• Explains the phenomenon of crisis apparitions: visions of loved ones that are experienced simultaneously with their deaths, even at great distances

• Examines a wide range of sources, including history, literature, folklore, theology, and contemporary culture that demonstrate the timelessness and ubiquity of these ghostly encounters

• Presents hundreds of vivid accounts of crisis apparitions, many never before compiled in a single volume

Since ancient times, people from nearly every culture and corner of the world have experienced visions of loved ones that coincided with their faraway deaths. These otherworldly synchronicities, known as crisis apparitions, are not rare; in fact, they have always been a part of our collective experience, blurring the lines between our knowledge of life and our beliefs about the afterlife. In this work of spiritual scholarship, academic researcher Daniel Bourke explores the moment of death from a deeply illuminating perspective, giving readers unprecedented access to mystifying corner of paranormal study.

From the temples of Ancient Egypt to the bustling emergency rooms of New York, from the works of Homer to the monks of the Middle Ages, from the saint to the shaman, Bourke examines the crisis apparition and the phenomena of the “living ghost” in legends, lyric, and lore, demonstrating their universal nature for the first time. He shares profound accounts from a wide range of sources, including history, literature, folklore, theology, and contemporary culture to reveal how widespread these ghostly encounters are throughout the ages.

In demonstrating how these remarkable encounters with “living ghosts” aren’t fearsome experiences but leave the recipient full of healing and hope, this book offers insight into how the beloved dead seem to communicate and the intertwined nature of humanity in this world and the next.

Daniel Bourke is an academic researcher, poet, and singer/songwriter. He has previously been published in the Darklore journal. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Foreword by Patricia Pearson

Introduction
Magic and Meaning at the Moment of Death

1 Apparitions, Ghosts, Death, and Hope

2 Visions, Dreams, and Men of High Esteem

3 Those Who See, Those Who Don’t

4 Allegorical Visions and Symbolic Apparitions

5 Magic, Things Broken, and
the Legends of the Life Token

6 Messengers, Tokens, Angels, and Totems

7 Veridical Voices and Supernatural Noises

8 Making the Rounds and Collective Accounts

9 Alcyone’s Tradition and
the Veridical Appearance of Apparitions

10 Revelations Near Death and
Journeys to Heaven and Hell

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index