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The Importance of Birthmarks

There are, according to Stevenson, three reasons why birthmarks constitute evidence of singular importance.

First, they are objective, measurable and reliable. Where autopsy reports of the deceased person identified as the previous life exist, and correspond to the marks on the child, we have some very reliable evidence. We do not have to depend on informants memories, that may well be faulty, but have medical references as supporting evidence.

Secondly, they lend strength to the idea that a deceased personality may influence the body of a new person. The non-local connection between consciousness and the physical among the living has been thoroughly researched, as reported in chapter three. In the case of birthmarks and defects it would appear that consciousness of the no longer 'physically' living might also influence the physical world, or at least the bodies they are designated to inhabit. Here we would find some very compelling evidence that our consciousness survives physical death more or less intact. Though the superpsi option forwarded in the previous chapter may still explain some aspects of this process, I would argue that we are dealing with spirits or souls, as will be made clear later.

Thirdly, these cases might, according to Dr. Stevenson, actually explain why some infants are born with birthmarks and defects despite the fact that the parents have no such marks. The cause of birthmarks and defects remain, in most cases, unknown to modern science.

Reincarnation will probably appear ludicrous to many readers, as does the notion that birthmarks may actually be remnants of previous lives, though I guess that by now this will not stop anyone from reading on, but the evidence that Ian Stevenson and his associates have gathered is far to compelling to ignore. As we have seen, consciousness, intent or spirit affects our lives in many ways that conservative science has a hard time acknowledging. The biological and behavioural evidence in support of reincarnation only takes this theme closer to its logical conclusion. In fact, if one applies only logic when trying to decipher the body of evidence so far, reincarnation really seems to be one of the alternatives that might lie in wait for us beyond death.

Investigating Reincarnation

During the past three decades of investigation, Ian Stevenson and his associates have found that several features recur on a regular basis throughout the material. The most interesting features from the physiological perspective are naturally birthmarks and defects, but several other features occur on an occasional to a regular basis that might give us some hints as to what is really going on. The fact that there is a basic conformity to reincarnation cases from all over the world is interesting as one would expect less correlation if they were all fake, should anyone still be nurturing that option.

The first feature, though uncommon, is that an individual, usually an elderly one approaching death, expresses a wish to be reborn to a particular couple. When a child is born with similar physical traits, when such defining traits are available, it is often presumed that the child is the reincarnation. Predictions of this kind occur among the Tlingit of Alaska and the lamas of Tibet, though rarely among other cultures.

The second feature of a developing case is the announcing dream. In such a dream the deceased person appears, usually to the future mother, and expresses his or her intent to be reborn into that family. Though the announcing dream occurs in most cultures, it is particularly common among the Tlingit of Alaska and the Burmese. Interestingly, such dreams usually occur before birth among the Tlingit, yet occur before conception among the Burmese. This, as Stevenson points out, is probably in line with the view of Burmese Buddhists that when a soul attaches itself to an embryo it can no longer communicate through such methods as dreams.
The deceased person is by no means always an acquaintance of the dreamer, nor is the dreamer aware that the person 'visiting' their dreams is indeed deceased. Often the dream, even if memorable, does not make any sense until after the birth of the child.
Though one might be tempted to smirk at the idea that a dead person should actually be communicating with the living through dreams, dream communication itself is no anomaly in parapsychological circles. The anecdotal evidence of precognitive dreams is vast and, if physicist Fred Alan Wolf is correct, the entire universe communicates through dreams.

The third feature comes into play at birth, and is naturally birthmarks, birth defects or any other visible aspects that may help identify the previous identity of the child. There are several reason why this should occupy the mind of the parent, and considering the number of westerners that visit psychics to find out about previous lives, this interest itself should come as no surprise. After all, who would not want to find out about their previous lives, especially if this would help explain strange aspects of their current life? If one believes that one has lived before it is only logical to assume that aspects of the previous life should filter into the next.
If the child is the reincarnation of a warrior, a chief, an elder or someone else of similar standing, the child might stand to inherit some of this prestige. As all parents worthy of the name want the best for their children, this is an excellent way to get a head start. Whether the child is actually reincarnated probably does not matter, as the power of positive expectations should not be underestimated.

These visual attributes can represent any number of clues. Sometimes these marks will be identified as the gunshot wound that killed an uncle, complete with entrance wounds and exit wounds in the right location. Another time a malformed ear or a missing limb will be identified as the resulting injuries to a friend or relative that got killed by robbers or run over by a train.

Sometimes the birthmarks and defects are more encompassing than the wounds that led to the previous personality's death, but in these cases the birthmark or birth defect can usually be connected to the lethal wound. For instance, if the previous personality died due to head trauma after being hit by a car, the burgundy coloured birthmark covering part of the child's face might well correspond to the haemorrhaging of the cranium. It is interesting to note that Stevenson mentions several cases of such birthmarks where the body was not actually washed before it was cremated. Though there seems to be a correlation here, the reason for such birthmarks remains an open question (as does indeed the reason for reincarnation itself).

When researching these birthmarks, Stevenson and others require that at least one adult can confirm that the birthmarks were present on the infant at birth or at the very most, a few weeks after birth. An older child may have many marks that could be mistaken for birthmarks but were actually acquired later in life, and fresh insect bites can easily be confused with birthmarks. Only when marks can be confirmed as actual birthmarks can any acceptable comparisons be made to autopsy reports, photographs or reliable descriptions of the previous personality's physical features or wounds.

Naturally there are many cases of claimed reincarnation where no physical features exist, but these naturally make identification far more difficult, and are not included in the above mentioned study. The whole point being to research only cases where some biological correlation can be made.

The fourth feature of a case occurs along with the development of speech in the child, and is the reference to a previous life. In rare cases the child will make physical references to the previous life before speech is developed, but these are not likely to make much sense until the child has developed enough vocabulary to explain itself. One such case was a child that remembered the previous life of a monk who was killed by a blow to the back of the head in a monastery not too far away. The child referred to this at an early age by patting the back of its head, that was slightly indented at birth, and pointing toward the direction of the temple. The significance of this only made sense to the parents after the child starting speaking about the incident. As it turned out, a monk had indeed been killed in the way described by the child.

Verbal references to a previous life usually occur, if at all, between the ages of two and four, though sometimes later. Most children who speak of a previous life do so with some intensity and emotion, and have trouble separating past and present, as well as identity, when describing the previous life.

The fifth feature is unusual behaviour in the child. Unusual given the settings of the child's present situation, that is, though perfectly logical if the child is indeed the reincarnation of someone else. Such was the case of the above-mentioned child remembering the life of a murdered monk. For instance, the child would insist on sitting at an elevated position when the family sat down for a meal, rather than taking his place on the floor with everyone else. This behaviour was completely unsuitable for a child, but well in accordance with how a superior monk would behave.

Former Identification

The extent to which the child identifies with the previous personality will vary, but most of the time the identification is stronger than a mere 'whim' or anything that can be attributed to chance.
In mild cases, the child will remark on a few aspects of the previous life, perhaps to the effect of "I was a teacher when I was big" or "I was killed by a train". The child will not be obsessive about his or her previous life, but sufficiently open to help researchers find the previous personality.
In the more extreme cases, the child will completely refuse to accept his or her current life. The child might insist on being addressed with the name of the previous personality, or may refuse to acknowledge his or her parents for who they are. In fact, if the child identifies with a previous life of a higher caste or level of society, he or she might well treat the parents as servants.
Generally, the child will communicate from the standpoint of the previous personality, addressing only those older or socially higher than the previous personality with proper respect.
The child may also display skills that it has not been taught by its present family, but that the previous personality is known to have had. The child might even demonstrate such addictions as a craving for alcohol.

If the child previous personality was of the opposite sex , he or she may refuse to wear the clothes of their 'current' gender. The child may also demonstrate markedly masculine or feminine behaviour, depending on the previous life. The fact that cases such as these, that vary from annoying to directly painful for the parents, exist at all are heavy evidence that the behaviour of the child is not due to intended or subconscious conditioning by the parents.

Behaviour in concurrence with a previous personality is further strengthened by phobias expressed by the child in the current life which appear to stem from the previous one. If death was due to snakebite, the child will have a phobia for snakes, if death by drowning the phobia might be water and if the previous personality was stabbed it might be knives that the child fears. Phobias, nearly always related to the nature of death of the previous personality, occur in roughly 35 percent of all cases reviewed by Dr Stevenson. Philias (i.e. attractions) are also common, and usually correspond to the desires of the previous personality.

Even more importantly, if the child remembers being murdered in the previous life and meets the murderer in this life, the child will almost invariably treat this person with severe and often unrelenting hostility. In many cases, the child will be obsessed with wanting to kill this person, sometimes even attempting to do so. This might strike one as odd as the fact that if the child indeed a reincarnation, the killer will reincarnate also, making such an action rather pointless. Again, in some cases, the child will display great fear towards the person that caused the death of the previous personality. We shall examine this extreme behaviour and its implication later on.

 

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