Pagans, what about ’specialized’ afterlives?
By ’specialized’, I mean afterlives that cannot be properly reached without a specific ritual, even if it’s just placing two coins on the deceased’s eyes so that they can pay a fair to Charon, for example.
I met someone a while ago that was afraid of death because she couldn’t get someone to mummify her, and thus couldn’t properly be buried in terms of her beliefs, and in result wouldn’t properly depart to the afterlife.
What about these people? I’m sure the various deities out there are highly traditional. What happens to people that are, for example, worshipers of a Greek goddess or god (or more), who aren’t buried with the required fare? Does Charon take modern coins? What about people whose afterlives require a different ritual?
Are they properly seen to the other side despite the fact that their rituals do not or can not go on anymore?
Protip: I am not looking for the answers "There is no afterlife", "They go to Hell", or "Hey, you’re that genderless pronoun who keeps asking about necromancy. Why don’t you ask them?", or variants of. ]:
I believe that it all depends on what they believe. I feel that the afterlife is another place where lessons are learned just like they are here. However it is a different level of consciousness, or being, what have you. I believe that our life here on earth depends greatly on what we decide while we are on the other side. I also believe highly in re-incarnation as more of a choice than a requisite. Bright Blessings to You and yours!
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:04 am
I’m sure the Gods are aware of the time changes, so I don’t think it’d be too terrible if ones burial wasn’t totally in line with tradition.
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February 2nd, 2010 at 10:40 am
me, i beleive we all die and go to the same place in the same way, regardless of what we have as superstitons,and thats what they are
saying that, i DO still have my own superstitions in regards to this issue
for example, organ donation,
me i WANT to put my name down and help people after i die, but, i have this strange feelign we NEED those for our passing to the next life
i dont know why or how i came to this conclusion, and i dont even know if i beleive it or not,but its a fear i have
so, i do understand their fears and superstitions, but, i also accept that no matter what, theres niothign we can do to change it
if its so then its so
we cant know what it is, whether we have to have all oru organd, or coins on our eyes, to ‘get in’, and until soemoen from that side lets us know, we will al be guessing, and diogn what we feel is right
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February 2nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
What a fascinating question! I believe that as humans evolved, so did our Goddesses and Gods. So if you believe Charon waits in the boat on the river Styx, and you only have an American Quarter to give him, he would accept it. To not give him any money at all would be insulting. I do not believe that the gods are so harsh as to deny someone into their version of the afterlife due to the impossibility of the culture allowing mumification anymore! The Gods love us as we love them and they will welcome us in whatever way they wish.
For instance, if you are Pagan and wish to be cremated because that is how you believe you will properly re-incarnate, but for some (terrible) reason your wishes are not followed after your death and you are buried instead…the gods will not refuse you. To be clear, this is MY opinion and others may disagree. In essence, I believe that as humanity has changed and evolved and shifted, our Gods and Goddesses have as well.
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February 2nd, 2010 at 11:41 am
I believe that it all depends on what they believe. I feel that the afterlife is another place where lessons are learned just like they are here. However it is a different level of consciousness, or being, what have you. I believe that our life here on earth depends greatly on what we decide while we are on the other side. I also believe highly in re-incarnation as more of a choice than a requisite. Bright Blessings to You and yours!
References :
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:55 am
You can always have your coins made into jewelry.
I have a Greek coin necklace that I wear all the time; no idea what it’s monetary equivalent is, but I’d imagine it would suffice. 
And I always thought the coin was supposed to go in the mouth of the corpse, so right there we’d have a possible difference… LOL At least from my study of ancient Greece, I know that such practices varied from place to place.
To me, such practices are largely symbolic anyways. I don’t believe that "such and such funeral rite" is a "requirement" to reach the afterlife. After all, we can’t all count on our kin to respect our wishes after we’re gone. I don’t think we’ll wander around "lost in space and time" if someone doesn’t perform our funeral rites to the letter. I think it’s more about making peace with the end of that particular lifetime, both for your spirit and for the living you left behind. If there are such things as ghosts (something I haven’t been entirely convinced of yet), I think such spirits are lost because of emotional attachment to the life they were living or a sense of "unfinished business," not because someone used the wrong coins at their burial.
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Hellenic Polytheist
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:27 pm
In a reconstructionist religion, you do things the
same way as, for example, the ancient Egyptians…
however I think we need to realize the difference
between the customs of one particular ancient
culture, and what is truly spiritually necessary.
In a modern revival, our Priests and Priestesses
can help us to decide what is necessary and
appropriate. I feel that specific burial customs are
not critical to completion of the spiritual journey.
Our view of the "afterlife" is that your spirit rejoins
with the Goddess and finds peace, but not in any
conscious way. This usually happens without any
assistance, although a ritual is performed out of
respect for the deceased.
Only in the case where a spirit has not found
peace is a ritual needed…. and in those cases
it is absolutely necessary.
Blessings,
Jean
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