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"ANOTHER LOOK..." is an ongoing column I write for Vital Signs Newsletter, a quarterly publication of the International Association For Near-Death Studies. Each segment will appear here from now on, as well as in the Newsletter. This new feature gives me a format with which to explore varied issues about near-death states. Should you wish to make a comment or want to suggest future topics, please feel free to contact me. I may be able to use your suggestions directly. Thank you. P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)
P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) P. O. Box 7691 Charlottesville, VA 22906-7691
© 2003 P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)
The history of IANDS is my history. The two of us grew up together. There's a group of us who can say that, folks who were present at or near the beginnings of things.
It was early in 1981 that Kenneth Ring telephoned to ask if he and his companion
could spend the night. He had just purchased I Died Three Times in 1977 and
he wanted to meet me and ask some questions. My husband Terry and I were living
in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at the time. All we could offer was an extra mat-
tress with great covers and good pillows. He accepted. Once he arrived, we
talked for hours. I don't know who was more surprised: me at discovering that
others besides myself were researching the near-death experience, or Ken in
finding out how much I had done independently and how extensive were my findings.
The next morning he told me about IANDS, how it was envisioned to operate,
and that it would publish a scholarly journal and a general-interest newsletter/magazine – the
latter to be called "Vital Signs." The maiden issue was slated for
June of 1981, and he wanted me to write a monthly column for it – as
an advocate for near-death experiencers, and as a way to begin talking about
the research I had conducted and was still doing. I said yes.
When I traveled to Storrs, Connecticut the first time (where Ken was still
teaching at the University), and stayed at the "Near-Death Hotel," I
came to realize that my "advocacy" would never be just for experiencers
but would also involve an "invisible" partnership to the Board of
IANDS itself - doing whatever I could to help them fulfill their mission. No
one appointed me to such a "post;" I simply followed "guidance" and
remained true to the task. Eventually I did serve two "official" terms
on the Board, yet that brief span does not describe either my devotion, what
I did, or how I operated. Fortunately for IANDS, a number of people were attracted
to the organization during the early years and, in ways unique to each, kept
things going, even when it seemed as if IANDS would surely fold.
I wrote a total of 17 columns initially, of which 16 were published. Whatever
happened to the last one, no one knows, nor does a copy of it survive. I returned
to the position of columnist in late 1997. This is my 24th and last issue.
All 40 have now been compiled into one e-book, entitled A Book of Columns – copyrighted
in such a manner that the ownership and all monies from its sales belong to
IANDS. Consider the book a historical piece and, hopefully, a fund raiser.
Kevin Williams made this possible, and I want to publicly acknowledge this
and compliment him on the incredible job he did pulling the book together and
in a professional manner. By the way, you will want to check both our websites:
Kevin's at www.near-death.com and mine at www.cinemind.com/atwater.
We have created new sections and expanded offerings concerning the near-death
phenomenon and subjects related to it. (Don't forget, of course, to scroll
through the fantastic IANDS website at www.iands.org while you're at it.) Am
I retiring? Not really. But it is time for me to step aside. I'll present my
last research paper at the 2004 Chicago Conference and in the next year or
so hence finish my "Brain Shift/Spirit Shift Theoretical Model," that
explores the link between near-death episodes and the entire genre of transformational
experiences. Other books will follow. Already three are slated for publication
quite soon: The New Children and Near-Death Experiences (Inner Traditions – Dec.
2003), Goddess Runes (around spring 2004 – A. Merklinger Publishing),
and The Real Truth about Death (A.R.E. Press – late
April 2004). Three new research papers are on my website, and am currently
working on another book - about the new children and their link to evolution
and prophesy. Whenever possible I also serve as a Prayer Chaplain (see my website).
My plate is full and I am grateful. High-energy continues to flood my being,
unending since my three death/near-death events in 1977. That energy, although
softer now than it used to be, still charges forth to aid others or pass on
helpful in-formation or just revel in the glory of each day. In the spirit
of "that which propels me," I want to end my time as a columnist
by sharing a few cautions and comments.
THE CODEX: Every near-death experiencer or anyone else more physically sensitive
(no matter where in the world you live) needs to know about "The Codex." The
Codex is a name given to a group of regulations, the result of so-called studies
conducted through the United Nations, that seek to restrict and control the
global sales of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other forms of alternative medication,
personal health-care, and food supplementation. The goal is to "harmonize" such
products across the spectrum, to remove guess-work in their use, and insure
that medical physicians will have the last word in who can benefit from what.
Codex regulations are stringent and establish "dosages" that are
greatly reduced from recommendations made from established and credible sources
in the United States. Even herbs like garlic are banned. The upshot of governments
voting the Codex in-to law in their respective countries, will be to effectively
end the freedom of the individual to pick and choose desired methods of health-care,
or to participate in wellness and illness prevention programs. The "intelligence" behind
the nutritional codes exacted by the Codex are highly political, and link more
directly to physicians and drug companies than to the latest findings in nutritional
research and what is now termed "complementary medicine." The Codex
is now law in Norway and Germany. Other countries are expected to follow suit – including
Canada and the United States. Reference: United Nations World Health Organization
(WHO), and the Codex Alimentarius (Nutrition Code) Commission. Letters addressed
to them in care of the United Nations will reach the proper department, but
your best bet is to contact your country's United Nations Representative and
demand a reconsideration of the Codex as currently formulated. Most near-death
experiencers and those like them are unable to tolerate the pharmacueticals
they once used or were given, and turn instead toward more natural or uninvasive
approaches to health needs. Success stories are striking (refer to the case
of Cheryl Pottberg in Chapter Five of both Children of the New Millennium (Three
Rivers Press, 1999) and The New Children and Near-Death Experiences (Inner
Traditions, Dec. 2003). This issue is an important one for the near-death community
and should be taken seriously.
KEEP TO YOURSELF VS. EXPOSURE TO OTHERS:
There will always be "newcomers" who have experienced a near-death
state and don't know where to turn for understanding and support. IANDS is unique
in its ability to make a tremendous difference for these people, yet how many
will ever hear about IANDS? And even if so fortunate, how many successfully handle
the challenge of "Do I keep this to myself?" or "Do I tell others?" The
former saves you from embarrassment, rejection, or pain. The latter enables you
to help others, but at what price (loss of privacy, unhealthy behaviors, and
the trap of an overex-posed ego).
Those experiencers who, to my way of thinking, are the most successful with integrating
their episode into a more meaningful life, were those who studied, read, took
classes, and. in general, educated themselves about the phenomenon AND reated
subjects. In Beyond the Light, I did a comparison between two men who had had
a transcendent near-death experience. One stuck to "guidance," never
questioned anything, and refused to listen to another's viewpoint. At first,
this was okay but eventually his ego took over and his "guidance" devolved
into little more than incoherent ramblings. The last I heard he was living in
his car, lost to the world. The other man took advantage of every opportunity
to learn more, take classes, study extensively, volunteer at hospitals and hospice,
check out spiritual precedents, talk with people. He became a gifted teacher
and speaker who practiced what he "preached." Those who keep things "pure" often
miss the opportunity to recognize and understand what "pure" is. I
am not advocating running around becoming a workshop junkie; rather, I am suggesting
that experiencers deepen and refine what they learned from their episode – enlarge
even further their sense of truth.
HAPPENINGS IN HUNGARY:
Dr. Andreas Liptay-Wagner and the Budapest Foundation continue to be exceptionally
active. He presented his paper, "Differential Diagnosis of the Near-Death
Experience," at an international conference addressing brain/mind issues,
and in a university setting. In Budapest, training has resumed for nurses and
medical staff about the near-death phenomenon, how to recognize and handle cases.
Planning stages are currently underway for a one-hour television documentary
in 2004, on one of the largest TV stations in Europe. Our very best to the dedicated
people of Hungary and to Dr. Liptay-Wagner.
REALITY CHECKS: Recently, I checked www.amazon.com to see how my books were
doing (I seldom do this). Much to my surprise, Beyond the Light had sunk
from 4 stars
to barely 2 and was being tossed off as irrelevant, poorly written and poorly
researched. One woman said I hated Christians. As I read through these reviews,
I understood why sales were almost non-existent. Here is a major, in-depth, pioneering
study of adult near-death experiencers virtually being trashed. I sighed a deep
sigh.
Outside the near-death community my work is "old-hat," hardly worth
considering. No, I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I'm facing facts. And the
fact is it's time for me to change.
For starters, I fell at an airport trying to make my connection and broke my
left wrist. Required surgery. I take this to mean there's no going back. I can
no longer be who I am. I must be "more." Sound familiar? Isn't that
what dying does to us, experiencing near-death, being shoved into "the more"?
Witnesses who saw the fall said it looked as if some invisible force slammed
me into the ground, face first. Does that make me some kind of victim, maybe
possessed? No on both counts.
I had several moments of choice before the accident. At each, I chose the more
difficult passage, rather than opting for the easy way. My doctor is Michael
Devine. "Michael" means "message" or "messenger." Yup,
a divine message has been delivered. It truly is time for me to change. Thank
you for reading my columns, and thank you to IANDS for being the wonderful organization
it is.
_____________________________________________________
P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) is the author of many books concerning near-death
states, the latest being FUTURE MEMORY, CHILDREN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, and
THE COMPLETE
IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE NEAR-DEATH EXPERI-ENCE. Check out her website at www.pmhatwater.com
for more information about her other books, the Subtext, and her "Brain
Shift/ Spirit Shift" model for exploring transformations of consciousness.
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