Afterlife: How do our dead live? Does the soul of a deceased person see loved ones, relatives and his own death? Does a person have a soul after death.

Incredible Facts

A week after Easter, each of us remembers our dead loved ones. This time is called Radonitsa.

We visit the graves of deceased relatives, remembering what they were like, what role they played in our destiny during their lifetime and continue to play after their death.

One of the most difficult stages of life is the moment when a loved one dies. We miss his physical presence, hugs and voice - in short, those physical attributes that we associate with our family, friends or close relatives.

It is difficult to accept the fact that a loved one leaves us forever and moves on to the next stage of existence. But life takes a new turn and offers you the opportunity to see the other side of death.

You have a chance to realize that your deceased relative was much more than just a bodily image: skin, muscles and bones. We are talking about the spiritual, and not the physical component of man.

After all, the body was only his earthly shell, an external disguise, in which for some time there was the indestructible essence of man.

The death of your loved ones, in addition to suffering and grief, brings you a new discovery and understanding, you are given the opportunity to strengthen your relationship connected with the soul of a person close to you.

This understanding will help you wake up and realize that your departed loved ones are much more than just a physical shell.

Here are 8 important things you need to understand about the death of your loved ones.

After the death of loved ones

Numerous clinical and scientific studies say that after death you will be reunited with your departed loved ones.

Many people who have experienced clinical death have come into contact with deceased loved ones. Some have also been able to experience this while sleeping using their normal or more ethereal senses.

Unfortunately, only a few manage to experience such an experience. What needs to be done to get in touch with deceased relatives? There is no clear answer.

Pray more to be able to feel the presence of your loved ones; meditate to become calm and peaceful, so you can feel their subtle presence; retire with nature, because their souls are everywhere where there is peace and quiet.

Analyze everything you know about the souls of the dead and about contact after death with dead people. Do you think this is possible? Or you yourself have experienced something similar once or even several times.

If you have any doubts, remember that "spiritual" or non-physical contact is always weightless, short-lived and barely perceptible, unlike physical contact, which is more familiar and ordinary for us.

Now take a few deep breaths. If you get the chance, be sure to watch the movie Talking to Heaven. One of the scenes of this wonderful film based on the book by James Van Pragh depicts the episode of the dying old man and his reunion with his loved ones and pets. This exciting and very touching scene cannot but touch the hearts.

Death in different cultures

2. Celebration, because they have completed their earthly life!

Many cultures celebrate the death of a relative as a real holiday, because their loved one has completed earthly life and is moving to a better world.

They also understand that sooner or later there will be a long-awaited meeting with him, because they accept the fact that spiritual life, unlike physical life, is endless.

Such an understanding makes one feel sadness and pain associated with the death of a loved one, but at the same time feel the joy that they ended their earthly existence and went to heaven.

Put more simply, it's like a bittersweet feeling, like when a young person graduates from high school: he's happy to have finished school, but sad because he's leaving his second home.

Unfortunately, the reaction of many people to the departure of a loved one is quite predictable: severe pain, suffering and sadness. Few would think of experiencing joy, because he lost a loved one.

Agree, rejoicing at the death of a loved one is somehow unnatural and illogical. Recall times when you felt conflicting emotions and how you dealt with it.

One thing is absolutely certain: in matters of perception of death, a person is at a rather low level of development, he has not yet learned to think from a spiritual point of view and perceives death as a physiological process, and not a spiritual one.

For a deeper understanding, one more example can be given. Imagine how badly your feet would hurt after walking all day in uncomfortable boots. Now think about how wonderful it would be to kick off your hated shoes at the end of the day and put your feet in a warm water bath. Something similar happens with the body after death, especially when a person is old, sick or infirm.

Remember that now your deceased loved one is in a better world. Of course, provided that it is not Hitler or another vile villain who did a lot of bad things during earthly life.

Think of your best days, your happiest, healthiest and most energetic moments, and then multiply them by a million. Approximately such sensations are experienced in heaven by the soul of a departed person, if during earthly life he did not commit evil.

Agree, in a similar vein, death does not seem so terrible anymore. The soul feels so good that it merges with this light and that pure energy that radiates from another world.

Perhaps it sounds too good to be true. But sometimes during earthly life we are used to struggle and experience a lot of disappointments, which, as a rule, are waiting for new bad news.

That is why it is so important to accept that the souls of our deceased relatives in the afterlife live much better and calmer than on earth. They enjoy the light and the freedom that heaven has given them.

Here is another sad story, which, nevertheless, has a very deep meaning. A mother who lost her only son decided to heal her grief by helping other people.

Every week she took out a bowl of soup to a homeless person, and each time, helping the homeless person, silently repeated the name of her dead son and imagined a dear face. She focused her thoughts on the happy times they had spent together.

Instead of indulging in sorrow and pain, she decided to help those in need and remember joyful moments, thereby alleviating the pain of loss.

How to accept the death of a loved one

4. You can focus on three important elements: anticipation, joy, and gratitude.

When losing a loved one, try to focus on those emotions. They will help you take your mind off grief and pain and indulge in more kind feelings.

You can look forward to the moment when you meet your loved one again who has left this world. You can also experience the joy of knowing that the soul of a loved one is in a better world.

Imagine that she is in beautiful green pastures and is free from the trials and tribulations that she endured during earthly life.

And you should also be grateful for all the wonderful times you spent together and all the wonderful memories you have. So when your sadness gets too strong, try to focus on these three feelings.

Focusing on these positive feelings eases your grief and suffering and helps you remember that life and love are eternal.

Think about a deep loss or disappointment in your life and how you could apply this triple formula to your life.

Here's another story of a heartbroken mother: Rachel lost her son less than a year ago.

"The past eleven months have been a period of the greatest pain, sorrow and suffering, but also the greatest growth I have ever experienced." An amazing statement, isn't it?

However, that's exactly what happened in Rachel's life. After the death of her beloved son, she began to help other children who have no parents. Moreover, according to her, her own son helps her in good deeds, being in another dimension.

5. Your deceased loved ones sometimes try to tell you something.

Each of us has heard that sometimes it happens that the soul of our deceased loved one tries to convey some important message to us living on earth.

How to hear it and correctly interpret it?

If you want to get a message from your loved ones, of course you can visit a psychic. There are people who are mediators between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

However, many people take advantage of the fact that inconsolable relatives want to communicate with deceased loved ones. Scammers pretend to be magicians, sorcerers and psychics and simply make a lot of money on it, without helping in any way, but on the contrary, exacerbating the situation.

You can also save time, money and nerves by not going to psychics. Indeed, in fact, all the messages that the souls of the deceased relatives send us are approximately the same: they just want you to be happy; know that they are alive and well; don't worry about them; enjoy life on earth; and be sure that sooner or later you will meet them again.

First of all, release yourself of any guilt associated with the person who left. Perhaps at one time you didn’t do too well with him, did something bad to him, or, on the contrary, didn’t do something to help him, didn’t say a word of love.

Don't blame yourself for this, let go of the guilt.

Each soul leaves earthly life in its own time and you should not blame yourself for anything. So you make it worse for yourself and for your loved one, who has already left this world.

If you feel any guilt, get rid of this feeling that simply devours you and does not bring any benefit to others or your own soul.

Such low energy emotions can interfere with the emergence of more powerful and positive energy flows, thereby poisoning your life.

In addition, there are many films on similar topics. An example of such a film can be a wonderful picture "Ghost" with Demi Moore in the title role.

Remember how the heroine of the film communicated with the spirit of her deceased lover, and how throughout the film he tried to reveal to her the secret of his death.

Try to free yourself from various experiences related to life and death. Believe me, just looking at death as the next stage in the endless saga of life, you can feel relief and live on.

We all wondered, "Why do we have to die? Why don't people live forever?" The answer is simple: in fact, we do not die, but simply change the external form of our existence.

This change looks like a terrible end to existence for those people who look at life only as an earthly existence.

Also imagine how boring and suffocating the constant monotony would be. Here's a simple example: think of a favorite movie and ask yourself, "Do I want to watch it every day for all eternity?" The answer is obvious: of course not. So it is with life.

Souls love variety, space, and adventure, not stagnation and routine. Life means eternal change. This is a great setup when you release your fears and understand that there is a reason for everything.

Be honest, have you ever wanted to stop time? It's a natural thought, especially when things finally seem to be going well. You have a desire to stop this time.

But a little reflection on this will help you understand how unfortunate this desire is. If you need more proof, just watch the movie "Groundhog Day" when certain events repeat themselves over and over again.

And here is another sad but instructive story: Marla's three children died. It would seem that the woman should have fallen into a deep depression, but instead she asked herself the following question: "How can I help others survive the death of their own child?"

Today, this woman leads the group "Help for parents who have lost children." And this is a great demonstration of how we can always choose the high right path, even after experiencing a terrible misfortune - the loss of a loved one.

7. Use and share the gifts that the souls of deceased loved ones send you

Some cultures believe that when a loved one dies, they send you a spiritual gift. Many people have noticed a greater change in their personality or energy after the death of someone close to them.

It is impossible to know someone well without receiving gifts from them. We are energetic beings living in an energetic Universe. All of our interactions result in a literal exchange of physical molecules and energy patterns.

Imagine that the souls of deceased loved ones can transmit their love, ideas, inspiration to those who remained on Earth and whom they love very much.

Accept these gifts, use them to ease your grief and improve yourself and the world around you.

This point is especially important for understanding some things related to the death of a loved one. Look back, did the death of a loved one somehow affect you, from the point of view that you became somehow more perfect or changed something in yourself for the better?

8. Ability to rely on others

If not always, then at least from time to time we need to lean on each other and feel the support of others.

Despite the fact that after the loss of a loved one, people often experience severe pain and grief, some of them "do not want to bother others with their problems and tears."

You may be surprised, but many, on the contrary, will be glad and even happy to help someone who needs it. In addition, when you get back on your feet and feel the taste of life, you can return the same coin and help someone else.

This simple truth can ease the pain of loss and also allow you to show your best qualities, such as kindness and mercy towards others.

There are many organizations and charities who really need your help.

Important advice: if a loved one has died, it is very important to share this grief with someone, not to withdraw into yourself. With whom is it better to share the bitterness of loss? Of course, first of all, we are talking about relatives and friends. Who else but your family members will help you cope with grief? It can also be close friends, acquaintances. For some, working and communicating with colleagues helps in this situation.

Well, if you don’t have a loved one nearby with whom you can share your grief, you can turn to a psychologist. This is exactly the case when you can and should turn to him for help.

I would like to hope that having learned these 8 points, a person who has lost a loved one will feel calmer.

It is very difficult for us to accept the death of loved ones, however, we can alleviate the pain of loss by changing our attitude towards death. You should not perceive it only as a physical process, but try to treat it as a spiritual transition of our soul to eternal life.

Be careful and patient with yourself when you mourn and mourn for another relative who has gone into the world. Try to keep a broader perspective of understanding and perception of life and death, as described above. It will ease your grief and make life brighter and cleaner.

We often wonder how the soul of a deceased person says goodbye to loved ones.

Where does she go and what path does she make. After all, it is not in vain that the days of remembrance of those who have gone to another world are so important. Someone does not believe in the existence of the soul after the death of a person, someone, on the contrary, diligently prepares for this and strives for his soul to live in paradise. In the article, we will try to deal with the issues of interest and understand whether there really is life after death and how the soul says goodbye to relatives.

What happens to the soul after the death of the body.

Everything in our life is important, including death. Surely more than once everyone thought about what will happen next. Someone is afraid of the onset of this moment, someone is looking forward to it, and some just live and do not remember that sooner or later life will come to an end. But it should be said that all our thoughts about death have a huge impact on our life, on its course, on our goals and desires, actions.

Most Christians are sure that physical death does not lead to the complete disappearance of a person. Remember that our creed leads to the fact that a person should strive to live forever, but since this is impossible, we truly believe that our body dies, but the soul leaves it and inhabits a new, just born person and continues their existence on this planet. However, before getting into a new body, the soul must come to the Father in order to “account” for the path traveled there, to tell about its earthly life. It is at this moment that we are accustomed to talking about the fact that it is decided in heaven where the soul will go after death: to hell or to heaven.

Soul after death by day.

It is difficult to say which path the soul travels while moving towards God. Orthodoxy says nothing about this. But we are used to allocating memorial days after the death of a person. Traditionally, this is the third, ninth and fortieth day. Some authors of church writings assure that it is on these days that some significant events take place on the path of the soul to the Father.

The Church does not dispute such opinions, but does not officially recognize them either. But there is a special teaching that tells about everything that happens after death and why these days are chosen as special.

Third day after death.

The third day is the day when the rite of burial of the deceased is performed. Why the third one? This is connected with the Resurrection of Christ, which took place exactly on the third day after the death on the cross, and also on this day there was a celebration of the victory of Life over death. However, some authors understand this day in their own way and talk about it. As an example, you can take St. Simeon of Thessalonica, who says that the third day is a symbol of the fact that the deceased, as well as all his relatives, believe in the Holy Trinity, and therefore strive for the deceased to fall into the three Gospel virtues. What are virtues, you ask? And everything is very simple: it is faith, hope and love familiar to everyone. If during life a person could not find this, then after death he has the opportunity to finally meet all three.

It is also associated with the third day that a person performs certain actions throughout his life and has his own specific thoughts. All this is expressed with the help of three components: reason, will and feelings. Remember that at the funeral we ask God to forgive the deceased for all his sins, which were committed by thought, deed and word.

There is also an opinion that the third day was chosen because on this day those who do not deny the memory of the three-day Resurrection of Christ gather in prayer.

Nine days after death.

The next day, on which it is customary to commemorate the dead, is the ninth. St. Simeon of Thessalonica says that this day is associated with nine angelic ranks. The deceased loved one could be ranked among these ranks as an intangible spirit.

But St. Paisius the Holy Mountaineer recalls that the days of commemoration exist so that we pray for our deceased loved ones. He cites the death of a sinner as a comparison with a sober person. He says that, while living on earth, people commit sins, like drunkards, they simply do not understand what they are doing. But when they get to heaven, they seem to sober up and, finally, understand what was done during their lifetime. And we can help them with our prayer. Thus, we can save them from punishment and ensure a normal existence in the other world.

Forty days after death.

Another day when it is customary to commemorate a departed loved one. In church tradition, this day appeared for the "ascension of the Savior." This Ascension took place exactly on the fortieth day after his Resurrection. Also, the mention of this day can be found in the "Apostolic decrees". Here it is also recommended to commemorate the deceased on the third, ninth and fortieth day after his death. On the fortieth day, the people of Israel commemorated Moses, and so goes the ancient custom.

Nothing can separate people who love each other, not even death. On the fortieth day, it is customary to pray for loved ones, loved ones, to ask God to forgive our loved one all his sins committed during his lifetime, and to give him paradise. It is this prayer that builds a kind of bridge between the world of the living and the dead and allows us to “connect” with our loved ones.

Surely many have heard about the existence of Magpie - this is the Divine Liturgy, which consists in the fact that the deceased is commemorated daily for forty days. This time is of great importance not only for the soul of the deceased, but also for his loved ones. At this time, they must come to terms with the idea that a loved one is no longer around and let him go. From the moment of his death, his fate must be in the hands of God.

Departure of the soul after death.

Probably, people will not soon receive an answer to the question of where the soul goes after death. After all, she does not stop living, but is already in a different state. And how can you point to a place that does not exist in our world. However, it is possible to answer the question regarding to whom the soul of a deceased person will go. The Church claims that she gets to the Lord himself and His saints, where she meets with all her relatives and friends who were loved during her lifetime and left earlier.

Location of the soul after death.

As already mentioned, after the death of a person, his soul goes to the Lord. He decides where to send her before the moment she goes to the Last Judgment. So, the soul goes to Heaven or Hell. The Church says that God makes this decision on his own and chooses the place of residence of the soul, depending on what she chose more often during her lifetime: darkness or light, good deeds or sinful ones. Heaven and Hell can hardly be called any specific places where souls come, rather, this is a certain state of the soul when it is in agreement with the Father or, on the contrary, opposes Him. Also, Christians have an opinion that before appearing before the Last Judgment, the dead are resurrected by God and the soul is reunited with the body.

Ordeals of the soul after death.

While the soul goes to the Lord, it is accompanied by various ordeals and trials. Ordeal, according to the church, is the denunciation by evil spirits of certain sins that a person indulged in during his lifetime. Think about it, the word "ordeal" clearly has contact with the old word "mytnya". In mytna, they used to collect taxes and pay fines. As for the ordeals of the soul, instead of taxes and fines, the virtues of the soul are taken, and also the prayers of loved ones, which they perform on the memorial days, which were mentioned earlier, are necessary as a payment.

But one should not call ordeals a payment to the Lord for everything that a person did during his lifetime. It is better to call it the recognition of the soul of what weighed it down during the life of a person, what he could not feel for any reason. Everyone has the opportunity to avoid these ordeals. This is what the gospel says. It says that you just need to believe in God, listen to His word, and then the Last Judgment will be avoided.

Life after death.

The only thought to be remembered is that for God the dead do not exist. In the same position with Him are those who live on earth and those who live in the afterlife. However, there is one "but". The life of the soul after death, or rather, its location, depends on how a person lives his earthly life, how sinful he will be, with what thoughts he will go his way. The soul also has its own destiny, posthumous, so it depends on what kind of relationship a person will have with God during his lifetime.

Terrible Judgment.

The teachings of the church say that after the death of a person, the soul enters a certain private court, from where it goes to heaven or hell, and there it already awaits the Last Judgment. After him, all the dead are resurrected and returned to their bodies. It is very important that in that very period between these two judgments, relatives do not forget about prayers for the deceased, about appeals to the Lord for mercy on him, forgiveness of his sins. You should also do various good deeds in his remembrance, commemorate him during the Divine Liturgy.

Memorial days.

"Commemoration" - this word is known to everyone, but does everyone know its exact meaning. It should be noted that these days are needed to pray for a deceased loved one. Relatives should ask the Lord for forgiveness and mercy, ask Him to grant them the Kingdom of Heaven and give them life beside Himself. As already mentioned, this prayer is especially important on the third, ninth and fortieth days, which are considered special.

Every Christian who has lost a loved one should come to church for prayer these days, you should also ask the church to pray with him, you can order a funeral service. In addition, on the ninth and fortieth day, you need to visit the cemetery and organize a memorial meal for all loved ones. Also, the first anniversary after the death of a person is a special day for commemoration by prayer. Subsequent ones also matter, but not as strong as the first.

The Holy Fathers say that prayer alone on a certain day is not enough. Relatives who remain in the earthly world should do good deeds for the glory of the deceased. This is considered a manifestation of love for the departed.

Path after life.

You should not treat the concept of the “path” of the soul to the Lord as a kind of road along which the soul moves. It is difficult for earthly people to know the afterlife. One Greek author claims that our mind is not capable of knowing the eternities, even if it were omnipotent and omniscient. This is due to the fact that the nature of our mind, by its very nature, is limited. We set a certain limit in time, setting an end for ourselves. However, we all know that there is no end to eternity.

Stuck between worlds.

Sometimes it happens that inexplicable things happen in the house: water starts to flow from a closed tap, a closet door opens by itself, some thing falls from a shelf, and much more. For most people, these events are quite frightening. Someone rather runs to church, someone even calls the priest home, and some do not pay attention to what is happening at all.

Most likely, these are deceased relatives trying to get in touch with their relatives. Here you can say that the soul of the deceased is in the house and wants to say something to his loved ones. But before you find out why she came, you should find out what happens to her in the other world.

Most often, such visits are made by souls who are stuck between this world and the other world. Some souls do not understand at all where they are and where they should move on. Such a soul strives to return to its physical body, but it can no longer do this, therefore it “hangs” between the two worlds.

Such a soul continues to be aware of everything, to think, it sees and hears living people, but they can no longer see it. Such souls are called ghosts, or ghosts. It is difficult to say how long such a soul will stay in this world. This may take several days, or it may take more than one century. More often than not, ghosts need help. They need help to get to the Creator and finally find peace.

The souls of the dead come to relatives in a dream.

This is not uncommon, perhaps one of the most common. You can often hear that a soul came to someone to say goodbye in a dream. Such phenomena in individual cases have different meanings. Such meetings do not please everyone, or rather, the vast majority of dreamers are frightened. Others do not pay attention at all to who and under what circumstances they dream. Let's find out what dreams can tell about in which the souls of the dead see relatives, and vice versa.

Interpretations are usually as follows:

A dream can be a warning about the approach of some events in life.
-Perhaps the soul comes to ask for forgiveness for everything that was done during life.
-In a dream, the soul of a deceased loved one can tell about how he “settled” there.
-Through the dreamer to whom the soul has appeared, it can convey a message to another person.
-The soul of a deceased person can ask his relatives and friends for help, appearing in a dream.

These are not all the reasons why the dead come to the living. Only the dreamer himself can determine the meaning of such a dream more accurately.

It does not matter at all how the soul of the deceased says goodbye to his relatives when he leaves the body, what is important is that she is trying to say something that was not said during her lifetime, or to help. After all, everyone knows that the soul does not die, but watches over us and tries in every possible way to help and protect.

Strange calls.

It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of whether the soul of the deceased remembers his relatives, however, according to the events taking place, it can be assumed that he remembers. After all, many see these signs, feel the presence of a loved one nearby, see dreams with his participation. But that's not all. Some souls try to contact their loved ones by telephone. People can receive messages from unknown numbers with strange content, receive calls. But if you try to call back to these numbers, it turns out that they do not exist at all.

Usually such messages and calls are accompanied by strange noises and other sounds. It is the crackling and noise that is a kind of connection between the worlds. This may be one of the answers to the question of how the soul of the deceased says goodbye to relatives and friends. After all, calls are received only in the first days after death, then less and less, and then completely disappear.

Souls can “call” for various reasons, perhaps the soul of the deceased says goodbye to relatives, wants to tell something or warn about something. Do not be afraid of these calls and ignore them. On the contrary, try to understand their meaning, maybe they can help you, or maybe someone needs your help. The dead will not call just like that, for the purpose of entertainment.

Reflection in the mirror.

How does the soul of a deceased person say goodbye to loved ones through mirrors? Everything is very simple. For some people, deceased relatives appear in mirrors, TV screens and computer monitors. This is one way to say goodbye to your loved ones, to see them for the last time. Surely it is not in vain that mirrors are often used for various fortune-telling. After all, they are considered a corridor between our world and the other world.

In addition to the mirror, the deceased can also be seen in the water. This is also a fairly common occurrence.

Tactile sensations:

This phenomenon can also be called widespread and quite real. we can feel the presence of a deceased relative through a breeze passing by or some kind of touch. One simply feels his presence without any contact. Many in moments of great sadness feel that someone is hugging them, trying to hug them at a time when no one is around. This is the soul of a loved one who comes to calm his beloved or relative, who is in a difficult situation and needs help.

Conclusion: As you can see, there are many ways how the soul of the deceased says goodbye to relatives. Someone believes in all these subtleties, many are afraid, and some completely deny the existence of such phenomena. It is impossible to accurately answer the question of how long the soul of the deceased is with relatives and how she says goodbye to them. Here, much depends on our faith and desire to meet at least once with a loved one who has passed away. In any case, one must not forget about the dead, on the days of remembrance one must pray, ask God for forgiveness for them. Also remember that the souls of the dead see relatives and always take care of them.

Without exaggeration, we can say that every person from a certain age thinks about death and asks himself: When a person dies, what happens ...

What happens after death to a person

And, in general, is something going on? It is hard not to ask such questions simply because death is the only inevitable event in the life of every living being. Many things may or may not happen to us during our lifetime, but death is something that will happen to everyone.

At the same time, the idea that death is the end of everything and forever seems so frightening and illogical that it in itself deprives life of any meaning. Not to mention the fact that the fear of one's own death and the death of loved ones can poison the most cloudless life.

Perhaps partly for this reason, throughout the existence of mankind, the answer to the question: "When a person dies, what happens to him?" searched for mystics, shamans, philosophers and representatives of various religious movements.

And, I must say, there are as many answers to this question as there are religions and various spiritual and mystical traditions.

And today, information about life after death can be found not only in religious and mystical traditions. The development of psychology and medicine, especially since the second half of the 20th century, has made it possible to accumulate a large number of recorded, registered testimonies from people who have experienced clinical death or coma.

The number of people who have experienced separation from the body and traveled to the so-called afterlife or subtle worlds today is so large that it has become a fact that is difficult to ignore.

Books have been written and films made on the subject. Some of the most famous works that have become bestsellers and translated into many languages are Raymond Moody's Afterlife and Michael Newton's Journey of the Soul trilogy.

Raymond Moody worked as a clinical psychiatrist, and over a long period of medical practice, he encountered so many patients who had NDEs and described them in surprisingly similar ways that, even as a man of science, he admitted that this could not be explained simply by chance or coincidence.

Michael Newton, Ph.D. and hypnotherapist, during his practice managed to collect several thousand cases where his patients not only remembered their own past lives, but also recalled in great detail the circumstances of death and the journey of the soul after the death of the physical body.

To date, the books of Michael Newton contain perhaps the largest and most detailed number of post-mortem experiences and the life of the soul after the death of the physical body.

Summing up, we can say that there are many theories and stories about what happens to a person after the death of the body. Sometimes, these theories are very different from each other, but they are all based on the same basic premises:

Firstly, a person is not only a physical body, in addition to the physical shell there is an immortal soul or consciousness.

Secondly, nothing ends with biological death, death is just a door to another life.

Where does the soul go, what happens to the body after death

In many cultures and traditions, the importance of 3, 9 and 40 days from the death of the body is noted. Not only in our culture it is customary to commemorate the deceased on the 9th and 40th days.

It is believed that within three days after death it is better not to bury or cremate the remains, because during this time the connection between the soul and the body is still strong and burial or even moving the ashes over a long distance can break this connection and thus disrupt the natural separation of the soul with body.

According to Buddhist tradition, in most cases, the soul may not realize the fact of death for three days and behave in the same way as during life.

If you watched the movie "The Sixth Sense", then this is exactly what happens to the hero of Bruce Willis according to the plot of the film. He does not realize that he has died for some time and his soul continues to live at home and visit familiar places.

Thus, within 3 days after death, the soul remains close to relatives and often even in the house where the deceased lived.

Within 9 days, the soul or awareness that has accepted the fact of death, as a rule, completes, if necessary, worldly affairs, says goodbye to relatives and friends and prepares for a journey to other subtle, spiritual worlds.

But what exactly does the soul see, whom does it meet after the end?

According to most records of people who survived a coma or clinical death, there are meetings with relatives and loved ones who have died earlier. The soul experiences incredible lightness and peace, which were not available during life in the physical body. The world, through the eyes of the soul, is filled with light.

The soul, after the death of the body, sees and experiences what the person believed in during his life.

An Orthodox person can see angels or the Virgin Mary, a Muslim can see the Prophet Muhammad. A Buddhist is likely to meet a Buddha or Avalokiteshvara. An atheist will not meet any angels and prophets, but he will also see dead loved ones who will become his guides to spiritual dimensions.

With regard to life after death, we can rely either on the views of religious and spiritual traditions, or on the descriptions of the experiences of people who have experienced near-death experiences or remember their previous lives and post-mortem experiences.

On the one hand, these descriptions are as diverse as life. But, on the other hand, almost all of them have a common moment. The experience that a person receives after the death of the physical body is largely determined by his beliefs, state of mind and deeds in his life.

And it is difficult to disagree with the fact that our actions throughout life were also determined by our worldview, beliefs and faith. And in the spiritual world, free from physical laws, the desires and fears of the soul are realized instantly.

If during life in a material body our thoughts and desires could be hidden from others, then on the spiritual planes everything secret becomes clear.

But, despite the differences, in most traditions it is believed that before the expiration of 40 days, the soul of the deceased is in thin spaces, where it analyzes and sums up the life lived, but still has access to earthly existence.

Often, relatives see the dead in their dreams during this period. After 40 days, the soul, as a rule, leaves the earthly world.

Man feels his death

If you happen to lose someone close, then perhaps you know that often on the eve of death or the onset of a fatal illness, a person intuitively feels that his time of life is ending.

Obsessive thoughts about the end or just premonitions of trouble can often arise.

The body feels the approach of its death and this is reflected in emotions and thoughts. Dreams that are interpreted by a person as a harbinger of imminent death.

It all depends on the sensitivity of a person and how well he can hear his soul.

So, psychics or saints, almost always not only foresaw the approach of death, but could know the date and circumstances of the end.

What does a person feel before death?

What does a person feel before death is determined by the situations in which he leaves this life?

A person whose life was full and happy or a deeply religious person can leave calmly, with gratitude, in full acceptance of what is happening. A person dying from a serious illness may even view death as a release from physical pain and an opportunity to leave the decrepit body.

In the case of an unexpected serious illness that happened to a person at a young age, there may be bitterness, regret and rejection of what is happening.

Experiences on the eve of death are very personal and there are hardly any two people with the same experience.

One thing is for sure, what a person feels before crossing depends heavily on what his life was like, how much of the desired he managed to realize, how much love and joy there was in life, and, of course, on the circumstances of death itself.

But, according to numerous medical observations, if death was not instantaneous, a person feels how gradually forces, energy leave the body, the connection with the physical world becomes thinner, the perception of the senses deteriorates noticeably.

According to the descriptions of people who have experienced clinical death as a result of an illness, death is very similar to falling asleep, but you wake up in a different world.

How long does a person die

Death, like life, is different for everyone. Someone is lucky and the end happens quickly and painlessly. A person can simply fall into a dream, experience a cardiac arrest in this state and never wake up again.

Someone who battles a deadly disease such as cancer for a long time and lives on the edge of death for a while.

There is not, and cannot be, any scenario. But the soul leaves the body at the moment when life leaves the physical shell.

The reason why the soul leaves this world may be old age, illness, injuries received as a result of an accident. Therefore, how long a person dies depends on the cause that led to death.

What awaits us "at the end of the road"

If you are not a person who believes that everything ends with the death of the physical body, then at the end of this path a new beginning awaits you. And it's not just about a new birth or life in the Garden of Eden.

In the XXI century, many of the scientists no longer consider the death of the physical body as the end of the soul or the human psyche. Of course, scientists, as a rule, do not operate with the concept of the soul, instead they often use the word consciousness, but most importantly, many of modern scientists no longer deny the existence of life after death.

For example, Robert Lanza, American, MD and professor at Wake Forest University of Medicine claims that after the death of the physical body, human consciousness continues to inhabit other worlds. In his opinion, the life of the soul or consciousness, unlike the life of the physical body, is eternal.

In addition, from his point of view, death is nothing more than an illusion, which is perceived as a reality due to our strong identification with the body.

He describes his view of what happens to the human consciousness after the death of the physical body in the book Biocentrism: Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe.

Summing up, we can say that although there is no unequivocal answer to the question of what will happen after death, but according to all religions and the latest discoveries in medicine and psychology, life does not end with the end of the physical body.

What happens to the soul after death in different religions

From the point of view of various religious traditions, life after the death of the physical body definitely exists. Differences by and large only in where and how.

Christianity

In Christian traditions, including Orthodoxy, there are concepts of judgment, judgment day, heaven, hell, and resurrection. After death, every soul will be judged, where charitable, good and sinful deeds are weighed, and there is no opportunity to be reborn.

If a person's life was burdened with sins, then his soul can go to purgatory or, in the case of mortal sins, to hell. Everything depends on the severity of sins and on the possibility of their expiation. At the same time, the prayers of the living can affect the fate of the soul after death.

As a result, in the Christian tradition it is important to perform a funeral ceremony over the grave on the day of burial and periodically pray for the repose of the souls of the dead during church services. According to the Christian religion, sincere prayers for the departed are able to save the soul of a sinner from an eternal stay in hell.

Depending on how a person lived, his soul goes to purgatory, heaven or hell. The soul enters purgatory if the sins committed were not mortal or in the absence of a rite of absolution or purification in the process of dying.

After experiencing unpleasant soul-tormenting sensations and gaining repentance and redemption, the soul gets a chance to go to heaven. Where she will live in peace among angels, seraphim and saints until the day of judgment.

Paradise or the kingdom of heaven is a place where the souls of the righteous are in bliss and enjoy life in perfect harmony with all things, and do not know any need.

A person who committed mortal sins, regardless of whether he was baptized or not, a suicide or just an unbaptized person, cannot go to heaven.

In hell, sinners are tormented by hellfire, torn apart and experience endless torment as punishment, and all this lasts until the day of judgment, which should take place with the second coming of Christ.

Descriptions of the hour of judgment can be found in the New Testament in the Bible, in the Gospel of Matthew verses 24-25. God's judgment or the great judgment day will forever determine the fate of the righteous and sinners.

The righteous will rise from the grave and gain eternal life at the right hand of God, while sinners will be condemned to burn in hell forever.

Islam

The concept of judgment, heaven and hell in Islam as a whole is very similar to the Christian tradition, but there are some differences. In Islam, much attention is paid to the rewards that a holy soul receives in paradise.

The righteous in the Muslim paradise not only enjoy peace and tranquility, but live surrounded by luxury, beautiful women, delicious food, and all this in wonderful gardens of Eden.

And if heaven is a place for the just reward of the righteous, then hell is a place created by the Almighty for the legal punishment of sinners.

The torment in hell is terrible and endless. For someone who is condemned to be in hell, the "body" is increased in size several times, to multiply the torment. After each torture, the remains are restored and subjected to suffering again.

In the Muslim hell, as in the Christian one, there are several levels, which differ in the degree of punishment depending on the severity of the sins committed. A fairly detailed description of heaven and hell can be found in the Qur'an and Hadith of the Prophet.

Judaism

According to Judaism, life is inherently eternal, therefore, after the death of the physical body, life simply passes to another, higher, if I may say so, level.

The Torah describes the moments of the transition of the soul from one dimension to another, depending on what kind of inheritance from the actions of the soul has accumulated during life.

For example, if the soul was too strongly attached to physical pleasures, then after death it experiences inexpressible suffering, because in the spiritual world, without a physical body, it does not have the opportunity to satisfy them.

In general, we can say that in the Jewish tradition, the transition to higher, spiritual parallel worlds reflects the life of the soul in the body. If in the physical world life was joyful, happy and filled with love for God, then the transition will be easy and painless.

If the soul, while living in the body, did not know peace, was filled with hatred, envy and other poisons, all this will go to the afterlife and intensify many times over.

Also, according to the book "Zaor", the souls of people are under the constant patronage and supervision of the souls of the righteous and ancestors. Souls from the subtle worlds help and instruct the living, because they know that the physical world is only one of the worlds created by God.

But, although our familiar world is only one of the worlds, souls always return to this world in new bodies, therefore, taking care of the living, the souls of the ancestors also take care of the world in which they will live in the future.

Buddhism

In the Buddhist tradition, there is a very important book that describes in detail the process of dying and the journey of the soul after the death of the body - the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It is customary to read this text in the ear of the deceased for 9 days.

Accordingly, within 9 days after death, they do not perform a funeral rite. All the while, the soul is given the opportunity to hear step-by-step instructions about what it can see and where it can go. Conveying the essence, we can say that the soul will feel and experience what it was inclined to love and hate in life.

What the soul of a person has strong love, attachment or fear and disgust will determine what kind of pictures a person will see during his 40-day journey in the spiritual world (bardo). And in what world the soul is destined to be reborn in the next incarnation.

According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, during the journey in the posthumous bardo, a person has a chance to free the soul from karma and further incarnations. In this case, the soul does not receive a new body, but goes to the bright lands of the Buddha or the subtle worlds of Gods and Demigods.

If a person experienced too much anger and showed aggression during life, such energies can attract the soul to the worlds of asuras or half-demons. Excessive attachment to physical pleasures, which has not dissolved even with the death of the body, can cause rebirth in the worlds of hungry ghosts.

A very primitive mode of existence, aimed only at survival, can lead to a birth in the animal world.

In the absence of any strong or excessive attachments and aversions, but in the presence of attachment to the physical world as a whole, the soul will be born in a human body.

Hinduism

The view of the life of the soul after death in Hinduism is very similar to the Buddhist one. Which is not surprising since Buddhism has Hindu roots. There are slight differences in the description and names of the worlds in which the soul can be reborn. But the point is also that the soul receives rebirth according to karma (the consequences of those actions that a person performed during his lifetime).

The fate of the human soul after death - can it get stuck in this world

There is evidence that the soul can be stuck for some time in the physical world. This can happen if there is a strong affection or pain in relation to those who remain or if it is necessary to complete an important task.

Often this happens due to an unexpected death. In such cases, as a rule, death is too great a shock for the soul itself and for the relatives of the deceased. The severe pain of loved ones, their unwillingness to come to terms with the loss, important unfinished business does not give the soul the opportunity to move on.

Unlike those who die of illness or old age, people who die unexpectedly do not have the ability to make a will. And often the soul wants to say goodbye to everyone, help, ask for forgiveness.

And if the soul does not have any painful attachments to a place, a person, or physical pleasure, then, as a rule, completing all things, it leaves our earthly world.

Soul on the day of the funeral

The soul of a person on the day of the burial or cremation ceremony, as a rule, is present next to the body among relatives and friends. Therefore, it is considered important in any tradition to pray for the easy return of the soul home.

In Christian customs, these are funeral services; in Hinduism, these are sacred texts and mantras, or simply good and kind words uttered over the body of the deceased.

Scientific evidence for life after death

If the testimonies of eyewitnesses who survived near-death experiences, psychics who see souls and people who can leave the body can be considered evidence, then there are now, without exaggeration, hundreds of thousands of such confirmations.

A large number of recorded stories of people who have experienced a coma or near-death experience, with comments by research doctors, can be found in Moody's book Life After Life.

Several thousand diverse and unique stories about life after death, received as a result of regressive hypnosis by Dr. Michael Newtan, are described in his books on soul travels. Some of the most famous are Journey of the Soul and Destiny of the Soul.

In the second book, The Long Journey, he describes in detail what exactly happens to the soul after death, where it goes, and what difficulties it may encounter on its way to other worlds.

Quantum physicists and neuroscientists have now learned how to measure the energy of consciousness. They have not yet come up with a name for it, but have recorded a subtle difference in the movement of electromagnetic waves in a conscious and unconscious state.

And if it is possible to measure the invisible, to measure consciousness, which is often equated with the immortal soul, then it will become obvious that our soul is also a kind of very subtle, but energy.

Which, as you know, from Newton's first law is never born, will not be destroyed, energy only passes from one state to another. And this means that the death of the physical body is not the end - it is just another stop in the endless journey of the immortal soul.

9 signs that deceased loved ones are nearby

Sometimes, when the soul lingers in this world, it stays for a while in order to complete its earthly affairs and say goodbye to loved ones.

There are sensitive people and psychics who clearly feel the presence of the souls of the dead. For them, this is the same part of reality as our world is for ordinary people, without extrasensory abilities. However, even people without special abilities talk about feeling the presence of a deceased person.

Since communication with souls is possible only at the level of intuition, this contact often occurs in dreams, or manifests itself in subtle, psychic sensations, which are accompanied by pictures from the past, or the voice of the deceased, sounding in the head. In those moments when the soul is open, many are able to look into the spiritual world.

The following events may be a sign that the soul of a deceased person is near you

Frequent appearance of the deceased in dreams. Especially if in a dream the deceased asks you for something.
An unexpected and inexplicable change in smells around you. For example, an unexpected smell of flowers, despite the fact that there are no flowers nearby, or coolness. And if you suddenly smelled the perfume of the deceased or his favorite scent, then you can be sure that his soul is nearby.
Unclear movement of objects. If you suddenly find things where they could not be. Especially if it's the things of the deceased. Or you suddenly began to discover unexpected objects in your path. Perhaps the deceased so attracts attention and wants to say something.
A clear undoubted feeling of the presence of a departed person nearby. Your brain, your feelings, still remember what it was like to be with the deceased before they died. If this feeling becomes as distinct as during his lifetime, do not hesitate, his soul is near.
Frequent and obvious violations in the operation of electrical appliances and electronics can be one of the signs of the presence of the soul of the deceased nearby.
Unexpectedly hearing your favorite or significant music for both of you, while you are thinking about the departed, is another sure sign that his soul is near.
Explicit sensations of touch when you are alone. Although for many it is a frightening experience.
If any animal suddenly shows special attention to you, or persistently attracts you with its behavior. Especially if it was the beloved animal of the deceased person. It could also be news from him.

In the first nine chapters of this book, we have attempted to outline some of the main aspects of the Orthodox Christian view of life after death, contrasting them with the widely held modern view, as well as views that have appeared in the West, which in some respects have departed from the ancient Christian teaching. In the West, the true Christian teaching about Angels, the airy realm of fallen spirits, about the nature of people's communication with spirits, about heaven and hell, has been lost or distorted, as a result of which the "post-mortem" experiences that are taking place at the present time are completely misinterpreted. The only satisfactory answer to this false interpretation is Orthodox Christian teaching.

This book is too limited in scope to give a full Orthodox teaching on the other world and the life after death; our task was much narrower - to expound this teaching to the extent that it would be sufficient to answer the questions raised by modern "posthumous" experiences, and point the reader to those Orthodox texts where this teaching is contained. In conclusion, here we specifically give a brief summary of the Orthodox teaching on the fate of the soul after death. This presentation consists of an article written by one of the last outstanding theologians of our time, Archbishop John (Maximovich), a year before his death. His words are printed in a narrower column, while explanations of his text, comments and comparisons are printed as usual.

Archbishop John (Maximovich)

"Life after death"

I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.

(Nicene Creed)

Boundless and unsuccessful would be our grief for dying loved ones, if the Lord did not give us eternal life. Our life would be aimless if it ended in death. What would be the use of virtue and good deeds then? Then those who say: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" would be right. But man was created for immortality, and Christ, by His resurrection, opened the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal bliss for those who believed in Him and lived righteously. Our earthly life is a preparation for the future life, and this preparation ends with death. Man is destined to die once, and then the judgment (Heb. IX, 27). Then a person leaves all his earthly cares; his body disintegrates in order to rise again at the General Resurrection.

But his soul continues to live, not ceasing its existence for a single moment. By many appearances of the dead, we have been given a partial knowledge of what happens to the soul when it leaves the body. When vision with the bodily eyes ceases, spiritual vision begins.

Addressing his dying sister in a letter, Bishop Theophan the Recluse writes: “After all, you will not die. Your body will die, and you will move to another world, alive, remembering yourself and recognizing the whole world around you” (“Soulful Reading”, August 1894).

After death, the soul is alive, and its feelings are sharpened, not weakened. St. Ambrose of Milan teaches: “Since the soul continues to live after death, there remains goodness that is not lost with death, but increases. The soul is not held back by any obstacles set by death, but is more active, because it acts in its own sphere without any connection with body, which is rather a burden than a benefit to her" (St. Ambrose "Death as a blessing").

Rev. Abba Dorotheos summarizes the teaching of the early fathers on this issue: “For souls remember everything that was here, as the fathers say, and words, and deeds, and thoughts, and none of this can be forgotten then. And it is said in the psalm: On that day all his thoughts will perish (Psalm 145:4), which refers to the thoughts of this world, that is, about the structure, property, parents, children, and every deed and teaching. All this about how the soul leaves the body perishes. .. And what she did regarding virtue or passion, she remembers everything and none of this perishes for her ... And, as I said, the soul does not forget anything from what she did in this world, but remembers everything after leaving body, and, moreover, better and clearer, as having been freed from this earthly body" (Abba Dorotheos, Teaching 12).

Great ascetic of the 5th century, St. John Cassian clearly formulates the active state of the soul after death in response to heretics who believed that the soul is unconscious after death: “Souls after separation from the body are not idle, they do not remain without any feeling; this is proved by the gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke. XVI, 19-31) ... The souls of the dead not only do not lose their feelings, but do not lose their dispositions, that is, hope and fear, joy and sorrow, and something of what they expect for themselves at the universal judgment, they they begin to anticipate... they become even more alive and zealously cling to the glorification of God. And indeed, if, having considered the evidence of Holy Scripture about the nature of the soul itself, according to our understanding, we will think a little, then whether it will not be, I do not say, extreme stupidity, but foolishness - to even slightly suspect that the most precious part of a person (i.e., the soul), in which, according to the blessed apostle, is the image of God and the likeness (1 Cor. XI, 7; Col. III, 10), after putting off this bodily in which she is in real life, as if becoming insensible - that which contains all the power of the mind, by its participation even the dumb and insensible substance of the flesh makes sensitive? It follows from this, and the property of the mind itself requires that the spirit, after the addition of this carnal corpulence, which is now weakening, bring its rational forces to a better state, restore them to be purer and more subtle, and not lose them.

Modern "post-mortem" experiences have made people remarkably aware of the consciousness of the soul after death, of the greater sharpness and speed of its mental faculties. But by itself this awareness is not enough to protect the person in such a state from manifestations of the out-of-body realm; one should master ALL Christian teaching on this subject.

The Beginning of Spiritual Vision

Often this spiritual vision begins in the dying before death, and while still seeing those around them and even talking to them, they see what others do not see.

This experience of the dying has been observed for centuries, and today such cases with the dying are not new. However, here it is necessary to repeat what was said above - in Chap. 1, part 2: only in the grace-filled visits of the righteous, when saints and angels appear, can we be sure that these were really beings from another world. In ordinary cases, when a dying person begins to see deceased friends and relatives, this can only be a natural acquaintance with the invisible world into which he must enter; the true nature of the images of the deceased, appearing at this moment, is known, perhaps, only to God - and we do not need to delve into this.

It is clear that God gives this experience as the most obvious way to communicate to the dying that the other world is not a completely unfamiliar place, that life there is also characterized by the love that a person has for his loved ones. His Grace Theophan touchingly expresses this thought in the words addressed to the dying sister: “Batiushka and matushka, brothers and sisters will meet you there. You'd be better off than here."

Encounter with spirits

But upon leaving the body, the soul finds itself among other spirits, good and evil. Usually she is drawn to those who are closer to her in spirit, and if, while in the body, she was under the influence of some of them, then she will remain dependent on them after leaving the body, no matter how disgusting they may be when they meet.

Here we are again seriously reminded that the other world, although it will not be completely alien to us, will not turn out to be just a pleasant meeting with loved ones "at a resort" of happiness, but will be a spiritual clash that our soul's disposition experiences during life - did it bow more to the angels and saints through a virtuous life and obedience to the commandments of God, or, through negligence and unbelief, she made herself more fit for the company of fallen spirits. The Right Reverend Theophan the Recluse well said (see above the end of Chapter VI) that even a test in aerial ordeals can turn out to be rather a test of temptations than an accusation.

Although the very fact of the judgment in the afterlife is beyond any doubt - both the Private Judgment immediately after death, and the Last Judgment at the end of the world - the external judgment of God will only be a response to the internal disposition that the soul has created in itself in relation to God and spiritual beings. .

First two days after death

During the first two days, the soul enjoys relative freedom and can visit those places on earth that are dear to it, but on the third day it moves to other spheres.

Here Archbishop John is simply repeating a doctrine known to the Church since the 4th century. Tradition reports that the angel who accompanied St. Macarius of Alexandria, said, explaining the church commemoration of the dead on the third day after death: “When an offering takes place in the church on the third day, the soul of the deceased receives relief from the angel guarding her in sorrow, which she feels from separation from the body, receives because the doxology and the offering in the church of God has been made for her, from which a good hope is born in her. For for two days the soul, together with the angels who are with her, is allowed to walk the earth where she wants. Therefore, the soul that loves the body sometimes wanders near the house, in where it parted from the body, sometimes near the tomb in which the body was laid, and thus spends two days like a bird, looking for nests for itself. risen from the dead, commands, in imitation of His resurrection, to ascend to heaven for every Christian soul to worship the God of all" ("Words of St. Macarius of Alexandria on the Exodus of the Souls of the Righteous and Sinners", "Christ. reading", August 1831).

In the Orthodox rite of burial of the departed Ven. John of Damascus vividly describes the state of the soul, parted from the body, but still on earth, powerless to communicate with loved ones whom she can see: “Alas, what a feat for me to have a soul that is separated from the body! lift up your eyes to the angels, idlely praying: stretching out your hands to people, not having someone to help. In the same way, my beloved brethren, having thought of our short life, we ask the reposed rest from Christ, and to our souls we have great mercy "(Following the burial of worldly people, stichera self-voiced, voice 2).

In a letter to the husband of her dying sister mentioned above, St. Theophan writes: “After all, the sister herself will not die; the body dies, but the face of the dying remains. It passes only to other orders of life. In the body lying under the saints and then carried out, she is not, and they do not hide her in the grave. She is in another place. Just as alive as now. In the first hours and days she will be near you. - And only she won’t speak, but you can’t see her, otherwise here ... Keep this in mind. We who remain weep for those who have departed, but it is immediately easier for them: that state is gratifying. Those who died and were then introduced into the body found it a very uncomfortable dwelling. My sister will feel the same way. She is better there, and we are hurting ourselves, as if some kind of misfortune had happened to her. She looks and, of course, marvels at it ("Emotional Reading", August 1894).

It should be borne in mind that this description of the first two days after death gives a general rule that by no means covers all situations. Indeed, most of the passages from Orthodox literature cited in this book do not fit this rule - and for a completely obvious reason: the saints, who were not at all attached to worldly things, lived in incessant expectation of transition to another world, are not even attracted to places, where they did good deeds, but immediately begin their ascent to heaven. Others, like K. Ikskul, begin their ascent earlier than two days by the special permission of God's Providence. On the other hand, all modern "post-mortem" experiences, no matter how fragmented they are, do not fit this rule: the out-of-body state is only the beginning of the first period of the disembodied wandering of the soul to the places of its earthly attachments, but none of these people has been in a state of death. long enough to even meet the two Angels who are supposed to accompany them.

Some critics of the Orthodox doctrine of life after death find that such deviations from the general rule of "after death" experience are evidence of contradictions in Orthodox teaching, but such critics take everything too literally. The description of the first two days (as well as the subsequent ones) is by no means dogma; it is simply a model that only formulates the most general order of the "post-mortem" experience of the soul. Many instances, both in Orthodox literature and in accounts of modern experiences, where the dead instantly appeared alive on the first day or two after death (sometimes in a dream), serve as examples of the truth that the soul does indeed remain close to the earth for some short time. (Actual apparitions of the dead after this brief period of freedom of the soul are much rarer and always by God's Will for some special purpose, and not by anyone's own will. But by the third day, and often earlier, this period comes to an end. .)

ordeal

At this time (on the third day) the soul passes through the legions of evil spirits, which block its path and accuse it of various sins, in which they themselves have involved it. According to various revelations, there are twenty such obstacles, the so-called "ordeals", at each of which this or that sin is tortured; having gone through one ordeal, the soul comes to the next. And only after successfully passing through all of them, can the soul continue its path without being immediately plunged into hell. How terrible these demons and ordeals are can be seen from the fact that the Mother of God Herself, when the Archangel Gabriel informed Her of the approach of death, prayed to Her Son to deliver Her soul from these demons, and in answer to Her prayers, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared from Heaven accept the soul of His Most Pure Mother and take Her to Heaven. (This is visibly depicted on the traditional Orthodox icon of the Assumption.) The third day is truly terrible for the soul of the deceased, and for this reason prayers are especially needed for it.

In the sixth chapter there are a number of patristic and hagiographic texts about ordeals, and there is no need to add anything else here. However, here we can also note that the descriptions of ordeals correspond to the model of torture that the soul undergoes after death, and individual experience can differ significantly. Minor details such as the number of ordeals, of course, are secondary in comparison with the main fact that the soul is really subjected to judgment soon after death (Private Judgment), which sums up the "invisible battle" that it waged (or did not wage) on earth against fallen spirits. .

Continuing the letter to the husband of the dying sister, Bishop Theophan the Recluse writes: “For those who have departed, the feat of crossing through ordeals will soon begin. She needs help there! - Then stand in this thought, and you will hear her cry to you: "Help!" all attention and all love should be directed towards her.I think that the most truly testifying of love will be if, from the moment your soul departs, you, leaving the worries about the body to others, step aside yourself and, secluded where possible, plunge into prayer for her in her new condition, about her unexpected needs. Starting like this, be in an unceasing cry to God - for her help, for six weeks - and beyond. In Theodora's legend - the bag from which the Angels took to get rid of publicans - these were prayers her elder. So will your prayers... Do not forget to do this... Behold love!"

Critics of Orthodox teaching often misunderstand that "bag of gold" from which the Angels "paid for the debts" of Blessed Theodora during the ordeals; sometimes it is erroneously compared with the Latin concept of the "excessive merits" of saints. Here, too, such critics read Orthodox texts too literally. Here we have in mind nothing more than the prayers for the departed of the Church, in particular, the prayers of the holy and spiritual father. The form in which it is described - there is hardly even a need to talk about it - is metaphorical.

The Orthodox Church considers the doctrine of ordeals so important that it mentions them in many divine services (see some quotations in the chapter on ordeals). In particular, the Church especially expounds this teaching to all her dying children. In the "Canon for the Exodus of the Soul", read by the priest at the bedside of a dying member of the Church, there are the following troparia:

"The prince of the air, the rapist, the tormentor, the terrible ways of the defender and the vain words of these words, grant me to pass unhinderedly departing from the earth" (Song 4).

“Holy Angels, lay me to the sacred and honest hands, Lady, as if I covered those wings, I don’t see the dishonorable and stinking and gloomy demons of the image” (Ode 6).

“Having given birth to the Lord Almighty, the bitter ordeals of the head of the world-keeper are far from me, whenever I want to die, but I will glorify Thee forever, Holy Mother of God” (Song 8).

Thus, the dying Orthodox Christian is prepared by the words of the Church for the coming trials.

forty days

Then, having successfully passed through ordeals and worshiped God, the soul visits heavenly abodes and hellish abysses for another 37 days, not yet knowing where it will stay, and only on the fortieth day is a place assigned to it until the resurrection of the dead.

Of course, there is nothing strange in the fact that, having gone through ordeals and done away with the earthly forever, the soul should get acquainted with the real other world, in one part of which it will stay forever. According to the revelation of the Angel, St. Macarius of Alexandria, a special church commemoration of the dead on the ninth day after death (in addition to the general symbolism of the nine ranks of angels) is due to the fact that until now the soul has been shown the beauties of paradise, and only after that, during the rest of the forty-day period, it is shown the torment and horrors of hell, before on the fortieth day a place is assigned to her where she will await the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. And here too, these numbers give a general rule or model of the after-death reality, and, of course, not all the dead complete their journey according to this rule. We know that Theodora really completed her visit to hell on the fortieth - by earthly standards of time - day.

State of mind before the Last Judgment

Some souls after forty days find themselves in a state of anticipation of eternal joy and bliss, while others are in fear of eternal torment, which will fully begin after the Last Judgment. Before that, changes in the state of souls are still possible, especially thanks to the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for them (commemoration at the Liturgy) and other prayers.

The teaching of the Church about the state of souls in Heaven and hell before the Last Judgment is set forth in more detail in the words of St. Mark of Ephesus.

The benefits of prayer, both public and private, for souls in hell are described in the lives of the holy ascetics and in patristic writings.

In the life of the martyr Perpetua (III century), for example, the fate of her brother was revealed to her in the form of a reservoir filled with water, which was located so high that he could not reach it from that dirty, unbearably hot place where he was imprisoned. Thanks to her fervent prayer throughout the whole day and night, he was able to reach the reservoir, and she saw him in a bright place. From this she understood that he was delivered from punishment (Lives of the Saints, February 1).

There are many similar cases in the lives of Orthodox saints and ascetics. If one is inclined to be overly literal about these visions, then it should perhaps be said that of course the forms that these visions take (usually in dreams) are not necessarily "photographs" of the state of the soul in another world, but rather images that convey the spiritual truth about the improvement of the state of the soul through the prayers of those who remained on earth.

Prayer for the dead

The importance of commemoration at the Liturgy can be seen from the following cases. Even before the glorification of St. Theodosius of Chernigov (1896), the hieromonk (the famous elder Alexy from the Goloseevsky skete of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, who died in 1916), who was reclothing the relics, was tired, sitting at the relics, dozed off and saw the Saint in front of him, who said to him: "Thank you for your work for me. I also ask you, when you serve the Liturgy, to mention my parents"; and he gave their names (Priest Nikita and Maria). Prior to the vision, these names were unknown. A few years after canonization in the monastery, where St. Theodosius was the abbot, his own memorial was found, which confirmed these names, confirmed the truth of the vision. "How can you, saint, ask for my prayers when you yourself stand before the Heavenly Throne and give God's grace to people?" the hieromonk asked. “Yes, that’s true,” replied St. Theodosius, “but the offering at the Liturgy is stronger than my prayers.”

Therefore, a memorial service and home prayer for the dead are useful, as well as good deeds done in their remembrance, alms or donations to the Church. But commemoration at the Divine Liturgy is especially useful for them. There were many appearances of the dead and other events confirming how useful the commemoration of the dead is. Many who died in repentance, but failed to manifest it during their lifetime, were freed from torment and received repose. Prayers for the repose of the departed are constantly lifted up in the Church, and in the kneeling prayer at Vespers on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit there is a special petition "for those who are held in hell."

St. Gregory the Great, answering in his "Conversations" the question "is there anything that could be useful to souls after death", teaches: "The holy sacrifice of Christ, our saving Sacrifice, brings great benefit to souls even after death, provided that their sins can be forgiven in the future life.Therefore, the souls of the departed sometimes ask that the Liturgy be served for them... Naturally, it is safer to do what we hope others will do about us after death. make an exodus free than seek freedom in chains.Therefore we must despise this world from the bottom of our hearts, as if its glory had already passed, and offer daily the sacrifice of our tears to God as we offer His sacred Flesh and Blood. this sacrifice has the power to save the soul from eternal death, for it mysteriously represents to us the death of the Only Begotten Son" (IV; 57, 60).

St. Gregory gives several examples of the appearance of the dead alive with a request to serve the Liturgy for their repose or thanksgiving for it; once also one captive, whom his wife considered dead and for whom she ordered the Liturgy on certain days, returned from captivity and told her how he was freed from chains on certain days - precisely on those days when the Liturgy was served for him (IV; 57, 59).

Protestants generally believe that church prayers for the dead are incompatible with the need to gain salvation first of all in this life: "If you can be saved by the Church after death, then why bother fighting or seeking faith in this life? Let's eat, drink and be merry" ... Of course, no one who holds such views has ever achieved salvation through church prayers, and it is obvious that such an argument is very superficial and even hypocritical. The prayer of the Church cannot save someone who does not want salvation or who has never made any efforts for this during his lifetime. In a certain sense, it can be said that the prayer of the Church or individual Christians for the deceased is another result of the life of this person: they would not have prayed for him if he had not done anything during his life that could inspire such prayer after his death.

St. Mark of Ephesus also discusses the issue of church prayer for the dead and the relief it brings to them, citing as an example the prayer of St. Gregory Dialog about the Roman emperor Trajan - a prayer inspired by the good deed of this pagan emperor.

What can we do for the dead?

Anyone who wants to show his love for the dead and give them real help can best do this by praying for them, and especially by commemoration at the Liturgy, when the particles taken for the living and the dead are immersed in the Blood of the Lord with the words: "Wash, Lord, sins commemorated here by Your precious blood, by the prayers of Your saints."

We can do nothing better or more for the departed than to pray for them, commemorating them at the Liturgy. They always need this, especially in those forty days when the soul of the deceased follows the path to the eternal villages. The body then does not feel anything: it does not see the gathered loved ones, does not smell the smell of flowers, does not hear funeral speeches. But the soul feels the prayers offered for it, is grateful to those who offer them, and is spiritually close to them.

Oh, relatives and friends of the dead! Do for them what is necessary and what is within your power, use your money not for the external decoration of the coffin and grave, but to help those in need, in memory of your dead loved ones, in the Church, where prayers are offered for them. Be merciful to the dead, take care of their souls. The same path lies before you, and how then we would like to be remembered in prayer! Let us ourselves be merciful to the departed.

As soon as someone has died, immediately call the priest or tell him so that he can read the "Prayers for the Exodus of the Soul", which are supposed to be read over all Orthodox Christians after their death. Try, as far as possible, for the funeral to be in the church and for the Psalter to be read over the deceased before the funeral. The funeral should not be carefully arranged, but it is absolutely necessary that it be complete, without reduction; then think not of your own comfort, but of the deceased, with whom you part forever. If there are several dead in the church at the same time, do not refuse if you are offered that the funeral service be common to everyone. It is better that the funeral service be served simultaneously for two or more deceased, when the prayer of the gathered relatives will be more fervent, than for several funeral services to be served consecutively and services, due to lack of time and effort, were shortened, because each word of the prayer for the deceased is like a drop of water for the thirsty. Immediately take care of the magpie, that is, the daily commemoration at the Liturgy for forty days. Usually in churches where the service is performed daily, the deceased, who were buried in this way, are commemorated for forty days or more. But if the funeral was in a temple where there are no daily services, the relatives themselves should take care and order a magpie where there is a daily service. It is also good to send a donation in memory of the deceased to monasteries, as well as to Jerusalem, where unceasing prayer is offered up in holy places. But the forty-day commemoration should begin immediately after death, when the soul especially needs prayer help, and therefore the commemoration should begin at the nearest place where there is a daily service.

Let us take care of those who have gone to the other world before us, so that we can do everything for them that we can, remembering that blessed are mercy, for they will receive mercy (Matt. V, 7).

Resurrection of the body

One day this whole corruptible world will come to an end and the eternal Kingdom of Heaven will come, where the souls of the redeemed, reunited with their resurrected bodies, immortal and incorruptible, will forever abide with Christ. Then the partial joy and glory that souls in heaven even now know will be replaced by the fullness of the joy of the new creation for which man was created; but those who did not accept the salvation brought to earth by Christ will be tormented forever - along with their resurrected bodies - in hell. In the final chapter of the Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Rev. John of Damascus describes this final state of the soul after death well:

“We also believe in the resurrection of the dead. For it truly will be, there will be a resurrection of the dead. But, speaking of the resurrection, we imagine the resurrection of the bodies. For the resurrection is the second resurrection of the fallen; define as the separation of the soul from the body, then the resurrection is, of course, the secondary union of soul and body, and the secondary exaltation of the living being resolved and dead. from the dust of the earth, can resurrect it again, after it again, according to the Creator, was resolved and returned back to the earth from which it was taken ...

Of course, if only one soul practiced the exploits of virtue, then only she alone will be crowned. And if she alone was constantly in pleasure, then in justice she alone would have been punished. But since the soul did not aspire to either virtue or vice separately from the body, then in justice both will receive a reward together ...

So, we will rise again, as the souls will again unite with the bodies, which become immortal and take off corruption, and we will appear before the terrible judgment seat of Christ; and the devil, and his demons, and his man, that is, the Antichrist, and wicked people, and sinners will be delivered into eternal fire, not material, like the fire that is with us, but such as God can know about. And having created good things, like the sun, they will shine together with the Angels in eternal life, together with our Lord Jesus Christ, always looking at Him and being visible by Him, and enjoying the uninterrupted joy that flows from Him, glorifying Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit in endless ages of ages . Amen" (pp. 267-272).

The life on Earth of each individual is only a segment of the path in the material incarnation, intended for the evolutionary development of the spiritual level. Where does the deceased end up, how does the soul leave the body after death, and what does a person feel when they pass into another reality? These are some of the exciting and most discussed topics throughout the existence of mankind. Orthodoxy and other religions testify to the afterlife in different ways. In addition to the opinions of representatives of various faiths, there are also testimonies of eyewitnesses who survived the state of clinical death.

What happens to a person when he dies

Death is an irreversible biological process in which the vital activity of the human body ceases. At the stage of dying of the physical shell, all metabolic processes of the brain, heartbeat and respiration stop. Approximately at this moment, the thin astral body, called the soul, leaves the obsolete human shell.

Where does the soul go after death?

How the soul leaves the body after biological death and where it rushes to is a question that interests many people, especially the elderly. Death is the end of being in the material world, but for an immortal spiritual entity, this process is only a change of reality, as Orthodoxy believes. There is a lot of discussion about where the soul of a person goes after death.

Representatives of the Abrahamic religions talk about "heaven" and "hell", into which souls end up forever, according to their earthly deeds. The Slavs, whose religion is called Orthodoxy because they glorify "Right", hold beliefs about the possibility of the rebirth of the soul. The followers of the Buddha also preach the theory of reincarnation. It can only be unequivocally stated that, leaving the material shell, the astral body continues to "live", but in a different dimension.

Where is the soul of the deceased up to 40 days

Our ancestors believed, and the living Slavs to this day believe that when the soul leaves the body after death, it stays for 40 days where it lived in earthly incarnation. The deceased is attracted to places and people with whom he was associated during his lifetime. The spiritual substance that has left the physical body, for the entire forty-day period, “says goodbye” to relatives and home. When the fortieth day comes, it is customary for the Slavs to arrange the farewell of the soul to the “other world”.

Third day after death

For many centuries there has been a tradition to bury the deceased three days after the death of the physical body. There is an opinion that only at the end of the three-day period does the soul separate from the body, all vital energies are completely cut off. After a three-day period, the spiritual component of a person, accompanied by an angel, goes to another world, where her fate will be determined.

On day 9

There are several versions of what the soul does after the death of the physical body on the ninth day. According to the religious figures of the Old Testament cult, the spiritual substance, after a nine-day period after the Dormition, goes through ordeals. Some sources adhere to the theory that on the ninth day the body of the deceased leaves the "flesh" (subconscious). This action takes place after the “spirit” (superconsciousness) and “soul” (consciousness) left the deceased.

What does a person feel after death?

The circumstances of death can be completely different: natural death due to old age, violent death or due to illness. After the soul leaves the body after death, according to eyewitness accounts of coma survivors, the etheric double has to go through certain stages. People who have returned from the "other world" often describe similar visions and sensations.

After a person dies, he does not immediately enter the afterlife. Some souls, having lost their physical shell, at first do not realize what is happening. With special vision, the spiritual entity “sees” its immobilized body and only then understands that life in the material world has ended. After an emotional shock, resigned to his fate, the spiritual substance begins to explore a new space.

Many at the moment of the change of reality, called death, are surprised that they remain in the individual consciousness, to which they are accustomed during earthly life. Surviving witnesses of the afterlife claim that the life of the soul after the death of the body is filled with bliss, so if you have to return to the physical body, this is done reluctantly. However, not everyone feels peace and tranquility on the other side of reality. Some, returning from the "other world", talk about the feeling of a rapid fall, after which they found themselves in a place filled with fear and suffering.

Peace and tranquility

Different eyewitnesses report with some differences, but more than 60% of the resuscitated testify to a meeting with an amazing source that radiates incredible light and perfect bliss. To some this cosmic personality appears to be the Creator, to others as Jesus Christ, and to others as an angel. What distinguishes this unusually bright creature, consisting of pure light, is that in its presence the human soul feels an all-encompassing love and absolute understanding.

Sounds

At the moment when a person dies, he can hear an unpleasant hum, buzzing, loud ringing, noise as if from the wind, crackling and other sound manifestations. Sounds are sometimes accompanied by movement at great speed through the tunnel, after which the soul enters another space. A strange sound does not always accompany a person on his deathbed, sometimes you can hear the voices of deceased relatives or the incomprehensible "speech" of angels.