Explorations in Life, Death and the AfterlifeDr Fiona Bowie, Kings College London

1. Journeying through death

In this session we look at some narratives of death, and at some of the consistent features of the transition out of the physical body that emerge from these accounts, as well as at some of the differences, and reasons for these. We then have a brief introduction to some of the differing religious views of death and at the role played by culture in religious teachings. The question arises as to whether there is any solid evidence that something of us our soul, consciousness, spirit or whatever we like to call it, actually survives the death of the physical body. One source we can turn to is the accounts of those who have had a near-death experience, particularly where there appears to be evidential information data that could not have been obtained from the perspective of the physical body. One lesson from this material is that to die well we need to live well, and that removing the fear of death and the unknown is a way to help us achieve this goal.

References and Further Reading There is a mixture of academic and popular writing here, together with the works referred to in the talk.

Besant, Annie (1939) The Ancient Wisdom. Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Society.

Bowie, Fiona (2011) Tales from the Afterlife. Winchester: O Books.

Bitterli-Frst, Bruno (2012) Death and Life: With commentary from the hereafter by Elisabeth Kbler-Ross. Switzerland: Ravare Books.

Eadie, Betty J. (1995) Embraced by the Light: What Happens When You Die? London: Thorsons.

Fenwick, Peter & Fenwick, Elizabeth (1995) The Truth in the Light: An Investigation of over 300 Near-Death Experiences. London: BCA.

Fenwick, Peter & Fenwick, Elizabeth (2008) The Art of Dying. London: Continuum.

Holden, Janice Miner, Greyson, Bruce & James, Debbie (eds.) (2009) The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation. Santa Barbara: ABC Clio.

Kastenbaum, Robert (2004) On Our Way: The Final Passage Through Life and Death. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press.

Kbler-Ross, Elisabeth (1999) The Tunnel and the Light: Essential Insights on Living and Dying. New York: Marlowe and Co.

Leadbeater, C.W. (1912) A Textbook of Theosophy. Dodo Press.

Moody, Raymond (1991) Life After Life. Rider.

Perera, Mahendra, Jagadheesan, Karuppiah, Peake, Anthony (eds.) (2012) Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences: A Handbook for Clinicians. London & Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.

Sandys, Cynthia and Lehmann, Rosamond (1978) The Awakening Letters: Varieties of Spiritual Experiences in the Life after Death. Jersey: Neville Spearman.

Sandys, Cynthia and Lehmann, Rosamond (1986) The Awakening Letters Vol.2. Saffron Waldon, Essex: C.W. Daniel.

Sherwood, Jane (1991) Post-Mortem Journal: Communications from Lawrence of Arabia through the mediumship of Jane Sherwood. Saffron Waldon, Essex: C.W. Daniel.

Stickney, Doris (2004) Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children. Pilgrim Press

Stoller, Galen (2011) My Life After Life: A Postumous Memoir. Edited by K. Paul Stoller. Santa Fe, Mexico: Dream Treader Press.

Van Lommel, Pim (2010) Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience. New York: HarperCollins.

Useful websites

Afterlife Research Centre (founded by Fiona)There are many links to other sites and a discussion forum

Fionas Academia.edu site. Links to many of her papers.

Exploring the Afterlife Blog, Fiona Bowie

Summary of afterlife views in different religions

Academy of Spiritual and Consciousness Studies. Check out their Library for a list of best cases in various areas.

Raymond Moodys website

Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands. Summary conclusions.

If you would like an electronic copy of the powerpoint and notes please let me have your email address. fiona.bowie@kcl.ac.uk