"So where is Heaven?"
I've read quite a few Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and though, often very descriptive, they never say 'whereabouts' it is they actually visited. Travel descriptions and pictures are all well and good but it's also nice to have a map. Especially if you think you might one day pay a visit yourself.
Usually people say that Heaven is up above us: we go up to Heaven and down for Hell, but that must surely now be an outdated view.
I was pondering this conundrum - not that my bags are packed or anything - but it would be nice to know where certain people are now residing.
When my best friend died his wife gave me quite a few of his books, many of them I still haven't got round to reading. I did, however, open up one yesterday called, The Magic Of Angels. This is a publication from the Seekers Trust who my friend was associated with. They are a spiritual and healing group in England.
The book is written by C.A. Simpson but the fly leaf states, "Based on the teachings of Dr. Lascelles received through his medium the late Mr. C.A. Simpson." Think of that what you will.
Anyway, here is what the book says about the location of Heaven:
"Heaven, we are informed by the great teachers and masters, does indeed exist, but it exists in the here and now, not in some other place some other time.This leaves us with the conclusion that it must occupy the same place as this earth.
One of the first precepts of philosophy is that two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time. But they can. If one interpenetrates the other as the odour of roses interpenetrates the air, or as water interpenetrates a sponge, then two things can occupy the same place.
This leaves us with the problem of invisibility. If Heaven is here and now interpenetrating not only us ourselves, but everything else on earth, how is it that we are not aware of it?
Perhaps the problem is one of hyper-physics whereby one atomic system can exist within another. This would indicate that there is nothing supernatural about Heaven and that it is a manifestation of a greatly extended nature, vaster and more intricate than science at this stage is capable of measuring.
After all, frontiers of nature have been pushed back so far that many things which are regarded as normal and acceptable (e.g. radio waves for instance and the whole range of cosmic rays) would have been looked upon as both impossible and supernatural a century ago."
Regarding Heaven and it's residents the book states:
"As for the inhabitants of Heaven we might consider Dr. Lascelles' assertion that Heaven is a mirror of this world. If a mirror, then the inhabitants of Heaven would be recognisable, but so also would the buildings, roads and artifacts. Normality would have to be the keynote."
So, according to a dead doctor - who should therefore have the inside info - Heaven is running alongside the earth side by side, intermingled, so to speak. The dead are with us but denseness or vibrational levels mean we can't see them.
And what do the dead in Heaven wear? Clothes - fortunately! To quote the good doctor, "The inhabitants of Heaven wear clothes. It is noteworthy that period costume appears to be the mode more than modern gear. This again suggests that what we call Heaven is, in some mysterious way, furnished by our own consciousness ..."
And regarding the variation in NDE visions, this would be dependent on what part of Heaven was seen. Just as our earth varies from country to country and continent to continent, so does Heaven.
Did this answer my question: "Where is Heaven?" Probably not but I've always felt that there are different 'layers' surrounding the earth getting finer and finer. The level we reach after death depends on our personal level of attainment. If we are none too fine, back we come to our earth level for another lesson. This way I can believe both in Heaven and reincarnation.
But there again, it could all be something completely different and one day we'll simply wake up from our dream. The only thing I feel certain about is that we are all immortal.
Heavenly Quotes:
Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.
Richard Bach, in Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Nothing is further than Earth from Heaven: nothing is nearer than Heaven to Earth.
Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth
If our Creator has so bountifully provided for our existence here, which is but momentary, and for our temporal wants, which will soon be forgotten, how much more must He have done for our enjoyment in the everlasting world?
Hosea Ballou
Heaven, as conventionally conceived, is a place so inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable, that nobody has ever ventured to describe a whole day in heaven, though plenty of people have described a day at the seaside.
George Bernard Shaw, A Treatise On Parents And Children
He who seldom thinks of heaven is not likely to get thither; as the only way to hit the mark is to keep the eye fixed upon it.
Bishop Horne, Aphorisms and Opinions of Dr. George Horne
The number of levels in Heaven is the number of verses in the Qur'an. Thus, when a reciter of the Qur'an enters into Heaven, it will be said to him: 'Go up one level for every verse that you can recite.' Thus, no one will be in a higher level than the one who has memorized the entire Qur'an.
Muhammad
Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there.
Andrew Jackson
Name something you like. I bet it's not in heaven. Sex? Sorry, lust is a sin. Can't have it. Your career? Nope. There's no money in heaven; nobody needs to work. Besides, as far as I can tell from studying the scriptures, all you do in heaven is pretty much just sit around all day and praise the Lord. I don't know about you, but I think that after the first, oh, I don't know, 50,000,000 years of that I'd start to get a little bored.
Rick Reynolds
Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.
Richard Bach, in Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Nothing is further than Earth from Heaven: nothing is nearer than Heaven to Earth.
Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth
If our Creator has so bountifully provided for our existence here, which is but momentary, and for our temporal wants, which will soon be forgotten, how much more must He have done for our enjoyment in the everlasting world?
Hosea Ballou
Heaven, as conventionally conceived, is a place so inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable, that nobody has ever ventured to describe a whole day in heaven, though plenty of people have described a day at the seaside.
George Bernard Shaw, A Treatise On Parents And Children
He who seldom thinks of heaven is not likely to get thither; as the only way to hit the mark is to keep the eye fixed upon it.
Bishop Horne, Aphorisms and Opinions of Dr. George Horne
The number of levels in Heaven is the number of verses in the Qur'an. Thus, when a reciter of the Qur'an enters into Heaven, it will be said to him: 'Go up one level for every verse that you can recite.' Thus, no one will be in a higher level than the one who has memorized the entire Qur'an.
Muhammad
Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there.
Andrew Jackson
Name something you like. I bet it's not in heaven. Sex? Sorry, lust is a sin. Can't have it. Your career? Nope. There's no money in heaven; nobody needs to work. Besides, as far as I can tell from studying the scriptures, all you do in heaven is pretty much just sit around all day and praise the Lord. I don't know about you, but I think that after the first, oh, I don't know, 50,000,000 years of that I'd start to get a little bored.
Rick Reynolds
Further Reading:
Near Death Experience Changes Womans Life
Tortured Man Experienced Astral Projection And Travel
Captain David Perry And His Near Death Experience
like you im not sure where heaven is, or what happens after death but i do think we live on. but where im not sure. i believe in reincarnation but where we go inbetween i dont know.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mike. The descriptions in the book pretty much fit my concept of heaven. In the book and movie, What Dreams May Come, heaven is depicted in much the same way as the passages you quote.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know your bags AREN'T packed!
Thought-provoking as always Mike. Since there is far more 'space' between subatomic particles than space occupied by the parts, I can conceptualize all dimensions existing in the here-and-now and separated by vibrational frequency.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.matter.atoms/
Great collection of "Heavenly" quotes also.
The wv makes me smile: efrizawa
Now **that's** a word that deserves a definition! ;-)
That's as good an answer as any. I have no real idea myself but I'd like to book myself in when my days here are over. Thought provoking (again).
ReplyDeleteThanks all for the heavenly comments. As you say musingegret there's a lot of space in atoms and sub parts so there could be all sorts of things happening besides heaven.
ReplyDeleteFits in with quantum physics as far as string theory. I've had dreams of going to heaven to visit and coming back through numerous dimensions to a denser existence. It's darker here in the third than in the sixth dimension. Also, the colours are a beautiful array of pastels not as we see them here on the Earth plane. The music is quite close to that in the movie "City of Angels". An awesome experience.
ReplyDeleteReincarnation: yes. It's mostly good deeds and kind thoughts to assist in one's ascension to the next level.
There's a song I here on the radio that asks, "How far is heaven?"
ReplyDeleteMy response to the radio is always the same. "About 3 feet."