Nancy Rynes, a geologist and archaeologist who identified as an atheist, was hit by an SUV while cycling in January 2014, then experienced a profound near-death experience (NDE) during spinal surgery three days later that completely transformed her worldview and life path.
Background and pre-NDE worldview
Nancy was raised Catholic but became skeptical in adolescence due to church abuse scandals and a growing interest in hard sciences.
By her early 40s she described herself as a “nasty atheist” who was terrified of death as nothingness, though she remained fascinated by ESP and psychic phenomena.
In December 2013 she had recurring dreams of butterflies (a transformation symbol) and a strong intuitive sense that something major was coming.
On the day of the accident she heard a clear voice say “Just don’t go out” but ignored it as irrational.
The bicycle accident
A driver texting at ~30 mph blew through a stop sign and hit Nancy in a roundabout; she ended up on the hood, then fell underneath the moving SUV.
She clung to the axle/undercarriage while being dragged, hearing her body hit pavement, fully conscious and calculating survival moves.
Simultaneously, a “higher self” or soul perspective popped out and observed the trauma from the side — calm, compassionate, coaching the human self to survive.
A bystander (ER physician) blocked the SUV with his truck; a mysterious trauma nurse named “Ann/Annie” held Nancy’s spine still until paramedics arrived, then vanished — police confirmed she disappeared without giving her name.
Injuries: shattered L1 vertebra, cracked pelvis, broken collarbone, 5 broken ribs, punctured lung, cracked sternum, brain bleed, severed neck ligaments — doctors didn’t expect her to survive the weekend.
The NDE during surgery
Under anesthesia, Nancy counted to nine, then found herself standing on an ethereal hillside with silvery light, no sun, and visible energy tendrils flowing through everything.
A guide appeared — tall, long brown hair, face always blurred — who said she was there to teach Nancy what she needed to return to Earth life.
Nancy threw a tantrum refusing to return; the guide showed her a pre-birth “contract” where she agreed to multiple opportunities to shift from atheism, and if she missed them all, a spiritually transformative experience would force the shift.
She remembered choosing her family specifically to help her father become more loving, and other life highlights she wanted to experience.
The guide funneled information from a larger “spiritual team” via telepathic/emotional downloads and pictorial movies rather than words.
Core realization: Earth life is a filtered, temporary dream; true reality is all-encompassing love, no separation, all times simultaneously available.
Life review at the pond
Guide took Nancy to a dark mountain pond; had her touch the surface, creating ripples that became hundreds of “YouTube screens” showing life events.
Each event was a 360-degree review: Nancy experienced her own perspective plus everyone else’s thoughts, feelings, and downstream ripple effects.
Example: a small kindness to a stressed checkout clerk rippled into better parenting that night; a cruel teenage comment to her sister caused decades of betrayal.
This “capstone” learning showed how every thought, word, and action strengthens or weakens the collective energy field of love.
The 12 messages / core lessons
We are never alone — we have spirit guides/teachers with us always; we must actively seek/create community on Earth rather than wait for it.
Everything is interconnected — no true separation between physical and spirit realms, only different energy frequencies within the same system.
God/Source is all-encompassing, all-inclusive love — not a bearded judge, but the fundamental energy of the universe available to everyone.
Ripples become waves — small actions have vast downstream consequences; we are responsible for the energy we put out.
Time is not linear — all times exist simultaneously; the linear experience is an illusion of this reality.
We choose our life challenges and agreements pre-birth — including specific lessons, relationships, and exit points.
Consciousness survives physical death — the “meat suit” is temporary; the soul is eternal and returns “home” between lives.
We have a spiritual team supporting us — not a single guide but a chorus of beings; communication is possible by tuning our frequency.
The life review is about learning, not judgment — experiencing the full impact of our choices from all perspectives.
Healing is available across dimensions — the guide gave Nancy energetic healing before return so her body would recover faster.
Creativity and intuition are soul expressions — Nancy’s post-NDE artistic explosion was a direct channeling of this truth.
We are here to help each other awaken — Nancy’s “new job” is sharing these lessons to assist others’ transformations.
Return to body and aftermath
Nancy was sent back against her will, waking in recovery screaming for her guide; felt devastating grief at the severed connection to the spiritual realm.
Battled daily desire to “go home” for ~18 months, cycling through euphoria and dark grief; felt like an alien on a different planet.
Physical recovery defied expectations: bones healed in 4 weeks instead of 16; walked out of body cast and neck brace against medical prediction.
Persistent TBI effects: 9-12 months of garbled speech, lost ability to read/write for long periods, permanently lost mathematical/programming ability, and developed aversion to music (especially classical) — linked to left temporal/prefrontal damage.
Spontaneous creative explosion: began painting prolifically (nancyart.com), initially as brain therapy, became primary expression of unity/oneness.
Post-NDE reality shifts and expanded abilities
Timeline shifts: Two acquaintances’ deceased husbands were alive post-NDE; one’s deceased son was now dead instead. Nancy remembers the original funerals clearly. Led her to study quantum physics and simulation theory.
Childhood NDE at age 4: Fell 30 feet from scaffolding onto concrete, unconscious 45 minutes, no broken bones — likely first NDE, after which she became highly spiritual/philosophical until adolescence.
Remote viewing/time navigation: Since childhood could “travel” to check on people or locations (e.g., spontaneously directed boyfriend to undiscovered rock art panel in Colorado). Now understands this as connecting across non-linear time.
Formal study: Trained as shamanic practitioner and past-life regression therapist to understand the mechanics of what she experienced.
Books: Awakenings from the Light: 12 Life Lessons from a Near-Death Experience (2015) and Walking in the Light: A Daily Guidebook for Enhancing Peace, Love, and Connection.
Current work: Consciousjourneys.net (teaching/coaching), nancyart.com (gallery sales in AZ/CO), sharing the 12 messages as her life purpose.
