Monday, June 30, 2008
Yin and Yang
Both Chinese philosophy and medical theory divide physical functions and personality types into two categories … yin and yang. From a physiological perspective, Yin represents the internal, solid organs and the blood. Yang represents skin, muscle, hollow sack organs and Qi … the energy that courses through the body. Obviously, Yin and Yang are parts of an undifferentiated whole. The body cannot survive without both.
Even processes that occur everyday and in which we are involved incorporate aspects of Yin and Yang. The work we do in the external world involving activities and our personal productivity represents the Yang. Our rest from work at the end of the day during which we process what occurred and nurture our inner selves represents the Yin.
Yin and Yang delineate the ultimate unity of the universe where all parts, although appearing separate and individual, are weaved into an inseparable whole. Neither the body nor any other systems in the universe could operate without the existence of what Chinese philosophy refers to the Yin and the Yang.
In terms of personality, Yang represents the male force and Yin the female force. Most people have a basic tendency toward being either Yin or Yang although almost everyone has characteristics of both. Examples are my two blog sites. This site and another I write called Haiku Reflections could be considered oriented toward Yin … reflective and introspective. My other site, My Little Podium, is more oriented toward Yang. It is perhaps more vigorous, blunt and satirical in nature.
A Yang personality tends to be more forceful, determined and activity oriented with smaller needs for rest. He will be most at home in a stimulating, complicated, moving environment. He tends to act more quickly and, although not necessarily impulsive, does not like to waste time making a decision. The Yang personality reflects “doing.” He sees what needs to be done, formulates a plan and tackles the job. Shrewdness, mental ability and savvy are Yang characteristics. Yang leans toward the independent action of the individual.
A Yin personality will appreciate quieter, calmer, milder environments and prefers a more subdued approach to work and interaction than her Yang counterpart. The Yin person shuns extended periods of stress and, instead, ensures that she has sufficient rest and time for reflection and self nurture. Yin individuals are more collaborative than Yang personalities. This sometimes results in a sort of indecisiveness. It takes longer to make a decision because there is more introspection and more of a need for talking the issue over with others before action can be taken. Yin leans toward the group and consensus.
Yin and Yang are both parts of the greater whole. As such, neither is right or wrong, good or bad. They both have strengths and they both present weaknesses. The two forces are need both on an individual and community basis. The goal is to achieve an appropriate balance between them.
An individual, for example, who is too strongly oriented toward the Yang may, from a medical perspective, expose himself to coronary disease because of his hard driving style. He may isolate himself from others because of his tendency to take things into his own hands and make independent decisions inappropriately. He could be viewed as rash, impulsive, inflexible and forceful.
A person who is too closely associated with Yin could neglect physical exercise and thereby expose herself to related physical problems. She could be viewed as overly collaborative and unable to make a decision when necessary. She risks being viewed as an introspective idealist who spends time ineffectively in “thinking things through” when action is called for.
Because balance is important, the Yang personality should set aside some daily time for reflection and self care. He may need to work on effective collaboration and communication skills. The Yin personality should combine her penchant for collaboration with an effort to improve decision making skills and the ability to get things done.
Too many of either extreme of these personalities in a corporate culture can cause problems. Too many excessive Yangs and everybody could be doing their own thing without much regard for others. The place would tend to be run like a warped version of the military with rigid chains of command and a “my platoon first” mentality. Too many extreme Yins and the organization would be paralyzed by introspection and ineffective collaboration. It would probably be a very nurturing environment with very little direction or energy. More like a therapy group than an organization with a goal.
A balance of both types in an organization ensures a checks and balance system. The Yins will help ensure that communication, nurturing and collaboration takes place. The Yangs will help ensure that the organization is energized, makes decisions within appropriate timeframes, takes appropriate risks and moves forward toward its goals.
The same general principles apply to individuals. As in all things in life, balance is the key.
Even processes that occur everyday and in which we are involved incorporate aspects of Yin and Yang. The work we do in the external world involving activities and our personal productivity represents the Yang. Our rest from work at the end of the day during which we process what occurred and nurture our inner selves represents the Yin.
Yin and Yang delineate the ultimate unity of the universe where all parts, although appearing separate and individual, are weaved into an inseparable whole. Neither the body nor any other systems in the universe could operate without the existence of what Chinese philosophy refers to the Yin and the Yang.
In terms of personality, Yang represents the male force and Yin the female force. Most people have a basic tendency toward being either Yin or Yang although almost everyone has characteristics of both. Examples are my two blog sites. This site and another I write called Haiku Reflections could be considered oriented toward Yin … reflective and introspective. My other site, My Little Podium, is more oriented toward Yang. It is perhaps more vigorous, blunt and satirical in nature.
A Yang personality tends to be more forceful, determined and activity oriented with smaller needs for rest. He will be most at home in a stimulating, complicated, moving environment. He tends to act more quickly and, although not necessarily impulsive, does not like to waste time making a decision. The Yang personality reflects “doing.” He sees what needs to be done, formulates a plan and tackles the job. Shrewdness, mental ability and savvy are Yang characteristics. Yang leans toward the independent action of the individual.
A Yin personality will appreciate quieter, calmer, milder environments and prefers a more subdued approach to work and interaction than her Yang counterpart. The Yin person shuns extended periods of stress and, instead, ensures that she has sufficient rest and time for reflection and self nurture. Yin individuals are more collaborative than Yang personalities. This sometimes results in a sort of indecisiveness. It takes longer to make a decision because there is more introspection and more of a need for talking the issue over with others before action can be taken. Yin leans toward the group and consensus.
Yin and Yang are both parts of the greater whole. As such, neither is right or wrong, good or bad. They both have strengths and they both present weaknesses. The two forces are need both on an individual and community basis. The goal is to achieve an appropriate balance between them.
An individual, for example, who is too strongly oriented toward the Yang may, from a medical perspective, expose himself to coronary disease because of his hard driving style. He may isolate himself from others because of his tendency to take things into his own hands and make independent decisions inappropriately. He could be viewed as rash, impulsive, inflexible and forceful.
A person who is too closely associated with Yin could neglect physical exercise and thereby expose herself to related physical problems. She could be viewed as overly collaborative and unable to make a decision when necessary. She risks being viewed as an introspective idealist who spends time ineffectively in “thinking things through” when action is called for.
Because balance is important, the Yang personality should set aside some daily time for reflection and self care. He may need to work on effective collaboration and communication skills. The Yin personality should combine her penchant for collaboration with an effort to improve decision making skills and the ability to get things done.
Too many of either extreme of these personalities in a corporate culture can cause problems. Too many excessive Yangs and everybody could be doing their own thing without much regard for others. The place would tend to be run like a warped version of the military with rigid chains of command and a “my platoon first” mentality. Too many extreme Yins and the organization would be paralyzed by introspection and ineffective collaboration. It would probably be a very nurturing environment with very little direction or energy. More like a therapy group than an organization with a goal.
A balance of both types in an organization ensures a checks and balance system. The Yins will help ensure that communication, nurturing and collaboration takes place. The Yangs will help ensure that the organization is energized, makes decisions within appropriate timeframes, takes appropriate risks and moves forward toward its goals.
The same general principles apply to individuals. As in all things in life, balance is the key.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Mentors and Paradoxes
The dictionary defines “paradox” as … 1) a statement that seems to contradict common sense and yet is perhaps true or 2) something (as a person, condition, or act) with seemingly contradictory qualities or phases. If we take a few moments we can think of many paradoxes that we are faced with on a daily basis.
A common one addresses our individual stations in life. It has to do with the position of many spiritual belief systems that everything is exactly as it should be. If that is true, however, why do we have war, disease, crime and pollution? If we are where we are supposed to be as individuals, then it must be God’s will that we create these scenarios and conditions. Otherwise, the original position statement must be untrue. But if the original position statement is untrue, it calls into question much of what many of us believe about the nature of divinity.
We can spend a lot of time trying to explain away the paradox. But, in a whimsical and ironic sense, there really are no paradoxes! We find ourselves unable to explain them away because they don’t exist and you cannot explain away something that doesn’t exist.
All paradoxes are resolved and dissolved at levels of consciousness that are higher than those in which they present. This is the same principle that is at work in the true healing of disease. Physical disease cannot really be adequately resolved on its level of manifestation. It must be resolved at least one level higher.
What we currently see as contradictions in spiritual principles, the various fields of physics, moral laws of what we perceive as the balance of justice in terms of life events are really reflections of our limited vision and understanding. When you stand at ground level it is impossible to get a good idea of the lay of the land. You may be able to see a few blocks in either direction depending on the terrain. But you can never see with any breadth of vision. To do so requires that you look down on the terrain from an airplane. From a higher perspective you can see things that you would never be able to discern from ground level.
As you ascend into higher levels of consciousness some of the difficulties surround the resolution of daily paradoxes fade away. But not all. The nature of this classroom is such that it’s extremely difficult to understand the nature order of all that is. Some mystics and masters have reached levels of awareness in which they seem to have peaceably dealt with these apparent conflicts. But most of us will never reach these heights of understanding. To do so requires time and commitment that we can’t work into our lives. Therefore, we must develop another strategy to deal with the feelings that are generated by the conflicts.
Perhaps the most common strategy is to learn to live with the unknowable. We must come to terms with the fact that we will always be unable to understand all that is. To do so would put us on a level equal with God. It would preclude us from further growth. And it would violate two fundamental rules of the universe … 1) the student is never greater than the teacher and 2) you cannot add a second to you life by worrying.
Mentors may attempt to bring their protégés to a point at which they can begin to understand and resolve the paradox. Bur more often they must teach them ways in which to deal with the inner conflicts that are generated by wrestling with the most difficult of life’s issues.
A common one addresses our individual stations in life. It has to do with the position of many spiritual belief systems that everything is exactly as it should be. If that is true, however, why do we have war, disease, crime and pollution? If we are where we are supposed to be as individuals, then it must be God’s will that we create these scenarios and conditions. Otherwise, the original position statement must be untrue. But if the original position statement is untrue, it calls into question much of what many of us believe about the nature of divinity.
We can spend a lot of time trying to explain away the paradox. But, in a whimsical and ironic sense, there really are no paradoxes! We find ourselves unable to explain them away because they don’t exist and you cannot explain away something that doesn’t exist.
All paradoxes are resolved and dissolved at levels of consciousness that are higher than those in which they present. This is the same principle that is at work in the true healing of disease. Physical disease cannot really be adequately resolved on its level of manifestation. It must be resolved at least one level higher.
What we currently see as contradictions in spiritual principles, the various fields of physics, moral laws of what we perceive as the balance of justice in terms of life events are really reflections of our limited vision and understanding. When you stand at ground level it is impossible to get a good idea of the lay of the land. You may be able to see a few blocks in either direction depending on the terrain. But you can never see with any breadth of vision. To do so requires that you look down on the terrain from an airplane. From a higher perspective you can see things that you would never be able to discern from ground level.
As you ascend into higher levels of consciousness some of the difficulties surround the resolution of daily paradoxes fade away. But not all. The nature of this classroom is such that it’s extremely difficult to understand the nature order of all that is. Some mystics and masters have reached levels of awareness in which they seem to have peaceably dealt with these apparent conflicts. But most of us will never reach these heights of understanding. To do so requires time and commitment that we can’t work into our lives. Therefore, we must develop another strategy to deal with the feelings that are generated by the conflicts.
Perhaps the most common strategy is to learn to live with the unknowable. We must come to terms with the fact that we will always be unable to understand all that is. To do so would put us on a level equal with God. It would preclude us from further growth. And it would violate two fundamental rules of the universe … 1) the student is never greater than the teacher and 2) you cannot add a second to you life by worrying.
Mentors may attempt to bring their protégés to a point at which they can begin to understand and resolve the paradox. Bur more often they must teach them ways in which to deal with the inner conflicts that are generated by wrestling with the most difficult of life’s issues.
Friday, June 27, 2008
2012
In recent years there has been a great deal of speculation about the significance of the year 2012. The Mayans … who were masters of astronomy, various sciences and math … developed a highly sophisticated and accurate calendar that ends in December of 2012. This has caused some to believe that it represents the date the world will end.
While on a recent trip to some Mayan ruins deep in the jungles of Mexico, I talked with our guide who was a highly educated man, about a discussion he had with a friend of his who was a NASA engineer. This gentleman had told him that a highly unusual planetary alignment will occur in December of 2012. Although he offered no explanations of what he thought that meant, he wondered out loud if the alignment might have something to do with the end of the Mayan calendar.
People from various religious backgrounds take different stands on the date. Those of the apocalyptic persuasion suggest that it is the beginning of the tribulation … or the second coming of Christ … or the end of the world - Armageddon. Some in the New Age venue believe it represents the dawning of a new age of enlightenment and global cooperation.
My take is that the Mayans could not see beyond that point in time because it represented a tipping point for humanity. Forces of Light and darkness are both gaining strength on the planet, but there comes a point at which a physical dimension such as the earth lies within cannot hold such powerful divergent forces. The final clash of these two forces may result in any number of resolutions.
Because both Light and darkness are gaining in visibility and power, it is “forcing” people to make more informed choices between the two. It may be that, at a certain point, those who align themselves with the Light will achieve a higher vibrational rate that will eventually reach “critical mass” in some type of coordinated manner. At that time, they may simply disappear en masse from the physical plane of Earth and find themselves living in another dimension, leaving behind all those who aligned with the darkness. At that time, the decline of the planet would accelerate in a vicious de-evolutionary spiral.
Of course, other outcomes are possible. If the inhabitants of Earth don’t learn to live together in peace, sharing knowledge and resources and applying the principles of wisdom, we could end up destroying the planet. It has happened before in other parts of the Universe.
Or we could collectively have an “Aha” moment and, over the course of a few years, decide that it is in our best interests to smarten up and not destroy ourselves. We could share resources, abandon oppressive styles of government and work together to promote planetary healing. New technologies would then open up to us, enabling "miracle" breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture and energy.
What do I believe?
I believe that events on our planet are rapidly bringing us to a decision point. Damage to the environment, poor planning, inefficient use of natural resources, repressive governments, religious wars and unsustainable practices are destroying ecosystems, breeding hate and fomenting war. We are approaching the “perfect storm” where , if we do not consciously decide to change course, we will find ourselves in a de-evolutionary spiral that will lead to our destruction.
If, however, we make different choices, we can change course and transform Earth into a garden planet.
The choice is ours. But we do not have much time.
The year 2012 represents the tipping point.
While on a recent trip to some Mayan ruins deep in the jungles of Mexico, I talked with our guide who was a highly educated man, about a discussion he had with a friend of his who was a NASA engineer. This gentleman had told him that a highly unusual planetary alignment will occur in December of 2012. Although he offered no explanations of what he thought that meant, he wondered out loud if the alignment might have something to do with the end of the Mayan calendar.
People from various religious backgrounds take different stands on the date. Those of the apocalyptic persuasion suggest that it is the beginning of the tribulation … or the second coming of Christ … or the end of the world - Armageddon. Some in the New Age venue believe it represents the dawning of a new age of enlightenment and global cooperation.
My take is that the Mayans could not see beyond that point in time because it represented a tipping point for humanity. Forces of Light and darkness are both gaining strength on the planet, but there comes a point at which a physical dimension such as the earth lies within cannot hold such powerful divergent forces. The final clash of these two forces may result in any number of resolutions.
Because both Light and darkness are gaining in visibility and power, it is “forcing” people to make more informed choices between the two. It may be that, at a certain point, those who align themselves with the Light will achieve a higher vibrational rate that will eventually reach “critical mass” in some type of coordinated manner. At that time, they may simply disappear en masse from the physical plane of Earth and find themselves living in another dimension, leaving behind all those who aligned with the darkness. At that time, the decline of the planet would accelerate in a vicious de-evolutionary spiral.
Of course, other outcomes are possible. If the inhabitants of Earth don’t learn to live together in peace, sharing knowledge and resources and applying the principles of wisdom, we could end up destroying the planet. It has happened before in other parts of the Universe.
Or we could collectively have an “Aha” moment and, over the course of a few years, decide that it is in our best interests to smarten up and not destroy ourselves. We could share resources, abandon oppressive styles of government and work together to promote planetary healing. New technologies would then open up to us, enabling "miracle" breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture and energy.
What do I believe?
I believe that events on our planet are rapidly bringing us to a decision point. Damage to the environment, poor planning, inefficient use of natural resources, repressive governments, religious wars and unsustainable practices are destroying ecosystems, breeding hate and fomenting war. We are approaching the “perfect storm” where , if we do not consciously decide to change course, we will find ourselves in a de-evolutionary spiral that will lead to our destruction.
If, however, we make different choices, we can change course and transform Earth into a garden planet.
The choice is ours. But we do not have much time.
The year 2012 represents the tipping point.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Role of Intuitives
Intuitives have the gift of perceiving what is really happening in any given situation and what is likely to happen as future events unfold. In the former, they are a sort of “lie detector”, able to cut through the screens that most of us put up to mask our intents or actions. This is accomplished in a number of ways but primary is their ability to see thoughtforms in the energy fields of those with whom they have contact. Thoughtforms are entities consisting of extremely fine substance that are generated by – obviously enough – our thoughts. They circulate in our energy fields like little movie clips and are visually apparent to anyone who has developed the gift of seeing them. Intuitives who can see thoughtforms are also alternatively called auravoyants.
Other intuitives gain insights through their close contact with guides and teachers and by, what I can only describe as “entering the stream of consciousness” … which is a sufficiently high degree of alignment with Source that allows certain things to become transparent to him/her. Entering the stream is consistent with the teachings of quantum mechanics. We are all one. We all exist at all points in space and time. To change perspectives, we simply have to change our focus of consciousness. So, in a sense, intuitives can simply shift their consciousness from themselves to another person and actually “get inside” that person, gaining access to thoughts, memories and life experiences.
Intuitives and “psychics” (by the traditional definition) differ in that psychics will often see your thoughtforms and use them to predict your future. Say someone was afraid of flying, but had to take a flight across the country for a business trip. They may obsess about the plane crashing … which would generate thoughtforms that the psychic will see. The psychic, perhaps not understanding how his/her ability really works and what s/he’s really seeing, interprets the movie clip s/he sees as the person’s actual future … rather than just a fear that the person is manifesting through their thoughtforms. S/he might tell the person that they shouldn’t travel because they would be involved in an airline accident. That can obviously be a problem.
Good intuitives, however, can serve as excellent life coaches, helping people to gain difficult insights into themselves and suggesting the most effective ways to remove blocks, change circumstances and grow spiritually.
They will take on increasing roles as the world faces progressively more difficult circumstances and choices. They will intuit courses of actions for situations where there is no rational, easy solution. They will see the likely outcome of situations and work backward to discover the probable causes. That will enable them to suggest more successful, alternative tactics. They will help society escape traditional, mental based approaches to problems, solving vexing situations that often seem beyond our ability to unravel.
If that sounds far-fetched, remember that no problem is ever solved on the plane in which it manifests. Disease, for example, appears in the energy field before it reveals itself in the body. Advanced healers can see the disturbance in the energy field and remove it before it becomes measurable in the physical plane. If you are interested in this subject, try reading some works by Dr. Harold S. Burr.
Intuition is both a gift … and also a skill that can be developed. It is not an either / or proposition – either you have it or you don’t. Everyone has some degree of intuitive ability that can be developed. It’s the tingly feeling you get when you walk into a room where there’s bad energy. It’s the uncomfortable feeling you get about someone when you first meet them … or the natural “click” you feel with someone when you’re introduced for the first time.
The Kaiser Institutes Intuition Program (http://www.twoworldswisdom.org/) is a very good start. And there are many helpful books on the subject. Use your own intuition to determine the best place for you to start!
Other intuitives gain insights through their close contact with guides and teachers and by, what I can only describe as “entering the stream of consciousness” … which is a sufficiently high degree of alignment with Source that allows certain things to become transparent to him/her. Entering the stream is consistent with the teachings of quantum mechanics. We are all one. We all exist at all points in space and time. To change perspectives, we simply have to change our focus of consciousness. So, in a sense, intuitives can simply shift their consciousness from themselves to another person and actually “get inside” that person, gaining access to thoughts, memories and life experiences.
Intuitives and “psychics” (by the traditional definition) differ in that psychics will often see your thoughtforms and use them to predict your future. Say someone was afraid of flying, but had to take a flight across the country for a business trip. They may obsess about the plane crashing … which would generate thoughtforms that the psychic will see. The psychic, perhaps not understanding how his/her ability really works and what s/he’s really seeing, interprets the movie clip s/he sees as the person’s actual future … rather than just a fear that the person is manifesting through their thoughtforms. S/he might tell the person that they shouldn’t travel because they would be involved in an airline accident. That can obviously be a problem.
Good intuitives, however, can serve as excellent life coaches, helping people to gain difficult insights into themselves and suggesting the most effective ways to remove blocks, change circumstances and grow spiritually.
They will take on increasing roles as the world faces progressively more difficult circumstances and choices. They will intuit courses of actions for situations where there is no rational, easy solution. They will see the likely outcome of situations and work backward to discover the probable causes. That will enable them to suggest more successful, alternative tactics. They will help society escape traditional, mental based approaches to problems, solving vexing situations that often seem beyond our ability to unravel.
If that sounds far-fetched, remember that no problem is ever solved on the plane in which it manifests. Disease, for example, appears in the energy field before it reveals itself in the body. Advanced healers can see the disturbance in the energy field and remove it before it becomes measurable in the physical plane. If you are interested in this subject, try reading some works by Dr. Harold S. Burr.
Intuition is both a gift … and also a skill that can be developed. It is not an either / or proposition – either you have it or you don’t. Everyone has some degree of intuitive ability that can be developed. It’s the tingly feeling you get when you walk into a room where there’s bad energy. It’s the uncomfortable feeling you get about someone when you first meet them … or the natural “click” you feel with someone when you’re introduced for the first time.
The Kaiser Institutes Intuition Program (http://www.twoworldswisdom.org/) is a very good start. And there are many helpful books on the subject. Use your own intuition to determine the best place for you to start!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Effective Mentoring
Mentors view the process of unfoldment as the mastery of various levels of consciousness. We understand ourselves, our purpose, others and the universe better when we pursue the expansion of consciousness. The mentor’s role in this is to know when to help maintain, accelerate or slow the process. In doing so he must confront a paradox.
There are four main types of people in relation to the process of unfoldment.
1) People who wish to accelerate the evolutionary process and who pace themselves according. These people are committed to enlarging their awareness but do not overextend themselves. They have a plan and they work it. Their growth is steady but they don’t try to pass the tests before they are able. They know their abilities and have a good sense of their place in the Plan. When they are ready, the tests come. They pass them and move on to the next level.
2) People who wish to quicken their progress. These are overextenders. They attempt more than they are able and, therefore, often get in over their heads. Their progress is erratic and their depth of understanding is sometimes questionable. There is a sense of anxious urgency surrounding these folks. They generally do not have a plan. They often leapfrog or run helter skelter from issue to issue. They generally do not have good records at passing their tests because they try to manifest them before they are ready.
3) People who are simply comfortable where they are. These people are quite content with their station and have little or no awareness of their role in the Plan. They let life roll along at it’s own pace seeing little need to try to change the current speed or direction. In this sense, they are fatalistic. They lack a grasp of the larger picture and, if they are able to view things from a bigger perspective, they see themselves as fitting in perfectly right where they are and right as they are. They see no need for change.
4) People who want to expand their consciousness, but for dark purposes. These folks can be like those described in 1 or 2 but will use acquired knowledge and skills in alliance with the dark side.
The paradox that mentors must help their protégés confront is that everybody is perfectly situated in life right where they are, in order to learn the lessons that they must learn. People in the 3rd group will use this argument to justify to themselves and others their lack of effort toward growing and developing.
The other side of the paradox, however, is that the Universe will place you in the classroom, but will not do the work for you. Therefore, we can say that we are perfectly situated, but that doesn’t mean that we are where we should be. Part of the definition of being perfectly situated involves the development of potential.
Mentors, recognizing this, act as governors of sorts for their protégés. Guiding a person of the first type is perhaps the easiest assignment. All it takes is a little encouragement and a brief escort down the right path.
Mentoring someone of the second type is more difficult. There must be an effort to help the person recognize their need to slow down and organize their efforts. Planning skills and patience should be emphasized.
Helping the third type of person is perhaps the most difficult. Breaking through complete contentment with the way things are is a real challenge. Mentors must find ways to light the fire of inquisitiveness.
Dealing with the fourth type is generally a matter of avoidance. Mentors should not engage in assisting anyone who is aligned with the dark side.
Assisting someone in the process of unfoldment requires many things of the mentor. Patience, a sense of humor, compassion, intuition, imagination, insight and the ability to help plan and set the pace are essential.
There are four main types of people in relation to the process of unfoldment.
1) People who wish to accelerate the evolutionary process and who pace themselves according. These people are committed to enlarging their awareness but do not overextend themselves. They have a plan and they work it. Their growth is steady but they don’t try to pass the tests before they are able. They know their abilities and have a good sense of their place in the Plan. When they are ready, the tests come. They pass them and move on to the next level.
2) People who wish to quicken their progress. These are overextenders. They attempt more than they are able and, therefore, often get in over their heads. Their progress is erratic and their depth of understanding is sometimes questionable. There is a sense of anxious urgency surrounding these folks. They generally do not have a plan. They often leapfrog or run helter skelter from issue to issue. They generally do not have good records at passing their tests because they try to manifest them before they are ready.
3) People who are simply comfortable where they are. These people are quite content with their station and have little or no awareness of their role in the Plan. They let life roll along at it’s own pace seeing little need to try to change the current speed or direction. In this sense, they are fatalistic. They lack a grasp of the larger picture and, if they are able to view things from a bigger perspective, they see themselves as fitting in perfectly right where they are and right as they are. They see no need for change.
4) People who want to expand their consciousness, but for dark purposes. These folks can be like those described in 1 or 2 but will use acquired knowledge and skills in alliance with the dark side.
The paradox that mentors must help their protégés confront is that everybody is perfectly situated in life right where they are, in order to learn the lessons that they must learn. People in the 3rd group will use this argument to justify to themselves and others their lack of effort toward growing and developing.
The other side of the paradox, however, is that the Universe will place you in the classroom, but will not do the work for you. Therefore, we can say that we are perfectly situated, but that doesn’t mean that we are where we should be. Part of the definition of being perfectly situated involves the development of potential.
Mentors, recognizing this, act as governors of sorts for their protégés. Guiding a person of the first type is perhaps the easiest assignment. All it takes is a little encouragement and a brief escort down the right path.
Mentoring someone of the second type is more difficult. There must be an effort to help the person recognize their need to slow down and organize their efforts. Planning skills and patience should be emphasized.
Helping the third type of person is perhaps the most difficult. Breaking through complete contentment with the way things are is a real challenge. Mentors must find ways to light the fire of inquisitiveness.
Dealing with the fourth type is generally a matter of avoidance. Mentors should not engage in assisting anyone who is aligned with the dark side.
Assisting someone in the process of unfoldment requires many things of the mentor. Patience, a sense of humor, compassion, intuition, imagination, insight and the ability to help plan and set the pace are essential.
Friday, June 20, 2008
To change who you are, practice being who you aren't
Changing behavior can be difficult. All of us have developed patterns of behavior that have evolved as a result of years of parental, peer, religious, educational and societal influence. Parents, for example, may teach us things about relationships through both their actions and attitudes. As we mature, some of us realize that, although our parents may have been doing the best they could at every given moment, the lessons they taught us may not fit into our feelings about what a relationship should be like. We may find ourselves in situations that call for changes in our perspectives and behaviors. And, although we may recognize that change is necessary, we find it difficult to make it happen.
A person committed to The Path, however, accepts that behaviors, attitudes and perspectives must be adjusted as understanding grows.
Almost all of us believe that behavior can’t be changed without attitudes first being changed. But this isn’t necessarily so. It’s true in the sense that we have to at least acknowledge that we want to change even if we don’t know how and even if we find the going tough. But it’s equally true that deeper attitudes can be changed if we practice changing our behavior. Behaviors adjust to attitude and attitudes adjust to behavior. For the latter to occur you must practice being who you are not in order to become who you want to be.
Take the example of a person who is opinionated and rigid in her views. Every day she should consciously decide that, in certain social or business interactions, she will be gracious, open and understanding of other perspectives. A person who struggles with impatience could consciously target a couple of family situations or business projects in which he will exercise calmness and forbearance. Someone who is overly critical could decide that, between the hours of 11am and 1pm, she will be gentle and complimentary to everyone with whom she comes into contact.
One of the keys is to not set yourself up for failure by demanding perfect compliance with your goals on a 24 hour basis. Break your task into chunks. Say “here I will be this way or that way.” Achieve compliance in small portions and work your way up.
You can break your task into people or time. If you are impatient you could say that you will be completely patient during work on one identified business project. I you are overly critical you could say that you will be commendatory toward one of the people with whom you would normally find fault. If that target is too high tell yourself that you will not be critical of that person between the hours of 9am and 2pm.
By being who you are not now and practicing the desired you, you will eventually become who you wish to be.
A person committed to The Path, however, accepts that behaviors, attitudes and perspectives must be adjusted as understanding grows.
Almost all of us believe that behavior can’t be changed without attitudes first being changed. But this isn’t necessarily so. It’s true in the sense that we have to at least acknowledge that we want to change even if we don’t know how and even if we find the going tough. But it’s equally true that deeper attitudes can be changed if we practice changing our behavior. Behaviors adjust to attitude and attitudes adjust to behavior. For the latter to occur you must practice being who you are not in order to become who you want to be.
Take the example of a person who is opinionated and rigid in her views. Every day she should consciously decide that, in certain social or business interactions, she will be gracious, open and understanding of other perspectives. A person who struggles with impatience could consciously target a couple of family situations or business projects in which he will exercise calmness and forbearance. Someone who is overly critical could decide that, between the hours of 11am and 1pm, she will be gentle and complimentary to everyone with whom she comes into contact.
One of the keys is to not set yourself up for failure by demanding perfect compliance with your goals on a 24 hour basis. Break your task into chunks. Say “here I will be this way or that way.” Achieve compliance in small portions and work your way up.
You can break your task into people or time. If you are impatient you could say that you will be completely patient during work on one identified business project. I you are overly critical you could say that you will be commendatory toward one of the people with whom you would normally find fault. If that target is too high tell yourself that you will not be critical of that person between the hours of 9am and 2pm.
By being who you are not now and practicing the desired you, you will eventually become who you wish to be.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
... what life lessons have you learned?
There are two good reasons to think about what lessons you have learned during your life.
The first is that you are not allowed to progress to your next “ring size” until you pass the necessary test(s). The ring is your ring of consciousness. It represents the largeness of your understanding … the expanse of your mental and spiritual grasp … your ability to function effectively in more than one domain or dimension.
With each test that you pass your ring size expands. You will continue to face the same test(s) until you are able to pass them and, at that point, you will progress to the next ring size. The tests may come at you in similar forms or in slightly different formats time and time again. But the general theme will always be the same. When you finally pass them they are not likely to surface again … at least with the same intensity.
You will never finish taking the larger test. Earth is a schoolroom and it allows the unique opportunity for souls to choose between light and darkness, good and evil in ways that are not afforded in very many other places within the cosmos. As long as you’re here you’ll be taking tests. As a general rule the tests get more difficult as you progress, just as school gets more challenging as you make your way from grade school to middle school to junior high to high school to college to post-grad work.
The tests are designed to help you evolve as an entity. Because earth is a dense environment with light and darkness in clear relief and it is rife with pitfalls and challenges of all kinds, it allows the opportunity to learn lessons much more quickly than you could in other dimensions where not much “push” is required.
The second reason is that when you leave your body at death you will experience a life review. During the life review you will be asked what you have learned. I don’t know about you. But I want to have an answer!
Generally, entities come to earth to learn certain lessons which they then take back to Source. The lessons are part of their soul covenants. Along with those core lessons are woven in other lessons that are more common to mankind.
It is helpful to think about what your core lessons may be … and also what else you are learning along the way. One way of doing that is to look for patterns in your life. What are the issues that seem to confront you time and time again? What are some issues that used to challenge you but which seem to now have tapered off because you’ve mastered them in some way? What is it that you would like to do with your life? What are some of your accomplishments? What situations do you feel drawn to, threatened by, vulnerable to, confident of, uneasy about, secure in?
Somewhere in your answer(s) to those questions lies your lessons. When you can identify the lesson plan, it’s always easier to study for and pass the tests.
The first is that you are not allowed to progress to your next “ring size” until you pass the necessary test(s). The ring is your ring of consciousness. It represents the largeness of your understanding … the expanse of your mental and spiritual grasp … your ability to function effectively in more than one domain or dimension.
With each test that you pass your ring size expands. You will continue to face the same test(s) until you are able to pass them and, at that point, you will progress to the next ring size. The tests may come at you in similar forms or in slightly different formats time and time again. But the general theme will always be the same. When you finally pass them they are not likely to surface again … at least with the same intensity.
You will never finish taking the larger test. Earth is a schoolroom and it allows the unique opportunity for souls to choose between light and darkness, good and evil in ways that are not afforded in very many other places within the cosmos. As long as you’re here you’ll be taking tests. As a general rule the tests get more difficult as you progress, just as school gets more challenging as you make your way from grade school to middle school to junior high to high school to college to post-grad work.
The tests are designed to help you evolve as an entity. Because earth is a dense environment with light and darkness in clear relief and it is rife with pitfalls and challenges of all kinds, it allows the opportunity to learn lessons much more quickly than you could in other dimensions where not much “push” is required.
The second reason is that when you leave your body at death you will experience a life review. During the life review you will be asked what you have learned. I don’t know about you. But I want to have an answer!
Generally, entities come to earth to learn certain lessons which they then take back to Source. The lessons are part of their soul covenants. Along with those core lessons are woven in other lessons that are more common to mankind.
It is helpful to think about what your core lessons may be … and also what else you are learning along the way. One way of doing that is to look for patterns in your life. What are the issues that seem to confront you time and time again? What are some issues that used to challenge you but which seem to now have tapered off because you’ve mastered them in some way? What is it that you would like to do with your life? What are some of your accomplishments? What situations do you feel drawn to, threatened by, vulnerable to, confident of, uneasy about, secure in?
Somewhere in your answer(s) to those questions lies your lessons. When you can identify the lesson plan, it’s always easier to study for and pass the tests.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Self Correcting Behavior
The process of self-correcting behavior involves the recognition of thoughts, attitudes, practices and behaviors that are detrimental to oneself and others. It generally involves correcting mental models because all actions and behaviors arise from mental models that begin to be constructed early in life.
Weaknesses in mental models should not be viewed as flaws but as learning opportunities. You may undo what has been learned and recreate your own reality by making conscious choices about who you are, what you believe and what is in your best interests while keeping in mind the needs of your community.
The first step is identifying areas that need work. And there are several good sources of information including the self, spirit, friends and mentors.
The self can provide excellent guidance if you can quiet your mind enough to hear your own inner voice. Your higher self can provide excellent feedback if you learn how not to pollute the message. After all, it knows everything there is to know about you. The disadvantage is an extension of the advantage … we can easily contaminate the message to protect our egos, escape from dealing with a difficult issue or save ourselves from the difficult task of self-work. The best way to hear the voice of self is through meditation.
Spirit often provides insights that we have hidden from ourselves. Our teachers and guides often help in this process. Sometimes we are so involved in our own agenda that we can’t see the forest for the trees. It takes someone outside of ourselves to pinpoint what we need to work on and how best to go about it. These messages can come in the form of dreams, epiphanies, strong and persistent feelings or even visions or appearances. There are different ways of connecting with these sources but, again, meditation and prayer are perhaps the most common.
Friends can often provide effective feedback but it most often has to be pursued. Friends can be concerned about not wounding feelings, preserving the friendship and maintaining a sense of balance in the relationship. A good friend, however, if approached in the spirit of trust, can provide invaluable information. For these interactions, select friends that you trust and who have a track record of candidness and tactful communication.
Mentors represent an expanded definition of friends. They will probably surprise you with their depth of insight. They generally represent a higher level of consciousness than the protégé and will see things from a different perspective. They often have access to information about a person that is supplied by higher sources or they may have the gift of seeing into the protégés higher dimensional bodies. They regard this information in a sacred manner and are careful to use it only for the growth of their students. Their job, therefore, is to give their protégés the right amount of information. Too little will not make the protégé stretch and s/he may remain mired in his/her present situation. Too much may overload their understanding and cause frustration.
Mentoring is a two-way street. Mentors must be willing to guide and students must be willing to grow. They will appear when the student is ready.
Weaknesses in mental models should not be viewed as flaws but as learning opportunities. You may undo what has been learned and recreate your own reality by making conscious choices about who you are, what you believe and what is in your best interests while keeping in mind the needs of your community.
The first step is identifying areas that need work. And there are several good sources of information including the self, spirit, friends and mentors.
The self can provide excellent guidance if you can quiet your mind enough to hear your own inner voice. Your higher self can provide excellent feedback if you learn how not to pollute the message. After all, it knows everything there is to know about you. The disadvantage is an extension of the advantage … we can easily contaminate the message to protect our egos, escape from dealing with a difficult issue or save ourselves from the difficult task of self-work. The best way to hear the voice of self is through meditation.
Spirit often provides insights that we have hidden from ourselves. Our teachers and guides often help in this process. Sometimes we are so involved in our own agenda that we can’t see the forest for the trees. It takes someone outside of ourselves to pinpoint what we need to work on and how best to go about it. These messages can come in the form of dreams, epiphanies, strong and persistent feelings or even visions or appearances. There are different ways of connecting with these sources but, again, meditation and prayer are perhaps the most common.
Friends can often provide effective feedback but it most often has to be pursued. Friends can be concerned about not wounding feelings, preserving the friendship and maintaining a sense of balance in the relationship. A good friend, however, if approached in the spirit of trust, can provide invaluable information. For these interactions, select friends that you trust and who have a track record of candidness and tactful communication.
Mentors represent an expanded definition of friends. They will probably surprise you with their depth of insight. They generally represent a higher level of consciousness than the protégé and will see things from a different perspective. They often have access to information about a person that is supplied by higher sources or they may have the gift of seeing into the protégés higher dimensional bodies. They regard this information in a sacred manner and are careful to use it only for the growth of their students. Their job, therefore, is to give their protégés the right amount of information. Too little will not make the protégé stretch and s/he may remain mired in his/her present situation. Too much may overload their understanding and cause frustration.
Mentoring is a two-way street. Mentors must be willing to guide and students must be willing to grow. They will appear when the student is ready.
Monday, June 16, 2008
An unexpected lesson
Every once in a while life reaches down, taps you on the shoulder and reminds you not to take life too cavalierly … to stop and smell the roses … to forgive more quickly … to appreciate what you do have rather than what you don’t have … to love more quickly … to live in such a way that your regrets are minimized …
I got one of those taps this morning.
While in a board meeting, one of my staff came in and whispered in my ear that the son of one of my managers had just passed away unexpectedly. This young man had just returned home from the hospital after some major surgery and had been doing fairly well. His wife … who is expecting their first child in August … found him on their bed just before noon this morning.
I left the meeting and went to her office. She allowed me to drive her to his home and I arranged to have her vehicle, which she left at the office, be taken to her house. While in my car, she tracked her husband down and notified him. And the rest of the trip I listened to her talk through tears … about hugging him good-bye on Saturday and telling him she loved him … about him being her youngest child … about talking with him on the phone yesterday … about wondering how she would tell her very elderly mother … about how he’d only been married a year … about what his wife was going through … about how if she “had only known” …
I listened … and mourned with her … and told her I understood some of her pain. We lost a child also.
I stayed with her until her husband arrived … told her not to think about work … told her that I was available any time of the day or night to do anything that needed to be done. Then I left with a hole in my heart, wishing I could have done more.
When I returned to my office, it dawned on me that, for all the pontificating I do on this blog about what I think are “important” issues … things that people might be interested in ... perhaps I should pay more attention to talking about the really important issues … like making sure the important people in your life know how you feel about them.
Sometimes the most important lessons are taught with the fewest words.
So, perhaps, I have already said enough.
I got one of those taps this morning.
While in a board meeting, one of my staff came in and whispered in my ear that the son of one of my managers had just passed away unexpectedly. This young man had just returned home from the hospital after some major surgery and had been doing fairly well. His wife … who is expecting their first child in August … found him on their bed just before noon this morning.
I left the meeting and went to her office. She allowed me to drive her to his home and I arranged to have her vehicle, which she left at the office, be taken to her house. While in my car, she tracked her husband down and notified him. And the rest of the trip I listened to her talk through tears … about hugging him good-bye on Saturday and telling him she loved him … about him being her youngest child … about talking with him on the phone yesterday … about wondering how she would tell her very elderly mother … about how he’d only been married a year … about what his wife was going through … about how if she “had only known” …
I listened … and mourned with her … and told her I understood some of her pain. We lost a child also.
I stayed with her until her husband arrived … told her not to think about work … told her that I was available any time of the day or night to do anything that needed to be done. Then I left with a hole in my heart, wishing I could have done more.
When I returned to my office, it dawned on me that, for all the pontificating I do on this blog about what I think are “important” issues … things that people might be interested in ... perhaps I should pay more attention to talking about the really important issues … like making sure the important people in your life know how you feel about them.
Sometimes the most important lessons are taught with the fewest words.
So, perhaps, I have already said enough.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Developing Higher Consciousness
Consciousness is, by nature, a paradox. Sages and mystics have, for centuries taught us that we can expand our consciousness by allowing it to ascend to higher and higher levels. And that is true. Yet, mystics and, more recently, noetic models of science teach that once we have reached the highest levels of consciousness we will realize that our higher selves have actually dwelled there all along. This hints at the concept of atonement (at-one-ment) We create borders of experience that anchor our focus at a certain level of consciousness and that prevent us from taking more expansive views.
Various levels of consciousness exist. The lower levels are dense. As we expand our awareness we move into the higher levels in which density begins to fade and we experience more integration.
Separation of the levels is illusionary. They permeate each other and interconnect so that they don’t exist as separate territories in a spatial sense. The higher regions of consciousness are completely interconnected with the lower regions much like different light frequencies can occupy the same space without interfering with each other.
Maintaining a focus on lower levels of consciousness makes awareness of higher levels difficult. Even though levels are interconnected, a persons focus generally allows them access only to selected regions. It is, however, possible to achieve and maintain awareness of what you’re doing in more than one dimension.
To ascend requires an expansion of focus. When this occurs, a person’s vision becomes more inclusive and allows perception of the higher realms. The person is able to embrace a greater reality.
When a person expands his consciousness to include higher levels, he maintains his ability to see downward into all the levels through which he progressed. But he can see no further “up” until he expands his vision.
Each level transcends all lower levels. Higher levels cannot be explained in the terms of the lower levels and therefore lower levels cannot be viewed as being the source of higher levels. One of the Gnostic basis’ for this lies in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This supports a noetic view of the cosmos wherein consciousness is causal and Source is primary.
The process of expanding consciousness and connecting with Source can be assisted by loosening our anchors to third dimensional reality and expanding our awareness to areas outside of our physical bodies. Meditation is a powerful tool in this regard.
One of my favorite meditations involves sitting upright in a chair in a relaxed position. Imagine a bright yellow or white ball of light resting inside your solar plexus. The ball represents the energy and awareness that you carry within you. As you breathe deeply and slowly the ball expands until it fills every part of your body with it’s soft, bright light. Hold the light within you for a few moments and continue breathing slowly and deeply. Envision the light then spreading into your room until it completely fills the room. Then watch it slowly fill your residence. It will then expand over your neighborhood and county. It will fill your state and your country. You will see it spread across the entire planet until the whole earth is filled with your light. It then takes a quantum leap into the solar system and galaxy, filling the darkness of space with its intense light. It will move through the galaxy until it expands into the vastness of the universes. When it has filled the universe it begins to return to you, through all the stages it has passed, until it re-enters its original home in your solar plexus.
This exercise helps create an awareness that there is much beyond ourselves that we need to embrace and it has the effect of softening the boundaries we have established between levels of consciousness because of our limited focus.
Various levels of consciousness exist. The lower levels are dense. As we expand our awareness we move into the higher levels in which density begins to fade and we experience more integration.
Separation of the levels is illusionary. They permeate each other and interconnect so that they don’t exist as separate territories in a spatial sense. The higher regions of consciousness are completely interconnected with the lower regions much like different light frequencies can occupy the same space without interfering with each other.
Maintaining a focus on lower levels of consciousness makes awareness of higher levels difficult. Even though levels are interconnected, a persons focus generally allows them access only to selected regions. It is, however, possible to achieve and maintain awareness of what you’re doing in more than one dimension.
To ascend requires an expansion of focus. When this occurs, a person’s vision becomes more inclusive and allows perception of the higher realms. The person is able to embrace a greater reality.
When a person expands his consciousness to include higher levels, he maintains his ability to see downward into all the levels through which he progressed. But he can see no further “up” until he expands his vision.
Each level transcends all lower levels. Higher levels cannot be explained in the terms of the lower levels and therefore lower levels cannot be viewed as being the source of higher levels. One of the Gnostic basis’ for this lies in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This supports a noetic view of the cosmos wherein consciousness is causal and Source is primary.
The process of expanding consciousness and connecting with Source can be assisted by loosening our anchors to third dimensional reality and expanding our awareness to areas outside of our physical bodies. Meditation is a powerful tool in this regard.
One of my favorite meditations involves sitting upright in a chair in a relaxed position. Imagine a bright yellow or white ball of light resting inside your solar plexus. The ball represents the energy and awareness that you carry within you. As you breathe deeply and slowly the ball expands until it fills every part of your body with it’s soft, bright light. Hold the light within you for a few moments and continue breathing slowly and deeply. Envision the light then spreading into your room until it completely fills the room. Then watch it slowly fill your residence. It will then expand over your neighborhood and county. It will fill your state and your country. You will see it spread across the entire planet until the whole earth is filled with your light. It then takes a quantum leap into the solar system and galaxy, filling the darkness of space with its intense light. It will move through the galaxy until it expands into the vastness of the universes. When it has filled the universe it begins to return to you, through all the stages it has passed, until it re-enters its original home in your solar plexus.
This exercise helps create an awareness that there is much beyond ourselves that we need to embrace and it has the effect of softening the boundaries we have established between levels of consciousness because of our limited focus.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
... and the lessons they teach us.
This is the seventeenth entry in my series on dying and life after death.
As I wind down this particular series, I am compelled to ask myself … “What do I hope to help people understand about the near-death-experience? What does it tell us? What can we learn from it?” And all I can share is how my own research has affected my beliefs in certain areas.
The Nature of God – NDEs paint a very different description of God than many of us hold. Rather than vindictive, fault-finding, punishing and harsh, S/he is portrayed as incomprehensively loving, kind, understanding and compassionate. Atheists, agnostics, believers, people from different religions, people passionate about religious study, spiritually oriented people, "good" people, "bad" people, indifferent people … all have consistently similar experiences. This, along with the conspicuously low number of reported negative experiences, compels a rethinking of much traditional theology, i.e. hell, eternal punishment, the “chosen” and the “heathen” and the role of evil in the world.
The Environment of Paradise – The overwhelming majority of experiencers describe feelings of overpowering peace, love, bliss and calmness both in the initial separation from the body and that carry through the entire experience including their contact with “the Light.” These feelings are beyond anything they have ever experienced on earth. They are, in that sense, transcendent. There is an absolute absence of fear, negativity, pain, want and distress. This feeling of peace and absolute love is often cited as the main reason people do not want to return to their bodies … they simply want to bask in those feelings for eternity.
Universal Understanding – A compelling part of the NDE is a grasp of universal understanding … complete knowledge … an intimate familiarity with all aspects of the universe. People make comments like, “my experience was filled with ‘knowings’”, “… it was like I knew everything about everything”, “(I had) total, complete knowledge … total, complete consciousness.” Experiencers understand everything about all the “big” questions they ever had about life. They see how all the pieces fit together. It’s an “aha” moment where everything quite suddenly falls into place and makes sense.
There is Purpose – Experiencers are frequently given the choice as to whether they will return to their body. Sometimes, however, the Light encourages them to return in order to fulfill their “mission” or “purpose.” Sometimes people have a difficult time seeing what their purpose is so the Light unfolds it for them. This, along with their universal comprehension of the universe, is generally erased from their memory when they return. They remember knowing … they just don’t remember what the answers were. But that seems to be enough for them.
The Reunion – Most often, experiencers describe seeing friends and relatives who have passed on before them. Children often describe relatives whom they never met, saw pictures of or were never told about. They can tell what they looked like, what their relationship to them was and what they said to them. Although some people seem to confirm what Jesus said about marriage in the afterlife … “ … they neither marry, nor are given in marriage …” connections still exist … only in a different way. People talk about meeting husbands, wives, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends, old sweethearts … all in a happy, loving reunion-like environment.
A Life Changing Experience – Experiencers come back different people. They no longer fear death. They tend to be more spiritual than religious. Atheists and agnostics rethink their belief structures and become more spiritually oriented. Experiencers become more patient, more tolerant, more loving and more interested in increasing their knowledge base. They become more giving people … more focused on helping people … more interested in living lives of contribution.
In short, the NDE phenomenon describes an event and atmosphere that is very similar to that depicted in Revelation 21:4 … “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
The experience puts our lives into perspective and gives us sweeping knowledge and understanding … similar to that hinted of by Paul in Corinthians … “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
And all this is because of a God, who as John said in 1 John 4:16 “ … is love.”
These are, of course, my conclusions based on research. Everyone must apply their own interpretations to the experiences. And I encourage you to do your own exploration. As a start, I recommend browsing the bookshelves at your local bookstore, doing an Internet search on books relating to NDEs or going to Amazon.com and conducting a search.
I hope you enjoyed this series and found it helpful.
As I wind down this particular series, I am compelled to ask myself … “What do I hope to help people understand about the near-death-experience? What does it tell us? What can we learn from it?” And all I can share is how my own research has affected my beliefs in certain areas.
The Nature of God – NDEs paint a very different description of God than many of us hold. Rather than vindictive, fault-finding, punishing and harsh, S/he is portrayed as incomprehensively loving, kind, understanding and compassionate. Atheists, agnostics, believers, people from different religions, people passionate about religious study, spiritually oriented people, "good" people, "bad" people, indifferent people … all have consistently similar experiences. This, along with the conspicuously low number of reported negative experiences, compels a rethinking of much traditional theology, i.e. hell, eternal punishment, the “chosen” and the “heathen” and the role of evil in the world.
The Environment of Paradise – The overwhelming majority of experiencers describe feelings of overpowering peace, love, bliss and calmness both in the initial separation from the body and that carry through the entire experience including their contact with “the Light.” These feelings are beyond anything they have ever experienced on earth. They are, in that sense, transcendent. There is an absolute absence of fear, negativity, pain, want and distress. This feeling of peace and absolute love is often cited as the main reason people do not want to return to their bodies … they simply want to bask in those feelings for eternity.
Universal Understanding – A compelling part of the NDE is a grasp of universal understanding … complete knowledge … an intimate familiarity with all aspects of the universe. People make comments like, “my experience was filled with ‘knowings’”, “… it was like I knew everything about everything”, “(I had) total, complete knowledge … total, complete consciousness.” Experiencers understand everything about all the “big” questions they ever had about life. They see how all the pieces fit together. It’s an “aha” moment where everything quite suddenly falls into place and makes sense.
There is Purpose – Experiencers are frequently given the choice as to whether they will return to their body. Sometimes, however, the Light encourages them to return in order to fulfill their “mission” or “purpose.” Sometimes people have a difficult time seeing what their purpose is so the Light unfolds it for them. This, along with their universal comprehension of the universe, is generally erased from their memory when they return. They remember knowing … they just don’t remember what the answers were. But that seems to be enough for them.
The Reunion – Most often, experiencers describe seeing friends and relatives who have passed on before them. Children often describe relatives whom they never met, saw pictures of or were never told about. They can tell what they looked like, what their relationship to them was and what they said to them. Although some people seem to confirm what Jesus said about marriage in the afterlife … “ … they neither marry, nor are given in marriage …” connections still exist … only in a different way. People talk about meeting husbands, wives, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends, old sweethearts … all in a happy, loving reunion-like environment.
A Life Changing Experience – Experiencers come back different people. They no longer fear death. They tend to be more spiritual than religious. Atheists and agnostics rethink their belief structures and become more spiritually oriented. Experiencers become more patient, more tolerant, more loving and more interested in increasing their knowledge base. They become more giving people … more focused on helping people … more interested in living lives of contribution.
In short, the NDE phenomenon describes an event and atmosphere that is very similar to that depicted in Revelation 21:4 … “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
The experience puts our lives into perspective and gives us sweeping knowledge and understanding … similar to that hinted of by Paul in Corinthians … “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
And all this is because of a God, who as John said in 1 John 4:16 “ … is love.”
These are, of course, my conclusions based on research. Everyone must apply their own interpretations to the experiences. And I encourage you to do your own exploration. As a start, I recommend browsing the bookshelves at your local bookstore, doing an Internet search on books relating to NDEs or going to Amazon.com and conducting a search.
I hope you enjoyed this series and found it helpful.
Monday, June 9, 2008
... at death
This is the sixteenth entry in my series on dying and life after death.
A common and reassuring feature of most NDEs is that the person is able to meet and talk with their deceased relatives. Oftentimes, the relative will assure the person that they are safe and happy but that the person must return to their body and that they will wait for them until their purpose on earth is fulfilled and they can return “home.”
The descriptions often run along these lines, which is included in summary form in a story about a woman who had an NDE while undergoing a very difficult brain surgery. “At some point during the operation she notices a presence. Then she is pulled towards a light. As she gets closer the light becomes very bright. She begins to discern figures in the light, including her grandmother, an uncle, other deceased relatives and people unknown to her.”
Some people attribute this and other NDE phenomenon to drug or trauma-induced hallucinations. This is a claim frequently made about hospice patients who often appear to be talking to deceased relatives. But Dr. Pam Kircher – a hospice doctor and a member of the IANDS board of directors – takes a different view. “My reply is that I have observed people who are hallucinating on medications. During those hallucinations they cannot hold a logical conversation with me. They are completely lost in their hallucinations.
In contrast, I have interrupted dying people who were conversing with deceased relatives that I could not see. When interrupted, they could talk with me in a completely rational fashion and make complete sense. When we completed our conversation, they went back to talking with their deceased relatives, clearly preferring their company to mine at that moment! Later they are often glad to tell me about the conversations that they were having with their deceased relatives when I interrupted them.
In my mind there is a profound difference in the recollections of a person who has been hallucinating and one who has been conversing with deceased relatives.”
Of course, these individuals have not had an NDE but they are clearly approaching death. And the process of dying is not the same for everyone. It is best described as a fluid experience that takes somewhat different forms for everyone.
Yesterday I went to a funeral home visitation for the daughter-in-law of the man who has cut my hair for the last 37 years. Reg isn’t just my barber … he’s a friend. And he was clearly in great pain about Angie’s passing. At the age of only 32, she left behind a husband and a three-year old son, having succumbed to cancer.
But as we talked, Reg seemed to take comfort in something that occurred the day before Angie died. While he was near her hospital bed, she turned to him and said, “It’s OK, dad. I just saw ‘the gates’ open and my mother standing there waiting for me.” Shortly after, she lapsed into unconsciousness and passed away less than 24 hours later.
When he asked me if I believed in “that kind of stuff” I took the opportunity to tell him what happened with my mother.
When she was in the hospital two years ago, the doctor confirmed for us that her condition was terminal and that she only had about three days left. After I was told the news, I went off by myself and prayed that God would grant this favor … that my father (who had died several years before) could come help her in her crossing. I told nobody of that prayer.
The very next morning my sister told me that, while crossing the very large, wide-open hospital parking lot (during a strong, winter snow storm with high winds), she and her son both suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and turned to look at one another. At the same time, they both said, “Did you smell that?” They then confirmed for each other that they had both smelled my dad’s pipe tobacco at the exact same moment.
My dad smoked a pipe for over thirty years and he used a very distinct and wonderful smelling tobacco. He couldn’t buy it anywhere in the area where we lived. He had to obtain it through the mail from a special supplier. Not only would it have been highly unlikely that someone else could have been using that same tobacco in that parking lot (particularly since nobody else was around them at the time they smelled it), but the extremely high, whipping winds would’ve made it very improbable for them to smell it even if someone were smoking it within three feet of them.
That afternoon a relative came to the closed door of the hospital room and knocked. I told him to come in. The door opened, he took a step inside the room, stopped for a moment and got a quizzical look on his face, then walked over to the bedside. I didn’t think much of it at the time but he told me later that when he had entered the room, he smelled my dad’s pipe tobacco and it took him aback.
The day before my mom passed away, my sister was sitting on one side of the bed and I on the other, when my mom suddenly asked us to help her up from her 45 degree reclining position. She seemed excited and was grasping the bed’s handrails, trying to pull herself up to an upright position so she could get out of bed.
I asked her what she needed to get up for and she replied, “Bob’s here (my dad). He’s standing right at the end of the bed. Can’t you see him? I have to get up and leave with him. Now, please help me up.”
She lapsed into unconsciousness shortly thereafter. But I like to think that my mom and dad left us with a gift before she could no longer communicate … and that gift was knowing that we would all see each other again.
There comes a certain point in the dying process where the veil between those who have passed on before us and our current reality becomes thin enough to peer through. That can happen earlier on, particularly when the body begins to shut down as a result of a disease … like with Angie and my mom … or it can happen more suddenly when the body begins to shut down as a result of a medical emergency.
I think the important thing to realize is that you are not alone during the process … that those who have passed on before you … relatives and friends … are alerted to your imminent crossing and will be there to help you, to reassure you and to celebrate in the reunion.
A common and reassuring feature of most NDEs is that the person is able to meet and talk with their deceased relatives. Oftentimes, the relative will assure the person that they are safe and happy but that the person must return to their body and that they will wait for them until their purpose on earth is fulfilled and they can return “home.”
The descriptions often run along these lines, which is included in summary form in a story about a woman who had an NDE while undergoing a very difficult brain surgery. “At some point during the operation she notices a presence. Then she is pulled towards a light. As she gets closer the light becomes very bright. She begins to discern figures in the light, including her grandmother, an uncle, other deceased relatives and people unknown to her.”
Some people attribute this and other NDE phenomenon to drug or trauma-induced hallucinations. This is a claim frequently made about hospice patients who often appear to be talking to deceased relatives. But Dr. Pam Kircher – a hospice doctor and a member of the IANDS board of directors – takes a different view. “My reply is that I have observed people who are hallucinating on medications. During those hallucinations they cannot hold a logical conversation with me. They are completely lost in their hallucinations.
In contrast, I have interrupted dying people who were conversing with deceased relatives that I could not see. When interrupted, they could talk with me in a completely rational fashion and make complete sense. When we completed our conversation, they went back to talking with their deceased relatives, clearly preferring their company to mine at that moment! Later they are often glad to tell me about the conversations that they were having with their deceased relatives when I interrupted them.
In my mind there is a profound difference in the recollections of a person who has been hallucinating and one who has been conversing with deceased relatives.”
Of course, these individuals have not had an NDE but they are clearly approaching death. And the process of dying is not the same for everyone. It is best described as a fluid experience that takes somewhat different forms for everyone.
Yesterday I went to a funeral home visitation for the daughter-in-law of the man who has cut my hair for the last 37 years. Reg isn’t just my barber … he’s a friend. And he was clearly in great pain about Angie’s passing. At the age of only 32, she left behind a husband and a three-year old son, having succumbed to cancer.
But as we talked, Reg seemed to take comfort in something that occurred the day before Angie died. While he was near her hospital bed, she turned to him and said, “It’s OK, dad. I just saw ‘the gates’ open and my mother standing there waiting for me.” Shortly after, she lapsed into unconsciousness and passed away less than 24 hours later.
When he asked me if I believed in “that kind of stuff” I took the opportunity to tell him what happened with my mother.
When she was in the hospital two years ago, the doctor confirmed for us that her condition was terminal and that she only had about three days left. After I was told the news, I went off by myself and prayed that God would grant this favor … that my father (who had died several years before) could come help her in her crossing. I told nobody of that prayer.
The very next morning my sister told me that, while crossing the very large, wide-open hospital parking lot (during a strong, winter snow storm with high winds), she and her son both suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and turned to look at one another. At the same time, they both said, “Did you smell that?” They then confirmed for each other that they had both smelled my dad’s pipe tobacco at the exact same moment.
My dad smoked a pipe for over thirty years and he used a very distinct and wonderful smelling tobacco. He couldn’t buy it anywhere in the area where we lived. He had to obtain it through the mail from a special supplier. Not only would it have been highly unlikely that someone else could have been using that same tobacco in that parking lot (particularly since nobody else was around them at the time they smelled it), but the extremely high, whipping winds would’ve made it very improbable for them to smell it even if someone were smoking it within three feet of them.
That afternoon a relative came to the closed door of the hospital room and knocked. I told him to come in. The door opened, he took a step inside the room, stopped for a moment and got a quizzical look on his face, then walked over to the bedside. I didn’t think much of it at the time but he told me later that when he had entered the room, he smelled my dad’s pipe tobacco and it took him aback.
The day before my mom passed away, my sister was sitting on one side of the bed and I on the other, when my mom suddenly asked us to help her up from her 45 degree reclining position. She seemed excited and was grasping the bed’s handrails, trying to pull herself up to an upright position so she could get out of bed.
I asked her what she needed to get up for and she replied, “Bob’s here (my dad). He’s standing right at the end of the bed. Can’t you see him? I have to get up and leave with him. Now, please help me up.”
She lapsed into unconsciousness shortly thereafter. But I like to think that my mom and dad left us with a gift before she could no longer communicate … and that gift was knowing that we would all see each other again.
There comes a certain point in the dying process where the veil between those who have passed on before us and our current reality becomes thin enough to peer through. That can happen earlier on, particularly when the body begins to shut down as a result of a disease … like with Angie and my mom … or it can happen more suddenly when the body begins to shut down as a result of a medical emergency.
I think the important thing to realize is that you are not alone during the process … that those who have passed on before you … relatives and friends … are alerted to your imminent crossing and will be there to help you, to reassure you and to celebrate in the reunion.
Friday, June 6, 2008
... tell us about God?
This is the fifteenth entry in my series on dying and life after death.
Everyone takes different lessons away from an NDE or from analysis of testimonies. But, for me, the most important message was about the nature of God.
My religious orientation is based on Christianity and for a period of time I served in the ministry. Like many people, although I had niggling questions about God … primarily because of conflicting descriptions of His/Her nature in scriptural references … I stuffed them down or explained them away with “pat” (but glaringly inadequate) explanations that held to “party” lines.
The books of Samuel, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Joshua and Judges, for example, all tell stories of God supposedly commanding the Hebrews to utterly destroy entire cities, and to “slay both men and women, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” and to “completely destroy all that they have.”
Yet, in other places, God is described as forgiving, patient, loving, kind and merciful. Further, S/he is described as a being that doesn’t change … who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Clearly, there’s some inconsistency here.
So, over the years it became increasingly difficult for me to avoid dealing with these issues. Stuffing them down, dodging them and superficially explaining them away simply wasn’t working for me anymore. And not only wasn’t it working for me, I was increasingly concerned about the message I was sending to other people both in and outside of my congregation.
As I read accounts of NDEs, the descriptions of “God” continued to haunt me. People of all stripes … atheists, agnostics, Christians, Buddhists, people who attempted suicide, people who lived crime-filled lives, “good” people, “bad” people, indifferent people … all talked about the overwhelming love, compassion, helpfulness and kindness of God.
One lady who had just attempted suicide said, “The love I felt from the light was overwhelming and I never wanted to leave it.”
A man who had committed serious crimes against others during his life actually became confused about the intense love with which God surrounded him.
And these are not anomalies … they are the norm. The testimony of those who have had NDEs overwhelmingly support a God who loves unconditionally, who categorically supports those who come before Him/Her, who fact-finds rather than fault-finds, who understands the difficulties that humans face and who does not judge.
Obviously, this had significant ramifications for my belief system. How was I now to believe in the nature of God? What was S/he really like? And what would it mean to me to have to completely rethink my theology and cosmology? What was I to make of the concept of Hell? What was I to think of any group of people who called themselves “God’s chosen?” How would I respond to those who say that people who don’t believe as they do are destined for Hell? What happens to “those really bad people” out there who cause such untold suffering in the world? What did it mean to my thinking about war and affliction and cruelty and evil? Did this mean I would have to change my attitude toward the “inerrancy” of the scriptures? How might it alter what I thought about prophecy, the future of mankind, the destiny of earth and my thinking about the structure of the Universe?
The purpose of this series, of course, is not to give you what I think is the answer. I wouldn’t even pretend to be smart enough or wise enough to be able to do that. Everyone must decide for themselves what they believe about God. About as far as I will go is to tell you that I found the common notions of God to be conflicting, lacking and sometimes downright dangerous. And, faced with eyewitness testimonies from those that I have to believe have experienced Him/Her in a way that I have not, I had to change my viewpoints.
So, to that end I would encourage you not to take the easy path. Challenge yourself. Poke around in places that perhaps you dared not go heretofore. Get some books on the near-death-experience and come to your own conclusions. Because, as far as I can tell, God is a very different being than many of us believe Him/Her to be. And that realization could change your life.
Everyone takes different lessons away from an NDE or from analysis of testimonies. But, for me, the most important message was about the nature of God.
My religious orientation is based on Christianity and for a period of time I served in the ministry. Like many people, although I had niggling questions about God … primarily because of conflicting descriptions of His/Her nature in scriptural references … I stuffed them down or explained them away with “pat” (but glaringly inadequate) explanations that held to “party” lines.
The books of Samuel, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Joshua and Judges, for example, all tell stories of God supposedly commanding the Hebrews to utterly destroy entire cities, and to “slay both men and women, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” and to “completely destroy all that they have.”
Yet, in other places, God is described as forgiving, patient, loving, kind and merciful. Further, S/he is described as a being that doesn’t change … who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Clearly, there’s some inconsistency here.
So, over the years it became increasingly difficult for me to avoid dealing with these issues. Stuffing them down, dodging them and superficially explaining them away simply wasn’t working for me anymore. And not only wasn’t it working for me, I was increasingly concerned about the message I was sending to other people both in and outside of my congregation.
As I read accounts of NDEs, the descriptions of “God” continued to haunt me. People of all stripes … atheists, agnostics, Christians, Buddhists, people who attempted suicide, people who lived crime-filled lives, “good” people, “bad” people, indifferent people … all talked about the overwhelming love, compassion, helpfulness and kindness of God.
One lady who had just attempted suicide said, “The love I felt from the light was overwhelming and I never wanted to leave it.”
A man who had committed serious crimes against others during his life actually became confused about the intense love with which God surrounded him.
And these are not anomalies … they are the norm. The testimony of those who have had NDEs overwhelmingly support a God who loves unconditionally, who categorically supports those who come before Him/Her, who fact-finds rather than fault-finds, who understands the difficulties that humans face and who does not judge.
Obviously, this had significant ramifications for my belief system. How was I now to believe in the nature of God? What was S/he really like? And what would it mean to me to have to completely rethink my theology and cosmology? What was I to make of the concept of Hell? What was I to think of any group of people who called themselves “God’s chosen?” How would I respond to those who say that people who don’t believe as they do are destined for Hell? What happens to “those really bad people” out there who cause such untold suffering in the world? What did it mean to my thinking about war and affliction and cruelty and evil? Did this mean I would have to change my attitude toward the “inerrancy” of the scriptures? How might it alter what I thought about prophecy, the future of mankind, the destiny of earth and my thinking about the structure of the Universe?
The purpose of this series, of course, is not to give you what I think is the answer. I wouldn’t even pretend to be smart enough or wise enough to be able to do that. Everyone must decide for themselves what they believe about God. About as far as I will go is to tell you that I found the common notions of God to be conflicting, lacking and sometimes downright dangerous. And, faced with eyewitness testimonies from those that I have to believe have experienced Him/Her in a way that I have not, I had to change my viewpoints.
So, to that end I would encourage you not to take the easy path. Challenge yourself. Poke around in places that perhaps you dared not go heretofore. Get some books on the near-death-experience and come to your own conclusions. Because, as far as I can tell, God is a very different being than many of us believe Him/Her to be. And that realization could change your life.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
... or just fairy tales?
I once heard a scientist refer to the Shroud of Turin as Christ’s love letter to the world. He believed the Shroud was the actual burial cloth that wrapped Christ’s body after his crucifixion and that the imprint was caused by particle emission associated with the rejuvenation of Christ’s body during the resurrection. He maintained it was Christ’s way of supporting the notion that the story behind his death and resurrection was true.
In much the same way, I believe that NDEs are God’s way of providing support to the notion that there is life after death. I also believe it’s His/Her way of providing additional glimpses into His/Her own nature, the purpose of life on earth, the nature of the afterlife, the “character” of the universe and what’s really important in life.
I have been asked by people … some of whom are transparently incredulous and some of whom are simply curious … whether I really believe in NDEs and what they tell us about these issues. And the answer is an unqualified yes.
My research into NDEs, conducted over many years, has brought me to the conclusion that much of what I previously believed about the nature of God and life after death was, at best, incomplete and, at worst, simply not true. I have had to restructure my beliefs about theology and cosmology and reintegrate those new beliefs into the way I now live my life. No small feat.
Do I think I have “all the answers” now? Absolutely not. The Universe is simply too large and complex. I’ll be closer to that point in millions of years from now … it is, after, an eternal process. But the pieces do fit together better for me now than they did ten years ago and it feels like I’m further down the road.
I’ve been branded as a heretic by some … something that I suppose I’ve grown used to. And some well-meaning individuals have cautioned that I should tread carefully into this realm because it is not well supported, in some respects, by traditional religious belief structures. And I suppose that’s true.
But I am, by nature, somewhat analytical. Although I do put credence in ancient manuscripts such as the Bible, I also recognize that much of what people take from those documents is subject to pure faith … which is not a bad thing in itself. The problem is that the manuscripts themselves have very likely been subjected to additions, deletions and alterations. Some of this is due to damage that occurred over hundreds and even thousands of years, some due to deliberate manipulation and some due to translation challenges. In addition, much of the various major religious belief systems are based on verses largely taken out of context in order to preserve and promote pre-conceived notions of “how things really are” (or perhaps on how certain groups think they should be).
So, I would prefer to add to the scriptural experience, information based on verified, researched, analyzed eye-witness testimonies of those who have actually experienced NDEs. That allows me to examine additional data and correlate it with other evidence to get a larger and, hopefully, more accurate picture. In other words, I can have some trust that Niagara Falls exists if I read about it in a book. But I can take that “trust” to another level if I can talk to someone who has actually seen the water crashing over the precipice.
So, how do we know that NDEs are real and not just fairy tales? Some of the reasons I’ve addressed earlier. Many times, persons who have an NDE initiated by a medical emergency while in a hospital, pass through walls and travel into nearby waiting rooms, seeing their distraught relatives and later being able to describe exactly what they were wearing, talking about and doing … down to very minute details. Some accounts even describe travels to the person’s home or to homes of friends or relatives.They are also able to describe with astonishing accuracy what the medical team was wearing, what their conversations were and what instruments and procedures they used. Even people who are born blind are able to describe these things.
All of this, of course, would not have been possible unless the person actually was outside of their body, watching the events unfold like a spectator at a football game.This effectively debunks the many theories proposed by certain physicians, scientists and psychologists that the NDE experience is simply a psychological defense mechanism initiated by the brain to shield the person from fear of dying. Their theory, naturally, depends on the experiences being completely localized within the brain. That, of course, precludes the possibility of the person describing what they are clearly unable to see with their eyes closed … or them being able to depict what is happening in other remote locations such as a different room or even a different building.
Children often describe relatives whom they didn’t know and about whom their parents never told them. They know their names, can describe their features and talk about their relationship to them (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). This could only occur during an experiential, out-of-body journey to another realm wherein the information was made available to them.
In addition, most researchers agree that children up until the age of five to seven have not had sufficient time to learn of their own mortality. As a result, they have no fear of death … primarily because they view it as being reversible. Therefore, they don’t have a need to create an afterlife experience … another rebuttal to the notion that the NDE is attributable to psychological defense mechanisms or biochemical changes in the body as it shuts down.
Finally, the descriptions from children who have never been indoctrinated into any religious or spiritual belief system whatsoever are remarkably similar to those of adults … both agnostics / atheists and those who have structured religious / spiritual beliefs. Children describe angelic beings, beings of light, seeing deceased relatives, encountering a loving Supreme Being and experiencing peace and bliss beyond description.
Clearly, these well researched and corroborated accounts, present very strong evidence that the NDE is indeed a “real” phenomenon and something to take seriously.
And that being said … what is it that we could learn from them … ?
In much the same way, I believe that NDEs are God’s way of providing support to the notion that there is life after death. I also believe it’s His/Her way of providing additional glimpses into His/Her own nature, the purpose of life on earth, the nature of the afterlife, the “character” of the universe and what’s really important in life.
I have been asked by people … some of whom are transparently incredulous and some of whom are simply curious … whether I really believe in NDEs and what they tell us about these issues. And the answer is an unqualified yes.
My research into NDEs, conducted over many years, has brought me to the conclusion that much of what I previously believed about the nature of God and life after death was, at best, incomplete and, at worst, simply not true. I have had to restructure my beliefs about theology and cosmology and reintegrate those new beliefs into the way I now live my life. No small feat.
Do I think I have “all the answers” now? Absolutely not. The Universe is simply too large and complex. I’ll be closer to that point in millions of years from now … it is, after, an eternal process. But the pieces do fit together better for me now than they did ten years ago and it feels like I’m further down the road.
I’ve been branded as a heretic by some … something that I suppose I’ve grown used to. And some well-meaning individuals have cautioned that I should tread carefully into this realm because it is not well supported, in some respects, by traditional religious belief structures. And I suppose that’s true.
But I am, by nature, somewhat analytical. Although I do put credence in ancient manuscripts such as the Bible, I also recognize that much of what people take from those documents is subject to pure faith … which is not a bad thing in itself. The problem is that the manuscripts themselves have very likely been subjected to additions, deletions and alterations. Some of this is due to damage that occurred over hundreds and even thousands of years, some due to deliberate manipulation and some due to translation challenges. In addition, much of the various major religious belief systems are based on verses largely taken out of context in order to preserve and promote pre-conceived notions of “how things really are” (or perhaps on how certain groups think they should be).
So, I would prefer to add to the scriptural experience, information based on verified, researched, analyzed eye-witness testimonies of those who have actually experienced NDEs. That allows me to examine additional data and correlate it with other evidence to get a larger and, hopefully, more accurate picture. In other words, I can have some trust that Niagara Falls exists if I read about it in a book. But I can take that “trust” to another level if I can talk to someone who has actually seen the water crashing over the precipice.
So, how do we know that NDEs are real and not just fairy tales? Some of the reasons I’ve addressed earlier. Many times, persons who have an NDE initiated by a medical emergency while in a hospital, pass through walls and travel into nearby waiting rooms, seeing their distraught relatives and later being able to describe exactly what they were wearing, talking about and doing … down to very minute details. Some accounts even describe travels to the person’s home or to homes of friends or relatives.They are also able to describe with astonishing accuracy what the medical team was wearing, what their conversations were and what instruments and procedures they used. Even people who are born blind are able to describe these things.
All of this, of course, would not have been possible unless the person actually was outside of their body, watching the events unfold like a spectator at a football game.This effectively debunks the many theories proposed by certain physicians, scientists and psychologists that the NDE experience is simply a psychological defense mechanism initiated by the brain to shield the person from fear of dying. Their theory, naturally, depends on the experiences being completely localized within the brain. That, of course, precludes the possibility of the person describing what they are clearly unable to see with their eyes closed … or them being able to depict what is happening in other remote locations such as a different room or even a different building.
Children often describe relatives whom they didn’t know and about whom their parents never told them. They know their names, can describe their features and talk about their relationship to them (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). This could only occur during an experiential, out-of-body journey to another realm wherein the information was made available to them.
In addition, most researchers agree that children up until the age of five to seven have not had sufficient time to learn of their own mortality. As a result, they have no fear of death … primarily because they view it as being reversible. Therefore, they don’t have a need to create an afterlife experience … another rebuttal to the notion that the NDE is attributable to psychological defense mechanisms or biochemical changes in the body as it shuts down.
Finally, the descriptions from children who have never been indoctrinated into any religious or spiritual belief system whatsoever are remarkably similar to those of adults … both agnostics / atheists and those who have structured religious / spiritual beliefs. Children describe angelic beings, beings of light, seeing deceased relatives, encountering a loving Supreme Being and experiencing peace and bliss beyond description.
Clearly, these well researched and corroborated accounts, present very strong evidence that the NDE is indeed a “real” phenomenon and something to take seriously.
And that being said … what is it that we could learn from them … ?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
... and the life review.
This is the thirteenth entry in my series on dying and life after death.
Although the life review can be a difficult experience because you are able to actually see and feel the impact of all of your non-loving words and actions on others, the being(s) of light who are present for and assist you with the review are not judgmental or critical in any way. In fact, experiencers describe them as being supportive, empathetic, loving and helpful.
The Rev. Howard Storm, for example, said, “(my) entire review would have been emotionally destructive if it hadn’t been for the love (I) felt from the light beings. Anytime (I) got upset during (my) life review, they would turn it off for a while and just love (me) with a tangible love that could be felt through (my) entire being. Because (my) life review would keep tearing (me) down, (I) would feel their love every time. (Through) it all was their love. When (my) life review was finally over, they asked (me) if (I) had any questions. Sometimes they would replay a part of (my) life review in order to answer (my) questions.”
Similarly, Betty Eadie, described her experience with “the council” (beings of light) as follows. “Then in the midst of my pain (during her life review), I felt the love of the council come over me. They watched my life with understanding and mercy. Everything about me was taken into consideration, how I was raised, the things I had been taught, the pain given me by others, the opportunities I had received or not received. And I realized that the council was not judging me. I was judging myself. Their love and mercy were absolute. Their respect for me could never be lessened.
Ned Doughterty was particularly surprised at his life review, primarily because he felt he had lived a very negative, destructive life in which he had hurt many people. “(He) was overwhelmed by the process and the feelings of love directed at him from the (beings of light). As events of his life were displayed, (they) would cheer for him and convey their love for him. They were saying things such as, ‘You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!’ Ned became confused by all the attention. There wasn’t anything wonderful about the way he had conducted his life. Ned was then spiritually rescued from the negative thoughts he was having. He was told that he mustn’t think such negative thoughts there. He was told that only positive thoughts will be heard there.”
Again, these descriptions seem to turn many of the prevalent beliefs about God on their ear. A comparison of common beliefs about God and the descriptions of Him/Her from NDEs might look something like this.
Common View
Judgmental
Critical
Punishing
Focused on the negative
Disapproving
Fault-finding
Harsh
NDE Descriptions
Understanding
Accepting
Forgiving
Focused on the positive
Encouraging
Supportive
Loving
Not only do NDE descriptions challenge common beliefs about God, they also paint a very different picture of the universe, the purpose of life here on earth and the nature of the afterlife … all things we will explore in subsequent entries.
Although the life review can be a difficult experience because you are able to actually see and feel the impact of all of your non-loving words and actions on others, the being(s) of light who are present for and assist you with the review are not judgmental or critical in any way. In fact, experiencers describe them as being supportive, empathetic, loving and helpful.
The Rev. Howard Storm, for example, said, “(my) entire review would have been emotionally destructive if it hadn’t been for the love (I) felt from the light beings. Anytime (I) got upset during (my) life review, they would turn it off for a while and just love (me) with a tangible love that could be felt through (my) entire being. Because (my) life review would keep tearing (me) down, (I) would feel their love every time. (Through) it all was their love. When (my) life review was finally over, they asked (me) if (I) had any questions. Sometimes they would replay a part of (my) life review in order to answer (my) questions.”
Similarly, Betty Eadie, described her experience with “the council” (beings of light) as follows. “Then in the midst of my pain (during her life review), I felt the love of the council come over me. They watched my life with understanding and mercy. Everything about me was taken into consideration, how I was raised, the things I had been taught, the pain given me by others, the opportunities I had received or not received. And I realized that the council was not judging me. I was judging myself. Their love and mercy were absolute. Their respect for me could never be lessened.
Ned Doughterty was particularly surprised at his life review, primarily because he felt he had lived a very negative, destructive life in which he had hurt many people. “(He) was overwhelmed by the process and the feelings of love directed at him from the (beings of light). As events of his life were displayed, (they) would cheer for him and convey their love for him. They were saying things such as, ‘You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!’ Ned became confused by all the attention. There wasn’t anything wonderful about the way he had conducted his life. Ned was then spiritually rescued from the negative thoughts he was having. He was told that he mustn’t think such negative thoughts there. He was told that only positive thoughts will be heard there.”
Again, these descriptions seem to turn many of the prevalent beliefs about God on their ear. A comparison of common beliefs about God and the descriptions of Him/Her from NDEs might look something like this.
Common View
Judgmental
Critical
Punishing
Focused on the negative
Disapproving
Fault-finding
Harsh
NDE Descriptions
Understanding
Accepting
Forgiving
Focused on the positive
Encouraging
Supportive
Loving
Not only do NDE descriptions challenge common beliefs about God, they also paint a very different picture of the universe, the purpose of life here on earth and the nature of the afterlife … all things we will explore in subsequent entries.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
... and our impact on others.
This is the twelfth entry in my series on dying and life after death.
Perhaps the most important and widely reported piece of information brought back from experiencers is that the life review is foundationally based on how we treated each other while on earth. All other information seems almost superfluous. Although we are here to learn many different lessons, the most important one is how to love one another.
Experiencers note that they often “became the other person” during their review, feeling what they felt and thinking what they thought. If their interactions with that person were supportive and loving, they felt the person’s gratitude and affection. If their interactions were hurtful, they felt the person’s pain and suffering. They are also able to see the downstream consequences of their actions … in their own lives and in the lives of others with whom they have interacted.
The best way to describe the experience is to share testimonies from various experiencers.
“ … you literally become every person that you’ve ever encountered. You will feel what it feels like to be that person and you will feel the direct results of your interaction between you and that person.” (Dannion Brinkley)
“During her life review, she relived an event when she was five years old and teased another girl to the point of tears. Laurelynn then felt exactly what the other girl was feeling. Laurelynn realized how the girl needed love, nurturing and forgiveness. Laurelynn then felt a love for this child that was so deep and tender, it was like the love between a mother and child. She realized that by hurting another person, she was only hurting herself. It was an experience of oneness with everyone.
Another event she relived was similar to the previous one. As a child she made fun of a scrawny, malnourished asthmatic kid who eventually died from a cerebral aneurysm. The kid once wrote a love letter to her which she rejected. In her life review, she experienced his pain of being rejected. At the same time, she felt a tremendous amount of love for this boy and herself. Her life review connected her with him in a way that went beyond the physical. It was a connection that was felt at the level of the soul. She saw how the boy had a vibrant, bright light burning inside of him. She felt the strength of his spirit and vitality. It was an inconceivable moment especially knowing how much he physically suffered when he was alive.” (Laurelynn Martin)
“He felt all of his emotions and the emotions of others he had hurt as well as loved. From all this he learned that it matters deeply what choices we make on earth.” (David Oakford)
“I was shown the ripple effect, as they (beings of light) described it. I saw how I had often wronged people and how they had often turned to others and committed a similar wrong. This chain continued from victim to victim, like a circle of dominoes, until it came back to the start – to me, the offender. The ripples went out, and they came back. I had offended far more people than I knew, and my pain multiplied and became unbearable.
Then he showed me the reverse side of the ripple effect. I saw myself perform an act of kindness, just a simple act of unselfishness, and I saw the ripples go out again. The friend I had been kind to was kind in turn to one of her friends, and the chain repeated itself. I saw love and happiness increase in others’ lives because of that one simple act on my part. I saw their happiness grow and affect their lives in positive ways, some significantly. My pain was replaced with joy. I felt the love they felt, and I felt their joy, and this from one simple act of kindness.” (Betty Eadie)
The Gnostic support for such a comprehensive review of every action you ever took is contained in Matthew and Luke … “But I tell you that men will have to give account … for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3)
It’s a somber thought indeed that we will have to experience the pain and heartache that we have caused others through our words and actions. I have to say that I’m not particularly looking forward to that aspect of the experience. As I read experiencer accounts of this facet of their reviews, I remember many of the times, going all the way back into my childhood, where I said something that hurt someone’s feelings … or did something that was thoughtless and selfish … or raised my voice in anger at someone for something they had done without considering what drove them to that action … and to know that every one of those things and more “will be heard in the daylight.” Gads!
It is of some comfort to know, however, that the beings of Light have an almost incomprehensibly loving attitude toward the experiencer despite the mistakes made …
Perhaps the most important and widely reported piece of information brought back from experiencers is that the life review is foundationally based on how we treated each other while on earth. All other information seems almost superfluous. Although we are here to learn many different lessons, the most important one is how to love one another.
Experiencers note that they often “became the other person” during their review, feeling what they felt and thinking what they thought. If their interactions with that person were supportive and loving, they felt the person’s gratitude and affection. If their interactions were hurtful, they felt the person’s pain and suffering. They are also able to see the downstream consequences of their actions … in their own lives and in the lives of others with whom they have interacted.
The best way to describe the experience is to share testimonies from various experiencers.
“ … you literally become every person that you’ve ever encountered. You will feel what it feels like to be that person and you will feel the direct results of your interaction between you and that person.” (Dannion Brinkley)
“During her life review, she relived an event when she was five years old and teased another girl to the point of tears. Laurelynn then felt exactly what the other girl was feeling. Laurelynn realized how the girl needed love, nurturing and forgiveness. Laurelynn then felt a love for this child that was so deep and tender, it was like the love between a mother and child. She realized that by hurting another person, she was only hurting herself. It was an experience of oneness with everyone.
Another event she relived was similar to the previous one. As a child she made fun of a scrawny, malnourished asthmatic kid who eventually died from a cerebral aneurysm. The kid once wrote a love letter to her which she rejected. In her life review, she experienced his pain of being rejected. At the same time, she felt a tremendous amount of love for this boy and herself. Her life review connected her with him in a way that went beyond the physical. It was a connection that was felt at the level of the soul. She saw how the boy had a vibrant, bright light burning inside of him. She felt the strength of his spirit and vitality. It was an inconceivable moment especially knowing how much he physically suffered when he was alive.” (Laurelynn Martin)
“He felt all of his emotions and the emotions of others he had hurt as well as loved. From all this he learned that it matters deeply what choices we make on earth.” (David Oakford)
“I was shown the ripple effect, as they (beings of light) described it. I saw how I had often wronged people and how they had often turned to others and committed a similar wrong. This chain continued from victim to victim, like a circle of dominoes, until it came back to the start – to me, the offender. The ripples went out, and they came back. I had offended far more people than I knew, and my pain multiplied and became unbearable.
Then he showed me the reverse side of the ripple effect. I saw myself perform an act of kindness, just a simple act of unselfishness, and I saw the ripples go out again. The friend I had been kind to was kind in turn to one of her friends, and the chain repeated itself. I saw love and happiness increase in others’ lives because of that one simple act on my part. I saw their happiness grow and affect their lives in positive ways, some significantly. My pain was replaced with joy. I felt the love they felt, and I felt their joy, and this from one simple act of kindness.” (Betty Eadie)
The Gnostic support for such a comprehensive review of every action you ever took is contained in Matthew and Luke … “But I tell you that men will have to give account … for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3)
It’s a somber thought indeed that we will have to experience the pain and heartache that we have caused others through our words and actions. I have to say that I’m not particularly looking forward to that aspect of the experience. As I read experiencer accounts of this facet of their reviews, I remember many of the times, going all the way back into my childhood, where I said something that hurt someone’s feelings … or did something that was thoughtless and selfish … or raised my voice in anger at someone for something they had done without considering what drove them to that action … and to know that every one of those things and more “will be heard in the daylight.” Gads!
It is of some comfort to know, however, that the beings of Light have an almost incomprehensibly loving attitude toward the experiencer despite the mistakes made …
Monday, June 2, 2008
... and your deeds.
There are several important aspects of the life review that I want to cover in the next few entries. I will break these down by “category” and try to include the Gnostic parallels from scripture whenever possible.
The first aspect I'd like to cover is the emphasis on deeds, numbering the "lessons" for conveninence sake.
1) God is not nearly as concerned with belief systems as S/he is with actions. In other words, the primary emphasis in the life review is on deeds – not creeds. Life reviews leave people with the understanding that the earth is a school with many tests that are intended to teach us certain lessons. How well we respond to those tests depends on what actions we take in response to the curriculum while we're here. Part of the challenge is to understand that we’re probably going to do well on some tests and not so well on others. But the whole objective is to learn.
The Rev. Howard Storm said the following after his NDE life review. “Mistakes are an acceptable part of being human. We are here to make all the mistakes we want because it is through our mistakes that we learn. God loves us just the way we are, mistakes and all. We shouldn’t continue going around with a sense of guilt, and we should try not to repeat our mistakes. We should learn from our mistakes.”
Reinee Parsarow told the story of how, after her life review, she came to understand that one of the most important things she had ever done was to give some special attention to a not-so-loveable boy at a summer camp. She said she came to feel that this act of kindness was more important than if she had been elected President of the United States.
2) Often people discover that what they considered to be the least important deeds are much more important than they ever realized. The magnitude and impact of a deed is viewed very differently on the other side than how we view it. We see things with a very restricted view. Source sees them from a very expansive perspective. The Gnostic parallel from the scriptures is this ... “And whoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
In this regard, I will also point out that what appears to be a very little thing from one person’s perspective can be a very big thing to another … including God. In this respect, you could say that all deeds are relative depending on capability and circumstances. The parable of the widow’s mite comes to mind. “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and said to them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:42-44)
3) Deeds that really “carry their weight” on the other side are those that done out of love in an unconditional manner. The Gnostic parallel … “The second (commandment is this) ... Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 34:40)
4) Deeds that have the most value on the other side are those that are done quietly and without intent for personal gain or advertisement. They are small acts of kindness that are done to help improve the lives of others. The Gnostic parallel here is this … “But thou, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6) In other words … don’t help someone for personal gain. Don’t do things publicly for personal glorification, show or benefit. Be discreet and quiet in your help.
5) We are powerful spiritual beings. Although we think of little acts of kindness as having very limited effects, they can have an enormous impact on others. The Gnostic parallel … “You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands ..” (Hebrews 2:7) As evocative spiritual beings we often set in motion events and influences that we cannot see from our limited perspectives. But God sees them.
The first aspect I'd like to cover is the emphasis on deeds, numbering the "lessons" for conveninence sake.
1) God is not nearly as concerned with belief systems as S/he is with actions. In other words, the primary emphasis in the life review is on deeds – not creeds. Life reviews leave people with the understanding that the earth is a school with many tests that are intended to teach us certain lessons. How well we respond to those tests depends on what actions we take in response to the curriculum while we're here. Part of the challenge is to understand that we’re probably going to do well on some tests and not so well on others. But the whole objective is to learn.
The Rev. Howard Storm said the following after his NDE life review. “Mistakes are an acceptable part of being human. We are here to make all the mistakes we want because it is through our mistakes that we learn. God loves us just the way we are, mistakes and all. We shouldn’t continue going around with a sense of guilt, and we should try not to repeat our mistakes. We should learn from our mistakes.”
Reinee Parsarow told the story of how, after her life review, she came to understand that one of the most important things she had ever done was to give some special attention to a not-so-loveable boy at a summer camp. She said she came to feel that this act of kindness was more important than if she had been elected President of the United States.
2) Often people discover that what they considered to be the least important deeds are much more important than they ever realized. The magnitude and impact of a deed is viewed very differently on the other side than how we view it. We see things with a very restricted view. Source sees them from a very expansive perspective. The Gnostic parallel from the scriptures is this ... “And whoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
In this regard, I will also point out that what appears to be a very little thing from one person’s perspective can be a very big thing to another … including God. In this respect, you could say that all deeds are relative depending on capability and circumstances. The parable of the widow’s mite comes to mind. “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and said to them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:42-44)
3) Deeds that really “carry their weight” on the other side are those that done out of love in an unconditional manner. The Gnostic parallel … “The second (commandment is this) ... Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 34:40)
4) Deeds that have the most value on the other side are those that are done quietly and without intent for personal gain or advertisement. They are small acts of kindness that are done to help improve the lives of others. The Gnostic parallel here is this … “But thou, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6) In other words … don’t help someone for personal gain. Don’t do things publicly for personal glorification, show or benefit. Be discreet and quiet in your help.
5) We are powerful spiritual beings. Although we think of little acts of kindness as having very limited effects, they can have an enormous impact on others. The Gnostic parallel … “You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands ..” (Hebrews 2:7) As evocative spiritual beings we often set in motion events and influences that we cannot see from our limited perspectives. But God sees them.
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