shift that will bring about a new future for all of humanity.

May this book be of service to you, to your families, to all the lives you touch, and to all beings everywhere.

With love,        

Michelle Brock

how to use this book

My intention in writing this book is to give you, my dear reader, a chance to experience your past lives—but first I want to share some important things to know about this process:

*   Everyone experiences past-life memories in their own way.

*   You may see yourself quite clearly in vivid detail, or you may perceive only quick impressions.

*   Some people do not “see” anything but have an inner “knowing” or feeling of what is occurring.

*   Others describe the experience as though someone is telling them what is happening or narrating a scene.

*   It is necessary to focus on all of your senses while doing any past-life exercise because you may be surprised which are specific to you.

*   Strong emotions, smells, sounds, temperature differences, and textures are all part of the experience.

*   It is not uncommon for someone who is discovering a past life for the first time to feel as if all or part of the experience may have been imagined.

*   Sometimes a person will question the source of the material, believing that it may have come from a movie they have seen or some other place or event.

*   It is crucial to know that the subconscious mind often works with symbols, a phenomenon that we are most familiar with through our dreams.

*   Remember to keep an open mind and to not actively analyze your experience while you’re in it.

*   You will get more out of the process if you give yourself over as it unfolds. There will be plenty of time for analysis and interpretation afterward.

*   Certain memories or images experienced during past-life regression may represent traumatic events, which can evoke intense emotional reactions or distress.

*   These emotionally charged images are often useful for facilitating insight, understanding, and healing, but nonetheless, they can be emotionally troubling.

*   Uncovering past-life memories is not something that should be entered into lightly and should be done by someone who is grounded and ready to deal with any issues that may arise. Ideally, you are someone who has a healthy sense of self from this life and are not struggling with any mental health conditions or symptoms that could inadvertently become exacerbated through this process. If in doubt, please consult a qualified professional before embarking on this journey.

*   Accessing past-life memories is an entirely voluntary experience.

*   If at any time the experience becomes too uncomfortable or you feel unwilling to proceed, you may simply open your eyes and the process will stop.

*   Many people do not experience memories from their past lives right away; it takes practice over time. If this is true for you, do not be discouraged! Walk away and try again another time.

*   Many factors can influence a person’s ability to experience past-life memories, including individual capacity for relaxation and imagination; being tired, hungry, or distracted; or putting too much pressure on themselves to have the experience.

*   I encourage you to relax as much as you can and don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t happen the first time.

*   Keep trying, and allow this process to unfold in its own way and time.