The perennial human question, “What happens when we die?”, has sparked countless spiritual beliefs, philosophical debates, and, in recent decades, attempts at systematic investigation. While mainstream science largely remains agnostic or materialist on the subject, a body of work within psychical research, often controversial but persistent, presents evidence some interpret as suggesting the survival of consciousness beyond physical death.
Researchers like Professor Gary Schwartz and Professor Archie Roy are cited by proponents of survival as having gathered data, often through mediums or studies of seemingly anomalous phenomena, that challenge purely materialist explanations. Their work, among others in psychical research, seems to hint at the persistence of a non-material component – often referred to as the soul, spirit, or consciousness – after the body ceases to function.
Parallel to this, the extensive research into Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), particularly the work compiled by figures like PMH Atwater, describes remarkably consistent accounts from individuals who report leaving their bodies and entering another realm. A frequently reported element of these profound experiences is the “life review,” where the individual re-experiences their earthly life from an expanded perspective, often alongside a “being or beings of light.”
During this review, NDErs often recount being asked questions that strike at the core of existential meaning:
- What have you learned?
- Who have you helped?
- Have you fulfilled your life’s purpose?
These questions, emerging from the purported post-mortem state, carry profound implications. They strongly suggest that, at a deep level prior to our earthly incarnation, there was an awareness of certain spiritual values deemed crucial: the importance of growth (learning), contribution to others (helping), and the fulfilment of a pre-ordained or self-chosen mission (purpose). This framework implies a conscious, purposeful planning of life before entering the physical realm, based on a spiritual understanding of what truly matters.
Herein lies a significant paradox, one that has puzzled spiritual seekers and philosophers for millennia. If, as the evidence from psychical research and NDEs might suggest, we are spiritual beings who plan our earthly sojourn with specific lessons, contributions, and purposes in mind – values we are held accountable for in a post-mortem review – why do so many, perhaps even most, souls upon incarnation seem to lose this perspective so profoundly?
The vast majority of humanity appears to become deeply engrossed in the material world. We chase wealth, status, pleasure, and power. We identify strongly with our physical bodies, our egos, and our social roles. We become entangled in drama, fear, anxiety, and the pursuit of external validation. This earthly struggle often seems a far cry from the spiritual ideals of learning, helping, and fulfilling a higher purpose, especially when the life review suggests these were the original metrics of success.
Indeed, many ancient and modern spiritual traditions – from the Gnostics and Hermetics of antiquity to Eastern paths like Radha Soami Satsang and others – speak of humanity’s current state as one of spiritual amnesia or entrapment. They describe the material world (Samsara, the Demiurge’s realm, Tamo Gun) not as our true home but as a temporary, often illusory, domain from which we seek liberation. The core message of these traditions is to “awaken” from this dream, to realise our true spiritual nature, and to remember our connection to the divine source, thereby achieving freedom from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
The goal, according to these paths, is explicitly liberation from the material realm.
This brings us squarely to the central contradiction: Why would spiritual beings who understand the importance of spiritual values (learning, helping, purpose) plan to incarnate into a realm from which they ultimately seek liberation, only to then experience a near-total forgetting of those very values and their spiritual origin upon arrival?
Why devise an intricate plan for growth and purpose within the material world, when the ultimate aspiration seems to be freedom from it? Why build a curriculum based on earthly experience if the aim is to graduate permanently from the earthly classroom?
Several potential explanations have been offered within various spiritual and philosophical frameworks, though none can be definitively proven:
The Veil of Forgetfulness: This is a common concept suggesting a necessary “veil” is drawn at birth. Without forgetting our divine nature and pre-incarnation knowledge, the earthly experience might lack authenticity or challenge. True learning and growth, particularly in areas like unconditional love, compassion, and overcoming adversity, may require navigating ignorance and difficulty without a spiritual “cheat sheet.”
The Intensity of Contrast: The material world, with its stark realities of suffering, limitation, and separation, provides the ultimate contrast to the spiritual realm of unity, light, and unconditional love. Experiencing this contrast might be necessary to fully appreciate and integrate spiritual truths, making the eventual return or awakening more profound and conscious.
The Development of Free Will and Individuality: Some theories propose that the struggle to remember, to choose the spiritual path amidst material temptation, is essential for the development of genuine free will and unique individual consciousness. Spiritual growth earned through effort and choice may be fundamentally different from a state of inherent, effortless spiritual being.
Empathy and Compassion: To truly understand suffering and develop deep compassion, one might need to experience these states firsthand, embedded within the illusion of separation that the material world fosters.
The Journey Is the Purpose: Perhaps the purpose isn’t solely the arrival at liberation, but the process of awakening itself. The plan isn’t flawed because we forget; the forgetting creates the conditions for the journey of remembering, which is the essential transformational process.
The paradox of the planned earthly incarnation involving spiritual goals, followed by widespread spiritual amnesia and the ultimate aim of liberation from that very realm, remains one of the most compelling puzzles of existence. While psychical research hints at the framework of a purposeful spiritual journey involving this world, the “why” behind the inherent forgetfulness upon entry speaks to a deeper, perhaps divinely orchestrated, mechanism designed for profound, albeit challenging, soul growth. It suggests that perhaps the spiritual lesson of earthly life is not just what we learn and who we help, but the struggle through amnesia to remember who we truly are.
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