A Monthly exploration in spiritual awareness: August
1, 2026
Throughout
human history, people approaching the end of life have reported experiences
that seem to reach beyond the boundaries of the physical world. Some speak of
seeing family members and friends who passed away many years before. Others
describe hearing a familiar voice, feeling a loving presence beside them, or
seeing someone standing near the bed whom no one else can see. These encounters
are often described not with fear, but with peace, recognition, and even joy.
It sometimes appears that those who have already completed their earthly
journey have returned to reassure the person preparing to make the transition, and
perhaps to let them know that someone on the other side has remembered to leave
the porch light on.
People who are
grieving also sometimes report unusual experiences after the passing of someone
they love. They may awaken from a vivid dream feeling that an actual
conversation has taken place. They may suddenly smell a familiar perfume, hear
a meaningful song, discover an object in an unexpected place, or feel a
comforting presence during a moment of sadness. Some call these experiences
signs, visitations, or communications from the other side. Others understand
them as expressions of memory, emotion, or the subconscious mind. Whatever
explanation we give them, such moments can bring healing and remind us that the
bonds created by genuine love are not easily broken. Love, it seems, may have a
communication system that works even when there are no bars, no Wi-Fi, and no
password to remember.
We should approach
these experiences with openness, compassion, and humility. It is not necessary
to prove or disprove another person’s spiritual experience. What matters is the
meaning and comfort it brings. When someone nearing death says that a departed
loved one has come to visit, perhaps the most loving response is not to correct
them or dismiss what they see. We can listen, hold their hand, and allow the
experience to unfold. After all, if Aunt Martha has traveled all the way from
the Great Beyond to make a visit, it would seem rather impolite to tell her
that she is not really there.
There are mysteries
in life that cannot always be measured, analyzed, or explained. Some things may
be understood only by the heart. We do not fully understand consciousness,
dreams, intuition, or the invisible bonds that exist between people who love one
another. We can send spacecraft millions of miles into the heavens, yet we
still sometimes walk into the kitchen and forget why we went there. Human
knowledge is remarkable, but we clearly have a few things left to work out.
The truth is that no
one knows with absolute certainty what happens after we die. Religions have
offered visions of heaven, resurrection, reincarnation, reunion, eternal life,
and oneness with the Divine. Philosophers have considered whether consciousness
continues independently of the body. Scientists continue to study near-death
experiences, the brain, and the nature of consciousness. Yet the final mystery
remains. Every belief about the afterlife contains an element of faith because
death is a doorway through which each person must ultimately pass for
themselves. There are no travel brochures, customer reviews, or videos titled
“Ten Things You Must See in the Great Beyond.”
Perhaps what comes
after death is unique to each individual soul. Just as no two people experience
earthly life in exactly the same way, perhaps no two souls experience the
transition in precisely the same manner. One person may experience reunion with
family and friends. Another may experience a deep merging with Spirit or
universal consciousness. Another may enter a state of rest, peace, learning, or
renewal. Perhaps some of us will be met by angels, while others will be met by
a beloved grandmother saying, “There you are! We were beginning to wonder.”
The next experience
may somehow be shaped by the consciousness, expectations, love, and spiritual
understanding we have cultivated during this life. Or perhaps it will be so
magnificent and unexpected that none of our present ideas can adequately
describe it. A child in the womb could never imagine sunsets, symphonies,
birthday cakes, ocean waves, friendship, dancing, or laughter. In the same way,
we may be unable to imagine what exists beyond the limits of our present
awareness.
There is nothing
wrong with honestly admitting that we do not know whether there is life in the Great
Beyond or exactly what such a life might be. Spiritual faith does not require
us to pretend that we possess answers we do not have. Faith can be a
willingness to trust the mystery. It can be the quiet understanding that life
has carried us through every change so far and that whatever awaits us will be
another expression of the same infinite process.
We entered this
world without knowing what life would hold. We arrived with no luggage, no
instructions, very little hair, and absolutely no idea who any of these people
were. Yet we discovered relationships, beauty, purpose, sorrow, growth,
laughter, and love. We learned to walk, communicate, work, create, and find our
place in the world. Perhaps death is another birth into an existence we cannot
presently imagine. And perhaps, just as at our first birth, someone will be
there to welcome us, although hopefully without all the bright lights and
commotion.
A positive spiritual
approach is to think of the next life, should there be one, as a new adventure
rather than a frightening ending. We might imagine awakening into a wider
reality where the soul is no longer limited by the physical body. Perhaps there
will be new opportunities to learn, explore, create, and experience love.
Perhaps there will be laughter that is even freer, joy that is even deeper, and
happiness that is no longer interrupted by fear, illness, bills, traffic,
passwords, or automated telephone menus telling us that our call is very
important.
Why should we
assume that the next life must be solemn or unfamiliar? Perhaps there are
celebrations in the great beyond. Perhaps there are reunions filled with
laughter. Perhaps old friends greet one another with the same affection they
shared on earth. Perhaps families gather again, telling familiar stories, although
one would hope that, in heaven, people finally stop arguing about who said what
at Thanksgiving dinner in 1987.
If the creative
Intelligence of life has given us sunsets, music, flowers, friendship, humor,
imagination, and the ability to love, it is reasonable to hope that whatever
comes next may also contain beauty and delight. Joy is not merely a distraction
from spirituality. Joy may be one of the clearest expressions of Spirit.
Laughter lifts the heart, relaxes the mind, and reminds us not to treat every
temporary problem as if it were the final truth of our existence.
Our loved ones who
have passed away may not be gone in the deepest sense. Their physical form is
no longer present, but their influence continues. Their words live in our
memories. Their kindness appears in the kindness we extend to others. Their
laughter echoes whenever we remember a joyful moment. Their expressions and
mannerisms sometimes appear in their children and grandchildren, which can be
touching, surprising, or mildly alarming, depending upon which relative they
resemble.
The lessons our
loved ones taught us become part of the way we live. Love changes form, but it
does not necessarily disappear. Even when we cannot see someone, the
relationship may continue within consciousness, memory, and Spirit. A person
may no longer sit at our table, yet the love they gave us continues to nourish
us. Their physical voice may be silent, but their wisdom may still speak
whenever we face an important decision. Sometimes we can almost hear them
saying, “I told you so,” which may be further evidence that personality
survives.
Thinking about death
should not cause us to withdraw from life. Instead, it can awaken us to the
preciousness of every day. Because this physical experience is temporary, we
are encouraged to speak the words of love we have postponed, forgive what no
longer needs to be carried, and enjoy the simple blessings that surround us. We
can laugh with those we love, sit quietly with someone who is lonely,
appreciate the beauty of the natural world, eat the good dessert occasionally,
and express gratitude for the opportunity to be alive.
The possibility of
another life should not cause us to neglect this one. This life is the
adventure presently before us. It is here that we have opportunities to love,
serve, create, heal, and grow. It is here that we learn compassion through
difficulty and gratitude through joy. The best preparation for whatever comes
next may be to live this life with an open heart. When we practice love now, we
create within ourselves a consciousness of love that no transition can take
away.
For those
approaching the end of life, there can be great comfort in knowing that they do
not have to face the journey with terror. They may think of it as moving from
one room into another, stepping through a doorway, or awakening from a dream
into a greater awareness. They can trust that the same Presence that has been
with them throughout life will be with them in the moment of transition. Spirit
does not abandon us at the doorway simply because we have reached a destination
that does not appear on our GPS.
They can release the
body with gratitude, knowing that every meaningful experience, every act of
love, and every lesson learned has become part of the soul’s continuing story.
The body has carried us through childhood, work, relationships, celebrations,
disappointments, illnesses, recoveries, and countless ordinary days. It
deserves our appreciation, even if in later years it begins to creak, complain,
and produce mysterious sound effects that we do not remember authorizing.
For those who remain,
grief is natural because love feels the absence of physical presence. We should
never rush grief or tell someone that spiritual belief should prevent sorrow.
Tears are often evidence of love. Spiritual understanding does not mean that we
will not miss someone. It means that beneath our sorrow, we may hold a quiet
hope that love continues and that separation is not the final chapter.
Even in sorrow, we may
remain open to the possibility that our loved ones continue in ways we cannot
see. We may speak to them in our hearts, remember them with gratitude, and
allow their love to inspire the way we live. Whether or not they hear us as they
once did, the love we express is still real and healing. And should they hear
us, they probably already know most of what we are going to say. But loving
relationships have always involved repeating ourselves from time to time.
Perhaps one day each
of us will discover the answer to the great mystery for ourselves. We may open
our eyes in another realm and realize that death was not an ending at all. We
may find those we loved waiting to welcome us. Or maybe not. We may laugh at
how small some of our fears once seemed. Or perhaps we will enter a peaceful
state beyond personality and form, returning to the infinite Spirit from which
all life comes.
Whatever the truth may
be, we can approach it with humility, courage, curiosity, hope, and a healthy
sense of humor. Humor does not diminish the sacredness of life or death. It
reminds us that the soul may be greater than our fears. A smile can be an act
of faith … a declaration that even in the presence of mystery, joy still
belongs to us.
Until that day, let us
live well. Let us love generously, forgive freely, laugh often, and treasure
the people who share this earthly journey with us. Let us remain open to
mysterious experiences that bring comfort without demanding that every mystery
be explained. Let us appreciate this life, with all its beauty, confusion,
surprises, detours, misplaced glasses, forgotten appointments, unexpected
bills, and equally unexpected blessings.
And when the time
comes to release this life, may we do so with confidence that we are not
stepping into darkness, but moving toward the unknown light of a new adventure.
Perhaps that adventure will offer new opportunities for peace, love, laughter,
joy, happiness, and discoveries greater than anything we have yet to imagine.
And perhaps, when we arrive, someone we love will be waiting to embrace us,
welcome us home, and say with a smile, “You are not going to believe what
happens next.”
Keep the faith!
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