What Happens When We Die?

I’ve been thinking lately that movies and TV often seem to have hidden meanings — a deeper message hidden within. In the latest Star Trek movie, there is a message about the profound friendship between people who seem to be very different — Kirk and Spock. In the classic Star Wars, “the Force” is introduced and an epic fight between good and evil takes place. Okay, you guessed it — I like science fiction!

Today, in quite a blinding flash of insight, I realized something profound, and there’s an analogy using the movie Avatar. Hopefully, you have seen it, but if you haven’t, watching the trailer below may help.

Consider these age-old questions:

What is the life force? What happens when we die? What makes us conscious?

In James Cameron’s vision of the future, man has invented a technology that allows him to psychically enter an avatar and live life through it. Humans, like the hero Jake Sully, connect to an avatar through a neural interface that allows them to receive sensory input from and control the Na’vi body, experiencing everything it feels. Life on Earth is very similar.

There is a spark of life within each and every one of us, that makes us alive. This essence of life, which we may call the Soul, Spirit or life force is Source (some might say “God”) living through us. Animating us. Like humans using Na’vi avatars. Source, the Spirit of All-That-Is, comes into a human body to live life fully and experience everything it means to be human — joy, tears, happiness, pain, love. Source feels everything because it has the perfect “neural interface.” When we lose consciousness — are asleep or meditating — we partially return to the realm of Source. When a body dies, Source leaves the body and goes back to the realm it came from — the body becomes limp and starts decaying. In Avatar, when a person, such as Jake, disconnects from the system, the avatar body goes limp, but the spirit that occupied it is not gone, it’s just not animating the body at that time. Jake is still alive, he is just back in his original state of being human.

When our body dies, the essence of who we are does not. Our consciousness is an extension of Source. We are tendrils of Spirit, extended into a physical body for a time to live life, experience love, and grow through contrast. These bodies were not meant to last forever; they are temporary homes for an eternal Essence. When our body dies, our Spirit instantly goes back to the higher plane from which we came. Our spirit harmoniously rejoins others like it, but can still see what is going on in the physical world and interact with it if conditions are right.

This physical life is so intense, we don’t usually remember the spirit realm we came from, but make no mistake — it is real. And it is full of love and joy and appreciation! Death is nothing to be afraid of. Fear of death consumes so many people, but death is just like falling asleep and waking up in another place — a familiar, peaceful place. Like home. It is just like Jake disconnecting from his avatar (except without waking up in a strange pod). I also wonder if the fear of death is related to a fear of life — don’t be afraid to live and let live!

Note: I didn’t say “if you believe in Jesus, if you’re born again, or if you do A, B, C and D,” or any other conditions. That’s because I don’t believe there are any conditions — this is simply the way the world works. For everyone. Like physics. I believe peace and love are at the end, for all, no matter what. It’s a no-brainer to me, but I realize that it isn’t this way for everyone. I think the Catholic church (way back when) invented hell and the fear of it (and by association, death) as a way to control the masses. Well, the gig is up! : )

I hope this rings true for you, and I think if you are in the habit of meditating, it will. That is all! : )