Death is one of life hugest milestones. Death has always been both celebrated and feared. Humans have always found death to be magical. Archaeologists found that as early as the Paleolithic period humans believed that some part of the person was reborn. They have found evidence that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers to honor them. We are going to take a journey at the many views of death. Beliefs and practices concerning death vary through different cultures. Funeral customs vary widely across the globe. Different religions and different cultures bury their dead according to customs that have developed over hundreds – even thousands – of years. Some ancient primitive societies feared death because they believed that death was not natural. Without scientific confirmation of life after death, many people still fear being dead and what happens after death. In one period of time, the dead were feared because they might cause to the living. Whether it be as a zombie or as a vampire. Many early burial practices reflected a belief in life after death. This can be seen in many ancient cultures from Egyptian, Greek, and Roman. At these burial sites, the dead were surrounded by artifacts, which were used by them in life and then later in the afterlife. At those times the dead person was never acknowledged by the living. The church and its teachings were the accepted source of knowledge concerning death, dying, and the afterlife during the 12th and 17th centuries. Concerns about one’s death were especially lingering, due to limited medical skills. The limited knowledge to prevent or treat fatal diseases or recover from many injuries, death continued till the mid-1900s. Towards the 17th century and through the 19th century, attitudes toward death took a romanticized look. It was written in poems, songs, plays, and books. They focused more on the beauty and peace of the afterlife. Then again death became something to fear by modern Western throughout the 19th century and into the 20th century. Death is understood and accepted as the collective destiny of all living beings. In early human history, most of the deaths happened at a young age, because of both living conditions and medical practices. As medical science advanced humans lived longer. In modern times many humans have lost touch with death. Advances in medications and medical practices have reduced most of the physical pain associated with dying. Instead of dying in their home the dying are often removed from their homes and placed in hospitals and nursing homes. Death is often feared. This is because often the process of dying can be painful. There are many phases of death the physical: reduced appetite, pain, reduced thirst, increased sleeping, and weight loss. Then there are also the quick painless deaths. All are unfortunate, but part of the cycle of life. There are many different stages of death through the eyes of science. Some define it as once the heart stops beating. Some will see death once the electrical activity in their brain ceases. One of the challenges in defining death. Others will see death as when consciousness ceases. Along with death comes grief. Every person's mourning and grief are different. The endless tears, incoherent guilt, and numbness that come with grief are natural. In many societies, memories of the dead were kept alive through memorials, rituals, and stories. Science has no explanations regarding what happens after death, except what happens with the deterioration of the physical body. Many cultures believe that the spirits of the dead continued to live after death. In this limbo state all knowledge was given to the soul. So, upon death what does happen to the soul? Honestly, that depends on what you believe. I believe that whatever you believe will happen to your soul when you die will happen. For those that believe in Heaven, they would go to Heaven. I believe in reincarnation. I see the soul as a vaporous energy of our spirit. Once the physical body dies then the soul rises leaving that body. I believe then that soul travels to a waiting hall, much like a Vahalla, or Heaven. There the soul rests and reflects before it moves on. There is no amount of set time for the soul to remain in Vahalla. Once the soul is ready to be reborn it is reborn. I then believe when the soul is reborn it can be reborn into any living thing: plants, insects, animals, or sea life. Then they live their life learning new lessons, till the cycle begins again. Many religions also hold some form of that belief: Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Orphism.
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As a mom of three boys who go to public school I started to notice that some things were not being taught in detail so I decided to create lessons for them. Many of these lessons cover science, history and of information about Paganism. I share crafts for the all different holidays and cultures as ways that they can learn and have fun at the same time.
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