I sometimes wonder what will happen to me after I’m gone. Oh I know what will happen to my corporeal self. My body will be either buried or cremated.
If the former, I will moulder lifeless in my wooden coffin and the worms shall grow fat upon my substance and gradually decompose to a skeleton, which in turn will slowly decay and crumble.
If the latter, the whole process will be speeded up and that same afternoon I will have become a sort of grey dust or ash (ferrous compounds, calcium and various phosphates etc.) and placed in a neat little niche in the local cemetery or wherever the whim takes my family – scattering the ash in a corner of a foreign field that is forever England perhaps, or over the sea from a ferry-boat or even, heaven forbid, stashed in an urn and placed on the mantle-piece in the living room – by the way, have you met my late father-in-law?
The ancient Pharoes of Egypt used to not only have themselves embalmed and mummified (but not without first having their brains removed – presumably they wouldn’t be needing them anymore where they were going), but also the odd trusted councillor and unlucky servant was put to death and embalmed and even their favourite pets, dogs and cats and hamsters to keep them company on their journey across the sky each day. Oh, and household furniture, oils and unguents and any nick-nacks that they might need, (so that when astonished archaeologists eventually broke into their tombs about three thousand years later they found what looked a huge IKEA warehouse of objects turned into gold).
The Hindus used to carry their loved ones down to the river Ganges and build a large pyre to burn them in cleansing fire. Sometimes the loyal wives of the deceased would let themselves be persuaded to commit Suttee.
Anyway as I was saying I’ve got no problem with all that stuff. I accept the physical aspect of death. No, my problem is what will happen to my immortal soul?
(to be continued)
Comments on: "And death shall have no dominion (1)" (10)
hi tom- that is an incredible painting.
your soul will rest for an agreed period of time, then with your spiritual guide you will decide your next spiritual path- ie, to reincarnate or have a spiritual role. if u reincarnate it will be to address what udidn’t learn in your previous lives.
reincarnation takes place until u reach 7th or 9th heaven, depending upon your beleifs.
i have read many books re this subject and they all seem to indicate the same path.
xdonna
ps. read a book called DEATH WITHOUT FEAR.
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Absolutely wonderful painting Tom, and a great, great post. (Please tell your father-in-law I am very grateful to meet him 🙂 )
I ponder lots and lots on all this “stuff” and get not very far actually.
My latest poem “Through the Wood” posted yesterday suggests my dad’s soul is possibly helping me to write my poems or indeed, is actually growing in my garden :):) I think it’s my way of searching for some continuity…
Christine
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I read the poem about about yr. dad and the fact that you wrote it must mean something, mustn’t it?
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🙂
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You don’t have one.
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But maybe I do.
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If it makes you happy to believe you do, you might as well I guess. If not, you could examine the evidence (I don’t think there is much, but then again we won’t know for sure until we’re dead, and even then, under some religious/philosophical systems, we still won’t know). It makes death seem kind of exciting though!
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Exactly.
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If an “immortal soul” then Something will happen to it.
Your oil portrait is quite good, and Van Gogh-ish.
~ Lily
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Thank you Lily; have a nice day!
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