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Key Findings 70,74 - An individual who commits suicide will find after the initial greeting process has been completed that they are in a place darker than in the place of an individual crossing over for any other reason. These individual souls are initially met by angels and guides and they can see the brightness and the light and the love of these guides coming through to them so that they are not left into a complete hole of darkness though they are in a dim world compared to where they would have been under other circumstances.

Afterlife 101 Section, Chapter 3

Particular case of suicide
Spirit Guide: Those troubled souls who are living on earth who choose to end their problems much too soon in life through suicide obviously have a very dark energy of their own they have created. Now, there are many different reasons for suicide. The first we would say is that this individual's connection with its spirit self is so blocked with negative energy that they have shut down from their spirit self. This individual is in such pain and is so confused and the wall of pain and confusion has built so strongly around him or her that the individual has closed down so much they cannot allow any love into their life.

By doing this they are looking at such a helpless and hopeless feeling, feeling of being totally alienated from the entire universe, feeling no sense of love whatsoever. When they commit this act of suicide they do not go to hell as many people say they do, but they are in a place darker than in the place of an individual crossing over for any other reason. For this is their place of darkness that they have created. These individual souls are initially met by angels and guides and they can see the brightness and the light and the love of these guides coming through to them. This light and this love does permeate the life of the individual who committed suicide so that they are not left into a complete hole of darkness though they are in a dim world compared to where they would have been under other circumstances. They are met by loved ones who have crossed over who are very glad to see them.

Those individuals who cross over from suicide are eventually greeted by loved ones so that they are not living in this place of fear. Unfortunately, their interaction with these loved ones is not as prolonged--though again, time is not any essence whatsoever when crossing over--but they are not given the opportunity at this time to move immediately into this loving family environment. They are greeted by loved ones and supported and they have been released from the majority of the torment they were experiencing upon earth. Oftentimes their immediate sense of guilt of what they have done to themselves and to their loved ones retains them in a place such as a continuation of a school-room that you might relate to as in heaven. They are so looking for forgiveness from their loved ones for what they have done to them, not what they have done to themselves, but what they have done to their loved ones that their sense of guilt is again as strong as their fears that sent them to commit suicide. Their sense of guilt often prevents them from moving on for what we on earth would consider a great length of time. As they continue their spirit life, they are given opportunities to look back at their earth life they had just ended. They are given opportunities to then be open to see the love and caring of the ones that they left behind had for them. Their lack of sense of any right to have love in their life is what drove them to commit suicide to begin with.

So as they look back upon earth on the life they had on what brought them there, whether it was shame or guilt or fear or even anger, they see how their death affects all of those surrounding them. Oftentimes those left on earth play a role in helping an individual move forward so that they can connect again with their level of spirit energy not associated with their having committed suicide. These spirits who have committed suicide are given opportunity after opportunity to release what has brought them there so that they can move forward into their normal spirit life again. Until they find that they can release what brought them there and know that all they have to do is say--yes, I am willing to let go, I am willing to feel my rightful place that I didn't experience on earth but can move back into in Heaven. It is their free choice. They are oftentimes unable to accept that all they have to do is simply say yes and move forward, that they are restrained within the feelings and emotions that took them to commit suicide and do not allow themselves to move forward even in a spiritual world.
A majority of the time all spirits who have committed suicide move into their rightful place in the spirit world for they are able to see how much love is sent to them, both from those on earth and from those spirits who have come before them who are willing to say, yes I deserve this. Regardless of what they did, they are able then to move into their rightful journey of their spirit self. For in this place where they initially come after having committed suicide they are immediately given the opportunity to see the love and agree that they deserve this love and be willing to move into it. They are given free choice and oftentimes the burdens that they felt upon earth are so strong that they are seeking the freedom from guilt, from the forgiveness of the loved ones on earth. They move forward once they are able to agree that they do not need to continue to carry the burden of what brought them to heaven before their designated time. We would not agree with many spirit mediums on earth who say that those who commit suicide move into, shall we say, their place of origination in heaven immediately unless they have immediately allowed themselves to be released from what brought them there. Heaven gives you choices the same as earth does. Those who remain in this place they have come to from suicide are many times souls who just cannot accept they have the choice and the responsibility as spirits as well as humans to move forward and therefore their growth spiritually remains where it is.

They eventually come to a place where there is love and there is forgiveness but they choose not to move beyond the place where they are and are souls that no longer move forward because that is their choice. This generally does not happen but all souls are given the choice whether to move forward or not. If they remain in this state of not choosing to move forward they no longer are an energy that is in which you on earth would call this holding cell of suicidal individuals but move forward into a group of spirit souls who are at the level of consciousness they are.

There comes a time then when you make the choice to move forward that you honestly look at yourself and forgive yourself and give yourself the love and the forgiveness. And once this happens you are able to move to the place in heaven where you would have been at the time of that evolution of your spirit from earth. This does not mean that you would be at the place that you might have come into heaven at had you continued that lifetime but at about the consciousness level of where you would have been had you not been so fully attached to the events that were taking place in life that pushed you to commit suicide.

You on earth play a very big role in being able to help those on the other side no matter how they cross over, no matter what the circumstances are, and you can think of any circumstance. But you on earth are able to help them cross over and to help them to move forward by the love and the forgiveness and releasing of them. Your role on earth plays many times an important role for the ones that have crossed over.

Key Finding 74
In both cases of individuals who have committed evil acts and those individuals who have committed suicide, they are not initially in a space where they have a spiritual experience with other spirits. Though they can feel the presence of others around them within the environment they are in, they have no actual contact with these spirits.

Afterlife 101 Section, Chapter 3: Unwillingness to let go of destructive energies

Spirit Guide: In both cases of individuals who have committed evil acts and those individuals who have committed suicide, they are not in a space where they have a spiritual experience with other spirits. Though they can feel the presence of others around them within the environment they are in, they have no actual contact with these spirits. They also, once they are willing to accept the forgiveness from others and themselves and know that God is always forgiving, realize that when they agree to move into their original spiritual home, that when they do reincarnate in life again that there will be as you on earth oftentimes call a karmic energy that will follow them in their new earth life.

There are those though who have been so evil, and so destructive, that it seems that their life back in the spirit world will be in this place for an infinite amount of time. For there are also those who will never have remorse or ask to be forgiven, who cannot break the earthbound ties and emotions, those energies that brought them to such a destructive place that they cannot release themselves from that. This is not a punishment to them. This is their choice for not being able or willing to let go of those destructive energies that created all of its experiences on earth. For many times it can never concede to the fact that it did something wrong as a human, and therefore has no need to ask for forgiveness or to feel any remorse for any of their human actions. This is a place then where these spirits will remain indefinitely and will always feel the constant torment of what drove them to their actions on earth. You on earth might call this a hell or purgatory. Those in the spirit world again say it is just giving the spirit the opportunity to make choices and move forward and so therefore it is the spirit itself that is responsible for where it will continue its existence.

Question: For people who cross over, having either commited suicide or having committed evil acts while on earth and thus go into separate areas of heaven, what is the role of angels and spirit guides in those circumstances?

Spirit Guide: As with any being that crosses over, they are initially met with higher evolved forms of energy to help make the transition though we would say they find their transition to be a much darker event than those who are more--who have not walked more on the dark side of earth. We will say that anyone who makes their transition is always greeted by a form of higher energy than they ever experienced before but that does not mean that they are making their transition in what would be the most joyous experience as others.

Agreements

Journey of Souls by Newton

After those entities who meet us during our homecoming have dispersed, we are ready to be taken to a space of healing...I hear such terms as: chambers, travel berths, and interspace stopover zones, but the most commmon is the place of healing. I think of the healing station as a field hospital, or MASH unit, for damaged souls coming off Earth's battlefields.

Suicide: What Really Happens in the Afterlife by Heath

In conclusion, contemporary channeled messages make it pretty clear that suicides are not permanently stuck in some unpleasant hell dimension. They may be in limbo for a time, but eventually are able to leave the lower astral plane and advance spiritually-although this may require more help for them to do so than that which is needed by those who have died from other causes.

Destiny of Souls by Newton

Particularly when a young, healthy person commits suicide, our teachers consider this an act of gross immaturity and the abrogation of responsibility. Our spiritual masters have placed their trust in our courage to finish life with functional bodies in a normal fashion, no matter how difficult. They have infinite patience with us, but with repeated suicide offenders their forgiveness takes another tone.

Seth Speaks by Roberts

The conditions connected with an act of suicide are also important, and the inner reality and realization of the individual. I mention this here because many philosophies teach that suicides are met by a sort of special, almost vindictive fate, and such is not the case. However, if a person kills himself, believing that the act will annihilate his consciousness forever, then this false idea may severely impede his progress, for it will be further intensified by guilt. Again, teachers are available to explain the true situation. Various therapies are used. For example, the personality may be led back to the events prior to the decision. Then the personality is allowed to change the decision. An amnesia effect is induced, so that the suicide itself is forgotton. Only later is the individual informed of the act, when he is better able to face it and understand it.

Seth Speaks by Roberts

Suicides, as a class, for example, do not have any particular 'punishment' meted out to them, nor is their condition any worse a priori. They are treated as individual. Any problems that were not faced in this life will, however, be faced in another one. This applies not only to suicides, however.

Here and Hereafter by Borgia

Such is the state of spiritual enlightenment of the earth that in many cases these folk are completely unaware that they have "died". That means simply that they have never ceased to live there has been an unbroken continuity of life for them, as indeed there is for all of us. This situation frequently arises among people who pass into the spirit world suddenly and perhaps without warning. Their lack of knowledge of conditions existing in the spirit world produces this state of bewilderment, and if there is added to that ignorance also the fact that, during their earthly life, they never gave any heed to a future life in the spirit world, then their situation becomes a doubly unhappy one. But there is in the spirit world a vast organization of all its immense resources, and it must not be thought that these bewildered souls are left to shift for themselves. They are soon taken in hand by others long resident in spirit lands, as you judge time, who devote their spirit lives to such work. Our task is often a difficult one because it is not always easy for the soul to grasp what has happened. The mental equipment of the individual may cause a reluctance to accept the truth. On the other hand, those who are mentally alert will soon see for themselves the exact situation. If only knowledge of the laws and conditions of spirit life were universally diffused throughout the earth world, what a wealth of difference it would make to each soul as he came to reside in these lands.

Here and Hereafter by Borgia

The actual process of physical death must be undertaken alone, and in this sense it is a solitary business. But as soon as the spirit body is free then we can begin. So far I have been speaking of people who are destined for the bright realms of the spirit world. Equally, assistance is offered to those whose lives on earth have brought them to the dark realms. It is a safe rule to say that no person passing into the spirit world at dissolution does so unattended. There is always someone there. But in so many cases we are prevented from giving any help by the spiritual state of the soul we are approaching. In fact, approach becomes impossible, and so we can do nothing but watch the soul depart upon its way into darkness. Naturally, if we can perceive the tiniest glimmer of light issuing from such a soul, we do our best to fan it into something more resembling a flame.

Seth Speaks by Roberts

A suicide may bring about his own death because he rejects existence on any but highly specific terms chosen by himself. If this is the case, then of course he will have to learn differently. Many others, however, choose to deny experience while within the physical system, committing suicide quite effectively while still physically alive.

Journey of Souls by Newton

All my case work with the spirits of my subjects has convinced me there is no residence of terrible suffering for souls, except on Earth. I am told all souls go to one spirit world after death where everyone is treated with patience and love. However, I have learned that certain souls do undergo separation in the spirit world, and this happens at the time of their orientation with guides. They are not activated along the same travel routes as other souls. Those of my subjects who have been impeded by evil report that souls whose influence was too weak to turn aside a human impulse to harm others will go into seclusion upon reentering the spirit world. These souls don't appear to mix with other entities in the conventional manner for quite a while.

Suicide: What Really Happens in the Afterlife by Heath

In some cases, the terrorists may be separated and placed in something of a holding pattern until the guides feel they are capable of learning. This can be seen in the following question- and -answer section:

Question: Is this usual that they separate the terrorists?
Spirit: Sometimes.

Question: What makes the difference?
Spirit: The level of learning.

Question: Can you explain further?
Spirit: The speed with which they absorb love.

Question: So if they can't absorb love, you sort of group by level of...?
Spirit: It's a detainment, sort of.

Question: So where ae they right now?
Spirit: It's a holding pattern.

Question: How do they see the holding pattern?
Spirit: It looks similar to what they saw on Earth. But calmer...

Question: What happens to those who cannot let go of their hatred?
Spirit: They will stay in the holding pattern. The early separation of souls in the afterlife may not be unique to terrorists but simply a normal way of dealing with those who are very unevolved or have hurt others during their lifetime.

Destiny of Souls by Newton

The returning energy of some souls will not be sent back into their soul group right away. These are the souls who were contaminated by their physical bodies and became involved with evil acts. Those souls who have been associated with evil are taken to special centers which some clients call intensive care units..if their actions were prolonged and especially cruel over a number of lives, this would denote a pattern of wrongful behaviour. A guiding principle in the spirit world is that wrongdoing, intentional or unintentional, on the part of all souls will need to be redressed in some form in a future life. This is not considered punishment or even penance as much as an oppportunity for karmic growth.

Destiny of Souls by Newton

Souls who demand to be left in solitude after death on Earth are not self-destructing, rather some feel isolation is necessary out of concern for contaminating other souls with negative energy. There are also souls who don't feel contaminated but they are not ready to be consoled by anyone.

Destiny of Souls by Newton

There are certain displaced souls who have become so contaminated by their host bodies that they require special handling. This spectrum of behaviour would primarily include souls who have been associated with evil acts that caused harm to other people through deliberate malice....I understand there are souls whose acts in host bodies were so heinous they are not permitted to return to Earth. Souls are strengthened by regeneration with the expectation they can keep future potentially malevolent bodies in check

Between Death & Life by Dolores Cannon

Suicides normally do not go back into the body quickly.  Usually it is too traumatic.  They can't solve the problem that caused them to commit suicide quickly enough to back into the body that soon.

Disagreements

Destiny of Souls by Newton

In suicide cases involving healthy bodies, one of two things generally happens to these souls. If they are not a repeat offender, the soul is frequently sent back to a new life rather quickly, at their own request, to make up for lost time. This could be within five years of their death on Earth. For those who display a pattern of bailing out when things get rough there are places of repentance for a good purpose. These places do not contain a pantheon of horrors in some dark, lower spirit region reserved for sinners. Rather than being punished in some sort of bleak purgatory, these souls may volunteer to go to a beautiful planetary world with water, trees and mountains but no other life.

Question (70-74): After an individual commits suicide, instead of going to a fairly dim world for a period of time, are they ever sent to a new life quite quickly (to make up for lost time) or alternately allowed to go to a beautiful planet with no other life?

Spirit Guide Commentary (12/21/08): We cannot answer yes or no to those questions that you asked us for we have no knowledge of them.  It could very much be the case as you suggested but we can't answer to that if it is outside our realm of experiences.  But we do know that those who commit suicide are met by loved ones as they first cross over, they go to a place where they are given the opportunity to look at their reason for what they did and given the opportunity to accept and take responsibility for that and to eventually move back to their spirit family, having been forgiven by themselves, having been given forgiveness from their earth family, and knowing that they were watched by the higher consciousness as they took their own life.

The spirit guides indicate that the stated experience of some of Dr. Newton's patients after suicide do not fall within their sphere of afterlife knowledge.  They summarize the core experience which they associate with the crossing over of an individual after suicide.

Quotes:

You can even continue some symptoms after death. For example, Miss C, who lived in our apartment house, finally died of hardening of the arteries. One night I found myself out of my body in a strange house-strange because while it was extremely old-fashioned, somehow it looked brand-new. Miss C was just going out the door as I arrived. She was very distracted. Suddenly I "knew" that the house was an hallucination she had created, a replica of her childhood home, and I knew that she did not realize she was dead.  At the same moment I realized that my job was to explain the facts to her. I caught up with her, gently led her back into the house, and said, "Miss C, you don't have to worry anymore about dying. It's already happened. Your mind can be perfectly clear now. It's all right." She seemed to understand, and as I finished speaking with her, another person came to take my place.  The point is that she was so frightened of death, she didn't realize it was all over. Since her physical body was quite dead, she was in her astral body; yet she was acting confused, and her mind was still unclear, as if she still had hardening of the arteries. The Seth Material, p.172

Question: When a spirt crosses over, do any of the adverse physical symptoms they may have experienced before death endure, even for a short period?

Spirit Guide: They do not endure in the sense of pain.  The experience they are watching-- their body, having gone what it has gone through, does not experience that pain, whether it was again what type of death it was from.  But it does see what its body has experienced without the spirit feeling it.  And it is important for the spirit to be able to understand how its body is not who it is, the spirit is the whole part of all of this energy from this incarnation and from whatever other ones it has.  So you could see why the spirit does not carry any of these adverse complications, I guess we would say, in its body as a spirit, because it would make it extremely difficult in final transition with all that pain and discomfort.

Question: For example, if it were crippled or blind at the time of its physical death on earth, those circumstances would not be present when the spirit was fully on the other side, is that correct?

Spirit Guide: That is correct, but they would be watching what the body was going through at the time of death but it would not be feeling it.

In The Seth Material book, the somewhat lengthy quote from Jane Roberts regarding a dream and/or astral trip she had infers that the astral body of the individual described carries with it the mental confusion of the human who has died.  The spirit guides provide the more general view that the human's physical problems and feelings upon death do not stay with the spirit after its transition.  This seems entirely consistent with the general view contained in this website that the human body is similar to a suite of clothes which is taken off after crossing over to the other side.

Quotes:

When we cross over and are met by our guides...there is an immediate infusion of potent, invigorating energy while we are projected forward. Destiny of Souls, p.86

When souls arrive at the gateway to the spirit world with energy that is in a deteriorated state, some of our guides engage in emergency healing.  This is both a physical and mental healing exercise that takes place before the soul moves any further into the spirit world. Destiny of Souls, p.87

In ancient days great plagues would send thousands of souls into spirit lands in most distressing conditions. In modern times one has no need to point to the devastating wars that cast people loose into the spirit world with shocking suddenness. In many cases such sudden dissolution is a great shock to the spirit body undergoing it. But here again the spirit world has risen to every contingency. Homes of rest exist here especially for the treatment of people who have undergone a sudden transition.  In the rest homes of the spirit world a cure is certain to be brought about without any possibility of doubt, and upon full recovery the victim of the shock is not one whit the worse for the experience. Here and Hereafter, Chapter 1

...many souls who desire rest receive it before reunification with their groups. Destiny of Souls, p.3

Question: In the initial moments of arrival in the spirit world after transition, under what circumstances would the spirit involved receive an injection of energy and/or receive emergency healing and treatment in a home of rest. What is the advantage to the spirit to experience such actions?

Spirit Guide: There are times when a body and spirit are suddenly surprised and shocked that they have moved from their human body into their spirit.  These can be sudden occurrences such as airplane crashes, explosions, killings, automobile accidents--such things that happen suddenly, that the spirit is shot from the body so quickly and permanently it is at first and unexpectedly, it is at first a shock to that spirit.  And as it begins its journey to the white light it needs extra support and guidance to understand what has happened to it.  Oftentimes this will take place immediately, helping the spirit and supporting all the actions, all the feelings, and surprise and shock that was once a human body and is now removed from that body to understand what has happened to it.  And so there are spirit guides and angels and oftentimes guides much higher than your own spirit guide and spirit family that will be there to help you stay in alignment with being out of your body.

Question: Does that assistance occasionally involve something equivalent to the injection of energy?

Spirit Guide: Yes, that is similar to what is happening when these higher spirits come to help and support you, bring you into the bright light and guide you through this troubling and traumatic time.  If you were to do this time by yourself, you would be continued--we do not know how long--but for a much longer point of time than if you were to try to carry what is happening all by yourself.

Question: What is the advantage to the spirit to experience such actions,  those that relate to healing and associated assistance immediately upon transition?

Spirit Guide: This period is very important because of the type of death the spirit of the human felt, tragic, accidental, suicide, long illnesses, sudden unexplained death--so this time is there for the spirit to learn that it no longer has the physical pain and disadvantages that it had while upon earth.  So it gives it a time to settle in to its own spirit self and get an understanding of how different it is from its human self.

The spirit guides responsible for the messages in Afterlife 101 appear to be in close agreement with the quotations from the Destiny of Souls and Here and Hereafter sources that places of rest and injections of energy are often used in the initial stages of spirit transition.

Quotes:

All souls, regardless of experience, eventually arrive at a central port in the spirit world which I call the staging area....The staging area is not an encampment space.  Spirits are brought in, collected, and then projected out to their proper final destinations. Journey of Souls, p.77

at the final debarkation zone for the incoming soul, waiting cluster groups of familiar entities may be large or small, depending upon the soul developmental level and other factors.... Journey of Souls, p. 78

Question: When spirits after transition are finally proceeding toward their ultimate destination, do they pass through a common location, a staging area, before fanning out for the remainder of their trip?

Spirit Guide: When there are massive groups of people who have died or not even massive but groups of people who have died at the same time from the same experience, burning buildings, train wrecks, automobile accidents, shootings, airplane crashes--  when these people have all died together from this one experience--all the spirits when they first begin their transition say their goodbyes to their earth loved ones, check out the scene where they died, and begin to disconnect.  As they disconnect and begin their way through the white tunnel, and see those meeting them up on the other side, they do not go to those people immediately because these spirits that all went and died at the same time are all in shock, a state of shock, because some was not expecting it, just by some becoming aware of what they were doing.  They are all in shock and they need to comfort and be calmed, and so, yes, this group of people are in a staging area so to speak, with their spirit guides calming them and talking to them, and all of these spirits seeing, all the new spirits seeing this calming effect come over everyone, helps them to fully enter into being spirit.  And then they will gradually leave and go to their own spirit families.

Question: Now, do they have life reviews, and other interim processes?

Spirit Guide: Yes, they have life reviews as soon as they get on the other side  of the tunnel, say hello to some of the family that is waiting for them and quote go take a small break to begin to see if they will make contact with their families.   And then as they do they all begin to move into those families from this staging area.

Question: And if you have spirits that didn't necessarily die in a group, but just died singly, and they finish all their processing if you like on the other side after arrival, including a life review, when they begin their journey, however fast it may be to their ultimate location, their spirit family, do they seem to go initially to a single jumping off place, or a single staging area, just before they make the final move to their spirit family.

Spirit Guide: That is correct.

Question: There's really a very minor question having to do with the travel of a spiritual entity after it has finished it, if you like, its initial entry activities and is ready to move to its spirit family location.   And in that process of moving, however rapid that might be, you indicated that yes, generally everyone involved would  proceed from quote, a staging area, the same staging area.  And the question I have is--when they were in that staging area, just ready to say goodbye and go on to their spirit family, whether there would be anyone appearing to greet them.  Since I assume that the normal greeting from loved ones on the other side has already taken place as part of the initial arrival activities and this was a special question relating to that staging area where at least one of the spiritual sources that we used on our website claimed that there was a second, if you like, meeting where entities would presumably say have a good trip, if you like, to those people in the staging area.

Spirit Guide: People that are in the staging area do not have many of their spirit guides with them or spirits that have crossed over.  They are just going to make their own crossing over from the staging area into their spirit families where they will all be greeted again.  But they will not all be greeted at the staging area.  That staging area is more of a place for the spirit to get a grasp on what's happening to it and then it will be introduced into all of its spirit family.

This topic is not a major element of the transformation of  human to spirit but it relates to descriptions of the initial travel to the spirit family as provided by patients of Michael Newton in between-lives regressions.  The spirit guides agree that the departure location of the travelling spirit can be envisioned as a single staging area, but they do not agree that another greeting would be often received there from spiritual entities prior to the final trip to their spirit family.  They indicate that something equivalent to a staging area, perhaps the same one, is also often used by a group of individuals who have just died in a collective experience and made their crossing together.

Quotes:

A great majority of my subjects visualize a dome design for the chamber of the Council of Elders... Destiny of Souls, p.205

The typical client sees between three to seven members on their council.  An advanced soul might have from seven to twelve Elders....as souls develop and become more complex they appear to require more specialists on their panels  Destiny of Souls, p.214

About half my subjects see medallions hanging around the necks of one or more Elders on their council...All these medallion shapes, in association with the designs on them, are significant and represent a continuity of spirit, both morally and spiritually, to the evolving soul. Destiny of Souls, p.225

Question:  What sort of physical surroundings does the newly arrived spirit experience when meeting with the Council of Elders in a life review?

Spirit Guide:  You on earth, as we have said many times before, to be able to understand things have to have a description of life in heaven.  Life in heaven isn't compartmentalized as it is on earth so there is not really a meeting room.  There is a space where these Elders are--generally speaking it's like a room with a table, a long table like a conference room.  But the table and chairs--and its not really anywhere, it's just there.  But for your benefit you would see a room, table and with chairs, like a conference room and you would have yourself and your Elders would be there.  The best we could say would be in a room where the chairs are floating almost like in an all glass room in heaven where there's nothing below it or above it or on the sides, but it's like a capsule of a conference room all in glass.

Question:  In this Council of Elders what governs how many Elders may be initially meeting with an arrived spirit?   How would you distinguish between circumstances where there were quite a large number of Elders or just a very few of them and what would dictate that?

Spirit Guide:  We find it very interesting in that those who are crossing over and committed crimes, serious crimes, and hurt many people upon earth, are met only by a couple of very strong Elders who vibrate at a very high level.  Because the new spirit that is crossing over doesn't believe, they need fewer Elders to be there to answer their questions.  These Elders need to be stronger and, as the individual spirit begins to see their life again with the Elders, they know that this will begin an immediate heaven education.

Those who cross over who are vibrating at a much higher level will generally have more Elders with them because these Elders are excited to show them what heaven is.  They are there to describe and take this energy around and because this energy has much higher vibration than the first spirit they need more Elders because on earth they have done many great things. They have more Elders because they experience generally more dimensions upon earth.  So they have like been in a higher education upon earth and so they have more Elders to help teach them why they did what they did on earth, vibrating at a higher energy--like doing astral projection, self-hypnosis, meditating, talking to others on the other side.  So they are coming as a much more highly evolved spirit who has experienced many things beyond the third-dimensional realm that the general masses on your earth live in.

Question:  In the Council of Elders, do some of these Elders appear to the person meeting with them to wear a medallion around their necks, and, if that is the case, what is the purpose of these medallions?

Spirit Guide:   Right now, as we sit here discussing these things, we do not see anyone wearing medallions.  Of course, if the spirit that is crossing over needs something to distinguish the Elders who are there with them, they do not need to be identified by robes or medallions.  Again, that is simply an earth need.

Michael Newton has written extensively about the life review with the Council of Elders, based upon many between-life regression sessions.  The spirit guides responding here provide a somewhat different and interesting perspective on the circumstances of this event as to (1) visualization of physical-like surroundings for the arriving spirit and (2) the wearing of medallions by the Elders.  Additional sources would be welcome.