Need Your Stories about Ghosts

I'm looking for stories about ghost encounters. 


Do you hear things during the night that you can explain?

Do you feel as if someone is watching you or that you are not alone when you walk into an empty room?

Have you ever thought you saw someone in your peripheral vision, but when you turn to look no one was there? You may have encountered a ghost—the spirit of a person who remained in the Earth plane after death.

Have items been mysteriously moved around in your house?

Have your lights or electronics turned on or off by themselves?


Were you the only one who smelled flowers, perfume, cigarette smoke, or other scents associated with a deceased individual?

Did you hear a voice or sound that no one else heard?

Have you been touched, tickled, stroked, or even shoved by a ghost?

Have you interacted or communicated telepathically with a disembodied spirit?

If you would like to share your experience in communicating with spirits, please contact me at writer @ YvonnePerry dot net.

Looking for Signs from Angels and Loved Ones

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For more information, you might enjoy reading More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.
Purchase on Amazon.com

Need Comfort after Losing a Loved One?

A book to comfort those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. If you think you are being visited by a deceased loved one, check this out.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife

More than Meets the Eye: True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife can be a source of comfort for those who need answers to the questions we all ask while grieving the loss of a loved one. This book contains stories about euthanasia, suicide, near-death experience, post-mortem processes, hospice care, assisting the passing of a loved one, spirit visits from deceased loved ones, and other topics people are somewhat reluctant to talk about. Non-religious information and insight to assist people in finding peace about the mysterious process of transitioning back to God/Source.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.

Purchase printed book or Kindle version on Amazon.com

Ocean Burial Goes Awry

When Daniel Scott Lasky died Sept. 8, 2010 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease his family carefully wrapped his body, placed him on dry ice, loaded him into the family van and started their journey south to Fort Lauderdale for a burial at sea. Find out what happened to his corpse . . .

http://ow.ly/2EwHJ

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Five Ways to Connect With Your Angel's Guidance

By Suzy Morgan

For the last twenty years, I have practiced asking for and receiving guidance consistently from the angelic realm. Why the angels? It was my choice. The angels were hot in the early 1990's and I wanted to connect. I could tell there was something loving "out there," and I wanted to know what it/they knew. I wanted their protection and their knowledge. The angels seemed innocuous and safe. After all, in Sunday School, it was always the angels or baby Jesus that showed up for kids. Since I was no longer much of a Jesus follower, although I believe in the Christ Consciousness, the angels were a natural shoe-in.

Little did I know that I already had the angels' protection. Their knowledge was mine as well, but I needed to learn to ask. I was brought up not to ask questions, because it wasn't "nice." My first sales job taught me if I didn't learn to ask outright, I would starve and be out of work in a week.

Here are some useful and workable ideas on how to get spiritual guidance for yourself.

1. Ask for Help. Ask for what you want. Ask for everything.

Asking is not as easy as it sounds. We think we can muscle our way through life until one day we get knocked down one time too many. Sometimes we are not sure what we want. We know we don't want what we have, but we have no idea of what we do want.

The angels suggest you work backward from what you don't want. For instance, if you are unsure whether to take job, or move to another city, or stay with your old relationship, notice what you don't like currently. Write down all the everyday incidentals that annoy you. When you feel like you have regurgitated all your old self-righteous anger, then write down the opposite, showing you exactly what you do want to create in your new job, location, or relationship.

Then give yourself permission to ask your angels, your guides of Light, or the Divine itself. Be specific, although it is perfectly acceptable to just ask for insight or guidance about whatever is concerning you. If you are feeling secure in who you are but are unsure of which direction to move toward, then ask to be shown a different way, a different route.

2. Ask what you need to see for your Highest Good.

It's always a good idea to ask to see and hear from a higher level of consciousness than what you scrape up from your own judgmental ego. It's why I consult only with the angels or the Divine itself before I do any readings for myself or others.

3. Be still and listen.

As someone who is only learning now to sit still, this has been my most difficult challenge. Initially the angels only connected with me when I was in the shower right after getting out of bed. Or worse yet, they would babble at some ungodly hour in the way-too-early morning hours. All of this stopped once I caught on that either I gave them their just attention or sleeping through the night was not an option. The subtle energies do not shout, they whisper until you are aligned with their channel.

4. How do I know who's talking?

Great question. You'll know for sure what you are hearing, seeing, or feeling is from a higher level of consciousness; i.e., your angels, your High Self, the Divinity, because there will be no edge. There will be no judgment. What you hear will be validating and not frightening. When your angels and higher consciousness speaks, it will be through the voice of compassion, of love. If you are hearing judgmental, sarcastic, or combative things, you are not tuned in to a consciousness that is any higher than your own ego. Not a smart move, because what you hear will get you into trouble.

5. Take action.

Asking for what you want is only half of the game. The other half is learning to trust what you hear and to take action to follow through. The trick is learning to fine-tune your specific channel to the angelic realm, or whichever path to higher consciousness you choose to master.

Be patient with yourself. You are teaching yourself a new way of living in peace by connecting to the higher channels of Love available to each of us.

Suzy Morgan, B.A., H.H.P, is a Spiritual Intuitive, a Medium, an Energy Healer, and a Channel for the Angels offering Angel Readings. http://www.AskYourAngels.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzy_Morgan

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.
Purchase on Amazon.com

Spirit Communication in the Elderly

Those who interact with the non-physical realm are sometimes considered insane or in need of psychiatric help. Unfortunately, many are shunned and ridiculed. Some are drugged. I've heard of children who were punished for talking about seeing deceased family members, angels, and ghosts.

if you are one who provides care for those who are near the end of life, you may have noticed that elderly patients interact with deceased relatives and loved ones. Seeing, hearing, and communicating with the unseen realm is sometimes an indication that the transition toward the afterlife is beginning to occur. It gives a vague time line for determining how long a person may have before the soul departs from the body.

But, what do you do when someone like my grandmother enters palliative care or hospice? Although she didn't talk much about it until she had her second near-death experience in 2008, Nanny has heard and seen in the spirit realm ever since her near-death experience in 1952. Her third and fourth NDEs in 2009 really opened the airwaves! At age 94, it is a common occurrence for her to communicate with deceased loved one and have spirit visitors that no one else can discern.

Why do some people have this psychic ability while others don't? P. M. H. Atwater says that this intuitive ability is due to the development of the temporal lobes in the brain. From approximately age 2 through 6, the temporal lobes take in and sort different forms, shapes, colors, and sounds so children can build neural libraries that let them know what is expected of them on earth. As this part of brain development nears completion, the child tends to interact less with the spirit realm and adheres to society norms.

The elderly and those who have experienced near-death states, surgery requiring anesthesia, or some type of severe emotional trauma may find that this part of their brain has been reawakened. They may experience a transformation of consciousness that allows them to again see, hear, smell, and interact in other worlds. That is what happened to me after two NDEs and several surgeries.

Have you had an experience that opened your psychic ability or if you work with the elderly who have this experience, I would love to interview you and get your take on this. Please leave a comment below this post.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Are You An Emotional Empath?

by Judith Orloff

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Harmony Books, 2009)

Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualize feelings. Intuition is the filter through which they experience the world. Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually attuned, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it. Through thick and thin, they’re there for you, world-class nurturers.

The trademark of empaths is that they know where you’re coming from. Some can do this without taking on people’s feelings. However, for better or worse, others, like myself and many of my patients, can become angst-sucking sponges. This often overrides the sublime capacity to absorb positive emotions and all that is beautiful. If empaths are around peace and love, their bodies assimilate these and flourish. Negativity, though, often feels assaultive, exhausting. Thus, they’re particularly easy marks for emotional vampires, whose fear or rage can ravage empaths. As a subconscious defense, they may gain weight as a buffer. When thin, they’re more vulnerable to negativity, a missing cause of overeating explored in my book Positive Energy. Plus, an empath’s sensitivity can be overwhelming in romantic relationships; many stay single since they haven’t learned to negotiate their special cohabitation needs with a partner.

When empaths absorb the impact of stressful emotions, it can trigger panic attacks, depression, food, sex and drug binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis from fatigue to agorophobia. Since I’m an empath, I want to help all my empath-patients cultivate this capacity and be comfortable with it.

Empathy doesn’t have to make you feel too much all the time. Now that I can center myself and refrain from shouldering civilization’s discontents, empathy continues to make me freer, igniting my compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous. To determine whether you’re an emotional empath, take the following quiz.

QUIZ: AM I AN EMPATH?

Ask yourself:

* Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or overly sensitive?
* If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?
* Are my feelings easily hurt?
* Am I emotionally drained by crowds, require time alone to revive?
* Do my nerves get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive talk?
* Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?
* Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress?
* Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?

If you answer “yes” to 1-3 of these questions, you’re at least part empath. Responding “yes” to more than 3 indicates that you’ve found your emotional type.

Recognizing that you’re an empath is the first step in taking charge of your emotions instead of constantly drowning in them. Staying on top of empathy will improve your self-care and relationships.
Emotional Action Step. How To Find Balance

Practice these strategies to center yourself.

* Allow quiet time to emotionally decompress. Get in the habit of taking calming mini-breaks throughout the day. Breathe in some fresh air. Stretch. Take a short walk around the office. These interludes will reduce the excessive stimulation of going non-stop.
* Practice guerilla meditation. To counter emotional overload, act fast and meditate for a few minutes. This centers your energy so you don’t take it on from others.
* Define and honor your empathic needs. Safeguard your sensitivities. Here’s how.
o If someone asks too much of you, politely tell them “no.” It’s not necessary to explain why. As the saying goes, “No is a complete sentence.”
o If your comfort level is three hours max for socializing--even if you adore the people--take your own car or have an alternate transportation plan so you’re not stranded.
o If crowds are overwhelming, eat a high-protein meal beforehand (this grounds you) and sit in the far corner of, say, a theatre or party, not dead center.
o If you feel nuked by perfume, nicely request that your friends refrain from wearing it around you. If you can’t avoid it, stand near a window or take frequent breaks to catch a breath of fresh air outdoors.
o If you overeat to numb negative emotions, practice the guerilla meditation mentioned above, before you’re lured to the refrigerator, a potential vortex of temptation. As an emergency measure, keep a cushion by the fridge so you can be poised to meditate instead of binge.
o Carve out private space at home. Then you won’t be stricken by the feeling of too much togetherness. (Chapter 8 discusses nontraditional living settings compatible with an empath’s comfort zone.)

Over time, I suggest adding to this list to keep yourself covered. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload. With pragmatic strategies to cope, empaths can have quicker retorts, feel safer, and their talents can blossom.

Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Harmony Books, 2009) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

What Did the Greeks Believe About the Afterlife?

by James Hewson

The ancient Greek notion of the afterlife and the rituals accompanying burials were previously well instituted by the 6th century B.C. In the Odyssey, Homer depicts the Underworld, deep below the earth, where Hades, the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and his spouse, Persephone, ruled over a myriad of wandering legions of gloomy figures known as the 'shades' which were all those who had previously perished. It was not a joyful locality, and indeed, the soul of the great warrior Achilles informed Odysseus that he would might as well be a miserable helot on Earth than lord of all the departed in the land of the dead.

The Greeks conceived that at this point of death the soul, or ghost of the deceased, was released from the body as a brief puff of wind. The deceased was then readied for interment conforming to their time-honored practices. Ancient scholarly authorities insist on the need of a correct funeral and refer to the exclusion of burial ceremonies as an defamation to human nobility. Families of the dead, principally women, administered the elaborate funeral traditions that were traditionally made up of three sections. These were the placing of the body, the burial march, and the burying of the individual or cremated ashes of the deceased. Following being cleaned and daubed with oil, the individual was clothed and positioned on a high bed inside the dwelling. Throughout the placing of the body, relations and friends drew near to grieve and provide their respects. Lamentation of the deceased is highlighted in aged Greek paintings at least as ancient as the Geometric era, when vases were adorned with areas illustrating the departed surrounded by grievers. The final stage of the process was to bring the deceased to the burial ground in a procession, the ekphora, which commonly took place almost ahead of dawn and a handful of objects were deposited into the grave, but imposing earth stacks, orthogonal constructed crypts, and elaborate marble stelai and carvings were frequently formed to indicate the grave and to safeguard that the deceased would always be remembered. Eternal life lay in the lasting recollection of the deceased by the living and from representations on white ground lekythoi, we understand that the women of Traditional Athens made habitual visits to the burial sites with gifts that included little cakes and liquid offerings.

The most sumptuous burial mausoleums were built in the 6th century B.C. by upper-class kindreds of Attica in exclusive funeral land along the roadside on the relatives land or approaching Athens. Relief carvings, figures, and tall stelai enthroned by finials identified many of these burial places. Each funerary mausoleum had an engraved foundation with an epitaph, frequently in poetry that memorialized the deceased. A relief illustrating a generalized impression of the departed occasionally summoned up characteristics of the individual's existence, with the inclusion of a minion, belongings, and animals. On ancient reliefs, it is simple to recognize the deceased individual nevertheless, throughout the 4th century B.C., further family associates were attached to the scenes and generally many names were etched into the tribute, making it hard to differentiate the deceased from the grievers. Like all aged marble carving, funerary figures and burial stelai were brightly colored, and comprehensive remains of scarlet, dark, cobalt, and green coloring can nevertheless be viewed.

Many of the best Attica burial memorials endured in a burial place positioned in the outlying Kerameikos area situated on the edge of Athens barely outside the gateways of the old city barrier. The burial ground was being used for centuries and awe-inspiring Geometrical craters marked burial mounds of the 8th century B.C., in addition to excavations which have exposed a obvious structure of graves from the Traditional era. At the demise of the 5th century B.C., Athenian households started to inter their deceased in modest stone sarcophagi positioned in the ground inside grave areas coordinated in manufactured terraces supported by a tall retaining barriers. Marble cenotaphs belonging to various associates of a relatives were positioned alongside the edge of the terrace rather than over the tombs themselves.

As we can see the Greeks believed a significant amount about the afterlife and paid great attention to trusted traditions when burying their loved ones and did not deviate from this for many years.

UK Area 51 is a website dedicated to unexplained events and emerging sciences concerning a wide variety of topics. Our aim is to provide rich, diverse and stimulating articles around the issues that face mankind now and in the future.

Please visit our main site for many more intriguing articles at UK Area 51 and to view the original article please click What Did The Greeks Believe About The Afterlife?.

You can also contact James Hewson directly at ezine@ukarea51.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Hewson

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

From Christianity to Metaphysics

Enjoy this audio preview of Yvonne Perry's book on death, dying, and afterlife. Find out why she wrote the book and a bit about her journey from being involved in a fundamentalist Christian religion to becoming a metaphysical teacher expressing psychic gifts.

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You might enjoy reading the complete book, More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.

Purchase on Amazon.com

Traditional vs. Green Burial Alternatives

Traditional funeral etiquette and many 20th-century romantics will tell you that fresh flowers are the perfect objects of condolence. Some will say that a colorful, vibrant bouquet symbolizes how beautiful life is, while others believe that flowers simply signify the brevity of life.

One green alternative to traditional flower arrangements is making a donation to charity in the name of a beloved friend or family member. It's becoming more common and many obituaries even suggest a favored charity to receive gifts in lieu of flowers. Consider a charitable donation to honor your loved one.

When sending condolences, you want to convey your most heartfelt sympathy. Condolences are intended to show your profound sentiment and compassion for those in mourning. My Living Reef can help make your condolences special by making a difference with your sentiments.

In honor of someone you've loved, make a difference. Make the world a better place with a contribution in memorium. Dedicate a baby sea turtle in your loved one's name with a donation to Sea Turtle Rescue. To learn more click here.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Quote for the Day

“Life is not meant to be lived to reach an afterlife; life is lived for the experience of physically sensing different aspects of consciousness.” ~ Hal Manogue, Living Behind the Beauty Parlor

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Dealing With Death - How to Find Peace

By Piper Cox

Death is an inevitable part of life and unfortunately we will all be touched by the finger of death at some point in our lives. It may be the death of a close friend, a beloved pet, or a dear family member. Death is a difficult thing to work through. It leaves you feeling so empty and alone. But there are ways that you can find peace after the death of a loved one.

When you lose someone close to you, your senses are flooded with a multitude of emotions. Denial, anger, sadness, and frustration are just a few of the feelings you may experience. This is perfectly normal and everyone has to go through different emotions when dealing with death.

We experience denial both when we first learn of the death and sometimes days and weeks later. Someone has made a mistake, I had a bad dream, these are just a few of the thoughts you may experience in the denial stage. Denial is stronger when dealing with accidental or sudden death. In this case denial may last longer than it does when you lose someone to an illness or old age.

Anger and frustration occurs both soon after the loss and even many years later. You wish the person was here to help you with a project or you are dealing with finances you don't understand. It is perfectly normal to feel anger toward the person you lost. After all, they left you alone. This is a natural sentiment and something that you will feel.

Sadness and grief are the first things someone thinks of when dealing with death. These are the emotions that everyone expects you to have. You are lost and missing the person so much. These feelings of sadness and grief will come and go especially through the first year as you deal with many 'firsts' without them.

So how can you find peace when you are grieving? First of all you need to understand that all these emotions are a normal part of the grieving process. You need to experience them to properly heal. It is okay to be mad at the person who died. Someday that anger will subside and you will have overcome the frustration of loss. Sadness and grief will probably be with you for life, but they get easier to deal with over time. It will not be a all consuming sadness that you feel right after the death, but it will mellow into a longing or melancholy feeling. Something you will feel only occasionally. This is normal after all you lost someone very close to you. You will always miss them and feel their loss it just won't always be painful.

Time is a great healer. Even though you may feel that you cannot survive another day because the grief is so overwhelming, you can and you will. Face each day and conquer it! Spend time with friends and read uplifting books. These things can really help when dealing with grief. There are many books written about death and dying. If you believe in an afterlife, books about near death experiences can be helpful. After the loss of my brother I read several of these books and they brought me peace. I had a better understanding of what happened when he died and where he was now.

Some days you may feel like you just can't face the world, this is okay just don't let it become a habit. Many people let grief win and overtake their lives. They become consumed in their sorrow and almost cease to function. This actually becomes detrimental to their health. No matter how hard it may seem, you need to move forward. Keep your loved ones in your heart, but allow yourself to live as well. Think about what they would want. Would they want you to suffer endlessly because of their death?

Many people turn to religion when they lose someone. Faith is a great healer and it helps us believe in a better life for both us and the person who died. Most religions teach of an afterlife where everyone is at peace and happy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormons, believe that families will be together forever in the afterlife. This belief brings great comfort to families who have lost loved ones and especially to parents who have lost children.

You can find peace and healing after losing someone close to you. Remember that it is okay to feel a range of emotions. Time will help you overcome the anger and will dull the pain of loss. But you will always remember the person you lost. After all, they were an important part of your life.

Piper enjoys researching her family history and reading stories of her ancestors. She spends a lot of her time using her Epson scanner to make quality copies of her grandparents photos. She enjoys nature, reading and spending time with her family. She also teaches people how to go about using a 35mm slide converter in her spare time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Piper_Cox

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

A Living Reef Memorial

It's no secret that mankind is wreaking havoc on our planet. I’ve read that the BP oil spill in the gulf may destroy ocean reef and coral life. Here is a green burial option that could help rebuild the reef. 

My Living Reef




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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

The Afterlife - Is There Life After Death?

By Suzy Morgan

I love this question! Let's hear it angels!

My smart-alecky guides are bent over double in hysterics. What do you do now? You wander around. You think you have a purpose because you signed yourself up for a job, or the dishes, or the kids, and they're all waiting for you, now. Yeah? So what.

The dead "walk around" without bodies. They are energy. You are energy. Today you see yourself as real but you are simply matter taking up space. You can look with your physical eyes in the mirror and validate that it's you. Because you recognize yourself, does that mean you exist? How can you prove you exist? By your credit cards, your bank balance, your appointment this week at the dentist? The fact that another being in physical form walks into your space and gives you a hug? What if you both made the whole thing up? Fun thought.

You do the same thing when you're dead. Only you've left your body behind. Not only that, but your behind stayed with your decaying physical body. What you carry in your head and your heart continue. For you purists, the brain and the physical heart die with the body. Who you are, how you think, whether you allow yourself to love or not, lives on. Your consciousness lives on with your soul for eternity. In truth, it's impossible to kill you off. You just shape shift and create a deep mourning process for those of us left in a body who still love you and think you are gone forever. We should only know. We can't get rid of each other except by choice.

The physical life of our third dimensional world gives you the opportunity to squeeze yourself into the narrowly constricting reality of the five senses. Your dead-life affords you the opportunity to enlarge your view of life by filling your spirit with the Light of the Divine. This is heady stuff.

Imagine feeling safe, and loved, completely at home with every other being. Imagine there are differences, but you know intuitively that the differences mean nothing. It's like vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. You may have a preference, but one is not better than another.

You gently merge with each other, still maintaining your sense of your self, but aligned completely with The Self. You know that you are complete, whole, and perfect, unable to separate yourself from the scenery, from God, from each other, and, more importantly, you no longer want to separate. You accept you are an integral part of life. You are as important as the bum on the street and the Divine itself.

In this place of a life without judgment, we can be still and absorb the Light. We can choose to act as a guide for others. We can allow ourselves to be guided by others. We can continue helping others on earth see life through our expanded vision. Our path is guided by the Universal Love that surrounds and fills us until we heal from the pain of the body.

Then we are free to choose again. If we are ready to try on a new body with what appear to be new characters in each scene, it is up to us. If we have work to do on the other side, we can remain. If we choose to do nothing, and some do, we are free to do just that.

Suzy Morgan, B.A., H.H.P, is a Spiritual Intuitive, a Medium, an Energy Healer, and a Channel for the Angels offering Angel Readings and Healing. http://www.NobodysDead.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzy_Morgan

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

We are One in Spirit Podcast

Join LavendarRose on her weekly podcast, We Are One in Spirit, designed to bring understanding, unity, and respect among diverse spiritual communities everywhere.

Airing on http://weareoneinspirit.blogspot.com each Thursday at 7 PM Central Time, spiritual topics of discussion include healing, metaphysics, energy modalities, Goddess worship, afterlife, near-death, and other spiritually transforming experiences.

We are One in Spirit is the place to learn what all religious practices have in common: Our desire to be one with our Creator.

Listen to archived weareoneinspirit.com shows

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Near Death Experiences - What Happens After We Die?

By Paula Maher

Is Steve Irwin really guiding Bindi from the "other side?" Paul McCartney believes Linda's spirit lives on!

What happens after we die? This is life's greatest mystery. Is there a life after death or is it something we have created in order to cope with the inevitable?

There are those who have died and experienced a Near Death Experience (NDE), have returned and are now certain that we are so much more than our physical bodies. A NDE is usually described as a lifting away from the body and being able to view one's self from above accompanied by a euphoric calmness as the spirit travels down a tunnel with a bright light in the center and the certainty that there is another dimension once the light is reached.

On the "Near Death Experience Research Foundation" website there is an account of an NDE recorded by Anita M. a cancer patient from Hong Kong who claims such an event took place as she "died" in hospital and doctors were frantically trying to bring her back. Drifting in and out of consciousness she could feel her spirit leaving her body. As she crossed over she felt this other dimension was actually the real world and felt free and powerful connected to something much greater, "I thought that I knew a lot more than when I was in my body", she says, "I was surrounded by loving beings, people who I seemed to know but I could not recognize from this lifetime and I was aware that they were around me all the time even when I was in the physical body and I didn't even realize then that they were looking after me all the time in the three dimensional world."

She claims her awareness was so heightened she could hear conversations between her family and the medical staff 40 feet away, which she later verified, "It's not that I could see through walls, it's just that when I wanted to know something I could see it straight away, the understanding, the visual came to me immediately. There was no such thing as time lag or separation, everything was simultaneously happening at once and it depended on what I wanted to focus. Unreal as it sounds when I was there; I felt that was the real world, not the physical. There was understanding and clarity. If only I had known this when I was in my body. I was aware that I had a choice whether to go back and return to my body. Knowing that this was real I also knew that if I was to go back to my sick body that I would be healed immediately, my body would express what spirit now knows."

Anita described her state as one of pure joy and that she was loved no matter what. She did not have to do anything to earn this love and this is something that stayed with her when she returned, "All I had to do was be myself. If everybody realized that you don't have to do anything, just the fact that you exist is enough, that knowing would alter your vibrations and this can subsequently change your life."

The Rev. Gino Concetti chief theological commentator for the Vatican newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano" said the Catholic Church is opposed to the raising of spirits but claims communication is possible between those who live on earth and those who live in a "state of eternal repose", and suggested dead loved ones could be responsible for impulses and manifestations such as in dreams. John Hooper published the reverend's comments in the "London Observer Service" in January 1997.

Gwen Carden wrote of these three accounts in "The National Enquirer" on December 22, 1998:
Her dead grandfather urged a college student to lock all the windows in a dream. She did so and discovered the next day that a room nearby had been broken into the previous night.

The mother of 9 month old baby awoke one night to see her dead mother standing by her bed looking worried as she led her to the child's bedroom. The young mum checked on her baby and discovered she had been choking on a piece of plastic.

A woman had a vision of her father who told her, "It is beautiful over here, I'm alright so don't you worry!" He laughed as he added," Now I don't have to pay for all the furniture your Mum and sister bought." A few minutes later she received a phone call informing her that her father had just died of a heart attack and received a letter not long after saying that her Mum and sister had purchased a house full of furniture on the night their Dad died.

Does life indeed continue to a world beyond? The closest proof we have are only the recollections of NDEs such as Anita M's but there have been scientists investigating such phenomenon. As it was reported on BBC News in the UK, they say they have found evidence to suggest that consciousness can continue after the brain has ceased to function.

Neurological experts have challenged these findings. Dr Sam Parnia of Southampton General Hospital in the U.K. says the consciousness is independent of the brain and no one can fully understand how the brain generates thoughts. Under examination the brain contains cells like any other who produce chemicals but there is no evidence of their capability to create the phenomenon of thought that we have. He says that the brain is needed to manifest the mind similar to a how a television set can transmit what are essentially waves in the air.

There is skepticism from sources such as The Skeptic Society and Dr Chris Freeman a consultant psychiatrist at Royal Edinburgh Hospital in the U.K. Dr Freeman claims that these experiences possibly occurred during the recovery or just before cardiac arrest and there is very little evidence that they happened when the brain was shut down.

Dr John Happs president of "Western Australian Skeptics" claims the following,"NDEs are quite commonplace and I have actually experienced them myself on at least two occasions. NDEs are very real and occur when the brain is starved of oxygen. The phenomenon has been well and truly explained in medical terms. The brain starts to shut down when oxygen is limited and peripheral vision slowly fails. That explains why people report a tunnel effect with a bright light in the center. That is exactly what I experienced when, as a competitor in judo tournaments, I was strangled into unconsciousness. There have been many reported NDEs, as you might expect although few individuals would be aware of what is happening to them from a physiological perspective so they imagine they are traveling down a tunnel towards a bright light. Add a few singing angels and an imaginative link between earth and heaven and you have a great story."

John Perkins from "Atheist Society", Melbourne, Australia says, "I believe the phenomenon exists, but not that it represents any evidence for, or experience of, an afterlife. Humans have minds, not souls. In death, the mind stops working. To believe otherwise is just superstition or willful self deception. If souls existed after death, there would be 100 billion of them hanging out somewhere, for ever. Would you really want to go there?"

The one thing that seems apparent is that there is "something" controlling the universe such as nature itself and it is a difficult concept to understand that a person's essence can just die. Birth and coincidences may well be real miracles, although there is scientific and rational explanation for both. For most, it is part of the purpose of life to continue to question the meaning of our existence and to strive for the realization that we are lovable just because we exist. It is certainly something worth pondering and who knows? Perhaps if we practice a little more kindness each day our "vibrations" may lift enough for us to perceive some answers. Or at least we would be working towards making this world right here a better place.

Suggested reading:

A Soul's Journey Peter Richelieu
Life After Life Dr Raymond Moody, Jr., M.D.
Reaching For The Other Side Dawn Hill
Edge of Reality Dawn Hill
Lifting The Veil Dawn Hill

My Very Own NDE: A Skeptical Look Martin Bridgstock life member of Australian Skeptics published on page 16 summer 2003 edition of The Skeptic quarterly journal volume 23

Spook Science Tackles The Afterlife Mary Roach

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/207413/paula_maher.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paula_Maher

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

The Challenge of Death and Dying - Caring for Aging Parents

By Julie Redstone

The process of dying is one of the great stages of learning of the human soul, often met with fear and resistance, yet even in the presence of these, filled with the growth of the soul in its appreciation of its relationship to life.

There is no one way to experience dying so that it produces the maximum amount of growth. For some, the sense of flow from one aspect of life to another is intuitively felt, even if nothing in the earlier stages of life has been articulated as a spiritual belief about the afterlife. For others, there is a well-defined understanding and sometimes experience of the continuity of life, so that apart from the pain or discomfort that may be present during the final stage of physical life, there is no fear. For still others, there is a sense of confusion about the end of life - a perplexity about anticipating non-existence. Often, the idea of death has been imposed on the psyche from the past and includes the notion that there is a kind of black-out of consciousness in which everything ends. And yet, even though this may make sense to the mind, it is perplexing to the heart which cannot comprehend such an idea.

Over and over again, a person who is trying to make sense of the experience of dying is pondering the question of what happens next, whether they are actively doing so in a conscious way or not. It is the main question of the last stage of life for many, especially for those who have not yet come to a conclusion which leaves them with a sense of peace. Even in the presence of denial concerning death's approach, or of anger that life has been 'cut short', or in the presence of the desire to just keep living without any thought of the future - even in the presence of each of these attitudes, the underlying process of trying to deal with the perplexity concerning the end of life is taking place.

For those who have inherited a family configuration in which caring for elderly parents is very much part of a central aspect of living, it is very important to know how to be with the dying process in the elderly. And for those who are simply loving the ones who are preparing to pass out of their physical existence, it is also important to know how to be with this stage of experience and of life.

What is crucial to remember and to trust is that the process of learning and of absorbing the meaning of death and of life is happening even if the elderly parent or loved one gives no sign that this is so. It is happening on the level of the deeper consciousness or soul, even if it is not happening outwardly or in a way that can be articulated. The deeper self is reaching out toward light and truth, and though the outer self may not understand that there is an answer to the question of "why?" - why death, why life - the inner being knows that there is.

For some, the process of dying is the most central experience of life, however it may appear externally. It may be that life has been lived fully, with relationships, family, a productive work life, and experiences that have been rich and alive for many years, and at the end of life that there is more and more limitation and restriction of activity. At such times it may seem to an observer and also to the one who has become very limited physically, that life is not being lived fully any more because of the cessation of physical activity. This is never the case. The shift has simply been made or is being made from a physically observable living of life with outer events that can be marked, to a less observable or invisible inner life that is being refocused around the question of life and death. What causes anxiety or distress in those who are witnessing this shift is the hardship of the limitation of the physical activity and functioning of the aging and dying person. What would relieve this distress to a considerable degree is the knowing that the dying process is taking place successfully, no matter what the outer manifestation that is occurring concerning actively dealing with it. Some things can be processed more easily through the mental aspect of comprehension and articulation of ideas, and some things must take place below the threshold of awareness in a place that joins mind and heart in a synergy in which both are trying to feel their way into a new experience and into a new understanding.

The positive support of those surrounding an elderly person who faces death is of great importance in all situations, for what can get transmitted through this loving support may not be ideas about death and the continuity of life, but the feelings associated with such beliefs of hope, of safety, of trust, and of peace. These feelings can be transmitted without words. They exist in the heart and in the deeper knowing of the soul, and so even without active conversations with loved ones, these deeper feelings and attitudes can be conveyed with benefit.

In the end, each person as a soul must go through the passage from physical life in their own way and with the experiences they are ready to have. The time can be a rich one and even a joyful one for one who knows that they are on the verge of experiencing an expansion of life's possibilities, rather than a diminishing of the reality of existence. For such a one, the prospect of dying has the feeling of going home to something familiar, even if not known, and can be a place that one anticipates visiting or entering with a sense of peace and with a deep sense of homecoming.

For those who are not yet ready for this perception and preparation, it is often the experience of dying itself, even within the last moments of life or at the time of the last breath, that conveys the truth of the continuity of life to the departing soul. These moments of passage are an experience all their own, and no matter what has led up to them, a soul is capable of a profound amount of awakening and of new learning at the time of death's completion. For this reason, it is important to greet the passage from physical life as a journey with many parts, and to know that the final part, the moment of the soul being exhaled from the body, may be the last breath of physical life but the first real knowing by the soul that it will not die, but that it will live and continue into ongoing life.

For additional writings by Julie Redstone and Messages by Request see Pathways of Light. For more about the perspective of the soul, see the Calendar of 100 Days and other Calendars offered within Pathways of Light.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Redstone


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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Bader FIeld

In 2008, I had the privilege of serving as the developmental and copy editor for Carl David’s book, Bader Field. The book is named after the airfield that launched Carl and his dad to the skies where they enjoyed hundreds of flight hours reveling in their distinctive father-son bond that included a shared love for flying twin-engine airplanes. Bader Field allows a reader to see the inside impact that the suicide of a loved one has on an entire family and how much spiritual strength it takes to move past such devastation. After reading Bader Field, you will feel as if you have known the David family all your life. You may even feel like part of the family and be tempted to refer to Sam David as "Pop." He might even visit you in spirit as he did in the following story excerpted from the book.

It was August 5, 1973, the day we had to bury Pop. The funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. at Levine's on Broad Street. My stomach was a mess and I’d been floating in and out of reality.

“Carl, please take one of these,” Mom begged. “It's just a very mild tranquilizer; it'll calm you down.” I wasn't big on drugs of any kind—perhaps an occasional aspirin or antibiotic when all else failed—but this time I felt it would get me through the events of this dreaded day.

“Okay, I'll take one.” I suppose it helped, but I didn't notice the effect of this miraculous substance designed to dull or numb your emotions.

The black stretch limousine was waiting downstairs in front of Mom's apartment. Arm in arm we escorted her off the elevator and through the manned front door into the signature transport. In an all too brief twenty minutes we arrived at the funeral parlor. Mom, Alan, Arlyn, and I had the option of seeing Pop one last time in a private viewing room before his casket was closed for good. Alan and Mom chose to view his body; I declined. To look at his lifeless shell was too painful. I needed to remember him in life as I'd known him; the vital force of energetic spirit who had become my hero through my years. I knew that if I'd taken that final look, that's what I would see every time I thought about him. Life was for living and I would go on with the strength of the memories that we'd built together.

There were hordes of people coming in to pay their respects. The crowds swelled out into the street as the doors bulged with his honor. Friends, family, business acquaintances, and even nearby strangers were drawn by the hundreds to partake in this farewell to a dignitary, a head of state; even if the political system hadn't recognized him. Everyone who had come in contact with him either directly or indirectly would reverberate with the tremendously hollow vacuum in their lives as the soul known as Sam David left for higher grounds. My only regret was that his stay here was but too brief. The onslaught of respect payers was so persistent, the eulogy was piped through the hallways and lobby so that those who couldn't squeeze through were able to partake in Pop's memorial.

Rabbi Martin Zion, who was Pop's best friend, performed the eulogy which was stunningly beautiful. I don't know how he made it through without breaking down. The flow of tears never ceased in the chapel that morning. After the service, endless lines of people expressed their condolences to us. It was very rewarding to see the immeasurable reach of his omniscient love.

There was a fellow waiting for the next funeral to start who heard Rabbi Martin's remarkable dedication. Arlyn was standing near him. “Who was this man?” he asked to no one in particular. “I wish I'd known him. What a special person he must have been.”

Arlyn nodded, “He was very special, unique...one of a kind.”

As we drove in the limousine to the cemetery, we began to recount the wonderful and silly experiences we'd shared with Pop as a family. They were too numerous to gather but many stood out in our minds and gave us great comfort. Too many families would never have the reward of such unconditional love, friendship and warmth that we were fortunate enough to have enjoyed. We would continue to live life as soon as we felt ready. That is what he would have wanted for us; to take every day to the fullest with no regrets in the end. I took great solace in knowing that even though he wasn't in the physical, he was within reach in the spirit world.

It took an uneasy thirty minutes to get to the burial grounds where so many empty shells lay silently at rest. The labyrinth of concrete and limestone monuments was confusing. After a bit, they all looked the same, only the names changed. Amidst a row of ordinary headstones and grave markers a miniature skyscraper built in special recognition of some lost soul would occasionally protrude skyward. Seemed like a perfect waste of time and money, but I would never presume to impose my beliefs onto anyone else.

Tires crunched on the narrow gravel pathways as they twisted and turned. Soon we arrived at the final destination where my father's vacated body would be interred.

Opening the doors, Alan said, "Here we go."

"Are you okay, Mom?”

“I'm all right,” she whispered softly as she steadied herself, holding onto Alan on one side and me on the other. We walked to the dark green tent which covered the newly dug grave upon which the casket was placed on leveraged straps which would lower it into the concrete housing below after we left.
There was a brief service with Rabbi Zion at the helm administering the traditional prayers and a brief but lovely final farewell to a great man. The sun was pitching its warmth upon us and all was silent. Then, we heard the wonderfully familiar sound of a twin engine airplane circling directly overhead. It was a harmonious sound that only Aztecs made; there was no mistaking it. Looking upward into the most blue of late summer skies, was a red and white Aztec. Mom, Arlyn, and I instinctively looked at one another, nodded with acknowledgment and smiled with tears in our eyes. It was Pop and we knew it with more confidence that we'd ever known anything in our lives. He wouldn't have missed his own funeral. He was obviously a master of projecting his consciousness. As quickly as the Aztec above had appeared, it vanished. Then, a few moments later, it reappeared. My family acknowledged it as an ever-consoling presence of my father.

In the limo on the way back to Mom's apartment, I blurted, “It was Pop, you know—in the Aztec.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I saw it. He was there. I could feel him.”

“Yep, it was Pop all right. Can you believe it, an Aztec overhead at the cemetery? How incredible is that? If that isn't a message, I don't know what is!” That is one presentation that I will never forget; it was stunningly real!

In those days, I had no notion of “living dreams” as they are called, but I was well aware of what they meant. Pop was telling us not to feel bad. He was free and still flying, but he'd be on his own as he made his way to a better place. The crushing pain of his major coronary was merely a release from the binding grasp of the physical which imposed its limits according to the laws of this worldly dimension. We would meet again in a much freer environment. There is no such thing as death; only a change in form as we leave one world and enter another. The only remnants are the fleshy bodies which identified the soul which resided within. The body is a vehicle for movement, for gathering of earthly experiences, for a full range of emotions, for a total collection of situations, obstacles, and solutions as they are overcome. It is the building which houses our black box; a permanent record of events and lessons which will be taken to the next worlds as we are ready to enter them for the continuation of our education. The curriculum never ends; it just changes format with each accumulation of knowledge from the preceding realm.
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Born in Philadelphia, Carl David is the third descendant of a four-generation art dealer family specializing in American and European seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings, watercolors, sculptures and drawings. Read more about Carl and his book at http://www.carledavid.com
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Shades of Green - Demystifying Green Burials

By Buddy Phaneuf

 



What is a green burial?

Green burials are done with the goal of returning the body to the earth so that it can be naturally recycled through uninhibited decomposition; green burials are intended as economically sustainable alternatives to traditional funeral practices. In most cases, the body is not embalmed and is placed in a biodegradable container (for example, willow), then interred directly in a grave without a concrete liner.

The first green cemetery, Ramsey Creek, was opened in 1998 by Billy Campbell in South Carolina. Since then, an emerging new movement for simpler, more environmentally friendly has resulted in a variety of alternatives to traditional funeral practices.

Cremation is also considered to be a green funeral practice, because although energy is consumed to burn the body, its footprint is so small and its byproducts so marginal that it is generally accepted as a green practice.

Why a green burial?
There are over 22,000 cemeteries in the United States alone, and each year we bury the following with our traditional funeral practices:

Caskets - 30 million feet of hardwood, 90,272 tons of steel, and 2,700 tons of copper/bronze.
Vaults - 14,000 tons of steel and 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete
Embalming fluid - 827,060 gallons

Clearly, over time these practices will prove to be unsustainable as more and more land is consumed to create cemeteries and more and more of material resources, such as woods and metals are buried in the ground along with our dead.

Cost is also a factor, considering the average cost for a traditional funeral is approximately $6500 to $8000. Green burials cost substantially less, especially if the body is to be cremated and the family decides spreads the ashes spread instead of interring the body. We have the only green burial offering in the state of New Hampshire that approved by the Green Burial Council.

Are There Green Alternatives to Interment?
In addition to simple interment or cremation, there are a number of creative alternatives for cremated remains as well. For example, one company, Celestis, can send a lipstick-sized container of cremated remains into space. They offer several choices for the containers, including orbit with return, release into the orbit, lunar release, or release into deep space.

Eternal Reefs incorporates cremated remains into an environmentally safe cement mixture, using the mixture to create artificial reef formations that support new marine habitats for fish and other sea creatures. They have placed over 300 memorial reefs throughout the east coast and expect them to last approximately 500 years.

The Future of Green Funeral Practices
As the green burial movement continues to gain popularity, there are more and more green cemeteries appearing in the United States. Since 1998, the number of green cemeteries has gone from 1 to 12, operating in 10 states with 4 more are under development. We have seen an exponential increase over the last few years in green burials at our facilities, so it is certainly clear to us that the green burial movement is here to stay.

Buddy Phaneuf, President
Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium
243 Hanover St. ~ Manchester, NH 03104
250 Coolidge Ave. ~ Manchester, NH 03102
172 King St. ~ Boscawen, NH 03303

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Buddy_Phaneuf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com