Abstract

Diego had an extremely varied near death experience. While many have an out-of-body episode, that seemed to only cover one aspect of their life, such as meeting past family, a life review, or speaking to a high spirit; Diego’s NDE was a tour-de-force, commencing with a life review, a glimpse at the process of spirits traveling back and forth to earth and the newly departed journeying upwards. He conversed with a high spirit and was shown personal future events … and what is most startling; allowed to retain memories of what was revealed.

How NDEs are Translated

Diego wrote about his account and sent it to the North West Spiritism site. In the site there are many articles written about individual’s near death experiences that are interpreted by the Doctrine of Spiritism.

While many religions offer hints and broad landscapes about the spirit world, Spiritism, provides specifics. It was brought to humanity by the Spirit of Truth, as promised by Jesus in the New Testament:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Consoler to help you and be with you forever…the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” New Testament John 14: 15-17

“But the Consoler, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.“ New Testament John 14: 26

The spirit realm, that sub-section which circles the earth, is under the leadership of Jesus; He is the governor of our small orb and is responsible for all of humanity. He decided it was time to free all cultures from the manipulation of organized religions, which had forgotten that they were on this planet to serve mankind, not to be served. Therefore, in the 1850’s, through a series of communications with mediums throughout Europe and under the direction of Allan Kardec, The Spirits Book was codified.

The organization, the processes, the goals for each of us, the cycle of multiple lives we travel through, our immortality, were all exposed. The truth of why we are here and what is our purpose, was, for the first time, laid out … not in parables, but in plain words. Thusly, may we understand the reason and what the spirit world is trying to tell us when near death experiences occur.

Spiritism isn’t a religion, it is a Doctrine that is available for you so you may determine how to live your life. There are no rote prayers, no dress codes, or foods you can’t eat. Spiritism doesn’t like to use the word “sin”, instead uses the word “wrongs”. Wrongs are those deeds that you, through your conscience, knows to be in error. For example, Spiritism doesn’t state that homosexuality is wrong, only if you lie to a partner, or take advantage of your significant other, then that is a wrong.

A high spirit summarized the Doctrine of Spiritism by stating that if you follow the Golden Rule, you are well on your way to becoming spiritually advanced. Treating others as we wish to be treated sounds so easy, but difficult to put in daily practice. To take this command at heart is one of the primary reasons we are on this planet; for many lives.

This knowledge was brought to all of us, so we may learn how to best take advantage of our time on earth. So we may understand that focusing on material goods is to miss the point of why we were allowed to incarnate into a physical body. Our goal is to advance spiritually; to love, to be fraternal, charitable, and honest individuals.

The Beginning

Diego was lying down in his bed when the experience commenced:

“Suddenly I saw myself near the roof top looking down at my body. I was floating on it, and at the beginning I didn´t recognize it.

I first told myself, ‘Whose body could it be?’, because it looked strange, until finally I recognized it as mine.

Then a voice told me, ‘Come on’. I felt that person near me, although I couldn`t see him and we began going up through a viaduct full of humid like fog which was refreshing. I saw other viaducts with people going up.

I thought ‘I am leaving life on the planet, my life ended, this is it.’ I asked, ‘Did it end?’ and the voice said, ‘It seems like it did’”[i]

When Diego left his body, a spirit was there waiting for him. One hears this fact over and over again in NDEs. No one seems to question how did they know a certain person was about to die and leave their body. We seem to just accept this fact, like children knowing their parents are there in the middle of the night when they have a bad dream. Children don’t question the presence of their parents, they just are.

Whereas, we should; because knowing why spirits are on-hand to greet us and show us the path to the light, is one step in acknowledging how the spirit realm constantly watches and cares for us. There is an answer, and it lies in the fact that spirits live in a world of four dimensions, not three … there is more, the speed of light isn’t the speed limit.

As Diego ascended out of his body to an undetermined place, he saw more:

“I left my body with a sensation of an ascending pathway and flew to a place which was still. There was a subtle bluish fog, a dark dimness. Suddenly I thought, ‘am I talking to myself’?

I kept on ascending until I arrived to a sort of small square. There were two beings of whom I could only see their big eyes… I talked with them and asked them if I was leaving in a definite way and they answered me, ‘Maybe yes’. Then I told myself ‘am I dreaming?’

The guides told me, ‘No, you are not dreaming, look at your family.’ In front of me were the dead persons of my family, there were also people I didn´t know and a lot of children. All of them were smiling and they were very happy to see me.

When I tried to get near them, they told me not to do it, because if I did, they would embrace me, and I would feel such an indescribable love, that it would already be impossible for me to go back.”[ii]

A spirit met Diego at the time of his NDE and seconds after he left his body, family members who were deceased were gathered to meet him. This is the point of the story where people who doubt the validity of near death experiences point to the false convenience of collecting a group of people, all known to the person reporting the story, instantaneously. It is as if, one woke up thinking about four or five best friends and wishing to see them at a certain location, a place where they had never previously been, and then going to that place and viola … they are all waiting for you.

If one is speaking about our physical world, then I would have to agree the possibility of such an occurrence is minimal. But, we aren’t talking about our world, we are now in a different realm entirely. A place with a different set of rules. A place that is actually our true home, not this planet, upon which we have been sent to be trained.

The Sight and Speed of Spirits

Hence, Diego was now in the spirit world. When you too return to life as a spirit you will enter a realm in which thought is action. Where succeeding levels of heaven confer increasing capabilities. In the Reverend Owen’s book, which is a collection of four of his books, Life Beyond the Veil, in The Lowlands of Heaven section, his mother tells him what to expect on the first level of heaven:

“If a man could take his stand here on some one of the high summits with which this landscape is crowned, he would hold some rather strange and unfamiliar sights. For instance, he would probable first observe that the air was clear, and that distance had a different aspect from that it wears on earth. It would not seem far away in the same sense, for, if he wished to leave the summit on which he stood and go to some point near the horizon, or even beyond, he would do so by means of his will, and it would depend on the quality of that will, and his own nature, whether he went fast or slow; and also how far he could penetrate into the regions which lie beyond the various mountain ranges and whose – I suppose we shall have to use the word – atmosphere is of rarer quality than that in which his present lot is cast.”[iii]

Vale Owner’s mother is telling us what the books by Francisco (Chico) C. Xavier have also revealed. Spirits move by thought, called volitation in the books by the spirit Andre Luiz. When a spirit first arrives, they are usually unable to command their movement by thought, but as they learn and acclimate themselves to their new surroundings, they are able to travel at the speed of thought. There is no upper limit of speed, as the speed of light is in our universe.

When Vale Owen’s mother talks about what regions a spirit is able to penetrate, she is exposing one of the primary tenets of life in the spirit plane. We, incarnates, on earth are made of dense matter, spirits who live amongst and below us are slightly less dense, hence we can’t see them. Spirits that dwell around us, only have the power to move around earth and below by thought. They are unable to rise above their level.

The same is true in the levels of heaven. In the beginning level, where G. Vale Owen’s mother lived, she and her friends were able to travel to the surface immediately. She was also able to travel around the first level by means of her will power alone. But, she was not able to go to the higher levels of heaven. This is the rule for each successive level. Spirits may travel downward at will, but they are not able to become less dense, meaning more and more pure energy, until they acquire the required qualifications to be allowed to live in the next level. Hence, as you rise, your freedom of movement expands, until some future time, when you will be able to roam the universe(s) at will.

Vale Owen’s mother further explains the differences between the spirits on different levels:

“It is on account of this that we do not always see those messengers who come to us from the higher spheres. They are seen by some better than by others, and are only truly and definitely visible when they so condition their bodies as to emerge into visibility. Now, if we go too far in their direction – that is, in the direction of their home – we feel an exhaustion which disables us to penetrate farther, although some are able to go farther than others.”[iv]

This explains why Diego could see some spirits and not others. The higher spirits, until they transform themselves into denser beings, would be difficult for Diego to see. He wouldn’t be able to discern the details of their face or body.

Just like a dog gets use to the parameters of their world when their owners have an invisible fence, we in our spirit form, are limited in the same manner. In a most natural fashion our boundaries are set. We are physically unable to go regions which are beyond our capabilities.

We are not trapped forever in our cage, all we need to do is to apply ourselves and learn the path to the light, through love, charity, fraternity, and to intellectually apply ourselves to whatever task on hand that is assigned to us.

Far Vision

Next, Vale Owen’s mother lets us in on another attribute that is expanded as a spirit rises in hierarchy:

“Again, standing on that summit, the observer would notice that the firmament was not exactly opaque to the vision, but rather in the nature of light, but light of a quality which intensifies as the distance from the surface of the landscape increases. And some are able to look farther into that light than others, and to see there beings and scenes enacting which others less developed are not able to see.”[v]

It is hard to fully comprehend the immense power of a high spirit. The range of movement and the ability to see through mountains and dimensions is but one aspect. In a land where thought is action, the most dedicated, the highest achievers, those who are adept in all aspects are the leaders.

Vale Owen’s mother explains the full breadth of what the power of thought signifies:

“Also, he would see all around him dwellings and buildings of various kinds, some of which I have described. But those buildings would not be merely houses and work-places and colleges to him. From each structure he would read not its character so much as the character of those who built it and those who inhabit it. Permanent they are, but not of the same dull permanency as those of earth. They can be developed and modified and adapted, in color, shape and material, according as the need should require. They would not have to be pulled down, and then the material used in rebuilding. The material would be dealt with as the building stood. Time has no effect on our buildings. They do not crumble or decay. Their durability depends simply on the wills of their masters, and so long as these will, the building stands, and then is altered as they will.”[vi]

Spirits live in a world of logical constructs. We read books about conjuring, bringing forth objects from our mind; it is a reality in the place you shall return to. A single or a group of spirits concentrate on what they want to construct and build it by their focus of mental energy.

Doesn’t this explain why we are being trained to become civilized beings on earth? Don’t we have to remove any trace of malice, jealousy, envy, desire for revenge, selfishness from ourselves before we are ready for such power? Would you dare to live on a planet, where anyone could walk by, destroy your house, dematerialize whichever object they desired? Only in a world full of kind and loving souls could people live together amidst such commanding force.

It is as if, you were walking in a city where each citizen was fully armed, but you felt perfectly safe, because you knew that you were loved and cherished by all. The weapons on their sides only meant that you were safe, that no harm could ever come to you as long as you were protected by such benign spirits.

This is why we must train on earth to live through chaos and suffering to free ourselves of our baser inclinations, before we can graduate to paradise. You have to earn utopia, they don’t let just anyone in, and once you are there, you wouldn’t want them to change their rules.

Therefore, Diego’s family and others, who he would come to know in the future, were gathered. All of them were notified of Diego’s event and they responded by arriving at the place designated to them by a higher spirit at a speed that is beyond our reality.

Future Friends and Freedom During Sleep

The people who Diego did not recognize then came to him and revealed why they were present:

“When they finally passed near me, they saluted me and said they were friends of a friend´s family. Others were totally unknown, and it was ten years later that I met all of them for the first time on earth, as friends of my brother. My brother also met them about ten years later after my experience.”[vii]

While Diego met past family members, he also was introduced to people who were alive at the time of his NDE. How could this be? Again, Spiritism provides the reason: When we sleep our spirit is free to roam. We are free to meet other souls, whose spirits are liberated while sleeping, spirits who are not connected to a body and locked on earth or below, or spirits who reside in heaven.

The unknown people gathered at Diego’s NDE were freed from their body and requested to come to meet their future friend. Most probably, when they woke, their recollection of their time in the spirit world would have been translated into a fuzzy memory of encountering a stranger in an even stranger environment.

In the book Spiritist Review – Journal of Psychological Studies of 1858, published in 2015, by the United States Spiritist Council, there is a dissertation from an unknown spirit about sleep.

It supplies a complete survey of what sleep means to souls at different levels and why our dormant state is vital for us:

“Poor human beings! How little you know about the most ordinary phenomena that exist in your life! You think highly of yourselves; you think that you have a vast knowledge and remain speechless before these simple questions framed by all children: ‘What do we do when we are asleep? What is the meaning of dreams?’ I don’t have the pretension of making you understand what I want to explain, since there are things that your spirit cannot submit to, because one can only admit what one can comprehend.

Sleep entirely frees the soul from the body. When we are asleep we are momentarily in the same state that we shall definitely be after death. The spirits that have quickly detached from matter, on the occasion of their death, had intelligent dreams; those, when sleeping, meet again with the society of other beings that are superior to them; that travel, talk to them and are enlightened by them. They even work on tasks that they find finalized when they die. This, once more, must teach us that we should not fear death, as we die every day as once stated by a Saint.

All this was said with respect to the superior spirits. The large majority of people, however, who may remain in that perturbation for long hours, in that uncertainty that you were told about, those individuals go to worlds that are inferior to Earth, attracted by old affections, or to look for pleasures that are even of a lower level than those found here. They will then learn doctrines that are even more vile, ignoble and harmful than those that they profess among you. What establishes the sympathy on Earth is nothing else but the fact that we feel attracted by the heart, as we wake up, to those with whom we have spent eight or nine hours of pleasure or happiness. What also establishes the irresistible antipathy is that, deep there in the heart, we know that those creatures have a different conscience, with respect to us; hence we know them not having ever setting our eyes on them. It is this that also explains the indifference, since we don’t seek to make friends when we know that we have others that love us and wish us well. In one word, the sleep influences your lives more than you think.

Through sleep, the incarnated spirits are always in contact with the spiritual world, allowing then that the superior spirits, without much repulse, do agree to come to incarnate in your environment. God wanted that during the contact with vices they could reinforce their virtues in the source of goodness, so as not to fail, as they come to instruct others. Sleep is the door that God opened to them to meet their friends from heaven; it is the break after the work, waiting for the great liberation, the final liberation that should reintegrate them back to their real world.

A dream is the memory of what your spirit saw during the sleep. Notice, however, that you do not always dream since you do not always remember some of what you have seen or everything that you have seen. It is not your soul in its full detachment; often it is nothing more than the memory of the perturbation that follows our departure or arrival, added to the memory of what you have done or what worries you during the waking state. Without that, how can we explain those absurd dreams, of the scholars as well as of the simplest person? The evil spirits also use the dream to torment the weak and pusillanimous souls.

As a matter of fact you will soon see the development of a new kind of dream. It is as old as the one you know but ignored by you. It is the dream of Joan of Arc, of Jacob, of the Jewish prophets and of some Indian fore-tellers. Such a dream represents the memory of the soul, entirely separated from the body; the memory of that second life that I was telling you about some time ago.

For the dreams that you retain the memory try to distinguish well between those two kinds, as without it you shall fall into contradictions and cause dismal mistakes to your faith.”[viii]

At the end of the spirit’s communication we are being told that some dreams can hold valuable information for us. It is our responsibility to separate the important and relevant dream from the vast majority of nonsense dreams we all have.

I talk about my dreams and how they have helped guide my life in my book, 7 Tenets of Spiritism – How They Impact Your Daily Life. There are definitely dreams that are meant to supply us with vital information, either to warn us of a possible event or to gently push us onto another path.

Lastly, I believe what the spirit revealed to us illustrates the limitation and uses of our physical body. Our souls live in a temporary spacesuit which require periodic communication with the mother ship. It is as if when we don’t have enough sleep we run out of oxygen and our body begins to shut down, without the resupply of air from the surface. We are submerged here on the surface of earth and we need to ascend periodically to refresh ourselves in the rarefied atmosphere of a higher plane.

Diego’s Life Review

After meeting with the people who had or will intersect with Diego’s life, he was taken to where he could examine his life. Diego experienced, once again, the feeling of ascending, until he reached the intended destination:

“I began a dialogue in which I relived whatever I wished to, and then all my life. A process of judging myself began regarding the earth life. I questioned myself and wondered what I did right or wrong, but also adopted my own defense, and then I wanted to know the reasons for everything. I became inquisitive.

Suddenly I entered inside myself and noticed that I was in a conflict of understanding, of fearing (due to guilt), of overcoming and finally accepting all the occurrences and consciousness of each stage of my life, I understood the methods and resources I had had at hand to be able to go through the artifices of this past life (I found myself in a lighter blue light). I saw groups of beings who saluted me. I noticed that no one judged me, they were all kind, while I did judge myself.

I perfectly understood that what I had lived in this physical life was as important as it was unimportant. Then, identifying myself with my Diego ego in the earthly realm, I began to judge myself, to blame myself, and I took decisions accepting some things, and leaving aside others; because in the depth, there was no real guilt.

Nevertheless, they allowed me to understand all the contradictions, actions, situations in which I felt guilty, or not guilty. Their words were precise; promoted my wellbeing, my peace, and when I felt a violent dialogue with myself, justifying myself or placing the guilt on someone, they said that ‘all that I felt was part of the game’, part of evolution, but that in the depth it didn´t have any importance

Suddenly, with a ‘scandal of voices’, I understood that “everything” is valid, everything is excusable, because my position in my life on earth, was just a very small one in an open game of evolution.

Suddenly my guides were again beside me with their big eyes, lucid and paying a lot of attention. I again saw simultaneously all my life. It seemed to me very interesting to ask a lot of questions, and I saw with nostalgia some periods lived. I understood that most of our ambitions are ambivalent and not at all transcendental.

All my life appeared like a 3D movie before my sight, at an extremely high speed. I asked the guides if the vision could be slowed down, so that I could talk about certain periods which I thought important. They answered that they were not as important as I was thinking. I told them I wanted to analyze each period lived, but they told me it was not necessary because they were not worthwhile.

They said I knew very well how non transcendental they were. All was said very kindly. But I felt frustrated. They told me not to worry about my self-analysis, because there was no judgment at all. So I understood I had to go on ascending. The guides that accompanied me were kind, tactful and VERY COMPLIANT, but impenetrable, inscrutable, when certain questions were asked, and when they did, they answered with only a smile.

The communication was by telepathy and they knew instantly what I was thinking. Their answers were essential, sparing, concise, precise and certain. They were very calm, unadorned, frugal and with a tender sense of humor. Everything was understood without being said.

After finishing this headache of simultaneous and knocked down ideas, that had obviously a cultural, legislative, and theological origin in my physical life, my guides answered me with only a word: ‘unimportant’, and they said it cheerfully.”[ix]

Diego’s account of his past life review says it all about why we are here on earth and how we are guided by the spirit world. His life is a series of learning experiences, what we see as major disasters are but expected behavior. As we watch our children make the wrong decision time after time, never losing hope they shall learn eventually, and grow to become responsible adults, the spirit world too, knows our mistakes are learning opportunities.

Whereas, we might see in one past life, that we committed fraud in our delirious quest to become rich, to the spirit world, that is one more mirage that needed to be dispersed. One more step in the arc of our lives, for us to see the desire for material wealth is a turn down a dead-end street. It leads to nowhere and wastes our time. Hence, episodes that Diego agonized over were trivial and part of the expected process to those who can see the span of eons. After all, the entire group of spirits who participated in Diego’s life review have been there before. They have made the same mistakes, or worse.

Think of Judas, a hated figure by many. Spiritism tells us that Jesus on the cross was worried about Judas, for Jesus, being a high spirit, knew what Judas would do … his betrayal was part of the plan. Jesus loves Judas, as he loves us all. Some Spiritist says Judas was reincarnated as Joan of Ark. Hence, he too, was given a chance to right his mistakes. Not on the orders of the spirit world, but according to his wishes.

Diego, when he thought, “I perfectly understood that what I had lived in this physical life was as important as it was unimportant,” grasped the concept of immortality. It was as if, the adult Diego was looking back at the time he got a “D” on a test, it was important at the time, but then again, he rose above it, and it became unimportant as the years passed by.

The cool and caring atmosphere of analyzing, what to us are deeply embarrassing events, illustrates the background of love and understanding existent in the spirit realm. This ocean of love which surrounds us in the heavenly spheres is why many people don’t wish to return and why Diego was cautioned not to embrace his family. The juxtaposition between the harsh reality on earth and the warmth of the spirit world is dramatic and would tempt any sane person to remain, regardless of their responsibilities on our planet.

The tone of Diego’s life review isn’t unique; James, who’s NDE I analyzed in my book What Really Happens During Near Death Experiences – According to Spiritism, had a near death experience where he too, was taken to a place and had his most intimate moments and mistakes exposed:

“The experience was uncomfortable at times, I had to see myself warts and all, I saw the best and the worst in myself. But never at any time did I feel I was being judged by anyone present. We reached my present circumstances and I saw that my lung condition had been created by myself to give me an exit opportunity. We had a long debate after the film about my life blueprint and whether or not I had fulfilled my chosen experiences which were mostly linked to previous lifetimes and spiritual ‘baggage’ that needed to be cleared and healed. I felt that I needed more time on earth and this was agreed by the council, who also told me that I would need to go back more spiritually awake to accomplish this.”[x]

The end of life reckoning awaits us all. For better or worse … it depends entirely upon our actions, we shall judge ourselves. The panel is actually there to prevent you from being too harsh, too severe in your opinion of yourself, or on the other hand to not allow an unrepentant soul to ignore the deeds they truly committed. They smooth out the proceedings, they provide the long term view, and they enable you to step outside of yourself, as a person slightly removed from your temporary body you inhabited on our sphere.

Only the act of reincarnation supplies the required trials to fully mold our character. The spirit world can do part of the job, but as one travels higher, the love acts as a benevolent force that super charges our intellect and shields us from emotional pain. For even as we ascend, we still require the shock of the reality of earth to remove our blemishes. Only a sojourn on a chaotic, severe, ruthless, and sometimes intolerable planet can provide the stimuli to cut out our less desirable attributes.

To learn more about reincarnation and how we are part of the planning for our next life, read my book The Case for Reincarnation – Your Path to Perfection.

In the Middle of the Grand Central Station of Souls

After Diego’s life review, he came to a place that resembled an old train station. He could detect and even converse with souls rising from earth and spirits returning to earth. Some had just been visiting the spirit realm during their sleep, others were leaving their physical bodies for the last time.

Like any large city, movement is constant, with enough souls, there is always someone on the move and an organization is required to maintain order. We think of the spirit world as clouds and the music of harps; in reality it is a functioning well-oiled machine, in the business of teaching immature spirits to become valued members of the higher levels of heaven.

Diego, like countless others, stood in the middle of the great transit station and marveled at the march of souls hurrying to and fro, each one for a definite reason. Here is what Diego saw:

“I saw people descending, going back, and others ascending. Some people were known to me for 20 earth years, but I hadn´t seen them again. I asked them what they were doing there, and they began to explain to me the types of illnesses they had had. I also met people unknown to me then, whom I met many years later in their bodies on the Earth realm. I asked one of the two persons I did know, what he was doing there, and he told me he had had a very serious health problem, and almost died, but the health problem had already been solved by the doctors. This is the reason why he was going back to his body. Nevertheless, another friend who was a friend of my family for many years, was leaving the Earth realm in a definite way, so was I told. Then came some guides to take the friend who had been ill, back to Earth through a tubular shape in descent.

I also observed other tubular shapes through which other souls were ascending, and among them, the lady known to me and my family whose body had died. I inquired if the lady could go back but they said her time was over and that she had definitely left her body. I felt the energy of the lady perturbed, because she was confused, since she did not know her body was dead, and I avoided meeting her. In that moment, my guides smiled.”[xi]

There is an army of spirits who watch over us, guide us, and help lead us during our time asleep in the physical world to our last day on earth. What Diego witnessed is just another day at work for many dedicated spirits who have chosen to help their fellow man.

Helping Souls Who Just Passed Over

Spiritism have brought to us more information about the help given to the dying and the souls who have passed over from the physical world to the other side. In the series of books by the spirit Andre Luiz, psychographed by Francisco (Chico) C. Xavier, this subject is discussed from many angles. The caring and effort to help people make the transition is considerable.

This subject is also reviewed in the Reverend Owen’s book, his mother talks about the assistance given to the newly dead:

“Now let us see if we can impress you to write a few words of the conditions which we found when we arrived here – the conditions, that is, of those who pass over here when they first arrive. They are not all of an equal degree of spiritual development, of course, and therefore require different treatment. Many, as you know, do not realize for some time the fact that they are what they would call dead, because they find themselves alive and with a body, and their previous vague notions of the after-death state are not, by any means, lightly thrown away.”[xii]

As we have seen in Spiritist literature, among those who have slight spiritual inclination or knowledge are quite rightly confused. Even those who are spiritual and practice one of the religions are often taken aback. Most are taught we become another being or we are sent to heaven right away in the form of an angel. We cast off not only our bodies, but our baser characteristics and are transformed into graceful and noble entities. Imagine the surprise when we find out we are who we are.

Process of Awakening

Vale Owen’s mother takes us through the regular process to wake up the confused soul who has come over to the spirit realm.

“The first thing to do, then, with such as those is to help them to realize the fact that they are no more in the earth life, and, to do this, we employ methods.

One is to ask them whether they remember some friend or relative, and, when they reply that they do so but that he is dead, we try and enable them to see this particular spirit, who, appearing alive, should convince the doubter that he is really passed over. This is not always the case, for the ingrained fallacies are obstinate, and so we try another method.

We take him to some scene on earth with which he is familiar and show him those whom he has left behind, and the difference in his state and theirs.

If this should fail, then we bring to his recollection the last experiences he underwent before passing, and gradually lead up to them when he fell asleep, and then we try to connect up that moment with his awakening here.

All these endeavors often fail – more often than you would imagine – for character is built up year by year, and the ideas which go to help in this building become very firmly imbedded in his character. Also we have to be very careful not to overtax him, or it would delay his enlightenment. Sometimes, however, in the case of those who are more enlightened, they realize immediately that they are passed into the spirit land, and then our work is easy.”[xiii]

The last thing that most of us expect to be when we die is the continuation of what we were before death. Andre Luiz wished to explore exactly how a spiritually aware person felt after their death. In the book, Workers of the Life Eternal, psychographed by Chico Xavier, Andre Luiz is given permission to ask questions to Dimas, who had just passed away.

What a Spirit Feels Right After Death

Dimas was an untiring medium, who worked for the good of incarnates and discarnates. Hence, Andre was part of a spirit team who was sent to help Dimas disconnect from his physical life. It is worth noting, that one of the main obstacles, was the desire of his family for him to recover and once more be part of their life. The thoughts emanating from Dimas’ wife and children kept him tied to earth. The spirit team had to resort to the camouflage of making Dimas appear to recover, so his family would leave the spirit team a few hours of peace to begin the process to bring Dimas over to the spirit realm.

Upon his death, Dimas was placed in a coffin. Next, the coffin was taken to the cemetery, where the funeral procession included at least twenty discarnates, including the newly departed. At the cemetery, where the coffin containing the remains of Dimas is being buried. Andre asks his director if he can pose some questions to Dimas. The Director gives his permission to explore more what it feels like to be newly dead.

Andre turns to Dimas, now a spirit and asks:

“Are you still experiencing any physical pain?” I began.

“I still have a clear impression of the body I have just left behind,” he responded politely. “But I have noticed that, in wishing to remain close to my own loved ones and to continue on where I had been for so many years, I relive all the suffering that I endured. However, when I resign myself to accepting the higher designs, I immediately feel lighter and comforted. Despite the short amount of time that I have been awake, I have already been able to make such an observation.”

“And what about the five senses?” I continued.

“They are in perfect working order.”

“Do you feel hunger?”

“I actually can tell that my stomach is empty and I would be glad if I had something to eat, but this physical desire is neither uncomfortable nor torturing.

“And thirst?”

“Yes, although I do not suffer because of it.”[xiv]

As usual Andre poses the questions we would all like to know. There are an enormous number of gems of information in each one of Andre’s books. I encourage our readers to discover more about the spirit world by reading the books of Andre Luiz, starting with Nosso Lar, his story of his death and eventual rescue from the Lower Zone (or Umbra) to his time at the celestial city of Nosso Lar.

An Example of a Soul Who Just Passed

Vale Owen’s mother tells us of an actual case she was on. She and group were sent to assist a woman who was on the cusp of passing over. They arrived to see the dying lady surrounded by sad friends. All were extremely sorry to see her leave the earth. The narrative starts:

“She fell asleep, and the cord of life was severed by our watching friends, and then, softly, they awoke her, and she looked up and smiled very sweetly at the kind face of one who leaned over her. She lay there perfectly happy and content until she began to wonder why these strange faces were around her in place of the nurses and friends she had last seen. She inquired where she was, and, when she was told, a look of wonder and of yearning came over her face, and she asked to be allowed to see the friend she had left.

This was granted her, and she looked on them through the Veil and shook her head sadly. ‘If only they could know,” she said, “how free from pain I am now, and comfortable. Can you not tell them?” We tried to do so, but only one of them heard, I think, and he only imperfectly, and soon put it away as a fancy.

We took her from that scene, and, after she had somewhat gained strength, to a children’s school, where her little boy was, and, when she saw him, her joy was too great for words. He had passed over some few years before, and had been placed in this school where he had lived ever since. Then the child became instructor to his mother, and this sight was a pretty one to see. He led her about the school and the grounds and showed her the different places with delight; and so did the mother’s.

We left her awhile, and then, when we returned, we found those two sitting in an arbor, and she was telling him about those she had left behind, and he was telling her of those who had come before, and whom he had met, and of his life in the school, and it was as much as we could do to tear her away, with a promise that she should return soon and often to her boy.”[xv]

To those who have read that the mother was taken from her child, do not worry, she was taken to a place where she could recuperate after her release from the physical life. This process is intended to calm the stresses of coming back into spirit form and to make her ready to restart her true life, as a spirit.

A Recollection of Helping the Newly Dead from a Medium

There are many examples, which are quite like the one above in the books by Chico Xavier. From the 1850s, when Allan Kardec codified Spiritism, to the present, we have been given a clear and consistent picture of what death really is.

Independently of any communications from spirits about helping the dead, I had a series of e-mails with a medium who had retained memories of her previous life. She read my blog and was fascinated how close Spiritism was to her own experiences. Then she read the book Nosso Lar, which talked about spirit guides who assisted the recently passed.

A team of spirit helpers were responsible for rescuing Andre Luiz, the spirit who dictated the book to Chico Xavier, about his death, time in the Lower Zone and subsequent life in the celestial city Nosso Lar.

She wrote me:

“My most recent adventure involved Chico Xavier’s Nosso Lar. As someone who remembers being a helper, it was exciting to see Home identified. I thought I was the only one who knew about/remembered Home. 🙂 I must have worked there for hundreds of years, helping spirits. Then I came back here to learn some new things (for a couple of short lifetimes plus this one). Anyway, I want to vouch for Home as a reality. The details about its structure might vary but it is an amazing place of love.

And from Home, you can access any place on earth. It’s not uncommon for people who have reached the helper level to enter the dreams of the embodied, which can be done directly from Home, to offer help and advice.”

Once again, a person who hadn’t been aware of Chico’s books or Spiritism, finds verification of their own ideas and memories. She did write to say that unlike Andre’s experience where he spent time in the Lower Zone, not all people experience this frightening episode after death.

“One item that I feel needs a minor correction regards the purgatory-like experience of Andre Luis, prior to his going Home. He experienced a dark, scary landscape, but I want people to know that the arrival zone is different for everyone. It will basically be your own mind-created object. With sudden or unexpected deaths, people often don’t know they have crossed over; they look for familiarity and their own mind creates that for them. The good news is that someone like me (what I used to do, anyway) will meet you where you are, and help you through the process.”

Of course, she is completely correct. In Andre Luiz’s book there are many instances of spirit helpers assisting people right from their deathbeds and other locations. Andre Luiz was in the Lower Zone, or the Umbra, as it is referred to in Portuguese, because he was an unconscious suicide.

In the case of suicides, the spirit who takes her or his own life is generally obligated to remain in the Umbra until such time as their normal death would have occurred. Hence, the spirit world frowns on people leaving the earthly campus before you are dismissed.

In Andre’s case, he didn’t deliberately kill himself, but he allowed his behavior, drinking and syphilis, to cut short his life. Hence, he unconsciously committed suicide. The second lesson is, not only must we finished the classes assigned to us, but we have to take care of the materials we are given (our bodies).

She then conveys more of her recollections:

“I remember many instances of having to adjust my vibration to see what the new arrival was seeing. People often see their place of work, or their home, or the beach … or hell, if they think that is where they were going. I had to help them through that.

So, for instance, one man wanted to find his office. So I helped him. And while we located his office we talked. At some point, when the time is right, I would always ask, “Do you remember what you were doing just before you met me here?” This conversation would eventually lead them to the realization that they had passed-on to the next life. Then and only then could I lead them to Home, for what amounted to sessions with a social worker examining their lives. It wasn’t judgmental, it was more like, “what went well?” “What could have been better?” etc. And sometimes I felt bad when people were sent back – which would only happen after the counselor and person both agreed that this was for the best.

Another I remember was a very take-charge, upper class kind of man who mostly sneered and barked orders at me, as he tried to find his way to familiar surroundings. I just smiled and helped. And eventually the question… the realization… and then we would go Home.

It’s always Home.”

Again, what she has written is not only verified by other accounts in Spiritist literature, but these types of friendly after the fact life reviews are a theme in many people’s NDEs (Near Death Experiences). Diego was also a witness to this process.

Next she expounded on her experience in assisting this bombastic gentleman:

“Time doesn’t mean much when you’re Home, but the incident I referred to was probably in the 1800’s maybe? The gentleman was a victim of an accident on a sailing ship, and found himself on shore looking out at the water. He saw me and demanded I summon a carriage to take him into town. He wanted to get in touch with his family and tell them what happened. He was kind of surly in that way that people who expect others to jump when they speak tend to be. So I explained in a loving and compassionate way that his transportation would be along soon, and why don’t we talk while we wait?

So he complained about the lack of service and general incompetence of others, along with my perceived lack of helpfulness. We sat on the hillside and waited. And he talked a bit of his life. I don’t remember the details, though. Eventually as he calmed down (though still frustrated), I asked the question, “Do you remember what you were doing just before you met me here?”

And he told me about being on the ship and how it heeled over and he got knocked into the water, he thought.

“So do you remember how you got here?”

“No, I don’t remember. I swam to shore, would be my guess.”

“That’s interesting, why aren’t you wet?”

“I don’t know, I dried off.”

“Really? When did that happen?”

And so on…. and eventually a light clicked on…. “Did I die?”

“Your feelings are true. Listen to them… You can see this place is not where you were, and you don’t know how you got here, and this will tell you what you want to know.”

“So what happens now?”

“Come…. I will show you.”

I stood up and reached out to him. He stood up and took my hand. As we turned away from the sea, a city he had not seen before seemed to rise up before us.

“We’re going home,” I said. “Come!”

And we walked to Home together, where he was met by a counselor, who took over from there…. Home was simply “there” when he was ready to see it.”

The talented medium’s account of her work in the spirit world is inspiring and comforting. Knowing that we are surrounded by such benevolence and love should give us all the courage to continue our struggles in our daily lives.

Spiritism is arranging these messages, recollections, and books to notify us of what lies beyond our mere physical existence. The Rev. G. Vale Owen, was selected to send volumes of great detail concerning life in the spirit world to England in the 1920’s, right after the horrible tragedy of World War I, which people thought of as The Great War, “The War to End all Wars”, since no one could conceive of losing so many young men again.

The medium that I conversed with told me her story in 2015, ninety-five years after the publication of Beyond the Veil. Spiritism told us the great secret that when we pass we are still ourselves in the 1850s. In a span of one hundred and sixty-five years, the message has stayed the same.

At the end of the day, we should realize that we are on earth for a purpose. As we go about our pre-planned life, with trials custom-made for our benefit, we are being watched. The spirit world looks for the right times to help and guide us.

Diego’s Meeting with a High Spirit

Diego’s NDE was at the right junction in his life. In Diego’s account there is no mention of any external circumstances that would cause an intervention by the spirit world into Diego’s life, but it must have been at a pivotal moment, for the spirit realm does nothing without good cause.

Cementing the importance of Diego’s experiences a high spirit came to him to reveal eternal truths and future events:

“As a great surprise, a luminous, golden shape appeared. An androgynous being, shining as a sun, but not hurting my eyes. His borders were well drawn and he got near me, growing in size until he became a little bigger than myself .I felt marveled at the greatest beauty I had ever seen, a being that overflowed any ability to understand him, to the point that I almost lost my consciousness and wanted to become just that gracious , immense, beautiful sensation. The being was full of compassion and my consolation.

He was a being of pure love, wisdom, light and energy I looked at the being face to face, in his powerful beauty and extraordinary energy, and it occurred to me that if I perceived His real shape, it would be equivalent to staying. The being surrounded me with an embrace, tender and noble, that is completely impossible to describe and that my earthly mind is incapable to translate. I understood all, and thanked him, because everything was possible.

In my infinite haughtiness, I was facing a being that completely transcended me, of whom I was a small part, and could integrate with his kindness. He extended his hand to me, I looked at him deeply thankful, for allowing me to freely decide, and thankful for giving me the most beautiful and marvelous experience ever, I lowered my head, ready to accept whatever I had to although I knew my earthly mind wanted to have more experiences, and accompany my family. Again, I inhaled an exquisite and refreshing air, and the being, slowly lowered down his hand and with deep understanding went away.

In that runaway ecstasy, with only a thread of consciousness left, I told my guides that I humbly thanked them for having allowed me to have such experience impossible to describe, and in a soft voice I told them that I still had some things to do on earth for my satisfaction, They told me my life would keep on being as tortuous as it had always been, with some accomplishments, and that it would last for the time that it was planned to last, and since everything had been carefully planned before “incarnating “, very little could be changed . . . I accepted. Nevertheless, it was my eternal, universal consciousness, the one which allowed me to take the decision without terror.”[xvi]

A high spirit, reflecting the love which permeates the heavens like a perfect mirror, instills the feeling of awe. Not out of fear or a sense of inferiority, but one of being bathed in the love that surrounds the being before you. Every fiber of Diego’s being was infused by the energy of the spirit in front of him.

Diego fully grasped the absolute necessity of multiple lives … we are on a pre-planned course, designed specifically for each one of us. Each individual learns via different methods and each has his or her corrections to fulfill. No punishment is intended, only the opportunity to learn that which had been lacking in you heretofore.

In that moment of lucidity, Diego’s spirit mind accepted the difficulties that he had and will have to live through. What seems like torture to us on earth is but a stimulus to cause an emotional reaction, a shock, to get us out of our comfort zone, so we may alter our character for the good.

Leading us to become better, doesn’t ever end. We are all assigned a spirit mentor, a superior spirit, who analyzes our actions and, in consultation with other spirits, plans the trajectories of our lives on earth and in the spirit realm. Learning never stops.

Guardian Angels are Always With Us

Guardian Angels, the mere word conveys a warm feeling to your body; as if your favorite cozy blanket was covering you on a cold day, bringing warmth and comfort. Diego was able to commune with a high spirit, who may be his guardian angel. All of us, do in fact have a guardian angel, a mentor who guides us in our path to improvement. Spiritism notifies us that we are always watched, viewed with love and kindness … sometimes from afar and other times very close and intimate.

The spirit Zabdiel, communicated with the Rev. G Vale Owen in 1913 about his spirit guide. At first the presence of a guardian angel for one who is in heaven seems out-of-place. But that type of thinking is self-centered for us here on earth. We are spirits, encased in a physical body. The majority of our immortal existence will be in the spirit world. Our goal is to ascend up the levels of heaven, to one day, become a pure spirit. Hence, we require mentors to assist our quest. Not only when we are on the physical plane but also in the spirit realm.

Zabdiel describes the time when he was standing on high mountains, at the upper limits of the tenth level of heaven. He was peering across a valley to the mountains that were the beginnings of the eleventh level of heaven.

He liked to go there to meditate and to feel the presence of his sphere and the sphere above him. From that vantage point he could feel the all-embracing love of the Divine’s universe. Zabdiel tells G. Vale Owen what happened:

“Once I stood thus, with face turned towards my future home, and closed my eyes, for the intensity of light as it moved before me was more than I could bear continuously. It was there I first was permitted to see and speak to my guide and guardian.

He stood upon the summit over against me opposite; and the valley was between. When I opened my eyes I saw him there, as if he had suddenly taken on a visible form for me, that I might see him the more plainly. And so it was indeed, and he smiled on me, and stood there watching me in my perplexity.

He was clad of glittering silk-like tunic to the knees, and round his middle was a belt of silver. His arms and legs below were bare of covering, and seemed to glow and give forth light of his holiness and purity of heart; and his face was the brightest of all. He wore a cap of blue upon his hair which was like silver just turning into gold; and in the cap shone the jewel of his order. I had not seen one of this kind before. It was a brown stone and emitted a brown light, very beautiful and glowing with the life which was all about us.

At last, ‘Come over to me,’ he said; and I was thereupon afraid, but not with any terror, but rather abashed of awe. In that way I feared, not else.”[xvii]

Zabdiel, who resided in the tenth level of heaven, had never, until now, come face to face with his guardian angel. Imagine traveling through life after life, sensing a benign presence, a compassionate friend but never quite grasping the image and form of that companion. Now, finally, Zabdiel was only a valley away from his mentor.

Zabdiel stood in awe, not because he felt small or inferior, but of meeting a spirit that has accomplished what Zabdiel has dreamt of attaining. Not acquiring by luck or by who he knows (for that is impossible in the spirit world), but a spirit that has risen through his own dedication and discipline. As in our fascination with athletes, whom we admire, not because they are famous, but we look up to because we understand the work they put into their profession, day in and day out, to achieve the status they have attained. We stand in awe because we too, would like to match their work ethic and self-control.

Next, Zabdiel, shaking off his astonishment said:

“So I said, ‘I know you for my guide, sir, for my heart tells me this much. And I delight to look upon you thus; for it is very lovely and sweet to me. In presence you have been with me often on my heavenly road, but always just before, that I have not been able to overtake you. And now that I am given to see you thus in visible form I am glad to thank you for all your love and tending. But, my lord and guardian, I fear to come to you. For, while I descend into the valley, the brightness of your sphere will dazzle me and make my feet unsure. And when I should ascend to you I think I should faint by reason of the greater glory which is about you. Even here I, from this distance, feel it scare to be borne for long.”[xviii]

As spirits move on higher in the stages of heaven, they and the surrounding environment, become brighter, more energy and less material, more of the all-encompassing love from God is reflected from their ethereal bodies. Hence, an inferior spirit, sees only white light and is unable to make out features and is uncomfortable in such surroundings.

Hence, in order to physically meet his guardian angel, Zabdiel will require assistance. His mentor supplies the solution:

“’Yes, for this time,’ he replied, ‘I will be your strength, as many times before I have been, not always of your knowledge; and at times again when you have known me near but only in part. We have been so much together that I am able now to give you more than hitherto. Only be strong, and with all your courage to the fore; for no harm shall fall upon you. It is to this same end that I have impressed you to come to this place, as often I have come to you.”[xix]

Zabdiel, thought that he wanted to walk to his favorite place to meditate and ponder about his future, was actually motivated to be at the exact place and time determined by his guide. If Zabdiel was easily manipulated by a higher spirit, examine how easily we, on earth, must perform deeds or come up with ideas that we thought were our own, but actually were implanted in us by our guardian spirits.

Don’t doubt, even for a moment, that many of our actions, we believe that come from ourselves alone, are covertly placed in our minds by higher powers. Yes, we still have free will to make important choices, but we are led to certain episodes in our life according to our life’s plan.

Zabdiel’s spirit guide then begins to construct how he and Zabdiel will meet in person for the first time:

“Then I saw him or awhile stand very still indeed, as he might have been a statue very well. But presently his form took on another aspect. He seem to be in tension as to the muscles of his arms and legs; and I could see, beneath the thin gossamer-like garment, that his body there was in like manner exerting its every power. His hands were hanging at his side, and turned outward a little, and his eyes were closed. Then a strange thing happened.

From beneath his feet there came a cloud of blue and pink mingled; and it moved across from him to me until it was a bridge between the two summits, and spanned the valley below. It was in height little more than that of a man, and in breadth a little broader. This gradually came upon me and enveloped me, and when I looked I could see him through the mist, and he seemed very near.

Then he said, ‘Now come to me, my friend. Tread firmly forward to me, and you shall have not hurt.’

So I began to walk to him through the shaft of luminous cloud which was all about me, and, although as I went it was elastic beneath my feet, like very thick velvet, yet I did not sink through the floor of it into the valley, but continued my way uplifted with great joy. For he looked on me and smiled as I went to him.

But although he seemed so near, yet I did not reach him, and yet again, he stood still and did not retreat from me.

But at last he held out his hand to me and, in a few steps more. I had it in mine, and he drew me on to firmer footing.

Then the shaft of light faded and I found I stood on the further side of the valley, and looked across on my own sphere. For I had crossed over by that bridge of heavenly light and power.”[xx]

Zabdiel’s guardian angel, through the force of his mind, created a bridge across a deep and wide valley. The higher the spirit the more they are able to conjure from their will. This, in essence, it why spirits, and ourselves, strive to improve.

The more disciplined one becomes, by following the Doctrine of Spiritism, to be loving, kind, fraternal, charitable to all in all circumstances, yet exercising authority with gentle calmness, the capabilities a spirit possesses increase. Whereupon, billions of years from now, a spirit on earth in an immature state, will someday lead the destiny of a planet in the same manner as Jesus leads us. We too, just like Jesus, could become the governor of a planet or planets, to help millions of young spirits rise and become working members of the spirit community.

The entire organization of the spirit realm revolves around promoting spirits to their utmost capabilities. To enable them to weld great power for the benefit of others. To achieve that goal, spirits must be rigorously trained to never violate the Divine Laws and to always allow spirits their free-will.

We live in a just universe. It doesn’t appear to us on earth, trapped amongst corrupt officials and criminals, but this is for our own good. Only by living with the results of the lack of love and brotherhood can we see for ourselves the tragedies that occur. The philosophy is the same as allowing your children to occasionally make their own mistakes, so they will know … since you realize they believe they know better than you … the results of their ill-considered actions. We are no different.

Talking with His Guardian Angel

Zabdiel, having reach the side of his mentor, now, for the first time, has the opportunity to speak directly with the unseen hand, that has for so long, been steering him to the correct path. We are told:

“Then we sat down and communed together of many things. He called to my mind past endeavors, and showed me where I might have done my task in better ways; and sometimes he commended me, and sometimes did not commend, but never blamed, but only advised and instructed with love and kindliness. And when he told me something of the sphere on the borderland of which I then was; and of some of its glories; and how the better to sense his presence, as I went about my task to which I should presently return to finish it.

And so he talked, and I felt very good fettle of strength and delight, and of greater courage for the way. So did he give me of his larger strength, and of his higher holiness, and I understood a little more than hitherto of man’s potential greatness, in humility, to server his Master the Christ, and God through Him.”[xxi]

The past accomplishments of Zabdiel were discussed in a sympathetic and caring manner, with gentle suggestions of how to perform better next time. We have seen the same consideration and kindness from spirits in Diego’s account and other stories by people who have had near death experiences.

Parting with His Guardian

We are always in view of someone superior in the spirit realm, whether we are in physical form or in spirit, there are higher spirits evaluating our performance, not with malice but with kindness and caring. For, as stated earlier, the goal of the spirit realm is the successful promotion of souls, so they too, can contribute to others.

Zabdiel tells us of his parting:

“He came back with me by way of the valley, with his arm about my shoulder to help me with his power; and we talked all the way down and across, and then, as the ascent of the hill on the other side began, we slowly fell to silence. Instead of words we communed in thought and, when a little way up returning I looked upon him, I noticed that I could not see him quite so plainly; and began to be sad at that. But he smiled and said, ‘All is well my brother. Always it I well between you and me. Remember that.’

Still he grew more faint to my sight, and I was minded to turn back again for that reason. But he impelled me gently and, as we ascended, he surely faded away from my sight. I did not see him again. But I knew him now as I did not till that time. I felt him in touch with me all the time I lingered on that summit. I turned and looked into the brightness of his sphere across the valley, but I did not see him on the other side.”[xxii]

Our lives are precious and our time here on earth shouldn’t be squandered by stress over temporary material pleasures. Our current society lays a very alluring trap for us, advertising happiness is within our grasp, if we just earn a few dollars more. To the seller of the goods or services, it doesn’t matter how the money is earned, via licit or illicit means; only that is ends up in someone’s coffers.

None of the products, homes, and toys acquired will accompany you to the spirit world. Only the sum total of your deeds. Your guardian angel attempts to tell you that whenever you pause from the daily grind to listen.

Diego, fully engaged in his spirit mind, knew this to be true, why else would he so willingly journey back to his family and face a difficult life?

Diego Returns

“The guides told me telepathically with luminous words, to relax because I would soon arrive. Suddenly I saw myself overflying my body again. A being appeared and told me I had to go into the body. I finally fell down with a dry and heavy fall, weighing tons, to see myself sitting on my bed with my eyes open and burning. I felt a deep pain near my heart, a pain almost unbearable, and a great difficulty to breathe. My body was rigid. My arms could not move. My feet were frozen and I could not move them either. I could only allow small threads of air enter my lungs, or else they would hurt. I felt dizzy and the pain in the chest was intense.

I was unconscious for a moment, but when I managed to move my waist, I closed my eyes and lied down. I was still hearing internal and external noises and zooming. The pain near my heart lasted with intensity for one hour and a half. I managed to go to the bathroom, feeling as tired as ever in my life. I then went back to bed and slept for 12 hours.

When I woke up, I remembered the guides told me how my wife, my daughter and I would die. I saw my complete future and that of my daughter. I was told I would only remember fragments of it in certain moments. The guides told me my life would continue as tortuous as it had been, but with small satisfactions. It had to be like that because it was programmed that way, and the purpose, although painful, was very constructive.

I remembered the guides told me that my life would not be easy, but that the future difficulties could not be changed at all for me, but that it was a way to experience things, like an exercise, and that all would happen as it was programmed, because the purpose was that I could learn and grow more.”[xxiii]

Diego’s time in the spirit world was at end. Unlike many others, he was allowed to retain memories of future events. Mostly, he would only realize what he was told after an episode triggered a recall of that particular event.

Why was Diego allowed to peek into the future? There could be many reasons. Many are told about important events for all of mankind, others are told of local future occurrences so they may be instrumental in warning and aiding others. None of these fit the profile of what was revealed to Diego.

I believe Diego was given a glimpse of the future to keep him interested in his life on earth. To urge him not to disengage from life. The spirits told him, not once, but at least twice that his life would be arduous … he would live through unpleasant circumstances and have to deal with them as best as possible.

Diego was given a not-so subtle hint to not leave before his allotted time. He goal is to stay the course, no matter how terrible the storms that would buffet him in the future.

We are told that people who have committed suicide in a previous life, would have an urge to once more end their life at the same juncture and age of their next life. That they would have to resist the temptation to bail out of their commitments.

Furthermore, it is known that life on earth is difficult for spirits who have lived on a more advanced planet and have volunteered to come to earth to help humanity progress. The shock of living in a chaotic and severe environment, with injustice ever present, is many times too much for a sensitive spirit. These more mature souls may succumb to drug addiction or even suicide because they are unable to withstand the cruel environment they were transported into.

Diego was given notice that his trials would consist of high hurdles. We are given a course of edifying experiences, designed to remove the wrongs we committed in past lives. Most probably, Diego asked for his life and the events he would experience, to absolve himself, on what he determined, he needed to atone for past deeds.

What is absolutely certain is that Diego has a group of friends in the spirit realm who are wishing him well and are vitally interested in guiding him to success. Just as a close-knit family will look after their cousin who is in town to go to college, our spirit friends worry about us and they don’t hesitate to provide guidance where required.

To have such a pantheon of spirits anxious about his progress means that Diego is valued by his friends and they detect great potential in his future trajectory. The evidence that he has built up relationships and credibility in past lives lies in his recollections of previous lives while in the spirit world. He tells us:

“Regarding past lives, I vaguely feel I lived among the musical waves of Bach and all that surrounded him and also in the Roman times of Octavius Augustus.”[xxiv]

Spirits from primitive planets and less developed planets than earth come to us to mix with more advance spirits to learn to become civilized. This is why we see the senseless violence from the lower strata of our society. They are used to taking what they want.

Whereas, Diego has been reincarnating on earth for at least two thousand years; during which he has built up a network of colleagues. Comrades who have been instrumental in guiding the civilizations in which they were placed. If Diego was an inconsequential player, he would not remember the name of the emperor of one of the most powerful empires on the planet or even the existence of Bach. Somehow in some manner, he had a significant role.

In his present life, I believe that Diego has chosen to atone for past failures and shortcomings. He has chosen to make up for his mistakes in a fairly complete manner by living a hard and trying life. My sense is that Diego wishes to return to the spirit world, so he may, once again, prove himself capable of coming back to earth, to help lead humanity to the next level of progress.

Future Events Foreseen

“Future Events Foreseen”, infer to many, that one could foresee a vast horizon of what was going to occur … in fact, as Diego tells us himself, his recollections come just before the event commences.

The spirit world is clever, they know how to keep Diego in the game by putting the carrot just ahead of his nose! Their action was deliberate, almost nothing is done by chance. Every word spoken to Diego was well though-out. Each subject fully discussed was done for an edifying purpose. As a teacher measures her or his words to a curious student, so does the spirit realm interact with us. They are advised of our level and are cognizant in the most effective manner in which to approach us.

Here is what Diego first tells us about his memory of future events:

“Although I saw all my future, I shouldn`t remember it. I do remember when things are about to happen and they do exactly as seen before. There is no time to change anything, because the vision is seconds before things happen.

I also remembered that I saw my mother would have a very long illness (Alzheimer) and asked what could be done to avoid it. They said nothing could be done and that I had to bear with the illness with patience. Which together with other ‘bad’ experiences, would lead me to my consciousness growth. I had been told that I would have a girl and at the same time my father would die.”[xxv]

Diego did indeed have a daughter and when they were traveling together to meet relatives, Diego again experienced a memory of his NDE that surfaced after the fact … but had hints of the future as well:

“One of the things I saw in my life review in 1987 had to do with a cousin of mine. The last time I saw him he was seven years old. And in the life-review (of the future) a young man approached me, whom I didn´t know , and he told me he was my seven-year old cousin, and the way he looked now (around 20 years old) was the way he would look by the time of his death. Because he would die very young. He also told me his father, my uncle, although a sick man, would live till a very old age (30 years later he died at the age of 95).

In 1992 I traveled with my daughter to my uncle’s house and saw the cousin whom I had last seen when he was seven. In the surprise of the moment, I didn´t remember the near-death meeting with the adult shape of my cousin. He was big, round white face, big eyes and the thick eyebrows reminded me of my grandparent’s brothers.

When we shook hands, I found myself shaking and then my body temperature increased as though I would have fever. The reaction of my body surprised me. It was one week later when I was in the plane flying back to my city that I remembered his presence in the NDE episode of years before. In the NDE, in a sort of hall, when I was communicating with the light companions, this young man saluted me kindly and since I didn´t know him, he told me he was my uncle´s son.

I accepted that his physiognomy had something of my ancestry, but not totally believing he was my cousin, I asked is name, he answered: Diego. He had been named Diego by my uncle because he loved me very much and wanted him to have the same name. It was in the plane that shaking, I remembered my cousin told me during the NDE about his future early death. Three years later, when he was about twenty-two years old, my cousin was murdered.”[xxvi]

To us murder is a random event, in many cases, accomplished during a spur of the moment violent attack. The spirit world knew Diego’s cousin would return from the earth early … his cousin also knew this. All was planned before Diego’s cousin was born; his life’s blueprint was etched. The moment Diego’s cousin was born his trajectory was set.

Diego’s Understanding of Our Existence

“We are predestined cosmic particles, in an induction to walk through a predetermined path of which we remain unconscious, fortunately for most. But we are always free to grow in our own consciousness. For no matter how predetermined the path is in this earth, the soul is free to learn or not the lessons, to evolve, to grow or not, to be wiser, to forgive, to love. Because these are the only purposes of the ALL CONSCIOUSNESS to whom we belong. We will not be judged, for we only judge ourselves which is the greatest growth.

Each of our decisions on earth, changes our consciousness-spirit-soul and each one of these changes will be meditated by the Total One.

I feel lucid and satisfied of the grace I was given to stay or leave this earth with no implication of guilt, and I also enjoy to be bathed in this earth’s tender pollen.

The Being of Light, is the most exquisite core of harmony and delight, allowing us to rest in our own forgetfulness. He is the fountain of our final alloy.”[xxvii]

As the result of his NDE, Diego fully grasped the entire concept of why we are here and what is waiting for us to return. Everything that Diego learned is available to all of us, we don’t have to have a near death experience. We have the revelation of Spiritism.

Diego realizes his life has meaning, a deeper purpose than most of us know about our own. Unlike so many others, Diego recognizes, absolutely sees, he is traveling through a learning experience and performing as well as he can, while certain in the knowledge that a wonderful and loving environment is waiting for him to return.

Just as the same realm welcomed back Diego’s cousin after such a short stay on earth. His early death wasn’t just another story of a life cut down too short … it had a purpose and it lasted for exactly as long as it was destined to last. No more, no less.

I discuss in my book Explore Your Destiny – Since Your Life is (mostly) Predetermined, how we are part of a bigger whole, always connected to the spirit realm. As Diego tells us we are free to choose how we react during our trials. And as such, don’t be discouraged by thinking back about past failures. Another opportunity will present itself and you will have the chance to live up to your own expectations and prove that you have changed and grown toward the light and love.

Spiritism, the Third Revelation – is here and waiting for you to find out, for yourselves, what Diego discovered. It is all written down and ready for you to devour it. Deep down in your sub-conscious you realize we are here for a greater purpose than to be born, grow, and die to return to dust; forever.

No, we are “cosmic particles”, we are spirits, a form of energy and matter, who are on an immortal journey to ascend higher and higher toward perfection. Be aware of your voyage, become more spiritual, more loving and kinder. A reward beyond your comprehension shall await you on the other side.

Author:

Brian Foster has a BSCS degree and a MBA. He has worked in R&D for medical device corporations and in IT for large financial institutions. Brian Foster has a blog at www.nwspiritism.com.

Works Cited

Kardec, A. (2015). Spiritist Review, Journal of Psychological Studies – 1858. United States Spiritist Council and IPEAK.

Marshall, J. (2014, September 6). My NDE. Retrieved from NHNE Near Death: http://nhneneardeath.ning.com/profiles/blogs/my-nde-2

NorthWest Spiritism. (2016, June 5). NDE-Diego NWS. Bainbridge Island, WA, USA.

Owen, R. G. (2012). The Life Beyond the Veil. Pahrump, NV: Square Circles Publishing.

Xavier, F. C. (2008). Workers of the Life Eternal. Brasilia (DF) – Brazil: International Spiritist Council.

[i] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[ii] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[iii] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, pp. 36-37

[iv] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, p. 37

[v] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, p. 37

[vi] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, pp. 37-38

[vii] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[viii] Kardec, Allan, Spiritist Review – Journal of Psychological Studies of 1858, United States Spiritist Council and IPEAK, pp. 557-559

[ix] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[x] NDERF.org, “My NDE”, n.d., http://nhneneardeath.ning.com/profiles/blogs/my-nde-2, (accessed Sept. 6, 2014)

[xi] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xii] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, p. 40

[xiii] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, pp. 40-41

[xiv] Xavier, Francisco C, Workers of the Life Eternal, EDICEI, pp. 304-305

[xv] Owen R. G. Life Beyond the Veil, Squares Circles Publishing, pp. 41-42

[xvi] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xvii] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, pp. 239-240

[xviii] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, p. 240

[xix] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, p. 240

[xx] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, pp. 240-241

[xxi] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, p. 241

[xxii] Owen, G. Vale, The Life Beyond the Veil, Square Circles Publishing, p. 242

[xxiii] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xxiv] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xxv] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xxvi] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)

[xxvii] NorthWest Spiritism, “NDE-Diego NWS”, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA, (accessed June 5, 2016)