According to the old Teachings, the physical body is merely a vehicle, or vessel, which the soul employs to experience the Physical Existence. In some respects, the body may be thought of as a "garment" which the soul wears during its "lifetime" upon the Physical Dimen- sion. In time it wears out, or is damaged beyond repair, and can no longer serve its function. The soul will then pass through the "death" experience, and be freed from the physical vessel, which once "housed" it.
The Teachings tell us that the soul remains near the body for three days, as the astral cord gradually dissolves. This "cord" is an energy link, between the soul and the body (more about this in the next note). In the case of cremation, the soul is freed almost im- mediately.
According to the old Teachings, the soul will then be drawn to that Realm of Existence which is most Harmonious to its general vibra- tion (which is the tonal, or vibration, resonating from the sum of all the experiences through which it has passed). It is from here, that the Mythos of the Summerland (or Luna, as it is called in the Aridian Tradition) begins.
It was an ancient belief that the Moon was the dwelling place of those souls who had passed from the physical life. Old myths speak of the God, as the Sun, crossing the sky each day and gathering the souls of all who had died during the night. He would then carry them off to the West, and down into the Underworld. Here they were presented to the Goddess (remember, the moon sets in the west too) who then carried them off to the Afterlife World. Aradia called this Realm, Luna. Today, many Wiccans refer to this concept as the Summerland.
Luna is a "place" in which the soul is renewed and revital-ized. It can then become prepared for its next incarnation, or in some cases, for its next "move" up into the Higher Dimensions (when it no longer requires the need for the physical dimension experiences). The Moon is connected to the cycles of Fertility, the Tides, and to menst- ruation. It is not difficult to see why the ancients then linked the Moon to the cycles of Death and rebirth.
Old legends spoke of the Moon receiving souls from the physical life, and that the light of the moon swelled with the collective light of their spirit bodies. As the souls returned back into the World, the light of the Moon began to wane.
The old teachings say that in Luna, there is communion with those who have gone before us, and that "plans" are made to be reborn among those who we knew before. In a way this also addresses the issue of "Karmic" links and connections.
The "portal" to the Realm beyond Life, stands at the Western Quarter. This association was established due to the fact that the Sun and the Moon "disappear" in the West, just as we too, in our time, disappear. The association of a body of Light and the Soul, also seem to have originated with this concept, and the non-physical (yet phy- sical) properties of the Sun and the Moon, as "understood" by the Ancient Peoples.
The beliefs of a People, have a powerful impact upon the Astral material, of the Astral Dimension. Within the Astral Plane, thoughts ARE things. So, it is here that the Summerland, or Luna, exists.
Design & Graphics© 1997-1999 Catherine B. Hicks, Starweaver Creations/Cyberpanic Web Design. All rights for the work remain with the authors as stated. All rights reserved. Copying this page without permission is a violation of United States copyright laws.