Jeff Cleckley's NDE and Finding His Spiritual Purpose

I have read and/or listened to many people and their accounts of their near-death experiences. Many of them are truly fascinating.  One in particular that has continuously circulated in my mind in recent weeks is Jeff Cleckley's. Cleckley had his NDE in 2013.   He had been battling severe physical pain, pneumonia, and a MRSA infection when he overdosed on opioid painkillers.

In his near-death account, Cleckley recalls losing interest in his Earthly life when he crossed over, although the one thing that still concerned him was leaving behind his 4 year old son.  He had a detailed life review where he could see how his actions affected others, for both good and ill.

Other highlights of his experience include:

- realizing why so often our prayers are ineffective.  Hint: we're doing it wrong!

- protesting to his spirit guides after his life review that he didn't have the tools to live his life successfully on Earth.

- being told by his guides that humanity has been on a path of self-destruction

- the importance of loving everyone and everything, and not letting fear and doubt ruin our lives. 

Cleckley came back a deeply changed man and put his newfound spiritual gifts to work.  He spent more time meditating and being out in nature.  He was able to recognize people's inner pain and started communicating with angels. In another instance, he visited his dying nephew in the hospital, who was in the ICU and who had also overdosed on drugs.  The night before the plug was to be pulled, Cleckley went into a deep meditative state where he saw Jesus and was able to talk to his nephew and convince him to return.  The following day his nephew regained consciousness and eventually recovered.

I found Cleckley's account deeply touching and inspiring.  You can hear his story, as well as those from many other near-death experiencers,  through The Other Side NDE channel on YouTube.

Words to Ponder Over: Scott Snibbe

 

In recent days I've been wading through Scott Snibbe's book "How to Train a Happy Mind: a Skeptic's Path to Enlightenment."  Snibbe considers himself a secular Buddhist -- in other words, he only espouses the parts of Buddhism that can be backed up by modern science.  But you don't necessarily have to convert to Buddhism or become a skeptic to appreciate the numerous gems of insight and wisdom in his book.  I wanted to include an excerpt, and I am extremely grateful to Scott for letting me do so.

Do you ever find yourself getting angry, annoyed, or upset with someone?  Of course!  We all have that experience.  Maybe, as Snibbe suggests, we should learn how to be more compassionate to our fellow humans.  One way of doing this is to picture this person at the end of their lives:

"As you encounter people in your daily life, a powerful meditation on impermanence is to picture the moment each one of them was born.  Imagine their mother's pain, her exhaustion and joy at creating a fragile new being whose life depends on her.  Then, try to imagine how that person will eventually die -- alone or surrounded by loved ones, agitated or at peace.  This technique is especially helpful when you are angry with someone because it helps put your dispute in perspective.  Picture the end of that person's life: in a hospital bed or at home, after a life that was long or short, a life of virtue or misbehavior, a life ending among friends or silently alone."