Welcome back to Part 4 in this series of posts on what we may expect to find after we pass from this life into the Next.
Let’s take a leisurely stroll around a city in the Astral Realm. Although there is much green and pleasant countryside, beaches, islands and forests, the World of the Spirit also has magnificent hubs, no too unlike our modern cities.
There are no cars, no rubbish or graffiti, no street violence or any dangers. The air is clean and unpolluted and made up of wide avenues, dotted with the shade of trees and green spaces, with pleasant fountains and places to stop, sit and rest a while.
The buildings in the Next Life are all together different. They are constructed through a group consensus of mind and are built out of substances that are not known to us here. Although they appear as perfectly solid, they are more akin to fine energy fields than actual bricks and mortar. I experienced this whilst journeying out into the Astral during sleep one night. My guide encouraged me to touch the material that appeared to be an iridescent white marble, constructed into a building of great knowledge and learning.
As I pressed an index finger down upon the surface of a low wall, the material seemed to move beneath my finger, much more like a liquid, yet with form! When I lifted my finger, the surface returned to its normal shape and consistency. This fascinated me and I must have stayed for a while just pressing down on the wall lightly, watching the pastel rainbow hues swirling in reaction to the pressure of my finger.
It is my own experience that the buildings there have no ceilings, roofs or walls as we would understand them in our world. As the climate in the Next World is always warm and dry, there is no need for shelter from the elements or other dangers and so every building, however grand in stature and architecture, is open and inviting.
I experienced buildings that echoed the architecture of the classical world, with white doric columns and domed sections. Wide and deep steps leading up to broad facades.
Inside there are Halls of Records and Learning. As we are all on a journey of eternal progress, there is much to learn. We may attend lectures on subjects that interest us, given by masters and great teachers, we may wish to do our own research into elements of earthly life or learn about our own progress through life times. There is said to be much to be learned about the true history of humanity and the Earth (not the history taught in schools and colleges), all of which is available in these centres of great learning.
Archives and records are curated by guides and knowledgeable individuals who are always on hand to interpret information or help you find what you are looking for. That is not to say that everything is automatically available to all. As with an individuals progress through the spheres, one must be far enough along ones path to access certain pieces of information.
After all, there would be little point in giving a child in kindergarten textbooks belonging to a college professor. Likewise, access to information is commensurate with one’s own soul growth.
As we progress through the next and subsequent worlds, the aim is to graduate from being self serving to serving others. The Great Spirit Guide Silver Birch reminded us that ‘Service is the coin of Spirit.’ The hallmark of a developed soul is one who Serves others without seeking even thanks in return. We can and should practice this more often in our earthly lives, it would make this world a much better place for many more people and also be good preparation for our transition.
I don’t believe that we will ever be bored in the Next World, there is so much to do!
In order that we have a more realistic expectation of life on the Other side, it is important to let go of the preconceptions that we may have about it being a place of eternal rest. Relaxation and total rest are fine for a while, but an eternity is going to get pretty tiresome if there is not plenty of opportunity to learn and experience new things! So, no more talk of resting on clouds and playing harps.
You will be given access to your own Book of Life in the Next World, where every detail of every life you have ever lived is kept. What a fascinating read that will be and hopefully also a timely reminder that every thought, word and deed of yours is known. Nothing in the World of the Spirit is hidden.
Which brings us neatly on to the subject of clothing and appearances. When we first cross from this life into the Next, the majority of us will be clothed in outfits that are familiar to us, the things we were comfortable wearing in our earthly lives. As we settle into our new lives, the attachments to the Earth World dissipate and many choose to wear robes, who’s colours reflect their own personal level of progress. As communication in the Next World is telepathic, everything will be known about your character. You will be unable to hide a mean or bitter personality behind the veneer of a smile. Better to learn to be honest and open in this life, than have to begin in the nursery class when you pass!
Appearances do naturally change when we reach the Next World. After a while, once any shadow of our earthly lives has finally dropped once and for all, we may choose to appear as younger than we were when we passed. Most people like to appear as they looked when they felt in their ‘prime of life’ on the Earth. I believe that our Spirit forms have a naturally youthful appearance that radiates light. How will you look?
Which brings us to the matter of your Life Review. When you have crossed to Spirit and you are suitably acclimatised to your new surroundings, you will be offered a life review. If you do not feel ready to face this, it will be given at another time. Remember, this is NOT a judgement of your life given by an external force.
Many accounts exist of the Life Review, though differing in some details they all contain similarities that are consistent enough to use as solid evidence. Firstly, you do not go through this experience alone. You are always given the gentle and loving guidance of a guide or teacher who helps you to review your most immediate past Incarnation (the life you just left). Some describe this as if being submerged, first person, into a movie of their life, but this time they play every role, feel every feeling. Not only will you see things from your own perspective, but the perspective of others with whom you have interacted. You will feel the ripple effects of all of your decisions and actions.
Let me stress again that this is not an act of punishment, but an exercise in assessing the life just completed, where important lessons were learnt, where mistakes were made, what may have been done differently? What was done well?
Many report that this is over and done within a flash and parallels have been drawn between the Life Review and some people’s experience of their life ‘flashing’ before their eyes in a near death experience. However it plays out, you are always guided through this process and helped to find the important lessons. Many people (resident in the Next World, or subjects who have been taken to their life in between lives through hypnosis) report the review taking place before a ‘board’ of benevolent and loving teachers, who are often at pains to point out all of the good that was achieved whilst the individual was on the earth. The whole point of life is rto gather experience and knowledge and exercise compassion and to do this, it is important to acknowledge how and where we might have done differently.
Inula Austin Soul Growth 