Demystifying the phenomenon of death

According to Kardec, in the apportionment of the happiness to which all men aspire, the good and the wicked could not be confounded together.

 
The inevitability of death is an issue that bothers and scares most of the planet’s population. Even among us spiritists, the theme causes - to put it mildly - discomfort in many.Common sense suggests that the overwhelming majority of people - that is, incarnated spirits - are not properly prepared to face this moment. In general, we "postpone" thinking about the subject as much as possible. And such behavior does not cease to be somewhat paradoxical given that according to research conducted by Datafolha¹, 60% of Brazilians believe there is life after death.

However, we are constantly reminded - through the innumerable events that surround us - that our time too will come sooner or later. That said, the end of physical (bodily) existence should be viewed in a rational way by us all. After all, the human body; like every organic machine with the passing of time; starts to show signs of fatigue, exhaustion and the cells begin the process of breaking up until complete extinction of the vital fluid.

There is no way to stop this process indefinitely, despite the increasingly significant advances in science, medicine and aesthetics have helped in the prolongation of human life, with beneficial effects on quality of life in general. Thus it is worth noting the significant increase in life expectancy of the Brazilian population, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).Reports from this institution reveal that in the 1940’s the average life expectancy in Brazil was only 45 years. As for the current year the forecast jumped to 73.7 years of age and for the end of the century, it is estimated to be around 84.3 years of age.²

In short, we all have a predetermined time to fulfill our mission here on Earth, though we do not know how long it will be. However, consider how well the Spirit Brother Joseph ponders:

"The essence survives. The seed dies and a flower is born, the flower dies and the fruit comes, which contains in itself its own immortality "³  

The Master appeared to His beloved disciples on several occasions 

Furthermore, the mentor also asserts that "Nothing disappears in the economy of the Universe" .⁴ 

Therefore, the fundamental point is knowing that we will live, ultimately, forever. Our individuality will prevail even in different contexts or dimensions. To those who still cherish doubts - despite numerous scientific evidences - it is worth remembering, for example, the glorious view of Mount Tabor - testified, moreover, by the apostles Peter, James and John - reported in the Gospel:

“There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:2-3)

It is noteworthy to highlight that in this episode described by the Apostle, Jesus spoke with two characters who had long left the "world of the living”. To better explain, Moses had lived between 1592-1474 B.C. and Elijah between 874-852 B.C.  Therefore the message of immortality of the Spirit was absolutely clear. The episode was so outstanding - representing, without a doubt, one of the largest demonstrations of mediumship manifestation we have news of - Peter, enraptured, "... said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”  (Matthew 17:4-5).   Furthermore, chapter 20 of John's Gospel is completely dedicated to the resurrection of the Master.In verse 17, for example, we read a unique dialogue between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. It was up to her, in fact, probably as a reward for her enormous effort of self-enlightenment, the honor of being the first person to see Jesus after his death, that is: "Jesus said to her: Do not detain me, I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to my brethren and tell them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, my God and your God”.

The Master later appeared to his beloved disciples on several occasions. In one of these occasions he even invited Thomas, holding his hands as he leaned towards skepticism. Perhaps the most striking of all his post death appearances was when he appeared to the so called 500 from Galilee, as described by the Spirit Humberto de Campos in the work entitled Good News. 

The notion of purgatory is not part of Islamic conceptions 

The Spirit of Joanna de Angelis, in its turn, explains that the fear of death is due to "... ignorance about life”.  She adds that: "The fear of death, somehow, is atavistic, coming from the cave, when the biological phenomenon happened and primitive man did not understand it, not knowing the reason for its occurrence".⁵

On the other hand, the anchors of religion threw more darkness than light on the subject. Without having the pretention to undertake a comparative study of the various religions and, from now recognizing the value of each one, we recall some key aspects of some of them with regards to the matter under consideration. Thus, the Christian religions – it is worth noting - do not accept the possibility of a second chance or reincarnation.  For them, in fact, hell is forever, and after the Last Judgement, the souls from purgatory and heaven will be resurrected.

Similarly, Islam also accepts that death leads to eternity. That is, the soul is also waiting for the day of Judgement where it will be judged by the Creator. Then you can go to heaven or hell, depending on your behavior in life. The notion of purgatory is not part of Islamic conceptsIn Judaism, the dead are driven to the Sheol, a sort of limbo to await the Last Judgement (as we see, this notion is present in many popular religions). For Orthodox Jews, however, the expected return of the Messiah will raise them all.

The Spiritualist religions, in turn, provide a very partial level of information about the topic. Indeed, in Hinduism it is believed that reincarnation occurs immediately after death, which is not correct. In Buddhism, in its turn, the discarnate being can reach the so called Pure Land - the area of ​​enlightened wisdom. The kind of reincarnation that will ensue in the future will depend on each individual. In the Buddhist view, the individual may return in the heavenly realms, as humans or animals. The idea of a human being reincarnated in the body of a dog (metempsychosis), for example, would be to condemn someone who has already reached the hominid kingdom to an unjustifiable and inappropriate regression, that is, something totally incompatible with the laws of evolution. In Spiritism finally, the soul returns to the spiritual world⁶ where, as Jesus asserted: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? “(John 14: 2). 

The reality of the afterlife is the fruit of our actions in this life 

Indeed, the Spirit Andre Luiz discovered in his investigations on the spiritual plane that a few incarnate can exactly accomplish the allotted time. In fact, throughout incarnation we usually go on doing many inappropriate things, as well as following a lifestyle that ultimately end up “shortening our time”. "In more extreme cases, we commit suicide. Therefore we will go on to discarnate because of incurable diseases, violent death, incorrigible disability of an organ, an unexpected accident (collective or individual), neglect of our own health (drug addicts and alcoholics are in this group), due to the absolute wear of the organic machine or suicide.

Thus, we must not fear death itself, since it is inevitable, but what comes next. That is, under what conditions we will return to spiritual home? If for the expressed reasons we cannot stop death, we must prepare ourselves for the next level. Quite appropriately, the question No. 961 of The Spirits’ Book addresses this issue - that is, "What is the predominant sentiment at the moment of death? Is it doubt, fear or hope?  Doubt with the hardened skeptical; fear with the guilty; and hope with the good."

In question No. 962, Allan Kardec was even blunter, but let's see: 

"How is it there are skeptics, since the soul imparts to each man the sentiment of spiritual things?  “There are fewer skeptics than you suppose. Many of those who, from pride, affect scepticism during lifetime, are a good deal less sceptical when they come to die".⁷

Kardec concluded that the reality of the afterlife is a result of our actions in this lifeHe also argued with clarity: "Reason and our sense of justice tell us that, in the apportionment of the happiness to which all men aspire, the good and the wicked could not be confounded together. God could not will that some men should obtain, effortlessly, blessings which others only obtain through persevering exertion".⁸ 

Nobody is able to dodge death, however much one tries 

Hence nothing is more attuned to the notion of spiritual reality than the thought of Paul, according to which God will reward us accordingly to our works. In this sense, Jesus Christ instructed us in a very clear manner as to not store up “... where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19). But to store up “... treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20).  So we fundamentally have to worry about what with we're building over there.

Strictly speaking, the proud and authoritarian should fear future life as “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18). The petty and avaricious, the lustful and wanton perpetrators of excesses of all kinds, the transgressors of the laws and the wicked, the agents of destruction and villainy, the hypocrites and maledictive, the reckless, the irresponsible and the suicidal, should be concerned with the spiritual reality,

Hence, it is worth recalling the sad condition that the Spirit André Luiz - to whom we owe so much for his highly enlightening accounts of life in the hereafter -  returned to the spiritual homeland. André, by the way, suffered eight years at the Lower spirit zone. When he was capable of being seen by a doctor from the Beyond, the diagnosis was irrefutable, as our unfortunate fellow’s gastric apparatus had been destroyed by the excesses of food and alcohol intake, apparently without importance. Syphilis had consumed his vital energies. Unfortunately, André’s condition was that of a one who had unconsciously committed suicide.⁹

Finally, as Joanna de Angelis explains in her book "Nobody is able to dodge death, however much one tries".¹⁰ But we can and must strive to return to the higher world in better conditions.

Sources: 

1. SALVADOR, A. The Esoteric Brazil. Veja magazine, No 2182, 15^th September 2010, page 144.

2. IBGE. Projection of Brazil’s population by gender and age 1980-2050.

3. BACCELLI, C.A. (By Spirit Brother José). Better Days. Uberaba: MG, Liv. Espírita Editions “Pedro e Paulo”, 2004, page 183.

4. Idem, ibidem, page 184.

5. FRANCO, D.P. (By the Spirit Joanna de Ângelis ). Surrender yourself to God. Catanduva: SP, Intervidas, 2010, page 89.

6. CARELLI, G. The living and other lives. Veja magazine, No 1904, 11^th May 2005, pages 116 and 117; MENDONÇA, M. The new Spiritism, Época magazine, no 424, 3^rd July 2006, pages 68 and 69.

7. KARDEC, A. The Spirits’ Book(Translation by Guillon Ribeiro). Digital version. FEB, 2007, page 307.

8. Idem, ibidem.

9. XAVIER, F.C. (By the Spirit André Luiz). Nosso lar ( aka The astral city). 9^th edition. Rio de Janeiro: RJ, pages 27 and 28, 1965.

10. FRANCO, D.P. Op. cit, page 90.