In the interim, I may introduce my own culture of death. I may even formalise this into a cult-like experience, wherein all members must be grateful for their loss, with the prevailing assumption that loved ones have gone to a better place where they now live an unencumbered & fruitful life.
Within my model, absolutely no person will grieve, overtly or covertly. When faced with an impending or actual death, those involved will have previously initiated a detailed plan of response, including afterlife communications ie how, what, where & when; a commitment to a reunion in the afterlife; & a contract to live out the remaining earthly years in fulfilment of her/his valuable life. Of course, no loving word will have been left unsaid & no behaviour left undefined. This will then serve as an adjunct to living effectively in the interim between here & there.
I am obliged to introduce the moralistic code of good vs bad, since the cult members will be reluctant to embrace joyfulness in the event of evil within their midst.
The fear of mortality will be mitigated, since death is discussed openly & honestly, within the life-eternal paradigm. Of course, many forms of mortality will still occur. Members of this cult will be educated that once a life has passed, by any means, that soul has returned home & joy will ensue, both here & there.
The 'wake' will truly be a commemoration of an earthly life passed beyond. It will be a demonstration of love toward, & gratitude for that life & a promise of an impending reunion, all within the spirit of merriment.
No afterlife concept will be derided without full, open-minded investigation. There will be no right or wrong ways to commune with deceased loved ones, only those that provide comfort without fostering vulnerability.
Old concepts & rituals will be welcomed, as long as they exist in the spirit of joyfulness.
Sound like religion to you? Or spirituality? I don’t mind which you prefer, as long as no doctrine impinges on the overall tone of celebration, truth of the afterlife existence & great potential for afterlife communication. Actually, I will include this as a given.
I have read that the souls in the afterlife view birth (to those on earth) as a sad occasion, since they are losing one of their own; & death as a celebration, or homecoming. This of course, depends on one believing in reincarnation, which I do not in its totality. In my view, reincarnation should not present as a one-size-fits-all & needs to be dissected to reveal all of its elements. Only then will we approximate the truth. & I may still choose to question its existence.
End of sermon J
I am amazed that we are taught how to prepare for life, but not for death (ourselves or our loved ones) as death is the only certainty in life ... however, reading your post made sense to me and is somewhat aligned to the Druids' (beliefs) -
ReplyDeleteAs Druids we believe and teach the philosophy of reincarnation and immortality of the soul. In this it is believed that the soul is born into the womb upon earth (Abred), transmigrates, dies, and is reborn into the other world where it will rest until its rebirth into the womb on earth. The ancients mourned at both the birth and death of a family member. At birth they mourned for the death of the soul in the other world which gave life to the new soul on earth. Philostratus of Tyana (170-249 CE) observed correctly that the Celts celebrated birth with mourning for the death in the Otherworld, and regarded death with joy for the birth in the Otherworld. It is believed that the soul is reincarnated into the womb upon earth until it has experienced all that there is to experience in life and then it will go to rest with the creator in the Circle of Gwynfyd. With each incarnation the soul growing more spiritually complete. To experience all that there is to experience in life: this means to have been the abusor and the abused, the murdered and the murderer, the healthy and the sick, to have lived in wealth and then in poverty, ect..
Thanks for your comment & your information on the Druids. This account is certainly akin to the one I have had limited exposure to, via Spirituality. Seems as though many ideas are diffused through myriad belief systems. It saddens me that we must go through so much emotional pain throughout the loss process. Just wish there was another way:(
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