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The Theosophical View of Purgatory

Posted 7/3/07

 

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Purgatory from Medieval Latin Purgatorium,  meaning a place of cleansing.

The commonly accepted view of Purgatory sees it as a temporary place or condition of suffering which souls may go through to remove personal obstacles before moving on to heaven.

In “The Other side of Death”, C W Leadbeater makes this statement about the fate of the alcoholic in the immediate after death states

“When that man (the alcoholic) dies. His disposition is in no way changed by death; the horrible carving is as strong upon him as ever – nay, even stronger than ever at first, because the desire vibration has no longer to set in motion the heavy physical matter. But since he has lost the physical body, by means of which alone he could achieve his desire, this craving must remain forever unsatisfied”

Leadbeater is describing someone who has taken an addiction into the after death state and now has no means to satisfy it. He goes on to say that the craving will eventually burn itself out but this takes time and the individual is held in the lower levels of the Astral Plane until this is complete. With the desire for alcohol dissolved the individual can then move on to the higher realms of the Astral Plane and eventually to Devachan or state of bliss.

There are other things besides addictions that you can take with you in to the after death state which can make things pretty miserable until you burn them off.

Here are some examples;

Any form of addiction this can be tobacco, drugs, food, and in fact anything that causes a craving.

Attachment to wealth/comfort/status/power

Anger

Envy

Malice

This is not an exhaustive list. Most of the things that cause a period of after death suffering  are either related to physical cravings, are negative emotions or over attachment to the material world.

  

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