Hi Bernie,

All of the experiences of the past lives help develop a person's spiritual maturity. However, the details of the other lives are not accessible when we're on the Earth plane learning current lessons. The reason is that living a life required focus on what's going on right now, with the history of what's been learned, the family and circumstances, and physical characteristics. The lessons are learned in the context of this particular play on this evening in this theater. If we tried bringing in the memories of another play from another theater, it would be like blending Gone with the Wind and Star Wars on the screen at the same time.

And so we stay in character; we are in this life and focus on it. When we were in the other lives, we were similarly focused on them. However, all the spiritual lessons we learned in those lives contribute to the eternal self we are. If we go into adulthood as a compassionate person, we learned that in some past experiences. If we are cruel, self-centered, and insensitive, it means in past lives, we didn't learn how to love others and be sensitive to their needs. We might learn that now, or it may be another life on the Earth plane or some other plane where we learn those lessons.

But where we are spiritually is an accumulation of all that we've learned in all of our past lives.

When a person transitions to the next plane of life, he or she doesn't change, so we still don't know about the other lives after the transition. We stay the same individual, as do our loved ones. Then, at some later time, perhaps decades or centuries of Earth time, when we evolve to a higher spirituality, we're mature enough that we are given the opportunity to recall parts of past lives. Those on the next plane of life describe their past lives, but after they've been there and have matured spiritually to where they can understand them.

Love and peace, Craig