NDErs and Religion

 QUESTION

“Based on the research you have done, what do near-death experiencers usually say about religion?  Is it useless BS?  Are all religions valid paths to the same destination?  Could you provide me with some sample accounts of what NDErs say about religion?  Did you yourself learn anything about religion during your three NDE?” ...Matthew

ANSWER

You should read my books, especially 

DYING TO KNOW YOU:  PROOF OF GOD IN THE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE.

Let’s start with these figures:  ⅔ of the people I have contacted left their church and/or religious affiliation after their NDE.  Of this, most turned to other venues - like metaphysical groups, meditation classes, and various other types of spiritual outlets and studies.  Several even started their own church - like Carol Parrish-Harra.  Doing this was made plan to her during her near-death experience.  It took her a while to scout around for the proper place and people and study material.  Many others followed her, testing out what was truly right for the highest good of all concerned, not just her.  What resulted is the Sparrow Hawk Seminary (yes, a real one), located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  I’ve been there and saw for myself how valid, large, and wondrous this degree-granting seminary is.  There are others, but what Carol did is truly remarkable and on many levels.

An interesting footnote in my research, after about 10 to 15 years, most of those who left their church returned, bringing with them a more open, spiritual viewpoint.  This led the majority to become part of the new spiritual/metaphysical movement so active today.  Churches like Unity or Centers of Spiritual Living have grown because of this, and are now worldwide.

As far as God is concerned, easily 90%, actually higher than that, returned absolutely convinced of God’s Presence and God’s Reality, but not in the religious sense.  Rather, as an absolute knowing that A Greater Source Beyond Our Knowing not only exists, but is active and present in our lives.  Few use the term “God” anymore, or just because of habit.  All kinds of titles have surfaced.  I often say That Which Breathes Me.  Yet, I am still comfortable with the title God.

Know this, and know it for certain, after a near-death experience, especially if you had a more involved one, the idea of God is no longer an idea.  God is real.  Very real.  Blessings, PMH

NDEs and Religion

QUESTION

“I recently heard a podcast episode from the Grimerica Show, in which you were a guest.  It was both fascinating to hear your history, the things you have experienced, and the books you have written.  Since then, I have scoured your website and tried to discover your religious and spiritual beliefs.  I saw that you had taken part in Affirmative Prayer with the Unity Church.  Is that the church you are a part of?  I also read a lot about the Unity Church on their website.  It seems like they are focused on having a mindful and joyous life through prayer and meditation and embracing the spiritual natures in all of us.  The church I am a part of is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The most common nickname for my church is the Mormon Church.  It was fascinating to see the similarities between my beliefs and yours, and even within the Unity Church.  Although my religion doesn’t focus on meditation and the metaphysical, it was interesting to hear you say that as “Hu-Mans,” we are gods in the making.  We, too, believe that.  We believe that God made us in His Own Image, and that we were sent to Earth to learn and grow so that we can prepare to become like Him someday.  

“It is interesting to see how you intertwine common religious beliefs, like God, Jesus Christ, and prayer with metaphysical practices such as runes and studying energies, chakras, and so forth.  I believe there is so much that we do not understand about this world, and that there are energies and spiritual aspects of this life that interact with us.  I am curious to know your thoughts concerning Christian beliefs mixing them with other non-traditional beliefs that I had mentioned in the paragraph above.  The man that we believe restored our gospel in the modern day, Joseph Smith, had few Seer Stones that helped him translate many ancient texts, and also was a big part in receiving revelation.  Thus, I do not believe that stones or runes are hogwash.  I just do not know if I would have the ability to access such power from God.

“This was an email that jumped all over the place!  Sorry for that.  In conclusion, I guess I am just curious about how all of your religions and spiritual beliefs come together.  If you do not have the time or ability to reply, I understand.  I think you have a very fascinating life, and I appreciate all that you do to help others in this life.”

.....Lexi

ANSWER

Lexi, there is no way in a simple e-mail that I could possibly answer your letter in the manner it deserves.  So, forgive me for being brief.

I have a long and varied religious background.  I was born of a Catholic mother who later left the church, was raised by Norwegian Lutherans, and became a Methodist - after I had visited every church in town to find out who they were, what they believe, and why.  While I was engaged to my then-sweetheart, I became a Morman and remained a Morman for a while.  After changing how I felt about my sweetheart, I remained a Morman “to make sure what I really believed.”  After much study and prayer, I legally left (filled out the necessary documents) because deeply in my heart of hearts I could not accept the Pearls of Great Price or the Morman doctrines.  I then joined the Methodist Church on a day when I can honestly say God was fully in charge (I have an article about that day in the Article Section of my website).  My former husband and I were married in the Methodist Church.  All our children were baptized in the Methodist Church.  Then the day came when, as a family, and in family counsel, we decided to leave the church and each one was then free to choose any church or any way of belief they wanted.  Over the years, my former husband (who was a Morman) became a Catholic.  My oldest became a Taoist, second child a metaphysician (later returning to her Methodist roots), and the youngest became a Lutheran.

Before I died, I found that I could no longer follow the religions of my youth and early adulthood.  I began an in-depth study of Eastern Religions, metaphysical and esoteric paths, ancient traditions of various types including Native American, plus the process of transformations of consciousness.  This new way of thinking opened up doors that were not only incredible but made sense.  I had three kundalini breakthroughs, explored past lives, and started Idaho’s first non-profit metaphysical/spiritual corporation called “Inner Forum.”  For a decade I pretty-much ran Inner Forum; over 3,000 lives were touched, not to mention classes held, workshops, experiments, testing techniques.  Never was it what worked for me, what I could do.  Always it was how did this work for others.  How were they touched - what worked and made a difference in people’s lives - and what did not.  It was a heady time.  Then I died.  This ended everything.  I now knew God and I knew who I was.  Oneness was and continues to be my path.  I met my present husband and twin soul at a Zen Meditation Meeting.  We were married six weeks later.  That was 38 years ago.  Our marriage gets better and better with every passing year.  We both enjoy our local Unity Church, and any Centers of Spiritual Living we can find (formerly called the Church of Religious Science).  Mostly we enjoy living God and filling our lives, every day, with joy.  My latest work, A Manual for Developing Humans, has within it many of the things I learned since I died, and much more.  A “gift” to anyone who gets ahold of it. 

Blessings, PMH

In Being Different, We Are One

QUESTION

“I am reading one of your books with great interest.  I have a question which I have become more and more desperate to answer.  In 2006 I had an awakening of consciousness through exposure mainly to Eastern teachings.  It changed my sense of identity and brought immense peace and timelessness and insights into the mind.  However, in the time since then, I have read a lot about NDE and have become more devoted or drawn to a conception of God as the ultimate force and Creator.  I am torn between the idea that we are “souls” or divine sparks of consciousness that God created, and the Eastern idea of simple “oneness” in which everything is simply “consciousness” without any Deity.  May I ask you to just briefly describe how you understand this based on your own experience and research? I would be so grateful!”. . . Michael

ANSWER

    Well dear Michael, how do I begin?

    Both concepts are true - and equally so.

    The idea that we exist as Holy Souls of God, here to learn and grow and expand into the Godhead through human experience - outpictures itself in the majority of near-death experiences, child and adult, throughout the world.  I hope you are reading Dying to Know You:  Proof of God in the Near-Death Experience.  That one book will explain many things to you.  I call it “the people’s book” as the entire book is a summary of the words or nearly 4,000 adult and child experiencers (actually more than that) - their truth, their wisdom, their experience.  Yes, there is some research in it and a few cases, but that’s it. The rest is from the experiencers themselves. In this book you clearly see both themes playing out - we are separate souls, yet we are one.  God exists yet God is bigger and larger and greater than any of us can imagine, that in many ways we are all God - at least in the sense of being reflections of that One Source, that Creative Intelligence that knows no bounds.  To get a bigger picture of how that can be so, read Future Memory.  It tells the whats and whys of existence.

    To bring it all home to a livable, lovable life, the how of life, read and use A Manual for Developing Humans.  The Manual is based on the ancient knowing that “Hu” is the sound/tone of God, that “Hu-Man” refers to “God-Man” - what we all are.  To be fully human, to develop the allness of ourselves, the Manual is filled with the basics of how to do that - how to be what we already are - “gods in the making.”  You can check that out in the Bible, if you wish, or in any spiritual or religious text/understanding.

    Being at peace with all of this, or at least being open to it, brings us to the One Great Paradox (in the Manual), that opposites exist at the same time in the same space and are equal to each other and equally true.  Creation itself could not and would not exist if this One Great Paradox were not true. Being at peace with ambiguity is one of the aftereffects of near-death states. Many of us (those who have died and come back) slipped through the conundrum, experienced how perfect and necessary and wonderfilled it is to have opposites be the same thing.  Most are at peace with that.

    Does this make any sense to you?  It will as you open up your mind to what exists beyond what seems to be limits.  When you have time, go to my website at www.pmhatwater.com, then scroll over to the Article Section, and read the article “Important Surprises from Science.”  Our brain, how we use it, the very universe we thought we knew, has now been turned upside down. Welcome to your life, our life.  Enjoy every sniff of air and every beat of your heart. It’s all one. In being different, we are one.

    Blessings, PMH

NDE's & Religion

QUESTION NUMBER ONE 

“Sorry for my English. I’m Brazilian and I’m using google translate. Reading several reports of NDEs, I came across some statements from the NDErs that after their experiences, when reading sacred scriptures such as the Bible, Koran, and others, they came to have a different understanding. “In your research, did you come across such statements?”....Hilton

ANSWER 

Yes, this is quite common. In fact, I have yet to come across a single near-death experiencer, regardless of age, that didn’t change their thoughts and feelings about religious books and teachings. 

Some come back tossing aside such books, knowing that what is written inside is either incomplete or in error or mistranslated. Some turn away entirely and no longer are interested in any form of organized religion. Still others come back refreshed and excited about religious texts, filled with new ways of looking at the teachings and/or with new interpretations. This brings new vigor into church settings. 

In my original research with adults (3,000), ⅓ remained in their church of choice and invariably brought new life into that church. Two-thirds left any form of church altogether, feeling that the spiritual path - a closer more intimate walk with God/Allah/Deity - was what they wanted. I found it interesting, though, maybe about a decade later, many of those who had left a church environment, came back to one. Their choice tended toward metaphysical churches (like Unity or Centers of Spiritual Living: formerly called “Science of Mind” or “Religious Science”), or, any of the more traditional churches that now had a more modern, uplifting/upbeat worship service. 

You may find my book Dying to Know You: Proof of God in the Near-Death Experience helpful here - in knowing more about what adult and child near-death experiencers tend to believe and know afterward. Many blessings, PMH

QUESTION NUMBER TWO

“I enjoy reading articles on your website. I have a question regarding the soul vs. Buddhist concept of no-self. From reading a lot about NDEs, it seems that we have a soul yet according to Buddhism, we have no-self; no soul. It seems that the Buddha used the methodology of empiricism to look inward, searching for a soul, and concluded there isn’t one. Buddhist believe that our sense of self is nothing more than the composite result of five aggregates; there is no agent, owner or soul existing separate from the aggregates of the body, sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Given impermanence and the doctrine of dependent origination, there is nothing to ground belief in an attachment to a permanent self. I have been reading a lot about Buddhism, and I like it, but this doctrine of no-self is causing me a lot of confusion.

“I hate to think the Buddha was incorrect, but could he have used a methodology that was not suitable to detect a soul? Would he have known what to look for, where, and how?

“Accordingly, they believe that we are a continuous composite of “self” based on a line causal continuity over time. With their belief in rebirth, the one reborn is neither the same or different from the previous life. My questions are: Do we have a soul? What is the nature of the soul? Is the soul permanent or does it change? Are the Buddhists incorrect about no-self? How can I reconcile this Buddhist doctrine with what it appears NDEs are telling us - that we do have a soul despite the reasoning they use to say otherwise. . . . what would experience Nirvana? I know I wrote a lot, asked a lot of questions, but this is very confusing and causing me a little unease. Any amount of feedback you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”....Gene

ANSWER 

Hah! You don’t want much, do you? What a raft of questions! Not being a Buddhist scholar, I can only share with you some thoughts.

There is no question in near-death research that we have a soul or higher self. Absolutely no question about that. Proof of this turns up time after time - with young and old and all the inbetweens. Sometimes the soul we are, the soul we blend into, is not necessarily what we thought it would be. That means that on occasion and with some people, the soul is not at all like us in the sense of being a duplicate. The soul itself seems to have its own mind and its own goals. Seldom are these the same as our personality self. The soul is unlimited in how it functions, who it inhabits, or how many it inhabits at any one time. I’ve tried to talk about this in FUTURE MEMORY. I suggest that you read the book as it approaches this type of thing from various angles and may be most helpful to you.

From what I have personally seen, felt, confronted in my own life, and seen with countless others, soul habitations can be multiple. For instance, during the year after I died, I encountered my soul in the body of another. Every time I tried to touch him, I’d see my hand go right through his arm. Eerie to say the least. Downright spooky in fact. I also found my soul in another woman, sensed it in a boulder in a volcanic cone outside of Albuquerque, and journeyed by myself up into the high Sierras outside of Big Pine, California, to sit with and meditate with my “self,” my soul, in a dead Bristle Cone Pine Tree. I must say that finding my tree and spending hours with it was one of the most holy, beautiful, and wondrous things I have ever done. In my case, the whole experience was an experience of God being with God. That time remains with me in all its splendor up to this day.

Not sure if I have helped any. I know reading FUTURE MEMORY will make a difference for you. 

Many blessings, PMH

What Will We Know, Once We're Gone?

QUESTION:

"I wonder if you can explain something to me: I have come to believe that reincarnation makes sense as the soul - or our consciousness - needs to grow in some way toward the acceptance of unity. My problem with the Catholic/Christian religion has to do with life being your one shot. After that, it's all over, you either go to heaven or hell. For many reasons I can't go with this, I don't accept it. Anyway, the soul does it's learning through many experiences in the world of 'duality' as an individual. When I read of people's NDEs, I often find them meeting up with people from their family's past. How does the concept of heaven - i.e., where your relatives might go and you will see them when you arrive - fit in? I mean, if you reincarnate within a certain time frame, then, wouldn't you no longer remain in the afterlife for an arriving soul to meet up with? Let's say a grandmother, who died 30 years ago, why would she be still in your particular afterlife? Wouldn't she be gone already into a new life on earth? Can both be true? A permanent afterlife and reincarnation?".....Rick

ANSWER:

Rick, you've asked a big question with no answer anyone can prove one way or another. So, instead of attempting the impossible, let's just consider some basic points:

• There is no way of determining where one may go after death (for certain).
• There is no way of affixing "time" or how long it may take a soul to move on once it leaves any given life.
• Most NDErs at crossover are met by people they once knew in this life - probably as a matter of comfort.
• NDE scenarios focus heavily on the life just lived, to enable learning and experience assessments.
• Some NDEs broach past-lives to the extent of seeing people and events "way back when."
• Those that do have past-life elements in their scenario, seldom are these beneficial or helpful, except to elicit "interest."
• The main emphasis in NDEs is the continuance and importance of life, no matter how lived.
• Aftereffects are geared toward improvement, expansion, and acceleration - on every level of being. 
• About ⅓ accept reincarnation as true after their near-death experience.
• This percentage tends to increase overtime, although not everyone accepts the concept.
• Clearly, the soul has a will of its own and makes choices in line with its own trajectories.
• Trying to compare soul knowledge and choices with those of the personality gets you no where.

The questions you asked are all based on linear concepts and logical thinking. Since the soul does not correspond nor relate to such brain activity, understanding "movement" and "time" requires a shift in how you respond to the world you think you see and live in. Remember, about the most any of us can access of the electromagnetic spectrum we inhabit is between 8 to 10%; all the rest of that spectrum is either infra or ultra to our faculties of perception. Everything is present. Really. There are no secrets and nothing is hidden.

We struggle to respond to what seems "invisible" because we are using the faculties we have in ways they were never designed to be used. If you want a "secret," then it is this: enhance/expand/accelerate the "equipment" you already have (i.e., your faculties of perception) to take in more of the electromagnetic spectrum. Meditation does this for you, so does prayer, religious rituals, spirituality, special music, natural musical instruments, drumming, dancing, developing your intuitive/psychic abilities, learning how to include and project. Near-death experiencers and the entire genre of threshold experiences (intense transformations of consciousness) really do all of this - big time - that's why so many people have difficulty handling them plus the aftereffects. We suddenly expand, improve, accelerate in ways we are not prepared for, and maybe even do not want. Two of my books will help you with this. They are: We Live Forever: The Real Truth About Death and Future Memory. Blessings, PMH

QUESTION: 

"I hear a lot about reincarnation and also that there are many other dimensions and life in this universe. But when people talk about incarnation they seem to say we keep coming back to this earth. I thought there were more advanced domains. . . the thought of coming back here is the equivalent of hell."......Linda

ANSWER: 

No one can define reincarnation or how it really works, not even the experts, be they hypnotherapists, psychics, mediums, and so forth. Paul Von Ward is the only one I know who is truly trying to find a way to understand and define it. I have recommended his books before, and will again. Just google Paul Von Ward on the Internet. You will be astounded at how much work he has put into this subject and the conclusions he has reached.

In my work with child experiencers of near-death states, a fairly significant number identified with being scalar waves, parts of asteroids, bits and pieces of the universe - that agreed to answer the earth's call for help during "the changes" - this meant they had to learn how to "wear" a human body and take on incarnations. . . a new concept for them. I discuss one of the more famous of these cases in my book, The New Children and Near-Death Experiences (Flavio and his brother live in South America with their parents---both are well educated professional psychologists who were forced to reconsider the makeup of the universe and the workings of the human mind in dealing with their two unusual sons).

It is true that many of us can recall lives in other areas of the globe and at other times. It is also true that many of us can remember or at least suspect we began as sparks in the mind of God, and spread out in waves, with each wave being what later was called "a soul group" or "soul family." Some cultures have a tradition whereby the dead come back to their own families, again and again, or enter lineages either in or close to their hometown. If you read my book, We Life Forever: The Real Truth About Death (which discusses all of this), you will remember my saying that my granddaughter Myriam was my former mother-in-law (come back as her own grandchild). No doubt exists in my mind about the truth of this. Clues were numerous. There are also schools of thought where incarnations can be simultaneous and include other forms beside human. Some believe they go in and out of worlds, dimensions, realms, planetary systems.

Who's right? We may never really know until we are once again dead to the body and can choose again, or, at least look around. . . and remember. Blessings, PMH

Religion, Hallucinations, and the Living in NDEs

QUESTION:

"My question is quite short. It pertains to religious beliefs. Through your respectable research and experience, has there been a certain religious belief that a majority of near-death experiencers has followed? I have read a couple of Kevin Williams' articles and was directed to a couple: Christian Gnostics, Christian Reformative Universalism, and Buddhist. What is your take when it comes to having a certain organized belief to follow that matches the experience that one has gone through?"....Josue.

ANSWER:

I know of no particular, special, or predominant "religion" that near-death experiencers tend to switch over to or follow after their episode. I can say this, though: of my research, one-third stayed within the church of their faith after their experience, two-thirds either left their church or were never a part of a faith-tradition to begin with.

With the one-third who stayed, I noticed they were much more evangelist afterward, or in some way took a more active part in trying to reenergize and uplift what already existed. It's like they became change agents, not for something new per se but to improve what they already had.

With the two-thirds who left known religious pathways, invariably they headed to Eastern religions, Native American practices, shamanism, Buddhism, immersed themselves in meditation and mindfulness practices, and became more introspective in the sense of connecting with "The God Within" - beginning what is traditionally known as "the inner journey." Many of these people joined metaphysical churches, such as Unity and Religious Science/Science of Mind (now called United Centers of Spiritual Living). Some went the psychic/intuitive route, preferring study groups or at-home ceremonies and rituals of sacredness. After about a decade or so, the majority of these people returned to some type of church home - usually the metaphysical ones - but also to those mainstream churches that had converted to guitar services, or those that had become more tolerant, more open, and more personal. They were drawn by congregations who practiced "laying on of hands" in healing work, walked labyrinths, made prayer shawls, and participated in sacred work. Basically, they came back to a church of some kind because it seemed as if they once again valued being in a community of their fellows, people of a like-mind.

What researchers of the near-death phenomenon generally say is "experiencers become more spiritual and less religious afterward." The numbers bear that out. Blessings, PMH

QUESTION:

"I recently read a text about the 'hallucinatory' nature of some near-death experiences. It is explained there how some discrepancies were discovered between the 'real' environment and what people see when they are out of their bodies. The case apparently happened to the near-death skeptic, Susan Blackmore, who had this experience. I think you know the story.

"Also, some people seem to see still living persons when having an NDE. Do you have an explanation for these cases?"....Raphael

ANSWER:

I recommend reading "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences." Both of your concerns are covered in-depth, and much more broadly, in the book.

Let me make this clear to start with: we know scientifically that the near-death phenomenon is not a hallucination. Many different types of imagery do appear to experiencers. You can trace the overall tenor of these images to either the culture of the individual or to language constraints... or... to what might be most needed for the individual to process at that moment in his or her life. I learned long ago in my work to, whenever possible, have the experiencer draw his or her episode. It is those drawings and how the individual interprets them, that you find out what is really going on and why the imagery was described in the manner used. That "need factor" trumps the idea of "hallucinations." When you dig deep, and you can, all sorts of incredible truths emerge that do more to color these episodes than any superficial rendering can.

Living people, on occasion, do indeed appear in near-death imagery - mostly to children, but sometimes to adults. In every case I have encountered of this, the "purpose," if you will, of the living greeter was either to alert or relax the experiencer - so the episode could deepen. Once this occurred, living greeters disappeared and greeters more in line with typical near-death states moved forward. I write a lot about greeters and how they vary, especially with children. You might include in your reading, my book "The New Children and Near-Death Experiences," for a more in-depth treatment of this. Blessings, PMH

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

*** "Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences," by Jeffrey Long, M.D., with Paul Perry, has just been released. I am certain it is a good book. Bear in mind, though, that the book is based on Jeffrey's website and the e-mailed stories he has collected. This puts his conclusions at risk. Still, his approach is unique and well worth considering.

*** Spiritual Retreat time for near-death experiencers!!! Yup, despite the cold and winter snow and rains, one can now register for the Spiritual Retreat for Near-Death Experiencers to be held July 15-18, in Missouri. This time there will be a joyous extra. . . the wedding of host Linda Jacquin and her beloved Eric Cusimano!

Did Religion Evolve from NDEs?

***ANNOUNCEMENT:

On June 1, 2008, I will present a paper at the 33rd annual
conference of the Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, held at
DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania. My paper is entitled "Is
the Afterlife What We Think It Is: A Challenge from Near-Death Studies."
This paper will be posted on my website in the Article Section after June
1st, should you be interested in reading it. PMH

QUESTION:

"How are you today? My sister has actually asked me what books I'd like as a gift and I included your 'The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences.' I've been interested in NDEs for some time now, reading about them on websites or in books (such as your other one, 'Beyond the Light'). I suppose I've always had an interest in the Hereafter to a certain degree or simply the Unknown. If you are able to spare some time, it'd be great to hear from you. I have some questions that hopefully you haven't been asked before (so I don't waste your time).

I have read different books stating that religions came from a 'reinterpretation' of extraterrestrials visiting us. Therefore, the God of the Bible, gods of other religions, and so on, are actually 'aliens.' My first question is: If near-death experiencers claim to see Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, or what have you, is it simply a creation of their mind or.....? That is, are these beings just 'concepts' to comfort the souls or are they actually themselves real? If these beings are simply (former) flesh-and-blood aliens, are they truly 'ascended masters' as many spiritualists claim, or are they just other spirit taking the form of the common vision of religious icons?

It is a bit strange to give the possibility that these figures were indeed aliens. Perhaps Jesus and Buddha were human, but if we go back to the other pagan Gods (Inanna, Enki, Enlil, etc.) what is the truth? Did the people a few thousand years ago actually believe in 'spirits' the same way we do? Or, were their 'Spirits" physical beings? Since 'angel' simply means 'messenger' in Greek, could those messengers simply have been aliens? It then makes all this integration into 'New Age' beliefs a bit misguided.

When we think of ghosts, God, and so on, I think modern people give way to a modern science 'other dimension.' However, I wonder if those people 'back when' were thinking of such things or simply 'another planet.' The 'heavens' was simply space, was it not?

My last question is whether there is an institute (in Canada, where I live), where you can learn about near-death experiences in detail?".....John Q.

ANSWER:

John, there is convincing evidence to suggest that religion may have evolved from near-death experiences, and that the Golden Age of Greece and the ethics and morals that emerged from that "explosion" of thought and subsequent explorations of thought, may also trace back to near-death experiences and how stories about them were shared with people. Dr. Raymond Moody, Jr., has done a great deal of work on this theory and so have a number of other researchers. Linkages Dr. Moody has made are impressive, so much so that the whole subject has garnered a great deal of interest.

The idea that ALL the great avatars/messiahs of history were aliens from other planets/systems is intriguing, yet it does not "square" with historical research or what can be offered through careful study and analysis, or even through intuitive guidance and mystical wisdoms. I have no doubt that advanced beings have "visited" our planet during important moments in our history (and these could have been referred to as "aliens" or "heavenly hosts" or "angels"); waves of them have entered whenever "dark" times were present and people were desperate or "lost." Nothing can really be proved here, still, what makes sense to me, considering evidence and the traditions we can trace, is that aliens could have participated in what jump-started human lifeforms on this planet, and may have visited again during certain timeframes for whatever purpose.

But the rise of great avatars/messiahs I connect more with what is possible when an individual chooses to awaken, transcend in consciousness, merge with his or her soul, and then operate from that higher vibratory frequency. We become the divine being we quite literally are as "Children of the Most High," and then have the potential to become/exhibit in earthly form our true identity - once we transcend the limits of our own thinking. Interventions from heavenly hosts occur in the sense of guides, guardians, messengers, light beings, and in the sense of synchronicity and spiritually transforming events that change us in significant ways, opening the door to even higher advancement and awareness.

Yes, there are children who almost from birth represent a higher form of human or were superior right from the start. Are these aliens? No one can say for certain, yet, if you study generational patterns, DNA/bloodtype groups, and the various traditions of "root races" (our genetic rootstock), as I have, you begin to recognize progressions of evolving intelligence and abilities that could produce what seems to be "alien," when in fact it is evolution itself - Mother Nature making certain we have what we need not only to survive as a species but to thrive and ascend even higher "ladders" of possibility and promise. There is a movement afoot to connect our newest generations with alien "interbreeding" or the like. Read over the research used to establish this, particularly the questionnaires submitted to people. This work, at least what I have seen and know about, is highly biased with leading questions and assumptions - very difficult to take seriously. (You might read my book "Beyond the Indigo Children" for other ideas about this.)

As far as near-death groups in Canada, yes, there are a goodly number of them. Please contact the International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) for listings of groups near you. Their info: 2741 Campus Walk Avenue, Bldg. 500, Durham, NC 27705; (919) 383-7940; services@iands.org. If this address seems new, it is. They have recently moved from their former headquarters in Connecticut. Blessings, PMH

Pets in the Afterlife

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Don't forget to do some of your Christmas shopping on my website at www.pmhatwater.com. For the first time, I now have an Online Bookstore and can fill the orders of wonderful people such as yourself, worldwide. It is set up for credit card purchases, too, through PayPal. Check in from time to time on my website, as I soon will be able to offer several DVDs done of talks I have given during 2007. If you haven't signed up to be on the mailing list for announcements from the website, please do. You can do that right from the site at the end of the Home Page.

Thanksgiving is soon upon us followed by Christmas and New Year's Eve. These celebrations are holy and sacred to most of us, and bring us together in special ways. Perhaps the tight money markets and challenging financial picture we are now faced with is a good thing. I mean that in the sense that this year few will have the funds to buy as before. Small gifts will have more meaning. We will all have to cut back some, many of us quite a bit. The days of deficit spending are coming to a close. What we are experiencing this fall is only a taste of what may be headed our way by next November, 2008. The good part is we can at last spend more time with each other, visit, play, cuddle up as we remember good memories and share precious moments. When was the last time you spoke of your own spiritual path or the concerns of your heart with friends and family? How about lively discussions as per certain videos or books or DVDs that offer us a new and better view, solutions instead of serial murders and mayhem. I don't know about you, but I've found a derth of good movies in 2007. Too much violence, even on television. I won't go to such movies, nor will I view them in my living room. An exception was the movie "Amazing Grace." If you missed it, hunt around. The movie is a true story that is unusually uplifting and may spark a lot of conversation and comments.

I am as busy as most of us are. So I am taking this moment in time to send you all good wishes and many blessings for the coming tide of wonder. When I remember my 70th birthday spent high in the sky aboard a hot-air balloon, I am filled with joy - the joy of living each moment as fully as I can. It is this joy I send you for the holidays. I know it will bring a smile to your face and lighten your steps. Happy Holidays! PMH


QUESTION:

"I am so confused. I really feel that I have all the signs that the afterlife is real; I feel that I was becoming very close to my true beliefs. Then my mother tells me, because I believe in Christ, that I should know that talking with the dead, and any other beliefs other than what is written in the Bible is not going to get me to heaven.

"She feels that articles and books of the spiritual realm and veil, are the devil's way of enticing me away from God and into evil.

"I have other friends tell me that I am looney, and need psychiatric help. Other friends tell me that I am believing in a fantasy, that thinking that we can travel through space and reach other dimensions and we will see the people we loved who have died, is just nonsense - that they thought I was smarter than that. They say that I am letting my imagination run away from me. I think my mother feels that I am doomed to hell. My friends say that faith is just for people to believe in something when someone they love dies, to give them hope. Nothing else. When we die, we are ashes to the wind.

"I am starting to question my own believing. They think because I want to see my dog Isabelle when I die that I am going nuts. I hired an animal communicator, and they had a big laugh over that, and said she was talking to me.

"Do you think animal communicators are real? Will I see my lost pets in the afterlife? I worry about them, especially Isabelle whom I miss horribly, and cry over every day. I wish she was with me at night, come and visit me. It was so unfair for her to die, and unfair that I prayed and prayed, and God didn't answer my prayers and took Isabelle from me. I feel that I am being punished.

"Please help."....Carolyn.

ANSWER:

No one can say for certain that you will see your pets after you die. Research on near-death states, however, suggests that you will because so many reports claim such to be true.

And, no one can tell you that one way of believing is better than another. Over 250 Christian sects exist - thus there is no single authority on what constitutes the Christian message, not even the Bible with its multiple translations, as some of them are still subject to question because of the Dead Sea Scrolls and additional Gospels now coming to light. The only true Christianity is the experience of God in your own heart and the reality of faith offered by the model our brother Jesus gave with the teachings of his life and how he lived it. You and you alone can decide what is right for you. There are wonderful books and CDs available now that will assist you in growing in faith and finding God within. Do not rely on others to do your work for you. Faith is an inside job.

If you have questions, pull out your M.A.P. --

• M - meditation
• A - affirmations
• P - prayer

If you have a problem, are troubled or confused, use your M.A.P. The guidance you receive may amaze you.

God is as close as your next breath. Visit various churches. Study different creeds and traditions. A powerful truth runs through all of them - the power of love, and of forgiveness and joy and grace and gratitude. God doesn't limit us. Why would you believe others who do?

Blessings always, PMH