Image of Eben’s sister courtesy of Esquire

Proof of Heaven

Eben Alexander’s story of his Near Death Experience has puzzled journalists and scientists ever  since he shared it with the world. Fortunately, he gave us a way to check it out astrologically.

“At 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 10, 2008, I suddenly became very ill with acute bacterial meningoencephalitis. Within four hours, I was deep in coma; I spent the next seven days comatose, on a ventilator.”

Holy cow, Batman, it looks totally real!

Of all the inconjuncts in this ‘event’ chart, there is a set that stand out: Saturn Inconjunct Neptune, and Neptune Inconjunct Midheaven, forming a Yod (Finger of God), pointing at Neptune. Saturn represents “death” and Neptune represents “hidden matters”. Couldn’t be clearer…

Saturn Inconjunct Neptune

This aspect is strongest when either of these planets is also conjunct or opposite the Ascendant or Midheaven. It can have a variety of effects, one of which may be difficulty in relating fantasy and imagination, on one hand, to reality, duty, obligation and work, on the other. Usually the reality, duty and work aspect of the obligation is dominant, at least at first. Your imaginative side tends to be transformed into nervousness, fear and irrational anxieties. The most negative manifestation of this aspect is a feeling that you have to keep a tight lid on yourself and that if you look inside yourself too closely, you will find only emptiness and disintegration. It is difficult for you to realize that this is not the truth about your inner self.

If you do not learn to confront your inner fears now, they may surface as chronic physical ailments, although that is not likely to be apparent early in life. If you can learn to release your creativity, you can avoid negative physical effects.

On a more mundane level, this aspect can signify that even as a young child you did not indulge yourself very much, preferring simple food and unpretentious surroundings. You feel that anything more elaborate would be wasteful and wrong. This attitude is likely to be even stronger when you are an adult, especially if your parents now instill in you a very puritanical attitude toward material enjoyment. Another danger of this kind of teaching by your parents is that it can lead to feelings of guilt and inner unworthiness, which could really make it difficult for you to succeed in life.

Neptune Inconjunct Midheaven

With this aspect you may have to build up your self-confidence considerably while you are young and learn that you are as worthy as anyone else. Even though these are your learning years, when you must develop a great deal of discipline, you still deserve as much consideration as anyone else. Your natural tendency is to yield to authority, so that those people who are most influential in your life, including your parents, should be very careful about how they exercise their authority over you. If they try to control you too much, or if they make you feel that you just aren’t able to manage your own affairs, it will be difficult to correct the effects of this negative later in life.

You are very impressionable, in that you pick up energies around you very quickly. Therefore it is very important that you be surrounded by wholesome influences in your early years, because negative influences will weaken your self-esteem and make it much more difficult to accomplish anything when you are older. On the other hand, your impressionableness may give rise to some psychic ability, or at least a very sharp intuition when you are older.

While you are young, you won’t have a clear idea of what you want to do in life. In fact you may never orient your life around a single idea or purpose. But don’t worry. Your purpose in life may not be the one that is readily defined in terms of career or profession. More important may be your style of living or your experience of life. Simply learn to always be aware and to learn whatever there is to be learned. With your sensitivity and intuition you can understand much more than other people, especially those who have wrapped their lives around their career or profession.

The Combined Charts

So the energies when viewed together explain the timing as being precise: the ‘event’ Midheaven is exactly opposite Eben’s birth Ascendant. And Eben’s birth Moon is within 1º of the ‘event’ Neptune (which means that the Yod is fully triggered emotionally).

This is reflected in his experience on the ‘other’ side: meeting his birth sister (see above).

Conclusion

Do you remember the child from Heaven is for Real? Colton Burpo also had a NDE. And who did he meet on the other side? His dead sister, whom he did not know in ‘real’ life. It was this detail that made his parents realize that it was a true experience for him.

We think we can ‘prove’ just about anything, but we’re kidding ourselves. Only when we pass through the ‘pearly’ gates will we know for sure, and then it’s too late to come back and share that with others.

Therefore, we should be grateful for all those who have gone before us to that other place. The tie-in for me is the use of Music to be in contact of the Spiritual Realms.

OM.