November 15, 2020 ~~ Volume 1 Number #17

JUST WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? by Shari Harris www.shari-harris.com _______________________________________________________________ ONLY LOVE IS REAL A Story of Soulmates Reunited by Dr. Brian Weiss www.brianweiss.com

Just Who Do We Think We Are? Dr. Brian Weiss on Soulmates....

"There is someone special for everyone. Often there are two or three or even four. They come from different generations. They travel across oceans of time and the depths of heavenly dimensions to be with you again. They come from the other side, from heaven. They look different, but your heart knows them. Your heart has held them in arms like yours in the moon-filled deserts of Egypt and the ancient plains of Mongolia. You have ridden together in the armies of forgotten warrior-generals, and you have lived together in the sand-covered caves of the Ancient Ones. You are bonded together throughout eternity, and you will never be alone." "You may be awakened to the presence of your soul companion by a look, a dream, a memory, a feeling. You may be awakened by the touch of his hands or the kiss of her lips, and your soul is jolted back to life." "The touch that awakens may be that of your child, of a parent, of a sibling, or of a true friend. Or it may be your beloved, reaching across the centuries, to kiss you once again and to remind you that you are together always, to the end of time." Only Love is Real, Brian L. Weiss, M.D., pp. 1,2

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Brian Weiss when I attended a week-long workshop that he and his wife, Carole, led in September, 2019, at the Omega Center in Rhineback, NY. I was there with 250 other participants from around the globe. About 60% of the attendees were from other countries. It was a great week of learning about and participating in past life regressions. Although I personally did not experience any definite past lives--just a few glimpses--many of the others did report past lives. In recent years, Dr. Weiss has given this workshop at the Omega Center three times a year in order to teach professional therapists the techniques of using hypnosis in their therapy. Some of us were there just for the experience and to be "clients" for the therapists to practice with.

Greetings! Dr. Brian Weiss's first book, Many Lives, Many Masters, told the story of Catherine, the first patient with whom he used past life regression through hypnosis. Unbidden by Dr. Weiss, Catherine had slipped into relating a past life while under hypnosis to help her re-live childhood events in her current life. This accidental introduction to past life regression changed both their lives and his psychiatric practice forever. Dr. Weiss began to find success using past life regression therapy with many other clients. The story of soulmates in this issue resulted from the past life regression therapy of two of those clients and is based on his third book, published in 1996, called Only Love is Real. In this book, Dr. Weiss relates the amazing synchronicity of working with two patients who did not know each other, but whose past life memories began to include identical details. After months of hearing seemingly coincidental similarities, Dr. Weiss finally made the startling connection that both clients were remembering the same lifetimes together as young lovers, husband and wife, and father and daughter. In all of the lives together, there was a strong bond of love between them. Since Dr. Weiss was a strict observer of doctor-patient confidentiality, he faced a dilemma. He questioned whether or not he should tell his patients about their previous connections. Would he be playing with destiny? What if he was wrong or they didn't get along? What about current relationships? Maybe they were not meant to be together in this lifetime. Read about their past lives, what Dr. Weiss decided to do, and to find out what eventually happened. I hope you find this story as memorable as I do. Wishing you health and well-being during this difficult pandemic! I hope you are, like me, relieved about prospects for the country's future and looking forward to a more peaceful year in 2021!

Best wishes! Be well and enjoy your amazing life! Shari

Only Love is Real

Elizabeth Thirty-two year old Elizabeth was a beautiful young woman from the Midwest who was in therapy with Dr. Weiss because of her profound grief and anxiety following her mother's death. She was scheduled for weekly therapy sessions with Dr. Brian Weiss at his Miami office. At her first appointment, she confessed to Dr. Weiss that her life was a mess! Although she owned a successful accounting firm, she was not happy, and her grief over losing her mother had turned to depression. She was losing weight, had difficulty sleeping, and was having trouble concentrating. In addition, she was experiencing unsuccessful with relationships with men, choosing partners who became abusive and even violent. She had read Many Lives, Many Masters, and came to Dr. Weiss for past life regression therapy, hoping to find help. Over several months of therapy, Elizabeth, under hypnosis, described numerous lifetimes. The ones that Dr. Weiss included in Only Love is Real are listed briefly below. Elizabeth's Regressions "It's so dark. I've fallen off the boat. It's so cold. It's terrible." Dr. Weiss advised her that she could "just float above the scene and watch it as if you are watching a movie." As Elizabeth did float above, she saw herself as a 12 or 13 year old boy who was traveling with his father by boat. He was swept off the boat in a storm at night and had drowned in the dark waters. She suddenly became peaceful and said, "I have left that body." She left so suddenly and didn't remember any more that Dr. Weiss wasn't able to question her further about that life. (p. 23) Her next life was a happy one as a Native American woman in the south, probably Florida. "My life is very happy. I seem to be related to many in the village. I know about roots, plants, and herbs....I can make medicines from plants....I know about healing." It was a peaceful and satisfying life. She died of old age, surrounded by the village. (p. 46) Elizabeth uncovered a life in a desolate land of high mountains and dusty dirt roads on a trade route in India going east and west. She was a 15 year old girl with dark skin and hair and dirty clothes who worked in the stables tending the horses and mules. It was very cold. Traders frequently abused her, but there was one kind, young trader whom she loved who passed through from time to time. He was funny and gentle, and they laughed a lot together. Sadly, she died of pneumonia at age 16. (p. 48) As a young, happy girl named Miriam, she lived with her father, Eli, in a town near Jerusalem during the Roman occupation. Her father worked at home as a potter making bowls and jars from clay. Roman soldiers, having fun by tormenting the early Christians, tied Eli by his feet to a horse ridden by a soldier, dragging him and hitting his head on a rock. He died as Miriam cradled his bleeding head in her lap rocking back and forth on the dusty road. "I love you, father. I will always love you." After that, Miriam lost interest in living and died before long. Pedro related a life in which Roman soldiers dragged him tied to a horse. (p. 58)

Elizabeth remembered two lives in Ireland. The first was as an Irish woman who described much happiness and who died peacefully. This memory was a stark contrast to her current life of loss and despair, and Elizabeth felt a sadness in remembering the happy life. In the second Irish life, she was a very pretty young woman with dark hair and light blue eyes married to a man, chosen by her parents, who drank too much and became violent, often hitting her. He was angry that she could not have children after she suffered a miscarriage. She was miserable, but after that husband died, Elizabeth did marry again happily to a loving man. When Dr. Weiss asked her to look closer to see if she recognized the abusive husband in this life, she said, "He's George!" George was a man she had recently dated in her current life. When he began to be abusive, this time Elizabeth had learned the strength and self respect needed to break off the relationship. (p. 78) Elizabeth remembered being a 14 year old girl with long dark hair who was in training to be a healer at a temple in Egypt. She wore sandals, a long white dress, and gold bracelets. Her older brother, with whom she was very close, was also in training and secretly shared with her lessons that the girls were not allowed to learn. Once when the other healers and trainees were away, the Governor's son became very ill and she was commanded to heal him. When the boy died, she was exiled as punishment. She knew how to leave her body, and one day she left and just did not return. (p. 119) In this life which Elizabeth thought to be in ancient China, her family members were nomadic wanderers. She was a beautiful young wife of a loving man and the mother of a baby. When the men were away hunting, warriors attacked, murdering most of the women and children, but they captured her and a few other attractive women to become their wives. She then lived a life of hate against her captors. She attempted to kill herself and was finally allowed to do that when she grew old and was no longer attractive. Elizabeth recognized her current mother as her loving mother-in-law in that life but didn't recognized her husband as anyone in this life. After her death in that life, she clearly saw that her life's lesson had been to realize the foolishness of holding onto anger. Still under hypnosis, she said, "I could have worked with the younger children, with the old and sick ones, in the enemy's town...but I never allowed myself to love." Pedro related a life in which he came back from hunting and found his entire village murdered. (p.140)

Pedro At the same time, Dr. Weiss was working with Pedro, an extraordinarily handsome young man. His charm and easy wit hid the grief he was feeling at the death of his brother, who had died in a terrible automobile accident in Mexico City." Pedro was unusual in that his grief had not dissipated in the ten months since the accident. Pedro was suffering; he was burdened with deep despair and even some unshared secrets. Dr. Weiss was to find that his sadness extended far beyond his brother's death. They would learn through hypnosis that he had been separated from his loved ones over many lifetimes. Pedro came from a privileged family. His father owned a large business, and Pedro and his brother were managers, his brother in Mexico where the family lived and Pedro at a Miami branch of the business. He had gone to the finest private schools. He studied business in college and had several girlfriends but no serious relationships. When he came to Dr. Weiss for therapy, he had only several months before he planned to move back to Mexico to take over his deceased brother's responsibilities. During therapy, he was ashamed when he related to Dr. Weiss that he had had an affair with a married woman while he was in college. She had become pregnant and there was an abortion. He had kept it a secret, especially from his parents. In order to relieve some of Pedro's shame and embarrassment, Dr. Weiss explained his beliefs about abortion. A few of Dr. Weiss's patients, under hypnosis and resting in between lives, were able to give advice and detailed information from "Masters" on the other side. This first happened with Catherine, described in Many Lives, Many Masters. In fact, that is what had convinced Dr. Weiss that past life regression was real and not just the patient's imagination, because Catherine (through the Masters) told him details about his father and about the death of his infant son that were not common knowledge and that Catherine had no way of knowing. Information about abortion that Dr. Weiss received from the "Masters" is quoted in a section at the bottom of this newsletter. Pedro's Regressions "It's terrible...terrible! They're all killed. They're all dead!" Pedro relived the devastation of finding his village destroyed and the horses and cattle gone. They had been a powerful nomadic people who hunted and raised cattle. Pedro had been married to a beautiful girl, a childhood friend, whom he loved. The birth of their child had been a great happiness to him and the village. Now all was gone. This is the same lifetime that Elizabeth remembered. Pedro thought that she had been killed, but in her regression, she told about being captured and kept as a wife for one of the raiders. (p. 40) Next Pedro told of being an English soldier brought by ship to capture an enemy's fortress that had high and deep walls. The soldiers managed access through some little tunnels, running through them stooped over to an exit door. As they came out through the door, Spanish soldiers were killing them one at a time. He was stuck with a sword in his neck. He died senselessly far away from home because of the greed of others. He learned that violence is a "profound ignorance." Pedro had had a chronic pain in his neck which disappeared over the next few weeks after that regression. (p. 51) In a more recent life, Pedro was a beautiful and elegant woman, a prostitute named Magda, who lived just after WWI in Germany. She was a confidante to politicians, military leaders, and important businessmen and learned to influence and manipulate men. She eventually chose an older rich man, who wanted her exclusively, instead of a younger man whom she loved. The older man lost power and abandoned her. She died in a cheap hospital bed from syphilis. A life of beauty, power, and intrigue had ended on a low note. (p. 53) "They're making me go, and I do not want to...I do not wish that kind of life!" As the youngest son, he was expected to be a monk, but he was in love with a woman and didn't want to leave her. He did become a monk and was eventually devoted to the abbot and chose to stay with him. The monk eventually died from tuberculosis. In this life he learned about anger and forgiveness--that anger is foolish and eats at the soul. Pedro realized that the abbot was his brother who had died in this life. (p. 70)

"I'm lying on the ground, gravely wounded." In Palestine, Roman soldiers had dragged a poor man over the ground and the rocks, and he was dying. They were having fun and had not meant to kill him. His daughter came to him wailing, as she cradled his head and rocked him as he died. He heard her say, "I love you, Father." This was the same lifetime that Elizabeth remembered as the daughter, Miriam. (p. 73) Pedro was a Spanish sailor with black hair and tanned skin. He saw himself unloading a heavy cargo from a large wooden ship in the new world. The sailors would be looking for gold in the mountains. He was chilling and then feverish, suffering from malaria. Pedro couldn't keep up with the other sailors, and they left him to die. He left behind a wife, a son, his mother, and sisters in Spain. He and his wife loved each other deeply, but he didn't recognize her in this life. (Could it have been Elizabeth?) He did recognize his son as his current brother who died. Pedro finds himself an ancient priest of some sort. He saw a stone mask of a powerful god with a long nose and angled teeth whom he explained controlled the rain. Pedro said he knew about the heavens and the sun, moon, stars and when eclipses would occur. He helped to make the calendars. He did the measurements and was very good at it. The people were superstitious and the other priests took advantage of them to maintain power. The priests told the people they were to blame for angering the gods, and they required sacrifices, including people. Pedro didn't believe in the gods and kept to himself doing his measurements. The stars and constellations in his current life have always seemed peaceful, familiar, and friendly to Pedro. (p.101) Pedro was a 40 year old country doctor, gray and balding. He lived in Ohio in the late 1800s. He didn't feel well, was distraught, and didn't want to go on living because his patient, a husband and father, died from the fever. In addition, the doctor's wife had left him. He shot himself in the mouth and died. After his death and still in the regression, Pedro described hearing a voice tell him that he had led a good life and should not have ended it. "Reach out with love. That's all you have to do. Don't worry so much about outcomes." Dr. Weiss had received messages for himself from the "Masters" during Catherine's regressions, and he felt that this message through Pedro was for him as well as for Pedro. (p.130)

Why Didn't I See It Before? "They did not know each other. They had never met. They were from different countries and cultures. They came to the office on different days. Seeing them both separately and never even suspecting a link between them, I did not make the connection. They had loved each other and lost each other across lifetimes." Brian Weiss (p.148) Pedro and Dr. Weiss were exploring again the life in which he had been dragged by a Roman soldier on horseback and was held, dying, in his daughter's lap. Dr. Weiss asked if Pedro remembered his name in that life, and he did not. Suddenly, it popped into Dr. Weiss's mind. "Was it Eli?" Pedro responded, "That is my name. Some call me Elihu, and some call me Eli....How do you know? Were you there, too?" Father and daughter. Childhood lovers. Husband and wife. Later that evening, Dr. Weiss was slowly but surely becoming aware that Pedro and Elizabeth were reliving the same lifetimes. He compared their charts, realizing that besides the life in Palestine, they told the same story of the tragic life in China, and perhaps, in other lives they had been together but didn't recognize each other since they had not met in this life. Happily, both Elizabeth and Pedro experienced much improvement emotionally as a result of their therapy with Dr. Weiss. He knew Elizabeth would soon be finished with therapy and that Pedro was ready to move on to his life and responsibilities in Mexico. Dr. Weiss felt the need to do something. He decided to schedule their visits on the same day, one after the other. That day when he walked Elizabeth to the waiting room after her appointment, Pedro was waiting. They noticed each other but said nothing. Pedro did mention in Dr. Weiss's office that she was an attractive woman. After Elizabeth's next appointment, Dr. Weiss again walked her out to the waiting room. This time they smiled at each other, and Pedro nodded. That was Pedro's last appointment. Although Dr. Weiss's plan hadn't worked the way he had hoped, it turned out to be enough of an introduction. On page 160, Dr. Weiss writes: "Fortunately, minds more creative than mine were expertly conspiring from lofty heights to arrange a meeting between Elizabeth and Pedro. The reunion was predestined. What happened afterward would be up to them." Pedro was going to New York on business, then to London for two weeks' vacation, and then on to Mexico. Elizabeth was going to Boston for a business meeting and a visit with a friend. When Elizabeth got to the airport, her flight had been cancelled. She was rerouted to, you guessed it, Pedro's flight to New York. She would then take a shuttle to Boston the next morning. In short, Elizabeth and Pedro recognized each other from Dr. Weiss's office and began to talk. They decided to ask to change their seats so they could sit together on the plane, and by the time they got to New York, they were more than acquaintances. The connection had been made. Pedro cut his London trip short and Elizabeth extended her stay in Boston so they could spend time together. They were already falling in love. Dr. Weiss still hears from Elizabeth from time to time. They are happily married now with a little daughter and live in Mexico.

Click Here to See a Two-Minute Video Brian Weiss Talking about Soulmates

In this video, Dr. Brian Weiss explains how we reincarnate with soulmates over and over. He feels that understanding this helps with grief when we lose someone close to us.

Dr. Brian Weiss's Views on Abortion

"An abortion, or a miscarriage, usually involves an agreement between the mother and the soul that would enter the baby. Either the baby's body would not be healthy enough to carry out its planned tasks in the coming life, or the timing was not right for its purposes, or the outside situation had changed, such as the desertion of the father when the baby's or mother's plans requires a father figure. My patients (under hypnosis) tell me that the soul does not enter the body right away. Around the time of conception, a reservation is made by the soul. No other soul can have that body. The soul who has reserved that particular baby's body can then come into and out of the body, as it wishes. It is not confined. This is similar to people in comas. During pregnancy, the soul is gradually more and more attached to the baby's body, but the attachment is not complete until around the time of birth, either shortly before, during, or just afterward. You can never harm or kill a soul. The soul is immortal and indestructible. It will find a way to return, if that is the plan. I have had cases where the same soul, after a miscarriage or abortion, comes back to the same parents in their next baby." Only Love is Real, Brian L. Weiss, M.D., pp.33,34 From Shari: This view is held by most, if not all, teachers of New Age spirituality that I have read. In this view, abortion is not a sin, nor is it killing a soul. The soul will return to the same mother if it is the plan for them to be together in this life. To me, this explanation of abortion rings true.

Plant Mental Seeds for Growth Affirmations from Cheryl Richardson

"I surround myself with authentic and loving people who share my journey of personal growth and awakening." ______________________ "The more I trust my intuition and act on its wisdom, the more extraordinary my life becomes." ______________________ "I trust in the perfection of Divine Timing and allow my life to unfold as it should"

Just Who Do We Think We Are? Shari Says...

I believe we are eternal spiritual beings who are currently living one of our many lives on Earth and who are the co-creators of our experiences through our thoughts and beliefs. Shari Harris

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Previous Issues of "Just Who Do We Think We Are?" are available on Shari's website under the "My Two Cents" tab.  #1 February 15, 2020, Dr. Brian Weiss #2 March 1, 2020, Edgar Cayce #3 March 26, 2020, Abraham (Esther Hicks), Part 1 #4 April 7, 2020, Abraham (Esther Hicks), Part 2 #5 April 22, 2020, Past Life Story Series: Robert Snow/Carroll Beckwith #6 May 5, 2020, Past Life Story Series: Jenny Cockell/Mary Sutton #7 May 20, 2020, We Are Not Here By Accident #8 June 1, 2020, Children's Past Lives (Carol Bowman) #9 June 22, 2020, More Children's Past Lives (Ian Stevenson and Jim B. Tucker) #10 July 2, 2020, Four Stories of Children Who Remembered a Past Life #11 July 23, 2020, Near Death Experiences/Raymond Moody #12 August 9, 2020, Near Death Experiences/Anita Moorjani #13 August 28, 2020, We Are Co-Creators #14 September 20, 2020, Past Life Series: John B. Gordon/Jeff Keene #15 October 4, 2020, Answers About the Afterlife/Bob Olson #16 October 25, 2020, Messages From Loved Ones Lost on 9/11