Is There an Afterlife Awaiting Us?

Evidence of Life After Death and Children’s Past Lives

Approximate reading time 7 minutes.

Is there an afterlife awaiting us? Some believe so. Others, however, believe there is no afterlife whatsoever. The average person’s belief about the afterlife is influenced by a mix of religious teachings, personal spirituality, cultural background, and philosophical outlook. While some people adhere closely to traditional religious views, others adopt a more personal or nonspiritual approach. Common threads include the hope for some form of continued existence or impact, whether through spiritual realms, reincarnation, or the legacy left behind in this life.

“All of us will someday cross the border to what Shakespeare called ‘the undiscovered’ country.”
~Stephen Hawley Martin

The beliefs about the afterlife among the average person can vary widely, reflecting a broad spectrum of cultural, religious, and personal perspectives. While it’s difficult to pinpoint a single “average” belief, we can identify some common themes and trends that many people might share.

Religious Upbringings

For many people, beliefs about the afterlife are influenced by their religious upbringing. Individuals from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist backgrounds often hold views consistent with their religious teachings. For example, they might believe in heaven or hell, reincarnation, or enlightenment, depending on their faith. As such, beliefs about the afterlife vary widely across different cultures, religions, and philosophical traditions. Here are some perspectives from various belief systems and religious perspectives.

Christianity: Christians generally believe in an afterlife where the soul goes to either heaven or hell based on one’s faith and deeds.

Islam: Muslims believe in an afterlife where individuals are judged based on their faith and deeds, leading to either paradise or hell.

Hinduism: Hindus believe in reincarnation, where the soul is reborn into a new body based on its karma from previous lives. The ultimate goal is to achieve moksha, a state of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Buddhism: Similar to Hinduism, Buddhism teaches the cycle of reincarnation. Buddhists seek to attain Nirvana, a state of liberation from suffering and rebirth.

Judaism: Views on the afterlife in Judaism vary, and there isn’t a unified belief. Some Jews believe in an afterlife, while others focus on the importance of the present life and its impact on the world.

New Age and Spiritual Beliefs: New Age Spirituality: Some people adhere to New Age beliefs that encompass a wide range of spiritual practices. These may include concepts of reincarnation, karma, and the soul’s evolution.

Essentially,  beliefs about the afterlife are deeply personal and subjective. Different individuals and cultures may have diverse perspectives, and there’s often a degree of mystery and uncertainty surrounding the nature of what, if anything, comes after death.

Do Near-Death Experiences Prove an Afterlife Exists

Some people who have had near-death experiences report sensations of floating above their bodies, moving through tunnels, or encountering deceased relatives. These experiences are sometimes cited as evidence of an afterlife. However, researchers explore whether NDEs can be attributed to brain activity under extreme conditions, lack of oxygen, or other physiological responses. 

In 1975, Doctor Raymond Moody published a book on afterlife experiences. In no time, it became a best seller. So, do countless afterlife experiences prove that there is an afterlife awaiting us? Many people say Yes!

Interestingly, many believe that death is the absolute end of life. Only darkness prevails. Others claim that death is simply the beginning of a new existence. If you believe the skeptics,only the gullible masses believe in an afterlife, wanting to believe that life goes on. But believing in an afterlife has nothing to do with gullibility.

More Possible Proofs an Afterlife Is Real

Reincarnation is something that, until recently, Western Society didn’t believe in as a whole. Yet today, many do. The book Soul Survivor: Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot tells of little James Leininger,  who, just two years old, began having blood-curdling, reoccurring nightmares. Almost every night, James woke up and began screaming, “Plane on fire! Little man can’t get out!”  “Plane on fire! Little man can’t get out!” At the same time, his little legs kept kicking upwards. Finally, the Leiningers realized something genuinely extraordinary was happening. So, they decided to investigate further and with the help of Carol Bowman, author of Children’s Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Childthey were able to extract names and places from the small child. Incredibly, these were verified. 

An American psychiatrist, Dr. Ian Stevenson, (October 1918-February 2007) wrote numerous books on children’s past lives. He stated that starting at an age between two and four, a child might spontaneously begin narrating details of a previous life. And, by the age of eight, children stop speaking about past lives. Investigating hundreds of past life accounts over decades,  Stevenson reported that in many cases the statements made by the children could be extensively corroborated. In such cases, he said, research shows that the person whose life the child seems to remember did, in fact, exist and that many of the child’s statements about that person’s experiences, acts, and relationships turned out to be correct. Although one can’t claim this is absolute proof that an afterlife does indeed exist. These cases present compelling arguments for it.

Do I Have to be Perfect or Religious to Reach the Afterlife?

Let me put these fears to rest. Most individuals don’t realize we are here on Earth to grow spiritually. Part of this process is making mistakes and learning from them. Only those who commit severe acts of malice or murder and keep doing these things may have to wait a while to enter the next chapter for our soul’s progress. So, relax. You should make the transition to the realm of spirits just fine. 
 
You may have made some whopper mistakes during your lifetime, but these shouldn’t exclude your entrance into the hereafter. The same applies to religious affiliation. Perhaps you don’t have one and that is fine. In fact, many religions are comprised of dogmas made from mankind, and not the Divine Source. In the end it’s our soul that decides.
 

At Death, there Are Many Options

At death, a variety of things can happen. Some people die consciously; they have lived consciously, so they die consciously. Their spirit maintains consciousness throughout the transition and is ready to move to the next step of crossing over. At that time, they usually greet their loved ones and continue doing what they were doing prior to death. Or, they may become a spirit guide and work for the benefit of humanity in many ways.

The realm of the supra-normal represents a larger picture of reality, which is like the difference between the world of normality that we interact with daily and the invisible quantum world that underlies everything. Understandably, it’s difficult for our minds to understand that what seems like a tangible reality is mostly empty space. Thus, non-believers in an afterlife are challenged to imagine that the supernatural world is similar to the other dimensions of the “multiverse.”

An Afterlife in Other Dimensions?

What is a multiverse, you might ask? Imagine a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Combined, it’s believed that these universes encompass everything that exists: the whole of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and the laws that describe them.

Intriguingly, the different universes within the multiverse are called “parallel universes,” “other universes”, and “alternate universes.” Didn’t Jesus say to his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” (John 14:2, King James Version). Subsequently, could the word “mansions” actually be a metaphor for different dimensions?

It’s entirely possible that within these universes are special dimensions that serve many purposes. Let’s say that one such place is the realm where the souls of individuals transcend upon death. Some call this place Heaven and some call it “Summerland.” Similarly, some believe in the realm of Hell according to their belief system.

The Ancients and the Afterlife

Most ancient civilizations believed in an afterlife. They even built entire societies around this belief. Moreover, it was common in those times to perform elaborate rituals to ensure deceased relatives were comfortable in their version of an afterlife. Without the proper rituals, the deceased’s ghost returned to haunt them.

Ancient Egyptians built their entire civilization on the belief of an afterlife. As it turns out, belief in the afterlife goes back to the oldest known records. Case in point, the entire ancient Egyptian culture was based on the promise of a paradise awaiting the deceased. However, it came with a price.  

Judged on whether they could enter this utopia at death, the Egyptian dead endured a series of tests. To ensure success in crossing to the afterlife, relatives placed written spells and magical formulas in tombs to protect and aid the deceased in the afterlife.

More Ancient Religions Believed in An Afterlife

Of course, the Egyptians were not the only societies that believed in an afterlife. Many cultures had strong beliefs that the soul lived on, and we see this in many religions of today. An Afterlife appears in the teachings and traditions of seven major religions: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá’í Faith. 

Early Christanity and Reincarnation

What many don’t know is that Reincarnation was a significant part of Christian belief for 500 years. Sadly, it was condemned in 553 A.D. by the Constantinople Council (after the First Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.)

Jesus and others of his time believed in reincarnation. Specifically, this held true with the Jewish Essenes of which, it’s theorized by biblical scholars that Jesus was a member. For example, John the Baptist was alleged to be the prophet Elijah reborn. Jesus himself confirmed this.

Skeptics Have a Field Day with the Idea of an Afterlife

In my humble opinion, skeptics are so convinced of their intellectual superiority that they are incapable of examining the evidence objectively that contradicts their smug viewpoints. However, unlike the cases for ESP and UFOs, the evidence for survival after death is, by its nature, less measurable and more subtly complicated.

is-there-an-afterlife-awaiting-us

All Aboard the Afterlife Express

Interestingly, a recent poll reveals that a belief in an afterlife is shared by many. Those who believe in heaven are reasonably certain they are going there. However, some pollsters can’t agree on who actually gets a ticket to get on the “afterlife train.”

Finally, in a 2014 CBS News poll, 82% of those polled said they would go to heaven and have an afterlife, 2% said they were headed to Hell, while 9% said neither, and 7% didn’t know. 

Deceased Generally Maintain a Connection with Loved Ones

After people die, they generally maintain a connection. However, there may be a lag period during which it is necessary to get some perspec­tive on their experiences before they make themselves available to loved ones. Then, as time goes on, their attention becomes increasingly focused on the astral plane unless of course, they reincarnate on the
Earth plane. 

Between Lifetimes

How long do people usually wait between incarnations? This is something that each spirit must decide itself. However, they may get advice on this from their spirit guides.

Additionally, it may be that some souls feel very uncomfortable on the astral plane and cannot wait to get back into a physical body, taking the first one that becomes available. However, this is not a good idea.

Choosing the right body to accomplish spirt soul lessons is something that must be considered carefully. Others may feel complete with the cycle of lives they have completed and take a break from incarnating on Earth that could involve millions of years. However, time spent in between lives is typically fifty to eighty years. Some souls, especially those almost finished with the living cycles on the physical plane, are picky about who their parents are, what kind of bodies they’ll have, and so forth. Therefore, finding their desired situation can take a while. 

Relatives Keep Close

You can assume that if someone you were close to dies, they’ll attempt to stay in touch from the afterlife. As a result, they’ll look in on you from time to time, especially in the first years following death. Eventually, they’ll move on to higher realms.

Ancestors Watch Over Us

Although not part of our inner circle of Spirit Guides, many individuals have ancestral guides that can be a very powerful source of help in their lives. Ancestral Guides, as a rule, can claim some sort of kinship with someone, such as having been their dear Aunt Daisy or even a great great grandparent. They may have been someone very close to the family and were considered “part of the family.”

On the whole, Ancestral Guides watch over the descendants of their lineage. But, again, these are not Spirit Guides as such. However, these kinds of spirits will offer loving protection, mentorship, and assistance when needed. In rare cases, they may even attempt to warn someone of imminent harm.

Can Mediums Prove There Is an Afterlife?

A medium’s sole function is to relay messages from the World of Spirits to the living. Simply put, a medium is the go-between, or pipeline, of communication between discarnate entities and incarnate persons. By using the psychic centers, an adequately trained medium can communicate with the dimensional plane where Spirits reside.

More specifically, when a qualified medium provides evidential proof that the spirit communicating is identifiable, it’s a good assumption that it’s the spirit summoned actually making contact. 

Conclusion:

Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, ancient civilizations and religions today do. And a majority of these are not just engaged in wishful thinking, despite what skeptics say. Individuals either have  a strong inner knowing that there is an afterlife awaiting, and it’s a significant part of their spiritual life, or, there is no belief in an afterlife whatsoever. Do you believe in an afterlife? Please leave a comment below.
 
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Carol Nicholson is thirty-five years a professional Psychic Medium and author of numerous Psychic and Spiritual courses since 2001.
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