The first book about my NDE, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife (2012), hit a resounding chord with readers around the world, and yet I felt that the title prevented some in the scientific community from reading the book. Those who have read it realize that it is a commentary on the nature of the mind-brain relationship, and especially of the fundamental nature of consciousness itself. While my story certainly supports the reality of an afterlife, the book is far from being just a discourse on “heaven.”
The revelations of my message address the very fundamental nature of reality and human experience, and cover territory well beyond the question of whether or not some aspect of consciousness survives the death of the brain and body. Such knowledge is directly relevant to how we approach life in myriad ways. It is a mistake to assume that Proof of Heaven is simply a clear-cut confirmation of the teachings of modern-day Christianity (an accusation from close-minded skeptics who I’m convinced have not read the book, but rather are simply recoiling at the title). Of course, my overall message greatly supports the original teachings of Christ, which places love as the central guiding force and stresses the connectedness we share through love, but it is not limited to Christians alone.
Many times each month, I am asked to give interviews and presentations. In a recent interview conducted by Elise Loehnen in New York, while Karen Newell and I were guest presenters at Gwyneth Paltrow’s in Goop Health event, we were able to crystallize the main points of our message succinctly. The appropriately titled podcast (one that makes our message accessible to all), “Is there Proof of a Spiritual Universe?” was posted on May 24, 2018, and we felt it would be of particular value to our friends and followers to hear it. Also just posted is a Goop Q&A with Karen where she discusses her own path of spiritual awakening.
The spiritual realm is not exclusive to any one group of people – it is accessible to us all and this fact greatly affects how we live our lives here and now. My books and talks have resulted in a deluge of communications from practitioners of some of the deep mystical traditions of many faiths (Kabbalah, Christianity, Islam, Sufism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahá’í Faith, among others), confirming the resonance of my journey and message with their own understandings. I can’t stress enough that our message is for all humans. But, at its core, my mission and process are scientific, based on personal experience and on a modern rational approach to understanding how best to interpret such experiences in drawing conclusions about the nature of reality.
My second book, The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People are Proving the Afterlife (2014), demonstrated the ubiquity of such spiritually-transformative experiences across all cultures, religions, belief systems, and millennia. From a scientific point of view, Proof of Heaven was a question-mark that challenged the status quo. But my newest book, Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Heart of Consciousness is much more about the modern scientific study of the brain and mind, and certainly goes much further in trying to get to some answers about how to understand it all. Some of these deep scientific concepts, and their importance to us as spiritual beings living in a spiritual universe, are crucial in trying to heal our somewhat broken world.
This process of awakening will ultimately involve the synthesis of both our scientific and our spiritual nature as human beings. Some physicists are already comfortable with the notion of our universe being fundamentally mental, not physical, based on a maturing view of the metaphysics underlying the experimental results in quantum physics. The deepest lessons and refined experiments in quantum physics nudge us gently toward this realization.
And the wealth of human encounters that include near-death experiences and similar spiritually-transformative experiences richly opens our understanding of ourselves and our universe so that the most reasonable conclusion involves the fact that all of our existence is spiritual, in the sense that our lives matter. We are here for a reason, and we have great responsibility for our choices in how we deal with our fellow beings. Acknowledgement of the scientific underpinnings of our spiritual nature will help in this grand awakening of humanity. Replacing our erroneous materialist (or physicalist) world view with one based in our connectedness and purpose, i.e., our spiritual nature, will provide the most beneficial revolution in the history of human thought.
How do enter the spiritual parallel universe? Trust me I’ve been there and it is no dream it exist. If you are foolish enough to fall for Satans tricks you my get a chance to go there but that universe is filled with your worst nightmares. This is where Satan is and when it’s said that God bound Lucifer to the Earth, this is where he resides. Our lives are being recorded in that universe including our thoughts. Everything has a vibration. I just hope when I die the lord does not force me to be with these demons for not being obedient.
I can only tell you or anyone reading this that my NDE which filled me with strength, motivation and the forces of nature collided upon discovery of 5 individuals of a wrong doing. Upon a phone call how 3 in 5 pass in 3 months, is beyond any question spiritual scientific fact. I asked for guidance and recived. A theft of from a spiritual God, and spiritual family. Self inflected fear can rip a man’s soul, thinking no one will ever know, is a lie within a lie. After all for every action their is a reaction, nothing comes along life that was not put in motion at some point.
Can you contact me ?
what do you think about evolution? I’m caught between two minds. I believe in God but atheism seem to make sense.
Well, what kind of evolution are you referring to? There are many forms of evolution, even spiritual evolution, which I have experienced personally.
Atheism may seem to make sense, but from what I have discovered, many atheists discredit the notion of a spiritual realm simply because it does not make sense to them. Even the Bible states how the natural man cannot know the things of God’s Spirit, because they are foolish to him, and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned. From what I have seen, atheists, and men in general, tend to be more concerned with rationality and logic than they are with intuition and perceptive ways of thinking, which are entailed in understanding spiritual matters. Women are generally better at this than men because of the more feelings-oriented way of thinking in women. This is also why men and wimen have trouble compreheding each other in general, because of the left brain versus right brain ways of thinking (left brain involves critical, analytical, rational, logical thinking, whereas right brain thinking involves more sensory, intuitive, perceptive, and feelings-oriented thinking).
Atheism does not always rule out spirituality, though. Many Asians in China and Japan happen to be atheistic, but still consider the existence of the spiritual realm. Buddhists in general are one group that identify as such. I too was once atheistic, but I akways believed in the spiritual realm. Eventually, I had asked YHWH God to make Himself known to me, and on three occasions, a large amount of light filled me. The Bible says in 1 John that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If you have not come to know this Light, you would do well to ask for it. Atheism in the long run only leads to death and darkness. YHWH grants light and life. It is your choice.
Thanks for the answer. The internet is filled with lots of atheistic views which are gaining ground. I hope the church does more to help illuminate things so as not to seem ridiculous to so called rational and scientific minds.
Quite a varied bag of comments ranging from the bloody minded completely closed minds to minds still capable of reason and logic. Minds that are still prepared to question their own current beliefs.
I am 90 years old and apart from a few years spent in infancy and bewildered teenage have spent much of my life in a search for the meaning of human existence I am not affiliated with any religion or cult neither do I consider myself a spiritualist.
In answer to the question is there a Spiritual Universe I would say, I don’t know, but I do believe there is a spirit world. My experiences in life have always indicated that death: the withdrawal of self from the physical body is not the end of existence.
The body is essential for the self to operate in a physical world: the one we regard as earth. When the body, for various reasons becomes no longer required the self withdraws and rejoins friends and relatives in the spirit world.
Now because I cannot myself provide from a personal viewpoint proof of that I submit the following excerpt from the work of Anthony Borgia
Anthony Borgia was a medium who transcribed the thoughts of an orthodox deceased priest whom he had known in life; the Catholic priest’s name was Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914), and he was a son of a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson.
Here is some of the priest’s input from ‘Life in an Unseen World’ which available in PDF free online
These spirit realms are full of people who once, when they were on earth, denied that such things as psychic faculties existed. They know better now. They know that such faculties are part of the natural make-up of man. All people possess the powers of mediumship inherently. In the majority of folk they need developing and bringing out, and regulating along adequate lines so that the best may be made of them, just as the artist and musician, shall we say, must develop his abilities by working upon the right lines.
Humankind was never meant to be cut off from the spirit world, neither was the spirit world meant to be cut off from intercourse with the people still upon earth. Now, if the whole earth world were to become psychically developed in every branch of its exposition, the earth plane would soon become a very different place.
The Churches say that ‘the dead’ cannot come back, or would not come back if they could. They say, “It is only devils that come back, who impersonate our own kindred, deceive us, and thus try to ruin us spiritually, so that we jeopardise our immortal souls.” What arrant nonsense! The Church professes to have the spiritual care of man in its hands and knows next to nothing about the matter at all.
The Church has become stupefied by its own fantastic doctrines and beliefs. It has become inflated by its own self-importance. It has become hypnotised by its own apparent security. It has become absorbed in the details of dogma and doctrine and the outward displays of showy ritual. It has poured money into bricks and mortar because it really believes that the House of God warrants a lavish expenditure in art and architecture. This may be justified only when all else is fully provided for – the poor people especially, for with the Father the needy come always first.
Because we see things in a clear light in the spirit world, we regard the Church on Earth – and by Church I mean all those religious bodies who nominate themselves Christian – we regard the Church upon earth not as a help to man in his spiritual progression, but as a downright and deliberate hindrance. The Church is blocking the way to the diffusion of spiritual truth and knowledge throughout your world.
The Church has assumed responsibility for the spiritual care of man upon earth, and the Church has failed dismally. It can provide no answers to vital questions, questions that are in the minds of so many people. Soon, many more from my world will be speaking to you, for that un-necessary silence has at last been broken.
And this from a Catholic priest who believed in the orthodoxy of his church but who found his first real truth on his arrival in the spirit world
John Player
Very interesting reply
To John Player- I agree with you, I believe there are no “True” churches on this earth and which were all created by man. The next world(s) which we refer to as “Heaven” or spiritual paradises have been visited by members of my family and it is a place, I have been told, with such happiness, light and love, that you would visit and probably would not want to ever return from. It is a life review of yourself, and then you see others and family that have passed on before you. We are here to learn, gain wisdom, and help others, learn life lessons to apply, and where we can learn so much more. Its a gift to come back to earth even if we don’t want it. It is our creator’s choice who decides. We all must have love in our mind, hearts, and forgiveness, and give and do service for others. It would be a much better earth existence if we knew this ahead of time, till we depart. I am not afraid to die knowing there is a more beautiful place to exist.
Wow! I must confess am highly impressed by all the comments and ideas shared here.
This topic has been one of my greatest quest in this life and am happy to discover I have people that share the same curiosity with me.
In a nutshell i believe in God,i believe in the cosmic energy, infinite intelligent, mother nature. I see all religion and founders as children of one source(God) with different theory but one meaning.
I’m with you in this regard, God to my belief is the creator of all existence but neither good nor evil but the balance that brings peace. To all good and bad. As Christians would believe they are the image of God, how can you think a bad thought and be the image of that which is only good?
Gods purpose, knowledge and wisdom cannot be decided by one that does not have an open mind. Facts based on a scientifical understanding have a limited perspective in my opinion.Why?
Can scientific facts explain the exact reason for existence? With proof?
I don’t think so.
Wholeshit… no one dies and comes back again, the bible said its appointed unto a man to die after that judgement, i would love a different example of after death experience like someone who got blown up by a bomb and came back to life or someone shot in the head, other than that its all Hoax!
“We are here for a reason, and we have great responsibility for our choices in how we deal with our fellow beings.” Do we have the freedom to choose? Do we have choices? Do we have freewill? The answer to all of them must be “NO”. Freewill has been the most debatable issue on the internet. But the following logic will prove its non-existence: For every action we take, there is always a reason for it. Since the reason comes before we act, our present action is controlled by our past reasons. Thus we cannot have freewill at the present moment.
In the same way do not have choices either. Our mind is sequential. We deal thing one after another. We cannot do thing simultaneously. Thus when we take choice A, we can only analyze that choice, once it is resolved, then only in the next time slice we pick up choice B. Thus in every time slice we have only one choice. And we execute that choice always without freewill.
Therefore we are guided by destiny, as mentioned in the Bible, and also all books of other religions. Take a look at the destiny chapter in the free book at https://theoryofsouls.wordpress.com/ for more details.
You’re wrong. We have the power of freewill and choice despite our acknowledgment of its consequences.
In the example you gave, at every time slice where we are faced with options A, B & C, we can choose by ourselves and our understand of the consequences of our choices any of the three options we are faced with.
The alternative to making that choice by our understanding is to seek for which would be the right choice depending on whomever one chooses to guide in such critical decision making.
What your post is rather about is about the falsehood that is multitasking. And yes I agree with you, we can only DO one thing at any one time before switching to another.
“In the example you gave, at every time slice where we are faced with options A, B & C,…” – A time slice is the smallest time interval. It is the time when we think about only one thing. You cannot think two things at same time. We must think A first, then in the next time slice we think B. Our mind works sequentially, only one thing at a time.
I am from a strong christian background, but i have always been inquisitive about everything and used to ask my parents and argue a lot with even church elders about spirituality. Now i don’t believe in whole religion thing at all because nothing makes sense. All i know is that i have a brain that i can control what comes out of it consciously or subconsciously. I started by believing that there is no Satan since all evil acts start as a thought which can be controlled so ( No satan ) and to add to that , we humans like putting things in 2s, good vs bad , god vs Satan etc. I later came to realize we are all connected to the universe so universe is God. I wish the world would do away with religion and perhaps embrace philosophy. Religion was made to make people controllable and it was a success.
You are wrong. God is a spirit, the universe is not. Secondly, satan is not something you make up in your mind. Like God, he too is a spirit that existed before you were created. Therefore satan is not a thought but a real entity. Finally, heaven is a real place and it does not exist in your mind as some eastern religions have suggested. If that was the case, all of us who are alive would have tasted what it’s like to be in heaven. The word of God says no eyes have seen, ears have heard or mind has imagined what heaven looks like. So definitely this is not something that resides in your mind. I like the Christian God because things make more sense here
With the Bible and a christian God, things make no sense so i have to disagree. How does it make sense when a loving god is credited with atrocities in the bible.
The actions of drowning HIS own creation, telling a father to murder his own son, then at last minute told him to stop, i was only testing you, is the action of a psycho.
Yes, there is a supreme being! whether we call him god or the universe, i prefer to think he/it/her is love.
The bible to me seems to be written by men with the intention of controlling the weaker of men with threats of eternal damnation and wrath of god.
If people choose to believe that then fair enough. After many years of living in fear of an angry maniacal god, i choose to believe in a loving creator.
Sorry, but your understanding of the Christian and Hebrew Bible is very weak. God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac was a picture of God himself having to allow his Son to be sacrificed. The people that perished in the great flood of Noah, were warned repeatedly about what was coming if they did not repent. He is still asking the same thing. Repent from your sins and begin a relationship with your Creator.
I have %100 proof of spiritual life after death and have so since 2006. This is physical proof and is humanly impossible and also have witnesses that can back this up. If anyone would like to know what I`m talking about here can e-mail me at
Daren, my dear, I have sent a request via the e.mail address you gave to hear more about what you have to share, did you not get it? God Bless, Margaret.
Dear Daren, Since I sent you the message re your e.mail, I have changed my provider, so I will try again on that one today. Sincerely Margaret.
The biggest throwback is the scientific dogma that throws spirituality out the window as GOD does not belong in science when in fact GOD is science.
Just as scientist are incapable of explaining how molecules and electrons stimulated consciousness it’s the same way they are incapable to proof that GOD does not exists by saying there is no proof that he exists but they exist and cannot explain their own existence,
Couldn’t of said it better myself
You are wrong. None of what you are saying has any evidence to prove what you are saying. By the logic used to justify an existence of a god, you could make an excellent argument for the existence of Santa Clause.The universe is infinitely larger than you can possibly imagine but for some reason God can’t seem to stop obsessing over us? The reason there has to be a reason for existence is a purely human thought. The universe is and that’s all we know and it doesn’t owe you an explanation for it’s existence. So explaining things we don’t understand with god doesn’t do anything but keep ignorance alive and well.
Can you measure how much electricity is in a wire by using a ruler? How much does a scientist know about measuring Joy? How can you know or deny the existence of something if you don’t have the right tools to measure it? A proper scientific response should be “we are not sure about the spiritual world because we don’t have a way to properly measure it.”
Lol, the burden of proof is on you to show there’s a God, not on scientists to provide evidence of something not shown to exist. You use zero facts or logic, then claim you’re right? Sad day for our education system.
Dr Alexander, I have read your book ‘Proof of Heaven’ and now reading ‘living with a Mindful Universe’. To the question whether there is afterlife I would say that it is, and well discussed in Hindu scriptures, I am sure you may have researched. Existential body is mind and matter composite, source of life is cosmic energy that leaves the body when one is pronounced dead. Soul is the life energy and never dies. This, rebirth, and karma philosophical attitude is well described in the Gita, the most popular Hindu scripture. One needs to appreciate that life is a combination of mind and matter, and mind is not the brain, but something beyond. I consider mind to be a part of universal consciousness that pervades the whole universe, in fact the multiverse, and spiritual universe. But then one may question what is the necessity of this universal consciousness to manifest? That may be the core question for which science and philosophy, alike, search the answer. We are nowhere near! we may untie the knot with such NDE experiences.
Quest to unravel the Absolute Truth must continue by combining scientific and spiritual realms of investigation. Investigating tools wholly based on gross world needs to change as abstracts cannot be discovered with gross, one needs to go into the world of ‘Abstract’ to know more about abstract.
Read ‘Living in a Mindful Universe’ instead ‘Living with a Mindful Universe.
When you are dead there is no coming back.
The experiences that are being described are the manifestations of a dying brain.
This is all there is.
Look after it.
Based on your comment you probably won’t believe me, but you’re so wrong about death and dying. You’re a spiritual being whether you choose to believe or not. When you die you will go back to where you came from, which is where your Creator resides. This is a real place that you don’t remember, but you will. You are here on this earth to learn and grow. We go through trials and tribulations for this very reason. Again, I know you probably won’t believe me, especially if you’re an atheist, but one day you will.
My Dad passed away last November. I take a lot of pictures and my Dad’s face is in one of them and different faces as well. I am a strong believer of the spirit world. I also have several pictures of orbs wit faces in them.
When you are dead there is no coming back is for the body that cannot come back but not for the soul (cosmic energy) that leaves the body, and carries with it the impressions and experiences of life, that is karma along with.
Sir I am student of class eight. And I am very confused about what is death. Plz explain me what is death ?
Hello Bumba, scouting through Eben’s page, “Is there proof of a spiritual universe?” I read your question. First of all, I would like to know what class eight is in your educational scheme please. Is that in America? Of course, verging on my eightieth birthday and in the UK, I would not know what up to date education means in my country, the UK, or any other country come to that. Death means many things to many people, depending on one’s upbringing, social, religious, spiritual, or perhaps as a medical person. Also, as well as physiological, psychological, scientific and so forth. Death in the physical, of course means the body shuts down, nothing beats, flows, pounds, etc. This can take varying time’s according to the rhythm, the flow to slow down or cease immediately. But, if you study, believe or have experience of, either yourself having near death or observing a person in the process of death, then you will have an inkling of what it is. Death, apart from the ceasing of physical function is quite an enigma. I thought to myself on one occasion, in fact, it was the first time I had seen a dead body; “There she is, but where is she?” The night before, I gave this gentle lady a bed bath and she had pneumonia , but she was able to hold a quiet conversation. In simple terms, the body shuts down, and the personality seems to disintegrate, is no more. But, and it is a big but, so much proof has been discovered, coming from many angles, that it is only the physiological that ceases to beat, flow, breathe in and out. The real you, which is not the body or the thought process, but is the original thought of God could feel bewildered initially, but according to your acceptance of insight, you will know, pretty soon, who you are. Actually, you would not even be Bumba, for a “time” you may feel as though you are, because that is the identity you have been used to. But you are more than the personality cloak that you wore for however long. You are a beam of love/light from the heart of God, the Creator. I had better not say any more, I might have confused you, depending on your own searching, but I felt I needed to give you some sort of explanation, something from which you can take your questions further. It is good to talk, question, search and talk to God about. The answers do come, in many ways and forms. Trust. Many Blessings, Margaret.
Dear Richard, when you witness the spirit light exiting a recently dead body, you will have to think again. That and watching other lights connecting with the light from that dead body and seeing them leave the room together. “They haven’t locked me up yet” Sincerely, Margaret.
Thank you for all that you bring to the discussion of the nature of mind and of the meaning of our existence. Fascinating to read the recent study confirming the facts of your medical case and the recommendation to include studies of patients who have NDEs in the literature. (PS — “Kabbalah” is not a faith; it is an umbrella term for a collection of writings and teachings that emerged from — and stayed within — Jewish tradition. The faith is Judaism, and I’m sad that for some reason you did not include it in your list of major faiths.)
I have recently revisited the problem of interaction between body and soul. By soul I mean our “spiritual” self, a conscious entity that can somehow “incarnate” in the physical body but can also exist independently of it. Apparently, if there is such a soul it should be made of something else than of the familiar physical particles that constitute the physical body. But the problem is, how does this soul interact with the physical body while eluding the observation of physicists?
To specify the dilemma: if the soul interacted with the body via a very weak force, it might elude the observation of physicists but its influence on the body would seem insignificant. If on the other hand the soul interacted with the body via a relatively strong force, this force should be detectable by physicists. We need an interaction that has a significant influence on the body and yet has failed to be detected by physicists.
One possible answer could be that the soul interacts with the body via a relatively strong force that results in measurable changes in brain activity but the soul’s influence on the brain would normally be within the usual variance of human behavior and due to the rather limited level of detail at which we can measure complicated brain processes (fMRI, EEG…) and the myriad external influences on the brain, it would be difficult to tell whether the measurable changes in brain activity are or are not entirely caused by familiar physical particles inside and outside the brain.
The problem with this answer is that the brain consists of the same elementary particles that physicists observe with high precision in particle accelerators and there they have failed to detect a force other than from the known physical particles. A relatively strong force should be detectable in particle accelerators. So if the soul influences the brain in a significant way, this influence would seem to be limited to the brain and maybe to some other complex physical objects where it would be difficult to differentiate this influence from the influence of familiar physical particles. Why would the soul influence only brains or other complex objects? The only reason that comes to mind is that the soul would want to hide from detection, which seems rather questionable.
So I have searched for a different possible mechanism of interaction between the body and the soul and have come up with a combination of weak force and resonance: the soul might interact with matter via a very weak force and that’s why it has not been detected even in precise observations in particle accelerators, but it would be able to influence the brain in a significant way via resonance. Resonance is a familiar physical phenomenon in which a periodic external force or vibrating system drives another system to oscillate with greater amplitude at specific frequencies. Thus the effects of a weak force would be amplified, theoretically without limit if the driven system had no resistance. It might be that only highly complex structures like neural networks provide patterns that can resonate with the soul and so the otherwise weak interaction between soul and matter would be difficult to detect outside the brain.
The interaction between the soul and the brain could also go the other way: via resonance, brain activity would influence the soul, and thus the soul would be able to receive information from the brain, including information that encodes perceptions of the sensory system of the physical body. After the death of the physical body, the soul could continue to exist and hold consciousness but would lose access to further information provided by brain activity.
To become closer to God while in physical body might involve strengthening the resonance, and thus the interaction, between the brain and the soul.
As a layman in physics, I don’t really know if this idea is possible, specifically whether it is possible that a weak force would be able to induce significant resonance on the scope of neural networks without being detected in our current particle accelerators, or whether perhaps gravity could do the job of the weak force.
Excellent thoughts, thank you
I read your book “Proof of Heaven” and what most intrigued me was the fact that you were
adopted from a loving mother that felt she could not take care of you. You wound up in a
loving family and a father who was a neurosurgeon. You followed in his profession and also
became a neurosurgeon and survived a critical illness. WAS THIS ORDAINED?
I consider my life and what changed the direction was a fall from a one and a half story roof at the age of twelve and survived with a crushed vertebra and a concussion when the fence that broke hit me on the head. After a month in the hospital and another month in a full body cast I recovered but this completely changed my life.
Because of my time in recovery I was required to redo my eighth grade so I finished high school in 3 1/2 years and became an engineer. Got married and had four beautiful daughters, three who are also engineers and one is a veterinarian.
I truly believe that there is a unknown hand in directing ones lives.
Sam, I don’t follow the time line in your having 3 1/2 years to finish high school. Do you mean 4 1/2 years? And by the way, I am not skeptical as to belief in God’s guiding hand in life’s events. I am simply trying to make sense of the time line. Sincerely, Hugh
Bought your book and have been surfing through all your media. Question about heart math, question about the heart chakra. In the New York Times and Wall Street Journal I read and viewed a photo of the iron or mechanical heart designed to either pulse or stream blood. So if this becomes another techno reality. Our heart chakra will emit through metal? That would mean our aura can in a near future enliven a robot? What do you and Karen have to offer on this weirdness?
What does this latest research show? Is the brain active about 5 minutes after cardiac arrest? Is it related to the study of surge of brain activity of mouse in 2013? I can only question you. Please answer, please.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ana.25147
It was said that brain activity stops within 3 minutes after cardiac arrest. So, do you mean that there is brain activity that correlates with consciousness in the past 3 minutes? Or does it refer to weak activities that do not correlate with consciousness? Also, do you see violent brain activity as seen with rats?
I would like to tell Professor Eben, authority of neuroscience.
In proof of heaven he explains how his brain was not capable of conscious thought for over a week(by labs, scans, neuro exams). Therefore he was not capable of biological consciousness during that time. Certainly there is brain activity after cardiac arrest but at least his story is different.
Dear Charles, Thank you for answering my comments and outlook. How I wish that others could experience something of what I have, over decades of time. In less than two years I will be 80 years old. How at some time in that period – was not really an Aha moment, it was gradual and at various times. I would say, “That’s it! that’s how it is, of course” If you have asked to have “the truth” revealed to you, then don’t ask any more, accept what you already know up til now, then the framework will widen. One might say, ” None of us know the full truth” That is because we are limited in our expectations and the fears, doubts and questions come from the physical brain. Link into your Heart, which is where the soul resides, thank your soul for your life and experiences, state you are ready to open your eyes and heart to what Is. The Is goes on for ever, grows wider and higher until we cotton on that we are part of It anyway. Fears and doubts, misgivings is the contract, the lines of the play that we have volunteered to express and digest, not just for our own growth, but for the benefit of others too. The circle widens ever including others across the Planet. Ask – trust – watch out for signs and synchronicity, keep a log, one day you will read it all back. “Of course” you will say. This is the task of all humanity. That’s enough for now, I don’t know it all, just sharing what has made sense to me over my life time. Love and Blessings to all. Margaret.
Hello Charles, there is so much evidence over thousands of years, if you like, that warrants following the experiences of others when they share stories of the same vein you share with us. If you know that you weren’t dead dead and can read or hear so many other, not only NDE’s, but experiences recently published in books such as Lisa Smart with “Words at the Threshold” then please do not hold onto that reluctant fear. You know what you experienced, no one can take that away from you, I know what I have experienced in my work life with those in need and still continue to do so in my social, family life and spiritual experiences. I no longer believe, or hope, I know. Rejoice, my friend. Blessings, as usual to all. Margaret.
Thank you Margaret. What got me to this site is that I happened upon a debate Eben had participated in which asked is there an afterlife? I know that my problem has always been a lack of faith. I don’t know why, even with my out of body experience as I call it. A while back while talking about it after my Love’s passing with my daughter, she said said “How do you know if you were breathing and your heart was beating while you were laying there?”. I do know that after that, the only fear I had of death was leaving my wife and family. Now I have to wait till God decides when I pass on and go to her. I even feel a little guilty in a sense that maybe I’m using God to get to her which might not be what He wants. So I pray for His mercy on that. The age old question of man is “Why are we here?”. Well, the way I see it, everything farms something. We’re a Spirit farm. I don’t believe in reincarnation because then we’re just a Simms game for the Spirits. I’m rambling a bit now. Yes, I know I was at the door, and I believe my love is beyond that door. I just wish she could tell me. There I go again.
Thanks again, and God bless you too.
I am deeply mourning the passing of my wife who died in my arms 6 months ago. One of the promises I made to her is that we will be reunited again forever. I pray every day that God has mercy on me and reunites us soon. I accept that I should suffer for past sins and hope He answers my prayers.
My hope is not only based on God’s love and mercy, but also having the following experience. During the winter of 1982, I do not recall the day but believe it was in February, I was hit by a truck while crossing a street taking a coffee break from work. There is little more to this description I’m writing but don’t want to write a book here in a comment section. It’s as clear in my mind today as though it happened today. I remember before I hit the ground thinking “Oh S#!t, I’m dead”. I felt nothing from the hit, but suddenly I was above my body, looking at myself laying on my left side between two parked cars in left over slush from a snow fall. I was closer to the car parked in front than the car parked behind. My head was about a foot from the curb facing to the left and a little toward the street, as my body was a little curled up on my left side. The only way I can describe the feeling was that it was a feeling blissfulness, like I could stay there forever. I looked at the cloudy sky and then back down on myself. I saw a man walking as though he was walking toward me. He was walking on the sidewalk on the side of the car parked in front of me. I never would had been able to actually see him coming positioned the way I was. Suddenly a thought came to me in a flash. My wife, who was pregnant with our fourth child. I thought to myself “No, I can’t go yet”. What happened next is the most convincing part. I dove into my body and immediately started to get up. The man who was walking toward me helped me up and into the building where I worked. I know I dove back into my body. I could see myself as I got closer and then I was inside and back to myself. I believe the man who helped me was the man who hit me because he said “What color was the truck”, and then told the people at work that I slipped and fell. An ambulance came and they took me to the Hospital. My entire left side was bruised to blackness. Shoulder, arm, ribs, hip and leg. I had a two by two on the back of my head. They put me through a full body CT and found no broken bones or internal injuries. I didn’t tell anyone about my experience afraid they would keep me there and I wanted to go home to my family. They suggested I stay over night and see a neurologist but I said I wanted to go home so they let me. Besides my family, there is probable less than ten people I’ve ever shared this with.
Throughout the years, I’ve tried to poke holes in all of this. I am a skeptic by nature. I question everything. But this I know happened. I now hang on to hope that my wife and I will be reunited. My only fear is, and this is part of my skepticism, is that I wasn’t Dead Dead. What would had happened if I was Dead Dead? I try not to dwell on that, but that thought is still there. I just have to have hope in God.
Here is another interesting point: it is at conception that human consciousness and soul life begins – at the same time the body is made by the uniting of t he egg and the sperm. This comingling of the material and spiritual realities just could not take place at some other arbitrary time. This is supported by the St. Luke scripture that tells us that the human body / soul life of Jesus began when he was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit – the Power which is God’s Dynamic Love. She immediately went to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant b;y her husband Zechariah – the three month old child in her womb was John the Baptist who recognized Jesus, just days old, in the womb of Mary when she walked in the door and he leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.
Abortion is the murdering of a developing full human being. When science and faith can talk then this will be clear and the abortions will stop. Abortion is not is recreational sport.
“For those who have faith, no explanation is necessary, for those without it, no explanation is possible.” And the correlations go with it: for those who are gifted with the ability to go beyond the visible, an infinite amount of life and activity abound, for those who can’t get past a scientific ceiling, no explanation is possible for those same realities. Spirit comes from spirit, which means that it cannot be self-generated or self-preserved. This along with the material body all exists at the good please of the Creator God and Father who can unplug the whole thing anytime He chooses – now will He? that is the question, and if He wills not, then what are those consequences? Interesting questions!
Looking again at our comments, may I suggest that you look at the Website of Owen K Waters. To me he has demonstrated great insight on God, our souls, intent, experience, healing, relating to others. He teaches of creation, angelic beings, Gia, how we can silence out the ego. Stated simply, without any great fuss, esoteric, but plain and easy to follow, not just for guru’s or those of many years. Eben talks of his “proof” which to him is as valid as that of any other, Stephen. Not only that, there are millions who can identify with him, in relation to their own experiences and stories. There is a continued surge throughout the path of humanity, one reads in history of this awakening, it ebbs and flows as we enter, exit and re-enter this sphere on a learning curve. This learning curve embraces the wise, the ignorant, the sick in mind and body, those who live in love and those who function within the “seven deadly sins” There are too many supportive aspects to this discussion for it to be spoilt by sarcasm. Much love to all. Margaret.
https://reasonfaithscience.com/
Excellent initiative! well worth the look!
Dude I’m glad you made it but your story proves nothing at all. You should be careful about using the word proof as a scientist you have made an egregious error.
Stephen Gipson MD
Looks like you haven’t read the books, Stephen, but are simply recoiling at the title. In fact, my experience and that of millions of others that defy explanation by our simplistic and false notions offered by scientific materialism are due for a fundamental and unprecedented shift, and in fact prove a far richer reality than the paltry fiction of conventional science (which is totally clueless about consciousness, and about the proper understanding of the deep mystery of the measurement paradox in quantum physics). More open minds and receptivity to the subtle signals from the Universe will be crucial in helping us emerge from the dark ignorance of our current world.
Stephen probably didn’t understand what he read. When I ask God what truth is, answer was; truth for us is what we are able to understand in actual moment.
At my website I post just a bit of my spiritual experiences, you encourage to post more.
When you say “proof” I can only assume you mean proof in the sense it has been proven to a collective body politic or a consensus of scientific minds? I say this because I can assure you that Eben has had his “proof” whether you have experienced it or not. I find that skeptics too often read like that bad T-shirt which says “If I wanted your opinion, I’ll give it to you,” which presumes more knowledge than they’ve actually experienced. It’s confounding, really.
I had similar experience, even not so deep as Eben, he is right at all.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
Marcus Aurelius
LOVE IS ALL THERE IS! LOVE BEING GOD, GOD BEING A TRINITY OF THREE SEPARATE PERSONS, whose very existence generates the Love Between the Father and the Son, as a third Person, the Holy Spirit. This is the force and reality behind all of creation – Everything is quivering and is vibrating and humming at the speed of triune life! IT IS BEYOND AMAZING!
The only response that mankind can possibly have to God who created everything according to his own design and purpose, including consciousness, and self-consciousness and awareness – is to say THANK YOU – and COULD YOU HELP ME IMPLEMENT THIS KNOWLEDGE in my own particular field of interest.
Love is all there is, period.
Mystery solved? What is of earth is of earth – human consciousness did not spontaneously generate in the brain; what is “human” “self-aware” “possessing free will” “decidedly loving” did not spontaneously burst into existence – what is of earth is earth – but is an entire gift of the Creator of all things, and bestowed on the potentially highest form of creation – an evolved ape-like creature – making it the highest form by the very gift from outside creation into creation of the Creator’s own “image and likeness” – what is born of spirit is spirit.
and the very “power to comprehend all this” is also a free gift given to all who ask for it: – this power is FAITH.
Therefore: the mystery is not only solved, but available to be understood by everyone, especially children.
It is up to us to pray for the gift of faith, or the increase of it – and then, the mysteries of the universe open right up!
There is talk, however, of person who not only had a near death experience, but who actually died for three days, and then came back to a newer, fuller, indescribable quality of living – he exists now not as the product of evolutionary duration – but rather, he exists in a radically transformed upgrade in essence, quality, and abilities. And he is inviting as many who would want to share in his super-natural state. I am interested in how, like him, we are equipped now to enter into his own experience and existence. The body we are given to work out our Purpose in life – then – will be brought back to us after death, at the proper time – and then, as this story goes – the new heavens and the new earth will have arrived – a third level if you will, if you count the earth we are in now, the second level earth we experience when we die, which we think is all we need – but then the third and highest level is the one with the “Ultimate Upgrade” if you will – the likes of which there are no words to adequately describe. There will be a unity not only of existence, but also of Purpose, and the only proper response we humans in our new glorified state an make is praise, adoration, blessing, honor and glory to the Supreme Source of all Life, Love and Forgiveness. Then the long awaited wedding will begin!
Therefore it is essential to continue to study what human consciousness is, but the bottom line is that it is TOTAL GIFT from THE TOTALLY OTHER – the GOD OF LOVE – the GOD OF JOY – the GOD OF PEACE! The God who simply wants to share his Personal Love Dynamic with others. Otherwise, there would be no “self-awareness” “self-consciousness” or the ecstatic depth of a perpetual experience of LOVE!
The other side of the science coin is always GOD! and all that emanates from him as free gift! In that “otherworldly” reality. This can only be proven by applying spiritual tools and gifts – beginning with the power to relate to God on his own level – that is what we called the VIRTUE of FAITH – a theological term very familiar to St. Thomas Aquinas – which goes hand in hand with another VIRTUE or dynamic power: LOVE (CHARITY, a theological term), both of which give a perpetual resource called the Virtue or Power of HOPE – all emanating from the Death and Resurrection of the Word made Flesh: Jesus! LOVE made Flesh!
It is interesting that Dr. Alexander’s experience and interpretation of what he and many others like him have experienced – to me as a Roman Catholic Priest and Monk – not only sounds credible and real – but most likely are very credible and real. I should like to make one observation, from a Catholic viewpoint, that everything while credible and real and true – is only the Grand Overture – to the Real REALITY and EXPERIENCE that will be permanent and beyond the description of even the already inexpressible beauty, power, love and joy and bliss that we will all experience – for those giving the nod that it is so. Not that the nod makes it so, but it is the entrance token that is needed into this glorious unfathomed-to-now realm.
The time has arrived for Science to meet Religion. In my experience as a priest / monk – i would recommend looking into the Word On Fire media presence of the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles – Bishop Robert Barron – his is probably one of the most Pastoral and Non-threatening Apoligsts in Church History. His recent address at Google Headquarters ranks among the best brief summary of human yearning, desire and finding – that I have heard to date! It is not coincidental that not only he but many, many Catholic theologians, teachers, and pastors and religious community members are on the exact same page as he is. We have come from many different backgrounds and paths, but we are converging now on the exact same finish line. I believe that Dr. Alexander’s major contribution to the “final lap” is that as a well-established credible member of the Scientific community – he can speak truth to Truth Seekers in that realm – and convince them that Soul separates from the body at Death – but that soul / consciousness / human being-ness continues at that point! That can do nothing but put the icing on the cake of the core basic truths of Catholicism. Well done, Dr. Alexander!
Dear Dr Alexander and Karen Newell,
I think You are a very important person on this planet.
I am always looking forward to your blog.
I want to realize that consciousness is fundamental,but Recent scientific research shows that consciousness is a phenomenon of the brain.
what should I do?
https://www.sciencealert.com/detailed-timing-pathway-producing-conscious-awareness-human-brain
Be wary of sensational headlines that make general claims. You reference an interesting article that comments on one small parcel of the millions of such scientific observations that will slowly chip away at the “easy problem” of consciousness, a project which some brain scientists estimate will only take “a few centuries”. The easy problem has to do with “qualia,” that is an assessment of how to make sense (from a neuronal and brain perspective) of the redness of an apple, the emotional power of a beautiful sunset, or the bitterness of love lost.
Far more daunting is the “hard problem” of consciousness, which points out the tremendous explanatory gaps that exist in any current physicalist model (that is, “brain creates consciousness”) with actually explaining the big picture of the unification of conscious awareness as humans experience it. When one realizes this all goes far beyond the simplistic perceptual elements of normal waking consciousness to include the reality of “non-local” consciousness, that is the evidence that phenomena like telepathy, precognition, presentiment, out-of-body experiences, remote viewing, past life memories in children indicative of reincarnation, etc., are real, one begins to glimpse the enormity of the challenges of understanding Consciousness.
It is all actually a complete investigation into the very nature of reality (space, time, mass, energy, causality, as well as exotic experiences of consciousness like dreams, near-death and shared-death experiences, after-death communications, death-bed visions, etc.), given that no human being has ever experienced anything other than the inside of her own consciousness. Time itself is part of the maya, or illusion, built in on this side of the veil between consciousness of self and the grander, unfettered conscious awareness of primordial mind.
We tend to believe we are physical creatures existing in, but separate from, the physical world. The findings of quantum physics seem very mysterious because, even as the most scientifically proven field in the history of science, they imply in no uncertain terms that there is no objective physical reality independent of the observing mind. There seems to be one mind that we all share, and it projects all of emergent physical reality. None of us are separate from that co-creative force of the entire universe.
What should you do (you ask)? Embrace the extraordinarily intriguing journey into your own consciousness, through a regular practice of meditation. Quiet the “annoying roommate” voice in your head, voice of the ego, as well as of linguistic brain and its associated logic and reason, and open your mind to the grand possibilities to be revealed by the universe. Let go of all prior assumptions. Your Awareness, the inner observer, is the most related aspect of this primordial mind. This journey of discovery will never end. Human free will is greatly empowered by this ongoing revolution in thought, one that I believe will be the greatest such revolution in recorded human history.
Magnificent response!
Also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMBt_yfGKpU
Consciousness Creates Reality incliding material world:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LARXSPARbZU
Apreciados Familiares – por lo de humanos- la búsqueda es la tarea y la tarea es la vida.¡PERSISTENCIA!….Y EL CAMINO LLEGARÁ A SU PUERTO.
This is your spiritual mission you are sharing and expressing, Dr. Alexander. Thank you very much. Just as Dr. Brian Weiss had his naysayers in the late 80’s, people are frightened by what they do not understand. I certainly appreciate any Light (cerebral, mystical, scientific, religious) that you can shine on this hurting planet. Blessings, Cornelia
Good Morning all, lovely early Summers day here in the UK. I had a flash of insight yesterday, we are Experiencers. That applies to every lifetime. I believe that we return to this planet time after time, that seems to be evident when one remembers past lives. So, our experience, however grim or joyful, is, I think, partly planned and perhaps, partly, whoops! taken the wrong turning, or what might seem to be so. Living intentionally within the sphere of Love is what I am aiming for and many more are doing so, every day. Enjoy your weekend, all. God Bless, Margaret.
It seems to me we need be ready in order to find Spirit.
Some may talk of an inner or psychic pain being necessary in order to turn from traditional views and began to follow ones own voice. Regardless, we awaken to our inner Spirit when the inner doorrs are ready to opens, so I’m not sure anyone can be convinced logically that our vast inner world exists. Materials like yours Eben are valuable once we are already on our spiritual paths and are looking for reinforcing thoughts. Personally though, I’ve enjoyed your attempts at turning spirituality into science or vise versa. I also appreciate your courage. My 2 cents is to not worry about people accepting it. Just accept that they’ll come along when they can.
Dr. Alexander:
I very much appreciate the fact that you have undertaken an extremely difficult task; namely to shift the materialistic and reductionist paradigm of science as it exists at present. This is a monumental undertaking, and I admire your courage and determination in this regard. I just wonder if it is an attainable undertaking. It seems to me that you are trying to convince skeptic scientists with reason and scientific evidence. And yet, your incredible journey into the spiritual realm took place at a time when your brain – your rational and scientific thinking – was turned off. Couldn’t this have actually been the message? Could it be that the message was for you, and that it was telling you: “Don’t get so hung up on the brain, Eben. This is not a cerebral matter.” What impressed me about your experience as you related it in “Proof of Heaven”, was that it came after you reached out to God in utter helplessness when you cried: “God Help me!” That has been, since time immemorial, the way mystics have come to great revelations, as they struggled with what San Juan de la Cruz (St. John of the Cross in English) called The Dark Night of the Soul. I’m sure even the most skeptic scientists can change their views if they have such an experience. But I suspect that to try to change their thinking cerebrally is futile. Perhaps the most that will happen is that some of them will become agnostic, but that few, if any, will achieve a complete turnaround. I wish you well in your efforts, but, please do not get too disappointed if it does not bear the kind of fruit you are going after. Maybe, just maybe, that is not the way it is meant to happen.
Hello all again, I wanted to make a comment to Bob about his use of the entropy. I had to look in the dictionary, because I had not come across it before, or if I had, maybe it did not register. It means, does it not, “A measure of the ratio of transfer of information in a message” ? I don’t think Eben is denying or belittling Jesus, but do bear in mind that the Gospels we have for general use, have left out so much of Christ’s teaching, many books and gospels were discounted some hundreds of years ago. I would rather utter the original Aramaic Lords prayer for example than the one most of us know today. We all report back, as it were from our own experiences, that is our learning curve. We take it from there in a sense of where we are at the time. Hopefully, we are curious enough to look at it further. Much love to all, Margaret.
I have spoken to you several times. I do think you are doing important work regarding the human spirit but don’t think the final word will be that the universe is all there is. I heard a recent analogy. If a human was the size of a Coke can and was filled with ocean water would it have captured the full essence of the ocean? The ocean is so much larger than us. We cannot fully grasp reality. As Thomas Aquinas said, “It is all straw”. So keep working but don’t undermine the centuries of good work that the church has done. Maybe some of the explanations seemed simple, but it all is based on the battle of love versus entropy.
It is Margaret again. I have just watched a short video on “Out of your mind” Alan Watts. I receive regular information, insights, ponderances, if that is the right word! It was sent by Phillip Carr Gomm, who is a druid. the video is so close to the truth, I don’t know how much closer it could get. If any of you know of Alan Watts you will know what I am talking about. I really must get on, this seeking truth business, takes up a lot of one’s day! Again, Much Love, Margaret.
Hello all, good to “chat” again. Proof, well to those of us who have had and are still having proof of a Spiritual energy, there is no argument. But no-one can persuade another of this. It arrives, the curtain is drawn back and the Light comes in. But the Light is there and has always been so, we live in Light, we are Light ourselves, but for most of us it is not realized, until a happening occurs that takes the scales off our eyes. For some it is an immediate revelation, for some it culminates after, perhaps grim years, others it is a gradual process, levels are revealed over a period of time. But when the scales are lifted, my word! “Thank God for that” we might cry. The Aha moment. There is so much to discover re this revelation, that most times it comes in relay’s over a period of time, on various levels, because there is no end to it. Personally, I went through some very dark times, some steep stairs to climb, but over decades, of not only my personal journey, I took others along with me and we saw the Light together.Many years ago when I saw my own hands expand in Light as I prayed, when I was visited by a spirit nurse who gave me healing, when I consciously looked back on my sleeping body, whilst being encouraged by a spirit companion to leap off the window sill and fly, when I saw, with others, faces of my Grandmother and Father within the turned off television screen, this phenomena lasting several days. So many more experiences, too numerous to fill this page. We are all on our individual journey’s, but the Web is shuddering all the time to keep us moving in the direction of awakening and that happens mostly by example. All exciting stuff!. Love to one and all. Margaret,
There was no sound in the video titled “Shift in Consciousness” with Karen Newell and Dr. Alexander. I turned on the close captioning (cc in the bottom of the screen toward the right side, click on it until you get the red line), and read every word.
Dear Dr Alexander and Karen Newell,
Thank you for your email of today. I have done a little research about the universe. Following opinions have been released:
1) Why is universe a quantum world?
2) Why does the universe expand?
3) Why is there a gravitation force?
4) Why does the electron exist in three classes of weight?
5) Why does the weak power exist?
6) Why is there more matter than anti matter?
If the universe is forever, what prevents mankind to exist forever?
The Higg particle are considered to have created all matter.
The dark energy is introduced in order to explain why the universe is expanding.
Kind regards
Stig Dahlstrom
“Replacing our erroneous materialist (or physicalist) world view with one based in our connectedness and purpose, i.e., our spiritual nature, will provide the most beneficial revolution in the history of human thought.” This very statement, even if I questioned any others from you, draws me in and deeply resonates with me (at a soul level), since I was awakened (in the middle of the night years ago) by the words, “We Are All Connected.” I have been talking about that experience for years, researching all the ways that we’re connected, and writing about it.
I look forward to reading your most recent book. Beautiful!
I am a believer. At a very young age I rejected the heaven and hell concept; for I could not grasp that a loving entity would banish someone to an eternal hellfire. I have read your Proof of Heaven and Living in a Mindful Universe. Thanks for sharing so openly and honestly. I look forward to continuing my growth process in another realm.
Hallo Patricia,
the “other realm” you talk of is actually right here and now and is the “kingdom of heaven” which Christ Jesus spoke of as being “within you”. Eben Alexander caught glorious glimpses of this realm and has benefited mankind enormously by relating his experiences and conclusions publicly. Amazingly the principle behind this was discovered in the middle of the 19th Century by a very famous American woman who also had the courage to speak out. What she learned is widely practiced today by readers of her work “Science and Health”. I am sure there are many other people in all sorts of traditions who are being inspired to reach back into the spiritual roots of their own traditions. Salvation is indeed universal.