Most religions are centred on living your life in accordance with a certain set of guidelines which encourage a particular lifestyle. These guiding principles have two goals; living in a way which pleases a deity which in turn accomplishes the seemingly more important goal of determining where you’ll end up when your life is over.
For most Christians, it’s a choice between an eternal paradise in Heaven, and eternal torment in Hell. In some denominations there is also Purgatory, which is where you might end up if you’re not good enough to go the Heaven, but not bad enough to go to Hell. In Purgatory, you would suffer in penance for your sins; until they were ‘purged’ from your soul and you could enter Heaven. Other Christian sects believe that there is nothing after death, until Judgement Day comes and the dead are resurrected.
The concept of a Heaven and a Hell is not unique to the Christians however. Ancient Greeks believed that the souls of the virtuous and the heroes went to a paradise called Elysium, while the wicked were sent to be tortured in the depths of Tartarus. They even had a purgatory of sorts, the Fields of Asphodel being the destination for souls who did nothing really bad, but didn’t attain real greatness either.
Many of the Eastern religions include the concept of reincarnation; the belief that after death, a soul will begin a new life in a new body. Most people who embrace the idea of reincarnation agree that the purpose is education. The soul learns something from each life lived, until the education is complete and the soul ascends to the next level of being.
In Egyptian mythology, the soul had to undertake a perilous journey through the underworld, dealing with terrifying creatures and gods. Once past these obstacles, they would plead their case to Osiris, but the final decision was really made by weighing the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at. If the heart outweighed the feather, the deceased was devoured by Ammut and blotted out of existence entirely. If the heart and the feather balanced, they would be sent on to the Field of Rushes, a place which mirrored the life they had just left, with sky, land, water, crops to plant and harvest and gods to worship.
In Norse culture, the three most widely recognized locations for the dead are Helheim, Valhalla and Fólkvangr. Valhalla is ruled by Odin, and his valkyries choose those who enter. Freya selects those who enter her domain of Fólkvangr. All others apparently go to Helheim. There is some debate about the differences, as it seems there is only one Old Norse text that clearly distinguishes between the halls of the dead; the Prose Edda. This is a collection of Norse mythology, written by Snorri Sturluson, a thirteenth-century Christian scholar. In this book, he states that Valhalla is a home for those who fall in battle, while Helheim is the home of those who die in other ways, such as sickness or old age. Most other accounts agree that there is very little difference between the Norse lands of the dead.
I’ve mentioned more than once that pagans don’t necessarily believe in the same things. This applies just as much in how the afterlife is viewed. It seems that every set of beliefs comes with a different spin on what happens after the body dies. Reincarnation is popular among pagans, as is the concept of a place to rest between lives. Many call this place the Summerland, a kind of paradise where the soul can reflect on the lessons learned during their time on the Earth plane.
Believers in reincarnation may also believe that during this time of rest and reflection between lives, the immortal soul chooses what lessons to learn in the next incarnation. In order to arrange events to learn these lessons, they are also able to choose when and where they are born, and who their parents will be. This knowledge is unavailable to the conscious mind of the physical body, making the experience and the lesson that much more valid. Other believers in reincarnation also have faith in the concept of karma; that your actions in the previous life determine the events of the present life.
The time of rest and reflection between lives is not a vacation for the soul. On the contrary, the soul needs to take the time to fully assimilate the experience gained during the physical life, consider the ramifications of their actions and integrate the lesson learned into their understanding of the universe. In some beliefs, this is also the time that the soul does penance for any wrongs or injustices performed during life. Though the conscious mind does not have complete access to the soul’s full memory, the soul will remember every word and action from life and will now be able to see the full impact those actions had on others. All the masks fall away to reveal the truth behind any of the rationalizations or excuses the conscious mind used to sanction any wrongdoing.
The amount of time spent in the Summerland between lives is variable. For some, rebirth to a new life may be almost instant. Others may spend weeks, years, decades, or even centuries to fully absorb the lessons they’ve learned. Some older souls may also choose to spend longer periods in the Summerland as teachers; helping younger souls who are struggling.
When a soul has finished their education, they may become teachers and guides for younger souls, and many believe that they eventually ascend. Again, there are many beliefs about what this transcendence actually means. Some believe that the soul becomes a being of pure energy, able to go wherever they wish in space/time. One variation of this belief is that the soul may take on physical form on occasion and are the gods and angels that interact with physical beings. (Ghosts are another subject entirely, one that I will talk about in another post.) Others think that the soul leaves the physical universe and begins an existence on a purely spiritual plane. Still others believe that the soul gives up its individual identity to become one with the universe, or to merge with and enrich the consciousness of the Divine.
All in all, the afterlife is a touchy subject for many, as beliefs vary widely. I haven’t even scratched the surface with this post. I can’t tell you what comes next, no one can. I can tell you what I believe and what I think, and that’s it. I can point to evidence and circumstances that may validate my beliefs, but it’s a very subjective thing. Another person may use that same evidence and circumstances in support of contradictory ideas.
So what do I believe?
I do believe that there is life after death though I don’t think it’s the black and white view that so many religions teach with a paradise for the virtuous and eternal torment for the wicked. Life is complicated and messy, just because the physical part is over, doesn’t mean the power behind it has changed.
I don’t believe that there is a deity waiting to judge us and mete out punishments or rewards. Our souls see the naked truth of what we were in life, and we judge ourselves. A person who was evil in life won’t suddenly become saint like in death. The soul of that person will see the truth of what they did in life, and then have to face consequences of their own device. This is how the soul learns. But no punishment is forever, no crime deserves eternal damnation or destruction. When that soul has come to terms with their wrongdoing, then they go to the Summerland, to rest and reflect, and choose what lesson they wish to learn when they are reincarnated.
Obviously then, I do believe in reincarnation. I believe that the soul is a being of energy, and it uses physical incarnations as a sort of school. The circumstances and experiences of each incarnation are chosen by the soul before birth. That does not mean that the person’s life is scripted from beginning to end. Rather, some events are chosen, but how the person reacts to it, the decisions they make from that point on, that is what determines what experiences they have next.
I believe that as the soul grows and gains knowledge, the more spiritual an incarnation will become, the more in tune a person is with their soul and the more access they may have to the full knowledge of their soul. These may be the people that claim to remember details of previous lives and those that seem to be wiser and more mature than their years. Often, these are also the people that display psychic gifts such as empaths, seers and so on.
I am also one of the few that believe souls can reincarnate in non human forms. It depends on the lessons to be learned and quite frankly, I think that humankind can learn a great deal from those so called “lower life forms”.
I believe that the paths of souls can become entangled as well. The same souls may run into each other life after life after life. Perhaps the souls are attracted to one another, becoming soul mates, and so choose to encounter each other whenever possible. In some case, the opposite has occurred and souls encounter each other until they can learn to resolve whatever conflict has arisen between them. Or perhaps they are just on the same path for a time, learning the same lessons and have chosen to be with each other for support. Though the conscious mind may not realize it, the inner soul will see the truth.
The oldest souls that still choose to reincarnate do so more as guides and teachers. These souls tend to spend more time in the Summerland in the same roles. These souls are on the verge of ascension. When a soul is ready, they exist as pure energy. What the soul chooses to do at that point is up to them. They may leave this universe, or stay and become those we know as gods or angels. Or they may choose to merge and become one with the Creator.
I don’t believe that there is a deity waiting to judge us and mete out punishments or rewards. Our souls see the naked truth of what we were in life, and we judge ourselves. A person who was evil in life won’t suddenly become saint like in death. The soul of that person will see the truth of what they did in life, and then have to face consequences of their own device. This is how the soul learns. But no punishment is forever, no crime deserves eternal damnation or destruction. When that soul has come to terms with their wrongdoing, then they go to the Summerland, to rest and reflect, and choose what lesson they wish to learn when they are reincarnated.
Obviously then, I do believe in reincarnation. I believe that the soul is a being of energy, and it uses physical incarnations as a sort of school. The circumstances and experiences of each incarnation are chosen by the soul before birth. That does not mean that the person’s life is scripted from beginning to end. Rather, some events are chosen, but how the person reacts to it, the decisions they make from that point on, that is what determines what experiences they have next.
I believe that as the soul grows and gains knowledge, the more spiritual an incarnation will become, the more in tune a person is with their soul and the more access they may have to the full knowledge of their soul. These may be the people that claim to remember details of previous lives and those that seem to be wiser and more mature than their years. Often, these are also the people that display psychic gifts such as empaths, seers and so on.
I am also one of the few that believe souls can reincarnate in non human forms. It depends on the lessons to be learned and quite frankly, I think that humankind can learn a great deal from those so called “lower life forms”.
I believe that the paths of souls can become entangled as well. The same souls may run into each other life after life after life. Perhaps the souls are attracted to one another, becoming soul mates, and so choose to encounter each other whenever possible. In some case, the opposite has occurred and souls encounter each other until they can learn to resolve whatever conflict has arisen between them. Or perhaps they are just on the same path for a time, learning the same lessons and have chosen to be with each other for support. Though the conscious mind may not realize it, the inner soul will see the truth.
The oldest souls that still choose to reincarnate do so more as guides and teachers. These souls tend to spend more time in the Summerland in the same roles. These souls are on the verge of ascension. When a soul is ready, they exist as pure energy. What the soul chooses to do at that point is up to them. They may leave this universe, or stay and become those we know as gods or angels. Or they may choose to merge and become one with the Creator.
So because I believe there is life after death, that must mean I’m not afraid of death, right? Yes and no. I’m not afraid of death; I believe with all my heart and soul and mind that it’s a transformation, not an end. Do I want to die? No of course not! The belief that death isn’t the end does not mean that this life is any less precious, or desirable. There are things in THIS life that I still want to experience, tasks I still want to accomplish. I feel that this is a mistake that many religions make; they teach that the only purpose of this life is to secure your place in the afterlife. The purpose of this life is to live! To experience! To feel! If you spend your life only worrying about where you’ll end up after, then what was the point of living at all? Though I may not get it right all the time, I want to live life until the day Death comes, and then I will look forward to another type of adventure.
Do I mourn when loved ones leave this life behind? Of course I do! I’ll meet them again somewhere, sometime. But here and now, it hurts and I grieve just as much as anyone else.
Death is not a comfortable subject to talk about, I understand that. No matter what your beliefs, it is never an easy thing to lose a loved one, or to face the thought of your own mortality. But I don't believe that it is something to be viewed as the ultimate enemy, something to be hated and feared. It is the end of one thing, allowing something new to begin.