Voices from the beyond
September 2024
LEAD STORY
By Jamuna Rangachari
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) have long fascinated humanity—a glimpse beyond the veil, a sneak peek into the unknown that pul sates with wonders, mysteries and intrigue. Jamuna Rangachari takes us through the narrations of a few who went to the other side and returned to share in great detail what they experienced and how it transformed them
Voices from the beyond
Death is only an experience through which you are
meant to learn a great lesson: you cannot die.
—Paramahansa Yogananda
James Arnold from New York City had a
cardiac arrest in 2016. At that time, James’s
girlfriend tried to revive him with some
first aid she knew, but the resuscitation lasted
just 90 minutes. She immediately called 911.
A team of firefighters and emergency medical
services crew arrived to revive him. However,
James went into a coma. When he awoke after
three days, he was a changed person.
During his time in a coma, James recalls
losing consciousness and having a near-death
experience (NDE). “I was travelling over an
expanse of water, floating on what seemed to
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be a stone-like surface. There was an endless sky, and I felt completely safe, free of fear, and neither male nor female. All my life I had suffered from gender dysphoria, a feeling that one’s gender identity doesn’t match with what one feels from within.
But after the NDE, I started presenting myself with courage as a transgender.”
A little while later, James got married to his girlfriend that he had delayed due to his issue with gender identity.
Apparently the NDE ended the conflict he had been mired in for a long time in one stroke. His life straightened out and he returned with a much expanded consciousness and the knowledge that gender is incidental. It’s the soul that matters.
Let’s have a look at another NDE.
Below is a doctor’s description of the life review of an NDE patient taken from the website 5 Credible Stories of Near-Death Experiences (Peer-Reviewed) (magiscenter.com)
“When he realised that collision was imminent, the patient said that time seemed to slow down as he hit his brakes and went into an uncontrolled slide. Then, he seemed to pop out of his body. While in this state, he had a life review, which consisted of brief pictures—flashes—of his life. His car struck the truck, and the truck bed crashed through the window, causing multiple injuries to his head and chest. Medical reports show that he was in a coma and nearly died. Yet he had a vivid sensation of leaving his physical body and entering into darkness. He had the feeling of moving up through a dark tunnel, toward a point of light. Suddenly, a being ‘filled with love and light’ appeared to him. Now he had a second life review [or life review proper], one guided by the being of light. He felt bathed in love and compassion as he reviewed the moral choices he had made in his lifetime. He suddenly understood that he was an important part of the universe and that his life had a purpose.”
Can’t deny the evidence
Even though scientists doubt the authenticity of NDEs and often label them as visions that arise out of oxygen-deprived brain activity just before dying, the overwhelming evidence of people undergoing a radical transformation in their consciousness and approach to life after having such an experience is undeniable.
Near death experiences link the human mind to another portal, the existence of another dimension, and crack open the infinite potential and power of the human soul. They verify the fact that the soul never dies, but continues on its onward journey after the body expires.
The best part is that those who come back never remain the same. Having experienced the other side, they return with an expanded consciousness. Many are able to overcome mental or physical ailments and even turn over a new leaf, carving a new life path for themselves.
Interestingly, each near-death experience is different from another, even though a few similarities can be found in them. Most find themselves floating above their bodies and being able to see themselves from the top. If they were in pain before passing away, they no longer feel any physical pain.Often there is a white light or known figure around them to help them transition. They remember going through a tunnel like space before meeting their guides.
They testify to experiencing unconditional love, warmth and compassion which is incomparable with anything they have come across on earth.
There is often a life review waiting for them, where they can see their own life like one watches a film.They come back with a huge life-lesson and having found their life purpose.
Near death experiences help greatly in lifting the veil of duality that covers most parts of a human being’s mind in earthly life. Many return, experientially realising the interconnectedness of life and the oneness of all humanity. This is vastly different from knowing it just intellectually.
Varied experiences leading to help for humanity
Azmina Suleiman, a Shia Ismaila Muslim, while vacationing in Florida, fell ill and underwent a profound NDE whilst in a coma.
She saw august beings like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Later, she saw beings appear from a single ray of light as opposed to a series of separate and distinct lights, suggesting a lesser degree of separation from that one light source, God. She could identify the ‘‘lone and bearded’’ prophet Noah and then continued with pairs like Prophet Moses with Jesus, Buddha next to Lord Krishna, and, finally, Prophet Muhammad with Hazrat Ali. She describes the journey of her soul and its ultimate trajectory towards the Almighty, before finally merging with the Light. In her book, A Passage to Eternity, Azmina confirms that ALL religions aim to promote charity, kindness, and goodwill, and lead the soul towards its inevitable destiny.
There are some NDE’s that exhibit the presence of the Divine even in horrific circumstances. Debbie Ali, a teacher, writer, and mother, was born and raised on a tropical island in the
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Caribbean called Trinidad and Tobago. She was kidnapped from her home and found herself in a hostage situation. She suffered for 14 days at the hands of her kidnappers, who subjected her to severe violence, starvation, and multiple rapes. Despite the unimaginable suffering, she clung to her faith in God. The torture she went through by her perpetrators was indescribable, and she unceasingly kept calling on Jesus Christ.
Debbie says, “Two days before I was released, I had my near-death experience.” On the 12th day of her captivity, she remembered feeling tired and totally helpless. She says, “I didn’t know what was happening with my kids, my mom, my husband. I was lying there, waiting to die, and I had surrendered to the Lord. At that point, I felt like I was drifting off into a slumber.
“In the blink of an eye, I was above my body, and then I was confused. How can I be here? I thought. I saw myself from above, lying handcuffed and blindfolded. I looked at my chest, and I realised
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that it wasn’t moving. I was like ‘Oh crap, I’m dead.’ ”
Suddenly, a beautiful yellow-white bright Light appeared on Debbie’s side and she gravitated towards it. From that Light, walked in Jesus Christ. Instantly, there was this recognition that her spiritual guardian was there. In her words, “The awesomeness of His presence, the peace and the love that was radiating from Him was indescribable.”
Debbie looked down and saw Jesus’s bare feet and wanted to be at those feet forever. Christ then picked her up in his arms, cradled her like a baby, and told her that everything was going to be alright. Debbie slept in Jesus’s arms and had the sweetest, soundest sleep she had ever had in her life.
When she woke up, she was on the beaches of heaven. She was mesmerised by the sight, as it was nothing like she had ever seen before. The
water was the most unfamiliar shade of blue, and the sand was made up of sparkling crystals that didn’t hurt her feet. Moreover the flowing waters would stop along with the fish in it as soon as Jesus moved close to it.. Debbie explained that this happened because everything must come to a state of stillness if the Presence was around. When Jesus told her that she wasn’t going back, Debbie wanted to grieve the loss of her children and family members but realised that it was impossible to feel grief, sadness or any emotion that didn’t come from the Light over there. There was no sun as everything was illuminated by God’s light which did not cast any shadows anywhere.
Even though Debbie thought of her children on earth, she released her concerns and placed her trust in God, knowing that they will be taken care of.
Just then, she heard a voice: “Debbie, you wish to return to your children? Okay, I will send you back on the condition that you have to continue my work on Earth.”
Then Debbie was shown the cover and the name of the book she was going to write on Earth. “Do not worry about how and when you will write. I will give you the words,” the voice said.
Debbie then saw Angel Michael, Angel Gabriel, and Mother Mary among many other saints who prayed for her to the Divine. Mother Mary told her that God never declines the prayers of a mother.
The next moment Debbie began to feel tired and lay down on that beach. When she opened her eyes next she found herself back in her human body. Another miracle that happened was that her kidnapper returned her, her phone and told
her to call her husband. He apologised to her and told her that he was her friend and that anyone trying to hurt would have to confront him first. He called her husband and asked him to take her back without asking for anything. This is something that even the police of that region found incredible when they came to know of it.
Debbie now helps others combat trauma and lead a full life. She has written a book, Bare Feet, and is the founder of a consulting firm. Her primary mission today is to help others overcome trauma through counselling. She also asks everyone to believe in a higher power, using her own experience as an example of the power of prayer.
Someone closer to home in India is BK Dr Sushila Chaudhary, a gynaecologist from Jodhpur. In 1993, she was dusting her home, standing on a stool, when she suddenly felt an
intense pain in her chest and fell down. Within no time her soul moved out from her body and she could see her physical form from above. She could see her inner organs and saw that her heart was struggling from a lack of oxygen. Sushila heard a voice coming from above, telling her to stop and not go outside the room. She felt blissed out outside her body and wanted to stay there. But a voice told her that her time had not yet come. In the meantime, her husband, also a doctor, who was giving her CPR, succeeded in reviving her heart. Dr Sushila felt as though she was being shoved into her body, and she finally woke up.
Though she came back, she was not the same anymore. She lost interest in her gynaecology practice and was only interested in knowing how she could repeat the experience of leaving her body at will and returning whenever she wanted. She explored various spiritual organisations, such as the Jain ashrams, as well
People recall being able to see themselves from above during their NDE
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as gurus, and started reading spiritual books, such as the Gita. She kept meditating and visualising. Eventually, she found the method and learnt to move out of her body at will.
Dr Sushila focussed hard and found herself exiting her body through her forehead in the form of a bight star. She travelled up the earth’s ecosystem, went up the sky through a dark tunnel, and eventually faced a shining luminous point that radiated love, light, and warmth. She saw many other light beams whom she could identify as her friends, siblings, and mother. She also found that she was in the third row, and in the first row were other light points that shone much more brightly. She wanted to know how she could be a part of the first row. The voice from the main Source said that she would have to study to get to that place. When Dr Sushila questioned further, she was shown the signboard of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris in Mt Abu. She joined them in 1997 and has been constantly growing on the spiritual path ever since.
To hell and back
However, all near-death experiences are not rosy. Some can be terrifying.
A few afterlife experiences are a chilling reminder of what can happen if you do not follow dharma while living on earth. Samander Devta, a middle-aged man from Bijnaur and a devotee of Baba Fulsande Wale, recalls lying on his bed after doing his 4 a.m. worship. Soon, his body began to shiver, and he saw two black, fierce-looking men come near him. One was thin, another was bulky; both had horns on their heads and their eyes burnt like embers. They forcibly took him to the court of Yamraj, the God of death. Yamraj sat on a large throne and had a crown on his head. Around him were cauldrons of fire. The yamdootas (the agents of Yama) were throwing souls into those cauldrons. There were screams all around. Samander was
Yamraj sat on a large
throne and had a crown
on his head. Around
him were cauldrons of
fire. The yamdootas (the
agents of Yama) were
throwing souls into those cauldrons. There were
screams all around.
able to recognise one of his friends suffering in that fire. He was surprised to find him there as his friend had been a religious person. He asked his guru Baba Fulsande Wale (who was there along with him) the reason for his friend’s fate.
One of the yamdootas then removed the man from the fire, took his shirt off, and took some money out from the pockets of his clothes. Baba Fulsande Wale explained that the man used to steal money donated to temples and faked being a devotee just to hoodwink people. Since he was a religious person, his sin was bigger than an average person committing the same crime.
For Samander, it was a huge awakening, reminding him to be steadfast in his pursuit of truth and spirituality. He was sent back to
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his body by the same yamdootas. Since he had visited hell under the protection of his guru, who simply wanted him to evolve and know the consequences of wrongful actions, nothing bad happened to him during his visit.
Gerald Johnson, a priest in Michigan, suffered a heart attack in February 2015. He claims he died and was sent to hell. The experience would change his life forever. Gerald recalls that after his heart attack, he was launched to the centre of the Earth, which is where he encountered demons and eternal suffering.
Gerald says, “When my spirit left the physical body, I felt that I would be raised to heaven, having done so much good in my life as a priest.” But he was not and was plunged to where he witnessed indescribable horror. Gerald saw a man walking on all fours like a dog. He had huge chains around his neck which cut his skin, and the demon took great pleasure in
holding and pulling on the chain, continually tormenting him. All around Gerald, there were pits of death. There was a stench in the air making almost every breath impossible to take. A sense of isolation and hopelessness pervaded the place where individuals suffer not only physically but also spiritually and emotionally. Gerald felt angry because he had committed his life to doing good but had still ended up in hell. That moment, a divine voice explained to him that he had secretly been angry with the people who had harmed him during his life. He had wished punishment on them rather than forgiving them. God went on to say that they were not Gerald’s people to pass judgment on. And he needs to focus on his own tasks. After this, Gerald returned to earth, but the experience left an indelible impression on his mind. He ends his story emphasising that a man who cannot forgive is a man who forgot that he was forgiven.
NDEs as turning points
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The studies indicate that a
person who is revived after being pronounced dead by the doctor
reports being pulled out of the
body and moving beyond time and space. They hear sounds which
seem like an echo and words that are telepathically communicated. They meet those who have passed away and see them as silhouettes
that one can recognise. NDEs occur suddenly and cannot be planned.
As is evident, NDEs transform us by waking us up. They are related to what a soul needs rather than what it wants. What people encounter in the afterlife depends on their state of consciousness in the physical world. Such experiences make us grateful and appreciative of what we have, in addition to making us aware of areas where we need to take corrective measures.
A scientific approach
Near-death experiences have been reported for a long time but are discussed more today probably because of the medical testimony available in modern hospitals and partly because of open and free discussion on it on social media. One of the first attempts to understand them scientifically was made by Sir William Barrett in 1926, who published a book, Death-Bed Visions.
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The usage of the term, near-death experience, or NDE, was coined and made popular by an American psychiatrist named Raymond A Moody Jr, who published a book, Life after Life, in 1975, on this phenomenon. His book recounts the interviews of many people who experienced NDEs. A number of them have a cardiac arrest just outside a hospital. No matter how many specialist doctors attempt to revive them, most go to the next world. In this scenario, some have an NDE as their time to move on to the next world has probably not come in the spiritual calendar.
Moody noted that the unfolding of the NDE coincides with the beginnings of the person slipping away from life. Each of these experiences varies from each other, but there is a common factor of a sense of serenity and bliss enveloping the individual.
The studies indicate that a person who is revived after being pronounced dead by the doctor reports being pulled out of the body and moving beyond time and space. They hear sounds which seem like an echo and words that are telepathically communicated. They meet those who have passed away and see them as silhouettes that one can recognise. NDEs occur suddenly and cannot be planned. They happen due to anaesthesia on the operating table or when one is involved in a sudden accident or blast. When it does take place, it changes one’s life forever in this physical plane.
Moving towards eternal wisdom
The effect of an NDE varies for different people. People who come back report considerable changes in their outlook as well as behaviour. The positive changes include hidden talent or potential getting activated. Their belief that God exists and that there is an afterlife becomes experiential. People feel they have been given a second chance and they do not want to waste time anymore. Most get into meditative and healing practices.
Coming on to the spiritual path
A large number of near-death experiencers report that they felt that one of the reasons they had their experience was because they had lost their way in life. Because of this, they required a major wake-up call, which is what their near
death experience provided them with. A wake up call does not turn formerly dysfunctional people into healthy people; it gives them a story to share, a map to follow, and concrete ways to begin to tackle all the areas of their lives and personalities that require deepening and healing.
Near-death experiences also happen to those who have forcibly throttled the voice of their hearts with the cold grip of their rational mind, thus killing an aspect that can align them with their Higher Self.
What this means is that while near-death experiencers often have wonderful stories to tell—including stories of miraculous healings and newfound paranormal abilities—they are not necessarily the wisest, healthiest, and most evolved of people.
So this is a double warning.
Spiritual experiences, by themselves, do not transform people into perfect beings overnight. They must still do the hard work of purifying
their egos and integrating spiritual visions and understandings with the practical realities of life. If they try to ride the power of spiritual experiences without doing the hard work of personal transformation, they can end up crashing and burning, and potentially taking a lot of others with them.
Hard work is mandatory
To those who look at near-death experiencers as emissaries of the Divine, yes, near-death experiencers have been sent back, in part, to share their stories and, by doing so, help illuminate all of us. Beyond that, they may or may not be able to offer solid, seasoned advice. Along with integrating whatever spiritual experiences they have had into daily life, it often takes decades of daily work on shadow and developmental issues to create vessels that allow the Divine to emerge in us in healthy, balanced, full-blown ways. The same is true for us. Like them, we must also work on ourselves, which includes not giving our power and personal responsibility away to others who appear to be more evolved than we are.
The takeaway
It is said that wise people learn from other people’s experiences; a fool from his own. The Divine is ever-loving and ever-forgiving. It keeps trying till the end to bring us closer to
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the Light. It never gives up on us. However, He also balances His giving with His Law of Karma.
Many influences prevent us from taking the right path. We give in to lust, greed, anger, violence, arrogance, vengeance, and unhealthy habits because the lure of temporary gains and pleasures is much more than the joy that comes with leading a virtuous life. The Divine keeps trying to make us aware and mindful so that when our journey ends on Earth, we safely reach His abode. But if we stubbornly refuse to listen to our conscience, then even the Divine will not intervene when karma catches up with us.
Light and darkness, both exist. Where we end up in our next life depends on what we choose on our sojourn on Planet Earth. As followers of
Lessons to learn from near-death experiences • Always be mindful of your thoughts, speech, and actions.
• Earth is not a permanent abode but a pit camp. You are tested here before you finally qualify for your real abode at the feet of the Divine.
• Good deeds alone are not enough. If they are not dedicated to the Divine, they can fill us with a sense of pride and arrogance, leading to our downfall.
righteousness, we might have to struggle financially, and we might not get an insane amount of wealth, power, and status. But we will sleep peacefully. We will be saved from terrible misfortunes on Earth and the hereafter. We will be divinely helped and guided even through our difficulties. We will not take shortcuts but work hard and wait for lady luck to smile on us when the time arrives. We will be generous and humble, and take care not to hurt any living being.
Rewards are waiting for us on the other side for having kicked the snares of temptation and doing the right thing. God is love, God is forgiveness, God is compassion, but God is also justice. Karma never forgets an address. Let us never compromise on this deep learning and not wait for a jolt—such as a near-death experience—to remind us.
• We have guides, forever trying to lead us to the Divine. We need to learn to communicate with them by sitting in silence and learning to meditate.
• Always cross-examine your actions and motivations, and keep purging your mind of worldly thoughts.
• Accept others as they are, for we all are souls in different bodies.
• Have faith in the Divine.
• Prioritise the spiritual over the material.
Jamuna Rangachari, the former assistant editor of Life Positive, has authored two books for children, and compiled and interpreted Teaching Stories-I and II for Life Positive. Write to her at jamunarangachari@gmail.com.
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