Hello NaCirema_NY:
What you expressed is what fundamentalist Christians believe about the afterlife. Keep in mind, most posters here are more metaphysically aware than that, and thus do not believe in a literal eternal hell, where Jesus Christ is damning souls forever.
The Bible itself states: "the Lord will not cast off forever, but though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies." (Lamentations chapter 3). This is why most practicing Jews do not believe in eternal damnation. The Torah teaches no such thing, and the Psalmist states: "all the ends of the world shall Remember and turn to the Lord." This speaks of the Pre-existent Soul, and the return of the Prodigal to the Father's House.
Of course this does not neccesarily happen when we physically die. This why Jews and Esoteric Christians who study the Kabbalah, believe reincarnation is part of the process, in bringing all souls from the Alpha point of our Origin to the Omega of Completion. The Jewish Zohar, the most important esoteric book, to Orthodox Jews states:
"The souls must re-enter the Absolute substance, from whence they have emerged. But to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections, the germ of which is planted in them; and if they have not fulfilled this condition during one life, they must commence another, a third, and so forth, until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with God."
As to Astral Projection: the Zohar speaks about "out of body" experiences as a regular occurence. The Zohar states souls leave their bodies at night, and ascend to the Upper Worlds, to study the Torah's Mysteries. Keep in mind, Kabbalists understand the Soul is multidimensional and make a distinction between the temporal personalities we identify with in this life, and our Neshamah (Higher Self).
Since you come from a mainstream Christian background, like many of us do, you might be interested to know: Esoteric Christian groups, like the Rosicrucians, Gnostics, and Essenes, have a great awareness of the various planes and states that we encounter in the Afterlife Planes. And they understand there is a lot more going on than most people are aware of. Jesus himself is said to have only shared the "Mysteries of the Kingdom" with his inner-core, but spoke to the masses in exoteric parables.
The fact is, the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and the true nature of consciousness is not perceived by the carnal mind, trapped in Maya (illusion).
All we experience is actually a radiant display of our own consciousness. This is a great mystery, as this physical and even the Astral world is perceived to be Real, but in reality, it is Maya (illusion).. infact, all this talk about leaving the bodies and death, is merely perception.
Our own Higher Self, our Neshamah, is not confined to this plane even now. And the knowledge of our Pre-existent Soul, is the basis of Self-Realization. Jesus Christ in the Gospel of St Thomas states: "when you come to know yourselves, than you will become Known.. but if you do not know yourselves you dwell in poverty, and it you who are that poverty."
The most important thing that the Ancient Initiates told us is to Know Thyself (Gnothi Seaton). Then and only then can the Prodigal have True Awareness of the multidimensional nature of creation and Self... and he can know beyond opinion and conjecture, what happens when the physical body dies.
David
What you expressed is what fundamentalist Christians believe about the afterlife. Keep in mind, most posters here are more metaphysically aware than that, and thus do not believe in a literal eternal hell, where Jesus Christ is damning souls forever.
The Bible itself states: "the Lord will not cast off forever, but though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies." (Lamentations chapter 3). This is why most practicing Jews do not believe in eternal damnation. The Torah teaches no such thing, and the Psalmist states: "all the ends of the world shall Remember and turn to the Lord." This speaks of the Pre-existent Soul, and the return of the Prodigal to the Father's House.
Of course this does not neccesarily happen when we physically die. This why Jews and Esoteric Christians who study the Kabbalah, believe reincarnation is part of the process, in bringing all souls from the Alpha point of our Origin to the Omega of Completion. The Jewish Zohar, the most important esoteric book, to Orthodox Jews states:
"The souls must re-enter the Absolute substance, from whence they have emerged. But to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections, the germ of which is planted in them; and if they have not fulfilled this condition during one life, they must commence another, a third, and so forth, until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with God."
As to Astral Projection: the Zohar speaks about "out of body" experiences as a regular occurence. The Zohar states souls leave their bodies at night, and ascend to the Upper Worlds, to study the Torah's Mysteries. Keep in mind, Kabbalists understand the Soul is multidimensional and make a distinction between the temporal personalities we identify with in this life, and our Neshamah (Higher Self).
Since you come from a mainstream Christian background, like many of us do, you might be interested to know: Esoteric Christian groups, like the Rosicrucians, Gnostics, and Essenes, have a great awareness of the various planes and states that we encounter in the Afterlife Planes. And they understand there is a lot more going on than most people are aware of. Jesus himself is said to have only shared the "Mysteries of the Kingdom" with his inner-core, but spoke to the masses in exoteric parables.
The fact is, the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and the true nature of consciousness is not perceived by the carnal mind, trapped in Maya (illusion).
All we experience is actually a radiant display of our own consciousness. This is a great mystery, as this physical and even the Astral world is perceived to be Real, but in reality, it is Maya (illusion).. infact, all this talk about leaving the bodies and death, is merely perception.
Our own Higher Self, our Neshamah, is not confined to this plane even now. And the knowledge of our Pre-existent Soul, is the basis of Self-Realization. Jesus Christ in the Gospel of St Thomas states: "when you come to know yourselves, than you will become Known.. but if you do not know yourselves you dwell in poverty, and it you who are that poverty."
The most important thing that the Ancient Initiates told us is to Know Thyself (Gnothi Seaton). Then and only then can the Prodigal have True Awareness of the multidimensional nature of creation and Self... and he can know beyond opinion and conjecture, what happens when the physical body dies.
David