Experience Description

I had been meditating every afternoon for the last year and a half. On this lovely spring day, upon completing my meditation, I arose with the calmness and peace associated with a lengthy meditative state.

I went downstairs to my living room and I noticed as I looked out the window that I was one with the blades of grass and the rocks in the road. I was enveloped in a love I could not put into words. This divine love was in everything and in me. At the core of my being, I was this love and so was everyone else. In this state of grace, there was no right or wrong, no good or bad, and no judgment whatsoever. Fear was non-existent. There was no death and I knew that we all live forever. Everyone I met was love. It did not matter what they looked like. I was them and they were me. We are all connected. The utter joy is indescribable. I knew we did not end at our fingertips. The peace and bliss are beyond words.

I became aware that a presence other than what I usually think of as myself was looking through my eyes. I had become one with this infinite awareness that simply sees without judgment. It is the very essence of life, eternal life. I wanted nothing, nor did I needed anything. It was peace that passeth understanding. My family and friends kept asking me about this deep calmness they observed in me. I could not translate this verbally to them at the time. It just flowed through me and out to all. I began to realize that in response to questions asked, the answers came from some deep place within that knew truth.

I was at a ball game in North Carolina and my son was pitching for his college team. It was a particularly important championship game for him and normally I would have been wringing my hands with every pitch and jumping up and down with each strikeout. This day, I found myself sitting and watching the game in a state of bliss, just indescribable. My son's girlfriend came up to me and asked if I was alright. I said, 'Why of course, I'm fine.' She said, 'You seem so calm. Mike has the bases loaded and you're not nervous.' I replied, 'Honey, winning and losing do not matter.' Upon seeing her reaction, I fully realized she did not understand. How could she?

I realized that I needed to just live it and not try to explain what I was experiencing. How could I explain that nothing was needed, for all was given. I recall seeing a man who was drunk and disheveled, sitting on a curb. As I approached him, I saw his true being. He was unconditional love. I felt no judgment. He was as worthy as everyone else and he was loved as much as everyone else. I understood I was seeing beyond appearances. I also understood that this is our natural state. This is how we are meant to live. It did not matter what I did or had. There was joy in every act, every chore, every occasion. Love and joy pervaded everything. The energy of the universe is love and it flows through us all. We are all a part of this love and we are all one with God.

For two glorious weeks, I went to sleep with a smile on my face and awoke smiling in utter joy. On the fourteenth day, I was having a conversation with my mother and she too had noticed a change in my voice and attitude. She always would ask me what caused such a profound change and I guess on this day I felt I should tell her. When I attempt to tell her, I believe I tried to personalize it. The feeling dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared. I learned one cannot take credit for God. I couldn't believe it and didn't know what to do. I was now in ordinary reality or the relative world, as I've come to call it. But now I had knowledge of the greater truth/God. 'How do I live like this?' I asked.

It was most difficult to listen to the world news, to see how we are to each other. This realization from the experience has changed me forever. I could not, would not turn my back on this. I became involved in helping the homeless and the hungry. I have love in my heart for everyone regardless of what they look like or how they behave. It is so necessary for me to be with others who have touched this depth of love. It is my hope that as more and more of us grow in truth and numbers we will one day, indeed, have heaven on earth. Then we will be living as all the masters have taught - loving our neighbors as ourselves.



Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: April 12, 1985

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. Extremely deep meditative state.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal. There truly is no comparison. I'd say it's like waking from a nightmare and realizing it was just a dream. Our ordinary reality is a dream; an illusion that we all participate in.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Immediately and it continued for two weeks.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Only after the experience of oneness after mediation did I notice everything was more alive like plants, trees, and people etc.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Same

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an Unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Incredible love, peace and joy. Also, fearlessness.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

The experience included: Special knowledge or purpose

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others. Mainly that we are all loved unconditionally and are one with our creator. What we do to others, we do to ourselves. To hurt another is to hurt ourselves; to judge another is to judge ourselves; to hate another is to hate ourselves; and to love another is to love ourselves. Everything is part of a perfect plan and there is nothing to fear.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I began attending services at a local church that was non-denominational.

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths. I now embrace all faiths as I see them as different paths to the same truth.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. At the time of my experience, I was following my bliss and enjoying my life. However, there were no beliefs that I had at the time that had anything to do with what I experienced

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes My values regarding others changed. I identify more with spirit than with my ego and have become very loving toward myself and accepting of myself and hence, others.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes the experience itself of oneness definitely does exist by proof of actually living in it for a period of time.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God probably exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes the fact that there is a love for which there are no words for but God. This love is in no way the level of love we experience for our children, parents, spouses etc. It is a million times more loving. That is God!

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes the knowledge that we can transcend the ego and touch our true selves, which is divine love.

Did you believe that our earthly lives Are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are probably meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes to love ourselves and one another.

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists. Yes I became aware that there is no death and that we do not end at our fingertips. We are much more expanded than our physical body and our senses make us feel.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives Are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are probably meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are meaningful and significant

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Yes that we create our own suffering by not loving ourselves enough.

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes love is really all there is from ourselves to all natural and inanimate objects as well.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. My life changed in the following ways: I became more tolerant of others, less reactive and more compassion for my fellow human beings, even those that commit what we consider in our relative world to be unforgivable crimes. I am much more able to withstand losses and challenges that fall upon family members with equanimity.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes My relationships are more compassionate, understanding and loving than before. Also, much easier to forgive others.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Others could not possibly understand unless they had a similar experience or an NDE. How do you express in words what is indescribable? tTe love that we are and the unconditional love being poured upon us every second of our lives has to be felt to be understood. When I did attempt to share it, many people did not understand this realm of consciousness.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience. It is something I will never forget. It is as if it happened yesterday for every detail is as clear now as it was then.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? All of it is. But I will never forget the incredible love I was enveloped in.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Others had a hard time relating to it. Perhaps today, people are more aware than in 1985, I hope.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. The greatest gift I've ever received.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I view it as a precious gift that made my life all the more richer and loving.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? Just that it is my belief that we are in the infancy stage of our spiritual evolution and that all the millions of NDErs are contributing to the next stage of our development as fully realized spiritual beings

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No, I believe you've covered all the bases.