"From the light we have come and to the light we all shall return." -
Josiane Antonette
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NEAR-DEATH NEWSLETTER Vol. 02, No. 08 August 1, 2003
=======================================================

The Near-Death Newsletter is a free opt-in monthly newsletter in
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An online version of this newsletter can be found at this web
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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) P.M.H. 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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*** School Chief Has Brush With Death
BLOOMINGTON, IL - (Southeast Missourian)
"I really felt like this may be the end, because I was becoming
exhausted. 'Just give up' "Part of my mind said, 'Just give up,'
but my reflexes kept fighting for breath and life."
http://www.semissourian.com/story.html$rec=116235


*** Louis Farrakhan and Tavis Smiley--One on One
CHICAGO, IL - (FinalCall.com News)
"Near death always has an impact on anyone who enters the portal
of death and is brought back from it. The things that one takes for
granted, like the rising of the sun..."
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_894.shtml


*** Millions Are Put To Good Use
FREDERICKSBURG, VA - (The Free Lance-Star)
"Maybe it's because I had a near-death experience myself," he added,
referring to a vehicle accident a few years ago when he broke his back.
http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/072003/07232003/1027368


*** Believers, Skeptics Gather To Study, Share Out-Of-Body Accounts
DALLAS, TX - (The Dallas Morning News)
"I was out of my body. It was like when you are wearing pants way
too tight and you take them off. Now, you can relax and breathe. That's
what it felt like. I was like a 2-year-old little girl reaching up to have her
daddy pick her up."
[Note: You may have to sign in to read this article.]
http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/030803dnmetneardeath.b5c0c.html


*** What Is Mind?
CAMPINAS, BRAZIL - (Brain & Mind Magazine)
Scientists are generally reluctant to combine experimental work
with philosophy and usually reject consideration of possible theological
implications of their studies. However, a few studies in this field have
begun to appear.
http://www.epub.org.br/cm/n04/editori4_i.htm


*** Documentary Maker May Film His Own Death
LONDON, UK - (Sunday Herald)
Up to six grams, the maximum safe dosage, produces powerful near-death
experiences. Those taking the highest doses of ibogaine report that they
first enter a dream-like phase that lasts several hours and consists of vivid
visions of past memories.
http://www.sundayherald.com/35260


*** Are Science And Religion Compatible?
ATLANTA, GA - (Skeptical Inquirer)
Is there empirical evidence for the claim that "near-death experiences"
enable us to reach "the other side," or are there alternative physiological
and psychological explanations for these experiences?
http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-03/science-religion.html


*** Visions Offer Lessons On Heaven
OLYMPIA, WA - (The Olympian)
You've read articles and seen TV shows where people describe their
near-death experiences. Their claims reflect our human desires. They
make heaven seem like an eternal vacation for man's benefit. But how
do those descriptions match up with the glimpses of heaven revealed
in the Bible?
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20030712/living/50286.shtml


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(2) NDE FORUM
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*** Alan McDougall's NDE
"While this omnipotent being was speaking, I could see a panoramic view
of planet earth, as if I was a space man observing the earth, all the time,
from
the window of a space vehicle. The voice that I took as god, was not pleased
with what was happening on our planet.."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0128.html


*** Gwen's NDE
"I feel so changed now that the person before the car accident known as
me somehow died with my twin, and my twin (it seems) died and came
into a new life, a life that is shared with mine, in one body, in our body."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0129.html


*** Jessesmamma's NDE
"This being of light that I saw wasn't what I expected God to be like. I got
the distinct impression that he has a sense of humor, and he wasn't
judgmental about my failures and shortcomings."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0130.html


*** Keith Smyth's NDE
"When it was over , I asked them who they are. They said, "Childing, we are
yourselves of your own far future. We are who you are learning to become.
Without us, you cannot be. Without you, we are not."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0131.html


*** Michael's NDE
"This 'force', for lack of a better word, then positioned itself in the corner
of the bathroom ceiling (the bathroom was in darkness) and I stared down
on my own motionless body, skinny and frail and apparently lifeless."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0132.html


*** Naina's NDE
"I got a glimpse of hell which you cannot imagine. It's nothing like
what people say it is. It's all about repetition of your fears."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0133.html


*** Robert Tamer's NDE
"Now I have had pain for the last 8 years, and I remember thinking while
I was sitting there that for the first time there was no pain. Then it dawned
on me that when I looked out in any direction that it was dark. Too dark."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0134.html


*** Sarfah's NDE
"So I was alone at the deep end, struggling to get to the surface. I swallowed
so much water and my lung was about to burst. So many people talk
about seeing their whole life passing by as death nears."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0135.html


*** Tony Degn's NDE
"I started to go toward this brilliant white light at tremendous speed
and I could hear this incredible sound it made that I can't explain along
with the same beautiful music I had previously heard."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0136.html


*** 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) Christian NDEs and Reincarnation
http://www.near-death.com/origen.html
All the NDEs involving Jesus are here including reincarnation in NDEs
with Jesus, Biblical support for reincarnation, early Christian and Jewish
reincarnation history and theology, Biblical support for NDEs. Everything
you wanted to know about Jesus but were afraid to ask. (added 08/01/03)


(2) Debunking the Debunkers of NDEs
http://www.near-death.com/discussions/0014.html
An analysis of pseudo-skeptics who claim to be real skeptics of NDEs.
Examples of famous debunkers are debunked. Provides a clear distinction
between true skepticism, pseudo-skepticism, magician-criticism,
and scientism. (added 08/01/03)


(3) P.M.H. Atwater's Corner
http://www.near-death.com/atwater.html
Having had three NDEs and published some of the most important research
findings to date, Dr. Atwater is perhaps the leading authority concerning the
NDE. She has a wealth of free resources available for downloading such as
online articles, research papers, NDE fliers from her workshops, NDE-related
informative lists, media info, appearance schedule, talk and workshop info,
consultation info, and links. You can also look over her ebooks, cyber-books
(PDF), audio tapes, books, and NDE-related products. For the NDE connoisseur,
this page is a gem. (added 07/17/03)


(4) The NDE and the Future
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research32.html
Much more NDE visions of the future have been added. Redesigned for
easier reading. (added 07/15/03)


(5) The NDE and Satan
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research23.html
NDE material concerning Satan and its relationship to the NDE and religious
traditions are profiled here. More will be added later this month.
(added 07/11/03)


(6) The NDE and Afterlife Realms
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research20.html
Information on the various levels of the afterlife are profiled here. This
is an
ongoing project. (added 07/11/03)


(7) The NDE and Tunnel
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research16.html
A large amount of information concerning the tunnel has been added.
This page is not in its final edited form. (add 07/11/03)


(8) The NDE and Death
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research10.html
New material has been added to this page and more will be added
soon. (added 07/11/03)


(7) 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 09/01/03)


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(4) DISCUSSION
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*** Debunking the Debunkers of NDEs
http://www.near-death.com/discussions/0014.html
An analysis of pseudo-skeptics who claim to be real skeptics of NDEs.
Examples of famous debunkers being debunked. Provides a clear
distinction between true skepticism, pseudo-skepticism,
magician-criticism, and scientism. (added 08/01/03)


*** 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 P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D.
=================================================================

In this new section of the newsletter, P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D. 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.

P.M.H. 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: "We often hear of how terminally ill children are a spiritual
inspiration to their families, friends, and even their communities. Upon
reading some of their stories, they most often seem to have a great maturity
and sense of self (a self-created personality), which is partly why people
are drawn to them. Typically, what is their purpose (and place) in the
afterlife realms, as well as during their very short time on earth? I know
that it is probably different for each person, but, in general? Are some of
them spirit guides? Thank you for reading this".........Adam

ANSWER: "Adam, you asked a complicated question no one can really
answer, not even psychics and mediums - for there is always more to the
story of our lives than anyone can know. But, there is a long and respected
tradition in mystical teachings that addresses this. From this treasure of
knowledge and from my own research and "witnessing" on the other side
of death's door, I can offer you some ideas and suggestions you may
want to consider.

"It has oft been said that terminally ill children can see through "the veils"
of the spirit world. For this reason, people would gather at their bedside
when death was near to hear anything they might say. The tradition for
such gatherings is part of every culture known to have existed that
recorded their spiritual/religious rituals. In many areas of our world, people
still do this - even modern folk. Although bedside visitations and visions
are equally common with teenagers and adults about to die, it is the
innocence of children, their lack of worldly exposure and knowledge, that
lends importance to whatever they might say.
"Out-of-the-mouth-of-the-innocent"
catches us, any one of us, and we listen....intently.....with our heart, not
our head. There is no other source of information from the realms of spirit
that is as pure, we are told, and, for that matter as true. (It is also true
that anyone who "returns to life" from a sudden, impactual, transformation
of consciousness, especially near-death states, and regardless of age,
go through this "return to innocence," this touch-in with the purity of true
wisdom, and remain there until they begin to readjust to the earthplane.)

"A dying child's incredible maturity is unique. Perhaps it is because of what
the child witnesses, senses, or hears "from beyond" before he or she dies,
that is the cause of this. But, maybe, there's another way to view this.
Consider the following:

(1) "An unusual number of children today are being born with handicaps
and terminal illnesses that complicate their lives greatly and cause much
pain. Yet they behave and talk as if they chose their health problem as a
soul, so they could come to earth to help others by providing them with
opportunities to serve and learn to be more forgiving and loving through
the act of service, or by being exposed to the inspiration they could
receive. These kids were born with a mature perspective that flowered early
and they died as if an "angel" to those lucky enough to hear what they had
to say. Thanks to our new technologies, many of these children are writing
books, composing poetry, and, in general, getting their message out to the
masses in ways unimaginable just five years ago.

(2) "Newborns, infants, and toddlers who undergo near-death states imprint,
I believe, with otherworldly realities and go through long periods of
confusion
and/or curiosity about why where they are doesn't match "where
they were." These particular children simply grow up abstracting, are
highly intelligent and intuitive, and just "know" life is different than
what they
are forced to learn about in school or are told by their parents. Be sure to
pre-order my book "The New Children and Near-Death Experiences" due
out this December from Inner Traditions. I dwell at length about this
puzzle and even more startling findings in the book.

(3) Esoteric traditions tell us what near-death experiencers of any age
are now confirming - that all children, in every culture and country, can
see the invisible. They can see and hear spirit beings, disincarnates,
angels, guides, demons, monsters, all manner of "invisible" things, as a
matter of course - automatically - simply because this ability is part of
childhood, part of what enables children to protect themselves or learn
faster or be guided and aided when in need. It is our job as adults to help
them handle this ability and not be misled or controlled by it. Poking fun
at children, saying "it's all your imagination," helps no one and can cause
the young to seriously doubt the integrity of their own perceptions.

(4) What impresses me, however, is the extent to which the dying of any
age can and ofttimes do merge into their own soul as they cast aside the
physical body in death. This merging, this becoming more of what we really
are, a soul, is one of the higher goals of any spiritual calling or religious
ritual. It's what undergirds the practice of prayer and meditation. It's a
large part of what makes the sacred, sacred. Our goal, as near as I can
tell, is to link more with that perfect part of us, that Higher Self, True
Self,
that is still connected to God in the sense that it never separated from
The Godhead, and to do this while alive and actively engaged with our
fellows. As we become more spiritual in our lives, make better choices,
are more responsible and caring and loving, we open ourselves to the
energy of the soul - its reality and its power - and its goal of carrying out
God's Greater Plan. The soul, our soul, encourages us to become more
of what we really are in the truer sense, divine beings here to learn, grow,
discover, experience, and transform - so what we project (who we think
we are) matches more closely with our true identity (what we really are).
Again and again, near-death experiencers, when describing their scenario,
actually depict that mergence, and they certainly talk long and lovingly
about their true self, their true identity, their soul. At the deathbed,
merging
into our soul, joining with the divine, becomes primary.

"There is the clear sense, when you spend as much time as I have at
the edge of death (either as an experiencer, witness, or researcher), that
"the way of things" is quite different than what most of us were taught or
have come to believe. Time has no meaning to the soul; only to us as human
beings. So the idea of a child coming here for a short time and then
leaving has a very different connotation. The soul is ongoing, eternal.
For the soul to choose or be guided to take on form in the earthplane seems
never to address a single lifetime, or what we earthly folks consider "the
new kid on the block." The soul's reasons appear to be much broader and
bigger than that, formed around a purpose or goal. If this is true, and I
feel it is, then we all must pay more attention to those near-death
experiencers, and others like them, who tell us that they chose to be born
and that they chose their genes, their parents, and the major events that
would occur in their life - so that they could accomplish a specific goal or
mission.

"Few of us have any memory of anything so lofty, and as children we
haven't yet the language skills we need to say anything meaningful. By the
time we've reached kindergarten, most of our memory of the realities beyond
the earthplane, are gone. Thus begins the challenge of first being taught
to follow your head and then later on learning it is our heart that is the
truer guide. When asked about our "mission," the job we each have come to
earth to accomplish (why we are here), most kids in my research of child
experiencers of near-death states said something like: "Well, if you just
ask God to help you and say your prayers, you'll be shown what to do. God
has a job for use. We don't have to know what it is. We just have to trust
and follow our heart. That's 'cause our heart knows more than our head
does."

"Are some children spirit guides or angels in disguise? I know a lot of
people who would give you a resounding yes to that question. I rather
suspect that anyone who inspires you, lifts your spirit, and speaks directly
to your heart, is indeed an angel. That means we all have the capacity to
become angels, once we "awaken" to that greater truth of our divine nature -
and then act accordingly.

Blessings to all, P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D.

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)

*** August 10,11,13,21,25 - "Dragonfly" - Drama
A doctor encounters young cancer patients who have had near-death
experiences and claim to have messages from his deceased wife.


*** August 12,13,15,16,18,23,24 - "Flatliners" - Drama
Medical students experiment with the afterlife by inducing near-death
experiences that have strange aftereffects.


*** 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 New Children and Near-Death Experiences"
by P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D. (Available: December 2003)
This book is a remake of the original; same basic style, but new
cases and new research never before published, especially as
concerns our tiniest near-death experiencers (newborns and
toddlers).
http://www.cinemind.com/atwater/


*** "The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce: Interdimensional Communication
and Global Transformation
by Wynn Free and David Wilcock
"The true story of a young man who was discovered to actually qualify
for the title of the reincarnation of Cayce. 1998 was the year that Cayce
learned he would incarnate again. Along with a myriad of correspondences
that connect the boy with Cayce, the book is filled with revelations
concerning what's happening in the world over the next 20 years from
the very deep perspective of an interdimensional being.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1583940839/neardeathexpe-20


*** "Visits from the Afterlife: The Truth About Hauntings, Spirits,
and Reunions With Lost Loved Ones" - by Sylvia Brown
(Available: October 2003) Sylvia describes true encounters with
earthbound souls seeking peace and closure. She explains the
reasons behind many of the world's most bizarre and mysterious
hauntings. And she shares her own personal, face-to-face
experiences with these inexplicable phenomena.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525947566/neardeathexpe-20


*** "The Birth Called Death"
by Kathie Jordan (Available: March 2004)
From the time she was seven years old until she was twenty-two,
Kathie Jordan's deceased brother came to her at nighttime, pulled
her from her body and guided her to heaven. In these nightime
journeys, she was taught the meaning of bodily death, and the
afterlife. She was taken to higher and higher levels of heaven,
where she meets a few great spiritual teachers, including Jesus.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1883991773/neardeathexpe-20


*** "We Are Eternal: What the Spirits Tell Me About Life After Death"
by Robert Brown (Available: March 2004)
Robert Brown is a psychic investigator and medium to the stars who
shares his experiences with the spirit world and his belief system
concerning the afterlife which his spirit guide taught him.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446691283/neardeathexpe-20


*** "DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research
into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences
by Rick Strassman MD (Available: Now)
Dr. Strassman a model of how the hallucinogen, DMT, which is naturally
produced in our bodies, could be the active agent behind a broad variety of
mystical experiences. Dr. Strassman describes how several subjects compared
the DMT state to a disembodied death-like condition. One woman describes
the near-death state triggered by DMT to the same as the NDEs described
in popular books. One man had a deeply moving experience on DMT where
he "died," and in the process of being reborn, reconstituted the entire
universe
as its creator.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0892819278/neardeathexpe-20


*** The Lost Secret of Death: Our Divided Souls and the Afterlife
by Peter Novak, Colin Wilson. (Available: Now)
Peter Novak, author of "Division of Consciousness", discusses
his very interesting theories concerning the soul and it's
connection with the afterlife.


*** 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
=================================================================

Note: The website profile for this month is the IANDS website.
Don't let the humble look of this website fool you. It is filled with
valuable info on NDEs and related subjects.


*** International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS)
Visit the foremost NDE website for reliable information about NDEs,
along with excellent resources and support.
Home page: http://www.iands.org
Site map: http://www.iands.org/toc.html
NDE Revelations: http://www.iands.org/revelations.html
Message Boards: http://www.iands.org/msgboards/messages/board-topics.html
Register your NDE: https://www.iands.org/archives.html
NDE CD-ROM: https://www.iands.org/bibcd.html


*** NDE examples from IANDS website
Ascension NDE: http://www.iands.org/ascension.html
An NDE while sleeping: http://www.iands.org/64.html
Summaries of 17 NDEs: http://www.iands.org/pmh17.html
Excerpts of Atwaters NDEs: http://www.iands.org/pmh.html
An NDE not near-death: http://www.iands.org/notnear.html
An NDE spiritual enlightenment: http://www.iands.org/myexper.html
An NDE of divine enclosure: http://www.iands.org/nearingdivineenclosure.html
Business man's NDE: http://www.iands.org/business_man_nde.html


*** Ken Mullen's NDE page
Ken was clinically dead for more than 10 minutes as doctors brought
him back to several times. He describes his NDE as the happiest
event of his life.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/gotztass/km/art1.htm


*** Body Death NDE page
This web page is dedicated to those who have either had experiences
separate from their bodies and have realized that they are not their bodies
and to those who have experienced death and who have yet returned to
tell the tale.
http://www.cybertown.com/bodydeth.html


*** Atlantis Rising article from PMH Atwater
"It is a million suns of compressed love dissolving everything unto itself,
annihilating thought and cell, vaporizing humanness and history into the
one great brilliance of all that is and all that ever was and all that ever
will be."
http://www.atlantisrising.com/issue17/LightwVariationsnde.html


*** David Bennett's NDE page
David's near-death experience changed his life turning it upside-down
and inside-out. His NDE continues to unfold as he remembesr more clearly
his NDE and all the changes within him that happened. The Spirit promised
him a better understanding of why everything is happening as it is.
http://www.dharma-talks.com/the_experience.htm


*** 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!


=================================================================
(9) ODDS AND ENDS
=================================================================

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Visit the International Association for Near-Death Studies
website (IANDS) http://www.iands.org

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next monthly issue!

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

Kevin R. Williams
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife"
http://www.near-death.com
"Nothing Better Than Death"
http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=15695
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Death when unmasked shows us a friendly face and is a terror
only at a distance." - Oliver Goldsmith