Why now? (other books / series)

[imamommy at sbcglobal.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 111060

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dcgmck" <dolis5657 at y...> wrote:

> dcgmck:
> Dumbledore tells Harry in PS/SS that death is but the next great 
> adventure.  Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry in OotP that he was 
> afraid of the next plane of existence.  Harry, Luna, Neville, and 
> Ginny hear voices across the threshold beyond the Veil.  There is 
> only conjecture because no one has returned from either Elvenhome or 
> from beyond the Veil to say, at least as far as we have thus far been 
> informed...

imamommy(straying dangerously off-topic here)

Actually, if you read the Silmaillion, you'll find out that Elves (of
whom, I believe, Galadriel is the only survivor), used to live in the
Undying Lands, but brought a curse upon themselves and are trying to
get back home.  Tolkein never says what his version of the highest
God, Illuvatar, has in store for mortal men when they die, but the
godlike beings that also live there have power to grant choice to some
on occasion; that is how Elrond Halfelven became immortal while his
brother went on to be a direct ancestor of Aragorn.  

My own religion teaches that the Veil exists as a barrier between this
world and the spirit world; that we used to live there and the Veil
obscures our memories of our former life, and that we will return to
that place when we die.  Sometimes we may "remember" things that
happened there.

We don't know that *noone* has gone through the Veil and back again,
we just haven't been told that.  

I think that in order for death as a theme to be of real value, Harry
will need to also learn about the meaning of life.  He needs to know
where he comes from, what his purpose is on the earth, and where he is
going after he dies.  Just your basic eternal questions.  I have no
idea how JKR will answer them:)

imamommy