To Heaven And Back (+Video) : Near-death experience during Kayak trip

The Huffington Post, Mary C. Neal, 06/09/2012

M.D.Orthopaedic surgeon; Author, 'To Heaven and Back'

One lesson I learned after I drowned on a South American river was that to face life's challenges with gratitude and joy, a person must first lose his or her faith.

I am an experienced kayaker, but when I crested the top of a moderate waterfall while kayaking the Fuy River, I saw no clean exit to the tremendous turbulence at its bottom. I pragmatically assumed I would tip over at the bottom, then exit my boat and be briefly tossed about in the turbulence before surfacing and swimming downstream.

When my boat struck the bottom with a thud, I was immediately submerged. As a spine surgeon, I am familiar and comfortable with stressful situations. I remained calm as I sequentially went through the steps to extricate myself: detaching my spray skirt (neoprene fabric that keeps water out of the boat by stretching between the kayaker's waist and the boat's cockpit rim), pushing myself out of the boat with my feet, and trying to free the boat by rocking back and forth. I had no air, was too far from shore for anyone to reach me and my self-rescue was prevented by the flowing water flattening my torso against the front deck of my boat. After a lifetime of fearing a drowning death, the irony of my predicament almost made me chuckle.

Like 92 percent of Americans at that time, I believed in God. I attended Sunday school as a child and accepted Christ as my savior as a teenager. My moderate faith in religious truths easily faded into the background of my busy life when I left for college, but I called to God on the river, asking only that His will be done.

I was immediately overcome with a physical sensation of being held, comforted, and reassured that everything would be fine regardless of whether I lived or died. I was presented with a short review of my life, emphasizing the unseen ripple effects of particular events rather than the event itself. The scientific, analytical and skeptical part of my brain observed this with interest and curiosity. I was acutely aware of my situation; I knew I had been underwater too long to be alive but also knew that this experience did not have the quality of a dream or hallucination, was not the result of a dying brain and could not have been created by my limited imagination.

My legs bent backward on themselves as the current slowly pulled my body downstream over the front deck of my boat but I felt no pain as they were breaking. My spirit peeled away from my discarded body and as I rose up and out of the river, I was joyously greeted by a group of old friends. I watched my body be pulled to the riverbank and as CPR was initiated, I was guided down a path to a domed building that not only exuded a brilliance of color and beauty, but also exploded with the pure, complete and unconditional love of God. I felt like I was finally home. Despite my protests, I was eventually returned to my body with words of encouragement and instruction regarding my future.

When Kids Came To Visit

I was hospitalized for many weeks after my drowning, underwent many surgeries on my broken legs and suffered the losses of both my father and stepfather. I struggled to reconcile my understanding of medical science with the reality of my experience. I analyzed the experiences, reviewed my medical records and corroborated events with others. I listened to the stories of my patients who cautiously asked to share with me their own experience of Godly intervention. I struggled with the instructions I had been given, especially as they related to the future death of my son.

I lost my faith; it was transformed into a complete trust in the promises of God. This changed me as a person and as a doctor. Trusting that God loves us unconditionally, that spiritual life is eternal and that He as a beautiful plan for each of us, allowed me to face struggles with gratitude and joy. Each event, neither good nor bad, is like a small thread woven together with others to create a glorious tapestry of God's design. I do not fear death. I am more tolerant of other people's actions. I observe the world with an open heart.

I have not discarded the truth of scientific discovery nor discount its value to society, but the boundaries between God and medicine have been forever shattered. I pray for my patients. I help them perceive a beautiful opportunity for growth in an otherwise dire situation.

Spiritual curiosity while experiencing the presence of God in one's life transforms faith into the trust that provides confidence to face life's most difficult challenges with gratitude and joy.

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Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon, I have read several accounts of people who had "died" and then returned to their bodies. In some of the accounts, they describe a very dismal place for those who committed suicide. Usually, they say that those who committed suicide are "stuck" there. Are these accounts true, or is this colored by the person's personal belief? What about those who don't commit suicide because they are depressed and can't continue on, but who "die in their cause", such as the terrorists who blew up the Twin towers or the suicide bombers in Israel? Or those who chose to take their lives because they have cancer and the pain becomes too much for them?

Answer: Dear one, as we have mentioned before, the energy of suicide is a test for those who remain, not for the one who committed the act. Indeed, the Human Being has very strong survival instincts to keep him from doing this, but for those who do, there is no stigma of dishonor or punishment. They are not stuck, either. Most of the time this was a potential contract all along, and it prods those around them to make decisions that they would never have had to do otherwise.

Remember, this is a test for all of you. When it's over, don't be shocked to return to this side of the veil and find that there is no punishment or reward… only a family who is appreciative of your journey, and of the energy it took to love the earth and the Universe so much, that you went through it.

(from Lee) Kryon has explained near death experiences. You can read it at: [http://www.kryon.com/k_chanelphilly.html] Also, Kryon has mentioned death many times, and about how it relates to us. Check out the master index to find out what Kryon books these things are mentioned in: [http://www.kryon.com/direct.html]

"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator,Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience?

When a Human almost dies, they get close to the veil, very close. They are ever so close to the creator's energy and just barely touched by it. When their heart was stopping and their breathing was almost gone, before they were brought back to life with science, they got to touch the hand of God for just an instant. What they saw was magnificent! The energy before them was filled with love and light, filled with family, filled with beauty. There was no strife there. There was no punishment there or even the hint of it. And when they came back from that experience, listen to what they told you. It changed their lives, didn't it? Listen to each one talk about it, for they continued to say, "There is nothing to fear and death is something you experience as a normal transition." Blessed is the Human Being who experiences both death and birth and has the wisdom to report, "Oh, it's uncomfortable, but I'll get through it, because I've done it before." The person who has experienced a near-death experience is no longer afraid to die! What does that tell you? They have seen what is there and they embrace it! …”

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death) - (Text version)