Where Is Heaven?

By Khalil Rahsheed
This is a seemingly simple question, with an incredibly endless number of esoteric answers. Answers generally based on individual religious or theological belief, rather than an explanation or demonstration of whether or not heaven exists as an actually physical locale. Is it a physically tangible realm in this or any universe or cosmos? Or is it rather a state consciousness or perception? When examining the various answers from a multitude of religious and theological teachings, the idea that heaven can only be one or the other, or even both becomes virtually impossible to say definitively, as in each it is described alternately as a definite physical location, and a as a realm that can only be experienced spiritually. If it is a physically tangible locale, that would seem simple enough to understand. Which Leaves us only wondering, which direction to start looking in to answer our original question, where is it? If it is a spiritual locale it is still not only perceptible in a spiritual sense but in a manner which is experienced while we are existing in the physical realm, as claimed by many in myriad theologies, if they are to be believed. But if this view is correct, where do we look to locate heaven.

Well let us start by looking into the definitions. Is it a state or condition of the mind, a certain consciousness? According to Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia, the etymology of the word Heaven derives from the word heven from around 1159 AD, which came from the earlier Old English heofon from around 1000 AD referring to the Christianized "place where God dwells" but which earlier meant "sky, firmament". Confucian's believe that Tian (Heaven) is the place where the ancestors reside. According to Hindu cosmology there are six Heavenly levels the Loka's. In Islam Jannat (Heaven) has seven levels. In Judaism Malkuth Hashamaim ( the Kingdom of Heaven) has seven levels.

Depending on the tribe the Polynesians vary in numbering the levels of Heaven from two up to nine. Practically every description, gives us an area away from earth somewhere in the sky! If we are indeed in search of a tangibly physical realm, in which direction do we look? If two people standing at opposite poles of the earth, two people at opposite points of the globe were to head away from earth in search of heaven, would either of them find it? If it isn't a matter of direction, is it a matter of distance? Steveland Morris, better known as 'Stevie Wonder' used to sing "They say that Heaven is Ten Zillion light years away". Is there a particular distance or point at which we find Heaven? I believe the impetus behind the search is the primary belief that Heaven in most theologies is 'The dwelling place of God'.

I'm 'going to' paraphrase Douglas Adams (1952-2001) who is quoted in Richard Dawkins book ' The God Delusion', as saying "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" Likewise isn't it enough that the heavens are so awesome, that we needn't be awed by a belief that they're occupied by angels and a heavenly father? I'd like to list some authors, books and websites, for your perusal. Let's build heaven on earth.