Death and the Afterlife
Death - the ending of what was or is.
The afterlife - the life that exists beyond the endings.
In the cycle of being and becoming we are continuously moving onwards from one life-time to the next.
For at no one moment are we the same. Each instance is subtly different. Each moment is like the birth of a new life, one that was born from the death of the last. At one level, life as we experience it could be likened to an on-off or yes-no type of series. This, that; this, that. The final THAT of physical demise may just be an elevation of the: this, that; this, that pattern from a more refined place of consciousness.
Not that I am suggesting that we are algebraic algorithms, or have a somewhat mechanistic type of nature. Rather, an analogy of the primal polarity and inter-relationship between the changeless and the changing has been created.
In many of humanities time-periods, Saturn has been seen as the planet or angel of death associated with old age or poor health. Many civilisations have regarded Mars as being the god of death by violence or warfare. In Ancient Greek belief Pluto was the god who ruled Hades, the place where many of the dead were believed to end-up for their next journey in the after-life. In modern-times, Pluto has become associated with the process of death in its fullest sense. Pluto is the planet of transcendence, transformation, re-birth and resurrection.
Pluto is also to do with the unknown. Death is an unknown. The after-life is like-wise an unknown. We can know this moment, but even the now is changing and cannot be completely grasped. Through embracing the unknown, rather than trying to barricade against or fight it, we can gain insight into the deeper levels of experiencing existence.
We are in times when many have fears of global death and mass destruction. For example: through serious catastrophes of warfare, drastic climate change, massive pollution, starvation, natural disasters becoming more frequent and so on. Others hope for some kind of New World Order, New Age, Exterrestrial Rescue or Spiritual Utopia. Some wish for an Age Of Enlightenment or Mass Awakening in consciousness. And then there are those who just get on with their lives, tending to let things work themselves out; either because of superb self confidence or great faith.
There is of course an argument that there is no afterlife. That is, this line of reasoning goes: we are born, we live, we die. End of story. Period. In terms of our physical body, which we inhabit whilst living on this planet, I couldn't agree more, apart from a few immortals, spread here and there over the planet, I suppose. (Where would we be without Atlas's shoulders to support the world upon?).
The idea that consciousness could end is not something that consciousness can agree with. For as consciousness is, it's absence is not. So, in terms of consciousness, the idea of consciousness and then no consciousness has no meaning. Unless it was through a breakdown, or more natural returning to some kind of primal whole. Such a process takes place with a physical body which is returning to the earth.
Of course some like to think that the personality, or it's core identity, survives after death. If personality could be “re-housed” in an etheric body or else a “vehicle” of pure consciousness: then it would not need to reincarnate on earth again after death. Perhaps death is the releasing of a denser earth-focused consciousness into a lighter, more universally-focused awareness. In any world, it is in life that the answers to lifes big questions can be revealed.
Copyright. Stephen Winder.