Mark Dohle

In review: Glimpses of eternity

December 6, 2010 |  16 comments
Image Credit: sxc.hu In the 70’s, Raymond Moody (along with Kubler Ross) brought to the attention of millions of people the reality of the Near Death Experience (NDE). In his first book “Life after life”, Raymond presented to the public stories of those who had ‘died’ and came back. The book was well received, but it was anecdotal, so was not received uniformly by the scientific community, since the experience could not be replicated in any kind of lab environment. The ‘conversation’ over the reality of the NDE actually pointing to an afterlife, is still ongoing and perhaps will never really end. The afterlife can be almost impossible to believe in by many, even with those who have faith, so it is understandable the hesitancy of those who profess no belief in the afterlife, God or any kind of reality apart from what can be seen, felt, measured and weighed. It is not the actual NDE that is brought into question, there are simply too many of them to discount, but do they in fact have any bearing on an actual after life.

Raymond Moody has now come out with a new book titled “Glimpses of Eternity…Sharing a loved ones passage from this life to the next”. While it is not the first book on this subject, it may however be another breakthrough for how, again, millions look upon death, what happens when we pass away and the after life. One of the things I have noticed about such experiences is that they do not easily fall into any kind of preconceived ideas, no matter what they are. Be it based on some religious doctrine, or for that matter, those put forth by many philosophers and men of science. The book can shake up ones ‘boggle point” so much that it could start the onset of a headache. This book reminds me of Victor Zammit’s web page, for he will (on a weekly basis) post articles that really make me think and try to stretch my understanding of the mystery of reality, which seems to get “curiouser and curiouser” the more we learn and seek to understand. For some it can cause anxiety, but all one has to do is to simply stay with it and let things settle. Then perhaps a broader understanding of ones faith and philosophical or scientific standpoint can be embraced.

It seems that mankind has always believed in some kind of an afterlife. Well at least once a certain level of evolutionary progress had been acquired. Perhaps this is how our seeking out answers started in the first place. All over the world ‘Shamanism’ seems to take on a certain form, perhaps it is because of the commonality of such experiences. Also, because of the hospice movement, more people are allowed to sit with the dying, so these experiences, which were perhaps taken for granted in the past, are simply being rediscovered. As one who has worked with the elderly and dying for 28 years, I can attest to what Raymond Moody is writing about, though my experiences were not of the intensity of those related in his book, yet real none-the-less.

Raymond has a very simple style of writing, easy to follow and also rich in content. I would recommend this book to anyone of any faith, or lack of. For the depth of human experience seems both complex and bottomless and which the more one studies, will soon learn refuses to fit into any kind of preconceived idea about reality. I feel that we have only scratched the surface in this kind of study and if allowed to continue could radically change not only how we live as individuals but also transform our cultures.

The book is a short one. Only 182 pages with large type…. Short and sweet, but filled with a lot of meat for thought, for those willing to partake. [!gad]In the 70’s, Raymond Moody (along with Kubler Ross) brought to the attention of millions of people the reality of the Near Death Experience (NDE). In his first book “Life after life”, Raymond presented to the public stories of those who had ‘died’ and came back. The book was well received, but it was anecdotal, so was not received uniformly by the scientific community, since the experience could not be replicated in any kind of lab environment. The ‘conversation’ over the reality of the NDE actually pointing to an afterlife, is still ongoing and perhaps will never really end. The afterlife can be almost impossible to believe in by many, even with those who have faith, so it is understandable the hesitancy of those who profess no belief in the afterlife, God or any kind of reality apart from what can be seen, felt, measured and weighed. It is not the actual NDE that is brought into question, there are simply too many of them to discount, but do they in fact have any bearing on an actual after life.

Raymond Moody has now come out with a new book titled “Glimpses of Eternity…Sharing a loved ones passage from this life to the next”. While it is not the first book on this subject, it may however be another breakthrough for how, again, millions look upon death, what happens when we pass away and the after life. One of the things I have noticed about such experiences is that they do not easily fall into any kind of preconceived ideas, no matter what they are. Be it based on some religious doctrine, or for that matter, those put forth by many philosophers and men of science. The book can shake up ones ‘boggle point” so much that it could start the onset of a headache. This book reminds me of Victor Zammit’s web page, for he will (on a weekly basis) post articles that really make me think and try to stretch my understanding of the mystery of reality, which seems to get “curiouser and curiouser” the more we learn and seek to understand. For some it can cause anxiety, but all one has to do is to simply stay with it and let things settle. Then perhaps a broader understanding of ones faith and philosophical or scientific standpoint can be embraced.

It seems that mankind has always believed in some kind of an afterlife. Well at least once a certain level of evolutionary progress had been acquired. Perhaps this is how our seeking out answers started in the first place. All over the world ‘Shamanism’ seems to take on a certain form, perhaps it is because of the commonality of such experiences. Also, because of the hospice movement, more people are allowed to sit with the dying, so these experiences, which were perhaps taken for granted in the past, are simply being rediscovered. As one who has worked with the elderly and dying for 28 years, I can attest to what Raymond Moody is writing about, though my experiences were not of the intensity of those related in his book, yet real none-the-less.

Raymond has a very simple style of writing, easy to follow and also rich in content. I would recommend this book to anyone of any faith, or lack of. For the depth of human experience seems both complex and bottomless and which the more one studies, will soon learn refuses to fit into any kind of preconceived idea about reality. I feel that we have only scratched the surface in this kind of study and if allowed to continue could radically change not only how we live as individuals but also transform our cultures.

The book is a short one. Only 182 pages with large type…. Short and sweet, but filled with a lot of meat for thought, for those willing to partake. Comments (16)

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