The first days after death
For the first three days, the soul of the deceased is not yet aware of what is happening. He tries to be in the place where the person was most familiar and performs the usual actions. Depending on the location, we can divide three places where the soul lives after death:
- Ghosts. These souls refuse to leave earthly life due to strong attachment to someone or unfulfilled tasks. Sometimes such people simply had materialistic views. Due to strong emotions, their souls remain on earth.
- Sinners. The road to heaven is closed to such souls. While living on earth they did evil or had more than four sins, therefore their next refuge is hell.
- The righteous. After death, they remain at home for three more days. And as soon as they realize that physical death has come for them, the mentor appears. He may be an acquaintance or relative who will guide him to heaven.
Bright souls receive consolation from a mentor in grief due to the feeling of separation from their earthly vessel. For the first time he ascends to bow before God. During these three days, Orthodoxy states that funerals should not be held in the first three days. So the soul will be “upset”, because it continues to be attached to the world.
Later is possible, earlier is not possible: the opinion of clergy
A Christian should be involved in the burial of loved ones in due time; why - has already been said above. But questions still remain: what will happen if the burial procedure was carried out earlier - and the soul of the deceased suffers. The priest does not violate Divine laws when he conducts a funeral service 1-2 days after death, but it is important to pray more intensely for the deceased at this time, since he will need help in quickly overcoming the barrier - separation from the body. It is recommended to order Sorokoust with proskomedia. This can be done by either a husband, a girlfriend, a friend, a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a nephew or another relative. If all relatives take part, the support will be more powerful.
It is better when they are buried before the third day, but this is not always possible. It happens that you need to carry out the burial procedure later - on the 4th, 5th day or wait longer. This situation is also acceptable, but it is important to try to bury the deceased before the 40th day. This will allow the soul to complete the required transition, albeit with a delay.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS MORE LOYAL TO DELAYS IN BURIALS, IN THIS CASE IT IS USED TO PERFORM CREMATION, AND YOU CAN WAIT 1 OR 2 WEEKS FOR THIS PROCEDURE.
Cremation
Where does the soul go after 9 days?
For all 6 days after the first visit to the Lord has been made, the soul is in heaven enjoying the inhabitants. Here she forgets about grief over earthly life, but begins to think about the sins she committed earlier and consider herself unworthy of heaven.
On the ninth day, the soul of the deceased goes to hell. Angels carry her here to take an “excursion”. Symbolically, the ninth day signifies the death of Christ and his entry into hell before ascending.
Do you believe in hell and heaven?
Not really
On this day, relatives remaining on earth need to help the soul through prayers and remembrances. This will help you stop inconsolably self-flagellation and alleviate the fate you have experienced. It is up to the mourners to decide whether to do this in a cemetery or at home. There are no obligations in this decision, nor are there any prohibitions.
Scientific views
It must be said right away that this is the most difficult moment to date. Science is very conservative. And what should it be called? A set of generally accepted ideas about the world. This is roughly how dictionaries interpret science. There is subtlety in general recognition. The right to approve or reject theories and ideas is acquired only by a person who has received an education and has written some works. That is, in order to draw universally accepted conclusions on any scientific topic, you yourself must be recognized in this circle. And who will talk to a marginalized person who preaches revolutionary ideas? Try, break through the barriers of conservatism of scientific views.
Where does the soul go after 40 days of death?
The soul is in hell for exactly 30 days. Here she observes the places of torture, those who are tormented, and the sections where the martyrs constantly weep.
Angels return the soul to heaven again. God's judgment will take place here. The Lord will determine where the soul ends up after 40 days and where it can expect its resurrection. It is in this place that the anticipation of the Last Judgment, which was described in the Bible, will take place.
It is very important to pray for the deceased on the fortieth day. As many people as possible should remember him with kind words. It is believed that prayers will help the court make a good decision. If a person has committed a lot of evil during his lifetime, people will not speak well of him and will not ask for God’s mercy either.
Where does the soul of a Muslim go?
If in Christianity it is stated that a mentor comes to the soul of the deceased, then considering the description of what happens to the soul of a Muslim after death in Islam there is a difference. By the grace of Allah, Azrael (the angel of death) is called to man. He tells the soul what to do and acts as a guide to the afterlife.
If a person led a righteous life, a creature in beautiful robes Nishitat will come for him, if on the contrary - Naziat, who predicts terrible torment. The soul is sent to a small court, it resembles a grave. In it the soul will be interrogated. And if she turns out to be light, she will be sent to Barzakh, where she will remain in pleasant oblivion and await trial. The body of the deceased is not touched, so that the spirit can later be reunited with it.
Sinners will face terrible torment. Moreover, even in the grave their bodies are able to feel this pain.
Witness testimony
This is where the fun begins. In reality, there are people who managed to return to life after death. Medicine is developing quite well. Now clinical death is not a reason to prepare a funeral. A lot of people are being taken out of it. And sometimes they say things that make the religious leaders’ hair stand on end. Many people describe a corridor or tunnel along which an unknown force carries them towards the light. Others claim that they saw everything that was happening to their body as if from the outside. Can this be explained from a conservative point of view? Moreover, it is difficult to call this evidence fiction. People told subtleties that they could not learn from others. It turns out that stopping the functioning of the body does not destroy another part of the personality. She exists! Maybe not for long? Let's understand further.
Where does the soul of a suicide go?
According to the church canon, the Lord gives life and it is not for a person to decide when he can die. Suicide is an action equivalent to murder. However, a murderer can repent for what he did during his lifetime, but a suicide cannot.
Such an act is considered as a rejection of God’s love, which means that the answer to where people’s souls end up after suicide is obvious - to hell. Denial of the Lord's love is tantamount to betrayal. This is what Judas did, because his betrayal is regarded more in the fact that he died by hanging himself.
It is important for every Christian to strive to lead a peaceful life and experience a shameless death. Only in this case can you go towards eternal life and find peace.
Those who have committed an act of suicide are not buried in church and funeral services are not held. According to the legislation, a burial will be carried out, but putting up a cross will be prohibited. After the souls of the dead go to hell after death, no prayers are held for them and it is forbidden to submit notes about their remembrance. However, the church divides suicide into several factors, whether it was committed under duress or voluntarily.
In the first case, the church can enter into the position of loved ones and help with advice. In the second case, it is recommended that on the fortieth day you begin to pray and read the scriptures every day.
How the wake goes on the third day. Funeral service and farewell dinner
The first funeral dinner is held immediately after the burial procedure is completed, when the body is lowered several meters underground. Everyone who was present during this ceremony is invited. First you need to read the main prayer - “Our Father”. They start the meal with kutya. You need to eat 3 spoons, less is not allowed. Next in line are the main courses. Tables should not be luxurious and alcohol should not be served. You can distribute the remaining food, separately prepared sweets, pies to the poor and homeless.
REMARKS ARE HELD ON THE 9TH AND 40TH DAYS, AND ALSO 1, 2, 3 YEARS FROM THE DAY OF DEATH AND ON EVERY SUBSEQUENT ANNIVERSARY.
Where do animal souls go?
True believers claim that the soul is a subtle matter, which is an invisible connection between the earth and the other world. On the part of atheists, it is believed that this is simply personal individuality and acquired experience. And if something is clear with the question of where the soul goes after the death of a person, then with animals this is not certain. Where do the souls of our pets go? And do they even have them?
Where does a dog's soul go?
Even considering the phrase “animate object,” one can come to the conclusion that every living thing on earth has a soul. Dogs also have a soul, but it is not as developed as a human’s.
There are several versions about what happens to the smaller brothers after death:
- Many scientists agree that the soul of dogs is sent into the general energy field. There she lives until she is incarnated in a new body.
- The second theory, which has not yet gained much development and evidence. The souls of domestic dogs living with a person, subject to great attachment, become attached to the human one. In this way she develops and joins eternity. But this only applies to those who are constantly near the owner, and not on the street.
- In the third theory, experts claim that after the death of a dog, its soul unites with the same matters. After this, forming one, whole soul, it moves into a new person.
There are many theories on this topic, but you can choose which one is closer by faith.
Where do cat souls go?
As with dogs, there is no clear answer. Some religions say that cats do not have a soul at all and as a result, after they die, they disappear forever. However, there is also a statement that there is a soul even in stone, and accordingly cats are endowed with it.
What opinions exist on this matter:
- Psychics believe that cats have souls. But, like dogs, theirs is different from humans. However, the chance to meet your pet in the other world, although small, is there.
- The second theory from scientists. It consists of relocating the soul into the energy field of our planet. This is how they maintain the existence of the Universe.
Souls of children and unbaptized
Separately, it is necessary to note two questions to which many are looking for answers. Is the first one where the child's soul goes to heaven or hell after an abortion? In our world, having an abortion is not a problem, and if someone is not ready to raise children, then they easily undergo this operation.
Some churches claim that such a procedure is a sin and the baby's soul will go to hell. But this is often done only with the aim of scaring. Of course, the baby’s soul will be sent to heaven. He did not have time to sin and is completely pure, so he will be next to God.
Another question is, where does the soul go after the death of an unbaptized person, be it a child or an adult? In Orthodoxy, baptism is mandatory. Why is that? So that a person or baby does not die unbaptized. This means that a person did not make his choice during life and did not believe in the Lord. It is believed that they will not suffer after death, but there is no way for them to go to heaven.
Esoteric theory
The idea of multidimensional space arose a long time ago. Esotericists claim that a person lives in several worlds at once. But we are clearly aware only of ours, the physical. They introduced the concept of subtle bodies. In their opinion, emotions, thoughts, feelings create their own realities. Each person has his own space, which is multidimensional. It doesn't collapse. Vice versa. The more people are born, the more expansive the energetic universe becomes. This can be imagined as a set of transparent spheres located in infinite space.
They intersect, overlap, push, create separate clusters and constantly interact with others at incredible speed. Let's return to physical death. While a person lives, he fills his worlds with what he does on the planet. Thoughts, actions, intentions, words, emotions, decisions, and so on go there. And when the body stops working, the soul enters the space created during life. What you earn is what you get. Agree, it intersects ideologically with the religious concept of sin. A person prays, cleanses his worlds, fills them with light. And when he gets angry, offended, hates, he prepares himself for torment.
