What Happens After "Death"?

By Adrian Cooper
Excerpt from Our Ultimate Reality

I would like to commence this section by emphatically stating an extremely important truth which everyone should know and understand beyond any possible doubt: There really is no such state as “death”.

What many people believe to be the finality of “death” is in fact no more and no less than the transition from one state of life and reality, that of the physical matter, to a state of life of a vastly finer density of the Universe, often known as the “Astral planes”, sometimes referred to as “the beyond”, the “fourth dimension” or the “afterlife”.

What they are called is of no consequence however, the fact is they do exist and for a time becomes the new home for people departing physical life, before either returning for another life on earth or progressing to the inner spheres of reality, the Mental planes, the Spirit worlds.

We will discuss the nature of the Astral planes later in this book, but first we will look at the process erroneously known as “death”.

We are all multi-dimensional beings, each of us having numerous “bodies” corresponding to our many states of “being” within the multi-dimensional Universe. These very broadly consist of the physical body, the Etheric or Energy Body, the Astral Body and the Mental bodies. We have numerous Mental or Spirit bodies, all relating to the infinite degrees and states of vibration, density and being, ranging from the very lowest to the very highest. The Astral Body is often referred to as the “Soul” and the Mental Body the immortal “Spirit”. It is the Mental Body, the immortal Spirit that is “made in the true image of God”, not the physical body as many suppose.

God is pure Spirit, and ultimately every single person exists as pure Spirit beyond all concept of form. The seat of our very “being” or Consciousness is within the Mental Body, the immortal Spirit. The Astral Body, the Soul, actually consists of both the conjoined Astral and Mental bodies, and is therefore can be more accurately referred to as the Astra-Mental Body. These subtle bodies are composed of Energy, vibrations, the nature of which is completely unique for everyone, each individual possessing a unique Energy signature by means of which they can be uniquely identified.

Within the inner spheres of reality, the Astral and Mental planes, people exist at the level of vibration of the Ether that is exactly equivalent to the level of vibration of their Astral and Mental bodies respectively. The level of vibration of the Astral and Mental Body depends in turn upon many factors, including but not limited to individual degree of ennoblement or perfection, degree to which the ego has been transcended, realisation of Spirit or “God” within, degree of unresolved karma, and most importantly the realisation of the most powerful force in the Universe; Unconditional Love.

So what actually happens when people experience physical “death”? The circumstances upon which people arrive at the end of their current physical existence obviously varies very widely, and can range from very sudden death, for example resulting from an accident or sudden illness, through death as a result of a long illness, to natural death as a result of old age; and of course there are numerous possibilities in between.

Regardless of the precise circumstances prevailing at the end of physical life, what follows is substantially the same in all cases. At the instant where the physical body ceases to function, a large amount of Vital Energy is transferred to the Etheric Body, also known as the Energy Body. The Etheric, or Energy Body also includes the Astral and Mental bodies. The Etheric Body will then, in many cases become the new “temporary” body of the recently “deceased” person. Sometimes however the recently deceased person will transition directly to the Astral worlds.

What happens next again varies from person to person and circumstance to circumstance, but is usually in the range of the following possibilities. Those who do not transition directly to the Astral worlds will, immediately after physical death, find themselves very much “alive” in their Etheric Body. A person after “death” can often fully observe everything happening around them, including all people present.

In fact what the person is “seeing” is not their actual physical surroundings, no longer having any physical senses and existing a a much higher rate of vibration and lower density as compared to the actual physical world, but is rather a very close Etheric “reflection” of those surroundings; but to all intents and purposes they seem identical.

If other people are present, for example doctors, the person might well see and hear himself or herself being pronounced “dead”. The “deceased” person can then, if desired, stay and watch what happens to their “old body”, observe the actions of the people present for example doctors, nurses and relatives, or may decide to immediately go elsewhere.

It should be noted that in this much finer state of existence as pure Energy, it is quite possible to travel anywhere in the world or indeed the entire Universe in an instant, literally at the speed of thought. The Etheric plane is a Mind world, an extension of the Astral planes and the Universe as a whole, and therefore existing beyond the boundaries and restrictions of physical space and time.

The “deceased” person often remains very close to the physical world while the level of Etheric Energy in their Etheric Body remains sufficiently high. They will very often make the most of this opportunity to visit and say goodbye to family and friends, and perhaps to visit their old home and favourite places they particularly enjoyed in physical life. Of course, living people cannot, with the exception of psychics and clairvoyants, usually “see” the “deceased” person, and usually any attempt by the deceased person to communicate with living people will fail. Very often the “deceased” person will also attend their own funeral, not only to see all family, friends and other people they knew in physical life gatherer to pay their respects, but also to realise the finality of the end of that particular physical life on Earth.

The deceased person can make the decision to transition to the Astral worlds at any time simply by desiring and willing it to happen, and by thinking of being there, but only if they realise the possibility exists. Otherwise the transition will usually take place naturally once the supply of Etheric Energy is depleted, and the dense Etheric Body will dissipate, giving way to the finer vibrations of the Astral Body, naturally enabling a transition to the appropriate level of the Astral planes in accordance with the level of perfection of the Soul, and the level of vibrations of the person generally. This will determine which part of the Astral planes they will naturally migrate to, most decent people transitioning to the mid-Astral worlds which, as well will see later in this book, are remarkably similar to the physical world that has been left behind.

The other extreme occurs when a newly deceased person transitions directly to the Astral world almost immediately after physical “death”. Sometimes they will be aware of their physical death, but very often the first thing a deceased person will be aware of is a “tunnel of light” into which they are pulled at great speed. In other cases the scenery will simply fade away from the physical world and “melt” into the Astral world almost seamlessly.

Irrespective of how the deceased person arrives in the Astral world, they will never be alone. Other Astral residents, frequently previously deceased relatives and friends, will often be there to greet them and to help them to settle into their new home. Very often the newly deceased person will arrive at, or be taken to a place in the Astral world which is effectively a “reception area” for newly arrived Souls. There they will be met by a host of helpers with the task of assisting new arrivals to settle in to their new Astral home. Such helpers specialise in all manner of cases, and are able to assist with the transition process regardless of the circumstances surrounding physical death. There are billions of people living within the Astral world, having previously experienced life from the past, present and future of Earth.

Every eventuality is fully accounted for, and no person is ever left alone in the Astral worlds after physical death. For most decent people arriving at the mid-levels of the Astral worlds, those who have led a “normal” life and had no strongly held beliefs, in particular religious beliefs, the environment is always extremely peaceful and harmonious but otherwise quite similar in many respects to the Earth environment from whence they just arrived. If the physical death was sudden, violent or due to some self-inflicted disorder such as alcoholism, or the person was ill for some time before physical death occurred, there will be the Astral equivalent of hospitals with doctors and nurses, people who might well have been doctors and nurses in a previous life on hand to assist.

Very often, because the Astral worlds can appear to be almost identical to the physical world in appearance, some people simply do not believe they have actually “died”, and therefore cannot understand what has happened. Such people can become most bewildered and confused and might require attention by specialist helpers until they can come to terms with their new state of existence in the “afterlife” of the Astral worlds.

Another situation requiring a great deal of care from Astral specialists are the cases of children, infants and babies who leave the physical world before their time. In these situations there are the equivalent of specialist nurses and carers on hand who will look after the child until he or she is old enough to join a family in the Astral worlds. There are many such families who will gladly take on the responsibility of looking after children who arrived before their own parents. Older children will usually join a family as soon as they have come to terms with their new reality and home in the Astral worlds.

Children can usually adapt to their new life in the Astral worlds much more quickly than adults, largely because they had not yet been fully indoctrinated into the ways of the physical world. Younger children might well feel at home in the Astral worlds almost immediately as it has not been very long since they originally left the Astral or Spirit worlds to be born into the physical life which they have recently departed. Such children will therefore still be of an age where they can still vividly remember their previous life in the Astral or Spirit worlds. To such infants their stay on Earth was nothing more than a very short adventure, often with a specific purpose in their own individual evolution and progress on the path.

Upon arriving in the Astral worlds most people settle in to their new home very quickly indeed, and soon create a new “life” for themselves. They will, sooner or later, completely lose interest in the physical world and their previous life associated with it. However, people living in the Astral worlds can, and very often do “visit” the physical world whenever they feel the need to, often to visit loved ones left behind. There are numerous cases of bereaved family and friends suddenly feeling the “presence” of their loved one, and in these cases it very often really is their loved one visiting for a time from the Astral worlds.

It should be mentioned that “deceased” people living in the Astral worlds will often watch over their loved ones still living in the physical world, guiding them by means of inspiration, and protecting them from inner dangers whenever possible. Because the Universe is infinite living Mind, thought is a very powerful primary Energy, and it is therefore relatively easy for people in the Astral worlds to influence the Minds of people still living in the physical world. Such influence can suddenly arrive in the Minds of people on Earth as intuition, inspiration or ideas, the recipient of such thoughts believing them to be their own thoughts and ideas. Pets, such as cats and dogs, can very often sense the presence of their deceased owners in a very powerful way.

It is also possible for people living in the Astral worlds to visit family and others in their dreams. This happens much more often than most people realise. Dreams of meeting deceased people are often very real indeed, and such contacts should always be noted, taken very seriously and any messages remembered. Everyone in the physical world leaves their body at night while in deep sleep, and Astral residents sometimes take this opportunity to meet with their loved ones “face to face” in the Astral worlds, such meetings often being remembered in the morning as a vivid lifelike dream. Again, these meetings are often very real indeed and should always be remembered and all messages received well and truly noted. Sometimes important information is passed on this way, as well as reassurances that the “deceased” person is very well, happy and content in their new Astral home.

Although it is perfectly natural, and to a reasonable extent healthy to grieve for a deceased loved one, it is most important to realise these people are not really “dead”, and have not therefore in any way ceased to exist. The loved one is now living in what is actually a truer reality than the physical world. Assuming they are living in the mid to high Astral worlds, or within the Spirit worlds, they will be experiencing an existence of pure love, light, bliss, peace and happiness on a level beyond the comprehension of most people still living on Earth.

One of the benefits of Astral Projection, which will be discussed in detail later in this book, is the ability to visit and explore the Astral worlds and to meet deceased loved ones and friends. To Astral projectors death holds no absolutely fears whatsoever, with the absolute knowing, beyond any doubts whatsoever the glorious life waiting after the final release from the confines of physical life on the physical plane in the restrictions of a physical body.

As we will also see later in this book, everyone in the Astral worlds lives at the same level, the same realm, sphere or plane as people who were of a similar nature in the physical world; similar characters, beliefs and in particular level of Spiritual development. In the mid-Astral worlds where most decent people, probably around fifty percent or more transition after physical death, there is no work, no money, no unhappiness, but rather complete peace and happiness, everyone living together in perfect harmony. People, who in the physical world were disruptive in any way, will be living in the lower Astral worlds with like Minded, similarly disruptive people, thus always preserving the complete peace and harmony of the inner Astral worlds. Of course everyone always has the opportunity to evolve from the lower Astral worlds to the inner Astral worlds once they have learned their lessons, and have attained a vibration that will enable them to co-exist with others at the same higher level of vibration.

People who have left the physical world of matter have been liberated once again, and will live and rest for a time in the Astral and Mental worlds before returning to Earth once again if necessary to begin a new physical life. Friends, relatives and loved ones should celebrate this joyfully! Death, however sad, tragic or unexpected means the liberation of a Soul from their physical body to the inner worlds of existence where they will be with like-Minded people.

Although people still living in the physical world regard those living in the Astral and Spirit worlds as “dead”, to those people who passed on to and our now living in the Astral and Spirit worlds it is the people still living in the density of the physical world, with all of the trials it brings who actually appear to be “dead” by comparison, dead to the splendours, glories, peace, harmony and liberation of the inner worlds, to which every single person will transition sooner or later.

“Death” should never be feared. It is something to anticipate when the time comes as a completely natural aspect of individual evolution, and a transition to glorious worlds of pure harmony, bliss and beauty, inhabited by like-Minded people, where none of the hardships, trials and misery that is so prevalent on Earth exists. The transition of passing to the inner, Astral worlds is a joyous time, a time for celebration.

Adrian Cooper is the author of “Our Ultimate Reality, Life, the Universe and the Destiny of Mankind”

The Angels of Death

Do Deathbed Phenomena Prove Life After Death?

By Dr. Danny Penman

Source: The Daily Mail

Doctor Penny Sartori was barely halfway through her night shift at Morriston Hospital in Swansea when one of her patients began behaving in a most peculiar way.

Through the maze of equipment keeping Peter Holland alive, Dr Sartori could see him slowly regaining consciousness and becoming increasingly alert.

Peter was staring intently at the foot of his bed - and then started talking to an invisible presence.

"He suddenly regained his energy," says Dr Sartori.

"He seemed to be having a conversation with someone we could not see. After a while, a beautiful peaceful smile crossed his face and he relaxed completely.

"When his family arrived, he told them that he'd been visited by his sister in the night and that they'd had a long chat.

"The strange thing was, his sister had died the week before, but nobody had dared tell him because they thought the shock might kill him. There was absolutely no way he could have known about his sister's death."

It was in that moment, says Dr Sartori, that she realised Peter was going to die, no matter how much medical attention he received.

"When a patient says that they have been 'visited' by a dead loved one, you know that their time has come," she says.

"It's commonly accepted by nurses and we see it quite a lot. Nurses will tell each other that 'he's just had a visit so he'll be off soon'."

Indeed, shortly afterwards, 75-year-old Peter Holland did die.

Such deathbed phenomena, of the type experienced by Mr Holland, are surprisingly common.

According to recent research at King's College London, around 10 per cent of the terminally ill or those caring for them report some kind of mysterious, inexplicable event that gives them a glimpse of an afterlife.

Patients may report visits from deceased loved ones or experience visions of a heavenly realm.

While such deathbed phenomena are undoubtedly comforting for the dying and their loved ones, could they really shed light on the vexed question of whether there is life after death? It seems so.

Over the past few years, a growing number of scientists have begun studying such events and have concluded that many of them defy all rational understanding.

Professor Peter Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist at King's College London, who leads the research team investigating the phenomena, says the sheer number of reports he has examined makes for compelling evidence: "One possible interpretation of the data is that there really is life after death," he says, "while another would be that something paranormal, such as Extra-sensory perception (ESP), is behind them."

So how exactly do these haunting experiences manifest themselves?

3 Types of Deathbed Phenomena

"Deathbed phenomena come in three forms," says Professor Fenwick.

"The dying can receive visits from dead loved ones or they may have visions of lights and other worlds.

"They may experience strange coincidences such as receiving a visit from a relative they did not know had died.

"Their loved ones and family may experience inexplicable events such as clocks stopping or strange lights appearing around the patient. Others have seen a translucent shape leave the body at the time of death.

"You don't need a religion or a belief system to believe in these phenomena; you just have to look at the data and make up your own mind."

Of course it's easy to dismiss anecdotal cases like that of Peter Holland, and the "visit" from his dead sister.

Sceptics argue that such apparitions result from a heady cocktail of a patient's faulty memory, powerful painkillers and the desire to believe in an afterlife at an intolerably stressful time.

Lewis Wolpert, Emeritus Professor of biology at University College London, denounces deathbed phenomena as mere delusions.

"Such stories are the result of hallucinations, wishful thinking or coincidence," he says.

"There is no evidence for God or life after death. I have no doubt that it must be reassuring for those who believe in these things.

"On the whole, religious people do tend to be happier. I would love to be religious and think that there was a heaven - but it simply doesn't exist."

Doesn't exist? Or hasn't yet been scientifically proven?

For despite the scepticism of the atheists, there remain many deathbed encounters that defy easy answers. And these are the cases that Professor Fenwick's team are studying.

Linda Jacobs's experience is typical.

Her father was terminally ill at a Manchester hospital, but as the family gathered around his bedside for what they believed was his last night, he became increasingly alert.

"He kept saying 'move out of that smoke'," says Linda. "He then began smiling and laughing as though he was meeting with people we could not see.

"He then turned and looked at my mother and said 'your Mum is here! What on earth is she doing here?'" But the figure wasn't really there, for one very good reason. She had died earlier in the week, but the family had decided to keep the news secret for fear of causing further upset.

Moments later, Linda's father also passed away - with a smile on his face.

What can account for such mysterious events Linda is convinced that it provides evidence for an afterlife.

And her case is far from unique. The story of Kate Batchelor, a sheep farmer in the Western Isles of Scotland, is equally puzzling. Her brother died in hospital, and a friend was dispatched to tell her the news.

When they reached the farmhouse, they were greeted by Kate, who said: "I know why you've come. I heard him calling me. He was saying 'Kate, Kate' as he passed over."

She even knew the exact time her brother had died.

Of course not all of the cases being studied by Professor Fenwick are so dramatic.

Far more common are stories involving clocks or other household items that suddenly began malfunctioning at the precise time that a person passed away.

"One lady told me that all of the clocks in her house stopped working at the time of her husband's death. They started again a week later," says Prof Fenwick.

Other cases have involved mobile phones, video recorders, and TVs that all mysteriously ceased to function at the moment of a loved- one's death, only to resurrect themselves shortly after. Pets, too, can mysteriously fall ill or even die at the same time as their owner.

These, too, could be dismissed as mere coincidence. But far less easy to rationalise are cases where people have witnessed the precise moment of an individual's death, and have seen mysterious shapes emerge from the body, or circle nearby.

For example, one acquaintance of Professor Fenwick's, a GP from New Zealand, went to the aid of a golfer who suffered a sudden, and overwhelming, heart attack.

"As he was going to help, he saw what he described as a white form which seemed to rise and separate from the body," says Professor Fenwick.

Even more dramatic was the case of Diane Smyth, from Harlow in Essex, who recalls the time she sat with her elderly father as he died.

As she awoke in the darkened room, she noticed something strange hovering above her father's body. As her eyes focused on the mysterious shape, she couldn't help but notice "a flame licking the top of the wall against the ceiling".

Diane says: "I saw a plume of smoke rising, like the vapour from a snuffed-out candle. It was being thrown off by a single blade of phosphorous light and was indescribably beautiful. It seemed to express perfect love and peace.

"I eventually switched on the room light. The mysterious light vanished and the room was the same as always on a November morning, cold and cheerless, with no sound of breathing from Dad's bed. His body was still warm."

Understanding the Process of Dying

Professor Fenwick hopes that research into these bizarre apparitions will not merely offer insights into the paranormal but will help us come to terms with the process of dying and of death.

He plans to produce a textbook for doctors and nurses caring for the terminally ill. It will be the 21st century equivalent of the Ars Moriendi, the 15th century classic on the art of dying, which described how best to prepare for death.

A common thread runs through many of Professor Fenwick's case studies, and he has now been able to build up a tentative picture of what he believes happens in the hours before death.

Often the first thing that those close to death experience is the realisation that there are friendly spirits in the room, who arrive with the express purpose of carrying them to another realm. As the patient becomes more aware of their presence, fear turns to happiness and eventually bliss.

These spirits will often sit for hours comforting the dying person as their body progressively shuts down and dies.

As part of this process, the spirits precipitate a review of your life - including all of its failings - that enables a dying patient to resolve any lingering conflicts with friends and loved ones.

It would appear that when this process is complete then death quickly follows. It's almost as if, in the final moment of peace, the body finally offers up the ghost.

So what advice can Professor Fenwick give us about preparing for death?

He says: "You should be ready to die at a moment's notice. Those with a clear conscience die well. Those who are angry or frustrated have a much more difficult death." Just as there is a good way to live, it seems there is also a good way to die.