Treasures of Heaven

PROLOGUE Beyond The Body: The Day I left the World Behind Language is so limiting, but I'll do my best to convey my 1997 experience when I entered a dimension many call “Heaven” and returned forever changed. Some of my memories have vanished, but many are vivid because they transformed my life. My entire perspective on life shifted radically. It was November, almost Thanksgiving. I'd had a high fever for weeks, so my sweet husband (unbeknownst to me) flew my mother into town to convince me to see a doctor. She insisted I see a specialist to figure out what was happening with my body. I never liked going to the doctor and I thought I could wait the fever out. I was strong willed, so telling me what to do didn't usually go over well, but I finally relented, and Mom and I made our way to the Houston Diagnostic Clinic. The Houston Medical Center is world-renowned, so we arrived with high hopes of finding answers. I underwent a battery of tests that day, continuing to feel feverish and weak. The day seemed so long. I was exhausted, and tired of being poked, examined and tested for hours on end. At some point, I recall sitting in one of those cubicles having my blood drawn. My beautiful, sweet, loving Mom was standing close by, and I remember doctors, nurses and technicians moving all around. I was trying to remain brave, but I had always been afraid of needles. I had to imagine my precious two year old daughter sitting right beside me, keeping me confident, fearless and grounded. I imagined showing her there was nothing to fear from doctors or needles. But as much as I tried to hold those thoughts and images, they were slipping away. I was suddenly clearly aware that I was disconnecting from my physical body and began to slump down, as I struggled to stay in my body. But the connection was slipping and I was losing consciousness as “Cari.” Finally, I surrendered. I felt myself flow out of my body as my mother screamed “Please help my daughter... I think she's dying!” Then everything faded into the silence. First I saw bright flashes of light, then glimpses of my life from the time I was born, the defining moments that had changed my life's direction or impacted me greatly. I also saw seemingly unimportant experiences as I watched this movie of my life reveal the highlights, low points, challenges, and so many of the simple moments of my life. The experiences flashed before me until reaching the present day, and then came the brightest, most all encompassing light I could imagine. It surrounded me and permeated me. I was not separate from it. And then...it was over. I opened my eyes, saw I was crumpled on the floor with doctors and nurses surrounding me. Everyone was talking at once as my precious mother cried. Their fear was palpable, but at this point, it becomes a little fuzzy again. I'm told I was placed on a gurney and taken to a private room to be monitored. I was trying to process what had happened to me, knowing something very important had taken place, something I couldn't explain logically or put into words. I was afraid to speak about it for fear of others' judgment or misunderstanding. I couldn't comprehend what had taken place myself, but I was different. Something extraordinary had happened. I stayed silent, lost in an inner world of wonder, fascination and awe. “Did that really happen?” I wondered to myself. I didn't share that brief journey into the light with my Mom or my husband. My Mom has always been the greatest supporter and cheerleader in my life, but I couldn't tell her. Looking back, we were both bewildered and shocked. Mom later told me she didn't want to scare me (or my husband) by letting us know she thought I had died... so we both simply internalized the experience for many years. When I was allowed to go home, I was told to rest in bed for many weeks, which seemed like an eternity to an active person like me. The “diagnosis” was a heart condition that had been unnoticed and untreated for years, so I was put on medication to stabilize my blood pressure. The severity of the heart condition came as quite a surprise (even though I was diagnosed with having a heart murmur as a child) because I was in excellent physical condition. I was certified as a physical trainer and wrote fitness articles for magazines at the time. Yet, this was the diagnosis, and I needed to let my body recover by limiting activity and remaining in bed for what seemed like a very, very long time. I never spoke to my husband about the experience. He was very supportive and took great care of both our daughter and me during that time. I cocooned myself in a bliss bubble to which only I had access! I spent the next six weeks in bed in a newly expansive state of “being.” Something powerful and beautiful had happened during my time “away” from my body: a portal to my soul had opened, allowing me to re-member things I didn't know I knew! During those weeks, I had an insatiable desire to read books on near death experiences, soul energy, consciousness and healing. I became a spiritual sponge. I was ready to understand what had happened to me, and to meet others who had experienced something similar. I began doing a great deal of writing. I had been a writer prior to this experience and had even published my first book about a year earlier in the genre of psychology and relationships. But this was different. Very different. The insights and concepts flowing into me were entirely new, and the words streaming out were coming from a new “Cari.” These insights seemed new and familiar at the same time, knowing at my core they were all true. I was surprised by the insights coming to me, and thought, “I didn't know I knew all of this!” Yet I understood that a deeper part of me did know it. I was simply re-membering what I already knew. My perspective was changing with each new day and brought new awakenings that seemed so completely real and natural. I allowed it all to flow through me. I was writing in depth about chakras, auras, soul energy, and key human life lessons in ways that surprised and delighted me at the same time. I didn't learn any of this in school. The information was coming from within, from a broader, fuller part of me. It was coming from my soul, from my expansive, infinite self. I now had access to it all. Weeks went by and I still hadn't told anyone about the experience of leaving my body. I didn't think anyone would understand and I didn't want to be ridiculed or judged. I was happy just living in this new expansive state, and appreciating the portal which had opened between my human self and my infinite self. My writing during that time was eventually published in 2001 in YOUR SOUL IS CALLING: WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CALL? Looking back, I don't think many people were open to the concepts and ideas in that book. All these years later, many still consider the concepts “out there!” But many others remember or wish to remember our vast potential beyond this physical realm. Many yearn for these truths at a deeper level, truths which remind us of who we really are beyond the limitations of this physical world. These truths touch a deep chord inside because they reveal the vast storehouse of knowledge within our infinite selves. We are so much more than the physical body, so much more than we remember. We are infinite beings, and this lifetime is just one experience in the vast journey of our souls. We hold within us all the knowledge, light, and wisdom to heal or create whatever we wish. This might sound impossible or even silly, but I will show you it is more tangible and practical than anything else I've ever learned.