The Dead Saints Chronicles: A Zen Journey Through the Christian Afterlife

by David Solomon

  The encounter with “the Source” as he would later call it, was for Paul Solomon, a life-transforming experience. He found what had begun by accident, he could later duplicate at will. He gave more than 1400 “Source readings” during his lifetime, and later his lectures and classes became the catalyst for a worldwide ministry, before his death on March 5, 1994. (Story expanded in Vol. II of the Chronicles, Training Wires of the Soul)

  Edgar Cayce (1877-1945)

  Edgar Cayce has been called the “sleeping prophet,” the “father of holistic medicine,” and the most documented psychic of the 20th century. For more than 40 years of his adult life, Cayce gave over 14,000 psychic “readings” while in an unconscious state, diagnosing illnesses and answering questions about life both ancient and modern. Edgar Cayce’s life and work are explored in the classic books, There Is a River (1942), by Thomas Sugrue, and Jess Stearn’s, The Sleeping Prophet. (1967)

  Edgar Cayce was a devoted churchgoer and Sunday school teacher. At a young age, Cayce vowed to read the Bible for every year of his life, which he did until the time of his death in 1945.

  What is less known about Edgar Cayce is he may have had a near-death experience during his childhood that may have precipitated the onset of his unusual abilities. In 1944, Edgar Cayce told Harmon Bro, a graduate student who was writing a dissertation about Cayce for his graduate studies, that he discovered he had drowned as a young child. Bro, author of, A Seer out of Season, writes of Edgar: “He told of how he had drowned while fishing and been pronounced dead in his youth.” 16

  Apparently, a hired man passing by pulled him out of a fishing hole and applied simple resuscitation skills that were generally known and brought the boy back to life. The hired man loaded Edgar on a wagon and took him back to his mother. Harmon wrote Edgar’s mother was frightened when she heard what had happened and “what he had seen” when he drowned.

  The most reasonable conclusion is Edgar Cayce had a near-death experience. After his drowning accident, Cayce demonstrated unusual psychic abilities. He was able to see and talk to his late grandfather’s spirit, and often played with “imaginary friends” whom he said were spirits on the other side. He also displayed an uncanny ability to memorize the pages of a book simply by sleeping on it. These gifts labeled the young Cayce as strange, but all Cayce really wanted was to help others, especially children.

  Cayce accidentally discovered more about his unusual abilities during a hypnosis experiment in 1901, when he was 24. He had lost his voice due to a cold, and for about a year, he could only speak in rasping whispers. A friend suggested Cayce try hypnosis as a means of helping his condition. The experiment proved to be more than successful. Cayce went into a deep trance and described the condition in his vocal cords, advising, strangely enough, what to do for it. The hypnotist followed the advice—that of suggesting the blood circulation increase to the affected area —and when Cayce awakened he had regained his normal speaking voice. After a number of follow-up sessions, the cure turned out to be a permanent one. He discovered he had the ability to put himself into a sleep-like near-death state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach.

  Cayce’s description of going into a hypnotic trance is nearly identical to what has been described in near-death experiences, also containing many Death Elements. Here’s a verbatim account of Cayce’s waking description of his journey in the trance state, taken from comments he made at a public lecture:

  I see myself as a tiny dot out of my physical body, which lies inert before me. I find myself oppressed by darkness and there is a feeling of terrific loneliness. Suddenly, I am conscious of a white beam of Light, knowing that I must follow it or be lost.

  …As I move along this path of Light I gradually become conscious of various levels upon which there is movement. Upon the first levels there are vague, horrible shapes, grotesque forms such as one sees in nightmares. Passing on, there begins to appear on either side misshapen forms of human beings with some part of the body magnified. Again there is change and I become conscious of gray-hooded forms moving downward. Gradually, these become lighter in color.

  …Then the direction changes and these forms move upward and the color of the robes grows rapidly lighter. Next, there begins to appear on either side vague outlines of houses, walls, trees, etc., but everything is motionless. As I pass on, there is more Light and movement in what appear to be normal cities and towns. With the growth of movement, I become conscious of sounds, at first indistinct rumblings, then music, laughter, and singing of birds. There is more and more, Light. The colors become very beautiful, and there is the sound of wonderful music. The houses are left behind; ahead there is only a blending of sound and color. Quite suddenly, I come upon a hall of records. It is a hall without walls, without ceiling, but I am conscious of seeing an old man who hands me a large book, a record of the individual for whom I seek information.17

  We discussed in this chapter four levels of personal metamorphosis caused by near-death experiences: Born-Again (Old life to New Life), New Faith (Atheist to God-Believer), Spiritual Upgrades and Meta-Human. As we see throughout the Chronicles, there are seven valid ways to experience a spiritual transformation of the heart and mind. It’s not how you arrive; the goal is just to get there.

  And you don’t need to physically die to do it!

  —

  Endnotes

  1Meta-human is a term coined by Paul Solomon. Also see Paul Solomon 1985. The Meta-Human, Twice-Born. Reprinted 2003, Ireland, UK. Paul Solomon Foundation.

  2I Corinthians 15:31

  3Romans 7:19

  4Jeana B NDE, #1407,10.17.07, NDERF.org

  5Stephanie S NDE, #1417, 10.17.07, NDERF.org

  6Diane C NDE, #1369, 12.14.07, NDERF.org

  7P.M.H. Atwater 2007. The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing Co. p. 86.

  8Theresa C NDE, #2343, 09.13.10, NDERF.org

  9Michael Joseph NDE, #3700, 06.09.14, NDERF.org

  10Chamisa H NDE, #2170, 02.25.10, NDERF.org

  11Dr. Mary Hensley, August 10, 2014. Sermon at the Fellowship of the Inner Light. Excerpts taken from You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbVIp2qq2QQ

  12Notes: Nigel Mumford’s conviction to pray for healing came in 1989 when his sister, Julie Sheldon, a ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, was healed by God through the late Canon Jim Glennon. Julie had a very dramatic healing from

  Dystonia, a severe neurological condition that curled her up into a fetal position and left her very close to death. Nigel and his wife Lynn, were privileged to be a part of creating the healing ministry there for 9 1/2 years. Nigel has relocated his ministry of healing from CT and upstate NY to Virginia Beach.

  13Dannion Brinkley and Paul Perry 1994. Saved by the Light: The true story of a man who died twice and the profound revelations he received. New York: Villard Books.

  14Krikrikit’s NDE, #911, 07.23.06, NDERF.org

  15Paul Solomon Source Reading Excerpt, February 15, 1972. Ireland, UK. Paul Solomon Foundation.

  16Neil Helm, M.A., Scholar in Residence, Atlantic University, 1989. Did Edgar Cayce Have a Near-Death Experience? p.426.

  17http://www.neardeathsite.com/cayce9.php

  — 15 —

  You Do Not Die Alone

  ~Dream: While staying overnight near Duke University, I dreamed of receiving a call from an old girlfriend who is still alive. We touch hands palm to palm to symbolically say ‘goodbye.’ The following morning, Delynn and I received disappointing news. My brain tumor had more than doubled in size from 11mm to 24mm and there were no real treatment options for which I was willing to subject myself. Driving back from Duke to Virginia Beach with a heavy heart, I received a phone call from Kerry, an ex-employee from my company, Fast Transact. I hadn’t heard from him in four years. Kerry, hearing about my termin
al cancer situation, called to walk me through the “Sinners Prayer.” Although I am at peace with my salvation, his call was perfectly timed because I had been debating whether to add a section at the end of chapter 23, called Salvation and Grace. Thank you Kerry for your love and listening to God. I heard you and I thank you. One more wonder ended the day on December 1, 2015: The www.deadsaintschronicles.com website went live at 4pm. (www.deadsaints.org went live February 2, 2016) ~Chronicle 905

  The hospital room quietly buzzes with oxygen white noise and the droning beep of heart monitors monitoring Grandma. Her daughter has dozed off, but suddenly awakens, and in the dim morning, light notices a figure standing near the dying person. Startled and frightened, they are frozen in awe. Grandma sees the outline of a woman standing at the end of the bed. A smile sweeps over her face in the last few moments of her life. She whispers to her daughter, “It’s all true!” and then dies.

  That moment of clarity, just before death, is a well-known phenomenon described in Chinese tradition called Hui Guang Fan Zhao (The Light returns). 1 This is a commonly reported situation where a dying patient would be comatose or confused, but suddenly becomes alert and lucid, often acknowledging loved ones around him/her before dying.

  Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, passed away in 2011. Just before his passing, his sister reported that, in his last moments, he looked beyond everyone else in the room, and then said, with feeling, “O Wow! O Wow. O Wow,” before he died.2

  My wife’s mother Barbara awoke out of her coma, on July 28, Delynn’s birthday. With her eyes closed, she said, “I love you.” They were her mother’s last words before dying a week later. Deathbed visions used to be relatively common because our loved ones died at home. With the advent of modern medicine, many people die heavily sedated in the hospital, with family often separated from the moment of death.

  Hospice Care

  Many families today, rather than deciding on an institutional setting, are choosing to care for the dying in their own homes with the help of Hospice. Typically, Hospice nurses are called in between six months and six weeks before death. Hospice nurses not only help with medication, but also assist with body washing and showers, and typically work with a Hospice Chaplain who may also visit on a regular schedule.

  Depending on the situation, the Hospice nurse will visit your home once or twice a week to check on heartrate, blood pressure, and the rate at which pain or nausea medication is given. As death approaches, they may begin visiting daily to monitor the proper application of pain medication which is usually administered by the caregiver via dropper into the mouth at .5ml every 2-8 hours as needed to keep the patient comfortable.

  Hospice is available in most cities throughout the United States. Dannion Brinkley founded the “The Twilight Brigade” one of the largest end-of-life care communities operating as an independent agency within VA hospitals and hospice care facilities across America. It has approximately 5,500 volunteers nationwide that are dedicated to being at the bedside of our nation’s dying, especially Veterans.

  His motto: “No one need ever to die alone.” 3

  End-of-Life / Near-Death Awareness

  Dying touches friends, neighbors, coworkers and family, like ripples created when a stone is dropped into a pond. Friends and family begin pouring in to say goodbye. The dying ARE THERE to teach us the ropes about death.

  Maggie Callahan, a former hospice nurse, in her excellent book, Final Gifts, coined the term “Near-Death Awareness” to describe end-of-life observations of dying patients in the few weeks or months preceding death. During this period, a person may have “visions of deceased family or spiritual beings, although they don’t necessarily signal death’s imminence.”4

  According to Callahan, “It’s not uncommon for an onlooker, however well-meaning, to speak of a dying person as ‘out of it’ or ‘losing it’ or ‘not quite right anymore.’”5 Doctors and health-care workers may label these ramblings as “confusion” or “hallucinations.” Furthermore, Callahan states, “Family members and caregivers may dismiss what they’re hearing as a dying person’s dreams and memories. The dreams of a dying person may contain powerful messages. They may describe the dream by saying, “I had a dream, but it wasn’t really a dream.” 6

  She relates how the dying slip in and out of consciousness, but when awake sometimes recall the grandeur of Heaven:

  The experience of dying frequently includes glimpses of another world and those waiting in it. Although they provide few details, dying people speak with awe and wonder of the peace and beauty they see in this other place. They tell of talking with, or sensing the presence of, people who we cannot see—perhaps people they have known and loved. They know, often without being told, that they are dying, and may even tell us when their deaths may occur.7

  Heidi Telpner, R.N., author of One Foot in Heaven, Journey of a Hospice Nurse, describes one patient who had been a flyer in World War II, “I frequently saw and spoke with many of the men from his squadron in his final days.” She found it interesting that as they approached death, “men who served in the war commonly visit with deceased friends from their squadron or unit. She concluded that, “Those friends seem to be among the first to make a visit to a dying serviceman, even before deceased relatives arrive.”8

  Most nearing death are mostly concerned for those they are leaving behind. They switch their awareness from the world beyond the veil and then back again to Earth as they prepare to go home.

  Death-Bed Visitations

  Visitation from angels, deceased friends and family can occur days, weeks, or even months before death. Jacqueline’s death-bed experience of her father is chronicled two-weeks before he died. Her Dad, an atheist, is visited by a messenger from God:

  My late father, Lennie, developed cancer of the left maxilla and was sent to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in Brisbane to have an operation to take out the cancerous parts in his face (internal)…He said at some time during the operation he was above his body looking down on it and knew he was dead. He said the next instant he was sucked through black space, the blackest he could ever imagine, and then he was standing outside this golden tunnel. Inside the tunnel ‘was a holy man standing with the whitest brightest long robe on.’ He had long hair and Dad knew this man to be very holy.

  Dad also knew he could not go in the tunnel until it shone bright gold. Dad said he wanted to go in because he could feel the love and peace all around him. He said he did not know how he knew the man was holy, or if he could only enter when the tunnel shone bright gold, but he knew. When the tunnel did not shine bright gold the man inside the tunnel said, ‘You have to go back we are not ready for you. When we are ready, we will come and get you.’

  The next thing Dad remembers is waking up in his body in recovery. The experience bothered Dad. He could not forget what had happened to him. He knew it was not his imagination or a hallucination. It was real to him. Dad being an atheist could not fathom it. He was sent back to our hometown in Blackwater to die because he had secondary cancer in the bones.

  One day while in Blackwater Hospital, he had a visitation from an Angel whom identified himself to Dad as a messenger from God at 12 noon. The Angel’s feet did not touch the ground. He told Dad, ‘I have a message for you from God. In order for you to get to Heaven, you have to follow these instructions. Dad did not tell me all the instructions, but one he did tell me was that he had to read the Bible every day until he died, and if he did not understand it, to get a pastor to help him.

  I nursed at a hospital in Rockhampton, so I had Dad transferred to our Hospital because it had an oncology ward, because I knew Dad needed to be near his family. About two weeks before he died, he told us he would not be here in two weeks.

  My sister asked him, ‘Where are you going Dad?

  He said, ‘I will be dead.’

  He said, ‘This night another young guy named Danny died.’

&nbs
p; Danny had melanoma and was in the bed opposite Dad. Dad relayed to me what happened just prior to Danny taking his last breath. Dad saw two large angels enter the room and stand on either side of the bed not touching the ground. Dad heard Danny take his last breath and then Danny with the two angels stood at the foot of Dad’s bed. One of the angels said to Dad, ‘We will be back for you in two-weeks’ time. Dad died exactly two-weeks to the day Danny died.

  He told me, ‘When he saw Danny’s soul, he was happy and rejuvenated.’ Another thing Dad told me was not be afraid of death as it is like walking through a door. My father went from being a person who believed in nothing to being saved by Almighty God. For that, I am so grateful and privileged to have been a witness to His saving Grace.9

  Dying is Letting Go

  Jeffrey Long, M.D., writes about Kathleen’s death-bed vision as “an exceptional experience of transitioning with her dying grandfather into the Afterlife. These types of experiences, along with shared NDEs, are among the strongest evidence that what happens in NDEs is what happens at the time of permanent, irreversible death:” You will need a Kleenex for this one:

  The ambulance had gotten there and I told them that they did not need to do anything to help my grandfather. I just wanted him to be taken to the hospital so that he did not die in the house as my grandmother could not have handled him dying there. I went with him to the hospital in the ambulance and into the emergency room. We were put in a multi-bed room and the curtain was drawn. As I watched my grandfather struggle to breathe, I realized that as a Catholic, he could not say his final words to God. So I started to pray, asking God to let me be his voice so my grandfather could tell God whatever he needed to.