Stress is a normal part of being human. But have you ever noticed that many people have a particular issue that continually causes them more stress than usual? For example, why does money, addiction, family, race, appearance, sexuality, or another issue repeatedly cause one person so much stress, but not another?
One reason is past life karma. Extensive evidence (1) indicates that many circumstances in our current lives are the result of our “good” and “bad” past life actions. But not because of punishment.
I’ve found through over 35 years of past life regression and between-life empirical research that there’s no such thing as a judgmental God who punishes us. Instead, our souls (not personalities) choose each lifetime based on what we need and want to experience for growth, learning, and understanding.
According to a survey by the Global Research Society and the Institute for Social Research (Ipsos), 51% of people worldwide believe in reincarnation. Also, a YouGov poll from 2022 found that about 27% of Americans believe in reincarnation.
Based on my observations, below are some examples of how past life actions can create future life circumstances.
Race
Someone who is white in their current life and was a black slave in a past life (like I believe I was, at least twice) may not have race-related karma in the current life, but he may react strongly to anyone who tries to own or control him.
Someone who was a slave driver in a past life might have race karma in this life. A negative expression of that might be someone who uses false accusations of racism as a weapon.
Money
Someone who worked and worked and worked for little in return in a past life may have good money karma (owed to her now from the person she worked for then). Or perhaps a soul wanted to focus on something else in this life besides financial survival, so money isn’t usually an issue for the person now.
Someone who ripped off others in past lives might find it happening to them more often than usual in the current life. But being robbed in the current life doesn’t always mean you were a thief in a past life.
Addiction
Someone who abused their body with drugs, alcohol, food, or tobacco in past lives might be born with a weaker body and/or a propensity for addiction in the current life. Dying is not an escape from addiction. You must deal with it eventually.
Love
Someone who treated family and friends well in past lives might have good relationships in their current life. Someone who is alone may have too, and their soul may have chosen solitude for other reasons.
Someone who keeps falling for cheaters might have cheated in one or more past lives. Or, for some other reason (such as a fear of commitment, ironically, or selective attention; they gravitate towards people who are like their parent—who cheated), they are subconsciously drawn to people who profess to want monogamy, but can’t or won’t live it.
Appearance
Someone who used their good looks to take advantage of others might be disadvantaged in the appearance department this time. Or maybe she depended on her looks too much, and her soul wanted to give her the opportunity to use her talents instead. Or perhaps she was singled out for her attractiveness in a past life, and it ended terribly. This time, her subconscious is trying to avoid that.
Sexual Orientation
Someone who persecuted gays in a past life might find their sexual orientation causes them stress in the current life. Or perhaps he never faced it in past lives, and now he is forced to.
The people who are complaining the loudest about any of these issues, especially if they’re rude about it, were often the perpetrators in past lives.
Note: Of course, life circumstances are not always about, or only because of, karma. Sometimes your soul chose them for other reasons, like being an example for others, or they’re just part of the lifetime package. Sometimes brave souls volunteer for difficult circumstances for rapid soul growth. Apparently, there can be a waiting list for difficult incarnations!
What You Can Do
What’s the best way to deal with crappy circumstances? Detach from the situation as much as you can by accepting it. Or at least do what you can to help the problem and accept what you can’t change. Remember that you have free will within your destined circumstances to react positively, even to difficult people. That will also help create positive karma for your future.
Explore your past lives with the Past Life Regression audio in the Your Soul Knows Audio E-Package: https://stephenpetullo.com/products/
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(1) Bowman, Carol. Children’s Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child. Bantam, 1997.
Kear, Lynn. We’re Here: An Investigation into Gay Reincarnation. Retropolitan, 1999.
Langley, Noel. Edgar Cayce on Reincarnation. Warner Books, 1981.
Marieta Pehlivanova, Monica J. Janke, Jack Lee & Jim B. Tucker. “Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Children’s Past-Life Memories” International Journal of Sexual Health, 30:4, (2018): 380-389, DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2018.1523266.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19317611.2018.1523266?needAccess=true&journalCode=wijs20
Stevenson M.D., Ian. Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation (2nd ed., rev.). University Press of Virginia, 1974.
Stevenson M.D., Ian. Cases of the Reincarnation Type: Vol. IV, Twelve Cases in Thailand and Burma. University Press of Virginia, 1983.
Stevenson M.D., Ian. Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation. University Press of Virginia, 1987.
Todeschi, Kevin J. Edgar Cayce on Reincarnation and Family Karma. Yazdan Publishing, 2011.
Tucker M.D., Jim B. Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children’s Memories of Previous Lives. St. Martin’s Press, 2005.
Tucker M.D., Jim B. Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives. St. Martin’s Press, 2013.
Tucker M.D., Jim B. “Ian Stevenson and Cases of the Reincarnation Type.” Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 22, No. 1 (2008): 36–43. https://www.scientificexploration.org/docs/22/jse_22_1_tucker.pdf.
Copyright © 2025 Stephen Petullo
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