This event took place in the summer of 1990.

We knew that my aunt Ilse was very ill. She had breast cancer and there was little hope she'd recover.  She was my mother's younger sister and also my godmother.  We didn't expect her to die so quickly, though. She was in the hospital at that time.

It was on a Friday, early afternoon. I am a lab technician, and I had just finished some work that I really had to concentrate on so I wouldn't mix up anything. Now I was cleaning up, and all of a sudden my aunt overtook my thoughts. I can hardly describe it. It was like she had invaded my thoughts. All of a sudden she was before my inner eyes with an intensity I had never experienced before. I was like hypnotized. All my thoughts were focused on her, and I felt it was not me to focus my thoughts, but my thoughts were being focused.

I saw her on a beautiful meadow with wonderful flowers and she was beaming at me and let me know that she was fine and happy and had no pain. She didn't say it, but I felt the message clearly. There was no doubt about it. Moreover, she appeared to be in her thirties, whereas she was about sixty when she died. She was young, and beautiful and radiant and most of all - happy.

To my astonishment I was absolutely unable in this moment to imagine my aunt in her bed at the hospital. I could recall the room I had visited her 2 days before, the window, the curtains, the little table, the old lady in the bed on the other wall, but whenever I tried to turn my inner view to my aunt's bed, there was nothing but a dense white cloud.

This lasted for no more than 1 or 2 minutes.

When I was back to normal, had regained the control of my thoughts, I knew my aunt must have left this earth. I tried to call my mother, but she was not home. She called me about 2 hours later. When she started: 'I must tell you that...' I completed: ' ...aunt Ilse has died.'

My mother was speechless. She had been with her sister, when she passed away. I told her about my experience. We later found out the contact took place about 30 minutes after aunt Ilse's death. (Had she contacted me in the minute of her death, she'd certainly caused me to mess up my lab work.)

For years it had puzzled me to have seen my aunt as a young woman and in a clearly visible wonderful landscape. According to my conviction then I would not have believed that landscapes and physical aspects may play a role in the spiritual world.

It wasn't until I had read about near death experiences to understand that it is nor uncommon to see deceased friends and family members in such images.

I will never forget this awesome and comforting last message from my aunt.

I believe that many of our beloved ones try to send us comforting messages after their death, for it didn't remain my only contact with deceased persons. I believe I even received a good-bye message from a dying pet once.

Talking about the subject to other people I often hear that they also had experiences that made them think they had received a message from beyond. For many it is a great comfort, others don't dare to believe it.

I want to encourage people who have lost a beloved person to keep their minds open for possible contacts. It happens often and it may happen in very different ways.

Was this experience difficult to express in words? No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?       Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?         No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?           No

Did you see the deceased?        Yes

I saw her like in a vision. She looked happy and healthy, while she had been depressed and very ill, when I last saw her.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?           In my vision she looked quite solid.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       I saw all parts of her

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?      My aunt was about 60 when she died. In my 'vision' she looked like a young woman, in her 30s, maybe.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?           She looked absolutely healthy

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?          It all happened in my head, but it was much clearer than an ordinary thought or a memory

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?   No

How long did the experience last?       1-2 minutes

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?        It happened all of a sudden and it surprised me, because I had not been thinking of my aunt for a couple of hours. I had been very much focused on my work, when it started.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

She was perfectly happy

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know? At the time, when it happened I did not know yet, that my aunt had died. After the experience I was convinced that I had been given the message that she had gone to another world.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:         For me it was absolutely real.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  Uncertain

Like in a dream it all happened in my head. But it was so strong that the physical world was blocked out for moments.

But at the same time I was wide awake and doing my lab chores.       

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          Immediately before the experience I had been totally focused on my work. The moment the complicated part of the work was done I felt like my thoughts were under a remote control from outside. I was not afraid, it was not unpleasant, but I was stunned that I seemed to have lost control over my thoughts. I knew something extraordinary was happening.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?          Yes

I had been very sorry for my aunt, because she had not only suffered from cancer, she had also been suffering from depressions for some time. It had hurt to see her like that. After the experience I knew that everything was alright.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     The best was to know that my aunt was happy. The sad part for me (not for her!) was that she had really left this world.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?       No                

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?  No       Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     It convinced me that there must be life after death if you can receive a message from beyond.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact? No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?    Yes When the contact took place I did not know that my aunt had died. I had not even expected her to die within the next month or so. After the contact I was convinced that this was her death message for me.

It was verified when my mother called me 2 hours later to inform me about her sister's death.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?           I was confused. At the same time I was convinced that my aunt was dead, but also that she was happy.