The Other Side

This alone is to be feared - the closed mind, the sleeping imagination, the death of the spirit. The death of the body is to that, I think, a little thing. Winifred Holtby (1925)

Since there are so many creative writers out there, this time I am offering up a tongue-in-cheek idea about what might be in store for us when we die.
    
Imagine for a moment that the process of death is simply the mirror opposite of birth. Just as human families anticipate a new arrival, so too, do spirit families. About nine months, give or take a few weeks, the spirits that are going to be blessed with your death are informed. The immediate family and friends of the spirit couple are the first ones to be included in the wonderful news.

No spirit parents know exactly who they are deathing until the death is complete. During the nine months, there is a lot of speculation but when the death date arrives the spirit family is usually thrilled, whether it turns out to be a man or a woman.

 Actually, I think the death rate for men is currently higher than women, so there may still be a stronger preference for male deaths. There is some reports that there may be spirit regions that send newly deathed women back into birth almost immediately because women's deaths are not as valued, but that is another story.
    
It is common knowledge in the spirit world that some deaths are difficult, some quite easy, and the rest fall somewhere in-between. It is lucky that the spirits have the nine months to prepare because bringing a new death into the family creates a lot of change. Of course, it also brings an abundance of joy to the new deathing parents.
    
The death process is a profound mystery in the spirit world and it is also one of the primary joyful events of spirit life.
    
The prospect of birth however, is a whole other subject. Spirits don't like to talk about it, even though it is inevitable. It is a fact of death that everyone will be birthed at some time. The problem is no one knows when his or her birth will occur, or what circumstances will surround it.
    
Of course, there are stories.
    
There are accounts of near-birth experiences where the spirit vividly recalls entering into what seemed like a dark tunnel, heard loud rushing sounds, and saw a bright, blinding light shining at the end of a tunnel, as they were being pushed in waves towards it.
    
Though it simply wasn't their time to be birthed just yet, these experiences seem to give a new sense of spirit and positive hope to all who hear them.
    
When someone in the spirit family finally births, it is a tradition to hold a birthday gathering where spirit friends and family come together to console each other and tell fond stories about the birthed one and how much they were loved and will be missed.
    
Once of the great comforts is the belief that the birthed one will finally be reunited with all the family and friends who have been birthed before them. They will have no more struggles or suffering and will finally be at peace, reaping the rewards of a successful life after birth.
    
Much of the great spirit art depicts scenes of what life after birth offers. Vibrant landscapes, bright blue skies and beautiful earthy flesh-filled bodies abound. There are glorious visions of bodies eating, drinking, laughing, dancing and singing. What joy. Every spirit aspires to the hope that they too will be blessed with a full and rich birth life.
    
Why then is the fear of birth so rampant?
    
It is because of the stories. Bits and pieces of information filter through the spirit world about what can happen to those unfortunate souls that don't live a good spirit life.
    
There are tales of earthquakes, floods and devastating fires. There are detailed accounts of bodies that are starved, maimed and tortured. Diseases abound. There are reports of levels of hatred, violence and cruelty that are impossible to comprehend.
    
Spirits are cautioned that unless they live a good spirit life, they will be thrown into all manner of horrible experiences after birth.
    
There are many disciplines available to assist spirits to help prepare to earn a place in the Promised Land.
    
Some recommendations include the daily practice of the art of what is called chewing and swallowing, as a way to prepare the spirit for the body experience.
    
Another popular method is visualizing and imagining body parts that move in rhythmic order. This intricate practice requires that the devotee mock up a container that forms their spirit energy into a consistently repeated pattern that could eventually take up a solid amount of space.
    
Some spirits get so skilled in these practices that they almost seem to exist in two worlds. Some even state that they actually travel between the worlds of spirit and matter and can receive or channel information from spirits who have already been birthed.
    
Many practitioners of these methods claim that it enhances and positively serves them to help cope with the stresses of everyday spirit life.
    
Spirit researchers have begun to study the dynamics of density in earnest. It is reported that the natural realm of sixth sensing that is the everyday reality of the spirit world, is yielding new information that may help to understand the birth phenomenon.
    
So far, five new categories have surfaced and are tentatively named seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. The field in which these five modalities exist seems to be sustained by a larger force referred to as breathing.
    
This research is still in its infancy. The quest to uncover the mystery of life after birth remains elusive.

Faith, hope and continued effort to lead a good, wholesome spirit life still remain the most common antidotes to the fear of the unknown of birth.

Susan McNeal Velasquez
Unleash The Power of Your Intuition Mentoring Seminars

BEYOND INTELLECT:Journey Into The Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind - Available Now! Amazon.com - Keyword: Susan McNeal Velasquez
Go to: www.BEYONDINTELLECT.COM for more information