What Is in Store for Us

"Physical death," says Bernardo Kastrup, is but a "de-clenching of consciousness."

This harkens back to the powerful, central image used by the counterculture guru from Long Island known as "Da Free John" (among myriad other names) in the 1970s.  He said that our posture towards the world, before enlightenment, is like that of an anemone that has sensed danger and pulled in all of its tentacles, rolled into a protective ball.

Da Free John was later accused, reliably, of false imprisonment and sexual slavery.  His close disciples included a Playboy bunny whom he enticed away from her boyfriend.  He claimed that worship of his divinity was the sole path to spiritual perfection.  He was, in other words, the Way, the Truth and the Light.  He died in 2008 and his followers now are said to number about 1000.