What have we learned from 40 years of STE research?
- STEs are real. STEs have been reported for thousands of years, by persons of impeccable repute: in scriptures, in sacred texts, and by great saints and mystics of all faiths.
- STEs are happening to millions of people around the world. STEs happen to persons of all ages, of both sexes, of any sexual orientation, of any race, of any color, of any faith, and with no faith. STEs seem to be a universal human phenomenon of consciousness.
- STEs are NOT hallucinations. STEs are NOT a sign of mental illness.
What do STEs teach us about Consciousness?
- The range of human consciousness is expanding. STEs add to and enrich the range of normal human consciousness, somewhat like how looking at color pictures adds new beauty and new distinctions to pictures previously seen in black and white.
- After the spiritual awakening, multiple STEs begin. The first STE, or spiritual awakening STE, marks the beginning of a long-term spiritual transformation process which is often marked with multiple STEs over a lifetime.
- “Paranormal” is becoming the “new normal”. What used to be called “paranormal” experiences are now becoming the “new normal” for increasing numbers of STE Experiencers worldwide.
What do STEs teach us Spiritually?
- God / Higher Power is real. Mystical experiences and mystical type white-light Near-Death Experiences reveal to Experiencers the reality of a Higher Power underlying all that exists.
- We are souls. We are truly spiritual beings having a physical experience in a human physical body.
- We live on after death. Our souls live on after death of our physical body. Just like shedding worn out clothes, our soul sheds the deceased body and lives on.
- Love is the strongest and most important force in the universe. Mystical experience and mystical NDE Experiencers gain a realization that our Higher Power emanates profound unconditional love for all, and that love is the most important attribute for us all to develop and to express.
How to promote a healthy Spiritual Awakening
After the Spiritual Awakening many Experiencers want to develop spiritually. No matter which spiritual path you choose to follow, the keys to promote a healthy, balanced and more rapid spiritual awakening process are:
- Live a balanced lifestyle in body, mind, and spirit. Eat healthy foods. Exercise regularly. Get fresh air and sunshine daily. Do your worldly duties responsibly. Live an ethical honest life. Balance your life with time for rest, self-reflection, self-development, and spiritual deepening.
- Strive for self-development, self-improvement. Self reflect, do your inner work. Embrace your healing and recovery work. Strive for deeper compassion, and to forgive yourself as well as others.
- Lead an honest ethical life. Strive to follow spiritual and moral guidelines such as: the Golden Rule; the Ten Commandments; and the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Strive to be humble, more generous, more loving.
- Be of service to others. Strive to put yourself in others’ shoes. Treat others with the kindness, generosity and respect that you would want to be treated with.
- Meditate and pray daily to spiritually deepen. Make spirituality a part of your life, every day. Make time daily for spiritual reading, spiritual contemplation, prayer, and/or meditation. Strive to deepen in your love for God/Higher Power however you understand it. Strive to develop “agape”, unconditional brotherly/sisterly love for all humanity. Commit to the faith tradition and path that resonates with your heart and soul.
Meditation is the Key to Spiritual Deepening
Saints of many traditions confirm meditation is a key to enhance your spiritual growth. Regular meditation will help you to:
- Expand your consciousness
- Awaken to your true spiritual nature
- Have more STEs, enhance your intuition, develop the ability to receive Higher guidance.
- Find your way HOME to liberation/ongoing communion.
[Reference: Yvonne Kason MD. Touched by the Light. 2019]
Suggested Further Readings on Finding our way Home:
Kason, Yvonne. Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2019.
Krishna, Gopi. Living with Kundalini: The Autobiography of Gopi Krishna. Edited by Leslie Shepard. Boston: Shambhala, 1993.
Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2007.