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by Dr.
Stafford Betty
January-February 2016
from
TheSearchForLifeAfterDeath Website
Spanish translation 'on
the making'...
This
article refers to
the "Tunnel
of Light" experience
at
transition time...
Biblioteca
Pleyades
Part I
January
23, 2016
There are many ways that spirits describe their environment to those
who still inhabit the earth...
And yet like humans,
spirits are fallible, prone to disagreements and misstatements:
their words can be
mangled by mediums, distorted by channels, prone to bias from
the human mind or simply misinterpreted due to the general
perplexity in communication between our worlds.
Hence, the adversities of
the afterlife researcher, who struggles to piece together fragments
and snippets of spirit communications, trying to avoid frauds and
zealots, and find some sort of commonalities which can be used a
basis to objectively describe a frustratingly subjective world.
The good news is that
with an ever expanding body of experiences and expanding access to
information, a picture of the afterlife emerges.
It's far greater, more
expansive and wondrous than we can imagine, but it also draws stark
attention to the responsibility we have for our own thoughts,
feelings and expectations.
Many people erroneously believe that once we cross over into this
non-physical realm, that we become instantly enlightened,
all-knowing, precognitive experts on the spirit realm.
While it does seem that
we gain a much wider, less egotistic perspective, I have never seen
a reliable report of spirits claiming to know the 'mind of God' if
you will, for the depth of their knowledge about the spirit world
has much to do with their own evolution and perspective.
If you are fortunate to
come across a very highly-evolved spirit, for example
Seth (as channeled by Jane
Roberts), you may be privy to more information about the nature
of consciousness, but even Seth admits his lack of knowledge in many
areas.
"This is not a place
where everyone knows everything - far from it. Most souls are
nearly as blind as they were in life.
I am sorry to say
that the person who has a clear idea of the significance of life
is about as rare here as on the earth… a man does not suddenly
become all-wise by changing the texture of his body."
Spirit
Communication from 1915 through medium Elsa Barker of Judge
David Hatch
from
The
Afterlife Unveiled
by
Dr. Stafford Betty, 2011
Despite the limitations
of individual spirits' knowledge, their descriptions taken as a
collective body of work do tend to paint a similar picture of the
afterlife - a theory that might be best described as multi-planar
dimensions of non-local consciousness, or the multidimensional
afterlife (for short).
In these posts, I will be attempting to solidify (as far as it is
possible) this theory of the afterlife based on the work of several
authors who have compiled spirit communications, three out-of-body
experts, a regression hypnotherapist, and channeled material from
Seth/Jane Roberts.
Note:
I am putting forward this
description of the afterlife purely on the basis of these sources,
which individually may or may not accurate.
These posts represent a theory,
and are certainly not the last word in describing the afterlife.
As with all information, take
with a grain of salt and do your own research.
Spirituality is always a
personal journey of discovery.
The source material for these posts are from the following:
-
The Afterlife
Unveiled: What the Dead are Telling Us About Their World -
Stafford Betty, Ph.D.; 2011
-
The Astral Plane:
It's Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena - C. W. Leadbeater;
1895
-
Vistas of
Infinity: How to Enjoy Life When You are Dead [Out of Body
Explorations into Non-Local States of Consciousness and
Post-Life Territories] - Jurgen Ziewe; 2015
-
Adventures in the
Afterlife - William Buhlman; 2013
-
Adventures Beyond
the Body - William Buhlman; 1996
-
Journey Out of The Body
- Dr. Robert
Monroe; 1971
-
Destiny of Souls
- Dr. Michael Newton; 2001
-
Journey of Souls
- Dr. Michael Newton; 1994
-
Seth Speaks - The Eternal
Validity of the Soul (as channeled by Jane Roberts); 1972
Redefining the
Environment of the Afterlife
"Some ancient tales
have comes down through the centuries that tell of various gods
and demons who guard the gates, so to speak, of other levels of
reality and stages of consciousness.
Astral levels are
neatly laid out, numbered, and categorized. There are tests to
pass before entry. There are rituals to be acted out. Now all of
this is highly distorted.
Any attempt to so
rigorously and precisely express inner reality is bound to be
abortive, highly misleading, and in your terms sometimes
dangerous; for you do create your own reality and live it
according to your inner beliefs.
Therefore be careful
also of those beliefs that you accept."
Seth Speaks
Jane Roberts, 1971
Many people think of the
afterlife as a sort of,
holy dreamland; a
hazy world without physicality or natural laws; jobs,
responsibilities or much of anything else.
And yet, spirits report
generally being busy:
having full lives,
hobbies and opportunities for recreation, and above all -
learning...
However, the afterlife is
not the same for all the enter it.
To put it simply,
the afterlife is a
system of reality where matter and energy are directly
influenced by thought.
This results in a nearly
infinite
variety of environments
that are loosely organized into dimensions or regions where souls
congregate based on their beliefs, emotions and state of spiritual
progress.
According to the aforementioned sources, these dimensions of the
afterlife may be interpreted as 'levels' though spirits stress that
this is not a system of "better-than" or "worse-than" as we might be
tempted to understand it, rather,
it is a system that
provides the ideal reality in which a soul can continue in their
progress.
Here is a quick list of
what the afterlife is not:
-
The afterlife is
not a place of judgment; except for self-reflection
and examination.
-
The afterlife is
not a singular place where all souls reside; it is a
continuum of thought-states that can be loosely classified
as levels. Souls cannot move into dimensions beyond their
experience and development level.
-
The afterlife is
not a place where time is spent in constant
glorification of God. God exists, but spirits
know the best way to honor him/her is through their own soul
progression.
-
The afterlife is
not outside our physical system of reality, is it
another energetic system of reality - one that science may
be able to detect in the future.
-
The afterlife is
not boring; souls do everything they did while on
earth and much, much more.
-
The afterlife is
not all heavenly; there are many regions of the
afterlife that are dreary, or even hellish. When souls end
up in these afterlife dimensions, it is a reflection of deep
trauma, severe negativity or evil. Souls are not stuck, nor
damned there; guides are there to help these souls deal with
their issues and move into more loving regions.
The
Crossing-Over Experience
A soul's crossing-over experience directly after death is unique
and individual to that person.
In many cases,
open-minded spiritual individuals will simply pass directly into the
afterlife dimension without any drama, as they meet their guide and
join their friends and family in a joyous reunion.
For those people who had
extremely rigid religious beliefs or expectations, or no beliefs in
the afterlife at all, the crossing over experience will be quite
different.
Consider this example, from "Adventures
in the Afterlife", by William Buhlman, another OBE
expert.
This is a fictional
story that he wrote based on his own experiences.
In this scenario, his
protagonist, Frank, dies and 'wakes up' in a
typical Christian heaven. For the other Christians
who live there, this heaven is exactly what they were expecting
and they are quite content.
Frank starts to
suspect that his surroundings are illusory and wonders if there
might be more to the afterlife. Those who still strongly believe
in the biblical description of heaven refuse to question it and
Frank sets off alone to find the truth.
In this part of the story, Frank has left his stereotypical
heaven and finds himself in a new dimension.
He is confronted by a
spirit guide:
"Welcome."
"Where am I?"
"you have entered another dimensional reality."
I stare at the
entity before me, trying to understand. For some reason I
feel at ease in this new environment and safe in the
presence of this soul.
Questions flood
my mind and I can barely control my excitement.
"Is this
another heaven?"
"You may call it that, if you like."
"You mean there are many heavens?"
The being seems
amused by my question,
"More than
the grains of sand on a beach."
"Who are you?
"I am here to assist you on your continuing journey"
The gentle voice
feels familiar.
"Where am I?"
"You have entered a reality for souls ready to see
beyond their eyes. The real question is not about where
you are. It's more like what you are."
Adventures Beyond the Body
William Buhlman,
2015
Because of our stubborn
earthly beliefs, the afterlife environment that a person arrives
into may not be his or her permanent residence.
Our crossing-over may
involve a sort of drama that is played out for our benefit, or we
may find ourselves in a very specific sort of consensus reality that
adheres to our beliefs initially.
Like Frank, we are
welcomed to greater realities as soon as we seek them.
"A belief in hell
fires can cause you to hallucinate Hades' conditions.
A belief in a
stereotyped heaven can result in a hallucination of heavenly
conditions. you always form your own reality according to your
ideas and expectations. This is the nature of consciousness in
whatever reality it finds itself. Such hallucinations, I assure
you, are temporary.
Consciousness must
use its abilities.
The boredom and
stagnation of a stereotyped heaven will not for long content the
striving consciousness. There are teachers to explain the
conditions and circumstances. You are not left alone, therefore,
lost in mazes of hallucination.
You may or may not
realize immediately that you are dead in physical terms."
Seth Speaks
Jane Roberts, 1972
What is the purpose of
creating these afterlife dramas or illusions during our crossing
over?
As Seth explains in the
quote below, the point is to avoid disorientation of the soul who is
still very connected to their earth experience and may have strong
beliefs about what to expect after death.
"The situation in
which the dead find themselves will often vary.
Vivid hallucinations
may form experience quite as real as any in mortal life. Now, I
have told you that thoughts and emotion form physical reality,
and they form after-death experience.
This does not mean
that the experiences are not valid, any more than it means that
physical life is not valid.
Certain images have
been used to symbolize such a transition from one existence to
another, and many of these are extremely valuable in that they
provide a framework with understandable references.
The crossing of the
River Styx is such a one. The dying expected certain procedures
to occur in a more or less orderly fashion. The maps were known
beforehand.
At death, the
consciousness hallucinated the river vividly. Relatives and
friends already dead entered into the ritual, which was a
profound ceremony also on their parts. the river was as real as
any that you know, as treacherous to a traveler alone without
proper knowledge.
Guides were always at
the river to help such travelers across. It does not do to say
that such a river is illusion.
The symbol is reality, you see. The way was planned. Now, that
particular map is no longer generally in use. The living do not
know how to read it.
Christianity has
believed in a heaven and a hell, purgatory, and reckoning; and
so, at death, to those who so believe in these symbols, another
ceremony is enacted, and the guides take on the guises of those
beloved figures of Christian saints and heroes.
Then with this as framework, and in terms that they can
understand, such individuals are told the true situation. Mass
religious movements have for centuries fulfilled that purpose,
in giving man some plan to be followed.
It little mattered
that later the plan was seen as a child's primer, a book of
instructions complete with colorful tales, for the main purpose
was served and there was little disorientation."
Seth Speaks
Jane Roberts, 1972
Regions of the
Multidimensional Afterlife
"As the soul lives in
the earth-life, so does it go to spirit-life.
Its tastes, its
predilections, its habits, its antipathies, they are with it
still. It is not changed save in the accident of being freed
from the body.
The soul that on
earth has been low in taste and impure in habit does not change
its nature by passing from the earth-sphere, any more than the
soul that has been truthful, pure, and progressive becomes base
and bad by death."
Spirit
Communication by medium William Stainton Moses of Imperator,
1892
from The Afterlife
Unveiled
by Dr. Stafford
Betty, 2011
The afterlife region that
you will eventually call home is dependent on a myriad of factors,
but souls will necessarily be attracted to different regions based
their maturity and level of development.
Other factors include
strongly-held personal or religious beliefs, psychological state,
proficiency with energy, and soul specialization.
While death may release
us from our physical woes, the content of our character and all of
the unresolved emotional baggage from our earthly lives will be
brought to bear.
The
"Lower" and "Higher" Regions of the Afterlife
The multidimensional afterlife is a continuum of
thought-manifested environments.
For our purposes, we
can think of them as lower and higher levels even though this is
not technically accurate as it brings to mind a system of
better/worse.
That is not the case.
Afterlife regions simply reflect the nature and skill level of
the souls who dwell there.
The lower
realities are more earth-like and less disorienting to
younger souls still dealing with certain challenges and
learning how to exist in a thought-based environment. These
lower realities can take on the appearance of what we could
consider positive and negative characteristics based on our
own state of mind.
The higher realities are designated for souls with the
skills and maturity to work in an environment where the
illusion of form and earthly physics is less prevalent. They
are in training to become guides themselves, or learn a
variety of energy specializations. These souls are still
incarnating on earth.
The next highest
levels are populated by souls who no longer incarnate on the
earth and are now employed as guides and specialists.
There are souls who
are dedicated to utilizing their talents in service to others.
There are an uncountable number of dimensions even more abstract
and sublime than the realm of teachers, specialists and guides
but very little is known about them from the spirits who return
to speak with us.
This is the realm of
Angels:
places of pure
thought and emotion, the source of the universal
consciousness.
In addition, there
are countless lateral dimensions; the afterlife regions of
non-humans in countless systems of reality in again countless
universes.
There is very little
known about these realities, though the information that is
known speaks of a dizzying array of possibilities for physical
and non-physical worlds.
Truly, consciousness
is a purely creative and experiential endeavor.
Beginner to
Intermediate Afterlife Regions - Consensus Realities
"Spirits are not
allowed to overreach in the astral, but must grow in wisdom
and in love gradually.
They cannot enter
a vibration or cross a boundary they are not ready for.
There is justice in where they end up at death. There is
definitively a law of karma. They gravitate to their
rightful place.
They can move
ahead only when they are changed enough to do so."
The
Afterlife Unveiled
Dr. Stafford
Betty, 2011
Consensus realities
are earth-like spiritual environments that present the illusion
of permanence and represent the character of the group of souls
that inhabit it.
"The
astral world is almost a replica of your world,
AD tells us, except that it is of a finer substance and we
are not 'bound' by our objective reality here"
Spirit
Communication by medium Margaret Flavell of Alvin D. Mattson
- circa 1970
from The
Afterlife Unveiled
by Dr. Stafford
Betty, 2011
You might be
wondering why the certain regions of the afterlife would
resemble earth at all.
Because the afterlife
is a thought-based reality, I believe it is formed by the images
we can conceptualize as humans and it evolves just as we do.
The afterlife
reflects our own beliefs and experiences, just as we have molded
and shaped the earth to suit our needs and desires.
Eventually, we may
leave behind the need for form and shape, and perhaps we will
enter a level of consciousness that consists of pure thought, or
intensity of emotion.
The fact that we are
still incarnating on the Earth means we certainly haven't
reached that level yet, and our afterlife will be suited to what
we can understand.
The purpose of consensus realities are to provide a stable
environment in which younger or less experienced souls can learn
how to work with energy, understand the greater nature of
consciousness, shed erroneous earthly beliefs and work out any
remaining psychological issues.
Then, spirits will be
mature enough to move into regions of greater learning and
responsibility.
Most people will
enter a consensus reality after death. Some will stay until
their next incarnation, and
others will move out of these dimensions as soon as they are
reoriented back into the spirit world.
We each evolve at our
own pace.
Consensus realities are almost infinite in number and run the
gamut between indescribably beautiful, heaven-like worlds,
neutral environments nearly indistinguishable from earth, or
drab and dreary places of sadness and despair.
There are even places
that are downright hellish, depending on the character and
beliefs of the resident souls.
Every major religion has its
afterlife here, carefully constructed and maintained by the
collective beliefs of billions.
You can find heaven
with its pearly gates, or the Muslim pleasure gardens. Atheists
may find themselves in a dark void until they realize that they
are still conscious.
We aren't placed in
any particular afterlife dimension by an external authority,
rather we will find ourselves in an environment that reflects
the quality of our own consciousness and only limited by the
rigidity of our beliefs and imagination.
"One thing I have
become acutely aware of is the fact that our mindset
determines our environment setting when we die.
Unlike physical
life, our surroundings will be furnished with the content of
our subconscious.
In physical life
some people living in abject poverty may take great delight
and joy in a bunch of picked flowers from a field and placed
in a rusty tin can, while other people living in luxury may
be utterly corrupt, unhappy and oblivious to the apparent
beauty of their acquired wealth if their state of mind is
focused on the negative.
In the afterlife
things are quite simple: what is in the inside is reflected
in our environment.
So the poor
person's rusty tin can may turn into a Ming vase and the
corrupt rich man may find himself squatting in a dark hovel
surrounded by junk.
One could define
the afterlife in sentence: The place you will live in after
you die is a manifestation of your inner life."
Vistas
of Infinity
Jurgen Ziewe,
2015
If a person's thought
patterns are extremely negative and unrepentant, they seem to be
attracted to consensus realities that mirror these selfish and
destructive patterns.
"The gates of
hell are locked from the inside" as the spirit Imperator
says, and only spirits unwilling to relinquish their
negativity trap themselves in dimensions that reflect their
inner turmoil and self-loathing.
Should we ever ask
for help, however, or seek to escape this self-made hell, it is
unwaveringly given.
Certain guides act as
missionaries that work with these lost souls - no soul is
unloved or abandoned.
"In these [lower]
spheres, they must remain subject to the attempted influence
of the missionary spirits, until the desire for progress is
renewed.
When the desire
rises, the spirit makes its first step.
It becomes
amenable to holy and ennobling influence, and is tended by
those pure spirits whose mission it is to tend such souls."
Spirit
Communication by medium William Stainton Moses of Imperator,
1892
from The
Afterlife Unveiled
by Dr.
Stafford Betty, 2011
Intermediate to Advanced Afterlife Regions - Thought-Manifested
Realities
"There are three
basic ways to progress in the Afterworld: admitting defects
in one's character, service to others, and yearning for
higher states."
The
Afterlife Unveiled
Dr. Stafford
Betty, 2011
Spirits who evolve
past the psychological dramas of the consensus realities
continue their spiritual evolution in thought-created worlds of
more direct individual influence.
There are not strict
levels between consensus and thought-manifested realities; the
environments slowly blend into one another and reflect the
increased abilities that we obtain as we evolve and learn better
to control the projections of our thoughts.
One of the perks for spirits who have attained some mastery of
thought-created energy forms is the ability to recreate houses
and beloved regions of Earth in the spirit world. In
non-consensus or partially consensus realities, we can create
whatever our imaginations can dream up.
This is where you can
finally have that Ferrari or beach house that you always wanted.
Artists can fashion images that come alive and musicians can
work with harmonies and tones that defy human understanding.
As we evolve, we
learn to use energy for creative purposes, unleashing the power
of the human imagination without limitation.
"I am still
utterly amazed at what I find here. Utterly amazed! There is
love and there is harmony. There is music that transcends
all thought. There is color, light, belonging and there is
being."
Spirit Communication by medium Margaret Flavell of Alvin D.
Mattson, circa 1970
from The Afterlife Unveiled
by Dr. Stafford Betty, 2011
The loving souls who
have reached this stage in their development are interested in
obtaining wisdom and experience to become responsible
co-creators of reality itself.
Energy work on this
level is frequently used toward specializations, such as
becoming a spirit guide or learning how to use energy for
healing.
Other spirits learn
how to create physical matter and maintain universes.
Nurturing spirits
work with newly created souls, while others help incarnating
spirits choose new lifetimes. There are musicians and artists
and artisans, travelers and ambassadors to other worlds, spirits
who commune with animal souls and spirits who are especially
adept at creating form from energy.
Spirits still have a
sense of humor and theatre is a favorite pastime, usually
lampooning earthly dramas which now seem hilarious to spirits.
See my post on
What is Your Afterlife Career?
for a list of spiritual "occupations" or specializations that
more highly evolved spirits engage in.
When spirits from these upper regions incarnate on earth, they
are typically known for their deep spirituality or connection to
the greater consciousness, or the kindness and generosity that
they display and the empathy for their fellow man.
It's not to say that
these are perfect beings by any means -any soul that is still
incarnating on earth still has a lot of learning to do-but these
are souls that for the most part have moved past the denser
emotions of hate, greed and the domination of others.
When they return to
the spirit world, they return to beautiful glowing regions where
wisdom, learning and reflection are emphasized in the spirit of
love.
The
afterlife
isn't a
place that has been created
to contain
souls,
it's a place
that is created
by souls.
Questions
for Reflection
-
If the
afterlife reflects your state of consciousness, what do
you thoughts say about you? Are they positive and loving
or generally negative and filled with self-doubt?
-
With the
power to create objects and environment using thought
alone, what would you create?
-
In the higher
regions of the spirit world, we are free to visit any
place on earth, or even other planets. Where would you
like to visit?
-
What
spiritual specialization would you like to pursue?
Summarizing
the character and conditions of the Multidimensional Afterlife
The following three statements are my attempt to summarize the
information presented so far on the nature of the afterlife and
what defines the dimension that we will find ourselves in after
die.
In the next part 2, I
will add to these statements in an effort to create an overall
summation of the multidimensional afterlife.
1 - The afterlife
consists of an infinite variety of environments, each with
its own set of natural laws, depending on the nature and
evolution of its soul inhabitants.
There are regions of the afterlife that look very much like
Earth, with cities and libraries and personal residences.
Other areas of
the afterlife are so abstract to be completely formless;
places of no physicality at all. The range is almost
limitless.
We humans also
tend to think of the afterlife as containing only human
souls, but animals also have a place, as well as creatures
and beings from other planets, mental worlds and worlds with
more or less dense physicality than the earth.
2 - The
afterlife is not a place of moral judgment and punishment,
but of learning and reflection.
Souls are not blessed or damned by an external authority and
then placed according to any moral code, but rather a soul
will naturally be attracted to a consensus reality that fits
with their own spiritual evolution and with souls of a
similar kind.
There is no
punishment, however, we do take responsibility of lessons
not learned during our lifetimes, and so we judge ourselves
during our life review.
Repercussions of
kind acts are felt from the recipients point of view, as is
any pain that we have inflicted on others.
After seeing the
results of your actions on others from their perspective,
the lessons of our missteps are keenly felt and understood.
Guides are always
available to help us deal with issues and problems.
3 - Your
'free will' is always maintained and respected.
Priority is given to the free will of the spirit - for
better or for worse.
Souls are never
forced to do anything until they desire it for themselves or
ask for help. Because we live for an eternity, there is
never any rush.
Our guides know
that we will eventually desire to move on, progress and
learn. We are also allowed to work out any problems or
issues at our own pace.
We are always the
creators of our own reality, whether here on earth or in the
spirit realm.
Part II
February
15, 2016
Read 'Part 2'
here...
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