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The Summerland:
Death and Reincarnation

A Place to Go

All religious systems have a place where the soul ascends (or descends) when the physical body can no longer function. In Craft belief, we call this place the Summerland. We have no Hell, or place of terror or damnation. That’s where the agreement stops on the subject of the hereafter, save for the concept of reincarnation.

Birth and death, two ancient mysteries, have been the root of many a serious conversation and heated discussion. Where do we go when we die? When does the soul enter the body? Why am I even here, on this planet, in this time?

Each of us forms opinions and theories on these questions fairly early in life. Usually our considerations are based upon the teachings that have been imparted to us by our parents, or the religious leaders of the time, and our society. There comes a point, however, when each of us begins to question what we have been told about things that cannot be seen or proven by experimentation of our own design. This questioning process may start with something small and insignificant, and later blossom to headier topics.

For instance, one day you may realize that Uncle Harry, who your mother has always idolized, is truly a rat, let alone a downright jerk. From that day on, you begin to look around at other people (no longer seeing them as towering elders to be respected) and see them as human beings with insecurities, lack of control, and a limited amount of wisdom. At some point, we finally begin to usurp the myths and prepackaged explanations of the adult world (that really isn’t so very grown up, after all).

Few world religions do not believe in reincarnation—the logical process of living, dying, and living again on the earth plane. Some religions also believe in transmigration, where an individual’s soul may enter not only the body of a human, but the body of a plant or animal.

Most people, however, believe in something after physical death, but the “what” is still up for discussion. In most Witchcraft traditions, reincarnation is the accepted theology for dealing with the subject of death and rebirth. We move with the seasons, the cycle of the Wheel, the turn of birth, death, and rebirth. That part of it usually isn’t questioned, because it is logical.

What is questioned is the space between the living experiences, the number of lifetimes, and the reasoning for going through each one. Also intriguing is “who we were,” with whom, and when.

The basic premise of reincarnation is that you choose each particular incarnation to work on different aspects of your development. Most often we are not here for one purpose alone, but several. Thus, we can accept with relative ease the situations that revolve around us and those individuals we encounter along the way. As Richard Bach once said, “If you are still living, you’re not done.” In his book Illusions, he writes:

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.

This theory could explain the enormous amount of attraction we may have for one particular individual who may, at this point in time, be a perfect stranger to us.

Many Witches believe that groups of souls become incarnate at the same time in different areas of the world to work together toward a common goal. Hence, you may hear yourself called “my brother” or “my sister” even though there is no blood relation and you may never have even met each other face to face.

Witches are not the only individuals who hold this collective reincarnation theory. Many people involved in the New Age movement believe this also.

What happens between incarnations is a puzzle to many. Do we float around as ghosts? Do we fill the position as “guardian” of a loved one or a stranger? Do we become angels? And what are angels, anyway? Are they beings like us, or very unlike us? Do we go to another planet, or perhaps to another dimension with living, breathing people who are more evolved than ourselves? Or do we go to a place to rest and relax, shoot the shit with those we missed in the last incarnation, and prepare a complete documentary of what we have learned and what we didn’t?

Well, I believe that we could do any of those things—that we have a definite choice in the matter, unless we have been particularly rotten, and that there is some type of “holding pen” for truly perverted people (I hope). Though I don’t believe in the typical Hell, I certainly hope there is something like it for people like Hitler and a few other bad eggs I can think of. Witches, of course, don’t believe in Hell. But I do believe, unfortunately, that we can create our own right here on this plane, both for ourselves and for others.

It is logical to assume that most people go to the Summerland. This is the resting place—the way station, if you will—for souls to recover, and to disseminate and categorize information and lessons learned. It is also a place where souls can plan what they are going to do next, either by haunting the local graveyard to prove to us earthlings that there is life after death, or to go back to earth and assist and fix the things that need it, or to go further on.

This is where the statement, “There are no victims, only volunteers,” comes into play. I believe that you can choose your parents, the society in which to return, the type of career you will have, who you must help, or what you must do (the feeling that you’ve got a purpose, but you don’t know what it is, and time is running out), and I believe you choose your own time and method of death. You also choose your physical condition, your body chemistry, and your DNA structure—which is why some of us have the capability to be rocket scientists and others fill the roll of artist or writer. This does not mean that everything is set in stone when you get back here, but that you have laid out an itinerary and whether or not you choose to follow it once you get here is totally up to you.

Reincarnation, then, is logical. It slights no one. All men and women are “created” equal; you get to decide what human attributes you wish to work with.

I recently read a statement noting that there are more people alive today than if you added all the people up since time began. Does this throw a kink in the reincarnation theory? If all those people are alive today, they can’t all have been reincarnated from an earth life. This is true. I believe that there are many souls here at this time who have not been earthlings before. Society today plays hard with the idea of other inhabited planets and dimensions. Just about everyone these days has seen at least one UFO. Could it not be, then, that many souls here now are from various planets, perhaps sent here to protect Earth Mother, or bring some type of religious or scientific awakening?

I also believe that there is a core group of “Old Souls”—those that have lived several lifetimes, perhaps enough not to come back, but they choose to do so anyway in order to perpetuate a thought or deed that will assist humankind in its collective destiny.

A great deal of Craft ceremonies revolve around life, birth, death, and rebirth. This is shown in our major holidays, each attributed to a particular cycle of growth. The major theme is not that they happen only once, but are repeated as the human cycle of life, growth, and death experienced a multitude of times—both mentally and physically.

When you come right down to it, most of us do not fear death; what petrifies us is how it is experienced. No one wants to know pain, and each of us holds both a fantasy of exactly under what circumstances we would like to go, and under what conditions we would never want to go. For each person, this best/worst scenario is different, and that is what makes it so odd. I may have a great fear of being eaten by a lion (though I live in the heart of Texas) and you may be deathly afraid of an element, such as fire or water.

We can peg three theories on this subject. Perhaps something happened in our childhood that so influenced us that we hold that fear close to our hearts. Or, we could have died that way in another incarnation. (I can still vividly remember the day my youngest son, at age three, described to me how he had died in a plane crash that went into the big water—“No one came to get me out . . .” His description was really creepy.) Or we may be slated to die that way in this incarnation, and therefore stay as far away as possible from what we most fear.

These emotional feelings are very real and affect us in many ways. There are people who won’t set foot near a large body of water, or refuse to get in any type of boat at all. There are those that dislike high places, those that are afraid to fly, afraid of closed spaces, groups of people, chronic or terminal illness, etc. They carry this fear to what modern science describes as a “phobia,” where all rational thought stops, and raw fear completely rules the waking mind.

Some phobias can be worked through with the use of hypnotism, past-life regression, and/or meditation techniques; others require the assistance of a trained professional. In fact, working through present-life difficulties is how our modern masters of the mind stumbled onto past-life regression therapy in the first place.

Remembering Past Lives

Why bother to remember who we were if we came here for a purpose we already know about? And if we are truly capable of living many lives, why can’t we remember more than bits and pieces, if at all?

It has been said that perhaps we cannot remember any past lives because, as a result of a safety mechanism, we are ensured that feelings of guilt, sadness, and remorse do not affect us on a conscious level while performing the tasks in this incarnation.

Did you ever notice that there are things that you just cannot abide? Like people making fun of another’s physical deformity, or anything bad happening to a child? You can’t even watch a movie about things like that. Perhaps you are experiencing old guilt feelings, where you by accident or design did something that you now abhor.

Even before I knew that it was possible to live again, I hated being a child. I despised it. Often, I would sit in our backyard and ponder this intense dislike of being a child “again.” It was not that I had a bad childhood; quite the opposite. My parents weren’t rich, but they weren’t destitute, either. They didn’t drown themselves in booze or drugs. They didn’t beat on each other, or me. And what arguments they did have, I never heard.

But in my heart, I knew that things were not as I was being taught, and the frustration I experienced was great indeed. I knew what I learned in Sunday school was wrong . . . that I was being taught an incorrect theology; but I didn’t know how to word it, and certainly couldn’t, at that age, discuss it with my parents. It is one thing to be frustrated over known variables, it is another to be clawing at the heavily shrouded truths that lurk among us.

A child is not in control of their destiny. They are stuck in the web of parental, educational, and social training. This is why it is important for the adult to never forget the time they spent in childhood, especially when they become parents themselves. It is necessary in some situations to “think like a child” in order to benefit fully from what is happening. It is also important to understand what a child may be feeling that you are responsible for. Was it really so long ago that you faced the same trials and tribulations as the little one that stands before you?

Past lives can be recalled through past-life regression led by another person, or they can be tapped through meditation. There are various CDs on the bookstore shelves today designed to take you down through the cycle of remembering to obtain this information.

Basically, on these CDs, one enters the meditation state and counts backward in time. Random memories may come to you, but if you do not have a definite need driving you to discover a particular incarnation, you may not be entirely successful. Usually you remember the most important events of the incarnation; the rest is fuzzy. Your mind sorts out what is most needed and discards the remainder.

In fact, it wasn’t until my mother died that I began to search for the meaning of life and death and the possibilities of reincarnation. Usually, a person has some type of catalyst or event in their lives that sets them on the search for answers to life after death and possible life again.

There are various techniques for remembering past lives, including special decks of cards to assist you in opening the blocks. But before you run out and purchase such a tool, try your own meditation technique with a few different twists.

After you have opened your chakra centers and protected yourself in the usual way, design in your mind a very special place, a temple known only to you. It could be accessed through going into a large tree and descending stairs to an underground chamber, or walking to the sea to find a golden door that allows you to access another world—the world of past-life knowledge. Once there, you may meet a being who will give you the information you seek, or perhaps you will come upon an old book wherein you will read the knowledge you require.

Another technique is to hold a piece of fluorite, open the chakra centers, protect yourself, and let your higher self take the lead. After you have settled into your normal meditation routine, ask your higher self a question like, “What past-life occurrence has brought me this difficulty?” Often if we know the reason why something is happening, we can solve the problem or deal logically with the situation.

Sometimes, past-life experiences literally flash before us, and in a matter of seconds we know all the information that we need. All the pieces fall neatly into place in an instant.

Remember that you do not need to know the whole saga of a single lifetime, just the area that directly affects the current situation. Although it would be nice to remember some of the mundane things (dates, places, times, names, etc.), it really isn’t necessary to deal with all that information just to answer a simple question.

I need a specific event or series of circumstances to recall a past life. For example, if I am having a terrible problem with a particular individual who is close to me (whether I like them or not), I will use regressive meditation. My most successful recalls have been those in which I went into a meditative state and held a piece of fluorite. Fluorite is a new gem compared to crystal or rose quartz. Those in the New Age and occult fields are just now discovering its uses. The information I have received has been incredible.

In these examples, you are a bystander who only brings back information by watching what has occurred to solve a dilemma. It is also possible for you to bring back or reawaken a particular skill.

Discovering the hidden meanings of our problems is not the only avenue for the use of past-life regressions. If we are lacking a particular skill in this life cycle, we can use regression to awaken talents that have been dormant until the present. Perhaps you have a mental block when writing, adding numbers, or gardening is involved. Perhaps your work appears less than adequate or is unsatisfactory to yourself. By asking your higher self during the meditation state to awaken gifts that you already hold, you can bring those talents to the conscious mind. This works well both in mundane and magickal matters. Perhaps you adore divination, but have not been able to progress further than a particular stage. By opening the valve of the subconscious you can draw from the well of knowledge, both within yourself and from the collective unconscious.

Drawing Your Own Conclusions

You must form your own theology on the cycles of life, death, and what lies beyond. No one can tell you, “This is right, and that is wrong.” When you are considering theories, don’t forget the one on genetic memory that is responsible for many of our fight-flight instincts and who knows what else, including possible lineage from either apes or star people or both!

Theories on how it all works are as numerous as people, both living and dead. Your best guide is to keep an open mind . . . and keep searching for the answers.

Death

In the tarot deck, the Death card usually stands for great change and not physical death. We see it as the dark angel with sooty shrouds and ragged wings. We watch horror films involving death and destruction in hopes that we do not experience what we are seeing—that the visions are much like the sacrificial king in function alone, allowing us to act out fantasy death to make it less real.

Although most people do not think about real death in general and steer away from it as much as possible, death is an alluring mystery for many of us. This point was brought home to me when I attended a party several years ago and watched a woman literally throw herself at a mortician.

For the life of me, I could not figure out why she was so entranced with a person who handled dead people for a living. To me, that was really gross stuff. But to her, it was exciting. Her conversation flipped constantly between how much she adored the man to exactly what his work entailed.

This individual was overwhelmed with the allure of death and those that handled death. It was a mystery, and perhaps she felt that by touching one who dealt with it every day, she could keep the angel of death at bay. Personally, I was glad when the topic of conversation zipped to more amusing subjects.

Azrael is the proper name of the angel of death. His status in the “other worlds” is the same as that of the other angels you hear of so often: Michael, Raphael, Ariel, and Gabriel. It is Azrael’s task not to kill people (as we often think), but to take them when it is their time to their appointed place. He is, perhaps, the loneliest angel of the lot. If you wish to learn more about Azrael and his world, check the suggested reading list at the end of this chapter.

One of the easiest ways to come in tune with death is to visit several graveyards—some spooky and some not. This helps lessen the grip of fear when the subject reaches out to us. A walk on a summer day in a beautiful landscaped graveyard speaks to the soul in peace and tranquility. To wander among an older graveyard under a full moon in the autumn makes the blood rush with excitement.

One of the most exciting and touching adventures I have ever shared with another human was when my father and I went to some old graveyards in Massachusetts. We brought rice paper and special crayons designed for gravestone rubbing and brought back many beautiful pieces, two of which still hang in my dining room. People often think they are odd when they enter the home, but they are a part of our cycle and a project my father and I shared together.

Death and Witchcraft

There are two of our holidays that specifically deal with death: Samhain—which is basically the final harvest and the time where the veil between the worlds is thin enough for even nonsensitive individuals to experience an alternate dimension—and winter solstice. This holiday is the divine struggle between the Holly King (who perishes) and the Oak King (who is reborn).

Work with dead souls is not usually done by the initiate; it is reserved for the second and usually third degree Witch. One must let go of a great deal of personal fear to set about conversing with the dead, as well as hold enough magickal wisdom and talent to control things if they get out of hand. Not all dead spirits (or living ones, if you prefer) are nice or even semi-intelligent.

There is no reason why you cannot honor your ancestors, however, even if you don’t choose to work with them. During the Samhain celebration, one can set out the Feast for the Dead—an entire meal left on the table for those that have passed. The traditional cakes and ale may be taken outside after the ritual for the same purpose.

Our family leaves the jack-o’-lanterns burning all evening in the front window, with the lights in the main room out. Beside the pumpkins, we burn black candles. We do not extinguish them, but let them burn for the duration of the night.

Divination is also performed on Samhain. It is suggested that two people work the Ouija board, if you choose to use that particular vehicle; but any divination tool you may have used as a solitary is acceptable.

Winter solstice does not wholly concentrate on death, but on the cycle of sacrificial death and its subsequent rebirth. Mistletoe is gathered on this day as it is said to have power over life and death through its magick.

Notice that Witches concentrate more on the cycle of life in their celebrations throughout the year rather than that of death, which is viewed as a temporary condition. Therefore, only a small part of the actual turn of the wheel is devoted entirely to the thought of death—that of the celebration of Samhain.

It is interesting to note that although Witches are quite comfortable with the color black for fashion dressing, one will see them wearing white at a funeral of any beloved person. As death indicates rebirth into a purer form or light form, white is used to reflect that thought. It is a Witch’s way of honoring the dead.

There is a cycle of grief when the death of a loved one touches your life. Witches are extremely sensitive to friends who have experienced this grief process. As a solitary, your first act of aiding another may be due to a death. Even as a solitary, I performed four funerals in one year. My funerals are different from ones you may normally experience. The grieving person and I spent time together, honoring in ritual the person who passed away. As priestess, I then opened the gates to the land of death and call on the goddess to carry messages from the living to the dead (for goodness’ sake, don’t forget to close the gate!).

Another custom is to light a candle on the anniversary of a loved one’s death in honor of the gifts they gave to us while on earth.

The Responsibilities of Death and Birth

If you plan to be a leader of an organization of Wiccans or Witches, or choose to be a High Priest or Priestess of a coven, you will be expected to perform a handfasting ceremony (marriage), a christening (for the birth of new babes), and funeral rites.

These functions are not solely related to a group of Witches. As a solitary, you will have family and friends that will ask you to “bestow that extra blessing,” so be prepared for it. At these times you are viewed much like the fairy godmother in the tales of old. There is something exciting and special about your presence, as you really may be able to bestow something magickal to the occasion. Those that honestly believe in your capabilities truly wish the function to be performed and those that don’t are not comfortable with the thought of pissing you off (even though you probably wouldn’t be angry in the least).

The only occasion in which you must worry about legalities is the handfasting ceremony. Each state carries different laws on the subject of performing a marriage, so you will have to do some research on legal implications. It is my belief that handfastings are far more sacred marriages than those conventionally performed by any state or standard religion. In this ceremony, you are creating a bind that will exist after this incarnation is over. Since this is such a solemn occasion (as well as joyful), Witches can first be handfasted for one full year on a trial basis. At the end of the year, if both partners are in agreement, the ceremony will then be held beyond the bounds of time.

In welcoming a new baby, it is your function to give them a magickal name, if you have been called upon as a representative of their faith. Before choosing the name, you should carefully consider the child’s heritage and perform a specific meditation with that child as your focus. When it is your turn to bestow the name, a gift should be included that the child may keep as a talisman, such as a piece of jewelry. As a solitary, your gift should not be a “baby thing,” as the parents will get lots of those. Yours should be both elegant and full of power.

Why discuss handfastings and christenings in a chapter on death and reincarnation? A marriage denotes the partial (note I say partial) death of self and the incarnation of a new life form—the union. A christening of a child denotes a celebration of their rebirth to this earth plane, where death has gone before. As an adult, it is your duty to protect them until they can assume this function for themselves. Any child who has a god-father and a goddess-mother (gee, I wonder where they originally got the idea?) is certainly a lucky child indeed!

Time and Perception

Up to this point we have discussed time as linear, where one event follows another. The human sees time, and in fact, invented it, in order to give life a logical sequence for completing specified tasks.

A skilled Witch is capable of moving forward and backward in time, and is also capable of making time slow down or speed up. Why? Because time, as we have been led to understand it outside the world of Witchcraft, does not exist.

Time is not a linear function—past, present, and future are all one and the same. We have already discussed the technique for going backward in time to bring into the present either knowledge or skills to enhance our purpose. We also can go forward in time to future incarnations to fulfill the same purpose.

Did you ever consider that perhaps the legend of Atlantis did not occur in the past, but may be a place of the future? Hence, the legend lives, but nothing physical remains because it really hasn’t been built yet. I am not saying this theory is correct, but it gives you something to think about. If not Atlantis, perhaps another place—did you ever notice that the ideas of science fiction writers forty or fifty years ago are now a reality, and that we move ever closer to the “Federation of Planets”?

Could their muse have been tapping into the future? We all know that Leonardo da Vinci was a man before his time who is credited as a fantastic artist. He really considered himself an inventor by trade and he drew glorious plans for both air and water ships, the forerunners of devices that we use today. Perhaps his muse whispered these things in his ear as he painted the Mona Lisa to support his growling stomach. Indeed, she is probably smiling at the folly of the human who sticks to linear time, while her enigmatic smile has lived through lifetimes—of which she is well aware. Or perhaps Leonardo himself brought his ingenious inventions back from the future.

To go forward in time, you can use the same meditation techniques as before, except this time, talk to one of your future incarnations. Be active instead of passive. Take a walk through the woods with one of your future incarnations, or meet them in an unusual dwelling.

Cauldron gazing is good for seeing the succession of past and future lives, as well. Finally, if you are in need of advice, why not contact yourself in the future, asking for wisdom to solve a difficult problem?

Bending Time

You can bend time to your will. Let’s say you are late for a meeting, and you have seventeen minutes left to make a twenty-minute drive. What do you do? (Besides putting your foot to the accelerator and forgetting that the brake exists). First, calm yourself. A dead Witch from a traffic accident won’t do anyone any good. Second, know that you will arrive on time. Don’t get into logical arguments about it, just believe that you will get there when you need to. Don’t let fear crawl up your spine as you are driving. Listen to music; think about other things. Don’t check the time on your dashboard, and don’t drive like a maniac.

When you get to your destination, now you can check the time. If you have made it, you just bent time. If you didn’t, try again until you succeed. Once you have achieved the goal, try shaving off the minutes, thirty seconds at a time.

Summary

The cycle of life and death is both uplifting and devastating. We must learn to endure and rejoice in both if we are to succeed in this lifetime. We must also satisfy our desire for knowledge of what happens to us after we cross from this world to the next. We may never have all the answers, but we can at least discover enough to continue along our path with relative ease.

Each individual requires different assurances and different answers. One single answer will not satisfy us all.

Time, and your perception of it, is all within the human mind. Humanity created time in order to live a more organized life, to be able to root ourselves in our own individual cycles. Time has no boundaries, save for those you put on it. You are really listening to the tick-tock of a nonexistent clock.

You are capable of bending and shaping time, of traveling in and through it—around and beyond it. You can go backward and forward. All it takes is a little practice.