Jan Price's Near-Death Experience With Her Pet Dog

As the density changed, becoming lighter and finer, I felt that I was being lifted to another level of awareness - and then I found myself in surroundings that appeared to be more substantial - Maggi was there. My beautiful dog, my beloved springer, came to me. She had died less than a month before, and John and I still ached from her absence.

I felt her presence, her love, and she appeared to me as she had when she was in physical form - only younger, more vital. She said:

"Yes, I'm going back," I replied. "Will you come soon?"

If you are having difficulty accepting the idea that my first encounter on the other side was with a dog, you aren't the only one. While John thought it perfectly natural, one of our daughters became a little, upset when I told her about it. I think she would have preferred that her mother be greeted by Jesus, an angel, or at least by a family member. I did meet a Master Teacher - I'll get to that later - but Maggi came first. After all, she had been close "family" for many years, and whoever is responsible for setting up the Welcome Wagon over there certainly knew what a delightful experience it would be for me to be greeted by her.

But I did understand our daughter's reaction. If Mother was going to have the opportunity of visiting beyond the veil, the least she could do was make it awe-inspiring with some dramatic religious overtones. Fact of the matter is there is nothing particularly "religious" about the other side. Spiritual, yes, but nothing "characterized by adherence to religion or a religion" - to use Webster's definition of the term. As Harold Richter Stark, M.D., said after his near-death experience and tour of the other side:

What I came to realize is that there is a love connection between the two worlds - a stream of energy that forms a heart bond between two souls that is the strongest at the time of transition. Love comes out to greet you, wearing the form that will be most meaningful to you at the time. In my case it was our precious dog, and yes, dogs have souls - Plato knew it and so did Saint Augustine, along with most other true saints and sages.

And yes, they can communicate audibly in our language in that other world. They have done so in the physical realm, too, as evidenced in certain passages of the Bible [2, 3].

Later at home after my recovery, I discovered in Joseph Campbell's writings that:

I also found that animals were held in veneration by all races of antiquity, and ancient wisdom texts tell us that "The dog, because of its faithfulness, denotes the relationship which should exist between disciple and master or between the initiate and his God. The dog's ability to sense and follow unseen persons for miles symbolizes the transcendental power by which the philosopher follows the thread of truth through the labyrinth of earthly error. The dog is also the symbol of Mercury.[5] (Mercury was the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology.)

Valerie Moolman, author of "The Meaning of Your Dreams," has written that:

This is especially true in what we call the nonphysical world, where all relationships are on a higher frequency. Even though we take our consciousness with us (we don't instantly become totally enlightened), we find that our thoughts and feelings are more in tune with the spiritual reality of all that is. And what is "spiritual"? To me it is the true inner essence of everything - the rock, the tree, the animal, the person. It is the spirit, the unique field of energy within each mineral, plant, animal, and human.

So Maggi and I were interacting on a finer wavelength, and although we had dropped our physical vehicles, our bodies were made visible to the senses through an image in the mind projected as form - and she was as real to see and touch as she was when I'd held her in my arms in the physical world.

My friend Maggi and I walked side by side as we had so many times in that other place of being. Without any effort we moved through a realm of ecstatic color. The pulsating, indescribable colors were fluid - energy waiting to be formed. Maggi showed me how to shape forms out of energy by pressing with my mind. If you want the form to hold, you press firmly. This is a highly mental plane, and form is created with no bodily effort. An image of that which you wish to create is held in mind, and through intense focus is brought into expression. You can lock it in, or release it.

This was so new to me then, but later I found that it was pretty much old hat to near-death experiencers. As Michael Talbot describes it in his book, "The Holographic Universe:"

I'll talk more about this later.

Talbot also discusses the work of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), who was a "skilled out-of-body visitor to the land of the dead." He says that Swedenborg:

I didn't experience "heaven" as ghostlike, but I do agree that the physical and nonphysical worlds have a distinct similarity, with the latter actually feeling more real. At least I felt a higher level of reality about myself while on that beautiful plane.

Regarding the colors, the wisdom teachings of the Tibetan master Djwal Khul tell us that:

Maggi and I played in the color field, stepping into various hues and feeling their particular vibration. The matchless quality of the colors fascinated me because I hadn't seen anything like them before, and cannot to this day find words to describe the beauty of the shades and hues. It's been said that:

While I didn't have a mirror on the other side, I recognized that I had a body and I experienced that I was looking through my eyes to see it, but what I was really observing through was my mind. Thus without the physical "optical apparatus," my awareness was expanded well beyond the seven fundamental color tones.

Moving on, we entered a lovely green meadow filled with flowers. Here we were walking with more of a sense of the movement of our bodies. This place reminded me of a vision I had experienced several years ago in which I picked a flower and held it in my hand, but it was also exactly where it was before. Wondering what would happen here, I reached for a blossom, and as I took it in my hand, another one appeared in its place. How wonderful! The beauty can't be marred. Nothing is lost. There is ever more of the substance that stands behind each expression, just waiting to flow into its perfect pattern of being.

Maggi wanted to show me where she lived, which she said was patterned by much of what she remembered of the homes where she had lived with us. She had held the images in her mind, pressed, and created a place of residence. As she spoke of her home, we arrived there, which didn't seem strange at all at the time. Later I realized that it was a rather bizarre experience - not only the instantaneous "being there" in the space of a thought but also the idea that our dog actually had a beautiful home on the other side. Again John later helped me to understand this when he said that Emanuel Swedenborg, a frequent visitor to the heavenly realm, wrote that animals do indeed have abodes in the spiritual world, pointing out that they:

As I stood in Maggi's dwelling place, I felt great joy. There was a fire in the fireplace, giving the room a warm, friendly glow. A wall of books - of course! Beautiful paintings and oriental rugs. One whole side of the room was glass and you could look out on a vista of rolling hills, bubbling streams, and many trees.

We sat comfortably on one of the soft, velvety love seats, content just to be together. I stroked her beautiful head and she laid her paws across my legs. To touch again was so precious, for there was so much love between us. Without spoken words we shared memories and deep feelings. Much communication over here was silent, although sound was sometimes used simply because it was so pleasant. My heart overflowed with gratitude for the opportunity to have this reunion - and see my loved one so joyously, vibrantly alive in what can truly be called paradise. Reluctantly we left Mag's lovely home, for I felt an inner prodding to move on.

Next we went to a place she called the lookout. It appeared to be only an overhang on a high cliff, but the view was intensely magnified. I could look into the world I had left behind as though peering into a monitor, if I chose to do so. No one spent a lot of time here, Maggi said, but some occasionally stopped by to check on what was going on in the earthly realm. I decided not to; I wanted to keep moving on in this world of exquisite bliss.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that we are what we think about all day long. What this means is that our thoughts and feelings set up a vibration in the energy field around us. As the particular trend of thought continues, it impresses the energy and forms a pattern, which begins to externalize itself as conditions, situations, and experiences in our lives. We literally create our personal worlds through our belief system, and that's why consciousness is said to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. We always become what we think about.

That is particularly true in the higher realms. Structure and environment continue to be brought into expression as a reflection of consciousness - as mind energy coming into form and experience - but the manifestation is so much faster. Time is different - not limiting - because we are not conscious of it. Therefore a person's belief system begins immediately to create a complementary world and will continue to "outpicture" such a world until consciousness changes and reality is revealed.

Time's measurement on the physical plane is based on the vibration rate of cesium atoms, which was approved by international agreement in 1964.

On the other side, time is simply the sequence of activity recorded in consciousness. And since our awareness is on a higher frequency in that world, progression (what we see happening) is greatly accelerated. In some situations it would seem to be at the speed of light.

In "Return from Tomorrow," George G. Ritchie, M.D., writes about his life review during a near-death experience:

The specified lengths of time that we on Earth call seconds, minutes, hours, days, and so forth do not apply over there. The Bible's definition of God's time (the plane of heaven) is that one thousand years equals one day - a remarkable extension of third-dimensional time. I was out of my body for close to four minutes. If we agree with the Bible equation, that would be about three years on the higher plane. That seems like an awfully long time for my particular experience; maybe I just didn't adjust to "heavenly time" the way others have. For example, in the book Intra Muros by NDE experiencer Rebecca Ruter Springer says:

It could be that the duration of my visit didn't register in consciousness because it was already determined that I would remain on the other side only until the high-energy cleansing process was completed. This would mean that on some level of consciousness I still had a strong attachment to my physical body, which would throw my cosmic clock out of kilter.

I also want to add something more about "outpicturing" - the idea that everything is a reflection of consciousness. In John's book, "The Planetary Commission" he says that:

Dr. George Ritchie, quoted earlier, also writes about the immediate "outpicturing" of consciousness beyond the veil. He says:

Yes, we do take our consciousness with us when we die, and until it changes, we will continue to see a mirror of what we believe. Perhaps this is where the concept of heaven and hell originally began, because on the other side of death, our mind-sets are revealed to us in no uncertain terms. A higher, finer consciousness sees the good, while those mired in their lower nature will temporarily project a rather coarse type of existence. The average human being may experience a little of both until consciousness stabilizes in the clear light.

Since my visit I am more convinced than ever before that our time on earth must be devoted to attaining a higher consciousness - a deeper spiritual awareness. And not just to have healthier bodies and more material possessions. Those are the added things that come into our lives when we seek an understanding of the Reality of our Being - the Spirit of God within. And when we realize that Presence, and understand that It is who and what we are, then our lives become an adventure in love, joy, and peace, and the adventure continues when we cross over, in even fuller measure.

Let's move on now to my next adventure in the nonphysical world.

Sensing the questions forming in my mind, Maggi informed me that we would go where all the answers are. Quickly (as I'd discovered is the way on this plane of existence) we approached a structure of supernal beauty. It was vast, of the purest white, and somewhat Grecian in architecture. Paths led into the structure from all directions, and I observed many people coming and going.

Both men and women wore soft, loose, mostly white flowing clothing, and I noticed that no one was really young or old - sort of a "middle" age. I figured that they looked exactly as they should for their optimal expression. Though we passed some of these people on our way, I really didn't want to stop and talk; and because I was so intent on where we were going - to where "the answers are" - no one intruded. It was as though they sensed that I was not yet ready for conversation.

Over the archway through which we entered the structure, I saw the words TEMPLE OF KNOWLEDGE and felt a gentle power drawing me into itself. There were pillars of varying heights, becoming higher and higher toward the center. Aware of the light and openness, I noticed there was no roof on the building. The outer perimeter reminded me of a veranda, and I saw small groups of people engaged in discussion.

I passed one lively group, and when I overheard the conversation, I realized it was a gathering of writers sharing ideas. I wasn't surprised that I was drawn to this particular group, as it reminded me of the many exhilarating discussions that John and I have had over the years. I heard one woman say, "This is what I've been working on" - and with great animation she described her current writing project. Others in the group seemed to catch her excitement, and each, in his or her turn, began to offer ideas on how to enhance the subject.

Listening closely, I learned that the information shared in these groups was somehow "broadcast" into the denser plane of Earth as seed ideas to be picked up by interested parties. This explained why writers in different parts of the world sometimes get the same idea for a book. This principle would also apply to the creation of inventions, scientific discoveries, new understanding of the great philosophies, and other advances. Those who have a strong interest in any particular discipline continue to expand their comprehension of the subject, though out of the physical body, thus doing a service for those incarnate.

From here I looked out upon the beautiful gardens - flowers, fruits, and plants of many varieties arranged in exquisite patterns. Here and there someone was tending them, and I felt a surge of happiness for the many I know - such as John's mother and her husband - who find such pleasure in growing things. It seems that nothing that brings real satisfaction is left behind.

Turning back to the interior of the temple, I saw that creative activities were taking place in different areas. There were a number of individuals sitting at easels painting, and I saw one man playing a flutelike instrument that emitted the sweetest of sounds. Farther on, dancers moved with ethereal grace, performing with a lightness impossible to the physical human form. As I watched in utter delight, I became aware that the musical background for this visual feast came from what I would call a celestial choir - an orchestra of voices creating "heavenly" music for the dance. This "music of the spheres" was indeed singing the praises of the Creator.

What I was seeing certainly indicated that creative expression was given high priority here. In another area both groups and individuals were engaged in various art forms, some that we would call sports. There was no competition, simply joyful participation in activities that brought fulfillment.

The sound of laughter drew my attention back to the outside. Children were playing on a grassy expanse leading to a small pond. Ducks were swimming in the water. Some sort of a game was being played. The children seemed to be bouncing, as if they were balls, with each rebound higher than the one before. Some were doing flips and other acrobatic feats while in the air. The game appeared to be a follow-the-leader type of thing, and even the smaller ones were proficient in the gymnastics.

Taking form before my eyes was the skyline of a great city. I could see three different dimensions of it simultaneously. The first had a dinginess pervading the atmosphere. There was a gloominess, and everything was gray, even the inhabitants, though I sensed that somewhere beneath the discoloration pulsed life and beauty. It brought to mind the lowest levels of existence in the world from which I'd come. Evil walked the squalid streets with malevolent bearing. No one here was up to, or expected, any good.

The second dimension was of the same panorama, but brighter and more colorful, and had a familiarity. Hope lived amid despair. There were neighborhoods with neat houses holding reasonably contented folk; shabby rows of dwellings housed those more discontented. Expansive lawns separated palatial homes from those of less grandeur. Within each sector was happiness and horror, love and hate, joy and sorrow - the dualities of life on a less than harmonious plane. It was a life accepted by many in the land I'd left behind as the only way life could be. Some knew better, more than just a few, and the hope that lived amid despair would at some time blossom into a better way of life.

Last in the trinity was a city of light, like unto John's holy city in the Book of Revelation. I saw the same skyline as before, but this time it was pure gold - with colors like precious gems, transparent glass, crystal clear. All who walked through the city brought glory and honor into it. Harmony and order prevailed, and the residents lived joyfully, creating that which brought forth beauty and fulfillment - a place of perfect peace, the peace that passeth understanding.

The slices of life I was seeing existed on both sides of the veil, I realized, and as I watched, the populations were shifting. A subtle but certain movement from the densest to the brightest was occurring. As misconceptions were altered on one level, a change took place on the next. Whether in physical form or on the other side of death, a change in perception benefited all. Truly our deeply held beliefs not only affect our own life experience but that of others. We are intricately connected to all that exists throughout eternity.

The Wise One continued speaking:

"Earlier I was shown how guilt eventually closed down my heart," I responded.

I remembered the blessed time spent with teachers from another realm - Illuminati - during my meditations on the physical plane. I had somehow tapped into their energies, and their wise instruction helped me move to a higher level of awareness and understanding. They called themselves the "beloved old friends."

I felt the warm radiance of that love as I stepped into the inner recesses of the temple - a beautiful arena of light. There was a soft glow of rosy gold, and it felt like a gentle massage, soothing and relaxing. Effortlessly, with no sense of hurry, I glided through varying shades of gold until the light was crystal-clear. Here, I was beyond thoughts; there was no analyzing - just an experience of being in the splendor.

I sat, quietly at ease, and had the sensation that tiny fingertips were caressing my crown. I felt my mind open like the petals of a flower. Then softly and tenderly came the knowingness, the connection with all that is. In moments of meditation I have touched this level before, but never with such completeness, clarity, intensity. Here, in this celestial silence, all was perfectly clear, understood. Here was fulfillment. All knowledge was mine, and I could draw it into conscious awareness as needed. On all levels we can tap into Universal Mind, but it's easier here because of the more subtle energies.

A sweetness, an essence so pure, filled me, was me. This is what God is, all is, I am. With purity of heart I saw God and knew there is nothing else. I felt myself merging with, and ascending into, that crystalline brilliance. I touched true Joy, and I was lifted into the fullness of Being - the Essence of Life. In this glory I was free, and I beheld the Love that knows no conditions - the self-givingness of the Lifeforce we call God, ever nurturing and sustaining itself. All outlines disappeared, and there was no separation. Maintaining individual awareness, I was one with the Whole.

A remembrance comes - something I had written years ago about the experience of Oneness. Have I been here before? Of course! Otherwise how could I have described the unity of all that is in such detail? This is what I wrote five years before my heart attack:

I now understood more fully why we don't feel our Oneness with God moment to moment, constantly, while on the earth plane. We feel separated because of our physical bodies; we think we ARE the body and are therefore physical, yet we know that God is Spirit. Thus the sense of separation.

In both worlds there is nothing but energy, invisible and visible; we are spiritual beings wherever we may be. We are energy and God is energy, and energy cannot be broken up or separated. Born of God, we are spirit, and cannot be anything else. All is mind - one mind. We are that mind asleep - yet awakening, and God is that mind eternally aware.

Life beyond the veil is simply the continuity of life from one realm to another - death being only an entrance into fuller life, as a Wise One has said.

Now, before me, shimmering, iridescent light began to take a particular shape. A woman of breathtaking beauty appeared as I watched in awe, and even after the full materialization from pure light to visible, substantial form was complete, nothing was static. I continued to see a "quivering" of her structure, as though looking at a fluid, rippled reflection in a pond. Her movements were of pure grace as she positioned herself directly in front of me. Her hair was dark, her face pale, yet with color.

As I did, I felt myself being absorbed. I was no longer just the entity I knew of as me, but more, so much more. The eyes I stared into were mine, the eyes of my soul.

In deep humility I accepted that which I was shown. "Oh my, I am all of that - so beautiful, glorious, wise, loving, kind, powerful. I didn't know. I had no idea."

As though looking into a kaleidoscope, I saw myriad lifetimes and experiences. Oh, the wonder of me. This powerful creative energy could take on any form it chose, and right now it was expressing as a woman called Jan, so of course I would perceive it as feminine.

Words from beyond my own thought processes began to pour into my mind.

As we made the connection, waves of ecstasy washed through me, and I took on the fullness of this magnificent being that I am an extension of. No longer was I observing this shimmering radiance. I was it. The glory I had in the beginning, I thought, I have now and ever will have. Complete in my individuality, I understood the old admonition "Know thyself."

A gentle pulling caught my attention, and I heard the melodic voice once more.

I felt myself moving backward rapidly, feet first, as though I was being sucked into some vortex. Like a distant chime I heard the words:

I had no power over the movement. I raced past groups of people dressed in white, and I recognized some of the faces. They waved and spoke to me, but I was moving so fast that I couldn't make out their words. I thought I saw my friend, Beth, and I wanted to stop and visit for a while, but I couldn't slow down. I was nearing the outer limits of that dimension, and my consciousness was beginning to register earth time. They continued to converse with me, but the picture was frozen, as though the pause button on the VCR had been pressed during a movie: They were inert, mouths open. I was out of sync with their "time."

As I approached the physical form, I passed five individuals who seemed to be assisting me. Maggi was still with me, and the last thing I remember seeing was her sweet face.

Back in the body, I was aware of sounds and John's face, but my mind was fuzzy. It was much clearer when I was out of the body.

[Jan's near-death experience ends here.]

Later, when I wrote my remembrance in my journal, thought again of Dr. Stark's book, "A Doctor Goes to Heaven." He wrote:

I also found it interesting that when I mentioned the Temple of Knowledge at a meeting of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, a woman excitedly raised her hand. I paused to let her speak, and she asked what it looked like.

"It's so clear in my mind that I could draw it," I said, and began to describe what I had seen. As I did, she nodded knowingly, and her eyes began to sparkle. "You went there too," I said.

"Yes," she replied.

I know what I experienced, but it is nice to hear from someone who has been to the same place. It's like telling a person that you stayed in a certain hotel in Paris, and they say, "I was there too - wasn't it wonderful?"

Then it becomes a shared experience, and very meaningful for both parties.

John Randolph Price and Jan Price co-founded of the Quartus Foundation at www.quartus.org, a research and communication organization formed in 1981 and currently headquartered in Boerne, Texas, near San Antonio.

The Prices were originators of World Healing Day, a global mind-link for peace involving millions of people that began on December 31, 1986, with the Los Angeles Times reporting up to 400-million participants. The Event has continued on the same date and time each year.

John Price, formerly a CEO in the corporate world, is the author of eighteen books, including the national bestsellers • The Superbeings, • The Angels Within Us, and • The Abundance Book. His latest Nothing Is Too Good To Be True, was released by Hay House in January 2003. (Visit our Book Listing for an update).

Jan Price, an internationally known teacher-lecturer, and author of The Other Side of Death, a widely acclaimed book based on her near-death experience in 1993 and her remarkable journey beyond the veil.

John and Jan were guests on the Geraldo Rivera Show in 1997 to talk about her death-and-return adventure and the work of angels on her behalf. And in January 2000, her experience was dramatized on the Lifetime Television Network show Beyond Chance. They have also appeared on the Wisdom Channel, major market TV, and on network radio to discuss their books and offer insights on living freely and fully with love and harmony.

The Prices have devoted more than 50 years to researching the philosophic mysteries and integrating those teachings with spiritual metaphysics. Their workshops have covered topics from raising consciousness, to facing change creatively, the secret of success, healing relationships, health and wholeness, and the abundance principle. Their objective: To empower people to live freely, fully, and richly – with love, harmony, and peace as the keynotes.

In recognition of their work they were presented the Light of God Expressing Award by the Association of Unity Churches in 1986. John was also named recipient of the 1992 Humanitarian Award presented by the Arizona District of the International New Thought Alliance, and in 1994 he was presented the INTA’s Joseph Murphy Award in recognition of the major contribution his books have made to positive living throughout the world. In August 2001, John and Jan were given doctorate degrees by the Emerson Institute. In 2003, the Holmes Institute conferred upon John the Doctor Humane Letters. In 2007, he was named one of the world’s 500 leading visionaries by The Visionaries Project in England. In 2009, at the 94th annual International New Thought Alliance World Congress, Jan and John were presented The Torch Bearer Award in honor of their work in championing the principles and cause of New Thought.

On April 2, 2011 Jan Price passed from this plane. She will be greatly missed but she knows John and the Quartus Family will continue to work to create a better world filled with Love and Joy, Always!

The Word “Quartus” denotes the four-square aspect of each individual: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical.

Established in 1981 by John and Jan Price founders of World Healing Day which originated on December 31, 1986. The foundation is a research and communications organization with the stated purpose of probing the mysteries of Ageless Wisdom and integrating those interminable truths with spiritual metaphysics. By combining the dynamics of mind with the unlimited potential of universal laws, the ancient principle of energy follows thought is confirmed. With this understanding as a key, a door opens to a new philosophy of life that is both practical and rewarding.

The Quartus Foundation publishes The Quartus Report, written by John Price and supplemented by articles and insights from member-subscribers. Each issue represents a guide to higher Consciousness, practical steps to enable you to realize your own unlimited potential and make dramatic changes in your life. John’s forthcoming books are also excerpted in the Report, plus workshop schedules and the Notepad of current news and happenings, and the sharing of experiences by members.

Other benefits include the powerful Quartus Prayer Network where members’ challenges are lifted into the Light of Reality where they can be dissolved quickly and in peace, and the opportunity to come together on December 31st of each year for The World Healing Day Event - the global mind link that the Prices originated in 1986.