Welcome to Gaia! ::

Excellent topic Celtic.

((Warning, long post is REALLY long. lol))

Personally I've always felt that when we examine our beliefs on death, we are actually also examining our beliefs on life. What ones believes happens after we die is very much influenced on what we believe we are indeed living for methinks.

It is my belief that we are living simple to well, live. To experience everything in the universe that can be experienced. All of it; joy and pain, bliss and suffering, sadness, love, emptiness, rage, patience, chaos, innocence, cruelty, insanity, brilliance, void, stagnation, pride, loyalty, dishonesty and everything in between. Naturally, for one soul to accomplish this, I feel this is where reincarnation comes into play as this task I would not think could be accomplished completely in a single physical lifetime, especially that of a single human life.

I know there are some traditions that feel say being reincarnated into a bug for example, might be seen as a punishment. I have to disagree. Perhaps the life of a bug might offer a perspective on life or life lesson that a human or any other creature could not possible comprehend. For example, what it is to be completely lacking any sense of morality. Bugs do not trouble themselves if eating other bugs is a morally acceptable thing to do. They do it to survive. Perhaps the 'purpose' or reason one might be reincarnated into such an 'insignificant' creature, is to experience simply living to be living, to survive and mate and those alone. Not a punishment, just a necessity, and a natural occurrence which is part of all that can be experienced.

And what of when the soul does accomplish this incredibly time consuming task of experiencing everything there is to experience? Why it starts all over of course! Although, of course, this is all just my own personal opinions here.

In response to the question of what do I see when I picture death, well honestly, no one in particular like a Deity or what not. I just mostly just think of the soul when I hear death. Although I feel I still have much to do in this lifetime, I'm honestly not afraid of death. Now, dying in a terrible manner would strike fear in anyone I think, but actually death itself, does not scare me. I see it just as another part of life and continuing cycles within unimaginably large cycles.

Now onto..


Well, as I mentioned I do believe in reincarnation but I suppose I can go just a little more into depth on my personal beliefs of the actual process. When a person passes, I don't think it automatically transfers over into another physical form. It can, but it doesn't have too. It could just roam around as free lance energy. Also, it may or may not have any recollection of a previous physical life it was attached to. While in the form of a human or even some animals, it may be able to recall things from a previous life, and then again it may not. I think if it is able to, this is for it's benefit in that current life but I don't feel someone who is incapable of recalling any such memories would automatically be at a disadvantage, perhaps it is just not necessarily or would apply/be helpful in that life. Then again perhaps a soul might be for some reason holding on to it's previous physical life a.k.a. ghosts.

As far as whether or not we will be able to re-connect with those passed before us when we die, well this is where you might have to bear with me lol. I fully believe in parallel universes and that time is non-linear. I won't go into this too much as it's rather hard to put into words exactly, but to the point, I think everything that ever has happened, is happening currently, or is ever to happen, is all occurring simultaneously. Because of this, I feel it is possible to 'connect' with any other soul at any given time. Even say our own in a future or past point in time. So essentially yes, one could re-connect with a soul passed once passed themselves, but I think this could be achieved at anytime if said soul permits it of course. I know. I'm odd.

Alrighty lets see what else you asked here...



As for myself, I want a small funeral so that those I care for would be comfortable performing whatever rites I've asked, and whatever rites they personally wish to do to bring comfort to themselves. I want to be cremated. I've always felt that when you burn something it's a very strong symbol of release. Although, just out of curiosity, might I ask why you are curious if one might feel it wrong for a pagan to be cremated?

When it comes to organ donation, it may sound selfish but I do not want to donate mine. The reason being is that honestly I do not want to be physically connected to another person once I've died. Just a personal little quark of mine I suppose.

And for the last bits,



Well it's mostly all a combination of what I've heard others theorize and lots and lots... and lots of personal thought. I don't doubt this to be my own self truths, but needless to say, I cannot claim that I am absolutely right. If I am wrong, I will have lived my life making sense of my own thoughts and having been comforted by them.



Everyone has as much probability of being wrong as everyone else methinks, as no one could be 0 percent knowledgeable of such things to a complete extent.



I would say it would very much depend on what ones faith was. If they are any branch of Christianity then obviously it would go against their faith. If one was Wiccan, it would be against their faith. Although personally, as traumatic as it may be for those who are left to mourn in their absence, I think in the long scheme of things there is no major consequence of suicide for the individual soul committing it. It may vastly set the soul back from achieving the experiences it could have gained if it would have not ended that physical life so abruptly, but I just honestly don't believe one would be 'punished' for it.

Not even in the very next life. Which leads to something I thought I'd bring up. I know some of you may be asking, "But Matron, I've heard you mention Karma before, where does it come into play in all of this?"

Well, I believe that Karma, when used in the sense of 'action and reaction' only applies to a single life form/cycle. It is more a tool that is brought about and applied during one life and although present in every cycle, it does not overlap in a form of punishment nor reward. It simply adds to the entire process.

WOW. That was long lol. If you actually read all of that, your a trooper! lol