Return of the Soul

Return of the Soul
There other day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about reincarnation, and I thought it would be an interesting topic to chat about. This topic more often that not, in my experience, sparks conversations surrounding on both if it is possible for a soul to return, and why this would occur. I have read plenty of stories about children who remembered their previous life. How they describe details of lives, places, and people they could not possibly have had prior knowledge of. The story of Dorothy Eady (also known as Om Sety), who, as a young girl, fell down the stairs, and, after seeming dead for a brief time, awoke remembering a separate life as an Egyptian Priestess. At a later visit to the New Kingdom temple exhibit at the British Museum, she was able to more fully remember her previous life, which sparked a life long passion for everything Egyptian. Other notable story is that of Titu Singh Toran, whose remembered past life as a smuggler/store owner seemed more real to him, at 4 years old, then his current life. He was able to accurately identify the city he had lived in, his previous name and occupation, his personality, how and where the died, accurately identify and name his previous wife and children, and even had birth marks on his head that matched the wounds from the murder of the previous man. (This case, however, brings up a question of reincarnation or soul replacement, due to some sketchy birth records). There are plenty more stories like these written about in books, and talked about in various TV specials. From all I have read, and what I know, I do believe in reincarnation. However, in this post I am not going to debate the possibility of its existence. Instead, I want to talk about the different theories of how it happens. There are as few versions that I find interesting (I hope you do as well).
Before reincarnation happens, it is generally thought that the soul goes through a process of remembering its life, processing what happened, seeing the lessons learned, and noting what was not learned/still needs to be learned. Some theories suggest that the decision to return lies with the soul, as does the particulars of the new life to be lived (what lessons to focus on, where and to whom to be born, the types of trials they will face, etc..), while others believe that those details are determined by a higher power, the higher self, the universe, etc.. depending on their beliefs. This is where the different theories come in.
One theory is that the soul is its own entity. It is part of a larger cosmic community, but it is an entity unto itself. Whether it determines its fate in the next life or not, it learns, grows, evolves, and ascends as a singular being that is part of a larger collective.
Another theory is that only a part of our whole self incarnates into a physical being. The larger “whole”, commonly referred to as the higher self, detaches a part of itself to incarnate on the physical plane to learn their necessary lessons, to experience new things, and gain new insights. This is possibly a step towards greater ascension. This theory brings up a question (at least it did to me), about earth bound spirits (ghosts) that do not return to the spirit realm/universe, but remain on earth. It would suggest that this part of the higher self remains fragmented until the spirit passes on (is successfully called back by the Higher Self), or is helped to pass on. In the latter case, would that then be considered moving them on, or soul retrieval instead?
Stemming from this theory of a higher self that fragments is another that suggests that the higher self fragments into every soul that is alive on the physical plane, all at one time. It is experiencing life from every perspective simultaneously. This is either happening all in the here and now (a linear timeline), or in every time (past, present, and future) as well. This theory would seem to suggest that the universe as we know it is not only the creation (on all levels) of one greater being, but IS this being. This theory also begs the question about earth bound spirits and soul retrieval.
Another theory that I was recently made aware of is of the soul being reincarnated in more than one body at a time. Unlike the previous theory, the Higher Self is not experiencing everyone, everywhere, but a few select souls at one time. This could happen in the present time, or perhaps in multiple times simultaneously. This could be another possibility for past life remembrance or soul replacement (where it appears one soul completely takes over a body they were not born into, or they share it with them).
As you can see, there are a few different theories to think about. There are some parallels between them, and they all stand on their own as solid theories. While not all of them will resonate with everyone, and every culture and religion has their own thoughts and beliefs on the possibility of reincarnation, it is interesting (at least I think it is) to think about how it works, what awaits us after this life, and what we hope (or would choose) to happen at that time. Most of these theories also bring up questions about Earth bound spirits, what clearing them/helping them pass on does for us. A question for another post perhaps?
If you do believe in reincarnation, I wonder which of these theories most resonates with you. Had you heard of them before? Did you know there was more than one theory about reincarnation? Did you learn about one that resonates with you or makes more sense to you now? Did I miss one? I would love to know.