What happens when you die?

[estranged4life]

William Shatner's hell will be an eternity of acting school lessons

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by amber

Your thing goes really well with my energy/reincarnation theory. My grandma was dead once, but she just saw her body lying on the hospital bed. So, she "floated up", I guess.

My mom had a similar experience. In her early 20's she was very sick and was bed ridden in her room. She then had an outter body experience and saw herself lying in her bed while she was floating up in the air. My mom never really shared that until years later because she knew some folks would think she was nuts. But I totally believe those type of things can happen.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by skcin

Gee, thanks for your insightful comment David.



I agree with you on the church part. No matter what you believe, I don't think that you have to go to church to have God in your life.

I also agree with that. I totally believe in the concepts of Heaven and Hell...God and Satan but I don't feel that you have to go to church every weekend in order to have God in your life. My mom and I are both believers but we stopped going to church after having bad experiences in a couple of them. We notice that a lot of the members were self-righteous, hypocritical and fake. They went to church in order to look good. And looked down on people who were honest about their past and present but wanted to change. In reality, many of them were ten times worse off then the so called "sinners" and tried to paint these ridiculous perfect images of themselves. I have seen people like that turn people away from God.

I think that is the biggest problem with the Church and Religion are the folks who twist it and warp it (Jim Jones anyone?) However, I am not going to say all churches are that way. I have been to some good ones but I just choose not to attend every week.

In general, I honestly don't believe God expects us to all be totally perfect before we can go to Heaven. He knows we are all sinners but he also knows our hearts.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by seeker007nmss

That's why I debated saying anything. People look at you weird, or think you are nuts. I feel like the farmer in Iowa who saw the UFO. They did a barrage of tests and except for a small loss of hearing, they were pretty clueless about what happened. I scared the crap out of the nurse working on cleaning me up though. (I awoke and asked for some milk as I was thirsty - I was only about 12 at the time).

My mother felt the same way. But I personally would also be interested in hearing what you had to say.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by camchristo

Wow, that is completely fascinating to me. I would love to hear anything more you are willing to share but I completely understand if you do not want to share anymore. For the record, I would believe you.

Reading your post makes me feel better. Why? Because dying is my biggest fear. Well, let me clarify. Dying and just being dead... the end. It scares the **** out of me to think that there is just blackness and nothingness after you die.

I was raised Catholic and I do believe in God and Satan, Heaven and Hell. Or at least I think I do. Or I want to. They are all just such fantastic concepts. But then again, the human body and everything it does is pretty fantastic as well. Along with how we all got here to begin with.

I was with my grandpa when he was dying. At one point, we thought he was going to pass and he appeared to be looking past all of us at someplace and telling us how beautiful it was. He then came back to us and was with us for a few more weeks. We never talked of it and I'm not sure if he remembered. That makes me think there is something after this life.

I feel like you do in many ways. I have just recently really been getting in tune to my spirituality and beliefs. I have just seen and felt things lately that make my beliefs that much stronger but I am still learning and exploring.

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

"raised" Catholic..one of the biggest religious groups out there I was also raised Catholic..but haven't been to church in a long while now.

Anyway -what an amazing experience to be with someone like that when they die. I've never had that experience. Have only heard those of others. And experience like what you and Jim and others have described have been experienced by too many for me to discount them in any way.

My mother tends to see people in her dreams after a person dies. Most of her life she didn't have the greatest relationship with her father but he came to her in a dream once and told her how sorry he was for everything. Years ago my mom's sister died of cancer. She grieved for the longest until her sister came to her in a dream and told her to let her go and that she was in a much better place. Then a few months ago her best friend of 49 years died suddenly. They were going through some problems because of a few people who tired to manipulate an incident that occurred between them. My mom was hurt because she thought her friend may have been convinced by the manipulation. But about a week after she died, she came to my mom in a dream and told her she knows my mother was a good friend and that she loved her. I guess some could say they were just dreams but it has happened to many times for it to just be a coincidence or to just be a dream IMO.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by takenbythesky

Some interesting anecdotes:

My great-grandmother had an experience published in a book, Hidden Channels of the Mind (1961). In a nutshell, she dreamt that her husband, chief engineer for a steamship company, ended up dying after his ship was torpedoed. Upon waking, she immediately went to the pier and convinced him to get permission to get off the ship. Her dream ended up coming true, down to the details she recalled, except her husband's life did not end.

(If anyone is interested, I can post the excerpt; we have a copy of the book around here.)

My neighbor's niece had a near-death experience as a little girl. She and her sister were hit by a car while playing in the street. While pronounced dead, this woman encountered both her sister and another, unknown little girl. The unknown girl claimed to be her sister who had passed away years before. Eventually her known sister asked if she would be coming with them. My neighbor's niece said no, she wouldn't be coming, and was shortly rescuscitated.

It turns out her sister, the one who had asked if she would be coming with them, had died. She asked her parents about the other sister she encountered. They were quite disturbed, eventually revealing they had a third daughter. This daughter had died before the other two girls were born. No one had ever mentioned her to either the daughter who underwent the near-death experience or the daughter who passed away that same day.

Years ago, I woke up to find my mother sobbing in the living room. She claimed to have dreamt that a woman who babysat both her and her two sisters had died. Later that day, we received a phone call that the very same woman had indeed passed away.

Some "visions," or whatever, have occurred in my immediate and extended families, all involving people who had died. My own experience involved someone who passed away several years before I was born. I'll also note that all but one of the folks in my family who have spoken of such experiences were raised without religion. I was raised in a secular household.

Someone very close to me passed away recently, and the circumstances were terrible. I ended up alone for a while. My outlook was ****ty and I felt horrible. Somehow, a kind of grace fell over my life. No uncanny experiences, but that feeling was palpable. Eventually I went to pieces, blah blah blah, but that feeling of "grace" left an impression on me.

So, yeah, I don't know but I keep an open mind.

Thanks for posting the excerpt it was interesting. I also have had dreams where something in them came true. Thankfully, it was nothing that was tragic or awful. And I can understand what you mean about a certain "grace" coming over you. I was going through some bad situations myself last year and I felt something that I can't explain that pulled me out of it and gave me hope again. For me it made my faith stronger.

[amber]

Originally Posted by takenbythesky

I don't know. For years I was a diehard atheist. Then for a shorter period of time I believed in God and prayed. Now I'm pretty much an agnostic.

Near-death experiences. There's something happening if eight million people in America alone admitted to such an experience in a Gallup poll from the early nineties. That something could be of either physical or spiritual origin. It's not for me to say. My readings on the subject aren't completely conclusive either way.

Some interesting anecdotes:

My great-grandmother had an experience published in a book, Hidden Channels of the Mind (1961). In a nutshell, she dreamt that her husband, chief engineer for a steamship company, ended up dying after his ship was torpedoed. Upon waking, she immediately went to the pier and convinced him to get permission to get off the ship. Her dream ended up coming true, down to the details she recalled, except her husband's life did not end.

(If anyone is interested, I can post the excerpt; we have a copy of the book around here.)

My neighbor's niece had a near-death experience as a little girl. She and her sister were hit by a car while playing in the street. While pronounced dead, this woman encountered both her sister and another, unknown little girl. The unknown girl claimed to be her sister who had passed away years before. Eventually her known sister asked if she would be coming with them. My neighbor's niece said no, she wouldn't be coming, and was shortly rescuscitated.

It turns out her sister, the one who had asked if she would be coming with them, had died. She asked her parents about the other sister she encountered. They were quite disturbed, eventually revealing they had a third daughter. This daughter had died before the other two girls were born. No one had ever mentioned her to either the daughter who underwent the near-death experience or the daughter who passed away that same day.

Years ago, I woke up to find my mother sobbing in the living room. She claimed to have dreamt that a woman who babysat both her and her two sisters had died. Later that day, we received a phone call that the very same woman had indeed passed away.

Some "visions," or whatever, have occurred in my immediate and extended families, all involving people who had died. My own experience involved someone who passed away several years before I was born. I'll also note that all but one of the folks in my family who have spoken of such experiences were raised without religion. I was raised in a secular household.

Someone very close to me passed away recently, and the circumstances were terrible. I ended up alone for a while. My outlook was ****ty and I felt horrible. Somehow, a kind of grace fell over my life. No uncanny experiences, but that feeling was palpable. Eventually I went to pieces, blah blah blah, but that feeling of "grace" left an impression on me.

So, yeah, I don't know but I keep an open mind.

Amazing. Amazing in themselves, but also amazing that so many things happened in one family.
And as you have seen, there are so many stories like this. It makes it hard for me to understand why our modern world has been so skeptical about these things. At least in public. It occures to me that such a large population of people have experienced things like this that...throughout time immemorial...well...it certainly shouldn't have the stigma it has, among other things...

[CelticGypsy]

Originally Posted by skcin

Not the scientific stuff - I mean, what do you think happens to your soul/spirit? Is there heaven & hell? Who goes where? Is there reincarnation? Is it whatever the individual person believed - like if I think there's heaven & I have a theory about what it's like - is that what it will be for ME? If there's heaven, does everyone look like they did when they died? If there's hell, do only truly evil people go there, or can you go if you broke even 1 commandment? Do people who went to church every Sunday get to cut the line to get into heaven? If you're reincarnated, can it be into anything - animal, insect, another human - and do you have any choice at all in the matter? Willl we be able to see our living friends & family from beyond? Or is dead just dead?

Wow! I want the above answered too. lol

I think that each person will be sent where they are needed. I believe we have work to do in Heaven or where we are sent to after we leave our bodies. I think we probably lived with the Creator of our universe before we came to earth and maybe we helped created things here on earth too? I kind of believe we are energy beings and we have a soul. Not sure if we have a body again someday. Would be nice if we did...........I wanna be tall and slender next time. OK? I do believe we are here for a reason. Knowledge, family, love and some kind of belief in a Higher power is probably why we are here.

If we are here to be observed by aliens or just here for no reason then I will be upset I didn't have sex with that very cute and sexy young man in FL in summer, 1978

Geez, I need some sleep

[CelticGypsy]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

William Shatner's hell will be an eternity of acting school lessons

Singing lesson too, I hope

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by CelticGypsy

If we are here to be observed by aliens or just here for no reason then I will be upset I didn't have sex with that very cute and sexy young man in FL in summer, 1978

Geez, I need some sleep

LMAO! Thanks for the morning giggle in an unlikely thread...

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Dreamz19

I also agree with that. I totally believe in the concepts of Heaven and Hell...God and Satan but I don't feel that you have to go to church every weekend in order to have God in your life. My mom and I are both believers but we stopped going to church after having bad experiences in a couple of them. We notice that a lot of the members were self-righteous, hypocritical and fake. They went to church in order to look good. And looked down on people who were honest about their past and present but wanted to change. In reality, many of them were ten times worse off then the so called "sinners" and tried to paint these ridiculous perfect images of themselves. I have seen people like that turn people away from God.

I think that is the biggest problem with the Church and Religion are the folks who twist it and warp it (Jim Jones anyone?) However, I am not going to say all churches are that way. I have been to some good ones but I just choose not to attend every week.

In general, I honestly don't believe God expects us to all be totally perfect before we can go to Heaven. He knows we are all sinners but he also knows our hearts.

very well put and how I feel at times. I'm not sure what I think or feel most of the time. I don't know what I believe either. so, in short, I have no business responding to this post.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

very well put and how I feel at times. I'm not sure what I think or feel most of the time. I don't know what I believe either. so, in short, I have no business responding to this post.

Thank you. But please respond away. I am curious to hear what anyone thinks regardless. This is a very interesting thread.

[Rickypt]

I had all kinds of stuff happen after Gil died. Lights flickering, one vivid dream that I know was a visit, things falling over. I've had two very good readings by mediums. I also have a strange spiritual connection with crows and just had an experience with them while running. Perhaps I'll tell the story sometime.

Most people likely think I'm nuts or just need to believe. Perhaps that was true when I was grieving, but I'm not anymore and I still believe very strongly. I don't believe in thinking/worrying too much about it all because the point is to focus on this life. If we were supposed to know what happens after we'd die, we'd know already.

One cool story. A couple of years ago, I moved after being in the same apartment for 8 years (the apartment I shared with Gil). I spent one last day cleaning the apartment and getting some final stuff. The landlord had been ripping up the carpet and there were rolls of it everywhere. Right before I left for good, I felt a strong pull to look underneath one of the rolls. There, I found the phone number that Gil had written the night we met--8 years earlier.

No one can convince me that was some strange coincidence.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by The Tower

I don't believe in anything that is supernatural. However, I am also an agnostic, so I don't really know. So, until I figure it out for myself, I'd rather just assume the natural aspect- which is that you die and that's it- wormsmeat.

I told Amber the other day about how it appears that one of my dead cats has possessed the body of my still living cat. I don't know why- cuz I don't believe in supernatural things. But, it is an odd coincidence.

I would be neat if I could talk to my cat and say, "Why are you now such the freeeek that you are, Miss Bonehead?"

I certainly don't believe in any of the organized religions' account of afterlife. All that stuff is manufactured for their own purposes and is dubious at best.

Towie, I swear to you, the same thing seems to be happening at my house. So many things have happened, my husband & I are getting more & more freaked out by it.

Originally Posted by seeker007nmss

I wish I could explain my experience a bit better. Some of it just can't be put into words. Some of it will come across as a bit pompous. - I hope it doesn't come across that way. I don't have all the answers, and those I do have are only for MY path. I guess the best way to explain it is that 99% of us go around "asleep". There are things happening all around us all the time if we would only be "awake" enough to notice. But we couldn't function being "awake" all the time. How do I explain that you can look through your eyes rather than with them? That if you know how to listen and see there are many small glimpses of the place beyond the veils? Religion has its place, but the core truth has been clouded through politics and power sturggles? But this clouding is PERFECT for some people's path? These come out more as Babble after awhile.

estranged4life's wolves are just one awakening. That's what it means to be awake, open to see what is around us. I can't stay awake either all the time. I would continue but it starts sounding a bit odd, even to me.

Originally Posted by amber

Amazing. Amazing in themselves, but also amazing that so many things happened in one family.
And as you have seen, there are so many stories like this. It makes it hard for me to understand why our modern world has been so skeptical about these things. At least in public. It occures to me that such a large population of people have experienced things like this that...throughout time immemorial...well...it certainly shouldn't have the stigma it has, among other things...

To respond to both of the above, sort of - I wonder if things tend to happen more to certain people (like Taken's fam) or if the same kind of stuff happens to everyone and some are just more aware, or willing to believe (like Jim said - some people are just mre awake.)

Originally Posted by Rickypt

One cool story. A couple of years ago, I moved after being in the same apartment for 8 years (the apartment I shared with Gil). I spent one last day cleaning the apartment and getting some final stuff. The landlord had been ripping up the carpet and there were rolls of it everywhere. Right before I left for good, I felt a strong pull to look underneath one of the rolls. There, I found the phone number that Gil had written the night we met--8 years earlier.

No one can convince me that was some strange coincidence.

I wouldn't dream of trying. That's incredible.





As for me, the more I think about it, I like the parallel universe idea. Like, our spirits are still there after we die, but not necessarily in a set heaven or hell. My friends & family have had enough "eerie" experiences after someone died to NOT believe that there's something still to come.


Hey - Chili, didn't you say you were clinically dead at some point? Did I imagine that?

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

One cool story. A couple of years ago, I moved after being in the same apartment for 8 years (the apartment I shared with Gil). I spent one last day cleaning the apartment and getting some final stuff. The landlord had been ripping up the carpet and there were rolls of it everywhere. Right before I left for good, I felt a strong pull to look underneath one of the rolls. There, I found the phone number that Gil had written the night we met--8 years earlier.

No one can convince me that was some strange coincidence.

Wow that is amazing. Like another poster mentioned I wouldn't dream of trying either.