Well, what I've experienced has never really led to memories, but sometimes things come around out of nowhere and hit me so hard I'm in a daze for some time. Never any concrete memories, but a strong sense (and they all happened before I believed in reincarnation) of, "Hello, there was something important there", you know?
My pulse quickens at the sight of people dressed in European clothing from the 16th, 18th, and 19th century. I remember once seeing a program that had people dressed in Tudor clothing after a very stressful day and thinking, for reasons I could not fathom at the time, "Finally, some sensibly dressed people." And I still have a book I got when I was eight on Henry VIII; it's far below my reading level now, but I still cherish it because I can't forget that instant feeling of, "YES!" when I started reading it for the first time.
And as for the French Revolution...the only remarkable thing I did for many years regarding that subject was fastidiously avoid it. "Oh, I'm just not interested," I told myself with pseudo calm that masked deeper trepidation whenever I heard any sort of reference to it. Then, last year, the History Channel came out with a program on it. The first commercial I saw for it had me shuddering at first, deciding I would never watch it. But then the announcer, who had been announcing the names of a few key players, said, "Robespierre" and my mouth immediately went dry. Because the American school system is so wonderful about covering things outside the country's own history, I had never, on a conscious level, heard the name before. Yet there was that immediate feeling of, "Hang on, I know this..."
Needless to say, I ended up watching. While I'm always eager to learn about history, no subject presented in such a format as the History Channel favors has ever produced such a powerful and emotional reaction in me. But, as I said, I didn't believe in reincarnation then. The maelstrom of feelings whirling around inside me were 'dangerous' to my already shaky Catholicism. So I worked hard to convince myself I was just odd like that, worked hard to bury the real sentiments the program had dug up, until early this year.
It was probably personally and spiritually important to you in that life, your specific rosary. And saying it would help you alleviate anxiety. Sometimes they're a traditional gift at First Communion. Mine was important to me, anyway. It wasn't anything fancy. Some are very expensive. I was brought up Catholic. I think rosaries and people's emotional connections to them are interesting.
