Life Beyond Death
An ongoing inquiry into purpose of death,
the nature of life after death,
how we can prepare for death,
and how we can assist the dying.
Stage Two - Purification
Whatever a man does while living, be it good or bad, it comes to be remembered at death. Remembering one's bad actions and their dreadful results, the soul feels regret and anguish.
This stage begins when we become aware of our subtle body and engaged in what appears to be happening around us. At this point, we find that all of our negative emotions such as hatred, envy and greed, as well as our cravings, are now tangible features of our subtle body in the form of color, fragrance and vibration. After a lifetime of keeping this material hidden, even from ourselves, we're suddenly exposed and turned inside out in a literal sense.
Before we can move on to the next stage of evolution, these negative impressions must be removed, or more accurately, digested. We do this by owning and experiencing this material fully, without any filters, rationalizations or excuses. We may feel shame and remorse as we witness our past actions and feel the effects these actions had on others. Through this process, our negative psychic impressions are gradually released.
It's important to understand that this stage is not about judgment or punishment. The process is simply the functioning of impersonal laws of Consciousness. Before we can proceed to the more refined planes of experience, the denser psychic impressions must be released.
During this process, certain archetypal experiences come up...archetypal in the sense that they are structured in the fabric of the human psyche and are not subject to our personal beliefs or control. These experiences typically involve our acceptance, repentance and forgiveness for past actions. To the degree we can readily release our negative impressions, this stage of purification is not necessarily painful. But regardless of our experience, it will be helpful to know that this is a temporary and natural stage in our spiritual evolution.
With the exception of those few who are liberated during life, or just after death, everyone must pass through this stage of purification, which is actually one of the great blessings of life beyond death. During this process, the negative psychic impressions, which hinder our progress, are removed. And at the same time, we are prepared for the next stage of evolution.
