Rene is walking down a cobblestone road. Heavily dressed with long brown skirt touching the road, some sort of color top with apron on her chest, wearing dirty clothe shoes, some bonnet on her head, carrying a wicket basket. Roads are narrow, black lanterns on both sides, row houses are there. They all have very small windows and doors.
She enters a store to buy some dried thorns and roots. The owner with big belly greets her with gruntle, not very friendly man. She feels invitation was very repelling, goes to other shop across the street and buys things that she needs.
Her basket is full of dried plants and happily returns to her lovely, cozy, small cottage. Her home is in the forest, small vegetable garden at the back, humble place with a bed, a table with a few chairs. She owns very little and that’s the way she likes. Simple life. Cabinets in the room are filled with all kinds of roots, leaves, and thorns. She grinds them in a bowl, place them in a small sachet for medicine. Steady stream of people come and receive her help.
She lives alone, loves people. She spends her day cleaning, cooking, helping people. People brings vegetable, potatoes, eggs, chicken, bread and whatever they have to pay for her service. Rene is happy, peaceful, loves her life.
One day, authority comes to her house, arrests and puts her in jail. According to the authority, she is not allowed to give plants to people to heal. They say it is witch craft. She does not understand. Why, the only thing she is doing is helping them and they say it is forbidden!?
The authority calls her while she is in jail, she has to sign the paper to swear never to sell those things to people, otherwise, they have to burn her on the stake! She explains to the authority, that she only helps people and she does not do anything wrong. But they are not interested in hearing her truth. Frightened and scared, she signs the document and swears that she would never practice those things and she gets freed from the jail.
Times passed, no one came to her place for help, for people were all so scared to get punishment. Now her supply of food has been dwindled and there was no way to replenish them.
She found herself begging food on the streets. Hungry and thirsty. She got a little something to eat from begging and it was never enough. Body got sick, weakened from malnutrition. No one was helping her, she laid on the bed, not even had enough energy to wake up and went out to beg.
A kind lady nearby came and comforted her, pulled a blanket on her body, fetched some water for her. She slipped into sleep and never woken up again.
This past life that Rene saw was in Europe, back in 1600. She was plant medicine woman and she has had that kind of life as plant medicine woman many times over.
The life that she saw, she acted to be small to save her life, and ended up dying from hunger. I asked her what could she do differently if the same situation occur. She said she could have moved to other area, but in that life, the idea of moving to other area never dawned on her.
In this life, she is to continue her plant medicine which was her assignment and to complete it in this current life. Her Higher Self (HS) recommended to learn more of herbal medicine and sharpen her knowledge to help others.
Because she chose to be small in that life, in this life, she has been struggling with overweight. She told me during the interview time, no matter what kind of exercise and food she cares to take, her weight has never budged in. Her HS explained that she hides herself behind the fat, tries to be small. Now no longer she needs to feel that way, her HS said, the weight will come off steadily and maintain her ideal weight henceforth.