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On Life after Death, revised
A collection of inspiring essays with frank and compassionate advice for those dealing with terminal illness or the death of a loved one, from the pioneering author of On Death and Dying and On Grief and Grieving
As a pioneer of the hospice movement, Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross was one of the first scholars to frankly discuss our relationship with death. By introducing the concept of the five stages of dying, her work has informed the lives of countless people as they face the grieving process. This classic collection of four essays—based on Dr. Kubler-Ross’s studies of more than twenty thousand people who had near-death experiences—illuminates her sensitive, original, and even controversial findings on death, dying, and the afterlife.
Now with a new foreword from Caroline Myss offering a personal perspective on Dr. Kübler-Ross, On Life After Death presents writings that challenge and encourage us to approach the end of life not with trepidation, but with clear-eyed, compassionate love.
As a pioneer of the hospice movement, Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross was one of the first scholars to frankly discuss our relationship with death. By introducing the concept of the five stages of dying, her work has informed the lives of countless people as they face the grieving process. This classic collection of four essays—based on Dr. Kubler-Ross’s studies of more than twenty thousand people who had near-death experiences—illuminates her sensitive, original, and even controversial findings on death, dying, and the afterlife.
Now with a new foreword from Caroline Myss offering a personal perspective on Dr. Kübler-Ross, On Life After Death presents writings that challenge and encourage us to approach the end of life not with trepidation, but with clear-eyed, compassionate love.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
72 people are currently reading
3230 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
124 books1,638 followersElisabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, and author of the internationally best-selling book, On Death and Dying (1969), where she first discussed her theory of the five stages of grief, also known as the "Kübler-Ross model".
Kübler-Ross was a 2007 inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame, was named by Time as one of the "100 Most Important Thinkers" of the 20th century and was the recipient of twenty honorary degrees. By July 1982, Kübler-Ross had taught 125,000 students in death and dying courses in colleges, seminaries, medical schools, hospitals, and social-work institutions. In 1970, she delivered an Ingersoll Lecture at Harvard University on the theme On Death and Dying. The New York Public Library also named, "On Death & Dying" as one of the "Library's Books of the Century."
Kübler-Ross was a 2007 inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame, was named by Time as one of the "100 Most Important Thinkers" of the 20th century and was the recipient of twenty honorary degrees. By July 1982, Kübler-Ross had taught 125,000 students in death and dying courses in colleges, seminaries, medical schools, hospitals, and social-work institutions. In 1970, she delivered an Ingersoll Lecture at Harvard University on the theme On Death and Dying. The New York Public Library also named, "On Death & Dying" as one of the "Library's Books of the Century."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
December 16, 2011
5 stars because this book helped me more than any other book to wrap my head around my 28 year old son's sudden, unexpected death. There are no easy answers but the information imparted in this book helps me to re-establish my belief that good begets good. I was privileged to see my son grow into a man I will ALWAYS love, respect, admire and honor. I lost more than a son. He was a best friend. This book helps me to accept why he left when he did, where he is now and confirms that I WILL see him again and be reunited with him. And that means everything to me!
May 29, 2012
This is a brilliant book, in my opinion, all the more so because it's poorly written. Kubler-Ross is not a writer, she's more of a qualitative researcher, which is my favorite kind. She's in the trenches, recording what she knows to be true. And her insights are inspiring and amazing. The book is disjointed and poorly edited, but it's exactly how it needs to be.
Personally, I'm scared of death. To combat this, I went thru the (rightly so) arduous trenches of interviewing for Hospise Care volunteer work, only to pusillanially back out. It was too much for me, even as a therapist well acquainted with whatever horrific trauma you could imagine. The slowness and relationship scared me. Obviously, this would still be an attainment for me.
Anyhow, back to the book. It was incredibly reassuring and validating. Reassuring to me that my step-father's passing was a beautiful event. This gave me peace. It was further reassuring that our lives have meaning and death has meaning despite it's often random persistance in our lives. The book is a lovely companion to Denial of Death, which describes the Freudian fear of death that manages our lives. This book sets you free from that fear and inspires living in a meaningful way.
As most books on death, it's a book about life; letting go and accepting other's in their own journies and encouraging you to focus on your own. The research presented is undeniable and, for me, rang so true to my own instincts and sense of what life and death means.
To end, probably anti-climatically, Kubler-Ross is just a straight up bad-ass. You really get the sense that she is beyond people pleasing and is genuinely trying to communicate the tiny miracles and realities that she has witnessed in her 20 years sitting with the dying. Unto herself, she is an inspiring figure of bravery, in that she faces that which we all innately fear, but is also so lucid and observant. But also that she is compelled to share her wisdom, granted her by the souls she has sat with as they pass. I am so grateful for her and this book.
Personally, I'm scared of death. To combat this, I went thru the (rightly so) arduous trenches of interviewing for Hospise Care volunteer work, only to pusillanially back out. It was too much for me, even as a therapist well acquainted with whatever horrific trauma you could imagine. The slowness and relationship scared me. Obviously, this would still be an attainment for me.
Anyhow, back to the book. It was incredibly reassuring and validating. Reassuring to me that my step-father's passing was a beautiful event. This gave me peace. It was further reassuring that our lives have meaning and death has meaning despite it's often random persistance in our lives. The book is a lovely companion to Denial of Death, which describes the Freudian fear of death that manages our lives. This book sets you free from that fear and inspires living in a meaningful way.
As most books on death, it's a book about life; letting go and accepting other's in their own journies and encouraging you to focus on your own. The research presented is undeniable and, for me, rang so true to my own instincts and sense of what life and death means.
To end, probably anti-climatically, Kubler-Ross is just a straight up bad-ass. You really get the sense that she is beyond people pleasing and is genuinely trying to communicate the tiny miracles and realities that she has witnessed in her 20 years sitting with the dying. Unto herself, she is an inspiring figure of bravery, in that she faces that which we all innately fear, but is also so lucid and observant. But also that she is compelled to share her wisdom, granted her by the souls she has sat with as they pass. I am so grateful for her and this book.
January 3, 2016
I would highly recommend this book for everyone, and only gave three stars because it is not very polished or well written. I also have a nagging question about what changed for mankind seven million years ago? There is no footnote to reference this extraordinary shift in human consciousness and evolution. Still, I think that the author is "on to something".... And I find her anecdotes and theories very comforting.
July 31, 2008
When I began reading, I felt that this book had a lot more potential than it turned out to have. I realize that it is a collection of four essays, which explains the short length and the lack of coherence, but even so. While I enjoyed it, here are my reasons for not giving it 3, 4 or 5 stars:
* Dr. Ross should have given more examples of out-of-body and afterlife experiences than she did. She gave a few, but the back cover said she had had thousands in her work with dying patients. That would have convinced me of what she said much more and I was interested to hear such stories.
* I would love to believe her idea of the afterlife. It's a bit Judeo-Christian with some Hinduism thrown in ("God" created us, loves us infinitely, put us here to learn some lessons and if we don't learn them, we come back until we do.) It just seemed unrealistic to me. That might just be the point where I'm at right now, but the fact that we are all super-loved and will return to the light to meet loved ones and be deliriously happy forever... I'd love to believe it but really couldn't.
I will probably read some of her other works because I'm not ready to chuck her just yet, but I wish this book had been more than it was.
* Dr. Ross should have given more examples of out-of-body and afterlife experiences than she did. She gave a few, but the back cover said she had had thousands in her work with dying patients. That would have convinced me of what she said much more and I was interested to hear such stories.
* I would love to believe her idea of the afterlife. It's a bit Judeo-Christian with some Hinduism thrown in ("God" created us, loves us infinitely, put us here to learn some lessons and if we don't learn them, we come back until we do.) It just seemed unrealistic to me. That might just be the point where I'm at right now, but the fact that we are all super-loved and will return to the light to meet loved ones and be deliriously happy forever... I'd love to believe it but really couldn't.
I will probably read some of her other works because I'm not ready to chuck her just yet, but I wish this book had been more than it was.
January 15, 2020
Among the things I took from Mom's house was this book. Checking out the titles, a couple jumped out at me but this one really jumped out because of what we'd just gone through. It's a title I might have come across several times but never picked up... until now.
The book is actually a collection of four essays:
1. Living and Dying
2. There is no Death
3. Life, Death, & Life After Death
4. Death of a Parent
You'd think the last one would be the one that hit deepest and hardest, but the fact was that the first two, and particularly the second one struck the deeper chords. Grief is something we all manage in different ways and I heartily encourage people to look for as many resources as possible to find peace. For me, I've been at peace since she passed, though every bit helps. It's easy to miss her and it happens daily and on several occasions, though it isn't a crippling longing even if it is intense.
This book offers some insight but also a kind perspective of what death is and what it isn't. It's meant to give us food for thought and equip us with tools to face the inevitable. It talks about death in a way to give us peace and try to soothe the natural fear we have of it and I think most people will get something different from it. The language is simple, the message is deep and kind, and on occasion some perspectives might be skewed to the eyes of some, but I like the food for thought she offered. I liked how it made me think about Mom's passing and the relationship we continue to share even though she has "shed her cocoon." It might be a book that changes someone's life for the better or it might be a light read. For me, it didn't change what I believe, but to a certain degree it validated things I feel and believe... and that to me is a lovely surprise. I won't say it's invaluable or something remotely pretentious, I'll just say that I'd never picked up the book until a couple of months back... until it was the right time... and in life (and death), timing is definitely something that impacts how we negotiate the waters of the river of life.
The book is actually a collection of four essays:
1. Living and Dying
2. There is no Death
3. Life, Death, & Life After Death
4. Death of a Parent
You'd think the last one would be the one that hit deepest and hardest, but the fact was that the first two, and particularly the second one struck the deeper chords. Grief is something we all manage in different ways and I heartily encourage people to look for as many resources as possible to find peace. For me, I've been at peace since she passed, though every bit helps. It's easy to miss her and it happens daily and on several occasions, though it isn't a crippling longing even if it is intense.
This book offers some insight but also a kind perspective of what death is and what it isn't. It's meant to give us food for thought and equip us with tools to face the inevitable. It talks about death in a way to give us peace and try to soothe the natural fear we have of it and I think most people will get something different from it. The language is simple, the message is deep and kind, and on occasion some perspectives might be skewed to the eyes of some, but I like the food for thought she offered. I liked how it made me think about Mom's passing and the relationship we continue to share even though she has "shed her cocoon." It might be a book that changes someone's life for the better or it might be a light read. For me, it didn't change what I believe, but to a certain degree it validated things I feel and believe... and that to me is a lovely surprise. I won't say it's invaluable or something remotely pretentious, I'll just say that I'd never picked up the book until a couple of months back... until it was the right time... and in life (and death), timing is definitely something that impacts how we negotiate the waters of the river of life.
Read
August 13, 2016Read following the passing of my grandfather on February 6th. I am a natural skeptic, but I want very much to believe that I will see him again some day and I have also found great physical sensations of peace in talking to him after death. This book gives me some comfort but it is also very anecdotal, and heavy on New Age-speak. Yet no one has spent more time probing the experiences of dying people than the psychiatrist who studies death, so I'm inclined to say that that means something.
March 13, 2025
Found this in a new paltz thrift store while abby was trying on jeans and then couldnt put it down for two days, Never expected it to affect me as it now has. unbelievably intense, and very very beautiful— while there was much of it that distanced me —her language amusingly dated, and generally stunted in many ways — her chilling resoluteness , assuredness, and total conviction of the singularity and necessity of her Purpose on earth (to spread what she knew about death) was Extremely moving, and deeply fascinating.
& the fundamental idea here, that death is not an end to life but the beginning of a new form of existence, is something Ive had the language for for some time, but the extent to which she investigates and demands this truth i found totally new and so, so so interesting. to have such a distinct , grounded, and qualified understanding of what happens after death… its just incredible, can you imagine !?
And towards the end it genuinely becomes a mystical text in its own rite when she reveals and details a personal experience of spiritual possession/ rapture- This, god, gave me Such chills so so So much to think of- thank you Elisabeth 🙏
& the fundamental idea here, that death is not an end to life but the beginning of a new form of existence, is something Ive had the language for for some time, but the extent to which she investigates and demands this truth i found totally new and so, so so interesting. to have such a distinct , grounded, and qualified understanding of what happens after death… its just incredible, can you imagine !?
And towards the end it genuinely becomes a mystical text in its own rite when she reveals and details a personal experience of spiritual possession/ rapture- This, god, gave me Such chills so so So much to think of- thank you Elisabeth 🙏
Read
January 5, 2025Non commentiamo questa mia prima lettura dell’anno
March 10, 2025
4.5 stars
May 27, 2008
Four lectures that summarize Kubler-Ross' studies on death. Of most interest to me was her "metaphysical cosmic-consciousness" near-death experience.
February 11, 2017
On Life After Death beautifully illustrates, through examples of her work with dying patients, strong evidence of the possibility of an afterlife through her patients' near death experiences. The descriptions of what her patients experienced are very reaffirming. Although the book is short, it would have been better to have quotes direct from the patients about their experiences. Kubler-Ross, toward the end of the book, goes into the grieving process for those dealing with the loss of a loved one which, to me, got a bit off topic. Nevertheless, this shirt book left me with a good feeling, and wanting me to read more about her work.
May 14, 2014
Published posthumously, these are some of Kübler-Ross's last essays and lectures. Her strongest emphasis was on her scientific belief that we are met and ushered through death by our deceased loved ones. She points out that when dying children are asked who they want with them in death they always answer mommy or daddy, yet when children return from near-death experiences that's never who they've seen, unless that parent was deceased. Pretty interesting.
April 19, 2022
A very short book that tries to unravel one of humankind's most pressing topics: death. To go along the author's arguments you need spiritual faith—which I'm kind of grey on. Besides this requirement I think the book is enjoyable and personally it gave me peace of mind. I'm not sure if I go along with what's laid out, but I certainly wish the afterlife—if it exists at all—works like Elisabeth says it does.
September 18, 2019
Divorato. Questo libro è il frutto di uno studio su oltre 20.000 casi di pazienti clinicamente morti e poi tornati in vita. L'autrice è una psichiatra che ha lavorato da una vita con malati terminali, specialmente bambini. Lei stessa ha provato delle esperienze extra corporee. Bisogna leggerlo solo quando si è veramente pronti a sapere cosa c'è dall'altra parte. Io l'ho trovato illuminante.
January 29, 2021
This was a comforting book. This book brought me comfort due to the authors extensive research on those persons near death and their reactions and comments on their impending death. It was interesting how she studied so many people near death which gave her insight as to what life after death may be like.
December 31, 2022
No matter one's spiritual views, this is as close to a scientific look at what happens when the body dies as you'll likely ever encounter. Her work with the dying was deeply moving, and also invaluable to our understanding of a process we all will undergo. A truly compelling little book, and for this reader, deeply inspiring.
January 2, 2011
I was really hopeful that this was going to be an excellent book, but, sadly it was far from it. I was looking for a little something less "preachy". Most of it was long and drawn out and I had a hard time getting passed the first chapter.
December 16, 2018
Read this book , really... we are all dying at some point... more than that this book has helped me in a very different way to understand death and dying... at a time in my life when I really needed that help. Kublor -Ross is the source for fact based information on this hard to broach subject .
April 6, 2014
Read this book as my father was dyeing.. It helped allow me to sit calmly with him
while he suffered and to remain calm upon his passing.
while he suffered and to remain calm upon his passing.
April 17, 2021
Waste of time
March 16, 2019
This book is about near-death experiences by one of the pioneers on the subject.
=====
Oh boy this is gonna be a difficult review. Here we go!
So reading the first few pages, I screamed inside myself: “I refuse!” Yes I refuse, to believe in such none-sense as out-of-body experiences. It’s not true that the soul comes out and start observing the medical operation from the air. It’s just that the patient is half-awakened, his sense are still sensing, yes his conscience is not that coherent, but that is not stopping him from registration what’s happening. But then, if I continued the book with such mind state, why don’t I just put down the book now? So ok then, keep an open mind, or better yet, keep an open ear.
=====
Is she afraid of death? Is this why she’s convincing herself that death doesn’t exist and that we just transition to a body-less state of living? Caroline Myss, on her Forward of the book, mentioned that the author suffered painfully at the end of her life and was also wheelchaired. She was saying that she was ready for Death, and that she wanted to take her life by herself, because she wanted to decide when she’s going to die. This reminds me when a bandage need to be taken off, oh how painful and scary that is, especially when the area is hairy. I don’t like it, that waiting moment, for the train of pain to arrive at the station. I rather jump and starting running towards the wall. That’s why, I prefer to take off the bondages myself. But I’m not gonna lie, I can’t see that I would ever say to death “come already”. Does that make me a coward? Or does that make me laidback? Either way, I’m not obsessed about death, and I don’t mind talking about it when it comes to the conversation, though most people get discomforted when Death is mentioned, I dunno why..
=====
I studied abroad for a semester in USA and a long weekend came so my friend and I decided to visit the nearby Orlando. We went to the water park and I saw a big slider called Tornado or something. It’s basically a half big ball (you can consider it as a plate) and they drop you inside it from the middle.
I am enjoying myself turning around the inside of it. But my body slowing, more and more, the circumference getting smaller and lower. Then it suddenly hit me.. I’m slowing into what? I see it, this hole, this vortex, leading into the abyss, and I don’t know how to swim.. and that was the day I died.
At least for an instance I thought I’m going to die, drowning in a dark sunken cave. It felt like a timeless moment, it was 1000 years long and a millisecond at the same time.. I tried to use my nails, to hold into the floor to avoid falling into the hole, but that didn’t work. And of course, I’m not gonna say what happened after that :P
=====
DMT, the spirit molecule. Some say it’s released in big portions when we are starving (hence Nirvana from starvation experiences) and when we’re about to die. Does that explain why near death experience are so, spiritual? Or is it the other way around, where some scientist tried to explain the phenomenon mechanically (biologically on this context) so he linked near death experience with the cool compound so call DMT?
=====
The book is full of mysticism. The author takes seriously events where when thinking of someone then suddenly we find him by coincidence in front of us. To me it’s a mathematical non-zero chance of occurrence, especially since we only notice such ones only when they work (we have multiple false hunches throughout the day, but we register only the ones that score, which leads to us thinking we have precise hunches). To her (and to many females I know, and a male poet), it’s Destiny trying to tell us something.
=====
We can’t tell what death is all about, because no one comes back after he dies. Actually, one did it. His name was Er (this is taken from Wikipedia):
With many other souls as his companions, Er had come across an awe-inspiring place with four openings – two into and out of the sky and two into and out of the ground. Judges sat between these openings and ordered the souls which path to follow: the good were guided into the path into the sky, the immoral were directed below. But when Er approached the judges, he was told to remain, listening and observing in order to report his experience to humankind.
Meanwhile from the other opening in the sky, clean souls floated down, recounting beautiful sights and wondrous feelings. Those returning from underground appeared dirty, haggard, and tired, crying in despair when recounting their awful experiences, as each was required to pay a tenfold penalty for all the wicked deeds committed when alive. There were some, however, who could not be released from underground. Murderers, tyrants and other non-political criminals were doomed to remain by the exit of the underground, unable to escape.
After seven days in the meadow, the souls and Er were required to travel farther. After four days they reached a place where they could see a shaft of rainbow light brighter than any they had seen before. After another day's travel they reached it. This was the Spindle of Necessity. Several women, including Lady Necessity, her daughters, and the Sirens were present. The souls – except for Er – were then organized into rows and were each given a lottery token.
Then, in the order in which their lottery tokens were chosen, each soul was required to come forward to choose his or her next life. Er recalled the first one to choose a new life: a man who had not known the terrors of the underground but had been rewarded in the sky, hastily chose a powerful dictatorship. Upon further inspection he realized that, among other atrocities, he was destined to eat his own children. Er observed that this was often the case of those who had been through the path in the sky, whereas those who had been punished often chose a better life. Many preferred a life different from their previous experience. Animals chose human lives while humans often chose the apparently easier lives of animals.
After this, each soul was assigned a guardian spirit to help him or her through their life. They passed under the throne of Lady Necessity, then traveled to the Plane of Oblivion, where the River of Forgetfulness (River Lethe) flowed. Each soul was required to drink some of the water, in varying quantities; again, Er only watched. As they drank, each soul forgot everything. As they lay down at night to sleep each soul was lifted up into the night in various directions for rebirth, completing their journey. Er remembered nothing of the journey back to his body. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the funeral pyre early in the morning, able to recall his journey through the afterlife.
=====
This is a lovely warm-hearted book. It’s not a scientific book, it’s a poem.
=====
After you read this book, go watch Wonder Park (2019). Here comes spoilers for the rest of the review: You will find how children act after a parent dies just like the book. Also cocoons are there. So, what if the protagonist was dead and not the parent?
Dark clouds is Anxiety, and the zombie monkeys is Sarcasm when it turns into Cynicism.
And of course, Alice in Wonderland is the inspiration. But it’s commenting on it. The apple that the monkey was tied to, it’s saying that our imagination is the creator of worlds, and not hallucination mushrooms.
“We are the wonder is wonderland”
=====
Oh boy this is gonna be a difficult review. Here we go!
So reading the first few pages, I screamed inside myself: “I refuse!” Yes I refuse, to believe in such none-sense as out-of-body experiences. It’s not true that the soul comes out and start observing the medical operation from the air. It’s just that the patient is half-awakened, his sense are still sensing, yes his conscience is not that coherent, but that is not stopping him from registration what’s happening. But then, if I continued the book with such mind state, why don’t I just put down the book now? So ok then, keep an open mind, or better yet, keep an open ear.
=====
Is she afraid of death? Is this why she’s convincing herself that death doesn’t exist and that we just transition to a body-less state of living? Caroline Myss, on her Forward of the book, mentioned that the author suffered painfully at the end of her life and was also wheelchaired. She was saying that she was ready for Death, and that she wanted to take her life by herself, because she wanted to decide when she’s going to die. This reminds me when a bandage need to be taken off, oh how painful and scary that is, especially when the area is hairy. I don’t like it, that waiting moment, for the train of pain to arrive at the station. I rather jump and starting running towards the wall. That’s why, I prefer to take off the bondages myself. But I’m not gonna lie, I can’t see that I would ever say to death “come already”. Does that make me a coward? Or does that make me laidback? Either way, I’m not obsessed about death, and I don’t mind talking about it when it comes to the conversation, though most people get discomforted when Death is mentioned, I dunno why..
=====
I studied abroad for a semester in USA and a long weekend came so my friend and I decided to visit the nearby Orlando. We went to the water park and I saw a big slider called Tornado or something. It’s basically a half big ball (you can consider it as a plate) and they drop you inside it from the middle.
I am enjoying myself turning around the inside of it. But my body slowing, more and more, the circumference getting smaller and lower. Then it suddenly hit me.. I’m slowing into what? I see it, this hole, this vortex, leading into the abyss, and I don’t know how to swim.. and that was the day I died.
At least for an instance I thought I’m going to die, drowning in a dark sunken cave. It felt like a timeless moment, it was 1000 years long and a millisecond at the same time.. I tried to use my nails, to hold into the floor to avoid falling into the hole, but that didn’t work. And of course, I’m not gonna say what happened after that :P
=====
DMT, the spirit molecule. Some say it’s released in big portions when we are starving (hence Nirvana from starvation experiences) and when we’re about to die. Does that explain why near death experience are so, spiritual? Or is it the other way around, where some scientist tried to explain the phenomenon mechanically (biologically on this context) so he linked near death experience with the cool compound so call DMT?
=====
The book is full of mysticism. The author takes seriously events where when thinking of someone then suddenly we find him by coincidence in front of us. To me it’s a mathematical non-zero chance of occurrence, especially since we only notice such ones only when they work (we have multiple false hunches throughout the day, but we register only the ones that score, which leads to us thinking we have precise hunches). To her (and to many females I know, and a male poet), it’s Destiny trying to tell us something.
=====
We can’t tell what death is all about, because no one comes back after he dies. Actually, one did it. His name was Er (this is taken from Wikipedia):
With many other souls as his companions, Er had come across an awe-inspiring place with four openings – two into and out of the sky and two into and out of the ground. Judges sat between these openings and ordered the souls which path to follow: the good were guided into the path into the sky, the immoral were directed below. But when Er approached the judges, he was told to remain, listening and observing in order to report his experience to humankind.
Meanwhile from the other opening in the sky, clean souls floated down, recounting beautiful sights and wondrous feelings. Those returning from underground appeared dirty, haggard, and tired, crying in despair when recounting their awful experiences, as each was required to pay a tenfold penalty for all the wicked deeds committed when alive. There were some, however, who could not be released from underground. Murderers, tyrants and other non-political criminals were doomed to remain by the exit of the underground, unable to escape.
After seven days in the meadow, the souls and Er were required to travel farther. After four days they reached a place where they could see a shaft of rainbow light brighter than any they had seen before. After another day's travel they reached it. This was the Spindle of Necessity. Several women, including Lady Necessity, her daughters, and the Sirens were present. The souls – except for Er – were then organized into rows and were each given a lottery token.
Then, in the order in which their lottery tokens were chosen, each soul was required to come forward to choose his or her next life. Er recalled the first one to choose a new life: a man who had not known the terrors of the underground but had been rewarded in the sky, hastily chose a powerful dictatorship. Upon further inspection he realized that, among other atrocities, he was destined to eat his own children. Er observed that this was often the case of those who had been through the path in the sky, whereas those who had been punished often chose a better life. Many preferred a life different from their previous experience. Animals chose human lives while humans often chose the apparently easier lives of animals.
After this, each soul was assigned a guardian spirit to help him or her through their life. They passed under the throne of Lady Necessity, then traveled to the Plane of Oblivion, where the River of Forgetfulness (River Lethe) flowed. Each soul was required to drink some of the water, in varying quantities; again, Er only watched. As they drank, each soul forgot everything. As they lay down at night to sleep each soul was lifted up into the night in various directions for rebirth, completing their journey. Er remembered nothing of the journey back to his body. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the funeral pyre early in the morning, able to recall his journey through the afterlife.
=====
This is a lovely warm-hearted book. It’s not a scientific book, it’s a poem.
=====
After you read this book, go watch Wonder Park (2019). Here comes spoilers for the rest of the review: You will find how children act after a parent dies just like the book. Also cocoons are there. So, what if the protagonist was dead and not the parent?
Dark clouds is Anxiety, and the zombie monkeys is Sarcasm when it turns into Cynicism.
And of course, Alice in Wonderland is the inspiration. But it’s commenting on it. The apple that the monkey was tied to, it’s saying that our imagination is the creator of worlds, and not hallucination mushrooms.
“We are the wonder is wonderland”
January 23, 2020
Dr. Kübler-Ross has given us a lot to muse over here -- commonalities (universalities?) in near-death and death experiences; a framework for rethinking death from the ending of a state of being to the transitioning of a state of being; a plea for us to consider death without fear, taboo, shame, guilt, etc. I'm wrestling with some of the ideas she's shared, but what's resonating with me is her message of love, of being present and patient, of staying wide-eyed with wonder and curiosity. Her cocoon and butterfly metaphors are peace-inducing, and her insistence that we are truly not alone in any of this is reassuring, even if I'm having trouble believing. I might come back and revisit this again, maybe after putting some love into practice.
Read
December 21, 2023A great collection of not so well written, but very insightful and perspective changing essays. While I never fully bought into Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief model and find it very outdated, what she has to say in these essays is in my opinion much more important and valuable.
April 12, 2018
Although some of the essays were a bit repetitive, the core piece of this book blew my mind and reframed my view of both life and death. It allowed me to connect better to myself and to those who have passed in a unique way. It also made life seem not quite so serious - really, we are all just here to learn.
July 29, 2025
4 onderzoeken van Elisabeth Kübler-Ross eigenlijk zeer kort samengevat in één boek.
Moeilijk te geloven door de weinige proefpersonen, maar echt wel een interessante kijk op de dood en schijndood alsook het metafysisch kosmisch bewustzijn!!
Moeilijk te geloven door de weinige proefpersonen, maar echt wel een interessante kijk op de dood en schijndood alsook het metafysisch kosmisch bewustzijn!!
September 13, 2017
It's a quick and comforting read for those who wonder about life after death. I felt a sense of calmness when I finished this book. I recently lost my father and often think about his spiritual being and where he is at now, who greeted him when he passed, and how we will communicate moving forward. Kübler discusses this in her essays through stories of those who have had "near-death" experiences, including herself.
My favorite takeaway from this book is "Death is but a transition from life to another existence where there is no more pain and anguish. All the bitterness and disagreements will vanish, and the only thing that lives forever is LOVE."
I will be reading more of Kübler's work.
My favorite takeaway from this book is "Death is but a transition from life to another existence where there is no more pain and anguish. All the bitterness and disagreements will vanish, and the only thing that lives forever is LOVE."
I will be reading more of Kübler's work.
December 24, 2016
Well, I certainly hope Dr. Kübler-Ross is correct in her beliefs about the afterlife. She certainly has devoted her life to learning about death through her work with dying children and their grieving families, which makes it easier to accept some of her ideas. These essays present a hopeful, spiritual approach to death, dying and the after-life, supported by arguments that seem to support her incredible conclusions. If you are convinced by her beliefs you will no longer fear death, but instead fear only leaving unfinished business and resentments behind for others to deal with when you're gone.
August 29, 2016
READ AUG 2016
This is a small but powerful book. Anyone who has read Kubler-Ross' classic "On Death and Dying" needs to add this to the read list.
Basically a collection of four essays, Kubler-Ross explores the idea that "we are created for a very simple, beautiful and wonderful life" but we somehow manage to complicate it with the passing of time. Kubler-Ross also does a convincing job of drawing the similarities between birth and death, describing how unconditional love is the goal we each should strive and unconditional love is what is drawing us to the other side.
This is a small but powerful book. Anyone who has read Kubler-Ross' classic "On Death and Dying" needs to add this to the read list.
Basically a collection of four essays, Kubler-Ross explores the idea that "we are created for a very simple, beautiful and wonderful life" but we somehow manage to complicate it with the passing of time. Kubler-Ross also does a convincing job of drawing the similarities between birth and death, describing how unconditional love is the goal we each should strive and unconditional love is what is drawing us to the other side.
September 3, 2021
*2021 Around the Year Reading Challenge*
Prompt #47: A nonfiction book other than a biography, autobiography or memoir
No doubt Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a pioneer in the study of near-death experiences, but this book definitely shows its age (assuming promiscuity stems from the death of a parent, organ transplants not being widely accepted, etc) and is not really compatible with the views of people who aren't religious or spiritual.
Prompt #47: A nonfiction book other than a biography, autobiography or memoir
No doubt Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a pioneer in the study of near-death experiences, but this book definitely shows its age (assuming promiscuity stems from the death of a parent, organ transplants not being widely accepted, etc) and is not really compatible with the views of people who aren't religious or spiritual.
December 14, 2011
This book is a comfort. Sure hope Kubler-Ross is right about all this
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