Alex Paterson relates his Near Death Experience as a child.

It has become clear over the past few decades that a significant number of people have experienced what would appear to be the beginning of the death process, but for a variety of reasons have not continued on with it and 'returned' to tell the tale. Such an experience is known as a Near Death Experience (NDE). Practically all who have experienced it report the event to be the most beautiful and profound experience of their life and in this respect my case is no different.
I had a 'near death experience' as a child of about seven. I was kicked in the chest by a horse and I passed out. (I was severely winded and suspect my heart stopped briefly) My experience was similar to the descriptions of many others who have experienced it; an exquisite floating sensation of not just being weightlessness but of having no body at all. There was an accompanying incredible sense of well-being and love and connectedness with the UNIVERSE yet paradoxically I was also keenly aware of my own individual consciousness at the same time. Somehow I knew I was the universe. (or God for want of a better name) I was acutely aware that everything seemed to be manifestly more than this reality; an indescribable vibrancy to colour, sound, taste, emotion etc) yet paradoxically I have no actual recollection of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling anything.
These words simply don't go anywhere near describing the sensation, as it is impossible to describe the sensation in the terms of this reality or its mechanisms.
I didn't see the tunnel of light described by so many others and with an audible "whoosh" I snapped back into the pain, heaviness and grayness of this reality, with a group of terrified people around me shaking my physical body.
There is a delicious irony in all this. Most people perceive 'death' as one of the worst evils they could experience in their lives (whether it be their own death or that of loved ones) yet if the experiences of Near Death had by so many are anywhere near the 'truth', then the most beautiful experience a human being is ever going to have in this life is his or her own death. The irony of the perceived worst being the best highlights the cosmic humour which seems to underlie the 'Game' associated with experience in this realm.
Perhaps not unsurprisingly I have little fear of death now and in a sense I actually look forward to it, although that doesn't imply that I have suicidal tendencies.

Visit www.vision.net.au/~apaterson for more of Alex Paterson's work.

A Closer Examination of my Belief System

The closest approximation to my belief system would be the term: Survivalist.
Survivalism refers to survival of the conscious self after the death of the physical body. Survivalism attempts to prove survival with the methods of science, using as evidence such things as reincarnation research, near death experiences, out-of-body experiences, electronic voice phenomena, mediumship, and various forms of photography..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism_%28life_after_death%29
Thus, my belief in God is based on empirical confirmation as opposed say, to reliance on faith, and I try to fashion my life according to insights gleaned from the studies of these phenomena. Some of these insights are thus:
1) God Exists

2) He is non-judgemental.

3) He does not 'punish' the wicked.

4) He does not 'reward' the good.

5) He does not favour any religion over the other, and He has no chosen people. Love and selflessness are His overriding considerations, and the principles that govern the afterlife.

6) When we die, our spirit gravitates to a mental environment populated by souls on a par with our level of spiritual development. Thus there are many levels of 'heaven'. Or several 'heavens', with the closest to God the most beautiful, although the 'lowest' of the heavens are said to look much like the earth, but surpassing it greatly in beauty and order.

7) Spiritual evolution is a fact for all souls. Some take longer to attain the highest levels, but ALL eventually get there. Many souls do this via the practise of reincarnation, with earth lives considered a spiritual 'test'. Thus we were all alive in the spirit world, before we were born on earth to live temportarily as humans. We are said to 'remember' our true spiritual personalities soon after death as humans.

8) There is an afterlife peopled by innumerable worlds and beings, some good some 'evil'. Evil is seen as ignorance of the Light of God. One cannot be harmed by evil in these realms because vibrational differences (comparable to radio wavelengths) prevent those with positive desires from encountering negativities and vice versa.
The spirit world operates in line with very scientific principles.

9) We all return to the afterlife upon death, and 'find our level' in harmony with spiritual laws of like attracts like. Souls with a self-centered desire will be in environments that result from being peopled by such individuals, which may be termed 'hellish' (without the blazing fires of course). Such souls are periodically persuaded by their spirit guides to relinquish their negativities and face the Light. But free will reigns supreme, so no one is forced.

10) That world feels just as materially 'solid' as this one. Various forms of learning, leisure and employment are available. One may even have a feast there, although food is not required for survival.

11) Time and Space are greatly accelerated. You action events by thought. You wish to travel somewhere, you think it and you're there. Communication is by telepathy. One can change one's appearance and features just by thinking of it. You build a house to live in by mere thought.

11) We judge ourselves in a Life Review which we face upon death, in the company of spirit guides and perhaps a panel of 'elders' sitting in a non-judgemental capacity.
We regard our actions on earth from the point of view of an expanded consciousness, weighing it against our initial spiritual rationale for deciding to be born. We feel a natural compulsion to correct derailment, which we often do by deciding to reincarnate...

12) Most of us have lived several lives on this earth prior to this one. Regression therapy/hypnosis is a popular way of accessing our past lives. What about the Devil?
Incidentally, there's no evidence that such a being exists. Of all who have passed over or accessed the realms of spirit non has yet claimed to see ''the devil''. Many researchers conclude that the personification of all negativity which created 'the devil' character is artificial. Just as the personification of all positivity which created 'saviours' is artificial.

We are magnified. We consist of far more than our physical body. As aspects of God we are immortal. Consciousness is not dependent on the human body to exist. Our existence is in fact to the glorification of God and ourselves.

Evil stems from ignorance. No soul is created evil. When we return to the spirit world the existence of God becomes clear. It is said that the Love of God there is as the air we breathe on earth. Therefore, the idea that God will 'punish' humans for not believing in him as humans is clearly wrong, since they are guaranteed to witness his existence first hand once their human lives are terminated..

God has equipped us with the ability to self-correct. Souls feel an instinctive urge towards greater spiritual evolution. When we die and regard our actions, we naturally seek to make amends out of our own sense of shame and regret. God does not operate by ''punishment''. The most damaged souls who exhibit deeply negative traits are quarantined and 'repaired' or 'replenished' by spiritual 'elders'. Evil is regarded as ignorance.

We truly have free will to interprete God and life as we see fit. God realises that the multiferous cultural environments we live in cannot be conducive to the generalised acceptance of a single 'truth' or 'source' of truth. However, the overrriding principle in the spirit realms where God presides is Love. Therefore the religions that teach unconditional love towards all are the religions that are closest to God. It is not your beliefs that will make you ascend to the highest realms of heaven, but your spirituality.

God has created life according to a natural order whereby those on a spiritual par will inhabit the same spaces. You cannot hide your character in the spirit world. Others can read your thoughts. It is a case of like attracts like.

Each one of us has got a Higher Self. We reconnect with this self upon passing, and regain the expanded consciousness with which we can more clearly 'judge' our actions as humans. It is reported that during the Life Review, we are made to experience from the standpoint of our victims, every wrong we did them. It is said that this is such a powerful experience that we naturally feel the compulsion to make amends. Nobody ''punishes'' us.

From what I've learned about the afterlife, there are various regions of heaven peopled by those who hold all sorts of faiths.
The Egyptian heaven is said to be very enjoyable. Lots of festivities. African heavens, Oriental the same etc.
There are places where even Christians congregate there. (Remember there is free will there). Most are the recently departed from earth who hold on to their religious views garnered from earth. The Christian heaven is said to be somewhat boring. With people standing around in white and singing praises, playing the harp to God indefinitely. Many after a while are said to get bored with this, seeing it is wholly unnecessary, and move on to other spaces and endeavours...
Love is the overriding principle in the realms of God. Beliefs are very much secondary.

Out Of Body Experiences

These are surprisingly common. It is estimated that 1 in ten people have experienced this phenomenon. It occurs under any situation - illness, rest, sleep. Or while under the influence of certain drugs.

Pilots have suddenly found themselves outside their planes in midflight, struggling to get back in.

In another case, a group of motorcycists 'suddenly found themselves floating above their machines looking down on their own bodies still driving along'.

OBEers commonly report the experience of being in a body much like the physical one, feeling enhanced energy levels, vibrations, and in some cases, hearing strange loud noises.

This experiences are often very vivid and are reported to be more identical in nature and perception to everyday waking experiences rather than dreams.

Those who undergo them are generally left with an indelible impression, and they tend to draw the conclusion that we possess immortality via a separable soul, linked to a second body, which will survive in a state of full consciousness, indeed, of enhanced consciousness, after death.

Death then becomes an OBE in which the experiencer was unable to get back into her body.

What is a typical Near Death Experience?

According to NDE expert Kevin Wiliams:

A typical NDE begins when a person experiences the sensation of leaving his physical body. This occurs mostly in situations of severe physical trauma such as a car accident, or in a severe medical emergency.

The person sees his body trying to be resuscitated or hears someone declare him dead.

He may perceive the thoughts and experience the feelings of the living people around his physical body.

He is sucked into a vortex or tunnel that appears to connect the physical realm to another realm.

He encounters a being made out of extraordinary light and emanating tremendous love.

This being is completely non-judgemental although knowing everything about the experiencer.

There may be a reunion with loved ones and friends who have already died.

The experiencer may have his entire life instantaneously replayed - every thought, feeling, and act. This is known as a Life Review.

Then, he finds himself before some kind of barrier that is a point of no return.

He may then be told his mission on earth is incomplete or his time to die has not yet come or some variation of this.

Eventually, he will find himself back in his body.

After having a NDE, the person may discover that he/she is not the same anymore. There are some reported common after-effects that many people have after having a NDE.

These include feelings of heightened spirituality, though not necessarily religion-based, and a more highly developed sense of selflessness, including love, and respect for all living beings.


Here are some of the most gripping NDE accounts I've read:

Jayne Smith's NDE

Mellen-Thomas Benedict's NDE

Josianne Antoinette's NDE

Diane Morrisey's NDE

Here's some Scientific proof for survival if you wanna check it out.

Near-Death Experiences and what we've learned from them.

“In the presence of the light, the thoughts or words came into my mind: ‘Do you want to die?' And I replied that I didn't know since I knew nothing about death. Then the white light said, ‘Come over this line and you will learn.'… As I crossed the line, the most wonderful feelings came over me - feelings of peace, tranquility, a vanishing of all worries” (Raymond Moody Life After Life Pg 75).

For those who may not be familiar with this phenomenon, I extend a hearty welcome to a new world of reality based on empirical evidence dating thousands of years, as opposed to mere faith.

Approximately 15 million people in the United States, (2.2% of the population) and at least fifteen million more around the world have had a Near Death Experience.

This is the experience of dying (when the heart stops beating) or coming close to death, as in a coma, and consciously accessing one's situation in circumstances which by conventional knowledge, ought to be impossible.

Individuals from all continents and across diverse cultures have had a glimpse of what happens after we die.

The incredible thing about this is that major elements of these people's experiences are similar.(Moody 21).

But no two experiences are exactly the same. (Moody 23).

Americans, Africans, Indians will recount the same basic elements that are usually found in each of their NDEs.

This site promotes the idea that NDE experiences are indeed proof that life after death is a reality and is so for EVERYONE regardless of their beliefs, station in life, moral standing, culture or race.

Religion has done a fair bit of good on the planet.

It has given many people a fundamental sense of right and wrong.

But I think it has also done substantial harm to humanity.

Particularly, the two major religions, Christianity and Islam.

It is my view that prior to the advent of those two religions, humans had a better-rounded conception of existence. A more accurate conception of God.

These two religions designed God after their desire. Their desire? To conquer, convert, and control masses of humans under their respective dogmatic umbrellas..

To do this, they presented an image of God, backed by their scriptures, characterised by vengeance, parochialism, favouritism, pettiness, and bloodlust.

They did this for two reasons. First, to intimidate people into conversion to the faith, and secondly, to justify the atrocities contained in their scriptures, which acquired legitimacy owing to their proclaimed origination from the Godhead.

Thus, we stand the risk of eroding severely our capacity to acquire LIFE knowledge in limiting authenticities to the contents of religious scripture.

You're most welcome.

The life we live is conceptually off-balance. We are taught what now appear to be untruths about existence. We are taught that we're literally, nothing.

We are reduced to mere statistics on a page, to mere numbers, mere sinners, the unworthy, 'commoners'. Some even have the gall to title us ....the great unwashed.

Another had the nerve to place a monetary value on each human being with figures ranging anything from $250,000 to $5 million per person.

The truth is, you are worth more than all the money on earth put together, and multiplied by 900,000 trillion.

The sum produced therein is worth less than 0.0001% of You.

This blog is ALL about helping us to understand our worth, understand our powers, and appreciate our eternal value to Life and to the Source of all life.