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One with the Light: Authentic Near-Death Experiences that Changed lives and Revealed the Beyond by Brad Steiger
No one can doubt any longer what happens when we die. Too many have reported their experiences of survival after death and their return to the world of the living for even the most skeptical scientists to deny. Now, famed author Brad Steiger has researched and gathered the most detailed and illuminating accounts of near-death experiences. The people in these inspiring stories are ordinary men, women, and children, but what happened to them was extraordinary - for they actually returned from death.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
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April 13, 2024
THE POPULAR AUTHOR REPORTS NUMEROUS NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
Brad Steiger (1936-2018) was an American author of fiction and nonfiction works on the paranormal, spirituality, UFOs, true crime, and biographies.
He wrote in the first chapter of this 1994 book, “I became a firm believer in the survival of the human spirit at the age of eleven when I underwent a dramatic near-death experience (NDE), and I was left with the firm conviction that the human soul was imperishable. And we need not fear death. I have a blurred memory of losing my balance, falling off the farm tractor … and landing in the path of the implement with the whirling blades… I was growing increasingly aware that that unfortunate lad was not who I really was. The real me now seemed to be an orangish-colored ball that seemed intent only on moving steadily toward a brilliant light. At first, because of my religious orientation, I believed the illumination to be a manifestation of Jesus or an angel… And then I discovered … I could be in two places at once. I could exist physically in my father’s arms as he carried my terribly injured body… and at the same time, I could be above us, watching the whole scene as if I were a detached observer.” (Pg. 11-13)
He continues, “I can see that my near-death experience at the age of eleven was a most fortunate one… I was shown … that there is an essential part of us, perhaps most commonly referred to as the soul, that does survive physical death. This knowledge has greatly influenced my attitude toward life, as well as toward death… Since 1968, I have distributed questionnaires to readers of my books and to my lecture and workshop audiences. Of the more than 20,000 people who have returned completed forms---55 percent that they have had a near-death experience; 74 percent report out-of-body experiences; 72 percent claim an illumination experience.” (Pg. 16-17)
He recounts, “In a classic case from the previous century, Reverend L.J. Bertrand, a Huguenot minister, went on a mountain-climbing vacation in the Alps… and found proof of his lifelong preaching when he experiences the process of the soul’s capacity to leave the physical body… Bertrand himself had no easy explanation for his near-death experience. It sufficed for him that he had been granted a remarkable demonstration of the immortal soul’s capacity to survive physical death.” (Pg. 65, 68)
He stops to answer “several perplexing questions raised by the phenomenon of near-death experiences, such as, ‘What is it WITHIN us that is projected to other dimensions of reality during near-death experiences?’ The answers that come to us from those men and women who have experienced NDE are subjective, of course, but they do provide us with valuable clues. Nearly all … express awareness of some type of body image… The largest body of collective subjective evidence seems to support the description of a spiritual body that is more or less egg-shaped with an orangish glow.” (Pg. 71-72)
He notes, “Certain researchers have developed the theory that we will all find what we expect to find on the other side. This hypothesis is based on the ‘thoughts are things’ principle… this theory suggests that the individual creates the afterlife he finds, either from faith or from the teachings he or she received as a child. Therefore, as a Christian, it is logical that Evelyn Lovell should find herself at the ‘gates of Heaven’ with St. Peter appropriately overseeing his traditional role as the overseer of a new soul’s right of entry.” (Pg. 120-121)
He explains, “Perhaps certain reads are mentally bringing up a rather mundane but interesting point at this time: Why is it that those who undergo near-death experiences usually see themselves clothed---when they are amorphous substances---rather than naked…[?] It is my personal theory that since near-death experiences involve the essential stud of human personality, the soul body, the projected mind may---if it wishes to do so---‘create’ its clothing by exercising the same kind of mental machinery that is utilized in dreams.” (Pg. 152)
He observes, “Sometimes it seems that the cosmic process of becoming one with the Light can stimulate any of the five senses or even activate talents and abilities that had previously lain unknown within the psyche of a person who survived a near-death experience.” (Pg. 165)
He states, “Whenever a parapsychologist or a psychical researcher is asked to describe the areas of human experience that present the most favorable climate for psychic phenomena, he or she will be certain to include, somewhere near the top of the list, the point of death… One of the most common and universal of all psychic phenomena is that of the ‘crisis apparition,’ that ghostly image which is seen, heard, or felt when the individual represented by the image is undergoing a severe physical crisis---especially that of death… The ghostly visitor looks and acts just like the actual physical personality that it represents, and its principal function and sole motivation appears to be its desire to say good-bye to a relative or friend.” (Pg. 194-196)
He summarizes, “In whatever manner the readers of these chronicles of the near-death experience chooses to assess the material in this book, there should be little question remaining that thousands of men and women have been elevated to higher realms of consciousness and spiritual communion. They have made contact with a source of power and inspiration beyond the ordinary, and they enjoy increased creativity, peace of mind, and joy… They have discovered… that there is a nonphysical self---a soul---that exists within them. What is more, they have learned that this soul is capable of being activated as an inner source of inestimable power that, in turn, is linked to an even greater Source of power and inspiration that permeates and governs the entire universe. They have acquired all this knowledge---because they have become One with the Light.” (Pg, 264-265)
The book ends with his “Guided Visualizations to Assist You in Reflecting the Heavenly Light in Your Own Life.”
This book will be of some interest to those studying near-death experiences, and related phenomena.
Brad Steiger (1936-2018) was an American author of fiction and nonfiction works on the paranormal, spirituality, UFOs, true crime, and biographies.
He wrote in the first chapter of this 1994 book, “I became a firm believer in the survival of the human spirit at the age of eleven when I underwent a dramatic near-death experience (NDE), and I was left with the firm conviction that the human soul was imperishable. And we need not fear death. I have a blurred memory of losing my balance, falling off the farm tractor … and landing in the path of the implement with the whirling blades… I was growing increasingly aware that that unfortunate lad was not who I really was. The real me now seemed to be an orangish-colored ball that seemed intent only on moving steadily toward a brilliant light. At first, because of my religious orientation, I believed the illumination to be a manifestation of Jesus or an angel… And then I discovered … I could be in two places at once. I could exist physically in my father’s arms as he carried my terribly injured body… and at the same time, I could be above us, watching the whole scene as if I were a detached observer.” (Pg. 11-13)
He continues, “I can see that my near-death experience at the age of eleven was a most fortunate one… I was shown … that there is an essential part of us, perhaps most commonly referred to as the soul, that does survive physical death. This knowledge has greatly influenced my attitude toward life, as well as toward death… Since 1968, I have distributed questionnaires to readers of my books and to my lecture and workshop audiences. Of the more than 20,000 people who have returned completed forms---55 percent that they have had a near-death experience; 74 percent report out-of-body experiences; 72 percent claim an illumination experience.” (Pg. 16-17)
He recounts, “In a classic case from the previous century, Reverend L.J. Bertrand, a Huguenot minister, went on a mountain-climbing vacation in the Alps… and found proof of his lifelong preaching when he experiences the process of the soul’s capacity to leave the physical body… Bertrand himself had no easy explanation for his near-death experience. It sufficed for him that he had been granted a remarkable demonstration of the immortal soul’s capacity to survive physical death.” (Pg. 65, 68)
He stops to answer “several perplexing questions raised by the phenomenon of near-death experiences, such as, ‘What is it WITHIN us that is projected to other dimensions of reality during near-death experiences?’ The answers that come to us from those men and women who have experienced NDE are subjective, of course, but they do provide us with valuable clues. Nearly all … express awareness of some type of body image… The largest body of collective subjective evidence seems to support the description of a spiritual body that is more or less egg-shaped with an orangish glow.” (Pg. 71-72)
He notes, “Certain researchers have developed the theory that we will all find what we expect to find on the other side. This hypothesis is based on the ‘thoughts are things’ principle… this theory suggests that the individual creates the afterlife he finds, either from faith or from the teachings he or she received as a child. Therefore, as a Christian, it is logical that Evelyn Lovell should find herself at the ‘gates of Heaven’ with St. Peter appropriately overseeing his traditional role as the overseer of a new soul’s right of entry.” (Pg. 120-121)
He explains, “Perhaps certain reads are mentally bringing up a rather mundane but interesting point at this time: Why is it that those who undergo near-death experiences usually see themselves clothed---when they are amorphous substances---rather than naked…[?] It is my personal theory that since near-death experiences involve the essential stud of human personality, the soul body, the projected mind may---if it wishes to do so---‘create’ its clothing by exercising the same kind of mental machinery that is utilized in dreams.” (Pg. 152)
He observes, “Sometimes it seems that the cosmic process of becoming one with the Light can stimulate any of the five senses or even activate talents and abilities that had previously lain unknown within the psyche of a person who survived a near-death experience.” (Pg. 165)
He states, “Whenever a parapsychologist or a psychical researcher is asked to describe the areas of human experience that present the most favorable climate for psychic phenomena, he or she will be certain to include, somewhere near the top of the list, the point of death… One of the most common and universal of all psychic phenomena is that of the ‘crisis apparition,’ that ghostly image which is seen, heard, or felt when the individual represented by the image is undergoing a severe physical crisis---especially that of death… The ghostly visitor looks and acts just like the actual physical personality that it represents, and its principal function and sole motivation appears to be its desire to say good-bye to a relative or friend.” (Pg. 194-196)
He summarizes, “In whatever manner the readers of these chronicles of the near-death experience chooses to assess the material in this book, there should be little question remaining that thousands of men and women have been elevated to higher realms of consciousness and spiritual communion. They have made contact with a source of power and inspiration beyond the ordinary, and they enjoy increased creativity, peace of mind, and joy… They have discovered… that there is a nonphysical self---a soul---that exists within them. What is more, they have learned that this soul is capable of being activated as an inner source of inestimable power that, in turn, is linked to an even greater Source of power and inspiration that permeates and governs the entire universe. They have acquired all this knowledge---because they have become One with the Light.” (Pg, 264-265)
The book ends with his “Guided Visualizations to Assist You in Reflecting the Heavenly Light in Your Own Life.”
This book will be of some interest to those studying near-death experiences, and related phenomena.
May 19, 2009
I have never read anything like this before. I have never really thought much about the subject of near-death experiences either. This book is a compilation of many different near-death experiences. The author shares examples of people 'projecting' out of their bodies due to intense pain and watching thier bodies writh in pain while not feeling anything. There are examples of people who are in accidents and project out of their bodies and can travel by mere thought to loved ones or places. I found two particular stories fascinating. One was where a woman came to be in a garden and she met with a guide who she talked with. At the end of their conversation the guide told her that the place she was seeing and came to was not representative of heaven, but that it was a place prepared for her so she would accept the message he had to give. The other story is of a woman who was taken from her body by a guide to visit her dying mother. After her mother died she was taken back to her body. She was told she was able to see her mother because her mother prayed to see her daughter before she died.
It doesn't say in the book, but I would be interested to know what the religious affiliation is of the people with these experiences. Many people described seeing Jesus. Are people projecting their religious views on their experience? Did anyone who isn't christian meet Jesus?
A lot of people in the book described an unconcerned feeling for their bodies after leaving the body. Many people expressed the feeling of not needing the body. Maybe this detatched feeling comes from not being in a physical body and maybe their ability to feel physical feelings is diminished? Interesting to think about.
The end of the book has a section about meditation and how many people have described experiences that are similar to near-death experiences. I don't know much about meditation, but the author describes a method to do it and it seems like people would be imagining the experience and not actually experiencing it. But, like I said, haven't tried it myself.
It doesn't say in the book, but I would be interested to know what the religious affiliation is of the people with these experiences. Many people described seeing Jesus. Are people projecting their religious views on their experience? Did anyone who isn't christian meet Jesus?
A lot of people in the book described an unconcerned feeling for their bodies after leaving the body. Many people expressed the feeling of not needing the body. Maybe this detatched feeling comes from not being in a physical body and maybe their ability to feel physical feelings is diminished? Interesting to think about.
The end of the book has a section about meditation and how many people have described experiences that are similar to near-death experiences. I don't know much about meditation, but the author describes a method to do it and it seems like people would be imagining the experience and not actually experiencing it. But, like I said, haven't tried it myself.
December 4, 2016
I found these stories to be very hard to believe.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews