What is Purgatory?
 

I have a question regarding death and afterlife.

A friend of mine says when he dies, he'll go to purgatory.
What exactly is purgatory? Do different religions define purgatory differently?
Purgatory isn't exactly hell, is it?
He defined it as an endless dark space, where his soul will forever be stuck at...

Thank you all so much!

Hi :smile:

I think Pergatory is traditionally thought of as a place where you remain forever after death, unable to move on to any better place or any other incarnation. There seems also to be an element of torment attached to this place from what I can make out.

Personally I don't believe such a place exists, nor do I believe in the archetypal hell that christianity would have us fear. If hell existed, why would there be any need for another place of punishment?

Interested to hear others' views though!

Jeremy :cool:

PS. In southern Portugal there is a small village called Purgatorio. Standing beside the name plate at the entrance to the village makes for an amusing photograph lol :D

Yup...that's what he said too...a place where you can't move on...you can't reincarnate, you can't do anything. If it does exist, why would a soul be sent there? What heinous crime could a soul commit to be thrown into purgatory? It sounds worse than hell.

no worries
 

Some souls may stay around. Heavy Guilt or sorrow may be mixed in there somewhere.
Doing away with fear of any sort in our minds and raising our natural spiritual awareness to become strong may be the best aproach. Meditation.
Al*

Personally, and speaking as an ex-catholic, I don't believe in Purgatory. I think people who take their own lives are treated in the same way as everyone else. Their soul path and life path is no different.

I don't believe in Judgment and retribution - I believe our Judgment is our own - OK sometimes souls do hang around and don't feel and guilt or reprentence for what they have done (and I am not talking about suicide here) - but I don't believe this goes on forever - I think when they do realise, they move on.

By trapping themselves in the earth plane, they are creating their own "hell" - much the same as many people here on earth do, with bitterness, jealousy etc.

Just my opinion of course - no offence meant to anyone. Obviously, I have the utmost respect for other's spiritual beliefs.

Sue x

pure cartoon
 

I agree that we judge ourselves. Also with souls moving on when they are ready.
AfaIk, when the soul leaves its body, it addopts its natural state, which is peace.
If a workman falls from a scaffold, the soul will likely leave its body before impact. I think the soul leaves just before the event type of thing. We can take life too serious. It may be more like a cartoon.
None the less, we cannot continue to acrue karmic acounts, we have to lighten the load at some point.
The human soul is pure, and immortal, by nature, we should not fear that which we are.
peace Siss Al*

It seems to me that pergutory could well be this life i live now. Until i free myself of desire and fear I can't have peace in my heart and so the journey to this point seems like a process of atonement and growth in understanding of why peace is actually such a desireable thing. Sounds like pergutory to me, not quite heaven and not quite hell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angelvivian What exactly is purgatory?

If you want the complete doctrine on what Purgatory is, try reading this link (be forewarned: it is a rather long, but interesting read).

After Death...
 

The understanding that I have, is that our Creator, Great Spirit, or however you may name it, loves each one of us unconditionally, and would not willingly punish us for doing or not doing anything (its hard enough to navigate in this world without having to undergo that!!!).

But that said, we are learning to be responsible creators ourselves, (our thoughts and actions do create our reality - despite appearances sometimes to the contrary!). So anything we do that does not honour ourselves or another part of life entails the forming of a karmic debt, which is recorded in our being and has to be released at some time or other, for us to be released from its limitations. We have, in the process, to learn the spiritual lesson that is involved.

So when a human being dies on the physical plane, they have the opportunity to go for a Life-Review process (some may elect to 'hang around' for a while, or be too frightened by the plane they find themselves upon to do this). But eventually the spiritual significance of everything they have done while embodied is gently examined, and the lesson of each placed before them. To many, this may seem to be an experience they would rather forget, for obvious reasons! The Tibetan traditions call this life-review "Bardo", and as far as I know, this is a real thing.

Then the consciousness of the human goes on to enjoy meeting with others of like mind in the Temples of Instruction and Healing that exist on the inner planes, preparatory to taking their places among embodied relatives' unseen ancestors and guides.

It used to be that they would go on to eventually prepare to re-incarnate and try the lessons and tests of physicality again; I understand that this has changed, as there is no longer room for a vast and extensive astral plane on which to house discarnates. They are being pressed into the heart-holograms of those who are embodied who have some of their genetic lineages, as ancestors.

This change is due to the Earth Mother taking her evolution and ascension in hand in recent years, and making the necessary changes to her inner planes and their organisation, in line with planetary ascension, soon to progress to entry into the Photon Belt, or aura of the Great Central Sun.

You can see, there's a lot of interesting stuff to learn about here!

Blessings-
Pounamu

you talk about the mothe earth going through a great transition soon in your above post.
I too have been led to read many entries on this subject in recent months - i have found that issues to do with the great white brotherhood focus on this new age.
I feel within my nature that it will be a big time for man to start looking at himself and learning his lessons here on earth rather than waiting for passing. I believe great changes are planned by the heavens for earth imminantly. I believe many men will be saved (develop a 'collective consciouness') and many men will perish for their lack of compassion and awareness (i get messages through chanelling on this notion).
Anyway, i am interested if you know anything about the great white brotherhood, st germaine's predictions for 2012 - the golden age.
In anticipation... much love and gold light starlite x