Death and Rebirth- The Space in Between

Oh, the afterlife! One of the most fascinating subjects for me since I was a child. As a mind, body, and spirit balancer, I teach others (and, I am still learning, as well) to live in the present. I guide them to release the worries of the future and the past, but what about past lives or past karmas. Or even, future lives. My daughter and my nephew were born a few weeks apart, and seem very much like brother and sister from a previous life; or possibly some other familiar relationship. They seem to have decided to come through together and have remembered each other from before. All of her stories about her castles and her daughters could be memories or could be complete imagination. Either way, I love to hear the stories and the wonderment is exciting to say the least.

            So what about the afterlife? What is it exactly? It can be defined as the time or space between the discontinuation of a soul in one body, and the birth or rebirth of a soul into a new body in infant form. Not everyone believes in its existence, and how will we ever really know who’s right and who’s wrong about it. We have limited access to it through mediums or our own connections, but how do we know it’s real? We have heard of stories where a person died and then, came back to life and reported their observations of the in-between space. But, how do we know our mind is not playing tricks on us?

            As a child, I remember the television volume going up and down and my Nana would say it was the ghosts communicating with us. I barely remember Casper the friendly ghost, and I really don’t recall any other experiences or my parents participating in any supernatural phenomena. However, I was intrigued at a young age, and read lots of ghost stories and played with the Ouija board hoping to one day be a part of a séance. I longed for a real experience of my own, a story of my own to tell. I watched shows with mediums and paranormal experiments with fascination. And, then one day, my Nana died. I finally began to experience her presence.  She came through the most convincingly after my daughter was born. My little angel was only a few months old, and she would look above me and laugh at someone. She loved this space above me, and other people started to notice it; other non-believers so to speak.  Then, one day a friend invited me to a medium event, and I finally asked him at the end who was visiting my daughter. Without knowing anything about me, he stated, “It’s your father’s mother. She says that she (my daughter) is so beautiful.” Now this could have all been generalized, but there is a knowing that you get if you are aware of it when you are in a presence. At least that is my experience.

            I’ve also experienced it through my energy work. The most memorable time was when a man came to me for emotional healing after his wife had passed to the other side. We both heard my front door open and close, my dogs greet someone, and then, a presence, HER presence, guarded him until she trusted my intentions. It was quite an experience. There have been too many “happenings” to speak of by now.  I have read books about the veil between the dimensions getting thinner and that they (spirits) walk along side of us; some being seen in different forms, such as shadowy or almost real looking. I do wonder, though, is the afterlife the same just without worry or stress? Or are the religions teaching about heaven and hell being of consequence depending on your actions here on Earth an accurate account of the afterlife?

            What about karma? I recently attended a spiritual teaching by a Tibetan Buddhist lama, and he explained that each life carries on karmic debt from a previous life or a cultural karma, and there were ways to purify yourself of them so you could become closer to enlightenment in this life or the next. Once you reach enlightenment, you stay there, I believe. You don’t continue to go into more afterlives and more bodies. There are so many questions that I have, but as with anything else, you should go with what feels right. Maybe it just feels right to you to believe what your friends and family believe. You are comfortable with what you grew up with, or what your culture believes in. Or maybe you feel like you should question all of that, and search for more answers. In the end, if you always center in your heart, you can do no wrong.

            I know some people worry about dabbling in the afterlife, but I believe if you have a strong connection to your Creator, have good intentions and protect yourself with a prayer, it may be beneficial or healing to you or them to experience a taste of it. Who knows? It may help them crossover, if that’s really a thing. Or settle whatever reason they are stuck here. I do wonder why out of all the deceased relatives, I feel my Nana’s presence the most. Maybe it was a soul connection from a previous life. I definitely feel a stronger connection with some people as soon as I meet them, as if we have met before. Why are you connected to me and not another writer who’s writing similar ideas from another part of the world? It may be our continuous connection, life after life after life.

Until next time,

Peace and love,

-Velvet Star Chong 

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