Lesson 2: Various Viewpoints on Death & Passing Over
Viewing Death as Part of a Cycle
Death
is such a fundamental process in nature that, without it, life could
not exist. From the moment of our birth, the cells in our body are
endlessly dying and being replaced. The body that dies is not the body
that was born. In order to grow, we experience many deaths. Over and
over again we shed our appearance, our attitudes and our behavior as we
change from one stage of our life to the next. The person that dies is
only one of the people we became as we lived. As we grow toward a better
understanding of death and life, the distinctions between the two are
slowly eroding. If we are to go beyond the conventional view of death,
we need to ask ourselves if our own fear of death is rooted in an
outdated model of life. And we need to seek other ways in which we view
both life and death. There are a few different ways to see life and
death as a cyclical pattern involving necessary change.
1. The Wheel of Life: Our
existence is a constant pattern of cyclical change. Life constantly
changes into death and each moment of death is a moment of rebirth. We
perceive beginnings and endings, but the flow of existence is
never-ending.
2. The Wavicle: Quantum
physics shows that at the sub-atomic level there is no distinction
between matter and energy. Both have the qualities of particles and
waves, giving rise to the concept of the wavicle. We are perpetual
patterns of the energy of the cosmos. What we perceive to be the death
of finite individuals is simply the unending movement of the universe.
3. The Ascent of Life: Life
forms have different levels of consciousness, but all of them have the
potential for evolution. Human beings can manifest this potential to a
very high degree. We can become aware of dimensions that transcend our
limited understanding of our bodies and minds, and enter into a
different experience of life and death.
Most
Pagans view death as a passage rather than an ending, something to be
celebrated, and not be feared or despised. Those left behind grieve for
their loss but without the desperate edge often seen in the mainstream.
This attitude tends to upset or frighten many people, since Modern
American culture puts a great deal of energy into hiding death or not
talking about it.
The
dying person faces the task of saying goodbye to this world and hello to
the next. Ritual can serve an important role in this process, as can
study or contemplation on the possibilities. If we have no curiosity
about what might exist after death, we blind ourselves to what many
people believe to be the next stage of our journey. Exploring death
directly tends to produce a calmer more positive experience than
greeting death as an unfamiliar and terrifying prospect.
For
friends and family, the dying process is also a journey. Their task is
to support the dying person in whatever ways they can, according to the
wishes of the dying person. They need to become sensitive to the needs
of the dying person, and try to leave their own agendas at the door.
Taking care of a dying person is a special commitment with special
rewards. Participating in the dying process can be awe-inspiring. There
are a wide range of services for people to draw on when caring for a
dying person. One can be reading from a sacred text, such as the Bible, The Tibetan
Book of the Dead or the Book of Going Forth by Day, reading suitable
poetry, or playing soothing music. Incense may also be soothing, and
create a calm atmosphere. Often the dying wishes for company in their
last hours. Such a deathwatch can be solemn or festive, depending in the
wishes of the dying individual. For Pagans, this sacred duty often
takes on a special meaning, especially for those who serve a god or
goddess associated with death. Few people in contemporary culture
understand this, so try to be sensitive to their feelings without
letting them ruin the occasion. As death becomes imminent, members of
the deathwatch may notice signs such as changes in the dying person's
behavior, a sudden wish for the dying person to reconcile and reach
closure in all matters, the abrupt absence of pain, and family members
become more agitated and wanting to be closer or be away from the dying
person. A dying Pagan is quite likely to know when death is approaching,
or to see their messengers or guides. The best experience of death is a
combination of joy and sorrow.
When
we take care of the dying we may forget to take care of ourselves. But
we must remember by taking showers daily, keeping our auras clean,
sleeping and eating when we are tired or hungry. Take vitamins and
immune system boosters, move your body, get a massage, a haircut, a
manicure or shave. Adore your body that holds itself. This is how you
heal. Healing should start before the death of your loved one. Find ways
to process your feelings both during and after the dying process. Talk
to someone, write about your feelings, put them into artwork. If you
keep things to yourself, you explode.
Making
advance arrangements for your death and burial not only gives you a
better chance of seeing your wishes followed, it also saves a great deal
of time, money and energy. If possible, make your plans before you face
a life-threatening situation. Pagans, unlike Christians and others from the Book Religions, find it generally more challenging
to go through this process due to the relative scarcity of experienced
help and the reluctance of mainstream service providers to accommodate
our needs and preferences. However, a variety of organizations offer
support for the persistent Pagan, so your quest is by no means hopeless.
Making your arrangements should include the following steps:
1.
Consider your own needs and wishes. What motifs make you feel
comfortable? Do you want to carry on a family tradition? Do you want a
Pastor/Reverend/Priest(ess) of your own belief system to stand deathwatch and/or speak at
your funeral? Which songs would you like to have played/sung? Would you
prefer a wake or some alternative to the funeral custom? What do you
want done with your body after you have left it? How do you want your
possessions distributed?
2.
Consider the needs and wishes of those closest to you. What members of
your birth family would feel comfortable at a religion-specific funeral (such as Pagan)? Would your
coven mates feel comfortable at a Christian or mixed-religious funeral?
Would people feel left out if you chose not to have a public ceremony?
How can you satisfy their needs for closure and remembrance?
3.
Identify and memorize as much common ground as necessary. Would you
like company in your last hours? Do you want flowers at your funeral or
grave and if so what kinds? Are there arrangements for people to extend
their condolences to your survivors, to leave offerings for the
deceased, to remember you fondly to each other?
4.
Research the legal and practical aspects of your plans. Find out if what
you want is possible. And if so, under what conditions and in what
locations.
5.
Research religious and contemporary sources for further ideas. Take notes
when you find something you like. From your various lists of ideas,
compile a plan that will meet the needs and wishes of yourself and those
close to you, and which will be both legal and practical to implement.
6.
Draw up and formalize the final plan. If you have not already hired a
lawyer to help you with your project, doing so now might be a good idea.
A lawyer can help with the necessary wording and explain what documents
you need to write, fill out or file.
7.
Store your original document(s) in a secure place, such as a
safe-deposit box or with your lawyer. Make copies and include a set with
your important household documents, such as lease/mortgage papers,
insurance records. Make sure important people--the executor of your
will, your Durable Power of Attorney, etc.--have copies of your papers.
You
may have more options than you expect if you are willing to take the
time to do some digging. You may turn up information that surprises you,
provides you flexibility, and that you can use to your advantage if
some people are hesitant to help you with your wishes. In securing your
rights, be polite but firm. Be creative too. For example, a green Pagan should also
think twice about cremation, as burnt caskets pollute the air with many
hazardous toxins. Remember that you do not have to use toxic materials.
You can make or order your own coffin or shroud or decorate it as you
wish, including in ritual. You can have a family member or Pastor/Reverend/Priest(ess)
of your own tradition or denomination handle all the official details. In short, you can
take control of most elements surrounding your death and the
disposition of your mortal remains. If you are Pagan and need some help with the
planning stages, you can turn to various organizations for support.
“Natural Death Care Project” is one such organization, as is “Pagan
Hospice and Funeral Trust“. Although some mainstream service providers, such as Christian organizations may prove intractable to those of Pagan belief systems, most will bend over backwards to help you get
what you want.
Unfortunately,
options for Pagan burial sites are somewhat limited, unlike those of the mainstream religions. In most areas, you
can arrange a burial on private property or have your ashes scattered
where you wish, but most of the actual Pagan cemetery sites are still
processing their paperwork. However, the “Pagan Hospice and Funeral
Trust” includes creating a Pagan burial ground as one of their long-term
goals. Mother Rest Sacred Grove, a Nest of the Church of All Worlds,
intends to do this as well. As members of the Pagan community, we need
to weave a safety net so that members of Earth-based religions can be
assured of spiritual support, health care and sympathetic professionals,
legal assistance from Pagan friendly lawyers, and appealing sacred
sites in which to leave their mortal remains. The mainstream, Book Religions have this in abundance. When you find an
organization that does this, do your part and send donations and other
resource that help these organizations flourish.
Sources:
To Die Well By Richard Reoch
"The Grandest Journey: Death and Burial for the Contemporary Pagan" Article featured in vol.2 issue 6 of Moonbeams Journal
Death from a Pagan Perspective
***
***
What is Reincarnation?
To
begin with, reincarnation does not take place within a matrix of linear
time. It’s not as if e.g. you had a life in ancient Greece and then you
died; then you had a life in ancient place, such as Rome and then you died;
then you had a life in the Middle Ages and then you died; etc. Rather,
all of your past and future lives are going on at once, in an eternal
NOW moment.
Think
of it like this: survivors of near-death experiences often report
seeing all the events that ever happened to them flash by them in no
time at all. Thus it would seem that we experience the thought forms of
our lives twice – once in linear fashion over a lifetime, and the second
time around in timeless fashion at the moment of death.
In
an analogous manner, while there is indeed an evolution going on in the
universe, this evolution is not taking place in linear time: it’s all
happening at once. Space and time have no objective existence. They are
merely cognitive tools which evolved as sentient beings evolved, to
enable them to focus upon one thing at a time instead of everything at
once. The linearity of time is an illusion, a falsehood, which Eastern
philosophers have termed maya or samsara. It is this false appearance
that there is such a thing as an objective reality out there unfolding
in linear time, which animates the striving of all sentient beings and
keeps the wheel of reincarnation – of life and death and rebirth –
turning.
Babies
(and even young children, who sometimes talk about memories from other
lifetimes) are not as centered in a one-track existence as adults are.
Babies and young children are consciously impinged upon by influences
from other lives and probable realities which most adults have learned
to ignore. The same socialization process which props up a baby’s sense
of being a unitary, abiding, separated individual also imprisons that
individual in a furrow of inexorable linear temporality.
For
most people, 99.9% of decisions are made on the basis of
socially-conditioned actions and reactions – what they were taught by
their parents and society. But every now and then everyone has poignant
moments – moments of consciousness or conscientiousness or conscience –
when they sense that probable realities are branching off this way or
that; or they feel echoes from other lifetimes and realities; or they
hear voices from deep inside them. When this happens people feel
connected to something more profound than their customary hustle and
bustle; and that something is their true purpose in this lifetime – the
reason they were born.
Source unknown
********************
Pagan View of the Afterlife
Not
all Pagans have the same views of what happens after death. There is no
set doctrine among Pagans when it comes to the details of the
afterlife. Some other Pagan paths do have a more specific mythology in
this regard.
Most
Pagans believe in reincarnation. Our souls come back lifetime after
lifetime, to learn new lessons and to grow as individuals. Between
lives, our souls reside in the Summerlands/Otherworld. It's neither
heaven nor hell, but a place for our souls to rest and reflect on the
experiences of completed lives. You may be reunited with loved ones as
well. What happens when we learn all we can on this earthly plane? I
really couldn't say.
People
who are unfamiliar with Pagan Traditions tend to see the lack of heaven
or hell as meaning we live our lives without responsibility.
We
may not consider ourselves doomed to suffer for an eternity in a
Christian hell, but we certainly believe that there are consequences to
our actions. Those who do 'evil' deeds, will find their punishment in
another lifetime. Karma follows a soul from life to life. Our fates are
not determined by any one single action, but rather by the overall
accumulation of actions throughout our lives.
Since
many Pagans are influenced by the pantheons they work with, their views
of the afterlife may come from the culture they work with. In other
words, if you are Pagan and work with Norse Deities, you may feel more
drawn to the idea of Asgard rather than the Summerlands or the
Otherworld, even though you are not truly following an Asatru path.
Asatru / Norse
The
realm of the Gods is called Asgard, and worthy souls go there after
death. There are many great halls in Asgard, for the many Gods and
Goddesses. The greatest of these halls is Valhalla, where fallen
warriors go after death. Those who did not live a life of glory would go
to the underworld Niflheim, ruled over by the Goddess Hel. Niflheim is a
dull and cold place, where you would be separated from your kin.
Reincarnation does exist, but not all souls are reborn, and it's
typically found within a family line, reflecting the importance of
family and ancestors.
Kemetic / Egyptian
After
death, a soul would have to journey to the Hall of Judgment. There, the
heart is weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma'at (truth and
justice), by the God Anubis. If you lived a sinful life, the heart would
be heavy, that soul could not enter paradise and would be devoured by
the monster Ammut. The ancient Egyptians believed that the physical body
was needed in the afterlife, which is why such elaborate means were
taken to preserve the body.
Hellenismos / Greek
The
dead would be buried with coins, to pay the ferryman to cross the river
Styx and enter the underworld. Once there, worthy souls would enter the
Elysian Fields (paradise). Unworthy souls were sent to Tartarus for
punishment. But even then, a soul could earn redemption and rise to
paradise. There was also a region of limbo, called Asphodel for the
souls neither good enough for the Elysian Fields or bad enough for
Tartarus. The judges at the gates of Hades would decide the fate of your
soul, or whether you would be reincarnated into another life.
Original source unknown ~ w/ modifications made by Lady Muirgahn
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