You can create a personal hell

Written by

(Last of a 5-part series)

Someone (I forgot who it was, doggone it) mentioned on my Facebook page a few weeks ago that the notion of “hell” is mentioned 88 times in the bible: 64 times as the Hebrew word Sheol in the old testament, 11 times as Hades in the new testament, once as Tartarus, 12 times as Gehenna.

As we have been discussing here in the past several entries, Conversations with God tells us flatly that “hell” does not exist. There is simply no such place.

In the book HOME WITH GOD in a Life That Never Ends, I asked God what, if we believe that God will judge us and might condemn us to everlasting damnation, happens to us after we die. God replied…

Exactly what you expect. As soon as you move through stage one of death and realize that you are no longer living with a body, you will move into stage two and will experience yourself being judged, just exactly as you imagined that you would be, and the judgment will turn out just exactly as you imagined that it would.

If you died thinking that you deserve heaven, you will immediately experience that, and if you think that you deserve hell, you will immediately experience that.

Heaven will be exactly as you imagined it would be, as will hell. If you have no idea about the specifics of either, you will make them up right on the spot, Then, these places will be created for you that way, instantly.

You may remain in these experiences as long as you wish.

“Well, then, I can find myself in hell!” I said, and God replied:

Let us be clear. Hell does not exist. There simply is no such place. Therefore, there is no such place for you to go.

Now…can you create a personal “hell” for yourself if you choose to, or if you believe this is what you “deserve”? Yes. So you can send your self to “hell,” and that “hell” will turn out to be exactly as you imagine or feel a need for it to be—but you will not stay there for one moment longer than you choose to.

“Who would choose to stay there at all?”, I wondered. Said God:

You’d be surprised. A lot of people live within a belief system that says they are sinners and must be punished for their “offenses,” and so they will actually stay in their illusion of “hell”, thinking that this is what they deserve, that this is what they “have coming” to them, that this is what they have to do.

It will not matter, however, because they will not suffer at all. They will simply observe themselves from a detached distance and see what is going on—something like watching an instructional video.

“But if there is no suffering, what is going on?”, I wanted to know.

Suffering, but there will be none, God said.

I’m sorry?

What is going on is that they will appear to be suffering, but the part of them that is watching this will feel nothing. Not even sadness. They will simply be observing.

To use an analogy, it would be a bit like watching your child “play act” some little scene in your kitchen. The child appears to be “suffering,” holding her hand to her head or clutching her stomach, hoping that Mommy will let her stay home from school. Mommy understands perfectly that nothing is really happening. There is no suffering going on.

This is not an exact analogy, but it is close enough to get across the feeling.

So these observers would be watching themselves in this self-created “hell,” but they would know that it is not real. And when they have learned what they feel they need to learn (that is, reminded themselves of what they had forgotten), they will “release” themselves and go on to the third stage of death.

That third stage, God explained, is the complete merging with the Divine. And that is, ultimately, all that happens after what we call “death.” We ultimately merge with Divinity Itself, then to reemerge as an Individuation of the Divine, allowing ourselves to reenter the Realm of the Physical to afford ourselves yet another in an endless string of opportunities to express and experience Who We Really Are.

This is my understanding of what is true about “hell,” from my reading of the Conversations with God material. I hope it has served you for us to join in this exploration together.

(Neale Donald Walsch is the author of the Conversations with God series of books. His newest writing, The Only Thing That Matters, releases this week from Hay House. In it he describes how we can all experience our Divinity.)

Comments

14 responses to “You can create a personal hell”

October 24, 2012

Buzz

This is a relatively accurate depiction of the 3 or so minutes that it takes for a human to experience the medical phenomena called Brain Death, which is not a moment, it’s a process. Every death related experience we’ve ever observed has occurred within those 3 minutes.
In the mind of a person dying, 3 minutes can seem fast or slow, because the brain is gradually ceasing to function. Events occurring in the mind can be realistic or not, in sequence or not, painful and fearful or not, enjoyable and peaceful or not, all of the above or none of the above. Our imagination is put into overdrive as we attempt to hang on to life as long as possible. This is yet another example of our human defence mechanism designed to keep us alive. We experience whatever we believe will extend life. This all occurs in 3 minutes or less.

After that is what Home With God refers to as stage 3. It is impossible to measure time period of stage 3 in a realm where all experience, including time and space, is impossible. You have returned Home.

Reply
October 24, 2012

Fnados

Heaven and hell are our own conscience.

Reply
October 25, 2012

Jaia

Hmm….I so KNOW ,from my Being,that what I hear you say ,its truth.

Whatever GOD is …Love, beyond mind understanding,no judgment ,for how could there Be ,ONEness allows Us to Be ONE,.WHO CAn I judge ,what can I judge,that I have not in the Oness done.You are MYSELF ,YOU are my Soulmate,You are my loverfriend,brother,sister..true and true….Life ,this gift ,that can feel so heavy…from looking from the human eye…seperating ,what is One….creating pain from our opinions..
My heart tells me,shows me I am always looking at Me,when I am looking at You..
I asked 30 years ago God,whom I did not recognize in any religion…to show up,to help me…..for I did not wish to live in my inner dark mind no longer…
next day ,my answer arrived in a way,I could not miss it ,that I was heard.
Today ,because of it,I share..practical spirituality classes..
THANK YOU for your LIFES….your gifts,Your courage to LIVE
namaste

Reply
October 25, 2012

Andrew

Bullshit why would i want to reincarnate all i want to be is a machine

Reply
October 26, 2012

Winddancer

i I am now reading your newest book “The Storm Before the Calm” It’s pretty much in sink with my core beliefs; It’s interesting to see these changes occuring as predicted so many centries ago. We are destroying our planet because of greed.
I would like to start a conversation with my sister, but haven’t yet found a way to piercre her armour. will keep on working on.
this is my first attempt at posting comments

Reply
October 27, 2012

Léon

in the teachings of Madame Blavatsky, it is said that after death we pass through plans of purifications where we burn negative energies, then we can access the “Devachan”, which is a place of rest, but purely illusory. What is it exactly? Do we suffer from the “evil” that we have caused to others after death?

Reply
October 27, 2012

Ирина

Neil, thank you, that you are! I completely agree with you that the way we feel and think, then we will suffer, even after the so-called death! I had such an experience, and I can confirm that there is no death, only leaving this shell!

Reply
October 27, 2012

kittrell griffin

I agree, the Mind that I understand creates or makes our experiences. The Mind that creates is of Everthing. The mind that makes is a human illusion. Most of us think things just happen without our input, which is a way to blame everyone except ourselves for the choices we make. Maybe I will beable to by-pass one of those steps. (smile)

Reply
October 28, 2012

carrie lou

Good evening Mr. Walsch,

I must admit, I have not read all of your books yet, but I am going to, I am waiting for The Complete Conversations With God, as it has letters in blue ink for God’ words I believe, I suppose the reason I am waiting for this is I want to be able to have the book with me at all times. I borrowed the first CD for Book 1, and I listened every chance I got while driving, it gave me comfort, and made me laugh, and feel safe at times when II needed it. My reason for writing is this, can you ask God, what happened to people who commit suicide? I lost my father a couple years ago, and I prayed fervently asking God to help him out of the crisis my family was in at the time, and it saddens me that my father made the choice that he did, and left. I, sometimes understand why he did this, his reasons, as he was older, aged 65, and did not want to die in prison, my father was accused of a horrible crime which involved my two nieces, his grandchildren, they accused him of sexually assault/incest, but he asked for a private meeting with family members and stated, cried that he did not do this, and I believe him, since I was a child I remember being alone with him, travelling alone where no one would ever hear me, or be able to help me, and he did not do this to me, or any of my other sisters, his children. I understand he may have been feeling despair, loneliness, and did not want the family, us to go through this hard time in our lives, but I’ll never know how my dad was feeling, and it pains me to know he felt alone, do you have any answers for me, my father died in the spring of April 14, 2010, Ill never for get that day. I was so angry I was like a caged animal, I wanted to beat my home, but could not due to the people that were with me, my child, my dog, and my boyfriend. My dog knew, or sensed something was wrong with me, as she made weird noises; I was angry, and didn’t know who to be angry with. I miss him terribly. please help me with this…Thank you and God Bless you

Reply
October 28, 2012

Inger Lise

Hello folks.

Actually, to me it “feels” as the good books(CWG)telling exactly the same as ACIM(a course in miracles). All happenings will be made inside of us, and expressed “outwards.” And of us never have left God, but it is “a evolution in consciousness” more or less, and eventually of us to be cocreators with “The Source, or the first cause,” as we are Gods in the making.
BTW(by-the-way): I have been a member of The Theosophical Society once upon a time, but decided of not to be “a member” of anything in particular except of to realize of to be a member of the human race that is(laughing).
Well, it takes the time(as of us to be living within a fiction of time), in to realize of us to be ONE with the All.

Reply
October 28, 2012

Buzz

Carrie Lou,
Disregard everything you think you know about the afterlife. In fact, disregard what everyone thinks they know about the afterlife. This should include Neale and I. We know nothing, and we are deluding ourselves to think we know. Everything we think we know about death is related to the first 3 minutes mentioned above.
Your father still exists, but not as you knew him. His life force has changed to something mortal intelligence is incapable of understanding. Even the most radical quantum physics theories on this are so oversimplified and limited that it’d be easier to make electricity stop moving than grasp what happens after death.
What most people refuse to accept is that our human concept of experience and interaction and emotion are impossible without a human brain, senses and central nervous system. So there is no concept of time passing, or movement, or any of the fundamental concepts we use to define something as a life form, or solid, or matter. Your father has ceased to be matter, and all the characteristics that make matter matter. He is no longer a thing, or a collection of things, like the multicellular life form he was. But he still “IS”. I don’t mean as memories.
Your Dad exists! In a plane of existence where pleasure and pain are impossible, but he knows you are in pain and understands better than you why you feel this way. He cannot and will not ever hurt you or comfort you. Like the Hollywood depiction of angels, their acceptance of events and circumstances like your pain is absolute and compulsory. They can only observe.

Reply
October 29, 2012

Erin/IAm

Buzz…nice back-up!:) Neale, I do not yet have access to ‘Home’ or ‘Storm’…workin’ on that, tho…I would like to read more on this subject from this point of view.:)

Sooo, perhaps this place…this “Earth”…is actually our conglomerated “Hell”?…Our ‘stage 2 process’ of a previous lifetime? That we may be in our second moment of transition toward our “Heavens”? Hmmm…

Perhaps our ‘inspired’ efforts to make our little “Heavens on Earth” have ‘grander’ purpose than ever thought. Perhaps a good idea to allow each their ‘Happy’ in this process, indeed.

Good “Soul Food” for the Day…Thanks!:) And Good Journey, All!:)

Reply
October 30, 2012

Berit Christensen

First of all Neal, I will thank you for your mail to me. I am very grateful. I reading on your book “Home with God” and I belive it is so unbelivebel all I read. But after reading all of your books I start to understand more and more.
I have get a much richer life and I am not longer afraid to die. I send you more in mail. I hope you can read my “norwegian/english” Love you Neal!! Thank you for you are you!!!
Love and pease from Berit in Norway

Reply
October 30, 2012

Linda Gordon

I’ve read most all your books. Your writings came to me in ’96 and my inner feelings were finally confirmed. I re-read them from time to time and always get more understanding. It’s like…NOW I GET IT!! Thank you Neal for your dedication and enriching my life for the better

Reply