There are four groups of people who agree on what happens when you die:
- children who remember past lives
- those who’ve experienced a Near Death Experience (NDE)
- people who’ve had an out-of-body experience
- mediums
I’ve had personal experience with 3 out of the 4 things on that list. Of course, anything involving the afterlife requires a measure of faith. It’s not as if you can bring back a souvenir after you visit. Either you’ve had a personal experience to help boost your belief, or you have to take the word of those who have.
The most detailed study of children with past life memories comes from psychiatrist Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia, with more than 2,500 case studies. This phenomena can be found all over the globe, but is most commonly found in places like India where the culture widely supports the concept of reincarnation. This helps parents feel comfortable to share their experiences with their children, quelling fear of ridicule. There’s someone in my immediate family who spoke both vividly and specifically of memories of war when they were only a few years old. There are several books available that deal with the study of these children and their stories, which I encourage you to read.
An excellent resource for reading personal accounts of near death experiences is the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation, or NDERF.org. They keep browsable archives of individual accounts on their website. What’s most astonishing about these records are the similarities.
My personal experience also agrees with the following qualities of a visit to the afterlife:
- journey through a tunnel or passageway
- movement toward bright, colorful light that is welcoming and doesn’t hurt the eyes
- encounter with a loved one
- experience with telepathic communication
- encountering a boundary which you can’t cross without officially dying
- experiencing emotion so powerful it’s impossible to put into words, though suggestions like ecstatic bliss and perfect love may give you an idea
I’ve also studied mediums, and though there are charlatans only interested in feeding on the grief of others to make money, there are convincing mediums to be found. I’ve read, seen, and experienced countless accounts of readings during which unknowable details are conveyed by the deceased to their living loved ones.
Taken individually, all of these subgroups are fascinating in their own right, but the sum total of what they imply is even more wondrous. It’s shocking that it’s not more widely discussed, given all it implies for every single one of us. I strongly encourage my readers to explore these records on their own, but know this:
We come from a loving place that is our true home. While here on Earth, we’re surrounded by the loving support of those on the other side, who never leave our side and will never fail us. Communication with them is not only possible, but likely if you are able to open your heart and mind. And when we die, we’re not ending but passing through a doorway on a journey back to where we belong. We leave fear and the amnesia that comes with physical life behind. No longer are we confined to the narrow space of a body, but can expand our awareness to the size of all of existence if we so choose. We are immortal. We are forever connected to an endless, stunning force of love that never judges but always encourages growth and forward movement. Nothing there is static or boring. The most soothing peace lifts us out of the weight of physical life.
In my opinion, one of the best proofs of the afterlife is your own gut feelings. Read some of the detailed descriptions out there waiting to be found and listen to your own internal reaction to them. Do they feel true? Is there something eerily familiar about them? Do they bring a sense of comfort?
If you stumble over a moment of doubt, dig deeper. I’ve heard people discredit the notion of the afterlife simply because of things like the commonality of the recently deceased to have an encounter with Jesus, Buddha, or other famous religious figures. Deepak Chopra discusses the explanation for this in detail in his book, Life After Death: The Burden of Proof.
As he explains, there is a collective unconscious that we all tap into. It’s why people all over the globe will simultaneously have the same inspired idea. There have been hundreds of occurrences of people applying for patents for an invention at the same time. The same happens with pitches for books or movies, because our ideas are all pulled from the same ether. When a new concept is meant to birth itself into our world, it comes through wherever it can, and not just through a single mind.
When we die, we experience the afterlife we’ve been conditioned to expect by the cultures in which we live. We pull a familiar interpretation of the afterlife from the collective unconscious and experience something accordingly. Despite unfailing similarities like moving towards the light and being met by loved ones, afterlife accounts all tend to have unique styles or flavors. What you find when you cross over is tailored to your current evolutionary state as a soul, your karma, your expectations, and what both you and your guides determine is what is appropriate just for you.
People “meet” Jesus or Buddha during an NDE because part of them expects to. This doesn’t mean they’re actually meeting Jesus and Buddha, but they are meeting a loving higher being who projects that comforting image to welcome them and help ease the transition of their arrival.
I’ve also read an account of a pastor who spent his life intentionally scaring his parishioners with threats of Satan, only to encounter the “devil” himself as he crossed over during an NDE. After the initial rough shock, the pastor’s guide let the gruesome projected image dissolve to reveal himself and the rest of the man’s awaiting loved ones waiting to welcome him. They’d thought he had a good scare coming to him after a lifetime’s obsession with such a negative creature.
No matter what might hold you back or inflame your doubt, as someone who’s both been blessed to bask in the love of the afterlife, and who has endured the passing of someone close to me, give yourself the gift of curiosity. The more you discover, the less fear you’ll carry with you, and the more free you’ll become to simply enjoy living while you’re still here to do it. I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. The feelings it stirred in me, the impact it had on me—they’re indescribable and so much better than your wildest dreams. Though so very hard to capture with things as crude as words, please give these written accounts a read. They just might soothe something in your soul as well.
Have a blessed day, friends.