Study Categories of Life after Life, I
This blog entry is the first installment of a categorization of different studies of Life after Life from the world experience and literature. I shall complete this subject review in 3 blog entries. This subject matter has occupied the conscious thinking and creative attempts to explain it across the span of time and space (Earth history). The category listings here are incomplete because every culture offers their unique perspectives. An extensive compendium of texts could be written on this subject if every cultural perspective were scrutinized. I am only offering here some of the perspectives that have come my way, and have served to formulate and influence my insight and life experience. For the sake of convenience, I have compiled the listing of categories of study in a chronological timeframe relative to their time of appearance on the world stage, and to a lesser degree, as they were discovered by me. This list serves as a starting point for where you can begin your own inquiries into the wonder and mystery of our ongoing journey in this dimension, and the dimensions beyond.
Some of the categories represent the experience of a single individual, some represent different types of experience which have been reported, some represent studies of collective experiences, and some represent research efforts. It is my impression that there is a clear common conclusion that can be discerned: we leave these Light Bodies at some point and the essence of who we are crosses into finer dimensions which are vastly more beautiful, wondrous, and pain free than any of our best days here on Earth. The Spirit side Beings and experiences which communicate through these writers exhort us to live fully, enjoying and sharing Love, reaching for the highest in this very lifetime. We are encouraged to evolve to our highest potential, embracing the vastness of who we are. We are encouraged to not worry and judge so much, if at all, and to see the Divinity mirrored in one another.
It is also a common consensus that as we move about in our ordinary daily worlds, we are actually moving around in superimposed dimensional worlds which exist right alongside of the one that we are aware of at this moment. These different dimensional planes of existence are holding at different frequencies than that which our ordinary frequency receiver is set at and able to function from. Imagine that we could tune our frequency receivers (turn an internal psychic knob, so to speak) so as to be able to perceive higher frequency states, and the dimensional planes of existence which are there within. Psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, visionaries, and the spiritually adept actually are so gifted. We currently walk through a world filled with cosmic rays, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, infrared, ultraviolet, visible light wave spectrum frequencies, etc.; all at the same locus of space time continuum. We are also perambulating and sitting and driving and sleeping alongside other unknown varieties of superimposed dimensional worlds.
When the time comes for us to cross over to the Great Beyond, as one of my former elder surgical patients so often said to me, we drift away from our bodies in painless fashion into a world of Light, where helpful assistants and guides accompany us to supernal realms of Light and reunion with many of our former Earth side companions and family. These realms are of an ethereal and astral quality, and host vistas that are beyond the descriptive power of any ordinary word language, although some extant languages may be more suited to convey the Knowing than others.
I am dubious about the ability of the English language to carry the essence of Knowing via mere written or spoken words. Christ was quoted in the New Testament, “the rooms in my Father’s house are many,” John 14:2. I have several different Bible versions, and each gives a slightly different wording of this one phrase rendered by the Apostle John.
It is thought that Jesus spoke in Aramaic. His words evolved from Aramaic to Hebrew, and were then translated to Greek to Latin to German and to English, as well as other languages. Through the numerous language translation hand-offs there have undoubtedly been alterations from Christ’s original Aramaic wording of this one brief descriptive about the realms of Life after Life. This consideration does not take into account the various edits of the Bible which were undertaken by the Patriarchs who sought to render their own anthropomorphic spin on the Word of who they regard as the only Son of God.
These same Patriarchs, who began to gain power in the 5th century AD, also subverted cultural experiences from other civilizations. Christianity and other world religions have evolved from the “I am the Only Way” philosophy and are decidedly anthropomorphically encumbered by the mandates and dictums of patriarchal types; i.e., old men. Before I leave this paragraph, and move on to the next one, I would like to posit that religious influences have spawned most of our wars here on Earth. We send our children to die at the behest of these “old men,” and suffering abounds and continues, all for the sake of the old men’s need to feel in control of whatever the situation is that we are fed the propaganda about. One only needs a quick refresher in the past 2000 years of world history to understand this obvious dynamic. Making war will soon become obsolete.
Interpretations of this one statement, John 14:2, from various languages and versions of the Bible are plentiful. You can Google the phrase, and just read on. I believe that Christ was alluding to the variety of different planes and frequencies of heavenly worlds where we find rest from our earthly excursions, and a further continuation of our Spiritual journey, but in a finer LightBody than the one we inhabit on Earth side. John 14:2 is an example of a descriptive of an aspect of Life after Life, and serves to alert us to the limitations of authors and their language to capture this Knowing.
The categories referenced in this blog entry will not consider the concept and reality of reincarnation. However, I will mention some information about his now, as this is relevant to how power and authority spawn misinformation and reset choice points. The early Christian church accepted the doctrine of reincarnation which was expounded by the Gnostics and by numerous church fathers, including Clement of Alexandria (3rd century), Origen (3rd century), and St. Jerome (5th century). The doctrine was declared a heresy in 553 AD at the Second Council of Constantinople. The church patriarchs of the day felt that reincarnation might give humans too much of a scope of time and space to work out their salvation. The controllers of the church deemed it best for the flock to pronounce original sin, live a life of guilt, and tithe to the church in the course of the only lifetime chance one would have. It is alluring to fathom how history might have taken a different course had the doctrine of reincarnation been allowed to stand in the course of the evolution of Western civilization. Maybe the US of A would not have such an absurd military industrial complex, for instance.
These categories will also not reference the dimensional parallels accessed by advanced spiritual beings which traverse the Universe from other civilizations. I am referring to beings from other worlds which travel to our world via dimensional corridors which allow them travel with no time drag. These beings are the beings of Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (ETI), who have been with this Earth experiment probably since its inception, and have safeguarded its growth, as Earth is considered by them as a wondrous beauty into which one may be allowed to incarnate and learn. The ETI follow the doctrine of non interference in the growth of human civilization. I believe this was called the Doctrine of Prime Directive on the Star Trek shows. Once again, I refer the reader to the work of Dr. Steven Greer, M.D. at www.disclosureproject.org. The book you want to read which explains these concepts of cosmology is his 3rd text, Hidden Truth, Forbidden Knowledge.
Let’s have a look at some examples of writings which deal with the subject of Life after Life, starting with the writings of:
1) An individual, namely, Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688-1772. This 18th century author, fluent in 11 languages, was a Swedish nobleman, scientist, inventor, civil engineer, chemist, anatomist, and important politician amongst the European nations before he turned into a spiritual visionary, mystic, and theologian in his mid 50’s. At this time in his life he entered into a spiritual phase, the seeds of which were undoubtedly planted years before, and he spent the remaining 30 years of his life journeying in the world of Spirit, writing about his journeys, and publishing 18 theological works. His transition from worldly to spiritual matters came sometime in the 1730’s when he sought to understand how Spirit relates to matter. His inquiry resulted in over 7000 pages of commentary based on his communication with the spiritual world. He is an early example of a channel who could write prolifically about his spiritual experiences. He reminds me in some ways of the 20th century medium Edgar Cayce, from whom we have over 14000 channeled spiritual excursions, covering an immense variety of information, all sessions dutifully recorded by his secretary as Cayce spoke from his trances, usually while reclining on a couch.
(Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) is in an important class all of his own, and I won’t expound on this great life here. He founded the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. (A.R.E.), a not for profit organization, in 1931. I refer you to A.R.E. for exploration of Cayce’s life and the pertinence of his channelings. This organization offers research and exploration of transpersonal subjects such as holistic theory and practice, ancient mysteries, personal spirituality, dreams and dream interpretation, intuition, and reincarnation.The organization is located in Virginia Beach, VA with regional representatives throughout the USA, as well as centers in 37 countries. Individual members exist in more than 70 countries. Go to www.edgarcayce.org.)
One can learn all about the influence of Swedenborg on earlier modern day thinkers from the Swedenborg Foundation (www.swedenborg.com), founded in 1849, now housed in a historic building in Westchester, Pennsylvania, and has been publishing the works of Swedenborg for over 150 years. Two of his noted works are Afterlife, A Guided Tour of Heaven and its Wonders and Life on Other Planets.
The second book mentioned above opens thus: “By the Lord’s Divine mercy I have had my inferior faculties, which belong to my spirit, opened, so that I have been enabled to talk with spirits and angels, not only those in the vicinity of our earth, but also with those near other worlds.”
Are you intrigued? He goes on to describe his spiritual body travels to Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and the Moon, and elucidates the methodology of his travel, which is no more than 18th century astral projection to visit with ethereal Beings that live in planes of dimensional existence about these galactic orbs.
The publications of books and DVD’s from the Swedenborg Foundation is extensive, and it is no wonder that he was influential in the lives of many well known luminaries such as William Blake, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Butler Yeats, Henry James, John “Appleseed” Chapman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Carl Jung, and my favorite, Helen Keller. Ms. Keller was a devout Swedenborgian since age 16. The Swedenborg Foundation publishes her spiritual autobiography, Light in My Darkness , as well as an excellent DVD, “Shining Soul, Helen Keller’s Spiritual Life and Legacy.”
2) The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar.
This is one of my favorite pieces of world literature. It is found as Chapter 43 of Paramahansa Yogananda’s great book entitled Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda’s beloved Master, Sri Yukteswar, had passed from Earth existence several month’s before he reappeared in a physical form in Yogananda’s hotel room in Bombay on June 19, 1936. The description of higher astral planes and “Lokas” of existence is enthralling, and should be on the reading list of all open Hearted spiritual aspirants. The conversation between Yogananda and Sri Yukteswar is moving to the Heart. The essence of birth, death, life on other planes, rebirth, and spiritual evolution is explained in this one beautifully moving chapter in one extraordinary book. Yogananda is a Master in the lineage of Kriya Yoga, which includes Jesus Christ. Upon reading this book in 1977 during my senior year in Medical School at Tulane, I, for the first time, experienced a more realistic understanding of Christ’s life. I recommend this book to anyone whose Heart is open to other spiritual truth.
3) Near Death Experiences (NDE) and Out of Body Experiences (OBE).
This is a well researched zone of information about those who either travel astrally (OBE), as did Swedenborg, or those who die from their physical body, cross over into the worlds of Light, but then are called (sent) back to their body, and live on to enlighten the rest of us unknowing mortals about their travels.
A leading authority on NDE is Raymond Moody, now about 65 years, and lives in rural Alabama. He is entitled with an M.A., a PH. D, and an M.D., and is the author of 11 books, including Life After Life and Reunions. Dr. Moody trains medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and hospice workers on grief recovery and dying. He was awarded the World Humanitarian Award in 1988.
From a study of 150 people who had clinically died, or almost died, Dr. Moody concluded that there are 9 categories of experience common to those who have experienced a NDE: 1) hearing sounds like buzzing, 2) a feeling of peace and painlessness, 3) having an OBE, 4) a perception of traveling through a tunnel, 5) a feeling of rising into the heavens, 6) seeing people, often departed loved ones, 7) meeting higher spiritual beings, 
having a review of one’s life, and 9) feeling a reluctance to return to life.
A well known NDE/OBE is the account of Mellen-Thomas Benedict which is one of the more remarkable descriptions of this type of experience which exists. This individual is an artist who begins his story “Beyond Death to the Light” with the sentence, “In 1982 I died from terminal cancer.” The story and his description of it, as well as what he learned, will amaze even the dull. Prior to dying, he informed his hospice caretakers to leave his body undisturbed for a number of hours. He was dead for over an hour and a half (hospice witnessed), and in that time he rose up out of his body and went into the Light. Curious about the Universe, he was taken far into the remote depths of reality, and even beyond, into the energetic Void of Nothingness. Then he was sent back into his body which cast off the cancer, and he lives on to recount these words, “Since my return I have experienced the Light spontaneously, and I have learned how to get to that space almost any time in my meditation. Each one of you can do this. You do not have to die to do this. It is within your equipment; you are wired for it already. The body is the most magnificent Light being there is. The body is a Universe of incredible Light. Spirit is not pushing us to dissolve this body. That is not what is happening. Stop trying to become God; God is becoming you. Here.”
I sometimes make a copy of this writing for clients. There was a printing of his story in the respected journal “Light of Consciousness,” in the Winter, 2005 edition. The author is available for lectures. Go to www.mellen-thomas.com.
My other favorite NDE/OBE is the story of Dannion Brinkley, who is a type of rambunctious Southern good old boy raconteur, from South Carolina. He grew up on football, girls, working on 1957 Chevrolets, went into the Marines after finding college boring, and on September 17, 1975, at age 25, he was struck dead by lightning while talking on the telephone. Then he had his NDE/OBE which was one of the ones studied by Dr. Moody, and is recounted in Dannion’s book Saved by the Light. This book was a NY Times and international best seller. He has written 2 other books also (www.Dannion.com). Dannion now runs The Twilight Brigade (www.thetwilightbrigade.com), an organization which works with dying veterans. I met him in Santa Fe after his lecture at the 2008 International Conference on Science and Consciousness. He is a big dude, and his handshake is replaced by a bear hug. I would describe him as hilarious, bordering on the edge of over the top. Entertaining is accurate.
Some conclusions from his presentation are: 1) Clinical death happens. Spiritual death does not. 2) On Spirit side you don’t breathe. You pulse. 3) You came from a spiritual world. You never left Heaven. 4) What It breathes in, you breathe out. What you breathe in, It breathes out.” 5) “Emotions are opinions about where you got yourself.” 6) We came here to Co-Create with dignity, purpose, and direction. 7) “Quit doing the stuff that keeps you from being you.”
Dannion describes the wonders of crossing over as a 360 degree panorama of one’s life. He affirmed for me what I often relate to clients, Earth is just a classroom extension of Heaven. We come here to learn and heal parts of our Soul. He also affirmed my feeling that we are breathed by the Universe, and at some point it ceases to breathe us, and we cross over, still pulsing with Heart based consciousness.
This concludes Installment I of III in the Crestone and Beyond blog entries on the categories of study into the subject matter of Life after Life. I shall post Installment II within a few days from now. I hope you have enjoyed your tour so far, and if you should have a fear of death, may it begin to loosen its grip on your Life.
Signing off from Crestone and Beyond. Love.