Trevor Hayley

 

Funeral and Life Memorial Celebrant

A Caring Presence for you and your family so you can Celebrate a Life

Servicing Greater Adelaide, Fleurieu, South Coast and Adelaide Hills Regions of South Australia

 

 

What happens after death?

Because of death, we appreciate life #5

Such a topic has so many views and thoughts, and I must admit, I am a little scared to be posing the ‘afterlife’ question. Before I go on, and although I have a traditional Christian view, the last thing I want to do is to push my view on to another. That is extremely unfair and disrespectful. My hope through this blog, is just to promote some discussion that is safe, respectful and uplifting.

So with this in mind, let’s jump right in……..

I can think of a few views as a starting point. The place in heaven, reincarnation, paradise, or perhaps even nothing at all. I am sure there are many more other views out there, and whichever viewpoint you subscribe to is totally up to you. But we have this common thing called death. It is often at end of life ceremonies, we hear phrases such as ‘rest in peace’ or ‘the final or next journey’ or ‘journey into the unknown’ which ‘kind of’ implies there is something more. There is mystery and there are questions. And it would seem when we are saying goodbye to a loved one, the thoughts of ‘what happens next’ come to the forefront of our minds. ‘I wonder’ is a question we may not ask of others, and what may be a question at the time, is quickly forgotten as life continues.

But I would argue, why not entertain the question, and perhaps go on a journey of enlightenment, to whatever seems to work for you? None of us actually knows what comes next, because it is not part of the normal human experience. And for this reason there is mystery and an opportunity to explore. It is much better to come to a point of not believing (for the lack of a better phrase), after careful investigation, exercise of faith and belief as opposed to remaining ignorant. Give faith and belief a chance, as we all believe in something. It is what gets us up in the morning.

With the grief conversations groups (Caring Conversations Cafe) I have run, there is a common consensus, a common hope, that the essence of who we are; our spirit as such, continues on in some form. It is the ‘how’ that will vary from person to person. To hear the various ‘hows’ is a fascinating place of discussion.

But to those how have some kind of assurance, through some belief, of what comes next, there is an amazing sense of peace. It is this peace that will carry someone through the tragedy and isolation of grief. If the afterlife is sorted, it kind of takes the pressure off. So if this blog prompts you at all, don’t remain ignorant, as we are spiritual beings, and at some point this part of us will demand out attention.

I trust this blog is helpful, and feel free to leave comments.

The commentary in this blog is intended to be general in nature. It is just some observations from one fellow traveller in life to another. If anything in this blog raises issues for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or consult with a trusted medical professional. Or maybe in this case a trusted spiritual adviser.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

 

Contact

Trevor Hayley
Servicing Greater Adelaide and Regional South Australia

Phone: 0409 107 372

Email: memorials@trevorhayley.com.au

ABN 73 737 609 724

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