I am a regression therapist and have lived multiple lives, I believe, in France.  In this life I married a Frenchman and my family, in the last 3 generations (brother, aunt, 2nd cousin, grand mother), has had marriages and lives  - all coincidental and unconnected - with French people - most of which have been strained and unhappy.  This prompted me, during personal development work on the break up of my marriage, to explore past lives and discover what this soul connection with France was about.
 
The first past lives I explored included the following:
 
- peasant in a country village, the mistress of a rich and cruel landlord who fathered at least one of my two children.  He also killed one of the children.  In this life, the man was my ex-husband (French)  around 17th century I think

- imprisoned, raped and tortured in the attic in a large country house/chateau
 
Then, the big one... the Cathars.  Two years ago, I found myself in the South of France visiting friends and was drawn to go on a real 'magical mystery tour' following a relationship break up.  I had been fascinated for years by the place name, Carcassonne, and found myself looking up flights etc. to there whenever I went onto the Ryanair web site!  Anyway, I decided on a whim to visit friends in Bayonne, and one thing led to another and I found myself being lent a car by a friend and encouraged to take to the hills!  So off I went following my nose!  

On reaching the horizon of Carcassonne, a huge sickness and shivers took over me as I saw the town in the distance.  I visited the dungeons and castle but didn't feel too much, just a familiarity, though the tribunal room in the castle gave me the shivers.   Immediately on arriving in Carcassonne, I found myself drawn to the name Montsegur - at that stage I had no idea why.  I'd seen the name on the map and mentioned in a guidebook but knew nothing of the story of the Cathars.  At the time, I was texting a psychic friend of mine in Ireland, who gave me  message to 'take the purple flame to the church of the Templar Knights' (!).   I found the church OK in Carcassonne, but could I find a purple candle in Carcassonne .... no!   So a little confused and reminding myself not to 'force' current day logic onto this mystery, I carried on to Montsegur, but felt huge resistance to go there. 
 
My car started overheating as I climbed the hills and I had sense of dread growing inside me, like something bad was going to happen or I was going to be hurt by someone.  At the top of the hill, in the tourist car park, my car promptly decided it was going no further and started steaming, so I had to stay!  I got out of the car, checked out the castle at the top of the hill and decided I couldn't possibly climb it as I have a huge fear of heights.  So I decided to dally at the bottom of the hill and enjoy the view.  So I sat down, but something made me explore the lower slopes after a while and then I met an English couple who told me the climb was really easy .... so off I went.  The climb wasn't that easy, but I got to the top.

Up there, I was transported to another time and place.  In fact my life stood still and I had a feeling of huge understanding as if pieces of a jigsaw were coming together.  For example, just over  a year previously before I met the guy I had broken up from before leaving on this trip, I had had a regression session to a life with a guy which at the time I didn't recognise, but then recognised when I met him a few weeks later!  In this and the past life it was a very intense relationship and he was very hard to pin down or understand. In the past life, he had died in a helicopter accident trying to save people in a mountainous area in that life because he was an incurable adventurer who thought he could save lives.  My psychic friend had told me that she believed we had been together in another past life too, as lovers, where I became pregnant and he had abandoned me over a religious issue.  She came up with a tribal name of Catars or Magars.  I was imprisoned because I stayed strong to my faith and he had converted to Catholicsm and joined a crusade across the North of Spain.  Anyway, as I sat on the top of Montsegur I felt some very strong emotions, I could hear roars, screams and rolling rock, like the world was about to end. I felt my death and the feeling of being pushed off - or stepping, not sure which -  the top of the castle. I listened to the tour guide and cried.

I then went to a far point and sat on my own.  My eyes met another lone person as if we had met before.   We didn't speak but there was a knowing.  Then, as I sat there a helicopter came up and hovered overhead and I received a phone message from my ex, saying he had spent the last weeks doing the pilgrimage of St Jean de Compestello and had just arrived at Santiago de Compestello!  On coming down the mountain, I took myself the next day to St Pied de Port, walked into the church .. heard the most magical Basque choir and as I walked up the aisle, the sun shone through a stained glass window surrounding me in the most magical purple flame of light.  One of the deepest feelings of being touched by another world at that moment... more than words could explain.
 
Since then the story has continued.  On arriving back in Ireland, I discovered that my brother in law had a fascination with Cathars and was heading to the South or France, as were several of his friends that year.   Then, a friend in Galway popped around for coffee, bringing with him another man from West Cork who spotted one of my Cathar souvenirs on the table and asked me about it - he had a past life connection as a Cathar. 
 
Until last week, I thought I'd put it to rest.  In the last two years I met another man, Gerry, fell madly in passion and became pregant.  Gerry was married to Anette previously, and on getting to know his ex wife, we discovered we shared similar beliefs about many things and we have developed a strong connection - most unusual considering the circumstances!   We are both foreigners in the West of Ireland (she is Swedish, I'm English), working in the healing/therapy profession with a sense that we have been 'posted' here to accomplish something to do with our beliefs.  Last week, I mentioned the Cathars, and she went cold.  She had felt a connection with them.  Interestingly, Gerry - her ex and still, thankfully, my current partner - is a staunch Catholic.  So now we're exploring our Cathar connection.  It does feel quite strange to have such a close connection with my partner's ex wife!!
 
In conclusion, I am meeting a number of people in my life now - amongst clients, family and friends - who I believe were in my Cathar soul group.

Look forward to hearing from you,
Lorna