DEATH # 3

"Know not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee..."John Donne

IN THE ASTRAL...

 

When dead, you can influence on behalf of others but not for yourself. 

The last chance for determining and acting for your own mission and fulfillment, is with your last earthly breath. 

You are then stuck with how you are and where you were.

 

One's karma is usually cut in stone but can be altered and improved by being assigned as a guide to a living person. We can complete work we never fulfilled in a past life time in this way.

 

On the other side, we no longer have options upon which to decide what fashions our destiny. We have already determined it.
We do, however, still have thought, intent and opinion which we may use to help others though no longer ourselves.
Thus the ancestors (or our guides) need our help just as we need theirs.
Forgiveness, love and gratitude are how we help them.

 

Do not expect Astral actions and decisions here to transform into the Causal hereafter. You will be as you are now. 

Be whole hearted in your choice. 

Is one deciding from Narrow (Monkey) mind or from Spacious mind (Big mind)? 

We do not only ring our own bell but fashion it as well. 

The high Astral is greatly satisfying for those who do not yearn for more.

Heartfeltness is what the Creator wants most.

 

In the Astral one faces a spiritual tribunal of a higher order or a "School for the Higher Self or Soul." This is not "Judgment Day" in that sense. We are brought before this tribunal to reconcile with our karma. This is done in a loving and non-judgmental way but we are fully accountable to the spiritual laws of the cosmos. 

One's lawyer cannot help here. One is confronted with one's actions for which there will be inevitable reincarnation consequences. The principles that will challenge us have to do with Truth and Love. 

We learn to detach from our compulsions, addictions, obsessions and fears. New knowledge can be acquired and at least to some extent will reside in our "soulular" memories, and also from previous life times, into the next. This may be as a sense of knowing or as a form of de ja vu.

We usually reincarnate into the family who can best challenge us to learn, so that we can correct the karmic mistakes of the past. This situation may be challenging depending on our karma.

Buddhists pray and practice to inherit a next lifetime where they can continue their spiritual journey at a higher level or better still inherit the Pure Land of the enlightened.

 

The ancestors need our help just as we need theirs. 

Karma is only alterable if the dead have been or are forgiven for their sins by those still living. Forgiveness can improve dysfunction and advance the next incarnation.

Reconciliations can also be made between parties in the afterlife.  

Forgiveness will release the spirit from a karmic sin which otherwise could result in a suboptimal reincarnation. In order to be released from their karmic burden the dead sometimes haunt the living seeking forgiveness.

Forgiveness will release the soul from the consequences of only that particular action. This applies especially to our fathers, mothers (as well as our grand fathers and grandmothers) ...

 

"Honor your father and mother so that your days may be long upon the earth."

 

It applies to the grandmothers and grandfathers because they also  enabled our birth and without them and our parents we would not be in a sentient body. Therefore, the onus for forgiveness is on the living progeny not the other way around.

 For completion the dead should also have forgiven the living for their misdeeds, as well as having released them from any promises or obligations. This is why closure is so essential before death. It can be done after death but will require expert spiritual assistance that includes forgiveness rituals.

For others that have sinned against us there is no mandate to forgive but forgiveness is helpful to all concerned. For the one doing the forgiving it is equivalent of taking off the "albatross" (or grudge) hanging around one’s neck. Neuroscience has also show it to be healthful.

 

There is no free will across the veil. The dead depend on the living to repair, complete, forgive and release them if such is needed.

 

Although we loose free will in the Astral we can be assigned as a spirit guide to work through the free will of either a living loved person or someone else. 

Reveal always truth and you will be guided about what to do.

"Foreign" guides assigned for a task will often have had a similar mission during their prior life time and therefore are most able to be of assistance to the one living. These guides, though seemingly foreign, may have been our loved ones in past lives from different traditions and religions. They can be exotic; Native American, Asian, African implying that we had past lives in these cultures as well. It is my belief that when there is a type of music, say, Celtic that speaks to one's soul, it might indicate a prior life time as a Celt. I relate strongly to Celtic and African music and have had prior incarnations in those genres. 

Love is the catalyst that helps them cross the veil between the worlds to inform us.

For instance, the "foreign" spirit guide who helps me in my bone divination was a sangoma in her previous life and is now completing work she never completed in her last incarnation. In this way she helps me with my destiny and improves her karmic profile at the same time. 

Due to free will being the cosmic law, the one on the earth plane must ask very specifically for what one needs or wants. Our spirit guides cannot help us with our lives without specific and clear direction.

Perfected souls retain free will and can also assist the living as well as other spirits in lower realms. However, they have no requirement to improve their karma.

There is no time beyond the veil and it may take years in earth time before a spirit guide may appear. 

Ancestors and guides usually retain their persona, apparel, language, beliefs and idiosyncrasies. However, they have been “purified” and given a reality check during their reconciliation. The religious fundamentalist may no longer be a zealot and someone who never believed in an after-life will now know the truth. 

You might ask; "why would I bother to listen to my grandfather or grandmother who was illiterate - I have five Phd's? The reason is they are not localized in space and time and have a broader vision. They can bilocate and if you are taking a journey can warn of hazards you are not aware of. They also have access to your Book of Life and know your prior incarnations as well as neglected talents related to your true destiny. They can help guide you in the right direction

The possibilities in the Astral seem to be:

 Reincarnate.

  Remain in the Astral and be a guide to the living and then reincarnate possibly at an improved karmic level.

 Graduate to a higher vibration and then reincarnate,

 or not,

if one has attained the Causal.

It therefore is encouraging to know that there is the possibility for those who have not quite made the grade, that after doing service or 

reconciling, they can graduate to a higher realm or even the Causal.

 

DEATH # 2 

 

THE VARIOUS REALMS

 

There are as many paths in death as in life.

We are carried by our hearts and karma to that “vibration”
where we feel most at home. We lose touch with those we can no longer vibrate with. 

 

There are multiple vibrations and realms within the realms. Our karma dictates which ones we have earned and will go to.

These realms can be broadly described as; Celestial, Causal, Astral and Lower. 

The Celestial is unattainable for us. Those, I believe, who are channeling archangels are probably connecting with Causal Beings of a very high vibration, possibly with a similar archetype to that particular angel. 

The Causal is the realm of perfected souls who do not need to reincarnate unless they choose to voluntarily. 

The Astral (Imaginal) is the realm where we lose free will and reconcile with our karma before reincarnating. 

In the Lower or hell realms the souls usually become stuck there and the cravings they had while alive are exaggerated. Hence the term – “the Hungry Ghosts.” Some may have little chance of redemption.

 

THE CAUSAL REALMS

 

Enlightened beings, perfected souls have full use of their faculties and do not have to reincarnate although they may choose to incarnate to support and guide.

Spiritual masters can travel freely through all the realms. To Astral spirits the higher realms are invisible.

Those in the higher Causal realms can make themselves known to those in the lower Astral realms. 

However, those in the Astral realms cannot vibrate to a higher level at their own volition or aspiration.

Those of higher vibrations can hear and respond to lesser ones in addition to seeking them out.

 

If one is “awakened” there will be no need “die again”and reincarnate. These souls have attained higher realms of consciousness where there is no need to return into a new incarnation to further advance the soul’s journey. They can, however, choose to come back voluntarily for a special mission, if they so decide. For instance the "Gandhi's" of the world. These spirits retain free will and reside in their own Self-realized vibration; the Causal realm in the case of the Yogis, the Pure Land for Buddhists or the Garden of Eden for Kabbalists.  Our  passions may determine which realm we end up in. The Dalai Lama teaches us to keep to our own religion. This could be because even though you practice like a devout Buddhist your heart may propel you to be with your ancestors rather than any one of the Boddhisatva realms.

 

”The sages who have died, are present in this world to a greater extent than when they were alive.”  The Zohar

 Causal spirits retain free and can operate more freely than Astral guides. They can traverse throughout all realms to help and advise those spirits and be more present for those alive on the earth plane as well. 

Those that are dead are never gone

They are there in the thickening shadow

The dead are not under the earth

They are there in the tree that rustles

They are in the wood that groans

They are in the water that sleeps

They are in the hut

They are in the crowd

The dead are not dead.

Bizago Diap (Mali poet)

 

THE ASTRAL REALM AND RECONCILING WITH KARMA

 

We each create our own reality and will go to the realm that we have earned, whether Astral or possibly Causal. "We reap what we sow." Material achievements on their own count for very little unless done for the greater good and for their own sake alone. Spiritual laws apply whether we know about them, understand them or believe in them or not. The rules beyond the veil differ from those on the earth plane.

Most of us headed to one of the countless vibrations in the Astral realm because we have more spiritual work to do. Bishop Tutu once said that the standards for entering "heaven" are quite low.

The Astral guides or ancestors we see in dreams, especially in the early morning hours in REM sleep, are usually working through their karma and transitioning before reincarnating.

“When the Soul wants to experience something, she throws out an image of the experience in front of her and also steps into it.” M. Eckhart

 We navigate with our imagination and can create anything we wish. This is compelling at first but eventually becomes boring and the desire to do so dissipates. 

As we imagine it so it will be. For instance, the avid golfer can imagine the most spectacular golf course on which to play but every strike, will be a hole in one. There is no longer any tension and hence no challenge. 

The Astral and especially the lower Astral, can be in a type of hell. 

We lose our sensory bodies and so can experience sensation only by imagining it.

We lose touch with other vibrations and also possibly with those loved ones who have a different vibration. 

 

Each faith will have a different imagining and hence go to a different place. We usually will end up in the same vibration as our loved ones with the same vibration and belief systems. This is why we may want to do our karmic work before death - we may not want to end up similarly to where we have always been.

DEATH #2

DEATH RITUALS

These are important. The dead want to feel cared for, to know they mattered. Hence obituaries, accolades, flowers, incense or anything they would have like or asked for should be honored.

This includes whether they wanted cremation or burial. The death stone should be appropriate to their wishes. The ashes should be attended to according to what they wanted or would have wanted. Prolonged grief and mourning as well as not having their requests fulfilled can delay the transition of the soul and keep it earth bound.

VISITATIONS

 

The soul may linger on the earth plane after burial for up to a month or more before crossing the veil between the worlds for a period of transition before rebirth. If the soul is perfected it enters the Causal Realm or the Pure Land of Buddhism or Garden of Eden of Kabbalah.

 

 During the earth bound period there may be visitations. 

Spirits can visit to announce their death to someone who may be far away and unable to hear the news. 

They also visit for closure and to ask for or give forgiveness. 

They may come to complain if there are disputes amongst the living re the will or other issues. 

Sometimes they need to inform someone about a vital matter that they had neglected while alive. 

It is not unusual for someone to pass a message from the spirit onto a loved one that the latter has been unable to receive. This may even be a stranger who is receptive to receiving messages from the dead.

 

Tibetan Buddhists look at the dream time as preparation for the Astral Imaginal realm after death. They say, as do other mystics, that the dream state is no different to the stages of death. 

Death goes through three basic stages, death, transition through the intermediate stage in the Astral and then rebirth. 

Sleep also has three stages, deep dreamless sleep, travel into the Astral Imaginal realms during R.E.M. sleep where we may encounter our guides or ancestors (usually reconciling with their karma) and then rebirth into a new day. 

Death > Intermediate Stage > Rebirth

Dreamless Sleep > Dream/REM Sleep > Awakening

By knowing one is dreaming one can better prepare for the Astral realm when dead and not getting lost across the veil. Lucid dreamers are more likely to be adept in this. 

Mystics seek to pierce the veil of Maya (illusion) to glimpse transcendent truth and awaken out of the illusion of life’s dream which is no different to the dream of sleep. They recognize sleep as preparation for the Bardot, the intermediate stage of death before rebirth.

Mahayana Buddhists and tantric Tibetan practitioners can practice entering the initial stages of the death experience short cutting the cord.

 

PROOF

Many scientists and doctors disagree that there is life after death or that consciousness resides outside of the brain. Research on Near Death Experiences helps to dispute this dogma and give us an idea of what to expect when we pass on. Although some have negative experiences most will describe it as life changing. Usually after traveling out of body they described it as going through a tunnel and then breaking into the light. This light feels like unconditional love and creates a sense of total bliss. The person then comes across a sort of barrier; a gate, a river or a lake or just the presence of a guide who tells them to go back, that it's not their time yet. When they come back, often reluctantly, they usually are never the same and are induced to go on a spiritual path. Children may have similar experiences. 

Although conventional medicine will interpret this as being due to hallucinations due to chemical changes in the brain from a lack of oxygen this does not seem to be the case. N.D.E. researchers have discovered some unusual facts relating to the person traveling out of body. They can recall  details of everything that happened during the resuscitation and conversations of loved ones even in the waiting room. One patient described seeing a sneaker on the ledge of the hospital as she ascended outside of it. The sneakers presence was confirmed by the researcher.

 Eben Alexander, a Harvard  trained neurosurgeon who never believed in N.D.E.'s changed his mind after he had his own and wrote a book on it called Proof of Heaven. 

Tibetan Budddists have documented similar experiences from folks who appeared to have died and came back. They are call Delogs, the most famous being Darma Drolma who described her experiences beyond the veil which lasted five days. 

More recently researchers have reported the Shared Crossing Experience where someone who is receptive can travel part of the way with the dying one.

The San Kalahari Bushmen are able to travel out of body in their out of body, spirit flight, trance dance. They call it the Little Death during which they can converse with the spirit world and attain information, not localized in space and time to help the clan. They ascend on what has been described as "Ropes to God." They return through this same connection of soul to body. Unexperienced initiates can sometimes  lose touch with these 'Ropes' and have a real death. 

Solomon in Ecclesiastes describe a silver cord that connects the soul to the body and allows the soul to find its way back. When we travel into the Astral realm in our dreams we are always connected to this cord. It has been said that when we have a startling awakening this can be due the soul coming back into the body after dream travel. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEATH 

THE UNPLANNED, UNCHARTERED AND FINAL JOURNEY ?

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." Lewis Carroll

As you will appreciate from this blog, the journey should not be unplanned nor is it uncharted. Neither is it the final one. We come back again and again to get it right - the journey of samsara - death and rebirth in order to master the challenges of being in a sentient body. We are here to enjoy the senses but, responsibly. Our senses are a gift. When we go to the other side of the veil we drop the physical body and our senses. We will be accountable if we took them for granted and failed to appreciate the gift.

 

“Death asks not what have you but who are you. Life’s questions is not what have I but what am I.” Swami Rama Tirtha

 

PREPARATION

“Dying, dying, the world keeps on dying but none know how to die.  No one dies in such a way that s/he won’t die again.” Kabir

Know before you go!

 

“A net is spread out for the living, everything is given on loan and all is preparation for a big celebration.” Rev Akiva

 

Akiva also taught that the sentient world is just an antechamber for the world to come. The Zohar describes this antechamber as the one percent world and the other as the 99% one. Most of this 99% is unknowable to us until we pass over to the other side and have a hint of what it may be like. We can get an incomplete notion of the “Unknowable” if we study ancient wisdoms.

The deepest and most profound meditation, the Buddhists say, is that on death. Most of us fear death subconsciously if not consciously and studying or meditating on it goes a long way to allaying the fear which can lead to a dysfunctional crossing over. 

Studies have show that folks who have had positive experiences with mind altering plants in ceremony (L.S.D. and psilocybin especially) can lose any fear of death because they are able to see into other realities that are similar,

None of us would take a trip to an unknown destination without informing ourselves and taking all possible, preliminary precautions against “getting lost.” Yet when it comes to our final and most seminal journey, many ignore doing any preparation. 

Our state of mind when we die will have a lot to do with what vibration we go to after death. 

The time to educate ourselves and correct our karma should be now and not closer to that critical time when emotionally we will be least prepared and able to do anything constructive. Death should be a blissful event if we are ready. Kabbalists say it should be no more than a bee sting. 

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” Cherokee wisdom

Amends and reconciliations are essential in “cleaning the slate" before we leave. These blogs, based mainly on the Ancestors teachings, are "Universals"" without any particular religious biases and are meant to help us prepare for life and death. Spiritual laws will prevail whether we know about them or not or believe in them or not.

With all your strength attain knowledge!

We create are own reality, especially after death, so that the journey will be colored by our belief systems but the principles remain the same. 

The one who dies with the most "toys" may not win. The only things we take with us are our karma and experiences. We came into the planet naked and "naked" we must leave.

"As you sew so you will reap."

"Those that will be first will be last." Jesus

Let them come along and shout. They will shout their name last.

 

CROSSING OVER

 

 Someone on their death bed may need to be given permission to leave  if they are trying to hold (for dear life) on account of their loved ones.

We can take nothing with us except our memories and our karma. Our mind state is key and we should have fearless clarity without confusion. It is best to go into an existential free fall without any angst, attachments, skeletons in the closet or unfinished business. We will need to embrace positive imaginings and affirmations, surrender and let go.  In doing this we should be able to hear the ancestors or our guides calling us home.

Gandhi was heard to be chanting Ram, Ram, Ram the name of God, after being shot and before leaving his body.  

In Tibetan Buddhist culture those that are present at death can help, by affirming that the loved one is dead. Classically this is done by reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead around the corpse. This is done for 49 days by which time the soul leaves the earth plane, crosses over the veil between the worlds and goes through a period of transition before beginning the next incarnation. 

If perfected the soul will inherit the Pure Land - with no need to come back again. 

Their principles enunciated below are similar to those above - in summary:

Go forward, release without fear and do not cling to images of the past or any projections of "mind." Let go, surrender. Imagine and have positive thoughts. Recognize your own luminescence, look towards the light.

The Zulus have a tradition that also instructs the deceased that they are dead. The Buffalo thorn tree is unique in having two thorns, one hooked indicating the body being interned into the earth and one straight to show the soul ascending to the other side. A branch is put on the grave site and together with powerful, funeral rituals will instruct the spirit about what has happened, especially in the case of any confusion during the death process. 

 

Attachments hamper the transition of the spirit which may become earth bound and lost between the worlds. Forgiveness is essential before death for a peaceful transition. Promises not yet fulfilled should also be released and be no longer binding.

Spirits usually hang around the earth plane for a short period of time to see what is happening before they cross over - usually up to about 30 days. 

They are concerned about how everyone is doing, and are interested in their funeral arrangements. They may want final closure by trying to visit in dreams or even in real time in “visitations” to those that are receptive. If  they cannot get through this way they may give signs they are still around like the unusual appearance of selected, favorite animals which they can energetically manipulate. There also may be other signs as well as well to let you know that they are there. They like to know they have been honored and that they mattered. Depending on the person, death rituals such as obituaries, prayers, flowers, eulogies and a death stone etc. are important.

If their death wishes have not been fulfilled or there are family conflicts this may create disappointments and urge them to temporarily remain earth bound. When the spirit is on the earth plane it is much easier for them to make contact than after they have crossed over the veil between worlds.

Some may voluntarily choose to reman on the earth realm and be more available to assist the living with the trauma, financial challenges or conflicts surrounding disagreements such as those concerning the will.

This is not necessarily a good thing since it also delays the soul's transition. They may delay crossing over until they are given permission to leave by the loved one they are supporting or will cross over when they feel they are no longer needed. The distraught living one also needs to know when the time has come to let the spirit go to the light.

 

GUILT AND SHAME 

THE TOXIC CHALLENGES ON THE TRIAD OF LOVE #6

"For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision... "  Sanscrit

 TEACHINGS THAT EMPOWER

“In the song of the rushing torrent hold onto the joyful assurance: I will become the sea. And this is not a vain supposition, it is absolute humility because it is the truth.” Tagore 

Wisdoms that dispel shame and grief resulting in any of the following;

 Hopelessness, Doubt, Denial, Resignation, Detachment, Unhealthy Convictions, Dogma and Protecting the Persona against all odds.

“The God of the clouds, 
the God of the moon and the sun,
 the God who is templed in all creation is within you and manifests as peace.”  Yogananda 

                                                                   .

"The moment you accept yourself as you are without any comparison, all inferiority, all superiority disappears. In that total acceptance of yourself you will be free from those complexes… otherwise you will suffer your whole life. Just be yourself that is enough. You are accepted by the sun, … the moon,… the trees,… the ocean,… the earth. What more do you want? You are accepted by this whole universe. Rejoice in it!" Osho

When I lose my way
 God will come along the road and reach me. When I grope in the land of forgetfulness, God will remember me.
When I no longer know who I am,
 God will call me by name.
 When darkness is my only companion memories and old prayers will be stars and in time, or beyond it,
 someone will be sent,
 bringing a lamp. 
 Christine Fleming Heffner 

"No matter how long the night, the dawn is sure to come." African proverb

Spiritual practice will open up our access to the Field and help to pacify our stress response. Remember that we may be alone but do not have to feel lonely or isolated. We all have guides, ancestors and even the Creator in the Field supporting us, even if we cannot feel it.

Never yield to weariness of spirit. At times the world’s cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. 

At times like this carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God’s spirit is always with you to replenish and renew… 

When you are overcome by temporary conditions which you cannot control keep quiet and wait for the power of spirit to flow back.” 24 hours a day

"The winds of grace are always blowing but tis you who must raise your sails.” Tagore 

“Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.” Ojibway saying

“Since everything is but an apparition perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, you might as well burst out laughing.” Longchenpa

“Recently, one friend asked me, "How can I force myself to smile when I am filled with sorrow? It isn't natural." I told her she must be able to smile to heal sorrow, because we are more than our sorrow. A human being is like a television set with millions of channels. If we turn the Buddha on, we are the Buddha.  If we turn sorrow on we are sorrow. If we turn on a smile, we really are the smile. We cannot let one channel dominate us.  We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to seize the situation in our hand, to recover our own sovereignty.” Thich Nhat Hanh

"If you don't want to see the shadow, turn your face to the sun." Aboriginal wisdom

“If we are willing to open up to it then it is just the unknown, the unplanned, the unexpected, the unfamiliar which can best teach us. In the tiny prefix “un” which so often spells trouble, lies the potential for change, for the new, for the hitherto unconsidered, unimagined, unrealized.” Robert Hinshaw

You cannot control results, only your actions. You cannot predict outcomes, only you choices. 

It is wise to be unattached to the consequences of what we cannot control in a world with so many variables of; light/dark, positive/negative, sacred/profane, holy/unholy.

"Do not depend on the hope of results."  T. Merton

It's not what happens to us but what we do with it that counts.

We are continually being tested - not about how much we know or how well we perform but that our trust, our love and our faith  are being always tested at unexpected times in often unrecognized guises…

The time will come
 when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other’s welcome and say, sit here. Eat.
 You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you 
all your life, whom you have ignored 
for another, who knows you by heart.
 Take down the love letters from the bookshelf;
 the photographs, the desperate notes, 
peel your own image from the mirror. 
Sit. Feast on your life. 
Derek Walcott

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