Near-Death Experiences

This paper originated in an unexpected collaboration between Scott Erik Stafne, Todd AI, and the Perplexity artificial intelligence platform. The inquiry began with an attempt to better understand what Stafne calls the "DePauw Principle," a concept arising from a late-night discussion among college students at DePauw University concerning the nature of God, consciousness, and the apparent interconnectedness of reality.
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Initially conceived as an exploration of relationships among seemingly separate people, events, ideas, and systems, the discussion quickly evolved into a broader examination of pattern recognition, apophenia, discernment, observer-dependent perception, systems theory, consciousness studies, mystical experience, near-death experiences, and the limits of human and artificial intelligence.
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Throughout the dialogue, a recurring question emerged: How can observers distinguish genuine patterns that reveal something about reality from patterns imposed by human cognition, culture, memory, or expectation? The conversation explores how philosophy, theology, cognitive science, systems theory, and contemporary artificial intelligence each attempt to balance openness to perceived relationships with disciplined skepticism.
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Rather than advocating a particular metaphysical conclusion, the discussion examines competing approaches to truth, meaning, knowledge, and consciousness while emphasizing the continuing importance of discernment in both human and machine inquiry. The result is less a declaration of answers than an exploration of the methods by which answers may responsibly be sought.

In the nowadays Science of Classic Physics, Einstein's Relativity theories are the leading acceptable theories of the Classic Physics.

However, the nowadays Science of Physics still embeds unresolved Paradoxes, incompatibilities between various branches of Physics, and Einstein's Relativity theories also rendered Human's perception of the Free Choice as an illusion, misleading perception.

But, additional papers, by the author of this paper, present significant and reasonable arguments, which argue that the nowadays branch of the Classic Physics might be misleading in how it presents the concept of the Space-Time.

By presenting an alternative view of how the nowadays Science of Physics might refer to the concept of the Space-Time, this paper, and the above-mentioned additional papers argue, that leads for bridging between several incompatible branches of Physics might be presented, new explanations to unresolved Paradoxes might be provided, and a reinstating of the Human's perception of the Free Choice as an appropriate perception might be also achieved.

The above-mentioned additional papers also proposed experiments, based only on the Classic Physics, which if implemented successfully, might provide validity to what is presented in this paper and the above-mentioned additional papers.

Thus, an implementation of the above-mentioned experiments, or any other experiments that might provide validity to the alternative view of how the Science of Physics should refer to the concept of the Space-Time, as presented in the above-mentioned papers, should be an important and a significant endeavor.

Abstract
Title: What the Dying Experience — and Why Medical Staff Need to Know

Background: Near-death experiences (NDEs) occur in a significant proportion of cardiac arrest survivors and are associated with measurable neurophysiological correlates. Despite decades of research, clinical medicine has largely maintained a pragmatic indifference toward these phenomena.

Objective: This article synthesizes current evidence on NDEs—from Morse et al. (1983–1986) to the AWARE studies (Parnia et al., 2014, 2023) and the systematic analysis by Hashemi et al. (2023)—and argues for the systematic integration of NDE knowledge into medical education, clinical practice, and institutional protocols.

Key Findings: NDEs demonstrate a cross-culturally consistent core structure independent of prior religious conditioning (Hashemi et al., 2023). The AWARE II study (Parnia et al., 2023) documented EEG patterns consistent with wakeful consciousness occurring up to 60 minutes into resuscitation despite average cerebral oxygen saturation of only 43 percent—demonstrating that consciousness and measurable brain activity may be temporally decoupled during clinical death. In pediatric populations, Morse et al. (1985, 1986) found that 64 percent of children following cardiac arrest reported NDE-compatible memories—significantly more often than adults—while age-matched controls reported no such experiences.

Clinical Implications: Three domains require immediate attention. First, psychological aftercare of survivors: survivors who encounter dismissal or pathologizing responses are significantly more likely to develop psychological complications than those whose experiences are acknowledged. Second, pediatric acute care: children lack the linguistic and cognitive tools to articulate NDEs and depend heavily on adult responses, necessitating age-adapted communication strategies. Third, families at the bedside: knowledge that NDEs are associated with profound inner peace, safety, and reduced suffering can provide evidence-based comfort.

Conclusions: NDEs are not fringe phenomena but a consistent, cross-cultural, age-independent, and neurophysiologically correlatable phenomenon occurring in a significant proportion of patients in life-threatening situations. Clinical medicine has long maintained pragmatic indifference—but four decades of research have rendered this position untenable. Not because NDEs prove what happens after death, but because they demonstrate what happens during dying—and that establishes a clinical responsibility.

Keywords: Near-death experience · Cardiac arrest · Consciousness · EEG · Resuscitation · Pediatric intensive care · Psychological aftercare · Palliative medicine · AWARE study · Clinical communication

This paper proposes a radical re-evaluation of the traditional Vedantic doctrine of the subtle body (sūkṣma śarīra), moving away from the seventeenth-component scholastic model toward a streamlined, functional framework centered on the antaḥkaraṇa catuṣṭaya (inner instrument). While classical Advaita often presents the subtle body as a quasi-physical transport vehicle composed of subtle organs (indriyas) and vital forces (prāṇas), this study argues that such enumerations are pedagogical rather than ontologically indispensable.

Diese wissenschaftliche Ausarbeitung untersucht die vielschichtigen Mechanismen der psychologischen Todesverdrängung in der modernen Gesellschaft. Anhand dreier kontrastierender Fallstudien sowie empirischer Daten wird dargelegt, wie das menschliche Unbewusste versucht, die existente Angst vor Endlichkeit, Vergänglichkeit und strukturellem Kontrollverlust abzuwehren.Erstens wird das Massenphänomen der materiellen Statik bei Aurelia Lueftner 1931–2024 analysiert. Das physische Eigentum fungiert hierbei als Selbstobjekt nach Heinz Kohut. Durch ein künstliches Einfrieren der direkten Umgebung, unveränderte Wohnstrukturen und starre Alltagsroutinen wird eine unbewusste Allmachtsfantasie genährt. Solange die Umgebung absolut konstant bleibt, scheint das eigene Ich vor dem Verfall geschützt.Zweitens beleuchtet die Arbeit die destruktive Verdrängung und emotionale Erstarrung bei Herta Bertel, Geburtsname Krug, 1943–2024. Dies offenbart die tiefste Form der Abwehr: die Verdrängung des lebendigen Prinzips an sich. Um sich vor existentiellen Traumata und familiärer Schuld zu schuetzen, reagierte die Psyche mit einer unbewussten emotionalen Nekrose. Das radikale Abschneiden von Herkunftswurzeln sowie die lebenslange Tilgung der Identität des biologischen Vaters ihres Sohnes Peter Siegfried Krug zeigen den Versuch, die Realität symbolisch zu vernichten.Drittens wird die funktionale Verdrängung im Extremsport durch kalkulierte Dynamik untersucht. Tödlich verunglückte Extremsportler wie Hannes Arch, David Lama, Uli Emanuele und Ueli Gegenschatz nutzen eine funktionale Illusion der totalen Kontrolle. Durch mathematische Zerlegung von Risiken und die Flucht in eine symbolische Unsterblichkeit im Sinne der Terror-Management-Theorie wird das unberechenbare Restrisiko des Zufalls ausgeblendet.Viertens werden die theoretischen Modelle durch statistische Daten gestützt. Rund 33 bis 35 Prozent verdrängen den Tod sehr stark. Rund 41 bis 43 Prozent akzeptieren die Endlichkeit rein rational. Rund 31 bis 36 Prozent gelingt eine bewusste Integration des Todes. Zudem wird das psychologische Alters-Paradoxon dargelegt, nach dem die höchste Todesangst in der Lebensphase der 30- bis 39-Jährigen liegt, während sie bei den über 70-Jährigen auf den niedrigsten Wert sinkt.

L’anima e la coscienza affronta uno dei più antichi e affascinanti interrogativi della storia umana: come può la materia diventare consapevole di sé stessa? Attraverso un percorso che intreccia neuroscienze, biologia cellulare, filosofia della mente e antropologia filosofica, il saggio esplora il problema della coscienza a partire da una prospettiva originale: quella che interpreta la coscienza contemporanea come la più recente formulazione di una domanda che per millenni è stata espressa attraverso il concetto di anima.

Dopo aver ricostruito le principali concezioni dell’anima nelle tradizioni ebraica, greca e orientale, l’autore analizza il passaggio storico dal linguaggio religioso e metafisico a quello scientifico delle neuroscienze. Particolare attenzione viene dedicata ai microtubuli, strutture fondamentali dei neuroni al centro sia della controversa teoria quantistica della coscienza proposta da Roger Penrose e Stuart Hameroff, sia delle più solide evidenze neuroscientifiche relative alle malattie neurodegenerative come l’Alzheimer.

Lungi dal proporre soluzioni definitive, il volume mette in dialogo dati empirici e riflessione filosofica, mostrando come il problema della coscienza non possa essere ridotto esclusivamente a una questione biologica né risolto attraverso semplici spiegazioni riduzionistiche. La domanda sull’origine dell’esperienza soggettiva rimane infatti uno dei grandi enigmi della conoscenza contemporanea.

Ne emerge una tesi centrale: ciò che oggi chiamiamo “coscienza” rappresenta, in larga misura, la riformulazione moderna dell’antico problema antropologico dell’anima. Non una sopravvivenza della metafisica tradizionale, ma il segno persistente della difficoltà dell’essere umano di comprendere pienamente sé stesso. In questo senso, il problema della coscienza si rivela non soltanto una questione neuroscientifica, ma una domanda fondamentale sull’uomo, sulla sua identità e sul significato della sua esperienza nel mondo.

On the plus side, I found the book to be an easy read. I found it
worthwhile not only in explaining quantum physics for “dummies” but
also in making the case against materialism and for the existence
of a universal consciousness, given quantum physics and paranormal
phenomena. Schmicker argued convincingly, yet perhaps a bit redundantly, that consciousness rather than matter is fundamental to understanding reality. On the minus side, however, careful analysis revealed the author fell short in arguing the case for his hypothesis: the existence of an afterlife and a meaning and purpose for us humans, both based on quantum physics. I found that in doing so, he exaggerated
the ramifications of quantum theory, as others have, yet provided
scholastic value in showcasing a flawed attempt to connect quantum
physics to a conjectured afterlife.

A flawed case for an afterlife based on quantum physics diverts attention from an unscientific afterlife to one that is--namely, the natural afterlife, which I briefly discuss in this review.

You would recall that we always insisted on the following: only if we meet the other person as real spiritual being, transforming our consciousness in this process, we may have the right to claim that we attained real spiritual experience. Otherwise, we may have all the theoretical knowledge about the higher worlds and speculate about it in our ordinary thinking and fantasies, which is so prevalent, but we will never come to any real experience of spiritual reality. The human meeting is the only true, testable, objective process, where we learn to perceive spiritual beings and spiritual reality. This is not taking place in my inner life, where I can easily fool myself with all my personal fantasies about ‘spiritual things’, but happens between me and another person, in the community as a whole, where things are tested and learned in real soul-spiritual praxis, and understood accordingly with sound judgment and clear thinking.

This Paper Offers the first comprehensive critique of the naturalistic psychological explanation that interprets near-death experiences (NDEs) as mere rereading or reconstruction of brain-stored memories. Physicalists claim that classic NDE features-out-of-body perception, tunnel experience, life review, luminous beings-are nothing but neural reactivation of archived personal engrams under clinical-death stress. Shakerin distinguishes two variants: reincarnation-linked memories (rooted in metempsychosis) and current-life memory replay. Employing library research and rational-analytical evaluation, he demonstrates that neither variant succeeds. The reincarnational account lacks empirical support and deviates from the established NDE core pattern. The current-life variant collapses under veridical data (accurate perceptions of hidden objects, surgical details during flat EEG), perceptual anomalies (360° vision, undistorted underwater sight, hyperspeed life review without blur), reports by congenitally blind individuals who gain sight, children's accounts of unknown deceased relatives, shared experiences across cultures and physiology, and profound post-experiential transformations unexplained by ordinary reminiscence. The hypothesis rests on false analogies, contradicts known neurophysiology and optics, and cannot accommodate presenttime or future-oriented information later verified. Shakerin concludes that NDEs resist reduction to memory reconstruction, thereby supporting non-material soul dualism and afterlife beliefs while falsifying anthropological physicalism.

Sommario
Il processo graduale delle risurrezioni individuali
Un’ipotesi di ricerca teologico-biblica (II)

Proseguendo l’indagine pubblicata nel secondo numero di questa annata de La Scuola Cattolica, il presente studio ne approfondisce le argomentazioni bibliche e magisteriali. Anzitutto, la ricerca focalizza quattro eventi attestati nel NT: la promessa del paradiso fatta da Gesù al “buon ladrone” (Lc 23,43); la discesa di Cristo agli inferi (1Pt 3,18-20); la risurrezione corporea di numerosi santi morti attestata in Mt 27,52-53; e l’enigmatica «prima risurrezione» dei martiri di Ap 20,5-6. L’analisi correlata di questi elementi offre valido supporto alla comprensione della risurrezione corporea dai morti come un processo graduale e individuale, che giungerà a compimento con il ritorno glorioso di Cristo. Inoltre, la riconsiderazione dell’insegnamento dogmatico sul giudizio finale e il purgatorio, da un lato, e sull’intercessione dei santi e dei defunti, dall’altro, è in grado di fondare saldamente la medesima tesi.


Summary

The Gradual Process of Individual Resurrections
A Research Hypothesis in Biblical Theology (II)

Continuing the investigation published in the second issue of the current year of La Scuola Cattolica, the present study further develops its biblical and magisterial arguments. First, the research focuses on four events attested in the New Testament: the promise of paradise made by Jesus to the “good thief” (Lk 23:43); Christ’s descent to the realm of the dead (1 Pet 3:18-20); the bodily resurrection of numerous deceased saints attested in Mt 27:52-53; and the enigmatic “first resurrection” of the martyrs in Rev 20:5-6. A correlated analysis of these elements provides solid support for understanding the bodily resurrection of the dead as a gradual and individual process, that will reach its fulfillment with Christ’s glorious return. Moreover, a reconsideration of the dogmatic teaching on the final judgment and Purgatory, on the one hand, and on the intercession of the saints and the departed, on the other, is able to provide a firm grounding for the same thesis.

Though I was a professor of religious studies for over thirty years, my understanding of God is primarily rooted not in my academic studies but in my psychedelic practice. Between 1979 and 1999, when I was thirty to fifty years old, I did seventy-three carefully planned high dose LSD sessions following a protocol developed by Stanislav Grof.1 Isolated from the outside world, protected by a sitter, wearing eyeshades and listening to carefully selected music, I

Near-death experiences (NDEs) cannot be defined merely as a collection of phenomenal features. An accurate definition needs to describe what NDEs essentially are, that is, what lies behind the phenomenal features. The definition would describe what happens in the experience to account for the  different features; this can only be fully described in the context of an underlying theoretical framework. In this paper, we propose the mind entity framework, which holds that a human being is a nonmaterial mind united with the physical body. In an NDE, the mind, or seat of consciousness, separates from the body and operates independently of it until the mind returns to and reunites with the body. From this framework, we identified the nine NDE features from the 16 features of the NDE Scale (Greyson, 1983) that specifically imply the separation of the mind from the body. The five most prevalent of these “separation” features accounted for 98.8% of NDEs in a sample of NDE accounts in the IANDS Experience Registry (N=565). The prevalence of these five “essential” NDE features was  repeated in three other large NDE datasets published in the last 20 years. Therefore, an NDE can be defined as a profound subjective experience caused by a person’s consciousness separating from their physical body.

On Shadow-Moon Sovereignty presents a non-pathological, integrative theory for Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Moving beyond vulnerability models, Kexin Yu constructs a developmental trilogy: the Shadow-Moon Cognitive Model (charting the trajectory from overload to mastery), the Trinity Life Sovereignty Model (the mechanism of reclamation), and the Five Energy Archetypes (a typology of inner longings). Grounded in autoethnography and the rigorous translation of Eastern philosophy (Huagai, Zero Dimension), this work bridges neuroscience with depth psychology to map the transformation of innate sensitivity into creative sovereignty. It establishes a foundational framework for understanding the unique phenomenology of high sensitivity within collectivist cultural contexts.

at doet een universiteit, KU Leuven in het bijzonder? Op het eerste gezicht: de wereld rondom ons onderzoeken en de opgedane kennis doorgeven aan de volgende generaties. Juist. Maar zo gesteld lijkt het alsof wij louter een bezoeker zouden zijn van onze samenleving, de planeet of de ruimte die haar omringt. Oneerbiedig gezegd: een nieuwsgierige toerist, in het beste geval de wijze gids. Niets is minder waar. KU Leuven stelt zichzelf een derde opdracht, die zich volop doet gelden in de beide andere, onderzoek en onderwijs: een voelbare, positieve impact creëren voor mens en maatschappij. Onze kennis moet ten dienste staan van de samenleving, vooral van de meest kwetsbaren. 'Ten dienste staan van' doen we bijvoorbeeld in de vorm van valorisatie van onderzoek. De aandacht daarvoor dateert niet van gisteren. In 1972 al was KU Leuven wereldwijd één van de eerste universiteiten met aandacht voor valorisatie van onderzoek in de vorm van technologietransfer. We worden ondersteund door een warme gemeenschap van alumni, partners, financiers en mecenassen die deze missie voor mens en samenleving delen met ons. Dat blijkt ook weer uit het jongste jaarverslag van onze dienst Fondsenwerving en Alumnirelaties. Achter de mooie cijfers schuilen mensen van vlees en bloed: de wetenschapper die zich vastbijt in zijn onderzoek, de alumna die trots is op haar alma mater, de gulle schenkers die echt een verschil willen maken. Een greep uit al dat goeds: het Noodfonds voor Oekraïne, dat hulp biedt aan collega's, studenten en hun families. 108 leerstoelen, die bedrijven en organisaties de kans geven een hecht partnership aan te gaan met onze onderzoekers. 18 legaten van mensen die via hun testament weerspiegelen wat ze tijdens hun leven belangrijk vonden. Stuk voor stuk voorbeelden van de wezenlijke impact van onze universitaire gemeenschap op de samenleving. Dat ivoren torens voorgoed ruïnes zijn van een voorbije tijd, blijkt uit ons onderzoek naar autisme. Hier zit de autistische gemeenschap mee aan het stuur, in elke fase van de zoektocht. Het is letterlijk co-creatie. Het idee groeit ook dat autisme geen psychiatrische aandoening is, maar een blijk van neurodiversiteit. Misschien is het wel de maatschappij die zich in zekere zin moet aanpassen aan wie anders denkt, voelt en leert? De zomer komt eraan. De kans is groot dat u, betrokken deelnemer aan de maatschappij, tijdelijk transformeert in toerist -al dan niet met teenslippers en zonnebril. Dat betekent niet dat u uw engagement thuis moet laten; in ons artikel over overtoerisme -denk Amsterdam, Barcelona, Venetië -vindt u wellicht een aantal duurzame ideeën. Ik wens u nu al een fijne vakantie, met veel (adem)ruimte! Luc Sels W Edito © Emy Elleboog Onze kennis moet ten dienste staan van de samenleving, vooral van de meest kwetsbaren. DOSSIER OVERTOERISME Zit er zand in de machine? 56 DIGITALE TWEELINGEN Virtuele replica voor alles (en iedereen) 26 4

TROPENKOLDER is het onthutsende verhaal van de in 2000 door Time Magazine tot 'Held van de Planeet' uitgeroepen Nederlandse natuurvorser dr. Marc G.M. van Roosmalen. Zijn leven in het Braziliaanse Amazonegebied lijkt eerder op een Hollywoodscenario dan op een braaf wetenschappelijk bestaan. Met grote liefde voor het Amazonewoud en zijn bewoners zet Van Roosmalen als een ware pionier verschillende natuurbeschermingsprojecten op, die onherroepelijk verkeerde of soms zelfs malafide lieden aantrekken. Van Roosmalen overleeft de ene na de andere aanslag op zijn leven. Maar als hij op het spoor komt van een klein aapje in een geheel nieuw ecosysteem vol onbekende organismen, lijkt het voorbij met zijn geluk. Het gebied grenst aan een deelstaat die ten behoeve van grootschalige veeteelt geheel is omgezet in grasland en ge-industrialiseerde sojaplantages. De nieuwe generatie politici ruikt geld en kan kritische biologen als Van Roosmalen daarbij niet gebruiken. Zo wordt het leven van de bevlogen wetenschapper tot een ware hel, belandt hij zelfs in de gevangenis, en verliest en passant ook zijn Nederlanderschap...

We propose a new substance dualist framework to explain consciousness, drawing on near-death experience (NDE) and neurological evidence. Evidence from veridical NDE perceptions suggests that consciousness can separate from the physical body as an individuated, self-aware entity or mind. We propose that the mind is a separate entity from the physical body, belonging to a distinct ontological category. Accordingly, the human being is conceptualized as the union of the mind entity (or soul) and the physical body. As the locus of consciousness, the mind entity possesses all the attributes of consciousness: perception, thinking, emotion, memory, volition, and self-awareness. We provide NDE evidence that the mind entity interacts in general with physical processes and specifically with neural activity in the brain. The mechanism for mind-brain interaction involves initially triggering and then detecting neural action potentials. The induced neural activity in specific regions brings the mind's mental content to awareness. The mind-brain interface occurs in cortical dendritic spines, where the mind triggers calcium ion release from the spine apparatus via spine F-actin filaments. Inhaled anesthetics dissolve these filaments, blocking this process, leading to loss of consciousness. The mind entity's actions to induce cortical activity can explain numerous cognitive neurological processes including perception and language comprehension.

This study examines the near-death experience (NDE) in the light of the Jungian theory of archetypes. Features of the prototypical NDE are matched against features of archetypes. The near-death process is discussed in terms of the concept of the individuation of the Self. NDEs are looked at as evidence for the activation of a unique archetype associated with rebirth experience, designated the archetype of death and enlightenment (ADE). The general function of the ADE is outlined, and evidence for psychic manifestations of it is reviewed: mystical phenomena, dreams, mythology, mystery and initiation rites, psychedelic experiences, and UFO "revelations." Possible objections to the theory are considered along with some broad cultural and religious implications.

La Ricerca II, inserita nelle serie Out of the Blue_SAMSARA e Out of the Blue_ANGELS, approfondisce il rapporto tra ciclicità esistenziale, morte e possibilità di trasfigurazione. L’indagine nasce all’interno del percorso dell’ARTE DELLO SPIRITO di Mya Lurgo, dove pratica artistica, introspezione e superconscio convergono in un laboratorio di ricerca sull’immateriale e sulla struttura invisibile dell’esperienza umana.

Il testo sviluppa una riflessione sul ciclo delle rinascite, sulle rimembranze dell’artista e sul “fare anima” come attitudine a riconoscere la continuità del proprio divenire. In continuità con la Ricerca I, amplia il tema del concepimento consapevole e del seme come matrice identitaria e cosmica, introducendo la morte non come fine, ma come soglia trasformativa.

La Ricerca II, inserita nelle serie Out of the Blue_SAMSARA e Out of the Blue_ANGELS, approfondisce il rapporto tra ciclicità esistenziale, morte e possibilità di trasfigurazione. L’indagine nasce all’interno del percorso dell’ARTE DELLO SPIRITO di Mya Lurgo, dove pratica artistica, introspezione e superconscio convergono in un laboratorio di ricerca sull’immateriale e sulla struttura invisibile dell’esperienza umana.

Il testo sviluppa una riflessione sul ciclo delle rinascite, sulle rimembranze dell’artista e sul “fare anima” come attitudine a riconoscere la continuità del proprio divenire. In continuità con la Ricerca I, amplia il tema del concepimento consapevole e del seme come matrice identitaria e cosmica, introducendo la morte non come fine, ma come soglia trasformativa.

INDICE DEGLI ARGOMENTI

Fare Anima e Opere
Reincarnazione. Esperienza personale
Battesimo di Luce
Sulla morte. Anatomia di un transito spirituale
Medit - Azione
Mappa dell’Immateriale
SAMSARA: ciclo di rinascita e panorami retrospettivi
inVITAlaMORTE e Mors Osculi
L’archetipo

Ez a Jelenés könyvéhez készült bibliai idézetgyűjtemény egy 2,5 éven át tartó Ige-tanulmányozás gyümölcse, amelynek során igyekeztünk a vizsgált szakaszokkal a teljes könyv, illetve a Biblia egészének kontextusában foglalkozni.
A jegyzet a Jelenés könyvének szövegével kezdődik, mely legnagyobb részt egyezik az Újonnan Revideált Károli (ÚRK) fordítással. Az általam előnyben részesített fordítási javaslatokat dőlt szedéssel jeleztük – itt is, és később is. A Jel 4,1-től a Jel 22,5-ig 9 különböző színű szövegkiemelővel jelöltük a szöveget a bibliai üdvtörténetből ismert időpontok és időszakok alapján.
Ezt követően a konkrét fejezet- és versszámozások után az adott vers(ek) megértését segítő kereszthivatkozások, és más bibliai idézetek állnak.
A gyűjtemény végén pedig egy ábra található, mely a Dániel 9,27 -ben említett, Jézus visszajövetelét megelőző utolsó 7 évről szóló próféciát veti össze a Jelenés könyvének kronológiájával.
Akit érdekelnek a Jézus visszajövetelével kapcsolatos konklúzióink, annak szeretettel ajánlom a D7 Kiadó gondozásában 2025-ben megjelent Jézus visszajövetele című rövid könyvem elolvasását, melyben a következő kérdésekkel foglalkozom:
„Lehetett előre tudni a Messiás első eljövetelének idejét? Isten végérvényesen hátat fordított a fizikai zsidóságnak, vagy van még terve velük? Kr.u. 70-ben végleg megsemmisült a jeruzsálemi Templom, vagy újra fel fog épülni? Bármelyik pillanatban visszajöhet Jézus, vagy van olyan esemény, aminek még meg kell történnie előtte? Az elragadtatás megelőzi a hívők feltámadását, vagy követi azt? A hívők és a hitetlenek egyszerre támadnak fel, vagy az egyik esemény megelőzi a másikat? Az Antikrisztus egy birodalom vagy egy személy? Az ezeréves királyság jelen vagy jövő? A helyszíne a menny vagy a föld? Jézus ezt követően vagy ezt megelőzően jön vissza? Egyáltalán találhatunk válaszokat ezekre a kérdésekre a Bibliában?”

Philipse beweert dat er voor de gelovige die redelijkerwijs de stelling wil aanvaarden dat God bestaat slechts vier opties openstaan. Na de eerste drie opties beknopt bekritiseerd te hebben concludeert Philipse dat de vierde keuzemogelijkheid, optie (e), de enige hoop is voor de
gelovige die redelijk wil zijn. Optie (e) betreft de opvatting dat de uitspraak dat God bestaat geldt als een “(feitelijke) waarheidsaanspraak die slechts redelijkerwijze aanvaard kan worden op grond van argumenten en bewijsmateriaal die (methodo-)logisch van dezelfde soort
moeten zijn als wetenschappelijke argumenten”. Philipse poneert een aantal volgens hem cruciale problemen voor deze vermeende
“allerlaatste hoop” voor de gelovige. Verrassend is dat Philipse, nadat hij genoemde problemen genoemd heeft, nergens concludeert dat optie (e) onhoudbaar is. Philipse gaat niet verder dan de opmerking dat veel lezers wellicht al zijn ‘afgehaakt’ vanwege deze problemen. Is dit vermoeden terecht? Is optie (e) inderdaad zo onaantrekkelijk? Dit is mijns inziens niet
het geval. Ik zal dat hieronder betogen.

This study note investigates the way the Eleusinian Mysteries,
the Katabasis to the Underworld, and the role that Death plays, in
uncovering the Eigentlichkeit of Dasein in Being and Time, may be
understood as responding, in mythic and conceptual form, to the
same fundamental question, namely the perennial question of the
meaning of a life that is ever to be lived in the face of its own death.

This article examines death-related symbolic configurations emerging within the Wartegg-Biedma-D'Alfonso (W.Z.T.-B.D.) graphic protocol (32 stimuli across two sheets). A single case (female, 31) is analysed through a Jungian hermeneutic that privileges thematic convergence across frames and treats expressive parameters (colour, pressure, shading) descriptively. Results are organised into four narrative clusters: a condensed warning nucleus, archetypal amplifications (journey/temporality/container), retrospectively resonant configurations, and meta-communicative framing motifs. The analysis is interpretative rather than predictive, and biographical references are used solely to clarify retrospective resonance. The case supports the view that structured graphic fields may externalise symbolic narratives of transition comparable to dream imagery, contributing to Jungian death studies and to the understanding of how mortality is represented in visual-symbolic form.

Death has traditionally been defined as the cessation of biological life; however, contemporary philosophical, psychological, and neuroscientific debates increasingly question whether death represents the absolute absence of consciousness or a transformation of conscious experience. This study explores the conceptualisation of death through interdisciplinary lenses, integrating perspectives from philosophy of mind, neuroscience, psychology, and thanatology. The research examines competing frameworks, including biological cessation theories, dualist perspectives, and emerging models of consciousness that consider continuity or transformation beyond physical death. Attention is given to the "hard problem" of consciousness, which complicates the empirical verification of subjective experience at or beyond death. The study also evaluates empirical findings from near-death experiences (NDEs), neurobiological research, and cognitive theories, highlighting both explanatory strengths and limitations. Ethical, cultural, and existential implications are considered, especially regarding human meaning, fear of death, and societal attitudes toward mortality. The findings suggest that while biological death is empirically verifiable, the question of whether consciousness ceases or transforms remains unresolved, necessitating continued interdisciplinary inquiry.

This paper explores the idea of the recurrence of lived experience from a first-person perspective. Instead of approaching life after death through traditional metaphysical assumptions - such as personal survival or complete annihilation - it proposes that subjective experience itself may reoccur independently of personal identity. Drawing from existentialism, phenomenology, and cognitive science, the paper questions whether the “self” is necessary for experience to arise again. If consciousness is understood not as a fixed entity but as a process, then the end of an individual life may not represent the end of experience as such. This perspective reframes death not as a transition of the self, but as a transformation in how experience is instantiated.

Background Somatic diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer diseases, are the main contributors to a shortened life expectancy of 10-20 years in patients with bipolar disorder as compared to the general population. In the general population an increase in survival has been observed over the last decades, primarily due to the advances in primary prophylaxis, medical treatment and progress in early detection and monitoring of somatic diseases. In this narrative review, we discuss the existing literature on treatment and outcomes of cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer diseases in patients with bipolar disorder, and put this in the context of findings in studies on patients diagnosed with other severe mental disorders.

摘要 躯体化疾病，包括心血管病、呼吸道疾病和肿瘤，患有双相障碍的患者和一般群体相比寿 命缩短10-20年。在一般群体中，过去几十年看到生存率增长的根本原因是根本预防、药物治疗的进展，以及躯体化疾病早期识别和监管的进步。在这个叙事述评中，我们将对现 有文献双相情感障碍患者中的心血管病、呼吸道疾病和肿瘤治疗和效果进行讨论。其他严 重心理疾病患者的研究发现作为背景。

Nachfolgend eine Rezension von Benjamin Scholl:

Zusammenfassung

Der Neurochirurg Michael Egnor hat zusammen mit der auf Kognition spezialisierten Wissenschaftsjournalistin Denyse O‘Leary im Juni 2025 ein neues Buch herausgebracht, das in der Intelligent Design-Bewegung und darüber hinaus einige Bekanntheit erlangt hat: „The Immortal Mind“. Darin geht es um die Frage, ob die klassische Neurowissenschaft die Existenz einer Seele bzw. eines vom Gehirn unabhängigen Geistes widerlegen konnte oder nicht. Dabei stellen die Autoren die typische Sichtweise des strikten Materialismus, d. h. dass die Seele mit dem Gehirn und seinen biochemischen Prozessen identisch ist, der Sichtweise des Dualismus gegenüber, welche davon ausgeht, dass der Mensch einen physischen Körper und zusätzlich einen immateriellen Geist hat.

Letztlich fasst Egnor seine eigene Entdeckungsreise zu diesem Thema so zusammen (S. 120): „Ich habe gelernt, dass die Fähigkeit, frei zu wählen, nicht aus dem Gehirn selbst zu kommen scheint, obwohl unbewusste Versuchungen, die aus dem Gehirn auftauchen, uns ständig bombardieren. Ich erfuhr auch, dass manche Menschen selbst im tiefsten Koma noch klar denken können und mit Hilfe moderner Technik sogar Fragen beantworten können. Ich erfuhr, dass Nahtoderfahrungen erstaunlich häufig vorkommen und dass einige dieser Erfahrungen auftreten, obwohl die Ärzte bestätigt haben, dass das Gehirn überhaupt nicht funktioniert hat. Im Fall von Pam Reynolds konnte ihr Gehirn gar nicht arbeiten, als sie ihre Nahtod-Erfahrung hatte – ihr Herz hatte aufgehört zu schlagen, und ihr Gehirn war nicht mehr durchblutet!“ Damit bleibt laut Egnor festzuhalten, dass es „keinen Grund zu der Annahme gibt, dass die materialistische Neurowissenschaft ‚wissenschaftlicher‘ ist als der traditionelle Dualismus, den sie zu ersetzen hoffte“ (S. 111). Die dualistische Sicht des Geistes ist stattdessen empirisch wesentlich tragfähiger als die materialistische (S. 103).

Wie überzeugend die im vorliegenden Buch angebrachten Argumente insgesamt sind, wird in der folgenden Rezension (22 Seiten) besprochen.

“There is really no halfway house with Christianity. Either Jesus is God
and we are immortal beings filled with eternal destiny, moral choice, divine status, irreducible human dignity and irreducible moral responsibility, and loved as though an only child by God, or it’s all lies and I’d rather be at the races. No halfway house works”.
Greg Sheridan.

Infinity is a fundamental concept in mathematics that extends beyond finite numerical limits. When applied to cosmology, it raises profound questions about the nature and structure of the universe. This paper explores the definition of infinity, its types and paradoxes, and how it relates to modern cosmological theories. It argues that while infinity serves as a powerful theoretical tool, its existence in physical reality remains uncertain and continues to challenge scientific understanding.

Near death experience (NDE) reported as supernatural and emotional feelings with episodes involving a special state of consciousness, including several special elements and these experiences typically occur with often grouped contents commonly observed in life-threatening conditions. Participants were provided with an Arabic version of the Near-Death Experience (NDE) scale via mail and social media platforms, along with a contact number for inquiries. NDE scale scores, used to assess the depth of the near-death experience, were considered indicative of an NDE if they were 7 or greater. A total of 14 participants of both sex aged between 18 and 56 years, with a mean age of 37.1 years (SD = 12.4). with a gender dispersion of 57.1% (8 males) and 42.9% (6 females). The most commonly reported incidence of near-death experiences was “sudden understanding of everything” (93.0%), “time speeding up” (85.7%), and “feeling happy” (85.7%). Conversely, the incidence reported least frequently was “visions of the future” at 28.6% and “racing thoughts” at 21.4%. No statistically significant variation in the frequency of responses across the 12 of NDE elements. The elements most frequently reported exhibited narrow confidence intervals with elevated lower bounds: “sudden understanding of everything” (93.0%, 95% CI [77.9%, 100.0%]), “time speeding up” (85.7%, 95% CI [66.4%, 100.0%]), and “feeling happy” (85.7%, 95% CI [66.4%, 100.0]). This study shows that Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) involve sensory, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual elements, with altered consciousness and neural links, showing no gender differences.

Freemasonry and the Catholic Church both use the metaphor of a “bridge” to represent the connection between the higher, divine part of the soul and the lower, material part. This bridge, known as the “Antahkarana” in Indian philosophy, must be built and crossed within oneself to achieve spiritual enlightenment and immortality. The ability to cross this bridge during life determines one’s fate after death, liberating them from sensuality and error.

Written as an extension to "Heaven is Encrypted"

Preface: Two Observations That Demand Extension
The first paper in this series established that the afterlife question requires at minimum eight binary variables to fully specify, yielding 256 logically distinct scenarios — and that this complexity is not a failure of the inquiry but its most important finding. Heaven, if real, is encrypted by at least 256-bit security. No tradition has cracked the cipher.
Two observations arose in the aftermath of that conclusion that neither the matrix nor the encryption metaphor alone could accommodate. The first is reflexive: the very existence of a consciousness capable of constructing the 256-scenario map — of recognizing that the afterlife question has this precise logical structure — may itself be evidence of something that the map describes. A consciousness that can chart its own encryption is a strange and remarkable thing. Strange enough, perhaps, to require explanation beyond natural selection.
The second observation is relational: if the cipher requires not one key but two — if what unlocks the threshold of heaven is not the configuration of a single consciousness but the meeting of two cryptographically complementary ones — then the number of possible configurations is not 2^8 = 256 but 2^256, a number so vast it dwarfs the atoms in the observable universe. On this reading, the concept of the soulmate is not a romantic metaphor but a formal claim about the structure of transcendence.
This paper develops both observations into philosophical arguments. Each is treated in turn. Each is held tentatively. Both, the authors believe, deserve serious engagement.

"The mathematical frameworks and axioms contained herein, specifically the Unified Horizon-Null Relational Framework (UH-NRF), are the proprietary intellectual property of Dr. Rigoberto Garcia. While this document is available for academic citation and peer review under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, any commercial application, including but not limited to the development of synthetic intelligence architectures, propulsion systems, or computational substrates based on these derivations, is strictly prohibited without a separate, written commercial licensing agreement.

If heaven exists, it is not merely hidden-it is encrypted. This paper takes that claim seriously as a philosophical proposition. The conversation analyzed herein constructs a binary combinatorial matrix beginning with four variables and expands iteratively into a 256-scenario framework, demonstrating that the logical space of afterlife theories requires at least 256 distinct keys to fully specify. I argue that this is not a failure of the inquiry but its most important finding: the afterlife, if real, is secured by a complexity that exceeds human cognitive brute-force. No tradition, no revelation, no near-death report has yet produced the decryption key-and the matrix makes plain exactly why. I further argue that this cryptographic framing performs genuine philosophical work: it reframes agnosticism not as intellectual laziness but as the epistemically correct response to a system whose keyspace we have only begun to map. I offer my own assessment of which region of the matrix is most defensible, drawing on physicalist philosophy of mind, panpsychism, and the phenomenology of near-death experience.

Dr. Du Prel’s work explores the limitations of human knowledge and self-knowledge, questioning if our true Ego is fully contained within our self-consciousness. He argues that our consciousness is limited by our senses and the psycho-physical threshold, suggesting that a real growth of knowledge involves a deeper understanding of the universe and ourselves. Du Prel challenges materialism, asserting that consciousness and self-consciousness do not exhaust their objects, the universe and the Ego, respectively.

Du Prel argues that dreams, particularly those of deep slumber, are not merely random mental activity but a distinct state of consciousness. He posits the existence of a “transcendental Ego” in man, a higher self capable of knowledge and self-consciousness, which manifests itself in dreams and other altered states of consciousness. This transcendental Ego, he suggests, is a part of the natural world, connected to us in ways we are unaware of during waking life.

The text explores the concept of a transcendental Ego and its implications for consciousness. It argues that dreams, with their dramatic division of the Ego and apparent manipulation of time, suggest the existence of a dual consciousness in humans. This duality, characterized by a separation between conscious and unconscious processes, is further illustrated through examples of dream experiences and the dramatic division of the self within them.

Du Prel explores the phenomena of natural and artificial somnambulism, highlighting the existence of a transcendental Ego beyond our normal consciousness. He argues that this Ego, accessible during sleep and altered states, reveals a deeper connection between our physical and metaphysical selves. Through extensive evidence, Du Prel demonstrates the enhanced memory and clairvoyant abilities exhibited during these states, suggesting a more profound understanding of our existence.

The text explores the concept of a dual personality within a single individual, highlighting cases of amnesia and somnambulism where distinct personalities emerge with separate memories and knowledge. This phenomenon is used to argue for the existence of a transcendental subject or higher self within humans, independent of sensory consciousness. The text further suggests that this higher self possesses latent potentialities and can explain phenomena like forgetfulness and the emergence of abnormal powers.

The text explores the idea that human individuality is not created at birth but is a pre-existing entity that evolves through successive incarnations. This individuality is shaped by experiences and actions, particularly suffering, which serves as a catalyst for growth and development. The ultimate purpose of life is to enhance individuality by prioritizing the collective good over personal interests, embodying principles of love, charity, and universal brotherhood.

Researcher: Tiago Augusto Nápoli (IEL - Unicamp)
Supervisor: Paulo Sérgio de Vasconcellos (IEL - Unicamp)
Scholarship: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Université catholique de Louvain - Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique
April 17, 12h00-13h00
Collège Erasme, Room 228

Sponsored by

Le Centre d’études sur le Moyen Âge et la Renaissance (CEMR)
L'Institut des Civilisations, Arts et Lettres (INCAL)

Eschatology remains that branch of theology which interests not only adherents of all the world's religions but also people who live at a distance from any faith. The question of the unprecedented nature of death, as well as the further fate of human beings after leaving this world, is one that almost everyone asks themselves. 1 It is therefore hardly surprising that every religious tradition offers its own eschatology. Each speaks of an unknown final state in which human fulfillment will be realized. Across all cultures, religions, and systems of thought, similarities can be observed in approaches to the ultimate questions of human existence. Among these, the most widely accepted assumption is that absolute nothingness does not exist, and that after death some form of continued, often entirely different, existence occurs.2 There is no true specialist in this field; on the other hand, everyone has the right to present their own vision of life after death. And this is exactly what Hick does. This particular issue, which he addresses in relation to human destiny and eschatological verification, has always been considered within the context of the hypothesis of religious pluralism-a hypothesis that exerted a profoundly significant influence on Hick's understanding of humanity's ultimate concerns. The foundational work on this subject, created while this hypothesis was still being formed, is the book Death and Eternal Life, first published in 1976. In principle, Hick's eschatological views have a Christian basis. However, because they developed in parallel with the hypothesis of religious pluralism, like the hypothesis itself, they were not fixed but underwent gradual evolution. For this reason, one can distinguish between what is often called the "early" and the "later" Hick. For example, the essay Human Destiny: Immortality and Resurrection3, written in the early 1960s, presents his early views on the subject, whereas the later comprehensive work Death and Eternal Life and the accompanying Problems of Religious Pluralism, published in 1985, reflect the views of the so-called "later" Hick. In this initial early phase, Hick tended to adopt a rather unfavorable attitude toward life after death, particularly regarding the Christian concept of bodily resurrection and the idea of eternal life.

The Higher Ego, akin to a sun, sends forth a ray, the Lower Manas, to incarnate in bodies. The Lower Manas, possessing reason and self-conscious knowledge, can become soiled and polluted during incarnations. In cases of soul death, the severed ray, unable to return to Devachan, reincarnates immediately, potentially becoming an animal soul with diminished intelligence.

H.P. Blavatsky discusses the seven stages of perception, emphasizing the importance of transcending the seventh stage to reach the Manasic plane. She explains the significance of the heart as the center of spiritual consciousness and its connection to the Higher Triad. Blavatsky also delves into the occult anatomy of the human body, highlighting the role of the cerebellum, pineal gland, and pituitary body in spiritual perception and consciousness.

The Higher Ego, a divine consciousness, experiences reincarnation and accumulates karma through its Lower Ego’s actions. This karma, both good and bad, is impressed upon the Higher Ego, influencing its future incarnations. The feeling of responsibility, inspired by the Higher Ego’s light, guides the Lower Ego towards self-consciousness and the realization of its interconnectedness with the universe.