I've journeyed out of my body so I know we're not just the body. I've never been afraid that 'this' was all there is; my only fear when I was younger was of the limbo state of being half dead, 'drooling in a nursing home' before I die. Death itself, no problem. Of course now I'm not too worried about my transition... I plan to go peacefully with all my faculties pretty much in tact.

As for what lies beyond, I find near death accounts really fascinating and enlightening. There's a pretty common thread, and it's generally a very positive, strikingly beautiful picture: there's infinite love for us, and much of the punishment and karmic retribution and all the rest that we've been told about seems not to be an issue once you leave your body behind. Life is just learning experiences and growth, and death is a continuation of that.

Most westerners seem to have really beautiful NDEs. Curiously, however, I read a number of near death accounts of people somewhere in Indonesia, all of whom encountered the god Yama (a pretty nasty dude), who told them in no uncertain terms to stop eating meat when they returned to their bodies, or else, in so many words, there would be hell to pay. Their NDEs weren't exactly filled with light and bliss. So NDEs aren't universally the same, but I've come to the conclusion if you are fortunate enough to live in a pretty good culture where you're not inundated with a lot of religious hokum and you can develop a fairly discriminating mind, your flight into eternity will take you on the path of light and love, with no weird, Bardo-like sideshows. And I suspect that even the people who encounter the negative entities and stuff when they die eventually get to the same clear light and loving reception.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

NDE's tell people the truth pretty much

it is true

infinite love is the only truth

all the other stuff fear based matrix no matter how "real" and compelling it is

is still an illusion and based on the notion that infinite love is not real

welcome home sharrhan how was camping?
what a cool outlook
i haven`t checked into the NDE stories...i will have to. i`ve heard a few but i`ve never really researched it.
what is a Bardo like sideshow?
patty

lillian, that was beautiful. it reminded me of a book, and a movie called the 5 people you meet in heaven or something very close to that. the few stories i`ve heard the science/med community poo pooed at saying the NDE`s were some form of a chemial surge
patty

When they told me I had cancer and that it had spread so aggressively that I probably would not survive, I was so surprised by my reaction.

I would have expected to be afraid, but I wasn't. I knew everything would be fine. I don't know if fine means you will live or you will die, but either way, I knew everything would be fine. I felt sad that my kids were still so young, so they would miss out if I couldn't be there for them to grow up. That was about my only negative reaction.

I am so surprised every day that I am still okay - it will be six years this month. I just wish the chemotherapy had not damaged me so much. If I had known then what I know now, I don't know if I would have agreed to the chemo or the radiation. I don't think that is what saved me.

Whatever happens after we are gone, every single one of us will find out sooner or later, so why worry.

Sapphire

Sapphire Wrote:
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>
> Whatever happens after we are gone, every single
> one of us will find out sooner or later, so why
> worry.

it`s not worry, it`s just thought and wonderment. my form operates on analytical thinking and philosophical thought patterns and i often wonder about these things
what type of cancer did you have and what would you do differently now that you know more about health? i ask because i lost my only sister on feb 12 of an ovarian sarcoma and she was pretty much doing the chemo side for 3 years and started to delve into nutrition towards the end. i often wonder if she would`ve been more open to "alternative" therapy if she would`ve made it.
patty
patty

I was 40 and decided to go for my first mammogram. The breast cancer was so widespread they couldn't find any breast tissue that wasn't affected, so I needed a complete mastectomy. They also took my lymph nodes, and they were mostly infected.

I don't know if I am any better informed about health and nutrition now than I was then. I was a ten year vegetarian then, not raw (not always vegan), and I worked out regularly, about the correct body weight. No family history, breastfed four kids etc etc. So I have no clue why I was dealt this card of life.

The radiation has damaged my skin so badly, I just can't see why I allowed myself to be talked into it. According to the experts, because my lymph nodes were all infected, it was evident that things were probably spread to other parts, it was just a matter of waiting to see where... - non of the body scans showed anything. If it was so widespread, then putting all that radiation into my chest and armpit (what little they hadn't cut off) seems a little pointless.

As for the chemo, maybe it helped me, because I am still alive, but maybe a Gerson approach would have been just as good. It wasn't much fun being bald and sick for a year either.

I don't believe raw food protects entirely, Bif Naked, a long term raw foodist was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. It might help, but isn't a cure-all.

Also, putting all that radiation into my armpits after my lymph nodes were removed caused me to get lymphodema which really pisses me off. I hate it, wish they would have warned me about this. I only lasted three years on the tamoxifen, I just couldn't take the side effects, horrible stuff!

It sure is a lesson about how the system works though. Until you have to use it, you just can't imagine.

Sapphire

patty:
So sorry to hear about your sister, that was a hard journey for her I am sure, and for you as well.

Also, hope I haven't scared anyone away from mammograms, they are probably a good thing! Ditto for self exams, no matter what the controversy you might hear. I bet not many people get bad news on their very first exam.

Sapphire

wow sapphire no symptoms at all? thanks for sharing your story
patty

I had a symptom - a dimple where there shouldn't have been one, but I had only around that time discovered a bit of cellulite on my derrierre, so I figured it was just one of those unpleasant symptoms of aging. Ya know, turning 40 and all.

So for all you women out there - any change at all, even if you had never heard of it before - go and get it checked. Breast cancer is not just about lumps and bumps. And just because you think you are doing the right things, don't make any assumptions, unexpected things can happen.

Life has a way of letting us experience things we never expected, but it's not always a bad thing. It really depends on what you make of it. I am a much happier person today than I was before, a lot of my perceptions have shifted, and there is a certain freedom you have to award yourself when things are a little uncertain. I hope I am using that wisely.

Sapphire

>welcome home sharrhan how was camping?
what a cool outlook
i haven`t checked into the NDE stories...i will have to. i`ve heard a few but i`ve never really researched it.
what is a Bardo like sideshow?
patty<

Hi Patty! Thanks! We had a wonderful trip. Beautiful weather even when it rained, wonderful memories and insights, gorgeous ocean swims. (We were camping on our summer island, Lovells. You can roll out of your sleeping bag and take a short walk down to the ocean to swim.)

Bardo, I think, refers to the deluded states of consciousness one can experience when they die and move into the next dimension. Like some people apparently imagine they are going to hell or purgatory, or others might find themselves in a heaven, but eventually we move into a more authentic reality.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

...............

And now it is Christina Applegate's turn,

(crying...)

I wish nobody else would ever have to do this,

Sapphire

sapphire

<< and there is a certain freedom you have to award yourself when things are a little uncertain. I hope I am using that wisely.>>

i am very interested in what u are saying
could u elucidate what u meant about the "certain freedom"? do you mean a certain amount of leeway? .. or are you saying that nothing is certain so just BE?

Sapphire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...............
>
> And now it is Christina Applegate's turn,
>
> (crying...)
>
> I wish nobody else would ever have to do this,


i know....it sucks
patty

no message



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2008 10:05PM by Omega.

so strange to think of your breasts betraying you like that. so strange.

i can't tell anything about mine at all, they are different every day due to nursing so... guess i'll just keep that up for as long as possible then!

coco Wrote:
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> so strange to think of your breasts betraying you
> like that. so strange.

i hear you a bit on this one but they actually were trying to save her in some way. i just read on the foods forum that cancer is the body`s last attempt at healing on hyperdrive so to speak.
patty

still... i love my breasts so much. not in a vain appearance kind of way just in an i-have-a-great-relationship-with-them-as-a-cherished-part-of-my-body way. kwim? i adore them, they are so womanly, they nourish my babies, i could go on and on. to think that they might one day cause me such grief... well, it's nearly inconceivable to me. more so than any other part of my body except maybe my baby making bits. i can't imagine trouble with my ovaries or uterus either. it's a difficult thing to imagine.