If Heaven Exists, Is There a Hell?
As a spirit medium, I receive insights and information about the universe, Heaven, the experiences of souls who cross over to the Other Side, and much more. A great deal of this information comes through communications with loved ones in spirit and the angels, as well as through visions, epiphanies, theophanies (experiences with God), and meditations. My natural curiosity about these topics, as well as my desire to assist those on Earth to better understand the reasons for our existence and what exists beyond life on Earth, prompts me to seek answers to our biggest questions. When receiving the answers, they are provided to me in ways we can comprehend as human beings. Our knowledge of what exists beyond life on Earth is somewhat veiled in order to provide the necessary conditions for learning lessons for our souls. What truly exists is much more magnificent and complex than most of us can conceive through our limited experiences as human beings on a spiritual journey.
Gathering Information Using Gifts of Mediumship
One of the questions I am often asked is whether Hell exists. I have seen and experienced many aspects of Heaven; however, I have, to this date, never seen or experienced anything close to the concept of Hell as provided by various religious texts. This holds true even for people who have committed grievous crimes, including murder.
To supplement the information I received through meditation journeys, visions, and communications with the Other Side about the concept of Hell, I visited Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to communicate spirit-to-spirit with deceased men who spent time on Death Row. According to its website, it was operational from April 1829 through January 1970 and housed thousands of criminals over the years, some of them notorious.
Upon asking them to reveal to me what their experience was when crossing over, they gave me the immediate impression of darkness and great confusion. Strong feelings of angst flooded their souls as they did not know what was happening or where they were. The impression I received was that these souls were stuck in purgatory, which is the temporary state of no longer existing on Earth while also not being in Heaven. Purgatory is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Hell. This may be because of the feeling of being lost which accompanies the experience, and for those who committed grievous crimes, there is an added element of torment and anguish as their mind convinces them they went to Hell. This experience can be very negative as images of the crimes they committed repeatedly play in their mind.
Others who do not cross over right away, such as those who take their own lives or who passed suddenly and are experiencing confusion about the need to cross over, have a different set of circumstances. For those who committed suicide, they need help believing they belong in Heaven. For those who crossed over very suddenly, if they do not cross over right away, I have been shown that they can become confused and may turn away from the gateway to Heaven because they feel as though they have unfinished business on Earth. These souls temporarily wander the Earth in spirit looking for assistance. It can be a very surreal experience in which they can see others on Earth, but those on Earth, other than spirit mediums, cannot see them. Ultimately, every soul receives assistance with their crossing from a spiritual being, such as the angels, or from spirit mediums who recognize their needs and call in the angels to help them cross.
What Happens to Souls Who Harm Others on Earth
Usually, when the soul is released from the physical body through death, the soul transitions to Heaven with the help of a small delegation of loved ones in spirit or the angels to help guide them to the Other Side. For those who are temporarily stuck in purgatory due to crimes they committed, there is the presence of a spiritual being who does not step forward, but rather waits patiently, without judgment, to be noticed.
Once acknowledged, the spiritual being seeks to educate the soul in the necessity of crossing over. The temporarily lost soul needs to believe they belong in Heaven in order to transition there. The amount of time it takes for the soul to believe this varies. The impressions I received from souls who existed in this surreal state included images and experiences of their crimes playing out repeatedly in their mind because of their lack of belief in their worthiness. When they are finally convinced of the need to cross over in order to receive healing and to learn from the mistakes they made while on Earth, they transition to a room, much like an interrogation room, in which they begin the review of their life. It is an objective review in which they are immersed in various scenes to discuss what took place, how it affected others and themselves, and what they could have done differently with the lessons they were to learn on Earth.
In contrast, those who were stuck in purgatory because they were confused during their sudden passing are welcomed into Heaven by their loved ones who are already there in spirit. There is a celebration in their honor in which they are reunited with all their loved ones in Heaven, including animals. For those who took their own lives, there is no celebration. These souls are in dire need of healing and are directed to the spiritual hospital to receive the help they need. Loved ones already in Heaven can visit; however, the concentration is on healing from the issues that led them to take their own lives, as well as the act of ending their lives too soon. From what has been shared with me, they spend approximately two weeks to six months Earth time in the spiritual hospital.
Levels of Heaven
Once the life review is over for the souls who brought great harm to others in life, there is no gala celebration. They are in need of healing and knowledge to help them evolve. They are assigned to what I refer to as the lower levels of Heaven, in which they dedicate their time to learning how to be a better soul and to gain understanding about the love from which we were all created.
The souls who commit grievous crimes are often young souls who have not experienced many lifetimes. They operate from a place of fear rather than love and need to reincarnate many times in order to help their souls evolve to a higher place. In contrast, older souls understand the need for compassion, empathy, and love, as well as the concept that we are here to help one another on our journeys. All of us were younger souls at some point, and when we experience life on Earth, God uses this great mixture of soul evolvement to help us help each other with the lessons destined for this lifetime.
As a soul learns lessons throughout its lifetimes, it has opportunities to progress through the levels of Heaven. Souls on the higher levels of Heaven can visit those on the lower levels; however, those on the lower levels do not have permission to visit the higher levels until they have reached the stages of their evolution which permits them to move about with more freedom. As souls progress, they are granted increasing abilities to collaborate with others in Heaven to create collective positive experiences, such as recreations of favorite times and places on Earth. Additionally, souls gain the abilities to transform their personal appearances, and most chose to look like a young version of themselves, and to create their unique space in Heaven, such as a beautiful seaside cottage or elaborate cabin in the mountains, in which loved ones in spirit, including pets, can visit and share.
The Number of Levels in Heaven
When asking about the number of levels in Heaven, the answer I receive is twelve. When we achieve the highest level, we can remain in existence as an angel helping other souls, or we can choose to be fully reintegrated into the highest energy form, which I refer to as God or the God Force. From there, new souls are created, and the process begins anew. This is not to be mistaken for reincarnation. Reincarnation is the same soul living many lifetimes. The reintegration into the God Force is the completion of the soul’s existence after it has reached the highest pinnacle of soul growth.
How Long Does It Take to Fully Evolve as a Soul?
There is no set time frame for the evolution of a soul. Whether young, old, or somewhere in between, each soul progresses at its own pace with its own lessons and purposes for each lifetime. Lessons can be learned while in Heaven; however, when we decide to be reborn on Earth, it is to accelerate the growth of our souls through more challenging experiences. The negativity which exists on Earth does not exist in Heaven. We can stay in Heaven for certain lessons; however, in order to experience the greater challenges, we need to reincarnate for lessons on Earth.
Concept of Hell
As for the concept of the fiery Hell proclaimed in various religious texts, the creation of this type of vision may have been conceptualized as a way of getting society to behave in a certain manner through fear tactics. It may also come from impressions by ancient seers and mediums, many of which are past spiritual masters, about souls temporarily lost in purgatory. As I mentioned, the souls who committed grievous crimes gave me the impressions of the misery they endured while stuck in purgatory. What was not understood or shared in the religious texts was the continuation of the souls’ journeys to Heaven once they believed they belonged.
Every soul is given the opportunity to learn and grow, even those who have done great harm while on Earth. During their life reviews, they experience the consequences of their actions in order to learn how to improve and evolve. If the lessons are not learned or cannot be completed during their stay in the lower levels of Heaven, then they are incorporated into their soul contracts for their next lifetime.
Each of us was created with loving care and are provided with opportunities to better ourselves and evolve as souls. Just as children on Earth grow and learn, our souls do so on a much grander scale. If a child makes a mistake, even a big one, there are consequences which are dealt with, but also the opportunity to learn from that mistake. It is the same with our souls. Instead of being sent to the fiery pits of Hell as described in religious texts, we are sent instead to the appropriate level of Heaven to learn from those mistakes in order to become a better soul.
With Love and Light,
Karen T. Hluchan
