neptunesdolphins | Entries tagged with the dead

Throughout the ages, the Dead and the living have interacted with each other. Numerous stories have been told of how the Dead warn the living or inform the unknowing living of their own demise. Meanwhile, ancient cultures had robust relations with the Dead as Ancestors or Spirits such as the Roman Lares. In fact, each culture had a time of year when the Dead lived among the living. (Note 1)

Since Christian thought permeates modern Western thinking, people have separated themselves from spirits in general, and the Dead in particular. In Christianity, the Dead either go to heaven (reward) or hell (punishment). Meanwhile, modern science has diminished the Dead to mere figments of people’s imaginations. In the West, the culture of disbelief has everything paranormal based on the abnormalities of the brain (such as temporal lobe epilepsy (Note 2)). Meanwhile, deeply religious people who have visions of the Dead are often patronized.

Terence McKenna, noted ethnobotanist and mystic, said in 1999, “It’s much easier to believe in meddling extraterrestrials than that Uncle Herman and Aunt Fanny are somehow reaching in from the Great Beyond. The human soul is so alienated from us in our present culture that we treat it as an extraterrestrial. To us, the most alien thing in the cosmos is the human soul.” (Note 3)

Later, in a 2020 interview with Mike Clelland (Note 4), Christopher Knowles, pop author and blogger of “The Secret Sun,” said “The paranormal, to me, is essentially, phenomena that wells up around death, and either anticipates death, or is some sort of running commentary during or after death. When real paranormal things happen, it’s almost always connected to death.”

In “The Ecology of Souls,” Joshua Cutchin regards people’s beliefs in UFOs and other paranormal activity as an aversion to thinking in terms of the Dead. He notes that it is easier to understand in another kind of reality such as faeries or Bigfoot than to connect with the Dead. In his examination of the paranormal, Cutchin sees it as a great mystery related to the “Greatest Mystery of All: Dying.”

One aspect of afterlife belief, “Co-Creation Theory,” (Note 5) says that in a non-dual world, the living and Dead have visions of each other. Carl Jung said that the realm of the psychic and physical meet in “Never -Never Land.” In other words, imagination and reality are closely intertwined, since the imagination can bring the imagined phenomena into reality. Explaining this more, Cutchin stresses that “We must distinguish imaginal from imaginary. Paranormal imagery may be from your head, but the phenomena are not in your head.” (emphasis his)

Moreover, Cutchin develops Knowles’ idea of the paranormal and the Dead further. He proposes an ecology with Spirits and Souls as the flora and fauna populating various habitats. Afterlife and metaphysical researcher, James R. Lewis observed that several occult-metaphysical traditions see the ‘souls’ of everything from “rocks to plants to animals” being involved in re-incarnation. Cutchin adds “Perhaps all souls are laundered through humans, animals, mountains, rivers and trees: an ecology of souls, both human and non-human, underpinning our environment.” (emphasis his) (Note 6)

In addition, Cutchin observes “Yet, deprived of a framework by Materialism, modern Westerners have no idea how to react when the spirits come calling. Terrified we cram them into preexisting cultural boxes: demonic possession, hauntings, faerie contact… alien abductions. What we perceive as trespassing in the ecology of souls may in fact be an invitation. The Otherworld, filled with our dead, seeks communion with us through diplomats straddling realities.” He says that these diplomats are usually shamans. Author Joe Lewels in discussing alien abductions said, “We need shamans, and if society doesn’t provide it, the universe will.” (emphasis his) (Note 7)

Meanwhile, McKenna noted that “ecology” implies the robust variety of entities found in paranormal encounters. To him, ecologies thrived on diversity and the ecology of souls was no different. He believed that the soul was distilled through the living, real and imaginary. For McKenna, altered states of consciousness provided knowledge of the realm of the Dead.

McKenna said in an interview in 1989 (Note 8), “My own private opinion about this is: I think that what psychedelics …carry us into is an ecology of souls. This is what we’re seeing. I mean, if that’s not a shocking enough way of putting it, how about this: what we’re seeing is the dead. Those things in that place are our ancestors….The idea that it’s the dead is a little more hackle-raising, a little more peculiar, a little more heartful, a little more hard to assimilate, and probably closer to the mark. That it is an ecology of souls—that’s where we go.”

There is an ecology and a cycle of energy that reaches beyond visible life. This is an ecology of many dimensions. Life and death transform into a transcendental realm. Once people understand the ecology of souls, they realize that they are not alone. The Ancestors do reach out to the living.

In my instance, my father-in-law came back as a toad. In life, he was called “The Toad,” since he was squat and warty. After his death, a large toad appeared in front of our condo building. This was fall, the time for toads to be preparing for hibernation. However, this huge toad would appear without fail. He would give us his warty stare and hop away. We knew that this Toad was my husband’s father, who was watching over us.

Notes:

Note 1: For Romans, it was February and May. For the Mesopotamians, it was July. Most people are familiar with Celtic Samhain also called Halloween.

Note 2. People with temporal lobe epilepsy have seizures that include auras of deja vu, unusual smells, and odd visions.

Note 3. From YouTube: “Deus Ex McKenna,” Terence McKenna Archive.

Note 4. Interview with Mike Clelland at Whitley Strieber’s UnknownCountry.com.

Note 5. “Co-creation Spirituality” – “the spiritual awareness that people are co-creators with God” – was developed by Philip Hefner for Catholics in 1989. Meanwhile, Nathan Daniel Miller has developed “the Cosmic Synthesis Theory” – “every aspect of existence is interconnected and interdependent” – for non-believers in 2024.

Note 6. Polytheist religions have Gods of the landscape such as rivers and mountains. Perhaps what Cutchin is describing is Polytheism in modern form.

Note 7. As reported in Mike Clelland, “The Messengers: Owls, Synchronicity, and the UFO Abductee.” Richard Dolan Press: NY. 2015.

Note 8. Interview, “A Calendar for the Goddess,” June 1989. Found at the Library of Consciousness. https://www.organism.earth/library/document/calendar-for-the-goddess

Works Used:

Bourke, Daniel, “Apparitions at the Moment of Death.” Destiny Books: Rochester (VT). 2024.

Cutchin, Joshua, “The Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death and the Paranormal.” Horse and Barrel Press: Athens (GA). 2022.

Lecounteux, Claude, “The Pagan Book of the Dead.” (J.E. Graham, trans.) Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2019.

Lewis, John, “Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena.” Gale Research: Detroit (MI). 1994.

In the Roman religion, “di Manes” can be confusing, since They are originally the ordinary dead. Adding to the confusion, the term “Lemures” is often used interchangeably with “di Manes.” Romans have argued among themselves as to the difference between the two if any. (Note 1) Meanwhile, the “Larvae” are the unknown and unrecognizable Dead, who are forgotten. (Note 2) Di Manes are the Family Gods who take a part in the lives of the living.

Romans, in general, did not believe in an afterlife. The idea of the Dead going to Tartarus or the Elysium Fields is a Greek one. The closest to an afterlife is the Dead exiting and entering the Mundus, the underground granary that leads to their underworld home. What Romans believe happened to the Dead is that They became Gods.

The concept of the Dead being Gods who care for the living is a foreign one for modern people. For many, the Christian idea of the afterlife is the one they know – Heaven or Hell. Meanwhile, the undetermined dead went to Purgatory. Therefore, the living helped the Dead go to Heaven through prayers and Masses. In other words, the Dead are dependent upon the living for their well-being.

For Romans, after death, the Dead stayed in the world of the living. Di Manes interacted with people long after their physical body is gone. They provided many things for their families. Di Manes could prolong a person’s life or hasten their death. (An impious person often died early since di Manes would remove their protection.) Di Manes offered counseling to the living. They would come in dreams giving advice on a thorny problem They were also a Guardian of Oaths. People accused of crime would swear by di Manes of the fallen that they were innocent. Moreover, di Manes could disturb the sleep of the living. Since most families wanted harmonious relations with each other, they were careful not to ask for retribution from di Manes.

Roman graves are sacred spaces where the living would make their offerings. Therefore, the Roman funeral included rituals to remove the pollution of death from the attendants. Then earth would be heaped on the grave and sacrifices are made. At this time, the grave transforms into an altar to the new Gods. Then, another offering would be made.

Modern Roman Polytheists, who live far from family graves, have home altars to di Manes. These altars have items of the Dead like photos or favorite things. Daily offerings are made there for di Manes.

Modern people often ask what to do with the Dead who are toxic. If the Dead are Family Gods, then what about the unsavory Dead? A person would ask the “Wise and Well” Ancestors to intervene for them. These Wise and Well Ancestors can guide them as to how to deal with the toxic Dead. In “Bread of the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith,” Henri Nouwen, Dutch theologian said “Remembering the dead is choosing their ongoing companionship.” Therefore, a person should seek the blessings of the Wise and Well Dead. The object of asking Them is to end the multigeneration transmittal of toxicity in the Ancestral line. (Note 3).

Notes:

Note 1. Lemures could be the Dead who died tragically, or they could be identified with the Larvae. Roman sources have argued both. For instance, Varro said that the Manes were the friendly Dead, while the Larvae were the restless Dead.

Note 2. The Larvae, as the unknown Dead, could act as the Furies tormenting the living. Therefore, Romans had rituals to ward off the unidentified Dead such as banging pots.

Note 3. Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist, developed the “Bowen Family Systems Theory.” He reasoned that the patterns of relating between family members are transmitted from generation to generations. Once a person knows how toxicity develops in a family, they can repair the family line for future descendants.

Suggested Reading

Charles King, “The Ancient Roman Afterlife.”

Harriet Flower, “The Dancing Lares and the Serpent in the Garden.”

Christine Valters Paintner, “The Love of Thousands.”

In the Mesopotamian Wheel of the Year, from mid-June to mid-September, the confluence of An (the heavens), Ki (the earth) and Kur (the Underworld) (Note 1) (Note 2) occurs. During this time, the Dead wander freely among the living. Fires are lit to guide Them to their families, where the Dead stay for a brief time.

In Sumer, the month is called Ne-izi-gar, and in Babylon, it is Abu. These names refer to the rituals for the Dead. There are three that are done during this month – the Maqlu (the Burning), the Ne-izi-gar (The Return of the Dead), and Ab/pum (the Offering at the Mounds).

As the moon wanes until it disappears completely (The Day of the Disappearance of the Moon), malevolent spirits come out. Because this is a perilous time for the living, the Maqlu ritual is conducted. First, offerings are made to the Gods of Fire, Nusku and Girra, at night. Then at dawn, people recite the following, “Evil demon, to your steppe” or “Get out evil rabisu! Come in, good rabisu!” Afterwards, they encircle the entrance of their homes with flour paste,

The Ne-izi-gar is the Festival of Ghosts, when the Dead (Note 3) eat a ceremonial meal with their families. The Benevolent Dead have to follow a special passage from the dark Netherworld to the land of the living. For these Dead to find their way to their families, the people light braziers to guide Them.

Three days before the full moon, offerings are made for the journey of the Ancestors. When the full moon arrives, the doors of the Netherworld are at their widest. This is the time when Ancestors return through the ab/pum (the mound). (The ab/pum is a mound placed over the passage to the Netherworld.) At the Abe (Ab/pum) festival, beer, honey, oil and wine are poured into the mound. Then the person places their foot over the ab/pum and kisses the ground.

Since the Dead do not sever their ties to the living, Babylonians regard death as a transition from being human to that of a gidim (spirit). (Note 4) After dying, the gidim is reunited with their dead relatives, and assigned a place in the Netherworld. Funeral rites ensure the gidim’s integration into that world. Offerings of food and water are made since the Netherworld have little of either for nourishment. If they do not receive this, then the gidim will become vicious and haunt the living.

In Babylonian theology, diseases are often caused by the angry Dead. Ghosts who were ignored would seize a person through the ear. (This was called the “hand of the ghost” (Qat etemmi) which caused mental illness. Seizures was known as “seizure by the ghost” (sibit etemmi). Meanwhile, angry gidim demanded that they be fed hot soup before promising to leave.

Notes:

Note 1. The Mesopotamian Netherworld was neither a place of punishment or reward. It was the Great City where the Dead, who received proper rituals, went.

Note 2. The Netherworld is known by many names – arali, irkalla, kukku, ekur, kigal, and ganzir. Kur means “the land of no return.” Arallu (Akkadian) (or Ganzer (Sumerian)) was the Great City (iri-gal) of the Dead.

Note 3. The Dead had to cross a steppe infested by demons, pass over the Khuber River (of the Underworld), go down a staircase, and be admitted through the Seven Gates. Then they could reside in the Great City of the Dead. During the Ne-izi-gar, They journeyed back the same way.

Note 4. The gidim (or etemmu (Akkadian)) is associated with the corpse. After death, the gidim still retained hunger and thirst.

For the Romans, the world was full of spirits. Because they lived in a numinous world, Numina (spirits) could be found in growing crops or in the act of traveling. Moreover, places and things had their native spirit. In addition, the Romans regarded values such as “victory” as being numinous.

The Spirits of the Place were the Genius Loci. The Lares Compitales presided over crossroads, while the Lares Viales guarded the roads. Where the roads met, Roman erected altars to these Lares. Altars found alongside the road were for their offerings requesting safe travels.

In the home, the Lares Familiaris (Spirits of the Family) guarded the family. Meanwhile, everyone had a Genius (Juno for women) who was their guardian spirit. (The Genius of the Paterfamilias (Head of the Household) took the form of a snake in the home.) The Penates watched over the food stores of the home.

The family endeavored to ensure that the Lares and Penates remained content. A home where They were honored was a family that thrived. If the Lares were ignored, the family suffered. For example, offerings were made to the Penates to keep the pantry full. At the main altar (called the Lararium), the family made twice daily offerings to the Lares. Also, any food that fell on the floor during a meal was given to the Lares.

Since the main door protected the sanctity of the home, several Deities governed its parts. Janus was the God of the Threshold. Cardea governed the hinges, while Forculus watched over the physical door.

The Dead also interacted with the living. The classes of the Dead were di Parentes (the Ancestors), di Manes (the ordinary Dead) and the Lemures (and the Larvae), who were the unquiet Dead. Each group had special festivals when They were honored. February was when the Ancestors and ordinary Dead were given attention and offerings. The Romans wanted to be on good relations with these Dead since They guided the fortunes of the family.

In May, during the Lemuria, the Larvae sought families to haunt. At that time, the head of the household would walk around the home spitting black beans into corners. They did this nine times. Each time, they would chant, “With these beans, I redeem me and mine.” Meanwhile the rest of the family would bang on pots shouting, “Paternal ghosts, get out!”

The Romans sought to keep the Larvae and Lemures away from the family. The black beans were offered as a substitute for souls that the Larvae wanted. Also, the family would leave food offerings on broken dishes at the edge of their property. They did not want to offend the Lemures, but did want Them to leave. The broken dishes were so that the Lemures got the subtle message to leave.

The closest spirit in modern Western society to the Lares would be the Guardian Angel. In fact, Angels are one of the few spiritual entities that modern people still interact with. In the classes of Angels, Guardian Angels are the lowest and are assigned to take care of minor things.

According to Christianity, everyone has a Guardian Angel who has chosen them. This Being watched over a person from birth and kept them from harm. Guardian Angels would guide people in making good moral choices, so that the person could go to heaven. Then the Angels would advocate on their behalf to God so the person could can enter heaven. To honor the Angel, a person would surround themselves with depictions of angels. They would also learn more about the Angel and pray for them. Traditional practices for interacting with Angels would include prayer, fasting or meditating on angel images.

The Saints of Roman Catholicism would be similar to di Parentes. People often pray to Them for help. A person would light candles and ask a Saint to watch over them. Saint Jude is popular since he is the Saint of Lost Causes. Besides praying and lighting candles, people would wear medallions of various Saints for further protection. People would say charms (i.e. spells) to them such as the invocation to St. Apollonia to cure toothaches. Other charms would invoke St. John to heal a child’s burns.

Works Cited:

Adkins, Lesley and Roy Adkins, “Dictionary of Roman Religion.” Oxford University Press: New York. 1996.

Greer, John Michael, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2003.

Lecouteux, Claude, “Demons and Spirits of the Land.” Translated by Jon Graham. Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2015.

—, The Return of the Dead.” Translated by Jon Graham. Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2009.

—, “The Tradition of Household Spirits.” Translated by Jon Graham. Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2013.

Mark, Joshua J. “Roman Household Spirits: Manes, Panes and Lares,” World History Encyclopedia. 28 Oct 2019. Web. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/34/roman-household-spirits-manes-panes-and-lares/, .

Scheid, John, “An Introduction to Roman Religion.” Translated by Janet Lloyd. Indiana University Press: Bloomington. 2003.

Turcan, Robert, “The Gods of Ancient Rome.” Translated by Antonia Neville. Rutledge: New York. 2001.

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“The Ecology of Souls”
Di Manes, The Roman Dead
BABYLONIAN JULY/AUGUST: MONTH OF THE DEAD
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“The Ecology of Souls”

Di Manes, The Roman Dead

BABYLONIAN JULY/AUGUST: MONTH OF THE DEAD

THE SPIRITS OF ANCIENT ROME

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