Pre-existence

The term "pre-existence" is an English compound, formed from the Latin prefix "pre-" meaning "before" and the word "existence" from "existere," meaning "to arise, to appear." While not a single ancient term, the concept it describes is ancient, appearing in various forms across global philosophies and religions.

The term use<l to denote that we have lived before. The same as reincarnation in the past. The idea is derided by .some, rejected by others, called ab.surd and inconsistent by the third : yet it is the oldest and the most universally accepted belief from an immemorial antiquity. And if this belief was universally accepted by the most subtle philosophical minds of the pre-Christian world, surely it is not amiss that some of our modern intellectual men should also believe in it, or at least give the doctrine the benefit of the doubt. Even the Bible hints at it more than once, St. John the Baptist being regarded as the reincarnation of Elijah, and the Disciples asking whether the blind man ivas horn blind bccau.'ic of his sin.<i, which is equal to saying that he had lived and sinned before being born blind. As ]\Ir. Bonwiek well says: it was "the work of spiritual progression and soul discipline. The pampered sensualist returned a beggar ; the proud oppressor, a slave ; the selfish woman of fashion, a seamstress. A turn of the wheel 244 TIIKOSOI'HICAL fjavc a chaiu'c for tlu' di'Vi'lopiiu'iit of lu-ji^lci'tt'd or abused intelligeiiCL' and foeliiij?, heiieo the popularity of reincarnation in all climes and times, . . . thus the expurgation of evil was . . ^. gradually but certainly accomplished." Verily "an evil act follows a man, passing through one hundred thousand ti-ansinigrations" (Panchatantra). "All souls have a subtle vehicle, image of the body, which carries the passive soul from one material dwelling to another" says Kapila ; while liasnage explains of the Jews: "By this second death is. not considend hell, but that which hai)pens when a soul has a second time animated a body". Herodotus tells his readers, that tiie Egyptians "are the earliest who have spoken of this doctrine, according to which the soul of man is immortal, and after the destruction of the body, enters into a newh/ born hdng. When, say tliey, it has j>assed through all the animals of the earth and .sea, and all the birds, it will re-enter the body of a new born man." This is Pre -existence. Deveria showed that the funeral books of the Egyptians say plainly "that resurrection was, in reality, but a renovation, leading to a new infancy, and a new youth". (See "Kcincarnation".) Pretas (Sk.). "lliingr\' demons" in popular folk-lore. "Shells", of the avaricious and selfish man after death; "Elementaries" reborn as Pi-et;is. in Kama-loka, according to the esoteric teachings.

The term "pre-existence," as employed by Blavatsky, is a somewhat utilitarian English label for a concept that has been articulated in myriad ways across millennia of human spiritual inquiry. It points to the profound intuition that our current consciousness is not an isolated spark, suddenly ignited at birth and extinguished at death, but rather a facet of something far older and more enduring. This idea resonates deeply with the cyclical cosmologies that characterized much of ancient thought, contrasting sharply with the linear, eschatological narratives that gained prominence in certain Western traditions.

Mircea Eliade, in his seminal work "The Myth of the Eternal Return," explored how many archaic cultures perceived time not as a straight line but as a circle, where events recur and the past is perpetually present. The concept of pre-existence fits squarely within this cyclical understanding. It suggests that the individual life is but one iteration in a vast, unfolding drama, a chapter in a book that was already written, or rather, is perpetually being written and rewritten. This perspective offers a powerful antidote to the existential anxiety that can arise from the perceived finitude of a single life. If we have existed before, and will continue to exist in some form, then the present moment becomes less a point of ultimate origin or finality, and more a locus of transformation and learning.

The philosophical underpinnings of pre-existence are often tied to notions of an immortal soul or an enduring stream of consciousness. In Hinduism, the atman is considered eternal, transmigrating through countless bodies, its journey guided by the law of karma. Similarly, while Buddhism rejects a permanent self, it posits a continuity of consciousness that carries karmic imprints from one existence to the next. Even in Western esotericism, figures like Plotinus spoke of souls descending from the divine One, experiencing a period of separation before their return. These diverse interpretations, though differing in their metaphysical specifics, converge on the idea that the self is not wholly contained within the boundaries of a single physical life.

For the modern seeker, contemplating pre-existence can be an exercise in expanding one's sense of self and time. It invites us to consider our actions and experiences not merely as isolated events, but as contributions to a larger, ongoing process. It can foster a sense of responsibility, not just for our present lives, but for the cumulative spiritual inheritance we carry and pass on. This is not about dwelling in the past, but about understanding the profound interconnectedness of all moments of being, a perspective that can imbue the present with a deeper sense of purpose and continuity. The universe, in this view, is not merely a stage for a brief performance, but an eternal unfolding where each consciousness plays its part across an immeasurable expanse.

RELATED_TERMS: Samsara, Karma, Reincarnation, Soul, Atman, Rebirth, Consciousness, Eternal Return