Can one visit departed loved ones during Samadhi? (i.e. is it a near death experience)
—Neil, USA
Dear Neil,
The veil between the astral worlds and the physical are not as impermiable as we imagine. Yogananda says that “a continuous desire to know about a departed soul is the best astral broadcasting that you can send forth.”
In his early Lessons, Yogananda gave specific advise for communicating with these souls, some of which I include here. As he says, be patient and constant,and you will know the inner contact you desire:
By deep, incessant meditation try to get in touch with your dear dead ones. Only meditation, and months, and sometimes years, of patience can bring them to you…
Every night, with closed eyes, concentrate in the Christ Center, or the astral broadcasting microphone of the spiritual eye, and broadcast your good will to your departed ones by mentally saying: ‘Resurrect, and be quickened in God.’ They will get your message. Then sit in silence and try to feel their love, and when you feel exhilarated, know that they have answered you….
Feeling contact in conscious state. If, day and night, you miss a dear friend, then you will have a sort of longing, a soothing presence around your heart. This will indicate to you that this friendly soul is trying to get in touch with you through your feeling, but he cannot materialize himself because of your constant mental restlessness.
Dream contact in subconscious state. If you concentrate upon the feeling that your friend is present, doing this for several minutes just before falling asleep, then that friend will appear to you in a dream.
Conscious contact in the superconscious state. If you carry the feeling of the presence of your departed friend, and then try to concentrate with closed eyes upon the spot between the eyebrows and visualize him, he will appear to you after some time. It may take months, or even years, but if you are patient and keep on every increasing the depth of the astral call of meditation, you will succeed.
