Stairway to Heaven
When we are able to see with the eyes of the soul,
we see how we are included in the cosmic dance with the Divine Being
and the universal consciousness that holds all that is together.
-The Miracle Collectors
Spring calls forth the idea that life is able to begin anew no matter how dark the winter has been. And though, on the east coast at least, the explosion of blossoms is breathtaking, it still seems fitting to appreciate the great eclipse just days ago when all eyes in the path of totality looked to the heavens. Katie reflects on this transcendental experience in this month's blog.
We hope that spring offers you the warmth of the sun above and the beauty of the gardens below.
Collecting Miracle Moments One Story at a Time.
Joan and Katie
The eclipse in NYC on April 8th was 90%, which someone said was like being 90% pregnant – not the same as the real (total) thing. Having just returned from viewing the eclipse in Central Park, I’ll have to agree to a point. We barely noticed the world around us dim, but looking at the sun with the special glasses showed a near full eclipse, and it was worth the experience of being with the mass of humanity who came out of buildings, into parks, and onto rooftops to make the most of it. For those who got the real deal along with the total darkness that accompanied it, the cosmic connection to what is beyond us is so moving that scientists said 50% of the onlookers would be brought to tears. Which got me thinking about what is beyond us even more than usual.
I recently listened to a video talk from Tricia Barker, a woman who had a near-death experience (NDE) when her heart stopped in the operating room after a terrible car accident. She watched from above as the medical staff worked to revive her. She could also see outside the operating room where her stepfather got a snickers bar at the vending machine, which surprised her since he was a health nut. (He and her mom later verified the snickers purchase.) She eventually found herself outside the building in the heavens above moving toward an all-consuming light of love.
Accounts of NDEs have significant overlap and Ms. Barker’s was no different – the presence of a being(s) of light, feeling wrapped in unconditional love, beauty beyond our imaginations in color and sound, connection to all that exists, meeting loved ones on the other side, and the sense that consciousness – our essence or soul lives on. So glorious is the experience that there is no desire to return. While some identify the Light Being in accordance with their religious views, Ms. Barker was an agnostic before her experience (though she is now quite certain of the “creator source” at the center of the universe). Love and light and connection to something greater than ourselves were the hallmarks of her experience and she understood them to be available to all of us through the beauty and mystery in nature and understanding our connection to each other.
The 2024 eclipse, emotionally moving and experientially connecting as it was, ironically, was about the momentary absence of light, a totality of darkness. Yet, like an NDE, the experience shed a metaphorical light on the size and power of a universe that is beyond our comprehension, a shared appreciation that connects us to each other. A stairway to heaven, which is all we earthlings can hope for this side of the great beyond. (Katie)
For further reading about NDE’s we recommend the following books:
Dying To Be Me by Anita Morjani
To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, MD
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, MD
Embraced by the Light by Betty Edie
Angels in the OR by Tricia Barker