This blog is more than an account of Near Death Experiences. It ponders in detail the tough questions of life. Who are you, and why are you here in this physical world? What happens when you die, and is there a judgment? However, most anything could appear here. This is not a news blog, archived posts are just as relevant as new posts. Check the boxes at the top of the page for the Contents, Contact, Forum and other links.
There is an immense difference between religion, and spirit. Religion preaches a set of rules, commandments, rituals, and procedures. How, where, when and what to worship, as well as, what to wear, and eat while you are doing it. All enforced by the interpretation of sacred literature. Is this bad? No, of course not, there is room in this world for all religions, and each presents its uniqueness as a learning experience.
Spirit is what/who you are. Some are born knowing about their spiritual nature, others discover spirit during their life time, and still others are unable to discover spirit due to their narrow belief systems. Spirit has no limits, everything you see, and touch is spirit. No sacred literature, all things are sacred, it is what we are.
Most religions do teach the path to spirit, but this path has become overgrown with obstacles of compliance to the religion. The rules, and rituals have covered the path. Jesus taught spirit, and following His teachings will lead to discovery of spirit. He taught unconditional love, and that is the path to spirit.
There
is a vast difference between Religious beliefs and Spiritual reality.
The Greeks and Romans had many Gods. They erected statues and places
of worship. Gave sacrifices, wealth and great devotion to their Gods.
Now, the religions of this ancient time have faded into history. The
religions of today will also eventually fade out of favor and into
history.
Religion
is an institution for expressing belief in a divine power. A set of
rites, rituals, practices, and protocol written and followed by
mankind. It is because religion is physical expression, it is doomed
to the fate of all physical constructs. They have a beginning, grow
into maturity, get older, out of date, and finally come to an end. We
read about them in history class.
Spirit,
on the other hand, remains unchanged. Spirit exists above and beyond
the discernment of mankind. Spirit created the physical world and all
things within. You are spiritual. You were created by Spirit and are
occupying a physical body in order to live, learn, and grow
spiritually within the physical world. When your body becomes
unsuitable for physical life you will return to the spirit world.
Like spirit, you are eternal.
As
humans
we can not fully understand the nature of spirit, nor do we know how
spirit came into being. Some
humans have experienced a short
glimpse
of the spiritual world through a
phenomenon called the
Near
Death Experience.
It is through these experiences that we are able to understand some
realities of the spirit world.
Spirit
is light, and the light is pure energy. All things have their
beginning in the light. You were created as a being
of
light, self-aware, and with
the characteristics of
unconditional
love,
unflagging curiosity, and
eternal life.
You
grow spiritually by expanding your awareness. The physical world
allows you to make choices, then
live through the consequences of those choices. The rule of spirit is
“like attracts like.” How you treat others determines how you are
treated.
Eventually
you will learn to be nonjudgmental, kind and loving. Your
job is learn to
understand yourself and others. Accept others and yourself for what
you are and expand your love. The
more you learn the more you will understand.
You
honor yourself by honoring others.
Never
forget you are the light of the Creator surrounded by unconditional
love. When life gets difficult seek the light within. It
is your birthright. Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will
find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Consciousness, mind, spirit, soul, psyche, life force, intelligent, divine spark, awareness, cognizance, perception, sensitive, etc., are words we use to describe the phenomenon of being. This wide variety of words are used in different contexts, and have connotations suitable for different modes of expression, i.e., formal, colloquial, religious, and secular. For this post only the word “consciousness” will be used.
The amount of material written about consciousness is massive, and would have one believe we understood the subject well, however, there are some real world facts that need to be considered.
Consciousness has never been observed. Neither has it been weighed nor measured. The source of consciousness is unknown. Its location, within or without the body, has never been found. No one has determined what consciousness is made of, or exactly what it contains. There is no proof that consciousness is biological.
True, we don’t know what consciousness is, only that it exists, and we could not exist without it, because we are consciousness.
You are eternal consciousness!
You, as consciousness, entered your body at birth, and will exit it at death. This is evidenced by millions of near death experiences. Now, I could list some NDEs along with testimony of surgeons and doctors who witnessed them in order to corroborate my point. But you can read them on the Internet anytime. Instead, I will link a Near Death Experience by a friend named David. This experience illustrates several things that can happen when you attempt suicide. I will also link a Before Birth Experience, in order to give some good thoughts on how consciousness, (that’s you), moves through the physical dimension. David’s Experience Before Birth Experience Bonus Experience
The suicide rate is rising dramatically. Drug overdoses are also rising. Fingers point in all directions as who’s to blame. What can we do about it?
First we need to define the real problem. That problem is an identity crises. We no longer believe what religions teach us about ourselves. Church attendance is less each year. Science tells us we are accidents of nature. There is no omniscient creator looking over and protecting us. Accepting these beliefs leads to a void within, a lack of meaning. A feeling it just don’t matter what we accomplish.
We are at a point in history where change is imminent. No longer can this spiral downward continue. It must be stopped. The people must have a vision or they will perish. Morality is good, but it is not enough. Our efforts should count for something greater than ourselves; and they do, in many ways not readily understood.
It is what we believe about ourselves and our world that makes us strong or weak in the face of adversity. Most of us just accept what we were taught as children. We believe what our friends and parents believe, going back far into history. The few that question old belief systems become rebels and, for the most part, show us new paths into the future. Society advances on the backs of those who think “out of the box.”
Most all belief systems: religious, scientific, political, or cultural contain an element of truth. But none can comprehend the whole truth of our existence. There are just too many questions without answers. Far too many theories trying to explain the unexplainable. Wisdom understands there is knowledge aplenty in accepting our lack of it.
There is an objectivity that comes from facing our dearth of understanding. A feeling of relief. We no longer have to pound a square peg into a round hole. We can say out loud, “I don’t know,” with confidence. In order to achieve objectivity we need to learn about life from the experiences of others. Those we agree with, as well as those who think outside the box of our beliefs. Give up black or white thinking, and consider possibilities. Start by working with yourself.
Take time to listen to yourself. Think about what frightens you the most and put it at the top of your study list. Fear is our greatest enemy. The more we fear the harder life becomes. We are not born with fear, it is a learned process. Others teach us what they have learned to fear. We learn to fear: God, hell, death, the afterlife, police, IRS, strangers, those with different beliefs and/or of different races. Aliens, zombies, demons, evil spirits, vampires, the dark, and certain symbols are more feared objects. The list is endless.
But the buck stops with you. The decision to fear, or not to fear, is your choice. Knowledge is what you use to break free of fear. Learn everything possible about what you fear the most, and the fear will diminish.
What helps in life is self-confidence. An understanding that you belong and have the tools to be successful in your endeavors. This means accepting yourself and approving of your accomplishments. It is a form of self-love, and the goal in life is self-love. You may think that impossible because of how you look, or what you have done at this point in your life. But that is only because you lack the knowledge of who you are; what you are doing here; and what happens when this life is over.
Knowledge, and/or experience are the foundation for answering the hard questions of life. Some of us have had a glimpse of the afterlife, and know why we exist. It is called a Near Death Experience. Millions of people in the U.S. are Near Death Experiencers. Thousands of their stories are posted on the Internet. It is through these experiences we can gain knowledge of our existence. Each experience is different because we are different. But there’s a thread of truth that exists in all of them. It is necessary to read a lot of them to better understand their meaning. Over 300 are posted on the “Thoughtful Living” site.
NDE’s take away our fear; change lives and give meaning to our existence. We are not accidents. We came into the physical world to learn about ourselves and others. There is a purpose and a goal for us to achieve. The physical world is a classroom, and not an easy one. We learn by experience, overcoming hurdles and obstacles in our path. It takes courage and determination to keep going. Those who become addicted to drugs or alcohol are attempting to find that meaning. Looking for a reason to endure. But it can’t be found in addiction, so they begin to believe there is none. Yet, the answer is close, in a different direction. It is within them.
Near Death Experiences teach us we are eternal beings, created from pure energy. We live in an energy world, sometimes called a spirit world, surrounded by caring and compassion. In order to grow we come into a physical classroom where caring and compassion are not so prevalent. Here, we gain knowledge about ourselves and others by bringing caring and compassion into the physical world. Through our acts of kindness we make the physical world more gentle and loving. Even the smallest act of kindness never goes unnoticed.
The tools we all bring into this world are profoundly simple. They include the ability to learn and understand the motives of others. The power of forgiveness for ourselves as well as others, and the ability to overcome fear with love. Please read all the Near Death Experiences you can find and all other information written about them. You will begin to see the pattern of reality they reveal to us. They will allow you to love and appreciate your life. They will add meaning and purpose to your physical existence. They will teach you to love yourself and others.
