The Near-Death Experience

The Near-Death Experience: In the light of scientific research and Rudolf Steiner’s Spiritual Science

“Near-death experiences (NDE) are among the most thought-provoking mysteries of human life, and fully understanding them will have far-reaching consequences. Are these experiences the hallucinations of a brain depleted of oxygen, or are they a reconnaissance into spiritual worlds?” —Calvert Roszell

This book is about the riddle of life asked from the perspective of the near-death experience (NDE). It begins with knowledge that recent developments in science afford us, leading to the question of the role direct experience can play in answering our questions about the nature of the human soul and spirit in relation to the cosmos.

Much has been written about the phenomenon of near-death experiences, but little attention has been paid to scientific research, such as that of Dr. Michael Sabom, which indicates that these are body-free, or spiritual, experiences. Even less attention has been directed toward the parallels between descriptions such as those given by George Ritchie—whose near-death journey led Raymond Moody to begin his epoch-making study that brought the phenomenon to the public eye—and the spiritual research of Rudolf Steiner.

This book presents a synthesis of scientific research, personal experience, and Spiritual Science. In the author’s words:

“This book asks the reader to decide whether Ritchie’s story does not both testify to the living presence of the Christ in our age, as well as to an intimate and exact acquaintance with beings and events of the spiritual world that Rudolf Steiner’s Spiritual Science first makes clearly intelligible. Steiner spoke of the twentieth century as an age at the threshold of the Risen Christ; it is the author’s conviction that Ritchie’s story affords us a opportunity to recognize and enter the meaning of this event.”

About the Author

Calvert H. Roszell studied German literature in Heidelberg. He is professor of German at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan.