How a Near Death Experience Enhanced My Consciousness
There’s no doubt that consciousness is rapidly expanding throughout the human race. My coffee cup is about to start talking to me. A lot of what was once considered ridiculously paranormal has now been empirically-proven and popularly embraced. In fact, the human race is clearly now a race between the realization of how expanded consciousness plays in the creation of our world and the destructive consequences that ignoring it has caused and continues to cause every day.
Consciousness as an Elemental Force
So what does that have to do with near-death experiences (NDEs)? Well, now it seems even science is converging on the ancient—but currently revolutionary—concept that consciousness itself may be an elemental force: a field, like gravity. It might be an eternal quantum field of being, necessary for the formation of material life – rather than the other way around (this idea is nicely, and controversially, proposed by Dr. Robert Lanza, of Wake Forest University). And what are NDEs but further testimonies of the continuation of consciousness beyond physical life?
Co-Creating our Reality
The rapidly growing Near-Death Movement, based on thousands of testimonies of people who have experienced consciousness beyond the limitations of our physical life, is yet another example of humanity’s spiritual potential. It’s additional evidence of our ability to co-create whatever reality we participate in, be it on the earth right here, or in that sweet hereafter.
I’d never given any of it much thought until the power and meaning of my own three NDEs arose and compelled me to write a book that put me into the hub of the hubbub. I’ve since discovered that the community of near-death experiencers ranges somewhere from five to fifteen percent of the general population globally. Now that’s a whole lot of non-ordinary reality!
Consciousness – and Individuals – Are Unique
Naturally, I have less reason than the average Joe to doubt the veracity of all that testimony; but I have found plenty of reason to ask this question: why is it that near-death experiences are all so different? If we’re all governed by eternal, invisible machinery, why do we see such a range of afterlife options, all tailored to the individual participant? Shouldn’t we all go down that identical tunnel into the light and meet Grandpa in the shimmering fields of Elysium?
Some near-death returnees report celestial extravaganzas. Some tell of organizations of elders and angels, structured in an elaborate cosmic framework. For others, it’s a hellish nightmare, complete with every infernal cliché. The reason for all these differences can be simply explained if we consider the way we’re always participating in the field of consciousness, how we are always creating our own individual realities.
The Continuum of Consciousness
My own NDEs were humble by comparison, but they all had one glorious factor in common; that I did not lose consciousness when I lost consciousness. In fact, all three times, I experienced an enhanced consciousness, seamlessly uninterrupted from this life to the next.
Skeptics suggest this sense of continuity is the result of a still-active mind – a mind not yet fully “dead.” And they’re right. Since consciousness is a field we eternally participate in, our minds never do die, they simply join a greater mind. The Hindu Vedas suggested that thousands of years ago. Dear old Dr. Jung described it too, way back in the 20th century. The mind continues working.
“Memory ensures that nature creates individual forms that are copies of the primal universal forms.”
The Hermetica
And as for the differences, well, imagine someone dying, and awakening in this world. What would they experience? The war in Syria? A recital by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? Perhaps a high-powered business lunch, or that visit to Grandpa’s? In this elemental context, we all imagine the life we are living and live it. We all enter into the life we need to experience. This is the mystery of any incarnation, and it will continue to be the mystery from this life to the next (although NDEs do generally suggest that things are better explained over there).
The Unharnessed Power of the Mind
And what if all bets were off when it comes to our greatest potential imaginable – the unharnessed power of mind? What if our imaginations were released from the obvious limitations of this physical form? Almost anything is possible here and now––how about a world where your imagination is set free to manifest reality without material limit?
In “the next world,” as in this one, our imagination is like the clay; consciousness is like the ever-spinning potter’s wheel, and the source of power is like, well, The Source of Power. Welcome to every life (and afterlife) you will ever live – and remember, whatever life you’re living, always look for the love!
Article originally published Oct. 4, 2014
About the Author
Channeled Messages From Presidents Jefferson, Lincoln and Eisenhower
One of the saddest things about the death of great leaders is the loss of their wisdom. Many people through the ages have wondered what it would be like if we could continue to communicate with notable people who have shaped the world’s destiny. In an exclusive interview, Gates McKibbin shares her channeling experiences, bringing the sentiments of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower back to life, offering a compelling message for those open to listening.
McKibbin isn’t your stereotypical psychic medium. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and has received numerous academic awards, as well as a membership to Phi Beta Kappa. She has enjoyed an illustrious career as a corporate executive, a management consultant, and an adjunct college professor specializing in strategic and organizational renewal. However, there had always been a more spiritual side to her, lying in wait for the right moment.
Living life “in the fast lane,” as she describes it, McKibbin’s corporate career eventually took its toll, and chronic stress led to a serious decline in her health. Her physician gave her a blunt choice: Keep your job or regain your health. Taking his advice to heart, McKibbin said goodbye to her fast-paced lifestyle and began journaling. With no financial security and still battling a weak and debilitated body, her life took a strange turn. Suddenly, her deceased father, John McKibbin, began sending her telepathic messages, including encouragement to publish what he had to say from beyond the veil. This continuous engagement with her father not only helped her get through a difficult time but also freed her “to become a very different person.”
While McKibbin’s corporate career continued and remained successful, in the summer of 2001, her psychic door opened even wider. Feeling “something was afoot,” while sitting in the comfort of her San Francisco home one evening, McKibbin grabbed a pen, cleared her mind, and discovered the presence of our second president, Thomas Jefferson.
After introducing himself, she sat stunned and intimidated until the two minds came into sync. As she worked to bring Jefferson’s words to life, McKibbin quickly found gratification, committing to the messages coming forth, and deciding to surrender them to the world when she felt the time was right. Following her sessions with Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln showed up to discuss his troubled presidency and fight to preserve a divided Union.
