Exploring the Afterlife

	Book review on The Unanswered Question by Kurt Leland (2002) Reviewed by David Lorimer, 2010 published in Network Review No 103
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This epic book - a sequel to Otherwhere is not for the faint-hearted, consisting as it does of long narratives exploring deeper dimensions of consciousness and analytical comparisons with other classic texts, notably The Egyptian Book of the Dead, The Tibetan Book of the Dead and Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell. The four parts explore the NDE as initiation (how far does it take us?), heavens, hells and in-betweens, the soul's journey and the nature of reincarnation, with references to Plato's Myth of Er. These are all stories, perhaps myths in the non-pejorative sense, but they nevertheless convey profound truths about the nature of human consciousness.

In a mind-dependent world, which seems to be more immediately the case in a post-mortem state, our expectations can create our reality. Swedenborg already talks about people who do not realise that they have died but we are told that people who have no belief in the afterlife 'can create an experience of extinguished consciousness' but at some point they realise that a part of them is witnessing the experience of extinguished consciousness so they realise they have survived after all. Another consequence of mind-dependency is that unexpressed negative emotions such as anger and fear can create the appearance of traditional hellish landscapes as depicted in Tibetan traditions.

This highlights the importance of catharsis, classically obtained through watching (Greek) tragedy, but also depicted in this book as an opera performance as a means of discharging emotions. Apparently this can also be carried out by the deceased through the living, even in dreams. As one can imagine, the author identifies a number of 'zones' in the afterlife landscape including immigration and emigration zones, rescue zones, rehabilitation and redemption zones. They represent states and transitions in the process, and the author accompanies various people through them, including a friend who died in unfortunate circumstances in his early 40s.

Leland distinguishes, as I do in Whole in One, between panoramic memory and deep life review, which he says is a process of stripping away the emotions attached to the events of one's life and coming to understand the meanings and lessons behind these events, which are now seen less sequentially than in terms of their emotional resonances.  This review also apparently involves checking the life as lived against the soul's 'master plan', a process found in the classic Testimony of Light, by Helen Greaves. Inevitably a sense of self-judgement arises from this comparison as one comes to realise how much one had remembered or forgotten along the way. Here, we are told, our deep feelings can keep us on track. We are also told that core personality develops as a result of our interaction with physical reality, the very obtuseness of which seems to obscure our innate understanding. The rehabilitation process then feeds forward into the circumstances of the next life. Leland tells us that all this is overseen by wise Facilitators who support the soul with their love and wisdom.

Leland has enormous respect and admiration for Swedenborg, but does not agree with his rejection of reincarnation and has some quibbles about his heavenly geography and what he calls his tendency to over-systematise. He makes an interesting remark about the goal of spiritual growth being to achieve a perfect balance between identity and union, between a sense of self and belonging to a larger whole - what I refer to in my Learning for Life programme as standing out and fitting in. There is an intriguing reference to Herman Hesse as someone who has graduated from all the possible experiences of human and angelic existence. I myself have learnt a lot from his poetry and novels and used to read them with my pupils at Winchester. Leland wonders about this but was struck by the remarkable tone of his voice in a recording of Hesse reading one of his short stories.

So what does one make of all this? Each reader will bring his or her own understanding and interpretation to these narratives, all of which - whether ancient or modern - are physical representations of something experienced outside space and time. This invisible realm seems to be a cosmos or order, and these experiences or narratives undoubtedly contain metaphysical truths, at least in a metaphorical sense. For my part, I found the book stimulating and enriching and a timely reminder of themes I explored in depth over 20 years ago.

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