The Void and the Near-Death Experience
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Many near-death
testimonies involve the experiencer entering a realm commonly known in NDE circles as
the "Void." This article discusses the nature of
this realm to give the reader a good understanding
of its purpose and how to deal with it after death. The general consensus
among near-death testimonies is that the Void is a
realm of complete and profound darkness - empty of everything
except for the thought and emotional patterns of those
who enter it. The Void is a perfect place for
experiencers to examine themselves, contemplate
their recent earth experience, and decide where they
want to go next. For some experiencers,
the Void is a beautiful and heavenly realm because,
in the absence of all else, they are able to
perfectly see the love and light within themselves.
For other experiencers, the Void is a terrifying,
confusing, horrible hell because, in the absence of
everything, they are temporarily unable to see the
love and light within themselves.
For this reason, the Void also acts as a heavenly "Time
Out" where the experiencer is forced to look within
themselves. There is no judgment in the Void except
the possibility of self-judgment - a harsher form of
self-understanding. The Void has also been
understood as a process of "ego
death" where the "mask" of the personality is
dissolved to allow the individuality of the soul to
be experienced in relation to the Whole that is
God. For these reasons and more, this article may be
the most important article you may read on this
website.
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Table of Contents |
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1. Summary of
insights concerning
the Void |
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Some
near-death experiencers travel very quickly through the Void by means of
the tunnel and on to higher realms. Other
experiencers, particularly
those who have developed a strong attraction for some
earthly desire may instead enter a lower realm
called the earthbound realm in a vain
attempt to re-enter earth. But many near-death
experiencers,
as you will see, enter the
Void
immediately after death. From there, they may then
enter the tunnel toward the light in the next heavenly
realm. Other experiencers remain in the Void for one reason
or another until they are ready to leave it.
For some souls, the
time
spent in the Void may feel like only a moment. For others,
it may seem like eternity. This is because the
nature of the Void is for contemplation. Once the
soul is ready, the light appears and the
tunnel takes them into higher realms. For souls who either refuse
the light or have spent a lifetime ignoring the light
within themselves,
it may take what seems like an "eternity"
before they are ready to move on. The problem for
some souls is they prefer
darkness rather than the light for one reason or
another. For some of these souls, their only hope is
reincarnation.
This is because it is not possible for any soul to be
confined in the earthbound and Void realms forever.
God is infinitely merciful and would never abandon anyone
to their own spiritual agony for too long; however,
God allows souls to remain there only as long as it
suits their spiritual growth.
The Void is not
punishment. It is the perfect place for all souls to
see themselves and to purge themselves from all illusions.
For those souls who are too self-absorbed in their own
misery to see the light, there are a multitude of Beings
of Light nearby to help them when they freely chose
to seek them. The nature of love and light is such that
it cannot be forced upon people who don't want it. Choosing
love and light over darkness is the key to being freed from
the Void. The moment the choice is made, the light and
tunnel appears and the soul is drawn into higher
realms.
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2. The
nature
of the Void |
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As mentioned earlier,
nothing exists in the Void except your
own thought and emotional patterns.
Within this dark emptiness, ego is
stripped away
The following
is P.M.H. Atwater's explanation of the nature of
the Void
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"My dining room below was slowly
but surely merging into another
kind of space coming down from a
source past my ceiling. These
two spaces or dimensions of
space were merging into each
other, but I was not moving. I
did not change position in any
way. I was where I was, but the
world around me was changing and
shifting and becoming something
else. My dining room faded from
sight as this new space became
more visible and more real. It
was like nothing I had ever seen
before. It encompassed me. The
new space was both totally
bright and totally dark at the
same time yet without shape,
form, sound, color, mass, or
movement. It was aglow but there
was no light source. It was dark
but there was no darkness.
Somehow within this strange
environment was the presence of
all shapes, all forms, all
sound, all color, all mass, and
all movement. Everything that
ever was, is, or will be was
there, yet there was nothing
there at all. It was everything
and it was nothing, yet within
it was a feeling, a pulse, a
sensation of energy "winking"
off and on -- a sparkling
potential which "shimmered,"
just as Jell-O does before it
responds to touch. I called it
"The Void" for lack of a better
term or idea. It was comfortable
enough, so within its crammed
nothingness I proceeded with my
experiments (At this point,
Atwater experiments in the Void
by creating images, such as a
house, with her mind. She is
then visited by deceased
relatives and Jesus. Afterward,
she finds herself back in the
Void). I was now alone in this
non-place and there was nothing.
For the first time I looked upon
myself to see what possible form
or shape I might have, and to my
surprise and joy I had no shape
or form at all. I was naught but
a sparkle of pure consciousness,
the tiniest, most minuscule
spark of light imaginable. And
that is all I was. I was content
that way, without ego or
identity, pure, whole, and
uncomplicated. Within that
nothingness I had become, I
simply existed, ecstatic in
perfect bliss and peace, like
perfection itself and perfect
love. Everywhere around me were
sparkles like myself, billions
and trillions of them, winking
and blinking like on / off
lights, pulsating from some
unknown source. I would have
existed in that state of bliss
forever had an irritation not
made itself known, like an old
sore deep within me; then energy
waves burst forth from that deep
old sore, and with them came the
life of Phyllis, playing itself
out from birth to death. (At
this point, Atwater experiences
a life review) (P.M.H. Atwater)
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The rest of this
section will focus on important characteristics of the
Void such as:
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There is no love there. |
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There is no light there. |
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Beings of light are nearby to
help tormented souls. |
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Religious references to the
Void. |
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Profound examples of people who
experienced the Void. |
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3. Love
does not exist in the
Void |
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The only love
that exists in the Void is the love you bring into it.
The Void itself has no love or light and because of
this, the only way to leave the Void and enter the higher
realms is by choosing love. The moment love is desired,
the light appears as if summoned. Most near-death accounts
describe very brief encounters with the Void, if any
at all. It is probably true that most people choose
love over darkness, much like most people choose to
remain out of prison. God does not force anyone out
of the Void. The way to heaven must be earned through
cultivating and bearing the fruits of love and light.
This is the key to getting out of the Void and into
heaven. The following near-death accounts describe the
loveless nature of the Void.
"While in second heaven - the Void - Howard Pittman felt
an overwhelming oppressive feeling and wondered what
was causing it. He was told that it is because there
is no love there." (Rev.
Howard Pittman)
"In the Void, your only source of stimulation will be
your own thoughts." (Robert
Monroe)
An interesting thing that Mellen-Thomas Benedict learned
while in the Void was that God was not there. God is
here on earth. That's what it is all about. Humanity's
constant search for God outside of this world doesn't
need to happen. Everything is here. We are God's exploration
of God through us. People are so busy trying to become
God that they ought to realize that we are already God
and God is becoming us. That's what it is really about.
(Mellen-Thomas
Benedict)
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4. Light
does not exist
in the Void |
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Light and love
is God. Because of this, God's influence in the Void
is limited because darkness rules in the Void. In the
same manner, the influence of darkness (spiritual ignorance)
on earth is limited because light rules on earth. And
light cannot be forced upon people. But once light/love
is chosen by the soul, the soul's stay in the Void is
ended. The problem is that many souls have not realized
divine love and light within themselves while on
earth.
This makes it difficult to leave the Void.
The following
description of the second stage after death by Emanuel
Swedenborg is a remarkable description of the Void:
"Immediately following death, there is a period of self-discovery
in which the social masks worn on earth dissolve away
and the true self is revealed. Each soul then shapes
their own situation to correspond with their real inner
nature. The second stage after death is where people
learn the inward things that belong to their mind and
their true selves. Everyone is directed into this stage
after death because it is the actual state of the spirit.
If a soul was inwardly involved in goodness while in
the physical world, they will behave rationally and
wisely at this stage. If a soul was inwardly involved
in evil while in the physical world, they will behave
senselessly and crazily. Once their outward matters
are taken away from them, their madness is unveiled.
People who are thinking about divine matters while they
are active on earth are in touch with angels of heaven.
It is a life of love, a life of behaving honestly and
fairly in every task, that leads to a heavenly life.
This life is not hard." (Emanuel
Swedenborg)
The following is a description
of the Void from the revelations of
Edgar Cayce
who referred to the Void as outer darkness - a term
that can be found in the Bible.
"After death, we may enter a region that is Void of love,
life, and light, Void of everything. For some, this
region is approximately their wish come true. Here they
are truly alone with themselves. For some souls, this
is a pain that is unbearable. In the absence of truth,
love, gentleness, and kindness, some souls fill the
Void with an irrational and unbelievable amount of pain
and fear. It is so dark in the realm of outer darkness
that the darkness hurts and panic grips them without
knowing why. There are various degrees of darkness to this realm,
and it is darker and denser at the center than at its
outer fringes. The closer we are to the outer edges,
the more interaction there is with others in the realm.
The closer to the center, the darker and more painful
is the solitude. Those who find themselves in outer
darkness cannot travel across this dimension. They must
grow through the levels of this realm. After death, one may find themselves in a particular
degree of darkness that most closely corresponds to
the degree of the absence of love in one's life. Outer
darkness is not a punishment. It is a region which operates
lawfully for the benefit of those who are there. This
region is not a realm which was created for any soul
to experience, but one which came about as a consequence
of the negative activity of souls in creation. So great
has been the desire for self, so monumental across time
and space has been the selfishness of some of God's
creatures, that this realm is the creation or manifestation
of their own collective activities. Outer darkness and
the reality with which it is associated were created
and are held in place by collective self-interest. (Edgar
Cayce)
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5. Beings of
light near the Void |
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Near-death accounts
involve the experiencer observing Beings of Light near
the Void ready to help, or helping, souls in the
Void.
Souls in the Void are unaware that Beings of Light are
all around them, until they decide they need God's help.
Asher Elmekiess was in a place where darkness was everywhere.
Yet there were sparkles all around like little stars.
It was a place of so much love, peace and joy. Asher
did not want to move or come back from there. (Asher
Elmekiess)
"There are souls called the shining ones who dedicate
themselves to going into this dark realm and bringing
spiritual light. The souls who are dedicated to this
work of rehabilitation are clothed in protective garments
so that they are not harmed or pierced by the dagger-like
thoughts of hatred which those in the dark realms are
throwing out. The shining ones are not allowed to go
and talk to these people, but they stand nearby and
call to them through thought - prayer, if you like.
The moment the souls in this dark area respond in a
positive way, the ones who have come to help are able
to bring them out into a less dense, foggy world and
eventually out into the realm of light." (Margaret
Tweddell)
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6. Religious
traditions and the Void |
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The Void is known
by many religious traditions by many different names.
Some of them are: purgatory, hell, outer darkness, prison,
Gehennom, She'ol, pit, abyss, an-nar, and Preta-Loka.
The following is a brief description of some of these
traditions.
"[During deep meditation] I lost all sense of individualness
and only after attempting to regain a sense of myself
did I realize that I had lost individual consciousness
... It was as if my consciousness turned off a gravitational
force that somehow maintained selfness, allowing my
mind to slip into an infinite vacuum much like the difference
between a contained planetary atmosphere and infinite,
airless outer space. I assume this is what the Eastern
seekers mean by entering the Void." (John
Van Auken)
"[During deep meditation] I immediately found myself
in a beautiful place, right next to the Light and Presence
of God, where we are all living traces of His movement,
yet still Him in essence. We are ourselves, yet also
Him. I could feel it! All unique, but still Him. We
all were open both to God and to connecting with each
other, and there was nothing else except this! This
was prior to inner and outer worlds, prior to space
and time, prior to existence itself! This is the place
where there are no limits, where peace is not yet disturbed,
where surrender is natural, and where our life is wholly
our relatedness to each other and to God." (Stuart
Dean)
The Tibetan Buddhist Book of the Dead teaches that once
awareness is freed from the body, it creates its own
reality as one would experience in a dream. The Clear
Light of the Ultimate Reality appears and the deceased
must embrace this supreme experience not in a selfish
and egoistic way but rather with love and compassion
for everyone. The deceased must then realize that his
own self is one with this light in order to attain Nirvana.
If the deceased responds with fear, it is still not
liberated and will descend into the second phase [the
Void] where peaceful deities appear. If liberation is
not attained at this time, then the peaceful deities
turn into wrathful deities. It is important in this
realm to recognize the Void-ness of all these beings
as a projection of their own mind. (Tibetan
Buddhism)
The writers of
the New Testament referred to the Void more than they
did heaven. Here are just some of these references:
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world,
but men loved darkness instead of light because their
deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds
will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes
into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that
what he has done has been done through God." (John
3:19-21)
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7. Profound
experiences of the Void |
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There are many
very interesting near-death accounts that involve an
extended experience in the Void. From such accounts,
much information concerning the Void can be gleaned.
The following profound near-death experiences with the
Void are the best I have come across.
Guenter Wagner's
Void experience is too long to summarize here. His
Void
experience is one of my personal favorites.
Other excellent
Void experiences come from:
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Mellen-Thomas Benedict •
Nancy Evans Bush •
RaNelle Wallace.
Other, less in depth,
Void experiences come from:
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Don Brubaker •
Rev. Kenneth Hagin •
Dr. George Rodonaia •
Tom Sawyer •
Angie Fenimore
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8. The
reasons
for the existence of the Void
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a.
Self-reflection |
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Examining your
inner spiritual nature is an important part of soul
growth and there is no better place to do this than
in the Void. Those who have learned to ignore their
inner spiritual nature have the most difficulty in the
Void because they have the most to learn. This is why
it is important to examine your inner spirituality on
earth before you get to the Void. In fact, that is one
of the important reasons we come to earth in the first
place.
Lynnclaire Dennis entered a vacuum, a sacred space that
was exceedingly real and where her grief disappeared.
The love within her saved her from oblivion. (Lynnclaire
Dennis)
"All you may know of heaven or hell is within your own
self." (Edgar
Cayce)
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b. Decision-making |
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The ultimate
purpose of the Void is for us to look perfectly within
ourselves. If a person looks deep enough within themselves,
they will find the light that can bring them from the
darkness. The problem is that many people choose not
to do this for one reason or another. The following
near-death accounts involve making decisions in the
Void.
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c.
Purification |
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The suffering
that souls experience in the Void serves a purpose for
good. Many religious traditions teach that God gives
us suffering in order to create character, perseverance,
and to cause us to rely more on God and not in our own
strength (or weakness). Suffering should never be viewed
as a curse from God, but rather a blessing in disguise.
It is God's will for us to suffer in this world and
in the Void in order to bring forth goodness. In fact,
this is the symbolism behind the cross of Jesus.
Betty Bethards learned that the
Void is a realm of total
darkness where we must confront the fears we have built
within our own minds. As soon as we are able to meet
them directly, to face them, they dissipate. It
provides the opportunity for people to confront and
move beyond the negativity they have created. Souls
do not enter the Void unless they need to experience
it for their growth. Hell is a level of consciousness
which can be experienced in or out of the body. It is
a lonely place where one is not allowed to be in communication
with anyone other than one's own negativity. (Betty
Bethards)
"The type of near-death experience that Dr. PMH Atwater
categorizes as the initial experience, involves elements
such as a loving nothingness, the living dark,
a friendly voice, or a brief out-of-body episode. Unpleasant
or hell-like experiences involve inner cleansing and self-confrontation.
(P.M.H. Atwater)
"Upon death, most souls go through a heavenly process
before entering into heaven. Some souls, instead of
experiencing the tunnel and bright light upon death,
find themselves in an abyss of empty, joyless, nothingness
for a brief period of time." (Sylvia
Browne)
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9. How to
escape from the Void |
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Escaping from
the Void is very easy for some souls and difficult
for others. Various near-death accounts provide a wealth
of information on how to escape from the Void. Here
is a list of them:
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a. |
Love sets you free from the
Void. |
b. |
The light sets you free from the
Void. |
c. |
Your faith sets you free from
the Void. |
d. |
Beings of Light set you free
from the Void. |
e. |
Reincarnation sets you free from
the Void. |
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The following
information is a more detailed discussion of these ways
to escape from the Void:
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a. Love
sets you free from the
Void |
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The Void is a
spiritual dimension that exists within us. During our
lives, we may fill this Void with many things such as:
love, hatred, happiness, sadness, knowledge, ignorance,
family, just to name a few. And when we die, we actually
step into this spiritual dimension we have filled. Whatever
we fill the Void within us with, at death, we enter
into it. Perhaps this is one good reason why the most
important aspect of our missions in life have to do
with love. Realizing, filling and cultivating divine
love within our Void and sharing this love with others
during our life will create a heavenly paradise that
will be manifested in death. The following near-death
insights deal with love and its relationship to the
Void.
"After death, many people find themselves in the
Void.
The way out of the Void is simple. You must think of
love. Those who you love might show up to tell you to
go back to your body or to think of love. To recognize
love as a reality is the key to getting out of the
Void."
(Brian
Krebs)
Lynnclaire Dennis' love redeemed her from oblivion.
We only have to remember to make love real. (Lynnclaire
Dennis)
"Ignorance of the need to seek spiritual growth may keep
some souls in the Void for a long period of time." (Nora
Spurgin)
"Those in the dark realm can progress, but their progress
is limited. The key is love." (RaNelle
Wallace)
"To protect yourself from the unspiritual souls in the
darkness, whether on earth or in the Void, chose to
focus on love." (David
Oakford)
Joni Maggi was in a dark outer space and feeling total
bliss. It was there she learned that the universe is
upheld by love. (Joni
Maggi)
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b. Light
sets you free from
the Void |
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While some people
describe leaving the Void through love, others describe
leaving the Void through light. They are both describing
the same thing and the same God. One near-death experiencer
put it so nicely, "God is the light that loves."
Laurelynn Martin floated up through blackness where
there existed no fear, no pain, and no misunderstandings.
There was also a sense of well-being. She was enveloped
by total bliss in an atmosphere of unconditional love
and acceptance. The darkness was warm and soft, a blanket
of velvety love, stretching endlessly. The freedom of
total peace was intensified beyond any ecstatic feeling
she had ever felt on earth. In the distance, a glorious
white, golden light beckoned her forward. (Laurelynn
Martin)
Ray Meir was in a very dark, vast, peaceful area. It
was much like floating through outer space and total
darkness. He felt extremely peaceful and very comfortable.
Ahead he could see an extremely bright light attracting
him. He felt a great love emanating from the light and
he moved toward the light much like a child walking
to its father. (Ray
Meir)
Barbara Springer entered a black space where there existed
no light; but she wasn't frightened at all. The space
was totally comfortable. Ahead of her she noticed
a bright light. (Barbara
Springer)
Darlene Holman approached the blackness. Then see saw
a light in the distance with souls around the edge of
it. (Darlene
Holman)
Hal was in the darkness and could neither see nor feel
himself nor anything else. He wondered if the blackness
was all there was and if he'd have to make do with his
memories and imagination until they ran out. He was
absorbed in thought when a faint glimmer of light appeared;
but it quickly vanished. He tried to summon the light
and another brief burst of light appeared. He wondered
if he could attract its attention. The light appeared
again and the nearer it came, the brighter it was. In
the light, he could dimly see himself. The light grew
very bright and he tried to look away. It was so bright
that he feared its intensity. He yelled for it to stop
and the light replied, "I will not harm you." (Hal)
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c. Faith
sets you free from
the Void |
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By reflecting
on positive thoughts instead of negative thoughts, and
feeling the love and light within yourself, you will
be able to progress from the Void. The following information
demonstrates how faith can set you free.
George Rodonaia was surrounded by a profound darkness
which shocked and horrified him. He wondered why he
was in darkness and what he was supposed to do. He realized
that because he could still think, this meant he still
existed. Then he reasoned that since he existed, he
should think only positive thoughts. He wondered how
to define what is positive in the darkness. When he
thought of light, he was instantly in the light. (Dr.
George Rodonaia)
"As soon as we are able to confront our fears directly,
to face them, they dissipate." (Betty
Bethards)
Mrs. Walters tumbled in the blackness and felt frightened
because she didn't know where she was going. She thought,
"I have to get back inside my body." Immediately, she
was back inside her body without knowing how. (Mrs.
Walters)
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d.
Beings of light set you free
from the Void |
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Beings of Light
are near and ready to help anyone in the Void out of
their predicament. All it takes is but a desire or a
cry for help, no matter how large or small the desire.
Some experiencers, such as Linda Stewart, didn't belong
in the Void at all and were automatically rescued from
the Void. The following is a summary of her rescue from
the Void.
Linda Stewart was irresistibly draw toward a vast, endless
black Void or black hole. Gradually, she felt herself
sinking into it. It appeared that she would simply disappear
into the dark nothingness. As her new awareness waned,
she yielded to the heaviness overtaking her as darkness
filled her mind. Her vision became obscured as she began
to merge into the blackness. Offering no resistance,
she released her hold on any remaining shred of consciousness
and personal identity. As she felt the last of herself
disappearing into nothingness, she was suddenly buffeted
by a powerful, energetic force that swooped beneath
and lifted her, carrying her upward. She was barely
conscious. Her only awareness was the sensation of rising.
Vast distances seemed to fly by her and the higher she
rose, the more her head cleared. She felt peaceful and
loved immeasurably. She knew that she was in the arms
of a Being who cherished her with perfect love. This
Being was Jesus and he carried her from the Void into
a new reality. (Linda
Stewart)
"Higher beings know what to do to help a soul in the
Void advance themselves if they so choose to do so."
(David
Oakford)
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e. Reincarnation
sets you free
from the Void |
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God never abandons
anyone to the Void. Those who are either unwilling or
ignorant about entering the light may have only one
choice and that is to return to earth. Again, this is
not punishment; it is a way for such souls to return
to the earth-school for more lessons and learn how to
progress.
"For some souls, the only hope out of the Void is through
reincarnation." (Arthur
Yensen)
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