The following is an extract on afterlife from the surveys completed for my Higher Degree dissertation at Monash University in Australia.
The Beginning of the Conversation
What really happens at the time of death? Some people, such as this particular survey participant, describe perceptible changes in their environment and report seeing a glow or a light envelop their loved one just before death.
Is it glow the etheric body, the soul or perhaps even the reflection of the light from the death tunnel? I have never been present when someone has died and have never witnessed this phenomenon.
Please Join this Conversation on Death
Death is one of two experiences that we all have in common. What have you personally experienced?
My husband had been in the hospital for two months.
I was by his side until the day before his passing. He passed away on a Friday; the day before Thursday, I was getting ready to leave him and planned on returning the following morning. Before I left, I decided to take pictures of him, and when I took the pictures I did not notice anything different.
The next day he passed.
I then had the film developed and when I saw the pictures, I was amazed to see a beautiful Golden Glow around his body. I took pictures of his hands and the Golden Glow was all around his hands, feet and head. And in his hospital room there was nothing that could of done this his room was dark. No bright lights.
This was the day before his passing and as I was not there when he died I was not able to say Good-bye.
Its as if he waited for me to leave, and there was so many things I wanted to say.
Can he see and hear me now?
First, please accept my condolences on your loss…and Im sorry I dont know your name.
In answer to your question, many would insist that the deceased are with us – as much in spirit as they were when they were alive, if not more so. So, please take heart, talk to your husband and continue to send him your love. In many ways, there are less barriers when someone passes. It’s never too late to say goodbye and ..and there are always opportunities for closure. Does time exist in the afterlife? Probably not; we;; not as we understand it. So, I encourage you to include your husband in your grieving and when the time comes to release him, you’ll know.
Some deceased do communicate with loved ones from beyond the veil but, personally I think it’s wrong to expect our loved ones to do this. It’s my belief that they are not at our ‘beck and call’, and even though they may have free will is it right to expect this of them? I like to think that they will communicate only if they need to.
The best thing you can do for your husband and yourself is to look after yourself now. Im a firm believer that those who have gone before us do watch over us. The love that binds us in life doesn’t die when they die.
Take care of yourself and cherish those photos. Surely, they are a gift from beyond the grave?
Cheers
Rosemary
My 94 year old Mom passed 2 months ago. The last few weeks she kept reaching her little arms upward and she said trying to get closer to God. The night she passed was very strange. HER FACED LOOKED LIKE A 40 YEAR OLD. No wrinkles or lines. The minute she left, a light shown on her face like a flash light. I believe that it was her spirit leaving for heaven. I have a real peace knowing where my mom is. Bonnie
What a joy; what a gift from your Mum. She may have even been reaching out to those she knew before they died….there are many stories of people being assisted to pass over. Im not sure what to make of the 50 years dropping away from her face and I dont recall anyone describing the transformation in quite this way…..but we all see things a little differently.
Thank you for sharing Bonnie.
Cheers
Rosemary
My wife had just taken her final breath as my daughter and granddaughter and I witnessed a strange highlight of a soft grey light appearing in her skin at the base of her neck, moving slowly upward to her hairline.
As it moved, all wrinkles disappeared in a kind of soft bubbling shimmer and stopped at her hairline. Loose skin in her neck became filled and firm. Facial skin took on a youthful texture, appearing like she was in her early twenties…my daughter was caressing her head and noticed it turned extremely warm, but cooling almost as suddenly at it had appeared.
We firmly believe we witnessed her moment of spirit leaving her body…and it was unspeakably beautiful.
Oh Ron, thank you for sharing such an intimate experience.
How wonderful that your wife was able to give to you, your daughter and granddaughter even in her moment on death and her exit from her body.
Did you have anything more to do with her spirit after that time? Just curious.
And, Im not sure how long ago your wife died but I hope you are coping with your grief..
Cheers Ron
Rosemary
My sister died in a car crash at a young age. Around the time that they said she died, my mother, miles away was awoken (it was 11:30 pm) to what she said was a golden glow that filled the house. She looked for headlights through the front window but the source of what she called a beautiful glow was inside the house and after a few moments it vanished. She went back to sleep and was awoken next by the police officers and minister coming to inform my parents of the accident. My mother and our family believe that my sister “stopped by” for lack of a better term to comfort my mom before she moved on.
Absolutely Mandy; many would concur that the deceased do drop by -either before they die or soon after. There are many accounts of this happening.
Isn’t it a lovely parting gift?
Rosemary
A patient recently told me a story that on the morning his wife died she turned to him in bed and he could not look at her as a bright light like the sun made him look away. A short time later she died.
Can you explain this?
Nikki
I cant explain it but it is not uncommon.
Some people report a being with light – eg an angel; other people see the body separate and the ‘soul’ rise up.
It can be comforting, terrifying and bewildering – all at the same time – for the person who is privileged enough to witness this.
I hope your patient was comforted by the beauty that was his wife.
Rosemary
Recently an elderly woman passed away and as she was passing a blue light radiated from her hands.has anyone ever heard of this?
Gracy
Similar phenomenon are witnessed by people who are present at the time a person dies. On the other hand, other people are in the room and see nothing.
Religious people are more likely to see angels etc and spiritual people report the bodies separating and the spirit leaving the physical body.
Those who have experienced this sort of thing often feel it is a privileged. Was it you who witnessed this Gracey and if so how have you taken it?
Cheers
Rosemary
I came to the room where my mom was at the hospital, she had died about half an hour before of heart failure. What I saw at the foot of her bed I will never forget: it was a beam of golden light crystals. The best way I can describe it, is that it looked exactly like in the Star Trek series when they “beamed them up”.
At the time I thought it was an angel watching over the family, or a comforting presence. I wasn’t afraid. Now I think it might have been my mom’s spirit.
HI Martha
I would suggest that you are right. There are many accounts here on Psychic Revolution that indicate the essence of a person exists beyond death. Sometimes that spirit is ‘attached’ to the body; other times it is removed in space and time.
I like to think of it as a final, parting gift from a loved one. Maybe you feel the same?
My father passed away yesterday. About an hour before he stopped breathing, there was a golden glow around his eyes and mouth . I wasn’t the only one who saw this. The best way I can describe how it made me feel is “gloriously peaceful”.
My condolences for your loss Tim. Im so pleased you were able to witness this glow, and for others to also experience it with you. I like to think of it as a final gift of giving from the deceased.
There are many examples of transformation during the dying process and while it is not widely investigated, nonetheless for those who have experienced the phenomenon it is as real as the person who is left behind.
Cheers
Rosemary
Dear Rosemary
I am not into the spriritual world although I do not deny or resent such a dimension.
I will testify to this however: my mother-in- law died at the hospial and immediately before drawing what turned out to be her last breath, she glowed across her face with a golden light for a second or two – it was incredible and beautiful – so much that I never was tempted to seek a physical explanation. I will carry that moment with me always – it was so peaceful.
Kind regards
Stig
Dear Stig
Thank you for sharing what must have been a wonderful moment for you and an enduring gift from your mother-in-law.
Those who have seen similar refer to it as the soul or the spirit leaving the body.
Does that essence live on in another dimension? Again, many say yes.
There are many dimensions to spirituality Stig and I, for one, am probably more curious about the science of the dimensions than the concept of a higher being. Who knows, they may be one and the same, or at least intertwined.
There are many paths to explore within spirituality – or not – Stig.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Ciao
Rosemary
I have had similar experiences.
One of my coworkers was glowing and I was the only one who could see it. It was a golden mist surrounding her head and it was beauiful and full of grace. It was a very powerful and peaceful feeling. Later that night the woman died in a car accident.
On another occasion my husband’s grandmother was dying in her bed. The whole family was there and it seemed every breath could be the last one. It had been rainy and gloomy for quite a few days by the time. Everybody waited for grandmomma to pass. I was there and held her hand and had a strong vision of sunlight.
I told my husband it’s not going to happen now. The sun will come up. We went home and had dinner. A beam of light shone through the curtain. My husband looked at me in silence and a few minutes later my mother-in-law called with the news.
I have also witnessed pets glowing before they pass. It’s also a very peaceful every time.
Oh Marina, thank you for sharing a few of your experiences. I enjoyed reading your post and could feel myself slowing down and calming as I did…..which was a bonus.
I have not personally witnessed the golden glow but am in no doubt that those who do regard it as a gift from the dying. Why does it happen before we die? Does our own energy level rise, or become more concentrated? Are we ‘topped up’ by angels, guides and those who have gone before us? Or is our energy unwinding and moving from coarse to fine in preparation for a life of fineness? I think the last reason feels right – today. Tomorrow I may feel different. Its one of the mysteries of life and thank heavens we have them Marina. What would live be like if we knew if all?
Thank you for dropping by Marina.
Rosemary
I‘ve given up on life.
At times it‘s sad and depressing. At other times I lie in bed and feel like I’m surrounded by a golden light and have visions of nature. It’s really peaceful.
I feel like I’m going to where I belong. I don’t belong in the physical world and want to return to spirit. My life has been torture and I’m desperate for peace. I could be deluded but it doesn’t seem that way.
I reach out to ‘friends‘ to save me. They don’t. Perhaps they’re not meant to. Perhaps I’m getting ready to move on and leave the physical world behind. I’m hoping the golden light of death will save me from the pain of the Earthly realm.
The comment I wrote about giving up on life might be seen as a suicide post. It wasn’t. It‘s just I feel tormented by life and I am waiting to die. I don’t encourage anyone to commit suicide. I was just saying how I felt. I could be deluded. I don’t know.
Thank you for coming back to us and letting us know your thoughts and feeling on suicide Anne.
Stay safe, and I see another Anne has chimed in on your post.
Rosemary
Oh Anne, Im sorry you feel this way, and yet I understand.
I spent the first years of my life not wanting to be here; even now I don’t love the physical world like some people do.
But I had an epiphany many years back and I committed to this world. Why did I do this? Because there are certain lessons that can only be learnt in the physical realms. Since I committed to life and throwing myself into it that commitment has become my internal compass. I’m here; I’d prefer to be there but while I’m here I’m going to grab life by the horns and live it.
You mention reaching out to others to save you. As you have found, first hand, no one can do this for you Anne. People are a disappointment; I get that too. I stopped expecting much from others and at times they surprise and delight me. In the main, however, life is pretty pedestrian.
I find myself saying to my adult children, life has no meaning in and of itself. It is up to you to create that for yourself.
Im sorry my response is filled with I and me and my Anne but in this instance, I….there that word felt this was what was requited.
If I’m wrong, I stand corrected.
On a different note, remember there are anonymous services you can call when you feel overwhelmed, or even underwhelmed by life. There, hopefully you will find a willing ear.
Take care.
Rosemary
Hello Anne, I feel we have a lot in common. You have the same name as a good friend of mine from the 1960s with whom I have sadly lost contact, the usual, both families moved house, too busy to catch up with the new address and so on.
Secondly we share the same given name and thirdly I am going to share with you something of myself which I have never told a single person before.
I have a life which is not as I would have chosen it to be, but I have committed myself to take on troubles which are not my own that sometimes really get me down and I feel like “Stop the world, I want to get off”.
I also lay in bed feeling calm and thinking how nice it would be to escape my daily grind and go home, where that home is I’m not sure, all I know is that it is not on the physical Earth.
I am trained in medical matters having worked most of my life in the health service and I know that during the hours of darkness the body chemistry changes and the brain reacts by sending messages to our consciousness which sometimes give us feelings of hopeless and helplessness. This happens most nights to me as I lay awake mulling over my challenges for the next day.
As daylight breaks and the chemical balance restores itself, the feelings subside and I get up and carry on for another day, one day at a time.
I also have a calling from the spirit world which keeps me on track and the golden light which you experience I’m sure is there to keep you safe so that you can carry on during the daylight hours and fulfil your life plan.
If you are not aware that you have made a contract with spirit before you were born, this, this might come as a surprise to you. If it sparks an interest in you, perhaps you would like to take up a study project about reincarnation. I am willing to answer your questions, if I can, on this and other occult subjects.
The old sayings are the best, every cloud has a silver lining, it’s always darkest before the dawn etc etc.
Love, healing and Bright Blessings. Anne.
I lost my grandmother today.
My mom told me that her face was glowing and her skin was clear. My grandma will truly be missed.
I believe she is resting in Abraham’s Bosom. . .we will never understand the mystery of death. That is, until we personally experience it, as well as the afterlife.
Lekesha
I’m sorry for your loss and agree with you that your grandmother is in a better place.
As you look around the website you will see accounts from other people about what happens in the lead up to, and the moment of death and what your Mom experiences is wonderful, and not uncommon.
I wonder if your grandmother will return to let you know that she is OK?
Take care
Rosemary
When my sister died of brain cancer she had a bruise on her cheek because she had slipped and fell the previous day. She also had very rough skin and lips from dehydration.
At the moment of passing there was a light around her body and her skin cleared and had a golden glow. Her husband and my sister witnessed this. I arrived several hours later and she still had the golden glow.
The hospice nurse said she had seen this happen only one time before with someone who had as much spiritual faith as my sister.
Although the visual effect is physical it seems there must be something more happening on a spiritual plane when this occurs.
Hi Helen
Im sure there is a physical explanation for much of what happens at the moment of death – like muscles relaxing, toxins eliminating etc – but that doesn’t explain the beauty of the golden glow and why not everyone sees this even when they are present at the time of passing.
So what is the golden glow? Is it something that enters the body, a reflection from another being, or something that is always there but is dulled by the heaviness of the physical body?
No matter what it is, I like to think of it as a beautiful passing gift, something that has obviously stayed with you Helen.
Hi Helen and Rosemary. I’ve been present at the passing of several people during my nursing career and with family, but have not personally experienced the golden glow of death.
There are legends of the Tuatha de Danon disintegrating to golden butterfly like beings when they meet their end. I always feel there must be something in legends which continue to persist over the millennia and as the eyes are said to be the windows of the soul, it seems logical that they could be the focal point of a golden glow as the soul leaves the body.
On the subject of heaven, I believe that it is a condition that exists in and around us. As gasses and liquids can permeate solids in our physical world, to me, heaven and/or hell is just another vibrational level of existence which is with us at all times, not as yet detectable by scientific means, but I live in hope that the spirit world will one day become as acceptable to all people as space travel is to our generation, but would previously have been thought of as a fairy story by our ancestors.
Love and light. Anne.
On the night that my dad passed away, he had held my hands tightly. I told him I would stay with him as long as I could but then a time would come when I’d have to let go. I told him we’d walk down the road to the gate. I sang to him, prayed and held his hands until he suddenly sat up and looked at me. His eyes were glowing. Although they were blue, they turned an amber color. He suddenly let go and fell back onto the pillow. My daughter saw his eyes glow too so I know it was not my imagination. When I told the hospice staff they said they had not heard of it before. I believe my dads spirit was leaving and headed to heaven. There is no other explanation.
What a wonderful parting gift from your Dad, Pamela! I have not read about the eyes glowing, as such but many people do talk about witnessing the releasing of the spirit. We are so much more than our physical bodies and it seems each of us is at a different stage of development: some of us don’t know this at all; others forget until we are reminded; others go through life without a spiritual element at all.
As to whether your Dad is in heaven….that is a whole other area for discussion. Does it exist, and why? Is it a reflection of here or something completely different?
Thank you for sharing your experience Pamela.
Cheers
Rosemary
I spent the last 15 days of my dad’s life right by his side. During the last 6 days of his life he went unconscious and kept his eyes closed. Moments before his death he opened his eyes which turned grey in color and his iris had a white glow in them. I can’t explain why this happened but I know what I was seeing. I believe I seen my dads soul in his eyes getting ready to exit his body. My dad passed away 2 breaths later. God and my dad gave me this last gift to remember it was beautiful.
Lisa.
Oh Lisa. Isn’t this wonderful? What a great parting gift.
We know so little about ‘who we are – our essence’ and what happens after death. Science knows so little about the whole process and yet, I believe quantum physics is now entertaining concepts like parallel universes, where consciousness actually resides (it’s NOT in the brain) etc.
I hope your Dad’s parting gift guides you through any dark times that may come your way; it is like a beacon and maybe it has already set your compass towards Home.
Thanks for sharing Lisa.
Rosemary
I would like to share a moment in my life and see if anyone else has had this experience.
A close friend of mine passed away when she was a teenager. I saw her the evening of her death and she struck me as being transparent and was literally illuminating. I pulled her aside and said something is going on you are glowing. We were both young and at a party late at night. I wasn’t sure what I was experiencing and she didn’t understand what I was trying to say either.
I went home went to sleep and was awakened by my mother who told me she had died in a car accident.
I will never forget the way she looked and I was somewhat comforted that I was able to see her before her death. It was very odd.
Has anyone seen a loved one or friend this way unknowingly of what was about to happen? I have some guilt over what could I have done to save her. I didn’t know what was coming next. None of us did.
Thank you, Lisa
Hi Lisa
I can well imagine that something like this would stay with you forever and my understanding is that this type of experience is not uncommon.
Some people see etheric bodies as they go about their day-to-day lives; others have moments when other wolds ‘bleed’ through into our consciousness. In the case of your friend, it may be that her bodies were starting to split before her dreadful accident and while she does not seem to have had any premonition of what was to come, it is possible that her higher consciousness was preparing her.
It is unclear whether there was anything you or your friend could have done to change the course of her life. Perhaps she chose the time and mode of her death before she was born? There is much we don’t know about parallel universes and life before and after death Lisa. Maybe your friend shared a parting gift with you before she departed.
Rosemary
The night my Grandma passed away I was up half the night because I knew she was in her last hours. I was sitting on the couch staring out into the dark when I saw several small dancing lights up at the road near our mailbox. There were no cars, no solar lights, nothing that could cause them…I decided to go back to bed but was woken a couple of hours later when my Mom called and said Grandma was gone. I asked around what time and when she told me it was the time when I had been seeing the dancing lights. I am convinced that Grandma had stopped to say goodbye 🙂 A couple of weeks before my cousin passed accidentally, I dreamed about him..he was wearing a luminous suit and was much thinner , more like he had been in his teens. It shook me a little wondering why and then my Mom called to say he had drowned.. 🙁 The day my Mom passed, we had all been at the hospital all night with her …I was alone in the room with her when the sun broke through and was shining on her face …I closed the blind a bit because I didn’t want it to bother her but I left it enough so that she could enjoy it although she was beyond consciousness by then. Her face was so relaxed and for lack of a better word, younger looking. It wasn’t long after that few moments when she was gone… 🙁
I was so glad to find this website. I recently lost my mom. My sister and I were with her at the hospital as she took her last breath. To our surprise, while we were standing over mom a light slowly came into her head. It was not golden but rather a very soft eluminating light. At the same time all the lines, scars and spots totally fell away. She looked so beautiful and I wish I could better explain this as it felt like something spiritual was happening. It did not last long, perhaps a minute, and the light was gone but moms face continued to look amazing. My sister and I feel we received an amazing gift to get to see this happen. We miss her every day but know that one day we will be with her again.
Hi Ellie, I hope what you’ve read here on Psychic Revolution confirms your experience and that of your sister, with your Mom. Indeed, what a lasting gift she left you.
For a brief moment, you touched eternity. How wonderful.
Could it be that the light was actually emanating from your Mom rather than entering her? I ask this because many people speak of the light being the soul freeing itself from this mortal coil.
Cheers
Rosemary
I had a very similar experience when my wife of 56 years passed away on Jan 7, 2019.
I arrived just minutes after her last breath at her care facility. When I entered her room it seemed that a light was shining on her face; I even looked for a light above her head. There was none. On looking closer it seemed that there was a luminescence to her face, a golden light under the skin that made it glow.
Also, there was not a wrinkle, line or blemish to her face. The skin was taut; she seemed younger. My daughter arrived shortly after and before I could explain what I had been seeing, she asked if someone had applied makeup to her mom’s face since it was so perfect.
The next day I related this to the chaplain of the care facility; he indicated that it was a gift of God telling our family that He had her now that we should have no worries. She was now with HIM. What a blessing!
Oh Lee. First, condolences on the death of your beloved wife and what a treasure she must have been to leave this gift for you on her way out. There are explanations for the picture of peace that comes over those who have died but, as yet, we don’t understand the luminescence that some people have the privilege of seeing. I have no doubt your wife is in a better place Lee and until she comes to help you on your way remember to be gentle with yourself as you grieve your loss.
Rosemary
Hi, I am not leaving my correct name or email.
However, I was recently with a close relative when she passed and report accurately what I witnessed but nobody else did who was there. An hour or so before she died a light green glow formed around her head and moved over her chest. It was joined by a golden glow that seemed to appear above her and embraced the green glow and then that disappeared and shortly after her body died. I don’t hold religious beliefs but I now believe in the human spirit. Her passing was beautiful but I didn’t share this with others who were there as they did not see it.
Wow, Tim; thanks for sharing. There are enough of these experiences that are so similar in nature from people like yourself for this not to be a coincidence.
I personally don’t think about these experiences through a religious lens, either but many people do. I’m more inclined towards science and the curiosity that starts with the Why and goes along with contemplation. That said, Shakespeare pops into my had too: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I think its wonderful that you have had this experience Tim and of course, it leads to the question why now and why you, not the others. A physicist who has turned to exploring the paranormal later in life said, and I paraphrase, when we know how we are able to shut out these other worlds then we’ll start to know how it is that some people are open to them.
Thank you for leaving a comment Tim.
Hello, my beautiful mother passed away the 25th of December of 2018 (lung cancer), and I witness a gold glow around her, an hour or so after she passed away. I am not sure if it was yellow or yellow-green, but it was so intense that all the family looks at me wondering why I was not moving or talking. I was in complete shock to see such an intense light. It disappeared after a few seconds (maybe 10)… I strongly believe that our soul leaves our body after our death for another journey, but if you had any kind of explanation or reading about it, I would be really pleased. Best, Pierre
How wonderful for you Pierre that your mother left you such a lasting memory. Your experience is not uncommon but there is no scientific explanation for it, as yet. My ‘take’ on this experience is that everything is energy and, as you suggested, when the soul (not necessarily a religious phenomenon) leaves the body some type of energy transformation occurs. Of course, there are many references to auras in the sacred texts but physics has yet to catch up with this, and other, paranormal phenomena.
I’m sure you cherish your mother’s parting gift, Pierre; it really is quite invaluable.
And condolences for your loss.
Cheers
Rosemary
I had a similar experience with my Dad, I immediately and undoubtedly believed and still do he was receiving his Crown for God. The gift strengthened my belief in God and Heaven, actually it confirmed it for me.
Thanks for sharing your experience with your Dad, Lorri. I think the more these unexpected occurrences are shared, the more natural they will become.
My mom passed 04/01/2014 and she was glowing.
It was a golden light and I know someone else was there. I could feel the presence in the room every time I walked in.
I know where my mom is and I will have to agree that this experience was something I will never forget.
Apologies for the late response, Marci.
I am so glad you noticed your Mum’s parting gift. It’s obviously a memory that’s lasted for you and it probably will last, maybe until you choose to leave a glow for someone you love.
All the best.
Rosemary
My mother died over four years ago.
She was in ER and I had stepped out for a brief time. As I went back towards the room she was in she was glowing and looked so beautiful.
I stopped mid-step as she was asleep, and out of pain and glowing. She was over 86, but at that moment I could see the radiant beauty of her younger days.
I did not re-enter the room – not wanting to would disturb her. Within 24 hours she was gone; so that’s the last time I “saw” her.
She was ready for death and had told me she knew she didn’t have a lot of time left. She was so tired of being ill and being in pain. When the doctor called to tell me she’d taken a turn for the worse and I might have to make a decision, I had no hesitation as I knew she was ready and no longer wanted to live in pain and with the physical limitations, her most recent illness would have resulted in.
I’ve often thought about the glow and the beauty that was so striking the last time I saw her alive. I had come to the conclusion it was a sign of some sort of transition. All of the above posts confirm my conclusions.
My mother did not believe in an afterlife, nor was she religious. She believed heaven and hell were both right here on Earth and she had experienced both.
Whatever or wherever she transitioned to would be a surprise to her if she is cognizant of it.
Apologies for the delay in acknowledging your note, MKH.
And what a wonderful gift your mother left you with. I have a feeling she may be surprised to ‘remember’ what she had forgotten about life beyond the veil.
It seems her death was a welcome release, for you all.
Blessings.
Rosemary
My mother passed March of 2019. I was with her and saw her glow a golden color.
I had never heard of the golden glow of death. I just typed in golden glow at death and this site came up.
I am happy that mine is not a solitary experience.
Hello P.
I’m pleased you have found this community and can rest assured that you’re not alone in receiving a wonderful parting gift from your mother.
Who knows, she may pop back if and when you need her?
Cheers
Rosemary