What do you Beileve Happens when you Die

I find it interesting that people equate what happens in an OBE to what happens at death. Many believe that having an OBE or AP is like experiencing death, but I wonder myself if that is true. Since an OBE or AP happens when we are alive, it may be totally different than what happens when actually die. Or it could be similar. I have the same doubt about NDE's, and I have read many accounts of NDE's. What is fascinaticing to me about NDE's is how similar the experiences are.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
I find it interesting that people equate what happens in an OBE to what happens at death. Many believe that having an OBE or AP is like experiencing death, but I wonder myself if that is true. Since an OBE or AP happens when we are alive, it may be totally different than what happens when actually die. Or it could be similar. I have the same doubt about NDE's, and I have read many accounts of NDE's. What is fascinaticing to me about NDE's is how similar the experiences are.

I believe that upon physical death, the first part of it will be similar to an out-of-body experience...but those experiences only allow one to travel so far, as you are still connected to a physical body in the physical world. When you're physical body actually dies, there is no more connection, which allows your soul to travel to higher planes than that of the astral plane, which is where an out of body experience takes place. This is all just imo of course..

[edit on 2-7-2005 by Shoktek]

I think people believe they will reincarnate or have an after life because it helps them deal with death. I can't bring myself to believe it as it requires faith and I am not religious.

Originally posted by johnnyutah
I think people believe they will reincarnate or have an after life because it helps them deal with death. I can't bring myself to believe it as it requires faith and I am not religious.

It is not all faith. What about those incidents where someone will be born and then they will somehow know a different language or be able to describe the(ir) life in great detail when they lived somewhere else miles and miles away and then they can go to the persons previous family and verify facts.

[edit on 2-7-2005 by xxblackoctoberxx]

Originally posted by xxblackoctoberxx
It is not all faith. What about those incidents where someone will be born and then they will somehow know a different language or be able to describe the(ir) life in great detail when they lived somewhere else miles and miles away and then they can go to the persons previous family and verify facts.

For a long time I had just been an existentialist...but it is kind of hard to continue those beliefs after having a fully conscious experience outside of your physical body, and knowing that you have risen above the physical world, and actually communicating with others who exist in that world. Of course no one will believe it unless it happens to them, but I am content with my own experiences and beliefs, and know it to be real. It is impossible to have such an experience and dismiss it...if it happens to you, you will know it.

How does one go about learning about Astral projection and the like? I am also interested in Esoteric arts, as I believe we are all surrounded by a living force (I know, very Star Warsy, but plausable...) and wish to know how to use it...

Due to the lack of evidence for any soul or spirit, and also due to the fact life itself presents no special fields or auras, but are simply molecules, like rocks or air, I see no reason to assume there is any sort of conciousness beyond death.

The physical world would not allow it, and since we are but physical objects, who use neurons to create thought, when we physically die, our cells cease to store data, and cease to function.

Anything more than that seems like wishful thinking to confront the grim idea of death.

Originally posted by KhieuSamphan
I don't know what it will be like, but I must admit that I have a real fear of physically dying but still being conscious and alone. What happens if, when you die, it is just basically like being in a dark room, alone with your thoughts and inner voice, forever.

I have come up with the same exact thought. At times I want to embrace death just so I can know what it's like, other times I fear it. I guess we wil never really know until the time comes. From what I have heard when you die the activity of your brain skyrockets to full capacity, causing your life force to turn into energy, where that energy goes I am still trying to find out.

I think EVERYTHING has a soul, a tree, grass, people, the world, our universe! Just think about it for a sec, a tree has NO brain, but still manages to sprout roots to find water to grow. Maybe when you die your soul just finds whatever it needs to anchor in a infinte number of dimensions and just goes with it. Maybe in a past life you were a tree growing just trying to find water in the ground to survive. Thats what the soul is about, survival while contributing to your surroundings to help it out in a positive way! Who knows, maybe your suppost to anchor in another dimension where time is slower and there is colors that you could have NEVER imagined in a body that you never thought was possible. just remember this world has a soul, EVERYTHING living has a soul, you just have to put it into perspective.

I'm not very spiritual. Agnostic essentially. Though I am attempting to figure out for myself exactly the nature of my own existence.

While its easy enough for me to believe nothing happens to you at death. Meaning you cease to exist. Reincarnation evidence stops me from claiming this outright.

Being one who has seen UFOs and is certain ETs are coming to this planet discreetly, I have incorporated them into what I would consider the reality of spirituality if spirituality exists. Therefore if "something" happens to you at death, I believe it will be as follows.

Your life on this planet is a test, just as many organized religions claim. However your only set of rules is the law of nature. If you obey them to some degree you will be rewarded and if you fail you will reincarnate to Earth and repeat life here until you get it right. The rules, IMO, boils down to "don't destroy nature". If you follow that, you are allowed to be reincarnated or "upgraded" to a life on a less chaotic, more advanced planet. In essence Earth is a spiritual training planet.

I think the physicist Enrico Fermi and his "paradox" works in this respect. If the universe is as old as we think it is, and I think it is, why is it that there is no contact with other civilizations from distant planets? I think ETs are coming here and I think that Earth long ago has been designated a nature reserve free from intergalactic knowledge and technologies. If spirituality, especially a spirituality that centers on nature's laws enters into the equation, then much as I typed above, human beings exist without outside knowledge as a test to new "soul" initiates. ET visitation most likely has more to do with preserving our natural habitat than anything since Earth is essential to the growth of new souls.

However I am most likely completely wrong.

[edit on 3-7-2005 by Frith]

Have you ever heard of Electronic Voice Phenomena?

Maybe in the afterlife you are really just an astral projection floating around the earth.

religion is not a prerequisite to faith. i have a strong faith in God, Jesus, and Heaven but am not "religion"

religion and faith are two different things. yes religion requires faith but faith does NOT require religion.

With religion you let someone else do the thinking for you, with faith you do thinking, the feeling, and the believing. faith is a very strong thing.

I also always wonder why, if we become some kind of roaming spirit after death, that contact with this previous world is not allowed. Or is it? More than one person I know claiming to be a medium or psychic says they have spoken to spirits and extraterrestrials. Are we to believe these people? Or just dismiss their experiences entirely? And what about ghosts?

I can only imagine the millions of people that have died at what they considered to be an inopportune time. I'm sure many of them wanted to come back for any number reasons (say goodbye, unfinished business, etc.) before leaving for good. But it seems most can't. It's almost as if there's some kind of choice you must make at death as to where to go, and maybe even what to do.

I wonder what your average spirit would say when asked "Could you please explain the whole process of death, and exactly what happens at that time." I have a feeling that the answer would vary somewhat from spirit to spirit, because the whole living and dying experience is so individual, and maybe even unique, just like DNA is in each of us.

I think....

We reincarnate until we do reach enlightenment/nirvana; at that point, we may choose to "come back" and help others attain enlightenment. Prior to this though, we cannot choose how, where, or when we'll reincarnate; this is decided by our previous actions.

Karma is neither a judgemental force nor a picky-choosy force. It just is. As such, there will be consequences for each and every one of our actions....and we won't like some of those consequences.

NDEs are (there may be very, very rare exclusions to this) the results of physiological changes in our bodies; nothing more.

We humans really, really need to "get with the program", so to speak, and get over our fear of death.

We will. all. die.

The sooner we get past the fear of dying, the happier we'll be

Originally posted by Raideur
Due to the lack of evidence for any soul or spirit, and also due to the fact life itself presents no special fields or auras, but are simply molecules, like rocks or air, I see no reason to assume there is any sort of conciousness beyond death.

"The ultimate in optimism is believing that there is no life after death." I forgot the authors name, sorry.

Love and light,

Wupy

What happens when we die has never been a big part of my studies. My concern is mostly with how we live and how we can live better.

But like anyone else I have thought about it, and you cannot study any of the mystic arts, or religion for that matter, without running into all sorts of concepts about death.

I agree with those who have said that there are some remarkable cases of what seems like reincarnation. One that I will always remember involved not only detailed, and verified, information but a set of pictures. The resembalance between the woman with the memories, and the man she felt she used to me was rather striking.

But... I do not think that we understand the mechanism at all. It is just so human to think we have to pass 'tests' or learn specific things to 'advance' I think the truth is a lot more complex than that.

During the peak of my mystic training I did have a number of OBEs, however they did not involve any sort of 'astral plane' and I was able to move around here quite freely. Those experiences did give me a sense that when we die we do not expire.

After my first OBE I realized that I did it when I was a child without understanding what was happening. I never looked back when I 'got up' and so I just thought I was wandering around the house late at night. So when I had my second OBE I made a point to look at myself on the couch. Interestingly enough, other people I talked to at the time expressed that when in that state they had a disdain for their body, 'an ugly piece of meat' as one very talented Witch said. I did not feel that at all, in fact quite the opposite.

If anyone is interested in a non-traditional slant on reincarnation you might want to look at some of Jane Roberts' Seth books. Some of the early ones are fairly basic, but the later ones have a real power to them. I have read everything under the Sun about these sorts of topics and only a tiny fraction of them really affect me, her's did. I am not saying that she got everything right, but I am saying that she was on to something real.


A.T
(-)

[edit on 7/3/05 by Alexander Tau]

I know what happens when you die. Your brain pisses itself with chemicals that make heroin look like aspirin. Every man, woman, and child on earth goes to heaven, for an instant, right before the curtain falls.

Of course the brain has a funny way of keeping time, years can pass in dreams, when you only slept a few hours.

So the instant of death could very well go on forever for your consciousness.

So live without fear, because you never know when you're going to die, and when it finally happens, rest assured it will be the most pleasurable experience of your life.

Science can provide us with some small comfort, just like religion. The difference of course, is that science is an explanation, religion is wishful thinking.

When you die you go into a deep sleep where time does not exist. You wake up in what seems like an instant. You are back where you were when you died. You go on just like nothing happened. The world is exaxtly the same. You have the same family and friends.
You do not know that anything happened.

Whoa, you guys make conclusions off of nothing, I find that sort of disturbing.

I think when you die, it is impossible to know what will happen, but the fact that SOMETHING will happen remains.

Well this thread is called "What do YOU Believe Happens When you Die". So of course we are all thinking theoretically.