Out of Body Experience

 Question

“I have followed you for a while now, especially after my ma died a few years ago.  I am 60 years old now, and work construction.  Recently, after a particularly grueling day at work, as I lay in bed, probably around 11 pm, I was feeling all the aches and pains and bruising on my body (as usual), but was just happy to not be working so hard and resting instead.  I gradually started to feel separate from the pain.  I could still feel the pain (in fact every little bit of it), but it was sort of reduced and separate from me.  At the same time I felt happy/euphoric, and for lack of better words HEALTHY.  At this time I felt as though I was rising upwards, and even though I rationed that at some point, as I would hit the ceiling or something, I just had the feeling of rising upwards as best I can describe it.  My best guess is that this lasted five minutes or so until I sort of ‘woke up.’  I still don’t know if it was a dream or real or a combination, but I do know that I tried unsuccessfully to return to that state that morning.  Just wondering what your thoughts would be on this.”....Dave

ANSWER

This is “classic” out-of-body sequences.

To my way of thinking you were starting to leave your body.  The “you” that leaves is the real YOU, your soul, your spirit, whatever you want to call it.  Irrespective of what you may want to call anything, it is the Real You that was taking charge, taking over, and showing you that the way you are living and the way you feel about how you are living. . . is not the real you nor your real life.  

There are a number of books out now about how to take an out-of-body trip, or just books about out-of-body experiences.  The majority are good - of course some are better than others.  I’ve recommended some of the good ones in various issues of my Free Monthly Newsletter “For The Curious.”  If you haven’t been receiving it, you may want to get on my website at www.pmhatwater.com, scroll over to Newsletter, and sign up.  There is an Archive, so you can go back as far as you want and find some recommends.  I produce this newsletter simply because I want to.  I enjoy curious things and ideas, so I pursue them, and share my journeys and love of adventure with others.  Simple as that.  I used to teach people how to have OBEs decades ago.  Good skill to learn, plus, as you already know, life, your life, is much better than you think it is.  Once you begin to experience and realize how wonderful you are, you begin to seek out more, and that “more” enables you to discover how much you can do and learn and experience and know.

Enjoy what is happening to you.  It will get better eventually, and help you improve your life.  Blessings, PMH

QUESTION

“Hey, I’m not sure if I want to describe my experience before I know someone will read it but I can if you wish.  What I have for you is a question. Knowing you have researched many cases and have knowledge about other researchers’ work, you may be able to help me.  I did not have an NDE but an experience when I was taken out of my body in sleep when I was maybe 4 or 5, or 6. I cannot pinpoint specific time because at the time after waking up and wanting to tell my brother all about it, from the joy I felt instantly, I understood importance of each soul’s journey and that I should never mention that to him unless he asks me to.  Experience I had was amazing. It is 20 years later, and I recollected parts of my memories and more than that, I understand exactly why this has happened. I will describe all of my experience if you wish but for now I want to ask you one simple, question, and I can describe it before you answer. I have seen hundreds of videos about NDEs and I have deep understanding of what people are describing.  I have also seen interviews with people who have been visited by beings of light, etc. What I have never found and seems to be quite unique to my experience is the part that struck me the most.

“I was asked if I wanted to know who I am.  I said of course I want to know who I am. Why are you making it sound so scary.  I am not ashamed of my mistakes. More about the story later. I am not sure if anybody reads this.  I was rushed, like through the universe, starting from where I was through great light. I won’t describe this light because you’ve heard where I was through great light.  What I can say most people realize is, when I was rushed through this light, it was like you can imagine most beautiful glorious light goldish white with colours that I can see on earth, most beautiful for me were kinds of violets.  I could be overwhelmed but in the light I started recognizing myself, in one little tiny photon, and I see red in this photon. It turned red from white and I can see more in it, and I realize that in every photon I can see the white light.  I am overwhelmed within each and every one photon is reality, and I see all these lives and realizing, remembering, screaming inside of me--”I remember. I remember. It is me. It is me.” I was so happy seeing all this beautiful love, not lives on this planet earth.  What I was struck with what was beauty of women in these experiences. I was 5 years old, every single person on this planet earth - their DNA is garbage compared to people I saw in other lifetimes. Our prettiest stars look worse than junkies compared to women I saw. And all the love, all the sex I had in all the lives I relived instantly, in one moment.  You cannot imagine.

“Finally being done with overwhelming joy, I say to myself, okay, I am here for a reason.  Okay, let’s go and see some more earthy lives. I can see some but these are not mine. Okay, I see I was living it, but I want to see some life here on earth that I was someone who has some kind of power of some sort.  I see a life, not entire life, but most glorious moment in this life. I don’t know if it was Roman Empire or Greek Empire, but some of that sort. I already have gone too far, not knowing if it will reach its final destination.  I hope you understand my search, even I haven’t clearly stated the question. Thank you for all that you do.”....Lukasz in Poland.

ANSWER

    Hello.  Thank you for sharing.

    Please know it is normal for children around the ages you gave to have out-of-body experiences.  Little ones, too. It is also normal for anyone of any age to experience their soul leaving their body if they are ill, running a high fever, drunk, or taking certain types of medication/drugs.

    People who keep this quiet, never tell their stories, do a disservice to society.  They keep such episodes “secret,” assuming such things are rare or a product of their imagination or a sign of insanity.  None of this is true. If you could ever read my book, Future Memory, you would have a better understanding of this, especially when I compare what happens to children up to the age of five, with what happens to experiencers of transformative or life-changing states.  In fact, that entire book will explain a lot to you.

    What we’re hearing more of now than we did before is children, and many times adult experiencers, talking about other planes of existence beyond the electromagnetic spectrum, beyond form, as part of the universe itself.  I talked about a few of those in my book, The New Children and Near-Death Experiences.  Still, for the most part, such imagery and language is new.  I truly feel the reason for this is because all of us, throughout the world, hear about scientific terminology, see movies and videos, that extend a person’s world beyond that of human.  So we see ourselves as protons and quarks and in any manner of form - knowing what is going on and why we exist. Sometimes these revelations are quite detailed and totally moving. You come away from one absolutely knowing what just happened to you, what you came to know, is totally, truly real.  And it probably was just that. Researchers have no way to know the “truth” of such episodes. We just know they are happening more frequently, and anywhere in the world. And that they are affecting people very deeply.

    Out-of-body experiences, the ability to do that, can be taught.  The Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia, runs various types of classes in how to do this.  There are teachers everywhere now who can train people. I used to do that myself, decades ago.  What you can learn from going out-of-body, see and feel and touch, is quite tremendous. However, having just said that, I want also to remind you that out-of-body experiences are more vivid and real if part of a near-death experience.  There’s something about the energy involved in death that strengthens OBEs and makes them far more vivid and powerful that the regular, natural kind.

    I am so glad your experience as a child has remained helpful and wonderful, even magical to you throughout your life.  Maybe someday you can learn how to do this as an adult. If not, perhaps your meditation and prayer, certain visualization exercises, can recreate for you what happened when you were a child - make it more of your life now in a healthy way.

    Many blessings, PMH

The Soul's Existence

QUESTION:

“So I know that you deal mainly with NDEs, but given your vast knowledge of what the soul experiences when detached from the body, I have a few questions regarding the soul.

1. What do you know about a soul’s contact with the human world? My mom and I are both fairly in touch with our psychic abilities by nature, though have not necessarily pursued these very deeply. My mom has told me that after her mom died, she came to her in a dream and told her I would be born and what my name would be (this is really just a side note to my actual question). My mom said that while talking to her mom, Pat, she seemed sick. Pat, while alive, had a heart condition, and Pat told my mom that it was at a cost and with great struggle that she returned to the earthplane to tell her this information - because whenever she returned, she was as ill as she was while alive. Is this true for other souls that return to our plane, or is this scenario specific to only a few souls?

2. What of contact do you know about souls that have passed on? My grandpa recently died, and we were very close. My mom and I experienced something at the same time a few hours before he passed: she felt like he was giving her a big hug, and I thought of him, and it felt like we were almost rising, and we felt very peaceful. It seems unusual that this would happen to us at the same time. Is this common of souls leaving the body to visit the living for a last goodbye or something?

3. Have you heard of astral projection? Or possibly you’ve heard of it by other names. From what I’ve read, it happens from a deep state of meditation where the soul consciously leaves the body, though the person is aware and in control of what happens. It’s kind of difficult to explain. I’m sure Google could do better on that. But it’s a meditation thing. Have you heard of this, or have you known this occurs or is possible? I’m very curious about this.

“Sorry about the barriage of questions. I’ve never found so much legitimate information regarding souls anywhere on the web, let along a chance to ask someone with such vast knowledge! Even just answering one of them would suffice. I’m sure you get a lot of e-mails, so I understand if you can’t.”.....Emily

ANSWER:

Emily, I do not admit what all I have seen, felt, and heard throughout my life or in my work, nor will I - until the time is right, and that time is beginning to draw nigh. Remember, I am a researcher and I follow a strict protocol. My work must stand on its own merits; even if challenging, it must still be in the realm of what other researchers can check - if they are willing to follow a similar protocol or something else like it. The only time I have deviated into the realm of soul is in my book, We Live Forever: The Real Truth About Death (A.R.E. Press). This book can still be ordered at any bookstore, on the web, or through my own online bookstore at http://www.pmhatwater.com . This particular book covers much of what you are questioning. I suggest that you read it. In my latest book, Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story, I finally admit that I can see energy. In doing so, I take the liberty to reveal what I never dared to before. Especially the second half should be quite a stretch. Nuff said about this.

Contrary to what psychics, mediums, and hypnotherapists claim, the soul seems to exist in numerous layers and forms within its own matrix. Thus, your grandmother’s claims about her own soul experiencing pain and discomfort in order to leave The Other Side and visit here makes sense in that that particular aspect of her soul might still be in need of refining and improvement. I encountered that sort of thing many times when I worked as a hypnotherapist - aspects of a soul still unfinished and in need of various types of incarnations in order to heal itself. Eventually, the soul matrix does congeal, bringing together all its many aspects for greater understanding of its own power and abilities. The soul, our soul, has a mind of its own and evolves according to the wave-stream of its own potential. The soul does not think like a person does, not your soul, not my soul. It evolves differently.

Souls that move on after leaving the body can be and are contacted on a fairly regular basis by those still embodied. All you need do is read the testimony of near-death experiencers, those on the deathbed, and from certain sessions with mediums, to find extensive evidence to this claim.

Astral traveling or astral projection is the “older” term most of us used for OBEs, or out-of-body experiences, “way back when.” Most children, especially if ill or in fever, and most adults, especially if exhausted, or ill, or drunk or on drugs, leave their bodies - sometimes accidently, sometimes on a fairly regular basis. Out-of-body experiences are not unusual. This has always been easy for me to do. I finally took some classes on refining the skill in the middle 1960s, and then taught others what I learned. I found the skill to be practical, reliable, usable while on the job, and a money-saver with transportation costs (as I did not have to bring my body along). I have many stories I can tell of how cost-effective and efficient this skill has been for me over the years. When I died in 1977, however, what I experienced then pales any other experience I ever had with astral traveling. That separation of my soul from my body was so intense, so totally and completely and utterly real and deeply involved, that I cannot compare it to regular astral traveling. You will note in many of my findings from near-death research, that I found this fact to be equally true with thousands of people, adults and children - almost negating my prior experiences with astral traveling before I died as something that would influence my research findings.

I hope this information is of help. Many blessings, PMH

An "Oh, I get it" Moment

COMMENTS FROM GARY


This is not a question, per se, but an interesting comment from a man becoming more spiritually aware. I’d like to share his letter with you.


“I’ve been reading stories on your website and it compelled me to write to you. Although I have not had an NDE, I did have an experience of enlightenment in November of 2007. The reason I am writing to you is that my experience has left me with very similar results that the stories, as those who have experienced NDEs, reveal.


“I was sitting in front of my computer one morning, thinking of life and what is really going on. Suddenly, I had an “Oh, I get it” moment. I understood the life cycle, how we got here, why we are here, what happens to us when we die, dreams, etc. I understood that all living things are here for the same reason. I could see the root of what drives us. After about two weeks of this rolling through my mind, I felt I had to start writing about it. I knew that it was the only way I could progress past the same whirlwind of thoughts that were going through my mind. As I was writing I was realizing that, I am not a writer, and how difficult it was to explain what I knew. Keeping it in coherent order was a challenge. The experience changed my life in much the same way as those that have had an NDE. Most notably, a lack of desire for material possessions, money and success, and an enhancement to help others. Although the quest for money was never much of a priority in my life, I gained a feeling that there would always be enough to survive.


“I noticed the explanation of life as a river, on a (your?) website. I had the same thoughts as I was trying to figure out how to explain my new understanding of life. I have been astounded to find the same analogies that I have come up with over the past two and a half years. I never thought that I would find anyone that thought the way I did. I didn’t get it from books or church. It just came to me. Now, I am beginning to find that there are others that have similar results, although they don’t seem to explain it the same. It’s been challenging, but rewarding in many ways. Rejection of my understanding seems to be the norm. I have had better results through application than explanation.


“I have spent much of my life thinking about this. Reading, wondering, thinking, observing. I realized at an early age, that all of the clues are right in front of us. I was raised in a Christian environment, going to Church and Sunday School regularly. I never really understood much of it. There seemed to be something to it, since so many believe in it. I read the Bible, from cover to cover, around the year 2000. I had no preconceived idea, other than to read every word and see what unfolded. I came away with a bit of a different understanding of it than what I had been taught. In my quest to understand life, I had been exposed to Buddhism, chanting, astral projection, and even looked into numerology, astrology, and quite a variety of other things that left me with as many questions as answers. It all gelled that morning. The outcome was quite different than what I had observed, but my new knowledge is indisputable in my mind. I have been finding corroborating evidence ever since.


One of the things that came to me was the purpose of dreams. I have come to the conclusion that there are three states of mind. Awake (awareness in the physical), dormant sleep (lack of awareness), and dreams (awareness outside of the physical). The purpose of dreams is to allow for the understanding that our souls are separate from our bodies, although fully integrated. That there is awareness outside of the physical experience. The level of awareness is diminished from the out-of-body experience and NDE. The vividness of the latter two is enhanced. Just before my father died, he expressed some very vivid dreams. I viewed them as out-of-body experiences in preparation for his passing. The doctors passed it off as hallucination. He also experienced things when he was awake. The doctors classify it as “sun downer syndrome.” It seems to be related to some of the things that people experience after their NDE. I will stop here.”....Gary


A NOTE ON GARY’S COMMENTS


We all wonder about life and how things work, at times. Some of us go through a “peak experience” when suddenly the puzzle pieces fall together - maybe because of a revelation or with a new understanding. Spiritual experiences, those revelatory moments that catch us off-guard, are rich with insight and meaningful upliftment. Sometimes “a special light” illuminates what was once invisible to us. Almost every adult who truly made a difference for the better in this world, had an illumination like this as a child. The near-death phenomenon feeds this desire in us to know more, to glimpse behind the visible world and see what else is there. I thank Gary for sharing with me. Near-death states touch into every aspect of life and its living. They challenge or inspire us in ways little else does. People were dead - no breath, no heartbeat, no brain wave or cortical activity - and now they’re back. . . and they have a story to tell. And we need to listen.


It is my hope that you will read my newest and last book about my research of the near-death phenomenon: Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story (Hampton Roads; Charlottesville, VA, 2011). There are many voices who speak through my findings. Don’t skip over or underestimate them. This is not “same old.” Slowly but surely I introduce new material until Chapter 16 when the whole book changes. It changes because our view of near-death experiences needs to change. The near-death experience is not some kind of anomaly; rather, it is part of the larger genre of transformations of consciousness. People like Gary touch into that higher reality. They take a step into light and are forever changed. Read about threshold experiences and the science of fluid dynamics in the book (this explains so much). Read about the real truth behind spiritual experiences - the biological imperative that they are. Read about the new Christology, what Christ Consciousness really is.


Spirituality is an important and necessary part of life. For those of you who discover that through stories about near-death episodes and the work people like me have done, thank you for opening your mind - to the awareness of your own soul. Blessings, PMH

Questioning the Afterlife

QUESTION

“I started reading about near-death experiences last summer, after I had a crisis of faith that sent me into a deep and fearful depression. I have since gotten a little better, but I still struggle with doubt and fear. I’m finding it very difficult to live my life with the dread that hangs over me at the idea that there might not be a God or life after death.

“I find the reality of NDE’s very comforting, and I want to believe that they really do offer evidence of the afterlife. I was reading an article on your links page that appears to be a scientific paper claiming that NDE’s can be induced (and therefore explained away), through the use of the drug ketamine. I had heard briefly about this on the IANDS website but hadn’t looked into it. I wanted to know, how true is it that ketamine can replicate all the meaningful aspects of an NDE (including veridical perception? - the article did not mention this)?

“Also, how reliable are accounts of veridical perception during NDE’s?

“I know it is wrong to want proof, and that conclusive proof can, of course, not be obtained until I actually do die, but I can’t live my life with this kind of fear. I need something to hold onto.

“Wow, I realize how desperate I just sounded and I’m sorry. But I would really appreciate your help.”.....Jane


ANSWER

I am not a physician, but I can say no drug that we know of can duplicate the complete near-death phenomenon. The paper on ketamine was published in the Journal of Near-Death Studies. I read it, but I do not remember which issue it was in. You can certainly inquire by contacting the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) at services@iands.org. I have spoken several times with the physician who wrote that paper and with others knowledgeable on the subject. What claims like this emphasize and try to explain are certain near-death imagery and initial changes afterward. You virtually never hear from anyone who addresses the entire phenomenon.

The entire near-death phenomenon includes the global experience/scenario pattern, the pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects, and the implications. You cannot understand the phenomenon simply on the basis of comparing a few images and symbols, and a few brain responses and behavior changes. If you are really going to examine near-death, you need to look at the whole phenomenon and what is currently known about it. What may help you here is to read of Near Death Experiences: ">The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences. It updates the entire field worldwide with present research.

How reliable are third-party verifications of what experiencers see when out-of-body? The answer to that depends on whom you talk to. If you talk to fieldworkers like myself, I would say that such verifications occur so often they are commonplace, right-on, stunning. If you talk to skeptics, who come in years after an event occurred and demand to interview all significant parties, and refuse to accept verifications already received, then you run into a rail because, by then, many of the people involved are either dead or have moved away and cannot be contacted. Of course, the skeptic’s statement of “It can’t be proved” usually follows. So what do I do about this? I ignore the skeptics. I haven’t met one yet that was reasonable. They find what they find because that’s exactly what they want to find. Real skeptics, open skeptics, can be convinced of one thing and then turn around in their thinking when they find evidence to refute their original stance. Some of today’s best near-death researchers were once strident skeptics.

It is good to question. Add these to your questions: what is your protocol, how large is your study, does it address child experiencers as well as adults, do you depend only on questionnaires or do you do fieldwork, do you include in your investigation the feedback from significant others as well, did you do followups, how broad was your study, did you address cultural/regional/racial/religious differences or did you confine your study to one hospital in one part of the country one time? These questions are hugely important!!! So much of the work on either side of the “aisle” is incomplete or superficial. I am grateful that in 2010 some true scientists came forward with their work. But we need different and varied protocols. We need more people like me who say: let’s look again, there is more here than what appears at first glance or even beneath a microscope.

Near-death research does not answer the age-old question - is there life after death? It does, however, give startling, virtually overwhelming evidence to suggest. . . maybe there is.

Many blessings, PMH

Skeptics and the Fear of Death

QUESTION:

"I was very hesitant about sending you this e-mail, but I cannot take this torment much longer. It has been weeks since this has started, and it isn't the first time. One day, all of a sudden, it came back. . . my fear of death. This last time was two years ago when I started college. Somehow I had gotten over that, but I don't know about this time. I think the reason this is happening to me is because I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and I keep dwelling on these thoughts (I can no longer afford any medication or therapy). I haven't been able to study anything ever since this has started. If this continues, I will probably flunk college. But I am powerless and unable to do anything. I simply don't have strength any more. I really want to buy your books but unfortunately I live in a third world country. Even though I have the money due to the cheap price of your lovely books, I cannot manage money transfer. I live in a bit of a small house, and my parents are devout Christians. Their beliefs make them happy. I do not want to change that for them.

"So, I decided to read some of the articles in your website. I was feeling better reading them, then I decided to browse around the Internet. I read on a skeptic site about out-of-body experiences, but it was nothing I haven't seen a good reply to, so I was happy. But then I decided to read the comments, and found one that made me shiver and I am more depressed than ever. It was a comment left by someone who used to believe in NDEs, but stopped. The reason he stopped believing is because he went to an IANDS Conference, and he was asking around. He found from one of the researchers who was there, who had been experiencing with people who have OBEs, that despite the large number, none of them had been able to prove they had had an OBE (in the sense that they couldn't describe their surroundings). Is this true? I really want to believe in NDES, but I just can't. Also, I am scared about the AWARE study. What if the researchers come out with negative results? Will that prove that NDEs are not true spiritual experiences?

"On a bit more optimistic note (if that is possible), I have read an article on child near-death experiences. Even though I am 20 years old, I was kind of surprised at how I could relate to the story. I sensed that in some way it described my childhood. Even when I was around 10, I have a rather keen love for 'light.' In the living room, we have a window in which the sun shines right through. I really HATE it when that window is closed. For some reason, I feel like I HAVE to open it, and when I do, I usually like to lay on my back on the couch and just look at the sky. I really dislike the afternoon. It depresses me for some reason. I always felt alienated during my childhood. It was not until college that I met new friends whom I can relate to. I always feel detached from the world. Maybe that is partly due to my ADD and OCD. I have always had a hunger for knowledge, and an amazing zest for life! I liked laughing, studying, and almost anything else (rather ironic considering my situation).

"At first I thought these things were normal, especially since I don't remember having an NDE. But when I read the article on your website about people repressing childhood NDEs, I thought maybe that was the case with me. Do you think that is the case? If so, how do I unlock those memories? Please help me."...Patrick

ANSWER:

I attended that same conference where the man said after decades of work he had yet to find one bit of proof about the validity of out-of-body experiences. He spoke the truth from his viewpoint, but that was only his viewpoint. He did not and could not speak for the field of study, only for himself. In the field of study there are thousands of verifications, more than I can count, really, and within my own research as well. Why people like this "authority" makes statements like this (which are not true), is beyond my understanding. Perhaps it is because he was unable to verify any, and interpreted that to mean no one had. Researchers do that a lot, thinking that what they do and who they are speaks for the entire field. Wrong.

For instance, in the field of near-death studies, there has yet to be a single skeptic who has researched the entire phenomenon (the experience and the aftereffects). They only look into bits and parts, never the whole thing. That means there is no skeptical approach yet that has the bearing and weight of true research. Not one.

The near-death phenomenon does not prove there is an afterlife, yet of all other human encounters, it comes the closest to revealing what death may be and what may happen after death. As a fact, the phenomenon actually reveals more about life than it does death, a life that far exceeds what we think life is, what our faculties are, our purpose or mission in life, and what we are capable of. For this reason, if none other, the near-death phenomenon is the most important field of research today. Whether or not the AWARE project proves anything new or not, it is still a valuable step forward. I personally doubt they will be able to "prove" out-of-body experiences as part of the near-death phenomenon, because of the protocol they are using. It is full of "holes" and may not work. I really doubt that it does work. OBEs as part of near-death states evolve around emotion and are emotional. This is something that bothers "science," and something science has no real way to measure. Pim van Lommel, a Dutch cardiologist, comes out with his great book later in 2009. I am sure it will be most incredible, and with the type of verification scientists should welcome.

Excessive fear is a state of mind. Perhaps something happened to you while you were young, or a past life is "bleeding through" or making itself known. A good past-life regressionist tends to be better than a doctor with this. But you want a trained transpersonal hypnotherapist. This is the best type to go to. You must check credentials, though, to make certain the individual is who he or she claims and has good endorsements.

ADD and OCD can be caused or irritated by diet/allergies in food. A number of psychologists in Canada are now giving such children (those with "learning disorders") food tests to check on food allergies. By doing this and with some good counseling, they are turning around 80% of their cases: no more learning disorders. You may be able to check on this yourself. Investigate through the Internet how to check on foods that may be harmful to you or causing problems. I was born with dexlexia and synesthesia, and became a stutterer because of how I was treated by kids at school. Determination is a funny thing - I was so determined to teach myself how to keep a focus, talk right, read right, that, after three years of effort, I was just fine, did well, and turned my grades around for the better at school. We didn't have special education classes then. If something was the matter with your faculties or brain, that was your tough luck. Guess I was born a fighter, because I refused to accept the verdict. I also had a number of major illnesses as a child. I wouldn't accept them, either. Check your intention. What is it you want? Lay out a plan to get there, do it, and you will. You have to stay the course, however, and not give up.

You're not afraid of death.

You're afraid of life.

Seize the life you have and live it fully - your way - not some other person's way. I like things squared up on table tops and throughout our house and wherever I am. That doesn't make me OCD. It just means I'm a neat-freak. Yup, I can see a dirt ball at 40 paces. Chuckle.

Bless yourself. You have more going for you that against you. Remember that! PMH


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

I have never done this before - telling you about the talks and workshops I offer, but it feels right to do so now. Just access my website at www.pmhatwater.com and move over to the Talks and Workshops Section. You will see that I offer a broad selection: anywhere from subjects like the near-death experience and its evolutionary aspects, to fun-intensives about relearning how to live life's basics in new ways ("Thriving Skills for Dynamic Times"), to rediscovering that life itself is a dream and how we can recognize and interpret "those" symbols ("Day and Night, the Symbols We Create"). And don't forget, Rune Casting Playshops using Goddess Runes (these are not like oracle runes and are much more specific - they are a particular divinatory system that fosters whole-brain development, not just right-brained).

Two new ones have been added (1 1/2 hours each or could be extended into a half-day session), and they are mentioned here. Don't forget I can gear my material to your needs or the wishes of your group. You can easily contact me through my website.

(1) "Revelations from the Near-Death Experience"

• - everyone has a purpose in being born
• - most experiencers return to life because they have more work to do
• - the pressure to be about doing their purpose is relentless
• - some state that the greatest sadness they have endured afterward is never learning what their purpose is
• - child experiencers have a solution to this
• - revelations of the "Big Picture" from adult experiencers
• - revelations of the "Big Picture" from child experiencers

(2) "The Will of the Soul"

• - the incredible power of our soul is unveiled in transformative experiences
• - we begin to recognize that the soul, our soul, has a will and agenda of its own
• - soul cycles, soul waves, soul groups, twin souls, the goal of souls
• - manifestations/ensoulments
• - the human form
• - our comings and goings
• - we have gifts to share
• - the talents we bring in, and what we did with those talents when we leave
• - fate/destiny/free will
• - the numbers 12 and 13