Last month my family and I took a Caribbean cruise and spent a week in Puerto Rico. The trip wasn’t only an escape from the cold Minnesota weather; it also provided a chance to experience different cultures, ways of life and people. When I travel I’m more aware of everything and living in the moment because everything is so new and different. Sometimes I have more vivid dreams or even a past-life memory.
This trip broadened my understanding of the Caribbean islands and sparked my interest in its history. The islands have such features as tropical rainforests, mountains and white sand beaches surrounded by aqua blue ocean.
(Here are some photos of our trip.)
The main language in Puerto Rico is Spanish though many speak English so it isn’t hard to get around. One Puerto Rican highlight was a guided hike in El Yunque, a large rainforest. After visiting the rainforest we paddled kayaks into an ocean bay to see the bioluminescent water. At night the water sparkles like fireflies when you paddle or put your hand in it. It seems magical.
I find many of the things I worry about at home disappear when I’m traveling. I enjoy just sitting on the ocean, feeling the warm sun, watching the waves and swimmers. It’s also fun to spend time with my family and meet new people.
Traveling can be a trigger for remembering past lives. It sparks memories, sometimes subtle and other times direct. While I didn’t remember any past lives on this trip, when I visited Fort San Felipe Del Morro (a five-hundred-year-old fort in Puerto Rico) I felt a deep heaviness I knew stemmed from a past life.
The fort is historically significant because it served as a base of Spanish power.
Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage and colonized by Spain. Today none of the native people remain. The island has a natural harbor, fresh water and was the first place the ocean currents brought ships when they sailed to the new world from Europe. From this fort Spain controlled the gateway to Mexico, Central and South America to better rule this part of the world. They pillaged gold and silver from these countries and had a large slave-trading business. (Here are some photos of the fort.)
On the island of Barbados we saw the amazing Huntes Garden set on the site of an old sugar plantation. Chairs where you can sit and enjoy the flowers and serenity are placed throughout the garden. While there we met Grace, a woman from England. She lives in an old house outside of London that was once a monastery in the 1500s. I asked, “Have you ever been visited by a ghost?” She said yes she had, by a monk on three occasions. The first time he appeared was when she was ill. He came into her room and was a comforting presence.
Grace told us she once experienced a challenging situation when her family had wronged her. She was upset until she had a dream where she left her body and met with Jesus, her spiritual guide.
He said, “You’ve been forgiven. Now it’s up to you to forgive others.” After the dream she was able to let go of the situation and forgive her family members.
My husband Jim asked, “That changed your life, didn’t it?” She replied it had.
Jim said, “We call that ‘Soul Travel’” (an Eckankar term that can mean a shift in consciousness to a higher state of awareness or an experience of leaving the physical body either while awake or when dreaming).
Grace said she’d never heard of Soul Travel, but found the idea interesting.
(Here are some photos of the garden.)
I returned home refreshed from these wonderful adventures with my family and felt enriched by the many people I met along the way.
Have you met an interesting person or had an experience when traveling that opened up vivid dreams or gave you an insight into a past life? I’d love to hear your stories.
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