My Journey To The Otherworld . . .
One summer's night, fourteen years ago, I had the good fortune to journey into The Bright Lands of Ceugant and be able to come back to this world to tell the tale. (For those of you that are unfamiliar with Welsh Cosmology, Ceugant is The Highest Of Realms - The Home Of The Gods - The Otherworld).
Now while this was my 4th of seven NDE's (Near Death Experiences), I have always found this particular NDE to be one of the most "powerful" (for lack of a better word) of them all.
The NDE that this particular event took place in, was what I refer to as my 'Air' death.
You see, each of my first four deaths corresponded to one of the four elements: Drowning (Water), Brown Recluse Bite (Earth), Scarlet Fever (Fire) and Asphyxiation (Air). The other three NDE's all happened Aug. of 2006 in my car crash, when I died three times in the Life Flight helicopter on the way to the Hospital. But I digress... let's get back to that summer's night...
This was a night of glorious passion... and as my love and I are very adventurous, well, let's just say that things got a tiny bit out of hand and before he knew it I was no longer breathing. But my soul was very much alive and traveling fast - backwards.
You know how people say that when they die, they see a bright light at the end of a tunnel and they begin to travel towards it? Well not for me - I was floating in total darkness, but I could feel myself moving, at a very great speed, as if I was in a roller-coaster going straight backwards at Mach 10.... then, all of a sudden, I start to slow down, WAY down. And that's when the best part began... all of a sudden, I realize that I am slowly, gently, moving backwards out of the center of a beautiful, red poppy!
I can't be sure, but I think I am in the form of a honeybee! Because of how I move away from the poppy... and because I just "feel" that I am a honeybee. (Which is really interesting, because my birth name is Greek for "honey-bee" and honeybees in ancient times were considered to be messengers to The Gods). So as I move further back from the poppy, I begin to change and take human form and I realize that I am standing naked in an immense field of red poppies! They go on and on for as far as the eye can see... simply breath-taking!
And to the North of me, (how I know it's "North" is beyond me, I just know), there is the most perfect shaped, purple hued mountain I have ever seen! It is glorious! There is no snow on this mountain, just shades of purples and blues... and the sun is shining down upon me, I can feel it's gentle warmth, but there is no sun in the sky anywhere - nor any clouds! Just a perfect, cloud-free, azure sky with a gentle breeze blowing in my face.
So here I am thinking, "I must have died... and I am with my Gods now... this is The Summerlands... how beautiful..." and the feeling of the most absolute comforting love and happiness washed over me and I felt as though I never wanted to leave - when WHAM! I am being pulled backwards at such a fast rate that I can't see anything around me, and with a great force I am once again back in my body in this world.
I am so blessed to have known this experience, because I'll tell you what - it has surely given me the reassurance of that Shining Land beyond! I meet folks who say, "Yeah, but how do you really know that there's something beyond this life?" and I can honestly say that I have seen that Sacred Otherworld, The Holy Mountain... and I know for a fact that there is something out there beyond this mortal life.... and it is LOVE.
Comments
charming.
I’m a Christian, but I have done some study and wow, the Lord and Lady sure have put you through a bunch of stuff. My, you have died seven times, that seems a bit excessive. From what I understand, your Gods don’t really approve of self-inflicted pain or death, do they? You should certainly be more careful, maybe you have been sent back from the Summerlands for a purpose. Your Deities may eventually get miffed if they have to keep saving you for your true purpose.
- Author
Dear Blangrehr,
Thank you for your comment!
In ancient cultures, it is the person who went through a near death experience that usually became the village shaman. This was because the individual had journeyed successfully to The Otherworld and returned to tell the tale. It is also believed that these "survivors" have a different 'resonance' (if you will) with The Otherworld, and were often considered to be 'go-betweens' for the villagers to The Otherworld and vice-versa. Even today, in aboriginal Inuit societies, there are still Shamans who with the assistance of their apprentice, will hang themselves from a tree to asphyxiate themselves just long enough that they can journey into The Otherworld to gain a Vision that will help the village, or possibly help heal a person. The Shamans are of course revived by their assistant after a minute or two; and amazingly enough, I have never heard of, nor read any incidences of Shamans not returning from these Otherworldly Journeys.
Personally, I do not see my NDE's as a negative experience or as an excessive burden placed upon me by my Gods.... rather, they have been an enormous blessing. And I should go on record saying that my NDE's were not deliberately sought out through any action on my own, but were the results of accidents or severe illnesses. So no amount of caution on my part could have prevented these deaths from happening to me. But I do most certainly feel that it was my Gods who were there with me, comforting me, and allowing me to return, once again, to this Middle Earth.
I believe that my NDE's have greatly awakened much of my psychic abilities and have given me the knowledge to speak on the subject of life after death; to give comfort to others, and to let them know that 'Yes! - There is something out there beyond this existence where the Soul journeys to know Divine Love and Peace'. Perhaps that is part of the purpose my Gods have for me. But I will tell you this: I can honestly say that I have absolutely no fear of dying. I could die this moment and I would have no problems with it whatsoever. That level of peace and assurance is probably the most precious possession that I own, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
As to your question about Pagans beliefs concerning self-inflicted pain and suicide... Yes, there are *some* Paths in Paganism that do use self-inflicted pain to commune with, or appease their Deities. Some examples of this can be seen with ritual tattooing or body piercing. I myself have done both. Actually many ancient civilizations have done this - for example the Aztecs, Mayans, Polynesians, Africans, Native Americans... even certain sects of Christians such as Opus Dei, who use self-flagellation and the cilice. And suicide ("self-inflicted death") - well Pagans do not view it in the same manner as Christianity, nor do we believe that we will be punished or "go to Hell" for committing suicide. This, in part, is greatly do to our belief that the Soul is eternal and is reborn over and over again, and partly that we do not have a place of eternal punishment, suffering and damnation where "bad" or "evil" souls go to rot. Pagans have a great love and reverence for all of life, especially their own. But if confronted with last stages of a terminal illness, most Pagans would not have the spiritual/ethical issues of committing suicide that a Christian would. To a Pagan, life is sacred and is just as much an integral part of Nature as death is. Yet most Pagans fear death no more than they fear birth - for they are one and the same: a Doorway through which the soul travels back and forth through, from incarnation to incarnation. And to a Pagan, when there is an untreatable, terminal illness in nature, for mercy's sake, that life is ended that it may return in a new form; hence the Pagan view on suicide.
I hope that this answers your questions concerning this matter, but if not, please feel free to write again!
Bendithion (Welsh for "blessings be upon thee"),
Rev. Raven E. Aurlineus
Okay, cool thanks.
Hi Raven,
I too, am not afraid of death. I have not been since I had an out-of-body experience. I asked for it every night for quite some time. So, you would think I shouldn't have been surprised when a female voice from the side of my bed said, "Karen, roll over on your back." I couldn't move - frozen. My helper (guide, I think), helped me out of my body anyway. I lifted up through the roof of our house and flew in the twilight for some time and just remember waking the next morning. What I remember the most, and the reason no one can convince me that it was a dream, was the uphoric feeling - so free. I have never experienced that feeling any other time in my life. From then on, I knew there was life after death.
But then, after my mother passed over, she came to visit me, first with a hand on my cheek that startled me, then a slap on the bottom of my foot and a slap to my cheek. Then, at last, three strong tugs to my covers at night. She wanted my forgiveness. When I finally figured it out and forgave her, she was gone.
Then there was the time I visited my father in the "other world."
But don't you think many people have experiences that tell them there is more than just what we see in front of our eyes? Sometimes they don't believe what has happened to them.
very interesting
when my patinents recount a few tales it will be unbelievable
I can understand why this was such a moving experience. Thank you sincerely for sharing that here. Please don't take this as an attempt at "one-up-manship"...My first guide book to astral projection was by Denning and Phillips and it was eye-opening, to say the least, coming from a very strict religious upbringing. One of the excercises involved a game called "Mind Vacation" where one chose a picture and then memorized every detail. After grounding and centering, the object was to bring it up on one's mind eye and then project your consciousness forward and into it. I chose one from a calendar that wasn't special in any way. On my third "visit" I followed the trail and came across an open area that was sandy. On the bank of the river sat a woman in a dark purple robe, with a fishing pole in her hands and black cat lounging at her side. I am quite serious...I soon discovered that this woman had a taste for beer (which I do not) and each successive visit it became my job to conjure a silver bucket with bottles of beer on ice. People think I'm nuts when I tell them this but it was my first understanding that I was actually journeying to a location outside of the physical. It led to being "directed" to another place,(I had no control the first time, I found myself in space and arriving there) which I called Otherworld, that had only three features...and a personal meeting with a number of successive guides. These guides are now an integral aspect to my path and journey and I work with them daily. The one who acted as a type of introduction guide always shook his head in mock annoyance when I told him I just wanted to spend some time flying before undertaking whatever task was required for that visit. It was just so indredibly liberating! I can relate to the incredible joy you've been able to convey here. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share a bit of my own. Blessings.
I have had a simmilar experience, but I didn't feel like I was going through a tunnel I felt as if I had opened my eyes when I entered Summerland. It wasn't long afterward I became a wiccan, and a witch.
This hub was so lovely and compelling. NDEs are a fascinating topic and I have rarely heard of someone who has said that it wasn't amazing and life altering. Your experience seemed to be that as well. It is a comfort to know that what lies beyond is so wonderful.
9