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1. Introduction to Heavenly Structures
Across near-death experience (NDE) testimonies, heavenly structures are described in vivid detail – a vast hall, a receiving or way station, a celestial platform, a temple, or even a cosmic transit system. These structures function to welcome, orient, evaluate, heal, and guide the soul. NDErs describe entering a structure resembling train stations, reception halls, amphitheaters, auditoriums, temples of knowledge, staging areas, or even colossal stadiums filled with light. Others speak of way stations or sorting areas, each serving as a transitional structure between earthly life and deeper afterlife realms. These structures often feel familiar yet otherworldly – echoing Earth’s structures but filled with higher intelligence, harmony, and unconditional love. Whether it is a marble platform suspended in space, a heavenly waiting room, or a grand celestial terminal, each structure reflects a specific stage in the soul’s journey. They may undergo a life review, reconnect with deceased loved ones, make pre-birth or post-death choices, or simply rest while their next steps are revealed. This article explores the major heavenly structures described in NDEs, illustrating how NDErs across decades and continents consistently encounter the same environments of transition, learning, life review, and profound love.
Dr. Raymond Moody (1975) and Dr. Kenneth Ring (1980) both noted in their early NDE research that many NDErs describe a realm of “orientation” – a place of reunion and adjustment where the soul becomes adjusted to its non-physical form. Others, such as Dr. Michael Newton in his Journey of Souls (1994), describe this same structure in between-life regressions as a “reception area,” where souls are met, healed, and prepared for either reincarnation or deeper spiritual review.
This temporary transit area is a kind of heavenly sorting area where the destination of souls is decided. Here the NDEr may have a homecoming with deceased loved ones, meet with spirit guides, meet a religious leader they admired such as Jesus, have a life review, and receive forgotten knowledge of both the past and the future. The NDE experiencer is then sent back to life on Earth – usually after being told they are not ready to die.
Many of the NDE testimonies referenced in this article are drawn from firsthand accounts generously shared on the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF.org) website. I gratefully acknowledge NDERF and its founders, Dr. Jeffrey Long and Jody Long, for their decades of dedication to collecting, preserving, and publishing the world’s most comprehensive archives of NDE testimonies. Their ongoing research and stewardship of these testimonies make it possible for readers, researchers, and NDErs alike to deepen their understanding of the profound insights reported during NDEs.
2. The Receiving Station
One heavenly structure in NDEs is a “receiving station” or “way station” – a transitional realm where souls arrive immediately after leaving the physical body. Unlike the familiar tunnel or the radiant Being of Light, this structure appears as an intermediate environment, a place of orientation, preparation, or awakening. It is a structure of welcome, healing, and spiritual guidance.
NDErs describe this structure as a place where newly arrived souls gather, receive assistance, or adjust to the spiritual dimension. Some NDErs portray it as a peaceful park-like setting, others as a celestial city of crystalline architecture, and still others as a loving place staffed by angels or light beings who gently help souls awaken from confusion, fear, or self-imposed spiritual “soul sleep.” Whether called a receiving station, transfer station, or way station, its purpose appears the same: to support souls as they cross from the physical world into the greater reality of spirit.
Dr. George Ritchie described his encounter with a receiving station: “One of the places we observed seemed to be a receiving station. Beings would arrive here oftentimes in a deep hypnotic sleep. I call it hypnotic because I realized they had put themselves in this state by their beliefs. Here were what I would call angels working with them trying to arouse them and help them realize God is truly a God of the living and that they did not have to lie around sleeping until Gabriel or someone came along blowing on a horn.”
Julian D. had vivid memories of a transfer station: “I recall nothing of my passage through the veil, but have vivid memories of where I went. It was a place, a domain that I knew right away was a transfer station – a place where beings go when moving between realms. It was like a city of crystal structures and verdant green trees and vegetation. I went into a huge, huge beyond comprehension, perhaps dome-like structure where one would go to meet with enormous beings of light/energy/color to do the life review.”
Abigail K. entered a structure like a way station: “I walked with the being, into the light, as others were streaming in behind me. There were individuals in lines and I could mentally talk to them all at once, and they me. I knew they were moving on to the light. This felt like a way station.”
Gerry L. found himself in a space or way station: “The next think I know is that I am in this place I now call the ‘space station’ but I didn’t think of it as that when I became aware of being there… There was an immense park-like area of short grass and I immediately became aware that there were lots of people there that I knew or didn’t know… I realized that this was some kind of halfway station between Earth and eternity.”
Lynnclaire Dennis entered a heavenly way station: “This place did not in any way, shape, or form fit the description of Heaven I was long been led to believe in. Was it a way station, an intermediary spot before getting to that other world I always hoped to be good enough to enter?”
3. The Train Station-Like Area
Some NDErs report an experience with a train station–like structure – a place of passage, transition, and decision. These heavenly structures often resemble vast depots, terminals, or boarding platforms where souls gather before continuing their journeys into higher dimensions or returning to earthly life. Though the imagery varies from NDEr to NDEr, the underlying concept is remarkably consistent: a spiritual transit hub that mirrors movement between worlds.
Zenaida teleported to a heavenly Grand Central Station: “Suddenly I was teleported to this gigantic hall that seem like Grand Central Station in Manhattan but 100 times bigger. This place was filled with billions of people in white robes; people of all races, ethnicities, gender, and ages. There was an feeling of love that reverberated through everyone.”
Sandi T. entered a heavenly train or bus station: “The scene below us changed from clouds, and we were watching a scene below us as it played out. It looked like a vast sort of train station, or bus station… People were buying tickets and then going to the portal, which was ‘birth’ into various worlds (according to your ticket’s destination).”
Diego Valencia entered a dim, colorless, train station-like realm where grayish entities were being helped by guides from a foggy realm near Earth. He was then given the decision to either return to his body or stay.
Diego W. passed through a train station-like area: “I passed through what looked like a train station. I saw people that were received and were guided and helped to leave their life on Earth.”
Holly G. was in a holding area in a heavenly train station-like area: “I felt like I was in some sort of holding area (for lack of better words), like I was just in the train station waiting for my train to arrive (the surgeons to finish working on me), and I would resume my travels as soon as the train arrived (go back to my physical body).”
Ryan P. entered a train depot-like place: “In an instant, I was in like a train depot or some sort of meeting place. There were clusters of light all throughout the room.”
Leonard S. encountered a heavenly train: “I found myself next to a railroad, it was dark but for a bright light and noise which became a steam train going by me. It had as passengers some people who in life had been mean to me… I could take the train should I wish to; I was able to catch it but did not and started to walk into a tunnel to follow the train.”
Zeliha B. attempted to board a heavenly train: “There were green meadows and a train rail. In a distance, a train came very fast to where I was standing. The train stopped to pick me up. I wanted to get in the train and depart. In that moment, I looked back and saw my mother holding my newborn son. My mother told me not to take the train and leave my son without a mother.”
Grady entered a train car-like structure: “I was in this Pure White area kind of like a train car of sorts.”
Seemoon C. saw a heavenly train going through the tunnel: “I saw a train going through a tunnel. The train was like a locomotive from the 1900s. The people inside the train was densely packed all the way to the top… There were so many people who were trying to get on the train from the train platform.”
Karen G. found herself in a tunnel while on some kind of heavenly train: “I opened my eyes and saw myself in a tunnel of lights – diffuse and beautiful lights – I was in some kind of a train. I did not see myself but knew that I was riding leaning back in a train at high speed.”
John B. entered the tunnel which was like a train: “[I entered] not really a tunnel but very similar. It was a cross between a rollercoaster, train, tunnel and maze.”
Nona B. rode a heavenly train: “I was on a fast-moving train. I was standing on the step on the right side of the train, holding on to the bar attached to the side of the train. My right arm was extended out as I enjoyed the rush of air and I traveled along so fast. In the distance, I could see on the right: surrounded by a beautiful forest.”
4. The Platform
Some NDErs encounter a “platform” which may be a part of the heavenly train station as previously mentioned.
Geraldine O. saw someone on a train station-like platform seeing him off: “I could see the light that I was being pulled away from and there was someone who seemed to be standing on a platform on the left side of the tunnel. It was as if they were seeing me off from a train station.”
Robert L. described a train station-like platform: “It is very hard to express where i was, kind of like an arrival point like a train station platform. That’s not correct, but it’s the best I can describe it.”
JK S. had a life review while on a marble platform: “The next memory I had was in space, there was a large marble platform suspended in space, with an oval mahogany-style table in the middle of the platform with chairs around it. Beyond the table were marble pillars on the outer edge of the circular marble platform. The marble columns were spaced far apart. In the chairs were nine people.”
David J. attempted suicide and encountered a spirit guide on a marble platform: “Eventually the tunnel let out onto a platform with a marble floor. There were various people milling about in grey hooded robes. One of them came up to me and introduced himself as my guide. The architecture of the place I was very Greek in style with columns and such. I don’t believe it was heaven OR hell.”
Berkley Carter Mills was taken to a suspended platform where he met a being so powerful that he thought it was God. The angels bowed and took their places with two others at the platform’s four corners. Carter learned that the powerful being was Jesus. Carter was then led through a life review.
Corey L. saw Jesus while on a moving platform: “The entire time I was with my family, I could feel their love. It was like a warm feeling all over me. I suddenly felt like I was on a moving platform and I saw Jesus!”
Clayton D. was on a rotating platform: “I was aware that I was on some kind of solid white platform and the platform was rotating. (Much like a record on a record player). I didn’t perceive any walls and couldn’t identify a sky or ceiling. Everything was a uniform white. It’s a white rotating platform in a white empty plain of existence.”
Glenda G. stood on a platform leading to deceased loved ones: “But there were three steps that led up to a platform of sorts, and there was a door across from the steps. I instinctively knew that every person and every animal I have ever loved in my life was alive and well beyond that door.”
Sean O. met deceased loved ones on a platform: “I took two steps towards the light. I landed on a platform, next to the light that shot me straight upwards at lightning speed. The platform was just big enough for one person to stand on. The platform stopped at the top of the light.” Sean then encountered deceased loved ones.
Jayne J. encountered a platform lit by light: “I found myself in a very dark place, but with a bright light coming from underneath me. I could see the edge of a bed or platform slightly lit by the light. I suddenly thought, ‘Oh, I’m dying.'”
Martin W. stood on a platform of light: “I could see that I stood on a light platform surrounded by a glittering mass of light that consisted only of high and warm vibrations.”
Amanda S. sat cross-legged on a platform of light: “I was sitting cross-legged on what could have been a platform or even midair. My surroundings were a bright white light that enveloped everything except me.”
Raven W. sat cross-legged on a rising platform like an elevator: “I was sitting cross legged on what felt like a solid platform though I couldn’t see anything above, below or around me except a solid endless white with several floating mini-televisions that had nothing but static on them… I felt like the platform I was sitting on was rising (like a slow moving elevator) and I was going up though there didn’t really seem to be anywhere to go to.”
Dr. Fabio stood with several other beings on a circular platform: “We were standing upon a circular platform with little dark pebbles sealed with a sort of brown mortar. In the middle of this platform there was a smaller circular platform raised about a foot higher… It was as if we were in the middle of a radiant pool of white light.”
Rabia Malek met beings on a vast platform: “Eventually, we reached a vast platform where countless beings were gathered – silhouettes made of both shadow and light, sharing some human features.”
Tanya J. found herself on a platform within the tunnel: “I was in an earthen, vertical tunnel with caves hewn into the Earth on all sides of me. There was a rough platform on which I was standing. There were people of all ages, moaning and dressed in ragged clothes all around me and reaching out trying to grab me.”
5. The Reception Area
Some NDErs describe a heavenly reception area – a welcoming place where arriving souls are greeted, oriented, or comforted shortly after leaving the physical realm. NDErs often describe this area as a gentle threshold. This reception area may be part of the other structures described in this article. These reception areas vary in form – from small glowing rooms, to vast halls, or fields of light.
Penny met deceased loved ones in a reception room: “After traveling through the tunnel, I arrived in a small white luminescent room. This room evoked a feeling of being in a small reception room – a place to receive visitors. I felt joy, happiness and overwhelming love. My grandfather greeted me (he had passed away two years earlier).”
Carlos V. arrived in a reception hall: “I clearly remember how I arrived to a place with a beautiful light, shining in splendor, where many people who were entering a reception hall gathered; a vast hall well decorated.”
Mandy J. found herself in an area for the reception of deceased loved ones: “I looked around and I was in a beautiful area that was huge (maybe five to eight football fields in size)… I looked to my right and to my left then I looked in front of me and there were all my relatives and friends that had died.”
Cougar encountered a reception area: “Walking toward better light, in the reception area, before the main chamber, I saw a few people milling about.”
Julio M. experienced a reception of information: “[I experienced] peace, love, total consciousness, transmission and reception of information, of being outside of time and space, unlimited movement at the speed of thought, etc.”
6. The Staging Area
Some NDErs encounter a staging area – a mass transit structure described in consistent ways. Some encounter it as a cosmic hub of activity, a place where they meet deceased loved ones or spirit guides before being directed to their next destination.
Dr. Michael Newton described a staging area which is a heavenly mass transit system: “All souls, regardless of experience, eventually arrive at a central port in the spirit world which Dr. Newton calls “the staging area”… Large numbers of souls coming from Earth are conveyed in a spiritual form of mass transit. Souls are brought in, collected, and then projected out to their proper final destinations similar to a central terminal of a metropolitan airport that has the capacity to fly people out in any direction. The most outstanding characteristic of this world is a continuous feeling of a powerful mental force directing everything in uncanny harmony. People say it is a place of pure thought.”
Harry T. entered a staging area where he met deceased loved ones: “I was in a place outside of dimension, physicality and time. Beyond the quanta, but encompassing the created and non-created. It was both zero-point and infinity. It was a place which was the staging area for something beyond the imaginable.”
Sharon D. on heavenly staging areas: “I believe that there are staging areas where our spirit goes when our bodies can no longer serve us.”
Gina J. saw some sort of transit system: “[I entered] a clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I saw some sort of transit system. I had the impression of others there, but I was so focused on the amazing information I was getting, and so excited to get on with it all. I couldn’t focus on bodies.”
Sarah B. described the transit place: “[I entered] a place that I will describe as a transit place. White made by light. And there is much more than that. It is the place from where you can go into many different dimensions and universes.”
Daniel M. entered a tunnel-like place of transit: “Some could possibly describe it as a tunnel. To me it was a place of transit: definitely not Earth.”
7. The Sorting Area
Some NDErs describe entering a structure where some form of sorting takes place. It is an area that determines the soul’s next step in their afterlife journey. In this sorting area, every soul is guided to the place that best reflects who they are and what they love.
In Emanuel Swedenborg’s afterlife testimony, he revealed how our dominant desires lead us along visible paths to heavenly communities of like-minded souls. His revelations of the afterlife include cities of light and learning, guided travels through heavenly realms, and the sorting of souls according to what they loved most.
Angie Fenimore attempted suicide and waited for a kind of sorting process: “Suddenly, as if we had been waiting for a kind of sorting process to take place, I was sucked further into the darkness by an unseen and undefined power.”
Larry M. saw angels sorting souls into groups: “Entities I can refer to as angels, sorting souls into different groups, by categories, and what appeared to be a Council of Beings that were reviewing sealed records.”
Eric M. had a life review that kind of sorted good people from bad people: “My past was scrolling backwards, going from the present and back in time towards childhood. I saw the good and bad moments. They were very precise facts, a kind of sorting of the good and the bad, of good people and bad people, good and bad memories.”
Kim A. encountered “a place where things were sorted out, and where I would come back to.”
Tyrone H. learned that everything is perfectly matched: “I knew that everything was perfectly matched in this holographic universe we live in. I knew that everyone was deserving of love no matter what they’d done.”
8. The Wheel of Reincarnation
Some NDErs offer revelations of reincarnation. Some NDErs describe a cosmic structure that appears to regulate the soul’s movement between lives known as the “Wheel” of reincarnation. NDErs describe being drawn toward an immense rotating structure, a magnetic sphere of fire, or a vast structure where souls are prepared, sorted, and guided toward their next incarnation. These NDEs echo ancient religions that speak of a “Wheel of Life,” yet NDErs portray it not as a symbol but as a living, functional structure that is part of the fabric of the universe.
Wilson saw a giant “wheel” acting as a sorting process for reincarnation: “I had seen the object before I was born and I will see it again when I die… This structure had some kind of cosmic purpose of sorting things into their correct natural place.”
Kyal L. encountered a “wheel” acting as a sorting process for reincarnation: “I saw the reincarnation wheel sucking me in and spitting me out like a giant magnetic ball of fire that attracted souls and shoved them into bodies/forms when they passed through. It was like a big sorting machine happening to thousands of souls all at once.”
Ethel H. described a library-like structure where souls await reincarnation: “They showed me a huge area that reminded me of a library. They told me that it was one of the learning areas, where people were waiting to see where they would be sent. I understood they were preparing to come back here to Earth.”
9. The Amphitheater
Some NDErs encounter a heavenly amphitheater which is a vast structure where the life review and reunion with deceased loved ones occur. This amphitheater appears in many forms: a crystalline hall suspended in the cosmic Void, meadows that transform into stages, stadium-like arenas filled with music and love, or sacred areas embedded within heavenly landscapes . Though the imagery varies from NDEr to NDEr, the essence remains the same: the amphitheater functions as a structure for the gathering of souls and for the soul’s spiritual assessment.
Ned Dougherty was in the deepest void of space feeling comfortable and at home. Ned then entered into a magnificent ethereal structure. This heavenly structure resembled an amphitheater made of a brilliant, crystal-like substance. The amphitheater was suspended in the void of space in the same fashion that a space station might hover in space. The amphitheater was similar in size to a sports stadium and conveyed a great majesty. It was here that Ned experienced a life review.
Lynnclaire Dennis described her experience with a heavenly amphitheater: “In luxuriant warmth we moved on, drawn higher into the valley, moving toward the Source of the light. I made a single turn, and the meadow suddenly became an amphitheater. On a stage that seemed to be suspended in front of me, I witnessed, with my grandmother, what seemed to be an encore performance of my life.” Lynnclaire described having her life reviewed in this amphitheater as a kind of heavenly “This Is Your Life” television episode where her deceased loved ones would appear one by one, greet her, and have Lynnclaire’s relationship with them evaluated.
Jacob found himself before an amphitheater where he heard voices of deceased loved ones: “I then found myself at the edge of what seemed like a black amphitheater looking out across the universe. There was a vortex of white fire spiraling through space. It was a beautiful sight and looked very much like the electricity coming from a nuclear power generator.”
Pamela Anderson was brought into a heavenly amphitheater. She went through a black tunnel and entered a black void of absolute nothingness… As soon as she realized this, a clear white bright light brought her into a huge, wonderful, stadium or amphitheater where love and music emanated from it.
Carl G. Jung encountered a heavenly amphitheater: “There came a new image, the last vision. I walked up a wide valley to the end, where a gentle chain of hills began. The valley ended in a classical amphitheater. It was magnificently situated in the green landscape.”
Bethany R. saw a heavenly amphitheater: “Next thing I knew I went to a pure blackness. There was in an open amphitheater on the left and amazing gardens to the right. It wasn’t what I saw though it was this indescribable by words feeling of absolute peace and comfort.”
Herbert M. entered a heavenly amphitheater: “[I entered] a clearly mystical or unearthly realm: fields full of flowers of every kind, color and texture; grasses and trees of brilliant green hues; Earth the color of gold; an amphitheater and the very sacred precinct of that which is most holy, and the great barrier which the living cannot cross.”
Murielle T. found herself in a hall resembling an amphitheater: “A door opened. I really don’t remember anymore how I found myself in a big hall. It was like an amphitheater that had an immense screen, that was also composed of the opalescent facets.”
Rob D. was in a place like a glass amphitheater: “I was in a place like a glass amphitheater or small auditorium. I could see the space outside with stars everywhere. I looked ahead and saw two hooded, cloaked figures.”
10. The Stadium
Similar to the heavenly amphitheater – or possibly the same structure – is a vast, otherworldly stadium which is a place so immense and filled with spiritual beings that earthly comparisons barely suffice. NDErs describe this heavenly arena as a cosmic stadium where souls gather, celestial beings watch with loving attention, and God’s light radiates from a central source. The stadium functions as a place of profound revelation and spirituality.
An anonymous accountant described his experience with a heavenly stadium: “As we walked along together to find Jesus, I noticed there was one building larger than all the others. It looked like a football stadium with an open end to the building where a blinding light radiated from it. I tried to look up at the light but I couldn’t. It was too brilliant. Many people seemed to be bowed in front of this building in adoration and prayer. I said to my [deceased] parents, ‘What is that?’ They said, ‘In there is God.'”
Natalie Sudman stood in a heavenly stadium: ““In this new environment, I stood on an oval dais… addressing thousands of white-robed beings or personalities. They were arrayed up and all around me as if I stood in the center of a huge stadium.”
Mark B. floated into a heavenly stadium: “I was floating away from my body and into a vast opening space, like a gigantic stadium. I was facing downwards. The stadium was beyond any conceivable size with billions of people in the seats. The stadium was rotating around me as I floated down counterclockwise into it.”
Mark H. encountered a heavenly stadium: “I looked forward, and saw what appeared to be, a stadium full of people all looking at me and cheering those around me, to save me!”
Leni D. was in a heavenly stadium: “I was in a huge stadium. There were souls all around me but behind a barrier. It was pure pandemonium. I could not figure out why they were so excited. Like who they were waiting to see… All these souls were screaming and excited to get close to….me! I could hardly believe it. They were so proud of me for coming to Earth.”
Eugene W. described the heavenly stadium: “I was in what can be described as Yankee Stadium FULL of people, and full of fog as thick as pea soup. I say a stadium because I could hear crowds of people all talking at the same time.”
11. The Auditorium
Similar to the heavenly amphitheater and stadium – or possibly the same structure – is a heavenly auditorium which is a vast gathering place where souls convene for learning, guidance, and communion with higher beings. NDErs find themselves in this immense “hall” filled with heavenly beings and profound spiritual energy. The auditorium often appears structured for the soul’s instruction, echoing ancient images of celestial temples or modern visions of lecture halls where divine wisdom is shared.
Lisa awoke inside an auditorium-like place: “There was no tunnel or light. I ‘awoke’ standing upright in the back of what looked like a large auditorium-type place, without the chairs. The wall were gold and had jewels embedded in them.”
Margaret Burkin saw heavenly auditoriums: “I found myself having a tour of this place. I could see auditoriums with people listening to speakers. I was aware of Halls of Learning and places of the most beautiful beauty. I did not want to return, but at this stage I started to feel the pull to go back into my body. I could not control it as it pulled me back.”
Elsa was shown a heavenly auditorium: “Then He (Jesus) showed me an auditorium and the speaker on the stage was so wonderful. The people in the audience were hanging on his every word.”
Kevin C. encountered an auditorium-like place: “I was in like a kind of an auditorium. It was very grey and I was moving down the center aisle. The souls on the left appeared not to know me, but were curious and welcoming. The people on the right however, I could feel the tremendous outpouring of love.”
12. The Waiting Room
Among the many recurring structures described in NDEs is the heavenly waiting room. NDErs describe finding themselves in a place where time seems suspended, where decisions about returning to earthly life or moving deeper into the afterlife are made, and where the presence of love is unconditional. The waiting room varies in appearance – from mid-century interiors to rooms made of pure light, from white, cloudlike expanses to dark cosmic chambers studded with stars. All serve the same essential purpose: a compassionate holding space between worlds.
Brandon C. was held in a waiting room-like structure: “It was as if I was being held in a waiting room, and I knew that I was loved. I knew somehow that I am not finished with my time here. I knew other things, but cannot describe them. I realized I was a part of a bigger picture.”
Shannon C. met deceased loved ones in waiting room-like structure: “I don’t remember how I got there, but I ended up in a room that was like a waiting room. I saw many of my family and friends who had passed over.”
Laura C. met deceased loved ones in a heavenly waiting room: “I found myself in a waiting room, that looked like it was almost in the mid-century. I can’t explain the colors; but they were bright, yet neutral. There were these windows without glass panes that overlooked into a sea of clouds and colors.”
Gwen SP entered a “Waiting Place” where she heard the voices of deceased loved ones: “I was then taken to a Second Place. There seemed to be a preparing Place or lesser Heaven, embedded behind the Light. I could hear the voices of the Spirits who had gone before… Our deeds of kindness here on Earth help the spirits in the Waiting Place to move on to the Final Heaven.”
Rachel D. met a deceased loved one in a waiting room filled with light: “I left my body and knew I wasn’t a body anymore. The brightest light filled everywhere like a waiting room, but with just my friend in there. She had passed only three weeks or so before me in this incident.”
V.V. was in a gray waiting room: “I remembered being in a gray room with people in it. The room seemed like a waiting room. People were coming up to me. Some I recognized as possible family, but I didn’t know them. Yet, they knew me.”
Jeanette H. was led into a waiting room of light: “Everything is just energy, but I know it is her. She leads me forward and into a bright waiting room… It was bliss to be in the waiting room of light. No separation, no judgment, just unconditional love and present feelings.”
Lisa K. found herself in a white waiting room: “Then I noticed I couldn’t see anything, it was as if the whole room was white, it was warm and comforting… I felt like I was in a pure white waiting area or room.”
Gail D. was in a kind of waiting area: “I know I did go to the other side [to] a kind of waiting area, and my mom and daughter called me back.”
Lisa R. was in a waiting area with an angel: “I asked the angel why I am here. We talked about the accident. I tell him that the car crashed into the barrier and ask him if I am going to die. He tells me that it hasn’t been decided yet and that’s why I’m here. This is a waiting area.”
Amy C. entered a heavenly waiting room: “After passing through this tunnel, I entered a wooden-paneled waiting room with a small square window in it… In this waiting room with me were three bright-light spirits that resembled starlight.”
Lija A. was in a structure like a waiting room: “When I came out of the tunnel, I felt like I was in a realm where only spirits exist. It felt like a waiting room or place we go after death and where souls look out for humans who need help and support.”
Katie W. saw souls waiting in a heavenly room: “When I got there, I saw a line of people waiting in a white room that didn’t seem to have borders or lines.”
Magda went into a heavenly waiting room: “I do know there was a building with a waiting room, or some kind of receiving area, that I went into.”
Monica M. entered into a place like a waiting room: “Then suddenly I was grabbed up and felt myself go into what was like a waiting room. It was peaceful and I loved it.”
Angela E. was in a heavenly waiting room: “I was excited and noticed activity on the other side through the door but there was NO activity in that waiting room. After I went through the door, everything becomes vague about the experience except I remember they said it was not my time.”
Andrew P. experienced a spiritual waiting room: “There is no doubt that I was in a spiritual waiting room.”
Ben B. was in a waiting room to heaven: “I think it was the waiting room to heaven, and I think God gave me that experience so I wouldn’t be afraid of dying.”
Makaila M. was in a structure like a waiting room: “I was in a pure black room that had invisible walls that revealed stars… It felt like I was in a waiting room.”
Debra P. found herself in a heavenly waiting room: “The next thing I knew, I found myself in a waiting room. It was not gray, white or blue, but a mixture of those colors. I knew I wasn’t alone, but I felt rather than saw anyone.”
John R. was kept in a kind of waiting room: “I was kept in a kind of waiting room for lack of a better explanation. It’s where they keep spirits of people who are not going to cross over but have come to the other side during human operations and such. (Open heart surgery etc.)”
Pierre T. describes an NDE involving a waiting room: “I read an account of an NDE experiencer who said that as soon as he had been anesthetized during surgery, he had suddenly found himself in what he could not describe otherwise than a ‘death waiting room’.”
13. The Temple of Knowledge
NDE testimonies describe a heavenly “campus” of learning where libraries bring revelations, temples sing, and knowledge is absorbed as directly as light. NDErs call it many names – the Temple of Knowledge or Wisdom, the Hall of Records, or simply “the library” – but its educational purpose is the same: to study truth, beauty, and love under a single curriculum. Some NDErs describe domed reading rooms and scholars in hooded robes bent over living charts. Others find galleries where music and art are composed. Still others meet spirit guides who help them with their life review.
Jan Price described the heavenly Temple of Knowledge: “Quickly we approached a structure of supernal beauty. It was vast, of the purest white, and somewhat Grecian in architecture. Paths led into the structure from all directions, and I observed many people coming and going. Over the archway through which we entered the structure, I saw the words TEMPLE OF KNOWLEDGE and felt a gentle power drawing me into itself.”
David N. was taken by an angel to a Grand Temple: “From there the Angel took me to what I call The Grand Building or Grand TEMPLE. I am not sure of the name of this place, but it was brilliant white like a Palace. The Angel took me inside this building, which was amazing to see from the front. It had a large beautiful garden in the front with beautiful pond-lakes.”
Maureen K. was taken by angels to a temple of light: “A crystal temple of light that shone more radiant than the sun began to appear before me and the Angels. It radiated even purer energy and light. It sparkled and glittered. I bowed my head to avert my eyes because the light was that magnificent.”
Read more about the Temple of Knowledge.
14. Other Heavenly Structures
The late NDEr and psychic Sylvia Browne (1936-2013) described the heavenly structures she calls the Holding Place, the Hall of Wisdom, the Hall of Records, the Hall of Justice, and the Towers.
People who commit suicide are sent to a place Sylvia Browne calls the Holding Place. Most people, who go through the heavenly process, go through a tunnel and towards the light of God. They return home to the place they came from on the Other Side. Here, they have a reunion with family and friends who have departed before them. After the reunion, most of us are lead by our spirit guide to a building on the Other Side called the Hall of Wisdom. In a sacred room, we see our lives flash before us on a device Sylvia calls the Scanning Machine. This device is a domed screen where our lives are placed out in three-dimensional holographic form. Once we have fully evaluated our lives, we are debriefed in an orientation process. This is when we discuss the lifetime previously lived and reviewed in the scanning machine. We meet with guides who are trained orientators who discuss ways of amending for previous mistakes. We receive help if we were unprepared for our crossing over into the spirit realm. If those whose transition is especially difficult, the orientation process is preceded by another process called Cocooning. This is when the person is put into a restful, healing sleep for as long as it takes for them to feel healthy. In extreme cases, people are taken to a structure called The Towers where extremely confused people undergo a deprogramming process. Once a person has adjusted to the transition, they can visit a heavenly place called the Hall of Records where historical data is stored such as the records of everyone’s past lives. Another beautiful structure is the Hall of Justice where people go before a Council of Elders who are highly advanced spokespersons of God who help us decide how we are to progress further into the spirit realm.
Dolores Cannon (1931–2014) was a renowned past-life regressionist and author who developed one of the most extensive bodies of hypnotic past-life and inter-life testimony in modern metaphysics. While Cannon did not use the term “near-death experience,” her healing technique revealed recurring patterns that strikingly parallel NDE descriptions – especially the existence of higher spiritual realms dedicated to knowledge, soul purpose, and heavenly planning. Among these realms is what many of her regression subjects called the Temple of Wisdom (similar to the Temple of Knowledge) – a luminous, interdimensional structure where souls gather between incarnations to review, learn, heal, and prepare for the next stage of their journey.
The late NDEr and psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) had extensive experience with the so-called Hall of Records. Cayce had more out-of-body journeys than anyone ever documented. He made over 14,000 journeys into the afterlife realms and was able to access virtually unlimited information by visiting the so-called “Akashic Records” – a heavenly Hall of Records according to Cayce. Cayce would leave his physical body and explore the dimension where all subconscious minds are connected – a dimension similar in description to Carl Jung‘s collective unconscious. It is the realm of thought, imagination, dreams, and NDE afterlife realms where all things are possible. Cayce described the Hall of Records accordingly: “Quite suddenly I come upon a Hall of Records. It is a hall without walls, without ceiling, but I am conscious of seeing an old man who hands me a large book, a record of the individual for whom I seek information.”
15. Conclusion
NDErs consistently describe purposeful structures that guide the soul with wisdom and love. These heavenly structures include a receiving station, a train-station terminal, a platform, a staging area, a sorting realm, the cosmic Wheel of reincarnation, an amphitheater, a stadium, an auditorium, a waiting room, and the Temple of Knowledge. Though the imagery varies, their function is strikingly similar. Each structure serves a role in orienting the soul, preparing it for revelations, reviewing the soul’s earthly life, reuniting with loved ones, or directing the soul toward further growth whether that means returning to earthly life or moving deeper into the afterlife realms. These structures seem tailored to the soul yet reflect a universal pattern found throughout NDE literature. They help the soul understand its earthly life before it can comprehend the higher realities beyond form.
Researchers such as Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Kenneth Ring, Dr. Michael Newton, and others have long noted this consistency, suggesting that these structures represent genuine stages of transition. Each structure conveys the same message: the soul is guided, protected, and is never alone. Altogether, these testimonies reveal an afterlife that is profoundly relational, profoundly ordered, and profoundly loving.
In the end, the heavenly structures described by NDErs remind us of the purpose of the physical realm. They teach that life is an ongoing process of spiritual growth, inner connection, and spiritual awakening. When our time comes to make the transition, there are beings in heavenly structures of light, wisdom, and love waiting to welcome us with open arms.
