The Cycle of Life

[knightofalbion]

When you walk through a forest that has not been tamed and interfered with by man, you will see not only abundant life all around you, but you will also encounter fallen trees and decaying trunks, rotting leaves and decomposing matter at every step. Wherever you look, you will find death as well as life.
Upon closer scrutiny, however, you will discover that the decomposing tree trunk and rotting leaves not only give birth to new life, but are full of life themselves. Microorganisms are at work. Molecules are rearranging themselves. So death isn't to be found anywhere. There is only the metamorphosis of life forms. What can you learn from this?
Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The oppposite of death is birth. Life is eternal.
- Eckhart Tolle ('Stillness Speaks')

Life is a school. We incarnate on earth to learn and to advance the soul.
Death is quite simply 'going home'.
Do not be afraid of death. There is nothing to fear.

For anyone in need of comfort and reassurance, or those seeking further knowledge on the topic of survival of the spirit, then I recommend the following outstanding works:
On Death and Dying by Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Glimpses of Eternity by Dr Raymond Moody
The Art of Dying by Dr Peter Fenwick and Elizabeth Fenwick

And for the more enquiring mind I also recommend a classic of British spiritualist literature 'The Golden Key' by Percy Welsford.

Why have most of those who went through a near-death experience lost their fear of death? Reflect on this - Eckhart Tolle

 

[knightofalbion]

A very good website concerning survival of the spirit and what happens when we die, can be found at
https://www.victorzammit.com

 

[liverock]

Ian Mc Cormack was a young New Zealand man who was stung by deadly Box Jellyfish whilst scuba diving off the Island of Mauritius.

Here he recounts how he managed to make his way to a local hospital but eventually died, found himself outside his body and his meeting with Jesus Christ that changed him forever, before finding himself returned to his body in the hospital mortuary.

https://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/SUS142_IanMcCormack_022610_WS

 

[knightofalbion]

Near-death experiences: Many of the patients have spoken of the peace they experienced; beautiful, indescribable peace - no pain, no anxiety. They tell us that all that matters is how much you have loved, how much you have cared and if you know these things then you cannot possibly be afraid of death - Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

 

[dogwoman]

Norman Mailer once wrote words to the effect that a babe, upon being born, is frightened of being ejected from the world which it has known. In essence the birth of a babe is a form of death, leaving one world for another.

 

[ozzie]

I also found, that the book, The Art Of Happiness, a handbook for living, by his holiness the Dalai Lama, and Howard C. Cutler M.D. a very interesting read about life and death.

When I was younger I was always terrified of the thought of seeing a dead person,but after having sat with 3 very close relatives to the last breath of their lives I am no longer afraid of dying, and am so grateful that I was able to be with them in their last days.

 

[knightofalbion]

I also found, that the book, The Art Of Happiness, a handbook for living, by his holiness the Dalai Lama, and Howard C. Cutler M.D. a very interesting read about life and death.

When I was younger I was always terrified of the thought of seeing a dead person,but after having sat with 3 very close relatives to the last breath of their lives I am no longer afraid of dying, and am so grateful that I was able to be with them in their last days.

That's beautiful, Ozzie. Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[knightofalbion]

Sunset, sunrise: There is no death, life is a continuum.

 

[knightofalbion]

Mother darling, you never could, even in your darkest moments of despair, wish us back, could you see us here in this beautiful place
- Percy Welsford (From 'The Golden Key')

Never be afriad of death, it is the gift of life. Never grieve for us, we are not dead. We live a life of beauty and happiness.
Life on earth is like living in a valley; life over here is like being transported to the mountain top where the great vision of life is laid before one
- Percy Welsford (From 'The Golden Key')

 

[ozzie]

Mother darling, you never could, even in your darkest moments of despair, wish us back, could you see us here in this beautiful place
- Percy Welsford (From 'The Golden Key')

Never be afriad of death, it is the gift of life. Never grieve for us, we are not dead. We live a life of beauty and happiness.
Life on earth is like living in a valley; life over here is like being transported to the mountain top where the great vision of life is laid before one
- Percy Welsford (From 'The Golden Key')

knightofalbion, thank you, those words are so true.
When our first child was born by ceasarian, I had an out of body experience, and could see myself being operated on from above.
I also believe we have guiding spirits.

 

[knightofalbion]

Pre-death experiences:

'Suddenly my gran sat up in bed and smiled. She said, " I'm going now and here's Dad and George come to meet me." She then died, still with this big smile on her face. My mother never forgot it.'

'My uncle served in the First World War and experienced the horrors of the Somme, which lived with him for the rest of his life. He had led a group of men, returned with only three survivors and was badly injured himself. He was awarded the Military Cross.
It was around thirty years ago, when he was dying of cancer, that the following event took place.
During his illness my mother cared for him at home, and I remember one evening we were sitting with him tallking quietly.
He was too ill to contribute much to the conversation, but liked to hear us chatting, when suddenly he leaned forward and stared across the room. He became very animated and looked very happy as he began to talk to people he could obviously see, but we couldn't. He was calling them each by name and asking how they were and how wonderful it was to see them. It became apparent from what he was saying that they served with him at the Somme and died there. There was a look of wonderment on his face and he forgot his pain.
I will never forget that night and though I could not see his friends, I have no doubt that they were there.
I didn't see him conscious again and he died a couple of days later.'

'My mother's face lit up with joy. She smiled the most marvellous smile and she seemed to come alive.
She suddenly sat up in bed, her arms out towards someone, with a great look of happiness and then after a pause sank back on the pillow and died not long after.'

(From 'The Art of Dying')

 

[Audi]

sorry to be the skeptic here but no one living person can say what happens after death and since no one who died has come back to tell us.
an after life is largely wishful thinking and near death experiences hallucinations

I have had dreams that would indicate there is something after death but then who knows the workings of the subconscious mind in a dream state,so I remain a skeptic unless proven otherwise and hope that when my time comes I will find oblivion
to me that would be a true R.I.P

 

[knightofalbion]

sorry to be the skeptic here but no one living person can say what happens after death and since no one who died has come back to tell us.
an after life is largely wishful thinking and near death experiences hallucinations

I have had dreams that would indicate there is something after death but then who knows the workings of the subconscious mind in a dream state,so I remain a skeptic unless proven otherwise and hope that when my time comes I will find oblivion
to me that would be a true R.I.P

And what do you think earthbound spirits/ghosts are?
In past times there were many who thought like you, and many who were misled by people who thought like you. People who thought that there was no afterlife, or that there was nothing but a long, long sleep till the feared Judgement Day. But when the time came most of them woke up to the reality. But for some their belief, or should I say disbelief, was as if encased in stone. They could not go back because they were 'dead' and they could not go forward because they could not accept that they were 'dead' yet still alive, so they remained trapped in a spiritual void of their own design.
Thankfully man's understanding of survival of the spirit and of spiritual law has grown immeasurably since those times.
Life is a continuum. All people survive death. All! And thousands upon thousands upon thousands of cases of near-death experiences, pre-death experiences, visions, spirit communications and the like, from all countries, colours and creeds around the world bear testimony to this great truth.
'Death' is not the end rather the beginning of a great and wondrous adventure.

 

[knightofalbion]

knightofalbion, thank you, those words are so true.
When our first child was born by ceasarian, I had an out of body experience, and could see myself being operated on from above.
I also believe we have guiding spirits.

Thank you again dear Ozzie for another inspiring post.

Guiding spirits: Yes, indeed we do.

 

[Audi]

since the beginning of time people of all cultures have believed in spirits, ghosts, gods,an afterlife (heaven) in christianity.
all cultures have had some form of religion and some even believe the afterlife is the real life and this life is just a testing ground and so these beliefs ,superstitions have been passed down in one form or another over thousands of years and are imbedded in our subconsence
but and here is the BUT

none of these beliefs have ever been proven to be true,not earthbound spirits or ghosts or afterlife
these are beliefs they are not reality until proven to be true

I will put my faith in science first before I put it heresay
until there is scientific proof confirming there is an afterlife I remain a skeptic

 

[knightofalbion]

since the beginning of time people of all cultures have believed in spirits, ghosts, gods,an afterlife (heaven) in christianity.
all cultures have had some form of religion and some even believe the afterlife is the real life and this life is just a testing ground and so these beliefs ,superstitions have been passed down in one form or another over thousands of years and are imbedded in our subconsence
but and here is the BUT

none of these beliefs have ever been proven to be true,not earthbound spirits or ghosts or afterlife
these are beliefs they are not reality until proven to be true

I will put my faith in science first before I put it heresay
until there is scientific proof confirming there is an afterlife I remain a skeptic

You are the master of your fate;
You are the captain of your soul...

 

[knightofalbion]

'I was with a spirit friend and we were sitting on the lawn of his spirit home. There were some rabbits playing on the lawn and as were talking, one of them came close to me and I stroked it. To my surprise,all the other rabbits, about 20 of them, ran to me and almost overwhelmed me. They were clambering on my chest with ears back and noses nestling under my chin, all wanting to be caressed and I was laughing and trying to touch each one. My spirit friend was amused at my surprise and I realised that my friendliness to one rabbit had radiated a thought of love which the other rabbits had sensed.
Love from an animal in spirit can be actually felt and gives one a feeling of happiness. When I see people who have a kindly thought for them, I often think of their pleasant surprise later when they find that their kindness is returned in "full measure and brimming over".
Those who kill or wound, not for necessity, but for some strange pleasure, or personal pride of prowess, will, not withstanding their good points have the memory of something they fervently wish had never happened'
- Frederick Sculthorp ('More About The Spirit World')

 

[knightofalbion]

Boy 'dies' and meets great grandmother...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267061/Clinically-dead-boy-saw-grandmother-Heaven.html

 

[knightofalbion]

Anita Moorjani 'died' on Feb. 2nd 2006....but came back to give us one of the most compelling, comforting and thought-provoking NDE accounts you will ever hear about

https://www.anitamoorjani.com/?page_id=159

 

[Arrowwind09]

Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The oppposite of death is birth. Life is eternal.
- Eckhart Tolle ('Stillness Speaks')

In Native American teachings this is core..

Death gives life.

 

[Arrowwind09]

none of these beliefs have ever been proven to be true,not earthbound spirits or ghosts or afterlife
these are beliefs they are not reality until proven to be true

So nothing is true or a reality that science cannot prove?

So I guess that quatum physics is only a recent reality becuase our sicentists just began to figure it out?
and before the earth was PROVED to be round it was truely flat?

and just which science it true?
The science of the AMA?
The science of Merck?
The science of Pfizer?
or Monsanto?
or Dow Chemical?
or only the science the catholic church condones?

this is truely laughable and I dont need a scientist to prove that I am laughing:rofl:

 

[Audi]

So nothing is true or a reality that science cannot prove?

So I guess that quatum physics is only a recent reality becuase our sicentists just began to figure it out?
and before the earth was PROVED to be round it was truely flat?

and just which science it true?
The science of the AMA?
The science of Merck?
The science of Pfizer?
or Monsanto?
or Dow Chemical?
or only the science the catholic church condones?

this is truely laughable and I dont need a scientist to prove that I am laughing:rofl:

you are entitled to believe what ever you wish but you don't have to be rude to non believers , fair enough?

by the way it was science that proved the earth to be round

 

[knightofalbion]

When I come to your world I am like a bird that is imprisoned within a cage, and when I leave it I am like a bird joyfully released to wing its way through boundless space.
What you call death is the opening of the cage and the release of the bird from its prison
- Silver Birch

 

[ozzie]

I do believe in the spirit world having had a few experiences not only with loved ones, but with an animal, and also unexplained happenings in our house of which we are the very first owners.
I believe the spirit of someone was bought into our home through one of our loved ones being in hospital and then staying in our home after coming out of hospital to recouperate.
I was never afraid of the spirit, and it finally left here after being confronted.

 

[knightofalbion]

Mum smiled at me and I held her hand. I looked at her and saw all the pain and age disappear from her face. Then she closed her eyes. I thought about getting a nurse to check on her, but with eyes still closed she clenched my hand again and said, "Stay. They're here."
I knew this was the last time I would be with my mum while she was alive. She looked so beautiful. I bent over and kissed her forehead. She let out a long sigh and I believe that was the moment she passed over.
I waited a few moments before getting the nurses. This was a sacred and precious moment and I never wanted to forget it
(From 'An Angel Saved Me' by Theresa Cheung)