Reincarnation and the Law of Karma

The Gauls were so advanced in the practical applications of occultism The study of hidden spiritual knowledge or paranormal powers that they granted every condemned criminal a five-year reprieve after their death sentence before the execution. This was done so that the prisoner might prepare himself for a future state of being through meditation, instruction, and other preparations. This practice was also intended to prevent ushering an unprepared and guilty soul into the plane of the departed—the advantages of which are clear to every student of occultism who accepts the teachings regarding the astral planes In occult philosophy, the astral plane is a level of existence between the physical world and the spirit world.

The reader will understand, of course, that the degree of advancement in spiritual and philosophical matters shown by the Gauls was not because these people were generally so much more advanced than their neighbors, but rather because they had been instructed by the Druid priests living among them. Tradition says that the original Druidic priests came to Gaul and other countries from some far-off land, probably from Egypt or Greece. We have already spoken of the connection between their teachings and those of the Pythagoreans Followers of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who believed in the transmigration of souls, and there was undoubtedly a strong bond of relationship between these priests and the occultists of other lands.

The Druidic priests were well-versed in astronomy and astrology, and the planets played an important part in their teachings. A portion of their ritual is said to share similarities with early Jewish rites and worship. Their favorite symbol—the mistletoe—was used to indicate rebirth; the mistletoe represented new life springing forth from the old, which was symbolized by the oak tree. The Druids traveled into Ancient Britain and Ireland, and many traces of their religious rites may still be found there, not only in the form of stone places of worship Such as Stonehenge or various dolmens, but also in many curious local customs among the rural population.

Much of English folklore—and many strange Irish beliefs concerning fairies and similar beings, symbols of good luck, banshees In Irish mythology, a spirit whose wailing warns of an approaching death, and "the little folk"—descended directly to these people from the days of the Druids. From the same source came the many whispered tales among both races regarding the birth of children who seemed to have memories of former lives on earth—memories that faded away as they grew older. Among these people, there is always an undercurrent of mystical ideas about souls "coming back" original: "coining back" in some mysterious way that is not fully understood. It is the inheritance from the Druids.