'Crossing Over'

Descriptions of near-death experiences (NDEs to those in the know) date back to Plato's ‘Republic,’ and though the gods have changed, the experiences have often been religious. Hieronymus Bosch (El Bosco) painted the pathway to death as a tunnel in "The Ascent of the Blessed," (right) depicting souls drifting skyward, carried by winged beings to an illuminated rapture. His painting captured the notion that heaven could set tortured souls at peace. In modernity, the art world is less interested in the road between this life and the next, but many people who claim to have experienced NDEs have drawn their experiences. These drawings and others have been published in P.M.H. Atwater's "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences." ... read more ...