By Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden
[Hayden Panettiere during the Heroes World Tour, London, August 31, 2007. Photo by chaubaby, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image cropped and background blurred from the original.]
Did you ever wonder what happens when a soul leaves physical life?
Does the soul immediately understand that it has left the body? Can there be a period in which a person still believes they are physically alive? Could this help explain some of the ghostly apparitions, impressions, or other experiences that people have reported throughout human history?
There are many questions surrounding death and the afterlife. From what I have experienced through more than four decades of spiritual work, the transition can be deeply personal. Much depends upon the soul’s awareness, emotional state, spiritual understanding, and the way the individual experienced life while in physical form.
Recently, the world lost a beautiful and very recognizable soul, Hayden Panettiere, who began acting as a very young child and became known to millions through her work in television and film.
My husband, Rev. Michael Ara, and I especially remembered Hayden from Heroes and Nashville. We appreciated the depth and vulnerability she brought to her characters.
In Heroes, Hayden portrayed Claire Bennet, an apparently ordinary young woman who discovers that she possesses an extraordinary ability. When the series premiered in 2006, metaphysical and New Age communities were also widely discussing Indigo Children and Crystal Children—terms used during that period for unusually sensitive, intuitive, spiritually aware, or psychically gifted young people who were believed to represent an emerging change in human consciousness.
Heroes was not presented as a teaching about Indigo or Crystal Children. Yet its central idea—that seemingly ordinary people might discover extraordinary abilities within themselves—naturally resonated with many of the spiritual conversations occurring at that time.
Hayden’s own life contained extraordinary accomplishment along with very real personal challenges, many of which she spoke about publicly. What I remember most when watching her performances was a sense of sensitivity, courage, and heart.
Learning that she had transitioned from physical life caused me to reflect once again upon what actually happens when a soul leaves the Earth.
What Happens When the Soul Leaves the Physical Body? What Happens to the Soul After Death?
People often ask, “What happens when you die?” From my spiritual experience, the more important question is what happens to the soul after physical death.At the moment the soul separates from the physical body, there can be many different levels of awareness.
People have long wondered what happens to the soul after death, whether consciousness continues, and whether a soul can experience confusion after leaving the physical body.
Some souls understand immediately that they have transitioned. Others may experience confusion. Some can continue to identify so strongly with the personality and circumstances of their physical life that they do not initially comprehend what has occurred.
Feelings, thoughts, attachments, trauma, spiritual beliefs, and the level of consciousness developed during physical life may all influence how a soul experiences this transition.
This is one reason I believe some souls may remain close to earthly surroundings for a period of time. They may still identify with a home, a loved one, an event, or even the physical identity they have just left behind.
Every soul is different.
Living Between the Physical and Spiritual Worlds
As an Intuitive Shaman and Medium, I have experienced many different kinds of souls within the ethers of the afterlife.
Some are hurting. Some are confused. Some simply have questions about where they are and why they have entered my consciousness.
I have always had an innate ability to experience aspects of both worlds at the same time. Because of this, I have received visits and impressions from many types of souls throughout my life.
Sometimes a soul will give me an impression or a vision. Sometimes I will hear or feel a particular message. If the individual was a professional singer, I may suddenly hear one of their songs.
At other times, my Gatekeeper, who works with me when I open the doorway to communication with the spiritual realm, will tell me that a particular individual wishes to speak.
I then feel into the energy of that soul before allowing a connection.
This is extremely important.
If the energy does not feel spiritually safe or appropriate for me to receive, I ask my Gatekeeper to turn the individual away. If I perceive lower or darker energies, I immediately call upon Archangel Michael for assistance.
Spiritual protection and discernment have always been essential parts of this work. They are practices I learned many years ago when I first began consciously communicating with the spiritual realm.
The Clarion Temple of Oneness: Born from the Souls of 9/11
This part of my spiritual work became increasingly powerful after the creation of what is now known as the Clarion Temple of Oneness.
The history of the Temple is especially significant in 2026, because this year marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
The events of September 11 ultimately became the catalyst for an extraordinary spiritual project that began for me in the months following the tragedy.
After 9/11, I experienced a profound connection with souls who had lost their physical lives. Through a series of spiritual experiences and communications, I was asked by Archangel Michael to assist in creating a place of healing and connection.
In March 2002, the work that first became known as the Clarion Light Beings of 911 began. Through the years, this work expanded and evolved into what we now call the Clarion Temple of Oneness.
Therefore, while the formal 25th anniversary of the Temple will occur in March 2027, the Clarion Temple is presently in its 25th year of service during the 25th anniversary year of 9/11.
The relationship between these two anniversaries is deeply meaningful to me.
The souls of September 11 were not simply the reason this work began. Their transition became the catalyst for creating a spiritual place that would eventually serve many souls from many different walks of life and circumstances.
A Temple for Souls Both In and Out of Physical Embodiment
The Clarion Temple of Oneness is not only for souls who have died.
This is one of the most important aspects of understanding its purpose.
The Temple exists for souls both in physical embodiment and out of physical embodiment.
Those of us presently living upon the Earth can journey energetically to the Temple through meditation and spiritual consciousness. Souls who have transitioned from physical life can also enter the Temple for healing, learning, integration, and continued spiritual growth.
In my spiritual understanding, the Clarion Temple resides within the 36th-dimensional frequency at the Multi-Universal level.
It is a Temple of God Consciousness and Oneness guided by the Ascended Masters, Archangels, and Beings of Light.
The Temple is not associated with one earthly religion.
There are spiritual temples and places within the inner planes that correspond with many of humanity’s religious traditions and belief systems. In my experience, some of these exist closer to the dimensional frequencies associated with Earth consciousness and can provide souls with surroundings that are familiar to their beliefs.
The Clarion Temple has a different purpose.
It represents a consciousness of Oneness beyond individual earthly religious identity.
A Christian soul, a Jewish soul, a Buddhist soul, a Hindu soul, a soul who practiced another faith, or a soul who practiced no formal religion at all may enter this space.
The emphasis is upon the soul itself.
Who are you beyond the physical personality you just experienced?
What have you learned?
What still requires healing?
What can you now understand about your Divine Soul Self?
And what is the next stage of your soul’s journey?
Does the Soul Continue to Grow After Death? Ascension Mastery Does Not End When Physical Life Ends
As a teacher of Ascension Mastery, my role has always been to help souls realize their true potential.
That work does not necessarily end simply because a physical lifetime has ended.
Within the Clarion Temple, many Ascended Masters and Beings of Light assist souls in understanding that they are far more than the personality and circumstances of the Earth life they have just experienced.
For a soul that has recently transitioned, this realization can be profound.
The personality may still carry memories, emotions, questions, relationships, disappointments, hopes, and unfinished feelings from physical life.
Healing means helping the soul begin to understand those experiences from a much greater level of consciousness.
The soul’s growth continues beyond physical death. In my experience, many souls become increasingly aware of the karmic patterns, relationships, choices, and unresolved experiences carried from their Earth life. Understanding and healing these karmic imprints can become an important part of their continued development within the spiritual realms.
This is not a process of punishment. It is an opportunity for the soul to perceive cause and effect from a much broader level of consciousness—to understand what was learned, what remains unresolved, where forgiveness may be needed, and what still requires healing or balancing as the soul continues its journey.
Within the Clarion Temple of Oneness, the Ascended Masters can assist souls through this process of healing, remembrance, and expanded understanding. The work of the soul continues, even though the physical body has been left behind.
The Temple therefore serves not merely as a destination after death, but as a place for continued soul development.
When Hayden Came Into My Awareness
I first learned of Hayden Panettiere’s passing through posts I saw on Facebook.
Because Michael and I had watched her in both Heroes and Nashville, I immediately knew who she was.
Later, my Gatekeeper told me that a woman named Hayden wanted to speak with me.
I opened myself cautiously to the connection.
What I share here is the spiritual experience as I personally received and perceived it.
As I connected with her energy, I sensed many questions.
I also became aware that her Guardian Angel had already taken her to the Clarion Temple of Oneness.
This was very meaningful to me.
I sensed that during her physical life she had developed enough connection with her spiritual self that her soul could be guided into the Temple.
What became apparent during our interaction, however, was that she did not know why she had passed over.
Michael and I did not feel that it was our role simply to announce this to her.
Instead, our role was to help her understand something much more important:
She was still alive.
Not alive in the physical body she had known, but alive as a soul.
Her existence had not ended.
Her opportunity to love, learn, heal, understand herself, and grow had not disappeared.
It was simply continuing in an entirely different way.
What I experienced from her was a very loving energy and an openness toward this new opportunity for growth.
The experience affected both Michael and me very deeply.
Afterward, we both cried.
That can happen with this work.
There are moments when the boundary between physical life and spiritual life feels very thin, and the love of the soul is overwhelming.
The Questions Souls Ask
Over the years, many souls have communicated with me while connected with the Clarion Temple.
Sometimes they come very fully into my consciousness, and I allow their energies to speak through me to Rev. Michael Ara.
Michael then answers their questions.
The questions can become extremely involved.
They want to know:
- Who are the Ascended Masters?
- How does spiritual life relate to the life they just lived on Earth?
- What is happening with their families?
- How did they arrive at the Clarion Temple?
- Why can they communicate with us?
- What happens next?
Some become curious about Michael and me personally, much as a newly introduced person might ask questions when meeting someone for the first time.
Others want to understand my spiritual journey.
They ask how I learned to communicate in this way, how I came to work with the Ascended Masters, and why I was chosen to participate in the creation of the Clarion Temple.
Because I am often channeling during these conversations, I do not always consciously remember every detail afterward.
Souls Who Already Knew the Teachings
One aspect of this work has surprised and touched us deeply.
Some souls arriving at the Temple have told us that during their physical lives they had already studied spiritual teachings.
Some were familiar with the historical “green books” of the I AM spiritual teachings. Others had studied esoteric material associated with Indian Masters such as Babaji or Sai Baba.
Some had followed spiritual teachings through books and the internet.
And a few told us that, while living upon the Earth, they had read teachings that Michael and I had shared through our earlier Ascend Earth writings and related work, or my personal Journey of Illumination articles.
Hayden shared that she had read my words about my own journey.
Hearing this was overwhelming.
There are people who may read our teachings for years and never contact us.
We may never know their names.
We may never receive an email from them.
We may never know what a particular teaching meant to them while they were living their physical life.
And yet the soul remembers.
This has shown me that when an individual encounters a spiritual frequency or teaching during physical life, that connection can become part of the pathway available to the soul afterward.
The soul recognizes what it has already touched.
A Soul Family Beyond Physical Life
The Clarion Temple is vast.
Souls come and go freely, yet we have found that many choose to remain connected with the Temple because there is a profound sense of Soul Family.
There are souls from every conceivable walk of life.
Some were known publicly.
Many were never famous at all.
Some worked in the arts, music, film, or other creative professions.
Some lived very ordinary physical lives.
There are even individuals within the Temple whom I personally knew during this lifetime.
What they share is not earthly status.
It is the opportunity for healing and growth.
Celebrity does not make one soul more important than another in the spiritual realm.
The personality may have been famous on Earth, but the soul enters the same greater process of remembering who it truly is.
Why I Continue This Work
My journey of helping souls is deeply intertwined with my heart.
What began after September 11 as an unexpected spiritual calling has continued for nearly 25 years.
I could never have imagined in March 2002 how expansive this work would become or how many souls would eventually enter the Clarion Temple.
I am deeply grateful whenever a soul tells us that something we created during their physical lifetime helped them find their way.
It reminds me that spiritual work can travel much farther than we ever see with our physical eyes.
A teaching can reach someone whom we never meet.
A prayer can touch someone whose name we never know.
A meditation can create a pathway that the soul remembers long after physical life has ended.
And an act of love offered from the Earth can continue to reverberate through dimensions of consciousness we cannot physically see.
The Doorway Remains Open
Death is not the ending of the soul.
It is a transition from one state of experience into another.
Some souls move through that transition with awareness. Some require assistance. Some require healing. Some have questions. Some need time to understand that their physical identity was only one chapter within a much greater existence.
The Clarion Temple of Oneness exists as a place where this healing, remembrance, learning, and spiritual growth can continue.
Its doorway remains open to souls in physical embodiment and beyond physical embodiment.
Twenty-five years after the events that gave birth to this extraordinary work, I remain humbled to be part of it.
The souls continue to arrive.
The Ascended Masters continue to teach.
The healing continues.
And the journey of the soul continues.
Learn more about the history, purpose, and continuing work of the Clarion Temple of Oneness.
Namaste’ and Blessings,
~Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden
Read More about the transition of Life After Death here.
Session: Connect with a Loved One’s Higher Consciousness
If you are grieving someone who has transitioned from physical life, Walking Terra Christa offers a private Loved Ones Higher Consciousness Connection session with Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden.
This session is designed to connect with the Higher Self Consciousness of a beloved family member or friend who has passed over, helping to bring greater understanding, reassurance, and comfort through the healing energies associated with the Clarion Temple of Oneness.
Rather than approaching the experience as a conventional psychic reading, the session focuses upon the loved one’s continuing Soul Journey and the higher consciousness perspective available to them beyond physical life.
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Self Paced Workshop: Healing Your Own Soul’s Karmic Journey
The soul’s work of healing, understanding, and balancing karmic experiences does not have to wait until after physical life has ended. While we are still embodied upon the Earth, we have the opportunity to consciously recognize patterns, heal unresolved experiences, transform limiting responses, and participate more fully in the advancement of our own Soul Journey.
Walking Terra Christa’s Cosmic Rebirth: The Karmic Board Ascension Mastery Program offers a progressive spiritual pathway for working with the Karmic Board, Ascended Masters, Archangels, and the Rays of God™ to examine and transform karmic patterns through conscious participation, spiritual responsibility, healing, and four-body integration.
The program originated within the 2026 Wesak and Cosmic Rebirth work and is now available as a continuing recorded spiritual-education program, allowing you to undertake the teachings and energetic experiences when you are prepared to do the work.
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About the Author Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden
Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden is the co-founder, foundational spiritual teacher, and primary spiritual transmitter of Walking Terra Christa™ and the Walking Terra Christa Academy of New Earth Mastery™. She is an ordained minister in Fully Integrated Ascension Science and Soul Psychology, having been ordained directly by Dr. Joshua David Stone through his Melchizedek Synthesis Light Academy Ascension studies program in 2003.
For more than four decades, Rev. Mahlariessee has worked directly with the Ascended Masters and Spiritual Hierarchy, guiding students through a disciplined pathway of higher consciousness development and True Ascension Mastery™. She is recognized as one of the few original teachers dedicated to preserving a structured and comprehensive approach to authentic Ascension study, emphasizing spiritual protection, energetic integration, ethical responsibility, and the embodiment of the Higher Self.
In addition to her spiritual work, Rev. Mahlariessee brings more than thirty-five years of professional executive administrative, organizational, and proposal management experience, including positions requiring a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance while supporting sensitive government programs. This combination of spiritual depth and professional discipline has helped shape Walking Terra Christa™ into a respected educational institution for higher consciousness studies.
Walking Terra Christa™ continues the spiritual teaching work originally presented by Rev. Christine Meleriessee through Divine Language Network™, including material first published on the former LifeStationEarth.com website. Rev. Meleriessee is now known as Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden.
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© 2003–2026 Christine T. Hayden (Rev. Christine Mahlariessee Hayden) and J. Michael Hayden (Rev. J. Michael Ara Hayden), d/b/a Walking Terra Christa™. All rights reserved.
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