|
Nothing Better Than Death Insights from Sixty-two Profound Near-Death Experiences
To my beloved Mother, Phyllis Scofield, whose tragic death during the writing of this book, taught me a lesson about life and death that I had never known before. Although death brings overwhelming tears of joy to those who cross over, it also brings overwhelming tears of sorrow to surviving family and friends. This is true even for those who have, at the same time, overwhelming tears of joy knowing that there is nothing better on Earth than being dead.
Table of Contents
And yet we tend not to think about the fact of our inevitable death. It's kind of scary. It doesn't seem to make any sense that we will no longer exist as we know it. The fact is we will die and there is no way to avoid it. Like the child being born, we have no choice but to yield ourselves to the unknown.
Like the seventy billion who have already passed this way through life, we will join their ranks at the rate of 130,000 a day. And in that same day, 400,000 new lives will be born. The cycle of life and death continues at an ever-increasing pace.
The fear of death has given rise to a host of speculations about an afterlife. Religions, philosophies and cults have multiplied over the millennia, all trying to answer our need for comfort about this seemingly absurd fate that awaits each of us. And now science has turned its gaze toward the matter of death.
In 1981 and again in 1991, George Gallup Jr. conducted a poll on close brushes with death. He was astonished to find out that some 8 to 12 million people in the
-- NORMAN VAN ROOY from his documentary, Shadows: Perceptions of Near-Death Experiences, Part 1 (1994)
"To fear death is nothing other than to think oneself wise when one is not. For it is to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not even turn out to be the greatest blessings of human beings. And yet people fear it as if they knew for certain it is the greatest evil."
Thousands of years later, NDEs are showing us that death is indeed the greatest blessing of human beings. According to a great number of people who have had an NDE, there is nothing better than death. One experiencer, Dianne Morrissey said, "If I lived a billion years more, in my body or yours, there's not a single experience on earth that could ever be as good as being dead. Nothing." (1)
Such insights into life after death are intriguing to say the least. After years of researching the NDE and gathering various accounts from books and visitors to my website (www.near-death.com), I have collected a few of the most profound of these insights to profile in this book.
I first learned of the NDE in the early 1970's after reading the groundbreaking book by Raymond Moody, Life After Life. His findings were a major factor in inspiring my own research into the NDE. Since then, I have read every major work concerning the phenomenon and many of the not so well known ones as well. As a result, I have developed a deep love for things concerning the NDE and the afterlife in general. Because of this deep love for these things, I am committed to bringing to the world the truths I have discovered about life after death.
Many of these truths are universal. You will find these truths even speak to your heart and tell your mind of their truthfulness. Because many of these truths are universal, practical and of "common sense", I am confident they are in fact true.
Before learning of the NDE, I became a fundamentalist Christian. This brand of Christianity is known for believing the NDE to be of the devil. As my knowledge of the NDE grew, I came to realize from what I researched the fact that God is not limited only to just those who profess the Christian faith. The NDE expanded my mind into understanding the vastness of God's love for all people, no matter what their religious or cultural persuasion. Since then, my heart has been burdened to reach Christians all over the world, to show them the truth of the NDE in order to increase their faith as well. The purpose of this book is not to promote religion, but to promote the great truths and spirituality found in the NDE. One of these truths is that God is not limited to any one religion or even religion at all. God cares only about a person's heart, not a person's religious affiliation or church membership. The NDE reveals that the way to heaven is through love because love is God. Love is not limited to only one religion or culture because love is universal. This truth is too immense and profound to be fully understood or embodied in any one religion.
I am not the source of these truths. I consider myself a person who has picked the most beautiful flowers from other people's gardens to create one of my own. Neither the gardeners nor I matter much, but it is the flowers themselves that matter most and the life force making them so lovely.
Read this book with an open mind and heart. The information in this book has the power to transform your life. You will find you do not need to have an NDE in order to be transformed by the NDE. Within these pages, you will find the truth of the NDE is already within yourself.
I want to acknowledge my father, who taught me the true meaning of being a Dad; my mother, who is now in heaven with her father and Jesus; my brothers and sisters, who taught me companionship from a very early age. I especially want to acknowledge my brother Glenn, who lead me to spirituality at a time I really needed it. An excellent writer and editor, he has supported my research by editing this book, for which I am truly grateful. Without his help, this book would have been extremely more difficult to produce. Although my siblings and I ultimately have embraced different religious philosophies, it is the love binding us together I cherish most. I thank them for the love and support they have given me.
I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Stephen Hoyer, who provided me the near-death experience of the late May Eulitt and also recommended to me Xlibris as a publisher. I must also acknowledge those NDE researchers who have had a tremendous influence on my life. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Raymond Moody's groundbreaking work, Life after Life, was responsible for me becoming interested in NDEs. Dr. Kenneth Ring has been a big help with his research and has graciously allowed me to use a large amount of his material for my website. I thank P.M.H. Atwater, whose work I greatly admire, for listing my website in her Complete Idiot's Guide to Near-Death Experiences -- a book I have deemed "Book of the Year" on my website.
I would also like to thank all the experiencers who selflessly allowed me to profile their profound experiences. These include Linda Stewart, May Eulitt, David Oakford, Rene Turner, Karen Schaeffer, Ricky Randolph, Kerry Kirk, Brian Krebs and Joni Maggi. I am forever indebted to these individuals.
How we began: In the beginning, there was nothing but one universal, collective consciousness, which people refer to as "Spirit" or "God." Within this one Collective Consciousness are infinite points of consciousness. All things that ever existed in the past, and all things existing now in the present, and all things which will ever exist in the future, currently exists in an eternal spirit form as one of these infinite points of consciousness within the Collective Consciousness. Our spirit is a fractal of God. This means our spirit is both a part of the Whole and the Whole itself. Like a drop of water from the ocean, we are part of the ocean. Like a drop of water from the ocean, the very essence of the ocean is contained within us.
The origin of species and dawn of humanity: Then, at some moment outside of time, came the desire for individuality and self-expression. This led to the creation of the cosmos and souls. The vehicle for our spirit is our soul. In the same way, the vehicle for our soul is our physical body. Our spirit is the eternal part of God. Our soul is a temporary vehicle for our spirit to experience individuality of existence between the physical realm and the spirit realm. The human body evolved from ape-men millions of years ago and it will continues to evolve until it is able do those things which fully evolved people from our past, such as Jesus and Buddha, have achieved. At some point millions of years ago, souls descended upon these ape-men and began influencing to come down out of the trees and eventually form societies. Then souls began inhabiting the bodies of these ape-men. Thus, the dawn of humanity arose on this planet.
Humans were created in the image of God: Humans are three-dimensional beings: body, soul, spirit. The divine nature is as a manifestation of life, light, and love. The Bible mentions a trinity of personalities: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Bible also mentions a trinity of human-divine unity: Body of Christ, Mind of Christ, and Spirit of Christ. Science and metaphysics describe human awareness in terms of consciousness (mind), subconsciousness (soul), and the collective unconsciousness or superconsciousness (spirit).
What happens when we die: After death, our soul body leaves our physical body. The physical body decays and is lost forever. As a soul, we can then experience in various soul realms as we did every night on earth in our dreams. While in the soul realms, our soul body is the vehicle for our spirit. Our soul mind functions as our conscious awareness and our spirit mind plays the role of the subconscious mind. Ultimately, we will want to leave the soul realms and enter into the higher spirit realms. When that choice is made and the soul actually enters into the light, the soul merges fully with the light and soul body is shed much like the physical body was shed at death. The memories of the soul remain forever in the mind and the individual is now once again a pure spirit in the spirit realms. As a pure spirit, we exist once again in pure thought form in the mind of the one enormous and fantastic dream called "God."
Humanity is evolving in mind, body, and soul: As human beings, we have been evolving on a biological level for millions of years. Between Earth lives, we spend "eternities" in spirit form in various spirit realms. We also return to these spirit realms every night during our dreams. The reason we choose to come to Earth for another relatively brief human experience is because we are also evolving at the soul level. Through the cycle of birth, death, life in the spirit realms, and rebirth into flesh, we are learning valuable lessons that only Earth lives can give. The goal for every human being is to evolve into perfection in a manner similar to that attained by Jesus, Buddha, and other great spiritual leaders. Ultimately, the day will come when the world will be filled with perfected human beings. It will be a time when humans will be able to live as long as they want and perform feats which today we would call "miraculous" - like walking on water. In such a state of perfected evolution, humans will have become "liberated" from this evolutionary cycle and will no longer be subjected to reincarnation. As taught in the mystical forms of the great world religions, liberation is attained by "becoming one" with all things and all people (i.e., "God") through the practice of unconditional love. This spiritual state of one-ness occurs when a person "awakens" their higher spirit-self and brings it into their conscious awareness. In Christianity, this liberation is referred to as spiritual resurrection or spiritual rebirth or being born again. In Buddhism, the state of liberation is known as Nirvana. In Hinduism, it is known as Moksha. In Gnosticism, this liberation occurs through attaining gnosis. All these concepts describe the same thing. It is the liberation of the spirit from the flesh. It is also the symbolism behind the crucifixion of Jesus.
Practicing love for one another is the way to heaven on Earth and heaven within: Jesus taught people that the way to attain liberation is through the practice of unconditional love. Love brings about a one-ness between people and is necessary to attaining the higher dimensions of consciousness. Practicing unconditional love leads to the manifestation of the spirit within us and in our lives and brings our spirit into conscious awareness. It is an awakening of unconditional love within us and is the manifestation of our holy spirit within us. However, it is not enough to merely believe in love. Nor is it enough to merely know about love. To be spiritual beings living in a physical world, we must live love, manifest love, and become the embodiment of love. We do not get there by focusing only on the love and sacrifice of Christ nor through worshipping him.
The Christian life involves taking up our own cross and following in Jesus' footsteps by practicing unconditional love: We can practice unconditional love by crucifying our self-centeredness through self-sacrifice and self-denial for the sake of serving others. "Crucifying the flesh" also means to put to death the desires of the lower self - the animalistic desires - to allow our higher self, our spirit, to come through.
The "beast" we are evolving away from: This lower nature within human beings is the unevolved animal nature within humanity that humans have been slowly shedding for millions of years through evolution and reincarnation. The nature of this unevolved beast within humanity is manifested as self-gratification, self-indulgence, self-centeredness, selfishness, self-importance, self-righteousness, self-delusion, self-condemnation, and the constant clamoring for self - ego (symbolically known as the "false god," the "devil," and the "beast.").
Discovering a higher reality and the supremacy of love: It is the illusion of separation (i.e., that we are not, in fact, all part of one giant Whole), which is the source of many of the problems humanity has faced. This constant desire for self apart from the Whole must be overcome in order to become the spiritual beings we really are. We are actually spirit beings having a highly evolved human experience. Everything on the physical and soul level is slowly evolving toward perfect unity with the Whole. Here in the physical realm, we are "enrolled" in a "World-School" for a class called Introduction to Eternal Life 101 to learn how to live with and love the people around us forever. NDE research reveals an open secret about our lives on Earth. Life is a test. It is a gigantic examination that we will be graded on after death. There is no judgment except self-judgment and we should not even do that. There is no condemnation but self-condemnation and we should not do this either. The life review after death is for our educational benefit, enlightenment, and soul evolution. The life review is where we discover what we have been filling the void within us our entire life. The more we fill our void with love for others, the more we have evolved as soul. The love we have found within our void is what draws us into the light.
However, not everyone enters the light immediately after death. There are many reasons for this and they can be found within the NDE testimonies on this website. In general, it requires many human experiences (i.e., lifetimes) until our higher spiritual nature is brought into our consciousness awareness. In the end, no one is lost. There is no eternal damnation. Nobody completely "flunks out" of God's University of Higher Knowledge. God's love is "tough love" as well as unconditional not wanting anyone to be lost but to attain at the physical level what we are at the spirit level.
Life is about loving everyone and everything unconditionally forever as individuals and collectively as a Whole which is God.
Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. -- R. W. Raymond
May Eulitt, along with her cousin James and friend Rashad, were struck by lightning. The three of them find themselves in a large heavenly room where they realize they can communicate with each other telepathically. Then a warm, golden, and embracing light enters the room and the three of them enter into a beautiful valley. They observe a multitude of tiny bubbles drifting in the air which they learn represent souls. Because the three of them are of different religious backgrounds, the beautiful valley has a different interpretation between them. To May Eulitt, the beautiful valley represented heaven. James viewed the beautiful valley as the "Gulf of Souls". As a Buddhist, Rashad saw the beautiful valley as Nirvana. Then an angelic being came from the light whose identity was unique to each of the three. May Eulitt viewed this angelic being as a kind of Viking Valkyrie. To James, the angelic being was his late father. To Rashad, the angelic being was Buddha. Each of the three also received a different message. Ultimately, they were told that they had to return to their bodies which they do. (3)
I laid down to use the stability of the earth in an effort to maintain a hold on reality. I knew I had to do that in order to be able to come back down.
The next thing I knew I was riding in my friend's car. I thought we went up north, crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and came back again. We rode past my childhood home and I saw my parents sitting on the porch.
I felt drawn to the trees. I could see and feel their strength. I saw their roots going deep into the ground. I mean I actually saw the tree roots physically reaching below the ground. I told my friends about the car ride after the experience and they told me the only place I went was to the chair they carried me to after I passed out on the porch.
I did wake up in the chair my friends say they put me in a bit later. When I woke up I could feel the organs in my body working, each one separately as well as all together. I could not see my friends anywhere. I could see in all the rooms of the house at the same time. The stereo was playing the Doors Absolutely Live album, except the volume was way too loud for me. Since I did not see any of my friends around I got up and tried to turn the music down, but could not. No matter what I did the music kept playing. I knew the stereo too. I had a real problem with the noise. It was tearing at me and I could not figure out why nor could I adjust the volume.
I called out to my friends and nobody came. I tried to unplug the stereo but that did not work either. Every time I tried to touch the cord to unplug it I could not grasp it. It just kept on playing "LA Woman" and the sound rattled my very being.
I ran all over the house calling for my friends, yelling repeatedly that the music was too loud but I was not heard. I pleaded for the music to be turned down. I tried to go outside but I could not feel the doorknob. I could see the daylight outside but could not go outside. I ended up hiding in the bathroom in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the noise. I looked in the mirror and could not see myself. That frightened me greatly.
I went back into the family room and saw my body sitting in the chair. It looked like I was sleeping. I wondered how I could be looking at myself. I got a bit scared then because I could see me from outside of me, from all different angles except from the inside angle I was used to seeing myself.
I was alone. I was confused and very scared. I tried to get back into my body but could not. I could not touch the ground either. I was floating. I rose up into a spot above my body and kind of just hung there. I could no longer move. I called out for help and nobody came. I tried to go out the door but like the stereo I could not touch the doorknob. I was scared and alone and did not know what to do. I did not understand what was happening to me.
I asked God to help me. I did believe in God then, but I was kind of angry at him because of the crappy life I was experiencing. I reasoned if God were really the omnipotent and omniscient being I was taught he was he would not have let me experience the pain I had experienced throughout my life. I thought if there was a time I needed God, it was now! I was not disappointed with the result of my plea for help.
I looked over by the door to the outside and saw a beautiful being standing there. His feet did not touch the floor. His feet just blended into thin air. He looked both female and male and was young. I could not tell his/her sex. His hair was curly and he was about my height. He had this glow about him too. The glow was green close to him, then blue, then pure white in the upper areas. He said, "I am here to help you" but when he spoke his mouth did not move. I did not actually hear him speak with my ears. I felt what he was saying.
When I saw this being and he spoke to me, I was no longer afraid. I actually felt peace and comfort like I had never felt before. I felt the peace I was searching for throughout my entire life. The feeling was very familiar to me, like I had felt it before but not in this life.
This wonderful being called me by a name I do not remember. I told him he must have the wrong guy and the name he used for me was not my name. He laughed and said I was a great "master" and I had just forgotten who I was. I did not believe him, because I did not really know for sure what a "master" was then and if I were this great master I would not have had all the problems I had. I felt I was an evil being because that is what I was told in my life several times by many.
He told me his name, but I do not remember it. He told me he had been with me always and told me he knew I had a very hard life and he would help me understand why if I really wanted to. He told me he would help me remember who I am. He said he would understand if I did not believe him and offered to prove to me he knew everything about me.
He told me things I did when I as a child proving to me he was always with me. He told me about things I had only thought about. He told me I could go anywhere I wanted to go and he would show me how to do it if I wanted him to. He said that if I needed to come back and see my body I could. My body would be fine because I was still connected to it somehow.
When we spoke to each other we did so telepathically. The expression on his face was a happy one all the time.
I told him I would like to see the pyramids in Egypt as well as the southwest United States. He told me all I had to do was trust him, think about where I wanted to go, and we would go. I thought about the pyramids and we were there in an instant. I do not know why I chose the pyramids, the thought just popped into me so I went with that. While we were there he told me some things about the pyramids and Egypt I do not remember now. I really wish I could remember what he explained while we were there because I do know it was highly significant and had to do with humanity's future. The energy was the lowest in areas where there were man-made structures, the cities of the world. The energy I saw came from the human beings living in the cities. It was explained to me that humans are the basic producers of energy in cities because of their relatively low vibration level the energy is lower in general. I could see the higher sources of energy in the cities though. I was shown people who had higher energy levels and some of them actually talked to the being I was with. I saw dark souls during the time the being and I spent on Gaia. The dark souls were earthbound spirits who refuse to go to the light. They prey on the energies of humans still in human form and try to use those souls to prevent the evolution of spirit. I was told I was protected from these dark ones as long as I chose to focus on the love in me. The dark ones did not even try to affect us, in fact they gave us nasty looks and went away. I was told I would know these dark ones when I see them and I was told to tell them to go to the light. The light is a porthole to the place all souls go if they choose.
I could see energy around the humans too, all different levels and colors. The being explained the human energy to me. He said the energy coming from humans is what spirits use to evaluate the spiritual condition of particular humans. He said the lighter and more brilliant the color the more advanced the spirit is. He said seeing the "aura" around a spirit is useful in determining how much a particular spirit needs to work on his development. He said the higher beings know where to go and what to do to help an earthbound soul so they may advance themselves if they so choose. He told me all souls have this energy, this is why I could see it on every human I saw. He said I was of the same energy type as he but my vibration is lower when I am in human form and in time my energy would raise to match his intensity provided I chose to take the initiative to consciously evolve my soul.
He told me there is much to this planet that spirits can see which humans do not see with their eyes because their vibrations are so low. He showed me life in the trees that I could see as a spirit but could not see in my human form.
He explained that beings of higher vibration do live on earth but they are not human, they are part of earth itself. He explained these beings were the caretakers of physical life on the planet. He said these beings take care of what we call nature. There are beings taking care of the plant life, the mineral life and the waterborne life. These lower echelon beings work together to ensure that all aspects of nature is protected and remains healthy. When the planet was evolving, these ethereal beings were the ones keeping the balance of nature.
He explained to me that the planet we call earth really has a proper name. He told me the earth is really called "Gaia". He said Gaia has its own energy and that Gaia is really a true living being. I asked if this energy could be seen and he said that we have to be away from Gaia to appreciate and see it. He said humans are the ones who can manipulate Gaia's energy through their choices. He said if humans choose to live in harmony with the energy on Gaia, it is good for Gaia. He said if humans abuse Gaia, they hurt Gaia by altering its energy structure. I was given an example of how humans have deforested the planet and reduced the energy available faster than it could be replenished. He said Gaia was very strong but has been weakened considerably since humans have chosen to use the resources in a manner inconsistent with the laws of the universe.
I asked him if we could go into space and see Gaia's energy and he said yes. He said there were no limits on where we could go. I concentrated my thought, trusted, and we then went into what is known as space.
Away from this planet I could see Gaia all at once. It was so beautiful. I could see the aura around Gaia. The aura affected me greatly. I felt a deep love for this beautiful place. I could hear Gaia move and was told the sound was the energy flowing in and out of Gaia. My special being told me that Gaia is the most unique planet because it is designed for humans to live on forever. It was created for spirit to play, learn, and grow. He said the balance of nature on Gaia allows spirit to be in human form when a spirit lives in harmony with nature.
Nature exists to compensate for the decreased vibration and was created for spirits to adapt enough to adjust and be in the physical human body while still having access to energy that will help them advance. He explained that humans were designed by God to live eternally on Gaia and are not supposed to "die". He said "dying" is a human created earth term meaning little in the world of spirit. The reason humans supposedly die is that they have fallen away from the balance of nature and allow themselves to be affected by what they create that violates the natural laws of the universe. He said humans have fallen away from living in balance with nature. He said they must relearn about the harmonic balance if they want to survive as a race and live on Gaia forever. He said it was still possible for humans to learn about this harmony and it is the next overall goal of humans on Gaia. I was told humans would eventually realize they must restore the harmony but great damage will be inflicted before humans will fully realize what they have been doing to Gaia and work to reverse what they have done.
We traveled past all of the planets in our solar system. Near each planet I could hear the energy just like on Gaia. I saw the auras around each one of them too. I saw spirits on all of them as well. My friend told me all planets are places for spirits to live, learn and thus evolve. I saw great cities on each and every one of those planets. It was explained that other life in the universe is not readily seen because the beings were all of higher vibration and most spirits in human form have yet to attain the higher vibration required to see them.
The being told me each planet has a theme for learning and any of them can be chosen by a soul when we are between physical lives. He said we practice on the other planets to be ready to live on Gaia. He said Gaia is the ultimate experience for a soul. It is ultimate because our souls evolve faster here than anywhere else. It was said the lessons we need to learn are difficult to learn without having a physical form.
He explained how we pick a physical life on Gaia. He explained to me I picked the parents I was born to so I could learn what I needed to learn to grow enough to come back and do spirit work on Gaia after I attain a certain level of growth. He said I was being told all of these things so I could help souls come together and return Gaia to harmony.
He explained some things to me about God that I do not remember. They had to do with the universe and the size and structure of it. I do remember he said God is not to be seen for he is everywhere. He told me God loves Gaia deeply, much as a man loves his wife.
He talked about Jesus too. He told me Jesus was a master God sent to earth to teach humans how to act toward each other and find their way back to the path of harmony with each other as well as with Gaia.
I was told Jesus is the being entrusted by God to ensure souls evolve. He said Jesus is of the highest in vibration than any other soul. He said God holds Jesus in the highest of favor because he was the best example of what humans need to do. I then got to see Jesus. I saw his light. Jesus' light was the purest I have ever seen. There was no need for words. There were only love feelings I cannot even begin to describe.
I was told that loving one another is what souls need to do in order for peace and harmony to be the standard on Gaia.
I was told there is a hierarchy in the universe dedicated to preserving the harmony of the universe. I was told humans are an integral part of this harmony and the free will we have is a part of souls allowing humans to provide service to the universe.
After he explained those things to me I was able to see our whole solar system all at once in full color. The planets were all in a line and I could see all of them from Pluto to the sun. I felt very blessed and very important. I was given this great gift and I did not really understand why. There I floated, a person who went out his way to inflict pain on other souls, yet I was never asked about what I had done. In fact I was given the honor of being given answers to questions most people wonder about all of their lives.
I thanked this loving being for explaining and showing me what he did. He told me there was more for him to show me if I was ready to experience it. I told him I was ready. I did not know why I was chosen but I was not about to question why. It just seemed small to me then.
We started to head back toward Gaia. We went to a place in the shadow of Gaia. It was a great city in the clouds. The city had these beautiful white buildings as far as I could see. I saw spirits living there all of which had vibration but no real physical body. These inhabitants went to and from the buildings - going to work and play too. I saw a place where spirits went to get what I thought was water. There were no vehicles there. Spirits seemed to get around the same way my being and I got around, by flying.
The city had no boundaries I could see. This was a place full of life of all kinds. There was nature there, many pure plants, trees, and water just like on Gaia but more pure. Nature there was absolutely perfect. It was untainted by human manipulation. This place was just like Gaia only without the problems and negativity. I felt this was what is called heaven in earth terms.
I saw spirits going to and from the Gaia and the city. I could tell the development of the spirits going to and from by the energy they emanated. I could see that animals came to and from earth just like humans do. I could see many spirits leave Gaia with guides and could see spirits returning to Gaia without guides. The being told me some of the spirits passing were the ones doing the work with humans on Gaia. I could make out the type of spirits doing the work and the spirits coming to the great city to become replenished to eventually go back to Gaia to experience and further evolve. I could feel the emotions of the ones coming back for replenishment. I could feel some of them were sad, beaten and scared, much like I felt before my being came to me.
My being took me into one of the larger buildings. Inside I saw many spirits working. They were doing things similar to jobs on earth. When we walked by the spirits, they looked at me. I think they were checking me out because of the being I was with.
We went upstairs and I saw spirits that knew me. They greeted me and asked me how I was doing. They gave me advice that I do not remember. I thought I was going to be given a job there, but the being knew I thought that and told me there was something I needed to do first.
I was ecstatic. I was in heaven despite everything I had done during my life on Gaia. I was experiencing what most people only dream about. The love I felt there was the same love I felt when I saw Jesus. I had been searching on Gaia for what was really the same place I was in then. I was searching on Gaia for the feeling I had that very moment. I had found what I spent my whole life searching for. I was truly happy. I was home and I knew it. I was ready to stay and do whatever work I was given to do.
My being took me to another building that was special. It was bigger than the rest and had the greenest foliage I had ever seen growing on it, decorating it like a shrine. We went inside a set of double doors glowing with life. The inside was decorated with a wood paneling the being told me was "living" wood from the trees growing at this wonderful place. He led me to some big double doors and told me to wait on this bench while he went inside.
A bit later he came out of the room. He told me to go into the room and said he would wait for me and to not worry. He cautioned me to ensure I was truthful with the beings in the room. He said they were not judges, rather they were the ones who evaluated a soul's development based on a soul's history. He told me to remember who I was and to refrain from fear. I knew I had to leave this being sooner or later but I was glad he would wait for me. I was a little scared to leave him, but I felt I was protected and knew I would be protected here.
I went in and saw a group of several spirits seated at a table. The table was made of the glowing wood and was perfect in every way. The spirits around this table had the highest vibration I had seen so far with the exception of Jesus.
I looked at these beings and recognized them. I do not know where I recognized them from, but they all had a familiarity about them. They just looked at me.
All of a sudden, I saw my parents on earth before I was born. I saw how they came to be together and watched them have my brother and sister before me. I saw their positive and negative sides and evaluated them according to what I knew I needed to do on Gaia. The beings asked me how and why I picked these particular parents and asked me to tell them. They said I knew how and why I picked them and asked me to tell them why. I do not know where it came from but I did tell them how and why and they agreed with me. I picked them to help them on their path as well as to achieve my learning.
I saw my soul go to my mother and go inside of her. I saw myself being born from an observer standpoint as well as having the actual experience. I proceeded to see my entire life from the observer point of view and from the points of view of those my actions affected. I felt the feelings they felt directly resulting from things I had done to them. I saw both the positive and the negative things I had done as they had truly happened; nothing was left out or presented inaccurately.
I experienced the harshness of being born again. I experienced leaving heaven and the transit to Gaia. I saw myself as a helpless infant who needed his mother for everything. I experienced my father's love as well as his anger. I experienced my mothers love, her fear and her anger as well. I saw all of the good and bad from my childhood years and re-experienced what I had done then. I felt all of my emotions and the emotions of the souls I had hurt as well as loved. From all of this I learned it matters deeply what choices I make on Gaia.
I learned just how powerful we humans are and how we can affect each other in positive and negative ways. It was amazing to see how my innocent actions had such a powerful effect on souls I had no idea I was affecting. The experience was one I will never forget. I experienced the whole spectrum of feelings of my life in a relatively short period of time as we humans see it. Where I was, time did not really exist.
I could see how I became what I had become on Gaia and why I became that way. Everything I did in my life affected the evolution of the souls around me. I saw the reasons for all of my actions and understood why I did what I had done. There was a place for all of my positive and negative actions. There was no action necessarily wrong, but there were actions I took that did not enhance positive growth. I was both a victim and a beneficiary of my actions. This was not a fun experience to go through. I could see how wonderful it could be if one chose to act to affect other souls positively most of the time.
Afterward, the beings in the room asked me questions about what I saw and how I felt about my life up to then. I knew I had to provide an honest assessment - I could not lie. I hesitated when they asked me whether I affected others more positively than negatively. I thought about lying.
These beings knew what I was thinking and I had to tell them I felt I could have done a better job on Gaia. I knew what I had come to Gaia to accomplish and was well on my way to doing that but I knew I was not finished yet. They agreed and told me that I still had many things to do and that I may want to go back and do them. I was told it was understood how difficult it would be for me but it was necessary for the universe for me to finish. They said it may be wise to go back and live my life how I had originally planned it. They said I had set lofty goals for my life on Gaia and the events in my life were achieving the goals I had set. They said I originally came to Gaia to learn and share with others using the gifts I have accumulated over several lifetimes. They said I am needed on Gaia to help souls bring themselves and Gaia back to harmony. They said I have great potential to affect other souls, to help them grow and Gaia is the best place to do that. I was told the events I had experienced thus far were preparing me to make a large contribution to the universe and my experiences were not to be considered personal attacks in any way. I did not want to accept it. I wanted to stay. I told them that. I told them I was tired and wanted to stay because life on Gaia is hard and unforgiving. I felt going back would be dangerous for the universe because I was not advanced enough in my spiritual evolution. They said that was precisely why it would be in my best interest to go back to Gaia. They said I was more advanced than I give myself credit for. They said it was possible for me to stay but I would need to finish my work on Gaia sooner or later. The type of work I was destined for can only be done on Gaia. I could stay if chose to but I would only be prolonging the completion of what I needed to do for this universe. They explained the fastest way to finish my work would be to go back to Gaia as soon as possible.
I was stunned to say the least. I resorted to bargaining but it was no use. I still did not like living on Gaia and did not really want to go back. These beings understood me but remained firm. I had a decision to make that was really the hardest decision I would ever make.
I did come back to Gaia and am now living the life I was (later in the experience) told I would live. Believe it or not, I ended up shelving this experience away, classifying it as a really vivid "trip". It was not until I evolved more that I realized the gift I was given.
I share this experience now because I feel it can, if so chosen, spur thought and foster choices affecting the planet in a positive way.
If I learned anything from this experience it was that every choice I make is duly recorded, noted and will return later, when I leave here again. My goal is to save people the pain I felt in my review and hasten the evolution of humans on Gaia, helping Gaia as well as the universe.
I am one who had a near-death experience and was given a choice to return to this planet in a physical sense again. I chose to return out of love for this planet - a love so great I would give up the slot I have "back home." I did this also in order to help to heal the place through the sharing of what I was shown of the in between and through the choices I make, (hopefully loving and kind ones).
Without the free will to return I would not be here in the physical doing what I am doing. The physical pain, war, poverty, pestilence, horror, rape, murder, abandonment etc., etc., etc. which is here on this planet is the result of humans coming here and making their free choices in order to learn and evolve. Unfortunately learning does tend to create a mess at times and the physical pain etc. is a part of that mess. It makes sense to me that the same free choice concept is instrumental in cleaning up the mess.
I liken it to camping and choosing to clean up or not clean up the mess one makes. If you choose to clean up your mess, this helps the planet to stay as is because one does not contribute to the mess. If one does not clean up it adds to the mess. If one cleans up his or her own mess and then some, it contributes to healing the planet.
In my near-death experience I was also shown there are many souls in "heaven" who are more than willing to come to this place regardless of the state it is in. I was shown if I did not choose to return I would be in the schools existing in heaven, working toward the growth I need to accomplish regardless of the form I am in. That was an attractive choice to be sure except I had a problem with how long it would take me to grow enough to do what my soul wishes to do. (I have a burning desire to experience other places in other universes and to do that I need to grow more.) The prerequisite for that is ensuring my soul has the IQ for it.
It is my understanding that a soul can choose to remain in heaven and operate on the level he/she (whatever) is on to infinity, but I seek more because I know without doubt there is more.
At any rate, the idea remains that for this place to start feeling and looking like heaven is to create the love felt there here. I would like to see that on this planet and I know it can be done. If I need to, I will come back here all over again to make it happen. (4)
Her partner, who was riding with her, reports, "As we approached the lights, they changed to green. As we went into the crossing, the car aquaplaned and hit a large power pole just after the intersection. Stuart, who was laying on the mattress in the back of the panel van, was thrown forward into the back of Rene's head, driving her into the steering wheel."
At the hospital, the professor of neurosurgery reported Rene's death to her parents and said they should be grateful because she would have been a vegetable had she survived. During this conversation, a young frightened nurse rushed into the office and blurted out, "She is alive! She sat up and spoke!" The professor chastised her for interrupting them and lectured her about how "dead bodies" can move and make noises.
But the nurse was emphatic; "She sat up and said, 'Don't give me any more drugs!'"
At this point, Rene's mother took the professor by his and Rene's father's elbow and marched them down the corridor. They found Rene in a back corridor where she had apparently been placed so the nurse could remove equipment prior to her transfer to the morgue. She was found in a deep coma and breathing. She remained that way for ten days.
The following is Rene Turner's NDE in her own words:
I don't know when the above events in my experience took place. I have no memory of the process of dying or leaving my body. I was moving headfirst through a dark maelstrom of what looked like black boiling clouds, feeling I was being beckoned to the sides, which frightened me. Ahead was a tiny dot of bright light steadily growing and brightened as I drew nearer. I became aware that I must be dead and was concerned for Mum and Dad and my sister, and somewhat upset with myself as I thought, "They will soon get over it," like it was, in passing, just a fleeting thought as I rushed greedily forward towards this light.
I arrived in an explosion of glorious light into a room with insubstantial walls, standing before a man about in his thirties, about six feet tall, reddish brown shoulder length hair and an incredibly neat, short beard and mustache. He wore a simple white robe. Light seemed to emanate from him and I felt he had great age and wisdom. He welcomed me with great love, tranquility, and peace (indescribable) - no words. I felt, "I can sit at your feet forever and be content," which struck me as a strange thing to think/say/feel. I became fascinated by the fabric of his robe and tried to figure out how light could be woven!
He stood beside me and directed me to look to my left, where I was replaying my life's less complementary moments. I relived those moments and felt not only what I had done but also the hurt I had caused. Some of the things I would have never imagined could have caused pain. I was surprised that some things I may have worried about, like shoplifting a chocolate as a child, were not there, whilst casual remarks which caused hurt unknown to me at the time were counted. When I became burdened with guilt, I was directed to other events that gave joy to others, although I felt unworthy. It seemed the balance was in my favor. I received great love.
I was led further into the room, which became a hall. There coming towards me was my grandfather. He looked younger than I remembered and was without his hare lip or cleft pallet, but undoubtedly my grandfather. We hugged. He spoke to me and welcomed me. I was moved to forgive him for dying when I was 14 and making me break my promise to become a doctor and find a cure for his heart condition. Until that moment, I had not realized I had been angry with him!
Granddad told me that grandma was coming soon and he was looking forward to her arrival. I inquired why she was coming soon as she had been traveling from her home in Manchester to New Zealand to Miami for continual summer for a number of years! Granddad told me she had cancer of the bowel and was coming soon. Granddad seemed to have no grasp of time when I pressed for how soon. (Grandma was diagnosed three months later and died in August. I had upset my mother by telling her about it when I regained consciousness). After Granddad and I had talked a while, he took me further into the room that became a hall again. We approached a group of people whom I started to recognize.
The person who first welcomed me came and placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me towards him. He said, "You must return. You have a task to perform." I wanted to argue. I wanted to stay. I glanced back at Granddad and was propelled quickly towards the entrance. At the threshold, all became blackness, nothing, no awareness.
I awoke from my coma slowly, over several days, half-dreamed memories of familiar voices and glimpses of faces. The clearest moments were several occasions where I would awake from deep sleep to find a nurse with a syringe and refuse any drugs. I had no idea why! I had three lots of surgery to repair my face, skull, and eye socket. I left the hospital with pain, double vision, Anosmia, and damage to eighth cranial nerve. It left me with nausea and a disturbed balance. I was for two years angry at G-d for sending me back in such torment with a task to do and with no clues or instructions, except for one thing. I was given a clear message I have no idea how to pass on. It is this: "It is time to live according to your beliefs, whatever they may be - to put your house in order because the end times are upon us!" This can't be my task. There was no booming voice or any way I knew the message got there. I am also unsure of the identity of the gatekeeper - no nametag and no introduction!
The memory of the near-death experience is more real than what I did yesterday. (5)
As a teenager, I had several psychic experiences often occurring in dreams. As I grew older and life more hectic, these experiences diminished - almost disappeared until the pregnancy of my first child.
Shortly after his birth I had the most horrific dream that I would be in a terrible car crash that would take my life. For months I was terrified and was extremely cautious and on the look out for that monster vehicle. By the time my son was 7 months old, I convinced myself it was only a dream... nothing of what was to come. I had a brand new teaching position, a baby, a home and my husband to take care of ... I had put too much energy into this thing. Then it happened.
I had left school right away that day. I wanted to pick up my son from his grandmother and hurry back to school to watch a baseball game. It was a picture perfect way to spend the afternoon with my son. As I was exiting the freeway with usual caution, I made a left hand turn on a light that had been green for some time. This was my lucky day I thought. Then in an instant I was gone.
Immediately I was in the most beautiful serene place I had ever been. My grandfather, another person whom I had known in a previous life, and a guardian were ready to help me with the transition. They told me of the accident, showed me the site. It was my time to come home they said.
The overwhelming love and happiness of that place was so inviting.
I could feel myself becoming lighter each moment. In a fit of fear and panic I began crying. No, I couldn't be dead. What would happen to my son? He was seven months old! He would never remember me. His father didn't even know how to take care of him. I didn't want him raised by his father's parents. No, no, no ... this was not the time to go. They were wrong.
In an embrace of love they calmed me by showing me that my son, my entire family would be okay after my death. My mother could lean on my grandmother. It would take time, but she would heal. My husband, hurt, sad, and lonely would also heal and eventually find love once again.
Death is part of the lessons we are to learn on earth, and my death was an important lesson for those involved in my life. I was shown my funeral, taught how to be near those I loved and told I could eventually communicate with those whose spirits were open. I could accept this. They would be fine.
I was feeling lighter all the time. But wait... my son. I couldn't leave my son! Babies need their mommies. I needed to be his mommy. I couldn't let go. So much patience was shown to me - so much love.
My guides explained that the feelings I was having were still a connection to my human side. Once my Humanness wore off, I would feel light as air, utter happiness, and extreme love.
Words do not do the feelings justice. They worked to help me throw off my human weight. The feelings were so great and seemed to pull me in stronger and stronger; yet my connection to my son was so strong.
We wandered in this beautiful place for what seemed an eternity. We discussed my life. We discussed religion. We discussed secrets of the soul that as humans we must forget, lest we'd never be able to thrive on earth. All the while I was in awe. Some things were just as I always dreamed an afterlife would be. Some things I was just plain wrong and I remember thinking, "Wow!" Where were my other loved ones? When could I see my other grandparents who had passed? In time - they were on a different plane. When my transition was complete I could choose to go to other levels when I was ready.
Every now and then thoughts of my son would make me heavy once again. I couldn't bear the thought of him growing up without a mother. I was told others would be a mother for me. First grandparents, and then they showed me Jake's life. He was the most beautiful boy, so happy, but with a touch of sadness that seemed to pierce his soul. This was his lesson to tackle. He knew coming into this life the main lessons he was to learn. It was meant to be. I saw a new mom for Jake when he was about 7 or 8. A beautiful woman, kind hearted who definitely cared for Jake, and treated him well, but she was to have her own child with my widowed husband and the love she showed for her own child was different and unequal to the love she showed for my child - her stepchild. This isn't what I dreamed for Jake. This couldn't be. I was happy for my husband. He was okay. He was happy. My son was a different story. Other lessons were learned in the constant-patient job of transitioning me to the other side. I had to let go. At times I became hysterical and then moments later I was calm and serene.
I saw a girl child who had been meant in Jake's place, but before conception, plans changed and there was a need for Jake's spirit to take her place. There was much upheaval that Jake could help mend (and he did).
At a time when I felt the closest to accepting my death, I experienced a resurgence of sorrow and pain, longing for my son, for my life. I couldn't let go of my human life. My guides tried their hardest. They never gave up. They never became discouraged. It is unbelievable the amount of patience and love they exuded. Finally, my hysteria was calmed by a higher spirit who seemed to envelop me in love. My guides were instructed to allow me to return. Despite their pleas to allow them more time, they were told that at this poin |
It all begins for us at birth. We are thrust from the womb onto the carousel of life, carried away in a blur of activities from childhood to adulthood and then to old age. Each of us have our dreams, our relationships and we go to school; we work and play, day after day, week after week, year after year. Life is certainly busy.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, noted researchers such as 
Socrates had this to say about death: 
I first learned of spiritual concepts at a very early age from my grandparents Walter and Marie Williams, who taught us Sunday school lessons in the
The following is a brief synopsis of my understanding of reality based upon the higher knowledge I have researched in NDEs and their application toward my understanding of science, religion, metaphysics, and philosophy.
The following is one of those very rare NDEs shared by several people at the same time. An excerpt is described in the words of May Eulitt to 
In the early summer of 1979, David Oakford was 20 years old and having problems dealing with his life situation. His childhood was not designed to enable him to properly deal with life in general. He had no self-esteem and everything he did to find peace within just did not work. He was pretty miserable and he felt lost and unloved. He turned to drugs and alcohol. He needed to find the peace within himself and he felt it calling him. It was at a party that David took an overdose of drugs and had an NDE. His NDE is one of the most profound you will ever read. The following is an excerpt from David Oakford's NDE. You can read his entire account in his book entitled 
On February 1982 in
Karen Schaeffer experienced one of the most unique NDEs I have ever read. In it, she is shown the future, but is given the option of changing it. Here is her experience in her own words: