Dying to live, Living to Die

By Linda Jacquin
What happens when we die? What is a "near-death experience" (NDE)?
What is nearing-death awareness? What do you say to someone who is
dying? Are you afraid of dying? What happens when a loved one commits
suicide?  How can you live life to the fullest?
Linda Jacquin has answers based on personal experience and years of
talking to researchers and Near-Death Experiencers.
Her special knowledge and understanding are the result of two near-death
experiences. The first occurred at age 4½ when she drowned while
playing in a creek at a church picnic.  Her spiritual experience between
drowning and resuscitation would permanently influence the course of her
life.  Many years later, as an adult, she again experienced clinical death
and, among other things, encountered her brother who had died ten days
before.
The profoundly spiritual understandings she gained from these edge-of-
death experiences taught her the true importance of positive life attitudes
and actions -- especially:  to love yourself; to live everyday as if it were
your last; to laugh, play nice, respect those you meet; and above all to
enjoy this experience called LIFE.  She learned how utterly important it is
to Love, Integrate, Forgive, Embrace.   
Linda Jacquin is a guest lecturer on the near-death experience and a
motivational speaker on creating tools with which to live your life to the
fullest. She has given talks across the United States, Canada and in Hawaii,
and has appeared on US and Canadian radio and TV broadcasts.   She was
featured on the DVD documentary, ‘Cheating Death -- Beyond and Back,’
a trailer to the movie ‘Final Destination II.’   Linda was the consultant on
the Capstone Children’s Book, Near-Death Experiences, and she currently
is writing her own book.
She is the Editor of Vital Signs, a quarterly publication of The International
Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS).  From 2000-2006 she was
a member of the IANDS board of directors, during which period she also
served three years as Vice President. In April 2006 Linda Jacquin fulfilled
her longstanding vision to create a retreat where others who have had near-
death experiences could gather their NDEs and the life-changing after
effects.  Twenty-six people from across the United States met for three
deeply meaningful days at the Mercy Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  One
outcome of the retreat is the new website www.neardeathexperiencers.
org  
Since 1984 Linda has headed Jacquin Advertising LLC, a promotional
products and marketing company.
Join us
Nadia
McCaffrey
will present a
lecture on
Peace &
War.
How can we
forgive?
Love instead
of hate...
Understandin
g each other,
respecting
each other
Loving each
other
El Cerrito IANDS meeting Sunday May
27nd

STEVE ADAMS, May 27th, 6:30 P.M.


Hello Friends,
We will have a terrific speaker for our El Cerrito IANDS meeting at Hillside Community
Church, on Sunday, May 27th at 6:30 P.M.  Steve Adams, who has been speaking to
local groups for many years, will tell us about his own near-death experience in 1967,
and how it radically changed his life.  

In 1967, at age 20, Steve experienced his NDE while in a hospital for a ruptured
appendix.  What he experienced in his "visit" to the other side included traveling through
the funnel-like entrance to the spirit world, seeing the Light, and meeting with a dear
spirit-friend.  He was given the choice of staying in the spirit world or returning to his
earthly body.  Since choosing to return, Steve has had a lifetime of experiences and
learning, while being ever mindful of the souls and places waiting for him on the other
side.  Steve radiates a warm and loving spirituality to all who meet him, and you will
very much enjoy hearing his story.

Hillside Community Church, a Swedenborgian Church, is located at 1422 Navellier
Street, El Cerrito, CA, 94530.  There is a convenient parking lot adjoining the Church.  
If you want further information about this event, or directions to the Church, please call:

Sandy Wright, (510) 841-0677
or
Rev. Doug Moss, Pastor, Hillside Community Church, (510) 235-3646
Berkeley & El Cerrito  
Robert Schwartz Author of
Courageous Souls Coming to San Francisco Bay

Would you like to understand the deeper meaning of your life's greatest challenges?
At some point, everyone has asked "Why?" Why do I have cancer? Why is my son
autistic? Why did my brother die in a car accident?  So often, when something "bad"
happens, it may appear to be a punishment of some kind. But what if your most
difficult life experiences were actually rich with hidden purpose – purpose that you
yourself had planned before you were born? Could it be that you choose your life's
circumstances, relationships and events for the purpose of spiritual growth?
Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? tells the true stories
of ten individuals who chose to experience some of life's greatest challenges: AIDS,
cancer, autism, the death of a child and physical disability. These stories are particularly
powerful because the book allows the interviewees to tell their stories in their own
words. Working with four gifted mediums and channels, author Robert Schwartz
discovers what they chose and why.
"In the days before I knew of pre-birth planning, I felt sympathy for others who
appeared less fortunate than I," said Robert Schwartz. "Now aware that seemingly 'bad'
experiences may have been planned, I feel only deep respect."
For more information please consult:
http://www.courageoussouls.com

TTL Radio Show ~ WEEKLY NDE
PROGRAMME ON RADIO:


The Rev. Juliet Nightingale , a multiple NDEr, is hosting a
ground-breaking programme
Toward The Light, on www.BBSRadio.com focusing primarily
on Near-Death and similar Spiritually Transformative Experiences.
The programme airs live from 5 - 6P ET (-5:00 GMT) every
Sunday.
She features a stellar roster of special guests who are both
experiencers and researchers in the realm of NDEs and related
topics.

In the Light with Juliet Nightingale

www.TowardTheLight.org ~ Near-Death Studies & Support
www.TowardTheLight.info ~ TTL Media & Information
http://www.bbsradio.com/towardthelight/toward_the_light.php ~
TTL Radio Show
http://n2light.blogspot.com ~ TTL Blog  18.11
Journey Through the Light and
Back
Mellen Thomas Benedict







In 1982 Mellen-Thomas died of terminal brain cancer and survived to tell
about it. While in hospice care Mellen “died” and was without vital signs
for at least an hour and a half before he returned to his body.
Mellen-Thomas is one of the most studied NDE cases in the world and has taken
part in more research and think tanks than any other near-deather.
While on the “other side” Mellen journeyed through several realms of
consciousness and beyond the “light at the end of the tunnel”. He was shown in
holographic detail Earth’s past and a beautiful vision of mankind’s future for the
next 400 years. He experienced the cosmology of our soul’s connection to
Mother Earth (Gaia), our manifest destiny, and was gifted with access to
Universal Intelligence.
Since his near-death experience, Mellen-Thomas has maintained his direct access
to Universal Intelligence, and returns to the light at will, enabling him to be a
bridge between science and spirit. With humor and depth of feeling he shares his
experience and insights.
He brings back a message of hope and inspiration for humanity, delivered with a
joy and clarity that is refreshing. His depth of feeling and passion for life is a gift
to be shared.
Read more about Mellen at
www.mellen-thomas.com
Information:
Quotes About Mellen from NDE Researchers
Deepak Chopra has called Mellen-Thomas the “Encyclopedia of the After Life”
in his book “Life After Death”.
“Mellen is able, while in trance, to see into microcosmic structures. Although he
maintains awareness in a hyper-alert state, it is clear that he is able to
simultaneously span several octaves of consciousness, from which he can acquire
scientific information that is extraordinary.”
Lee Pulos, Ph.D., Author of “Miracles and Other Realities,” Former President of
the Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnosis and Senior Psychologist to the Olympic
Team Canada.

“Mellen-Thomas has the big picture. His story is one of the most remarkable I
have encountered in extensive research on near-death experiences. It is very rare
that those who have died and returned have seen into the future to the extent that
Mellen has. His vision of the future is one of hope. He has participated in studies
at a major university, where he contributed to understanding the structure of
genes and chromosome coding for a genetic disease, while researchers puzzled
over how he could have access to this information.”
Dr. Kenneth Ring, Author of “Heading Toward Omega; The Omega Project”

“The near-death experience of Mellen-Thomas is the only one I have yet come
across where an individual willfully changed the episode’s scenario as it was
actually happening. What impresses me the most about Mellen-Thomas is that he
dedicated many years, not only to understanding the phenomenon’s after effects,
but to controlling and training his newly expended psychic faculties. By opting
for discipline instead of notoriety, and keeping himself firmly grounded in the
practicality of patented invention, he is now emerging as a clear and steady
voice… a solution finder… ready to tackle the most vexing problems of the global
community.”
P.M.H. Atwater, Researcher and Author of “Beyond the Light”

www.mellen-thomas.com
CONTACT:Mellen-Thomas Benedict, PO Box 1898, Soquel CA 95073
SAN FRANCISCO CONFERENCE:
PROOF OF AN AFTERLIFE?
Forever Family Foundation
to present
Investigations of Consciousness and the
Unseen World
January 19-20, 2008
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, California

Oceanside, NY, January 3, 2008 – Forever Family Foundation, a non-
profit, non-sectarian organization that supports the premise that life
does not end with physical death, will be sharing supportive scientific
evidence in a groundbreaking conference January 19-20, 2008 at the
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California.  
World renowned scientists, medical doctors, researchers, and
mediums will be brought together to raise awareness about the
extensive research of consciousness and its implications that we
survive our physical deaths.  

Fact:  It has been documented that people have died and returned to
talk about it.  
Fact:  It has been documented that people can communicate with the
dead.
Fact:  The CIA has embraced remote viewers who can use only their
consciousness to “spy on the enemy.”

“The reality is millions of people have experienced these ‘afterlife
encounters’ and so-called other phenomena that indicate our minds
can act independently of our brains and/or physical bodies,” said
Robert Ginsberg, co-founder of Forever Family Foundation.  “We can
longer dismiss the evidence simply because it cannot be explained by
conventional means.” It is unacceptable to classify something as
‘having no explanation’ or putting it away in a box labeled
‘paranormal.’”

The two-day conference is designed for the public rather than a
scientific audience.  The speakers will present bodies of evidence on
near-death experiences, reincarnation, the nature of consciousness,
quantum physics, ghosts and apparitions, afterlife encounters,
mediumship, and other phenomena that suggest an existence beyond
our physical lives.

“It is time for the scientific community to bring survival of
consciousness research out of the labs, files, peer review journals, and
private conferences,” said Dianne Arcangel, President of Forever
Family Foundation.  "By bringing our findings into the public arena,
we offer comfort to the bereaved as well as necessary education and
hope to the masses.”

About Forever Family Foundation
Forever Family Foundation is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization
that supports the premise that life does not end with physical death,
furthers the understanding of Afterlife Science and survival of
consciousness, and offers support to the bereaved. . Among the active
members of the organization and the executive board are scientists,
researchers, medical doctors, philosophers and educators who have
devoted substantial parts of their careers to the investigation of the
survival hypothesis - an existence beyond this physical world.
Confirmed Presenters:
Dr. Fred Alan Wolf – Physicist (aka Dr. Quantum), writer, teacher
and lecturer, is well known for his many books and appearances in
such films as The Secret and What The Bleep.  He has a unique
perspective on quantum physics and its implications for the survival of
the soul.
Dr. Dean Radin – Cutting edge scientist, author, and lecturer who is
considered to be a world authority on Psi phenomena and
consciousness.  Senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and
former president of The Parapsychological Association.

Dr. Gary Schwartz – Harvard trained scientist, professor, author and
lecturer who has amassed a huge body of evidence on the subject of
mediumship and its suggestion of survival.  His book The Afterlife
Experiments outlined his groundbreaking research.

Dr. Bruce Greyson – Medical doctor, writer and lecturer who has
conducted decades of research of near death experiences and is a
world authority on the subject.  He is the Director of the Division of
Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia

Dr. Jim Tucker – Medical doctor, author, and lecturer who researches
past life memories and reincarnation.  His book, Life Before Life, is a
comprehensive examination of such evidence, and he continues his
research at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Arthur Hastings – An esteemed faculty member at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology who is an author, lecturer and
consciousness researcher.  His current research includes a modern
day psychomanteum chamber that has produced significant data
related to encounters.

Loyd Auerbach, M.S. – Well known paranormal investigator
specializing in ghosts and psychic experiences.   He is also an author,
lecturer, professor, and Director of the Office of Paranormal
Investigations.  He has also created a certificate program in
parapsychological studies at HCH Institute.

Dianne Arcangel, M.S. – Independent researcher of afterlife
encounters who has compiled the results of a five year international
study on the subject.  Her book, Afterlife Encounters- Ordinary
People, Extraordinary Experiences, is a comprehensive look at the
subject with specific case histories.

Robert Brown – Accomplished international medium and author who
has been providing evidence of an afterlife for three decades.  He
demonstrates spirit communication all over the world, and is the
author of We Are Eternal.

Hollister Rand – An evidential medium and lecturer who has a unique
perspective of science, vibration and music as it relates to spirit
communication.  In addition to demonstrations of mediumship, she
teaches techniques of facilitating such contact.

Conference details:
Title: Investigations of Consciousness and the Unseen World – Proof
of an Afterlife?
Dates: January 19-20, 2008
Location: Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
Admission: $225-$275
Conference Website: www.foreverfamilyfoundation.
org/SanFrancisco.htm

In addition to the two-day conference, Forever Family Foundation
also announced a psychic entertainment event, Mindreading by the
Bay. This special fundraising event will feature Loyd Auerbach,
Professor Paranormal, and other performers. Tickets to this separate
event are $25-$45 and are not included with conference admission.
esper@california.com
Hi Friends of IANDS,
Channel 15 special segment on Roby Rogers and
Madison IANDS aired on the November 28 news at 10.
Dana Brueck did a fabulous job and Roby was
wonderful!
You can view both videos on line here  
VIDEO LINK
Roby's segment is entitled: The Light, and the IANDS
segment is called: Web Exclusive, The Light.
In December Robert Moss will be here to present a
Meriter night with the author on Thursday, December 6.
Our December IANDS meeting will be the following
Thursday, December 13 and we have a wonderful live
speaker. I will include details of these events in a
following email.
Robert Ginsberg Forever Family
Foundation  
631-425-7707
robert@foreverfamilyfoundation.org  
Bay
Area PR Contact:
Sheryl Lane 408-568-2249
sheryl@intuitive-community.com

Alternate Bay Area PR Contact:
Loyd Auerbach 925-518-4071
www.neardeathexperiencers.org

The Clan of the FireFlies

We are a group of near-death experiencers who came
together in April 2006 at an IANDS-sponsored retreat to
share our stories, our gifts of healing and compassion, and
our unconditional love for each other and all of creation. We
call ourselves the Clan of the Fireflies because, like fireflies,
we light our own way and light up our surroundings.

This we know:

That we have been to the Light. Bathed in it. Soaked it in.
We have exuded Light and the Love with which it welcomed
us.

That our Creator, our Source loves each and every one of us
with an unconditional, all-encompassing, immense love that
we have experienced as bliss.

That death of the body is not an end to life. Life is eternal.
We are eternal. And when these bodies die we will return to
the bliss of the Love in the Light.

That life here on Earth is a gift, not a test. It has purpose
and meaning unique to each of us. We each have a
“mission” to bring love to life. And we each chose to
experience this human life in order to grow, evolve, and
expand who we really are.

That these are not simply “beliefs” to us. We have lived
them. Experienced them firsthand. They are as much reality
as the reality of your experience reading this website.

Nanci Danison 2006

Near-Death Experiencers ONLY







Our next Retreat will be
May 17 >>> May 20 in Saint Louis MO, at Mercy Cente
Eliot Jay ROSEN

Author of the
book & DVD
Best Seller:
"Experiencing the
Soul"
FEBRUARY, 2008 ISSUE
From Dannion & Kathryn BRINKLEY

Dear Friends:

Its already February, and once again we are  incredulously  
aware of the
acceleration of Creation in the swift passing of this New
Year!

Time just seems to be speeding passed us as we continue to
take part in all the
mandatory activities of  physical life. Yet, at some very deep
level of our
being, we all realize that things are in the midst of being
spiritually revamped
in the world, in the galaxy ...in our Universe.  And with this
reconfiguring of
reality comes the need for a new kind of global awareness.  
Indeed, a new
frontier consciousness is afoot, Friends.  Now is undoubtedly
the time for all
good people to come to the aid of  our future humanity.

As we consciously cooperate with the  new energetic waves
of compassion and
peace now washing through the Milky Way,  we assure the
generations to come a
secure place in the distant, more loving land of tomorrow.
Although crime,
violence, aggression and greed appear to be scaling to
heights, heretofore
unseen, let us not lose faith in our ability to spread  the
invincible light of
love and goodness. We possess the only real weapon
powerful enough to stand
victorious in times of travail and challenge. We possess the
invincible  courage
and strength of our spiritual selves.

Fueled by positive thought, sculpted by kind and empowering
words, and
manifested by humanitarian acts, the earth can soon be
refashioned in the
likeness of the heavenly realms. That is why we are here.
That is exactly why we
chose to be born during this time in the history of the world.
We have trained
for lifetimes to do just this kind of labor intensive work. Our
souls are ready
and our spirits are  fearless. Never doubt yourself.

You are a master of creation and a skilled warrior of light.
Together, we shall
be triumphant over the forces of darkness now at work in the
physical reality.
And our victory is inevitable!  

Between now and 2012 the brave new world will reveal itself,
according to our
out-picturing of it. So as these most important moments
transpire,  be well, be
happy, and be of good cheer! For in the end, you will be the
difference that God
makes.


With sincere love and purpose,

Dannion and Kathryn
www.Dannion.com
IANDS Group Leaders and Friends
Board of Directors
Major Move for IANDS
Hold your hats IANDS is moving!

Following intensive exploratory discussions, IANDS is moving its administrative
offices from Connecticut to the Rhine Research Center (An Institute for the Study of
Consciousness) in Durham, North Carolina. Both organizations, while remaining
totally distinct, will be able to take advantage of the synergy this move provides.
IANDS will be sharing facilities with an established research and educational institute
with which we have complementary interests. In this urban location, adjacent to the
campus of Duke University and close to both the University of North Carolina and
North Carolina State University, we will once again be able to involve students,
assist researchers, and attract on-site volunteers.  For the first time in many years we
can rebuild a library/reading room for visiting scholars and IANDS members.
Further, once the transition is complete, this change is expected to reduce monthly
operating expenses, making IANDS more cost effective in delivering member
services and our other outreach efforts. Already we are envisioning expanding
program offerings in the available meeting rooms and local facilities, including a hotel
directly across the street.
The relocation will take place over the next two months, with the actual transition
date planned for April 1, 2008.
Foxcom Anneliese Fox and Janet Scollo who have for fourteen years been both our
management team and our friends, will continue to provide IANDS Web services
and Vital Signs layout. We hope you will take time to thank them for their
involvement in the life of IANDS during these years, which has gone far beyond what
was required under their Scope of Services, even enabling IANDS to remain alive
through some difficult times in the past. Although this move is being made for
carefully thought-out strategic reasons, it is difficult to leave what has been home for
so long.
During the next few months, we ask that you exercise patience as member services
move from Anneliese and Janet to Rhonda Bailey and an intern at the Rhine. We will
let you know when the address and telephone number become active in Durham.
If you have questions about this move, please contact IANDS President, Diane
Corcoran email:
dcorcoran@nc.rr.com
An NDEr sent me the e-mail below about a 16-month-old toddler in Los
Angeles who drowned and had no heartbeat for 2 hours, and now is
perfectly healthy.  You can see him pointing up at the sky and smiling
on the CNN video at
CNN

Do we have some folks in the LA area who might want to follow this up?

From: Diane WIllis <docflute@mac.com>
To: Info at Chiands <info@chicagoiands.org>
Sent: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 8:42 pm
Subject: Next Chicago IANDS
meeting, Saturday, March 8, 2 pm

Guest Speaker:
Nadia McCaffrey







3X NDEr; lost her only son in Iraq; leads San Francisco IANDS; created excellent
hospice and is now working to end the war and establish a place for returning vets.
She picketed Bush's farm in Crawford, TX with Cindy Sheehan.  Don't miss this!

Nadia McCaffrey has engaged in public speaking for over a decade. She has
presented talks on Near Death Experiences and on her service work with the dying
at universities including UC Berkeley (2000) and John F Kennedy University (2002),
Dominican University of San Rafael, the 2003, etc International IANDS Conference
as well as to organizations like the Center for Living with Dying, churches,
homeless shelters and at many other events.

In addition, she has been featured on many television and radio talk shows; in
"Children of the New Millennium" a book of research on children's Near-Death
Experiences by PMH Atwater; "We Live Forever" by PMH Atwater , published by
A.R.E. (Edgar Cayce's Foundation) and in Vital Signs Magazine. Nadia also appeared
on national Television in a new release by Automat Pictures: "Cheating Death,
Beyond and Back" a scientific research documentary, rated the best documentary on
the Near-Death Experience. Another research documentary for a 2 hour US film to
be released in 2008.

A research documentary on the Near-Death Experience, made by a German film
company was released in 2003 in English and German language, for European
Television viewing. The film is to reveal the truth and the impact from the
near-death experience after-effects into the Experiencer's life and readjustment to
living again. She has also done interviews with the Discovery Channel for a series of
documentaries on the NDE.

After her son's death, Nadia McCaffrey traveled to the Middle East with filmmaker
Mark Manning. They sought answers to what causes wars and met with Iraqi
mothers. Nadia explains her purpose, "I wanted to look them in the eye and share
their pain."
She has since traveled through Europe conducting interviews in Paris with
FRANCE3 TV and radio, and ARTE CHANNELS TV (EU). In the US, she
interviewed with Good Morning America, The Today's Show, The Paula Zahn
Show, The Aaron Brown Show, MSNBC, CNBC, DemocracyNow! TV (3x),
Morning on 2, and CNN many times. Her story has been told through
documentaries, radio shows, and in magazines (such as Vanity Fair and Newsweek)
and newspapers. She has appeared on the front page of USA TODAY (twice), and
the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times many times, San Francisco Chronicle, El
Jazeera, BBC, La Pravda, etc.

Nadia spent 23 days in Belgium and 10 days in Jordan, meeting with magazine,
newspaper, radio, and TV media outlets, and major Universities.

Her message is sympathy, compassion and peace as the means to ending the U.S.
invasion and occupation of Iraq. Nadia works at this time with the veterans coming
home from the Middle East, Healing the inner-wounds, PTSD. She is creating a
series of permanent Spiritual and Palliative Care Retreats, an ecologically sound farm
totally self-sustained for returning vets, where they can go for healing before they
return to society.  Nadia has had three NDEs.

To read an interview of Nadia McCaffrey with Amy GoodmanT, please go to:
www.democracynow.org/2005/8/19/mother_nadia_mccaffrey_showed_the_world

Mel Van Dusen presents Nadia McCaffrey receiving the Caring For Soldiers Award
for her work with Veteran's Village.  To view, copy and paste in your browser, if
you cannot click on it:    
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4730260157262141708&pr=goog-sl


Nadia's other websites are:

www.north-ca-IANDS.org

www.veteransvillage.org

www.PatrickSpirit.net

www.Angel-Staff.org

www.GSFSO.org

Please, people......we need some help for Penny with hospitality.   Call
847.251.5758 or talk to Penny or Diane at the meeting.

To attend the 2008 Experiencer's Retreat for those who have had a NDE, please go
to:
<http://neardeathexperiencers.org/page15.html>

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEAR-DEATH STUDIES
(IANDS) support and study group meets second Saturdays,  2-5 p.m.  Near-death
experiences, out-of-body experiences, losses, research.  All are welcome.  
Suggested Donation - $20.  No one is turned away.  For more info:  847.251.5758
or www.chicagoiands.org.  Chicago IANDS is an IL 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
corporation.

Location:  Frank Auditorium in Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Ave. (& Central),
Evanston.

Directions:  From the Kennedy Exprswy:  Take Edens Expressway to Old Orchard
Rd.  Go east to Gross Point Rd.  Turn Left.  Go one block to Central Street.  Turn
right and stay on Central about a mile, crossing over Green Bay Rd, until you get to
Evanston Hospital, which will be on your left.  Turn left immediately after you go
under the overpass.  Then turn right into the parking garage (free).


From Sheridan Rd.:  Follow Sheridan north along the Lake until you reach Central
St.  Turn left (W).  Ridge Ave will be the first stoplight.   Continue one block
further to the overpass.  Turn right immediately before going under the overpass,
then turn right into the parking garage (free).



Diane Willis
Facilitator, Chicago IANDS
847.251.5758
http://www.chicagoiands.org



"When we are capable of stopping, we begin
to see."   
~Thich Nhat Hanh


Father: Son's Spirit Saved My Life

ChannelCincinnati.com
February 28, 2008


BUTLER, Ky. - Four weeks after a tragic fire claimed a 4-year-old
boy, the boy's father talks about his efforts to save his son and the
supernatural guidance that he said saved his life. Jamie Hughes said
that he thought he would die, trapped in his burning house. He said
he would have died had the spirit of the son he was trying to save
not guided him.

For Hughes and his wife Christa, there is no escaping the tragedy.

Four weeks ago an early-morning fire destroyed their Butler, Ky.,
home and killed their son Billy.

Billy's parents said they were in the bedroom when they realized the
house was on fire. Jamie Hughes said he told his wife to jump out
the bedroom window, then threw two blankets over his head and
started searching for Billy.

He said he was almost immediately overcome by flames, and at one
point stumbling into a pile of burning clothes, disfiguring one of his
hands.

"I looked at my hand for a split second and forgot about it. That
quick. Because I had one mission in mind, and that was finding my
son," said Hughes.

But as the inferno grew, Hughes said realized there was no way his
son was still alive.

"I could hear everything. I could hear the house burning, I could
hear the house creaking," said Hughes. "And then I hear this little
voice."

He said the voice continued speaking.

"I hear this little voice say, 'Get out. Daddy get out.' And I about
went to my knees," said Hughes.

He said he found a window, and punched it with his one good hand,
but it didn't break.

"I hear this little voice again, 'Daddy get out.' The next time I hit the
window it busted," said Hughes.

As he climbed from the burning house, he said he looked back one
last time.

"I turn around and I see -- I see two shadows standing on the
stairwell. One was my son and one was my father I lost two years
ago," said Hughes. "That let me know that my son was fine."

Hughes spent the next three weeks in the burn unit, mourning his
son.

"It's a hard thing to deal with," said Hughes.

He said he's not sure why he keeps coming back to the scene of the
tragedy, other than the fact that memories are all he has left.

"I mean I know he's not here. He's in heaven with my dad and the
rest of my family. But, I mean, it's hard -- it's home," said Hughes.

Investigators said they still haven't figured out what caused the fire.

The Hughes family has relied on the support of the community to
get back on their feet. A benefit has been planned for this Saturday
at St. Xavier church in Falmouth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23386584
Class on Kenneth Ring's "Lessons From The Light"
begins Sunday, May 4th

Hello Friends,
A 4-week class on Kenneth Ring's book "Lessons From The Light"
will be held at Hillside Community Church in El Cerrito beginning
May 4th.  The class will begin following the Sunday morning service
at 12:30 P.M. and will be led by Rev. Doug Moss, Pastor.
This first two Sunday classes will be primarily devoted to discussion
and sharing of Near-Death Experiences, and the second two
Sundays will discuss the parallels between NDE's and the
revelations of Emanuel Swedenborg.  
Those of you who have personally had a Near-Death Experience
are especially invited to attend these classes.  Your personal
experience is invaluable in helping us to understand what Emanuel
Swedenborg said about the afterlife.

For further information about this class, or directions to the Church,
please call:

Rev. Doug Moss, Pastor   (510) 236-4348
or
Linda Baker,  (510) 235-3646
Join Dannion Brinkley

along with your other favorite authors including: Deepak Chopra, Marianne
Williamson, James Van Praagh, Gregg Braden, Cheryl Richardson and many more
for
a full weekend event to nurture your mind, body and soul.

May 30 - June 1, 2008
Chicago, Illinois

Celebrate Your Life has really changed me. the conference made such a great
impact on my life and I feel so good inside. Other people have commented and
said "I want to be happy like you are". I guess I'm bringing them to the next
conference.
-Lee A. , Conference Attendee
Meet your favorite authors in one place at e time
Over 40 inspiring workshops
Meet like minded people
Shop our unique vendors

Proudly sponsored by OPRAH & FRIENDS

REGISTER NOW FOR EARLY DISCOUNT!!!
CALL 877-300-7352

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IANDS-EL Cerrito, APRIL 27 at 6:30 PM
Our Events
www.north-ca-IANDS.org

EL CERRITO IANDS:


An Evening with Kenneth Ring PHD
Interview with Jeffrey Mishlove

El Cerrito IANDS will show a documentary video of Kenneth Ring being
interviewed by Jeffrey Mishlove, on the television series "Thinking
Allowed," on Sunday, May 25th at 6:30.  This excellent documentary
goes into a discussion of Ring's book "Lessons From The Light" which
has been the subject of Hillside Community Church's Sunday class this
month.

Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., is an emeritus professor of psychology at the
University of Connecticut and co-founder and former president of
IANDS (International Association of Near-Death Studies).  He is the
author of several works on near death experiences, such as "Heading
Toward Omega" and "Lessons From The Light".  He has directed
different studies of a large number of individuals who have had
near-death experiences, and is considered today as a pioneer in research
on the subject.

The group meets at Hillside Community Church located at 1422
Navellier St., El Cerrito, 94530.  There is a convenient parking lot
adjoining the Church.  The meeting will begin at 6:30 P.M.  If you want
further information about the event or directions to the Church, please
call:

Sandy Wright  (510) 841-067 or Linda Baker  (510) 235-3646
Dr Kenneth Ring
Map
BERKELEY-
IANDS

International Association for
Near-Death Studies

Lewis Griggs & Dave Bourdon:

“Applying Lessons from the Light to Daily
Life”

Tuesday, May 20, 7:30- 9:30 PM
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists (BFUU)
1606 Bonita Avenue (at Cedar), Berkeley
  When difficult, even terrible situations or people come to the
forefront of your life, how do you deal with them?  Do your
spiritual beliefs get put aside – or do you use the force of “God”
or “cosmic consciousness“ to alleviate the suffering?  And what
are those principles, the legendary near-death experience “lessons
from the Light”?
  This month, two people – one a NDEr, one not – discuss
applying these lessons to daily life – whether it’s the daily grind
or something far more challenging.
  Lewis Griggs of San Rafael had it made from birth.  Born to a
wealthy family with a lineage dating back to the Mayflower, he
confesses he thought he was “the cat’s meow.”     Wealth, health,
looks, great parents - “I had everything I wanted,” he says.
 His 1977 NDE in a car crash changed his life. Entering another
dimension of “pure grace,” he was told “Lewis, you have been
called here to have this conversation and to be sent back because
you are not doing your work.”  He would return to found the
award-winning Griggs Productions, a company specializing in
diversity education, a field he had no knowledge of, and in which
he had no previous interest.  
 But even a NDE doesn’t stop life challenges.  A rafting accident  
in 1997 left him in a coma, unsure of who he was, not knowing his
parents, not able to talk or walk.    “I learned what it was like to
be trapped in my body, and not be able to communicate.  I had to
regain everything. I finally became very humble,” he says.
And a greater challenge for him is more recent: after spending his
life trying to help his bipolar daughter, he realized he had to cut
her loose, and let her find her own way.
Dave Bourdon did not a NDE.  Raised with no religious
background whatsoever, he reacted to life’s travails by hating
God.  “The worst part is that I didn’t even believe in the God that
I hated, that old man in the sky.   I was dragged around by the
people and events in my life, feeling powerless and angry about
life itself.”
 That began to change when the wisdom of NDErs came into his
life.  “I was incredibly blessed to run into the wisest people I’d
ever known right from the start.  When I finally “got it,” my
perception of life changed, and when your perception genuinely
changes, your internal life, the real you, genuinely changes.”
 One result was the creation of the NDE Paradigm – a spiritual
compass that points to the misunderstandings, the illusions,
behind your suffering.
“Life is always going to be difficult – it’s meant to be that way
for the same reason a gym has heavy weights for lifting.  But
failure to see life clearly – to live the lessons from the light as
naturally as breathing – leads to endless internal pain.  And that
just isn’t necessary, and anyone can apply the lessons that will
change that path,” he says.  
   Come join us and take part in a spirited - and spiritual -
discussion!
BERKELEY IANDS monthly meeting are open to near-death
experiencers and non-experiencers alike. A $5 donation requested
to help pay for rent and expenses; no one turned away.
You are encouraged to bring refreshments for sharing!

FOR DIRECTIONS TO BERKELEY FELLOWSHIP AND
DETAILS SEE OUR PAGE
BERKELEY-IANDS
DANNION BRINKLEY
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BERKELEY

International Association for Near-Death Studies
(IANDS) presents…


NDEr Julia White:

“Death is actually a wonderful thing”


Monday, June 23, 7:30- 9:30 PM
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists (BFUU)
1606 Bonita Avenue (at Cedar), Berkeley

 Asked about her near-death experience, Julia White states unequivocally, “Spirit is real.  Death
is not anything to be feared – it’s actually a wonderful thing.” And she adds with a laugh, “It can’
t be that bad if you don’t want to come back.”

But when Julia had her NDE in 1964, there was no such term as “near-death experience.”  There
were literally no words to describe what had happened to her. She did not mention what
happened until the early 1980’s, when “poems just started pouring out of me.”

This month at East Bay IANDS –four decades after the event - she’ll share her story with a
group for the first time.  She’ll also read and discuss some of her NDE-inspired poetry.

Julia’s NDE occurred on a snowy mountain road in North Carolina.   She was a passenger in the
car, which went into a skid and seemed certain to go over the mountain side.  And then, she
says, “I left my body.  I saw my life like a slide show.  Bam, bam, bam  bam, bam – then it
came together like a picture.  I saw what my life had been up to that point.”

And then she was told she had to return.  She found herself back in the car, which had skidded
into a barrier.

Of her NDE, she says, “It was very much real.  This is beyond knowing – this was experience.
You know the expression, “sea of love?”  That’s what it was like.  It was like being in pure
love.  I was more alive than I’ve ever been again.

         “It just changes everything about how you look at the world, or it has for me.  It’s my
reference point for what’s real.  It puts everything else in a whole different perspective.”

Today, Julia is a high school special education teacher in the Bay Area.  She was involved for a
decade with the Berkeley Psychic Institute, “trying to get back to that place that was so
wonderful.”

After Julia’s talk, we’ll have a spirited discussion – come join us!

East Bay IANDS monthly meeting are open to near-death experiencers and non-experiencers
alike. A $5-$10 donation is requested to help pay for rent and expenses; no one turned away.

Summer Break in June at El Cerrito IANDS