1. Out of Her Body

 

"I bent over to pick up the plastic tubing. As I began to straighten up, I accidentally bumped the tubing on the edge of the tank. The water suddenly squirted across my face - the pain was so sharp, it felt as if a knife where slitting my cheek! I screamed from the shock and pain, then felt a moment of temporary relief as the water crossed over my molars. My reprieve was short-lived, however, as the electrified water rushed into my mouth.
 
"As my body bent over in shock, I had the most uncanny knowledge that death was ahead of me. I began to mourn the loss of everything I'd known: the Earth, my home, my friends - all that I'd been aware of, all that I loved. Everything I'd believed to be true and lasting was slipping away from me. I was face to face with death, face to face with the unknown.
 
"My body was thrown backwards and to one side by the current. My body crashed to the floor, thrown with such force that my head went right through the drywall, about a foot above the floor. I never felt the injuries, however, because I was no longer in my body. I was actually watching my electrocution from above!
 
"How could I be out of my body and still be alive?" I wondered, astonished.
 
"Suddenly, I was aware that I was inside a vast, seemingly infinite blackness. I wasn't sure where this blackness was in relationship to the Earth, but for some reason I was unafraid. My blackout period was brief, for I now found myself back in my home, but in a new form. I was transparent, yet I still looked like me.
 
"How elated I felt! Now, out of my body, I had no worries, no cares. Never had I felt like this when I was 'alive.' My entire spirit body was transparent, and I was inside a glowing white light that extended about three feet around me.
 
"At that moment, an awareness overtook me - I am not my physical body! This realization made me feel so free, so wonderful! My spirit was glowing with a white light that illuminated the entire room.
 
"Then, I was up near the ceiling again. Everything still looked the same - the furnishings, the walls - but there was a new awareness about the dimension to the scene - it had become transparent. I could see everything more clearly than ever before, and like a scientist, I found myself looking at life through a microscope, discovering minuscule particles of matter normally invisible.
 
"I was now aware of the absence of physical sensations, yet I was feeling a heightened sense of awareness such as I'd never felt while alive. I knew I was different from the 'Dianne' I had been, but I also knew I was 'me.' It was similar to looking at your reflection in a mirror; you know you're not the reflection, but it does appear to be you.
 
"Now, I saw that everything was shrouded by a mist. Despite a lack of gravity, I could easily control my direction, and when I moved into the living room, I noticed that I had just walked through the glass coffee table. 'Wow! How did I do that?' I marveled.
 
"Tuffy (Dianne's dog) suddenly entered the den and began nipping at my face and pawing at my arm, trying to get my body to wake up. I knew that his relentless attempts to awaken my physical body wouldn't work, yet I was proud of him for trying, and even hoped his efforts might work. I wondered where his chum, Penny, was, and suddenly I was next to her in the backyard. I opened my mouth to talk to her and felt my tongue moving, but no sounds came out. I could distinctly hear my voice, and then realized it was coming from my mind. I tried several times to get Penny's attention, yelling, 'Penny, can you see me? Penny, can you hear me?' Apparently she didn't, because there was no response.
 
"Next, I walked around my backyard. As I looked through the walls of my house toward the front sidewalk, I noticed a man walking down the street. Eagerly, I flew to him, right through the walls, and tried to get his attention. Staring deeply into his eyes, I said forcefully, 'Can you help me? I need help.' Then I tried to shake his shoulders, but he still didn't notice me. Frustrated, I tried to touch his shoulder to get him to look at me, and my hand went through his upper right shoulder blade and out his back. This startled me.
 
"'What am I to do?' I wondered, becoming upset when I realized that the man could neither see nor hear me. Instantly, I was back in my yard again, Penny beside me. I noticed that whenever I felt any apprehension, I was instantly moved to a place of greater comfort.
 
"On the way back to the den, I stopped right in the middle of the wall between rooms. I sensed that I was to look down at something fantastic, and as I gazed downward, I saw a long silver cord coming out of my spirit body, right through the cheesecloth-like fabric I was wearing. The cord extended down and out in front of me, and as I turned around, I saw that the silver cord draped around and behind me, like an umbilical cord. I followed it through the two hallway walls and into my den, where I saw it attached to the back of the head of my physical body. The cord was about an inch wide and sparkled like Christmas tree tinsel!
 
"As soon as I saw that the silver cord was attached to my physical body, my spirit body was thrust into a dark tunnel. I moved through it with great speed, traveling faster than I could have imagined possible. Although the tunnel was filled with an all consuming darkness, I felt peaceful and unafraid."

2. Her Life Review

"When I came to the end of the darkness, I stepped into a new dimension. Here, I could sense the presence of a loving spirit, sent - I knew - by God to greet me. Then, I was back at the site of my physical body. Back and forth I traveled through the tunnel, several times in succession, moving from the Other Side to my electrocuted physical body and back again.
 
"Each time I emerged from the tunnel, I was met by a radiant angelic being who stood before me, smiling. The being had no wings, and I sense it was female. She was everything I'd ever dreamed an angel would be. As she moved toward me, I walked to meet her. Her love surrounded me, and my spirit was filled with an almost unbearable joy. The love this angelic being radiated towards me made me feel that she cared more about me than anyone else ever had or could. Her love filled every particle of my being, every thought, and every emotion within me. I felt completely comforted and reassured.
 
"She 'spoke' by sending words directly into my mind. 'How can I hear her thoughts before she utters them?' I wondered. Yet, at the same time I was hearing her questions, I was answering them!  This marvelous being seemed to know all my thoughts instantly, just as I immediately knew hers. Although I was standing directly before her, I could see her from every angle: front, back, top, bottom, and both sides - like a cubist painting by Picasso.
 
"She walked closer and stood with me; then, we were both lifted about ten inches into the air, as if we were on a platform moving upward. Extending her arm before her, she indicated that I was to look to my left. I did so, my heart and soul completely open to her, for I knew God had sent her to help me decide what I should do with my life.
 
"As I turned my eyes left, the entire scene changed into a life review, a vivid, three-dimensional color display of my entire life. Every detail of every second, every feeling, every thought while I had been alive on Earth was displayed before me in perfect chronological order, from my birth until my electrocution.
 
"At the same time, to my amazement, I was re-living my entire twenty-eight years simultaneously! The best experiences brought me feelings of great joy, as if God were talking to me through the angelic being, sharing the highest moments of my life. I felt as if every spirit in Heaven was watching with me, applauding me and letting me know that God approved of my caring, unselfish deeds. It was then that I asked myself, 'Am I dead? Am I really dead?'
 
"As the life review continued, I was shown two very special deeds I had performed. As these scenes were displayed before me, every emotion I had originally felt returned in full force. I also felt as if God and the angelic being were honoring me for having performed those deeds.
 
"I will never forget the love that surrounded me at that moment, or the joy that ran through me. Can you imagine being hugged by God and your angel? It's an experience that defies description!
 
"The first deed I witnessed had occurred the day I stopped my car to help push a woman's stalled station wagon out of mainstream traffic and into a supermarket driveway. The driver had been struggling to push the car by herself, and I felt compelled to give her a helping hand. After I had helped push her vehicle to safety, I rushed back to my car, afraid of getting a ticket for being double-parked. In my haste, I hadn't given her a chance to thank me. While reviewing this scene, I was filled with indescribable feelings of love, which seemed to be directed to me from angelic beings high above me.
 
"Then, my angel showed me a second vision, a scene I'd forgotten. I now saw myself at seventeen, when I'd worked at a convalescent hospital after school. I had grown fond of a toothless old woman who was no longer able to speak clearly, and who never had visitors. She liked to suck on graham crackers before going to bed, but no one wanted to serve her because when she had finished, she would drool as she kissed the entire length of the arm of the person feeding her. While others avoided her, I willingly fed her the cookies she adored, seeing how happy this made her.
 
"When that scene was replayed for me, I felt as if every loving spirit in God's kingdom was thanking me in unison. I was amazed that such an act could have meant so much to God - and to me. I felt humbled and very honored.
 
"A glow surrounded the radiant being as she presented my life review, continuing to communicate with me telepathically. As I viewed the scenes of my life, it felt as if I were absorbing many books all at once with perfect clarity.
 
"Finally, my life review was finished, and I was whisked away from the angelic being and returned to the tunnel. This time, I seemed to be falling through it, finally emerging in another room, in another dimension. It was a world far more beautiful than any I could ever have imagined, a place of awesome serenity. The peace and calm I felt surpassed any previous notions I had had about Heaven, and I knew, in the deepest part of my soul, that God was here."

 
3. Her Higher Self 

"In this rapturous place, I recognized that there were two aspects of 'me.' My soul was my consciousness, everything that had made me who I had been and what I had become. My spirit, on the other hand, was the part of me that was now transparent and glowing, dressed in white.
 
"As I looked around me, I initially found everything dimly lit. Then, I clearly saw a canopy bed resting in the center of an infinite vista stretched out before me. The bed was actually glowing within a Heavenly radiance which enveloped me as well.
 
"To my astonishment, I saw a duplicate of myself lying on the bed. 'How can there be two of me? Or three of me?' I wondered.' But I was instantly reassured by the loving vibrations around me. The feeling reminded me of being reassured by a dear, trusted friend saying, 'Don't worry, all is well.'
 
"There were two things I knew for certain: first, that I was Dianne, and second, that my physical body was dead. I also knew that the duplicate of Dianne on the bed was another me, but I did not know what she represented. Now, I was beginning to feel as if I were in three places at once!
 
"One part of me was the transparent Dianne on the bed. The second was my physical body in the den, the body that no longer had life. The third part of me was my spirit, now out of its body. This part of me remained conscious and aware of all my experiences, both here and back on Earth.
 
"I knew beyond a doubt that I wanted to stay in this magnificent place, where I felt so loved, so accepted. 'How does one feel accepted by a place? Let me put it this way: as I walked toward the bed, I could actually 'feel' Heaven all around me. The rapture and peace were beyond my wildest imaginings, and I wanted to stay here forever and ever.
 
"Do you remember how it felt, long ago, to be held and rocked in your mother's loving arms? Take this to the hundredth power and you're still light years away from the feeling of total peace and comfort that surrounded me. I felt the love of every mother in the universe being poured inside me for now and for all eternity.
 
"Although the bed before me was not my bed, the sheets looked amazingly like my own. I could hardly believe it when I realized that they were actually breathing, filled with life! The canopy bed was also alive, not made of the dense physical matter as it would have been created from on Earth.
 
"As I walked closer to the bed, it radiated such love to me that I knew no earthly painter or craftsman could have created it - not Leonardo da Vinci, not Rembrandt, not Michelangelo, not Monet. This bed had been made by God.
 
"Now, the Light was welcoming me, inviting me to recline on this Heavenly creation. The transparent 'me' was gone, and as I lay down, I felt the lace caressing me with rapture, peace, and love. I was moved to tears of joy.
 
"At that moment, I knew that nothing ever dies. Nothing ever dies!
 
"I also knew that I would never die. If I stayed in this place, I knew I would be alive, but in a different way than I had been before my electrocution. I would still be Dianne, and I would still have my memories, but I would also feel this unbelievable love around me forever. How I longed to stay!
 
"Then, I sense that I must look to my right, through the lace. There, I could see a pinpoint of Light coming from the next room, the next dimension, the infinity beyond. I knew I must see more clearly, so with my right hand I lifted up the lace. I knew I had no choice but to look."

 
4. One with the Light 

"The pinpoint of Light became a brilliant white beam a trillion times brighter than the brightest sun imaginable, and began to move toward me. At first, it appeared to be bands of multifaceted light being stretched and pulled together. I knew this Light was the presence of God.
 
"I was awestruck, overwhelmed by the Light, the love, the love of God for me! I knew I could go into this Light, which was part of a tremendous force. And, although the Light was brighter than a thousand suns, it didn't hurt my eyes.
 
"I was going to have to choose between staying in the Light and going back to Earth. Somehow, I knew that if I went into the next room, into the Light, I could never return to my body.
 
"I felt torn between two desires: wanting to go into the Light, and wanting to touch something tangible and retain my connection with all that was physical. Both desires grew stronger. The Light became more intense, more radiant, more loving. As I lifted the lace and extended my hand toward the brilliance, wanting to touch the Light, it rushed under the lace and touched the outstretched middle finger of my right hand.
 
"As soon as the Light touched me, I was transformed. The Light and my spirit merged - I had entered the Light of God, and all sense of my spirit body was gone. My consciousness, fully alive, was now totally connected to God.
 
"Within the Light, I knew that everyone and everything is connected to it. God is in everyone, always and forever. Within the Light was the cure for all diseases; within the Light was all the knowledge of every planet, every galaxy, every universe. Indeed, the Light was Wisdom and Love beyond all comprehension.
 
"Being one with the Light was like suddenly knowing every grain of sand on every planet, in every galaxy, in every universe, and at the same time knowing why God had put each grain of sand in its particular place. The Light held within it the knowledge of every book in every language, from the beginning of creation to the end of time. The Light knew why every author had put every wood exactly where it was. The Light conveyed the message that each gain of sand, each plant, rock, animal, and human being has a purpose and that nothing ever dies because after death, there is a new life on the Other Side.
 
"This Light and my spirit mingled for what felt like an eternity, but eventually I began to sense with great urgency that the time had come to choose whether I would stay here or return to physical life. How could I decide?"

 
5. Her Guardian Angel 

"Suddenly, my spirit body was back in the tunnel. Again, when I emerged from the tunnel, the angelic being was waiting for me. Now, I noticed that her hair was brown and turned under just above her heavenly shoulders. Each of her features was now more clearly visible as I paid closer attention to them. Breathing did not seem necessary for her or for me, yet we were both full of life. She looked at me and asked telepathically, 'What do you want, Dianne?'
 
"I said, 'I want to go into the Light, and I want to touch things.'
 
"She asked me thousands of questions all at the same time, and I responded to them, communicating directly from my mind to hers.
 
"Her angelic voice asked, 'Have you ever felt this much love?' "I answered, 'No.' 'Have you ever felt this much joy?' 'No.' 'Have you ever felt this much peace?' 'No.' 'Have you ever felt this much rapture?' 'No.' 'Have you ever experienced this much bliss?' 'No.' 'Have you ever felt this much kindness?' 'No.'
 
"Thousands of questions, one within the other, one on top of another, all of the questions at once, yet separately.
 
"I wanted desperately to go into the Light again. Then, the radiant being asked, 'Are you sure, Dianne?'
 
"Yes," I replied. "Of course I was sure!"
 
"I was suddenly thrust forward through the tunnel, and when I looked down, I was aghast to see my physical body below me. It looked dead and lifeless, but this time I was disinterested whether I saved it or not.
 
"What mattered to me was the Light. I wanted the Light. I was again thrust forward through the tunnel. The angelic being was still there, waiting for me to truly decide about my life, waiting for me to decide about my death, waiting for me to decide about my future.
 
"This time she was even more radiant, more loving. I had never imagined feeling such bliss, and I felt boundless love for her. She asked, 'Have you ever been in a world without pain?'
 
"I answered, 'No.'
 
"She asked, 'Have you ever been in a world without war?'
 
"I answered, 'No.'
 
"Have you ever been in a world without anger, without rage, without grief, without sadness, without envy, without poverty, without jealousy, without worry, without tears?"
 
"Again, thousands of questions, all at the same time. I answered them all the same way - emphatically, 'No.' 'I knew that no other place in the universe could feel as good, as loving, as peaceful as this Heavenly place.
 
"For some reason, however, the angelic being sent me into the tunnel again, back and forth through many tunnels. I wondered why. I still wanted to 'touch,' but I wanted the Light - both desires tugging at my spirit."

 
6. Dianne's Return 

"I finally found myself back in my house, once again looking down at my physical body. This time, I realized that my physical body had the potential to live again. I had begun to care less and less whether I returned to my physical body, but at this moment, looking down at my body, my attitude underwent a change. I thought, 'How sad; she has done so very little.' I realized 'Dianne' hadn't touched as many people as she could have while alive. And I realized how life could be enriched by touching others lives more deeply and meaningfully.
 
"While alive, as Dianne, I had always known that my life was full of certain pleasures: a beautiful home, a good job, a nice car, warm friends, a wonderful family, a beloved best friend, and a musical career I loved. 'But none of these matter any more,' I thought, reversing myself again. Only the Light mattered. Only God mattered.
 
"To my surprise, I began to feel a persistent pulling sensation from about four inches above my navel. I tried to resist it, for I sensed a new process was beginning, one that might take me from this place, from God. I didn't want to leave behind such feelings of elation. Yes, I wanted to touch things, but I wanted the Light even more.
 
"Suddenly, I was rushing through the tunnel again. When I emerged, I was up near the ceiling in the den, looking down at my physical body below me. Then, without warning, I was thrust swiftly back into my body, entering through the back of my neck, with my spirit legs and arms together, like a diver doing a jackknife.
 
"As I re-entered my body, I knew that the God within me could never die, and I knew that I could never die. For a moment, I actually saw myself half in and half out of my body. Then, with a jolt, I landed fully back in my body.
 
"Oh, my God," I thought, "How could I have chosen to come back? I want to be in the Light again." Tears ran down my cheeks and I wept, desolate about the choice that had been made. 'Had it really been my choice?' I couldn't believe that I had decided to come back.
 
"I now believe that one reason I was sent back was to help people feel better about dying - and to learn that death is not an end, but a new beginning."