For the Love of Friends

Someone I admire and respect is experiencing something awful - the prospect of a friend's death. I won't give you the details; they are not mine to give.

I want to share my beliefs on death; something I'm comfortable doing here, but not giving him directly. They are my beliefs and I will not impose them on anyone.

Yes, I hope he reads this entry, just so he will know his difficulty is breaking my heart.

Since I understood the concept of death, I have believed that our Spirit leaves our bodies and goes...somewhere. The idea of 'somewhere' has changed a lot over 30 years. I suppose a lot can change in 30 years. Initially the somewhere was Heaven. But, then, I realized I'd have to believe in a polar opposite and I couldn’t fathom the concept of Hell. Biggest reason: I couldn't understand why a "all knowing, all seeing, all loving God" would allow His creations (people) to be in such agony. That's about the time I started my journey into Earth-Religions.

After experiencing Earth-bound Spirits and a few other 'anomalies', I understood more about the separation between our bodies and our Spirits/Souls. It may sound trite, but, I do believe that the death of our bodies is just another transition for our Spirit/Soul. I've experienced myself that Spirits do sometimes have more 'work' to do for those of us in this Life and Universe. My Grandfather knew my Daughter was growing inside of me when his body died. His Spirit stayed with me and eventually moved to watch over my Daughter for the first several years of her life. I don't know if his Spirit has moved on to another life, or if he is just 'hanging out' waiting for his next 'assignment'.

It is long and complicated, I know. I cannot believe that the Life within someone just goes away. Each person is different and unique and may have some of the same qualities, attributes, or mannerisms as someone we once 'knew', but they are not the same 'person'. Spirits are placed in people's lives - and at times in our hearts - because they are still on the Learning Path, and they help us in our Learning Path. I don't know when the learning is over or where Spirits go once they have completed their missions. I trust the Goddess and the God to know these things and to take care of it.

I still do not believe in a Hell. I cannot say I don't believe in Heaven - perhaps it is more a Heaven-like place.

I sincerely believe that the friend of the person I respect and admire has a Spirit that will need to return...if only to give this respected man comfort.