The Summerland
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The Summerland is the name given by
History of the concept
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) inspired Andrew Jackson Davis (1826–1910), in his major work The Great Harmonia, to say that Summerland is the pinnacle of human spiritual achievement in the afterlife; that is, it is the highest level, or 'sphere', of the afterlife we can hope to enter. Summerland was a secular concept, which was appealing to some non-religious spiritualists.[4]
Theosophy
In
Theosophists believe the Summerlands are maintained by hosts of
Theosophists also believe there is another higher level of heaven called Devachan, also called the Mental plane Heaven, which some but not all souls reach between incarnations — only those souls that are more highly developed spiritually reach this level, i.e., those souls that are at the first, second, and third levels of initiation.[1]
The final permanent eternal afterlife heaven to which Theosophists believe most people will go millions or billions of years in the future, after our cycle of reincarnations in this Round is over, is called Nirvana, and is located beyond this physical Cosmos.[1] In order to attain Nirvana, it is necessary to have attained the fourth level of initiation or higher, meaning one is an arhat and thus no longer needs to reincarnate.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Leadbeater, C.W A Textbook of Theosophy 1912
- ^ Patti Wigington (March 19, 2018). "What is the Summerland?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Myth Woodling (March 23, 2014). "FAQ:What is the Summerland? Do you think it is a real place?". Yet Another Wicca...
- ISBN 978-0-312-15119-5.