Common Questions and Answers about the Afterlife!

Over the years I have been asked thousands of questions about the Afterlife: What happens when you die? How does it happen? What do our loved ones have to say? So, after a while I started writing them down. Then, once I finished writing my book, The Love Never Ends, I put a little book together called Answers-About-the-Afterlife. These are some of the top questions and answers from that book. I hope they bring you some insight… and maybe even answer some of your own questions. ~ SDJ♥

1. Is there a life review after we have passed on? Yes, there is a life review. It is like as they go through their life review, they are witnessing everything that ever happened in their life… every feeling, every emotion, every experience. It is as if it is played out on a movie screen. I’ve been told that it’s like you have a remote and you can fast forward and rewind through different parts of it afterwards. You can also see the way things might have turned out had you gone down a different road, or made a different choice. It is my understanding that one road isn’t better than another. They generally all wind up going to the same place. It is really just more about the experience and the expansion of the person. As you go through this life review, there is no judge and jury. There is no one to condemn you. It is an opportunity to study the life you lived, and learn and grow from it with a new and different perspective. Because you are now in Spirit, you can see from a higher vibration and can see what each experience was truly about.
2. Will I see the ones who have passed before me? Will they be the age they were when they died? My dad was 51, I was 25. Now I’m 52, will he know me? Yes, you will see them but I use the word see, and it is more like a feeling or knowing. The Spirit world is a mental world. It is all thought based, so it is a recognition of them, based on their energy more than it is a vision of them based on their looks or age.
3. Will I be a part of the lives of those still living? That is up to the individual Spirit, but generally, yes. If there are things that are of interest to you happening in their lives, then you certainly would stay connected to them. Sometimes, as time goes on and people move through the healing process, it isn’t as necessary. But if you want to, yes, you can.
4. Do you have instant knowledge/memories of all the lives you’ve lived once you cross over? Once you return to Spirit, you have knowledge of all that you are and all that you have been. You may not choose to focus on it; but yes, you are aware of all aspects of your soul or all expressions of your Divine light.
5. Does a person’s grudge against another die with that person, or does the Spirit hold on to this energy? Typically, once someone passes, they “understand” the life experiences; therefore, any grudge would be gone. However, if they are in a low vibrational place, they may hold onto it for a time. As their healing occurs and they evolve a bit more, then the energy of the “grudge” would be healed as well. I have had a few experiences with the later, as they have shared with me from the other side.
6. How can I communicate with my loved ones? The most important factor is to be present, so that you can see and feel, hear and know the messages that are happening all around you.
7. How soon are we able to communicate back with loved ones? The answer is immediately. There are a lot of “stories” out there that say you have to wait a certain amount of time, but that is not the case. You can communicate with them immediately if you are able to raise your vibration and be open. Or you could go to a medium like me. Bottom line, Spirit is always Spirit. We just receive a body when we are here and leave it when we go… we communicate all the while. No “on hold” time.
8. When communicating with the Other Side: when a person calls out another person’s name before they die – are they actually seeing that “dead” person? Yes, typically they are there to welcome them to the Other Side. Remember that death here, is birth there; and they are awaiting the birth.
9. I’ve had two very close family members (brother and father) pass away. I can feel someone around, but how do I figure out WHO is trying to communicate with me? This can be challenging. It takes discernment, which is not something that can be taught. It must be experienced. So, it takes practice. First, I would ask and see if you get a clear sense of who it is. Sometimes it is that easy. Second, when you feel the presence of Spirit, tune into who comes into your heart and mind first, because that is likely correct. Your first hit with your intuition is usually right on. Third, ask for confirmation. Ask Spirit to show you a sign that it is the person you are thinking of…and then pay attention. This confirmation can be something like having their picture fall off the wall, or someone will call you with the same name, or you’ll be driving and see a license plate that reminds you of them. If you ask for a sign, and pay attention to your intuition, Spirit will provide you with the validation.
10. What if the person that has passed didn’t speak English, can a Medium still communicate with them? It really doesn’t matter because as a Medium connects with that spirit, they connect mostly through thoughts and feelings, which the medium them interprets. Therefore, someone that spoke Russian can still communicate with a Medium that only speaks English.
11. Why, in my case, do they show up in dreams to talk to me? The dream state is the time when the physical being is in the highest vibration and lacks resistance. Therefore, it is the easiest time/space for the Spirits to connect with them. Communication starts through the dream state for many, but most people don’t realize that it is Sprit communication. They think they are just having a dream about them. Dreams are the most effortless way for Spirits to connect because they don’t have to lower their vibration for us to “feel” them. When we sleep, our vibration raises. So it is a simpler way to achieve communication, especially when they have first transitioned. It is very common in the first few months for people to have dreams of their departed loved ones. Once those loved ones begin to heal and grow and expand, they learn new ways to communicate, and begin to express in those ways. They start coming through by showing signs like a butterfly, a rose or a heart… they will ring your phone and no one is there or better yet, a call comes from their old number… they’ll push pictures off the shelves… they’ll send you impressions in your heart ,mind and body. So, they begin to leave messages in the physical world in a variety of new ways. It’s like as they learn more in their new world, they evolve from showing up in the dream state to other means of communication.
12. If we live many lives (reincarnate), then who are we in heaven? We are not a person, with a name. We are the soul, a vibrational infinite being.
13. What about suicide? I have a family member who crossed this way. So, when the death is caused by a suicide, how different is the crossing over? Or is it any different? There are many different beliefs around suicide. I’m only going to answer from the perspective of the souls that have passed this way, and not those that are left here. Souls that have passed from suicide typically cross over in the same way that others do. The only difference is that they often spend more time in a “healing space” as I like to call it. In this place, they can help those that are left in the physical, help those individuals to heal, and resolve some of the pain that caused them to leave that way in the first place.
14. Is their Spirit “trapped?” No, their Spirit is not trapped. They are not any more trapped than any other Spirit. Transitions offer freedom, not entrapment.
15. What happens to pets? Pets go to the same place as humans do… and yes, they can be with their loved ones. Many Spirits report that they are with their animals once they return home. All types of animals have come through in readings. I have had horses, dogs, cats, goats, hamsters and even a goldfish. The messages they share are of absolute unconditional love.
16. Could you come back as a dog? Humans are constantly evolving, as are animals. Animals come in with a different intention than those of humans. This is not to say that animals are a lower vibration, quite the opposite. The animals already know that they are love, and they just allow it. Humans on the other hand explore more contrast in order to expand and grow. Therefore, a human would not come back as an animal and an animal would not come back as a human.
17. How do I keep an open conversation going with the Spirit World? Spirit is always communicating with us in all its forms, not just deceased loved ones. You have access to communication with Angels & Archangels, Spirit Guides, Ascended Masters and many other Light Beings. All you have to do is stay connected with them by inviting them into your life. Open yourself up to their guidance and communication through meditation. Stay present in your physical world. Look for the signs from Spirit. They are everywhere. If you keep communicating with them, they will absolutely continue communicating with you. The truth is they will communicate with you even if you don’t do anything…but the problem with that is, you probably wouldn’t notice.

If you’d like more info about the Afterlife, my little book has hundreds of Questions and Answers about the it. Check it out here as a PDF or grab it on Amazon in book form here.