Death, as we call it, is not synonymous to annihilation.  It is merely the passage of the Spirit from the material to the Spiritual world, upon completion or termination of it's material existence.   If you will recall from reading about the union of the Spirit with the physical body  (from gestation to birth- see menu bar at left), that process involves the union of the life-giving vital principle with the material body in formation, to which the Spirit to reincarnate will be joined and remain linked throughout the extent of of it's incarnation.  What happens in the process of "death", then, is the withdrawal of this vital principle and the consequential exhaustion of bodily organs. In other words, when the organs are destroyed or too deeply injured, the vital energy is powerless to animate them, and the being dies.

The Spirit, then, is freed from the material body that, during it's life in the material realm, served as a material covering that allowed it to interact in that environment.  Upon return to the Spirit World, the only thing the Spirit retains from it's incarnate life are it's memories.


 The Separation of Spirit and Body 

As mentioned above, death is actually a passage or transition.  Therefore, there is no defining moment that distinctively separates life from death. It is, rather a process in which the bonds that attach the Spirit's perispirit (i.e. the spirit body, or the soul's fluidic, ethereal covering) to the material body are loosened and finally undone. This process begins at the extremities and continues until all fluid ties between the spiritual and material bodies are completely broken.  Allan Kardec writes, in discussion to question 153 of "The Spirits' Book":

"During life, a Spirit is held to the body by its semi-material envelope, or perispirit.  Death destroys the body but not this second envelope, which separates itself from the body at death.  Observations show us that the separation of the perispirit from the the body doesn't happen abruptly at the moment of death but gradually and with various degrees of slowness in different individuals.  In some cases it happens so quickly that the perispirit is entirely separated from the body within a few hours.  In others, and especially in those whose lives have been highly materialistic and sensual, the release is much slower, sometimes taking days, weeks, even months.

This delay doesn't mean that the life of the body in any way continues or that there is any possibility that it will return to life.  It is simply the result of a certain affinity between the body and the spirit, which is always more or less tenacious, depending on how close to material life the spirit was while on Earth.  It is, in fact, only rational to suppose that the closer a Spirit has identified itself with matter, the greater the difficulty it will have in separating itself from its material body.  On the contrary, intellectual and introspective activity, and habitual elevation of thought, causes this separation to start even during the life of the body.  Consequently, when death occurs, the separation is almost instantaneous.

The study of a great number of individuals has also shown that an inordinate identification between the soul and the body can, after death, be extremely distressing since, by resonance, it forces the Spirit into an awareness of the horror of the body decomposition.  Such unfortunate experiences, however, are the exception rather than the rule; it is peculiar only to certain kinds of life and certain kinds of death.  It occurs, sometimes, in the case of suicides.

Presentiments
Often times, as we can observe, people sense their approaching time for departure.  This is because, as the Spirits tell us (#157), "the soul often feels the loosening of the bonds that attach it to the body," and when this soul is resigned to its imminent transition, it "does it's utmost to hasten and complete the work of separation.  Already partially freed from matter, it sees the future unroll before it and enjoys, in anticipation, the spirit-state it is about to return to." 

Separation Before Physical Death
Sometimes the Spirit can become completely separated even before the organic life completely stops.  In this case, the Spirits tell us (Q. #156), "the dying person no longer has any self-consciousness, but a faint breath of vitality remains for awhile", and that "at that point, the body is only  a machine kept operating by the heart."

Spiritual Help
The undoing of  the fluidic bonds that tie a Spirit to the material body normally (except for the cases of highly evolved Spirits) takes place with the aid of benevolent, discarnate Spirits who, working like "technicians", use a process of magnetization to help complete the process of separation.

 A State of Confusion and the Awakening  

Similar to the almost stunned state of someone who suddenly awakes from a deep sleep, the Spirit experiences a state of confusion that obscures its perceptions after leaving the body, during which the Spirit continues to experience an impression of matter.   The degree and duration (anywhere from a brief, insignificant moment to period of years) of this depend upon, in addition to the Spirit's knowledge about the true meaning of death,  the level of purification achieved and the degree to which the Spirit freed itself form the grip of matter (evidenced by  the practice of goodness and and of a clear conscience)  during its incarnate life.  

In addition, Kardec explains (see discussion to Q. 165, "The Spirits' Book") the confusion often experienced by a Spirit who undergoes a violent or sudden death, for example by suicide, capital punishment, accident, stroke, etc. He writes:

"The spirit is often surprised, astounded, doesn't believe itself to be dead, and stubbornly persists in asserting the contrary.  Nonetheless, it sees the body it has left as something apart form itself.  It knows the body to be its own, although it can't understand how the body become separated from it.  It then goes about among its living friends and relatives, speaks to them, and becomes puzzled when they do not hear it.  This sort of illusion lasts until the separation of the perispirit and the incarnate body is complete, since only then does the spirit begin to understand its actual situation and realize it is no longer part of the human world. "...."In the case of collective death, in which many persons have died in the same catastrophe, it has been observed that they do not always see one another immediately afterwards.  In the confusion that follows, each Spirit goes its own way or concerns itself only with those in whom it takes great interest."

Just like the degree and duration of this state of confusion, the experience of awakening and regaining consciousness in the Spirit world depends upon the condition of the Spirit.   For the Spirit who lived honorably on Earth, the confusion will be brief and death may seem like a peaceful awakening from sleep; the sensation is one of a relief from a heavy burden.  However, for the Spirit whose conscience is troubled by its wrongdoings, the sensation is one of anxiety, distress, and shame.

* The case of Spirits who suffer from the confusion following violent death and/or the torture of their own conscience is the reasoning for the charitable work in which we find brothers and sisters in the Spirit Realm, in addition to incarnate collaborators on Earth, who try to help those latter Spirits to understand their situation and guide them to freedom from the material realm, and if such be the case, to show them that their suffering will not be eternal, that with their own efforts they can make amends for their mistakes and one day find happiness and peace.

 Where Do We Go?  Do Our Loved Ones Greet Us?  

Once released from the material body, the Spirit returns to a particular "zone" of the Spiritual Realm to which it has the most affinity according to its state of mentality at that time (see on menu bar at left). 

Spirits who are deserving will be met by loved ones who had passed on before them and other friendly Spirits who come to greet them and help him them in their transition.  They may spend time in a place where they are helped in their adaptation to the spirit life, but they will eventually go to a Spirit colony where they will continue their progression through work, study, and preparation for their next incarnation.   Those who are less deserving will not have such a fortunate fate and will encounter a state of suffering.  Still, as Richard Simonetti describes (in "Who's Afraid of Death"), the state in which each Spirit finds itself is only the result of its own behaviors, and for those who suffer, their affliction is never eternal.  He writes:

"Obviously, the greater or lesser spiritual help provided is determined by the merits of the disincarnating person.  If the person is virtuous and dignified, he/she will deserve special attention and once the disincarnating process is over, he will be guided to an institution that provides assistance in the re-adaptation to the Spiritual Life.  On the other hand, those people entangled with addictions and crimes, who lacked discipline and discernment, will be disconnected at the proper time, but will be left to their fate, remaining indefinitely in the lower realms, a dark belt that surrounds the Earth, formed by the mental vibrations of multitudes of incarnate and discarnate Spirits that are still dominated by primitive impulses of bestiality."   

Simonetti then reminds us of Jesus' story of the prodigal son who, "stayed away from the comfort of his home...until he realized how miserable his life was, more depriving than the life of the most humble of his father's servants, and then began the long journey back home, where to his surprise, his father received him with immense joy", and he makes an analogy with the spirit who suffers in lower realms.  He writes:

"We are all sons of God, created to His image and likeness, provided with His creative potentialities and intrinsically destined to Good.  Nevertheless, we become candidates for long periods of suffering in the inferior realms, every time we engage ourselves in wrongdoing, but one day, like the prodigal son, we sincerely repent and return to the paths of the Lord, starting the arduous journey of renovation."

 The Effect of the Reactions of Loved Ones 

It must be mentioned here that families, friends, and loved ones of a dying person can have a significant impact on that Spirit's degree of ease in its transition to the Spirit Realm, either aiding it  or hindering it, depending on their emotional state in reaction to the death.  Though a period sadness and sense of loss is normal, especially for those who do not yet  understand with conviction the extent to which life really does continue and to which the bonds of love keep us forever united with those close to our hearts.  However, an exaggerated display of sorrow and/or desperation, especially one in which family members "beg" the dying person not to go, can not only make the disconnection process harder, but it will cause the spirit to suffer emotionally upon seeing the despair of it's loved ones and will hold that Spirit back, impeding its needed transition to a new state of life that awaits it.  On the other hand, positive thoughts and mental vibrations, prayers, and emotional stability will actually help the Spirit to have a much easier return to its true home.  

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For more reading regarding the process of disincarnation, the consequences of different causes of death, and the effects of the attitudes of loved ones left behind, we strongly recommend the book, "Who's Afraid of Death" by Richard Simonetti (see our section on Spiritist Books In English).

Kardec, Allan. "Return to Spirit Life." The Spirits' Book.  Trans. Allan Kardec Educational Society (translated from 2nd edition in French). Philadelphia, PA. Allan Kardec Educational Society. 1996. 59-65.

Simonetti, Richard. Who's Afraid of Death?. 1st ed. in English. Trans. Marilda Cortez Cesar Caselato (translated from Portuguese version, printed 1935). Baru-SP, Brazil: Centro Espírita Amor e Cardidade [Love and Charity Spiritist Center]. 1999.