Summerland & Divine Reality Many Wiccans do believe in an afterlife of eternal goodness and perfection.

That is, they believe that there is a place where the human soul may exist after and between physical incarnations that is both eternal and wholly satisfying. They most often refer to this place as the Summerland. There are some who assume that our concept of Summerland is borrowed from Theosophy; it is not. There are some very distinct ideas that some Wiccans associate with the concept that sets it apart from more mainstream and popular conceptions of the afterlife. The most immediate and striking difference is that which concerns imminent omnipresence. For Wiccans, the Summerland is a heaven, or a paradise; a divine realm in a persistently eternal state of ideal reality, wherein we may find rest and delight in the existence of every thing being preserved in its most beautiful and fulfilled condition, as well as reconnect with those who have passed on before us, and where we may live with the Divine as it actively and individually manifests. Some Wiccans also believe that the Summerland is not something we must wait for death to experience. For them, Summerland is omnipresent, existing everywhere at once, and that its manifestation in the physical world of our sensory experiences is imminent. These Wiccans will suggest that the ideal reality, or Divine Reality, exists in the here and now, as well as the there and then. Every time a Wiccan casts a Circle, performs Spellwork, prays, and otherwise consciously expresses The Mystery in the world, they are manifesting more of the Summerland through it. Speaking specifically of the character of the Summerland, it is a place where all things and all experiences are eternal and persistent in their most ideal forms and conditions. There is no pain. There is no death. There is no suffering, illness, or sorrow. Life in the Summerland is perfect. The deities as expressions of the Divine, are present; so too are all of those we have loved, and even those we had never met. Life in the Summerland is full of joy, wonder, and fulfillment. Furthermore, it can be different for every individual. It is not only a place of perfected life, but it is so in whatever way is most meaningful and fulfilling for each individual. In one sense it is all there. Yet, there is a relative experience, and even though no two people may experience it quite the same way, all experience its perfection. So too (many Wiccans will suggest) is life in this world. At least, there is the potential to manifest the Summerland in this world. Many Wiccans make no division between this world and the Summerland. For them, it is an ideal condition, and because it is omnipresent, the present conditions of our world are simply the result of ignorance and neglect. Some choose to believe that part of what it means to be a Wiccan is assume a spiritual sense of duty to manifesting as much of the Summerland in this world as they may be able to in this life. The idea is that through progressive incarnations and effort that it may be manifest completely through all realms of human experience and life so that the cycle of reincarnation will be fulfilled. That is, all experiences of life (on any level) will be completely and undeniably fulfilling, meaningful, and satisfying to every being and thing which exists. For them, the Summerland is not a reprieve from earthly life (as heaven or paradise might be in other religions), but an ideal or vision of that life which is a worthy objective to attain. The Summerland is both where we are at and where will hope to go. It was, is, and will be. As Wiccans, some of us believe that it is worth striving for, and we

also believe that our actions, deeds, magic, and spirit while living in this world will manifest it for all. There are no requirements for entrance into the Summerland. It is a paradise of Divine Reality which accepts all and any. There are no standards. You do not have to believe certain ideas. You do not have to have lived a life of suffering or poverty. You do not have to have been a good person. You do not need to ask for permission. All are worthy to enter the Summerland. Wiccans perfectly trust that whatever a person may have lacked in their incarnation which resulted in the expression of any experience we might mundanely regard as bad, or hard, or undeserving, will be realized in that paradise of existence; wherever or however we might assume a life deficient in such goodness and intention, it will be made sufficient through the perfection of that exalted existence. In other words, upon entering the Summerland, any and all are instantly no less than what is absolutely perfect. There are no standards of earthly life which make a person deserving to enter that heavenly state. All are deserving by virtue of have existence. Some of these ideas can be very difficult for some people to understand and appreciate. This is especially true when a person is coming from the background of present day mainstream religions which seem to reserve their concepts of the Divine Reality for only those who accord themselves to a particular religious dogma and observance. For them, nobody is welcome in their paradise except their kind of believer, and even among those many will be found unworthy to enjoy an eternal life of perfected existence. For them, there are always requirements, or strings attached. Most Wiccans do not accept the notion that any truly Divine being (god, goddess, or any other conception of deity) would refuse any being an experience of its own fulfillment and happiness. Certainly not on the grounds that they did not submit themselves to suffering and self-loathing. For many Wiccans, it is very difficult to even imagine such a possibility in the face of the evidence they perceive to be manifested through the very world around us now. When it comes to the reality of the Summerland, if you were to ask a Wiccan if it really existed, you are likely to get a response along the lines that it does if we choose to believe it does. This is another important difference in the concept of Divine Reality within the Craft of the Wise from those we might be familiar with through todays mainstream religions. The Summerland (if you will recall) is first a condition of being, and not so much a place to be. It is something that is both preexistent, and brought into being. By the very nature of reality, as it is understood by many in the Craft, the Summerland exists for those who choose it to, and does not for those who might choose such. It is a state of being that could be (if we desire) but not one that must be for all regardless of their desire (or even awareness) for it. It is a choice. We enter it by our own free will or dont if we so prefer. There is no Divine demand or dictate that suggests we must seek it. Any Wiccan who chooses to believe in and pursue existence in the Summerland does so by choice alone. What makes the Summerland a Divine Reality is that it is the idealized condition of existence which fully expresses the Great Truth or Mystery of Life as it is understood in the Craft of the Wise.

The operation of what some Wiccans recognize as the laws of manifest existence (creation) are plainly perceived and applied with the greatest benefit to life in this state of being. That is not to say that those laws are not in operation within the present world. Very much to the contrary, they are absolute in all planes and modes of existence, but in this world they tend to be applied haphazardly, through ignorance, and poorly applied to address those aspects and experiences of life that most people would agree are not good. The division between the Summerland and our current world is really only between what is and what we would hope it will become. Some Wiccans adopt an attitude and belief that the Summerland (as an ideal state of being) lies just below the surface of the physical world of our senses; it is simply a matter of revealing it which causes its expansion into this realm of being. Recognizing that this world is currently far from perfect relative to that ideal, living, and observing life as a Wiccan is a choice to consciously seek ever more manifestation of that Divine Reality. Eventually, through many incarnation (individually or collectively) they foresee the potential for all of the manifest Universe to exist as the Summerland. Now, it should be made clear that some believe that the idea of the Summerland will always evolve. They would suggest that any and every time that we had attained some perfect state that we would only redefine what that perfection is. That is, we would always think of and desire more or different degrees of perfection. They would suggest that there would always be a more perfect state of being and that this could potentially go on infinitely. While such a suggestion might disturb some people, for many Wiccans, not only is it an acceptable assumption, but one that also validates some of their ideas concerning why life exists in the first place. The idea affirms the belief that the principle purpose for life is experience. Whether it is good or bad is irrelevant. For most Wiccans, life is all about the journey, and its fulfillment is realized through living it, and not as some destination or conclusion to it. Many mainstream religions today suggest that there is an end to life, a point where life is fulfilled and cannot be any more or less than what it is; you die, go to some heavenly paradise, and thats it. The story ends there. For Wiccans, the journey never ends, and there is always more to experience; there are worlds without end and an infinite variety of ways in which we can experience them. It is true that there are many Wiccans who do not believe in the Summerland. To be clear, this is fine too, since that is their choice. To be a Wiccan does not mean that one must believe in such a Divine Reality. Some will adopt beliefs in the afterlife that correspond to certain cultural or ancestral concepts. It is not uncommon (or wrong) for a Wiccan to believe in Valhalla, Avalon, the Golden Plains, or some type of personal heaven. No belief in any type of afterlife negates the idea of the Summerland. All could potentially be ways of experiencing it. It may not be a concept that fits into other ideal realities, but it certainly is one which all other types could exist within its reality. So, it is also not uncommon for some Wiccans to suggest that the Summerland is whatever you imagine it will be. That works too. Ultimately, the choice is the individuals as to whether or not they will accept and believe in the reality of the Summerland and what it implies about our existence. For some, it is too abstract of a concept to embrace meaningfully. For others, however, it is a comforting reality to look forward to, as well as an overriding objective to be attained in this or through another lifetime.