Knowledge and the near-death experience (2)

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NDE researcher Michael Talbot described how NDErs receive instantaneous knowledge in holographic “chunks”:

“According to several NDE researchers, including Raymond Moody, even many NDErs themselves use the term ‘holographic’ when describing the experience. The second aspect the beings emphasize is knowledge. Frequently NDEers comment that the beings of light seemed pleased whenever an incident involving knowledge or learning flickered by during their life review. Some are openly counselled to embark on a quest for knowledge after they return to their physical bodies, especially knowledge related to self-growth or that enhances one’s ability to help other people. Others are prodded with statements such as ‘learning is a continuous process and goes on even after death‘ and ‘knowledge is one of the few elements you will be able to take with you after you have died. The pre-eminence of knowledge in the afterlife dimension is apparent in another way. Some NDEers discovered that in the presence of the light they suddenly had direct access to all knowledge.

Some NDEers report that they didn’t even have to ask questions in order to access this endless library of information. Following their life review they just suddenly knew everything, all the knowledge there was to know from the beginning of time to the end. Others came into contact with this knowledge after the being of light made some specific gesture, such as wave a hand. Still others said that instead of acquiring the knowledge, they remembered it, but forgot most of what they recalled as soon as they returned to their physical bodies (an amnesia that seems to be universal among NDErs who are privy to such visions).

In addition to being holographic in all the ways already mentioned, this vision of total knowledge has another holographic characteristic. NDEers often say that during the vision the information arrives in ‘chunks’ that register instantaneously in one’s thoughts. In other word, rather than being strung out in a linear fashion like words in a sentence or scenes in a movie, all the facts, details, images, and pieces of information burst as ‘bundles of thought.’ The late OBE researcher Robert Monroe, who has also experienced such instantaneous explosions of information while in the out-of-body state, calls them ‘thought balls’.”

Amy Call downloaded holographic information of everything: “I saw something like holographic words and numbers move in front of me past the stars. It felt like I was being downloaded with information. It was more about receiving information, than visuals and literal details that I can put into clear words. I felt at that time that I understood EVERYTHING.”

Thomas Sawyer became total knowledge within the Light like rain flooding his being with “packets” of knowledge: “There’s no language to explain what occurred in the light. It was Godly power. What I’m sure of is that, as that was facilitated, I became total knowledge. That was so extraordinary. Having had that experience for just a split-second out of time certainly has been very humbling for me. I cannot ever comfortably say that I melted into God. God is total knowledge. What does total knowledge mean? It’s Godly power. I’m not total knowledge now. There have been a few little fancy phrases and helpful hints and so on that have leaked out of my subconscious or super-conscious that certainly did come from that total knowledge. The memory of where I was and what condition I was in comes as little packets of total knowledge that can be described by many analogies, such as rain, with each drop being a packet of knowledge just blasted into my being.”

Dannion Brinkley became total knowledge from the beings of light: “More certain than ever, he knew this was a school – a place of profound, experiential learning. There were no books, no rote memorization.” In the presence of these beings, Brinkley didn’t just learn; he became knowledge itself. He could ask any question and instantly understand the answer. It was like being a droplet immersed in the ocean of universal wisdom, or a beam of light absorbing the knowledge of all light.

Kimberly Clark-Sharp received nonverbal knowledge about the answers to the eternal questions of life: “The light gave me knowledge, though I heard no words. We did not communicate in English or in any other language. This was discourse clearer and easier than the clumsy medium of language. It was something like understanding math or music – nonverbal knowledge, but knowledge no less profound. I was learning the answers to the eternal questions of life – questions so old we laugh them off as clichés. ‘Why are we here?’ To learn. ‘What’s the purpose of our life?’ To love. I felt as if I was remembering information I had once known but somehow forgotten, and it seemed astonishing that I had not figured out this before now.”

RaNelle Wallace was overwhelmed from receiving “floodgates” of knowledge: “Floodgates of knowledge opened, and truth poured into me without end or constraint. Its source was the light and truth all around me, and it was clarified, or explained at my level, by my grandmother. She gave me knowledge about God, life, the creation of the world, and even the reaches of eternity. The truths were comprehensive and complete and rushed upon me in such enormous volume that I thought my head would explode. It was coming too fast. I wanted to be able to absorb it, to remember it all, but it was too much.”

Beverly Brodsky received information from the being of light that was like an instant blossoming of an endless number of flowers: “In time the questions ceased, because I suddenly was filled with all the Being’s wisdom. I was given more than just the answers to my questions; all knowledge unfolded to me, like the instant blossoming of an endless number of flowers all at once. I was filled with God’s knowledge, and in that precious aspect of his Beingness, I was one with Him. Now I was filled with not just all knowledge, but also with all love. It was as if the light were poured in and through me.”

Jan Price received information like her consciousness opening similarly to the petals of a flower: “I felt my consciousness open like the petals of a flower. Then softly and tenderly came the knowingness, the connection with all that is. Here, in this celestial silence, all was perfectly clear, understood. Here was fulfilment. All knowledge was mine, and I could draw it into conscious awareness as needed. On all levels we can tap into Universal Consciousness, but it’s easier here because of the more subtle energies.”

Wayne H. experienced an instant sharing of knowledge: “I sensed a presence behind me and then had a communication. This was beyond telepathy. This was not hearing words in my consciousness and translating them into thoughts, this was knowing as the other presence knew, an instant sharing of knowledge.”

Jayne Smith became like a “receiving station” of knowledge in the light: “I became more blissful, more rapturous, more ecstatic. I was just filling and filling with this light and love that was in the light. The dynamics of this light are not static at all. They are so dynamic and so much going on in there of love and joy and knowledge. As you take it into yourself, or as it goes into you and you receive it, your ecstasy level just becomes tremendous. I knew that I had lost all sense of having a body. It was just my consciousness, sort of pure and free floating, and I did not think at all during this part of the experience. I had no thoughts. I was a receiving station. I merely felt and absorbed and took in and did not think at all. I reached the point in the rapture of it all where I thought to myself suddenly, the first thought. ‘I wonder how much more of this I can stand before I shatter?’ With that thought, the light began to recede. So, the universe will not let us shatter. We cannot take in more of this bliss and joy than we are able to handle at a time.”

NDE researcher Arvin Gibson described NDErs receiving complete knowledge: “One of the most fascinating aspects of some NDEs is the descriptions of those who said they had almost total knowledge of the universe. Upon return and recovery from their near-death state most of them forgot much of what they knew in this other world; they remembered only that they had a remarkable experience of complete knowledge. In Kenneth Ring’s study of blind people who had NDEs he also found people who expressed complete knowledge of many aspects. A brief sampling of the comments of some of those who said they had extraordinary knowledge follows: ‘I was also aware of pure knowledge. Information went quickly through my consciousness. I could understand many aspects’ (Nelson, 1989, p. 118). ‘About this time I had an experience that I’ll never forget, a feeling of total, total knowledge without asking. This feeling I had of total knowledge was just that, I knew everything without asking. It was an amazing feeling’ (Gibson, 1992, p. 218).”

Kerry Kirk described how she received all knowledge: “I began receiving ‘all knowledge,’ or at least that is what it felt like. They were there teaching me. This didn’t come to me as words like you and I speak. More as complete thoughts. When I think, it is generally in words and pictures, this is how I received the information. As complete words and pictures in my consciousness. As I could form a question in my consciousness I had the answer. Not just the answer to that question, but the why and how and the answer to every other question that the answer would bring up.”

Tiffany Snow received knowledge like an empty library suddenly being filled: “Then he (Being of Light) gave me answers to thousands of questions that I never had asked! Reams of information seemed to be exploding in my consciousness, like an empty library suddenly being realized! Details flooded my being about many wonderful and sacred aspects. I wondered: were these newly learned, or just remembered?”

Ned Dougherty absorbed universal knowledge from the light: “God began to imbue me with universal knowledge. I realized that I had always thirsted for this knowledge and I wanted to absorb as much as I could. As I remained suspended in God’s light, I felt this knowledge penetrate and absorbed by my spiritual being. This knowledge was flowing through me in the same manner as God’s love, pulsating through my being.”

Mellen-Thomas Benedict experienced consciousness expansion while receiving more knowledge: “At faster than light speed, I flew through the centre of the galaxy, absorbing more knowledge as I wen. At first I thought I was going somewhere; actually traveling. But then I realized that, as the stream was expanding, my own consciousness was also expanding to take in everything in the Universe!”

Roger F. experienced consciousness expansion like downloading from a computer: “[My] sense of expanded consciousness was immediate. Full expansion and understanding followed within an eternal instant. Upon my return, my consciousness was no longer expanded boundlessly. It was as though a small desktop computer (me) had downloaded the entire contents of a super computer.”

Michael M. downloaded a burst of information: “I was hit with a burst of information and understandings. It felt like I just finished downloading the most amazing universal truths and my purpose.”

Sam K. downloaded knowledge like a semester of school: “When I was in the light, it felt like graduating from a semester, getting a download there, and then coming back.”

The Akashic Records of Knowledge

Many NDErs describe entering a realm where knowledge is a living field of information that transcends personal memory and physical brain function. This domain is often likened to a universal archive or macrocosmic repository, a place where the foundations of consciousness, history, and existence itself seem to be stored in forms far more dynamic than written records. Modern theories in consciousness research have proposed that such an informational field may underlie the structure of the universe, serving as both the source and the storage of all that has ever been known, created, or experienced. Remarkably, these ideas echo what many NDErs report: a direct encounter with a multidimensional “library” or “Akashic Records” where answers arise instantly, questions form telepathically, and understanding pours into the soul as if drawn from an endless well. The following testimonies explore this profound intersection between theoretical physics, mystical insight, and NDE testimonies – each pointing toward the existence of a vast, interconnected reservoir of knowledge that supports, surrounds, and remembers all of life.

Dr. Ervin Laszlo, twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, is an integral theorist and champion of the zero-point field as instrumental when understanding consciousness and the universe. Laszlo is generally recognized as the founder of systems philosophy who emphasizes the importance of establishing a holistic perspective on the world and humanity through quantum consciousness. Lazlo’s groundbreaking book, Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything makes a compelling case for the zero-point field to be the substance of the entire universe. It can theoretically be viewed as the source of all consciousness and matter in the universe. Using the Hindu concept of a “macrocosmic memory” called the Akasha, Laszlo theorizes the zero-point field to be the fundamental energy and information-carrying field of the universe, past and present, including all possible parallel universes. Laszlo describes how such an informational field explains why the universe appears to be fine-tuned as to form conscious life forms. Laszlo’s zero-point Akashic Field Theory solves several problems in quantum physics from nonlocality to quantum entanglement.

Dr. Ervin Laszlo’s theory of the Akashic Records agrees with revelations from the Christian mystic and NDEr Edgar Cayce. When Cayce was asked where he received his psychic information, he answered it was from “the intelligent infinity” as it is “brought into intelligent energy” as a gateway to view the present. Cayce acknowledged this “gateway” to be equivalent to the Hindu concept of the “Akashic Records” and the Christian concept of the “Book of Life.” Cayce revealed these otherworldly records are stored in a heavenly “Hall of Records” which corresponds to the so-called “Temple of Knowledge” or the “Temple of Wisdom” appearing in many NDE testimonials.

Edgar Cayce was able to access the Akashic Records during his out-of-body journeys to heaven. He described it as a vast, timeless repository of every soul’s experiences, thoughts, emotions, and potentials. Cayce mentioned that the Akashic Records contain the complete history and destiny of humanity. From this source, Cayce reportedly retrieved detailed information about past lives, spiritual lessons, health remedies, and future probabilities. Cayce emphasized that the Akashic Records are shaped by each person’s choices and intentions, and that accessing them was not merely reading history but perceiving the deeper spiritual patterns of a soul’s journey across lifetimes. His readings remain some of the most widely cited modern accounts of the Akashic Records in action.

Numerous other NDErs describe arriving at this heavenly “library” that is a living field of the consciousness. Some find open, wall-less archives reached at the speed of thought; others enter coliseum-sized halls, gold-bound records, or a crystalline “Book of Life.” Spirit guides and loved ones appear; questions form and answers are revealed – history, cosmology, personal understanding – downloaded as pure knowing rather than reading line by line. Whether called a repository, a multidimensional composition, or a library of truth, the message is consistent: all knowledge exists there, intimately available, and filled with love.

Marie W. accessed the Akashic Records during her NDE: “Archangel Metatron had me put my hands on a ‘sacred text’ as he called it. I felt the book……. The pages were made of light and edged in gold……. Archangel Metatron pointed out somemvery important passages and entries that were about me. Then he told me it was referred to as the ‘Akashic Records’.”

Sharon D. became aware of the Akashic Records during her NDE: “I was aware of some kind of identity, yet no body, nothing that kept any thought I had as separate or isolated, I guess what you would call being aware of the Akashic Record and your life’s thoughts within it and everyone else’s that ever was.”

Bryan D. accessed the Akashic Records during his NDE: “Almost anything that I asked was being answered, ‘Is this the Akashic Records?’ the thought crossed my consciousness. I remember flashes of being side by side at a ‘desk’ with other spirit bodies that were also students. I remember being shown books, and I remember halls, with long file cabinets full of history, and subjects beyond comprehension.”

El S. accessed the Akashic Records during her NDE: “On the other side, I was taken through the Akashic Records. Prior questions I had before this experience were answered as my guides showed me aspects of the world and my life. My guides took me through different dimensions within the Akashic Record of time and events. I saw alternative timeline events of this reality and was shown future events of my life and world events.”

Michael L. accessed the Akashic Records during his NDE: “I had a glimpse of what I learned later that many people call the Akashic Record, or a glimpse of the Universal Consciousness.”

Ruth describes the Akashic Records: “There is such a profound structure to the Universe that cannot be described. I look upon it as Cayce did the Akashic records, but in my view, it is a giant gigabyte mainframe that can do trillions of bytes per second. It is like a well run machine that is totally fair and well ordered.”

Leea W. experienced the Akashic “Field” during her NDE: “I experienced myself as being a part of a living field, the Akashic Field, the Higgs Field, the Unified Field, Ether. I further experienced everything as living sentients and being humans as holographic fractals of Supreme Source.”

Marie W. instantly downloaded knowledge from “universal grid systems”: “I was traveling through planetary systems and solar systems, and universal grid systems. Just as I would encounter each of them, I was instantly downloaded with the knowledge of its meaning and use. The place I had the most questions about was a place called ‘The Universal Healing Centre.’ It is a grid system. They let me experience it. A part of the process of ascension involves our earthly lives being downloaded into the matrix of creation. The Universal Healing Grid system and the Matrix of Creation are two different elements.”

Natalie Sudman downloaded knowledge in the form of a complex matrix: “I presented what seems from my current physical body/conscious perception to be a transfer of information in the form of an inexplicably complex matrix. It included events, thoughts, incidents, persons, and groups in all their relationship complexities: stories, concepts, connections, nuances, layers, judgments, and projections. Rather than being a classic ‘life flashing before the eyes’ scene, this download was a collection that emphasized what might be very broadly understood as cultural and political information.”

Jeff H. downloaded waves of energy as knowledge: “The first energy download taught me why I was put through so many hardships since birth. It wasn’t by accident or by fate or by bad luck. They were all pre-planned. To make me stronger and wiser. All the pain I’ve been carrying around all these years was erased. It felt like I was reborn again. Then more waves of energy and answers came into me.”

The Life Review of Knowledge

The life review described in NDEs is often portrayed as an encounter with pure, instantaneous knowledge – a moment in which all events, choices, emotions, and consequences from one’s earthly existence unfold with absolute clarity. Rather than a judgment imposed from outside, this process is frequently characterized as an immersion into total knowledge, where NDErs see their lives from every angle at once: their own perspective, the perspectives of others, and the deeper motivations that shaped each action. Information arrives in flashes, streams, or vast downloads of insight that reveal the intricate web of cause and effect linking every thought, word, and deed. Many NDErs describe this experience as reliving their entire life in a state of expanded awareness, where comprehension is immediate, complete, and infused with profound love. The following NDE testimonies illustrate this remarkable dimension of the life review – an overwhelming encounter with the truth of one’s existence, revealed through a flood of knowledge beyond anything the human consciousness can contain.

Thomas Sawyer learned the life review involves total knowledge: “As this (life review) takes place, you have total knowledge. You have the ability to be a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, and much more. You are your own spiritual teacher, maybe for the first and only time in your life. You are simultaneously the student and the teacher in a relationship.”

RaNelle Wallace had a life review involving total knowledge about herself: “A brief scene flashed before me. A series of pictures, words, ideas, understanding. It was a scene from my life. It flashed before me with extraordinary rapidity, and I understood it completely and learned from it. Another scene came, and another, and another, and I was seeing my entire life, every second of it. And I didn’t just understand the events; I relived them. I was that person again, doing those actions to my mother, or saying those words to my father or brothers or sisters, and I knew why, for the first time, I had done them or said them. Entirety does not describe the fullness of this review. It included knowledge about myself, that all the books in the world couldn’t contain. I understood every reason for everything I did in my life. And I also understood the impact I had on others. It was instant and total knowing.”

Barbara Harris-Whitfield had a life review where she received information flowing at breakneck speed: “All of this (life review) translated into knowledge, and I learned – oh, how I learned! The information was flowing at an amazing breakneck speed that probably would have burned me up if it weren’t for the extraordinary energy holding me. The information came in, and then love neutralized my judgments against myself. In other words, as I relived my life, God never judged me. God held me and kept me together. I received all information about every scene – my perceptions and feelings – and anyone else’s perceptions and feelings who were in the scene. God interjected love into everything, every feeling, every bit of information about absolutely everything that went on, so that everything was all right.”

Darren R. had a life review like a massive download of memories: “My past flashed before me, out of my control. I experienced all my actual past life events simultaneously and rapidly; like a massive download/flood of memories, but from the point of view of how my actions impacted the other person.”

Leonard R. had a life review like downloading information: “This is where what I now know to be a life review started. I saw a picture of myself, but at least a few years older. Then another picture and then another until eventually I had images or videos passing by me so fast that it felt uncomfortable. It’s almost as if I was downloading the images or videos as I watched them.”

Phil R. had a life review of downloading ultimate knowledge of his life: “It felt as if ultimate knowledge and love (the universe/God) was appraising my life experience and downloading it back to me in rapid fire.”

Kevin L. downloaded everything he experienced in life all at once in the tunnel: “Everything I had ever experienced was all there [in the tunnel], and it had all been downloaded and absorbed. Then I seem to get a download of information all at once that feels like information is swirling all around me.”

Gillian M. instantly downloaded her earthly experiences: “I have a vague recollection of having my earthly experiences ‘downloaded’, and having a great reunion with these beings, with a great period of relaxation/recuperation. Communication was non-verbal and instantaneous.”

Paranormal Knowledge Verified

NDEs often challenge the boundaries of what is traditionally considered subjective. While sceptics frequently attribute NDEs to hallucinations or neurochemical processes, a growing body of evidence suggests that some NDEs contain verifiable components that point beyond ordinary brain-based explanations. Reports of accurate information obtained under medically unconscious conditions, detailed perceptions by NDErs blind since birth, and encounters with deceased persons not yet known to have died all raise important questions about the nature and source of consciousness. In addition, certain NDErs return with complex scientific insights, mathematical structures, or healing abilities far beyond their previous knowledge or training – remarkable aftereffects that resist easy dismissal. Together, these phenomena form a compelling case that NDEs may involve access to information unavailable through normal sensory means. The following testimonies explore this intriguing dimension of NDE research: the acquisition of paranormal knowledge that is later verified, corroborated, or manifested through measurable outcomes in the physical world.

Philosopher Carl Becker (1984) listed four ways in which NDEs may be considered an objective experience: (1) Paranormal knowledge that is later verified; (2) The similarity of deathbed visons in different cultures; (3) differences between religious expectations and visionary experiences; and (4) Third-party observations of visionary figures, indicating that they were not merely subjective hallucinations.

Dr. Bruce Greyson describes how some NDErs receive paranormal knowledge of a deceased person not known to have died: “People having NDEs, or who are on their deathbeds, see and often express surprise at meeting a recently deceased person of whose death neither they nor anyone around them had any knowledge. This phenomenon excludes the possibility that the meeting of the deceased person was a hallucination related to the experiencer’s expectations.”

Dr. Kenneth Ring‘s findings revealed that blind persons, including those blind from birth, do report classic NDEs of the kind common to sighted persons; that the great preponderance of blind persons claim to see during NDEs and OBEs; and that occasionally claims of visually-based knowledge that could not have been obtained by normal means can be independently corroborated.

In the midst of her rapture with the light, Vicki Umipeg (who was born blind) was suddenly overcome with a sense of total knowledge: “I had a feeling like I knew everything , and like everything made sense. I just knew that this was where this place was where I would find the answers to all the questions about life, and about the planets, and about God, and about everything. It’s like the place was the knowing.” And then Vicki was flooded with information of a religious nature as well as scientific and mathematical knowledge. She came to understand languages she didn’t know. All this overwhelmed and astonished her: “I don’t know beans about math and science……. all of a sudden understood intuitively almost everything about calculus, and about the way planets were made. And I don’t know anything about that……. There I felt there was nothing I didn’t know.”

(to be continued)

Note: The extraordinary revelation of Godly Attributes can help us, if we practice in a proper and constant manner, to “download” in our being the subtle, sublime, endless, eternal, free energy of Godly Attributes such as those of: Godly Consciousness, Godly Omnipotence, Godly Omnipresence, Godly Omniscience, Godly Instantaneity, Godly Synthesis, Godly Love, Godly Life, Godly “Home”, and hundreds more.

yogaesoteric
February 21, 2026