Welcome To The Afterlife, Are YOU Going UP Or DOWN, Sir, Ma'am?

It is the desire of an overwhelming majority of people, whether they are traditionally religious or just spiritual, that they go to Heaven or the Highest State of Consciousness when they die. To many people, Heaven is complete and utter bliss on a level which is beyond unimaginable to most of us. Heaven represents the Ultimate Reward for a life well lived according to the precepts of many religionists, metaphysicians, and/or other spiritual teachers.

Heaven also exemplify the ultimate alpha. In Heaven, one has supposedly obtained the highest, most exalted level of consciousness possible. He/she has evolved from the purely material place to a totally spiritual plane.

People have different definitions of what Heaven actually is. To some people, Heaven represents the ultimate submergence of one's being with God or The Ultimate Being in the universe. Many others view Heaven as the final step of one's evolution from the purely physical to the spiritual. Still other people see Heaven as the ultimate in luxurious living They believe that once they get to Heaven, there would be no more worries and other human foibles. They assert that in Heaven, one can really be the person they always wanted to be.

Many people maintain that in Heaven, one's "body" becomes more youthful and beautiful. They contend that there is no such thing as age and/or other so-called "deformities" in Heaven. The Heavenly "body" will be an as perfect "body" as can be.

Many Christians view Heaven as a reward for the sacrifices they made while on the earth plane. They are of the school that the earth plane is a preparatory school. They assert that while on the earth plane, their main duty is to lead a life which is pleasing to God. They maintain that by doing this, they are preparing and readying themselves for the Ultimate in Eternity. They approach life on the earth plane is an extremely serious business.

These Christians believe that those who approach life with frivolity are putting their eternal lives in jeopardy. They assert that life is the earth plane should not be merely enjoyed but should be one of suffering and sacrifice. They contend that such suffering and sacrifice brings one closer to God hence closer to Heaven.

There are other religionists who try to avoid the earthly life as much as possible. They live a life of extreme denial. They feel that by denying their needs and desires, they are approximate to God, the Godhead, and/or the Ultimate Being. They opine that it is totally wasteful to be involved in the earthly life because it is totally transitory and will one day end. They maintain that the most important thing is living for the eternal life, not the earthly life.

Other people view Heaven as just a transitory and/or resting stop for the next incarnation. They maintain that life is never ending. They assert that each person reincarnates to learn important lessons until they achieve true perfection. They believe that when one achieves true perfection, one is truly united with the Godhead and there is no longer the necessity for reincarnation.

An overwhelming majority of right thinking people do not even want to THINK about going to.......Hell. Hell is the ultimate negative experience. Hell is the definitive curse. When one is angry with a person, oftentimes he/she tells the person to go to Hell!

In addition to the aforementioned, Hell has been used as the Ultimate Threat by priests, ministers, and other religious authorities to keep their adherents on the supposed straight and narrow path. It has been said that many people were converted to Christianity from paganism because they were inculcated with the fear of Hell. The idea and concept of Hell has permeated human consciousness which resulted in many people living extremely punctilious and fear-based lives.

To some people, Hell is quite the physical place. While some people portend that Hell is an extremely sulphurous and unbearably hot place, others claim that physical hell is just physically dark and utterly desolate. Yes, Hell is the Ultimate Ghetto.

Other people view Hell as utter separation from God or the Ultimate Being. This feeling is often psychospiritual. Many people view Hell as a lowering of consciousness. When one goes to Hell, one devolve into a lower spiritual form. and consciousness. In essence, such people portend that Hell is a debasement of consciousness and pure energy.

There are some people who view Hell as the total annihilation of consciousness. They believe that those who lead a less than positive life upon death, their souls are totally extinguished and they are no one. It is as if they never existed at all!

There are a few people who are actually WANT to go to Hell. It is their assertion that Hell is full of interesting, lively, and spicy people that they would not encounter in Heaven. They maintain that Hell instead of being quite woeful and desolate, would be actually quite a fun place to be. I remember a co-worker stating that she knew that she was going to Hell because that is where many of her friends would be. Other people actually view Hell as the Party of Eternity where all the so-called badasses, bad boys, and bad girls will be!

There are those who are so totally antiestablishmentarian who maintain that Heaven is the LAST place they desire to go. They view Hell as something quite different and totally beyond the ordinary experience. To these people, Hell is the ultimate expression of rebellion and being different.

Quite a few people are defiantly wicked. They know and willingly embrace who they are. To them, if they go to Hell,okay! They are not afraid and are willingly to accept their ultimate fate. To their estimation, they are bad and going to hell, their attitude is what can aptly be described as totally indifferent!

Then there is the temporary afterlife waiting area, Purgatory. Purgatory can be considered the ultimate last chance in a soul's reformation. Even though the concept of Purgatory is seldom mentioned or is discussed surreptitiously, there are those who portend that there are souls who go there because they are not considered heavenly material.

Many people view Purgatory as the middle child between exalted, lionized Heaven and degrading, denigrating Hell. It is not considered to be as glorious as Heaven nor it is considered to be as desolately hopeless as Hell. People go to Purgatory with the intention of eventually going to Heaven. Purgatory is when one undergoes a karmic cleansing, a soul purging so to speak before being considered fit to enter Heaven.

In summation, many people are understandably apprehensive regarding the afterlife. Most of us were inculcated with the premise that there are three avenues regarding the afterlife. One each the respective afterlife channel depending upon what type of life he/she lived. Most people wish to enter Heaven after death because it is seen as the ultimate reward for living a good life. Other people view Heaven as the highest achievement in spiritual consciousness.

The majority of people are fearful of going to Hell after death. Hell is quite negative, diametrically opposite of the bliss of Heaven. Hell represents utter desolation, hopelessness, and separation from God. The concept of Hell has been used endlessly to get people to behave. Nothing makes many people act correct than to threaten them with Hell. However, some people are actually curious about going to Hell because it is the ultimate antiestablishmentarian symbol.

Lastly, there is the afterlife way station, Purgatory. Purgatory is a subject which is seldom mentioned and/or discussed although it is somewhat acknowledged by many. Purgatory is the middle ground between Heaven and Hell. While it is not blissful, it is not exactly a torturous place. People consider Purgatory to be a cleansing process and the last chance of redemption before one enters Heaven.

Most of us are ruled subconsciously by the concepts of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. There is no escaping it. In essence, Heaven and Hell can be considered to be the ultimate report cards when one leaves this world!