The individuality that is this unique creation, that is you, does not get destroyed. The awake Being within every thing is a singularity, and always has been, and always will be. But your individual soul exists eternally as well. We are all part of what God created. Our individual aware- ness will continue until such time as the drop is joined with the ocean— and you choose, by choice, to remain there, or not.
There is a beautiful continuity that takes place. Your children, your loved ones, your ancestors, your parents -- you will see them. You will know them. And they will welcome you.
You will see others and will associate with those souls that are at a level of capacity and knowledge and consciousness that you have reached.
One of the key things to remember at the moment of passing: "Forget all that you have known. Let go, and go into that most great Light."
We don't have any idea how high a station we may reach at that moment, but I can tell you this: The best possible outcome requires being as detached as possible from everything you know, everything you have done, everything you think you are, and allow yourself to just completely be immersed in that most great light, that divine light.
What holds people back as they transition from this plane to the next, are their attachments, whether it be material, egotistical or what they think they know. So the condition of detachment and purity, and the willingness to completely put one's self into that divine light, takes you to the highest possible state of existence.
What is the difference between achieving those states after death and achieving God consciousness, unity consciousness, in a meditative state in this life?
It depends on the level of consciousness you attain here. It is possible to have experiences and be in a state even on earth that is as high and as extraordinary as anything that can be attained through billions of years of evolution after you leave your body.
On the other hand, for most people, being freed from the body, there is enormous joy, freedom, bliss and new abilities that appear. Within one's own mind, one can manifest everything -- just as you can now visualize a castle -- that castle is real in that realm.
There are no limitations whatsoever.
Now, of course, there are people who have been on this planet who can see something and actually manifest it. While this is unusual, it has happened. But in the astral and causal realm of thought, this is easily done.
Now, the flip side of that is because of the condition of having the physical body, and the suffering that's attached to it, one is propelled to more quickly attain states of spiritual freedom and enlightenment. Being on earth creates opportunities for rapid evolution. This is why life on earth is precious. The ability to reach enlightenment and to attain very high states of consciousness, and to grow as a soul, is much more concentrated on earth than any other phase of existence.
That is the mystery of the material universe. That is why there is the material universe. That is why there is the physical body. And that is why there is the suffering attendant thereto.
Being in the body creates an enormous opportunity to evolve into extraordinary states fairly quickly.
Now, "quickly" means time and time is relative, and when you get into the astral world, time is totally different.
When you are on the other side and you are in that state, it is so beautiful and peaceful, that the search for the infinite home, and the need to find that solace, is not nearly as great as it is in a physical body. Here, there is a daily opportunity for suffering. In a sense, being in a physical body opens to us the superhighway of spiritual evolution - if we chose it!
So the mystery of suffering and sacrifice is very intimately related to spiritual development and the ability to go to great heights of enlighten- ment while on earth. Now, one can go through an entire life of being in a body and never take that opportunity. But still there are lessons to be learned.
Earth is one great big schoolhouse, and there are lessons to be learned and different levels of those lessons. We can avail ourselves of them only if we chose to.
This means that we can go from being in a state of the physical body, and if we have the knowledge and spiritual experience, go to extraordinarily high astral or finer celestial astral levels of existence, or even directly beyond that into the causal realms of pure knowledge—or even completely to the unbounded Being.
Most people choose to be in phases that are in the next step beyond where we are -- from the material world into the astral and etheric -- just because there's more familiarity: there is form. They are more comfortable. It is beautiful. There's tremendous freedom. But eventually, we all pass into a knowledge even beyond that level.
But, if one understands the cosmology and has experienced them on this plane, it is possible to experience the full range of evolution at the time of one's passing.
This is why taking the opportunity to learn about and experience the finer levels
of spiritual development is very important - because then, when you leave your body, your ability to advance through the divine worlds is greatly facilitated.
One might ask, "Well then, what is a ghost?"
A ghost is someone who has left his body, but still has such strong attachments to this plane, that they are 'adhering' closely to some place or person on earth.
Once, while in the emergency department, we had a terrible trauma case with an intoxicated person who died a violent death. Later that night, when the ER was empty, I was sitting at the center station with the nurses. All of a sudden, in the trauma room where this person had expired, the EKG machine turned on by itself, and the cabinets at the back of the room opened and IV bags and supplies begin to fly out!
It was a classic poltergeist. We all knew it was this person, who was able to effect these events through the astral/mental/emotional interface with the material plane. If you understand the cosmology described ear- lier, you will understand the physics of poltergeist.
This angry, confused person was obviously upset and in a rage. So I turned to the divine presence, saw that soul and connected him to Godhead; asked him to leave and ushered him out with some of his cohorts on the other side. And he left.
Now, people ask, "Well, what would be the state of that soul?"
You can't predict that. The evolution of someone who passes from this life to the next is assisted by the intervention of those in a more enlightened state on the other side as well as those still on earth.
This is why praying for the spiritual advancement and enlightenment of those who have passed away is very important.
It is said that there are three primary ways to evolve in these other states after death: First, through the prayer of others here on earth, sec- ond, through the intercession of the enlightened ones on the other side, and third, through doing good deeds here on earth in the name of those who have passed away.
In the future, as I have seen it, this will be routine knowledge, and when people pass to the other side, they will have gathered around them people who will be completely devoted to God and to connecting them to this other state, enabling them to reach the highest possible gradations of the celestial world and enlightenment.
The hell that people speak of are those lower aspects of the astral realm, lower meaning coarser. People of similar proclivities and behaviors, of common energies, coalesce together. Of course, if they leave behind all that they have done, ask forgiveness and let go of everything they have done, turning to the pure, divine Being, such beings can advance.