THERE IS NO JUDGEMENT BY AN ANGRY GOD.
After we have been reunited with our departed loved ones and have had a little 'time'(?) to settle into our new existence, we then have a life review. This is partly a self-evaluation of our lives, with the help of a spiritual guide. It is said that we can experience our whole lives in every minute detail in an instant (NDEers have reported this, as well as spirits from the 'other side'.) As spirits we have much greatly powers of unbiased evaluation than we have now, since we are then detached from the body that we inhabited.
Many people/spirits say we have a meeting with our main guide and other higher beings, (they are mostly the same beings after each life) and they discuss our successes and failures with us, advise us, perhaps admonish us gently where necessary, and maybe give us goals to work towards. All this is done in love, not in anger or with a view to punishing us for our mistakes. At most, they might express - as might we ourselves - disappointment with our choices. After all this is finished and we have learned as much as we can, rested and re-energised, we move on, some to stay in the spirit world for a while - perhaps a long while - and others to start to prepare for another 'go' - to plan for our next incarnation!
This self-evaluation appears to be fascinating - it is possible to choose and experience alternative scenarios to any situation in our incarnate life. We can 'playback' different versions of our lives to see how they would have turned out if we had taken different choices, immersing ourselves as much as we want in these alternate experiences. Sort of self-created parallel universes.
It is easy to see how well developed spirits can do this, but perhaps harder to understand how immature or relatively undeveloped spirits can do it - people who we might think of us nasty on earth. Such spirits are often not yet willing to improve themselves. Thus, through their own unwillingness and current state of development they remain isolated with their guide for some time or find themselves gravitating to a lower place with like-minded spirits. But remember, they too are our spiritual brothers and sisters: they are not evil monsters, though from our earthly perspective they may sometimes seem like it. They have, just as we do, ALL ETERNITY to get it right. We may well have been like them in the past ourselves, so do not be quick to judge!
Personal Responsibility
Although there is no punishment for 'wrong choices', we are certainly accountable for our lives. First, we will go to the level or plane that is suitable for our development, and second, if we want to improve we must make up for any hurt we have caused. As for the plane to which we go, most - though not all - say there is a vast difference between lowest and highest. There are many accounts of all sorts of horrors at the lowest levels, and indescribable joy and peace at the highest. So although 'God' does not judge, punish and send us to hell, the overall concept of atoning for our bad choices is still valid. BUT, debts can be paid - they are not for ever! Moreover, if we realise and regret the times we have hurt other people or animals or even the environment in this life, it is easier in the next to make recompense, since we already are willing to do it and may have already started to do so. We certainly should not be guilt-ridden, like many religions teach, including Christianity. Remember, all have been along the learning path and all must and will succeed in the end, no matter how long it takes. There is no failure, just growth. (Some say that the 'end' comes only WHEN all have reached perfection.)
The concept of Karma, the idea that good and bad deeds must return to us, especially in another life, is to a certain extent true, but should not be regarded as a rigid pattern. It can be part of our choice as spirits to experience 'the other side of the coin' in the next or another life in order to progress. As spirits, we can knowingly commit ourselves to a difficult life for this purpose, even though as incarnated humans we find this hard to believe - and to endure! But we may be able to prevent the need for this by trying to make up for unkind acts with act of love and kindness in this current life.
The Day of Judgement, or The Last Day
The idea of a final day of judgement is in several world religions. In Christian theology, the last day is when God and Jesus finally judge all of humanity and decide once and for all whether each person will go to heaven or hell. In fact, in Revelation in the Bible, God grants Jesus the authority to do this. Apparently our names have to be 'written in the book of life' to escape hell and eternal damnation. Even as a converted Spiritualist, this theology bothered me for some time. Maybe we are ok in the spirit life until this 'last day', and then we will still be judged.
But I am now convinced that this idea simple doesn't fit with everything else I have learned. The whole point of existence is to get back to complete oneness with God, and so the concept of actual total, eternal separation from God is nonsense. Even in the Bible, St Paul says "nothing can separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8, 38-39). And the whole universe, including each one of us IS a part of God anyway. And with the understanding that we have many thousands of lifetimes to achieve this oneness, will anyone fail?
The Spirit World
For kind and 'civilised' people, initially life in the spirit world is remarkably similar to life here, except that it is like earth made perfect. That may be surprising and puzzling at first. Traditional concepts, certainly from the Christian perspective, suggest that we are instantly made perfect and live forever in a sort of rapture, praising and gloryfying God for ever and ever - if we get to heaven, and not the 'other' place, that is. But this is not so. (Thank God!!) Neither is it true that we go into some sort of long sleep until the 'last day' and the judgement. We are still the same people as we were on earth, still with the same interests, likes and dislikes, talents and limitations. Limitations caused by physical problems will disappear, and pretty soon many of us will realise that we don't have to think quite as we did on earth, but old habits die hard and prejudices can and do continue. For example, there are accounts of some people still looking for 'heaven' even when they are there, still going to church and singing the same hymns!! Can you believe it?! I think I can, knowing how fixed some people are in their ideas. If the reality of the spirit world does not fit with our strongly held beliefs, then we may be in a state of denial. This even includes a denial that we have died, given a rigid belief that there is no life after death.
Accounts from early 20th century Spiritualists say that when spirit people (that's us in x years time) loose a prejudice or advance in some other way, a celebration is held before they 'move' to a higher level. Their spiritual bodies transform into a higher vibration and they live in a place of increased light, happiness, beauty, love and joy. Spirits at a higher level can always come back down to visit loved ones, but not so much the other way round, because until we have progressed to the same level, we cannot bear the brightness of the higher realm. There is no sadness of separation in spirit when this happens, because it's just like, for example, when your son or daughter moves out of the family home into their own place. You are happy for them, and can see them at any time, or at least when they visit you! And even when in different spheres, telepathic communication is always there. It is said that this telepathy means we can be closer to a loved one in a much more intimate way than here on earth, without any embarassment or feeling of our personal space being invaded.
As spirits, it is not possible to hide what we really are. There can be no deceit or hidden agenda since everybody's thoughts are transparent, although with practice it is possible to hide some private thoughts from others and to have 'private' conversations with one other soul. And if we were to try to do something that is harmful to another we would probably sink to a lower level where our thoughts and actions are less powerful anyway.
In spirit, there is much work to do - it is not eternal rest doing nothing! But this work is joyful. There is no pressure in this work: no pressure of time, no compulsion, no money to be earned or spent. If we do not wish to work we don't have to, but we will not progress, and after a while we will become bored with our state and so be more willing to work. The 'work' includes:
In the subject of music, for example, the sounds available in the spirit world are of a far superior quality and variety than on earth. (Technically speaking, though this is just my guess, it is likely that because our spiritual ears have no upper limit for receiving frequency, so there would be many more timbres created by overtones/harmonics.) Moreover, the environment actually makes 'music', even the vegetation and the water. Music is a symbol of the love that is so much more evident in the spirit world. There are also many more colours than on earth, and the colours often have spiritual significance. For example, our clothes - if we are still projecting physical bodies - change colour to reflect our mood and spiritual development. Sometimes they will change colour with the environment around us. We can pursue new interests or continue the same ones as when we were on earth, even enjoy shopping, eating and drinking, and some say having sex, in our spiritual but still solid bodies!! We can play out our dreams and fantasies, maybe those that we couldn't on earth, like having large houses or owning fast cars, though without the danger of accidents, as we can't be physically harmed, the sense of speed doesn't have that thrill in quite the same way. Oh well...
But where is the Spirit World?
This is where many scientists will say it's all nonsense - pseudo-science they call it. I don't - yet - have an answer to this, but then many things that scientists in the past have said are nonsense have later been proved to be true. So I can only say keep an open mind.
Our passed loved ones often say that they are only a breath away. So it's not in the sky, in space (ie. 'our' space) or anywhere far in terms of distance. In fact it's most likely 'occupying' the same 'space' as we are, but operating on a higher frequency and in a different dimension. Scientists do at least generally agree that there may be other dimensions. All matter in the universe vibrates, including seemingly stationary objects. This vibration is a fundamental property of matter, stemming from the constant motion of atoms and molecules within substances. Even at temperatures approaching absolute zero, atoms and molecules continue to exhibit vibrational motion. The typical frequencies for molecular vibrations range from about 1013 Hz to 1014 Hz - that's vibrations per second.
But the spirit world is not material in the same way. The higher vibration of the spirit world is more like energy. (Unless it could be Dark Matter? (Of course, 'dark' in this sense doesn't mean 'evil', just hidden.)) In mediumship, the general idea is that you have to raise your (mental) vibration to be more in tune with the spirit world. What does that mean? Well, the 'highest' thoughts such peace, joy, love and gratitude as are said to have higher vibration than low thoughts like hate, shame, apathy and grief. (Incidentally, this is why when our loved ones die, they find it almost impossible to get through our grief to tell us they are still around and ok, even though they may still be in the same room.)
Thought in the Spirit World
As mentioned above, one of the things it is important to realise is that when we leave our bodies in an OBE, an NDE or in actual death, our thoughts are much more productive. In this life, whilst we can actually change our lives by our thoughts, the process is so slow and hidden that most people don't even know or believe it. But in spirit things can instantly be created, and the higher the level, the easier this is to do. In the lower levels, unpleasant things may be manifested, so if you expect demons to tempt you to hell when you die, you may very well see demons and believe that you were right all along, but the demons will be illusions created by you own mind. Some people who have had Lucid Dreams or Out of Body Experiences claim to have been shown Hell by God in order to convince them to believe the Bible etc, but this is their own mind creating what they believed in the first place! This is why it is so important to understand all this stuff. The spirit teacher, Seth, said that the reason we have to be incarnated on earth is to learn to control our thoughts.
Although there will be guides and loved ones to help you pass over, if you blot them out by your strong beliefs you may well make life difficult for yourself. Remember, only Love is real.
Time and Space in the Spirit World
It is often said that time does not exist in the spirit world, but from what I understand that is misleading. I believe there is a form of 'time', but it does not equate to time on earth. It is 'flexible', even non-linear, and there is no sense of the pressure that time creates in this world. There is certainly no 9.00am or 5.00pm, or night and day. (Although we can make it like night for ourselves if we want it so.) In spirit, we can view the past and, to a certain extent, the future of earth, and we can rewind and fast forward time when reviewing our past lives and exploring parallel universe type choices that we might have taken, to see how they would have worked out. Even when we have just died, earth hours and days can seem like minutes to us as spirits. So hanging around waiting for our funerals before we leave the earth plane properly isn't too tedious!
As for space, well, we glide, float or fly rather than walk, (remember those flying dreams?!) and when visiting earth or the physical world, we can go anywhere at will in an instant, even to other planets, by the power of thought because space doesn't really exist. (Quantum mechanics) Objects such as walls which appear solid to humans present no barrier to spirits as in their world of thought-energy they do not exist. Of course it is no surprise to most people that 'ghosts' can go through walls!
Gender still persists in spirit, but not for ever. Ultimately we are genderless beings of light. As for sexual attraction, reports differ somewhat! Whilst on middle levels sexual activities may be enjoyed much as on earth. (Read Multidimensional Man by Jurgen Ziewe) On the higher levels, it's not quite the same, but I believe there is still the 'remnants' of this type of love, at least for a while. Our reproductive organs are said to disappear gradually as we realise we don't need them. This also applies to other physical organs - remember we still appear to have bodies for some time, probably because we would feel disorientated if after death we suddenly became formless.
Formlessness is usually associated more with much more advanced souls, who become beings of light energy. By then, most if not all of us would have finished with earthly incarnations.
Communicating with Other Spirits
When meeting our loved ones, friends and associates in the spirit world, we can choose to show ourselves to them in any previous incarnation that we choose. So, those we love who have passed before us, for example our parents, will show themselves to us as our parents, but when communicating with family from a previous life, they would show themselves with their previous bodies. This is all done through the power of thought, which is much more powerful and effective in spirit.
Ultimately though, communication is done telepathically, so the need for visual recognition is only for familiarity, or 'old time's sake'.
Soul Groups
According to Dr Michael Newton, in his book Journey of Souls, we are initially part of a small cluster group of maybe 5-20 souls who are close friends and who have been together as souls in spirit since we were created. We have one or two teacher guides assigned to our group and we spend time discussing our recent incarnations and working out alternative decisions which might have led to better outcomes. We laugh and joke about ourselves and our successes and so-called failures in our lives with complete transparency and in a context of love and respect for each other. Over a number of incarnations we progress as a group, some a little faster than others. Those who progress much faster than the others may eventually leave the group to form another one of equally progressed souls.