The NDE and Alternate Perspectives of Truth
by Edwin Harkness Spina
Recently, I attended a meeting of the Fort Lauderdale
Chapter of the International Association for Near-Death
Studies (www.iands.org). IANDS' stated mission is to
provide reliable information about near-death experiences
(NDEs) to experiencers, caregivers, researchers and the
public. It also serves as a community for people to discuss
their life-changing experiences.
I was fascinated to hear some of these experiences directly
from the people who lived through them. The people who chose
to speak were everyday people, with regular jobs, leading
traditional lives. They were not researchers and they had no
biases or theories to defend. Each person simply described
what had happened to him or her. What distinguished many of
the experiencers from the general public were that those who
had undergone a NDE were filled with compassion for others;
some of them were radiating love with such intensity that it
was palpable.
One experiencer's story captured many of the themes that
were often repeated: After being pronounced dead, the man
described meeting his deceased father in an out-of-body
experience. He flew in a beautiful environment towards a
fantastic sunset, while basking in a sea of love. He
emphasized how nothing on earth ever compared to the
feelings of love he experienced and how it was impossible to
explain it - you would have to be there to understand.
Listening to their accounts, I was also struck by the
similarity of the near death experience with the mystical
experience. Both are transcendent, timeless experiences that
confirm we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
The major difference is that no one is pronounced dead in a
mystical experience.
Both share the out-of-body experience, the intense feelings
of love/bliss, the timelessness, the inability to describe
the experience with words, and a knowingness that transcends
rational thought. In this state, you can hold two
contradictory thoughts in your head simultaneously and
recognize that both are true.
From the mystic perspective, consciousness is a continuum
from our separate, mundane physical life to the unity
experience where everything is connected. Out-of-body
experiences, remote viewing, telepathy, and precognitive
glimpses into the future are all intermediate steps towards
the ultimate union with the All-that-is.
Our group discussed their experiences with some of these
phenomena, similarities to the NDE, and how they can help in
our spiritual development.
One of the attendees (not an experiencer) stated, "You
shouldn't seek out-of-body experiences. Our mission is to
stay put on earth."
Several of the experiencers disagreed strongly. "You can go
wherever you like," they argued. "The physical world isn't
real anyway."
She responded, "We incarnate on earth to learn important
life lessons until we are advanced enough to graduate to a
higher world. This is commonly accepted wisdom."
The experiencers wouldn't accept this. None of them claimed
to have any formal metaphysical training upon which to base
his or her opinion. But, each had a unique near death
experience that seemed to contradict the woman's logic. One
of them summed it up, "There are no rules. All that matters
is love."
The group was at an impasse. Which was correct?
Both. Very often, all that matters is the perspective you
use to view an issue. Seen from our 3D physical perspective,
complete with time and space, it appears we reincarnate,
learn lessons and advance spiritually. But seen from a
perspective in which time and space do not exist, these
rules appear arbitrary and limiting. All that exists is
love.
I suggested that incarnation on earth is an opportunity to
do exactly as the woman suggested. But, it's an opportunity,
not an obligation. This seemed to satisfy most people.
There are very few ideas that are universally true. Even the
mystic concept of reincarnation only makes sense in a world
with time and space. Your viewpoint is critical in
determining the "truth," so from whatever perspective you
choose to view the world, be sure that it aligns with your
own highest truth. And, just like the experiencers,
continue to operate from a viewpoint of compassion and love.
The truth will be a lot more pleasurable when you do.
Best wishes,
Ed
P.S. Your feedback is welcomed - please send your comments to me at:
ehspina@mysticwarrior.us
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