The way that I see it reincarnation is more of a rebirth of ones spirit, like almost a start over for that soul. So with that being said I also believe that with reincarnation the decisions, or karma, from that life effect the new life that soul is reborn into. I.E.- if that soul was corrupt or just bad and had bad karma when they are reborn their bad karma follows them. Like wise with the opposite. And without any recollection of that previous life. So that person would have the bad or good karma but wouldn't know why. And with reincarnation I don't believe that the previous soul or souls really have a connection to past memories.
And with past lives I feel like it is one soul, but that one soul isn't necessarily reborn each life but is traveling through lifetimes with a particular mission or goal. And each new life becomes more and more conscience of the previous lives and what that driving goal is.
Which is why I feel like what I am experiencing is closer to being past lives than reincarnation, because I don't feel like it's my soul being reborn, as much as it is my soul living different lives. If that makes any sense. I'm not sure how to phrase it that makes sense. Which is part of the reason I have such a hard time talking about this subject. I am honestly not sure if what I am experiencing is past lives or reincarnation, or if it is something completely different. Especially because I have met many people who have different beliefs and theories on what past lives and reincarnation are.
So for example when I look at a photos of France in the 1930's to 50's I can feel the memories of being there. I can remember the sounds and the smells. I can feel emotions and feelings that feel like they are mine but I have never felt them before. And even growing up I could understand french and I knew words in french, which is impossible. I am Italian, my mother is Italian, and my father is Irish. No one in my family is French, so any knowledge I had of French or France in general makes zero sense. I have the same feelings about London in 1880 to 1910. Even Los Angeles in 1950 to 1970. Unlike France and London I have been able to go to LA many times, my mother and her siblings grew up there, and the feeling and memories are borderline unbearable when I visit LA. I have never had the chance to go to France or London but I can assume that the feeling would be similar. It's a feeling that I don't think I could ever explain. I get these flashes of memories and emotions. It's my memories and emotions and I can feel that it's mine but in some way it doesn't feel like it is because I can't remember everything.
I have also found it really strange that it's specific time frames that I feel this way to. I have tested it out with friends and had them show me different photos without telling me the years and I get these feelings only when the photos are of these certain years. And with photos of the same place but taken at different years I won't feel that same feeling, I will feel a familiarity to it but they feelings and memories aren't there the way that they are when it's from those years. It's really weird. And hard to explain.
