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Afterlife in Astronism

Astronist approach to the topic of the afterlife

Written by Astronist Institution

Edited by the Meta-Astronism Studies Journal

Last updated: DEC. 22, 2019

Astronist understandings of the afterlife, unlike other aspects of eschatology, are generally consistent between schools with some differences arising in the extent of supernaturalism involved. Astronists do not understand the afterlife to be a conscious existence and the two major schools of Astronist eschatology, naturalism and transcensionism, affirmatively deny the existence of an afterlife, instead opting for a naturalistic understanding.

The Vendox is the most well-known symbol representing Astronism.

Astronist understandings of the afterlife, unlike other aspects of eschatology, are generally consistent between schools with some differences arising in the extent of supernaturalism involved. Astronists do not understand the afterlife to be a conscious existence and the two major schools of Astronist eschatology, naturalism and transcensionism, affirmatively deny the existence of an afterlife, instead opting for a naturalistic understanding.

In the context of Astronism, the topic of the afterlife is approached from a generally naturalistic and ammoralistic standpoint with two of the three main schools of Astronist eschatology (naturalism and transcensionism) rejecting the notion that supernatural events occur after death. This perspective is rooted in the central Astronist eschatological concept of cosmosis which can be described as mainly naturalistic understanding of death in which a person physically returns to The Earth as a product of The Cosmos. 


However, the transtellationist school of Astronist eschatology approaches the concept of the afterlife through the incorporation of supernaturalistic ideas. It states that cosmosis holds a spiritual element and through its principal belief in the processes of transtellation and prostellation (whereby a person physically ascends to the stars after they have died rather than through a metaphorical ascension like in transtellation), there is believed to be a varied set of occurrences which form at least a truncated afterlife; that is, an afterlife that is not eternal as is professed in other traditional understandings of the concept. 


There is a distinct aversion within Astronism, even in some parts of the supernaturalistic transtellationist school, away from the terms spirit and soul with the word mystical often being referenced as a suitable alternative term. It is the penchant of Cometan for Astronism not to fall into the Christian-established paradigm of the concept of the soul or to overly rely on the concept of the spirit to explain phenomena.

School of naturalism on the afterlife

The school of naturalism is one of three Astronist schools of eschatology founded by Cometan during the era of The Founding of Astronism and it remains the most influential of all the schools to this day, especially regarding the topic of the afterlife. Astronist naturalism states that the afterlife is non-existent and that the only existential reality is that in which natural processes occur. In this case, naturalists understand cosmosis as a natural process and that processes like decomposition and aeration are manifestations of cosmosis.


Distinct from a non-Astronist person, an Astronist naturalist upholds that cosmosis provides existential purpose to a person's life through their return or reunion with The Cosmos, through the cosmic progeny of The Earth. In this sense, it is believed by an Astronist that all people are destined for cosmosis to occur to them, but crucially, that after their reunion with The Cosmos occurred, they cease to exist; that consciousness ends with the death of the brain and that upon the occurrence of cosmosis, that a person ceases to exist. 

School of transcensionism on the afterlife

The school of transcensionism is mainly naturalistic in its stance on the topic of the afterlife and so follows the tenets of the school of naturalism. It does, however, holds its own unique understanding of human existential purpose that act to complement the sobering and arguably shallow beliefs upheld in naturalism that seem to lack the ability to provide deeper existential purpose which people come to religions to receive.

School of transtellationism on the afterlife

The school of transtellationism holds a wide variety of beliefs on the topic of the afterlife. Transtellationism as a term is often used interchangeably with that of Astronist supernaturalism as transtellationism incorporates supernatural elements into its eschatological belief system. However, the main belief in transtellationism is that upon one's death, the process of cosmosis involves a metaphorical physical and spiritual ascension to the stars as the completion of the cosmosis process. 


Another prominent belief in the transtellationist school is that cosmosis is a real physical ascension to the stars rather than just a metaphorical or spiritual ascension; this belief is known as prostellation(ism). A belief with less popularity is that the process of cosmosis is one of reincarnation in which a person reincarnates through the process of cosmosis.

Amoralism and the Astronist understanding of the afterlife

Due to the lack of influence of other religious traditions on the development of Astronism or its marked effort to distinguish itself from pre-existent religions, the Astronist conception of the afterlife, whether it be naturalistic or supernaturalistic, is distinctly ammoral. This means that the concept of a codified moral for which one will be rewarded in the form of an afterlife is non-existent in Astronism. Instead, no matter who you are or what you have done in your life, you will at the very least experience cosmosis due to cosmosis being a natural occurrence happening to all living things. Cosmosis is an equaliser to all people as there is no concept of hierarchy or special reception in the eschatology of cosmosis. 

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See also

  • Meta-Astronism

  • Comparology

  • Sanitology

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This article was written by a working staff member with editorial powers within the Astronist Institution. The accuracy, validity and integrity of the contents of this article is supervised by working members of the Meta-Astronism Studies Journal which is the academic journal appointed responsibilities of scholarship for the discipline of study to which the subject of this article is associated.

To learn more about the Meta-Astronism Studies Journal, click here.

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Existences of the Astronic cosmology

Astronist practices

 Governance of Astronism

Figures of Astronism

Disciplines of Astronism

Canon of Astronism

Main Astronist concepts and beliefs

Part of a series on

Appellations

Devotional (Devotology)

General forms

Cosmic Devotion · Mutual devotion · Cosmomancy · Astrolatry · Astromancy

 

Specific forms

Retination · Stardance · Starsleeping · 

Astrophotography · Astronomical commemoration

Physical and mental

Astration · Astromeditation · Cosmopiry

Revelatory, intellectual and philosophic

Personal inspiration · Indrucy · Astrologue

 · Debatation

 

Extollatory (Extollogy)
Extollation · Celestification · Cometanisation

 

Activities (Occurrology)

Individual

Startryst

 

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Astronomy tourism · Cosmogosy · Phrontistas 

· Starball · Philosophic tourism · Sempition · 

Orreration · Holographic show

Festivals and events
Starlight Festival (Stellara · Kintana · The Starlight Council) · Starlight social · Astrofair · Astroprom 

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Stardown · Starjam · Starnight · Starwalk · 

Sungrazing · Philosophers' camp

 

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The Vendox is the most well known symbol of Astronism.

Forms of Astronism

Geography of Astronism

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