WHAT DOES THE SKY REPRESENT? Where is it? In colloquial speech, people refer to Heaven as “above” and hell as “below”. People who saw the state of hell during their clinical death invariably described the approach to it as precisely a descent. Although, of course, “top” and “bottom” are conventional concepts, it would still be wrong to consider Heaven and hell only as different states: they are two different places, although they cannot be described geographically. Angels and souls of the dead can only be in one specific place, be it Heaven, hell or earth. We cannot designate the location of the spiritual world, because it is located outside the “coordinates” of our space-time system. That space is of a different kind, and it, starting here, extends in a new, elusive direction for us.
Spaces of another world
Numerous cases from the lives of saints show how this other kind of space “breaks through” into the space of our world.
Thus, the inhabitants of Elovy Island saw the soul of Saint Herman of Alaska ascending in a pillar of fire, and Elder Seraphim Glinsky saw the ascending soul of Seraphim of Sarov. The prophet Elisha saw how the prophet Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. No matter how much we want to penetrate “there” with our thoughts, it is limited by the fact that those “places” are outside our three-dimensional space. Most modern stories of people who have experienced clinical death describe places and states “close” to our world, even on this side of the “border”. However, there are also descriptions of places reminiscent of heaven or hell, which the Holy Scripture speaks of.
For example, in the messages of Dr. Georg Ritchie, Betty Maltz, the Rawling Matrix and others, hell also appears - “snakes, reptiles, an unbearable stench, demons.” In his book Return from Tomorrow, Dr. Ritchie talks about what happened to him in 1943, when he saw pictures of hell. There the sinners' attachment to earthly desires was insatiable. He saw killers who seemed to be chained to their victims. The murderers cried and asked those they had killed for forgiveness, but they did not hear them. These were useless tears and requests.
Thomas Welch tells how, while working at a sawmill in Portland, Oregon, he slipped, fell into a river and was crushed by huge logs. It took workers more than an hour to find his body and remove it from under the logs. Seeing no signs of life in him, they considered him dead. Thomas himself, in a state of temporary death, found himself on the shore of an immense fiery ocean. The sight of rushing waves of burning sulfur left him dumbfounded in horror. It was fiery Gehenna, which there are no human words to describe. Right there, on the shores of fiery Gehenna, he recognized several familiar faces who had died before him. They all stood in a daze of horror, looking at the rolling shafts of fire. Thomas understood that there was no way to leave here. He began to regret that he had previously cared little about his salvation. Oh, if he knew what awaited him, he would live completely differently.
At this time he noticed someone walking in the distance. The stranger's face displayed great strength and kindness. Thomas immediately realized that it was the Lord and that only He could save his soul, doomed to torment. Thomas began to hope that the Lord would notice him. But the Lord walked by, looking somewhere into the distance. “He’s about to disappear, and then everything will be over,” thought Thomas. Suddenly the Lord turned His face and looked at Thomas. That's all it took - just one glance from the Lord! In an instant, Thomas was in his body and came to life. Before he even had time to open his eyes, he clearly heard the prayers of the workers standing around. Many years later, Thomas remembered everything he saw “there” in every detail. This incident was impossible to forget. Thomas Welch described it in the book "Oregon's Amazing Miracle", Christ for the Nations, Inc., 1976.
Do you want to fly with us?
A similar story happened to the turner of the Dzhambul superphosphate plant, Vasily Ivanovich L. In February 1990, he decided to go fishing on the bypass canal. The time for fishing was chosen well, and the place was not crowded: dense thickets of reeds, and far away there were man-made hills of industrial waste. The time was approaching midnight. Suddenly, his dog began to whine quietly and huddle at his owner’s feet. This had never happened to her before. And then suddenly a glow blazed behind me.
First of all, Vasily Ivanovich looked at the dog, which had suddenly become silent: she was sleeping in a dead sleep. Not understanding anything, he instinctively turned around and was stunned: ten steps away from him, a huge luminous ball shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow.
L.'s brain became completely clear, without a single thought. It was as if someone had specially ventilated his head. He did not think anything, but only contemplated in a state of complete indifference: neither fear, nor even surprise. He only saw how this luminous ball suddenly formed a door, from which a small ladder was thrown out. It was along it that two girls in silver, tight-fitting suits, with the same silver flowing hair, descended to the ground. They didn’t come close to Vasily Ivanovich, only words suddenly struck in his brain, as if hit on the head with a hammer: “Do you want to fly with us?” Without knowing why, he obediently followed them.
The first thing that caught their eye in the ship’s cockpit was the control panel, behind which a male pilot, somewhat reminiscent of a robot, sat motionless with his back to them. The diamond-shaped cabin was made of diamond-shaped yellow tiles. The guest was offered a unique chair. The girls sat down opposite and began to study him closely with their eyes.
There was perfect silence. No feeling of take-off, flight, overload or landing.
Vasily Ivanovich was not interested in any of the numerous portholes. He sat with his head down, looking at the tiles on the yellow floor. And only once did he dare to raise his eyes and look at the taciturn companions sitting opposite: silver hair below the shoulders, protruding lips, large slanting blue eyes without pupils. “For some reason their breasts are small,” thought Vasily Ivanovich and immediately noticed something like a smile on the girls’ faces.
How long they flew, or whether they flew at all, he cannot remember. And then again the hammer hits the brain: “Come out!”
Going down the ladder. Vasily Ivanovich saw indescribable beauty. There were many flowers around, unearthly flowers. No grass, no bushes, no trees - only flowers. He had never seen anything like this in his life. But there was not a soul around, and only somewhere in the distance could be seen cute houses that looked like country cottages. There was no moon or sun, but it was very light, but even this light seemed unnatural to him. And the air seemed to be painted, but it was so easy to breathe and it was so pleasant.
Once again his bliss was disrupted by a telepathic signal: “Do you want to stay here forever?” And only then Vasily Ivanovich suddenly thought with fear about his beloved grandson: “How can he live without me? After all, I am his father and mother!” After all, I only had time to think, and then a hammer came: “Everything is clear.”
They returned Vasily Ivanovich to earth in a strange way. The robot pilot never turned or moved. Only one of his back remains in my memory. He didn’t even deign to say goodbye to him, but stopped his ship above the same fishing spot, only at an altitude of 30 meters from it. Vasily Ivanovich stepped through the open door and descended to the ground, as if supported by a parachute, without experiencing any feeling of flight or fear.
That night, workers at the superphosphate plant observed a glowing UFO. And something wrong happened to Vasily Ivanovich: terrible headaches began. Body temperature dropped. He went to the hospital for a long time. He spent 26 days in a hospital bed. He did not feel any better after being discharged from the hospital, and then immediately went on vacation.
Even a few months later, at the landing site there was a sharply defined circle with a diameter of about 20 meters, in which no grass grew, although there was a complete riot of vegetation around. It preserves the deep imprints of four pillars, the earth in which has become compressed like concrete. The distance between the supports was exactly five meters.
And one more intriguing detail. Having descended to the ground, Vasily Ivanovich immediately thought: “Lord! So who will believe in all this! At least they gave me something as a keepsake.” The aliens immediately responded telepathically: “We would be glad, but our gift will disappear on Earth anyway.” (Stebelev V., Aizakhmetov V. Fly UFO saucers! // Banner of Labor (Dzhambul). 1990. August 1-3. It is interesting that in another publication the surname of the main character was changed to “Latsemirsky”: Vybornova G. Flights in reality // Leninskaya shift (Alma-Ata). 1990. August 11)
The Case of Pastor C. Hagin
Pastor Kenneth E. Hagin recalls how in April 1933, while living in McKinney, Texas, his heart stopped beating and his soul left his body.
“After that I started going lower and lower, and the further I went, the darker and hotter it became. Then, even deeper, I began to notice on the walls of the caves the flickering of some ominous lights - obviously hellish. Finally, a large flame burst out and pulled me down. Many years have passed since this happened, and I still see this hellish flame in front of me as if in reality. Having reached the bottom of the abyss, I felt the presence of some spirit near me, which began to guide me. At this time, a powerful voice sounded over the hellish darkness. I did not understand what he said, but I felt that it was the voice of God. The power of this voice made the entire underworld tremble, like the leaves on an autumn tree when the wind blows. Immediately the spirit that had been pushing me released me, and the whirlwind carried me back up. Gradually the earthly light began to shine again. I found myself back in my room and jumped into my body like a man jumps into his trousers. Then I saw my grandmother, who began to tell me: “Son, I thought you were dead.”
After some time, Kenneth became the pastor of one of the Protestant churches and dedicated his life to God. He described this incident in the brochure “My Testimony.”
Have been to hell
Dr. Rawlings devotes an entire chapter in his book to stories of people who have been to hell.
Some, for example, saw a huge field there, on which sinners, in combat without rest, maimed, killed and raped each other. The air there is filled with unbearable screams, curses and curses. Others describe places of useless labor, where cruel demons oppress the souls of sinners by carrying burdens from one place to another. The unbearability of hellish torment is further illustrated by the following two stories from Orthodox books. One paralytic, having suffered for many years, finally prayed to the Lord asking him to stop his suffering. An angel appeared to him and said: “Your sins require cleansing. The Lord offers you, instead of one year of suffering on earth, by which you would be purified, to experience three hours of torment in hell. Choose." The sufferer thought and chose three hours in hell. After this, the Angel carried his soul to the underworld of hell. Everywhere there was darkness, cramped conditions, everywhere there were spirits of evil, the cries of sinners, everywhere there was only suffering. The soul of the paralytic fell into inexpressible fear and languor; his cries were answered only by the echo of hell and the bubbling flames of Gehenna. No one paid attention to his groans and roars; all the sinners were busy with their own torment. It seemed to the sufferer that entire centuries had already passed and that the Angel had forgotten about him.
But finally an Angel appeared and asked: “How do you feel, brother?” - "You fooled me! - exclaimed the sufferer. “Not for three hours, but for many years I have been here in unspeakable torment!” - “What years?!” - asked the Angel. “Only one hour has passed, and you still have to suffer for two more hours.” Then the sufferer began to beg the Angel to return him to earth, where he agreed to suffer for as many years as he wanted, just to leave this place of horrors. “Okay,” answered the Angel, “God will show His great mercy to you.”
Finding himself again on his painful bed, the sufferer from that time on endured his suffering with meekness, remembering the hellish horrors, where it was incomparably worse. (From the letters of Svyatogorets, p. 183, letter 15, 1883).
One Monk's Vision
Here is a story about two friends, one of whom went to a monastery and led a holy lifestyle there, while the other remained in the world and lived a sinful life. When a friend who lived sinfully died suddenly, his monk friend began to pray to God to reveal to him the fate of his comrade. One day, a dead friend appeared to him in a dream and began to talk about his unbearable torment and how a never-ending worm was gnawing at him. Having said this, he lifted his clothes to his knee and showed his leg, which was completely covered with a terrible worm that had eaten it. Such a terrible stench came from the wounds on his leg that the monk immediately woke up. He jumped out of the cells, leaving the door open, and the stench from the cells spread throughout the monastery. Since the stench did not decrease over time, all the monks had to move to another place. And the monk, who saw the hellish prisoner, could not get rid of the stench that clung to him all his life. (From the book “Eternal Secrets of the Afterlife,” published by the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos).
They come in my dreams
An equally incredible story was published in the Third Eye newspaper. A quiet and homely girl, Rita L, came to see the healer. She said that in a dream a young man, “absolutely naked,” appeared to her and caressed her in every possible way. In the last month, he took her “to his country” - a very beautiful bright place, “although the sky there is completely devoid of the Sun, or any luminary at all.”
Finally, the stranger appeared in reality and did with her what he had been trying to achieve all the previous months. Finally, he said that he would return in three days: she must decide whether she would go with him to that country for good. If not, then he will no longer be able to come to her.
The healer suggested that she consult a gynecologist. The doctor confirmed that she had recently lost her virginity.
Rita did not show up for the next appointment. She died in bed. Doctors made a diagnosis: a heart valve closed during sleep...
At first glance, it seems unusual that a stranger first appears in a dream, and then, as it were, transitions from sleep to reality. But only at first glance. Folklore “strange creatures” may first appear in dreams and then in reality. Moreover, most often they come in a dream, but in reality they appear much less often, like the spirits “pari” and “albasty” among the peoples of Central Asia. In one of the tales, a Kyrgyz shepherd went to bed in the steppe and saw a blond girl in a dream. This dream was repeated three nights in a row. The guy fell in love. On the fourth night she appeared to him in reality, and they lived like husband and wife. According to legends, “albasts” lived in that place.
In these cases, the combination of the real and the otherworldly, symbolism and folklore, material and intangible is striking. The device that took L. was a reality that left traces, but it transported him to an otherworldly world reminiscent of the afterlife. If he had agreed to stay there, perhaps his body would soon have been found on the shore, like Rita L's.
Strange phenomena blur the edges of our world, and the places of transition to another world become invisible. All you have to do is take a step...
It's wonderful in heaven!
In contrast to these pictures of horror, descriptions of Heaven are always bright and joyful.
For example, Thomas N., a world-famous scientist, drowned in a swimming pool when he was five years old. Fortunately, one of his relatives noticed him, pulled him out of the water and took him to the hospital. When the rest of the relatives gathered at the hospital, the doctor announced to them that Thomas had died. But unexpectedly for everyone, Thomas came to life. “When I found myself under water,” Foma later said, “I felt that I was flying through a long tunnel. At the other end of the tunnel I saw a Light that was so bright that I could touch it. There I saw God on the throne and below people, or probably Angels, surrounding the throne. As I drew closer to God, He told me that my time had not yet come. I wanted to stay, but suddenly I found myself in my body.” Thomas claims that this vision helped him find the right path in life. He wanted to become a scientist in order to better understand the world created by God. Undoubtedly, he made great strides in this direction (7, p. 167). Betty Maltz, in her 1977 book I Saw Forever, describes how, immediately after her death, she found herself on a wonderful green hill. She was surprised that, despite having three surgical wounds, she stood and walked freely and without pain. There is a bright blue sky above her. There is no sun, but light is everywhere. Under her bare feet there is grass of such a bright color that she has never seen on earth; every blade of grass is as if it were alive. The hill was steep, but my legs moved easily, without effort. Bright flowers, bushes, trees. To her left is a male figure in a robe. Betty thought: “Isn’t this an Angel?” They walked without talking, but she realized that he was not a stranger and that he knew her. She felt young, healthy and happy. “I felt like I had everything I had ever wanted, was everything I had ever wanted to be, was going to where I had always dreamed of being.” Then her whole life passed before her eyes. She saw her selfishness and was ashamed, but she felt care and love around her. She and her companion approached a wonderful silver palace, “but there were no towers.” Music, singing. She heard the word "Jesus". Wall of precious stones; gate made of pearls. When the gate opened for a moment, she saw the street in golden light. She did not see anyone in this light, but she realized that it was Jesus. She wanted to enter the palace, but remembered her father and returned to her body. This experience brought her closer to God. She loves people now.
Yes, that's what it says in the Bible. But there are other books too...
What is written in the Bible is confirmed at every step by reality itself. The scale of good and evil is literally implanted in each of us. And it makes itself felt even in people who seem to have sunk to the very bottom of human society. There are many examples of this.
For example, the remarkable Christian writer and confessor Sergei Fudel (1900-1977), who spent 12 years of his life in prisons and camps, recalled how criminals who found themselves in the same cell with him and in ordinary times kept to themselves, united “when the offender was beaten in theft of bread rations." This behavior, of course, does not deserve praise, but it is very indicative. Criminals severely punished thieves in their own environment so as not to become victims of theft themselves. Many of them allowed themselves to break laws, but it never occurred to them to live as if these laws did not exist in principle.
Moreover, criminals usually do not consider even the offenses they themselves committed to be heroic deeds. Philology teacher Tatyana Shchipkova, sentenced to three years in 1980 for introducing students to the Gospel, recalled that her unfortunate friends who were serving sentences for criminal offenses generally did not challenge the fairness of the sentences. Even when the terms clearly exceeded the degree of their guilt. “When talking to such women, I always asked if they felt they had been treated unfairly. “Of course, fair. She killed a man, which means she has to serve time. Well, I'll sit it out. But she cleared the paths of life for the children.”
Even the most inveterate scoundrels, murderers and rapists realize: there is only one moral law, and although you can try to ignore it, it is impossible to doubt the very fact of its existence. There are no awards, promotions or “orders of honor” for murder, theft, or rape in the human world. Even among criminals.
What Salvius of Albi saw
Saint Salvius of Albia, a sixth-century Gallic hierarch, came back to life after being dead for most of the day and told his friend Gregory of Tours the following.
“When my cell shook four days ago and you saw me dead, I was lifted up by two Angels and carried to the highest peak of Heaven, and then under my feet it seemed that not only this miserable earth was visible, but also the sun, moon and stars. Then I was led through a gate that shone brighter than the sun, and into a building where all the floors glittered with gold and silver. It is impossible to describe that light. This place was filled with people and stretched so far in all directions that there was no end in sight. The angels cleared a path for me through this crowd, and we entered the place to which our gaze had been directed even when we were not far away. A bright cloud hovered over this place, which was brighter than the sun, and from it I heard a voice like the voice of many waters. Then I was greeted by certain beings, some of whom were dressed in priestly robes, and others in ordinary dress. My escorts explained to me that these were martyrs and other saints. While I stood, such a pleasant fragrance enveloped me that, as if imbued with it, I did not feel the need for either food or drink. Then a voice from the cloud said: “Let this man return to earth, for the Church needs him.” And I fell prostrate on the ground and cried. “Alas, alas, Lord,” I said. “Why did you show me all this only to take it away from me again?” But the voice answered: “Go in peace. I will look at you until I return you to this place again.” Then I went back crying through the gate through which I had entered.”
Testimony of the holy fool Andrey
Another remarkable vision of Heaven is described by Saint Andrew, the Fool for Christ, a Slav who lived in Constantinople in the ninth century.
Once during a harsh winter, Saint Andrew lay on the street and died from the cold. Suddenly he felt an extraordinary warmth within himself and saw a beautiful young man with a face glowing like the sun. This young man led him to heaven, to the third Heaven. That's what St. Andrei said, returning to earth: “By Divine will, I remained for two weeks in a sweet vision... I saw myself in paradise, and here I marveled at the indescribable charm of this beautiful and wondrous place. There were many gardens filled with tall trees, which, swaying with their tops, delighted my vision, and a pleasant fragrance emanated from their branches... These trees cannot be compared in beauty to any tree on earth. In those gardens there were countless birds with golden, snow-white and multi-colored wings. They sat on the branches of the trees of paradise and sang so beautifully that I couldn’t remember myself from their sweet-sounding singing...
After that, it seemed to me that I was standing at the top of the firmament, and in front of me was walking some young man with a face as bright as the sun, dressed in purple... When I followed him, I saw a tall and beautiful cross, like a rainbow, and all around him - fire-like singers who sang and praised the Lord, crucified for us on the cross. The young man walking in front of me, approaching the cross, kissed it and gave a sign for me to do the same... Kissing the cross, I was filled with unspeakable joy and felt the fragrance stronger than before.
Walking further, I looked down and saw below me what looked like an abyss of the sea. The young man, turning to me, said: “Do not be afraid, for we need to rise even higher,” and gave me his hand. When I grabbed it, we were already above the second firmament. There I saw wonderful men, their joy indescribable in human language... And so we rose above the third heaven, where I saw and heard many heavenly powers singing and praising God. We approached some kind of curtain shining like lightning, in front of which stood young men who looked like flames... And the young man who was leading me said to me: “When the curtain opens, you will see the Lord Christ. Then worship the throne of His glory.” ...And then some fiery hand opened the curtain, and I, like the prophet Isaiah, saw the Lord Himself sitting on a high and exalted throne, and seraphim flew around Him. He was dressed in a scarlet robe; His face shone, and He looked at me with love. Seeing this, I fell on my face before Him, bowing to the Most Bright One and the Throne of His glory.
The joy that overwhelmed me at the contemplation of His face cannot be expressed in words. Even now, when I remember that vision, I am filled with indescribable joy. I lay in awe before my Master. After this, the entire heavenly army sang a wondrous and indescribable song, and then - I myself don’t understand how I found myself in paradise again.”
(It is interesting to add that when Saint Andrew, not seeing the Virgin Mary, asked where She was, the Angel explained to him: “Did you think to see the Queen here? She is not here. She descended into a distressed world - to help people and console the mourning. I would show you Her holy place, but now there is no time, for you must return.")
The eye did not see, the ear did not hear
So, according to the lives of saints and stories in Orthodox books, the soul goes to Heaven after it has left this world and passed the space between this world and Heaven.
Often this passage is accompanied by intrigues on the part of demons. At the same time, Angels always lead the soul to Heaven, and it never gets there on its own. Saint John Chrysostom also wrote about this: “Then the Angels took Lazarus away... for the soul does not by itself go to that life that is impossible for it. If we, moving from city to city, have a need for a guide, then all the more will the soul, plucked from the body and presented to the future life, need guides.” Obviously, modern stories about the world and places of wondrous beauty do not convey actual visits to these places, but only “visions” and “anticipations” of them at a distance. A genuine visit to Heaven is always accompanied by obvious signs of Divine grace: sometimes a wondrous fragrance, accompanied by a miraculous strengthening of all a person’s powers. For example, the fragrance nourished Saint Savely so much that he did not need food or drink for more than three days, and only when he told about it did the fragrance disappear. The profound experience of visiting Heaven is accompanied by a sense of reverence for the greatness of God and a consciousness of one's unworthiness. At the same time, the personal experience of Heaven is inaccessible to an accurate description, because “the eye did not see, the ear did not hear, and the thing that God has prepared for those who love Him did not enter the mind of man,” and “now we see, as if through a dark glass, fortune-telling, then we will see face to face” (1 Cor. 2:9 and 13:12). Priest Alexander MILEANT
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God bless you!
Memories of celebrities who have been to the next world
After reading this you will believe anything...
Nikolai Karachentsov, Soviet theater and film actor, People's Artist of the RSFSR, was born on October 27, 1944. In 2005, everyone’s favorite actor was in a terrible accident, as a result of which he fell into a coma for almost a month from his injuries! Alas, fame cannot be a guarantee of safety, and many stars, for one reason or another, found themselves on the brink of life and death. Some of them, including Karachentsov, later spoke openly about what they saw and experienced “after death.”
Nikolay Karachentsov . The actor got into a terrible accident on the night of February 28, 2005, when his Volkswagen Passat B5 lost control on the icy road of Michurinsky Prospekt in Moscow.
Karachentsov found out that his mother-in-law had died, so he drove from the dacha, exceeding the speed limit and not wearing a seat belt. The result was a serious traumatic brain injury.
The actor spent 26 days in a coma. But Nikolai was able to noticeably rehabilitate himself only in May 2007. Then he spoke about what he saw while in a coma.
According to him, he communicated with his parents, whom he saw young, lived among flowers, butterflies, listened to music, and there was some big and kind person nearby. According to Karachentsov, he had never experienced such peace and tranquility in his life.
Sharon Stone . In 2001, the actress almost died when she suffered a brain aneurysm. According to Stone, at one point the pain literally shot through her head.
Sharon fell onto the sofa in pain: “I saw a giant funnel of white light above me and then flew into it. There I saw and met some of my friends...
...But all this happened very quickly - in an instant! And suddenly, I came back. I found myself back in my body and in my room,” she later recalled.
Jane Seymour . In 1987, one of the “Bond girls” and star of the series “Dr. Queen: The Female Doctor” suffered an injection of penicillin, which turned out to be almost fatal for her due to a sudden allergic reaction.
Jane recalled: “I literally left my body. It seemed to me that I saw myself lying on the bed and people surrounding me. I remember that everyone was trying to revive me, and at that moment I was looking at them from above, from the corner of the room. I see how they stick needles into me, do cardiac massage and the like...
...And my whole life flashes before my eyes, but at the same time there are no thoughts about career, fame and awards. There is only one thought that bothers me: I have to live because I don’t want anyone else to raise my children. And now I’m floating in the air and thinking that I can’t die, because I have no one to leave my children with. And it was then that I turned to God with the words: “If you exist, Lord, and if I survive, I will never again take your name in vain”...
...Although it seemed to me that my “death” lasted about 30 seconds, I clearly remember how I begged the doctor to save me and how I was sure that I would not die.”
Gary Busey . In 1988, the actor was in a terrible motorcycle accident without a helmet. As a result, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and lay in a coma for a month.
In 2005, on “The Larry King Show,” he spoke about his experience: “I was surrounded by angels. But they didn't look like the ones on Christmas cards. They were huge balls of light floating in the air and exuding love and warmth. This experience was a spiritual awakening for me.”
Donald Sutherland . While filming the 1970 film Kelly's Heroes in Yugoslavia, the actor contracted spinal meningitis.
Donald recalled: “The doctors there had no antibiotics, which left me in a coma. Then they told me that within a few seconds I was dead...
...What remains in my memory is a tunnel with a blue glow, along which I went down. Then I saw a white light and stepped into it.” The actor also recalled hearing his producers talk about how to inform his wife about what had happened and how to transport the body to Canada.
Peter Sellers . The British comedian opened up about his near-death experience to Being There co-star Shirley MacLaine.
When the actor suffered his first heart attack in 1964, his heart stopped and doctors recorded clinical death. According to Sellers, he was literally separated from his body and saw himself being carried on a gurney.
According to him, there was no fear, and the actor only experienced an incredible craving for the pleasant white light flowing from above. After that, he saw a hand extended to him from there and reached out to it...
...Suddenly, Peter heard his own heartbeat, and a voice coming from his hand said: “Now is not the time. Come back and finish everything. It is too early". Sellers even noted that when he woke up, he was very disappointed, but was no longer afraid of death.
Elizabeth Taylor . In 2009, the actress spoke about an incident that she had to endure in the 50s. Then the doctors even managed to announce her death.
Taylor recalled the tunnel, the bright lights and meeting her third husband, Mike Todd, who had died in a plane crash three years earlier. It was he who told her that she must live and her time had not yet come.
Elizabeth noted that it felt like she was in liquid mercury: “I was in the tunnel with Mike. It was very beautiful, warm and the light was so inviting.”
Burt Reynolds. An accident happened to the actor on the set of the action movie “Trouble in the City,” when he injured his jaw. Everything would have been fine if Reynolds had not become addicted to painkillers, which he took up to 50 a day.
Deciding to give up this addiction, he abruptly stopped taking medications, which is why he fell into a coma. According to his memories, described in his autobiography, he left his body and heard the voices of doctors who repeated the phrase “We are losing him.”
Rebecca De Mornay . The actress, at the age of seven, was admitted to a Mexico City hospital with a stomach ulcer, and doctors gave the most disappointing forecasts.
Then De Mornay experienced an unusual experience: “I was connected to three IVs at once, but I remember well that I got out of bed and looked out the window: it was snowing. I also saw an old lamppost and barefoot children dancing around it and singing songs...
...I went to bed again, and the next morning the crisis was over. In 1983, it suddenly dawned on me: “How much snow can there be in Mexico City? And there have never been such fancy lanterns there. When I returned to this city, I really didn’t find them, and there was never a smell of snow there.”
Eric Estrada. While filming the TV series California Highway Patrol, the actor was involved in a motorcycle accident, which also resulted in an unusual experience.
“Suddenly I found myself in a long corridor with very bright lights and beautiful music. I felt extraordinary peace, but something prevented me from going further. Someone's voice told me: “You need to go back. You still have a lot to do. You achieved success and fame, but did not find personal happiness and peace in your heart,” Estrada said later.
William Petersen . In 2004, the CSI Crime Scene Investigation star told Playboy that he also had a near-death experience when he severely cut his finger while performing on stage in Chicago and lost a lot of blood.
“I heard the doctors fussing around me and saying that I had stopped showing signs of life. Just like in the movie All That Jazz, I found myself on an escalator that moved through a long tunnel filled with very bright white light...
...I especially remember the imperious male voice that said the following: “This is not your time. Get off the escalator. You still have a lot to do." I obeyed, did what was asked, and returned to life. Since then, something has changed in me, a clear realization has come that somewhere in another world everything is very good. However, the more I talked about it, the more people became suspicious of me. Some of them directly said: “Well, okay, whatever it is, be careful with drugs.”
Louis Gossett Jr. When the actor was 12 years old, he fell into a deep hole while playing baseball. According to his recollections, before he came to his senses, he passed through a tunnel filled with white light.
Chevy Chase . The actor almost became a victim of electric shock while filming the comedy Modern Problems in 1981.
He said that, having lost consciousness, he saw things similar to those described in their memoirs by people who found themselves in a similar situation.
Larry Hagman . Due to alcoholism, the actor needed a liver transplant in 1995. It was during the operation that he had an unusual experience.
Larry said: “I am very afraid of pain, weakness, loss of sanity, that is, everything that is associated with old age. But I am not afraid of death, because I know about the existence of another world. I was there, twice. The second time I got there was thanks to a transplant. And everything was a little different than the first time...
...I left my own body, soared and saw myself lying below with a hole in my stomach, surrounded by doctors. I understood what was happening, I heard everything that was said. And then I took it to the next level. I was enveloped in a warm, familiar feeling of love, and I no longer cared what they did to my body. It was wonderful".
James Cromwell . According to the actor, at the age of five he almost drowned in the ocean and experienced near-death experiences associated with bright light and other similar phenomena.
The actor believes that since then his life has been filled with mysticism, and he constantly sees dreams related to his previous lives.
Ozzy Osbourne . The British musician was the victim of a car accident on December 8, 2004, near his country house.
As a result, he was declared clinically dead twice, but he was brought back to life. The singer spent eight days in a coma.
Upon waking up, Ozzy stated: “I don’t know where I was or how long I was there. I often returned to consciousness and lost it again. Sometimes in the darkness I saw a light, there were no angels with trumpets, there was no man with a white beard.”
Stevie Wonder. On August 6, 1973, the legendary musician was involved in a serious car accident while on tour in North Carolina when the car driven by Stevie's cousin, John Harris, collided with a truck. The artist lost consciousness, after which he was in a coma for four days.
After emerging from his comatose state, the musician recalled: “The only thing I remember is that I lost consciousness and that for several days I was definitely in some holy place, I reconsidered many things regarding my life and my future. Now I have a higher bar.”
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