On Life after Death, revised Paperback – March 1, 2008

On Life After DeathElizabeth Kubler Ross, M.D.Author of On Death and Dyingwith a Forward by Caroline Myss"I consider her one of the heroines of our age." Caroline MyssThe book is based on the author's study of over twentythousand people who have had a near death experience.Ross, of course, did the pioneering work on the five stages of dying that hasinfluenced the lives of countless people as they face the grieving process...Selected Quotes form the book (a series of lectures):"The opinion which other people have of you is their problem, not yours."In order to quiet the skeptics we did a scientific experiment with blind people.Those who had an out of body experience andcame back... --can tell you in detail what the color of the jewelry you werewearing if you were present... the color and pattern ofyour sweater or your tie and so on..."...dying is only a transition to a different form of life.""God is unconditional love."All the hardships you face in life... If only you would realize that nothing comesto you in life as a negative. All the trials and tribulations... are gifts to you. ...It's like somebody has to temper the iron. It's an opportunity that you are givento grow. This is the sole purpose of your existence on planet earth. You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden and somebodybrings you gorgeous food on a silver platter. But you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experiences losses and if you do not put your head in the sand but take the pain and learn to accept it is not a curse or a punishment, but as a gift to you as a very very special specific purpose."Death is simply a shedding of the physical body like the butterfly shedding the cocoon. It is a transition to a higher state of consciousness where you continue to perceive, to understand, to laugh and to grow."(the little girl) She told him it was such a beautiful experience when she died that she did not want to come back. ...she saidwhat made it so special was that her brother was there with her, and held herwith great tenderness, love and compassion. ..."The only problem is that I don't have a brother." ...Her father started to cry, and confessed that she did have a brother whohad died three months before she was born. ..."Get in touch with your own inner self and learn not to be afraid.""You make your own hell or your own heaven by the way you have lived."""All of us when we were born from the Source, from God, were endowed with a facet of divinity.""Also the moment after death occurred, their facial features showed anincredible sense of peace, equanimity, and serenitywhich I could not comprehend since it was often a death that occurred in a state of anger, bargaining or depression.""...people will also be aware that it is impossible to die alone."An American Indian woman struck by a hit and run driver...A stranger stopped to help.She asked if he could at some time he could tell her mother some 700 milesdistant... that she was OK and that she was already with her dad.Some time passed and the stranger gave the dying message to the mother only to discover that the Dad had died of a heart attack one hour prior to the Indianwoman's death."In every audience of eight hundred people there are at least twelve authentic casesof people who have had such an experience...""Should you shield the canyon from the windstorms...--you would never see the beauty of their carvings."

It confirmed what I have known in my heart since I was a child. I feel more connected to everything around me now and try to be more aware of the human condition. I feel a deeper LOVE for all of Gods creatures, the sky, the plants... everything. I drove by the same homeless man on the same corner where he has stood for several years. He is about 70 years old, carries a sign of "Hard Times" I had never seen him walk before, or at least I always avoided eye contact. This time I watched him for a moment as I was stuck at the red light. He walked with an obvious limp. I felt this overwhelming LOVE for him. I mean it literally flooded my whole body. I didn't want to give him money (because I don't know his situation, and I do not want to enable addictions) I started to head towards the Interstate when this voice literally said "you could feed him!" I went to McDonalds and got him a couple Quarter pounders and a lg water.I went back and parked where I would be able to say helw in private and give him the food. I got his attention and asked if I could offer him some warm food and water. He looked into my eyes.... and said, of course.. Thank You.He had very kind eyes. He did smell of alcohol, but hey, I don't know his life. And even more so, I don't have to walk in his shoes... My shoes have sand in them from the Beach I live on. So... God is opening my eyes to the needs of others,I have always thought of myself as a spiritual person, but I believe that I have a lot of work to do on myself.This book has opened my eyes to Gods vision of how we "can" be.It is one of the best books that I have ever read. I have re-read parts of it several times, and I just got it a week ago!!!

These are personal essays by Dr. Ross, not a scientific book, keep that in mind. They are very short, but insightful and inspiring about her work with death and dying, plus more. Purpose on Earth, life lessons, acting with compassion, and seeing the bigger picture are among the topics. Would highly recommend for anyone, essential reading for human beings.

The late Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a psychiatrist, prolific author and expert on death and dying. As short as "on Life after Death" is, it captures a lifetime of experience in dealing with the question of what happens when a person dies. The book is a collection of lectures by the author on the many aspects of life's most inevitable event; what Kübler-Ross offers is a vision of what happens at death that is optimistic, based on many, many observations of not only the natural dying process but also of out-of-body experiences (OBE) and near-death experiences (NDE). She explains that "There is one thing everybody has to learn before he can return from where he came, and that is unconditional love. If you have learned and practiced this, you have mastered the greatest lesson of all." The author's sensitivity to and empathy with the subjects of her cases studies reveals that she has indeed mastered this lesson. Whether or not one accepts her verdict on the meaning of death and the afterlife, one can hardly deny the value of this book in giving hope to the dying and the bereaved. This is a lady who has spent quality time with the dying and given of herself to ease their pain and suffering; she also witnessed the Nazi concentration camps where she saw the depth to which humanity can sink. This is a short but moving read and an eye-opener to the transformational possibilities of life if death is not the final word. If she is correct, then the words of 1 Corinthians 15:55 make sense: O death where is thy sting?