Preparing for the Miraculous

156 eleven talksThe second illustration is a case history from the February2002 issue of the French science magazine Science etAvenir. Christiane, in her early thirties and pregnant, had amiscarriage resulting in massive bleeding. She was declaredclinically dead. In her own words: “I left my envelope offlesh, I slid out of it and rose to the ceiling ... I saw my bodylying there, with three persons in white blouses very busyaround it ... Amazed I said to myself: ‘But I am dead!’ Thisdid not upset me. I felt good and that poor body did nolonger interest me. I did not regret having left it. ... I entereda long, dark corridor. At the end there was a point oflight increasing more and more, till it became an immenselight that enveloped me, fabulous, warm, full of love andan indescribable happiness. I felt around me an immense,indestructible love. It had nothing in common with the loveone may experience here below. I had no longer any otherdesire than to melt into that infinite light of love ...”And after she had come back: “Why did I not go to theother side? I would have liked to go there so much. ... I amno longer afraid of death.”The third illustration is a historical episode of the SecondWorld War, with Albert Speer as its protagonist. Speer,an architect, is one of two persons who at one time wereclosest to Adolf Hitler, the other one being Rudolf Hess. Inthe last phase of the war Speer was Minister for Production,which means that he was the boss of some 12 millionslaves – forced workers from conquered countries, amongthem the Jews who, still more or less healthy, temporarilyescaped extermination. In the rapidly worsening circumstancesHitler expected Speer to perform miracles, in otherwords to continue producing the aircraft, tanks, submarinesand canon needed to stem the invasion of the Allieswho, from the east and the west, were squeezing Germanyin a pincer movement.