Presenting Peter Teekamp
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 The Gauguin-Teekam Sketch Comparisons demonstrate that we build upon what we have learned in prior lifetimes. The advancement of the human being through reincarnation is demonstrated in these images. |
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In 1887, Gauguin briefly worked for the Panama Canal project as a canal digger and then he traveled to Martinique. Returning to France, Gauguin became friends with Vincent Van Gogh, whom he painted with at Arles, in the south of France. Van Gogh and Gauguin shared a house and it was in this setting that on December 23, 1888, Van Gogh cut off his ear, which he then presented to a prostitute. Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? Ultimately, the reasons are unknown, other than that the act reflects Van Gogh's developing mental illness. Gauguin reported that Van Gogh had threatened him with a razor the day prior to the ear incident. The day after Van Gogh cut off his ear, Gauguin left Arles.
During his period at Arles, from February to December 1888, Gauguin developed the style that he is known for, using flat, pure colors, with black outlines. Subjects often involved Christian religious themes. Though the art world would come to revere Gauguin in the future, at this time, he was unrecognized and poor.
In 1891, at age 43, Gauguin sold 30 paintings or so, to finance his passage to the South Pacific, where he settled in Tahiti. Gauguin was disgusted with Western civilization and with this move he sought a more simple way of life. For the next two years, Gauguin captured scenes from the South Pacific. It was in Tahiti where his most famous art works would be produced.
Gauguin, though, ran out of funds in Tahiti and had to traveled back to France in 1893. Gauguin returned to Tahiti in 1895, at age 47, never to see Europe again. Gauguin's last five years were spent in continuing poverty and worsening health. Gauguin became severely depressed and even tried to commit suicide in 1897, when he was 49 years old. Gauguin survived. In 1901, debilitated and at odds with the French authorities in Tahiti, Gauguin moved to the Marquesas Islands. Gauguin died at the age of 55, on May 8. 1903, and was buried in the Calvary Cemetery.
In his waning years, Gauguin wrote, "For the majority, I shall always remain an enigma, I realize people will understand me less and less ... No matter what happens, I assure you that I shall achieve things of the first order. I can feel it and we shall see." Gauguin's prophecy was accurate. In 1906, three years after his death, his works were exhibited at Salon d'Automne, where his fame and popularity began.
Peter Teekamp was born in Holland, in the Netherlands, in 1950, 47 years after the death of Gauguin. Peter's father was Catholic, while his mother was Jewish. His parents had marital problems and separated when Peter was four. Peter was placed in a Catholic orphanage, where he became an altar boy and sang in the church choir. At age 9, Peter's mother remarried and Peter went to live with his mother and new stepfather.
When he was ten years old, two syllables kept popping into his mind, "Go-Gone, Go-Gone." Little Peter did not associate any particular meaning to these words, but he reveled in them. When he would play, Peter would shout, "Go-Gone, Go Gone," as a cheer. It wasn't until he was fifteen that he started to wonder what "Go-Gone" meant. He asked his school teachers, "What does Go-Gone mean?" His teachers, thinking that he was inquiring about a Dutch word, told him that they didn't know what the term meant.
It is proposed that Peter was actually remembering his name from a past lifetime, that "Go-Gone" was a phonetic pronunciation of Gauguin. This type of remembrance was also observed in the case of US Diplomat Wayne Peterson, which is also featured on this website. As a small boy, Wayne wouldn't respond to his name when his parent's called him. In frustration, they asked, "So what do you want to be called?" Wayne responded that his name was "Francesco Foscari," though he had no idea why he wanted to be called that particular name. As a teenager, Wayne was so emotionally attached to the name that even considered legally changing his name to Francesco Foscari. Decades passed before Wayne learned that in a past lifetime, he was Francesco Foscari, a Venetian Senator and Doge.
As a teenage, Peter began to draw. What is remarkable is that Peter's early drawings replicated drawings Gauguin had done, though Peter had no knowledge of Gauguin when he did this artwork. In fact, Peter Teekamp was not exposed to the Gauguin sketches presented below and to the right until 2003, when Peter was 53 years old. As such, with these pencil sketches, we observe Peter reiterating the artistic developmental stages of Gauguin. In effect, in his youthful sketches, Peter was retrieving memories of his art from a past lifetime, the lifetime of Paul Gauguin. What is interesting is that Peter replicated Gauguin's artwork unconsciously at a much younger age than when Gauguin produced these sketches. This phenomenon demonstrates how in each lifetime, we build upon accomplishments of a prior incarnation.
Peter attained a degree in business and like Gauguin, entered the business world as a career. Peter has worked as a manger of various retail operations over the years. Also like Gauguin, Peter became a world traveler, visiting places such as Varanasi, in India, Tel Aviv, Portugal and Egypt, living in these locations for periods of time, paying his way by painting murals.
Eventually, Peter immigrated to the United States. In 1972, Peter settled in, of all places, St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he started to paint in a serious way at the age of 22. This is reminiscent of Gauguin moving back to France from Copenhagen, to become an artist full time. Recall that one of Gauguin's early paintings, upon his return to France, was "Paysage a Saint-Cloud." What is the connection between St. Cloud, France and St. Cloud, Minnesota? I believe that what happens is that an individual can subconsciously recognize that a place has symbolic meaning from a lifetime gone by. Though Peter didn't consciously know that St. Cloud had symbolic meaning for him from the Gauguin lifetime, I believe there was a subconsious recognition and attraction that derived from his soul, which influenced Peter's decision to live in St. Cloud.
In Minnesota, Peter got married to a woman named Angela and the couple had two children. Peter continued to manage retail stores and in addition, he pursued his career as a painter. He participated in art fairs, where he would sell his works. Several times, people came up to him spontaneously and told him about past lives. One told him he lived in France, another told him his name was Paul. Peter didn't know what to make of these comments, though he was open to reincarnation.
Peter has related to me that when he was 19 years old, he read Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. At that time, Peter came to the conclusion that reincarnation is the only spiritual philosophy that embodies "justice and fairness," that provides "an equal chance for everyone." Still, in the early 1970s, Peter did not have any idea of who he might have been in a past lifetime and the comments made by sidewalk psychics regarding a past lifetime of his in France, in which his name was Paul, simply amused him and meant nothing more.
Things changed in 1979, when Peter was 29 years old. His wife, Angela, started to undergo a drastic change in personality, in which she became deeply religious. Though Peter initially honored her need to be more spiritual, he became worried that her new devotional lifestyle was becoming excessive. One day, Peter walked into a room in their home and found his wife praying among lit candles. Angela rose and handed a book to Peter which fell open to a portrait of Paul Gauguin, surrounded by red hues. Angela told Peter, with deep conviction, "You are the reincarnation of Paul Gauguin," an assertion she repeated to him thereafter.
Angela's insistence that he was Gauguin reincarnated made Peter reflect on the words, "Go-Gone, Go-Gone," which echoed in his mind throughout childhood. Peter also noted that his facial features were similar to Gauguin's. Later, he found that Gauguin liked to place faces in the background of his paintings, sometimes overtly, sometimes hidden, a practice that Peter had also spontaneously developed. Still, it was too bizarre for him to conceive that he could be Gauguin.
Peter and Angela grew apart over the years and despite efforts to preserve their marital union, the couple eventually separated. Peter relocated to Apache Junction, Arizona, where he opened an art gallery. Peter was attracted to Native American culture of the Southwest, much like Gauguin was attracted to Tahitian life. Peter's paintings during this period featured Native American themes. Soon after moving to Apache Junction, Peter met a woman who did past life regressions and Peter decided to give it a try.
Peter had this regression in 1980, when he was 30. Pt accessed memories from a lifetime in which he was indeed a painter. He saw cobblestone streets in a village, or perhaps Paris. He saw himself climbing up a dark stairwell to a studio that was dark and filthy; it appeared that the room had not been cleaned in years. Peter observed dirty, neglected paint brushes and he experienced a terrible feeling of depression, such as he had never experienced before. He felt loneliness, rejection and a feeling that he was misunderstood.
Whether he tapped into the lifetime of Gauguin, Peter was not sure. But the regression experience was powerful and it made him study Gauguin ever more earnestly. What he found, though, he did not like. First of all, Peter did not like Gauguin's style of painting, which he found "cartoonish, primitive and unfinished." As mentioned above, in this lifetime, Peter has developed a style that is much more realistic, though some of his art is surrealistic. Indeed, in the Gauguin inspired art that Peter has created the colors and feel are the same as Gauguin's, but Peter's renditions have more definition. Paintings that demonstrate Peter's progression of style include Gauguin's portrait of his daughter, Aline, and Peter's portrait of Amanda, a girl who died in childbirth. Amanda's portrait is really an artist's depiction, since she perished as a newborn, so it is interesting to note the similarities in appearance between Aline and Amanda. The painting of Amanda, though, is much more realistic with many detailed objects placed in the background.
In addition to the fact that Peter didn't really admire Gauguin's art, there were other things that chagrined Peter. For example, Peter didn't like how it was perceived that Gauguin had abandoned his wife and children to pursue a career in art. Lastly, Gauguin died of a venereal disease, which Peter did not find admirable. In short, Peter didn't like this guy, Gauguin.
Eight years went by before the issue of reincarnation was raised once again, when Peter was 38. In Apache Junction, in 1988, Peter was befriended by a chiropractor who was a large, burly man in his mid fifties. Over a period of two months, this chiropractor took Peter out to lunch or dinner two or three times a week. Though grateful for the man's kindness, Peter began to wonder what the motive was for the man's generosity. Peter is heterosexual, so he did not want the chiropractor to get any romantic hopes up. Peter decided to confront the issue at one of their meetings.
After Peter questioned the burly man regarding the reasons for his generosity, the chiropractor's face grew red and he stood up, grabbing Peter by his shirt. The man drew Peter's face to within five inches of his own and declared, "You are the reincarnation of Paul Gauguin." Peter was shocked, as he had not breathed a word to the chiropractor about Gauguin--the chiropractor simply had no way to know of Peter's past experiences regarding Gauguin! The chiropractor then let go of Peter and left. Peter never saw him again. Now Peter had been told by two people, his former wife and the chiropractor, who was nearly a stranger, that he was the reincarnation of Gauguin. The trouble was, Peter still did not want to be Gauguin.
Watershed events occurred a year later in 1989, when Peter was 39. Peter's art gallery landlord unexpectedly walked in and told Peter that he was being evicted. The landlord related that Peter had signed a lease that had a clause in it that allowed him to evict Peter without notice and the landlord was evicting him immediately, as he received a better offer. So Peter's business was about to be shut down. That same week, the woman he had been dating left and Peter was involved in a major auto accident in which his car was totaled. Suddenly, Peter felt that he had lost everything that he had in the world and he became acutely suicidal. Peter decided to kill himself in the desert. He bought a pistol and a bottle of whisky and headed out for the barren mountains. Fortunately, Peter is not a drinker and though he fired some shots into the desert air, Peter passed out from the alcohol before he could kill himself.
Note that Gauguin also tried to commit suicide. Why would this type of pattern be repeated? In my observation, we have the same energies, the same approach to life from lifetime to lifetime. As such, we also have the tendency to get into the same types of problems and conflicts; we also react to challenges in the same way. Gauguin and Teekamp both lived stable lives when they were engaged in traditional business and enjoyed financial success, but they both gave up security to pursue the dreams of an artist. Both, in response to loss and financial crisis became acutely depressed and suicidal, though both were unsuccessful in their attempts.
We all have modus operandi that characterize us, both positive and maladaptive, and these ways of being stay consistent across lifetimes. Maladaptive responses get us into trouble, though hopefully over a lifetime, we modify these traits to our advantage. A great promise of understanding reincarnation is that once we know about a past lifetime and we are able to study our personality patterns from before, we can grow more consciously and effectively in our current incarnation.
One last observation that I would like to make is that biologic mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, do not appear to persist from lifetime to lifetime. These severe disorders come with the body that one incarnates into, just like diabetes or a thyroid disorder, and they do not typify the soul across lifetimes. In other words, one can be schizophrenic in one lifetime and normal in another.
When Peter woke up the next morning on the desert floor, he was hung over and had a grand headache. Peter resolved that he needed to make a new start and decided that he should move to California. Peter also reflected that he had been in denial regarding the Gauguin lifetime and that he would examine the possible past life connection with greater openness. When Peter got back to town, he called his former supervisor, an owner of a retail chain, and was pleased to hear that his old boss not only had a job for him in Atascadero, California, but that the boss was going to send a truck to pick him up. Peter reflects that since he decided to look at the Gauguin lifetime sincerely, at age 39, things seemed to go more smoothly and effortlessly for him; Peter states that life "flowered" for him.
Peter did well managing the retail store in Atascadero and was promoted to managing an entire shopping center, as well as a retail store, in Hollister, California. There, in 1991, he met Michelle Moshay, who worked for a local newspaper selling advertising space. Peter, representing the store and shopping center, became a customer of Michelle's, placing ads in the paper she worked for. In 1997, Peter decided to become a newspaper layout artist himself, in an attempt to better integrate his vocation and avocation. In this capacity, Michelle became his mentor in regards to the newspaper trade. It was at this time that Peter and Michelle felt a deep resonance towards each other and they became close friends.
Peter began sharing details of his life, including the stories regarding Gauguin. Michelle was not a believer in reincarnation at the time, but she was open. Michelle then shared with Peter a series of synchronistic events of her own involving Gauguin. In 1978, as a present, Michelle's father offered to fund a trip to wherever she wanted to go in the world. Michelle chose to go to Tahiti and when she was there, she visited the Gauguin Museum. The next year, on her twenty third birthday, Michelle went to Paris. Michelle went sightseeing on the Seine on a barge cruiser named the Wandering Wasp (Les Guepes Buissonniere). Interestingly, Gauguin edited a publication in Tahiti entitled, The Wasp. When in Paris, Michelle was 23 years old, the same age Mette was when she met and married Paul Gauguin.
Peter had been working on a journal, which included his contemplations on Gauguin, and Michelle offered to help Peter with editing of the journal. As such, in 1997, they became partners in researching Gauguin and writing an account of Peter's story. Shortly thereafter, they opened one of the first books Michelle bought on Gauguin. Peter looked at the image on the page and he exclaimed to Michelle, "Look, it's you!" Peter was looking at a picture of Gauguin's wife, Mette, and the resemblance to Michelle was undeniable.
Peter and Michelle continued to quietly ponder the possibility that they were Paul and Mette Gauguin and the years went by. In 1999, Peter departed for what would become a four year tour of the world, painting murals as he traveled. Peter kept in touch with Michelle, corresponding with her, much like Paul had corresponded with Mette when he was in Tahiti. Michelle, in the interim, moved to Washingtion State to be near her family and her childhood sweetheart. It was Michelle who then began to research Gauguin in depth and it was Michelle who discovered the Gauguin sketches, the pencil sketches presented above that Peter had unconsciously replicated in his younger years. Peter returned to the US in 2003 and Michelle's mother found a cottage apartment for Peter in nearby Bremerton.
One day, as he was walking through Bremerton, a wall mural caught his eye. A restaurant, Chamorro's, was situated next to the mural and Peter went in for a cup of coffee. As he looked around the interior, Peter spotted what appeared to be a Gauguin charcoal of two women on a beach. Peter asked the proprietor where the sketch came from.
The proprietor related that the sketch originally was in the possession of his great grandmother in Guam, who was given the sketch as a gift. He explained that the Chamorro, the native people of Guam, were displaced by the Japanese during World War II. His great grandmother and her family hid in caves until the occupation ended. She took the sketch with her during their period of hiding. After the war, his great grandmother stored the sketch in her attic for 33 years until she gave it to her daughter, the proprietor's mother, in 1978. The proprietor received it from his mother. When he immigrated to the United States in 1999, he brought the sketch with him and later hung it on the wall of his restaurant. The proprietor told Peter that when he removed the sketch from its protective container, he found charcoal on his hands. This made Peter realize that the print was not a copy at all, but an original charcoal sketch. If it was indeed an original Gauguin, which Peter believes it is, then the sketch would be worth millions.
The proprietor then shared that he was in financial straits and needed money to keep his business afloat. Rather than waiting for the sketch to be authenticated, the proprietor said he would sell the sketch for $5000 to the first person who would pay him that amount. Peter agreed to purchase the sketch and gave the proprietor $5000. Peter added a clause to the sales agreement that "if and when" the sketch was sold, Peter would split the proceeds with the proprietor. Authentication of the sketch is pending.
In this way, Peter Teekamp came into possession of what appears to be an original Gauguin. Further, it is interesting that Peter found the Gauguin sketch in 2003, which is the 100 year anniversary of Gauguin's death.
Synchronicities and anniversary phenomena are ways that the spiritual world, including our own souls, can communicate with us. Recall that Michelle had the option of traveling anywhere in the world and that she elected to visit Tahiti and the Gauguin Museum, and that she visited Paris at the same age that Mette met Paul Gauguin. These synchronistic events are not accidental, rather, they are orchestrated by our spiritual guides and our own souls, though telepathic messages which are experienced as intuitions and desires. Indeed, Peter's rendezvousing with Michelle in California was also not accidental, but predetermined. We make agreements, contracts as Caroline Myss likes to say, to meet up with people we have known in prior lives. We make these agreements before we are even born.
In the same way, Peter's finding of what appears to be an original Gauguin on the 100 year anniversary of Gauguin's death was not an accidental event. Rather, I assert, it was an event orchestrated by beings in the spiritual world. This event had the purpose of reinforcing to Peter that he is the reincarnation of Gauguin. In my book, Return of the Revolutionaries, synchronistic events and anniversary phenomena abound. Through symbolic coincidences, the spiritual world sends messages to us.
At this point, as you can imagine, Peter and Michelle were ecstatic, not only because they had a sketch that could be worth millions, but because the possibility of Peter being the reincarnation of Paul Gauguin felt more real. Michelle began researching reincarnation on the Internet and she found the web site that you are now viewing, www.johnnadams.net. Suddenly, Peter and Michelle were not alone regarding their reincarnation experiences; there were others who had also discovered past lives too.
Michelle contacted me and stated, "Dr. Semkiw, we have something we think you'll find of interest. I believe that my friend Peter Teekamp is the reincarnation of Paul Gauguin." Ironic as it may seem, I am always dubious when someone claims to be the reincarnation of a famous individual. I listened to their story and took notes.
As indicated on the page found on this web site concerning Neale Donald Walsch, I have worked with Kevin Ryerson in doing reincarnation research. A spirit guide Kevin channels named Ahtun Re has demonstrated an ability to make accurate past life matches. In a session with Kevin, Ahtun Re confirmed that Peter Teekamp and Michelle Moshay are the reincarnation of Paul Gauguin and his wife Mette. In 2004, Peter, Michelle, Kevin Ryerson and I met in person and they told us their story. At that meeting, Kevin and I became convinced that the reincarnation cases of Peter Teekamp/Paul Gauguin and Michelle Moshay/Mette Gauguin were valid, given their history, which has now been presented in this narrative.
Peter Teekamp, from my observation, did not fully step into the shoes of Gauguin until the weekend of July 4, 2005, when he attended a gathering of individuals who had knowledge of their own past lives, many from the time of the American Revolution. The event was hosted by Norm Shealy at his farm in Missouri. Attendees included 6 MDs (including a university professor and researcher from the Human Genome Project), 6 PhDs, 6 published authors, 2 US Diplomats, 2 US military Captains, several clairvoyants and a television star, each with past lives identified. As each person told their stories, reincarnation became more of a reality to Peter and Michelle and it was only then that they took true ownership of being Paul and Mette Gauguin.
In fact, prior to July 4, 2005, Peter Teekamp never created artistic works in the style of Gauguin and in truth; it bothered me that the reincarnation of Gauguin didn't paint like Gauguin. After the July 4 meeting, I suggested to Peter that it wouldn't hurt if he did a few pieces reminiscent of Gauguin. A few pieces soon turned into a deluge, much to my delight. Accordingly, all the images presented on this web site, in which Peter has recreated the art of Gauguin, were painted between July 4 and December 2005. In honor of the July 4 gathering, Peter Teekamp has produced the following work, entitled, The Return of the Revolutionaries.
In closing, Paul Gauguin, in 1903 at the age of 55, died in tragic circumstances. In 2003, one hundred years after Gauguin died; Peter Teekamp came into the possession of what appears to be an original Gauguin sketch. At the gathering held over the July 4 weekend in 2005, Peter Teekamp was 55 years old, the same age that Gauguin died. As such, Peter reclaimed his identity at the same age that Paul Gauguin departed this earth. Let us wish Paul Gauguin/Peter Teekamp and Mette Gauguin/Michelle Moshay a joyous return and let their path henceforth be prosperous and fulfilling. It has been my great honor to present to you the story of Peter and Michelle, of Paul and Mette Gauguin, reborn. To view Peter's art, such as the pieces featured above, please visit his website: www.peterteekamp.com
