Life Beyond Death
The purpose of death
The nature of life after death
How we can prepare for death
How we can assist the dying
Stage Two - Purification
A good man has nothing to fear, either in life or in death. And his fate is not a matter of indifference to the Gods. Socrates, to the Jury in Plato's Apology
Everything we experience during the first three stages of death is like a dream, created by consciousness as it shines through the mosaic of psychic impressions that accumulated during our life on Earth. These impressions form the landscape of our experience during these first stages. While the particulars of experience may differ from one person to the next, the purpose and direction of each stage are essentially the same for everyone.
This second stage begins when we become aware of our subtle body and engrossed in what appears to be happening around us. Usually, at this point, we meet our spiritual guide who helps to orient us in our new surroundings and guide us through the various stages of death. Our guide may appear as a religious figure, a saint, a trusted friend, or simply a presence we feel has been with us always. In some traditions, the spiritual guide is called the gatekeeper, or guardian angel. Undoubtedly, our guides have been with us and working behind the scenes to guide us, through countless cycles of birth and death.
During this stage of purification, our guide shows us the negative impressions, such as hatred, fear or guilt, as well as our physical and psychological cravings, which we gathered during life. These negative impressions are now tangible features of our subtle body in the form of color, fragrance and vibration. After a lifetime of keeping this material hidden, we're suddenly exposed and turned inside out, in a literal sense.
Our inability to accept our shadow material creates a split in the psyche; the split between matter and spirit, evil and good, human and divine. Before we can move on to the next stage of evolution, we must begin to heal this split. One way or another, during life or after death, we have to take responsibility for all that we are, without any filters, excuses or rationalizations.
During this process, there usually arise certain archetypal experiences, which are structured in the fabric of the human psyche. These experiences can vary greatly from person to person. But essentially, they involve the acceptance, repentance and forgiveness for past actions. In some traditions, this stage is called purgatory or hell. But it's important to understand that it's not about judgment or punishment, although it may be experienced that way. Rather, it's the cosmic law of evolution, as it functions on the subtle planes of experience.
For most people on a spiritual path, a great deal of purification is completed during life on Earth, by accepting responsibility for our actions and forgiving others. (See chapter: How to Prepare for Death) As a result, this stage of purification after death can be brief and relatively easy.
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 after death. Ultimately, only our fear and ignorance die. And in the process, we discover that only our fear and ignorance have made us feel separated from our spiritual source, Divine Consciousness.
