Keoki Flagg on Tedx Talks about Grant Korgan May 13, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Uncategorized.Tags: adventure sport photography, Grant Korgan, Keoki Flagg, paraplegic, photography, South Pole
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A good friend sent me a remarkable youtube video of her nephew Keoki Flagg, an adventure sport photographer, on Ted x talks. The talk is about Grant Korgan’s journey to the South Pole that made history on January 17, 2012. Grant was the first adaptive athlete to trek to the South Pole. It was done on the 100-year anniversary of the first South Pole explorers.
Keoki joined the journey to photograph it. To make the expedition he had to get into shape because he had to pull a sled with 500 pounds of equipment on it.
Two years ago Grant Korgan had a snowmobile accident that left him a paraplegic. Grant decided to make an expedition to the South Pole as part of his recovering program and to raise money for medical research for paraplegics. The trip was funded by the High Fives Foundation, which helps injured athletes recover. Grant used a custom sit ski to trek 75 miles in two weeks. With ski poles he pushed himself along. Keoki compared it to sitting in a cardboard box and pushing it across the room.
The weather was as cold as forty degrees below zero with head winds of 10 to 20 knots. At those temperatures it is hard to function.
In the youtube video you’ll see some of Keoki’s remarkable photos of the trip. IN discussing his photography, he said that original art touches the viewer emotionally.
Keoki also talked about the experience of making this journey. The land is flat and the sun never set so there was no way to gain perspective as to how far he had gone each day. There weren’t any clocks, phones or internet in the South Pole. Being removed from all this technology helped Keoki find inner peace and balance. He said that we all need more peace. He wants to affect the world in a positive way. He ended his talk with: “The message of positivity in these times is critical. Dream as big as you can and change the world.”
Here is the Youtube:
To learn more about the project go:
http://www.southpolepush.com./
THE HORSE WHISPER and Thoughts on Struggles in Life May 1, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Book Review, Movie reveiew.Tags: book review, Buck, Buck Brannaman, Emperor moth, movie, Nicholas Evans, Robert Redford, Stories, Struggles, The Horse Whisperer
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Recently I read THE HORSE WHISPER a best selling novel by Nicholas Evans. In 1998 it was made into a movie, which Robert Redford directed and starred in. The story is about Grace Maclean a thirteen-year-old girl whose life is shattered by a terrible accident. One snowy day in upstate New York Grace goes horseback riding with her friend Judith. As they start up a hill Judith’s horse slips on ice and crashes into Grace’s horse Pilgrim. Judith falls off her horse and is dragged down the hill. Both girls and their horses end up in the road to find a semitruck barreling toward them.
The story is about Grace’s struggle back to health, physically and emotionally. Grace’s horse Pilgrim is also seriously injured and traumatized by the accident. He has become wild and uncontrollable. The veterinarian recommends putting Pilgrim down. Annie, Grace’s workaholic mother, refuses because she realizes her daughter’s full recovery is connected somehow to Pilgrim’s recovery.
In Annie’s search to find help for Pilgrim, she hears about Tom Brooker, a man with unusual abilities with horses called a “horse whisperer.” When Tom sees the terrible shape Pilgrim is in, he says it’s too late to save the animal. Annie refuses to take no for an answer and drags her daughter and the horse all the way from New York to Montana to beg Tom to work with the horse.
Annie and Grace have a dysfunctional relationship and Grace refuses to talk to her mother on the drive west. The book is about the struggle of the daughter and horse to recover from the accident and the struggle of the mother and daughter to rebuild their relationship.
The story is also about Annie taking a new look at her life and what is truly important. She and Tom fall in a love and have an affair, which leads to further complications.
The majority of the movie portrays the book fairly accurately, but if you really want to find out how the horse whisperer works with horses I’d recommend reading the book. The movie also softens the affair to a romantic dance and changes the end to a happier one.
The book and movie were both inspired by Buck Brannaman, a man with an amazing, almost spiritual way with horses. A documentary named BUCK was made about him. The film won the Roger Ebert’s list of the Best Documentaries of 2011 and the Oscar shortlist. Buck said he doesn’t help people with horse problems but rather horses with people problems. His compassion for horses came partly out of a challenging childhood with a violent father.
No one likes hardship and suffering, but it is through the trials of life that some of greatest learning comes. It reminds me of the story about a man who found the cocoon of an emperor moth. He watched the moth struggle to come out of the narrow opening of the cocoon and decided to help it by cutting off a bit of the top. The moth emerged with a swollen body and small wings, and died soon after. The man wondered what had gone wrong. He looked up information about the emperor moth and discovered that in order for a pupa to become a moth, it must squeeze its way out of the narrow neck of the cocoon. This forces the fluid out of the body and into the wings so it will be able to fly. The man thought he was being kind by cutting a slit in the cocoon and easing the moth’s journey. Instead the poor creature was never able to reach its full potential and become a beautiful emperor moth.
In THE HORSE WHISPERER the child, mother and horse all have to go through a great struggle like the emperor moth. Through their experience they grew and emerged as stronger more loving beings.
All of us have struggles and challenges in life to help us learn love and compassion. Through our hardships we develop beauty and grace as the emperor moth does as it emerges from its cocoon.
Have you had an experience where you were faced with a challenge and rose to the challenge to become a stronger, more compassionate person? Please share your experiences.
Movie review of BIG MIRACLE and YouTube Whale Rescue April 21, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Movie reveiew.Tags: animals, drama, entertainment, love of animals, movie, save the whales, whales
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Yesterday my husband shared a YouTube video he received about a humpback whale being rescued from tangled nets. It’s an amazing video. Watch it all the way to the end to see some wonderful shots of the whale’s happy dance after it regains its freedom.
Here is the YouTube of the rescue.
This YouTube video reminded me of a movie I saw recently called BIG MIRACLE. The movie was inspired by true events of a 1988 whale rescue that touched people’s hearts around the world. It involved the US and Russia working closely together during the cold war, which was quite unusual.
In the movie, TV news reporter (John Krasinski) discovers a family of gray whales ice-locked off the shore of Barrow, Alaska. He broadcasts a news story about the whale’s plight and it catches world attention, including his ex-girlfriend (Drew Barrymore), an animal lover and Greenpeace activist. She immediately works to find a way to free the whales.
Meanwhile the Inupiat tribe living in Barrow wants to harvest the whales for meat as they have done for centuries. Reporters flood into Barrow from all over the world and the local people then realize that bad publicity will result if they kill the whales. The native people turn out to serve an important role with the rescue because they know how to survive in the harsh climate. They also help keep the whales alive until rescuers arrive.
I especially enjoyed the “wise elder” of the Inupiat people who had an amazing spiritual connection with the whales and teaches the old ways to his grandson.
Another aspect I liked about the movie is how all the different people with unique viewpoints, agendas and backgrounds come together to save these wonderful animals. As it happened historically, the US and Russia were forced to work together on this highly publicized project. Everyone grows, changes and winds up deeply touched by this experience.
I highly recommend this feel-good movie.
Have you had a heart-opening experience with animals? I’d love to hear your stories.
Here is the official movie trailer:
Two Inspiring videos April 12, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Uncategorized.Tags: dancing, Louie Schwartzberg, photography
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For the new year I want to share two special videos. The first one is called Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg. What better time than the beginning of the year to think about all we have to be grateful for. Schwarzberg talks about being present and celebrating life as he shares his amazing time lapse photography. He has captured some flowers unfolding, the movement of clouds in the sky, and butterflies. His talk and films are both inspiring.
The second part of the video is called “Happiness Revealed” and is from the point of view of a child and elderly man. One of the things the elderly man says is to look at the faces of the people you meet. Each one has an incredible stories behind their face.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyOrNdfBQNk
The second video is for those of you who love dancing. This video is of a couple who dance with amazing grace and beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cWIhXzZT8dE&vq=largeS
I hope you are uplifted as much as I was by these wonderful videos. Enjoy the gift of life in this new year.
Caribbean Cruise: Vacations Can Open Our Awareness April 12, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Uncategorized.Tags: Caribbean cruise, Fort San Felipe Dl Morro, nature, out doors, photography, Puerto Rico, travel, vacation, watching waves
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Last month my family and I took a Caribbean cruise and spent a week in Puerto Rico. The trip wasn’t only an escape from the cold Minnesota weather; it also provided a chance to experience different cultures, ways of life and people. When I travel I’m more aware of everything and living in the moment because everything is so new and different. Sometimes I have more vivid dreams or even a past-life memory.
This trip broadened my understanding of the Caribbean islands and sparked my interest in its history. The islands have such features as tropical rainforests, mountains and white sand beaches surrounded by aqua blue ocean.
(Here are some photos of our trip.)
The main language in Puerto Rico is Spanish though many speak English so it isn’t hard to get around. One Puerto Rican highlight was a guided hike in El Yunque, a large rainforest. After visiting the rainforest we paddled kayaks into an ocean bay to see the bioluminescent water. At night the water sparkles like fireflies when you paddle or put your hand in it. It seems magical.
I find many of the things I worry about at home disappear when I’m traveling. I enjoy just sitting on the ocean, feeling the warm sun, watching the waves and swimmers. It’s also fun to spend time with my family and meet new people.
Traveling can be a trigger for remembering past lives. It sparks memories, sometimes subtle and other times direct. While I didn’t remember any past lives on this trip, when I visited Fort San Felipe Del Morro (a five-hundred-year-old fort in Puerto Rico) I felt a deep heaviness I knew stemmed from a past life.
The fort is historically significant because it served as a base of Spanish power.
Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage and colonized by Spain. Today none of the native people remain. The island has a natural harbor, fresh water and was the first place the ocean currents brought ships when they sailed to the new world from Europe. From this fort Spain controlled the gateway to Mexico, Central and South America to better rule this part of the world. They pillaged gold and silver from these countries and had a large slave-trading business. (Here are some photos of the fort.)
On the island of Barbados we saw the amazing Huntes Garden set on the site of an old sugar plantation. Chairs where you can sit and enjoy the flowers and serenity are placed throughout the garden. While there we met Grace, a woman from England. She lives in an old house outside of London that was once a monastery in the 1500s. I asked, “Have you ever been visited by a ghost?” She said yes she had, by a monk on three occasions. The first time he appeared was when she was ill. He came into her room and was a comforting presence.
Grace told us she once experienced a challenging situation when her family had wronged her. She was upset until she had a dream where she left her body and met with Jesus, her spiritual guide.
He said, “You’ve been forgiven. Now it’s up to you to forgive others.” After the dream she was able to let go of the situation and forgive her family members.
My husband Jim asked, “That changed your life, didn’t it?” She replied it had.
Jim said, “We call that ‘Soul Travel’” (an Eckankar term that can mean a shift in consciousness to a higher state of awareness or an experience of leaving the physical body either while awake or when dreaming).
Grace said she’d never heard of Soul Travel, but found the idea interesting.
(Here are some photos of the garden.)
I returned home refreshed from these wonderful adventures with my family and felt enriched by the many people I met along the way.
Have you met an interesting person or had an experience when traveling that opened up vivid dreams or gave you an insight into a past life? I’d love to hear your stories.
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico April 11, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Uncategorized.Tags: dining, ocean, photography, Puerto Rico, vacation
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Dining at night
Billy Joel and Temple Grandin: Where do we go when we die? March 21, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Movie reveiew.Tags: angel time, autism, Billy Joel, drama, entertainment, goodnight my angel, movie, Temple Grandin
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Recently I went to hear the Minnetonka Chamber Choir. The choir director stopped one of the songs in the middle to tell the audience the name of the piece and what it meant so we would enjoy it more. The piece was” Lullabuy” by Billy Joel who wrote it after his daughter Alex asked him, “Where do I go after I die?” One of the lines that stuck with me was: “Then in your heart there will always be a part of me.”
Here is the entire song:
“Lullabye Goodnight, My Angle”
Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you’ve been asking me
I think you know what I’ve been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
Then you should always know
Wherever you may go, no matter where you are
I never will be far away
Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I’m rocking you to sleep
The water’s dark and deep, inside this ancient heart
You’ll always be a part of me
Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby
Then in your heart there will always be a part of me
Someday we’ll all be gone
But lullabies go on and on
They never die
That’s how you and I will be
Here is a youtube with Billy Joel singing the song.
The song reminded me of a movie I saw recently called “Temple Grandin.” It’s the true story of Temple Grandin, a woman who was born autistic. Several years ago I heard Temple Grandin speak at an autism society event and I was interested in seeing the movie and learning her story.
When Temple was four and still unable to speak, her mother took her to the doctor who told her Temple was autistic and should institutionalized. Instead the mother used picture flash card and found a way to teach her child to speak and relate to the world. Temple went on to high school, college and even got a doctorate in Animal Husbandry.
At one point in the movie Temple asked a question similar to the one Billy Joel’s daughter asked. “Where did he go?” Temple asked when a horse died. What she was really asking is: Where did the soul of the horse go? Her science teacher didn’t know, but he told her to think of the horse as it was when it was alive. Temple thought in pictures and so she visualized the horse several times when she’d seen him vibrant and healthy.
Later in the movie the teacher died and at his funeral service Temple asked her mother. “Where did he go?” Like the horse she could see the spirit of the man was gone and only the body remained.
Each of us has to answer that question for themself. I believe we go on to another world to continue our spiritual education to eventually become a co-worker with God.
Temple had a hard time going to high school and was reluctant to go to college. Her science teacher told her to think of college as going through a doorway that is going to open a whole new world for you. Temple visualized a series of doorways she’d walked through and found the courage to go to college. I thought it a beautiful image for all of us when facing a challenge in life. Visualize or think of it as a doorway we have to walk through to get to a new place or state of consciousness.
When Temple’s mother enrolled her in high school, she emphasized to her teacher that Temple was different but not less. I thought of the analogy of soul equals soul. We are all equal no matter when our physical, emotional, or mental limitations are. We are all here on earth to serve life and learn more about love.
As an autistic person Temple didn’t like to be touched or hugged, yet she was unafraid of animals and liked to touch horses and cows. She could empathize and relate to them in a way she couldn’t to humans. They understand the world with pictures like she did.
Temple’s uniqueness enabled her to see things that others couldn’t. She closely observed cows and what made them afraid while she was on her aunt and uncle’s ranch. She used her understanding of animal behavior to design a more merciful way to build a slaughter house for cows. She said that nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be. She insisted that there was no reason to scare cows or prod them along when they will walk peacefully through the slaughter house. She understood that cows were raised for food and thought that was all the more reason to treat them with kindness. Today half the slaughter houses in the United States use her building design proving that Temple’s mother was right. She is different but not less.
Temple eventually started helping other people who were autistic and their families by sharing what it was like to be autistic. The first time she was asked to speak at an autistic meeting, she was afraid, but then she visualized walking through a doorway and went on stage.
When I reflect on Temple’s life, I think of the enormous challenges she faced and overcame. How she turned her differences to an advantage and how she had the courage to make the world a better place. She isn’t really so different from the rest of us or from Billy Joel’s daughter. We all wonder where a person goes when they die.
Where do you think we go when we die? Have you ever felt like you were walking through a doorway as you started a new experience? What challenges have you had to over come? I’d love to hear your experiences or thoughts.
I really enjoyed this movie of Temple Grandin’s life and highly recommend it.
Here’s trailer of the movie:
Thoughts on Letting go and Forever Ours by Dr. Janis Amatuzio February 25, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Book Review.Tags: cancerous tumor, heart disease, janis amatuzio, loving wife, lung cancer, pneumonia
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I believe we are guided to read certain books at just the right time for what we need. My last blog was on the book Beyond Knowing by Janis Amatuzio. After I finished reading it, her first book Forever Ours became available at the library.
In one of the stories her first patient was sick with pneumonia and she gave him antibiotics. He recovered from the pneumonia but then the doctors were able to detect that he had a cancerous tumor on his lung. He decided to not have treatment and to go home and enjoy the time remaining to him.
Dr. Amatuzio was devastated by the thought of losing a patient. She thought he was giving up and she wanted him to fight for his life. But over the years she came to realize he wasn’t giving up, he was letting go. He’d accepted that he was dying and wanted to be with his loving wife in his own home.
This past weekend my aunt was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball in her lungs. She has also decided not to do chemotherapy or surgery. There is a chance she can be treated it with antibiotics since she wasn’t a smoker, but the parallel between having just read the story in the book and my aunt being diagnosed with lung cancer struck me a more than a coincidence. We are being guided all the time if we pay attention.
Letting go is hard but there are many things we have to let go of in life. The hardest is letting go of a loved one or letting go of life when it’s time to move on. But there are lots of other times we have to let go of smaller things like favorite possessions, or a lost or dying pet, or friends who move away, or past hurts. Learning to let go is part of life. Gradually as we grow in wisdom, like Amatuzio did, we begin to let go with grace.
In the book Forever Ours, the title refers to the love that we have with people. Janis Amatuzio concluded we will always have this love even when one of us moves to the other side.
When her mother was in the hospital with heart disease, she began to pray. Almost immediately her head filled with the following words. “Janis, I love you so. Don’t worry, your parents will be fine. At the moments of their deaths, I will wrap them up in my love and yours, and they will be forever ours. The comfort, amazement and relief I (Janis) felt were overwhelming. I knew the words were true and would last me a lifetime.” p. 200
The book ended with a beautiful poem.
Ascension
And if I go
While you’re still here. . .
Know that I live on
Vibrating to a different measure
Behind a veil you cannot see through.
You will not see me,
so you must have faith.
I wait for the time when we can
soar together again
both aware of each other.
Until then, live life to its fullest!
When you need me, just whisper
my name in your heart. . .
I will be there.
-Colleen Cora Hitchcock p. 201
If you have any stories about letting go or dealing with death, I’d love to hear them. Post your comments on this blog.
Today I’m leaving on a Caribbean cruise. I’m looking forward to warm days, swimming in the ocean and seeing green trees and flowers instead of snow. I’ll post photos when I return. Embrace life. It’s a precious gift.
Beyond Knowing by Janis Amatuzio February 19, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Book Review.Tags: dreams visions, inner voice, pathologist, reassurance, simplicity and beauty
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I recently went to a dinner party. After we ate, one of the men I’ll call Joe asked me if I believed in reincarnation. I replied that I did and Joe said that he did as well. This led into a sharing of stories. His wife said after her mother died she had a dream with her that was a “visitation.” Joe said he’d once been stopped at an intersection and was about to pull out when an inner voice told him to wait. He waited and a car came barreling by. Joe knew he would have been hit if he hadn’t listened to the inner voice.
Another woman in the room said that she believed that after you died you were dead. She had a dream of her mother who died as well, but for her this was just a dream created by the mind. Her husband didn’t know what to make of the stories. I asked him if he’d had dreams of his beloved dog Homer who had died recently. He had but he didn’t think that they were real.
The differences in how people related to their esoteric experiences led me to thinking about something Dr. Amatuzio said in her book Beyond Knowing. Dr. Amatuzio is a Minnesota pathologist and in her work the loved ones of the deceased occasionally told her extraordinary dreams, visions or synchronies. Gradually she had a shift in awareness from wondering if these extraordinary stories were true to a knowing they were. She said that something awakened inside her and she even had an awareness that she already knew these things. She thought these experiences are a trigger to wake up spiritually.
Dr. Amatuzio saw that the people who had these amazing experiences were profoundly changed. These experiences brought them joy, relief, reassurance, comfort, and sometimes healing. She began asking them. “How has this changed your life?” p. xvi
The answers were elegant in their simplicity and beauty. “It’s all about love. All is well. Be kind. Trust yourself. Don’t worry. Live each day to the fullest. Life is a phenomenal gift. There is nothing to fear. Everything is really all right.” p. xvi
“Perhaps these experiences are immortal gifts, ago-old portals through which we can reach into the realm of the masters and mystics, approach the threshold of the divine, and glean the wisdom of the ages. Could the magic and power in these familiar stories transform us as they have others?” p. xvi
Dr. Amatuzio tells about her own wake up process that started when she was a child. Once day she lay down for a nap and fell asleep. Her guardian, a being of light, appeared at her bedside. Together they left the room and rode horses above the earth. He told her without words that he would accompany her throughout her life and sent light streaming toward her. She had a feeling of love, joy and ecstasy.
The book is filled with amazing stories that were told to Dr. Amatuzio. One that stuck out for me took place in 1888 here in Minnesota. Harry and Walter Swenson were brothers who worked a dairy farm. One February day Walter drove to town with a team of horse and got caught in a blizzard on the way home. When he didn’t return home Harry became worried and searched for him. The storm lasted three days during which time there was no sign of Walter.
When the storm let up Harry went to the barn to milk the cows. Walter walked in. “Harry was overjoyed and surprised and said, ‘Walter, what took you so long? It’s about time you showed up!’ Walter looked at him and said, ‘Harry, I thought you had been looking long enough. Me and the team, we passed in the storm.’ Harry blinked, and his brother was gone.” P. 132. Walter and his horse were found down in a creek bed frozen solid a week later.
Another woman named Theresa told Dr. Amatuzio she had the gift of seeing. One night she dreamed of her friend Marge who wore a maroon dress and locket on a gold chain. They danced around each other in joy. Theresa awoke from the dream and noticed the time was midnight. The next day a friend came over and told her that Marge had died of a heart attack at midnight. When Therese went to the mortuary there was Marge’s body in the maroon dress with the locket around her neck.
Dr, Amaturio’s father, Don, shared a story from a time when he was critically ill in the hospital. Don had a sense of leaving his hospital room and flying across a vast space. He arrived a magnificent place with vivid colors and beautiful music. The light there glowed and felt familiar. Then Don came to a river. On the other side were all his family and friend who had died. They waved and beckoned to him; he was overjoyed and began to wade the river. They stopped waving the turned around. Don knew he wasn’t to cross over. When he awakened it was early evening and he felt peaceful. When the doctor came to visit, he found that Don was finally showing signs of recovery and would live. The doctor said, “You’re going to be okay!” p. 169.
Denise told of a dream of her dog Kizzie who had died six months earlier. In the dream Kizzie was running around like she did as a puppy “in the most beautiful place imaginable. “ p. 173. The dog looked her in the eyes and let her know that she was happy and in a good place. When Denise woke up she knew the dog was fine and her heart healed. Later Denise was watching What Dreams May Come and in a scene in the movie there was the same meadow she’d seen Kizzie in. “And then the peace and joy she had experienced reawakened in her heart, and her surprise faded to the calm, still place of deep knowing.” p. 173.
Dr. Amaturio asked Denise what had changed in her life since then. She said, “This experience has been so profound for me. Now I am certain: I know there is much more waiting for all of us after our brief visit here on earth. I have no fear.” P. 174.
Dr. Amaturio says that, “These beautiful experiences allow us to truly find ourselves again, to remember who we are, truly, and what we already know.” P.201. The wisdom of these stories is the truth that: “You are deeply loved and never alone. You will see your loved ones again and again; and just the power of your thought will draw them to you.” p. 201.
When I reflect back on the dinner party, I think that the people attending represent a typical cross section of people. Some don’t believe in an afterlife, others are wondering if these extraordinary events could be true, while yet others know they are true like Dr. Amatuzio who said she awakened to the truth.
Dr. Amatuzio says, “But please don’t take my experience as recorded in this book as “the truth.” Read the words on these pages and the stories that real people have shared with me. Then trust your own feelings, make your own decisions, and arrive at your own truth, about one of the greatest concerns of sentient humanity: Life and Death.” P. xi.
If you have an amazing story, I’d love to hear it. Please leave a comment.
Here is a YouTube of Dr. Amatuzio: This is an excellent lecture that Janis Amatuzio gave at the University of Minnesota. It’s long, but well worth listening to. Janis is funny and very personable. You’ll enjoy the talk.
Closer to The Light by Dr. Morse February 4, 2012
Posted by heidi skarie in Book Review.Tags: death, Dr. Morse, near death experiences, out of body experiences
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I’ve been thinking about death. A friend of mine died of cancer recently. I got to know him when he was already in hospice so his death wasn’t unexpected. On the same day that I heard that he was failing, I talked to a friend whose mother had passed away and got an email from a friend whose beloved dog had just died of kidney failure.
Death is not easy to talk about. In our society people no longer die at home, but in a hospital setting so we’re separated from death. Moreover, many people fear death.
And yet death is a part of life. People and animals are always somewhere on that journey between birth and death.
I just finished reading Closer to the Light by Melvin Morse, M. D. with Paul Perry. The subtitle is Learning From the Near-Death Experiences of Children. Dr. Raymond Moody challenged the world to recognize near-death experiences (NDE) in his book Life After Life. Dr. Morse, a pediatrician, continued his work and by doing extensive research on NDE with children.
Dr. Morse first became interested in NDE when a nine-year old patient was in the intensive care unit. She had been found unconscious in a pool and had massive swelling of the brain. Three days later she made a full recovery. Afterward when the doctor questioned her about her experience he discovered that she remembered all the details of her hospital experience, including what the doctors did to save her even though she was unconscious.
She then told of going through a tunnel and meeting a woman named Elizabeth, a tall nice woman with golden hair. She also met her late grandfather and several other people including two boys waiting to be born. While out of her body she visited her home and saw her family. Elizabeth took her to meet the Heavenly Father and Jesus. The Heavenly Father asked her if she wanted to go home. She said she wanted to stay with him. Jesus asked if she wanted to see her mother again and she said yes and then awoke.
Here is Dr. Morse interviewing her.
Crystal who drowns in pool
This experience led Dr. Morse to doing research on children with NDE. He found that children have experiences that are very similar to adults. The main difference being that children don’t have a “life review” when out of their body, perhaps because their life has been so short.
The typical NDE experience begins with the person floating out of their body. They usually see their body below them and often see medical people trying to save them. They may also see family members. Then they go through a tunnel. Next they see a light or a being of light who they see as their guardian angle or a spiritual being. They may also see someone they know like a grandparent who passed away years ago. The person is then asked if they want to return to their body or told they have to since their life purpose isn’t over.
Here is an example of story from six-year-old Daniel who was hit by a car. “I was standing there watching the doctors load me into the ambulance, when I saw that I was outside my body. My mother was crying and everyone was in a hurry.
When I got to the hospital, I watched the doctors put tubes in me. I looked yucky because I was bloody and bruised.
“I then went down a tunnel that was dark. At the end of the tunnel was a bright light. I wasn’t sad and I wasn’t happy, but I did want to get to the light. When I got to it, I met three men. One was very tall and the other two were short. Behind them was a rainbow bridge that stretched across the sky. They seemed nice, but I was afraid of them anyway.
“All of a sudden I was back in my body. I looked down at my feet, and the men were there. Then they disappeared, and I was completely back.” P. 39-40
As I reflect on this story I remembered that my friend whose dog died said that Homer had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Interesting that both of these people used this expression.
The chapter of the book that interested me the most was called The Pure Light. In this chapter Dr. Morse talked about the Light. He begins with a quote from Black Elk, a Native American Spiritual Leader. “Grown men may learn from little children, for the hearts of little children are pure, and, therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.”
Light appears in nearly all of children’s NDE and in one out of four adult experiences. The light appears after the person has had an out-of-body experience or traveled through the tunnel. The Light wraps them in “warmth and caring.” For some the voice of God comes from the Light. Many say that seeing the Light changes them for life. The pure light is described as unconditional love, or “all-knowing or all-forgiving.” One five-year-old said “I will never forget that Light. It is with me all the time.” P. 116. Another child said, “It represented love peace and happiness and complete and utter joy.” P. 116. Dr. Morse says that the Light makes the NDE mystical.
While the Light is important I noticed that Dr. Morse didn’t say much about the sound. Yet some of the descriptions of the NDE did mention hearing a choir or music. I believe the Sound and the Light are both ways in which the Holy Spirit speaks to us. We hear the sound current in the wind, the song of a bird, in music, and laughter.
Dr. Morse ends his book with a few quotes from the children.
“I have a secret to tell you. I have been climbing a staircase to heaven.”
“I just wanted to get to that Light. Forget my body, forget everything. I just wanted to get to that Light.”
“I wasn’t afraid to live again because I knew that someday I would be with the Light.”
“You’ll see. Heaven is fun.” P. 181.
Reading the book was perfect timing for me. It was a reminder that death is nothing to fear. We are soul, not our body, and someday we will leave our body and go into the Light where joy and unconditional love and a loving being of light await us.
If any of you had a NDE or any other mystical experience, please share them with me on this
The following are two videos interviews with Dr. Morse.
Interview with Larry King
Interview with Joan Rivers
