THE SOUL AFTER DEATH BY FR. SERAPHIM ROSE

THE SOUL AFTER DEATH

CONTEMPORARY “AFTER-DEATH” EXPERIENCES IN THE LIGHT OF THE ORTHODOX TEACHING ON THE AFTERLIFE

BY FR. SERAPHIM ROSE

A modern classic of traditional spirituality, read by millions worldwide

What happens to the soul when it leaves the body at death? What is its state from then until the Last Judgment? Do the numerous present-day books on life after death give any real answers to these questions, or are they only hints about a reality which even those who “return from the dead” often misunderstand?

The present book is a presentation of the 2,000-year-old teaching and experience of the Eastern Orthodox Church on the reality of the other world, as contrasted and compared with today’s “after-death” experiences on the one hand, and with the teaching and experience of age-old occultism on the other. On the basis of the divinely revealed knowledge of saints and visionaries throughout the centuries, this book discusses:

angels, and demons, and their manifestations in this world

heaven and hell, their “location” and reality

the nature of true experiences of the other world, and how they are different from occult and psychic experiences

the “aerial powers” with which many are coming into contact

the meaning of the contemporary experiences which have been publicized by Drs. Kubler-Ross, Moody, Osis and Haroldsson, and other researchers The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the “astral plane" of Theosophy, and the “out-of-body” experiences of Robert Monroe

The author, Fr. Seraphim Rose (1934–1982), was an American Orthodox monk in the ancient tradition who dedicated his life to reawakening modern Western man to forgotten spiritual truths. From his remote cabin in the mountains of northern California, he produced writings that have had a tremendous international impact. He is one of the most loved and revered spiritual writers in Russia today.

Contents

 Chapter One: Some Aspects of Today s Experiences 1. The “Out-of-Body” Experience

2. The Meeting with Others

3. The “Being of Light”

Chapter Two: The Orthodox Doctrine of Angels

Chapter Three: Appearances of Angels and Demons at the Hour of Death Chapter Four: The Contemporary Experience of “Heaven”

Chapter Five: The Aerial Realm of Spirits 1. Man’s Original Nature

2. The Fall of Man

3. Contact with Fallen Spirits

4. The Opening of the Senses

5. The Danger of Contact with Spirits 6. Some Practical Advice

Conclusion

Chapter Six: The Aerial Toll-Houses

1. How to Understand the Toll-Houses

2. Patristic Testimony of the Toll-Houses

3. The Toll-Houses in Lives of Saints

4. A Modern Experience of the Toll-Houses

5. The Toll-Houses Experienced before Death

6. The Particular Judgment

7. The Toll-Houses: A Touchstone of Authentic After-Death Experience

8. The Teaching of Bishop Theophan the Recluse on the Aerial Toll-Houses

Chapter Seven: “Out-of-Body” Experiences in Occult Literature 1. The Tibetan Book of the Dead

2. The Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

3. The “Astral Plane” of Theosophy

4. “Astral Projection”

5. “Astral Travelling”

6. Conclusion about the “Out-of-Body” Realm A Note on Reincarnation

Chapter Eight: True Christian Experiences of Heaven

1. The “Location” of Heaven and Hell

2. Christian Experiences of Heaven

3. Characteristics of the True Experience of Heaven A Note on Visions of Hell

Chapter Nine: The Meaning of Today’s “After-Death” Experiences 1. What Do Today’s Experiences “Prove”?

2. The Connection with Occultism

3. The Occult Teaching of Today’s Investigators

4. The “Message” of Today’s “After-Death” Experiences 5. The Christian Attitude Towards Death

Chapter Ten: Summary of the Orthodox Teaching on the Fate of the Soul After Death

Life after Death by Archbishop John Maximovitch The Beginning of Spiritual Vision

Encounters with Spirits

The First Two Days after Death

The Toll-Houses

The Forty Days

The State of Souls Until the Last Judgment Prayer for the Dead

What We Can Do for the Dead The Resurrection of the Body

Appendix I: The Orthodox Teaching of Saint Mark of Ephesus on the State of Souls after Death

First Homily: Refutation of the Latin Chapters Concerning Purgatorial Fire From the Second Homily against Purgatorial Fire

Appendix II: Some Recent Orthodox Responses to the Current Discussion on Life after Death

1. The Mystery of Death and the Beyond by Father Ambroise Fontrier 2. The Great Wager Between Believers and Unbelievers by Photios

Kontoglou

3. A Return from the Dead in Contemporary Greece by Archimandrite

Cyprian

4. The “Dead” Appear in Contemporary Moscow by Priest Dimitry Dudko

Appendix III: Answer to a Critic

1. The “Contradictions” of Orthodox Literature on the Soul after Death

2. Is there such a thing as an “out-of-body” experience (whether before or

after death), or an “other world” which souls inhabit?

3. Does the soul “sleep” after death?

4. Are the toll-houses “imaginary”?

Conclusion

Appendix to the Second Edition About the Author

Bibliography

Footnotes

Index

Back cover text and photo