Proving the Past, Researching Past Lives
... a chapter from my upcoming book, The Enlighten Librarian
During my past life meditations, I have, on occasion, received an identifiable name. The first time this happened was with Henry Walters' life. I had asked for a name with my Akashic records open, and I got two names Walters, Henry. They were such average names; I never expected to be able to identify that person. I was shocked to find Mr. Walters so easily with a simple Google search and a little persistent perusing of the Walters Museum website. The name alone would not be enough factual information for me to stand up and say that I had located the correct person. However, once I had established the name, I dug deeper into the man and his life. Unusual facts kept falling into place. Henry Walters had lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, where I currently resided. I located the headquarters of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, which was his business address and now a museum in Wilmington. I visited Airlie Gardens, where he had lived with his best friend, Pembroke Jones. I began to volunteer at the gardens to give tours about the Jones and the lavish lifestyle of Henry Walters and his wife, Sarah. I even traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, to tour the Walters Museum. In some ways, I wanted to step back into that Victorian time and live vicariously through that past life personality.
Mr. Walters was an art collector. He had a passion for Impressionists' works. I majored in art history in college and researched the same group of artists. Walters helped several female artists in establishing their art careers, and he knew Minnie Evans, an African American visionary artist. I am now a visionary artist. In his 60's, Henry developed a foot issue on the big toe of his right foot. Yes, at 65, I was diagnosed with a bone spur on the same toe. These physical similarities often occur between past and current lives. Of course, there were a lot of things about Henry, which did not resonate with me. Henry Walters was a male and a railroad executive. Mr. Walters was extraordinarily wealthy and a member of the gilded age society. None of those aspects were apparent in my current life.
The purpose of my investigations into past lives was not to find someone rich or famous in my soul history. I wanted to understand more about myself in my current life. My love of art was the reason I asked the question, and then I was shown a previous incarnation where the same admiration of art existed. Again, if that person turned out to be a prominent personality, more could be ascertained from library research. My skills as a reference librarian were coming in handy as I delved deeper into proving these past life people were real.
Several notable figures in history also surfaced while I was conducting sessions for clients. In one case, the client himself received the name, "Montcalm." Unlike Walters, this last name was very unusual. The session had presented a military life in Canada. The man in question was a commander of some sort. The vision looked like Washington crossing the Delaware River, but this general was extremely concerned about his troops and their safety. In his current life, my client worked with the Marines as a psychotherapist. That was a strange twist on the previous experience as a general. Upon further research, I was able to verify the French general Louis Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Véran (1712-1759), commander of the French troops in Canada during the French and Indian War. He died a hero on the battlefield of Quebec. His last words were, "I am happy that I will not live to see the surrender of Quebec."
Sometimes a famous person has been portrayed in history in a more flattering light than revealed in an Akashic review. This was the case for me when I began to look into a former life in Williamsburg, Virginia. In my session, I went to pre-revolutionary times, where I was a woman of status. I was married to a prominent gentleman, who left by horseback regularly to attend business out of town. I remained home to run the household and manage the staff. It was a good "professional-personal" relationship in which we both had significant duties and together ran a tight ship. My husband respected me for my management capabilities. I did not feel it was a passionate romantic bond. At the end of the session, I asked for a name and heard "Betty Randolph" in my head.
Having grown up in Virginia in my current life, I knew from history classes the Randolph name held significant heritage and respect. Thomas Jefferson's wife was a Randolph before their marriage. With minimal effort, I was able to identify Betty/ Elizabeth Randolph as the wife of Peyton Randolph. Peyton Randolph (1721-1775), was president of the First Continental Congress, and instrumental in securing independence for the United States of America. He traveled to Philadelphia regularly to attend meetings of the Continental Congress. Just as in my vision, he left on horseback frequently. Peyton Randolph and Elizabeth Harrison were married on March 8, 1746; they were among Williamsburg, Virginia's leading citizens before the American Revolution. Elizabeth Randolph, like most women of that era and statue, spent much of her time managing household affairs and directing the slaves who maintained the property she shared with her husband. The couple never had children together. The shock to me was to learn that Betty and Peyton owned slaves.
So far, no negative past lives had shown up for me in my personal Akashic research. Always my behavior had been kind and loving. Unfortunately, I was to confirm my suspicions of the truth about Elizabeth in her dealings with her slaves. The information I uncovered about her was upsetting, and it revealed a big problem I needed to heal immediately. I wanted to clear previous slave ownership from my karma.
Even today in 2020, the lingering issue of slave treatment has been rising in the mainstream media with rioting and defacing monuments of such prominent figures as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Spirit had led me to revisit this life and go further in my Akashic work to understand the importance of rectifying this life's remaining karmic ties.
I wanted to learn more about Betty Randolph as a woman and why she had been an arrogant and cruel slave owner. The archives at Colonial Williamsburg provided some exciting insight through historical documents. The Randolph home in Williamsburg was now open to the public for tours, and a significant part of their "living history" reenactments took place on the Randolph premises. Actors who portrayed Randolph’s slaves spoke about their life during revolutionary times. They expressed confusion about the pursuit of happiness and liberty for only the plantation owners. Several of the slaves escaped and attempted to go to the British ranks. Their freedom was possible if they helped the British defeat the patriots.
Historical documents stated that Betty Randolph's slave Eve was one of those who ran away. Betty was furious since Eve was the most valued slave at the Randolph home. Eve knew how to read and do tasks such as sewing and tending to Betty's personal needs. Betty put out a poster with a reward for Eve's return, and the slave was returned to Williamsburg quickly. Eve attempted a second escape but with the same result. Betty was so mad, she sold Eve and permanently separated Eve from her son George, who remained with the Randolph estate.
The Randolph House was also on the Williamsburg ghost tour and listed as the most haunted house in Williamsburg. The rumor was that Eve put a curse on the house when she was sold and separated from her son. The tale continues with a list of subsequent deaths. The home served as a hospital for wounded soldiers. While visiting the Randolph home, the Marquis de Lafayette was said to have felt hands touch him or even attempting to push him down a flight of stairs. A former Confederate soldier of the American Civil War passed away in the house after succumbing to illness while attending the College of William and Mary. Two men met their demise here after fighting to the death over a heated argument. In the 19th century, a young boy died suddenly after falling from a tree. A little girl also died after plunging from a second-story window of the house. Today, visitors have witnessed strange movements from the second-floor window.
After learning this information, I decided to open my Akashic records one more time with the hope of gaining insight into the relationship between Betty and Eve. I saw a snapshot in the parlor of the Randolph home where Betty and Eve were arguing. There was a physical altercation occurring. I could not discern if Betty or Eve had initiated the fight, but one of them was trying to hit the other with a brass candlestick. Being the slave owner, Betty had the upper hand. It seemed that the discussion was about more than the fact of Eve running away. There had been a greater betrayal to Betty.
Within this scene, I knew that Eve had been Peyton's mistress, and there was a child between them. Elizabeth, on the other hand, remained childless. When Betty sold Eve, her children stayed at the Randolph home under the care of Mrs. Randolph. This revelation was even more disturbing to me. I started to shake and cry as I closed my records. Once again, my husband had betrayed me with an affair. Did Elizabeth banish this woman for running away or for having her husband's child? What did I need to heal from this past life to clear the karma? Could the curse on the home be removed? These were the questions I intended to answer by going to Williamsburg in person.