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Reincarnation: The Second Chance
Drawing upon her own experiences and those of others, the occult expert presents evidence pointing to the validity of reincarnation
- GenresMysticism
262 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Sybil Leek
88 books62 followersDubbed "Britain’s most famous witch" by the BBC.
Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca. Strong in defense of her beliefs, Sybil sometimes differed and even quarrelled with other witches. She disapproved of nudity in rituals and was against the use of drugs, but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing. She was one of the first of the modern day witches to take up environmental causes.
Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca. Strong in defense of her beliefs, Sybil sometimes differed and even quarrelled with other witches. She disapproved of nudity in rituals and was against the use of drugs, but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing. She was one of the first of the modern day witches to take up environmental causes.
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May 17, 2023
THE SELF-DESCRIBED ‘WITCH’ STRONGLY SUPPORTS REINCARNATION
Author Sybil Leek wrote in the first chapter of this 1974 book, “Every year that I live reinforces my personal belief in reincarnation. It is perhaps easier for someone like myself, trained to see beyond the curtain of reality … to affirm that the spirit inhabiting every human body will continue to inhabit body after body until it eventually achieves perfection… In writing this book I have sought to enlighten the millions who are intrigued with the subject of reincarnation and want to know more about it, to minister to those who are in spiritual distress and who rightly feel that belief in reincarnation can bring them comfort and hope, and to offer corroboration and additional instruction to the millions who already believe in reincarnation… In this book, the reader will begin to understand that his physical life is a tiny segment of a vast circle wherein there is no beginning and no end; thus his spiritual life existed before the start of that segment and will continue after its end…” (Pg. 1-2)
“Although I accepted reincarnation when I was young, through my involvement with the Old Religion of Wicca, commonly called witchcraft, there were many times when I experienced moments of doubt. Having discussed the subject on countless occasions with some of the best minds in Europe, I had been exposed to every reaction from dedicated acceptance to total skepticism. Meeting skeptics was good for me, because it deepened my appreciation of the people within my own family circle. The quiet confidence they had in reincarnation brought them serenity and deeply spiritual qualities which I never found in skeptics.” (Pg. 2-3)
She continues, “The laws of the universe, are exactly the same as the laws of your own life: For every action there is a reaction; for every death, a rebirth. Somewhere, at some time, a great architect devised a plan, and we are essential parts of it. If we can accept such things as light and dark, positive and negative, male and female then we should be able to accept that this system of polarity admits both body and spirit, and life and death---with no feeling of hopelessness, for we all have a second chance.” (Pg. 8)
She explains, “Karma is… the key to reincarnation, since it holds that our future lives are determined by our deeds and actions in any one incarnation. This idea of karma should not be interpreted in the vague sense that … good will be rewarded and evil punished---but that every single act must be worked out until a person realizes the inevitable consequences of all actions. Each and every act receives its retribution in this sense, no matter how many lifetimes it may take; for karma is also concerned with the search for perfection… This concept defeats the notion of skeptics that if we accept reincarnation, we simply sit around waiting for another life, hoping that everything will come up roses, On the contrary, the learning process involved in karma implies personal responsibility for each and every act. If we do not care properly about the quality of our lives, then karma reiterates its lessons until we begin to understand the need to change our way of life and conscientiously strive to do so.” (Pg. 36-37)
She suggests, “Money is not in itself evil, but to translate it into power over others is less than desirable for the person who wishes to grow spiritually. It is an oversimplification to assume that the possession of wealth must inevitably upset the balance of a man’s life. Yet wealth is a powerful karmic draught, uplifting some who drink it and poisoning others. If a man is well off and hopes to save money in a future life, it is up to him to create the karmic conditions that will bring him back into the world even more affluent.” (Pg. 46)
She states, “The laws of karma… operate for animals even as they do for human beings…There is a great deal of confusion, even on the part of some who accept reincarnation, as to how---or whether---humans come back as animals, and vice versa. The first thing to be understood is that they don’t… a man does not die and reincarnation as, say, a dog. Nor does a dog die and come back as a man; the process is much more complicated than that…” (Pg. 65-66)
She suggests, “Reincarnation… should be viewed not as a belief to set against the prospects of heaven, hell, or oblivion, but as a theory science ultimately turn its attention to in an effort to prove beyond doubt that rebirth is as much as fact of life as birth. Such knowledge could only ennoble and fix life’s purpose as no fitful hope or wavering faith ever do.” (Pg. 73)
She asserts, “And do we can see that the attempt to destroy belief in reincarnation began in the sixth century and culminated in the thoroughness of the Inquisition, which tried to kill the idea forever by linking it with heresy. The idea of reincarnation was indeed dead for most of the people in Western Europe, and would remain so until the second half of the nineteenth century…” (Pg. 112)
She states, “As we have seen, many early Christians believed in reincarnation. Eventually, however, the Jewish notions … prevailed, and the concept of the resurrection of the dead wiped out that of the reincarnation of the spirit… Is there any serious basis for the idea of reincarnation in Judaism? The answer is a resounding Yes. For Judaism, like Christianity, had its esoteric, mystical aspects, and a very strong affirmation of reincarnation indeed can be found in the ancient Jewish mystical teachings. Called the Cabala… in the Bible of the Cabala---the Zohar, or Book of Splendor… we read that the mystical teachings were indeed to be found in the Toray, if one knew where to look…” (Pg. 117-118)
She argues, “Constantine succeeded in his goal of establishing a Church capable of standing behind the Roman Empire… backed up by a book of authority. In the process of compiling that book, the idea of reincarnation was largely thrown out---not because it was against the teachings of the Church, but because it did not fit the ambitions of an emperor or the beliefs of the bishops who succeeded in getting their way. There are many references to reincarnation in the Apocrypha, the Old Testament books that were not accepted as inspired writings by the council called by Constantine. And reincarnation must have been accepted in the Christian Church as late as the sixth century; for in 533… the Church adopted a decree that stated: ‘Whosoever shall support the mythical doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul and the subsequent wonderful opinion of its return, let him be anathema.’” (Pg. 124)
She explains, “Unlike Christianity, which purged the idea of reincarnation from its doctrines, or Buddhism, which accepted it from the beginning, Hinduism in its earliest form acknowledged neither reincarnation or karma. Acceptance of both came later.” (Pg. 137)
She says, “To the reincarnationist, Japan presents an enigma: the Japanese today seem to be obsessed with materialism, yet the concern for spiritual matters---including the belief in karma and reincarnation---is still very much alive in Japan, through Buddhism.” (Pg. 158)
This book will interest those studying reincarnation in various spiritual traditions.
Author Sybil Leek wrote in the first chapter of this 1974 book, “Every year that I live reinforces my personal belief in reincarnation. It is perhaps easier for someone like myself, trained to see beyond the curtain of reality … to affirm that the spirit inhabiting every human body will continue to inhabit body after body until it eventually achieves perfection… In writing this book I have sought to enlighten the millions who are intrigued with the subject of reincarnation and want to know more about it, to minister to those who are in spiritual distress and who rightly feel that belief in reincarnation can bring them comfort and hope, and to offer corroboration and additional instruction to the millions who already believe in reincarnation… In this book, the reader will begin to understand that his physical life is a tiny segment of a vast circle wherein there is no beginning and no end; thus his spiritual life existed before the start of that segment and will continue after its end…” (Pg. 1-2)
“Although I accepted reincarnation when I was young, through my involvement with the Old Religion of Wicca, commonly called witchcraft, there were many times when I experienced moments of doubt. Having discussed the subject on countless occasions with some of the best minds in Europe, I had been exposed to every reaction from dedicated acceptance to total skepticism. Meeting skeptics was good for me, because it deepened my appreciation of the people within my own family circle. The quiet confidence they had in reincarnation brought them serenity and deeply spiritual qualities which I never found in skeptics.” (Pg. 2-3)
She continues, “The laws of the universe, are exactly the same as the laws of your own life: For every action there is a reaction; for every death, a rebirth. Somewhere, at some time, a great architect devised a plan, and we are essential parts of it. If we can accept such things as light and dark, positive and negative, male and female then we should be able to accept that this system of polarity admits both body and spirit, and life and death---with no feeling of hopelessness, for we all have a second chance.” (Pg. 8)
She explains, “Karma is… the key to reincarnation, since it holds that our future lives are determined by our deeds and actions in any one incarnation. This idea of karma should not be interpreted in the vague sense that … good will be rewarded and evil punished---but that every single act must be worked out until a person realizes the inevitable consequences of all actions. Each and every act receives its retribution in this sense, no matter how many lifetimes it may take; for karma is also concerned with the search for perfection… This concept defeats the notion of skeptics that if we accept reincarnation, we simply sit around waiting for another life, hoping that everything will come up roses, On the contrary, the learning process involved in karma implies personal responsibility for each and every act. If we do not care properly about the quality of our lives, then karma reiterates its lessons until we begin to understand the need to change our way of life and conscientiously strive to do so.” (Pg. 36-37)
She suggests, “Money is not in itself evil, but to translate it into power over others is less than desirable for the person who wishes to grow spiritually. It is an oversimplification to assume that the possession of wealth must inevitably upset the balance of a man’s life. Yet wealth is a powerful karmic draught, uplifting some who drink it and poisoning others. If a man is well off and hopes to save money in a future life, it is up to him to create the karmic conditions that will bring him back into the world even more affluent.” (Pg. 46)
She states, “The laws of karma… operate for animals even as they do for human beings…There is a great deal of confusion, even on the part of some who accept reincarnation, as to how---or whether---humans come back as animals, and vice versa. The first thing to be understood is that they don’t… a man does not die and reincarnation as, say, a dog. Nor does a dog die and come back as a man; the process is much more complicated than that…” (Pg. 65-66)
She suggests, “Reincarnation… should be viewed not as a belief to set against the prospects of heaven, hell, or oblivion, but as a theory science ultimately turn its attention to in an effort to prove beyond doubt that rebirth is as much as fact of life as birth. Such knowledge could only ennoble and fix life’s purpose as no fitful hope or wavering faith ever do.” (Pg. 73)
She asserts, “And do we can see that the attempt to destroy belief in reincarnation began in the sixth century and culminated in the thoroughness of the Inquisition, which tried to kill the idea forever by linking it with heresy. The idea of reincarnation was indeed dead for most of the people in Western Europe, and would remain so until the second half of the nineteenth century…” (Pg. 112)
She states, “As we have seen, many early Christians believed in reincarnation. Eventually, however, the Jewish notions … prevailed, and the concept of the resurrection of the dead wiped out that of the reincarnation of the spirit… Is there any serious basis for the idea of reincarnation in Judaism? The answer is a resounding Yes. For Judaism, like Christianity, had its esoteric, mystical aspects, and a very strong affirmation of reincarnation indeed can be found in the ancient Jewish mystical teachings. Called the Cabala… in the Bible of the Cabala---the Zohar, or Book of Splendor… we read that the mystical teachings were indeed to be found in the Toray, if one knew where to look…” (Pg. 117-118)
She argues, “Constantine succeeded in his goal of establishing a Church capable of standing behind the Roman Empire… backed up by a book of authority. In the process of compiling that book, the idea of reincarnation was largely thrown out---not because it was against the teachings of the Church, but because it did not fit the ambitions of an emperor or the beliefs of the bishops who succeeded in getting their way. There are many references to reincarnation in the Apocrypha, the Old Testament books that were not accepted as inspired writings by the council called by Constantine. And reincarnation must have been accepted in the Christian Church as late as the sixth century; for in 533… the Church adopted a decree that stated: ‘Whosoever shall support the mythical doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul and the subsequent wonderful opinion of its return, let him be anathema.’” (Pg. 124)
She explains, “Unlike Christianity, which purged the idea of reincarnation from its doctrines, or Buddhism, which accepted it from the beginning, Hinduism in its earliest form acknowledged neither reincarnation or karma. Acceptance of both came later.” (Pg. 137)
She says, “To the reincarnationist, Japan presents an enigma: the Japanese today seem to be obsessed with materialism, yet the concern for spiritual matters---including the belief in karma and reincarnation---is still very much alive in Japan, through Buddhism.” (Pg. 158)
This book will interest those studying reincarnation in various spiritual traditions.
January 18, 2021
I'm never disappointed when reading Sybil Leek. Her conversational style of writing makes each book feel like an old friend. I've read many books on reincarnation but this one offers up pearls of wisdom and historic cases linking people to previous lives.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews