Is The Afterlife Real?

Many people believe in life after death, which is commonly termed as “the afterlife”. In some beliefs, the word “afterlife” signifies being reborn, and that there is continuity to life, that whatever you have been doing should be continued on to the next life. The most common example to this concept is the belief of the Egyptians to life after death. Ancient Egyptian civilization preserved their dead through mummification procedures to exercise their cultural principle in the rebirth or continuity to life.

For the less privileged ancient Egyptians, the dry desert state gives perfect advantage and provides beneficial effects in burying their dead for it aids in the preservation of the bodies. For the nobles, royalty and wealthy Egyptians, they mummify their dead by removing all their internal organs, apply mummification oils, concoction, herbs and an amalgam of all preservation substances that are needed in preserving dead bodies in perfection. When the preservation applications are done, they wrapped their dead in linen, placed it in a wooden casket or sarcophagus before burying them in a highly structured, sophisticated and intricate stone tombs which are only made available to privileged Egyptian influential leaders.

When a pharaoh or any Egyptian leader dies, the whole domestic and battle entourage will go with him. For it is believed, that he will live and continues to rule his realm even in eternity. Everything he needs in ruling a kingdom will go with him to eternal life. This will include his battle weapons, chariots, tools, personal effects, jewelries, valued possessions, his men and slaves. Food will be made available inside the burial chamber to assure life continuity in the afterlife.

Masks are one of the major accessories in ancient Egyptian entombment. It go perfectly and intricately with the elaborate sarcophagus and to provide the dead a face that will identify them in the afterlife. As, an added use, it will also guide the soul to distinguish the body.

Ancient Egyptian’s belief in the transformation of one’s physical body into a spiritual one resulted into the wearing of the mask to get them through into the spiritual journey from the living world into the sphere of eternity. And, by wearing this mask, would enable them to pass through the transition simply and in a less complicated way. Therefore, by wearing these funerary masks and other masquerade cover, disguise or identity mask, the spirit will be able to pass through the channel to eternity with lesser complexities.

Based on various cultural doctrines and principles, people worldwide have various notions on the certainties of the concept of the afterlife. Whether it has concrete basis or not, people would still like to believe that we do all have afterlives. For it is in believing that we are gripping on a single hope that there is something more to death than meets the eye. People would just keep on believing and anticipating that we do all have eternal lives. In every religious doctrine, there is always that hope that we all live forever.