by Dana Taylor

A fascinating concept emerging from the New Age is the idea of Pre-Life Planning. I’m not sure where it started, perhaps with the life-between-life hypnosis discoveries and subsequent books of Dr. Michael Newton (Journey of Souls; Destiny of Souls). But esoteric thinkers are increasingly buying into the idea that WE SIGNED UP FOR THIS.

That’s right. Abusive parents, birth defects, gaslighting relationships, chronic disease might have been your challenge of choice. On the bright side, unique talents, loving relationships, and amazing opportunities might have also been on the menu.

Author Robert Schwartz must have put Revealing Pre-Life Planning to the World in his life plan, because that appears to be his life mission. His two books Your Soul’s Plan and Your Soul’s Gift are the result of in-depth interviews with a variety of people he chose to personify various life-theme scenarios.

Schwartz targets a range of human experience challenges, to name a few:

• Physical illness
• Parenting handicapped children
• Deafness and blindness
• Drug Addiction and alcoholism
• Accidents
• Miscarriage and abortion
• Caring for a spouse
• Homosexuality
• Poverty

Schwartz also assembled a four-person team of mediums and trance-channels to access multidimensional information. Deborah DeBari, Staci Wells, Corbie Mitleid, and Glenna Dietrich each offer a unique vantage with their psychic gifts. Staci Wells stands out with her ability to relay the details of pre-life planning sessions, where incarnating souls meet in an other worldly room with their guides and prospective key people who will take on significant roles in their lives—family, mates, lovers, and even enemies.

These books present a universe where people reincarnate again and again on earth (and other planets) to promote their soul growth. Prior to birth, they confer with guides to map out target areas for soul growth, which may include a variety of challenges. More advanced souls may focus less on life challenges and more on life purpose. The main point is that everyone is responsible for the circumstances of their lives. The concept of pre-life planning strips away victim mentality, bad luck, or even divine retribution. In Schwartz’ world, every one not only plays the cards they are dealt in life, they have stacked the deck and are the dealers.

 People often incarnate repeatedly, working out old karma and trying to “get it right.” Souls with timeless history together work out scenarios for mutual soul growth. For instance, in the chapter on homosexuality, three souls decide on roles as closeted husband, wife, and best friend/eventual lover for a multitude of reasons that will serve them all as their drama unfolds.

These books include in depth channeled, analysis about how people can learn and evolve through the various challenges presented, whether it be incest, addiction, violence, illness and beyond.

CAN PETS BE PART OF THE PRE-LIFE PLAN?

If there is a “fun” chapter in these books, it is the one on pets.  Schwartz interviewed Marcia DeRuse, a middle-aged woman, whose life challenge centered on being a dwarf. Throughout her life, a variety of animals were her friends and companions. The personalities of a horse, dog, cat and, even chicken, come through during the sessions. As it turns out, they each were indeed part of the pre-life plan. Most had known Marcia in a previous life when they were all a part of a circus together. The animals were always animals. In the circus life the horse had been an elephant. All of the animals expressed great love for Marcia and wanted to help her get through the journey of this lifetime where she would be a dwarf.

IS EVERYTHING PREDETERMINED?

The question arises: is everything in our lives mapped out? Do we have any choices or are events and relationships predetermined? The material makes it clear, scenarios are set up, but earth is a free-choice planet. Certain relationships may be arranged, like an abusive father to son. But how it will all play out is decided by the actors in the parts. In other words, life is improvised, not scripted. We are given a set of circumstances and a character to play, but we make it up as we go.

When I read the first book, Your Soul’s Plan, I thought it a bit too neat. Everyone in that book managed to overcome their big life challenge and come to a higher consciousness and sense of peace. Looking around at some people I’ve observed in real life, it’s not always so triumphant. We all know people who sank into the depths of addiction or died in sad bitterness. Your Soul’s Gift is more sophisticated. Not every relationship is HEA. Some people plan challenges that don’t go well. Case in point is the woman who chose an abusive husband thinking she could bring out the best in him, but it didn’t happen. Her guides, and even the man himself, expressed doubts about the outcome of the relationship in the pre-life planning session, but she insisted she wanted to go with the scenario. She learned her lesson, but it wasn’t the one she had hoped for.

So, the takeaway from these books, is we are each responsible for the relationships and events in our lives. We set up certain parameters before birth. Our reactions, choices, and emotional responses drive the course of unfolding events. Ultimately, it isn’t our circumstances, but our sense of peace and self-worth that determine whether we have triumphed over life challenges.

The old adage is true, Life is what you make it.

For more information on Robert Schwartz, visit his website, Your Soul’s Plan.

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Visit Dana Taylor Books and Bio Page