RESURRECTION

Most LOST fans do not want to consider that the show was truly a story about people traveling through purgatory. They make their belief based upon TPTB statements in Season 1 that the show was not about purgatory. Well, one explanation is that TPTB lied. The series is full of images and symbols of the after life and a purgatory journey of lost souls. TPTB also told us that we would get answers to the deep questions and mysteries  of the series. They lied about that, too.

For if all the major issues were addressed by the finale, we would still not be wandering the theoretical desert trying to find answers.

Resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation are recurring themes in the plots and sets of the show. Christian, Egyptian, and Native American symbols were used to reinforce these themes.

The most common images of the after life theme were the Egyptian hieroglyphs and temples. The ancient Egyptians had an advanced funeral rites religious take on death. The temples and pyramids were grand palaces to worship the gods to help the worthy through their perilous journey through the after life. A prime example of the theme coming full bore is a dead Sayid being reincarnated in the temple pool.

Other aspects of the Egyptian death culture were found in the frozen donkey wheel chamber where the hieroglyphs referenced resurrection and portals to "Earth gates." The Egyptians believed that a dead person's soul and body would be split in the after life and travel through the various levels of the underworld to be reunited in paradise. The Hatch's warning glyphs stated "He Escapes Place of Death." The unique Egyptian cross, the Ankh, is seen in symbol form and worn as a pendant by Dharma leaders prior to the purge. Christian crosses, such as the one worn by Eko, were also seen throughout the series. Churches, were people pray for the souls of their departed, were also settings in the series.

On the Geronimo Jackson artwork, the Native American symbol of a hatband is shown. It represents everlasting life. The native tribes had a clear sense of a cycle of life by living on the plains. This cycle of life and rebirth follows the natural observation of nature's seasons. When Aaron was born, Boone had just died which shows a connection to the cycle of life from death. Even the Dharma symbols of ying-yang represent the circle of life; an endless balance and cycle of the univese which includes reincarnation as an essential element of its religion.

Locke was immersed in the resurrection theme. As a boy, Alpert visits him at a foster home. Alpert gives Locke several items to view. He then asks him which objects are "his." This test is similar to tests are done to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. When Locke is working a cross word puzzle, one of the answers is from the story of Gilgamesh, in which the main character searches for immortality. When Locke is killed off the island by Ben, Locke's body was returned to the island. As a result, MIB transformed into Locke's image, a form of reincarnation, to instill fear and loyalty in those remaining survivors.

After Locke's death, his body was transported by "Canton-Rainier" which is an anagram for "reincarnation." To take the effort to make an anagram for what was going to happen in the series could be considered foreshadowing or an explanation of what the series is truly about.

There were also clear references to religious texts and beliefs. Ajira Flight 316 takes its number from the most recognizable biblical quotation, John 3:16. The passage states: "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Eko's walking stick contained numerous references including  "Colossians”, which includes the text: "When you were dead in your sins... God made you alive with Christ..." (Colossians 2:13)The appearance of his dead brother to Eko is also similar to the new testament passages of how Jesus came to be seen by his apostles after his death and resurrection.

While the action of LOST clearly contained struggles of life and death, hidden in plain sight were symbols and acknowledgments by the writers that the deeper meaning present was resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation.