Death
Death
by Jody Holloway
excerpt from ‘The Little Book of Big Spiritual Ideas’
Most people are ignorant of the purpose and process of death, and are therefore extremely reluctant to die.
Death os commonly thought of with fear as a random or unfortunate event that we have no control over. This is not the case according to the experiences of near-death survivors. As counter intuitive as it seems death occurs according to dates and places to die that our soul selects before birth. These are accounts from many people all over the world who have and a dream or premonition of details of their death and these insights appear to support the concept of an agreed plan. Sometimes we use our considerable will power to postpone our death but this reluctance is always futile as our involvement with this planet is limited.
Religions are clear that we are spiritual beings living a physical life as a means of learning important lessons in this world so that we can have a much better life in the next one. There are particular situations, opportunities and environments available on earth that enable our soul to grow and develop. These are part of our life plan and when our designated time is up we move on to the spiritual world where a new range of possibilities exist. Death is a means of spiritual renewal. Our souls are cleansed of sin if we have led a good life according to Jewish, Christian and Islamic beliefs or if we believe in reincarnation our souls are given another chance to release accumulated negative karma through rebirth.
The process of death occurs in four stages and has been recorded in ancient Hindu texts. These are:
- withdrawing of spiritual structures within the person
- release of our soul from the physical body
- movement of our soul through an ‘in between’ ethereal space
- linking up with one or a group of spirit guides and proceeding to a reception area in the spiritual world.
Reports from psychics and near-death survivors reveal considerable variability in the death experiences of individuals. These differences are due to the level of spiritual awareness of our soul, the state of mind our soul was in when it left its physical body, and the circumstances of death.
During the first stage spiritual guides and souls of dead relatives surround us when we are close to death. In some circumstances Azrael the angel of death appears to assist us to cross over. Some of these spiritual visitors may be seen by us as a vision or through a moment of enhanced sight where the death process heightens our senses. Often our life flashes clearly in front of our eyes and all forgotten experiences of the present lifetime are released into conscious memory. We may undergo a rush of self judgment of our intentions and actions over our lifetime and express remorse before dying. As our body takes its last breath the three spiritual structures (etheric, emotional and mental subtle bodies) within it withdraw their connections.
In stage two our soul moves rapidly up through our body and out of the top of our head. The heaviness and constriction of being encased in a physical form is gone and our soul with its new buoyancy can move quickly away. During this transition our soul becomes aware that it feels different but may be aware that it has left its physical form behind.
In stage three our soul finds itself floating above its body and may believe it is dreaming or in a disassociated state but not dead. This is particularly the case with a person who has committed suicide or has had a violent unexpected death. Most souls quickly understand and accept that they are now free to move around. The portal to cross over into the astral world appears and our souls have approximately three days before it closes. It is described by near-death survivors as a powerful ethereal light or a tunnel shaped vortex. During this time we may go as a spirit to our funeral, visit family and friends, and quickly attend to any unfinished earthly business as much as we can in a spirit body. Psychics explain that some souls are not interested in leaving their earthly lives behind and ignore the portal when it opens before them. This may be because they retain strong attachment to their material possessions, places where they lived and worked, or locations which have a particular significance to them. Others harbour the desire for revenge or the need to right an injustice or simply to make mischief on earth.
In stage four our souls move away above the people, buildings and landscapes at rapid speed. Now the earth disappears and or soul find itself accelerating through a large silent dull gray mist filled space. Figures appear in front of our soul who may be spiritual guides that are unknown to us, dead relatives, a religious prophet, saint, or a being of intense beautiful light. The type of figure tends to be someone our soul had the strongest emotional and spiritual attachment to while alive. If our soul is uncertain about continuing into the portal our spiritual guardian will explain that there is a point of no return and a decision must be made quickly to turn back or go forward. When we decide to continue our journey through to the spiritual dimension our guide accompany us to ensure our safe arrival. Quite a few souls do not remember how they got from their death moment to arriving in a strange place in the spiritual world and may be dazed and disoriented. The anatomy of our soul changes on entering into the astral plane. We withdraw from the physical, auric, and haric dimensions and we are transformed into a fully independent human spirit.
Our soul is then taken to a reception area where information is provided by the welcoming individual or group about what to expect in the spiritual dimension. If a person has died from a traumatic event such as torture; terrible burning or violent rape; a severe physical illness; or was mentally ill at the time of death, the soul arrives directly in a recovery ‘hospital’. As our soul adjusts to this new world we are encouraged by other souls to reflect upon our recent life on earth. This life review is not a judgment from God but an attempt for us to honestly self evaluate our spiritual progress, forgive those who have caused us harm, pain, and loss and forgive our self for treating others badly.
Print 
PDF