Are We Gods? Chapter One

Dear reader, the basic idea of this book is that near-death-experience reports may provide evidence that we are gods. I make use of 460 reports I randomly selected and then pared down to include only the near-death experience. The reports are from the archives of nderf.org and iands.org, and were submitted by persons of all ages, from many countries, and who were generally unknown to one another.

In nearly all of the reports, yes nearly all, the experiencers continued to exist after they left their bodies. In dozens of reports they spoke of their mind, or thinking, or being conscious, some saying that even though they were no longer in a body they knew they were still themselves.

I was conscious of "being me" throughout. 1a/4028

(Click link to go to original report, or read my abridged version. 1a means excerpt is from the first report drawn in sample a, 4028 is the NDERF number of the report.)

At that instant the body ceased to be "me" and seemed to be a broken tool that would no longer perform its task. ... I felt as though I had been liberated from my body and being outside my body freed me from the limitations imposed by a physical existence. My mind felt cleared and my thoughts seemed quick and decisive. 5a/4025

I could move around, in short I had an "I". 6a/4013

I kept on THINKING. 12a/4016

I was seeing, feeling, but I had a body that looked like transparent! But my thinking was normal. 13a/4015

I also understood that my body is like a car my consciousness drives. 15a/2053

All the time I was also aware of my body and I was watching what was happening to it. 19a/4006

For a while I ceased to exist, then darkness, a clear sensation of floating during which my mind continued to function. 22a/3992

I was so confused thinking, "Wow! Why do they bother? I don't need my body. I'm fine, actually better than before." 38a/3975

When I was "in" my body, I didn't know what was going on. When I was "hovering" I had vivid thoughts. 46a/3962

I was more alive than I had ever been before. 47a/3961

Throughout the period the self level of consciousness and alertness was there. 53a/3957

I felt that my body was separate from my spirit and they were on two different planes of existence. 66a/3938

During the experience I seemed to be perfectly lucid and conscious. 70a/3926

I remember just thinking: "No. Where am I? Where are we going?" 74a/3923

I remember thinking, "That was cool being Thomas," like it was some fun excursion, this human life. 76a/3958

I had departed from my physical body and was looking at my hospital room from the corner of the ceiling. 82a/3915

I knew what was going on. I knew it as a fact, not assuming. I was dead. 84a/3913

I remember being able to think and figure out what do, figure out all the outcomes. 91a/3893

In my mind I asked what was happening. 92a/3892

I thought about my two grown sons, neither of whom I had told about the surgery. It was an indifferent, wondering feeling to think how surprised they would be to learn I was dead. 93a/3889

And I sure was OK, felt great, full of a sensation of fulfillment, and conscious of what had happened to me. 95a/3896

I thought that I was awake and that my body was still in this world, so I stopped for a moment and wondered why the “sun” attracted me so, and why I couldn’t go towards it. But at the same time I knew, I don’t know how, that I wasn’t allowed to go to the “sun.” 98a/3886

I believe I was conscious throughout the whole event. 99a/3846

My whole self was like a sole consciousness – no body, no extension, no beginning and no end in that awareness that was me. 100a/3876

I remember thinking that I was not prepared to die...too young. 2b/2629

I didn’t have a body, I was immaterial. I had only my thought and stop, nothing all. 6b/3472

I tried to say, "No! Don't hurt him. Leave him alone." I realized it seemed a bit strange to refer to myself as "him," but at that time, I felt that I was the entity looking down on a man who looked a lot like I used to look--but that it wasn't really me. 14b/397

I was fully conscious of everything, feeling and thinking very clearly. 26b/N. P.

I was free, the world of pain had disappeared, I was more focused. 30b/2317

I saw and felt with great clarity. 32b/2253

But to me it wasn't me because I was here above this body that was mine. 35b/698

I was fully conscious of being outside my body. 36b/3186

I was in the hospital. The pain was extreme. All of a sudden, the pain disappeared. I was told all my thoughts were in the past; that none of that mattered anymore. It was so peaceful. 39b/3684

It was me but not in my body. 40b/4043

I remember saying to my self, "I am all right," out loud to my self. ... I was me looking down but was not Bob. I did not even know Bob, but I was still me as I was before I drowned. I do not know how to explain this any other way. 47b/703

I thought, "Hey what's going on? That's me down there?" 49b/2735

I was aware of my state. I was surely going somewhere, but where I did not know. 50b/1944

I thought, "Oh My! This looks like Dante’s hell, and also remember thinking, “He must have done this trip;” and also, “Why do I deserve hell?” 53b/2377

But I'm still aware! I was very aware. ... I was more like thought in space, completely alone in nothingness. 58b/3444

I didn’t have a body, I was immaterial. I had only my thought and stop, nothing all. I forgot my body. The time moved fast and I thought very fast. 62b/3472

Why was I out of my physical body but still very much alive? 66b/2359

Everything slowed down that I saw, but my thoughts sped up simultaneously. 69b/3837

I had no other thoughts other than wanting to go on towards the light. 74b/118

I was just "Myself" for whatever that means.. 76b/40

I thought, “Omg, I’m dead and they are going to bury me, but I’m not dead. I can see them and myself!” My next thought was, “I’m too young to die!” 86b/633

I was so frightened without heart beating! 89b/964

I was pure consciousness having/retaining all knowledge of my life and memories. I was not any smarter. 97b/281

My conscience was connected to a translucent body. 100b/1002

I was fully aware of who I am. 101b/1089

I was one hundred percent aware of my mind in the situation. 1c/2866

I asked myself a couple of times in succession, "How can I be doing this?" The answer was too obvious. "I must be dead!" I told myself. 3d/Jan. 23, 2002

I remember thinking it was nice to have no worries, no pain, fear etc. 9d/Feb. 25, 2002

It was death and knowing I was dead. ... I was wondering why I died. What happened? And thinking it must have been a fast death. 17d/June 16, 2002

I am thinking, "Where am I?" At first I tell myself I must be dreaming. I think I am in a movie theater. It is so dark I can see nothing. Sounds crazy I know, but then I realize or I am thinking I have died. 29d/Dec. 19, 2002

I was seeing different pictures of my life and they would just pass in my mind. 30d/Jan. 2, 2003

My mind was somewhere outside the body. ... You are very much awake after you die, and very much alert. 36d/March 25, 2003

In my mind, I thought for sure I was dying. 41d/May 18, 2003

Suddenly I was thinking: "What does it all matter? I want to go there now, experience something else..." 54d/Sept. 2, 2003

I thought to myself, "I am supposed to be dead right this very instant." I felt as if I was looking down to my left, in my mind's eye that is. I had no tangible body that I could see. 59d/Nov. 11, 2003

Just as I realized that was my lifeless body in the bed below, my thoughts were abruptly distracted. 69d/March 4, 2004

I found myself outside my body as a transparent and weightless me. 81d/Aug. 20, 2004

I was aware in this place, but there was nothing except a profound feeling of peace, calmness, serenity. 87d/Oct. 26, 2004

Was cussing myself out, thinking I must of OD'd; now I'm dead. 88d/Oct. 26, 2004

I was pulled into a tunnel. I remember thinking, "I'm dying, I'm dying!” 90d/Nov. 5, 2004

While being in this void I also knew(?) that I was dead and needed to look for 'the light'. 92d/Jan. 3, 2005

I remember thinking that I didn't want to die yet. 93d/Jan. 3, 2005

I began to drift and realize I was not inside of my body. 94d/Lift Your Head

I just slid out of my body and rose above the bed and said to myself, "I thought this one was supposed to be longer." 97d/Defender

My thinking process was also different, more lucid and rapid than in physical existence. My mind and attention span were so amazingly clear that I could easily understand what I was told. 1e/Lucid

I ran mentally into my body, which felt like going inside a glove or landing into something of exactly my size. 4e/Glove

I spent some time thinking about the life that went with those feelings. Not exactly judging but measuring, foul ups against successes. 15e/Non-existence

My life's history exploded into my consciousness. I thought I wasn't ready to go yet, I had more things to accomplish in this life, and I wanted another chance to do the things I needed to do. 18e/History

I remember thinking that I had no pain and questioning why I couldn't feel any pain. I knew I wasn't in my body, but it didn't feel like I was without a body. 21e/Bleachers

I remember thinking, "Yes, this is the birth canal," I thought with a big sigh, "I don't want to be born again." I realized with relief that wasn't happening. 23e/All One

At that moment, I started to walk away from myself. My vision was clear. My person, my body, was moving away from me. I reached out and tried to grab myself. My hand swept through me as if there was nothing there. 25e/360º Vision

I then began to have a dialogue with myself, not moving my lips but talking in my brain. 30e/Filled

The thought that "this is what death is all about” kept recurring in my mind over and over. 31e/There's More

I was aware of four states of consciousness: awake, dreaming, hallucinating, and out of body in another realm. 34e/Oneness

I remember thinking I must be dead. I couldn’t feel my body--don’t think I had one, but I was still me with crystal clear thinking. 36e/Someone

At one point instead of losing consciousness, I was very present and very aware of being. 43e/Lost Connection

I still remained conscious. My senses were tremendously alert. 50e/Living Water

I took the fact that I didn't have a body meant that my body would never work again. I decided to go on to die. 51e/Perfect Love

I could sense myself in the outline form of my body but my body wasn't there. 53e/Floating

There I was dead, but my mind was so very much alive. 55e/Death Not Terrible

My world ceased to exist, except for my mind. 68e/Difficulty

I have no recollection of having any type of form, just thought. 70e/Chance

What jolted me was the thought, "What about my family?" 72e/Peace

I had the mental state as though I knew I was going to die and was okay with it. 73e/Learning

I thought, "Why aren't they listening to me?" 75e/Between Worlds

I had been examining my hands and arms, which were a translucent light blue. I still looked normal, but without actual body mass. I had some sense that I was not alive, but it wasn't entirely clear. 77e/Quiet Clarity

I'm me the way I was a moment before, no change. 85e/Home

As I was floating I found myself thinking of my life. 85e/Home

There were full powers of logical reasoning and language. 87e/Lucid in Void

I was pure thought flowing in a wondrous river of peace and loving feeling. 88e/River

My experience consisted of becoming consciously aware of floating above my body. 98e/White Force

I vividly recall floating/hovering above myself and thinking: "What am I doing up here?" 4f/Wayne

I remember thinking, "I wonder if I've died?" 11f/MJ

I remember thinking. It was more like knowing instead of thinking. 13f/Ben

I kept thinking at every turn that this was wonderful and amazing. 27f/First.Last

I still had no "body" that I remember, but had the "feeling" that I was an amorphous, glowing pure intellect. 47f/Mark Horton

I'm still wondering, "What is happening to me"? 51f/Saundra

I did not have any physical sensations, but I could think and communicate. 52f/Tom

There was no discontinuity of consciousness. My first thought was, "Well, I guess this is what it's like to be dead." 56f/Anonymous

Quite a few said the afterlife is our home, it is where we are from. We are just on a visit to this physical life, after which we return home to nonphysical existence as indestructible self.

He told me that it was not my time to enter into my heavenly home. 18a/4009

I was just in another place, somewhere I'd always been. These people knew me and I knew them. 24a/3997

I was aware that behind me were other energy beings, people whom I knew so well, like I had really come home. 43a/3968

I felt a very powerful all loving, content, sensation that I was Home! I was surrounded with a powerful energy source and was a source of positive energy myself. 45a/3964

Since then I feel sort of Homesick and a sense of not belonging to this world. For I know this is not my home. 53a/3951

There was no sadness, no pain, no regret and no fear. All earthly thoughts were gone. I was going home. 60a/3764

I didn't want to come back. That was my focus. I was Home. I liked being Home. Just let me be Home. 73a/3928

I knew I belonged there. It was a feeling I been there before, but I can't point a finger at when. 77a/3920

It asked, "Are you ready to come home?" I knew it meant death. 84a/3913

Nearly as if I had been away in a long, long journey in a foreign country, and after a time I finally had come back again! Home, where everything was so well-known and safe. 100a/3876

Seemed like a neighborhood, and I was shown around to all the people I loved and missed and they were all so happy. I remember being surprised like: "Oh! Hi....wow you're here, how nice," and smiling very broadly. 3b/3840

My personal feeling is that we are all "sparks" that come from the "Big Light." When our physical bodies die, our soul, spirit, essence, feelings and thoughts, go back to the source....the "LIGHT." 27b/151

A voice said to me: "Richard, why are you here?" I said, "I want to come home." The voice replied: "It's not time yet. You have more work to do." ... I felt I was home where I belonged. I was incredibly sad when I had to leave. 44b/2236

He didn't say a word but I heard, "It's OK we are going home." 49b/2735

Only peace, calm, connectedness to the "all-that-is"...a true feeling of JOY...of "HOME." 72b/3254

I felt a very powerful all loving, content, sensation that I was Home! I was surrounded with a powerful energy source and was a source of positive energy myself. 87b/3964

I was still communicating my desire to stay home (for I felt I was home). 46d/Sept. 8, 2002

I was home. At last I was at the place I had been looking for for so long. ... I now KNOW we can ALL go home. 64d/Dec. 11, 2003

I just slid out of my body and rose above the bed and said to myself, "I thought this one was supposed to be longer. Oh well, I am coming home." 97d/Defender

Then, I saw many beings of light waiting for me and saying, "Welcome back." ... We belong there...for it is our home. 1e/Lucid

Death is not the end, only a transition to our true home. 9e/Home

I would look down and see a white stone path with people waving; I had a feeling that I knew them. It's like they were waving hello. 29e/Pool

Somehow I knew I was home. 42e/Guided

I felt the most overwhelming sense of belonging, like I had come home. ... I was aware that behind me were other energy beings, people who I knew so well, like I had really come home. 43e/Lost Connection

I said, "Lord will I go home now?" He answered, "No, it is not your time. Your mission is not complete. You have to return." 47e/Holy Presence

Even though I love life and am so thankful for each and every day, part of me wants to be "back home." 63e/Back Home

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I belong here," I replied. "That I know, but what are you doing here NOW?" 85e/Home

I was filled with bliss and comfort, and felt "at home" for the first time ever. 89e/Self-Evident

I was home. I felt total love from this presence. I was home. More so than I was ever home before. 7f/Rob

There was something familiar about this "place," as if I had been there before, but more like I had returned to whence I came. 48f/Mark J.

I felt like I was "home." This was where I had come from, this was where I belonged. 53f/Tommy

Perhaps the eternal self exists in this life and its afterlife home at the same time.