How Can I Check The Validity Of A Spiritual Experience?

QUESTION:

I’ve been looking forward to telling you about my last several months of spiritual pilgrimaging. Turns out one of the spiritual centers was near a powerful pilgrimage site. A person there shared a past life story that explained a lot for me. I can’t tell you the relief I felt upon hearing it. That said, now that it’s been a few weeks and I’ve retold the story many times, doubt is creeping in. Any advice on how I can check its validity?

ANSWER:

Your header reads “past life story revealed”. You end by saying how you are doubting it and “can you check its validity”. These experiences are beyond the mind. They are felt not thought about. In fact we incorrectly use our minds and its incessant thoughts to keep feelings at bay. On top of that, if one subscribes to the “reality” of past lives, you are trying to validate a dream within a dream. As I have mentioned else where on Ask Abdi, what we call past lives are vasanas, body mind tendencies that carry on through incarnations/dreams. In my clinical as well as personal experience, the “validity” of such a thing is in what you wrote: “ the relief that I felt upon hearing it”. There is a direct and distinct “aha” moment. Sometimes subtle, sometimes a lighting bolt. Your body felt it, now your mind doubts it. Step away from thinking and the truth shall be clear.