The custom is based on the pre-colonial folk belief that the soul of the departed enters the spirit world on the ninth day following death.
9th day – The soul completed the toll-house journey. Now, it wanders between both Heaven and Hell. It doesn't know where it belongs just yet.
Why 9 Days of Prayer for the Dead? Friends and family pray for nine days following a death for the release of the departed's soul from Purgatory. Even if they are forgiven, they still may need to do some reparation. If the debt wasn't paid for in this life, it may be done in Purgatory.
There are four general stages of putrefaction: Putrefaction (4-10 days after death) – Autolysis occurs and gases (odor) and discoloration starts. Black putrefaction (10-20 days after death) – exposed skin turns black, bloating collapses and fluids are released from the body.
In many traditions, there is a belief that the soul lingers on Earth for 40 days, engaging in a journey of purification, judgment, or preparation for its ultimate destination, which may be reincarnation, heaven, or another form of afterlife.
The first organ system to “close down” is the digestive system. Digestion is a lot of work! In the last few weeks, there is really no need to process food to build new cells. That energy needs to go elsewhere.
This is based on the traditional, pre-colonial belief that the spirit of the dead goes into the spirit world on the ninth day after dying. After nine days of prayer, there will be another service and a formal meal for the family and friends of the departed.
The most common view has been that, at death, the soul immediately goes to be with God and there is a continuity of personal existence. There is no interruption of life at the end of this life, but we continue to be alive in our personal souls upon death.
In our experience, we believe it takes on average 7 days – 12 weeks before a person who has died becomes open to receiving energy from the living. When they attempt to connect, the most common times are during anniversaries of death or significant events like birthdays or weddings.
Nine night is a separate event to the funeral itself. It's like the Irish wake and takes place nine days after the death of the person. You have a celebration of their life at the point at which their spirit traditionally leaves the body.
As tradition has it, on the ninth night the spirit of the deceased passes through the party gathering food and saying goodbye before continuing on to its resting place. Out of all the nights this night is the most revered since it is the end of the celebration.
From accounts of people who have died and been brought back by paramedics or in Emergency rooms, quite often the Spirit/Soul leaves the body before the time of death. People have left their body when it goes unconscious and observe the body as it dies.
The Talmud says, "When the month of Av begins, we [i.e. Jews] reduce our joy." The Nine Days inaugurates an even greater level of communal and personal mourning in recognition of the many tragedies and calamities that befell the Jewish people at this time.
At death, you forget all the limitations of the physical body and realize how free you are. For the first few seconds there is a sense of fear — fear of the unknown, of something unfamiliar to the consciousness. But after that comes a great realization: the soul feels a joyous sense of relief and freedom.
A novena is traditionally a nine-day period of prayer that has its roots in sacred Scripture. In the New Testament, we read that, following Christ's Ascension into heaven, his disciples remained in the upper room in prayer for nine days while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:1-14).
The instant we die, we go into heaven in our soul-state, and then we await the final consummation of the resurrection of our bodies.
The basis of Paul's encouragement and comfort is that we'll be together with those we love and with the Lord forever in heaven. Our fellowship with our Christian loved ones goes right on! We'll pick up where we left off, and we will know even as we are known. We will recognize Him and others, even as they recognize us.
The soul is seen as being trapped in the physical world, and cremation is seen as a way to break free from this cycle. Cremation is also seen as a way to purify the soul. The fire of cremation is believed to cleanse the soul of all impurities. Once the soul is purified, it is able to begin its journey to the next life.
The answer I received is that the spirit doesn't have an expiration date for how long it can hang around after death. In fact, spirits can come and go as they please, moving between worlds by exercising their free will. “They are always nearby. A mere thought summons them, so to speak.” Says, Liberty.
The first 49 days after a loved one's death are the most important in Buddhism because we believe it takes a total of 49 days for one's spirit and energy to be fully released.
From the moment you return home to Jesus and God, your spirit gets a full on life story review, of your time on Earth, what you've done right and wrong, what you said and everything right to the moment you came to heaven. Your mind becomes part of the angels, hence, you become an angel and no longer of human mind.
Dying is a natural process. Just as a woman in labor knows a baby is coming, a dying person may instinctively know death is near. Even if your loved one doesn't discuss their death, they most likely know it is coming.
Dying individuals might make symbolic gestures like reaching out or raising their arms. These actions could be part of their near-death awareness, representing unseen interactions or communication, or they might simply be natural reflexes as the body prepares for the end of life.