Me: I want to tell you that you’ve been very busy pranking and visiting the blog members as we talked about before, but I also want to thank you, because there are a couple of them who have been struggling, and you reached out to help them.

Erik (tapping his chest): Thanks for saying that, Mom.

Me: Aw. Well, we’re going to ask some questions about the nature of death. We’re going to have a very cheerful subject now!

Jamie giggles.

Jamie: Okay.

Me: A lot of people want to know: what does death feel like, Erik? What is it?

Jamie: He just kind of looks at me, widens his eyes, cocks his head and says, “Uh, I can only speak for myself.” Well have you heard others talk about theirs, as well? Can you give us some examples?

Erik (with great fanfare): Well, ladies—

We both laugh.

Erik: Well, Mom, the way death felt for me was more in a, oh hell, I don’t know how to explain it! It’s just, for me, I was in pain, and I was trying to remedy that myself, and then it was just like, lights out. Like going to sleep super fast.  I don’t have a feeling attached to it. It was more like a process. It just—it happened.  If you want to pull in other people, we can do that, but I’ve heard some people say that it was just like falling asleep, and when they come to, it really felt like they were in a dream, but it’s not a dream. They really don’t seem to catch on til they recognize that the people who are surrounding them are people who have passed on. There are some people who ease out of their body. They remain this consciousness the entire time. They know that their body has died. They step out or float up or pull away from their body. They look at their body, but there’s no transcending; there’s no crossing into the light or whatever the hell you wanna call it.

Jamie chuckles, shakes her head and says, “Oh, Erik.”

Erik (rolling hand over hand): C’mon, Jamie. Keep up!

Me: So, is it ever painful for people?

Erik: The physical body is painful, but the act of death is not. Leaving your physical body is not.

Jamie (giggling): He goes, “Is going to sleep ever painful?”

Me: No, I love it. It’s a joy! But like when people fall out of buildings, for example, and they hit the pavement, doesn’t that hurt?

Erik: Again, you have to take it per individual experience. Sometimes, before they even jump out of that window, for whatever cause that it is, their soul could already be out of their body, right? The—

Jamie (chuckling): He said “the afterlife,” and I go, ‘Who does this?’

Erik: Ah, shit. Angels, if you want to call it that. Higher beings, God, you know. You gotta really listen to this material and shape the terms to fit your religious beliefs. This way, I think you can understand more of what we’re saying. I know I get a lot of flack for the language that I use, but, come on, you gotta understand, that’s my touch. That’s my flair.

Me: That’s right. We know it’s you.

Erik: Show me an American that doesn’t know the words that I use. Cut me some slack. We’re talking about those who jump or fall, most of the time—cuz I’m just speaking in general, so again, I’m going to take an individual experience—that spirit is already being removed from the physical body before they hit the pavement. The lesson is done. The act of—

Jamie: I’m going to see if I understand what he was saying.

Erik: The act of the death.

(Pause)

Jamie (to Erik): Erik, you can’t backtrack like that. It confuses me.

I chuckle.

Erik: If we’re taking the example of leaving a window—there are many different reasons for leaving a window. It could be to end their life willingly. It could be to leaver a horrific situation such as a fire, you know, or collapse of a building, It could have been accidentally falling. It could be any of these cases. That matters in how their exit plays out. In general, the exit is the act of the falling, not hitting the pavement.

Me: Ah!

Erik: I hope this makes sense, because it’s not truly the impact of the physical body where death occurs. It is for things like a stroke.

Jamie (to Erik, clarifying): Aneurysm?

Erik: Aneurysm. Heart attack. In these instances, it’s what causes the body to separate from the soul but not so much in the case of falling, and, again, not so much in the case of any other kinds of accidents such as impact accidents, car accidents, nature—

Jamie (to Erik, confused): Nature?

Me: Like being eaten by a bear.

Jamie (laughing): That’s the first animal that came to my mind! He’s like, “Jamie, you’re morbid!” And I said, ‘I’m not morbid!’ But he was talking about more of falling out of a tree, losing your footing while climbing, slipping off a mountain, rock, avalanche, things of that nature.

******************

Dear Reader,

The journey on which you’re about to embark will take you through stories that are deeply personal and involves a relationship between a mother and her son.

As a physician raised by two atheists, I had no personal belief system about life after death. In a word, I was a confirmed skeptic. As my journey progressed, my mind opened. It is my sincerest hope that yours will open as well and that you will have a greater understanding of your own life and what’s to come ahead.

Although Erik sometimes paints a rosy picture of the afterlife, time and time again he stresses that suicide is not the answer to one’s problems. If you struggle, please understand that the information in my blog and my book is no substitute for professional help. Please click here for a list of resources for help when you find yourself considering taking your own life. Know that they are readily available when you feel that hopelessness and despair that many of us feel from time to time in our lives.

I refuse all donations and ad revenue on the blog. It is my dream to one day establish a nonprofit organization that delivers a variety of spiritual services for those who have lost loved ones to suicide and cannot afford that assistance on their own. It’s a mission of love, sacrifice, and dedication.

Love and light,

Elisa