
Dr. George Ritchie's Temple
Experience:
"I began to perceive a whole new realm! Enormous
buildings stood in a beautiful sunny park that reminded
me somewhat of a well-planned university. As we entered
one of the buildings and doorways, the air was so hushed
that I was actually startled to see people in the passageway.
I could not tell if they were men or women, old or young,
for all were covered from head to foot in loose-flowing
hooded cloaks which made me think vaguely of monks.
But the atmosphere of the place was not at all as I
imagined a monastery. It was more like some tremendous
study center, humming with the excitement of great discovery.
Everyone we passed in the wide halls and on the curving
staircases seemed caught up in some all-engrossing activity; not
many words were exchanged among them. And yet I sensed
no unfriendliness between these beings, rather an aloofness
of total concentration. Whatever else these people might
be, they appeared utterly and supremely self-forgetful
- absorbed in some vast purpose beyond themselves. Through
open doors I glimpsed at enormous rooms filled with
complex equipment. In several of the rooms hooded figures
bent over intricate charts and diagrams, or sat at the
controls of elaborate consoles flickering with lights.
Somehow I felt that some vast experiment was being pursued,
perhaps dozens and dozens of such experiments. And something
more ... In spite of his obvious delight in the beings
around us, I sensed that even this was not the ultimate,
that he had far greater things to show me if only I
could see.
"And so I followed
him into other buildings of this domain of thought.
We entered a studio where music of a complexity I couldn't
begin to follow was being composed and performed. There
were complicated rhythms, tones not on a scale I knew.
'Why,' I found myself thinking. 'Bach is only the beginning!'
"Next we walked
through a library the size of the whole University of
Richmond. I gazed into rooms lined floor to ceiling
with documents on parchment, clay, leather, metal, paper.
'Here,' the thought occurred to me, 'are assembled
the important books of the universe.' Immediately I
knew this was impossible. How could books be written
somewhere beyond the Earth! But the thought persisted,
although my mind rejected it. 'The key works of the
universe,' the phrase kept recurring as we roamed the
domed reading rooms crowded with silent scholars. Then
abruptly, at the door to one of the smaller rooms, almost
an annex: 'Here is the central thought of this Earth.'
"'Is this heaven, Lord
Jesus?' I ventured. The calm, the brightness, they
were surely heaven-like! So was the absence of
self, of clamoring ego. 'When these people were on Earth
did they grow beyond selfish desires?' 'They grew, and
they have kept on growing.'" (Dr.
George Ritchie)

Dr. Allen Kellehear's Temple
Experience Research:
Kellehear published an interesting near-death account
where a person sees Albert
Einstein in heaven operating a computer in a heavenly
library. This account has similarities to George Ritchie's
heavenly temple/library accounts described on this web
page. Here is an excerpt of the account from Dr. Kellehear's
book
Experiences Near Death:
"This
time we were audience to a choir of angels singing.
Angels were totally outside my reality at the time,
yet somehow I knew these beautiful beings to be angelic.
They sang the most lovely and extraordinary music I
had ever heard. They were identical, each equally beautiful.
When their song was over, one of their number came forward
to greet me. She was exquisite and I was mightily attracted,
but I then realized my admiration could only be expressed
in a wholly nonphysical manner, as to a little child.
I was embarrassed by my error, but it did not matter.
All was forgiven in this wonderful place. Instantly
we arrived in an art gallery. It contained the work
of the great masters of all time and all places. The
display was both classical and modern. Some of the great
works seemed familiar. Others were unlike anything I
had ever seen, indescribable. The beauty and form of
the sculpture and paintings on display were beyond words.
A lifetime could be spent in this place, but to see
everything I needed to see during this visit, we must
move on. Next we materialized in a computer room. It
was a place of great activity, yet peace prevailed.
None of the stress of business was present, but prodigious
work was accomplished. The people seemed familiar to
me, like old friends. This was confusing, because I
knew there to be present those who lived on Earth still,
and those who had passed on. Some of them I knew by
name, others by reputation; and all had time for me,
to teach me if ever I need help understanding. One of
them was Albert Einstein, whom I had always admired
greatly but distantly, and this great man took time
away from his duties to encourage me. He asked me if
I would care to operate the computer, which was very
complex and beautiful and designed to guide the path
of destinies. I was flattered, but felt incompetent
and unsure of myself in the presence of such greatness.
I told him I would like to try, but I was afraid of
making a mistake. He laughed greatly, and reassured
me, saying that error was not possible in this place.
Encouraged, I seemed instinctively to know how to operate
this unusual machine, and waved my hand in a pattern
over the large keyboard, rather like playing a piano
without touching the keys. I knew instantly the task
had been performed perfectly, and it had somehow been
of great benefit to someone. I was suffused with the
joy of a job well done. I would gladly spend eternity
here at this rewarding work if only for the tremendous
feeling of well-being I had experienced as a result.
We continued our tour and arrived at a library. It was
a vast old traditional building, containing all of the
wisdom of the ages, everything ever said or written.
Room upon room, shelf upon shelf of books stretched
away as far as the eye could see. By that time I had
growing doubt I was destined to stay in this mysterious
yet familiar place, even though I knew in my heart it
was home. I had the uncomfortable feeling I must return
soon to resume my life. My guide, for by now I thought
of him as such, told me I must study and learn from
the infinite array of wisdom before us. I was dismayed,
and said there was no way I was capable of such a task.
I was told to simply make a beginning, to do the best
I could, and that would always be good enough. There
was plenty of time." (Dr.
Allen Kellehear's Research)

Hal's Temple Experience:
"I was snapped back to the task at hand - the life review.
It was judgment to be sure, but more like fact-finding
than fault-finding. The only condemnation was me regretting
some of my mistakes. Then the movie stopped abruptly.
The end of my life had been reached. The Being of Light
was surprised and I felt it. There was something missing.
[The Being of Light then takes Hal to a heavenly library
to find out why his life review suddenly stopped.] With
no movement at all, we were now at a large library.
The one who had been doing my life review was no longer
a ball of light but now a hooded and robed figure. And
still inscrutable. 'Look what I found out there,' it
said to the library staff. One of the clerks went to
large bead rack, much like an abacus, and began calculating.
One clerk wore a short robe with a classic Greek pattern
decorating the lower edge. His robe had a hood, as did
the robes of all the others. I concluded that his hood
was not for warmth and asked my guide. The guide confirmed
my observation, the hoods were not for warmth. When
I pushed to know the purpose of the hoods I was informed
that I would know when it was time to have that information.
I sensed that my guide disapproved of the non-traditional
attire, but had no cause to criticize as the work done
by that individual was always excellent. Another clerk
observed the placement of the beads on the top row and
thought, 'Oh, no! The Old section.'" That was clay tablets
to be moved and sorted through. A moment later, two
of the beads in the top row were moved again. It would
be in the section written on hides stretched over wooden
frames. Much easier to sort through. When the calculation
finished, we set off through the stacks counting rows
as we went. I observed stacked sheets of papyrus, then
scrolls. Then came rows with stacked wooden frames.
We passed these quickly and came to a row with hides
stretched over sticks. A clerk was now counting bays,
then shelves, then hides. One hide was selected and
pulled from the stack. Another clerk carefully counted
the entries until he found the right one. The writing
was like none I'd seen before. It reminded me a bit
of Hebrew and runic writing. I couldn't read it. But
I could read the mind of my guide! Hah! Blocked. I tried
to read it through one of the clerks. Frustrated again.
I tried to memorize the shapes of the letters but was
frustrated there as well. My guide informed me that
I wasn't supposed to know what the entry said. I asked
what was I allowed to know? I was informed that the
entry described my life. It was hardly larger than a
business card." [From this
information, the Being of Light made the decision to
return Hal to his body.] (Hal)
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Betty Eadie's Temple Experience:
"I was taken to a large room similar to a library. As
I looked around it seemed to be a repository of knowledge,
but I couldn't see any books. Then I noticed ideas coming
into my mind, knowledge filling me on subjects that
I had not thought about for some time - or in some cases
not at all. Then I realized that this was a library
of the mind. By simply reflecting on a topic, as I had
earlier in Christ's presence, all knowledge on that
topic came to me. I could learn about anybody in history
- or even in the spirit world - in full detail. ( Betty
Eadie)
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Edgar Cayce's Temple Experience:
"As I pass on [through the tunnel], there is more light
and movement in what appear to be normal cities and
towns. With the growth of movement I become conscious
of sounds, at first indistinct rumblings, then music,
laughter, and singing of birds. There is more and more
light, the colors become very beautiful, and there is
the sound of wonderful music. The houses are left behind;
ahead there is only a blending of sound and color. Quite
suddenly I come upon a
Hall of Records.
It is a hall without walls, without ceiling, but I am
conscious of seeing an old man who hands me a large
book (which he calls the
'Book of Life'), a record of the individual for
whom I seek information." (Edgar
Cayce)
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Carl Jung's Temple Experience:
"Something new entered my field of vision. A short distance
away I saw in space a tremendous dark block of stone,
like a meteorite. It was about the size of my house,
or even bigger. It was floating in space, and I myself
was floating in space. An entrance led into a small
antechamber. To the right of the entrance, a black Hindu
sat silently in lotus posture upon a stone bench. He
wore a white gown, and I knew that he expected me. Two
steps led up to this antechamber, and inside, on the
left, was the gate to the temple ... As I approached
the steps leading up to the entrance into the rock,
a strange thing happened: I had the feeling that everything
was being sloughed away; everything I aimed at or wished
for or thought, the whole phantasmagoria of earthly
existence, fell away or was stripped from me - an extremely
painful process... Something else engaged my attention:
as I approached the temple I had the certainty that
I was about to enter an illuminated room and would meet
there all those people to whom I belong in reality.
There I would at last understand - this too was a certainty
- what historical nexus I or my life fitted into. I
would know what had been before me, why I had come into
being, and where my life was flowing. My life as I lived
it had often seemed to me like a story that has no beginning
and end. I had the feeling that I was a historical fragment,
an excerpt for which the preceding and succeeding text
was missing. My life seemed to have been snipped out
of a long chain of events, and many questions had remained
unanswered. Why had it taken this course? Why had I
brought these particular assumptions with me? What had
I made of them? What will follow? I felt sure that I
would receive an answer to all the questions as soon
as I entered the rock temple. There I would meet the
people who knew the answer to my question about what
had been before and what would come after."
[Jung learns he must return
to his body.] "I was profoundly disappointed,
for now it all seemed to have been for nothing. The
painful process of defoliation had been in vain, and
I was not to be allowed to enter the temple, to join
the people in whose company I belonged." (Carl
Jung)

Jan Price's Temple Experience:
"Quickly 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.
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. 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 flute-like 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. A little
tug from Maggi reminded me that there was more here
in the temple to investigate. Moving in toward the center,
it was quieter, and the gentle power that I had felt
earlier was stronger. Here were individuals, wise ones,
it seems, stationed at intervals and waiting to assist
those who chose to approach them. (Jan
Price)

Dannion Brinkley's Temple
Experience:
"Like wingless birds, we swept into a city of cathedrals.
These cathedrals were made entirely of a crystalline
substance that glowed with a light that shone powerfully
from within. I was awestruck. This place had a power
that seemed to pulsate through the air. I knew that
I was in a place of learning. I wasn't there to witness
my life or to see what value it had had, I was there
to be instructed. When we entered the structure, the
Being of Light was with me no more. I looked around
for him and saw no one. Rows of benches were lined up
across the room, and that radiant light made everything
glow and feel like love. I sat on one of the benches
and looked around the room for my spiritual guide."
[Dannion then encounters thirteen Beings of Light.]
"Now more than ever I knew that this was a place of
learning. I would be steeped in knowledge, taught in
a way that I had never been taught before. There would
be no books and no memorization. In the presence of
these Beings of Light, I would become knowledge and
know everything that was important to know. I could
ask any question and know the answer. It was like being
a drop of water bathed in the knowledge of the ocean,
or a beam of light knowing what all light knows."
[Dannion is then given prophetic
visions before he returns to his body in the morgue.]
(Dannion
Brinkley)
Karen Brannon's Temple Experience:
"I was in a library in an ethereal temple or atrium,
similar to ancient Greek or Roman villas. Everything
was airy and light. I had the impression that there
were other souls studying in the next room. I gathered
all this information instantaneous. While I was getting
the information of the library and school at the temple,
I was aware of a very tall Master or Spiritual Guide
with long white robe, and long white hair and beard."
(Karen
Brannon)
J.A.'s Temple Experience:
"Suddenly we got into a place that looked like a room
or a church or a temple, the only thing was that it
was shining brighter than the sun. I can't remember
what happened after we entered the light, but when I
came back I became a different person." (J.A.)

Allan McDougall's Temple
Experience:
"At first I was taken up through the tunnel into a place
of learning [library] into the glorious light at the
one end of this almost infinite tunnel. While in the
light I experienced great feelings of elation, love
and peace. Here I was shown great events that were to
come to planet Earth, sometime in the future. There
was a being with me all the time that I could not see,
but hear. It spoke with a male voice. I believed it/he
was what we mortals refer to as God." (Allan
McDougall)
Damien Spaulding's Temple
Experience:
"I navigated around for a second or two at the speed
of thought and realized in the distance there was an
open library. A library in the sky without walls ...
In a blink of an eye, I was within the confines of this
learning area and I came to the understanding that this
area contained all of the answers of the universe. I
was so elated! I opened myself to the knowledge gate
and answers began to play through my mind like the pictures
in the movie The Lawnmower Man. I saw pictures and diagrams
of our entire universe being created and all the fabrics
within it. I began to see wisdom and knowledge of man
and spirit. I even saw Einstein's Theory of Relativity
and understood holes in the theory because true spirituality
had the real answers (They were big). I began to truly
understand everything and it was bliss. I wanted to
take all of the knowledge I could back with me, but
I knew that this knowledge was knowledge of the spirit
and could not be taken back into my little material
brain. I would have to stay dead and be with God in
order to keep it forever and I wanted that. I was enjoying
myself so greatly. I wanted to stay for a long time."
(Damien
Spaulding)
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