The Summerland
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The Summerland is the name given by Wiccans (and some Pagans) and other earth-based religions for their afterlife. The belief is that after one experiences life to its fullest and comes to know and understand every aspect and emotion of life (usually after many reincarnations), their deity will let them into the Summerland. The Summerland also functions as a place of rest between incarnations. As the name suggests, it is often envisaged as a place of beauty and peace, where everything people hold close to their hearts is preserved in its fullest beauty for eternity. It is envisioned as containing wide (possibly eternal) fields of rolling green hills and lush grass.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), respected scientist and theological writer of the 18th century, inspired Andrew Jackson Davis (1826-1910) in his major work The Great Harmonia, to say that Summerland is the pinnacle of human spiritual achievement in the afterlife; that is, it is the highest level, or 'sphere', of the afterlife we can hope to enter.
In modern usage, the term is synonymous with the Wiccan afterlife. While some non-Wiccan Pagans may hold the Summerland to be their afterlife, the majority of 'Summerlandians' are Wiccan. The essence of the place is that it is a resting ground where we can reflect on the life we have just led, see if we have learned the lesson we intended to learn, and then try again in due course. The lesson we wish to learn is ours to choose, but we have little if any knowledge of it when we arrive on the mortal plane again. The Summerland is also envisioned as a place for recollection and reunion with deceased loved ones.
