Crossing Over to the Other Side
Not many of us have received instructions on how to die. For that matter, not many of us have been instructed on how to live either. I dare to say that 99% of those reading this post have never heard any teaching or message on death and dying other than the five stages of grief from Psychology 101[1].
- Denial and isolation
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
The idea of death and dying is filled with fear of punishment as compensation for how we lived this life. We have been told that we can expect either eternal damnation or a great mansion in the sky as our reward for the life we lead in the here and now of this existence. The basis of these teaching comes from religious doctrine and superstitious beliefs and are as varied as religions themselves. The reason we accept these beliefs is because we have forgotten who we are.
Before we came into the womb we knew who we were. We were in touch with the light of the Universe, God’s light. We understood we were powerful beings of light and that we came from the light. We knew we were part of the creation process and the never-ending love of God. Once we chose to accept a physical existence and be born we were only aware of our physical state, our physical bodies. The pain of passing through the birth canal placed our focus on physical life and therefore on the trials and tribulations of being in earthly form. We could no longer remember the freedom of the beings of light we once were. That is the reason we accept the teaching of others which are as varied as religions themselves; we have forgotten what we already know and have known forever.
For example, below is a summary of some of the major religious beliefs on death and dying:
1. The Roman Catholic Church proposes three possibilities when we die:
Heaven – only those who have lived perfection gain immediate access
Hell – anyone who has committed a mortal sin[2] goes there immediately
Purgatory – anyone who dies in a state of grace but is imperfect goes there to be tortured by fire until they are perfected.
Heaven – only those who have lived perfection gain immediate access
Hell – anyone who has committed a mortal sin[2] goes there immediately
Purgatory – anyone who dies in a state of grace but is imperfect goes there to be tortured by fire until they are perfected.
2. Conservative Protestants also propose three possibilities when we die:
Oblivion – there is non-consciousness after death, when we die we no longer exist with a body nor possess consciousness until the 2nd coming of Christ when those who had been saved before they died will receive special bodies to transport to heaven, and those who were not saved will go to hell.
Holding Place – the soul separates from the body and waits in a holding place until the 2nd Coming of Christ when they will be resurrected and reunited with a physical body to be judged.
Instantaneous Transfer -- the soul departs from the body and goes immediately to heaven or hell.
Oblivion – there is non-consciousness after death, when we die we no longer exist with a body nor possess consciousness until the 2nd coming of Christ when those who had been saved before they died will receive special bodies to transport to heaven, and those who were not saved will go to hell.
Holding Place – the soul separates from the body and waits in a holding place until the 2nd Coming of Christ when they will be resurrected and reunited with a physical body to be judged.
Instantaneous Transfer -- the soul departs from the body and goes immediately to heaven or hell.
3. Progressive or Liberal Christian Beliefs do not hold rigid beliefs about life after death but do feel that there is a heaven and reject the idea of hell as a place of punishment. They often feel that there may be a place of purification before entering heaven, but that it is a place of learning and reevaluation of the life we have lived more than punishment or retribution.
4. Judaism Beliefs suggest that death is not the end of life and cites a verse in Ecclesiastes that states: And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.[3] Another Judaism belief includes the idea of reincarnation or what they call a “second go” and states that:
· Each individual soul is dispatched to the physical world with its own individualized mission to accomplish. As Jews, we all have the same Torah with the same 613 mitzvot[4]; but each of us has his or her own set of challenges, distinct talents and capabilities, a nd particular mitzvot which form the crux of his or her mission in life. At times, a soul may not conclude its mission in a single lifetime. In such cases, it returns to earth for a “second go” to complete the job.[5]
5. Skeptics conclude that no one knows what happens after death citing out-of-body and near-death experience testimony to show that some people die and have a hallucination type experience before returning to life while others die and stay dead and still others have brain damage and are unable to tell what they experienced[6].
6. Eastern Beliefs conclude that the soul after death passes through different experiences because they are in different stages of evolution:
The animal man – those who have human bodies but animal qualities.
The ordinary man – those who are not bad, but are not good either – when he dies he does not remember his past experiences and is in a state of swoon therefore our prayers give him a consciousness, fresh energy, and solace.
The good man – those who are virtuous – remembers his past experiences when he dies.
The saintly man – those who are not merely good but have started to unfold the divine consciousness.
The Divine men or God men – those with self-realization and self-knowledge so powerful that they will help themselves. (All of these except the saintly men and the god men need our help through prayer.)[7]
The animal man – those who have human bodies but animal qualities.
The ordinary man – those who are not bad, but are not good either – when he dies he does not remember his past experiences and is in a state of swoon therefore our prayers give him a consciousness, fresh energy, and solace.
The good man – those who are virtuous – remembers his past experiences when he dies.
The saintly man – those who are not merely good but have started to unfold the divine consciousness.
The Divine men or God men – those with self-realization and self-knowledge so powerful that they will help themselves. (All of these except the saintly men and the god men need our help through prayer.)[7]
easy to understand how confusing it is for the living as well as the dead when there isn’t a systematically taught approach or rational. Dying should be as easy as breathing and easier than being born, minus the stress of passing through the birth canal, when we fully understand that it is from the light which we came and it is to the light that we return when we exit the physical body.
What is your true belief about what happens after you die?
To help you come to a determination or conclusion, some little known information about what happens after death is presented below:
Dr. Sam Parnia is one of the world’s leading researchers on the scientific study of death – eschatology Eschatology is the term for the scientific study of death but it also refers to the study of all end times whether death, end of the world, etc. In Time Magazine, September 2008, Dr. Parnia states that the clinical definition of death is a moment when the heart stops beating, the lungs stop working, and as a consequence the brain stops working. The brain has always been considered the consciousness but in almost every Near-Death-Experience (NDE) and Out-of-Body (OBE) case recorded the person had total recall of the incidents that happened after being pronounced dead and when questioned they reported with precision everything that happened.
Currently Dr. Parnia and his research team are using a controlled experiment with 25 major medical centers in Canada, the U.S., and Europe where images are placed on the emergency room floors so that those who return from death are asked to tell what images they saw as evidence that they were indeed looking down on their bodies from above. The images can only be seen from the ceiling.[8]
In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall weighed six patients who were in the process of dying and then weighed the same patients after their death. In each instance the bodies weighed 21 grams less after death. That is approximately ¾ ounce. Although there are many, many skeptics on the notion that the soul does indeed have mass it is interesting to note that no one paid much attention to Dr. MacDougall’s discovery or his paper, Hypothesis Concerning Soul Substance, however it is notable that each time the weight loss was exactly the same.[9]
In your opinion, yours alone, answer the following questions:
1. What happens after death?
2. Is there a soul?
3. If so, does the soul leave the body?
4. Does the soul leaving the body account for the 21 gram weight difference before and after death?
5. What is your true belief on the matter?
6. Does this require further research on your part?
7. Are you capable of coming to an honest assessment or do you find that you are easily influenced by the opinion of others?
Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man believes in his heart, that is his reality. In other words, our thoughts become our truth. If your belief is that you must wait in a grave until the 2nd coming of Christ, then that is your reality and wait you will; however, if you believe that you are a divine being returning to the source of creation the moment you die, then that is your reality. We and we alone are responsible for and creators of our reality.
Wouldn’t it be great to know that after the soul leaves your body it is reunited with the loving creator of all that is; that it returns to the light from which it came? If the beliefs of this world have you tangled up, just keep in mind that those beliefs do not have to control you after this life. You are free to choose for yourself which reality you manifest.
Mass-consciousness is continually expanding and growing. One of the most important concepts better understood today is that we are not just a body living on earth but that we are part of the Universal consciousness of All. We are body, mind, and soul. The body dies but the soul and consciousness of that soul lives forever. It has always lived and it will continue to live forever. It can never be destroyed. At death, the soul retains the memories and consciousness of the life lived. Perhaps you doubt that but there are more and more examples coming into public view that help us to understand this concept. Even some of the recent Hollywood blockbusters in movies and television series delve into life after death. This is not to say that the entertainment industry has all the answers but there are quite a few messages that is close to the truth in the following list:
· Ghost, 1990, with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.[10]
· The Sixth Sense, 1999, with Bruce Willis.[11]
· Ghost Whisperer, 2005, with Jennifer Love Hewitt.[12]
· Medium, 2005, with Patricia Arquette.[13]
· The Dead Zone, 1983, with Christopher Walken and Tom Skeritt.[14] And later the television series, 2002, with Anthony Michael Hall.[15]
The Universe is conspiring on our behalf to wake us up to the true nature of our origins – we are truly divine beings of light who are having an earthly experience. The Universe even uses Hollywood as a means to accomplish this task. (The above list of movies about the afterlife doesn't even touch on the other movies that have spiritual messages, such as, The Matrix, The Fifth Element, Down the Rabbit Hole, etc.)
Death is the ending of the body, but it is the freeing of the soul. When the soul leaves this earthly dimension, it is free to return to source or free to stay behind. A soul that stays behind usually has a personal agenda such as waiting or looking out for loved ones. The first option is filled with love, joy and peace. The second option is fraught with an inability to affect change leading to even more confusion and feelings of helplessness. When the soul leaves the body, even with the confusion of past beliefs and indoctrination, there are road signs posted everywhere along the way leading the soul back to source. The soul only needs to be aware of these signs, look for them and follow the path home. For some, the light shows the way immediately. For others who are filled with fear and confusion, the return home is often delayed because they believe judgment and punishment awaits them. Judgment and punishment is not the realm of the true creator; however, it may take a little time before these souls realize they are creating their current reality and experiences based on the beliefs of their most recent life experiences. Just as our awareness and consciousness while living can change, so can our understanding change after death.
Stay tuned for more next week.
Love and light,
Chariss
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