I have been writing about near-death experiences, or NDEs. The last article came out just before Christmas. I compared the spiritual experience of the sweat lodge with NDEs and other rituals. There is another type of spiritual experience that many people have been talking about lately. It is called prophecy.
Every year at this time we are flooded with predictions. What will the new year bring? Most of these predictions are tabloid fluff. But there has been a lot of talk lately about the “end times.” This is understandable in these dark days as we watch wars, famines and rioting on our TVs and devices. Should we be worried? Can prophecy explain what is happening in the world today? Are prophecies all gloom and doom? Or can we learn something positive about the future?
Prophecy is not just in the Bible. Indigenous peoples also have many prophets. Probably the most famous is Black Elk of the Oglala Lakota. Closer to home, I encountered the amazing stories of the prophets who lived on the shores of Great Bear Lake. It was there I attended the spiritual gathering in Deline. There are also the prophecies of the Seven Fires of the Anishinaabe. I will return to the last of these prophecies later.
Most people have heard of the biblical prophecies about the end times. These prophecies have been made into movies and even a Netflix series. They have inspired science fiction and other disaster movies. Whenever we are in troubled times, people wonder if we are entering the end times. We want to have an explanation of why things are so chaotic. Is there any truth to prophecy? It certainly seems there is some truth to these traditions, especially since the development of atomic weapons and global warming. Now AI, artificial intelligence, is getting a lot of attention.
I believe history repeats itself. Empires rise and fall. History goes in cycles. Maybe we at a turning point in our modern era and our technology is reaching a peak. Or maybe technology will take over? A new era is coming. But hasn’t this always been the case? As we often hear during the new year, it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” So, what is ahead for humanity? This is where NDEs come in.
‘Flash-forward’
NDEs are usually very positive. People who have died and come back will report amazing stories. They have profound spiritual experiences. One aspect of the NDE is a life review. In a life review, NDE-ers see their own past flash before them like watching a movie, but it happens in just a few minutes. These are called “flashbacks.” And this is where it gets even more interesting. Sometimes NDE-ers also see their future. This is called a “flash-forward.”
NDE-ers who have a flash-forward may see who they will marry. Or they may see their future children. One woman who was a doctor and drowned in a kayak accident came back and knew when her eldest son would die. Ten years later he died in a car accident. Another man saw his future home with a type of furnace that wasn’t invented yet. He only realized what it was when he bought a particular house 50 years later. These flash-forwards all tell something about the person’s personal life. But there is another type of flash-forward.
There is something called a “global” flash-forward. What is the difference? Instead of seeing their personal future, the NDE-er sees the future of the world. Some examples of global flash-forwards are wars in the Middle East, gang violence in the streets, global epidemics, terrorist attacks, and civil wars where people turn against their own governments. Many of these events were seen by NDE-ers in the 1950s, ’60s, or ’70s before they happened. These flash-forwards sound like the prophecies in the Bible. But there’s good news too!
Almost all NDE-ers who report flash-forwards agree that the future will be difficult; but what they saw was not written in stone. The future depends on our choices. If we choose wisely, we can avoid many of the catastrophes predicted. This is why it’s so important to be active and make positive changes in our communities. Even volunteering at the local food bank or a crisis centre will help. It is also a good idea to pray for our leaders.
Positive changes
NDE-ers say any good deeds add to the positive forces that can change history. Everything counts. We never need to lose hope. The best cure for feeling hopeless is to take some positive action. Even doing small acts of kindness makes difference. And, as I have always said, positive change begins in our own hearts first. This is where real change begins. It starts with me.
There is another positive thing about global flash-forwards. NDE reports indicate that after the dark times, humanity will have grown up. We will have finally learned to live in peace. We will be wiser having finally learned war only leads to more war. Hate leads to more hate. War solves nothing. This fact will finally sink in, and people will become more open and more spiritual. People will also live closer to the land and respect the Earth. One NDE-er reported seeing people living in smaller communities close to the land. That’s good news for those fighting to keep our land, water and air pure and stop the pollution.
Returning to the Anishinaabe prophecy of the Seventh fire, it says humanity will come to a crossroads. We must choose between spirituality and materialism. The prophecy also says we will go through a period of “purification.” This is why there is so much spiritual confusion now. We are being purified. But it is painful.
Let us hope that we will make good choices in 2024. Let us pray our leaders will choose to do the right thing and put people first. Then let us hope that the prophecy about humanity finding peace and respecting the land comes true. Stay safe. Stay sober. Happy New Year.
—Darrell Taylor is a retired mental health professional who has lived in the NWT and Nunavut for 20 years. He is originally from Ontario and is a member of the North Bay/Mattawa Algonquins.