What happens when we die? This is a question no one can answer, given that no one has been to death and back to tell us the truth. Christians believe that the good go to Heaven while the sinners go to Hell, and Buddhists and Hindus believe we are reincarnated until we reach nirvana. What do Wiccans believe? Well, as the Wiccan religion isn’t exactly an organized religion, it depends on who you ask.
Most Wiccans believe in the Summerland, which is a paradise much like the Christian heaven. All people, except spirits who remain behind lost and wandering, go to the Summerland, even the wicked. The Summerland will be different for everyone, their own version of Shangri-La. There, they can be reunited with their loved ones, look over those they left behind on Earth, and take time to recuperate from life. Our time in the Summerland is spent processing what we learned, recovering from the hardships, walking with the Lord and Lady and being one with them, and then planning our next life.
Most Wiccans agree that when you are ready, you are reincarnated. You may choose what form you take and even a little about your situation. You decide this based upon which lessons you wish to learn in your next life. Someone who was very selfish and arrogant may choose a life of humility to humble himself, for example. People even choose lives of hardship in order to learn their lessons, although they don’t get to plan specifically what the circumstances will be.
Wiccans do not believe in Hell or in an eternity of punishment for one life-time of sin. Some, however, do believe that you may be punished for the harm you do. I believe that you may kept from reincarnating, if you are not yet ready, or reincarnated into an undesirable life as a means of punishment. There are other Wiccans who believe this, as well as Wiccans who don’t. Like Buddhists, I and some other Wiccans believe the point of living is to learn and to perfect your soul, until you reach an enlightened existence.
Whether or not Wiccans believe in angels and demons depends upon the person. Those who do believe in such creatures each have their own opinions about them. As for me, I think that angels and spirit guides are simply spirits that have reached an enlightened existance after many lifetimes. They exist to guide us and to protect us, to help us become who we are meant to be. Demons, in my opinion, are tainted souls, corrupted with hate, greed, and even sorrow, so that they bare ill will towards all of life because of their pain. They are to be pitied–and feared.
Wicca is a very diverse religion. Most Wiccans believe in Reincarnation, the Summerland, or both, but not all do. Specifics about these paths vary from person to person. There are different traditions of Wicca just as there are different denominations of Christianity. Many Wiccans are solitary. Most of us just believe what makes sense to us. All of life moves in a circle, not a straight line, like the changing of the seasons and the water cycle. It makes sense to me that life itself should do the same.
