I remember saying something like 'if I am to be reborn, then even if my consciousness and identity survive my death, they could not survive my rebirth'.

When I was an atheist, I too was hurt by the notion that I would cease to exist some 40 years from then. Now it is but a few years from now.

Then I was reassured about surviving death after becoming theistic again. But soon I came to understand what the second death meant- the total loss of identity upon rebirth.

So I say one step at a time. My paper presents an argument, betwen the lines perhaps, that your identity and consciousness can survive your death.

So then I expect to have to so-called Ashaska records available in which I get to view and perhaps experience all my previous lives.

A question I have is whether there is a consciousness associated with those previous lives, one that remembers them all, like a higher consciousness, that we in human form cannot connect to.

So is there a separate consciousness associated with each of our previous lives, or do we have one consciousness, our self or soul, that periodically totally loses it memory.

So I would rather dwell on such interesting ideas than worry about the loss of total memory at rebirth.

Swedenborg in his book about angels relates how everybody in heaven is fearful of the darkness that periodically sweeps across the valley and selects some few for rebirth, or something like that.

On the other hand, you might be of the number that are selected to stay and work in heaven. For this to happen it seems that you must have something to offer and be satisfied completely with your physical life.

Interesting questions,

yanniru