text: are there any cultures which associate the 'good' afterlife with 'down' and the 'bad' afterlife with 'up'? since ancient greek times we in the west (and many in the middle east) have identified 'up' with heaven and 'down' with hell.   is this a universal among those who believe in an other-worldly afterlife (excluding those who believe in worldly reincarnation)? i think most animist religions tend to believe that 'good' spirits walk among us here on earht, so there's no real sense of 'up' there. but i like your question. it's an interesting one. a lot of religious concepts and practices pass from one religion to another, so there should be nothing surprising about general 'trends' like that.