Life After Death Archives

A Spiritual Perspective on Tragedy—Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

“Through reincarnation and
free will, Soul gains lifetimes of
experience, expanding our
awareness and helping us
grow into a greater expression
of Divine Love.”

In this article, you’ll discover how:

A father offers a spiritual perspective to help his daughters navigate fear and tragedy.
Understanding yourself as Soul—an eternal spark of God—can transform your perspective on hardship, death, and the deeper meaning of life.
Simple spiritual practices, like daily acts of kindness and singing HU, can help you replace fear with expansive love.

By Will Harman

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

That question feels especially urgent today—in the wake of heartbreaking events in our schools and public places, and with conflicts unfolding around the world. These tragedies raise questions people have asked for all time:

If there is a just and loving God, why do these things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people?

Will Harman, a long-time student of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ and guest on the Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ Soul Adventure Podcast, has had to face that question not just for himself, but as a father.

A Spiritual Approach for Helping Children Cope with Tragedy

Years ago, after the Newtown school tragedy, my daughter came to me afraid.

She was in middle school then, and the events left her shaken—asking things like, Do I need to hide under my desk? What do we need to do when we go to school?

As a parent, you feel that deeply. You’re processing your own emotions while trying to help your child make sense of something that feels impossible to understand.

The perspective and tools I’ve gained through my study of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ have helped me immeasurably, and I believe they can help others, too.

So I did what felt right in that moment—I sat down and wrote a letter to both my daughters.

The Foundation of Everything—You Are Soul

I started by acknowledging the tragedy and that it was weighing on my mind and heart, as well. Then I shared with my daughters the foundation of everything I understand:

You are Soul. You are a spark of God. You cannot die.

This understanding came to me very clearly when I was younger. I remember hearing the words You are Soul and just knowing they were true. It spoke directly to me—not to my mind, but to something deeper.

It helped me realize I am not just this body. I am not just my thoughts or emotions. Those are like garments I wear. The real self—the engine behind it all—is Soul, this eternal, unique divine spark of God.

And it’s not just humans. All life, animals, insects, every living creature—is Soul.

Perspective in Times of Crisis

Furthermore, each Soul is part of something much larger—a quest to learn how to love unconditionally. Earth serves as a schoolhouse for this spiritual growth.

So, I asked my daughters to imagine something: See the entire planet at once—every person, every animal, every living being—all moving through life in this moment.

And from that viewpoint, recognize that every second Souls are coming into these bodies—human or otherwise. Some of these entries are very peaceful, and some are difficult. We call that birth. The same is true of Soul leaving the body—we call this death.

For me, this perspective is key in times of crisis. Focusing on the bigger picture brings a shift in consciousness, reminding me that even a tragic event—while sad and difficult—is one moment in the flow of life on Soul’s infinite journey.

Why Does Life Have to Be So Hard?

This is a question my daughters have asked me directly. And I’m honest with them: I don’t know why a specific tragedy happens to a specific person. I don’t know their journey. I don’t know their relationship with the Divine.

I do know that these Souls have lived before and will continue living. Through reincarnation and free will, Soul gains lifetimes of experience, expanding our awareness and helping us grow into a greater expression of Divine Love.

A Simple Way to Bring Love into the World

After the Newtown tragedy, there was a suggestion in the media to do acts of kindness in honor of those who had died.

I encouraged my daughters to take that to heart: Do one kind thing each day for someone else, without any expectation of reward. It may sound simple, but it’s a powerful spiritual exercise that brings love and happiness in greater measure.

Experience Spiritual Truth for Yourself

I told my daughters that I could share what I’ve experienced and what I know to be true, but I couldn’t prove it to them—only they could prove it to themselves.

Here are some easy techniques that have worked for me and many others:

The easiest technique of all is to chant the sacred sound and ancient mantra HU. This word has the power to uplift you spiritually for inner peace, healing, and insight.
Keep a dream journal. Look for clues and guidance that can help you in your daily life.
Ask questions, then watch how the universe goes out of its way to answer!

Answers often show up in unexpected ways—images on a billboard, a license plate, or words from a stranger. You’ll begin to see that life is always communicating with you. And over time, as you become more aware of your spiritual nature, the line between life here and life beyond begins to blur.

Living Life as a Gift

I ended my letter to my daughters with something simple: Know that I love you. Remember life is a great adventure. Live it to its fullest. And remember who you are.

You are Soul.

Your Spiritual Quest

Whether you’re interested in dreams, developing a powerful spiritual practice, or want answers about life after death, Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ has tools to enhance your individual journey.

Love Never Dies: How to Heal from the Death of a Parent

Life After Death

“Love is stronger than fear
or even death. Whenever
there is a strong bond of
love between two people,
they can meet again in their
dreams or by Soul Travel.”

This story was originally published by Harold Klemp in “ECK Wisdom on Life After Death: What Happens When We Die?”

In this article, you’ll discover:

How a doctor found solace knowing that love can transcend fear and help heal the loss of a parent.
Pure love is the key that opens the door to heaven.
Spiritual awareness, including dreams and Soul Travel, are ways to understand life after death and reconnect with departed loved ones.
A journey through loss can deepen compassion, understanding, and connection with the divine.

Love Never Dies

An article in Psychology Today reported a study that said the death of a loved one is among the things most feared. But whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, or financial worries, the lesson is that love binds all wounds. If troubles do not bring one the capacity for love, then his whole life will have been in vain.

How to Deal with the Fear of Death

Love is the only thing that can replace a loss of the heart, and Soul Travel (which is an expansion of spiritual awareness) is the gateway to love. Soul, as long as It is under the temporal conditions of the lower planes, will have losses of many kinds. But Soul, knowing of Its divine nature, sees beyond the ends of eternity and knows It can never be extinguished like a candle’s flame.

The Narrow Doorway

My eye doctor had lost his father earlier this year. In the final weeks of his father’s last illness, the doctor had dropped everything on weekends to fly from Minneapolis to Arizona to visit him.

Unexpectedly, he said, “The door to heaven must be narrow.”

A twinkle in his eye begged the question, Why?

Healing from the Death of a Parent

The doctor and his father had grown very close over the past few years, so death had left a big vacuum in the doctor’s life.

“My dad was nearly ninety,” he said, “and had been a rather stocky man most of his life. But he was very thin when he finally left.

“The same with others I’ve known,” he went on. “So the door to heaven must be very narrow.”

We had a laugh about that.

On a more serious note, he recounted the last days of his father. The old man had lived a long, full life, yet he clung eagerly to this life, uncertain about what the next had to offer. But as time passed, he began to have inner experiences of a bright white place. Ahead of him in the vision stood a white staircase. It led up to a door.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to get through the door to a new life in the heavenly worlds, he couldn’t get it open. It frustrated him to no end.

Then he’d open his eyes in the hospital room, look at his son, and say, “I’m not in heaven yet, am I?”

“How do you know that?” his son asked.

“Because you’re still sitting here.” They enjoyed a good laugh.

Then, his father had gone on, happy and content at his good fortune in having mastered the secret to opening the door at the top of the white staircase. However, he left behind a very reflective and lonesome son, the doctor.

“The passing of one’s parents can be a traumatic event,” I said, addressing his unspoken fear. “It means we’re next in line.”

He smiled ruefully, relieved that someone had put a handle on the cup for him.

When the eye exam was over, I made as if to get up from the chair, because my wife, Joan, wanted him to recheck her prescription. The conversation and exam had eaten into his lunch hour, but he seemed grateful for two sympathetic listeners. So he waved his hand for me to stay seated a moment more.

“Since you’re here,” he said, “may I ask you a question? What do you know about parallel worlds?”

The doctor is a Christian; his father was a benevolent agnostic who simply didn’t know what to think about the hereafter. He was perfectly satisfied to enjoy the fruits of this life: his wife, family, friends, good health, and profession. His heaven was earth. That’s all he could be certain of, and it pleased him.

Our good friend the doctor now felt a desire to know where his father was and how he was doing. Hence, the question about parallel worlds.

“Going into the heavenly worlds while still in the human body is the key to Soul Travel and dream travel,” Joan and I said between us. He looked uncertain of how to use either to accomplish his desire of meeting his dad again.

“Love is stronger than fear or even death,” I said. “Whenever there is a strong bond of love between two people, they can meet again in their dreams or by Soul Travel.”

But the doctor, the Christian, hesitated.

I continued: “A master you trust spiritually, like Christ, can make it happen. Just ask him in your prayers. He can take you to your father in a dream. He’ll take care of all the details so you won’t have to learn the dream methods yourself.”

That agreed with him. An air of tranquility now settled upon his face. He thought for a moment longer, then smiled.

Finding Peace Through Love

Heaven’s narrow door?

Yes, an individual must indeed leave behind all attachment to the things of this world before it’s possible to go through heaven’s door.

Abandon all things but one.

Pure love.

It is the key that opens the door to the highest place in heaven—God’s home of Love and Mercy.

FAQs

Q: Can you reconnect with a loved one after death?

Pure love allows connecting with loved ones through dreams or spiritual experiences like Soul Travel, offering comfort and reassurance.

Q: What role does spirituality play in healing grief?

Spiritual awareness helps individuals understand the eternal nature of Soul, giving a broader perspective on Its journey after death of the physical body.

Q: How can a fear of death be overcome?

A fear of death can be eliminated by experiencing Soul—the real self—as an eternal spark of the divine that can never be extinguished. It lives forever.

Q: What brings lasting peace after losing a parent?

Greater peace comes by letting go of attachments and embracing unconditional love, and by knowing that Soul’s journey continues beyond the physical world.

Learn More About Soul’s Eternal Nature

How a Near-Death Experience Sparked a Spiritual Awakening

Divine Intervention, Life After Death, Spiritual Teachers, The Temple of ECK

In This Article You’ll Discover

Near-death experiences can reveal profound spiritual truths
Soul can experience life beyond the physical body
Encounters with spiritual guides are possible
The memory of divine love can stay with a person for life
Spiritual practices can help reconnect with higher states of awareness

By Harold Klemp

A Lightning Strike and a Miracle Recovery

Lenny was a seeker.

Years ago, Lenny had gone hunting in a neighbor’s field with his father, brother, and a neighbor friend.

Tragedy was to change Lenny’s life. Lightning struck both him and his neighbor, who died immediately. Lenny himself went into cardiac arrest. His brother revived him en route to the hospital.

In the emergency room, however, Lenny’s heart failed again. The medical staff tried everything in its power to revive him, but without success. Grave, hopeless seconds flew away like falcons upon the wind.

Unable to make out a sign of life, the doctor signaled a nurse to pull the plug. As she bent over to disconnect the monitors, the faintest bleep sounded from the EKG.

Life!

Lenny’s Awakening in the Inner Worlds

The team sprang into action, reviving Lenny.

He lay in a coma for six hours. But seemingly unconscious, he’d awakened out of the body, in the inner worlds.

A realm of stunning beauty greeted him. There he found delightful rest and peace. His was a flood of bliss and ecstasy.

In that place of unspeakable love, Lenny caught sight of his neighbor, who’d been struck by lightning and translated (died). The man was lingering near a stairway leading to an even greater light. He motioned for Lenny to join him; they’d ascend the stairs together.

But Lenny shook his head. No, there was still plenty to see and do on earth.

Then a man with a snowy beard and in a long white robe addressed him. Was this God? (Lenny was to learn later that this exalted being would never, ever make a pretense of being God.) The old man spoke of the changes to come for Lenny: his future.

Lenny met other beings too. One especially striking man had a gleaming bald head, but more about that later. Lenny could recall only fragments of his inner conversations with those beings, though the beauty and tranquility of that world were like an exquisite script engraved upon his heart. His remembrance of that celestial place enfolded him in an aura of peace and contentment. So profound and pure, in fact, was this recollection that he would spend many fruitless years trying either to recapture or escape its memory.

The Lingering Memory of Divine Love

Lenny regained consciousness. Later Lenny’s doctor would confide to him what a miracle his recovery had been. Such things did not happen; it was simply unheard of. The doctor, badly shaken by Lenny’s amazing recovery, could not understand how he ever survived. It defied all reason.

Two Decades of Spiritual Isolation

For the next twenty years Lenny tried to blot his near-death experience from memory. He desperately wanted to get on with living, yet the exquisite splendor of that divine love continued to haunt him. So Lenny felt like a misfit in society.

Ten years after leaving the hospital, tragedy struck again.

Lenny’s best friend suffered a massive heart attack and died in his arms. The shock of it brought to mind memories of his own near-death experience. No question about it, his friend was rejoicing in the very love and peace that Lenny had once enjoyed too. Every waking hour since his best friend’s death, Lenny tried to recapture that elusive feeling of total love and acceptance.

The Breaking Point: A Cry for Help

A few years ago, Lenny’s own life began to unravel. For one thing, his marriage crumbled. Then, his career went up in smoke. He‘d lost everything worth living for. Gone. Everything was gone. Yet even during this storm of pain and turmoil, Lenny could feel a guiding hand directing his affairs.

Who or what was this silent presence?

One day, seized by despair while out driving, Lenny cried, “What’s going on? Help me! I give up! Do with me what you will. I need help!”

At that very moment, a white car swerved in front of him. Its bumper sticker read: “ECKANKAR 1-800-LOVE GOD.” Curious, he thought.

Soon he began seeing those bumper stickers everywhere.

Tossing and turning one night, Lenny realized he was spiritually on the edge of a precipitous cliff. He crawled from under his covers and switched on the TV. On the screen was an ad for the ECK Worldwide Seminar in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A voice inside him said, “Call the number.” Lenny hesitated.

“Call the number.” So he dialed 1-800-LOVE-GOD.

A Visit to the Temple of ECK

A short while later, a mailing arrived from Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ. Inside it was a free book, Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ—Ancient Wisdom for Today. He skimmed it; he liked it. All right, then, it was time to visit the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Lenny, a Minnesota resident, had driven past the temple for ten years. He’s always known he’d stop in someday, but a certain timidity kept him from it.

He finally overcame his reluctance and went to the temple. Inside, a genial host offered him a tour, to which Lenny agreed. The tour coursed along a corridor to a chapel near the main sanctuary. There, on a wall, hung color portraits of ECK Masters.

Recognition and Validation of the Journey

Lenny stared at them. For the first time since his near-death experience, he finally understood his out-of-body journey. He recognized the ECK Master Fubbi Quantz. He was the man with the white beard and long white robe. He was the very one Lenny had once mistaken for God, the one who’d told him things about his future.

And there, too, was a portrait of Yaubl Sacabi, the bald-headed man who’d offered guidance in times of trouble.

For the first time in twenty years, Lenny knew with absolute certainty that his experience had been real. He wasn’t crazy; in fact, he was blessed.

In good time, Lenny learned about karma, reincarnation, and past lives, and he also found answers to a lifetime of questions. Best of all, he discovered the way to again enter those worlds of light, love, and infinite beauty he’d seen so many years ago. It is through the Spiritual Exercises of ECK.

FAQs

Q: What are “inner worlds?”

In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, the inner worlds are higher planes of existence where Soul experiences love, wisdom, and divine truth beyond the physical realm.

Q: What is a near-death experience?”

A near-death experience is when Soul temporarily leaves the physical body and may enter inner worlds filled with light, love, and expanded awareness.

Q: Can you return to the joy and peace felt in a near-death experience?

Yes. Spiritual practices such as the Spiritual Exercises of ECK offer a way to consciously explore inner worlds and reconnect with that joy and peace.

Q: Are the beings seen in near-death experiences real?

Many people report meeting spiritual guides. In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, these are often understood to be the ECK Masters or spiritual helpers.

Q: Why do near-death experiences change people so deeply?

They give direct experience of divine love and life beyond physical death, which can permanently transform one’s understanding about existence.

Q: What are the Spiritual Exercises of ECK?

They are creative, spiritual meditation techniques that can help anyone explore inner awareness and experience a higher state of being.

Learn More About Spiritual Exercises, the Inner Worlds, and Spiritual Guides.

Talking to My Deceased Grandfather in a Dream— A Spiritual Goodbye

Dreams, Life After Death

In this article, you’ll discover how:

Dreams can offer profound spiritual experiences—especially when they involve loved ones who have passed on.
In ECKANKAR, dreams can be seen as nightly “near death experiences” (without dying!). Dreams are a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, offering insights, healing, and connection beyond words.
This personal story reveals how one dream became a final conversation, bringing closure and healing.

By Bea Colborne

A Quiet Grandfather, a Deep Spiritual Bond

I have a lot of love for my late grandfather, despite the fact he was an extremely quiet man. I never really knew him as well as I had hoped.

When he was diagnosed with cancer that affected his bloodstream, it was a two-year journey of watching him pass. During this time, I had been progressing through my ECK discourses, one of the Spiritual Living courses students of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ receive each year.

Overcoming Night Terrors and Reconnecting with Dreaming

As I was beginning to explore the ECK Dreams courses, I was nervous. I am not a dreamer. I used to be plagued by night terrors and had blocked out dreams. This was worrying me at the time. But I had felt like I had grown spiritually, so I was feeling ready to experience dreaming again.

Experience with My Deceased Grandfather in a Dream

One night, I had a dream I was in my grandfather’s kitchen and for once it wasn’t a nightmare. We were having a full conversation. It was an equal back and forth. Light was pouring into his kitchen. In the dream, I suddenly realized: Oh, he has passed on!

This inspired me to carry on the conversation with more intention. I told him I was gay, something I normally kept to myself. Then he told me he was too! To clarify, I don’t think he was actually gay. I understood it as his way of humorously trying to relate with me.

Spiritual Goodbye Through Dreams

When I woke up, I realized it was a beautiful moment of connecting with him properly one last time, Soul to Soul. Saying that he was gay also was a beautiful moment connecting us emotionally to vulnerabilities in a way we couldn’t reach on the physical plane. This meant that when he translated (a way of saying “passed on”), I felt like I had said goodbye in my dreamtime and was content with everything we had together in both places – the spiritual and the physical. In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, this is sometimes described as connecting in the dream worlds, which can offer profound healing and insight.

Learn More About Dreams

Learn more about spiritual dreaming.

What Does It Mean to Dream About Deceased Loved Ones?

From a spiritual perspective, these dreams may offer emotional closure, reflect growth in inner awareness, be genuine Soul to Soul encounters, and even proof for the dreamer that there is life after death. Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ encourages dreamers to record dreams in a journal, ask questions inwardly before sleep, and view dreams as part of their spiritual education. Explore Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ dream practices.

Coming Out in a Dream — Emotional Truths on the Inner Planes

Dreams often allow us to express truths we might hesitate to voice in waking life. For Bea, coming out in that dream was deeply healing. It showed that the inner worlds can be places of emotional honesty, spiritual connection, and personal growth, even during times of grief.

How Spiritual Growth Can Unblock Dreams

Many seekers experience blocked dreams due to fear or past trauma (like night terrors). As spiritual awareness grows, these blocks often dissolve naturally, allowing dreams to become more clear, uplifting, and meaningful. Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ’s Dream courses are specifically designed to help students navigate this inner territory with confidence. Learn about Dream 1 Discourses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does it mean if I talk with a deceased loved one in a dream?

Such dreams often reflect spiritual connections or emotional closure. In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, they are Soul to Soul meetings on the inner planes. Real experiences.

Q: Are grief dreams “real” or just symbolic?

They can be either, or both. Some dreams are symbolic reflections of inner healing, while others are direct spiritual experiences in higher planes of consciousness.

Q: How can I remember more spiritual dreams?

Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ suggests trying a spiritual exercise before sleep, keeping a dream journal, and treating dreams as real spiritual experiences rather than random brain activity.

Q: What does “translation” mean in ECKANKAR?

“Translation” refers to the passing of Soul from the physical world to continue its journey in the spiritual worlds.

Q: Your Own Soul to Soul Journey

Dreams can be profound teachers, healers, and bridges between worlds. Whether you’re exploring your own grief dreams, spiritual experiences, or want answers about life after death, Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ offers tools to help you understand the language of Soul. Discover more about spiritual dreaming.

Recurring Dreams about Dying

Dreams, Life After Death

Would I Find My Name?

By Rian Beyers

When I was a child, I had a recurring dream. I was dressed in a soldier’s uniform, fighting alongside other men.

Bullets flew across unfamiliar terrain as we engaged in a firefight with our enemies.

I was in command. One by one, my men were killed, leaving me the last man alive. As the enemy troops moved toward me, I noticed they were wearing traditional Vietnamese-looking hats. If I was caught, I might be forced to reveal valuable information that shouldn’t fall into enemy hands.

I looked down and saw my name on the uniform and the weapons I carried. Then my life ended.

I had this same dream for many years. But I didn’t recognize the landscape.

I grew up in South Africa, and at that time our country had no access to television service. It wasn’t until several years later that television became widely available and I had my first glimpse of the Vietnam War.

I was shocked. The landscape was the same one I saw in my dreams. The uniforms of the American soldiers, the weapons they carried, even the way the Vietnamese soldiers dressed—everything was the same, down to the smallest detail.

I didn’t know what to think. After that, every time I saw a movie or show that accurately depicted the experiences of a soldier in the Vietnam War, I had a strong emotional reaction.

Was This Dream a Past-Life Experience?

As I got older, I began to wonder if this was a past-life experience. I’d heard about reincarnation but wasn’t sure if it was true.

Then I found Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ and learned that past lives are indeed real. Remembering our previous lives, and the lessons they taught us, can help us understand more about ourselves today.

I realized my recurring dream had actually been a memory of my past life as a soldier in the Vietnam War. But I wondered why this particular past-life memory created such a strong reaction in me. What did it mean?

Many years later, I visited the United States for the first time. I felt drawn to go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. This monument honors United States soldiers who died or went missing in action during the Vietnam War. Inscribed on the monument are more than fifty-eight thousand names.

When I arrived, I was taken aback to see the vast number of names on the monument’s wall. I wondered if the name I saw in my dreams was there too. But since the names weren’t listed alphabetically, I couldn’t imagine finding it.

I stopped and did a contemplation, asking the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ to help me.

“If my dream is real,” I asked the Inner Master, “can you help me find my name on the wall?”

A few moments later, I came out of contemplation and began walking along the monument. I hadn’t gone very far, when I had a nudge to look at the wall. Inscribed there was the name I saw so many times in my dreams.

As I gazed at the name, I suddenly felt a burden lift from me. I realized I had felt responsible for the deaths of my men. Now I understood there was no need for guilt. We had all done the best we could.

This experience validated that my recurring dream really was a past-life memory. With the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ’s help, this recognition helped me release a hidden burden I had unknowingly carried with me.

Now I know that life doesn’t end with death. Soul is eternal. Every experience in this life and past lives can help me take another step closer to becoming a Coworker with God.

Would you like to read more? View the free ECKANKAR Soul Adventure Magazine or subscrib e now.

Is There Spiritual Life after Death?

Life After Death

Life-after-Death Encounters

By Jack Lile

I was to be the cleric for a local Light and Sound service and thought it best to get a haircut. My longtime barber had translated (passed on) unexpectedly. His shop partner, Cheryl, had cut my hair on occasion, so I switched to her.

When I sat down in her barber chair, Cheryl asked the usual question: “How do you want your hair cut?”

I replied, “Just a light trim” and then added, “I’ll be wearing a suit this weekend and want to look nice.”

Even as these words were coming out of my mouth, I wondered, Why am I saying this?

I was soon to learn the answer.

Cheryl’s Spiritual Questions

Of course, Cheryl asked why the suit, and we spent the next thirty minutes talking about Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ. She fired off some of the usual questions:

1. “Is it Christian based?“

“No, Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ is not a Christian-based religion.”

2. “Do you believe in God?“

“Yes, we believe in God.”

3. “How would you describe God?”

Knowing of her background in Catholicism, where God is described with the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, I replied, “God cannot really be compared to anything in the human experience except that of love. In the ECK teachings, we simply say God is love.”

4. “Do you believe Jesus was the Son of God?”

“A son of God, but not the one and only son of God. We believe Jesus was a mortal man who had a spiritual mission to teach the love of God for mankind.”

5. “Do we have a Soul?”

“You don’t have a Soul, you are Soul. Soul is who and what you truly are, and as Soul you are eternal. Soul exists because God loves It (you).”

The Big Questions: Karma, Reincarnation & Soul

Other topics were sprinkled throughout our conversation. We talked about karma and reincarnation before getting around to the really big questions. “What’s it all about? Why are we here?” Cheryl then asked.

I compared Soul to a very young child who only wants to serve itself by having fun and avoiding responsibility. So, like children, Soul has to go to “school” (also unwillingly) to learn the many lessons necessary to grow into maturity. Earth is such a school, and all of the necessary lessons are not learned in a single day or lifetime.

We played with the school metaphor for a while, and I introduced the concept of being a Coworker with God. I gave examples of some historical figures who gave service. She thought about it and then asked, “But when do you get to rest?”

I almost chuckled at the seriousness of her tone and replied with my own question: “When have you been the most happy?”

That question seemed to take her aback, so I followed with, “Were you most happy lying around doing nothing, or when you were doing something you love?”

She replied enthusiastically, “Yes, with other people.” Then I suggested that could be one aspect of being a Coworker with God.

Until this point, our conversation was mostly along a philosophical vein. Then Cheryl asked a question that was going to lead to a deeply personal revelation: “Do people reincarnate together and maintain a relationship?”

“Yes, through the bond of karma or the bond of love. But the nature of the relationships will change—as a mother one time and then as the daughter or son the next. There are many possibilities, but usually love is the bond.”

Life-after-Death Encounters

By now, my haircut was finished. I was getting ready to leave, when Cheryl began to tell me her story.

She had twin daughters, Kathy and Katie, but Katie died from leukemia two years ago at the age of twenty-one. About a month after her passing, Cheryl awoke one morning at three o’clock with the full awareness that Katie had been there to say good-bye, as she was moving on.

Cheryl told me there was a most beautiful fragrance in the room. She got up and walked throughout the house, but the aroma was only in her bedroom. Too excited to sleep, she waited four hours to call Kathy, her other daughter, who was away at college.

As soon as Kathy answered the phone, Cheryl started to tell her what had happened. But Kathy quickly blurted out her story:

“Mom, you’ll never believe this, but Katie was here in my room last night. She was pulling on my toe to wake me up like she used to do when we were kids. I kicked her hand away, because I have a test this morning and needed to sleep, but she kept pulling. I finally woke up.

“She was here to tell me good-bye. The room was filled with a heavenly scent. Even my roommate could smell it when she woke up. Mom, it was real! Katie was real!”

Cheryl and Kathy knew that Katie, as Soul, survived death. The bond of love brought her back to say good-bye.

Since Katie’s visit, mother and daughter have been trying to find that fragrance in perfumes and other scents, but nothing comes close.

Usually I let my hair get rather long, but now I can’t wait for my next haircut so I can hear the rest of their story.

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