Death and Dying, A Spiritual Perspective
by Kevin Core, 2006
Page 7 of 8
The etheric body now detaches itself in gradual stages through the chosen exit until its emergence is complete. It is at this point, as we observe the dying person; they take their last physical breath in the 3-D world. Contrary to popular belief, the vital body which has now been released from the physical sheath does not travel to its next port of call. It is still influenced by the physical body, and this influence can persist for a period of up to three days or longer. As has been mentioned above, the vital body, which is the sum total of the person who has died, minus the physical sheath, is still influenced by that physical body. This can most definitely occur if the person who has died has had a very earthly existence and has been attached to the physical form and physical desires.
Next comes the dissolving of the etheric body itself. As the pull of the soul continues, it causes the energies of which the etheric body is composed to reorganize and withdraw, leaving only the electromagnetic/pranic substance of which the etheric body was composed to return to the general reservoir of planetary pranic substance.
It is worth noting here that the process of cremation is recommended as a way of severing completely all ties to the physical body. Destroying the physical body by fire is a purification process which severs all connection to the physical body by destroying the etheric body. For those members of humanity who conduct a lifetime centered on the dense physical, enjoying material pleasures, and coveting material desires; where the pull of the soul is weak and material attachment is strong, this connection to the physical body can be overwhelming. If the physical body is not destroyed by fire, the attachment of these beings to the physical body can last for many, many years.
Conversely, the person who has done spiritual work and recognized the illusory nature of attachment to the material plane, will make the above transition very rapidly indeed. In either case, when the person has severed all ties to the physical body, they stand in their subtle bodies ready for what Djwhal Khul, through Alice Bailey, calls "The Art of Elimination".
As has been indicated above, at the moment there are three types of human beings in incarnation at the moment. The first is the person who is centered in emotional drama and the astral plane. The second is that person who is heart centered, whose focus is on recognizing that their actions affect others and take responsibility for those actions. The third is the person who has undertaken a spiritual path, who recognizes in consciousness that they are part of a greater life, they are connected to all things as part of that greater life and assume responsibility for that life.
The next part of the process affects each of these three groups differently.
This process is the relinquishing of the astral and mental bodies, so that the recently released incarnated being can once again bathe in the glorious light of their soul.
In the person whose mind is undeveloped and has been centered in emotional drama, the elimination of the astral body can take a long time. It is done by a process of attrition, by re-living over and over again in the dense matter of the astral plane, all of those attachments to feelings and desires created in the recently requited incarnation, until such time as the person in question tires and recognizes the unfulfilment of such desires without connection to a physical body. Most of these desires are created through the animal aspect of the physical body, and without that physical body to feel the desires and experience them all is of no import. It is this recognition which causes the being on the astral plane to finally let go of these desires.
In the person who is heart centered and has developed mentally, the process takes two forms. This person feels their attachment to the mental plane and gravitates to it, letting go in the process of any attachment to emotional desire. Once in the mental body the person becomes aware, at that level, of the glorious light of their soul, however dimly it may shine. This awareness of the soul causes this being to reach out for it, and in doing so shatters the constructed mental body.
In the person who is spiritually orientated, in total consciousness, they focus on two things.
This person clears any attachment to astral matter or thoughtforms by calling in light from their soul. It is this light which dissolves any attachment that this being has to the astral plane. Next, this being is given Words of Power by the Master in whose Ashram he is a member. By sounding these Words of Power on the mental plane, it creates a downpouring of soul power which causes such an expansion of consciousness that it brings about the shattering of the mental body. That being can now stand free in the Ashram of their Master and bathe in the light of their soul
At this point, depending on which of the three groups the person is centered in, activities ensue that creates the future path for that person. Again, the mechanics of this is known but is not part of this article.
Some words here about the space that you find yourself in when all connections to the physical body have dropped away. Space and time as we know it no longer exists. A timelessness ensues which brings a clarity unknown to us in this physical incarnation. For those beings polarized in the emotional body they turn their attention totally on that body to work out unfulfilled desires.
For the person who has been heart centered, as the sense of time drops away they see the past, the present, and the future presented in one moment. Both for the being polarized in the emotional body, and being who has been heart centered, and is polarized in the mental body, as the timelessness is recognized, in that moment there is a soul contact. The whole of the incarnation that being has created is revealed. The three major conditioning factors in that incarnation are presented, and all else drops away and fades out of their memory. It is these three major conditioning factors that dictate the next incarnation that being will take.
In all traditions there is a description of a place we end up when we die. Some call it heaven, various indigenous peoples have other names for it, the Theosophists call it Devachan. In all cases it is a description of a place we go to enjoy the fruits of good deeds. This is a misinterpretation. As the person going through the experience makes that soul contact, and timelessness is revealed, the eternal Now Moment is presented in all its glory. As we travel through incarnation after incarnation, we come to recognize that all exists in a single point of infinite glory, beauty, and existence. For the person who has developed heart centeredness and the initiate, the full import of this is now moment is revealed causing an upwelling of ecstatic bliss. As this moment exists out of time as we know it, contacted from the 3-D realm, it appears to be infinite, eternal, without end. This is the heaven that is talked about.
For the spiritual person, the path that leads to death is a familiar one. They have spent a lifetime connecting to the higher planes, recognizing themselves more as Spirit than as the incarnated human being. They have spent many hours in meditation, raising their consciousness to connect with the Divine. They embrace the fact that we have many incarnations in the 3-D realm, and they recall into consciousness the many times that they have died before. Death has no fear for this person, because they know that death is life, and life is death. The death is not an ending but a return home where the glory of their soul waits with open arms to welcome them back.
They know that the call to return has come for two reasons, either the physical body is no longer capable of holding their consciousness and in some way has worn out, or that their mission in 3-D has finished and they are being recalled to join the Masters on the higher planes. In either case, the person submits gladly to the process and looks forward to meeting old friends again.
As death approaches, the person spends more and more time in meditation. They recall life's lessons and their reaction to them. They search for any attachment to thoughts and desires connected with the 3-D realm, and release those attachments. As they contemplate this lifetime they will start to feel if the path of return is there for them, and they will start to do the work to construct the next body that they will inhabit. They will bend their will to constructing the most perfect physical body that they will need to learn the lessons of the next lifetime; they will imprint on that body all the knowledge of the mysteries that they have learnt in this lifetime.
They tread, through meditation, the path that they will walk when they take their last breath, the process listed above. They will know where they are going and, understanding the process, and will walk the path unmolested by any being so that they may end up in the Ashram of their Master.
hey recognize that their approaching death is not a separation from their loved ones, quite the opposite. They know that once they leave the physical body they will be able to connect to their loved ones in a more powerful way, to know their hopes and fears and to guide them through those. In this lifetime they have connected to the deeper aspect of every person they have met, and as such, that imprint will accompany them on their journey undisturbed.
