Reincarnation

(Portions Taken from Skyhawk's Book
"The Pagan Book of Living and Dying")

Death is not a final end. It's simply a part of a wheel that includes rebirth. Death is simply transformation, not termination. In Wicca, we are not striving to get off the wheel or to get beyond the need for rebirth. Rebirth is the Goddess's great gift to us, and we embrace it.

Despite the emphasis on rebirth, death is still a great loss. Our essence, our Deep Self, is reborn, but our particular personality is wedded to a body, a gender, an ancestry, a life history. That personality will dissolve at death. Lessons we have learned will become part of our essential being. But much of what makes us unique in this life will be gone.
This is much like when your personality changes thoughout your living life. Your environment and life challenges can often change your personality.
For example, in this life your dignity is beaten down everyday by someone. Your personality is likely to be one of someone that feels they have no self worth or contribution.
Now lets say in your next life you are born into a family that loves you very much and appreciates you, only touching you in a loving manner. Your personality in that life is likely to be one of someone that feels loved, has self worth and tackles the world with their head held high.

Suicide

Suicide is not a neutral act: it causes harm to family, partners, and intimate friends. It is not a solution to problems such as depression or despair; it simply transfers them to another plane and intensifies the challenges the soul faces. For these reasons, suicide is strongly discouraged. When someone does commit suicide, however, we attempt to view the act with the same compassion we would accord any other mistake. The person is still considered part of our community, entitled to the same spiritual aid, guidance, and rites as anyone else who has died.

Crossing Over

When you die, anything that you believe in does exist in the other world; the spirit crossing over goes wherever it expects. If you believe you will go to Avalon and walk with the Goddess beneath her flowering apple trees, then you will. You create your own "Heaven" in your mind.

If you would like more examples, and a really good movie to watch, *grin* I suggest you check out "What Dreams May Come" starring Robyn Williams ©1998. This movie is the closest thing I've been able to find to these beliefs.

One Wiccans Point of View
(Written by Griffonstone)

Many people have various opinions on what death is and what exactly happens to us when we die. I too have an opinion on this one. I have studied death and dying for the majority of my life and I have even experienced a few (yes, a few) near death experiences and out of body experiences. I guess you can say I’ve been there. So I will share what I have learned in my great adventure that I call life (and death).

Well, as you might have already guessed, death is by no means the end of everything. It is certainly not the end of us! In fact, it is only the beginning of our new life, life anew, in other words. We are certainly immortal in our souls and this is something that we must learn to accept as it is something that we cannot just “ignore”. There is no reason to fear death! But, to actively seek out death will cause you problems both here and on the other side …more than you can imagine!

If we so choose, we can either stay on the other side (eternal life on a “higher” plane, that is to say: Heaven, The Happy Hunting Grounds, Nirvana etc.) or we may choose (yes, it is a choice) to reincarnate either back here on Earth or some other place. I do not feel that we have to worry about reincarnating into a slug or something like that but, we will reincarnate into someone that will best help us learn and understand what it is we need to learn or experience at that time. We will know what is needed to be done. There is no Hell or judgment. The multiverse is far too gigantic to worry about such trivial things. Ever wonder why there is the saying “ you are your own worse judge?” I think that I will be far harder on myself than anyone else I can think of. For those who seem to have no conscious, the laws of Karma will be very active in your life. I believe that Karma is alive and well in our lives long before we die. Like I said, there is no judgment. We do have responsibility and consequence though. Just look around in our world and/or your own backyard for this one! I believe that life has a great plan and scheme for all of us and we are intimately entwined to it and each other. We all come from the God and Goddess; we are all their children! We will learn from our parents and ourselves. This is another reason for no Hell and judgment after life. …You can let that one go now! (The whole Hell and judgment thing). Reincarnation is the God and Goddess’s way of letting us explore their creations from many different points of view. Our parents want us to fully understand and enjoy what it is they have created. We can learn many wondrous (and often difficult) lessons in our development by fully utilizing their gifts and wonders. Remember, not all wonders are made of gold; we must accept the bitter with the sweet. The variety is what makes life worth experiencing, whether we see it or not. So, hey, don’t sweat it. We are all in good hands!