"To die will be an awfully big adventure." - Peter Pan
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NEAR-DEATH NEWSLETTER Vol. 02, No. 06 June 1, 2003
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The Near-Death Newsletter is a free opt-in monthly newsletter in
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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(1) News of the NDE
(2) NDE Forum
(3) What's New
(4) Discussion
(5) Dr. PMH Atwater's Q&A
(6) TV Listings
(7) Books
(8) Web Links
(9) Odds and Ends

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(1) NEWS OF THE NDE
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*** Univ. of Hawaii Theologian Guides 4 Journeys Toward Death
HONOLULU, HI - (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
In "Living Your Dying," he shares how nearly being killed in a car
accident helped him to better understand and embrace death as
an integral part of life. He shares his belief that death is a key to
self-understanding and an opportunity to experience life more fully.
http://starbulletin.com/2003/05/19/features/story5.html


*** The Fiesta of the Near Death Experience
AS NEVES, SPAIN - (Whats On When)
The throngs of devotees of Santa Marta, the town's patron saint,
known as the "saint of death", besiege the church and surrounding
area for a day to pay their respects. All these people hold one thing
in common - they have all nearly died.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/events/event.asp?/events/~30016.jml


*** IANDS Releases Bibliography on CD-ROM
EAST WINDSOR HILL, CT - (Vital Signs)
If you want to research a topic related to NDEs, you can locate
every article on that topic ever published in the Journal for
Near-Death Studies. https://www.iands.org/bibcd.html


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(2) NDE FORUM
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*** Rev. Juliet Nightingale's NDE
http://www.near-death.com/forum/00725.html
"I knew with total certainty that everything was evolving exactly
the way it should and that the ultimate destiny for every living
being is to return to the Source, The Light, Pure Love."


*** Susan's NDE
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0095.html
"I told my mother that I saw Grandpa and how he was thrilled to
show me that he could walk on his hands. Her face went white.
I asked her what was wrong. She said that when he was a teenager,
he used to do that to impress people.


*** Guenter's NDE
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0096.html
"The light said ...'Let us go back in time, as far back as possible,
and tell me how far back we should go". I said, "Middle Ages?"
The light replied, "No, farther back." I said, "The birth of Christ?"
The light said, "No, farther back." I was thinking hard. "Adam and Eve?"


*** Morgana Taylor's childhood NDE
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0097.html
"...without uttering a sound the Mermaid explained to me that she was
in actuality an angel ... I was not witnessing her true form but, rather,
one that she thought would be pleasing to a child such as myself."


*** Rod Cooley
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0098.html
"After viewing my funeral and my family, Eugene turned to me and
asked, "Are you really ready to come here right now?" I looked at
him and remembered that I was going to say "Yes!", but before I
could utter a single word, I awoke on the floor in my bedroom."


*** Kim Schomer
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0099.html
"I realized after about one to two minutes that this was the tunnel
that people see when they died and these were souls that I
believed died in the war."


*** Lila Smith
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0100.html
"Then she said, 'You will be coming to us soon. You will be
coming to us soon.' These are the only words she spoke
over again. She said, "You will be with us soon.""


*** Daniel
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0101.html
"Everything that ever was, is, and will be. The true nature of
the universe was suddenly clear as a bell, like a giant jig-saw
puzzle. It seemed to have a perfect order to it ... in fact, it was
evident that I was soon to become part of it. I was about to
join the entity which could only be described as ... God."


*** Deborah Walker
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0102.html
"When I was lovingly encouraged to go into the physical world,
I remember strongly protesting and threatening to withdraw if I
did not like it there. I remembered being allowed to "visit" my
earthly parents before being born and did so but from a far distance."


*** Susan Christopher
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0103.html
"Seventy-three days after my Dad died, my mother died ... In
one of her visits with me one night, she explained to me that she
was ready to go right after she had the brain surgery, but it was
my voice that called her back in the recovery room."


*** Stephen Smith
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0104.html
"Throughout this whole thing, I felt like I was watching what was
happening, yet still feeling like it was me. I and a lot of other
people were all represented by big white balls and we were
on a spacecraft of some kind."


*** Dr. Martin Brofman
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0105.html
"I was moving through the spinning scenes, which were memories
from the life I had lived, memories which were calling for my attention.
If I put my attention on them, though, I felt myself "pulled," because
I was moving through these spinning memories, like being pulled
through a tunnel, or falling down a well, but discovering that half-way
down the well.:


*** Post your NDE at: http://forums.near-death.com
or email it to me at: neardeathexperience@... for
possible inclusion in this newsletter and website.


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(3) WHAT'S NEW
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(These are new web pages recently added to near-death.com)

(1) Nadia McCaffrey's NDE
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/suicide05.html
Having to return from her NDE was a tremendous disappointment
to Nadia. Her desire to go back to the world of love caused
her to
attempt suicide on two occasions. These attempts only resulted
in two more NDEs. (added 05/30/03)


(2) The NDE and Science research conclusions
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research08.html
Scientific discoveries found in NDEs; scientific technology
observed
in NDEs; findings of scientific research concerning the NDE;
scientific theories and triggers of the NDE. (added 05/11/03)


(3) The NDE and the City of Light research conclusions
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research23.html
Many NDErs describe seeing a beautiful heavenly realm called
by many names, such as, a "city of light" or a multi-dimensional
"city of light" or "cities of light" or a "galaxy-like city of
light beings"
or "heavenly communities" or the "New Jerusalem" of the Book of
Revelation. (added 05/12/03)


(4) The NDE and the Void research conclusions
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research14.html
Descriptions of the timeless, spaceless, darkness that is the
void
which NDErs experience are profiled here. More will be added to
this page soon. (added 05/11/03)


(5) The NDE and Intense Emotions research conclusions
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research19.html
The NDE is often a very emotional experience involving all
the wide
range of emotions. Some of them are very intense. This page
profiles
all the various intense emotions experienced during an NDE. More
will be added to this page soon. (added 05/11/03)


(6) The NDE and the Life Review research conclusions
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research21.html
The life-changing experience of the NDE is described here. This
page is not yet finished and more will be added soon. (added
05/11/03)


(7) Edgar Cayce and the Afterlife
http://www.near-death.com/cayce.html
All the information on this website concerning Edgar Cayce,
his NDEs
and his revelations have been consolidated into a section of
its own.
(added 05/11/03)

(8) New NDE documentaries
http://www.near-death.com/documentaries.html
This web page has been redesigned and many new NDE
documentaries added, such as, a video containing Dr. George
Ritchie describing his NDE. A thorough search was done to find
all the NDE videos available for sale on the internet. You will
find
more than enough here. (added 05/12/03)


(9) New NDE related documentaries
http://www.near-death.com/related.html
This web page has been redesigned and new documentaries
have been added. (added 05/11/03)


(10) Press Release
http://www.near-death.com/press_release.html
"New Website and Book Reveals Secrets of Near-Death Experiences"
is the title to the latest press release of this website and
corresponding
book. (added 05/24/03)


(11) Events of the NDE
http://www.near-death.com/events.html
New events have been added to this listing of conferences,
seminars, workshops, lectures and other activities around
the world concerning near-death experiences. (added 04/25/03)


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(4) DISCUSSION
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*** What it is like to die
http://www.near-death.com/discussions/0012.html
Aziz Khabirpour presents the case of the reality of the afterlife
theory of the NDE. "Astonishingly, many people describe the
light as having a personality. People recount it having a sense
of humor, and it being fun to be around. A little girl who died
in a swimming pool, and who then told about her experience
simply said, "You'll see, heaven is fun" (added 05/30/03)


*** Search NDE Discussions Archive
http://www.near-death.com/discussions.html


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(5) AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE NEAR-DEATH PHENOMENON
Q and A with Dr. PMH Atwater
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In this new section of the newsletter, Dr. PMH Atwater will answer
questions submitted to her from subscribers to this free newsletter.
If you have a question that you would like her to answer, just email
your question to webmaster@... for consideration.

Dr. PMH Atwater's next book, entitled "The New Children and
Near-Death Experiences," will be released on December of 2003.
You can order your copy now through Amazon. Order your copy at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591430208/neardeathexpe-20

Dr. Ken Ring had this to say about her book: "This book is the richest,
most probing, and most comprehensive available of NDEs in children."


QUESTION: What exactly is an NDE?

ANSWER: There is no consensus among researchers as to exactly
what a near-death experience is (NDE), much to the regret of the
medical community which prefers "proven" definitions and details
that can be measured in the manner they are used to.

International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) has
recently stepped into the fray and offered the following: "The
Near-Death Experience (NDE) has been defined as a lucid
experience with perceived consciousness apart from the body,
occurring at the time of actual or threatened imminent death."
They note that "10 - 33% of those people facing a life-threatening
event will have such an experience, and often they regard it as
the most important event of their lives. Initially, they may have
difficulty finding words to express the experience. Sensitivity by
caregivers at this stage can be very important."

I address this situation and its ramifications extensively in Chapter
One of my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Near-Death
Experiences. Allow me to quote a few paragraphs from that
Chapter:

"Near-death states can occur when an individual brushes death,
almost dies, or is pronounced clinically dead, yet later revives or
is resuscitated. Typically, near-death experiencers register neither
pulse nor breath for an average of 5 to 15 minutes. It's not unusual,
at least in the work I have done, to hear of those who were dead
for over a hour. Regardless of how long the experiences last,
though, near-death episodes are significant in that they remain
lucid and coherent in the experiencer's mind over time.

"These experiences happen to anyone at any age, including
newborns and infants. U. S. New & World Report's March 1997
poll estimated that 15 million Americans have had a near-death
experience, or roughly one-third of those who are at death's door.
But this survey only addresses adult experiencers. In his
groundbreaking study of child experiencers done in the late 1980's,
Melvin Morse, M.D., author of Closer to the Light, estimates that
among children close to death, around 70 percent have had a
near-death experience.

"Near-death experiences can range in content from an out-of-body
experience to being in the presence of God. They imply that there
may be life after death because of the imagery encountered and
the accuracy of details that often could not have been known by
the experiencer in advance."

A word of caution is due here: "near-death-like" experiences
can occur without perceived or actual physical death involved.
I have a special chapter on this type in most of the books I have
written, as it is valid and must be considered when discussing
near-death states. Also, whenever you speak of the near-death
experience (regardless of what type) you need also to include
the aftereffects. It is the pattern of physiological and psychological
aftereffects that validate the reality and import of the experience.
Because of this, I now refer to near-death states as the "near-death
phenomenon" (rather than "experience"). That way, both the
experience and the aftereffects receive equal consideration,
as they should.

QUESTION: Do you think there will ever be proof of life after death?

ANSWER: I doubt it. Irrespective of how amazing or evidential
the proof is, there will always be some group or organization or
authority figure who will refute that conclusion. And they need to,
else the premise which undergirds society as we know it would
be overturned or disappear. Some may think that would be a
good thing, and, in a way it would be; yet, when you consider how
much is vested in "keeping things the way they are," you begin to
fathom how upsetting, instead of helpful, such proof could be.
You need only recall what happened when Galileo was able to
prove that the Earth revolved around the Sun, instead of vice
versa, to appreciate what I am implying.

Many of us harbor a deep longing within us to "shout from the
mountain tops" that God is and death isn't, especially if you are a
near-death experiencer. Should you give in to that longing,
step back for a moment and watch what happens. Society has
a way of "cruicifying" good news messengers. Perhaps you
have already experienced such a backlash. I know I have. Still,
if enough of us advance these thoughts, if researchers keep
working and refuse to be discouraged, eventually a shift could
occur in mass mind. It is possible. And I for one would be
overjoyed if that occurred. --- Dr. PMH Atwater

Website: http://www.cinemind.com/atwater/
Marketplace (a public service): http://www.cinemind.com/atwater/rosen.html
Research: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/experts05.html


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(6) TV LISTINGS
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(Check your local TV listings for the correct time near you)

*** June 3,8,11,14,18 - "Heaven Sent" - Drama
A young punk has a change of heart after a near-death experience
puts him in touch with a friendly angel.


*** June 3,4,6,11,16 - "Tequila Body Shots" - Drama
On a road trip to Mexico, a college student drinks a magical elixir
that gives him mind-reading powers and visions of the afterlife.


*** June 4,11 - "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?" - Drama
Dramatizations of bizarre real-life incidents and fictional tales of
the unexplainable. Viewers learn at the end of the program which
stories are true. This program deals more with the paranormal
than near-death experiences specifically.


*** June 5 - "Egypt: Land of the Gods: Death and Rebirth" - Documentary
An exploration of the views on death by Egypt's major religions
including resurrection; the afterlife, burial rites; and healing rituals.


*** June 5,6,7,9,11,12,17,18 - "Flatliners" - Drama
Medical students experiment with the afterlife by inducing near-death
experiences.


*** June 7 - "Resurrection" - Drama
This is the 1999 TV version of the excellent 1980 movie about a woman
who develops the power to heal following a near-death experience.


*** Television series featuring the paranormal (including NDEs)
http://www.near-death.com/tv.html


*** Search cable TV listings for NDE programs aired from May 15
through May 30. http://www.tvguide.com/listings/search/Search.asp


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(7) BOOKS
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*** "The Lost Secret of Death: Our Divided Souls and the
Afterlife" - by Peter Novak, Colin Wilson. (Available: July 2003)
Peter Novak, author of "Division of Consciousness", discusses
his very interesting theories concerning the soul and it's
connection with the afterlife.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1571743243/neardeathexpe-20


*** "Someone Else's Yesterday: The Confederate General and
Connecticut Yankee, a Past Life Revealed - by Jeffrey J. Keene
(Available: Now) - This is the true story of a Fire Chief who,
without using hypnotic regression, experienced a series of
uncanny synchronistic events that resulted in his research which
provides abundant proof of his past life as a Civil War general.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972802800/neardeathexpe-20


*** "There Is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce"
by Thomas Sugrue (Available: Now) - This is a remake and
updated version of the original classic about the life of Edgar
Cayce. The reader gets a glimpse into how Cayce discovered his
abilities, and the challenges he encountered in fulfilling his life's work.
The author actually spent time with Cayce and his family, and
provides a very credible account of events in Cayce's life. It is
interesting to read that Cayce himself did not fully understand the
process of his sojourns out of his body, nor did he always have
a clear comprehension of the messages brought through.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0876044488/neardeathexpe-20


*** Search for NDE books at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=
neardeathexpe-20&keyword=near%20death%20experience&mode=books


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(8) WEB LINKS
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*** Heavenly Paradise website
This is one of the best websites I have found on NDEs. It profiles
the analysis of the near-death phenomena, visions and visits to
city of light, descriptions of heaven (activities, clothes, music, life,
etc.), reports about life before life, heavenly pyramids, info on the
second and third paradise. This site is pleasing to the eye and
stimulating to the brain. You'll find a wealth of info here.
http://homepages.at/stargazers/heaven/index.html


*** The Edgar Cayce Virtual Library
This virtual library consists of a collection of online articles,
testimonials, essays, books, booklets, and interviews related to
Edgar Cayce's remarkable life, work, and ministry. It is intended
as a needed and valuable resource of Cayce-related material
for the international community of physicians, therapists, patients,
students, educators, researchers, and all others interested in
Edgar Cayce - medical clairvoyant, Christian mystic, near-death
experiencer, and one of the greatest psychic talents of all time.
http://k.webring.com/hub?ring=theedgarcaycevir


*** Soul Travel: The Emerging Soul - Out of Body Travel
and Lucid Dreaming - International Institute of Projectiology
and Conscientiology - Soul Travel Magazine is a non-profit e-zine.
The primary focus of their web magazine is inner human
development through the exploration of out-of-body experiences
and lucid dreaming. They publish texts, articles and interviews
within the fields of the multi-dimensional human and the emerging soul.
http://www.soultravel.nu/2003/030428-IAC-OBE/


*** News For The Soul
A website that is a global community for soul searchers around
the world, an online positive news broadcast center, an online
audio and visual broadcast center, and a live life-changing talk
radio show in Vancouver B.C. with Dannion Brinkley & Nicole
Whitney - focusing on the uplifting side of the unexplained.
"It's like Art Bell without the fear." (Dr. PMH Atwater will be
interviewed live on June 28, 2003 - 10 pm PST on CFUN 1410 AM.
http://www.newsforthesoul.com/nextevent.htm


*** Angelstaff - Changing the Face of Death
Angelstaff is a "not for profit" organization dedicated to public
awareness, consciousness and service towards the dying. The
group, with NDEr Nadia McCaffrey's coaching, is experiencing
unconditional love in dedication to helping people. The Angelstaff
Project needs you. Their non-profit needs your help to raise $ 6000
for the lease of their first second-hand store. In order to have this
wonderful deal happen, they must move fast. Your donations are
tax deductible. Please contact Nadia at nadiaiands@....
http://www.changingthefaceofdeath.org/


*** The Campaign for Philosophical Freedom
The CFPF is a non-profit organization founded by Michael Roll
to present the secular scientific case for survival after death.
To find out more about the Campaign, read an article by J.J.
Snyder, Science Confirms Survival
http://www.cfpf.org.uk/articles/background/snyder.html
and a selection of correspondence:
http://www.cfpf.org.uk/letters/2003/corr_2003_subj.html
http://www.cfpf.org.uk/articles/background/scientificproof/scientificproof1.html


*** Reincarnation and the NDE
Original articles, archived news stories, links and recommended
books on karma, reincarnation and NDE. News stories such as:
"Science Proves Life After Death", "Scientists Validate Near-Death
Experiences", and "Out-of-Body Journal Article Causes a Stir".
http://www.ycsi.net/users/reversespins/karma.html


*** Search for all the NDE websites on the internet
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=near-death


*** If you know of any new NDE website or web article you would
like to see profiled, email me the address of the website at:
neardeathexperience@... Thank you!


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(9) ODDS AND ENDS
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That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next monthly issue!

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Copyright (c) Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife
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Peace and Light,

Kevin R. Williams
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"Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife"
http://www.near-death.com
"Nothing Better Than Death"
http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=15695
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"And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you
truly dance." - Kahlil Gibran