Updated 2022.11.28

What happens after death?

Assisting someone in the process of transitioning can be a beautiful experience.

Everyone wants to know what happens when we die. In reality, the journey is different for everyone, but there are a few basic steps most souls ascend through as they cross.

In the transition of death, we leave our physical bodies behind, and our Spirit, the essence, the pure being of who we are, continues on.

After we leave our physical body, our Spirits and our journey continues. 

This journey is the evolution and development of our soul.

Death is a transition, just another step on our spiritual journey. 

It may not feel like that when you experience it, and it is a transition that can take time to adjust to like all developments. 

In this, death is not the end. It is the beginning of a new stage.

After speaking to loved ones in readings, many of whom talk about the process of transitioning, in today's post, I wanted to share a few of common threads of what happens after crossing over, as they have been described to me.

Knowing this information helped me, so hopefully, knowing it will help you, too. 

So below, you will find the general journey each soul goes on as they cross over -

6 Things To Expect When Your Loved One Crosses Over

1. They are joined by loved ones

He or she will be picked up by friends, family, Spirit Guides, and Angels on the other side. 

Someone who is in the process of dying is welcomed by loved ones on the other side and transitioned over.

Thus, even if you are afraid of 'letting' someone die alone – consider for a moment that maybe they've asked someone special to help them from the other side.

It is common for a spouse who has crossed over to come through in a reading, and promise this gift to their wife or husband – that when they cross over, they will greet them when they are ready to leave their body.

I often see hands outstretched and have even noticed Spirits in the room of a loved one, waiting to pick them up when they are ready.

It is not uncommon for dying people to see visions and identify friends and relatives who they think are still living, and I think that is part of this. 

Cats, dogs, and others will see the friends they have in the non-physical as they get ready to cross, as well.

2. Their Spirit can transition before or after the physical end

Many people transition into Spirit immediately and, at the same time, that their physical body releases them. Others will leave their bodies before or after their actual physical departure.

For those who experience traumatic physical exits, prolonged processes of transcending, or mental loss, the Spirit tends to leave the body or comes in and out of the body before the release from the physical body.

In fact, many deceased loved ones who see you are suffering at the thought of their suffering have come back to say, 

"Hey, everything was alright! I actually left my body right before things changed, and I was right there with you, by your side."

3. Their Spirit may get time to rest

A space immediately after crossing over, and is often on a level within the spiritual realm, but right before entry is available for all.

Some people call this a holding place, but it really isn't.

It's a place where the Spirit can go to rest and recuperate from their life on Earth and from their process of dying. 

Being in the rest space does not mean they are stuck and not crossing over, it simply means they are resting and will transition fully when they are ready.

Usually, what happens here is other Healing Spirits work on their soul before they fully transcend. They release any pain bodies the Spirit is holding onto before being freed from it all.

4. They experience the life review

When a loved one completes the transition of death, and after they rest from their journey, the Spirit now takes time to reflect and review their time on Earth.

This period of reflection can take a few weeks to years, with the average Spirit spending six months to one year in reflection of their life on Earth.

This period is called the life review and is essential to the crossing over process.

During this time, your loved one is surrounded by Spirit Guides and Angels (usually 3 to 7 of them) and begins to review their life and the lessons they were meant to learn while on Earth.

They are shown all the positive impacts they made on Earth first. 

Starting from birth and extending to death, the recently deceased will see everything playback to them as though on a giant movie screen, projector, or film strip. 

They usually show this to me as a small, personal movie theater.

They see all their experiences through their own perspective, they also see their experiences through the lens of every other being that was involved. 

So if someone was hurt, they gain a new understanding of this as well.

That is all it is – a review of Earth and your experiences. You simply learn and appreciate your life more.

When complete, your deceased loved one will have a lot of perspective about those they knew and of their own actions while on Earth, often they come back to share these perspectives in readings

Learn more about the Life Review here.

5. They transcend entirely into Spirit

Once the life review is complete – usually between six months to one year, the soul transitions fully into Spirit. 

The Spirit is now free to explore, visit, and take on jobs if they want to.

This often involves visiting, helping you out with favors and creating positive outcomes in your life.

Deceased loved ones will enjoy coming to readings and mention strings they pulled and how they are visiting you.

Some deceased loved ones become Spirit Guides for those in your family or others who they can help with their expertise. 

Other deceased loved ones have discussed becoming guardian angel figures, to help those who are going through difficult times in their lives.

In fact, this is a role for people who had a less than savory history on Earth – to guide others off that very path.

Deceased loved ones who were teachers, professors, healers, or caretakers in their earth lives, often choose to continue on this path in The Spiritual Realm.

6. Then, planning for the next incarnation

The ultimate goal of all souls is to have full capacity to experience, give, and receive the unconditional love of the universe. This can take many, many lifetimes, and many, many lessons on Earth

Thus, this is most likely not your first life on Earth or as a physical being, and most likely, not the last.

Many people have experienced tens to hundreds of lifetimes. 

Thus, after your Spirit crosses over, you will, at some point, begin to prepare for the next time you will be on Earth in another physical body.

You enter each new life with a group of souls who you knew in the previous lifetime, and they may be friends, family, acquaintances, lovers, parents, or siblings.

These souls are individuals who assist you in your spiritual journey, we commonly refer to them as a soulmate or a soul friend.

They are members of your soul group.

Your loved one may wait on the other side for you to cross over, so you can enter into your next life together, meet each other again, and continue on your journey.

Some in Spirit will wait for other loved ones before they fully complete this stage.

So to recap, when a loved one crosses over

#1

They are greeted by love

#2

Their Spirit may begin to leave the body beforehand

#3

Their Spirit rests

#4

They do a life review

#5

They transition fully into Spirit and continue life there

#6

They plan their next soul path

This set of steps is just the general process for what happens when a person or pet transitions to Spirit. 

There is a variation to all of this and before we depart, I want to answer this commonly asked questions about the process:

How long does it take to cross over?

In general it takes about 7-10 days for a spirit to cross over. You can expect the above process to be completed both during and after the crossing over process is complete.

After doing hundreds of readings, this is the way it's been shown to me, so much so, it seems to be a pattern or a Universal Truth.

Most Spirits will visit shortly after they transition to let you know they are okay, so check out this post to learn the most common visitation methods.

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​Other Resources You May Enjoy: 

• How To Recognize Signs From Your Deceased Loved Ones

• What Happens To The Soul After Sudden Death: What To Expect

• How Long Does It Take A Spirit To Cross Over?

• Languages Of Spirit: 4 Ways Spirit Sends Signs & Messages