Most (but not all!) Wiccans believe in some form of reincarnation. Which is, when the soul goes from one body to the next, after each body dies, to try and learn all of the life lessons it can.
There are many forms of reincarnation, such as Ancestral and Transmigrational. I'll explain these types later.
Reincarnation comes from the word ~incarnation~ or "to be born", so Wiccans believe that you are born ~incarnation~ and die, and are born again so, ~reincarnation~. It's a simple idea, really, but there is also a bit more to it.
We, or I, should I say, believe that my soul wants to learn as many life experiences it can, so is the reason it keeps being reincarnated. My past lives teach my soul many things it wants to learn and know of, and my soul can tell me lessons it's learned in the past through dreams, meditation, etc. In other words, I can learn from and by my past lives, the trick is learning WHO exactly you were, if that's relevant, many people learn this through dreams. They might not even realize that they're looking back on a past life, the key is to pay attention to those dreams that seem, well, special in a way. I can't define ~special~ it's just something you "feel". I don't know of any of my own past lives, perhaps I haven't listened very closely, or perhaps nothing in my life as yet has required such knowlege.
Transmigrational~ This is not actually a part of Reincarnation, it is a seperate entity, but for lack of space I've chosen to include it as a form of reincarnation. The basic belief is that the soul-mind leaves the physical body upon death and enters another body depending upon it's spiritual needs or past behavior. The new body can be anything alive, animal, insect, plant, etc.
Reincarnation of the Spirit~ I found this below text at paganspath.com, I liked the explanation so much, I've decided to use it here.
"The life force of the physical body (the soul) does not die with the physical body, but goes on living in the etheric world for a period of time. During this time the soul learns lessons, just as it does when in an incarnated state, but it also repays karmic debt by serving souls that are alive..these spiritual beings are what we call our Spirit Guides, our Spiritual Teachers"
What I believe~ It shouldn't really matter what I believe, but I'd like to voice my opinion. I believe in a bit of both Transmigrational and of Reincarnation. I do not think it is a bad thing to be reincarnated as an animal, nor is it of "lower class". Some Reincarnists believe that if one has bad Karma one will become animal, while Transmigrationalists believe that it is an honor to be an animal, I believe the latter to be true. Alive is alive, no matter what you are. I believe in a resting time between incarnations whereas the soul reflects on what it has learned this past life, and how it can apply this, and other knowlege gathered from even more previous lives, to the next life it shall undertake. I believe the soul wants to learn all the life lessons it can possibly absorb, and it will choose a physical body in a certain location, way, type, etc. depending on what it next hopes to learn.
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