From an article published in the July 30, 2020 edition of Take 5 magazine.
On the brink of death, I heard a deep voice guide me
Valérie Barrow
Moss Vale, NSW.
The afternoon sun shone through the window as I watched my kids, Brett, eight, Rod, six, and Glen, one, play in the living room. “Mum, come play!” they begged, pulling my hand. “Not today, love,” I replied softly.
Over the last few weeks I’d been overcome with exhaustion, falling asleep whenever I had the chance. And today, it was as if my body was struggling to function.
I’d recently changed my diet to combat the chronic psoriasis I’d suffered from my entire life. I’d read about it in an Australian medical journal, that claimed a diet low in tryptophan, an essential amino-protein, found in foods like meat, poultry, dairy and eggs could help clear up even the worst cases of the awful skin condition.
For months, I followed it religiously by eating only fruits and vegies and it soon started to work. But then, I was overcome with tiredness. I told my husband, Bruce, and went to the doctor, who quickly dismissed it. “You’re a mum of three, Valérie,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s hard work!” But later, as I cared for the kids, I knew something was wrong. Suddenly, as I went to greet Bruce at the door, I collapsed.
“Open your eyes, Val,” Bruce urged. But I didn’t have the energy.
At hospital, doctors quickly realised that because I’d been avoiding eating tryptophan, I’d starved my body of potassium and was severely malnourished. I could feel my life slipping away from me. My limbs grew cold and all I could hear was my weak, struggling heartbeat. Please God, if you let me stay, I’ll do anything you ask, I thought.
Suddenly, I heard a deep voice in my ear. “You can stay,” it said. I could only assume it was the voice of God.
A few days later I woke feeling frail. It took two weeks to regain my strength. Back home, something felt different. Although I had a deep love and connection with my kids, my husband seemed like a stranger and the house we’d lived in for years felt brand new.
I flicked through photo albums, hoping to feel like the woman I once was, but it was as though I was a visitor in my own life. In the past I loved singing, cooking and making new clothes, but none of those things brought me joy anymore. I was too concerned with what mankind was doing to the world. Bruce noticed how much I’d changed too and eventually, we parted ways.
A few years later, I visited a medium. “When you almost died, you experienced a soul exchange,” she told me, her eyes wide in fascination. “You’re living in the same body, but you don’t have the same personality or soul that you used to.”
It sounded crazy, but it explained why I was so different. After that, I made an effort to accept my new self.
Seven years later, I was working in a health food shop when a tall, well-dressed man walked in. He worked for a company that sold fruit and nuts and introduced himself as John.
“I love these,” he grinned wickedly, picking up a bottle of dried chillies and unscrewing the lid. “Careful, they’re hot!” I warned. John tossed them into his mouth and instantly his eyes widened with pain. Although he seemed a bit mad, I liked him instantly.
We got to know each other more over the next few months and started dating, and a few years later we married. Life was bliss and it was clear that we were soulmates.
One night, as I lay asleep in bed next to John, I heard a deep voice that wasn’t my husband’s. “Stand up,” it said. In a daze, I did as it said, looking around but no one was there. I crawled back into bed and it came again.
Suddenly, I recognised it – the same voice as when I was on the brink of death. It told me to stand up three more times before I remembered my promise to God that I’d do what he asked. Was this a test? I wondered. Once I’d remembered, the voice went silent and I settled back into bed.
Next night, the voice returned, instructing me to write down what it tells me. And I did. The end of the world is nigh, I wrote. Panicked by the message, I slammed the pad down. But soon, the voice encouraged me to keep going. The end of the world is nigh, as you know it.
After that, the powers above trusted me more with their messages. I slowly realised I’d always heard voices in the spiritual realm. But now, I had a purpose – healing others.
My guides have taught me that we’ve all lived many lives so our souls can learn from their mistakes. Turns out, John has featured in many of my past lives.
One day, I was having a reading with a medium when she connected with one of John’s previous souls. She described a man living in early nineteenth century England, who was a writer and had been in a train accident. He recovered before passing away at 58.
I gasped. The medium was describing the life of Charles Dickens, who we knew to be a direct descendant of John’s. Could it be that John was Charles in a past life?
The more I learned, the more accurate it was. Then I realised that I was in his life back then too, as a woman who worked for him. It proves that our souls are drawn together.
These days, I connect to spirits who encourage me to change our planet for the better. It’s helped me to have a greater understanding of my place in this world.
They’ve instructed me to share my story in the hope that others can learn from my past lives and feel more connected to their own. After connecting to our past lives, John and I no longer fear death because we know we’ll be back to do it all again.
We all have many journeys, but we need to make the most of the one we’re living now and do the right thing for our world.