| A Visit to the Other Side |
 |
| After a car accident, I was in and out of consciousness while being wheeled down a hospital corridor. I was pretty broken up and in tremendous pain. As I was wheeled into an OR, I went completely unconscious. At some point after that, I left my body through the top of my head. There was this intense sensation of being squeezed, and I remember thinking that being born and dying feel the exact same way. I didn't "see," but rather sensed that a hole had opened up in the wall behind my head. I was still horizontal, hovering just above my body, when I entered the hole in that same position. The hole turned out to be a tunnel in which I traveled at a speed that is simply indescribable. When I got to the end, I was automatically standing upright and facing a group of people who immediately welcomed me. Some aspects of this experience are hard to describe. For instance, I no longer had a physical brain, yet I felt that I was able to use parts of my brain that I couldn't access before. Anyway, included in the group of "greeters" were people I had known who passed on before me. They represented all sorts of religions and spiritual paths. I was happy to see my very first meditation teacher, who was a Buddhist, standing beside a nun who had been very special to me when I was a child. A lot of people believe that after we die, we will be separated according to our religious beliefs. Of course, these same people teach that their particular brand of separatism is the "right" one. I don't know if my death experience is unique to me or if it is universal, but I have to honor it either way. In my experience, religion doesn't exist on the other side. One of the greeters stepped forward and reviewed my life with me. Their biggest concern was how people treat each other, and cultivating connections between people. I knew that everyone there was aware of every single thing I had ever done or said in my life. Oddly enough, I wasn't embarrassed about this. I was told that it "wasn't my time yet" and instantly, I was back in the tunnel. Since my return, I have new ways of thinking about a variety of subjects. For one thing, anything that makes me feel separate from others is not a good thing in the end. This includes any religion or group that teaches that they are on the one and only "true" path to God, and that any path other than theirs is an inferior one. This experience came at a time in my life when I really needed a renewal of my faith. Don't get me wrong, I never stopped believing in a Higher Power. But I had stopped thinking about my spiritual path though. I was totally caught up in the mundane, day to day aspects of life. I couldn't remember the last time I'd prayed. This was my "wake up call" and it worked. God had my complete attention and I was a different person when I woke up in my hospital bed. I can't think of any other experience that ever affected me as profoundly as this one did. I would like to share my certainty that life is eternal. I'm hoping that telling this story will comfort those who have had loved ones cross over. Believe me, they still exist! They are waiting for you. Be good to yourself! |