As we go through this forest, you are probably wondering how close we are to the end of this path.  Is the end of the path in sight?  I chuckle with amusement at your innocence.  Many of my children on earth think that death is the end.

But I am going to tell you something, something that you may find hard to understand.

There is no such thing as death.  There is only life.

Does that sound impossible to you?  I am not surprised if the answer is yes.  In a way, you are correct to be confused.  I will tell you that there is a form of death in your life, but it is very minor.

The death that you are aware of your day to day life is only the death of the physical body.  The real essence of you, the true you, lives on.  You do not die.  Your physical form will deteriorate and waste away, but you will remain, pure and perfectly healthy.

There is nothing in all of existence but life!  I am life, and you are life.  Life is everywhere, all around you.  When you see death on battlefields, you are really seeing only the death of the physical.  The spiritual lives on, never ending and never dying. 

You have always been alive, and you will never die.  Your physical shell may perish, but you will not.  You are not flesh and blood.  You are pure, infinite spirit that cannot be confined by the flesh, save when you choose to.  And you did choose to take a limited body before you came to earth.  

Those who understand "death" are rarely sad when people around them leave the physical world.  On earth death is often feared, shunned, hushed up.  It is something that should not be talked about.  But this is silly.  What you call death is really a natural part of life.  It is as normal as the sun rising and setting, as well as flower blooming and the bird flying.

The majority of people have a great fear of "death" because they do not understand what it is.  "Death" is really a release, a letting go.  It is the process by which you return to your real existence, your true form. 

When a person leaves the physical body, they return to a grander and more expansive version of existence that you on earth cannot even begin to imagine.  It is a world where knowledge is unlimited, where there is peace and acceptance beyond your wildest dreams.  And above all, there is never-ending love.  Everyone inevitably comes to this place, whether it takes only a few seconds or a few centuries, everyone returns home.

Death is simply a transition from one realm to another.  You humans are energy.  Energy cannot be created or destroyed.  It can only change form.  Such it is with you.  Those who "die" have simply changed into a form that you cannot see.  Free of the physical body, they now vibrate so fast that it is impossible for you to see them.  Yet they are there, just out of sight.

Your loved ones have not left you when they "die".  They are still with you.  The love they have for you does not end, for love never dies.  Your friends who have passed on are still around.  You just can't see them.  But they are there nonetheless. 

It can be said that birth in the physical world is death in the spiritual.  And it can be said that death in the physical world is really birth in the spiritual.

If you never "died" then you would not be able to come home.  Everyone has a hungering to return home.  Sometimes that feeling is out in the open.  Sometimes it is buried deep.  But in all cases, the longing is there.  You are all out at summer camp, and I am back at home.  When you do come back, I will be at the front door with my loving arms wide open, ready to embrace you.

*

If there is one issue surrounding physical death that all fear at one time or another, it is that of suicide.  Is it the greatest sin? You ask.  Is it the worst thing you can possibly do?  I am here now to tell you what happens to those who end their physical life before it was supposed to come to an end.

Before you ask, I will answer your most pressing question.  Suicides do not automatically go to hell because they took their own life.  That does not mean however, that they do not experience a hell. 

I wish to tell you now my child that suicide does not solve anything.  It is giving up and quitting, on abandoning your divine purpose on earth.  It is comparable to running away from school when your grades are not good.  You gain nothing but hardships by leaving and running away.

When you review your life, you will see all the opportunities you had.  You will see the opportunities you embraced, and the ones you did not use.  And you will see how your life affected so many others.

I am sorry to say that suicides, along with those you call "evil", have the most painful life reviews.  For when suicides see how their act harmed so many others and destroyed untold life plans, the grief they feel cannot be expressed in any human words.

If you kill your physical body, you will have to see how your actions affected others.  And I tell you that it is hell to see how you affected so many others in a negative way. 

And if you do kill your body to escape your problems, you will still have to face up to them in another life.  You will see how your challenges were meant to be great lessons, and you skipped them.  You will want to come back and try again, to try and learn those lessons.

If you skip your lessons now, you will simply have to do them over again.  It is far better to face your problems and fix them in this life then in another.

Does this mean I hate suicides?  No, I do not.  I do not punish suicides.  Instead, I love them.  I understand the suicide's pain and suffering, and I want to comfort them.  Remember my child that I am nothing but love.  I do not punish anyone for anything.

There are two types of suicides.  Those who take their lives in despair and frustration, and those who take their lives because they are worn out and tired, such as those who elect to end their terminal illness.

Those who end their physical lives quietly and with ease of mind, as in the case of a terminal illness, experience a slightly darker spiritual path then normal deaths.  They will be welcomed to heaven and be greeted by loved ones.  But when they have a life review, they will still have to see how their suicide affected others, such as their loved ones.  As I described above, the life review of a suicide can be, and often is, hellish.

But when the life review is over, and the suicide understands the reason for their act, then they can work on overcoming their weakness and learn from their act.  There is no judgment against them in any way, for all of heaven understands each individual perfectly.

Those who end their lives in despair and confusion face one of the darkest and harshest after physical death paths that beings can face.  This path is dark and fearful, full of regrets and shame.

When a person succeeds at taking their own life in despair they are in a place of great darkness.  They are with themselves, and they are constantly going over what they have just done.  Again and again, they see their acts and how they have negatively influenced other people.  On earth, you would call this hell.

Sometimes the spirits of suicides do not leave the earth, but remain on it, desperately seeking forgiveness and acceptance from the ones they left behind.  But unless they can somehow get a message across (and this rarely happens), these spirits will continue to try and make up for what they have done.  But they cannot, and in a way, they are chained to their act of suicide.

But no suicide is left alone after physical death.  Every spirit always has a light available to them.  Spirits, whether they are loved ones or angels or guides, are continuously there, trying to show the spirit that they are loved, that they are accepted.  All they have to do is accept this love and choose to move on.

If I can say one thing to those who are contemplating suicide, I say this:  Please be aware of what you are trying to accomplish.  There are powerful consequences for your actions, and those consequences can be very negative.  If you are trying to escape your problems, you will have to face them again in another life.  Your difficulties are part of your life plan, designed to help you grow in self-confidence and self-empowerment.  By ending your physical life, you are really cheating out on the lessons you came here to learn.

For those who have had a loved one who took his or her physical life, you can do much to help him or her.  How?  It is simple.  Pray for them.  Talk to them.  If you are ready to forgive them, tell them out loud that you forgive them, that they can come home to me.  Tell them that you love them, that I love them, and they can come home to heaven if they want.

You can assist your loved ones by telling them that they can move on.  By doing so, you release them from this world and give them permission to come to me.