Colin Powell | Crispus Attucks
"the first to defy, the first to die,
the first to pour out his blood
as a precious libation
on the altar of a people's rights."
"In 1858, black abolitionists created the Crispus Attucks Day. In 1888, in the midst of protest by those who believed that Attucks was a villain, the Crispus Attucks Monument was built on the Boston Common."
In my investigation of the past lives of contemporary American politicians, it was natural to inquire about Colin Powell, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, from October 1, 1989 to September 30, 1993, under both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
In a session I had with Kevin Ryerson, I asked the Egyptian spirit guide Ahtun Re, who has demonstrated an ability to make accurate past life matches, who Colin Powell was in a previous incarnation. Ahtun Re told me that Powell was the first man killed in the Boston Massacre. At the time I was not familiar with the victims of massacre and I asked, "Was Powell white in that lifetime?" Ahtun Re replied, "No, he was black."
Later on, in June 2003, at the First World Congress for Regression and Past-Life Therapy, organized by Hans TenDam and held in the Netherlands, an interesting event occurred. A friend of mine, Holly Mull, who knew of my past life connection to John Adams, provided me with a paper on Adams and his role in the Boston Massacre. Holly was rather incensed that John Adams, in defending the British soldiers involved, had portrayed a victim of the massacre and a man of color, Crispus Attucks, in a negative way and as a villain. It immediately dawned on me that Crispus Attucks was the person Ahtun Re was referring to when I asked about Colin Powell. In a subsequent session with Kevin Ryerson, Ahtun Re confirmed that Colin Powell is the reincarnation of Crispus Attucks. To better understand this reincarnation case and story, let us review the historical events at hand.
In the event known as the Boston Massacre, on March 5, 1770, a mob attacked a group of British soldiers, who in apparent panic, fired into the crowd and killed five Boston citizens. The first man felled was Crispus Attucks. The soldiers were promptly arrested by Massachusetts Colony officials and later stood trial for murder.
In this historic court case, which was considered the trial of the century, John Adams defended the soldiers, declaring that they were simple men, doing their duty when they were attacked in the middle of the night. By asserting that the soldiers acted out of fear and self defense, Adams helped secure acquittal for the majority of charges.
Some revolutionaries, such as Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, used the tragedy as political ammunition for the cause of the American Revolution. Others saw the soldiers' acquittal as evidence that even the British could get at fair trial in the Colonies. Let us now examine, in greater detail, the life of Crispus Attucks.
Crispus Attucks was an escaped slave. It is thought that he was African, born in 1723, with some Nantucket Indian in his heritage. His physical description is thought to be contained in an advertisement placed by his owner, in the Boston Gazette, offering a reward for his return. The owner described Attucks as: "A Mulatto fellow, about 27 Years of Age, named Crispus, 6 feet 2 inches high, short cur'l hair, his knees nearer together than common."
The owner never did track Attucks down. Maintaining his freedom in Massachusetts, Attucks worked as a rope maker and sailor out of Boston, serving as a crew member of a whaling vessel. In Boston, conflicts arose between British troops and rope makers. British soldiers, who were occupying Boston, were poorly paid and they took part time jobs in their off hours. The British soldiers accepted lower wages for rope making than their Bostonian counterparts, which led to friction between the two groups. For a sailor like Attucks, hostility toward the British was even more deep seated, as British navy ships often "impressed," or kidnapped, American seaman and forced them to work on British ships as prisoners.
On Friday, March 2, 1770, a fight broke out between Boston rope makers, a group that included Crispus Attucks, and British soldiers, who entered a pub looking for work. This fight set the stage for a later confrontation. On the evening of March 5, a group of Bostonians began harassing British soldiers who were guarding a governmental facility. As tensions increased, snowballs were hurled, yelling was heard, a soldier was struck in some way, confusion reigned, the British fired their muskets, and Crispus Attucks was shot and killed. Four others also lost their lives and they became known as the first causalities of the American Revolution.
When the British soldiers faced trial, John Adams used eyewitness testimony to build the case that Crispus Attucks was one of the instigators in the attack on the soldiers, and that Attucks, with "hardiness enough to fall in upon them, and with one hand took hold of a bayonet, and with the other knocked the man down." As mentioned, Adams' portrayal of the British soldiers as acting in self defense led to the acquittal of most charges against them.
A debate raged for many years as to whether Crispus Attucks was a hero or a villain. As described in the opening prose of this narrative, almost a hundred years after the massacre, Abolitionists established him a hero with "Crispus Attucks Day" and with a monument on the Boston Common. In contemporary times, it is asserted that Crispus Attucks has reincarnated as Colin Powell. Let us review the history of this gentleman.
Colin Powell was born in 1937, the son of Jamaican immigrants, 147 years after Crispus Attucks was born. Powell was raised in New York City, in the South Bronx, and earned a degree in geology from City College of New York. Powell was interested in the military early on and was active in the ROTC. Upon entering the Army, Powell ascended through the ranks quickly, and he served as an officer and adviser in South Vietnam.
Following this service, in 1971, Powell received a MBA from George Washington University. His achievements in the Army continued until he became, as a four-star general, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989, the highest military position in the land. Decorations bestowed upon him in his career include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. After receiving commendations for his leadership in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq, Powell retired from the Army in 1993. In 2001, Powell was made Secretary of State by President George W. Bush.
In a speech at Princeton, in February 2004, Colin Powell reflected on certain values that previously had sparked the Revolutionary War. Powell stated, "We must build a better future even as we deal with the security challenges before us. That is how we'll overcome those challenges, because it's not enough to fight against a negative, like terrorism. We must focus on what inspires us, on what brings the good people of the world together. We've got to fight for the positive -- for liberty, for freedom, for democracy."
If Colin Powell is accepted as the reincarnation of Crispus Attucks, this reincarnation case raises important issues regarding race and prejudice. As an escaped slave, Crispus Attucks never had the opportunity to achieve social prominence in his day. He is remembered primarily as a victim. This same soul, in the persona of Colin Powell, given the benefits of education, rose to become one of the most distinguished and admired leaders in the world. One wonders how many other slaves in colonial times would have similarly contributed to the world, had they been given a chance.
To address the issue of whether Crispus Attucks was as a hero or villain, I perceive him to be a hero. Whether he truly helped instigate the Boston Massacre, as described by John Adams, I do not know. I can state that John Adams was an honest man and I believe Adams thought that he was presenting the truth in court. Nonetheless, if there was any distortion of facts in the course of the trial, I am sure that the soul of John Adams would want to make amends with Crispus Attucks/Colin Powell.
This story will continue. It was noted that in 1858, black abolitionists in Boston founded "Crispus Attucks Day." One of these abolitionists is reincarnated today in the person of Reverend Michael Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, California. Another Boston black abolitionist active during the nineteenth century is reincarnated today as the current Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newson, who early in his term has also demonstrated a passion for civil rights. We will return to these reincarnation cases on another day.
