In The Multidimensional Afterlife, Part I, we were introduced to the afterlife as a hierarchy of thought-manifested worlds.  Because the spirit realm is thought-based, souls are automatically attracted to the dimension that corresponds with their beliefs, expectations, personality and state of mind, as well as their spiritual development.  When spirits cross over into the afterlife with strong expectations, religious beliefs, trauma or overwhelming negativity, their afterlife environment will mirror these thought states.  The afterlife is more of a state of mind than an objective physical environment like we are used to on earth.  In Part II of this series, we are going to look at what happens when souls go into death with serious traumas, emotional attachments, unresolved pain or anger, or proclivities toward violence or hatred.

In other words, we are heading to the dark side.

The source material for these posts are from the following:

• The Afterlife Unveiled: What the Dead are Telling Us About Their World – Stafford Betty, Ph.D.; 2011
• The Astral Plane: It’s Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena – C. W. Leadbeater; 1895
• Vistas of Infinity: How to Enjoy Life When You are Dead [Out of Body Explorations into Non-Local States of Consciousness and Post-Life Territories] – Jurgen Ziewe; 2015
• Adventures in the Afterlife – William Buhlman; 2013
• Adventures Beyond the Body – William Buhlman; 1996
• Journeys Out of the Body – Dr. Robert Monroe; 1971
• Destiny of Souls – Dr. Michael Newton; 2001
• Journey of Souls – Dr. Michael Newton; 1994
• Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul (as channeled by Jane Roberts); 1972
• My Life After Life: A Posthumous Memoir, Galen Stoller and K. Paul Stoller, 2011
• I See Dead People: How I Learned To Help Earthbound Spirits, by Jane Ross, 2013

Note: I am putting forward this description of the afterlife purely on the basis of these sources, which individually may or may not accurate.  These posts represent a theory, and are certainly not the last word in describing the afterlife.  As with all information, take with a grain of salt and do your own research. Spirituality is always a personal journey of discovery.

The Descent Into Darkness

The lower levels of the afterlife are consensus realities.  These are earth-like planes that give the illusion of an objective, permanent, slowly-changing environment.  Consensus realities weren’t constructed by any higher authority, but these thought-created worlds are unconsciously designed and maintained by the souls who live there.  Because they don’t yet realize that it is their own thoughts that are generating their environment, it will perfectly mirror the psyche of souls who are attracted there.  Like attracts like, so souls with similar thought patterns, expectations and emotions will naturally congregate together in these various densities.

Just like the bully who has no real friends because he hasn’t learned to work cooperatively with others, souls who delight in inflicting pain on others, or are consumed by feelings of greed, desire for power, self-delusion, self-loathing, fear, and hatred will manifest only more of who they are and what they believe. Until they desire to work creatively for the common good, they will stay in these lower consensus realities where the only harm they can inflict is on themselves.

It’s important to understand that souls are never damned to darker afterlife regions due to moral choices or because they have committed some mortal sin.  In a sense, these spirits inhabit these hellish realms because either they want to, or feel likewise compelled due to unresolved psychological or karmic issues. Here, they are free to indulge themselves in these baser feelings and emotions as long as they wish without any external judgement, however they will be indulging themselves in planes where all of the inhabitants share the same qualities. Thus, the bully finds himself in a reality that is shared only by other bullies.  They can exercise their power struggles with each other until they realize the futility of their actions.  As soon as they no longer wish to be in this environment and are ready to face up to their actions, they are given the guidance to leave.

“There are hellish regions in the astral, and large populations that make their home there.  What is sometimes referred to as the Shadow-lands is a vast world of many conditions.  The landscapes vary from sordid city neighborhoods to parched, gray scrubland to dark, lifeless deserts.  The vivid clarity of higher realms is missing.  Instead there is a dull overcast.  Temporarily lost or confused or stubbornly unrepentant souls populate these regions. […] Missionary spirits minister to souls in the Shadowlands.  Residents can free themselves if they are willing to face up humbly to their errors and crimes and repent them.  Some do; and most, perhaps all, will eventually.  But many jeer at their would-be helpers and seem to prefer their dull lives over the challenges of higher worlds they are frightened of. […] Some spirits tell us that no spirit remains forever in the dark regions.  But God will never interfere with our free will.  S/he will invite tirelessly, but will never force.”

–The Afterlife Unveiled, Stafford Betty, Ph. D, 2011

The following is the description from the perspective of a spirit who ministers to these lost souls.  His name is Robert Hugh Benson and spent his earthly life as a Catholic Priest.  After he died in 1914, he communicated through the famous medium Anthony Borgia about his new afterlife job as a spiritual counselor.  This is the description of one of his visits:

“We saw no flowers, no trees, no dwellings, and everywhere seemed bleak and barren.  There was no sign on human life, and life seemed to be rapidly disappearing from beneath our feet, as by now the grass had ceased altogether, and we were upon hard ground.  We noticed, too, that the temperature had fallen considerably.  Gone was all that beautiful, genial warmth. […]

We could see, as we walked along, whole bands of seemingly demented souls passing on their way… their bodies presented the outward appearance of the most hideous and repulsive malformations and distortions, the absolute reflection of their evil minds… The multitudinous sounds that we heard were in keeping with the awful surroundings, from mad raucous laughter to the shriek of some soul in torment – torment inflicted by others as bad as himself.”

-Spirit Communication from circa 1914 through medium Anthony Borgia of Robert Hugh Benson from The Afterlife Unveiled, Stafford Betty, Ph. D., 2011

The Afterlife of Traumatized, Damaged or Victimized Souls

When a soul has just left an extremely difficult life, such as one involving addiction, abuse, or violence, they can bring these feelings of hopelessness, self-loathing, fear and pain with them to the afterlife.  These poor victimized souls will have been greeted by spirit guides and loved ones upon death, but may have for some reason rejected this show of love and acceptance or have been unable to connect with them at all.  Until souls are ready to forgive themselves and others and release these feelings of deep anger, remorse and pain, they will exist in a dark and dismal world that reflects their trauma.  As we will see, even our own appearance changes in response to the quality of our character in the afterlife, for our image in the afterlife always reflects the way we see ourselves.  The good news is that souls both living and in spirit are dedicated to helping these tragic cases let go of the painful memories and ascend into places of love and welcoming.

Jurgen Ziewe is one such person who is so adept at traveling to afterlife regions during deep meditation and OBE experiences that he has been called to help those he has found in the most hopeless of situations.  He wrote about his experiences in various afterlife realms in his book Vistas of Infinity – How to Enjoy Life When You are Dead.  In this OBE, he has found himself in one of the lowest afterlife regions – a place of hopelessness and utter despair:

“As I drew closer the appearance of those people reminded me of zombies from a horror movie, except they were not aggressive or threatening, they just looked hideous and rather depressed.  They were more preoccupied with themselves than paying me any attention.  I could not detect a single iota of positivity radiating from them.

Their sight made me feel rather sorry for them and instinctively I picked out one character among them who was covered in horrid green scabs with skeletal features showing through the hideous surface of the diseased skin.  […] Despite the hideous disfigurement I could identify the character as female.  She had no hair, instead her emaciated skull was covered in crusty, diseased scabs. […]  All I could feel was great sorrow and pity for her as she turned away from me when I approached, trying to conceal her shame, panic and anguish.  Nevertheless I approached her with resolve.

‘Do you know where you are?” I asked her.  She flashed her attention toward me, fearful and nervous.[…]

‘I seem to be stuck in a horrible nightmare and I don’t know how to wake up,’ she said.

Just by looking at her I could read her like an open book.  I immediately knew that she was a prostitute and had died from a heroin overdose.  Her life had been wretched and miserable and only the drugs she was addicted to had offered her a very fragile and temporary relief. […] Over time all positive impulse had disappeared from her life as her existence descended into a living nightmare.

‘I am sorry to say, but you have died,’ I said straight out, almost surprising myself by my directness; but there was no other way of approaching the subject.  She looked at me in horror.  I touched her shoulder as I tried to ease the blow.  She pulled away and tried to hide her face from me in her hands. […]

Never before in all my life, neither in these dimensions nor Earth, had I had such a close encounter with human depravity, and yet all I could feel was a deep sorrow and compassion for such a lost life.  Knowing she was aware of how she must have come across and her state of mind, I put my arms around her and pulled her closer.  She immediately broke down into heavy sobs and her whole body began to shake.  I rocked her gently from side to side and then suggested we should take a little walk, away from her group, and I would explain to her what had happened to her.

Still cradling her in my arm, we walked slowly towards the town center, which was dimly lit.  But even such a dim light appeared to be like a beacon of hope as we walked towards it.

‘You have died of a heroin overdose,’ I told her, ‘but you don’t have to worry any more.  Your life is about to change.’ […].

I let her know that this was a new beginning for her now.  For a start she didn’t have to worry about the wretched company she had kept, the criminal who beat and exploited her and the loveless service she had offered to her clients.

I did my best to comfort her when she broke down in tears again and started sobbing so violently that her whole body started convulsing.  She slowly calmed down and began to tell me that her life had not always been that bad and she regretted the life she had led and the things she had done to other people.

While she cried in my arms the compassion I felt released a deep-felt stream of love coming from my chest and I could see for the first time the hideous scabs from her face and body slowly disintegrating and dissolving and revealing the first semblance of a human being underneath it.  Her tears seemed to wash away the dirt and the sickness that had covered her until now.

Meanwhile, we had reached the town and the streets were lit much more brightly as we arrived.  It was as if a rising sun had cast its first beams of light into the world and had begun to banish the demons of the night.  We stopped in front of a shop, which displayed a large mirror.  I asked her to look into the mirror.  To her astonishment she discovered the human face of an attractive woman, though sill lined; her smile was open and genuine.  Her skin color was the normal rosy complexion of the average human being.[…]

By now it was daylight and we were looking at a part with a green lawn and trees and people wandering about just like in any park on Earth.  I was sadly aware that these were not the bright pastures of paradise, but on the whole a comparatively drab-looking park with big patches of dead grass.  Nevertheless, in comparison to the place we had come from this was some kind of oasis.  I knew it would take a lot longer to adjust and I told her that it was imperative for her to pay attention only to the positive feelings and not indulge in resentment or anger; whenever she felt something that towards her earthly tormentors, she should practice the art of forgiveness and seek out more positive thoughts.

‘A bright future now lies before you, but it is up to you to make good choices with your thoughts and where you place your attention,’ I said.  She nodded and smiled at me, stroking me gently and affectionately with gratitude.”

–Vistas of Infinity, Jurgen Ziewe, 2015

The above example illustrates two important points: even as victims, we can get stuck in hellish worlds in the afterlife when we hold onto our trauma, anger and resentment, but to leave, we only need to change our state of mind.  I find it most interesting that as the woman shed her negativity, she subtly shifted into a different consensus reality, one that matched her more positive thinking.  Although for the purposes of ease and understanding, I describe the afterlife as layers and regions, in reality the afterlife has no three-dimensional representation.  The afterlife is infinite, ever-shifting and takes up no physical space.  We create as we believe, which has no boundaries whatsoever other than what we erect ourselves.

You can be assured that all souls have the opportunity to leave these self-inflicted hells when they are ready.  All they must do is reach out a hand or call for help, and a guide is there instantly to help the soul see that a better way is possible.  However, no soul is ever forced.  Should they choose to remain because they aren’t yet ready to leave behind these dark emotions, they always have the right.

Here’s another example from an Anglican nun named Frances Banks who communicates after death through her friend Helen Greaves.  In this communication, dated 1965, Helen describes visiting a dismal afterlife region to attempt to help a depressed painter:

“At one point she, along with three of her fellow nuns and several protective guardian spirits, encountered one of these regions and talked at length with a French painter reduced to the gutter shortly before his violent death.  There he was, painting.  His smelly hovel was stacked with paintings: They were all the same; all dark, all hideous, all primitive and almost evil in their sardonically clever interpretation of character and all exceedingly ugly.  But there was one strange feature common to all of them.  A door…its dark panels closing away a suggestion of light.  She talks to him:

‘You’re making your own hell, you know.’

He swept out his arm in an eloquent gesture.

‘I never made this‘

‘Not actually, only by your thoughts you have…just as the others have done.’

‘The others here? …haven’t an idea in their heads.  They don’t even know the differences between light and shade. …’

‘And do you?’ I pointed deliberately to the masses of dingy color in his picture.

His temper rose at once.

‘Yes, I do!” he roared.  he stalked across the room, back to his easel, glared at the half-finished canvas on it.  ‘Damn your eyes.  I could paint once.  I did paint I tell you, really paint…”

‘But not now?’

Suddenly he was quiet, anger spent. ‘Could you paint here?” he whispered.

The conversation continues until Frances, with assistance from one of her companions, convinces him to try introducing light into his pictures.  Amazed at the turn of events, he allows himself to leave the dingy street he lives on and walk up towards a hill where the gloom was threaded with a spear of brightness.”

-Spirit Communication in 1965 through medium Helen Greaves of Francis Banks, from The Afterlife Unveiled, Stafford Betty, Ph.D, 2001

Notice how Jurgen Ziewe’s experience in 2011 almost perfectly mirrors the experience of Francis Banks from 1965.   When each convinced the soul to leave the negativity behind, they were able to physically walk into a lighter, brighter and more positive afterlife dimension.

Spirits need not have been subjected to the horrors of an abusive, tragic life to find themselves in dreary afterlife regions. Dying with little hope and love can also land you in a place that many might describe as dull, dreary and depressing, surrounded by other souls who have been so jaded by life that they no longer expect anything better – of themselves, or their environment.  They see around them exactly what they expect to see; though most don’t realize their world is a reflection of their own thoughts.  The key to changing their environment lies in changing themselves, which is as difficult in the afterlife as it is on earth.  When this occurs, and only when this occurs, can a soul leave these dimensions for greener pastures, so to speak.

Again we turn to Jurgen Ziewe and his experiences during his OBEs.  In the following he provides an example of the type of dreary and dull afterlife that awaits the hopeless, loveless and cold among us:

“I was in OBE and clearly in consensus environment, but it wasn’t what I had expected or had wished for.  I was obviously on one of the lowest dimensional subdivisions.  The atmosphere was dark, murky even, just like before nightfall, except that the air appeared to be polluted, with a tangible fog around me that felt like cobweb. […] The place was populated by shadowy people, hiding in dim corners.  The atmosphere was distinctly bland, if not unpleasant.  Through the dark gooey mist I saw the outlines of city buildings, huge windowless industrial blocks.  The streets were dirty and ramps let up to some elevated pavements. […] Finally in the distance, I saw a glimmer of light, it seemed to be illuminated by a small group of people who were tending a bonfire. “

Jurgen continues to describe his conversation with the people who are inhabiting this dreadful afterlife.  They ask him how to leave this place and he tries to explain that they need to ‘lighten the emotion by focusing on an inner serenity that could lift them up.”

“Momentarily, I focused on my heart, which instantly brightened the whole area and gently lifted me off the ground…At once three of the people grabbed my legs and tried to hitch a lift.  I struggled to rise into the air, but the burden became too great.[…] Two of them released me, but the woman with the dark stringy hair clung on to me for dear life.  I shouted to her to focus on her heart to become lighter, but she just stared at me despairingly, obviously not even grasping my meaning.  Knowing that without her inner connection to the light she would only be a burden to herself and me, I suggested she should let go. […] Almost instantly I felt pangs of regret and compassion, and instead of disentangling myself I sank with her back to Earth. […] All I felt was great pity for the people stranded here.  I considered giving a lecture that they needed to start focusing their attention on their hearts in order to leave this region but I knew this would fall on deaf ears.”

–Vistas of Infinity, Jurgen Ziewe, 2015

In this example, the people who are stuck in this afterlife tell Jurgen Ziewe that they have searched every inch of that horrid place looking for a way out, and yet they feel stranded.  The lesson they have yet to learn is that the environment is simply a mirror; to escape the misery of their environment they have to transform from within; recapture the love and hope that they lost and seek enlightenment.  Although Ziewe considers these poor souls stranded, they are not.  Each of these people have guides who love them, and work with them tirelessly but no guide will ever force a spirit do something they aren’t ready or willing to do.  As with all lessons, they must be learned in their own time.

Finally, a word from Dr. Michael Newton, who has regressed souls who have lived through this type of self-imposed exile in the lower realms, and their descriptions thereof:

“[This state is] a vacuum of subjective reality designed by the soul who wants to be alone.  Separated space, away from the soul’s spiritual center, is one of its own making.  I don’t see these souls as being lost in some realm divided from the spirit world where others reside.  The disjunction is mental.  Souls of silence know they are immortal but they feel impotent.  Consider what they do in solitude without help.  they relive their acts over and over again, playing back all the karmic implications of what they have done to others and what has been done to them in their past life.  They may have harmed other or have been harmed by them.  Quite often I hear they feel victimized by events over which they had little control.  They are sad and mad at the same time.  They have to interaction with their soul groups.  These souls suffer from self-recrimination and restricted insight.  I must admit these conditions fall within some of the definitions of purgatory.”

Sartre said, “We have an imaginary self of the world with tendencies and desires and a real self.’ To this statement I would add that of William Blake, ‘Perception of our true self may threaten mergences with that self.’  In their space, souls of solitude have given up their imaginary Self for a large dose of self-flagellation.  Solitude and quiet self-analysis is an important and normal aspect of soul life within the spirit world. The difference here is that these disturbed souls are not yet ready to seek relief from their torment by asking for help, moving forward and making changes.  Its a good thing that these souls make up on a small fraction of the population of souls crossing over each day.”

–Destiny of Souls, Dr. Michael Newton, 2001

When Souls Don’t Realize They Have Passed

“I saw a man arriving in strange surroundings with organic protrusions coming from the walls like unformed hands.  he was escorted by weird creatures, neither human nor animal, who tore at him recklessly and others who pulled on his limbs and finally dispatched him into an elaborate and colorful casket.  He was then delivered into another room.  This other room was an organic cave or the inside of a gigantic alien creature, the walls in rhythmic motion, like they were swallowing a prey, while the colors on the cave walls shifted and blended into different hues in some feverish display.

I looked at my guide brimful of questions.

‘This person has just died as a result of his illness, but he doesn’t know it yet.  He thinks he is dreaming.  What you and I have just done is enter his death environment, or his death dream if you wish.’

‘What is a death dream?’ I wanted to know.

‘This is a release of pent-up energies, of fears and anxieties,’ and he pointed out some fantastic and grotesque entities which seemed to take pleasure at tormenting their new prey.  ‘For some new arrivals this is a bit of a nightmare, especially if they have fought hard to stay alive, mainly because they had a lot of unresolved issues from their life and were desperate to sort them out and finding it hard to let go.  What you are witnessing is their inability to let go and you are seeing it from the other side of their struggle.’

[…] Philip noticed my concern and reassured me that this is not the rule and not as bad as it looks.  ‘You could say that this is no more than a nightmare from which the person will wake, but instead of waking in his physical bed he is most likely to wake in a different bed, possibly surround by caring staff, but on a different dimension.’

–Vistas of Infinity, Jurgen Ziewe, 2015

The average person won’t be lost in the mazes of illusion, thank goodness.  However, in some cases the death was so sudden and unexpected, the newly crossing souls will think they are still on earth.  The guides there to receive them will continue this illusion until they feel the departed souls can handle the truth, which will be relayed in a compassionate and gentle way.

Here’s an example of a couple who drowned in a boating accident and were picked up by guides who specialize in helping spirits who die unexpectedly cross over without disorientation or fear:

“When I got closer, I noticed the couple’s clothes were drenched wet; seaweed was wrapped around their feet and stuck to their bodies.  The woman of the two just seemed to come around and was being consoled by a nurse holding her hand.  I was mystified by the state they were in and the fact that they were wet and covered in seaweed.  I asked the male helper whether he could enlighten me to what was going on.  He smiled and said: ‘These people had a boating accident.  They got caught in a storm, their boat capsized and they drowned, and yes, they are dead, very much so, but they don’t know it yet.  They think they have been rescued and in a way they have.”

Jurgen Ziewe asks how they arrived in this dimension, and inquires about the seaweed and wet clothes:

“They are here because they cried out for help as they drowned.  We went, picked them up and brought them here.  Of course, there is no need for their wet clothes or the seaweed on them, in a way this is just for decoration if you like.’  With that he smiled and I smiled too, noting his sense of pride about the added detail.

‘You have to understand that as far as they are concerned they have been saved from their fate physically.  They are under the impression that they have been pulled aboard by a rescue boat and brought to safety.  With a barely concealed grin the man continued, ‘Sometimes we have to put on a bit of a show to provide continuity from one state to the next.  Imagine how confusing it would be if you found yourself one moment fighting for your life and the next moment being on dry land, fit as a fiddle without a drop of water on you as if nothing had happened.  That could lead to an awful lot of confusion and a bit of a shock.  No, we quickly adjust to a situation and do what is required to give these guys a smooth transition.’

By now the couple had both got up and were gently led away by the two female staff.  The woman was clearly in a state of shock and crying, while the man was eager to thank them for rescuing them.  I knew then that they were in safe hands and probably about to enter a counseling session where they would learn the whole truth about their condition.”

–Vistas of Infinity, Jurgen Ziewe, 2015

Spirits who Refuse to Leave the Earth and Become Ghosts

You may have heard the term “earth-bound spirit”.  It is true that some spirits decide to stay on the earth dimension, but they are never stuck here in the way that the term ‘earth-bound’ implies, rather they are fixated, obsessed, worried, addicted or full of vengeance in relation to something on the earth and therefore refuse to cross into any afterlife dimension.  Everything on the earth, including the earth itself emits an energy that duplicates itself in a thin layer that superimposes itself on top of physical objects.  Spirits can hover in this energy layer, existing in a different vibration and remain unseen  except for the most sensitive physical eyes.  Some spirits can perceive the physical reality as we see it, but most spirits exist in the energy duplicate of their own time.  Sometimes spirits begin to perceive the energy of the present, and it greatly distresses them.  They may act out in their environment in frustration and confusion. This is many times perceived as a haunting by the living.  Instead of resorting to fear, however, we should have compassion for these lost and deluded souls.

Thankfully, there are sensitive people living on the Earth that can and do assist these spirits, along with the spirits own guides, who are ever-ready to help as soon as the spirit desires it. In many cases, the emotion holding a person to the earth is negative, but not in all cases.  Many cases of spirits who become ghosts do so because they feel guilty leaving a loved one behind.  Sadly, in many of these cases, the spirits don’t even realized that the person they feared to leave behind has already died and crossed over.  They remain on the earth, stuck in their fear and guilt when the person they love is waiting for them just beyond the veil.

Jane Ross is a medium who helps spirits cross with the help of her husband, John.  She does this in her home as these spirits make their presence known to her.  She wrote a book of her experiences called “I See Dead People: How I learned to Help Earthbound Spirits”

In this experience, she describes her experience with a sweet woman named Martha, who died before her beloved husband and vowed to wait for him.  Her husband, Alfred, had likely passed away, but Martha, lost in her own world and time, was living in a sort of energy memory where Alfred was still alive and she felt it her duty to stay by his side.

“You seem to be a very happy person, why are still here?” he questioned gently.  “Because I’m dead, dear, ” she replied candidly.  She had a delightfully dry sense of humor.

He asked her if she wanted to move on.  Her answer was heartbreaking, “I think my Alfred needs me,” she purposefully replied.  I could see that Alfred had been her husband and life-long love.  She had devoted herself to caring for him and tending to all of his needs.

“Do you still stay with him?” he asked.

She became serious, “He doesn’t know that I’m there, though.  Sometimes he’ll think he feels me and for the briefest instant, I feel like we’re connected again.” […] “That’s why I stay.  I want to feel that connection again.  I miss him terribly.  That man was my life,” she confessed.  I was deeply touched by the depth of Martha’s love for her husband.  When John suggested that it might be best for both Alfred and herself if she moved on, she seemed shocked at the very thought.  “Move on without my Alfred?!” she quizzically exclaimed.  There was a pause, and then a heavy sigh came out of Martha. “I have to tell you that I’m glad I am dead, because life is just not worth living without him,” she lamented.

After a long pause, John gently suggested to Martha that maybe Alfred had also passed away and had already moved on.  At first she seemed incredulous, “and leave me behind?”  John explained that Alfred couldn’t know that she was still here.  At that moment, it all became clear for Martha.  “He thinks that I’m in Heaven!”

John suggested that Alfred was probably waiting for Martha. […]

Martha required much reassurance.  She wasn’t convinced that her Alfred was waiting for her.  […]  “I think it’s worth having a look. Wouldn’t it be nice to be reunited with Alfred?” [John] asked?

[…] John asked the Angels to lovingly escort Martha into Heaven and asked that Alfred be there waiting for Martha, or if he was still alive, John asked that messenger Angels swiftly carry a message to Alfred stating that Martha was in heaven waiting for him.

“I trust I will find Alfred soon,” she confided in John.  “For the first time in a long time, my sadness is turning into hope.” […] With these final word, Martha peacefully transitioned to Heaven, in search of her beloved Alfred.”

–I See Dead People, Jane Ross, 2011

While the above uses Christian words to describe the afterlife, such as ‘Angels’ for guides, and ‘Heaven’ for the spirit world, the result is the same.  There are other situations where brides refuse to leave because they are still waiting on a husband’s return, or a father who died and refused to leave a pregnant wife.  These are touching stories of loving souls who become ghosts because their love begets fear of abandonment and guilt – situations that we can all certainly relate with.  However, there are darker and more frightening reasons that souls can stay on earth, and in these cases, their obsessions and addictions can interfere with the living in startling ways.

When Ghosts Become Parasites of the Living

Spirits who stay around the plane of earth for reasons of addiction, vengeance or hate can become attracted to the living when they display the same sort of behavior.  In these cases, the disturbed soul can become a parasite, residing in our energy field, promoting these feelings of anger, hate, and fear and affecting the quality of our own lives.  For addicts, this is especially attractive to souls who died likewise addicted; for these parasitic entities yearn to sate themselves again and use the energy field of a human to accomplish it.  In this terrifying example, Dr. Stafford Betty relays the spirit messages of Judge Hatch as he witnesses this behavior in a bar on Earth:

“A young man with restless eyes and troubled face…was leaning on the bar, drinking a glass of some soul-destroying compound.  And close to him, taller than he and bending over him, with its repulsive, bloated, ghastly face pressed close to his, as if to smell his whiskey-tainted breath, was one of most horrible astral beings I have seen in this world since I came out (died).  The hands of the creature…were clutching the young man’s form, one long and naked arm was around his shoulders, the other around his hips.  It was literally sucking the liquor-soaked life of its victim, absorbing him, using him, in the successful attempt to enjoy vicariously the passion which death had intensified.

But was that a creature in hell? you ask.  Yes, for I could look into its mind and see its sufferings.  For ever (the words ‘for ever’ may be used of that which seems endless) this entity was doomed to crave and crave and never to be satisfied.  And the young man who leaned on the bar in that gilded palace of gin was filled with a nameless horror and sought to leave the place; but the arms of the thing that was now his master clutched him tighter and tighter, the sodden, vaporous cheek was pressed closer to his, the desire of the vampire creature aroused an answer desire in its victim, and the young man demanded another glass.”

-Spirit Communication from 1915 through medium Elsa Barker of Judge David Hatch, from The Afterlife Unveiled, by Dr. Stafford Betty, 2011

In the book, “My Life After Life: A Posthumous Memoir”, written by Galen Stoller after he passed with help from a medium who relayed the words to his father, he describes the experience of meeting what he calls “Misanthropic Feeders”, again horrible parasites that dwell around the Earth.  It is difficult to determine from his description if he is describing formally human spirits or something else entirely, but the distinction at that level of depravity is of little importance, in my opinion.

“It was in a portal where I encountered the misanthropic feeders that must attach themselves to humans to survive on earth.  This they do by feeding off the energy of addictions and negative emotions such as fear, literally using the life force of humans as their force field to survive in a place they do not belong.  They are attracted only to individuals who are disconnected from their spirits, and they further encourage that disconnection until the life force is gone.  It was unpleasant to watch these feeders in action, but better to be aware of them than not.”

–My Life After Life: A Posthumous Memoir, Galen Stoller, 2011

After reading such a disturbing depiction, the first question anyone would ask is “How does a person get rid of such a thing?” First, it is very rare to attract a parasitic spirit in the first place, but if you suspect that an outside agent is conspiring to keep you in a situation of addiction or fear, there is still hope. In order to release yourself from the grip of a parasitic spirit, remove their source of attraction.  In other words, improve your life, embrace health and optimism, avoid fear, negativity and destructive behavior and these parasites will no longer be interested in you.  You can also seek the guidance of a reputable energy healer, but without both internal and external changes, it will have little lasting effect.

The Hellish Afterlife of the Unrepentant Evil: Suicide Bombers

Doubtless, many have wondered about the afterlife of murderers, abusers, rapists and other sorts of so-called evil individuals.  In some cases, as difficult as it is to believe, these experiences are pre-meditated and part of a soul contract.  For example, someone who has murdered in a previous life may want to experience the fear and injustice of being a victim in order to truly understand the consequences of their own actions.  In that case, their guides will negotiate, in a way, with an evolved spirit who is willing to play the murderer in an incarnation on earth in order to provide the soul  with that valuable learning experience.  It takes an incredible sacrifice on the part of the soul willing to become a murderer, as the soul will require much healing upon their return after taking a life.  However, it is a good learning experience for both murderer and victim in this role-reversal.  In these cases, both souls will enter healing dimensions upon their return, where they will remember the reason why this contract was agreed upon and reflect on the lessons they have each learned.  There will be no animosity between murderer and victim in these situations.

It is a different situation entirely when a soul become so corrupted by his earthly beliefs that he or she takes on the role of murderer without prior agreement and goes beyond his or her soul contract.  It is considered a serious transgression because their victims were robbed of completing their own incarnational goals. For the soul who is repentant upon crossing over, they must still endure feeling the pain of their victims and bearing the responsibility for all of the lives now impacted by this unexpected death.  After their life review, they will spend an extended period in solitude, likely in a dismal consensus reality, ruminating endlessly on what they’ve done.  Forgiveness from the victim is invaluable to these souls, though if the victim is also stuck in the endless loop of their own grief and anger, both souls will be sequestered for some time until guides can finally mediate the release of their mutual pain and anguish.

For the souls who commit horrible acts of violence against others and cross over unrepentant, the most horrific afterlife scenario awaits them.  In this example, Jurgen Ziewe arrives in the afterlife of suicide bombers.  These are people whose corrupted beliefs led them to commit horrible atrocities on earth, and yet clinging to the belief that their acts would be rewarded, remain indignant and unrepentant.  Jurgen understandably describes this experience as “one of the most horrifying events I have ever witnessed during my long history of Out-of-Body travels and the whole of my life; a nightmare without parallel.”

“[I was transported] almost instantly to the edge of a region that looked like a dark, nineteenth-century industrial park with bleak buildings covering a vast area and large smoke stacks.  But this is not what it really was.  I saw dark, billowing smoke rising from the ground into a black, menacing sky.  As far as my eyes could see I was faced with a place of menacing desolation.  The ground was almost pitch-black with cracks appearing everywhere and porous rough rock strewn over the wide area as if spewed out by a volcano and then cooled down into black ice.  The sky was covered by billowing clouds formed by the smoke rising from the earth, occasionally lit up by sharp angry flashes of lightning releasing ear-shattering thunder, which made the ground tremble. […]

[…] I finally discovered that the evil billowing smoke came from piles of slowly burning human bodies who were wriggling in agony.  In the very first pile I encountered, these twisting, charred and convulsing bodies were stretching their hands and clamoring towards a person who was trapped right in the center of the pile, who himself reached towards the bleak sky, desperately praying for help.  The person was surrounded by the very real thought forms of his victim and the representation of their pain.  However hard he pleaded, his voice never reached past the heavy curtain of smoke that shielded and surrounded him like an impregnable bastion. I quickly noticed that this impenetrable layer was made of regret and the realization that the fate of his victims and their suffering could never ever be reversed or erased.  It was a wall of absolute impossibility built from his victim’s pain and unbearable suffering and the overbearing realization that this was a deed that could never be undone. […]

Then I reached an area where I heard calls to prayer, but it was carried by a sad and lamenting note, unrecognizably distorted.  I then noticed it came from people who had lost their faith, some cursing their god for not keeping his part of the bargain.  Others defiantly and repentantly proclaimed their fanatical belief by yelling it at an unseen enemy who was barring their way into paradise.  Above all a black impenetrable sky responded with red flashes of lightning and roaring thunder.

Then out of the gloom I saw a man approaching me.  He did not look out of place in the sinister region.  He wore what had once been a white gown but was now dirtied by the ashes.  I could see in his face that he was a kind man and devoted to his faith.  As he approached me his hands reached out.  He told he how glad he was that somebody else had finally come to help in answer to his prayer and he praised God for showing such mercy.  He explained to me that he was a helper and faced the awesome task to sort out this mess and rescue some of these poor misguided young people.  He lamented that there were very few people brave enough to enter here and assist him in his insurmountable task.

He directed by attention towards another pile of human remains.  I could see severed arms and legs, heads with their jaws missing and blood and burned cadavers everywhere. The acrid stench of burned human flesh was everywhere.  Right in the middle of the pile was a man wriggling, trying to free himself from the mess, but however hard he tried he sank back into the pile without the possibility of escape.  Every so often he would sound out calling for his God and pleading for mercy, but his prayer had no power.  Instead, every time he uttered the name of his Lord he was confronted with the truth of his deed and how it was in opposition to what his religion had decreed.  And now as soon as his prayer left his lips it was reeled back in almost instantly by the agony of his suffering victims which screamed back at him, and every time it did so he felt their pain and the consequences of his act.  The image of a mother holding her mutilated child rising out of the pile and then sinking back again, a child clinging on to the dead body of its parents, the horror that consumed their whole being, a horse lying dying in the street, a young man staring in disbelief at his mangled body.  All this played back in a feedback loop from which there was no apparent escape.  It was an unending replay, made worse by the realization that there was nothing on Earth or under Heaven that could make this heinous crime undone.

Nothing in stronger than reality.  My solemn friend in his tarnished robes began to see that it was beyond my powers to save these poor victims of their own action. […]

The man cast his head down and looked at the helpless pile of wriggling flesh.  I felt sorry for this man and wished him with all my heart that he could find extra help.I looked at the miserable soul who was trapped in the pile of wriggling and smoldering limbs and felt a wave of sorrow and sincere compassion and then directed my love towards him.  I was surprised by the light emanating from my hand and lighting the region.  In the light I could see faces emerging from many more piles such as this.  Lost anguished souls turning towards me with their hands outstretched, reaching for the light.  That was all I could do, but I hoped with all my heart that in some way it would break the horrific loop and free these people, who in the end were victims themselves.

I walked through the vast killing field of misery, sending waves of light and hoping that through some mysterious way they would do some good and relieve some of this monstrous misery.  While I was doing so I was praying inside my heart that people would learn and understand the key tenet of their religions, which is love and not hate.”

–Vistas of Infinity, Jurgen Ziewe, 2015

There are great lessons we can learn from afterlife experiences of those who take their negativity into the afterlife with them. Whether you are the victim or the perpetrator in the case of abuse, violence, or hatred, death does not release you from dealing with these feelings.  The key to a peaceful afterlife starts with forgiveness.  Forgive yourself for your own transgressions and forgive the people who have hurt you.  Don’t hold grudges.  If forgiveness has been offered to you, accept it at once.  Reach out to family and friends that you may have long-standing quarrels with; for if you hold onto the anger, you risk bringing it with you into the afterlife.  If someone has passed without your forgiveness, send them a prayer so that they may heal and move on.  If you feel that some crimes are unforgivable, remember that in your next life it may be you who needs to be forgiven.

We have all been the killers and the killed, the abusers and the abused.  None have lived on this Earth without going to the dark side now and then, for our spiritual evolution depends on experiencing both the light and the darkness.  To become truly loving, compassionate, generous spirits we need to understand what it feels like to be devoid of these qualities.  This is the nature of consciousness; all is experience and all is designed for learning and growth.  When we have known both selfishness and generosity, our choice to embrace love for others before ourselves will be that much more meaningful.

“The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” -Gandhi

Questions for Reflection

1. Are you holding onto grudges, withholding forgiveness, or holding onto pain from the past that might stall your progress in the afterlife?
2. Do you feel compassion for the fate of the suicide bombers in Jurgen Ziewe’s experience, or are they getting what they deserve?
3. Based on your life right now, if you died tomorrow what do you think your afterlife environment would look like?  How would it reflect your attitudes and current psychology?

Upcoming in Part III…

In part III of the series, we will discuss the beauty and wonders that await the souls who have led lives with love in their hearts, an open-mind and a greater sense of spirituality and unity.  We’ll explore the wonderful reunion of loved ones, determine what makes up a soul mate, and learn about soul groups.. In addition, we will visit the halls of learning, and find out the types of specializations that are offered to souls who advance to the higher levels.  The afterlife of children and animals will be explored, including what happens to our pets when they pass on.  Finally,  we will visit the fantastic realms of recreation, view the  artistry and technology created by imaginative souls who have mastered energy manipulation and the wondrous landscapes created by the joyful hearts and minds of souls who have taken their rightful places as co-creators of reality.

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Summarizing the character and conditions of the Multidimensional Afterlife:

The following three statements are my attempt to summarize the information presented so far on the nature of the afterlife and what defines the dimension that we will find ourselves in after die.  In Part I, I added the first three statements in an effort to create an overall summation of the multidimensional afterlife.  Statements 4, 5 and 6 represents the information presented in Part II.

1 – The afterlife consists of an infinite variety of environments, each with its own set of natural laws, depending on the nature and evolution of its soul inhabitants.

There are regions of the afterlife that look very much like Earth, with cities and libraries and personal residences.  Other areas of the afterlife are so abstract to be completely formless; places of no physicality at all.  The range is almost limitless.  We humans also tend to think of the afterlife as containing only human souls, but animals also have a place, as well as creatures and beings from other planets, mental worlds and worlds with more or less dense physicality than the earth.

2 – The afterlife is not a place of moral judgement and punishment, but of learning and reflection.

Souls are not blessed or damned by an external authority and then placed according to any moral code, but rather a soul will naturally be attracted to a consensus reality that fits with their own spiritual evolution and with souls of a similar kind.  There is no punishment, however, we do take responsibility of lessons not learned during our lifetimes, and so we judge ourselves during our life review.  Repercussions of kind acts are felt from the recipients point of view, as is any pain that we have inflicted on others.  After seeing the results of your actions on others from their perspective, the lessons of our missteps are keenly felt and understood. Guides are always available to help us deal with issues and problems.

3 – Your free will is always maintained and respected.

Priority is given to the free will of the spirit – for better or for worse.  Souls are never forced to do anything until they desire it for themselves or ask for help.  Because we live for an eternity, there is never any rush.  Our guides know that we will eventually desire to move on, progress and learn. We are also allowed to work out any problems or issues at our own pace.  We are always the creators of our own reality, whether here on earth or in the spirit realm.

4. – Death does not release us from unresolved emotions or unrepentant negative behavior

If a soul has lived a life of unbridled lust, greed, selfishness, or have retained the dense emotions of hate, self-loathing, anger or fear, they will be attracted to a dimension that mirrors these psychological states.  Souls are free to stay in these dense realities as long as they wish, but to leave they must work through these issues, let go of the pain, anger and hate and embrace love, compassion and generosity toward others. Only then will their guides assist them in leaving these oppressive planes.

5. – You can only change your afterlife environment by changing your internal perspective

The afterlife reality a soul will initially inhabit upon death is a reflection of their own state of mind.  The afterlife environment is created and maintained by the quality of their own thoughts and emotions.  Although many spirits feel trapped in dark dimensions, they must learn to embrace more positive thoughts before their environment will change accordingly.

6. – Forgiveness for yourself and others is important for spiritual growth and evolution

Whatever issues are unresolved at death must still be resolved after death.  Even victims who cannot release their pain and resentment toward their perpetrators can become stuck in lower dimensions, unable to move on because of their unwillingness to let go of their victimhood.  Souls who have caused harm to others will likewise be stuck in afterlife states that mirror their guilt and regret, especially when a sincere offer of apology was rejected.  In order for both souls to move forward in their spiritual evolution, forgiveness must be forthcoming, both for the soul who harmed, and the soul who has been harmed.  Both people and spirits must learn the art of self-forgiveness, which is as important as the forgiveness of others.