Search the Community

It was about three weeks since Lily’s death and we were in Wanaka, visiting my brother and his partner, leaving my sister back in Auckland. One night while I was there, I woke up after having a dream of Lily. In the dream Lily simply said, “Tell Lou I’m sorry I wasn’t there”. So not thinking much of it, I was prompted to call my sister, Louise. I asked her how she was and she said she was fine, although she said she had been to a funeral the previous day. She had managed to get through the service with dry eyes until the end when someone got up and read the very same poem that she, my sister, had read for Lily at her funeral, three weeks earlier. At this point she lost it and could hold back the tears no longer. Lily had obviously been with her at this funeral, trying to let her know that she was still there with her. Lots of love, Erica The poem read: “Death is nothing at all, I have only slipped away into the next room I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other That we are still, call me by my old familiar name Speak to me in the easy way you always used Put no difference into your tone Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow Laugh as we always laughed At the little jokes we always enjoyed together Play, smile, think of me, pray for me Let my name be ever the household word that it always was Let it be spoken without effort, without the ghost of a shadow in it Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was There is absolute unbroken continuity What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you for an interval somewhere very near Just around the corner, All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost One brief moment and all will be as it was before How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!” by Canon Henry Scott-Holland

Many of us have dreams and nightmares but as we grieve those can become more frequent and more emotional. So, this topic might be a good place to post dreams or thoughts about them. http://einsteinsgifts.com/2014/02/24/i-dreamt-of-jesus-and-a-crowd-at-the-beach/ This is a wonderful article on dreams. The title is deceptive as it speaks to all kinds of spirituality/religions or none. The title is: I Dreamt of Jesus and a Crowd at the Beach Here is one quote: "As I stated in other posts about interpreting dreams, if there is a person in the dream ask yourself what that person means to you, what do you think of when you think of that person?" Another way to figure out what dreams mean is to keep your eyes closed when you waken and go over the dream before your brain is focused elsewhere. When our eyes are open a great deal of the brain is being used. Also keeping a notepad next to the bed and writing the dream down or a tape recorder to catch it before you open your eyes. Remembering a dream is, of course, the first step towards figuring out their meaning. This article has several links to other sites (one is included in the quote above) and book titles. Recurring dreams usually are related to working through something that you are not working through during waking hours. I have a recurring dream that I have had for years and it is clearly related to times when I feel vulnerable. If I have that dream, I immediately know I am feeling more vulnerable than I thought and it then leads me to some introspection to see the pieces of that.

http://einsteinsgifts.com/2014/02/26/lucy-died-and-came-back-to-tell-me-about-it/ This blog is in my email today and it reminded me of all the conversations we have had here about Life after Life...(Does it exist? If not, what does? iI so, what is it like? Is there evidence? Why do some believe it does and some believe it doesn't? How does spirituality, faith, religion, philosophy, fit in here?) The questions are endless. So I am starting this topic for people of all beliefs to share whatever they wish. When we lose our beloved, the thing we wish is to be reunited with them, of course, "we want them back" and that leads to discussions of life after life...possibility or probability or reality. Here is the blog, Einstein's Gifts, that led to this topic being created. Lucy died and came back to tell me about it. Posted on February 26, 2014by kjtysver “The mystical trend of our time, which shows itself particularly in the rampant growth of the so-called Theosophy and Spiritualism, is for me no more than a symptom of weakness and confusion. Since our inner experiences consist of reproductions, and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of a soul without a body seem to me to be empty and devoid of meaning. “ - Albert Einstein, letter of February 5, 1921 “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”.- Albert Einstein Albert, it seems that in this instance, you have forgotten the sacred gift. You should have stuck around for quantum physics. I already told you my true life ghost story and that afterwards I couldn’t go back to being an atheist. It’s not that a ghost proves there is divinity, but it does prove that there’s something else beyond our small world. We can be very egocentric and believe that there is nothing more than us as humans on our very special planet. Why wouldn’t there be beings on other planets? The Sun is one of over 200 billion stars, just in our galaxy! There are billions of solar systems out there in the universe and chances are that at least one or two of them support life forms. The odds seem to suggest that. There is so much we don’t know. Shortly after my true life ghost story I was reading a book by Raymond Moody, M.D. called Life After Life. Working as a doctor, he had a patient report that they had died and been to heaven and then returned. He dismissed this story as just neural misfirings in the brain causing hallucinations. But, then other patients of his started reporting the same phenomena. Not only did they report near death experiences, but they reported the same sequence of events. It didn’t matter what religious or belief system in which they were raised they all reported the stages in their near death experience. They all left their bodies, many reported exploring the general area where their body was and beyond, reporting after their revival the conversations they had heard and the people they saw in other areas of the hospitals. To me, the book was fascinating. The people who had a Near Death Experience stated that after understanding they had left their bodies they would then go through a tunnel or doorway and enter a place of brilliant light. They are met by people they know who have passed before them. These loved ones are bathed in light, as if a light radiated from within them. They also meet other beings of light. After meeting these beings of light, they meet what they call God, or Jesus, or whatever their religious or spiritual upbringing would best represent this being of light and love. They are then brought through a life review. Dr. Moody interviewed thousands of people who claimed to have had near death experiences, in fact he coined the phrase. After years of research and interviews he wrote his book. I was working in a very small nursing home at this time. I really loved my job and like all nurses (and people) I had a few favorite patients. When I got to work that morning i found out that Lucy had been re-admitted the day before from a spell in the hospital. It had looked very bad for her, touch and go, for a few days. She had pulled through and was now back in her room. When I went in to bring her her meds a little while later she looked pretty weak and was obviously still recovering from her illness. We chatted for a few minutes and I told her how happy I was that she was back. We were close. She started to tell me about her experience. I was astounded. She told me that she had died and left her body. She talked about seeing a doorway and on the other side was a brilliant light. She stepped through the doorway and was met by her aunt. Lucy’s parents had died when she was very young and she had been raised by her aunt. I was so curious. I had just finished reading Dr. Moody’s book and here I was talking with Lucy about her near death experience. I asked her what her aunt had looked like and she told me that she looked as she did when Lucy was a child. Just the way she remembered her. Then she went through another doorway and she was met by God, not in any form, but as love and light. She said that no words were spoken, but she knew everyting that was being conveyed to her. She was taken by God through a life review and she saw her whole life before her. Though her life was shown to her in its entirety it felt as though it took only moments to review. She was shown by God everything she had done wrong, but she said there was no judgment at all. Only love. She didn’t once feel anything but love, even though she learned of all of her mistakes. She was just shown why they were mistakes and she had complete understanding of all. And her face when she was telling me, at first she was embarassed. Her family and the doctors had told her it was hallucinations brought on by dehydration and exhaustion, but she didn’t believe them. When I listened to her and told her about Dr. Moody’s work she was so grateful. She had been afraid everyone would think she was crazy. Even having gone through the humiliation with her family and doctors she was still compelled to continue to talk about it. Lucy was a bright woman who knew that she might be inviting further ridicule and disbelief, but her intuition told her that it wasn’t a dream or hallucination. She knew it was real. By the end of her retelling of her near death experince she was glowing. The universe sent her someone to validate her experience. I was sent someone to validate my beliefs. Lucy was so relieved to be able to tell her story to someone who understood. How wonderful for both of us. She was told by God that she had a choice of whether to go on or go back. She chose to go back. Lucy didn’t stay with us on this plane too much longer, but this much I know, she wasn’t afraid to die. Intuitive Affirmations: There is synchronicity in my life. Everything I need is provided at the right moment. I am aware of the synchronistic events in my life. I trust my intuition. I know what I know. I do not limit my beliefs to what my five senses can percieve. I am limitless. I am open to all expereinces. I love my life! Imagine a world where everyone was open to new experiences and ideas. This world would have no prejudice, no bigotry, and no limits. Check out Dr. Moody’s book, Life After Life.