But, what does all of this mean? During my numerous trips in my dead-zones, I was greeted by many people who would speak to me and then tell me to gather my things. They were angry with me as I was told I was "in wrong place". My things were these odd bubbles floating over my head that contained visual memories that were part of my life. I simply took out of clouds those memories I wanted to keep. When I awoke, I was to have suffered horrendous memory loss. However, I've been tested and evaluated to find that I've not lost any mental function or memory. As a matter of fact, I recall things now that were amusing and wonderful parts of my life that I had long forgotten! I have so many new stories about my life that my wife enjoys at every dinner!

However, these people I mentioned would speak to me in my travels. I only remember extreme words and feelings as a flash, but I "feel" results of these discussions. Issues that have been hidden, yet affective, in my life were discussed and resolved. It was as if I had to re-experience events of my life, things I had forgotten, and resolve them --- Now! Amazingly, I recalled all of those forgotten, painful memories when I awoke. But, pain was gone! They were just placeholder memories of times gone by. They became educational pictures on walls of my mind as opposed to blocks in way and baggage to carry in my life.

But, one of many questions of my life, that was answered, was about death. Is afterlife as final and drastic as religion teaches? Is there a heaven and a hell? Will I really see my relatives, my dad, when I die? Call it ultimate research project, but results were amazing. From my experiences in my coma and death-zones, I found that death is but a quick change in a dressing room. I merely changed "clothes" to continue down path I was heading before! It was just life as it was and always will be. It is life I led and experienced. It is a continuation of everything I was into and everything I wanted to be. Looking for a better life after death is for naught if life we make in this physical realm is unbearable. If it is hell on Earth, then it will be hell "off Earth" as well. If physical realm is heaven, then it will be heaven. It is actions we take and decisions we make "here" that determine what happens "there".

I learned from my discussions and travels that body is merely a host and important elements of our lives reside inside it, and around it. Although it was badly damaged, my body wasn't lacking ability to walk, eat, and perform necessities of a physical life. It was my soul, my higher self, that had been in a coma for years and hadn't come around as of yet. As it began to wake, it provided energy and effort to make body move and heal in its necessary ways. Now, it's all good and functioning as it should!

Speaking of my soul being in a coma, it is interesting to think that, through years, we all become so keen at neglecting our higher self and our souls that physical becomes core. Feeling and seeing have become secondary to physical temptations. The physical is only a temporary stage in our existence. It is spiritual and higher aspects of ourselves that we must attend so that we can ensure that we have fulfilling life we want now and later. The physical is never fulfilled as once half-filled glass if full, it wants a bigger glass. The physical only knows need for survival. It is "souler" that adds intelligence and creativity to living. The souler can be fulfilled in simplest things and is bent on living to best that it can be in all ways.

Although it is a gift that they gave me --- to come back and be --- I must add that you should not try my trick at home. Crashing on a mountain, falling into a coma, and then dying is not a way to spend summer. Although Las Vegas has a hot summer, I could have simply gone to lake for time I spent asleep. But, all that I learned and feel now can easily be integrated into any life simply by stepping back and evaluating what is truly important. Let souler come out and rule physical! What truly means something to you? Who truly means something to you? Where do you want to go?

In end, it wasn't a miracle. It was harshest, yet most rewarding, experience of my life. It is a chance to create my heaven for my next visit. It is a chance to appreciate so much more. It is a chance to give so much more. It is a chance to be so much more. It just ... is!

--- About Author ---

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D. is an author, publisher, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. His research focus is on cognitive transformations, epistemology, and metaphysical topics. His experiences have spawned a new series of articles and a book project entitled "Dynamics of Life" that peers into hidden recesses of our physical and spiritual interactions.

For more information, and to find out about his upcoming books, e-mail publish@toupin.com or visit http://www.make-life-great.com or http://www.life-vision-imagineering.com!