At a crossroads regarding spiritual belief

reply to post by seagrass


Lunch got out of hand haha

After I looked down at myself, my next memory was of being back in my body, in a hospital bed. I looked over and saw both my parents sitting in chairs up against a wall.

They both didn't say a word, just looked glassy eyed with no emotion staring straight ahead. I didn't say anything to them, was just spooked by it. They didn't acknowledge me either. I felt as if it was time standing still and I wasn't "fully" awake yet.

Then, fully woke up and a doctor was standing over me. Telling me I was ok and how very lucky I was. Only suffered a mild concussion, a bruise on my shoulder, and a few pieces of glass cut my chin.

We all went home and the next day my Dad took me to the impound to collect my personal items from my totalled car.

Seeing the total devastation of the vehicle and realizing that there was no way I should have survived that (at least with such minor injuries) brought me to my knees.

How do I feel about it to this day?

Part of me wonders, if in a way, I did die that day. At least the me that was in that, dare I say, dimension. Or that possibly a "restart" button or even a "start from last save" button was hit.

I had two other NDE at age 37 and 38. Those had no OBE however. I wonder if that is because, once you have one, that is all you need to experience.

I have heard about 'stop points'. Places in time where you are able to make a choice to leave or stay. Sounds like you had three obvious ones.

I am one of those people who believes in a lot of paranormal, metaphysical, etc type things, and yet has not experienced much in the way of them.
No OBE. No astral traveling, no ghosts, UFOS or such.
I am always fascinated to hear the stories and experiences of those who have.

reply to post by dmorgan

So what do I do? Is "spiritual" a type of religion?

S&F

Do whatever makes you happy! If you want you can believe in a "higher power" that way you don't have to conform to a religion...or not...whatever you choose. Spirituality has nothing to do with religion IMO. I'm Pagan and sometimes choose not to tell people (for various reasons).....Instead....if the "religion topic" comes up, I just say that I'm a very spiritual person. Most people will cock their head in confusion, and ask me again..."What is your religion".....

The majority of people around me are Christan, and most (not all) don't really understand what it is to be spiritual. They think for the most part that if you go to church and sit for an hour or two, that is spiritual. And it might be for them, but to me spirituality is EVERYDAY! It is so much more...Since I have awakened, it flows though my veins, it brightens my aura, I just 'feel' it all the time....peaceful.

You might not find all the answers you need at this moment, but in time they will come...

reply to post by dmorgan


To address why you get mostly Christian flavored NDEs, I believe that, basically, what you believe will happen at the end is what you see, what goes on when you die is based solely upon what you believe will happen. A good movie and book that illustrates the point I am trying to make is called "What Dreams May Come" I HIGHLY recommend you look them up.

[edit on 11-6-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

Oh and to just give a taste:

Major themes
The book explores a range of paranormal phenomena and advances a philosophy of mind over matter, arguing that the human soul is immortal, and that a person's fate in the afterlife is self-imposed.

When Chris dies, he experiences symptoms of a near death experience. As pain gradually leaves his body, he observes a tunnel of light and views his dead body from above, connected to himself by a silver cord. He then experiences his life flashing before his eyes, as all the events in his life unfold in reverse. This last experience occurs again later, much more slowly, while he's a ghost. Albert later compares it to purgatory, since it is a time when people are forced to reexamine their lives without rationalization.

Chris's family contacts a medium who can see but not hear Chris, and they conduct a séance. Chris tries to communicate with them, but soon grows tired and goes off to sleep. When he awakens, he is horrified to find himself staring at a figure of himself conversing with the family. The psychic is unknowingly feeding this figure whatever answers he expects to hear, unaware that he's no longer conversing with the real Chris. The novel later explains that the figure is the shedding of Chris's etheric body to release his spirit body, enabling him to ascend to Heaven, or "Summerland."

Summerland, an environment shaped by the thoughts of the inhabitants, appears relatively Earth-like because that's what the newly dead are accustomed to. Communication is telepathic, travel instantaneous. There's no need to eat or sleep. The inhabitants, all of whom possess an aura, can spend their time relaxing, studying, or working--though not for profit. There are even scientists and artists, many of whom work on subtly influencing the minds of earth's inhabitants.

Albert, whom the novel identifies as Chris's guardian angel, explains that Summerland includes many things which inhabitants do not need--like automobiles--but which exist simply because some people believe they are needed. The particular Heaven of each religion exists somewhere, because that is what members of each religion expect.

Albert emphasizes that everything Chris sees in Summerland--the landscape, the buildings, people's bodies--are completely real even if they are subject to thought. Later, when they travel through the "lower realm" (i.e. Hell), Albert considers the surroundings unreal, merely temporary imagery created by the inhabitants.

Albert cannot locate Ann until one of her sons makes a prayer. In the lower realm, Albert and Chris can no longer communicate telepathically and must travel by foot. The negative thoughts of the inhabitants have the potential to cause damage on Earth. Spirits from above are able to deflect it to some degree, but there are still people on Earth receptive to those thoughts.

Everyone has had a multitude of past lives; some souls become so advanced, however, that they pass on to a higher level where they ultimately become one with God. Reincarnation is a complex process in which one enters a baby's body, though not necessarily at birth.

SOURCE:en.wikipedia.org...
The only point I really diverge I think is I am not sure we become "one" with "God" again. I believe we are more or less infant "gods".

And some quotes I liked from the movie:

Chris: Where is God in all of this?
Albert: Oh, He's up there. Somewhere... shouting down that He loves us. Wondering why we can't hear Him. You think?

Albert: So what is the "me"?
Chris: My brain I suppose.
Albert : Your brain? Your brain is a body part. Like your fingernail or your heart. Why is that the part that's you?
Chris: Because I have sort of a voice in my head, the part of me that thinks, that feels, that is aware that I exist at all.
Albert : So if you're aware you exist, then you do. That's why you're still here.

Very revelant quote as far as my beliefs go:

Albert: Chris, "here" is big enough for everyone to have their own private universe.
Thought is real. Physical is the illusion. Ironic, huh?
Your brain is meat, and rots and disappears. Do you really think that's all there was to you? Like you're in your house right now. You're in your house, that doesn't mean you are your house. House falls down, you get out and walk away.

And about Hell and suicide:

Albert:Each of us has an instinct that there is a natural order to our journey. And Annie's violated that. She won't face it. She won't realize, accept, what she's done. And she will spend eternity playing that out.
Chris: You're still saying she's in Hell...
Albert: Everyone's Hell is different. It's not all fire and pain. The real Hell is your life gone wrong.

[edit on 11-6-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

reply to post by Tallsorts


I tend to believe what you say Tallsorts. So where did you get all your information? Curious..

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows

And about Hell and suicide:

Albert:Each of us has an instinct that there is a natural order to our journey. And Annie's violated that. She won't face it. She won't realize, accept, what she's done. And she will spend eternity playing that out.
Chris: You're still saying she's in Hell...
Albert: Everyone's Hell is different. It's not all fire and pain. The real Hell is your life gone wrong.

I'm still not convinced about the whole hell idea.

I guess Annie is someone who's committed suicide? Does that means smokers, and people who eat themselves to death will go to "hell"? What about people who die in accidents, like the Air France crash? Yeah still not sure on that one. I've been trying to find out a lot about it and there are some people, mostly Christians saying people who commit suicide go to hell and suffer! But there are others who say that it depends on what kind of life the person lived, and what the circumstances were etc.

At the moment I've cleared up some of the things that were bothering me. I don't believe in a God that sits up the top and commands everything and judges people who have died. I think these other realms are natural, maybe.

I don't want to call myself "spiritual" because I believe that spirits and the afterlife are possibly true things that really exist. You don't have to believe in it, you know it. You learn that it's truth. Reading Bob Monroe's book at the moment, awesome stuff.

Regarding seeing what you want to see when you die, that is what lots of people say. I still can't get my head around the mechanics of how that realm works though.

Still not sure about reincarnation yet either. But it probably gets pretty boring sitting around "Summerland" for the rest of your existence, wouldn't it?

i had an experience of the spirit from age 7, i have been putting it off, i have been afraid of it, afraid of the higher you go, the more bad you will come across, i never realised how lucky i really am until now!

yes i know those people who go to church every day to get their "brownie" points

but they are trying too hard, its the simple things in life, a green fly on my hand, its black eyes shining in the sunlight, even got the magnifying glass out to look at this little being, it has atoms spinning around in its little body as well

reply to post by dmorgan


I believe in hell because I see people that as far as they are concerned are there now. It's a state of mind not some place place a "diety" with a judgemental streak a couple of billions of light years wide sends you. Just like Heaven.

And I think you are misintrepreting what exactly they mean by suicide. Please just check it out, it is quite a good read/watch.

[edit on 11-6-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

I'm still not convinced about the whole hell idea.

It's ok...I don't believe in hell either... I also don't believe in heaven. I believe in reincarnation and that we can ascend to higher planes, but not heaven. I also believe in karma, so if you do something bad in this life you will definitely have a crappy life in the next. What comes around goes around....Just a thought, everyone has their own beliefs.

Keep searching for your own meaning!