Matters of Life and Death
Last year (2011) we took a trip to America for the first time,
hiring a Ford Mustang and driving through California, Arizona and
Nevada. It was glorious discovering new places, new environments,
new ways of doing things, but we didn’t leave all the discovery
till we arrived. We brought a couple of guidebooks beforehand,
googled a few places on the Net, pored over some maps and studied
details in the brochure.
All this is quite natural.
How about the Bigger Trip at the end of earthly life? Where are
the guidebooks? Which web pages should I google? Where are the
maps and tourist brochures? Once again it is natural to want some
information. Where should I try?
From time to time I hope to post articles on 'Matters of Life and
Death', and shall be evaluating various sources of information:
· Science: how much, if
anything, can it tell us about non-material reality?
· Religion: how much can
the familiar Christian variety tell us?
· Poetry and music: can
these reveal any ‘Truths of the Imagination’ for us?
· Inner Resonance: how
much weight can I place on something that ‘rings true’?
And there is one more source I shall consult, Spiritualism. For a
writer, it is a brilliant resource. Spiritualism had a
considerable vogue before and after the First World War, but
nowadays it is deeply unfashionable. As a result, there is a
cornucopia of wonderful but neglected materials for me to
plunder
At my bedside I have volumes with such evocative titles
as Life Beyond the Veil, Gone
West and The Living Dead Man. They all
date from the time around the First World War and have a sense of
the drama and intensity involved in the time. But wait a moment,
you might say, aren’t they too spooky for the bedside? Not at
all. They make splendid bedtime reading, often cheering,
frequently astonishing, always fascinating. I have dog-eared many
a must-revisit page, made vertical lines in the margins of
read-again extracts, and added double – or even treble – lines
for especially mind-boggling material.
But how much can I trust such things, I hear you ask. Well, there
are basically four answers to this:
· Firstly, I can check
the materials for consistency. How do they match up against each
other – and also against more recent material coming from Near
Death Experiences and Hypnotic Regression? Do they support or
contradict each other?
· Secondly, I can ask
how far the stories match up with common sense. That is, do the
humans behave as humans (albeit in different
circumstances)?
· Thirdly, I can employ
the Inner Resonance guide (as mentioned above) – do the stories
and descriptions ring true?
· Fourthly, as a
novelist I can ask whether they would make darn good tales.
That last one is a good criterion for me. I am engaged on writing
an updatedDivine Comedy trilogy in which the scope
and vision of Dante are compounded with the buddy-style interplay
of, say, Butch and Sundance. A mismatched pair of cousins
are sent to quarrel their way through Earth, Hell and even Heaven
(which is not where you’d expect to see a lot of quarrelling, but
they’ll find a way).
Recently I have been busy with Book Two, A Short,
Selective Journey Through Hell, and have happily drawn
on Life Beyond the Veil, Gone Westand The
Living Dead Man, as well as plenty of other resources.
Well yes, you might say. Rattling good tale, you might say. But
is it all true? Do you really believe all that stuff?
Well, my friends, believe is a funny word. It implies loyalty to
one set of propositions and not to another. This can be very
limiting, and, if you are a scientist, it can be disastrous.
There you go building your career on – what? – certainties about
dinosaur bones, about continental drift or perhaps even the speed
of light, and then along comes evidence to prove your whole life
is one big mistake.
No, belief is a very limiting word. Let’s go with something
rather more open. It has been suggested that science fiction
writers do a lot better in the Next World than saintly believers,
and this seems credible to me because science fiction writers are
in the business of imagining the unimaginable. They’re not held
down by the diving boots of belief.
So let’s say I value Life Beyond the Veil, Gone West,
The Living Dead Man and suchlike for their Wow factor.
They may or may not hold vast amounts of truth, but I can try to
check them for consistency, common sense and resonance. And,
having done so, I’m inclined to say yup, they make the better
story.
(This post has been simultaneously published on my blog http://dimensionsbeyond.typepad.com/
complete with a lovely pic of Death Valley - seen from 'Dante's View' - which I would have included here, only I couldn't get the picture uploader to cooperate, alas. Do feel free to call in on said blog and sample the numerous delights therein...)
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11 Comments
That would, of course, change the meaning of Hell from the standard theological never-get-out location - but changing the meaning strikes me as a pretty good idea. I've always been suspicious of eternal damnation - it strikes me as a power tool used by emperors and amenable priests to keep the population obedient. (Reincarnation, for instance, would immediately obliterate it - so reincarnation had to be outlawed - back in 553 AD if I remember rightly, Council of Constantinople.)
As for God and fiction, I can think of one quasi instance - the Force be with you. What is this Force? (It strikes me as having some similarities to the Holy Spirit, but I dare say some people would object to this idea.)
Does Judaism have a lot to say about The Beyond? Angels - such as Gabriel, Raphael, Michael and Uriel - have Jewish names, as I understand it. I notice the 'el' bit at the end of their names, and I think of the 'al' syllable that the Moslems favour, and I suspect there may be a lot in such things, but I hesitate to pronounce on what is somewhat unfamiliar territory.
And an interesting point about duality - does God imply a devil? Does heaven imply a hell? It's hard to imagine anything that doesn't have its opposite. (Or am I wrong?)
What a wonderfully written blog.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas etc.
I for one think this is what makes humans such a fascinating race of beings.
Such a wide range of opinions in every direction imaginable.
I never thought about belief being a limiting word but now you've made me think, it actually can be quite limiting can't it.
Wasn't it A Einstein who said imagination is more important than knowledge. Because to gain knowledge one has to first imagine. (this came to mind when I read your para' on the sci fi folk and their imaginings)
I wonder sometimes, why do we have religions across the globe? I used to believe they were necessary for early man because early man needed to be led and tought. But now I often feel it is just another method of controlling the masses. (I'm not talking about faith here, just religion).
Religion is such an evocative subject and people become so passionate about the fact that their belief and religion is the one and only true way. Why should you be right and he be wrong, why should you be wrong and he be right?
Personally - I don't regard myself as religious, having a faith or a belief system.
I know there are different energies out there, energies that help us, and energies that hinder us. Hopefully we learn which to trust after we've learned to trust ourselves.
If I'm asked to put myself in a catagory, then it would have to be Spiritualist SNU (not christian spiritualist). Simply because this way is closest to what I'm about. Closest to what I am as a person and human being.
Your books and stories sound fascinating.
regards
Nibs
I love what you say about the way of the Jewish, giving a day to day name and a Jewish name - being from a past family member who will look out for you. That sounds lovely.
In Spiritualism, we get given a name if we want one during a naming ceremony, this name is given by Spirit - To be known by in the realms of Spirit. Which I think is also quite lovely.
I've not had a naming ceremony, but I've often been told by mediums that Spirit see me as a little Daisy. Because when trodden on by passes by, I bounce straight back up and hold my head high. :o)
http://www.aglimpseofeternity.org/ians-testimony/ians-testimony.php
Scroll just over halfway down to get to the printed 'Shorter English Version'. His experience should certainly add to your research, Gerry.
Spiritualism is not as popular as in Victorian times but it is far from dead - no pun intended. :) Judging by all the money being made by spiritualists. And have you looked at the book list under that genre. Masses of info.
Good way of gathering material - by the time you have finished it will make a brilliant book..
Weens - a couple of gems there. Firstly, the simple coffins - very evocative thought. And secondly, of course, the names. People in the Christian and post-Christian traditions don't pay nearly as much attention to ancestors as people in other traditions - and I think we miss out as a result.
Tony - fascinating link. Fits in well with other testimonies - of the Life After Life variety - but with some interesting emphases - his certainty about who he met being the main one.
Thanks all - great stuff!
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