Dying was the easy part. When I experienced a sudden heart attack at the age of 56, my brother-in-law, Frosty, delivered a message of peace. He had committed suicide, but he wanted his family to know that he was okay. This experience filled my soul with light and I longed to stay there with him. That was not to be, however—my wife and beautiful special-needs child needed me to survive.

But how could I ever be part of this world again? I now faced the agonizing process of seeking a new heart. The physical challenges of awaiting transplant kept mounting and as my heart grew weaker, my body finally gave out again, and I entered the Ethereal a second time.

In what felt like the next moment, I was taken up into a timeless place. I found myself inside a shapeless, formless vacuum of sorts, an unending, infinite vastness. I was everywhere at once, like I was made of sand and someone picked me up and threw the grains of my being into a strong wind, scattering me across an infinite, timeless expanse. I was connected to the vast wisdom of the universe—all of it, without words.

Then I saw and simultaneously became part of a gigantic web that covers the Earth and stretches into infinity. I could not explain exactly what this web was, except that it looked like it was made of trillions of neurons in a vast, interactive network that binds us all. Curiously, some parts of the web were brighter, some dim, and some completely dark. I also saw my special-needs daughter, perfect, whole, and full of light.

The most important message I received was of unity, oneness, and our real identity.

That night was a breakthrough moment and shortly after that, my doctors found a heart for me just in time. After a successful transplant, intense feelings now connected me to the donor, and I felt compelled to unravel the mystery. What were the forces that united us? When I finally met the friends and family of my donor heart, a dual message came through: hope in clinging to the light that connects us all, and a warning for our day.

This journey provides a roadmap for overcoming adversity, staying in spirit, and addressing the most troubling questions of our time. I share the insights learned from my spiritual awakening.