The Infamous Proust Questionnaire – Michelle Moran
Welcome to the Reincarnationist Blog’s series of interviews using the infamous Proust Questionnaire. Today’s subject is Michelle Moran…
THE QUESTIONS:
Title of your latest book as of Sept 1, 2007 – NEFERTITI: A NOVEL
Do you believe — even a little bit that reincarnation is possible?
Yes, I do believe in reincarnation. Although I will be the first to admit
that my belief isn’t pure. It stems from the idea that reincarnation is
certainly better than the alternative – oblivion – just as much as the idea
that too many people across the world have had similar Near Death
Experiences (NDEs) to dismiss the phenomenon as coincidence.
Have you ever read anything books the subject that made an impression on
you?
I have read all of Dr. Ian Stevenson’s books, including Twenty Cases
Suggestive of Reincarnation, and he, more than any other researcher, has
convinced me that death isn’t the end. I am also anticipating the conclusion
of a study on NDE during cardiac arrest at the University of Virginia Health
System’s Division of Perceptual Studies. This study is being led by
Professor Bruce Greyson, and includes a computer screen which is turned to
the ceiling on which a simple image will be displayed. It is estimated that
approximately 10% of patients who go into cardiac arrest have an NDE, and
many report the experience of floating above their body. If this is the
case, then those patients should be able to identify the image on the
computer screen (an image that no on else in the room can see). What a
creative and exciting study!
What is your most marked characteristic that you believe could be a hold
over from a past life?
My interest in history. My passion for history is all-consuming. The books
that I read and the vacations I take are all historical in nature. When I’m
in France, I’m more interested in reading a biography of the Sun King and
touring the fortified town of Carcassonne than sunbathing or shopping on the
Riviera. And don’t get me wrong, I really like sunbathing and shopping! But
my interest in history takes precedence. Am I drawn to historical places
because I have an inkling that I’ve lived there in the past? I don’t know.
Of all of the places a tourist can go in France, I’ve been to Carcassonne
four times. Did I live there before?
What is your principle defect that you believe might be inherited from a
previous incarnation?
I must have been really poor in my past life, because I’m always “stocking
up” on things. If I see a sweater I like, I buy three, not one. And my
refrigerator constantly looks like I’m having guests over for a big party —
and I don’t even eat a whole lot. My husband and I are always having to give
food away by bringing it to other people’s parties or over to my mom’s,
whose household is bigger. So my principle defect would be waste. I don’t
need three sweaters, and I certainly don’t need a freezer full of food I’m
not going to eat. Maybe this is throwback from a past life, or maybe I’m
just a compulsive shopper. But I try to balance it out by giving away
whatever I don’t use. I actually hate to see waste.
Which of your favorite heroes do you think you actually could have been and
why?
One of the publicists I wanted to hire suggested that I might be Nefertiti
reincarnated. I disabused her of this notion, however, and told her it was
more likely that I was Nefertiti’s servant! I find it deeply suspicious when
people claim to have been Marilyn Monroe or Napoleon in their past life. Of
course, if reincarnation does exist, someone had to have been Marilyn
Monroe, but the sheer number of people who are convinced they were Marilyn
Monroe disturbs me and makes reincarnation look like a farce, which is
unfortunate. I don’t think I was anyone famous. Historical characters I have
a deep and abiding interest in include Lafayette, the historical (not
Biblical) Jezebel, Elizabeth of Austria and Margaret Mitchell. Was I any of
these people in a past life? Probably not, but one wonders why particular
people in history fascinate us more than others.
What three people from history would you like to have over to dinner for a
discussion about reincarnation?
Buddha, Christ and Dr. Ian Stevenson, who passed away this year.
What do you think happens when we die?
I think that there’s a good possibility we meet with the
energies/souls/spirits of those we knew in this life as well as past lives.
I’d like to think we have the choice of whether to reincarnate, and on what
planet.
When you come back next time, who would you like to be?
A writer, what else?
We would love to hear your responses to these questions. Please feel free to copy and paste the Questionnaire with your answers into a Comment for this post.
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Justin Smith on 05 Oct 2007 at 6:49 am #
Since you’ve invited people to submit stories, here’s what I regard as a possible reincarnation dream:
Some 16 years ago, I had an odd dream-experience: two dreams that ran concurrently — so vivid, I still have no trouble remembering them.
In one, I was a teenage girl living in 16th century England (this much was very clear) and wealthy (in one image, I climbed up to some sort of belfry in the huge house we occupied and looked out at the elaborate surrounding gardens, thinking that my father “owned all of this”).
Later, some great and unwanted honor was forced on me by my father and others (I regarded it as “poison-farced” or a “poisonous farce”?). As I expected, I got into trouble for accepting it and was beheaded at the age of 16 (the dream ended just before that).
(one of my “dream-father’s” several motivations was dipping into the British treasury to pay GAMBLING debts).
After researching this era in British history, I discovered someone who appears to fit this bill: Lady Jane Grey. Most of the (few) known facts about her life are consistent with the dream. I also share her interests in mathematics, languages, and philosophy (although the topics have changed!).
The second concurrent dream was more interesting: it took place in the near (but indefinite) future. I believed in reincarnation in that dream and “remembered” my PRESENT life as a past life. There were parallels with the Lady Jane Grey dream: I was almost murdered at the age of 16 but survived and went on to live a somewhat unusual life.
The second dream began with an odd phrase that has stuck in my mind: “I was twelve when I realized I was a ghost.”