Death, Afterlife And Immortality
August 29, 2009 by Akemi
Death is supposed to be the source of biggest fear. What is death? What happens after we die? Is eternal life possible? If we are all destined to die, what is life about?
The time is ripe for this discussion as we, and the Earth, progress in light ascension. (Photo credit)
What is life?
To know death, we need to know life.
A few decades ago (I’m writing from my memory of advanced biology course I took at school, so please excuse the lack of details), scientists wanted to find out what makes a life form different from a non-life form. So they simplified and studied the single cell creatures. They identified only two factors that distinguish single cell life forms from mere bubbles.
1. Life forms have cell walls that differentiate the inside of their body from the outside fluid. Life forms “know” what is me and what is not. This makes it possible to take in outside stuffs as nutrition of the inside and excrete what is not necessary. (Biologist Dr Bruce Lipton maintains cell membrane is like the brain that plays central role to sustain us.)
2. Life forms have chromosomes that enable them to replicate, or reproduce, themselves.
So they made an artificial life form with cell wall and transplanted chromosome. That was easy with genetic technology. But the “life form” was not alive. They gave it electric shock, etc, but just couldn’t bring it to life.
Conclusion: There is something invisible that makes organisms alive. Let’s call it life force.
We now jump to a more complex life form, humans. I say “jump” because I think there is a bit of a discrepancy somewhere along the line of biological evolution. We, too, live on life force. But with humans, I recognize the driving power as our souls. Our souls direct the intake of the life force. Is a soul made of life force and the two really are one? I don’t know.
What we can learn from this experiment, however, is the idea that death is the end of everything doesn’t make sense. The idea that everything about you is over when your heart stops beating and your brain stops giving electric waves is limited to the physical, visible function of the body. There is invisible part about you, the life force and the soul (or whatever you want to call it).
What is death?
Now you know there are macrophysics and microphysics, and scientists are trying to come up with the Theory of Everything (TOE) that explains both. So I can explain the relationship of the soul (spirit) and the body in two ways.
On the macro level, we can observe the soul and the body as separate beings. A soul gets inside the body at the baby’s first breath of life and leaves the body at death (spare various cases of soul shifts). So on this level, death is about our soul leaving the body.
On the micro level, the soul and the body are one. The soul is energy, and it can take a dense form of body, which is also energy. Death, then, is the resolution of this dense energy body to another form of energy. Think of the transformation of ice – water – steam. They are all the same stuff, but they look different and act differently. None is better than the other. If the ice puts down the steam because the steam is invisible, it would be ridiculous. So physically incarnated souls are no better than spirits without the body after their “death”.
How these two views can be reconciled neatly, I don’t know at this time.
But in either case, I see the essence of me, the soul, doesn’t die. “I” can leave the vehicle I’ve been driving (macro level explanation) or I can dissolve / transform the body to some other form of being (micro level explanation).
What matters is if I do it consciously or not.
Conscious vs accidental transition
In conscious transition, the “I” knows what I am doing. Despite the appearance of “death,” my consciousness keeps on seamlessly to another form of being.
But if the transition happens without your awareness, it would feel accidental, and you may feel like a victim. While you are on this side. (I believe that once the transition happens, we all get to figure out we are “okay”.) (I’m using the word “accidental” meaning not fully consciously controlled. It doesn’t mean the death is caused by accidents.)
Just to be sure, by conscious transition, I don’t mean suicide. What I mean is the conscious opting out. The majority of death is accidental and not fully conscious no matter how old the person is or whatever the cause of death is.
What happens in afterlife?
As Akashic Record Reading specialist, I am the expert in beforelife. I can tell you about your past lives and the place we go in between physical incarnations. Again, this is the macro level explanation.
What happens after this life is an interesting question for all of us alive today ^_^. Do we repeat what we’ve been doing, that is, cross over to the other side, review our life, rest, and come back later? (If you are interested in more details of the process on the other side, please check Dr Michael Newton’s “The Journal of Souls”) Can we choose not to incarnate any more? If so, are there any requirements, like a certain level of “enlightenment” or vibrational rate?
Our souls can keep going beyond physical deaths. But is physical immortality possible? If it’s possible, is it something you want?
How do you want it?
I’m opening up the discussion here because I think this is up to our free will. Let me sum up the possible options:
1. To die (most likely accidentally) and reincarnate, like we’ve been doing for eons of time
If you choose this option, why? Are there something you want to keep doing in the next life? Is this present life not long enough to do it? Are you postponing something? Or is it about helping others in this world and you can best do it as incarnated being?
2. To die (most likely accidentally) and not incarnate again
Again, why? Is your choice based on hate of this life and the world? Or is it simply because you’ve had plenty and even the good stuff is enough after certain time?
3. To consciously transition or transform your physical body to some other form of being
One of the other form of being is called lightbody. This is what I aspire to do. If you are into continuity, one thing we want to check is we are not choosing this out of fear of death.
4. To keep going in the same physical body
I guess this is what Robin at Let’s Live Forever! stands for. The physical body is just a form of energy, so rather than transforming it to another way of being, keep healing and mending it forever. If it involves temporary death, this may mean resurrection.
5. (Well, as I wrote, I don’t support this view, but if you still like it) To die is to die, the end, period. Death means end and there is nothing after that. Because this view doesn’t acknowledge the invisible being (soul), the death must be accidental.
6. To die and go to heaven. Or hell. Depending on the judgement. I don’t get this idea because God is love and we are God, so why do we judge ourselves to reward or to punish?
7. We lose our individuality at the transition and merge with God. I guess this can happen both with conscious transition and accidental one. It’s based on a different level of . . . well, what shall I call it . . . model.
Are there other options?
Further resources:
Here is a movie about afterlife (HT: Evita Ochel)
Here is a discussion about physical immortality on Oprah’s website, started by Dr Janni Lloyd.
And is our perception of life and death “real” to begin with? Here is my own post of the nature of reality.
So let me know what you want in the comment. Also, let me know if thinking about life and death give you clarity about the meaning of life.
Related posts:
- Interview With Dr Janni Lloyd On Physical Immortality Dr Janni Lloyd shares her insights on physical immortality from...
- Developing Lightbody In Light Ascension What lightbodies are and how we are developing and transitioning...
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Hi Akemi!
My outlook is really a mixture of your points 3 and 4. When I coined the title Let’s Live Forever for my blog, I was really referring to skipping the death cycles in our evolution (they don’t achieve anything and are a huge waste) – where that evolution may take us, who knows? The lightbody sounds good to me!
I could have called my blog Let’s Not Die, or something – but I don’t want to keep using the words “die” and “death” all the time – it would play havoc with my Adsense!
Thanks again – Rob
Hi Akemi,
I really like what you have written here – this is a very important discussion. Most people have beliefs about physical death ,buried’ in their sub-conscious that they haven’t examined fully with their conscious mind. My feeling is they have feared looking at it because they felt they had no control over it! The discussion you have led here is very timely and important. We are co -creators with the divine.
blessings Janni
Hi Robin,
I see. So we are pretty much on the same page.
I don’t see death as waste, however. At least when our souls’ learning was still developmental, I think it helped us to experience many different settings by dying and choosing different birth settings for reincarnation. I see it in the Akashic Records all the time — souls seem to like to incarnate in different genders, countries, and social status. It’s like, on the other side, they go like,
“I was an Aztec warrior last time. I liked it, but gee, that was tough! I want to be a woman next time. Can I go to somewhere in the Pacific islands?” “I spent my whole life in the monastery last time and ended up getting persecuted. I want to try something different. Can I be a hippie in the USA?” etc.
It was fun. Like changing costumes to see how we look in each outfit.
Living forever, then, is about completing the learning, not just about healing, I think.
Janni,
How nice to see you here! I learned a lot from your posts on Oprah.
I know what you mean — so many people are so afraid of even saying the word “death”. Last time I wrote about death and fear of death, I lost like 30 subscribers overnight.
And what we believe (not necessarily what we say), we manifest. If someone is SO afraid of death, boom, they will manifest it big time, I guess.
Akemi – from reading your post, and then Robin and Janni’s comments, it seems we are all coming from a very similar perspective. I have also been thinking of death as a transition, and what happens ‘afterwards’ as a choice. My own post this week was originally meant to be about facing the fear of death, to Janni’s point, although in retrospect, I would have written it differently to make that more clear, because it came across to too focused on physical death as an ending.
Anyway, as you know I am interested in all the world’s religions, and have studied most, and what I like about your post is that it allows for the possibility that all the different religious and spiritual views of what death is and what happens afterwards might all be true, not in conflict – they might all be different choices we have. I do agree with your point about the traditional Christian view of an afterlife as heaven or hell and why would we choose a judgment-based afterlife such as that, but there are of course lots of other people presenting Christianity in a different light these days, and their focus is on ‘heaven’ as a place of eternal light and love- almost like a world of lightbodies in another dimension.
Also, it’s interesting that in Mahayana Buddhism particularly Tibetan forms, beings that attain enlightenment or full consciousness are said to have several choices at death – complete dissolution as an individual entity, a ‘lightbody’ of sorts that allows them to teach from other realms, or reincarnation as a human ‘boddhisattva’ to teach on this plane. And although I haven’t come across physical immortality per so, there are many stories of teachers that have existed for thousands of years in Tibetan caves on light and air, helping anyone who finds them. I have always interpreted them metaphorically, as being light bodies or visions, but who knows, maybe they are a form of physical incarnation, or something in between even?
Lisa,
I agree. Like I wrote in my comment to your post, “death” can mean various things depending on the speaker. I used to be against Robin’s theory of physical immortality because, as I wrote in my comment above, I don’t see death as a waste, and I thought she was coming from the place of fear of death, like dreaming up physical immortality as a way to avoid death. But reading her recent posts and comment above, I see that her idea is really not that far from my own. It’s just, when Robin says she doesn’t like “death”, she is talking about the unconscious death that many people go through. Because this is the common kind of death, we can call it “death by default”. She is okay with the conscious transition, which you and I usually mean by the word death.
The way I see some of the world religions:
Christianity has double standards about death. On the one hand, the whole belief system is based on the idea of “death is bad” and Jesus went through this ultimate punishment even though he was not guilty. If death is fine and acceptable, the belief on Jesus work crumbles. And then there is this notion of judgement that leads to heaven or hell. Then ministers pay lip service at funerals that the dead is now at home with God. I have nothing against Christianity and love what Jesus said while he was alive, but I think Christianity contributes to the fear of death, badly.
Buddhism (let me know if my understanding is on the line
): Death leads to reincarnation. Because Buddhism see life as struggle, this is no good. So they try to get out of the cycle of reincarnation. I think their view of life (not death) is off.
Various indigenous beliefs such as native Americans or original Shinto (not the Shinto that was politically abused in WWII): Death means going back to elements, back to nature. While this is a peaceful idea of death that leads to the sense of connection, I wonder how they explain the spirit side of death. Okay, the body goes back to the nature, fine. What about the consciousness?
Oh how I love the discussion here ^.^
I’m not positive how I’ll choose when I complete this physical cycle. I do know that I feel the need to retain my individualism, so I don’t think that I’ll melt into the universal consciousness. I believe that some souls will choose this route and perhaps may be able to reincarnate after that if they choose.
No matter what, I believe that we all get to choose our destinations. If someone wants to end, I feel that it’s a universal loss, but I still feel that we’re allowed to choose that option. I’m still pleased that they exercise their right to choose, even if I don’t agree with the choice ^.^
As for me, I have a feeling that I’m going to rest on the other side. I feel like I’ve been running a marathon of reincarnations and I’m a little tired. I mean, eons is a long time for a soul to be stuck in a rut! I would like to enjoy the timelessness of the other side…
Hi Lisa and Akemi,
I sooo love your discussion here. I just shared this in the Oprah community -
Australia’s indigenious people are the world’s most ancient living culture and have a continuous history spanning at least 50,000 years., They speak of the Dreamtime legends and the Rainbow Serpent. The Rainbow Serpent is a major ley energy line that traverses the continent, travelling through central Australia via Uluru [ Ayers Rock] and Katajuta [the Olgas]. The earth energy in this location is awesome – my feeling is that the dreamtime dreams through this landscape.
Robert Coon has done much research on the aboriginal culture and has written a wonderful book called ‘The Rainbow Serpent and the Holy Grail’. He writes ‘In David Uniapons story of Narroondarie, he says that others have ascended. He says that Nabulle, Whyougarrie, Jeeveelong, and Munjungie are also physically immortal…….. When the wise man Utnadata spoke with T.G.H Strehlow in 1949, he expressed deep emotions of regret that the art of physical immortal life had been largely forgotten by the aboriginal people. What remains is a universal awareness that physical death is not part of the will of the earth or the dreamtime ancestors.’ They feel the link to physical immortality has been lost. Robert Coon suggests the link is being restored – and i agree.
There are parts of the earth in Australia that are untouched and primal – I have felt the presence of deep wisdom from the aboriginal people in some of these places – Central Australia and the Kimberleys in Western Australia in particular. I have heard the song of the earth …………… we have shared our songs……..
Lisa if you are interested, I have a ‘Do you choose life?’ thread running in the Oprah community http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/95436
RL,
Glad you enjoyed this post.
Resting for a while is a good idea. This is part of the reason I don’t completely support literal physical immortality — it can be too long, and change of modes can be good, I think.
Janni,
That’s very interesting. Although I lived in Sydney for a year, I never got the chance to go to Uluru nor the area where aborigines lived. That story is fascinating.
Akemi, — and Robin, and Janni, and everyone — everywhere I go I’m seeing discussions on immortality! Must be my Spirit Guides at work, directing me to these posts
. I for one choose lightbody — I would love to be able to continue being around and helping those who ask (when my parents died I was annoyed that they hadn’t figured out a way to continue advising), and I want to travel other dimensions and continue exploration of life — the possibilities are infinite. I plan to have a great deal of fun with it, too!
Years ago I read Mutant Message Down Under – don’t remember author’s name — but that book, fiction or not, struck a deep chord in me and reminded me of my time studying cultural anthropology — what deep and pure religious beliefs the so-called “primitives” had. That book shed such light on the aboriginal way of thinking, believing, and living — so beautifully untouched by modern civilization. And the ending? Sounded like the tribe was choosing ascension. I wonder if any of you have read it and can tell me if the aboriginal depiction is accurate. I love the story and want it to be non-fiction, but the author won’t say, LOL!
PS — thanks to Robin, my question about said book is answered. Don’t bother reading it, y’all– it’s bad fiction and profoundly insulting to Australia.
That being said, back then (when I read it) it was still a message to me about the possibilities that life offers, so it seems to be a case of “when good stuff is the result of bad stuff” — if you know what I mean
–
Hi Jeanne,
Sorry to take time responding to your comment. I just moved to Eugene. (Give me a holler when you are heading the NW.)
I love your attitude of “Bring it in!” So many people are plain scared with the unknown. I don’t completely understand ascension nor lightbody at this time, but I feel the same with you — I think it will be great, beyond our wildest dreams!
And thanks to Robin, I’m starting to integrate this idea of physical immortality and ascension. We are developing our lightbodies from within our current physical bodies, so it’s one thing ultimately.
Lol to your story about the book. This happens, right? We get so impressed with a writing, then years later, we pick up the book again and wonder “What the …?” We grow. And even a poorly done book can contribute to our growth. It’s all good ^_^
Hi Akemi
This is a deep and fascinating topic indeed. I think we all have our ideas, but unless we are really willing to face them and figure out what makes sense to us, they are just that – ideas.
I think I had a pretty normal view of “death” up to my early 20’s or so. By normal I mean like a lot of other people – one side of me didn’t understand it, while the other thought it was something to be feared and not welcomed.
And then I saw Robin Williams’ film “What Dreams May Come” and something clicked for me. I immediately started to take on a new view of death and the afterlife. You know I learned thanks to Neale Donald Walsch’s “Conversations With God” that we already have all the answers we need within us, we just have to remember. And that is why that movie clicked for me. I felt like I “remembered” what it was like.
Since then, many movies and books later, my definition and feelings about death and the afterlife just keep getting better and broader. Today I no longer fear one bit of it, and know it will be my own experience, however I choose to make it. I am also very aware as you stress in the article that we can have a conscious death, and that is my intention for when I am ready to move on.
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