David Bennett - Voyage of Purpose: Spiritual Wisdom from Near-Death back to Life

Voyage of Purpose is an exceptionally beautiful and well-written book. Davids near-death experience is dramatic, and so is his cure from what should have been a fatal cancer. From such remarkable experiences, this book exudes an abundance of wisdom. This highly recommended book gives remarkable insights to help all of us along our own Voyage of Purpose.

Dr. Jeffrey Long, radiation oncologist and nationally-recognized expert whose work has been featured in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and Coast to Coast. Long has served on the board of directors of The International Association for Near-Death Studies and is actively involved in NDE research.

Voyage of Purpose is an inspirational book that prompts ones curiosity, sense of validation, open-heartedness and peace of mind. Your soul will thank you for reading it.

Kimberly Clark Sharp, MSW, LiCSW, author of After the Light, President, Seattle International Association for Near-Death Studies

David Bennett is one of millions who have had a near-death experience; one of thousands who have written about it. You never get tired of these stories. Whether the individual was frightened or uplifted, theres something special about the telling of the tale. Davids Voyage of Purpose though, has a different ring to it. His is a raw and honest travelogue of a man who hardly had a chance as a child, then became a mans man to make up the difference, took up diving, got caught in a storm that beat him up so bad he should have wound up in a coffin. In his near-death scenario he met his Soul Family, an experience that rocked him to his core. His life changed after thatnew job, big move, later a divorce, remarried, then the discovery of massive tumors and a dissolving spine. What he went through to regain his health is the stuff of miracles; what he learned along the way is a message for all of usabout spirituality, about purpose, about the power of prayer and the reality of unconditional love. David is a gentle soul today, someone you want to be in the same room with, as just his presence heals and calms. In Voyage of Purpose he shares what he learns as he learns it. He takes you with him into the depths of spirit, so you can feel your own soul and discover your own truth.

P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D., author of Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story

David Bennet & Cindy Griffith Bennet 2011

The right of David Bennett and Cindy Griffith Bennett to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

Published in 2011 by Findhorn Press, Scotland

ISBN 978-1-84409-565-0

All rights reserved.

The contents of this book may not be reproduced in any form, except for short extracts for quotation or review, without the written permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library.

Edited by Michael Hawkins

Cover design by Richard Crookes

Interior design by Findhorn Press

Printed and bound in the USA

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Findhorn Press

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W e would like to acknowledge and give a special thank you to the following people for their contributions, encouragement and support on the long voyage of writing this book:

Dan Chesbro and Carol Scoville for recommending I write down my experiences so long ago and pushing off this journey. We must, of course, thank Richard Hughson for being a quiet voice of acceptance that began true integration of these experiences into daily living; Pamela Liflander for believing in this book before we did, showing us the nuts and bolts that needed attention and helping to plot the course; Erin Clermont for editing and making the crossing so much smoother; Sabine Weeke, Michael Hawkins and all the people at Findhorn Press for giving us a home port.

We would like to thank those in spirit who continue to inspire, guide and encourage; Myrtle and Gleason Viers, Margaret Schiano, Tom Sawyer and Margaret Kean. Their voices may no longer be heard but their presence is strongly felt.

Finally, we want to thank our family and friends who are too numerous to list and gave so much encouragement and a few healthy shoves in the right direction. They filled our sails with love and energy that carried us through.

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.

Saint Ambrose

I first met David Bennett in Geneseo, New York, at a spiritual weekend retreat. Even then, he struck me as a quiet, observant, and gentle man. He wasnt as outgoing as others in our group, and I didnt think much about our meeting. About a year later, at another weekend retreat, we met again and it was clear that David had gone through a change. He was not just sitting back and observinghe was participating. I think that was the first time I really saw David.

What I saw was a shining light. David had a calming presence, yet his energy was invigorating. I now know that what I experienced was David with his heart open wide. It is intoxicatingand a little overwhelming, and youd think, after being married to him for ten years, I would be used to it. But when he opens his heart and radiates that truth of his, I still have to catch my breath.

When I first got to know David, he wasnt talking about his near-death experience (NDE) as he does now. I knew he had an NDE, but I didnt know a lot of the details. Over the years, I have heard him share his story with hundreds of people and I learn something new each time. When he asked me to write his story, we didnt know where to start. We tried a few times, but we just couldnt pull it together.

In the spring of 2005, we were invited to visit Acadia National Park with part of the spiritual group from Geneseo. I had always been drawn to Acadia; I dont know why I was drawn. I just knew it was a place that I had to go. It did seem beautiful, yet it was more than that, but I had never gone.

We decided this would be the perfect opportunity. We brought the laptop with the idea that maybe we could gather our thoughts about the book during the 11-hour drive. Well, its a good thing we could plug the computer into the car adapter. Something about David driving and me typing was magical. I still quite dont know who drove the car as David went deep into the light to recount his story. Luckily I type fast, because there was no stopping him. He talked and I typed the whole waythrough New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and finally across the border into Maine.

It was a special time in Arcadia. David climbed Cadillac Mountain and we were able to spend time with Tom Sawyer and some other dear friends. We were told that many musicians and philanthropists have found the beauty so amazing that they say it inspired them. Jim Chappell even chose Acadia for the name of an album he created after hiking the trails there. I think that it is a combination of the beauty, the sea and the energy of the place. It feels sacred. It goes deeper than just the beauty.

Acadia was the inspiration we needed, and the ride home was just as productive. The time flew by as I asked David questions and he went deeper and deeper into his experience. He even surprised himself, as details emerged that he had never thought about before. Someone must have been watching over us, because we arrived home safely and with his experience in the light down on paper.