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Born Again
From the Hans Holzer Digital Collection - his famed work on Reincarnation.
-Authenticated case histories of "ordinary" Americans who have lived before:
-Pamela Wollenberg, a twenty-year-old girl from Harvey, Illinois, in a previous incarnation the daughter of a Scottish nobleman, killed herself in a leap from the tower of her castle.
-Ruth MacGuire, who now lives a peaceful life in an abandoned Inn in Connecticut, found memories under hypnosis of earlier lives as a Puritan girl dying of consumption before reaching America, and as a British officer's wife, raped in a bloody Hindu uprising in India.
-June Volpe was a belle of Atlanta before the Civil War and, as Elizabeth Simms, was killed by her son on a new plantation in Florida. She now lives the quiet life of a Pennsylvania housewife.
These are just a few of those who have been... Born Again.
-Authenticated case histories of "ordinary" Americans who have lived before:
-Pamela Wollenberg, a twenty-year-old girl from Harvey, Illinois, in a previous incarnation the daughter of a Scottish nobleman, killed herself in a leap from the tower of her castle.
-Ruth MacGuire, who now lives a peaceful life in an abandoned Inn in Connecticut, found memories under hypnosis of earlier lives as a Puritan girl dying of consumption before reaching America, and as a British officer's wife, raped in a bloody Hindu uprising in India.
-June Volpe was a belle of Atlanta before the Civil War and, as Elizabeth Simms, was killed by her son on a new plantation in Florida. She now lives the quiet life of a Pennsylvania housewife.
These are just a few of those who have been... Born Again.
- GenresNonfictionDeath
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1970
24 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Hans Holzer
207 books163 followersHans Holzer, whose investigations into the paranormal took him to haunted houses and other sites all over the world, wrote more than 140 books on ghosts, the afterlife, witchcraft, extraterrestrial beings, and other phenomena associated with the realm he called “the other side.” Among his famous subjects was the Long Island house that inspired The Amityville Horror book and film adaptations. Holzer studied at the University of Vienna, Austria, and at Columbia University, New York, earning a master’s degree in comparative religion. He taught parapsychology at the New York Institute of Technology. Holzer died in 2009.
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April 10, 2014I first read this book around 1993. It is fascinating. Holzer tells about a number of people he hypnotized and regressed. Having earned a Ph.D. at the London College of Applied Science gives credibility that most of us cannot claim. He is more hypnotist and observer than storyteller, so readers cannot expect his books to be literary marvels. However, he clearly gets his experiences and thoughts across to the rest of us. In 2014, I reread Born Again, and found it just as fascinating. It is my opinion that it is far easier to be skeptical than it is to keep an open mind. "Honest, Chris. The world really is round."
May 23, 2023
In “Born Again” Hans Holzer, the famous ghost hunter, turns his attention to reincarnation. I became interested in ghosts during my early teens, so I read several books by Hans Holzer. After several years I lost interest. I considered that despite a reasonably scientific study of the occult lasting for at least a century and a half nothing had been proven.
Much more recently, the owner and his employee at a tavern that had existed before the American Civil War told me plausible stories that the tavern was haunted. When I talked about that to a bar tender at another bar she told me, “Oh yes, that bar is haunted.”
So, I again began to take seriously the possibility that ghosts might exist. The problem with studying them is that ghostly visitations are rare and random. If we knew when a ghost would appear we could have recording devices ready.
Hans Holzer as a six year old developed the ability to compose ghost stories that he told to other children. He would be capable of inventing the stories he writes about. Nevertheless, people come to him with claims that their homes are haunted. He gives names and locations. No one has ever claimed that a person he named did not exist, or did not have the experiences he attributed to them.
Nevertheless, Holzer made a few dubious claims. For example, on page 47 he wrote:
“Solomon believed that he had lived before on earth, and said so in Proverbs. Jeremiah reported that God had told him that he had been on earth before in another body.”
Unfortunately, he did not give the chapters and verses where these claims were made. I have read the Bible nine times in eight English translations. I do not remember reading this.
Holzer claimed that the ancient Celts and the ancient Germans believed in reincarnation. I have made a reasonably good study of Celtic mythology, and a thorough study of Germanic mythology. Again, I do not remember reading this. He is accurate when he says that Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation.
I have never in my life seen or heard a ghost. I have never in my life had a dream or any kind of experience that would indicate that I am the reincarnation of someone who lived before me.
When Holzer died in 2009 The New York Times wrote a respectful obituary that mentioned no claims of fraud.
Holzer would begin to study someone who might be reincarnated when that person came to him. The person will have very vivid dreams of a past life, and often visions of who the person may have been back then. Holzer would hypnotize the person to get more details. Often he learns details about a previous life for the person living today that the contemporary person could not have easily learned on his own. When Holzer checks on the details he usually is able to verify them.
Two of the people Holzer investigated were Christians who thought their belief in reincarnation was consistent with their Christian faith.
As a Christian I would like for Heaven to be an eventual destination. For now Heaven can wait. I would like to be born again with an intuitive understanding of the lessons I have learned by analyzing my mistakes in life. Unfortunately, if I am the reincarnation of someone who lived before I was born, he learned nothing from his mistakes, because I have made them again throughout my life.
Much more recently, the owner and his employee at a tavern that had existed before the American Civil War told me plausible stories that the tavern was haunted. When I talked about that to a bar tender at another bar she told me, “Oh yes, that bar is haunted.”
So, I again began to take seriously the possibility that ghosts might exist. The problem with studying them is that ghostly visitations are rare and random. If we knew when a ghost would appear we could have recording devices ready.
Hans Holzer as a six year old developed the ability to compose ghost stories that he told to other children. He would be capable of inventing the stories he writes about. Nevertheless, people come to him with claims that their homes are haunted. He gives names and locations. No one has ever claimed that a person he named did not exist, or did not have the experiences he attributed to them.
Nevertheless, Holzer made a few dubious claims. For example, on page 47 he wrote:
“Solomon believed that he had lived before on earth, and said so in Proverbs. Jeremiah reported that God had told him that he had been on earth before in another body.”
Unfortunately, he did not give the chapters and verses where these claims were made. I have read the Bible nine times in eight English translations. I do not remember reading this.
Holzer claimed that the ancient Celts and the ancient Germans believed in reincarnation. I have made a reasonably good study of Celtic mythology, and a thorough study of Germanic mythology. Again, I do not remember reading this. He is accurate when he says that Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation.
I have never in my life seen or heard a ghost. I have never in my life had a dream or any kind of experience that would indicate that I am the reincarnation of someone who lived before me.
When Holzer died in 2009 The New York Times wrote a respectful obituary that mentioned no claims of fraud.
Holzer would begin to study someone who might be reincarnated when that person came to him. The person will have very vivid dreams of a past life, and often visions of who the person may have been back then. Holzer would hypnotize the person to get more details. Often he learns details about a previous life for the person living today that the contemporary person could not have easily learned on his own. When Holzer checks on the details he usually is able to verify them.
Two of the people Holzer investigated were Christians who thought their belief in reincarnation was consistent with their Christian faith.
As a Christian I would like for Heaven to be an eventual destination. For now Heaven can wait. I would like to be born again with an intuitive understanding of the lessons I have learned by analyzing my mistakes in life. Unfortunately, if I am the reincarnation of someone who lived before I was born, he learned nothing from his mistakes, because I have made them again throughout my life.
December 4, 2022
Interestingly written, some interesting 'lives' of the people Mr Holzer had correspondence with, yet somehow it failed to grab me. Sure, 1969 is a long time ago; language changes over time, the way people interact changes over time as well, so it will be difficult for the people reading it now who did not live that era.
I did find however, it tedious in the hypnoregressions of the clients. It was a study of people whom he tended to feel he believed, which to my mind is already setting up disaster. Focusing on dates/times/names/places is difficult even alive, let alone having been 'dead' hundreds of years!
I do not doubt his methods, to him it was all he could work with given there was no internet. Which, in a hindsight of my statement is actually a good thing. Imagine how many people today Google and come up with some brilliant 'recollection' of times past.
All in all, I did find it quite readable, till the last few chapters where Mr Holzer seemingly wanted to pull the rabbit out his hat so to speak, and give the reader that last magical moment of 'truth'.
An ok read for those curious, but not something I would re-read in the future...that's only if I don't come back again.
I did find however, it tedious in the hypnoregressions of the clients. It was a study of people whom he tended to feel he believed, which to my mind is already setting up disaster. Focusing on dates/times/names/places is difficult even alive, let alone having been 'dead' hundreds of years!
I do not doubt his methods, to him it was all he could work with given there was no internet. Which, in a hindsight of my statement is actually a good thing. Imagine how many people today Google and come up with some brilliant 'recollection' of times past.
All in all, I did find it quite readable, till the last few chapters where Mr Holzer seemingly wanted to pull the rabbit out his hat so to speak, and give the reader that last magical moment of 'truth'.
An ok read for those curious, but not something I would re-read in the future...that's only if I don't come back again.
June 30, 2024
Awesome book with awesome stories and connections! Some chapters are quite long (about 40pgs or so) but super interesting information! Great for people who are into reincarnation / deja vu / EMS !!
July 4, 2013
In this book, parapsychologist Hans Holzer documents cases where he regressed subjects back to previous incarnations.
It's an interesting glimpse in time, not just of previous incarnations, but of the late 1960s when Holzer was doing his research.
It's an interesting glimpse in time, not just of previous incarnations, but of the late 1960s when Holzer was doing his research.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews