44 Days of Witchery Day 15: The Afterlife

 L.C.Nøttaasen / Flickr

Of all the spiritual concepts, my ideas about the beginning and the end are the least defined. I don't give a lot of thought to what happens when we die because I feel that it is largely unknowable and I'm okay with not knowing. I'm not afraid of what may come after this life nor do I feel it affects life all that much. Having said that, I do have some basic beliefs, which are not without their problems.

My basic belief system on the afterlife is largely in line with Wicca and Theosophy. That is, I believe in Summerland and reincarnation. We die and travel to the Summerland, an abundant place of rest where we may reflect on the life we've lived, are reunited with loved ones, and watch over our descendants. It is not a place of judgement, but of recollection, self-evaluation, and spiritual growth. We may remain there as long as we like before we reincarnate. Reincarnation is not a punishment, but rather a rhythmic process by which the spirit gathers knowledge and experience. Eventually, we may stop reincarnating and the spirit simply becomes/returns to some kind of universal life force, cosmos, or pool of consciousness. I also accept that there may be different planes of existence, some darker or lighter than others, that could include an astral plane, an Otherworld, and a place where lost souls might wander, a place of ghosts.

I recognize there are problems with this system. There are many beliefs about the afterlife. So, is there only one or more? Some people, many Christians for instance, believe we will all experience the same afterlife regardless of our beliefs. Polytheists might say there are different afterlives to accommodate different religions. I don't subscribe to this belief on the basis that there is only one life and my perspective is that the afterlife parallels the material world and also because many people adopt beliefs from various religions and philosophies. For example, a Christian who takes a holistic approach to living and believes in yogic philosophy or even a Pagan that draws from the Celtic and local Native American beliefs. You run into the problem of how to reconcile different ideas about the afterlife. Additionally, the way I conceptualize the afterlife, it is not tied to deity. For me, gods are of of this world, not the next, but it still leads one to wonder how and where gods of different pantheons interact. With reincarnation, there is also the problem that, in general, we don't remember our past lives and are largely unable to recognize the lessons our spirits have picked up.

This is probably one of the more complex spiritual questions. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you believe concerning the afterlife? Do you run into any conflicts?