Can The Dead Read Minds?

I know a lot of people who say they speak to their loved ones who have passed away.  I think that's great, and probably perfectly normal to a certain extent.  I, however, am not a talker...well, not when it comes to dead people, anyway.  I think about my grandmother multiple times every day, from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed.  Sometimes I even dream about her, although not nearly as much as I would like.  I wonder what her thoughts would be on things that happen in my life, but I just don't speak out loud.  It's not that I haven't tried.  I have.  But speaking words out loud to someone who isn't there leaves me feeling just a little bit...well...crazy.

I know I write about my grandmother all the time.  I can't help it.  She's on my mind all the time, as is a this fascination with what happens after we die.  I go back and forth on my stance on life after death.  I have several theories that I think are likely (most of which are not taught or condoned by the Church. I understand they may be deviant beliefs, but I maintain the right to hold my own spiritual beliefs in some sort of harmony with my personal afterlife thoughts.  I'm still coming to terms with all of that, if you can't tell).  I think it's possible that our souls are meant to learn certain life lessons, and that we are reincarnated until we reach the perfection that is meant for us.  I believe that karma, in both this current and previous lives, could really exist, creating for ourselves life circumstances  that are tailored according to our own actions.  It could be why we feel instant connections with some people as soon as we meet - perhaps we were linked in previous lives.  It's possible....

I think it's also possible that our souls live forever, that they are indeed individualized, one body per soul.  We get one chance to make it or break it, and what happens to our soul when we die depends on how we acted here on earth.  We could go to heaven.  I suppose we could go to hell, although I don't really believe in hell.  Or we could be somewhere in-between, either by choice or in order to make a few corrections before movin' on up.

Or, it could very well be true that there is simply nothing after death.  It's just life here and when you're gone, you're gone.  End scene.  Logically thinking, this is the most likely scenario, but we don't always think logically, do we?  And let's face it, logic isn't always all it's cracked up to be.

I wonder, if each living person has a soul, and those souls can experience eternal life, how is there room for all of them?  Does that mean that there are billions upon billions of souls floating around us?  That's a little creepy, if you ask me.  When we die, are we going to suddenly see that the space around us is in fact crowded with spirits?  Eek!

I also think about the connections that those of us who are still living have with those who have passed.  If, for example, my grandmother's soul is still present in my life, then she would also be present in the lives of the many other people who loved her.  She had six children, fifteen grandchildren, four sisters, and many, many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, not to mention a husband who still gets teary at the mention of her name.  I imagine that all of them call on her from time to time.  All of us miss her.  We all need her in our lives.  How is it possible that she be with me all of the time, and also meet the needs of all the others?  If this the way the afterlife works, then death could be absolutely exhausting!

I have a lot of unresolved questions, and I'm obviously being a little silly in this post, in case you couldn't tell.  But it's not all a joke.  I do seriously struggle with some of these ideas.  There are times in my life when I feel like my grandmother is completely gone.  There is nothing left of her outside of my memories.  Then again, there are times when I feel the unmistakable sensation of her presence.  Is she there or is that just my imagination, my wishes, projecting something into nothing.  And if I never say a word out loud, if she is indeed with me, does she know that I am thinking of her?  Can she read my thoughts?  Do they summon her when my need is greatest?  In death, do we gain abilities that we did not possess in life?  Or is she simply looking at me, just as we would look at one another, wondering why I am sad?

While we're on the topic of looking, here's another question - if our passed loved ones can visit us at any time, and are with us forever, do they leave when it's not appropriate for company?  I mean, not to be rude, but there are just some things that I need to do alone.  Sometimes, maybe just because it is inappropriate, I wonder if she's there, which makes me a little uncomfortable, because what if, like I said above, our thoughts really can summon spirits?  Oh darn, I just summoned her in the middle of... (insert your own inappropriate action.  I don't have many, but there are just a few that I wouldn't want my grandmother to see).

So that's what has been going through my mind lately.  Just a little food for thought for your Thursday morning.  What do you all think?  Do you believe in the afterlife? What about reincarnation? Do you talk to the dead?  Do you think my grandmother has watched me....?  I'm curious - let me know!