At what point does your spirit leave your body when you die

My sister passed away this morning and I have began thinking today. In my grief I have began to wonder, At what point does your spirit leave your body? I am Christian, but would love to hear all theories. No judgement here please. I am just confused and wondering. I know the Bible says that Jesus conqured the grave in 3 days and it was a few days before he ascended to Heaven. But on the same note Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him that "today you will be with me in paradise".
Aside from Christian beliefs, what about all the people that die and come back? Did their spirit actually leave and then return or did it never leave in the first place? Please I welcome all theories.

Some people have no spirit. Anyone who has a spirit would have left before death at some point with the CLOUDS of heaven. The clouds are the deception of heaven. It's a good deception where in the 'twinkling of an eye' ('teleportation') occurs where they are raptured beforehand.

Just my 2 cent.

at what point is your body no longer a body?

Reborn to live again, somewhere else, not on earth, but part of life in another civilization. Thats the way I see it.

reply to post by Christian Voice


I don't know when the spirit exits the body

Some religions I've explored believe the departed's loved-ones should maintain a vigil and conduct rituals for up to ten days

However, some who've been revived (Near Death Experiences) appear to have exited the body prior to physical death, albeit temporarily

I bet there is a big "booming voice" that says "the bus for Heaven is leaving in 5 minutes" or something like that.

good question... probably when your completely dead

reply to post by Christian Voice

Aside from Christian beliefs, what about all the people that die and come back? Did their spirit actually leave and then return or did it never leave in the first place? Please I welcome all theories.

My husband's father died suddenly and unexpectedly one night

Three nights later, my husband (usually calm and undemonstrative) came indoors with a strange expression on his face. We had a newborn and I guess I was preoccupied, because after catching a glance at my husband's face, I simply asked, ' What's up ? '

He replied, ' I've just seen Dad'

Uh huh. What did he want ? ' I asked, still occupied

I said I've just seen Dad ? '

At the tone of his voice, I looked up. Then it hit me. His father had died

Keeping my voice neutral, I asked, ' So what happened ? '

and my husband replied, ' Nothing. I looked up and he was just standing there ... looked like he wanted to talk to me ... '

What did he say ?

My husband exploded a bit angrily then, from tension and shock I suppose, I don't know ! I came back inside

I've always felt it was such a shame that it happened that way. He's not 'religious', but he was raised a Roman Catholic and from what he's told me, 'religion' was drummed into him at home and and school. I suspect visitations from the dead were regarded as 'the work of the Debil' when he was young. Plus the sheer shock of his father's apparition. A shame though that he hadn't been able to speak with or at least listen to his father, because I think the old man had come simply to say goodbye

Later on, I read a book which said many parish priests are approached by several members of a recently bereaved family, all of whom 'confess' in strictest confidence, that they've been visited by the recently-deceased

Interestingly and according to the priests, the family members do not tell each other of their experiences. Each one believes the experience is unique to them alone and they don't tell each other about it because they don't want to upset each other

If they did tell each other, they would confirm each other's experience and could gain comfort from it. Instead, they keep it to themselves ... tell themselves they must have 'imagined' it or that the apparition had simply been 'wishful thinking' based on a need to see the deceased person again





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[edit on 23-2-2010 by Dock9]

reply to post by Christian Voice


I'm so sorry for your loss... I hope you find the strength and courage to find peace.

I would recommend reading Micheal Newton's "Journey of Souls" to learn more about what happens to your soul when you die. He uses a special deep hypnotic technique to literally talk to the soul.

According to him, there is no specific time when the soul leaves the body; sometimes it leaves when the brain dies, sometimes it leaves before your even unconscious.

I remember reading one of the stories where a man and woman were drinking and driving, and there car flew off an ocean cliff. The woman's soul baled out before the car even hit the water, while the man's soul left a short while after the car hit the water.

It seems that souls tend to leave the body when they see that there is no hope left for their body, especially to escape pain.

Some souls hang around after death to see their own funeral and be with there loved ones while they mourn. Most however, are absorbed in the pure bliss, and are tugged back to the spirit realm.

The strange thing about near-death experiences, and the deep hypnotic regressions, is that in almost all cases, people report the same events happening after they die (with some variation of course), and yet these experiences do not change their faith at all, except for strengthening it.

I can honestly say, with 100% certainty, that your sister is a state of pure peace and happiness, filled with God's love, and will be there to console you whenever you ask for her.

reply to post by Christian Voice


I have heard that the soul weighs 22 grams and takes 3 days to totally leave the body. Something about all the previous lives'memories needing time to leave.

When my sister died I knew right after it happened. I was driving to the city where she was in the hospital and part way there I just knew.

A sick friend died and again I knew right away.

I felt as if they came to say good-by and to tell me that they loved me.

I'm sorry for your loss. Death of a loved one is always more difficult than we think it will be.

I am sorry for your loss.I know it is tough to deal with.

I watched both my son and my wife die in the past few years.Both of them were relative young.

When my son passed I actually looked for his spirit in the room but didn't see it.

I am sure the spirit leaves when your heart stops providing oxygen to the brain.

I have heard that it does take a period of time some time for a person to realize they are in spirit form.

They hang around and even attend their own funeral.

My kindest condolences to your sister...
I can give you my side of beliefs regarding the soul and the grave, but you dont have to believe in it, this is just something interesting for whoever is interested...everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.

In my religion it is believed that the soul departs the body the moment the heart stops beating. It is exclaimed in our Scripture that it is like a drip of water dropping from the edge of the leaf. Its the angel of Death who will take out the soul, either painfully, or peacefully depending on the individual and the deeds they did in this life.
once the soul is out, the angels take it from the angel of death and take it up to the highest heaven where it will be marked as a believer in god, or disbeliever in God. then, the soul will be returned to the body when it is getting buried. Once all the people leave and the burial is finished, this is when the soul will return to the body (inside it), and it will be told to sit up. two fierce and stern looking angels will come up to the soul and ask it some questions.

- if the soul is a believer, it wont have much hardship answering these simple questions, but if its a disbeliever, then it wont be able to even say one word..after the questioning, if you are a believer in God and did good deeds in this life, your grave will be turned into one of the luxurious beautiful gardens of paradise..you will wish and beg god to let the day of judgment come because of the excitement of your eternal home and delight that you see infront of you..your grave will be made to expand as far as the eye can see, and it will be as if you are sleeping in the meadows of the garden of paradise..

- but if the person is a disbeliever, the grave will be made to close up on the body so tightly that one side of the ribs will go through the other, and one of the doors of hell will be opened for the soul to see its final destination when it gets resurrected and judged by God.
The heat will burn the flesh and will smell horrible and rotten, but the soul will not die, it will continued to go through punishment and agony day and night, until the day of judgment commences.

Hope you found that interesting, like I said, Im simply sharing with you what our religion teaches regarding the soul and death. not starting up an argument here..

I pray that your sister will be among the dwellers of paradise, and may God have mercy on her soul..

peace

reply to post by Christian Voice

The Spirit leaves the body right away upon death. The Spirit will remain near the body for three days or so, some longer, some not as long. They can here you, and see you. they may try to touch you, and you may even feel this, a light touch on your clothes. Your dear sister did not die, and you think, her Spirit is immortal and lives forever.

reply to post by Christian Voice


Can't say for sure when your spirit leaves your body, but, the saying, 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...', refers to how the spirit exits the body. Starting from the lower chakras and working it's way up the spine until it collapses into the tenth chakra, which is white in colour, and resides at the top of your head.

'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...' refers to the spirit's sensation as it travels up the spine through each chakra point, and reaches the white 'light' at the end of the tunnel.

hi, according to islam

Q3: Where are the souls kept? A. There are different places where the souls are kept. The souls of virtuous believers have their different places than those of disbelievers and sinful believers. Some souls of Muslims live at their graves, some at sacred well of "Zam Zam"(blessed water), of some in between the earth and the heavens and of some in the 1st sky, second and also upto the seventh heaven and even higher than that.

Q 4: Where are the souls of 'BADDIES' kept? A. The impure and wretched souls of unbelievers live in their graves, cremation ground, from 1st layer of the earth to the lowest one and even deeper than the bottom of the earth.

Q 5: Does the soul maintain any link with the body after death? A. Yes, after death the soul has a link with the body. If the body is comforted or tormented the soul feels it.

i know its not the answer you're looking for but i hope it helps. i read somewhere that in islam the soul/spirit leaves the body once the person is buried. it will hang around by the body until its buried


[edit on 24-2-2010 by RizeorDie]

[edit on 24-2-2010 by RizeorDie]

reply to post by Christian Voice


My sincerest condolences to you.
I think the soul departs right away but in gnostic beliefs and some others it takes 3 days for all the life force in you cells and organs to depart.

Again I send you compassionate heart.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c9df33c05324.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by Christian Voice


Sorry to hear about that. May God be with you in your time of greif.

I believe that as we take our last breath our soul leaves the body.

I have always thought this I cannot explain it any other way other than I have always felt this.



Raist

reply to post by Christian Voice


The questions posed in the OP are answered in great detail as contained in the works of A.A. Bailey (and the Tibetan Master DK) as summarized below (Link with expanded commentary are listed at bottom). Hope this helps!!

"Death and the Art of Dying.

Summary: A collection of statements by the Tibetan.

Death: Sequence of Events.

"I feel it is the best that I can do, in order to clarify this subject more completely, is to describe the sequence of events which happen at a death bed, reminding you that the points of final abstraction are three in number: the head, for disciples and initiates and also for advanced mental types; the heart, for aspirants and men of goodwill, and for all those who have acheived a measure of personality, integrity, and are attempting to fufill, as far in them lies, the law of love; and the solar plexus, for the undeveloped and emotionally polarised persons. All I can do is tabulate the stages of the process, leaving you to accept them as an interesting and possible hypothesis awaiting verification; to believe them unquestionably because you you have confidence in my knowledge, or to reject them as fantastic, unverifiable and of no moment anyway. I recomend the first of the three, for it will enable you to preserve your mental integrity, it will indicate an open mind, and at the same time it will protect you from gullibility, and from narrow-mindedness. These stages, therefore are :

1. The soul sounds forth a 'word of withdrawl' from its own plane, and immediately an interior process and reaction is invoked within the man upon the physical plane.

a. Certain psychological events take place at the seat of the disease, in connection with the heart, and affecting also the three great systems which so potently condition the physical man : the blood stream, the nervous system in its various expressions, and the endocrine system . . .
b. A vibration runs along the nadis. The nadis are, as you well know, the etheric counterpart of the entire nervous system, and they underlie every single nerve in the entire physical body. They are the agents par excellence, of the directing impulses of the soul, reacting to the vibratory activity which emanates from the etheric counterpart of the brain. They respond to the directing Word, react to the 'pull' of the soul, and then organise themselves for abstraction.
c. The blood stream becomes affected in a peculiarly occult manner.
d. A psychic tremor is established, which has the affect of loosening or breaking the connection between the nadis and the nervous system; the etheric body is thereby detached from its dense physical sheath, though still interpenetrating every part of it.

2. There is frequently a pause at this point, of a shorter or longer period of time. This is allowed in order to carry forward the loosening process as smoothly and as painlessly as possible. This loosening of the nadis starts in the eyes. This process of detachment, often shows itself in the relaxation and lack of fear which dying persons so often show; they evidence a condition of peace, and a willingness to go, plus an inability to make a mental effort. It is as if the dying person, still preserving his consciousness, gathers his resources for the final extraction . . .

3. Next, the organised etheric body, loosened from all nervous relationship through the action of the nadis, begins to gather itself together for final departure. It withdraws from the extremities towards the required 'door of exit' and focusses itself in the area around that door, for the final 'pull' of the directing soul. . . . A dual attractive process is at this stage going on :

a. The vital body is being prepared for exit.
b. The physical body is responding to dissolution."

More from this topic can be found here: www.esoteric-philosophy.net...

Thank you to everyone for the condolences and thank you all as well for the theories I asked for. It gives me a great deal to think over.