But the paradise and hell of existence are found in all the worlds of God, whether in this world or in the spiritual heavenly worlds.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith
Think ye of love and good fellowship as the delights of heaven, think ye of hostility and hatred as the torments of hell.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Heaven and hell are conditions within our own beings.
Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance
Phew! We can relax. The major religions of the world are evolving towards heaven and hell being a metaphor for reward and punishment, not actual places.
As an artist, there is nothing better than being in the flow and creating. I feel the oneness. But then... it grinds to a halt. I can't make something look good, think of an idea, I feel lost, bereft. Fortunately, it has happened so many times now that I recognize it as part of a cycle. Being an artist is like living in heaven and hell at the same time.
Heaven really is nearness to God, its fleeting glances of grace: a sweet fragrance of a flowering tree, a beautiful sky, the burbling sound of a briskly-flowing creek. Calm, meditative connection with the Divine. We all have this comfort available to us and the only thing that keeps us from perceiving it is our internal hell of disbelief in ourselves. When your self esteem is in the tank, it's hard to feel deserving of the company of the Creator of the Universe, yet heaven is exactly that.
And the miracle that is human connection.
If you want more…
Afterlife in Modern Religions, by Misha Impossible, aka Mikhail Sergeev, Ph.D.
Exploring the Baha’i Concept of Life After Death, Bahai Blog
“Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife” by Lynette Thom, Singapore Bahá’í Studies Review, Vol. 3, 1998, pages 69-87.
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