Does every miscarriage or abortion lead to an infant spirit?

Not necessarily. In our experience, an infant-spirit issue does not arise after every miscarriage or abortion. Understanding what each person is actually encountering matters more than assuming that they must be affected as soon as we hear that this has happened in their past.

When discussing this question, I mentioned several possibilities. Some cases are understood in terms of a soul having already connected with the body. Others involve a karmic connection of collecting a debt, while others are more like residual energy mixed with the parents’ own guilt and difficulty letting go. These are religious understandings within our tradition. A parent’s sadness does not itself mean that a child is taking revenge.

As for when a soul enters an embryo, I have also said that there is no standard answer. At the time, I leaned toward understanding the presence of a heartbeat as the activation of energy. But that was a view drawn from spiritual experience, not a precise physiological timetable that can be applied to everyone. There is still room to continue learning and discussing this.

Some people are unable to give birth because of poor health, financial hardship or other painful circumstances that are difficult to talk about. These realities also need to be understood. If sadness and guilt persist afterwards, first distinguish what is truly troubling the person, then consider what care and religious assistance may be needed. Do not apply the same explanation to everyone.

Nor can we place this matter solely on the mother. I have discussed cases in which the father was affected, as well as connections involving siblings who were never born or died young. Each connection is different. Whether someone has been pregnant or given birth does not by itself determine what that person is facing. Conversely, a miscarriage in a family does not mean that every family member must be affected.

Three friends once asked whether they needed rites because they had had abortions in the past. Our divination at the time indicated related issues for two of them, but none for the third. I used this example to remind people that a history of miscarriage or abortion alone does not mean that everyone needs the same ritual.

When introducing the ceremony, I also clearly said that people without this issue did not need to register for that purpose. If there truly is a need, we can then understand the person’s circumstances and how to help. If merit has already been dedicated and the being is learning in a better place, further blessings can be discussed separately. There is no need to imagine every situation as the same severe case of debt collection.