Reincarnation and the Law of Karma

In contrast, among the Greeks, we find a significant level of interest and speculation concerning the immortality of the soul, along with a deep interest in the doctrines of metempsychosis original: "Metempsychosis"; the Greek term for the transmigration of souls or reincarnation or reincarnation. Although the majority of the Greek people were content with their popular mythology and not inclined to question further or engage in sharp speculation on metaphysical subjects, the intellectual class was extremely active in its search for truth. Their schools of philosophy, along with their many followers, have left a permanent mark on human thought to this day.

After the Hindus, the Greeks were the great philosophers of the human race. The occultists and mystics among them were equal to those of Persia, India, Chaldea an ancient region in the Near East, often associated with Babylonian wisdom and astrology, or Egypt. Although the various theories regarding the soul were as numerous as the sands of the sea—given the many teachers, schools, and branches of thought among these people—the doctrine of reincarnation still played a very important part in their philosophy.

The prevailing idea was that worthy souls pass on to a state of bliss without being reborn. In contrast, the less worthy cross the waters of the River Lethe In Greek mythology, drinking from the Lethe caused the soul to forget its past life before being reborn. By drinking its waters of forgetfulness, the memories of their earthly life and the period of punishment they endured because of it are erased and cleansed from their minds before they proceed to rebirth. One of the ancient Orphic hymns hymns associated with Orphism, a religious movement focusing on the soul's purity and its journey after death reads as follows:

"The wise love light and not darkness. When you travel the journey of life, always remember the end of the journey. When souls return to the light after their stay on earth, they wear the marks of their earthly sins upon their more subtle bodies like searing, hideous scars. These marks must be wiped away, so they return to earth to be cleansed. But the pure, virtuous, and strong proceed directly to the Sun of Dionysus in Orphic tradition, Dionysus represented a savior-god who could liberate the soul from the cycle of rebirth."

The teachings of the Egyptians left a deep impression on the Greek mind. Both the common beliefs and the esoteric original: "esoteric"; secret knowledge intended only for a small group of initiates doctrines were passed from the older civilization to the newer one.

Pythagoras an influential Greek philosopher and mathematician (c. 570–495 BC) who famously taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls was the great teacher of the occult in Greece. His school and his followers accepted and taught the great doctrine of reincarnation. Much of his teaching was reserved for those initiated into the mystic orders he and his followers founded, yet a significant portion of the doctrine was made public. Both Orpheus a legendary musician and prophet in Greek myth; the Orphic mysteries were named after him and Pythagoras—though separated by several centuries—were students at the source of knowledge in Egypt. They traveled to that country to be initiated into the mystic orders of the ancient land; upon returning, they taught the old doctrine of rebirth once more. The Pythagorean teaching resembles that of the Hindus and