What Would You Take With You To The Afterlife?

Life, Death, Out-Of-Body Experiences And The Journey Of Consciousness

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What is the greatest mystery of life? According to a legendary Q&A in the Indian spiritual epic the Mahabharata, the greatest wonder is that countless people die every day, yet those left behind believe they will live forever.

There is a well-known saying that the only certainty in life is death, but our hyper-connected modern society is not exactly inspiring much reflection on what lies beyond the transient.

People put aside savings for retirement, and some take out life insurance to take care of the loved ones they leave behind. This looks after physical needs, but what about the needs of consciousness which continues without the body? What preparations are made for its journey after death – the ultimate journey of a lifetime?

Religious institutions offer a solution to their followers that usually depends on adopting a set of beliefs rather than personal spiritual discovery.  On the other hand, some scientists will tell you with equal conviction that nothing comes after death, so don’t worry about it. Both of these points of view depend on belief, but what if, when the final moment comes, you realise you wasted the great opportunity your life provided? An alternative option is to discover for ourselves why we are here, and what  our place in the universe is, while we are alive and have the opportunity to do something with the knowledge we gain.

Ancient spiritual cultures almost universally placed importance on the individual’s preparations and journey into the afterlife. They clearly understood our existence extended beyond our bodies, and that life and death were best seen with the bigger picture of creation in mind – as part of an ongoing journey of consciousness – with life presenting an amazing opportunity for conscious evolution that we take the fruits from after death.

This was bought home to me in an interesting way during a trip to a museum exhibition showcasing ancient Egyptian afterlife cosmology; it reminded me of the universal nature of the afterlife, and how Near-Death Experiences and Out-of-Body Experiences offer us a glimpse into the reality of existence beyond the body, revealing that awakening consciousness is what creation is really all about. Continue reading

My Near-Death Experience

“Really, I was playing music on my alto horn in a brass band. I was sitting, reading the sheet music on a stand in front of me and there was this long, low note that I had to play. In fact, it seemed extra long… like time had slowed down… and then it started to sound strange, like there was another noise in my ears.” ~Owen Waters

In 1963, at the ripe old age of 13, I found myself floating in the air, just below the ceiling, looking down on my body. Today, we are used to hearing about near-death or out-of-body experiences but, back then, nobody knew anything… and it was just plain terrifying!

Some people report out-of-body experiences after a horrendous car wreck, a heart attack or some other life-threatening emergency. In my case, I was just being happy! Continue reading