We do not die... we "pass over."

A Voice From the Afterlife...

"When I was in the hospital, even though I was in excruciating pain, I resisted letting go.  I was trying to hang on for one more Christmas."

I was also afraid.  Afraid that there wasn't anything more and that I would simply cease to exist.  The thought of that unending nothingness terrified me.  Even though I wanted so badly to believe in an afterlife, my literal mind kept getting in the way.

I am still unclear about all that went on around me during those last days.  When my consciousness was centered in my body, things seemed very cloudy and dreamlike.  Many times, I would slip out to my physical shell.  The first time this happened, I was very surprised!  I found myself, suddenly and without warning, floating above my body.  It took me a moment to realize that the person I saw on the bed below was actually me.

While I was in this out-of-body state, everything was crystal clear.  I felt no pain, just very free and light.  These intervals began to occur more frequently until, toward the end, I was spending very little time actually centered in my body.  This was really a wonderful way to prepare for my transition.  I could get used to being out of the physical body without actually dying.  The experience allowed me to let go of much of my fear because, for the first time, I realized that I could exist outside my body, and that I was much more than that shell which, up until then, had encompassed the whole of my identity.  The release of that fear made it much easier when I finally did let go of my life.

I spent much of this time, floating around the hospital and hovering over my physical form.  I was watching everything... operations in other parts of the building and procedures performed on my own body.  Even though I knew it was my body, I did not feel the effects of anything done to it.  It was as if I were observing the nurses and doctors working on a dear friend.

I grew accustomed to the mechanics of moving in and out of the body.  I began to really trust this space and to much prefer it over the alternative of being confined to my physical shell, which was clouded with suffering, medication and pain.

When I was out of my physical form, I noticed that my consciousness was contained to a body of sorts.  It was much lighter and more mobile than the body I had grown used to, but I still had hands and feet... everything I was accustomed to having!  This "light" body was attached to my corporeal body by a slender, glowing cord (the silver cord).  Because of this connection, though I might not be in the direct vicinity of my physical being, if even the minutest change or threat to my survival were to occur, I would be immediately aware of it and could then return to stabilize my body's condition.

I have learned that there are many people who are caught in a kind of limbo space... a place between your reality and the next, because they have not severed this cord and made the final disconnect from their bodies.  There remains a very thin, ever-fading connection.  As long as this connection is not consciously severed, their souls will not progress.  This is why many people sense "ghosts" in and around cemeteries.  This is a very sad and lonely existence... souls reluctant to let go of their bodies long after these bodies have ceased to be viable.

After several days of moving in and out of my physical form, from shadow to light, and back again... I eagerly slipped from my body for another outing and I saw my parents in the corner of the room enveloped by a glowing halo of light.  I was overjoyed to see them.  The timing of their appearance could not have been more perfect.  If they had come to me before this, I more than likely, would not have trusted the reality of their presence.  I would have told myself it was a dream or hallucination.

By this time, the experience of being out of my body had become more real than anything else.  My former life and my physical shell were becoming very shadowy and unreal to me.  I also was aware that the more time I spent out of my body, the lighter I was becoming.  I see now that it was preparation, in a way, for a smooth ascent.

"My parents asked me if I would like a glimpse of where I was going, and of course, I said yes."

Immediately, we were flying through a tunnel-like space at a tremendous rate of speed toward a brilliant light.  As we entered that light, for the first time I could remember, I truly felt love.  I know there were those in my life who loved me, but I only knew this intellectually.  I could not "feel" it.  On Earth, at this time, it seems that real love is the exception.   Here, it is all there is.  It was overwhelming and beautiful beyond words.  There were many others there, all radiating light, all filled with love - pure and unadulterated unconditional love.

"I was then told that if I so choose, I could "cross over."  I had already assessed the true condition of my body.  I realized that if I did go back, I would live as an invalid.  My actions and cognitive abilities would be seriously impaired due to severe damage incurred in the cellular structure of my brain.  This was the result of oxygen deprivation caused by blockage of blood flow to that organ.

"So I came back through the tunnel, into my hospital room and into my poor, tired body one last time to say goodbye to it.  Then I simply left.  I slipped out of my body and severed that slender thread of life through a conscious act of will." 

I have learned that sometimes, when one suffers a traumatic or instant death that is unexpected, this cord is severed as a result of the shock of the experience.  The soul in its entirety, shoots out of the body.  These souls are given the option of reconnecting with their physical bodies if they so wish, and if the condition of those bodies allow for the continuation of life.  This is the source of many near-death experiences.  However, in instances where people are in comas or experience chronic lingering illnesses, this severing of the cord must be done through a conscious act of will.

We really do choose our time of death.  It's as if death is a river flowing by, and they choose when they will jump into it.  They know when it will happen and they make preparations for this momentous event in their soul's journey. So all of us, at some level, either consciously or unconsciously, do choose when we are to leave.  The moment is not a calendar date that has been set from the time we were born.  It is, rather, that there are certain situations and events we are to experience.  Our souls choose that which we will accomplish and learn during our lives.

When we have completed those tasks, then we are free to leave at any time.  Some choose to leave right away, others choose to stay a while longer.  After I separated my true self from my physical body, I was joined immediately by a great angelic being.  He informed me that he was, in fact, my guardian angel.  It was as if he were a part of me, yet, not a part of me.

I was given a choice... to cross over to the other side immediately or to spend 3 days in this space between the worlds, saying one last goodbye to the people and places I clearly love.  I chose to say goodbye.  I spent the next days making contact with all of those who were dear to me.  It was marvelous!  I had simply to think of a person or a place, and I was there immediately.  It is more "feeling" a person or place than thinking about them.  I went once more, to all the places I love.

After accomplishing this last task, I was ready to go.  Immediately, I was joined by my guardian angel and together we entered the tunnel.

Almost immediately after I arrived, I was taken by my guardian to a beautiful temple-like space.  The walls looked like translucent marble, but were radiating light.  There is a council there, made up of 12 great beings.  They are dressed in glowing robes, their bodies emanating light.  These beings help to guide newly arrived souls through the transition period.

They facilitate these souls' understanding of what is happening to them and the implications to their spiritual progress of the experiences they had while incarnated.

"I did not feel any judgment or condemnation here, only compassion and acceptance, welcome and love.  I was not afraid.  I was then told that it was time for a review of my life.  I must explain that words are not the main method of communication here.  I have learned just how limiting words can be.  Instead, we merge our consciousness and transfer our thoughts as well as our emotions, so that there is perfect clarity among us, with no room for misunderstanding."

The council explained that this was not a time for judgment, but a learning experience.  "They asked if I was ready. Then the most incredible thing happened... I re-experienced, in its entirety, the life I had just completed.  Every little thing, even incidents which I did not remember with my conscious mind, came back to me.  I relived the whole of my existence, only this time, I saw it with a clear and understanding eye.  I not only "saw" these events, I felt them.  I learned the true impact of my actions by experiencing not only my emotions, but the emotions of everyone I had interacted with.  I was filled with pain, sorrow and dismay over some of the choices I had made; pride and peace and fulfillment at others.  One of the greatest regrets for me is that I gave fear so much power in my life.  That fear was what prevented me from giving and receiving love.  I felt much grief that I had not conveyed my true feelings to others.  I mourned all the loving things I had not said.  I saw that I had allowed fear to make of me, a very self-centered individual."

I did not see this as judgment... rather, it was a revelation which I experienced to the very core of my being.  I saw how fear had limited me, and as I saw this, I was healed, the pain and grief washed away.  I do not know how long this review lasted... time as you know, does not exist here, but when it was done, I felt a peace and a completeness, and a total understanding and compassion for my life and the person that I was.  This wisdom is now recorded on my soul and will be a part of me forever.

I was then led out of the temple and into beautiful gardens and forests of light, stretching as far as the eye can see.  Everything here is so vibrant and alive and sparkling.

There is always light here.  This light cannot only be seen, but also felt as love.  Its source is God.  It fills everything there is.  There is no where here where it is not.  This light is so bright in Earth terms, that were you to look upon it with the human eye, you would be blinded.  You would love it!

Time and space are very different here.  Everything is happening at once.  You simply move your focus from one thing to another to experience anything you wish.  If you have a desire to create something, say a painting or music, you can just visualize it or hear it and it springs into existence immediately.  And as your vision changes, those changes are instantly reflected in the new creation before you.  Everything flows effortlessly from one form into another with ease and grace.

"I saw many other souls walking and communing in the beautiful gardens, celebrating their existence along with the animals and birds.  Some of these beings seemed to be made of the same essence as I.  Some were angelic or devic spirits, who were larger and somewhat brighter, and less dense in nature.  The light that shines from them is almost impossible to describe in Earth terms.  It is somewhat like a waterfall of brilliant, sparkling, pulsating energy."

There is much laughter and great joy here.  I feel that everyone I see is a part of me.  For the first time, I don't feel alone.  Many souls came up to me and expressed their happiness at finding me here.  Many souls I had known from other lifetimes.  We had long been on separate journeys and so had much to share.

The celebration of holy days on Earth is reflected here in Heaven.  Anytime one being expresses love and thanksgiving on Earth, it is also felt and celebrated here.  There is no need for food at this level of existence.  We are sustained by the great light of which we are so inextricably a part.  I am told that human evolution is moving rapidly to a place where you, too, will live on light.

"I have seen Jesus.  He truly is God's Son, a perfect embodiment of the Holy of Holiness.  The love that He is, instantly transforms any sadness, doubt, or fear.  He can be in all realities at once.  He is boundless.  He has no limits.  He is here to help us remove our own limitations and rise in love.  He has appeared in many forms, to all cultures, in all realities, throughout existence."

There is no disease here.  The bodies we have are light bodies.  They are very fluid.  Although we can merge with, and experience anything imaginable, we do not become attached to the experience or out of balance as the result of it.  Instead, it flows right through us like ripples on water.

There is a time here when every soul chooses what is next for it.  There are infinite choices.  Will you reincarnate on planet Earth?  Will you spend time serving as a guide for someone still in a body?  Will you spend more time here, learning in the Heaven realm?  Will you journey into other realities?  "I have not decided yet, what my next step will be."

One thing I do want to do here, is to help the animals and the environment of the Earth.  There is much grieving among many on this side over the effects of man's actions on the planet.  The space you call Heaven is really everywhere, intermingled with your space, only at a different frequency. 

Same space... different frequency.  All space is one.  That is why everything you do in your reality, affects everything in every other reality.  That is why everything we do here, affects you there in the same way.  There are so many prayers on both sides for the healing of Earth and all of her creatures.  The grieving is being turned into powerful prayers.  We use your prayers as brilliant beams of light, reaching into the universe.  We link our prayers with yours and in this way, the consciousness of man is changed.  You must not give up hope!

"Finally, I must tell you about the libraries here.  They are magnificent temple-like structures.  These structures are translucent and glowing.  They are not filled with books, but with light... and what I can only term the complete and total awareness of all things.  Many of your temples and holy places on Earth are modeled after these heavenly edifices."

If you are curious about something, someone or some event in history, for instance... you enter into a temple, and by simply thinking the question, you immediately receive the answer.  This answer comes not only as an intellectual concept... it is visceral.  You see it, feel it... you become it.  All things that every individualized spirit has ever experienced from the beginning, all possible realities that ever have or could exist... are recorded here.  You can re-experience and in that way, know anything.  All the wisdom, all the knowledge, all that ever was or is or shall be, is contained within this light.

What about the horrors?

They, too, are recorded here, along with a total understanding of what caused them, and what their implications are for the evolution of the individual soul, as well as for mankind as a whole.  In re-experiencing one of these so-called horrors, it is possible to gain a clearer understanding of why it happened.  You are able to see into the very hearts of all those involved.  You become these individuals, to gain compassion for them and clarity about their actions.

This can be a very important experience for those souls who have not been able to forgive certain incidents, whether they be personal or historical.  It is imperative that they come to a place of forgiveness.  Without forgiveness, it is impossible to rise in love because that lack of forgiveness for one of God's creations, means you are rejecting a part of God.

There can never be total love without total forgiveness.  This does not mean you must accept as appropriate, the atrocities that are troubling you.  Rather, it is that you do not reject the soul who, through ignorance, pain, or fear, perpetrated that action.

In this way, even the most horrendous act can be used to the advantage of the whole by providing a powerful experience through which to learn and grow.  Many times, when souls are preparing to incarnate, they come to these temples to learn the histories of the families they are to be born into.  They can learn directly about their fathers or their mothers; their sisters or their brothers... even the life histories of their great-great-great grandparents are available to them here.

If they choose to incarnate with the gift of music, they can relive the lives of Mozart or Beethoven.  They can become that person in these learning temples, and in this way, acquire the soul knowledge of these gifted individuals to help them complete a chosen life destiny.

The temples are one of my favorite experiences here.  They are sometimes referred to as the "Akashic Records" on Earth.  There are truly no words on the human tongue that can describe how much more there is here.  Just know that it is wonderful and wildly estatic beyond your greatest dreams!