The Tibetan Buddhist Book of the Dead
The first period after death is called the "first bardo". At the very moment of death, there dawns the Clear Light of Ultimate Reality which is the soul's own mind and self. This is the first stage. If the soul recognizes this fact and act in a way to remain in this state, they have been liberated from the cycle of birth and rebirth on earth and can stay in this condition in the highest dimension for eternity. If the soul does not recognize this fact, they are pulled down by the weight of their karma into the second stage of the first bardo, called the Secondary Clear Light. If the soul is not liberated at this stage, it will descend to the second bardo.
The second period after death is called the "second bardo". This bardo is divided into two stages. In the first stage, the soul encounters seven great peaceful light beings one at a time along with lights from the six dimensions of the Buddhist universe. When the soul encounters one of these light beings, if the soul is attracted to their light, they will inhabit the dimension associated with that light being. If at any time, the soul realizes the light is from the soul's own mind and self, they will be liberated. In the final stage, if the soul has not attained liberation, the soul encounters seven great angry light beings. If the soul realizes these lights to stem from the soul's own mind and self, they will be liberated. If not, they will descend to the third bardo.
The final period after death is called the "third bardo". During this bardo, the soul is judged by the "Lord of Death" by holding up to the soul "the Mirror of Karma" which reflects all the souls deeds. The soul can attain liberation here as well if it recognizes its oneness with the light. If not, the lights of the six dimensions of the universe appear again and into one of these dimensions the soul is reborn into the world.
Dr. Timothy Leary's Psychedelic Pattern
Timothy Leary's psychedelic pattern was based on the use of LSD to reach these higher states of consciousness and was based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Leary divides the psychedelic experience into three periods as does the Book of the Dead. For the initiated, the first period lasts longer. For most persons the second period is the longest. For the unprepared, the heavy role players, those who anxiously cling to their egos, the struggle to regain reality begins early and usually lasts all the way to the end.
During the first period the soul undergoes complete transcendence beyond words, beyond space-time, beyond self. There are no visions, no sense of self, no thoughts. There are only pure awareness and ecstatic freedom from all role playing and biological involvements.
During the second period the soul undergoes external role playing in sharp exquisite clarity or in the form of karmic apparitions.
During the third period the soul returns to routine role playing.
Emmanuel Swedenborg
In general, immediately following death, there is a period of self-discovery in which the social masks worn on earth dissolve away and the true self is revealed. Each person then shapes their own eternity to correspond with their real inner nature. Some become irrational, driven by fear and greed. They are in the state called "hell". Hell is a psychological condition which corresponds to the suffering we experience on earth when we allow ourselves to be driven by the blind greed of our own egos. In hell, each person acts out of their own malice by tormenting others. Others find themselves in "heaven", a joyous condition and a state of expanded awareness, of perceiving more and more of the grand plan of creation.
The first stage after death involves a soul's more outward aspects: face, speech, manner, personality. Here the soul meets family and friends, are instructed about the afterlife state, and are taken around to different locations such as cities, gardens, parks, etc.. Then, all souls are put into a connection either with a particular community in heaven or a particular community in hell.
The second stage after death involves a soul's more inward aspects: mind, intent and resultant thought. Here, the communicate with higher beings. A separation of evil souls from good souls occurs here in various ways. Generally, it happens by taking the evil soul around to those communities they were in touch with through their good thoughts and affections during the first stage. In this way, they are taken to those communities which were persuaded by their outward appearance that they were not evil. Normally, they are taken on an extensive circuit, and everywhere are exposed as they really are to good souls. Good souls turn away from evil souls upon seeing them and as they turn away, the evil souls go toward the hellish dimension that more suits them.
The final stage after death is a state of preparation by means of instruction. Afterward, they are taken to higher spiritual dimensions and are committed to guardians.
Frederick Myers
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Frederic Myers Index
Earth plane
Intermediate plane
Plane of illusion
Plane of color
Plane of flame
Plane of light
Plane of timelessness
The seventh heaven
The Myers correspondences
"I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows. And I know that this person . . . was caught up to paradise." - Saint Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4
According to Frederick Myers, stage one is the earth dimension. As soon as earth experience has been thoroughly comprehended either through reincarnation, or through the exchange of experience with others in other dimensions the soul may proceed to dimensions beyond the reach of the material dimension. Stage two is called the Intermediate Plane or Hades. This is the spiritual condition which is referred to in the ancient religious traditions as "hell". This is the plane dimension where all must go upon experiencing the earth plane. Here, memories of our entire past lives flash before us. Whether or not this experience is "hellish", depends upon the memory of the particular person. If it contains sinister episodes and terrifying experiences, these will drift by the person's vision along with the more joyful happenings. Some persons begin at this stage to feel what is called "the earth pull, the birth pull" and the person may decide to return to stage one, the earth plane. For others, stage two is brief and is followed by entry into a more stable world called stage three, the Plane of illusion. Stage three is the Plane of Illusion. This is a dimension where things may be created with the mind and shaped by the direct action of the imagination. Though a person may linger in this stage for generations, an eventual decision must be made. The soul either returns to earth or progresses to stage four. Before leaving, however, the more enterprising souls may have an opportunity to experience one of the great wonders of this dimension of consciousness, a tour through some section of "The Great Memory". Just as on earth, one may go to a library and see newsreels of important earth events of history, so, in stage three, one may witness any event that occurred from the beginning of human experience. Everything that has ever happened has been recorded by the Cosmic Memory. Stage four is the Plane of Color. This dimension is an indescribably lovely existence. Here one must leave behind all rigid intellectual structures and dogmas, be they scientific, religious, or philosophical. An infinite variety of new sounds, colors and feelings are experienced here and souls find a much wider freedom to function with highly energized intellect and spirit. If in this dimension the soul becomes free from the earth pull, the soul is qualified to experience cosmic ranges beyond earth's confines confines such as the next dimension. Stage five is the Plane of Flame. In this dimension, one acquires a body of flame, enabling him to tour the stellar universe without being harmed by its temperatures and turbulence and to return with a fuller experience of these cosmic reaches. Stage six is the Plane of Light. Individuals in this dimension are matured spirits, having lived through, with conscious comprehension, all the aspects of the created universe. They are capable of living now without form, of existing as white light in the pure thought of the Creator. They have joined the immortals, thus fulfilling their final purpose of the evolution of consciousness. Stage seven is the Plane of Timelessness. In this dimension, the soul enters full partnership with God. This dimension is of an advanced spiritual nature, so close to the ultimate essence of creativity that no adequate vocabulary has yet been evolved to describe them, and hence they are difficult to communicate to earth-level beings.
Kabbalah
According to the Kabbalah, the first dimension is the earth. The second dimension is the moon. The third dimension is Mercury. The fourth dimension is Venus. The fifth dimension is the Sun. The sixth dimension is Mars. The seventh dimension is Jupiter. The eighth dimension is Saturn. The ninth dimension is the dimension represented by the zodiac. The tenth dimension is the dimension represented by the fixed stars.
Spiritualism
According to spiritualists, the first plane after death is called the first heaven or the lower astral plane. This is a hell-like realm of purgatory and self-recrimination from which escape is very slow and difficult. It may take hundreds of years of earth time for its inhabitants to accept their misdeeds, put them right and move upward. Here you would find criminals and materially-obsessed individuals. We are told that the demons and poltergeists which readily interfere with life on earth originate here. The "bad" parts of heaven are the closest to earth, which explains why religion wrongly equates the occult as a pact with the devil. Messages on ouija boards, for instance, often come from troubled souls in these near-earth realms. The next dimension according to spiritualists is called the second heaven. Most people who die initially find themselves in the second heaven or intermediate astral dimensions. Viewed as a sort of resting point on the way from earth to the more rarified upper dimensions, it is a thought-created universe that closely resembles an idealized earth. It's inhabitants seem to live in physical bodies, wear clothes and so forth, but of an etheric kind that would be invisible to those living on earth. Most attempts to communicate from heaven stem from here; but because the inhabitants of earth are as yet unfamiliar with the afterlife these communications can be confusing or wrong. The next dimension is called by many names such as the third heaven, Summerland, or Marduk. This dimension is the closest thing to the Christian concept of paradise. The most inspired and pure souls from earth pass directly here after death; most people, however, must strive to reach it after a sojourn in the second heaven, where they assess their life on earth and try to understand what they did wrong. It is from the third heaven that rebirth back on earth supposedly occurs, although the decision to go back and try again is allegedly an individual one, and some may opt to forsake material life altogether and move into the higher spiritual dimensions. Some of the most accurate and most inspirational messages received via mediums are said to originate here. The fourth heaven is the mental and causal planes. Here, most of the trappings of materialism have gone. It is here that selfless individuals work together to bring spiritual enlightenment to the lower dimensions and earth. Supposedly all great inventions, religious and moral progressions, spiritual leadership and so on come from here, inspired by beings who were once on earth but have had the opportunity to increase their talents in the afterlife. A few rebirths to earth do take place from this higher place: great teachers are sent back for special reasons. Spirit guides who talk through mediums are often in this dimension as well, bringing their enhanced knowledge to earth. The fifth heaven is the next dimension. Reaching this dimension is difficult, for it is devoid of a physical state and aspired to by great religious figures, from Jesus to Buddha. Even those in lower dimensions view it as most of us still on earth imagine heaven, 'a distant, magical, unknown place. The sixth heaven is the next dimension. This dimension is cosmic consciousness, where the unity of souls is perfected and a kind of universal being exists. this may be close to what we think of as God, but it is even less understood by those in the lower dimensions. The seventh heaven is the next dimension. To reach the seventh heaven one has to step not only beyond material and physical reality but beyond mental and individual reality as well. It is simply not possible to define what this ultimate level may be, but it is supposedly the goal of all individual souls. Everything we do, on earth and in the higher dimensions, is directed toward that final transformation. For there is evolution of the soul in just the same way as there is evolution of the body, or indeed of all life, back on earth.
RUDOLF STEINER
In essence, after death, Steiner said we expand into the planetary spheres. The moral disposition we carry over with us allows or prevents us from moving on in a conscious manner. After this experience, we fall asleep and the cosmic forces act directly upon us preparing us for the next earthly experience. Our cosmic sleep regenerates us. There comes a time when the desire to reincarnate starts to work on us. When that happens, we begin the process of going back through the planetary spheres picking up what we will need from each in order to fulfill our purpose in the next earth life. The soul "germ" is carried in to the embryo, forgets the whole trip and is born again on earth.
The first stage after death is the dimension represented by the moon. Here the soul reflects upon the life just lived on earth. The second stage is the dimension represented by the planet Mercury. Here the soul reflects upon moral issues. The third stage is the dimension represented by the planet Venus. Here the soul reflects upon religious beliefs. The fourth stage is the dimension represented by the Sun. Here is soul is given the opportunity to reconcile the "true and false" aspects of the earth dimension. The fifth stage is the dimension represented by the planet Mars. Here the soul experiences cosmic reality. The sixth stage after death is the dimension represented by the planet Jupiter. Here the harmony of the spheres increases in volume. The seventh stage after death is the dimension represented by the planet Saturn. Here the soul is shown the sum total of the last incarnation as it formed itself karmically during that life. We behold our last earthly life from a cosmic viewpoint. As mentioned earlier, as the soul travels through these planes, the soul sheds karma. After the soul expands into the planetary spheres, it begins to contract. The soul then moves through these planetary spheres again only this time picking up the karma it left behind. The soul then enters the earth plane again for another soul experience.
Edgar Cayce
According to Cayce's revelations, our experience relates more to the entire solar system and not just three dimensional earth. Cayce stated that each solar system is like a university with many dimensions of learning available and through which we must travel through. Our solar system has nine dimensions or planes of consciousness, of which earth represents the third. The dimensions of consciousness are associated with the planets of our solar system. This does not mean souls live on the surface of other planets as we do on earth, but rather, souls live in fourth and fifth dimensional realms associated with the planetary spheres that we see with our three dimensional eyes. The physical planets also have nonphysical realms which souls can experience when not active in the physical body on earth. This would include death, deep sleep, or other altered states that free the subconscious from its normal physical constraints. There is not only reincarnation in the earth plane, but reincarnation in other planes between earth incarnations as well. If a soul incarnates into an earth life from one of these planetary influences, the soul will manifest the influence of the realm from which it recently came. These influences, which are defined in astrology, are related to the dimension symbolized by the planet. Cayce did not give a complete description of them; however, the following incomplete chart was derived from his psychic readings. Each planet in our solar system has a particular influence by which certain lessons are to be learned and for which we are tested on earth.
The first dimension is the plane of Saturn, the plane of "earthly woes". Saturn is the place where "all inadequate flesh goes to be redone." Saturn is the "Great Changer", the great force for starting over. Saturn is a place equivalent to the catholic concept of "purgatory", a place of cleansing and starting over. In Saturn is the beginning of earthly woes, that to which all insufficient matter is cast for the beginning. It is a place for purification for souls that have not kept their ways clean on Earth. It is a place where according to Cayce, "the Lord loves those who are willing to start over." The second dimension is the plane of Mercury, the plane of the mind. Mercury gives us the ability to consider problems as a whole and has the influence to develop a keenness of perception in mental things. Cayce stated Mercury gives "mental insight into the operative elements of ennobling, of virtues, of good, of beautiful, with the mysteries of the universal forces, given understanding, brings the development to the soul's forces. The third dimension is the plane of earth, the plane of testing and of the flesh. If a soul believes something and they really want to test it out, they can come to earth to be tested and apply themselves. By actually going through the experience themselves on earth they can realize if what they believe is true or not for themselves. The earth dimension is good for overcoming certain weaknesses and applying yourself to see that those weaknesses are truly overcome. Here we can learn for certain whether we have really changed. The fourth dimension is the plane of Venus, the plane of love. In Venus is manifested in the beauty, the joy, and the ability to write. Venus is the afterlife dimension where love is dominant. Cayce says of this dimension, "In Venus we find the lovely becoming the expressions in activities in which there is the beauty seen in love, in companionship, in association, in music, in art, in all the things that bespeak of the loveliness even of nature and material things, rather than the expression of same in the earthly form or manner." Cayce did not identify which planet represents the fifth dimension but it is probable that it is Mars, the plane of anger. Mars is a place to learn how to control the warrior-like power, aggressions and urges that each soul has the ability to project. Mars indicates the ability to hate as well as to love. Cayce did not identify which planet represents the sixth dimension but it is probable that it is Neptune, the plane of mysticism. Neptune is where souls have the ability to have direct experience with the Creator and perceive the Creator. In Neptune, we find mysticism, mystery, and spiritual insight. The seventh dimension is the plane of Jupiter, the plane of strength. Jupiter brings the bigness of vision, the nobleness of purpose, the patience with self as well as with others. Here, we find the Universal Consciousness, that longing for the knowledge of something outside of self, the universal desire or the desire to be of help to many irrespective of the cost to self. Cayce stated, "In Jupiter, we find abilities in a helpful, universal way and manner. Hence the entity is give verboseness, as well as abilities to depict situations, to analyze people and places, things and conditions. Thus may the entity be gifted in writing, lecturing, and in group direction. The eighth dimension is the plane of Uranus, the plane of the psyche. Uranus is the realm where the soul develops psychic ability. Here we find the extremes and the extremist. In Uranus we find an interest in the occult. Cayce states, "In the Uranian influence we find the interest in the spiritual things." Also, "The tendencies from Uranus towards the occult and the mystic forces; as visions, hearings, seeing and knowing without having the physical contact with experiences in the mental body." According to Cayce, all psychics have had a sojourn within this dimension before incarnating to the earth. The ninth dimension is the plane of Pluto, the plane of the subconscious. Pluto is the realm for the final development of full consciousness. Pluto has spiritual-minded influences, or those influences, outside of self. It influences toward demonstrative activity in the future affairs or developments of man. The final dimension is represented not by a planet, but by a star, Arcturus, the plane of developing. Cayce identified this plane as a kind of weigh station, a transient place where souls choose to travel to other planes and other solar systems. Arcturus is another solar system where souls pass and where there comes the choice of the soul to return to our solar system or to others. It is the door in and out of our solar system. Arcturus is that junction between the spheres of activity as related to cosmic force. Cayce describes this as both a usual and an unusual step in soul evolution.
GEORGE MEEKS' RESEARCH
The first plane is the earth plane. Here a person exists in a physical, etheric and astral body. It is the astral body that survives death and travels to other planes. The second plane is called the Lowest Astral Plane. This plane is the equivalent of emotional excesses, demonic possession, and hell. The third plane is called the Intermediate Astral Plane. Rest and rehabilitation await the soul here. This plane is similar to earth except lovelier, with many opportunities to learn. On this plane, the soul decides to progress to higher planes or to reincarnate to earth. The fourth plane is called the Highest Astral Plane or "Summerland". Here the soul finds angelic assistance and unconditional love. Wider perspectives about life are gained and greater vistas to creation are revealed. Here the astral body can be shed (the "second death") and the spirit can be reborn into a higher plane for which it has become qualified. The fifth and sixth planes are the Mental and Causal Planes. These planes offer the person unlimited planes for the development of the mind and soul. Access to all accumulated wisdom are here and one can have a final opportunity for rebirth into the earth before ascending to higher planes. Most of man's inventions and inspirations are passed down to earth from this plane. The seventh plane is called the Celestial Plane or the "Third Heaven". On this plane, one can have contact with the Godhead and learn the secrets of miracles and of all creation. The eighth plane is called the First Cosmic Plane. This is the last plane of our solar system and the one where the soul can reach "at-one-ment" with the Godhead. The ninth plane is called the Second Cosmic Plane. This plane is the end of manifest, vibratory creation. The tenth plane is called the Third Cosmic Plane. This plane is the so-called "Void", a plane of nonvibratory, pure consciousness. The eleventh and final plane is the Fourth Cosmic Plane. This is the plane of full "at-one-ment" with the Godhead and the entry into states of consciousness beyond human comprehension.
Dr. Michael Newton
According to Newton, the hypnotherapist and author of Journey of Souls, the first plane after death is the so-called "earthbound dimension." Those who do not accept the fact their physical body is dead and fight returning to the spirit world for reasons of personal anguish go to this dimension. These souls are often called "ghosts" or falsely called "demons". These souls refuse to go to the spirit home after physical death and often have unpleasant influences on those of us who would like to finish out our human lives in peace.
Another dimension might be called seclusion. Those who have been subverted by, or had complicity with, criminal abnormalities in a human body go to this dimension. After death, they are separated from others in the spirit world. This happens at the time of their orientation with their guides. They are not activated along the same travel routes as other souls and will go into seclusion upon reentering the spirit world.
All souls, regardless of experience, eventually arrive at a central port in the spirit world that is like a staging area. A large number of souls are conveyed in a spiritual form of mass transit. Souls are brought in, collected, and then projected out to their proper final destinations similar to a central terminal of a metropolitan airport that has the capacity to fly people out in any direction. The most outstanding characteristic of this world is a continuous feeling of a powerful mental force directing everything in uncanny harmony. People say this is a place of pure thought.
Souls travel to the soul group level which depends upon the soul's development. After souls arrive into their soul groups, they are summoned to appear before a "Council of Elders". While the Council is not prosecutorial, they do engage in direct examination of a soul's activities before returning them to the groups. Should they decide to reincarnate to earth, they must meet again with this "Council of Elders" to aid in their reincarnation. |
