Thoughts on life after death

Thoughts on Life after death 

‘We are destined to wander this world, performing our work of harvesting light from the shadows and finding what fleeting moments of pleasure we may, but driven ever forward by this sense of emptiness, seeking the final spiritual experience which is our ultimate destiny.’

Jimmy Henderson 

Scientific evidence reveals that the physical universe operates under laws governing creation, disintegration and renewal. However, it has also been demonstrated that energy is never lost and new systems form from the dust of long-dead stars. If the argument of quantum physics is accepted that the expanding physical universe is merely a mirror for a universal consciousness, it stands to reason that this consciousness is also evolving (expanding) to re-emerge in new forms as well.   

However, the question still remains as to what we will actually experience after death when our physical bodies reach their end and disintegrate. Research has shown that our normal mental processes are dependent on the brain and nervous system, which will obviously fall away with our passing. However, what is often overlooked is the principle of self-awareness, a level of consciousness in which the mind is able to reflect upon itself and become self-sustaining. From a purely evolutionary point of view, it seems unlikely that such a hard-won faculty which has taken millions of years to evolve would simply disappear into nothingness at the passing of the body. After over 30 years of studying the mind I am personally of the opinion that self-awareness, once attained, like energy, can never be lost and will continue in another form even after the passing of the physical body, bringing with it additional experiences, all directed towards the further expression of the universal collective. 

So exactly what are we likely to experience? Psychological research suggests that our minds are able to construct our present sense of reality as well as structure the images in our dreams. In this regard, the phenomena of lucid dreams reveal that we are able to maintain a certain level of self-awareness during our dreams and can even be partially conscious when dreaming, under certain conditions, especially with a practiced mind. It is therefore likely that in passing through the veil of death, we will initially enter a dreamlike state until our consciousness is able to re-assert itself and recreate some semblance of reality. 

This suggests a period of adjustment. However, it is also possible that the preexisting memories, images and patterns of thought that have been imprinted in our consciousness when alive, may re-assert themselves at this time, allowing us some degree of order. In other words, we may find ourselves in somewhat familiar surroundings, which will reduce any possible trauma during the adjustment period. Determining factors will be the quality of our consciousnesses and the contents of our minds at the time of passing. In other words, our beliefs, thoughts, memories and subconscious scripts gathered whilst we were alive, would probably determine what is initially experienced after our passing.

In the light of the evolutionary process, it also seems likely that any new awareness will have to be purged of anything that is destructive or presents an obstacle to our further progress (unresolved issues). However, this content may not always be pleasant, especially in the case of a mind filled with hate and violence. We can therefore understand how religious concepts of heaven and hell may have been formed, with each of us having to pass though and confront our memories and mental images of our past actions, which could be quite distressing. 

To facilitate this adjustment, focussing on a spiritual personality, or an inspiring and uplifting belief or idea (such as heaven) could therefore provide the positive intent to assist one to pass through the metaphorical ‘valley of darkness’ without becoming lost in the experience, thereby allowing one to pass freely into the higher realms of the collective mind.

Jimmy Henderson is a cognitive specialist, philosopher and metaphysician and the author of a number of books on mind-development. See his page 'Jimmy Henderson' on  Amazon.com

Is life simply a dream?

Is life simply a dream?

By Jimmy Henderson FRC

‘Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one.’

Albert Einstein

Metaphors are also very useful in explaining what is meant by some writers when they refer to the world as an illusion, a delusion or a dream. As conscious beings we can all dream, so there is no logical reason why a cosmic singularity such as a universal Mind should not also be able to create complex dreamlike scenarios as well in which we, as self-conscious archetypal images, would be merely actors. In other words, every event taking place in this world may merely be a dramatisation in a collective dream. Although our sensations, emotions and experiences would seem very real in terms of our limited faculties, within the dream, our experiences may only be due to changes in our consciousness and perception.

“Indeed, the whole world is imagination, while He is the Real in Reality. Whoever understands this knows all the secrets of the Spiritual Path.”

Ibn Al-'Arabi

The fact that we all essentially have the same experience of life and reality would suggest that this one dream is shared by all, and this once again supports the idea of a collective (cosmic) mind.

This dream-metaphor can also explain a number of scientific, psychological, philosophic and religious theories and paradoxes presented in the world today. For example, it answers the question of why in science, we are as yet, unable to discover the ultimate source of reality. When reality is viewed as a shared dream within a collective Mind, and we and our thoughts are seen as an integral part of this dream, it makes sense that we will be unable to stand back and view it from the outside.  

In psychology, the dream-metaphor has some support from research into the structure and functioning of our perceptual processes, which suggests that we may have constructed a self-imposed veil of delusion to hide a reality which is, as yet, not able to be mentally processed.  Research also shows that our own dreams are the result of issues and tensions seeking resolution, and philosophically, using the dream metaphor, human history could similarly be seen as a process of adjustment, correction (resolution) and expansion taking place within a collective Mind or consciousness.

The dream metaphor introduces another possibility, that within the shared dream, we each have a higher self or soul that is a dreamer in its own right. In terms of this analogy, the human soul could be compared to the eye of a storm, a centre of pure self-awareness surrounded by levels of perceptual (sensory), emotional and psychological activity which flow and feed from this core. In other words, one’s experience of human life is ultimately limited to a series of or enactments involving a multitude of characters and scenarios which could be compared to a theatrical dramatisation or even a personal dream. 

This would suggest that each person’s personal circumstances and experiences are the result of his or her own co-created dream and explains the religious dilemma that error and imperfection exists and yet the soul remains pure and is not subject to corruption. They remain like dust on the cloak of spirituality and can be shaken off through a process of acknowledgement, confession and forgiveness. In other words, inner resolution is more a process of ‘letting go’ to unveil the authentic self rather than trying to construct a more perfect sense of self. At the end of the day, perceived imperfections merely represent a lack of understanding of the role and purpose of the collective dream, and these will eventually dissolve into nothingness, leaving behind the only reality, which is consciousness itself.

 ‘The branches of a tree are shaken by the wind; the trunk remains unmoved’.

Helena Blavatsky

Finally, the metaphor of the dream can also help to explain a number of controversial religious ideas such as rebirth and reincarnation. In everyday life we fall asleep and dream, awaken to new experiences, only to later fall asleep and dream again. Yet we remain the same person. This process could also apply to souls as well, having to pass through different dreams (spheres of experience) until they awaken fully.

The goal of life in the case of this metaphor would be to fully understand the nature of the dream and then to awaken to the reality which precedes the dream. In order to do this one would have to learn to step outside of the dream and view it objectively, as if it were a motion-picture or theatrical play.

  

Jimmy Henderson is a philosopher and mystic with an integrated view of life. He is an academic completing his PHD in psychology and also the published author of a number of books and e-books available on Amazon.com (Key in 'Jimmy Henderson' on Amazon.com)  

Also visit his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com