DYING: FROM A PAGAN PERSPECTIVE


ok..first from the Power of the Witch...

"Dying is one of the most important moments in life.  It is the 
moment we step from this physical workd into that of spirit, light, 
and energy.  We steo completely and finally through the nierika, the 
portal in the mind that leads into the next world.  Death, like life 
itself, will always be a mystery."
"Witches celebrate death in our own sacred mysteries just as we 
celebrate life.  Because our worldview is earth centered and because 
we celebrate the changing of all the seasons, winter as well as 
summer, we do not see death as the end.  It is merely one season on 
the Wheel of Life. Death is intimately woven into the fabric of the 
world and of all things"
"The Witch's Law that what we do returns to us threefold suggests 
that if we do not recieve the effects of these deeds in this life, we 
will in the next.  Witches who derive their traditions from Celtic 
sources are strong believers in the immortality of the soul, for it 
was taught by the Druids.  In Celtic society it was common for people 
to make loans on the assumption that if they were not repaid in this 
life, they would be in the next."
"Witches see death as a blessed moment in the life of the person 
dying even though oour human response is always tinged with sorrow 
and sadness that a loved one is leaving us.  Just as we rejoice when 
a baby is born, we try to be equally joyful when someone we know or 
love begins a new life in the next world.  We wear white to send 
out our energy as a sign that we would accompany the departed energy 
of the loved one"
"Witches tend to favor cremation than burial.  The loved one's ashes 
can be then used in protection potion, kept in an urn near our alter, 
or blown to the winds ina spot thta was special or holy to the 
departed or to those of us who remain behind.  When Witches are 
buried we usually bury their magical tools and robes with them, 
placing herbs and crystals into the grave. "


Ok then out of Cunningham-this has a new point..
"WHat happens after death?  only our bodies die.  The soul lives on.  
Some Wiccans say that it journeys to a realm variously known as the 
Land of the Faerie, the Shining Land, and the Land of the Young this 
land is neither in heaven nor in the underworld. It simply is -a 
non-physical reality much less dense than ours. Some wiccan 
traditions describe it as a land of eternal summer, with grassy 
fields and sweet flowing rivers, perhaps the Earth before the advent 
of humans. others see it vaguely as a realm with out forms, where 
energy swirls coexist with the greatest energies-The Godess and the 
God in their celestial identities" (I have also heard this called 
Summerland) "After the proper time, when the conditions on EArth are 
correct, the soul is reincarnated and life begins again"  He goes on 
to say that this happens over and over again until these souls reach 
perfection.  They then break away from this cycle forever and dwell 
with the God and Goddess.

I like that version! I am happy to do this, it forces me to read my 
books...helping you allows me to learn!

bright blessings!

In love and Light, 
    Jessica

~May the Goddess and God *bless* you with Wisdom & Power~