A new Excerpt from
The Angel In the Big Pink Hat
When we go to the world of spirit, it always appears in a form that is recognizable to us. When we first go to spirit, we are disoriented and a little confused. It is, after all, a rather disconcerting experience. So, we see the "other side" in terms that are familiar. Everyone speaks our language, the dress is what we expect, and the setting matches something from the life which we just left.

A devout Christian might go to the classic heaven, perhaps even seeing angels with wings sitting around on clouds. A Buddhist would very likely enter a world of Wats and temples and the language, of course, would not be English. People who expect or believe in nothing after death have a surprise coming for them. They will arrive though, in a place that is understandable and comfortable for them. In other words, my guides said, the spirit world is pretty much as we expect it to be.

"And why would I expect an expo, of all things?" I asked a tad petulantly. "Well," they explained. "Where do you normally go for healing and teaching of a spiritual nature?" They had a point. While I do not particularly enjoy going to new age fairs or expos, I do think of them as a sort of "one stop shopping center" where I can experience a number of teachings and products, try on new ideas, take what I like and leave the rest. For me, it is a perfect analogy of what it must feel like to die and awaken into a familiar and yet slightly disorienting environment.

"But I did not experience a white light or have anyone meet me," I added. Having talked to many souls, I know that this is a very common experience for them upon death. My guides reminded me that I did not die, nor did I have a near death experience. I went directly to Go (in Monopoly terms) for the purpose of learning a few things and experiencing some healing. Most souls, they assured me, do in fact have a sense of peace and light upon death. They are then met by a loving presence or two (again, for that sense of familiarity). I have been told of these things and believe them to be true, but they were not part of my dream experience. I was merely a visitor for a brief time.

I laughingly realized that rather than having loved ones meet me, I had one drop me off at the door. Of course, I was embarrassed to admit, my close friends were aware of my life struggles. I had been hijacked and dumped into spirit to learn a few things. It was, no doubt, exactly what I needed to have happen. I had experienced a spiritual intervention and had been forced into "treatment." I would, in all likelihood, not have gone on my own. After all, I was busy. I had a trip to go on. The expo wasn´t open yet. I had a whole list of reasons for not going.

But, that is what friends are for. My friend dropped me off with loving intent. No doubt knowing that the trip could wait and that if I was ready to enter, the guard would let me in.

And let me in he did. "You have already paid," he said.

The truth is, we don´t have to earn our way into the spirit realm. No amount of good works (or bad for that matter) will pay our way in. We can´t get there by meditating a whole bunch or reading every book that has ever been published. We can´t force our way in through intention or holiness or power. It doesn´t matter how we lived or how we died. Death by suicide or heart attack or abortion or a car crash makes no difference as to whether or how we enter spirit. Being a president or a mass murderer or a priest is irrelevant as well. We get in by the grace of the being many call God. Now, what happens when we are in, well, that is another chapter.