- do you believe there's a hierarchy to the extended consciousness realm being reported by near-death experiencers?
- do you believe jesus (and/or his father) is at the top of this hierarchy?
- do you believe that every soul is a part of god (collective) and in that way fundamentally indistinguishable from any other being / entity / human?
- are non-dual teachers like eckhart tolle, mickey singer and former guest dr. Jeffrey martin wrong in their understanding of the relationship between our human soul and god consciousness?
Epic questions. Based on my current understanding, which is constantly growing, deepening, and expanding (I hope), here are few answers:
As with most apparent NDE contradictions, there is at least a kernel of truth in all perspectives. For example, there are apparently Christian heavens and hells that are created and maintained by souls who resonate with these archetypes. Ditto for Buddhists. And Hindus. And ancient Egyptians. And Native Americans. You name it. And they are all wonderful and part of the big plan. Lots of heavens and hells with all kinds of delightful and terrible beings that are ordered according to their vibration. The more loving the vibration, the higher and more loving the realms we experience; the more godless, selfish and self-centered the vibration, the more unpleasant the realms we experience.
On the question of individuality, yes, we have individual souls and they are evolving; they are becoming increasingly individuated as spectacularly unique expressions of the Divine. And, on the other hand, yes, there are also primordial non-dual states that we can experience where our individuality is lost and we merge with God no longer able to perceive ourselves as individuals anymore. My current understanding is that non-dual states are more primitive forms of expression. They exist. They can be experienced by all of us. That's where we all come from. But we've been there and done that. This world is about becoming individuals, not merging back into the primordial soup that we came from. Returning to the great Oneness is easy compared to mastering the challenges of this world. NDEs, as a whole, trumpet this perspective very loudly. We are not coming to this world to learn how to leave it and escape back into non-dual states of undifferentiated oneness. We are coming here to become more fully embodied; to bring heavenly states on consciousness into the created universe; to transform earth into a reflection of heaven.
One of the great dangers associated with classic eastern perspectives that thumb their noses at this world and focus mainly on leaving it is that if we do manage to experience non-dual states, those states tend to turn us into zombies. We can loose ourselves in the primordial soup. On the other hand, classic eastern perspectives also hold some of the keys to the kingdom we are trying to create in this world. One of those keys is the need to connect, repeatedly, with our divine natures. If we don't, then we get lost in the material webs of this world. So, again, I'm talking about a middle path that incorporates the best of all the world's traditions, and, hopefully, sidesteps the traps, which, because our souls love adventure and have a fantastic sense of humor, are everywhere.
By the way, one gigantic theme that is associated with NDEs is that most of the people who cross over and experience the love and light of the other side, do not want to come back to this world. Are they allowed to stay put and bliss out? No, they are sent back, often kicking and screaming, because their souls came to this world to experience something they couldn't experience on the other side. People who spend their lives chasing non-dual states are often in the same boat. Try as they might to stay in these deeper states, they often get dragged back into this world to take care of whatever earthly callings and developmental issues they have neglected.
Here are a few of the many NDE quotes that are included in my book that discuss the general perspectives I am talking about:
Near-death experiencer Amy Call:
"True learning happens in the body. This is a big deal to me personally because so much of my life was about wanting to escape the body and wanting that for other people. I also grew up hearing that when you die you get to take off that glove; you get to be free and so I thought that here [in this world] is the more negative, that there [on the other side of life] is the more positive. The understanding in this place -- as hard as it is to see and understand -- is that true learning happens within the body because when we are in experience, in this form, there is something that evolves within us at the level of the soul that makes the body an important part of the whole. It isn’t that one is good and one is bad. The two work together in an important way. That was very healing for me personally, to come to a better understanding."
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Near-Death Experience Mellen-Thomas Bennedit:
"Creation is God exploring God's Self through every way imaginable, in an ongoing, infinite exploration through every one of us. Through every piece of hair on your head, through every leaf on every tree, through every atom, God is exploring God's Self, the great "I AM.”
"The other side is not all it is cracked up to be. There's a lot you can't do on the other side. There's a perfect combination though. A body without spirit is a wasteland and a spirit without a body is a wasteland. And we are the perfect matrix of body and spirit. With body and spirit, you can have it all."
"The body is the most magnificent light being there is. The body is a universe of incredible light. Spirit is not pushing us to dissolve this body. That is not what is happening. Stop trying to become God; God is becoming you. Here."
"God gave everything to us, everything is here -- this is where it's at. What we are into now is God's exploration of God through us. People are so busy trying to become God that they ought to realize that we are already God and God is becoming us. That's what it is really about. When I realized this, I was finished with The Void, and wanted to return to this creation…"