What Is the Afterlife Like? - Big Picture Questions

In previous posts, we learned that we incarnate on Earth by projecting our soul aspect into a human form, which exists in three planes of existence at the same time. That means we’re not really “3-dimensional” beings limited to our physical reality, we’re much more than that. What happens in the astral levels during and after our physical life ends? What is the afterlife like?

What creates the human form?

The human form uses 10 frequency levels to create it, as described by Guy Needler:

Three gross physical levels (frequency bands 1, 2 and 3) make up the physical form.
Four astral (spirituo-physical) levels make up the semi-physical/energetic form, which spans the lower astral (FB 4), upper-lower astral (FB 5), lower-upper astral (FB 6) and upper astral (FB 7) frequencies.
Three energetic levels (FB 8-10) allow the energetic “step down” of the soul aspect, which is a small projection from the True Energetic Self (TES/Higher Self/Godhead), which is at a much higher frequency in the multiverse and too big to incarnate.

We never lose our energetic connection with our TES, although our communication with it may be partial to zero, when we’re identified with the ego rather than the soul aspect.

What is astral consciousness?

To address this and other questions, I’ve been reading several books by Gordon Phinn, who quips he’s a “one man mystery school,” but considers himself “no more than a messenger, the boy on the bike who delivers the package.”

He discovered that by using his consciousness as his tool and intent as his motive force, he could be virtually anywhere, do anything, and communicate with everyone.
His goal is to awaken our astral consciousness to expand beyond our physical plane consciousness, which is like “being in the basement with the lights out.” 😉
The astral plane is where our soul wanders every night when the body sleeps, and the area our soul passes through when the body is dropped.

Guy Needler said that 30-40% of aspects travel past the astral levels after death, but some can get stuck there if they don’t believe they’re dead or if they are confused. Those are the types of souls that Gordon Phinn has been helping and retrieving for years now.

What is the afterlife?

In “Dead But Not Really Dead,” Phinn said there are five ways of looking at the Afterlife:

It’s a fantasy concocted by those who are terrified of dying.
It’s a religious myth concocted by priests.
It’s as real as this life, your eternal reward for suffering here.
It’s the next step after dying, which can be repulsive to pleasurable to blissful.
It’s an illusion, a temporary step in the soul’s cycles of reincarnations.

In “Confronting Your Immortality,” he wrote: “The afterlife is for everyone, and all you have to do to get there is die.” Based on his extensive astral travels, he described it as follows:

“The afterlife with all its levels, starts right where you leave your physical body, standing in wonderment at your new gravity-free lightness, watching the sleeping or dead lump beside you. It continues on, up through all the hells, purgatories, paradises and heavens, and every strange and unique subculture along the way, merging imperceptibly with the golden light of what some call the radiant void, where you disappear and don’t care. It’s all the afterlife, it’s all spirit, and once you get the right frame of mind and heart you get the ‘access all areas’ pass.” – Gordon Phinn

He said the “right frame of mind and heart” is a combination of unconditional love and lack of attachment to form and personality, which are simply props for your incarnate performance.

What is the afterlife like on the astral plane?

Many sources have described the astral planes around the planet, which include landscapes, seascapes and urbanscapes that resemble those found on Earth. But according to Phinn, you can mix and match things, e.g. have a chunk of Amazon rain forest in astral Colorado.

In “The Word of Gord On the Afterlife, Book 2,” he described how on the astral planes, your body moves to your ideal age (around 28). Old folks slowly get younger and shapely, and younger people mature, so “eventually you get this population of awesome lookers.”

At some point, people find out that their humanoid form is fluid and can be remodeled.
On the higher beyond-heaven levels, the humanoid form inevitably fades.

The astral plane contains all sorts of consensus realities that have existed for centuries. Most Earth countries are recognizable in astral form, but appear more exotic and beautiful. Every conceivable world exists there for souls to experience, learn and evolve through.

What levels and sub-levels are there?

There are many astral levels and sub-levels that cater to the various needs of the inhabitants.

In the lower astral levels, there are purgatories and hellish realms that attract those who die with a negative attitude (e.g. drug addicts, alcoholics, racists, powermongers, rule-bound religionists, suicides, etc.). They believe they’re evil or unworthy of heaven. Image: What Dreams May Come (1998)

People that don’t believe in the afterlife (e.g. atheists, material scientists) may find themselves alone in an objectless, cloudy darkness that doesn’t seem to lead or go anywhere. That’s their belief trap and just the beginning of the afterlife for them.

They may be conflicted about the thoughts, memories and perceptions that continue after death (after their brain dies). They believe they’re just figments of their imagination, brain spasms, dementia or something.
Their consciousness is dimmed until they are gradually awakened out of that state by a guide, angel or other helpers that visit them or show them around (see What Do Physicists Say About Consciousness From the Other Side? – Big Picture Questions.com).

In the paradise levels, almost every dream or fantasy can be realized. There are great swaths of astral planes (secular retreats) that have nothing to do with religious heavens.

Families are reunited, friendships are mended, and people learn to fly, teleport, communicate by telepathy, and build things by thought.
They live in communities with beautiful homes, gardens, parks, libraries, concert halls, museums, hotels, hospitals (for those who believe they need recuperation and healing), etc. Image: Astral City (2010)

In the heaven levels, all the religions have their own version of “heaven,” such as Hindu India, Buddhist Thailand, Catholic Spain, etc. Their inhabitants are true believers, relieved to have arrived at their final destination, where they can praise and worship their prophets and deities until their anxiety vanishes. But eventually ennui slips in.

Phinn explained when the personality and its needs are slowly eroded, people start to question what’s real vs. fantasy? They start to question, ponder and wonder.

Especially when they take a class to learn to build small things themselves. Or when they see advanced psychic architects remove and replace complex structures, like hospitals and ornamental gardens in their community.
These astral worlds allow people to fulfill their dreams and desires, to experience them until they get tired of them. Then they start to investigate the mystery of their true being, which is where their spiritual growth begins, according to Phinn.

Final Comments

As you can see, Phinn’s vivid descriptions are both amusing and eye opening for those of us in the physical:

“By the time you’ve moved up through the levels and tossed off all your excess baggage of regrets, guilts, emotions, thoughts, cultures, religions, philosophies and ideologies, you’re already vibrating pretty fast,

and when you relinquish your attachments to personality, character and good looks and are ready to be nobody, you’ve surpassed most boundaries, and have, more or less, transcended bliss itself, so let me tell you, you’re feeling pretty darn good, not that the terms ‘feeling,’ ‘you’ or ‘good’ come anywhere close to accurate descriptors.” – Gordon Phinn

There’s so much more to discuss, I’m feeling very inspired by Phinn’s work, which takes us way beyond the astral levels described here. Stay tuned! I hope you’ll check out some of his books/ebooks, too.

Note: Phinn recommended the Brazilian movie “Astral City” as a pretty accurate representation of the astral reception centers and scenery that exist for incoming souls above war zones, disaster zones, where lost and confused souls need help.