Journey of a Birthmark: Let’s Take a Peek Into Our Past Lives

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Birthmarks are known to be a common phenomenon during or after birth. I was born with multiple birthmarks and for me it was fun to create a story about them. For example, on my forehead I have a reddish V shaped birthmark which, growing up in India, people believed to be a Trishula, a sign of Lord Shiva (the Hindu deity known as God of destruction and recreation). Another birthmark I was born with is a brown spot on my right leg which I tell people is the map of the place I am originally from in my past life.

But all assumptions aside, what exactly is behind the journeys of our birthmarks?

Birthmarks differ in sizes and shapes and even colors; where some of us have distinct ones, others more subtle. Some of them are inherited, while others seem to happen randomly. But is anything truly random?

In light of all these variations, it is common for us to wonder about the reason for their appearances. People have done so through the ages, and we will look at traditional as well as scientific knowledge surrounding the mystery of birthmarks.

It is an ancient belief, still present in most religions, that one’s entire lifetime is recorded, inch by inch, in another time space. That could explain the mystery of past life memories in some people, as their previous lifetimes still remain in their psyche and only come to them as scattered fragments, and sometimes as a complete vision.

There happens to be another mode of expression for these past life experiences—the form of birthmarks.

Why Do Birthmarks Appear?

From one scientific perspective, birthmarks occur or develop due to the formation of skin pigment that is lodged in deeper layers and which doesn’t completely make it to the surface of the skin.

Another explanation suggests that there are also types of birthmarks formed as a result of abnormal blood vessels under the skin. One way or another, science has not been able to crack the code as to what actually causes birthmarks.

Enter ancient science!

While modern science understands these marks on a more superficial level and is still unable to trace its origin, traditional or ancient knowledge portrays birthmarks and their occurrence on a deeper and more spiritual level.

According to ancient beliefs, birthmarks can be viewed as:

• An omen determining a person’s traits and characteristics

The part of the body where these uncommon spots appear could be significant in predicting character traits in a child when they grow up. For example in Chinese cultures it has long been believed that if a child is born with birthmarks such as a mole in their right feet, it means that the child will grow up to be someone who travels the world.

• An inherited birthmark

Some children are born with birthmarks due to their genes. A child may have a birthmark on the neck just like his father, mother, grandparent, aunt, or uncle. In many cases, these marks appear in the exact same spot as the paternal or maternal family members. Now we know that in movies when a lost child is identified by his or her biological parents due to a mark, it is inspired by real life.

• A pregnancy injury

There are also a few cases where these marks really are indicative of a mother’s consumption of certain foods while carrying the baby. A common example is strawberry birthmarks, which some say form when a mother eats too many strawberries.

There are also myths suggesting that strong feelings from the mother can also give unusual birthmarks in the babies. For example a sudden shock or feeling of fright can cause formation of a mole on the child.

• Last, but not the least, an indicator of past life event

The most common belief about birthmarks is said to be a mark from past life events and reincarnation. Accordingly, the birthmarks indicate some trauma the person might have faced during or before death in the previous incarnation. With the increasing number of people seeking past life regression therapists, it’s been confirmed that some birthmarks are not random at all and have to do with incidents from past lives. For example:

i. Bullet mark

A birthmark like this may indicate that the person was hit with a bullet in their past life. An uneven pattern or lesions on the sides of the mark indicates powder from the shot which turns brown over time. In cases of slight protrusion could show that the bullet was lodged in the body during previous-life death.

ii. Burn mark

Another common birthmark is said to be a burn mark from past life incidents. It is a faded reddish birthmark that looks like the skin was once burned. A darker version means the trauma hasn’t been refined and the prior life isn’t that ancient.

iii. Scattered shots

Birthmarks on the body that look like scattered marks or patterns suggest a sprayed shot wound in past life. The skin during that life was somewhat burnt by shot and hence appears to be black in color. The size of these birthmarks are believed to reduce with each birth or reincarnation.

In his paper “Birthmarks and Birth Defects Corresponding to Wounds on Deceased Persons,” professor Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia did his study on pigmented birthmarks and why they occur in particular skin locations.

He found that “In cases in which a deceased person was identified the details of whose life unmistakably matched the child’s statement, a close correspondence was nearly always found between the birthmarks and/or birth defects on the child and the wounds on the deceased person.”

“In 43 of 49 cases in which a medical document (usually a post mortem report) was obtained, it confirmed the correspondence between wounds and birthmarks or birth defects).”

This bold research (pdf) led to some groundbreaking discussions in the scientific field.

Whether a sign of a good omen or a ghastly gunshot, a birthmark’s journey is undoubtedly older than the person itself. Our birthmarks seem to have a history, but what we make of this life is still in our hands. In every life we are born with a purpose, and to realize and learn from our past life experiences, in many ways, can be part of the healing process we are all after consciously or subconsciously.

Lets see if I am indeed able to track the location of my previous life’s birthplace with the map I was born with.

References:

https://www.nairaland.com/3412617/birthmark-meanings-shapes-location-body

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/what-the-moles-on-your-body-reveal-about-your-past-life/photostory/84230954.cms?picid=84231079

https://www.childrensskincenter.com/2018/12/21/what-is-a-birth-mark-and-why-do-you-get-them/#:~:text=Hereditary%20%E2%80%93%20Some%20people%20have%20birthmarks,same%20spot%20as%20the%20relative!