I’ve had a number of readers submit questions to the Ask Erik column who are depressed. Many are in crisis, at a crossroads and in despair. Some are admittedly contemplating suicide. As a physician, my impulse is to help by giving them various resources and a compassionate ear. As a mother, my impulse is to rescue them, to wrap my arms around them and whisper in their ear that everything will be alright. Mama will make it all better. As a human being, I feel inadequate to do any of these things. The burden is weighty and, well, frankly scary. So I decided to bend Erik’s ear for advice.
Me: Erik, some of my readers who write in say they’re so depressed that they want to commit suicide. I’m not sure how to handle this. After all, they read your description of how your death was so painless and how the afterlife is so beautiful, what’s to keep them from taking the leap like you did?
Erik: I dunno. It’s fuckin great over here. It’s an individual choice. You know how we all choose when and how we return to the earthly plane? It’s the same thing with returning to the spiritual plane. Do you do what I did and get here earlier, or do you let your destinies play out and get here when you’re meant to? It’s always better for us to stay on the earthly plane and fulfill our destiny, because our life has a ripple effect on so many others. Without us, other people are not going to be able to do what they’re supposed to do.
I can certainly vouch for the ripple effect Erik’s suicide has had. It has all but destroyed me. I have a deep dark hole in my heart that can never be filled. Everyone who knew him and loved him has suffered phenomenally too. Has it stopped me from fulfilling my destiny? Possibly. Perhaps had I been left whole I could have had the confidence, the energy, the motivation and the power to help thousands of others. Perhaps I could have transformed a life, a family or a community in some positive way. As you will read about in an upcoming entry, one young suicide victim Erik channeled realizes now that his destiny to be a powerful healer has been cut short. For that reason, many will be deprived of his abilities. Without him, many will die.
Other suicide victims Erik channels realize that their problems still haunt them in the afterlife. They may have shed their bodies but their depression, their angst, their poor self-esteems, all survive death and are, in fact, only aggravated by the remorse they have for their fateful decision. They are well aware of the grief and pain they’ve created for the loved ones they’ve left behind on the earthly plane. And with their destinies cut short, their spiritual progress has taken a huge step backwards. The therapy and work they’ll have to do in both the afterlife and in future earthly lives will be long and arduous. Hmm, not worth it.
Erik continues…
Erik: I’m worried that you’re taking on the weight of the world, Mom. It’s so typical of you to want to prevent or help minimize the suffering of other people. You’re so nurturing; you wanna mama everyone. Just don’t take on the weight of the world. Just say what you believe and what you’ve experienced and leave it at that.
Kim: Can I ask Erik a question, Elisa?
Me: Of course!
Kim: Erik, is…Oh, he’s shaking his head no but wait, wait, let me just finish asking the question, Erik! He keeps shaking his head no and telling me I’m wasting time. (She laughs.) Erik, could…and I appreciate you saying that. Is Mom supposed to be…He’s shaking his head vigorously!
Erik: NO! Mom is supposed to be sharing information, her thoughts, her beliefs, her experiences, period, end of story. She’s not to be giving advice, Kim, because that is not part of her earthly responsibilities. You have enough responsibilities as it is. Mom, Mom, you don’t want to get yourself into a position where your guides or guardian angels think, ‘She’s bored and has got nothing to do; we’ll give her something to do!’ The blog and the books are all going to be about what you see, hear, believe, and experience. You’re also going to be doing web-isodes on YouTube where you are going to be channeling me yourself. You’re going to be doing little programs on YouTube.
Of course all of these things I’m “supposed to do” at this point seems daunting. I still just want to curl up in a little ball in some remote corner and weep. But I know I will find the strength within and do what I can to help my family and others. It’s what sustains me. I hope those of you who are considering suicide reach deep inside and find your own strength. Life can be painful, but that adversity is what helps our spirits grow and evolve. We all just need to give life and ourselves a chance. Erik has faith in you. I do too.
