Kruffin – The only explanation I can think of is that obviously your mother doesn’t know she is dead. This means she hasn’t been helped in the next stages of death, and there are several.
Although your mother was a beautiful and sacrificing person we all have things that haven’t been dealt with in her life. I would think the little girl she holds is a clue.
Being dead is in some ways like living in the dream world, and any past traumas as there in the people or situations. You have to realise that in death you are in the world of Spirit, and that has many different rules. To quote from a feature on this site:
“At death now begins what is for most people a purifying experience. In life we can choose to act from the direction or impulse given us by our whole being, or spirit: or we can choose to act from impulses arising from just one aspect of self, such as the body, sexual desire, intellect, emotion etc. Steiner points out that the desire to eat, for instance, is basically an urge arising from the Spirit, as it wishes to take part in physical experience. But frequently we extend this urge and eat just for the pleasure of tasting, or being in company, through insecurity and so on. This also applies, of course, to sexuality, emotions and thinking. If our activities had arisen purely out of spiritual impulse, we would experience no purification. However, we have built into our soul nature, many longings and desires that can only be fulfilled through the body, which are out of harmony with the spirit. There is thus experienced a period of burning desires; as these longings consume themselves in their own fire. During this time, one lives again through memories of life, but only those that were out of harmony with one’s innermost nature. Not only does one remember such deeds and emotions, but also experiences them as happening to oneself. Thus pain given to others, childhood pain, destruction wrought in the world, loneliness and fear sown, are now gone through personally. As with all these experiences, many people go through them during life, and are thus already cleansed.”
So I would suggest you speak to your mother and explain that what she is feeling is only something she will pass through – and with your loving support will help her have an easier passage.
Tony