FOREWORD:
A LOVE LETTER FROM GOD

By Dr Mick Collins,
author of The Unselfish Spirit:
Human Evolution in a Time of Global Crisis

Synchronicities tend to appear with uncanny regularity at significant moments in our lives, bringing meaningful connections, or new opportunities that make us sit up and take note. It was through such a synchronous event that the invitation to write the foreword for this wonderful book happened. I had just spent months writing about transformation for a new publication, which also touches on the subject of NDEs. Within an hour of handing the new manuscript to my editor I received an email from Penny Sartori saying that she and Kelly Walsh were co-authoring a book on NDEs and asking whether I would consider writing the foreword. The timing was impeccable and I said yes without hesitation. Synchronicities reveal a subtle realm of interrelations, where we are interwoven in a world of quantum possibilities.

The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences is a truly inspirational book, one that is capable of opening our hearts and souls to a sacred reality. This is a book that invites us to live in alignment with our higher purpose. The revelatory knowledge shared in this book is like consulting an ancient oracle, which conveys wisdom and insights gleaned from another dimension. The narratives are not dissimilar to the other-worldly journeys of shamans, who are taken beyond the veil of earthly existence and who then return to daily life with vital information that is spiritually nourishing. Within indigenous cultures such sacred knowledge is shared for the benefit of the collective, and so it is with this book, as we hear about people’s travels through their NDEs. We learn about people’s immersive experiences of being enmeshed in an interconnected reality, which profoundly alters their understanding of life. Indeed, the stories shared in this book are powerful exemplars that underline the importance of transformation at this time in our specie’s spiritual evolution.

We are living in an extraordinary time of global crisis and it is evident that Western ways of living, which are overly invested in individualism, materialism, consumerism and hyper-rationalism, are outmoded in terms of helping humanity navigate the challenges of collective transformation at this time. Mainstream Western attitudes and behaviours have yet to wake up to the sobering reality that our lifestyles are soul destroying for people, and disastrous for planet Earth. Collective transformation cannot happen in a world dominated by self-interest, which continues to fracture our relationships with fellow humans, other species and the natural world. So, the question is, where do we turn for inspiration to augment collective transformation at this time? It is a question we ignore at our peril, particularly as we drift aimlessly into an era dominated by the worsening effects of climate change, escalating rates of species extinction, a burgeoning world population and the threat of dwindling natural resources due to desertification of the land and acidification of the oceans. Let alone the political and social instability that is causing further chaos in the world. At its core, this book is about soulful transformation and action, which has the potential to inspire humanity to work toward the co-creation of an improved future.

There are no easy answers to the collective issues we are facing at this time, but, as I discuss in my book The Unselfish Spirit: Human Evolution in a Time of Global Crisis, humanity is more than capable of great cooperation and unstinting collaboration. It is for this reason that The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences is like a sacred spark that ignites and illuminates new possibilities for inner and outer soul work. This book is a clarion call for the awakening of our psycho-spiritual potential, where each of us is capable of manifesting gratitude, harmony, wholeness and love in our relationship to life. Research has shown us that people’s life-changing transpersonal encounters, through NDEs or spiritual emergencies, etc., often act as a catalyst for a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in life. This book reveals how people’s transformational potentials were activated by their NDEs, and how they were emboldened to explore new ways of living. Trusting the process of spiritual unfolding takes courage, but this is how transformation is seeded, which grows through the cultivation of our renewed ways of being and doing.

We know that experiences of deep transformation in consciousness are often out of step with mainstream consensus realities. It is for this reason that familial tensions or experiences of social alienation can occur, especially in the early days of a transformational process when people are feeling vulnerable. Yet, the pull to wholeness is like the navigation system of migrating birds that know intrinsically the direction that must be taken. In a similar way, the transformational imperative is strong when people have been opened up at a soul level, such that they intuitively “know” there is no turning back. This book is full of rich examples, where people share their journeys of healing and integration, which in some cases took many years. We read heart-rending stories of transformation in the face of great loss and trauma. One person came through their NDE and shared the experience with a doctor, which led them to be admitted onto a psychiatric unit. However, despite the difficulties they experienced, a common thread that is woven throughout all of the stories in this book is how people were inspired and determined to turn their spiritual revelations into renewed ways of living in gratitude, love and service.

It is evident to me after reading the stories in this book that the journey of transformation following NDEs is about creating a sacred connection to life. For example, one of the strongest themes that emerged in all the NDEs is feeling the power of unconditional love, which inspired people to be more loving when they returned to their earthly existence. Another theme that emerged with regularity was the experience of a life review, where the contributors were shown the fruits of their earthly actions, both good and bad, which were reflected back to them. Interestingly, any judgements they experienced were self-generated. They experienced firsthand the consequences of all the thoughts, intentions and actions that had been directed toward others during the course of their life. This “warts and all” life review exposed people to the reality of how they had lived their lives, and how their thoughts, intentions and actions have impacted on others, for better or worse. It is without reservation that I say, The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences is an essential spiritual teaching for these troubled times. The life review is a wake-up call for humanity to understand the profound lesson: “what we do in the world to others, we also do to ourselves.”

I have been involved in psycho-spiritual transformation work, both personally and professionally, for four decades and I have always considered myself first and foremost a student of life. It is from this perspective that The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences has become a powerful teaching resource for me. Reading this book has underlined the importance of engaging in processes of deep reflection, which connects to the craft of living in wholeness. Before reading this book, I was already doing regular mini life reviews, and I have often reflected on the good and bad I have done in this life. In this way, the life review is an opportunity to open our hearts and cultivate an attitude of forgiveness toward self and others for the mistakes we have made, as well as cherishing the good we have done. This book has reaffirmed for me the importance of doing regular life reviews, which can act as a spiritual compass in our alignment to sacred ways of living. It is through such honest self-reflection that we can transform our thoughts, intentions and actions into a path of service and love. I frequently ask myself: why should I wait until I die to have a grand life review? If we are open to the wisdom in The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences, it could encourage each of us to participate in a Full-Life Experience, where our renewed ways of being and doing contribute to the evolutionary spiritual shift that is gaining momentum at this time.

As humanity continues to lurch from crisis to crisis, it is my hope that more and more people will be inspired by the sacred messages revealed in this book. Each of us can be empowered to radically change the way we live our lives, and when we embark on such a transformative journey all manner of providence arrives in mysterious ways. When we summon the courage to live transformative lives in the service of the greater good, as all the contributors in this book have done, powerful reverberations are created in the world. Our active participation in sacramental ways of living brings us into synchronistic connection with kindred spirits, which can evolve into local and non-local networks of transformation, as is happening via this book.

It is impossible to share all the insights that are ricocheting in my heart and soul after reading this book, but I do want to mention a couple of additional themes that stood out for me. I was delighted to read about the energetic life force that was seen around plants following one person’s NDE. It reminded me of the wise words from indigenous elders who have been trying to tell us for centuries that the mineral, plant and animal worlds are alive with sacred energy. Other outlier themes in the book make reference to meeting shadow characters that are capable of stealing our precious life energies. These shadow figures reminded me of the disavowed shadow material that lurks in each of our unconscious processes, where our negative projections and counter-projections deplete our life energies, as well as creating more havoc in the world. We should not fear the shadow in our earthly life reviews, for, as we learn from the great psychologist Carl Jung, 80 per cent of the shadow is pure gold. It is simply part of the transformational process.

The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences inspires us to live in love, not fear. Therefore, transforming our relationship to the shadow is an essential part of our evolutionary spiritual development at this time. This leads on to another outlier theme in the book, when a person was given a glimpse of the terrors of Hell in their NDE. This interested me as much as the more frequently reported experiences of light and love. I reasoned that these powerful experiences (good and bad) reveal to us the reality of our thoughts, intentions and actions, which are capable of creating Heaven or Hell on Earth. From this perspective, The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences is a prophetic book, because it gives us intimations of different realities we are capable of creating on Earth with our precious life energies. It underlines how we all have free will and choice, which can be directed toward the co-creation of a better world, if we are inspired to do so. And, for all those people in life situations whose liberties have been eroded, it is incumbent that our soulful activism and collective transformation includes working for a just and fair world for all.

I was inspired to title this foreword, “A Love Letter from God”, simply because all the chapters in this book are Divine revelations. When you read this book, I urge you to open yourself to feeling the sacred forces that are working in your soul. Notice how the words or themes in each chapter resonate with the deeper calling and purpose in your life. This is a profound and life-changing book for anyone who takes the time to reflect on the “inner scripts” that are directing their thoughts, intentions and actions in daily life. Making a commitment to live a transformational life is also about composing a “life script” for how we wish to live. We can begin this journey by framing our intentions and returning a “Love Letter to God”. This is a simple way of responding to the sacred messages that leap from every page in this inspiring book. It is also a way of declaring our commitment to live in alignment with a Divine connection. If we read The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences as a “Love Letter from God” it heralds a new dawn for sacramental living in each of us. It means we will be challenged to think, feel and act in soulful ways.

There is much work to do in this time of global crisis, but as this wonderful book informs us, soulful activism is initiated when we embrace the depth of “who we are” in our journeys of spiritual awakening and wholeness. This is the beating heart of collective transformation, where each of us plays a part in bringing forth a world of forgiveness and love, which incubates the flowering and flourishing of our emerging sacred potential. Despite the numerous complexities and challenges that accompany processes of deep change, which are well illustrated in this book, the trajectories of our personal transformations are strengthened when we connect in communities of compassion. It is through the creation of networks and hubs of loving-kindness that a movement of soulful and collective transformation can grow. This book is a shining example of the desire to put transformation into action. All the royalties from this book are being channelled into a charitable foundation that supports children. In this way, the book exemplifies the core values of the foundation it supports, the motto of which is: Love, Care, Share. It is the very essence of transformative living and service, which starts with our thoughts, intentions and actions, right here, right now.