My first post! The Vedas and the Sutras mention the path taken by a soul after death. The soul after quitting the body follows the sun's heat rays and travels to various planets, along with the subtle body. Those who do not possess the knowledge of the Brahman, return to get rewarded for their good/bad karma in various places in heavens/hells/earth on a repeated infinite cycle of birth and deaths. Hence there is a gap b/w births in most cases. I say "most cases" because I don't know what happened of ghosts...did they go through the journey and then make it back or stayed here for some reason?

Anyways, the only ones who escape this cycle of births and deaths are the knowers of the Brahman. They do not return on the path and take the complete route. I guess this much is the same for all Vedantic schools. What happens to the enlightened soul after taking this path is the subject matter of difference.

Its interesting that you mention about getting the time to rest and reflect. I have heard of accounts of discussions between Yama and the soul reflecting their past lives but I do not have a proper references on these. I have also heard of a person's entire life flashing through his eyes during death...just hearsay.