There is a divine purpose in spirit communication, and its history throughout humanity stands as incontrovertible evidence. Nearly every religion or faith system in the world today, and indeed throughout history, incorporates some element of belief in an existence beyond life in the physical world. These beliefs transcend the boundaries of religion to demonstrate a nearly universal acceptance of the soul’s ongoing existence.

Such beliefs do not contradict religious frameworks that support reincarnation, the promise of heaven, a unity of spirit, or other tenets that define a particular faith or religion. Beliefs in the soul’s continuation beyond the death of the physical body are part of many faith systems, supported by and supporting a diverse and vast number of faiths. And they share in common the fundamental principle that knowledge and light lead the way to communication that is for goodness and healing.

Through the ages, there have been many diverse customs and practices related to the passage of the spirit from the physical world to the spirit world—death. However, they are consistent in their reflection that human beings have probably always believed in the continuation of the soul’s existence after the physical body dies. Throughout history, most cultures have viewed death as a passage to another level of being. Burial traditions remain as tangible evidence of this view.

The most staid and venerable of reference resources, Encyclopedia Britannica, Fifteenth Edition, says: “Death rites and customs stem from an instinctive inability or refusal on the part of man to accept death as the definitive end of human life; they thus reflect the belief that human beings survive death in some form and represent the practical measures taken to assist the dead to achieve their destiny ….”

As the earliest archaeological evidence dating to about 50000 B.C.E. (the time of Paleolithic, or Stone Age, humans) demonstrates, human beings have always viewed the end of this life as a preparation for the next. Many of these preparations involve the physical body, from dressing it in the finest attire to embalming it to prevent its deterioration. Although in modern times we might think of these procedures as simply part of the funeral preparation, they are in fact persistent evidence of our conviction that there is, so to speak, life after life. Even the tradition of cremation that has emerged in some cultural traditions such as Native American and Hindu reflects a releasing of the spirit from its physical body so that it can be free to exist as a spirit.

Will we need these physical bodies we now inhabit when we move beyond our current lives? Nearly all prevailing belief systems say no. Rather, they hold that there is a discarnate (without a physical body) existence beyond the physical existence, in which a body is not necessary. Earlier cultures, however, were less certain of this and often buried loved ones with a supply of food, water, and sometimes even furnishings, jewelry, and other accoutrements that might be necessary or useful for survival in the next world.

If you’re about to enter a new existence, it makes sense that you should be in the proper position. This seems to have been the belief of the Paleolithic peoples who once roamed the plains of what is now Europe. Archaeologists have uncovered numerous skeletons curled into fetal positions, apparently in readiness for “birth” into their next lives. Uncovered burial sites also contained food and stone implements such as hammers and knives.

We don’t have any way of knowing conclusively what these early humans actually believed about life or death. There are no written records or even drawings to document these prehistoric times. But the archaeological findings strongly suggest that Paleolithic humans viewed death as a transition, not an end. They greatly anticipated and eagerly welcomed the birth of each new child; it seems reasonable to conclude that they would also celebrate and honor the passing into the next life.

Just as they communicated among each other in the physical world, perhaps they communicated with those in the spirit world. We do know, from archaeological evidence, such as drawings and etchings on rocks and in caves, that later humans did have such beliefs. And we know that the few cultures living in a relatively Stone Age manner today, also appear to have such beliefs.

With the inner eye of your imagination, it’s easy to see a small group gathered around a fresh mound of earth that marks the place where a group member has been returned to the womb of Mother Earth, singing and dancing in celebration of this transition, just as the group might gather in joy and happiness to welcome an infant’s birth.

By the time ancient Greek and Roman civilization dominated much of the Western world, the “other side” had become a tangible place. This perception grew from the mythology of the time and became a crucial element of the era’s philosophy. Mythology gave the ancient Greeks and Romans their gods, which then framed their beliefs and social customs.

In this ancient mythology, Hades was the god who ruled the souls of those who passed from physical life. Because the living resided on the ground and the gods inhabited the heavens, the kingdom of Hades was underground, or the Underworld. Its location within the earth established it as a place the living could not go, and provided for a physical separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

There was no judgment of good or evil involved, and Hades was not the counterpart to the “devil” of later belief systems. Hades was not a place, even though the word became a handy substitute in seventeenth-century England for what had become a vulgar term, “Hell,” which was a most unpleasant location indeed!

Because the Underworld was a place from which no one returned, mythology evolved a barrier to separate the world of the living from the final home of the eternal soul, the river Styx. Upon the body’s death, the soul had to make what could be a treacherous crossing to get to the other side, where happiness and loved ones who had already passed awaited. The boatman who ferried souls across the river Styx was a monstrous creature named Charon who demanded advance payment from his passengers in exchange for the labor of his services.

Of course, these souls were no longer of the physical world and could not make payment themselves, so it was up to their living relatives or friends to buy safe passage for them. They did this by placing a coin in the mouth of the departed. Charon extracted the coin and allowed the soul to board his boat, which he then steered through the roiling waters of the Styx to the other side.

Making it to the other side wasn’t quite the end of the journey for the soul, however. Once across the river, there was a gate that blocked passage to the world of eternity. Cerberus, the three-headed dog with a voracious appetite, guarded the gate and could only be distracted from his duties by being fed. So the living relatives of the departed put a cake of honey with the body as payment to Cerberus for entry into the Underworld. Only then could the soul pass through the gate to be reunited for all eternity with the loved ones who had already made their passages.

Only Charon could navigate the perilous river and because there was no way to pay the fare for the return passage, he never brought anyone back. Although the physical person couldn’t return to the world of the living, the spirit, however, could. Ghosts, visible images of the departed, often appeared to the living, and engaged freely in communication with those in the physical world. After taking up residence in the Underworld, the soul could appear as a vision and speak with the living. Soldiers often called on the souls of great warriors who had passed on, to be by their sides in battle and help them to great victory. If that was not to be, they guided them to the shores of the river Styx for their own journeys to the palace of Hades and to eternal life.

Ancient Roman beliefs and practices were similar to those of the Greeks. Some of the names were different—the river the Romans crossed was the Acheron, for example.

The ancient Egyptians were the first to systematically preserve the physical body after death to prevent its decay and deterioration by using the process of embalming. The term originally meant “to apply balm,” a reference to the early practice of covering a dead body in fragrant oils and spices. The ancient Egyptians believed that once the soul left the body it embarked on a long spiritual journey, called the “circle of necessity,” after which it would seek to return to the body it had left behind in the physical world. This made it necessary to preserve the body for the duration of the soul’s expedition, typically identified as 3,000 years, so the soul would be able to return to its body and live again.

Because a properly prepared and preserved body was so essential for the soul to complete its journey through the circle of necessity, only priests could perform embalming. In fact, this preparation for the soul’s journey was so important that it took place behind the walls of the Necropolis … “death city.”

The typical embalming procedure involved removing and carefully storing the body’s organs, including the brain, in special urns called canopic jars. Resin was then poured into the jars to prevent the organs from deteriorating. After soaking in a salt solution called natron for as long as 70 days, the body was dried and wrapped in long, resin-soaked strips of cloth—creating what we call a mummy.

What we think of as traditional mummification was actually a service available only to ancient Egyptians who could afford it. The poor received a much less sophisticated embalming process, which involved soaking the body in the salt solution and then placing it in a common burial chamber.

The mummified body was then placed in a coffin or crypt of some sort, with the urns containing its organs surrounding it. The crypt was then carefully sealed; after all, it had to preserve its contents for 3,000 years so the soul could return to claim its body when the journey was complete. Without a body to return to, the soul was destined to travel endlessly, unable to come full circle into its new life.

While the soul was on its 3,000-year journey, it was not possible to communicate with it. It was common, however, to offer prayers for its safe travels and happy return. And of course, only through legend was there any “evidence” of a spirit returning to claim its well-preserved body. No one lived long enough to provide eyewitness proof!

The concept of the circle of necessity was common in other ancient cultures as well, such as the Celts and some tribes in Peru. And today it is an element of belief systems, such as some forms of Hinduism, although preservation of the body is no longer essential. The soul’s journey is one of spiritual growth and enlightenment that leads to a higher spiritual existence rather than a return to a physical life.

You might feel, see, and hear the presence of loved ones who have passed. This might happen during times of crisis, or it might be a normal part of your everyday life. If you’re accustomed to these visitors you probably find them comforting, as did the ancient Japanese. They believed that when the spirit left the body at death, it entered into existence as a kami, a spirit entity or supernatural being. Death was not a process of leaving but rather a transition into another form.

A kami remained a part of the family and the community, participating in important decisions and offering guidance. People who in life were good and helpful become benefactors and protectors as kamis; people who in life were not so good become troublesome kamis. Just as in physical life, the good and the bad were simply part of the mix. Kamis who had been leaders and heroes in physical life were more powerful spirit entities than those who had been ordinary citizens. A few, like kings and rulers, became god-like as kamis.

The belief in kamis became the foundation for Shintō, Japan’s indigenous, or native, religion. Within Shintō, kamis could be deities (gods and goddesses), ancestral spirits (family members), animals, and even other natural things such as trees. Despite their presence in everyday life, kamis remained unseen and unheard except to those with special powers to communicate with them. Today we would call such people mediums—those who could intervene to halt a disruptive kami’s actions or to encourage help from a benevolent kami. Many of these interventions, according to legend, had to do with healing, either to rid a family or village of illness or to bring health to an individual.

Otherwise, communication with kamis came in the guise of actions and events. Fortune, good or bad, was considered the work of kamis. Every family’s home had a shrine to honor its kamis, and throughout the countryside there were (and in many places still are) shrines to honor important kamis, typically deities and heroes. Through these shrines, people could share messages with kamis. Buddhism eventually incorporated some elements of Shintō, among them the concept of kamis, which spread the belief into other cultures and societies, including China and India.

Nearly every contemporary faith incorporates some degree of belief in the continuity of spirit. We’ll just touch on some of the key concepts here; Appendix B contains references for those who want to know more about specific religious beliefs.

Celebrations of spirit exist in many cultures. Most had their roots in belief systems of some sort, and now have migrated into popular culture. There must be something about the end of autumn as it transitions into winter that makes it an apparent window between the physical world and the spirit world. Celebrations and festivals had their origins in pagan religious practices that have made their way into various faith systems. (Pagan beliefs allow worship of multiple deities, gods, goddesses, and natural events such as the changing of the seasons. They are typically contrasted to belief systems based on worship of a single, omnipotent God, such as in Christianity and Judaism.) The Festival of Samhain, for example, has become the Christian celebrations All Hallow’s Eve (falling on October 31) and All Saint’s Day (falling on November 1).

October 31 was the last day of the ancient Celtic year and the Festival of Samhain, the Celtic god of the dead. As one year became another, the Celts believed, the spirits of the dead could return from the beyond to share joy and happiness with their living loved ones. Feasting, dancing, and singing celebrated this opportunity. Enormous bonfires lit the night sky, welcoming revelers and spirits alike.

But fearing that some of the returning spirits might have less than honorable intentions, people often donned masks and costumes to hide their true identities. The good spirits of departed friends and relatives of course knew those behind the masks and could make contact for a joyous reunion. The light of dawn, marking the start of the Celtic New Year, recalled the spirits to the spirit world.

Today we know this festival as Halloween, and its modern celebration has little to do with its Celtic origins. For most people, it is nothing more than an excuse to dress up in costumes (and perhaps behave in ways that cause them to be grateful their identities are hidden)—and for children, to acquire enough candy to keep dentists very busy for yet another year!

In 835, Pope Gregory IV proclaimed that the last day in October was to be known within the Catholic Church as All Hallow’s Eve, or “All Holy Evening.” On this date, he decreed, Catholics everywhere were to gather and remember those who had given their lives in the name of their faith. The next day, November 1, became All Saint’s Day (also called All Soul’s Day), a time to remember all who had passed on.

The Catholic Church views this “communion of spirits” as a reminder that there is a continuous link between the souls of the living and the souls of the dead. Says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Church’s official teachings, “Between them there is an abundant exchange of all good things.” Various Protestant religions also observe these celebrations.

This doesn’t sound like a very joyous celebration, but in fact the Day of the Dead is quite festive. The tradition started long ago with the Aztecs, who once inhabited the land we now know as Mexico, to honor the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, who ruled the dead. Even in Aztec times this was a happy celebration, praising Mictecacihuatl for watching over the souls of those who had passed into her realm. There were several days of dancing, singing, and feasting, during which the spirits of the departed also joined in the festivities.

Through the centuries, the influences of other cultures and belief systems realigned the Day of the Dead to take place during Christian celebrations of All Saint’s Day during the last days of October and first days of November. Today, the official celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead takes place on November 2. Families and friends gather at the gravesites of loved ones, or establish shrines in their homes, to tell stories and remember those who have passed.

It is said that you can feel the spirits reveling right alongside their living relatives! There is also much feasting and drinking, with small offerings of the departed’s favorite foods and drinks (and even tobacco if the person was a smoker) at the graveside or on the shrine’s altar.

We all have our reasons for wanting to establish and maintain a personal “communion of spirits.” Yours might be linked to your faith system or religious practices, or the result of an independent belief in the continuity of the spirit. Traditions through the history of humankind and formalized celebrations within organized religions today affirm that such desires are nearly universal. And these desires are positive. They are rooted in love and in goodness—truly what we would consider divine purpose, connections for a greater good. This is the essence of communicating with spirits.

The Least You Need to Know