Exploring Your Options for the Afterlife - Part 2 of 4

violetflameworld
Nov 2
6 min read

The open gates of heaven with the Mighty I AM in the background

Welcome to part 2 of our ongoing series, Exploring Your Options for the Afterlife. In this post, we will begin to uncover the fascinating possibilities that await you after passing from this life and journeying into the next.

Our adventure begins with an anecdote of two souls and their respective experiences upon reaching the Pearly Gates:

It seems a man had recently passed on and went to the other side. He was an inherently good man who had experienced some tough breaks in his life and had to overcome his share of challenges. The man found himself standing before the Pearly Gates of Heaven where a magnificent angel greeted him.

The angel asked the man: “How was it down there on earth?”

The man replied. “It was pretty rough. People were mostly rude to one another. It seemed like there was injustice, conspiracy, and unresolved problems everywhere.”

After listening intently, the angel replied. “Well, come on in. I think that’s how you’ll find things here!”

Soon thereafter, a second man who had also recently passed on showed up at the pearly gates and met the same magnificent angel. He too was an inherently good man who had experienced some tough breaks in his life and had to overcome his share of challenges.

The angel asked the second man: “How was it down there on earth?”

The second man replied. “Well, there were certainly challenges but there was goodness in many people. There was great beauty in many places on Earth. And nearly everyone treated one another as they themselves would like to be treated.”

After listening intently, the angel replied. “Well, come on in. I think that’s how you’ll find things here!”

There is a valuable lesson in this anecdote. At the moment of our passing, we find ourselves in many ways unchanged in both consciousness and surroundings compared to our life on Earth. For example, we do not suddenly become an adept or saint in the afterlife if we had no inclination to be one while we were alive!

The following chart [1] illustrates the 33 levels of the etheric plane or heaven world along with the 33 levels of the astral plane - the lower levels of which are often referred to as hell. In this blog we will focus on the heaven world - what it’s like and how you might reach it at the end of this life. We hope to so inspire you to make it to these higher realms that you will want to avoid the astral plane or lower realms altogether!

I was raised in a Christian home, and when I first encountered this information years ago, some of the concepts and terms were unfamiliar and even felt a bit uncomfortable. If you find yourself feeling the same way, I encourage you to simply place those parts on the “back burner” for now. What may seem unclear or hard to accept today could take on a whole new meaning later. Think of it like school. When you are in grade school, college can seem intimidating and unfamiliar. But over time, everything starts to become clearer and make more sense!

A detailed chart showing the 33 levels of the etheric or heavenly plane, alongside the 33 levels of the astral plane, which include the lower realms often referred to as hell.

The Physical Plane

Earth seen from outer space with a ‘You Are Here’ sign highlighting your place in the cosmos.

The Earth is where we occupy the physical plane. It is the crossroads between the etheric and astral planes. This is why we sometimes experience, feel, and express the vibrations of both. The earlier anecdote of the two souls at the Pearly Gates recounting their earthly experiences helps illustrate this.

Going Up!

A hand reaching to press the elevator’s up button—a symbol of the soul’s choice to rise higher.

Metaphorically speaking, the etheric plane or heaven world is organized much like a schoolroom. Once you’ve mastered one level, you graduate to the next, and then the next—continuing on if you choose to apply yourself!

Levels 1-3 of the etheric plane are referred to as Devachan, a realm where you may experience unfulfilled desires from your earthly life. Note, this does not include sensual desires. The sensual desires of your lower nature are left at the door, so to speak, of the etheric octave or heaven world. In Devachan, your negative karma is temporarily set aside and you experience your good karma while learning things that will prepare you for your next life.

In the classic movie Field of Dreams [2], Ray Kinsella builds a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield after receiving a prompting that “If you build it, they will come.” The baseball field and surrounding cornfield become a portal between worlds where the souls of deceased baseball players can come and live out baseball-related and other desires they did not fulfill in life. Watch this moving scene where Ray unexpectedly discovers his true reason for building the baseball field.

Continuing Through the Etheric!

Planet Venus

Level 7 of the etheric plane mirrors life on the planet Venus. Long ago, the evolutions of Venus attained the enlightenment and peace of a golden age. They experience a greater light and beauty than we have so far attained on Earth. Life on Venus cannot be perceived by those of us on Earth because it is taking place at another dimension or wavelength.

The concept of dimension, wavelength, and vibration can be partly understood by observing an airplane propeller. As the propeller begins spinning it is plainly visible. But as the rotation or vibration becomes faster, the propeller begins to disappear from our visible sight. And yet the propeller is still there, spinning away!

Level 12 of the etheric plane is known as The Buddhist Tushita heaven or “pure land”. This is where Maitreya Buddha and his disciples, the bodhisattvas, abide.

Level 18 of the etheric plane is where the Ascended Masters reside. The Ascended Masters are our elder brothers and sisters who have gained mastery here on earth and therefore are no longer required to re-embody. This is a realm of light and consciousness which we should all aspire to at the end of this life!

Above the 33rd level of the etheric plane, we pass from the matter world into the absolute world of spirit. God is indeed limitless!

Cover of Messages from Heaven by Patricia Kirmond—a moving account of a soul’s experiences in the afterlife.

Messages from Heaven [3] is a fascinating book which chronicles the experiences of a soul who passed on from this world and for a time was given the opportunity to continue communicating with some close family members here on Earth. The following is excerpted from the book and describes what this soul experienced and shared from the etheric plane or heaven world:

“The spiritual realm is much more magnificent but also much more complex than I had ever imagined. Yes, there is heaven but heaven has many layers, or levels. People do not all go to the same location

If you think about Divine Justice, how could there be only one heaven and one hell when there are many different types of souls who walk this earth? Do we not all know at least one person who radiates a spiritual sense that is stronger than most others whom we have met?

What you find within the category of heaven are different etheric levels with etheric retreats. These retreats are run by angels or ascended hosts.

Within what we have called ‘hell’ there are multiple levels of the astral plane, including hell. Each level going down in vibration intensifies in its severity and in the recalcitrance of the souls sent there. In the etheric plane, each level going up in vibration intensifies in its light and in the spiritual purity of the souls there.”

A collage of houses in many styles—each representing a unique dwelling in the many ‘mansions’ of the Father’s house.

This excerpt from Messages from Heaven offers valuable clarity and insight into the biblical passage: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you”. [4]

What a blessing it is to have this material to help illumine the mystery and vastness of the next world and the etheric planes!

This concludes for now an overview of the levels of the etheric plane or heaven world which await us. In part 3 of our ongoing series Exploring Your Options for the Afterlife, we will share specific afterlife experiences we believe will further inspire you to aim for the stars at the end of this life!

Until then…