The Soul Never Dies
One of the truths about life is that everyone, at some point, dies.
There has always been a human longing to understand death. In 1969, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross published her ground-breaking book, “On Death and Dying.” Her work revolutionized the way healthcare supported those facing death. For the first time, attention was drawn to the inner experience of the dying person. Since then, many theories and models have been developed, deepening our understanding of the dying process. These insights have resulted in improved care for the dying and their families, including the creation of hospice and palliative care settings.
Generally, there is a great deal of fear about dying, especially when facing the diagnosis of a serious illness. Although death is a natural part of living, we have lost connection with the experience. At one time, we spent our lives in places where families lived close to each other. Families and community provided support through life events such as birth, raising families, aging, illness, and dying. For many, this is no longer the case. A natural death at home is less common. Many deaths now occur in a hospital setting where the primary focus is to keep the body alive.
Many spiritual traditions offer insight into the essential nature of the human spirit. In Rajyoga, as taught by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization, the soul is considered a divine point of light energy. Situated behind the center of the forehead in the brain, the soul is imperishable and eternal. The soul is the thinking, feeling, sentient being inside the physical body. The soul is like software that operates the body through the hardware of the brain.
In Rajyoga, spirituality means living in a human body with the awareness that I am the soul.
In Rajyoga meditation, we practise soul consciousness, holding the awareness that I am a soul, a sparkling being of energy that animates the body. During meditation, we consider the following thoughts to generate the awareness of soul consciousness:
● I am a soul, the one who animates this body.
● I am a soul, a peaceful being.
● I, the soul, am the creator of my life.
● I, the soul, paint my life with the beauty of my thoughts.
● I, the soul, have the self-respect to bring gentleness to my voice, kindness to my
eyes, and dignity to my actions.
● I, the soul, am connected to a Divine Source of pure love.
God — an eternal, pure Being, unbound by human form — becomes a partner and guide, a source of unconditional love and light. In meditation, the soul reconnects with this Divine presence, drawing spiritual power to rise beyond the physical dimension and rediscover its eternal identity. The Divine is a benevolent presence through all aspects of life, rather than a source of support during distress or death.
The distinction between body and soul is important because the body is governed by different laws than the spirit. The physical dimension is ruled by the laws of the material world, primarily the law of entropy, which states that everything ages, declines and decays, including bodies. The soul, on the other hand, is governed by the spiritual laws of karma, eternity, and Divine connection. The soul experiences life in a body, has relationships, learns, and grows. When the body becomes sick, has an accident or becomes old, the soul transitions away from the body. It is the body, not the soul, that dies.
There are many different beliefs about what happens to the soul after death. In the spiritual knowledge of Rajyoga, the soul takes rebirth in another body, travelling directly to the womb, which is waiting, ready. The soul carries the experiences and love connections from one birth into the next, stored as memories in the subconscious. This understanding brings the reassurance that love never dies, that we will meet those we love again.
The awareness of the self as an eternal being of energy radically alters one’s view of death. People who have had a near-death experience report looking down at their body, commonly referred to as an out-of-body experience. In that moment, they describe a profound realization that they are NOT the body. They are a being of light, floating above the scene, ready to go through a tunnel of light to God. In these sacred moments, the soul is self-aware. This experience of separation from the body is described as comforting, full of love, and free of worry.
(An excerpt from the book ‘The Soul Never Dies’, co-authored by Judy Johnson)
Judy Johnson coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in Atlantic Canada.
