Lost faith

[Shehasadiamondinthesky]

I'm pagan and have been for 40 years but I seem to have completely lost my faith in the afterlife.
I'm so unhappy about it, it was a great comfort to me and I knew I'd see all my lovely cats again when my life was over.
Now I'm thinking I've never seen a shred of evidence that there is anything following this life, I've never seen a spirit or anything else.
I want to believe but I just feel completely empty and faithless.
I've seen a few mediums and people who channel angels etc but they've never said anything remotely interesting that I couldn't have made up.
I'm having a faith crisis and no idea what to do about it.
I don't want to just be on this rock for 80 years (if I'm luck) and then have nothing more for eternity.
Has anyone else of any religion ever had a major faith crisis?

I'm sorry if this isn't too helpful, but I didn't want to read and run. I personally was raised Catholic but haven't believed in an afterlife of any kind since childhood. It is a question I ask myself from time to time though because I have no evidence to back up my opinion.

I do have plenty of second/thrid/fourth hand anecdotal evidence, people's stories about their "supernatural encounters" and such. Maybe there are reasonable explanations for these things, but I've yet to hear them and since I can't disprove an existence of an afterlife I must accept that there's a possibility it was involved.

I mentioned I was raised Catholic, and with all that said I do still 100% believe that I have a guardian angel. I've come out unscathed from so many impossible situations, it can only have been divine intervention.

So I understand you dilemma (to an extent), but I think you need to let go of the thought that "there is no evidence" because that statement is true either way.

Sorry, just to add. Don't forget that one person simultaneously holding completely opposing views on a subject is perfectly normal human behaviour. Our faith absorbs our uncertainties about the world so we are able focus our energy on and succeed in the things that really matter. Without that faith it I don't think humanity would be where it is today.

(As an example, ancient, ancient people didn't know with total certainty that the sun would always come up tomorrow. But instead of wasting everyday worrying and wondering if it was even worth trying when tomorrow may not come, they put their faith in their gods and kept pushing for greatness)

I am unsure if there's an afterlife or not but I console myself with the thought that before I was born I was at peace, and that If all that there is after death is a return to nothingness, at least I won't be in pain and will be at ease.

Do you have someone of your tradition who you can talk to and who can help you to renew your beliefs? I'm not an expert on paganism, I have just one friend who practises it but from what I gather she finds a lot of peace in following the seasons/nature and trying to help others as much as she can. Are you able to focus your spiritual energy into these areas?
I hope you find someone peace.