"The unconscious psyche believes in life after death" - Carl Jung MD
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Near-Death Newsletter Vol. 02, No. 11 November 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) Books
(7) Web Links
(8) Odds and Ends

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(1) News of the NDE
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*** TV Episode to Feature Exploits of Norwich Psychic
NORWICH, CT - (NorwichBulletin)
"A near-death experience due to surgery complications while she
was in her 20s might have been "the spark," she said. Pat
Gagliardo 's to be featured on an upcoming series on Court TV,
titled "Psychic Detectives," due to air at the beginning of the year.
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/stories/20031020/localnews/485113.html


*** Soul Survivor... Conference Keynoter Talks About What Happens
When the Mystic Meets the Scientific
MENOMONIE, WI - (Dunn County News) - "She began with her
own story of a clinical near-death experience at 29 years old and
losing a child. "I saw myself looking down and saying 'you don't
want to go back into that body. That body's had it,'" she recalled.
http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2003/10/15/news/news03.txt


*** Death Has No Sting: The Resurrection Story of Connie Davis
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - (CBN)
And at several points, Connie began to describe watching the doctors
treat her from "outside" her body. Could this have been an "out of
body experience?" Connie says she's not sure. "I just knew I saw
myself shaking really hard back and forth, and how that happened
I don't know, and foam was coming out my mouth," says Connie.
http://www.cbn.com/living/amazingstories/connie_davis.asp


*** Terrifying Near-Death Experience Inspires Thrilling New Novel
NEW YORK, NY - (PRNewswire)
"I was not floating in a tunnel of light with a feeling of peace. My
experience was silent, dark and terrifying. I had this ominous feeling
that I had crossed into the realm of death, and it was not a place I
wanted to go."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030903/dawfns1_1.html


*** Light at the End of the Tunnel
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - (Wired News)
This article affirms Mellen-Thomas Benedict's NDE revelation
about the nature of light: "Tiny flashes of infrared light can play a
role in healing wounds, building muscle, turning back the worst
effects of diabetes and repairing blinded eyes."
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,60786,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1


*** Sign up to have free News Alerts from Google News email you
news via email concerning "near-death experience."
http://www.google.com/newsalerts?q=%22near-death+experience%22


*** Sign up to have free News Alerts from Yahoo News email you
news via email concerning "near-death experience."
http://alerts.yahoo.com/config/edit_notification?.confirm=n&.done=http://search.\
news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=%22near-death+

experience%22&.keywords=%22near-death+experience%22&.t=n

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(2) NDE Forum
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*** James Browning's NDE
"Everything was exceptionally pretty and colorful. Especially the sunshine,
sky, leaves, grass, and tiny oranges. I wasn't frightened. Just about the
time I figured out that it was me down there, I fell and slammed in the
ground."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0154.html


*** Raymond Bradley's NDE
"I was so content with the absolute tranquility that was in the air and all
around.
It was as if I spent EONS in this place. I felt 'at home', so relaxed and
happy
to be wherever I was. I never wanted to leave this place."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0155.html


*** Macam's NDE
"Piece by piece, every facet of me was shown to me and then God put the
truth of all my actions and thoughts for me to see until nothing of me was
left
but my soul. Bare naked soul. Excuses and reasons mean nothing."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0156.html


*** Kurt Kawohl's NDE
"I sensed great peace, tranquility and ecstasy -- a rapture that was beyond
a person's imagination. I felt as if I was a part of ALL, a part of God. I was
mentally communicating and in sync with everyone, including not only some
of my deceased acquaintances and relatives, but many of the prophets of the
Bible, and historical people I had read about."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0157.html


*** Linda Robinson's NDE
"But I was floating and the warmth and love and kindness I was going into
was something I've never experienced. James was there saying, "See, see
where I'm at? I'm okay now."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0158.html


*** Donna Anzaldi's NDE
"I was in a weird room of what seemed like molten silver. I was looking at a
wheel of very bright colors, circular smoky patterns like the center of a
dahlia."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0159.html


*** Elizabeth's NDE
"Then the tears began to fall uncontrollably, yet I was filled with such joy.
They were tears of happiness. I had remembered. I knew this being in front of
me. It all had returned to my memory."
http://www.near-death.com/forum/0160.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) My After-Death Visitation of my Mother
I have decided to permanently post on my website the visit I had with
my mother after she died. I call it my near-life experience because it
felt like a near-death experience only on this side of life.
http://www.near-death.com/vision.html


(2) The NDE and Heaven
My research conclusions on how our lives on earth are related to
heavenly lives; what heaven is like; and why we choose to come
back to earth.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research18.html


(3) The NDE and Orbs
A very interesting true story related to the September 11th terrorist
attack has been added to this page. It involves a woman who saw a
multitude of orbs leaving the plane before it slammed into the building
and learning they were the souls of the victims rising to heaven.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research17.html


(4) Emanuel Swedenborg's NDEs
Dr. Raymond Moody discusses the remarkable similarities between
Swedenborg's afterlife experiences and the near-death experience
in his ground-breaking book "Life After Life." Moody's observations
have been added on this page.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/triggers14.html


(5) Sylvia Browne's NDE
The popular psychic's near-death account has been added to a
summary of her view of what life is like on the Other Side.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/paranormal07.html


(6) Betty Bethards' NDE
Betty's near-death account has been added to her page along with
new information concerning life after death.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/paranormal02.html


(7) The Trigger of Drugs
Actor Larry Hagman's LSD near-death experience and his NDE
from his liver failure has been added to this website.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/triggers04.html


(8) Suicide and the NDE
The sections on assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia have
been updated and the case in favor of a person's right to die with
dignity and to live an autonomous life and a good death have been
strengthened.
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/suicide08.html
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/suicide09.html


(9) About us
I updated this page about my website and I because it really
needed it. I included my story of how I went from a hell-raiser to
a fundamentalist to a universalist. I also updated my explanation
and my mission for near-death insights.
http://www.near-death.com/about.html


(10) Links page
I finally updated this page which needed it badly. I have added links
to websites that I believe are more worth visiting concerning the
NDE and related material.
http://www.near-death.com/links.html


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(4) Discussion
=============================================

*** A Fate Worse Than Death
Several courts allow a man to permit his vegetative brain-damaged
wife to die. But her parents fight it. The governor saves the day by
passing a highly unusual and probably unconstitutional law to deny
the woman to die with dignity. Is the government now starting to
play God and doctor by determining who lives and who dies? This
is a true story happening right now in Florida.
http://www.near-death.com/discussions/0016.html


*** 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 "We Live Forever: The Real Truth
About Death," 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: "Why is it that so many near-death experiencers
are drawn to divination afterwards? I noticed this again and again
and have puzzled about it. Doesn't seem to matter what form of
divination - any type.".....Tom

ANSWER: "One of the after-effects of near-death states (and of
transformations of consciousness) is an enhancement of intuitive/psychic
skills. And you're not the only one this has puzzled. All of the early
researchers in the field had trouble understanding this; so did Richard
Maurice Bucke, M.D. in his marvelous book about the after-effects of
consciousness transformations called Cosmic Consciousness
(Citadel Press, New York City, continuous printings--a classic).
Still today, few professionals are comfortable discussing any of this.

"During my early years of near-death research, I was heavily
criticized, even threatened, for daring to state that: "If you weren't
psychic before your experience, you became psychic after. If you
were psychic before, you became very psychic afterward." I was
most open about this because I felt I had to be. If I couched my
words, "beat around the bush," or ignored the subject, in my mind
I would be lying. My job, as I saw it, was to report as objectively
and clearly as possible all my observations and findings in the
fieldwork that I had conducted. Anything else or less was unacceptable
to me. Fortunately enough research eventually surfaced that, what
was once considered risque, became almost "expected."

"You cannot talk about near-death experiences without talking about
issues polite society would like to avoid. It isn't possible. And, one of
those "taboos" is psychism: expansive abilities, unlimited landscapes,
otherworldly occurrences, things future oriented, and, dare I say it ...
the paranormal ... and, all of this, absolutely all of this, becomes
perfectly normal!

"Forget 'paranormal'. Think 'normal'.

"We human beings are electromagnetic by nature and natural
transmitter/receivers of signals, subtle and otherwise. It is no wonder
we are dubbed "psychic" when we become increasingly sensitive
and open to faster, higher frequencies after a near-death or related
experience. The episode we went through does this to us - it lessens
or dissolves the barrier that separates us from the existence of multiple
realities. Fuller access to the electromagnetic spectrum opens up
and we become privy to what was once invisible or unimaginable.

"The higher the frequency we are exposed to, the more pure its source
of light and sound. Traditionally, this is said to be more positive and
"heaven-like." The lower the frequency, the more diffused and dense its
light source and the more distorted its signals. This is said to be more
negative and "hell-like." There is nothing mysterious about the world of
psychism unless in our fear and ignorance we claim it to be something
it is not.

"Based on my own past experiences and on my research, I have found
there are physical and mental components to psychic skill. Physically, I
believe the endocrine system is most directly involved along with spinal
fluid, brainstem and limbic, temporal lobes, blood pressure, nerve and skin
sensitivity. Mentally, the subconscious mind. In its regular duties, the
subconscious processes over a billion pieces of information per second,
far surpassing what any computer can do. When expanded further during
an altered state, the subconscious is capable of accessing greater and
greater sources. During transformative experiences, where the brain
evidences the possibility of structural change and access to the
supersubconscious, limitless expansions can occur.

"Look around you.

"Notice how many psychics develop health problems that are
endocrine-related such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, thyroidism, immune
deficiencies, adrenal problems. Notice how many psychics ingest
stimulants and/or drugs to "increase" their abilities. Wine, salt, sugar,
spices, vinegar, as well as cigarettes and alcohol, are known to "artificially"
expand the psychic if used in excess. Now, notice how quickly many
psychics age or begin to look somehow "drained." Notice also how early
in life many of them die, or become mentally unstable.

"The more sensitive the psychic the more sensitive and vulnerable the
psychic's body.

"Developing such abilities out of context from a balanced and healthy
life is not wise. Perhaps the reason there are so many warnings against
psychism is because the price for misuse and abuse is so high.

"Psychism is easily perverted - but it is just as easily converted into
helpful, constructive abilities which enliven and enrich life. Psychic
abilities are not by nature positive or negative, destructive or constructive,
spiritual or demonic. They simply are. How used and for what purpose
determines worth.

"I once heard Reverend Carol Parrish-Harra say: "The psychic is God's
Fishhook. It is how many of us get introduced to spirituality. The trick is -
don't get stuck on the Fishhook. It's just a bait to get you started on the
spiritual path." Carol is a fellow near-death survivor (check that section
in The Marketplace on my website for Santa Sophia Seminary - Carol
was its founder). I agree with her wholeheartedly.

"From the pen of the late Paul Brunton, noted journalist, editor,
philosopher, and writer, comes the following statement:

"Scientific, psychical and psychological research is changing the Western
world's attitude towards matters which were once dismissed as fanciful
nonsense. Such research is lifting the ideas of the ancients out of the
undeserved contempt in which they have lain while younger notions sprang
to lusty manhood ... Our best scientists and foremost thinkers are joining
the ranks of those who believe there is a psychic basis to life. What they
think today, the masses will think tomorrow. We have begun - and perhaps
rightly - as complete skeptics; we shall end as complete believers: such
is my positive prediction."

"Psychic ability, if truth be known, is merely an extension of faculties
native
to our existence, providing us with a healthy "extra." Direct that extension
toward the spiritual and those same abilities become "Gifts of the Spirit,"
treasured components to spiritual discipleship. By the way, the word "psychic"
literally translates "of the soul," the inference being that psychic
abilities are
really soul abilities, part of our inheritance as Children of God.

"There is nothing wrong with intuitive/psychic skills. They are neither
supernatural, abnormal, or paranormal. But neither are they a key to any
kind of "Golden Door." There is no magic in their use, only skill.

"As concerns your specific question, divination itself is a universal
experience as ancient as it is timely. Most board games, card games,
gambling systems, and dice games rely on acts of divination, as do feng shui
(geomancy), dowsing, pendulums, tarot, I Ching, and Ouija, to name but a
few. Anything that depends upon elements of chance is a type of divination.
Any object can be used as a tool in the divinatory process. A stone that is
fairly two-sided will do. Just dub one side "yes" and the other side "no"
and toss it. The side that lands straight up is your answer, like when you
flip a coin.

"Practice makes perfect; the more you do it, the more skilled you will
become. This practice, by the way, is called "sacred play." Our inner
child, that innocent and trusting part of our nature that most of us have
tucked away inside our deepest self, easily surfaces when we make a
game of learning, when we play. Actually, any type of divination is really
no more than a simple, direct, and childlike way of asking for help or
seeking assistance from a "parent-like" source of universal or higher
knowledge.

"Why then would near-death experiencers, especially child experiencers,
be drawn to divination and divinatory systems more so than any other route
to the world of psychism? Simple. It's fast and easy, perfectly natural, and
fun! Yes, there are divinatory systems that are complex and highly detailed,
requiring a lifetime of study. Yet even these are easier for experiencers. I
consider interest in divination to be a typical response to that urge within
you to connect, or should I say, "reconnect" with the Truth of Your Being.
You flow into it and, suddenly, you just know.

"In my own case, along with all the other enhancements I had, I found
myself drawn to Goddess Runes and the art of free-form casting. These are
not oracle runes (like the Germanic "Futhark"), but are much older, tracing
their lineage back to the matriarchal societies of Old Europe (Crimea,
Ukraine, Georgia, along the Danube). Never had I heard of them, nor had I
seen them before, yet on first glance I knew them as if I had been their
creator. Past life? Maybe.

"What I know for certain is that they're a part of me, in me, as genetic
memory.
Still, what amazes me is that most people respond in the same fashion once
introduced to them. It's as if these ancient Goddess Runes are encoded in our
primordial essence as human beings on the earthplane, male or female. People
catch on to their use quickly, whether or not they are an experiencer. Using
them for me was like therapy after my episodes. That's because my brain/mind
assembly worked differently than before. My challenge was to find a way to
relearn how to use my own brain. "The Way of a Cast" (the artform of casting
with Goddess Runes) requires that one become whole brained, not just adept
at using the right hemisphere of the brain, but balancing both right and
left brain
hemispheres together. This was a godsend for me, and I wrote a book about it
to pass along the skill and what I had learned from using the runic glyphs.

"I first wrote The Magical Language of Runes. Then I did more research and
wrote, Goddess Runes. Both books have been out-of-print for years. I am
happy to announce that the book, Goddess Runes, will be coming back into
print in a few more months, thanks to A. Merklinger Publishing in New Mexico.
You may want to explore my website, that section on Goddess Runes, as the
brief instruction booklet and audio presentation are available now, and so too
several services I can provide in that regard.

"Yup! I'm a typical near-death experiencer. And the divinatory option I
chose,
or, I should say, the one that chose me, was Goddess Runes. It's interesting
how things work after you've experienced the near-death phenomenon or
undergone a transformative state, you tend to respond to life in a happier,
freer
way, that embraces "otherworldly" realities as typical aspects to everyday
living ... and as expressions of the spirit we truly are. PMH

P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D.
www.cinemind.com/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


=============================================
(6) Books
=============================================

*** "The Phaselock Code: Through Time, Death and Reality, The Metaphysical
Adventures of the Man Who Fell Off Everest" by Roger Hart (Available: Now)
Professor Roger Hart was a member of the first American expedition to
Mount Everest. During one of his climbs he fell and almost lost his life.
It also resulted in an NDE that sparked a desire in him to devote his studies
to the nature of consciousness. In his book he describes in detail his own
metaphysical journey.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743477251/neardeathexpe-20


*** "My Proof of Survival: Personal Accounts of Contact With the Hereafter"
by Andrew Honigman (Available: December 2003)
This book is a remarkable collection of personal accounts concerned with
contact with the hereafter. These accounts are taken from the case files of
FATE Magazine. A nonfiction work rich in theme and substance, this book
will greatly interest readers of the paranormal.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0738702641/neardeathexpe-20


*** "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.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591430208/neardeathexpe-20


*** "My Last Breath" by Matthew D. Dovel (Available: Now)
This is the interesting near-death account of Matthew Dovel whose death
experience led him to spend three days in hell and enter into the presence
of Jesus. Matthew has learned that nothing he has ever said has been more
interesting to people than his NDE account of dying and what happened
afterwards.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1413701949/neardeathexpe-20


*** "Give God a Chance: Christian Spirituality from the Edgar Cayce Readings"
by: James Kyle Brown (Available: Now)
What did Edgar Cayce say about: Christianity? Spirituality? Jesus? The Bible?
Creation? Meditation? Prayer? Dream Interpretation? Karma? Grace? Healing?
Psychology? Science and Religion? Global Transformation? Learn about all this
and much more from the man who had more NDEs than anyone in history.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0759621691/neardeathexpe-20


*** Check out a complete list of the NDE books profiled on this website.
http://www.near-death.com/books.html

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

s


=======================================================
(7) Web Links
=======================================================

Note: My website is dedicated to promoting IANDS, its website, and its
scientific
research into the NDE. Their website is filled with a wealth of valuable
info on NDEs
and related subjects. Here are links to just some of their material.

*** 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
CD-ROM: https://www.iands.org/bibcd.html
Summaries of 17 NDEs: http://www.iands.org/pmh17.html
Plan on attending the IANDS Annual Conference... JUNE 24-26, 2004,
Evanston (near Chicago), Illinois at the Best Western.


*** An NDE from a Tiger Attack
"I looked down upon a scene wherein a tiger dragged me toward a
dense bush. He lay down on all fours and then prepared to devour
my left buttock."
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/malaya/Frank/attack.html


*** A Glimpse of Eternity
This is a beautiful new website created for people to buy Ian McCormack's
book about his NDE. Just the graphics on this site alone is worth the
visit. Ian was skin diving when he was stung multiple times by the deadly
Box Jellyfish - one of the most venomous creatures in the world. He was
declared dead during which he journeyed to heaven had encountered Jesus.
http://www.aglimpseofeternity.com/


*** Love without End
Nationally acclaimed artist and former university professor Glenda Green
shares her life transforming experience of face to face "Conversations
with Jesus" while painting the miraculous portrait of Him. From this divine
manifestation came a privileged glimpse of eternity. He talked -- she took
notes. He gave her the "secrets of the universe" and answered more than
400 important questions including who we are, how we came to be, how
the universe was created, and how to live a joyous and successful life.
Although this was not an NDE you will find her story just as inspiring.
http://www.lovewithoutend.com/portrait.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!

=============================================
(8) Odds and Ends
=============================================

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http://www.near-death.com/newsletters.html

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) 2003 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
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"It is worth dying to find out what life is." - T.S. Eliot