Living Beyond Life

         A subject that is invariably of titillating interest to many is whether there is life after death.  I know there is because of visits I have had with some departed souls who passed on.  I'll tell you about those visits a little further on, but I first want to address the basic question that has puzzled humanity for millennia now, and that is:  Is there really life after death?

          If I had to prove that life continues on after death, I absolutely could not do so.  And therein sits the problem.  Because our usual scientific methods of proof just do not work well here.  For one thing, there is nothing that can be proven physically. The soul-energy that lives on cannot be measured, or put under a microscope, or in any fashion marshaled for analysis. For another thing, that soul-energy no longer exists on this level of three-dimensional existence.  And the knowledge or recognition of other dimensions is beyond the scope of our science.

          I recall reading during the late 1980s, when Ronald Reagan was President and the Star Wars issue was prominently in the news, that scientists were aware of at least seventeen other dimensions out in the universe, and perhaps more; but that Congress elected not to fund the research into this matter. I've never heard anything further on the subject since then. Perhaps one day ? and I hope soon ? we will learn more about such other dimensions. 

          Although there may not be any scientific proof concerning life after death, there has been a lot of research within the realm of parapsychology that does confirm the existence of an afterlife.  And, for sure, many people like me have had paranormal experiences that are beyond question. The salient trait about such experiences is their clarity. After experiencing an encounter with a soul that has passed on, the clear, definitive qualities of that experience leave all doubts very far behind. There is something more real about such an experience than anything we think we know here on this level of existence. 

           One reason for such clarity may be that in a non-physical dimension, the energy level is much higher than in our physical world.  In our physical world, the energy is a whole lot more sluggish than on the non-physical plane.  One likely reason paranormal experiences leave such sharp, clear impressions is because of the higher energy in which they are framed.

           Before I go on, I want to remind the reader that energy is what everything in the universe is all about. Everything in the physical universe that scientists have investigated and gained knowledge of can be broken down to their smallest subatomic parts, and eventually into energy. That's what we are all made of and what everything is made of. Thoughts, too, are forms of energy, as are feelings.

          Getting back to the visits with departed souls, since they are no longer weighed down by a physical body, their energy level is much higher, and of course, they are not limited to time and place as we are. The realm they inhabit is also non-physical. This may be difficult for us to comprehend, because it is simply too much of a strain to conceive of living on a non-physical plane, without a body, without nature, without food and clothing, and without all the other paraphernalia we are used to. Nevertheless, it is so, and it is a much more refined plane of existence.

          One of the first such experiences I had was the day after my mother's funeral. I was home doing some housecleaning that day, because I had neglected that during the many weeks preceding her death when she was lying in the hospital. I used to go see her almost everyday after work, and had no time or appetite for cleaning during that period. So, on a sunny July afternoon, the day after we had laid her to rest, I was busily vacuuming the carpeting, when in the screen door between my living room and the outside balcony, I noticed a face in the screen's weave. It was not a very big face; about the size of a large grapefruit. I quit vacuuming and walked up to it and stared aghast. It was my mother's face. I think I stood frozen in place for quite a while. 

          Her face was so peaceful looking, which was nothing like how she had been while alive. My mother had been a deeply disturbed, angry woman all her life. But in the screen's weave, her face, which, by the way, was very clear to see, appeared peaceful. Her eyes looked closed, although I had a sense that they were not entirely closed, and that she could see me. There was no hair on her head, only her face was there. 

          She stayed in the screen for the entire day, until the sun went down. She did not communicate anything to me in any manner, nor did the expression on her face change during those hours. I interpret her appearance that day as her way of bidding me a final farewell, and letting me know she is okay. A friend told me years later that it was likely her way of saying that she will always be with me. I guess one can interpret such an unusual appearance in a few different ways. 

          I want to mention here that I lived on a hillside back then, in 1976, in an apartment on the second floor. Outside my screen door were no trees or nearby buildings that cast any dappling shadows, which could account for something that might look like a face etched in the screen. In fact, I had a great view out down Overland Avenue in West Los Angeles, clear over to Westwood Village, and the Santa Monica Mountains which were ringed all around that section of Los Angeles. This was clearly her face alone, and not created from any shadows or play of lights.

          Immediately after this experience I did not know what to make of it, or how to explain it. I put the episode out of mind for a long time, and did not discuss it with anyone, not even family. But in recent years I have given it a lot more thought, and decided to bring it out of the dark. It seems obvious to me that she managed to break through some barrier between our two worlds in order to contact me. I don't think this occurs all that often, but it certainly does occur now and then. How close are the non-physical dimensions to our world? I wish I knew. 

            My mother has made a couple more visits since then, but that was the most dramatic, maybe because it was the first one. Also, my father has visited me a couple of times, as have two of my aunts and a former boyfriend who was a suicide. So I have experienced a few such contacts with  the departed, and thus have learned some things about life on the other side.

          One thing I've learned is that no one seems unhappy, except the suicide. I'll discuss him further a little later.  But, although no one seemed unhappy, I did not sense that anyone seemed especially happy either. I just gather they are doing all right. I also gather that the adjustment to whatever world or realm they now inhabit is comfortable. They all seemed as if they feel at home.

          Also, they are not really supposed to make contact with us. The reason I say that is because when one of my aunts visited me, I sensed that her sister, my other aunt, was tugging at her from behind and telling her she is not suppose to get so close to me. I heard that quite clearly during the visit.  However, I know the deceased do visit the living; many people have had such experiences. They can get through to us if they wish, and by the same token, we can reach out and make contact with them, too. But most often, once they leave this earthly existence, they lose any desire to try and reach back to this world.

          The deceased do sometimes hover around at least some of us.  When there is a strong bond or connection between you and someone close to you who has passed on, that soul may choose to remain nearby after death. When this is the case, such a soul is sometimes referred to as a 'guardian spirit.' Such an occurrence generally happens between spouses, a child and a parent, or very close friends or lovers.

          Suicides are in a separate category. They continue to suffer on the other side even more than whatever they were suffering in this life that drove them to suicide. When I had a visit with a former boyfriend who, by the way, I had no contact with for about six years preceding his death, I clearly sensed his guilt, shame, and anger. Especially his anger. He was very unhappy and uncomfortable.  Raymond Moody has written about suicides in his books, Life After Life and The Light Beyond, and mentions that suicides continue to suffer after passing. This may be because they have taken this beautiful gift God has given them, which is life, and flung it back in God's face, so to speak. Consequently, a retribution is exacted for such ingratitude.        

          It is a big mistake to believe that by taking one's own life, you will end all your problems.  Life goes on after this life is finished, and you take with you to the other side all that you are and have become by the end of your stay here on earth.  Contrary to what many people assume, living goes on.