Categories: Careers & Job Searching

The Past Lives of Glenn Ford

A French cavalry officer. An 18th Century Scottish music teacher. A Christian facing the lions in the Colosseum. Where might the late Glenn Ford
turn up next?

It’s well-known that the actor, who died recently, was a serious student of psychic experiences. Ford underwent hypnosis years ago as part of an investigation into the possibility he had lived before which triggered his interest. Whatever you feel about reincarnation or hypnosis, the results are fascinating.

When Ford was approached about a movie on Dutch psychic Peter Hurkos, he decided he should first do some studying on the topic. So the 54-year-old actor witnessed some demonstrations by Hurkos, conducted interviews of experts on the topic, and in December 1975, he underwent three past-life hypnosis sessions during which he described what appeared to be five previous lives he had led.

Dr. Maurice Benjamin conducted the experiment before witnesses, with tape recorder running.

The hypnotized actor was regressed back to childhood, then beyond, and described what were presumed to be memories of past lives.

MUSIC TEACHER

In the earliest experience, Ford described himself under questioning as a bachelor music teacher named Charles Stewart of Elgin, Scotland who died in 1892. Stewart loved horses but hated his job teaching music to young schoolgirls.

While being questioned about his life as Stewart, Ford agreed to demonstrate his musical skills, played passages from Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

Ford listened to the tapes of the interview with interested skepticism. He shared Stewart’s love for horses and had, since his early years, been considered a natural with the animals.

On the other hand, Ford could not play the piano.

His own speculation was that perhaps Stewart’s antipathy to music carried over to Ford, as did his love for horses.

FRENCH CAVALRYMAN

A second regression attempt was more difficult, but ultimately successful. This time, questioning of the hypnotized actor brought out a French-speaking member of the elite horse cavalry of the 1670’s.

Ford didn’t speak French.

The information provided by the officer indicated he lived in the time of King Louis XIV. The officer named Launvaux hated aristocrats. It was an aristocrat who accurately accused Launvaux of an adulterous affair with his wife, then hired a skilled swordsman to challenge the outmatched 34-year-old Launvaux who killed him the the duel that followed.

Launvaux provided some accurate descriptions, including the fact that the palace at Versailles was then referred to as the Chateau, that the stables were on the left as one approached the palace, not to mention the then-not uncommon scheme used to ensure his death.

OTHER LIVES

In continuing his research, Ford was regressed to other previous lives, describing a young Christian martyr killed by lions in the Colosseum in third century Rome and a 17th Century Royal Navy sailor who died of the Great Plague.

In his most recent lifetime, Ford was a young cowboy pushing herding cattle out West. For what it’s worth, although Ford starred in 106 movies and several TV series ranging from comedy to police dramas to war stories, he was perhaps most prolifically, if not most notably, cast in Westerns.