Could a reincarnation begin before a life actually ends?”
The last thing I would’ve expected after our persian cat Paws died on February 18 of 2012 was that he would return in nearly an identical package, or return at all for that matter, complete with physical appearance, personality traits, and memories of his favorite homestead haunts fully in tact.
But that’s what appears to have happened – a reincarnation of Paws, now called Clover Paws, returned to us in the fall of the same year that he’d “died.”
I’ve written about this miraculous account before both online and in my book Conscious Musings, in which I describe all of the curious dimensions this incident brought to life. The components to this perplexing and amazing case have put the subject of reincarnation and more specifically animal reincarnation into clearer focus for me – so much so that I have given a talk on the subject (The Case for Animal Reincarnation) and have discussed it repeatedly during media interviews I’ve done on the subject of consciousness and related subjects. Admittedly, as much as I feel that multiple incarnations, both of humans and our animal companions can happen, I am still quite frankly confounded as to how it all occurs!
Alexis discusses animal reincarnation on 30 Odd Minutes TV
Among the strange and curious synchronicities associated with the return of our little kitty was his birthdate (February 17, 2012) and Paws’ death date (February 18, 2012). We’d figured the two events took place merely hours apart. The close time frame in and of itself would make anyone raise an eyebrow. However, if one is thinking that reincarnation would only be possible if and only if the former being returns after his passing, this would render the case closed, right?
Not necessarily.
Watch my short commentary on the idea of time overlap and the phenomenon of “Walk Ins.”
There is a term that has been bandied about in many schools of spiritual thought, namely within a religious or mystical context. Walk In is a process that has been simplistically defined as an agreement between souls in which one soul essence agrees to inhabit the body of another with the others consent, of course. Now there are many references online about this phenomenon and probably as many descriptions as to how this occurs and under what condition, but insofar as my understanding, here’s what I’ve surmised may (and I caution – may) have happened in the case of Paws’ essence entering that of a brand new kitty now named Clover Paws…
It was Saturday, February 18, 2012 at roughly 12 noon local time in southern California. I’d been wrapping up a trip out west to attend the popular Conscious Life Expo and do an interview with well known hypnotherapist Dr. Bruce Goldberg. We were spending our last day with family near Palm Springs and readying our selves to head back east later that day, when we got a call from our veterinarian in which Paws had been boarding during our trip. Sadly, Paws had declined in health drastically while we were away and we were asked to prepare to not see him alive by the time we got back. Though devastated and surprised at the doctor’s edict, we accepted it nonetheless. As we got a recap from the doctor about Paws’ last day or two, she explained that it seemed that he had not been himself at all – describing almost like a walking shell; technically alive but not “there.” She said he seemed like a zombie, simply going through the motions of life but not really living. Though unsettling, we found that description quite interesting and even familiar to what we’ve seen before.
I’ve always felt that in some instances when the essence of a person is preparing to physically die, the essence (or spirit) will vacate the body prior to it being declared deceased. This too has been discussed as a possibility during the process of passing over and yet little is truly known about the mechanics of such a process. I recall that when my father was close to death, I could see in his eyes an absence of life. More than just lethargic, his spirit had no longer animated him. I felt as if I’d been looking at a moving shell of sorts.
Upon reflection some months after we got our new kitten Clover Paws and pondering how he may in fact be a reincarnated Paws, given the date overlap, I recalled the veterinarian’s detailed description of Paws’ demeanor. Both my husband and I had wondered whether Paws’ essence could have vacated his body, perhaps a day or even hours before his physical passing (on February 17th) and re-entered a brand new physical body on February 18th – the day Clover Paws was born. The idea seemed plausible – at least as “plausible” as something this bizarre could be. Furthermore, considering our ideas of time flowing like a river – in one direction, could it be that the true nature of reality is actually absent of linear time as we understand it? This too calls into question the legitimacy of time and space. In the case of Paws’ “re” incarnation, nothing would be off the table!
Either way, it seems that Paws saw fit to continue his sojourn with us and for that we are both truly grateful.
As a metaphysical researcher, I am consistently fascinated with the multiplicity of experience that reality continues to reveal. Though voracious in my quest to understand, I’ve also realized that the goal may not be in settling on how it all works, but to continue to observe the workings of life itself.
As the quest for greater understanding continues, let us not only keep an open mind but be mindful of the fact that we may never fully understand how it all works – at least not while in this incarnation and in physical form. Whether we’re discussing soul contracts, reincarnation, past lives or walk ins, let us not get caught up with the labels we attach to a meaning that no language will ever be able to fully explain about the mystery we call life.
And let us always remember as Richard Feynman once said…
[quote]It does no harm to the mystery to know a little about it.[/quote]
Alexis Brooks is a personal intuitive consultant, #1 best-selling author of Conscious Musings – Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential and is the host of the popular Conscious Inquiry Radio program, exclusively presented by Conscious Life News. Visit Alexis on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!
vanessa
August 21, 2015 @ 10:45 am
I totally believe in reincarnation, I have had a cat come back to me years later in the form of another cat, looked different but same quirks and personality traits and when a kitten, ran up to me like he knew who I was and was wondering where I have been… just recently we lost our beautiful black Mainecoon mix Mufasa… to a racoon fight …. I had a pregnant rescue cat inside the house and she was not due for maybe another week or so, but she went into labor the day after we lost Mufasa, and had all girls except one fluffy black boy that looks exactly like Mufasa did when he was a kitten, only difference is he’s not a polydactyl like Mufasa was, the other weird similarities are his fluffy coat is not pure black, it’s got brown hues when in the sun ( like Mufasa ) as well as silver grey on the underbelly and behind his ears … Like Mufasa.. the most convincing evidence is the fact this little Kitten who we named Milo walked right up to my Husky Sasha … and acted like he knew her as well as she acted like she knew him too… Mufasa and Sasha were raised together and were very close, Sasha can be a bit rough with cats but always mothered Mufasa when he was a kitten, she was still a puppy but she treated him like her baby, she took one look at Milo and acted exactly the same to him like she did with Mufasa, which is totally not like her because he was the only cat she acted like that with, all other cats were either chased or scared of her from her overly aggressive rough play, I had other kittens around her and I would have to watch her to make sure she didn’t hurt them, but this new kitten Milo she just gently licks him and cleans him like he is her puppy… so I am very convinced my cat Mufasa came back to me the day after he died…..
Posted by Alexis Brooks
August 21, 2015 @ 1:31 pm
Thank you kindly Vanessa for sharing your personal account. Synchronistically I JUST posted an article describing how science is now claiming they have “evidence” for the reality of reincarnation. I think the true evidence will always lie in the experience of which you most certainly have had! What a blessing!
Check out the article here: https://www.facebook.com/HigherJourneys/posts/1011296262235175
Mike C.
June 11, 2017 @ 9:24 am
I am very glad to have found these enlightening posts regarding pet reincarnation, for I recently wondered if my family’s calico cat Missy (who recently passed) was the same soul of another calico cat named Abby that my family cared for exactly 30 years ago! The story of Alexis’ cats makes me think it’s very probable – wish I were actively intuitive/psychic to know for sure! In addition to the 30 year gap between the times we “adopted” both cats, to the times that we no longer were able to care for them, both cats came to us under similar circumstances, for with both, their owners severely neglected them, which my family could not bear to see. Both cats had similar friendly personalities, and both were significantly mistreated (again with exactly 30 years between events) by cat haters in their respective neighborhoods! Without getting too specific, I think there was a karmic factor with this reincarnation, one that I will classify as “unfinished business”, meaning my family had the opportunity to fulfill a responsibility to Missy that was not fulfilled (but should have been) with Abby, but thankfully this time we did fulfill that responsibility! Live and learn.
amberlynne
July 17, 2018 @ 8:59 am
hi alexis and readers,
i stumbled upon your website when googling about animal reincarnation. i just lost my beloved chinchilla on july 2, 2018 unexpectedly. my husbands ferret had jumped from the second story of her cage while he was feeding her, took off quickly and killed my chinny who was free-roaming and under the bed. i had never had a more heart and gut wrenching experience in my entire life. i adopted her in february bc i had gotten a call she needed a home. i never had a chin and didnt truly know if i want wanted her, but i wanted to help her, my kids wanted to meet her, and i thought “who knows, maybe this will turn out great!” and oh my god in heaven, it was love, i was in such love. she didnt have a cage mate to be bonded with, so she ended up bonding with me in particular once we got her here. she didnt have a cage for most of the time that she was here, and even after i had got her one, she only ever spent the day in it at a time. one night, maybe a month or so after she came, i walked in the room, she was up on the dresser, she developed a trust with me and we were making such progress together– she did something i will never forget, ive never came across it on any site of it happening to other chin owners– i had my face in her face and i had given her a few kisses on her nose– she then put her tiny hands on my face, tilted her little head and as gently as she could nibbled one of my eyelids.. i was in shock– she then not even a moment later, did the same thing to my other eye.. as if she was marking me as her own or something. our relationship just kept blossoming day after day. i respected her space, i visited with her, we played peek-a-boo.. which was the first special bonding activity that ended up giving her her name, Peeka. she just died so tragically and unnecessarily that i just have died inside. i know her essence or spirit lingered for the next week.. we had a phantom balloon.. it kept hovering over to me, i kept wondering if i was in fact insane– it had done this several times as though on purpose.. it also came to me and then after i had hugged it for a while and let it go, without me doing anything except letting it go, it travelled over to where my 9y.o. slept on the couch and stopped and nestled in next to his head. i kept questioning if this could be real or i was comforting myself with my own fantasies.. then the mother of all things happened. there the balloon was traveling down the hall at record speed (she used to go in a giant ball and fly thru this same hall) .. so i thought id try something.. when id walk into the room to visit with her, i had formed a tapping noise sequence id do off the floor or wall with my finger tips– the balloon gets into the kitchen and i stay a good 8 ft or so back.. the balloon seems to pay my presence not a lot of mind.. i then do that special tap on the wall, and it was as if the balloon was alive– it physically turned around as if to look at me like i caught it’s attention, and it floated right back to me. i was convinced after that moment she was indeed the one who was pushing these balloons around my house. within a few days, i had found a baby bunny who was very injured but wanted to live very bad, so all my energy was re-directed from my grieving into trying to save his little life.. he did pass away this past saturday morning, but since i had been so sleep deprived and my attention focused elsewhere.. i havent felt her here for a little over a week now and its really bothering me and making me sad. the day the baby bunny passed, someone else called me about a baby dove.. he/she is up in the room sleeping as we speak, and im not a bird person.. but im trying my best to help it and also trying not to get attached to it at the same time. it has deformed little legs and everything.. im obviously going to have to see how this goes and it is too early to tell.. but i wonder if since i wasnt exactly a chinchilla person either if this is possibly her in another form.. i know it may not happen this quickly, and im definately not saying the bunny was her at all bc he had his own little soul (to me) or the bird (although its too early to tell i suppose), just thought the last part about not being a bird person was slightly ironic. another thing i wanted to mention is that out of no where, ive been noticing a lot of numbers on the clock, that i happen to look right at the right moment to catch things like 11:11, 2:22, etc., and it started happening before my peeka died. however, i NEVER see 9:11.. the night before she died, i saw it. i thought that was really strange and i was wondering what it meant until i sadly knew the next morning during the 11 o’clock hour. i told my husband that and he immediately went stiff, lost his breath, had visible goose bumps all over him and started to get chokey and cry the moment i confided this in him. i saw it once after that too, the night before i had found the injured baby bunny who also ended up passing away apx 4 days later from his injuries. this has all been just very strange and i wanted to share. i hope my little soul mate comes back to me in some form. our love and bond was so special and unique, its unlike any other i have ever felt with any animal i have ever known. words cant describe. and i have had every animal you could think of too. no one compares to her, no one. thanks for reading if you made it to the end. <3 -amber
Alexis Brooks - Editor, Higher Journeys
July 18, 2018 @ 11:06 am
Dear Amber,
Though your heart is heavy with emotion right now (understandably), your precious Peeka it appears is responding to your unconditional affection for her. Though we don’t understand truly how this all works (life after death), I think it is important to be aware of the signs, of which you’ve had many, that show that love never dies or ends. If consciousness is infinite and we are all made of consciousness, including our beloved animal companions, then they never “end.” For this you can certainly take comfort.
Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Many blessings to you! – AB
Tehya
October 4, 2018 @ 10:13 am
What about extraordinary animals reincarnating as human walk-ins???
Tehya
Alexis Brooks - Editor, Higher Journeys
October 18, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
In this world (reality) we live in, I certainly think it’s ALL on the table! Discard nothing. Explore everything!
Marilyn
May 20, 2019 @ 11:25 am
Hi Alexis,
Thank you for this, I just found your site in a search for whether animals can walk in.
Your stories have lightened my heart and I absolutely believe you are right both about your kitty and your little chin. What a sweet story.
I had to say good bye to my precious Daisy yesterday. She was about nineteen years old and I had her five years, but I knew from the moment I saw her that she was my dog. She was a very special dog and I think she maybe chose me because she knew she would live a very long life with me. I just learned last year I’m a medical intuitive, I have been for decades only I didn’t know it till I worked with one last year.
So yesterday was especially hard because part of me had felt that I could reverse the degeneration she was experiencing, but then it got too much for her. She was very ready to go and she let me carry her in to the vet’s office and she laid her head in my lap and gave me a last kiss. I said you come back to me as soon as you can. Please.
I usually only adopt older dogs so I started wondering last night about walk ins, if a dog’s soul would ever walk in to another dog’s body. This is one of the things getting me through this, the thought that I will see her again hopefully very soon. I wonder if I should be open to a puppy though? I am only allowed one dog in my apartment, and I was planning on adopting right away.
I believe what happened with your kitty is absolutely possible and was having that discussion the day before with a friend. I believe linear time is only a perception we have in the third dimension. Even on earth in the higher dimensions, time is different, and once we’ve passed over, there is no linear time.
I’ve also experienced the natural deaths of several humans and was saying to this friend how there is no definite point a person dies. It seems to take weeks in some cases, like with my father and my ex husband’s father. I know my father-in-law came to visit our house about five days before he physically passed, I smelled a very strong smell of cigarette smoke in the room that he had spent a lot of time in and I knew he was there visiting.
You gave given me a lot of comfort in this very difficult time. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
Marilyn
Alexis Brooks - Editor, Higher Journeys
May 23, 2019 @ 8:40 am
Thank you Marilyn for sharing your story. Though your precious Daisy has now “shifted focus,” know that somehow/someway she is still with you. Look out for your dreams. They often communicate that way as was the case with my Paws. Blessings, Alexis
Marilyn
May 20, 2019 @ 11:32 am
PS I just realized I mistook Amber’s story about Peeka as yours. My mistake.
Thank you again for this wonderful discussion, it is really helping me a lot.
Marilyn
Marilyn
May 26, 2019 @ 9:21 pm
Thank you, Alexis, I had to buy your book the other day but I skipped ahead to read the chapter on Paws and Clover Paws. I just love this story and it gives me so much hope.
The day Daisy passed, a friend texted me who I hadn’t heard from for a month or so. I texted her back and said I was really glad to hear from her because I wanted to ask her a question about animal reincarnation, since she has done some animal communication. She immediately texted me back saying that all she knows about that is if you ask them to come back to you, they will. I found that stunning since that is what I had asked Daisy to do so many times that last day.
I will definitely pay attention to my dreams, thank you for that advice.
I was hiking by myself today and stopped to talk to a lovely woman who, although she didn’t know it, gave me a little message from Daisy. I had sensed Daisy was with me as we hiked there a lot. The woman and I chatted for a while about her grand-dog and natural remedies and how Daisy lived to such an age, and then the woman said, “She’s chasing bunnies now.” I know that might be something rather normal to say about a dog, but that was something I used to tease Daisy about every day. She kicked a lot in her sleep and I’d always tell her she’s chasing bunnies, and I’d tell Daisy that when she dreams, I know she dreams she doesn’t have a mummy who won’t let her chase bunnies. So for that woman to say that specific thing really felt like a message from Daisy.
I also have a feeling she may be coming through a soon to be born pup in Mexico. There are a few Mexican dog rescues in my town so I will be keeping an eye on them. Daisy had some very distinctive traits so I’m sure I’ll know if she comes to me again.
Thank you so much again, Alexis. What a gift you are!
Marilyn
June 5, 2019 @ 2:56 pm
There’s now a part 3 to my Daisy posts. I now believe Daisy was the reincarnation of my very first dog, Monroe, even though they were the most different looking dogs possible. Monroe was a white American Eskimo, quite a small dog, and Daisy was a cross between a Rottweiler and a Lab. I’ve had a lot of dogs in between and I’ve been listing the commonalities between those two dogs. When I told my mother, she reminded me of even more commonalities, such as that both of those dogs had a real fondness for her, and they both really did get very excited to see her.
I asked my guides/intuition, ‘Was Daisy Monroe?’ I felt like the answer was yes but then I dismissed it.
A few minutes later I scrolled down to the bottom of your chapter on Animal Reincarnation in your book, Conscious Musings. I was kind of stunned because the name below felt like confirmation of the answer to my question:
“We are masters of ourselves, but not at the conscious level.”
– Robert Monroe