What happens in the human energy field at death, the silver cord, and life after death — Brennan's direct observations.
Death Is Not the End
"You are not a slave to three dimensions nor to the so-called arrow of time, relentlessly moving forward toward your so-called death. Death is simply a change of form, a letting go to an expansion of being."
— Heyoan
The Western View vs. the Eastern View
In the West, many want a fast, painless death to "get it over with." We don't want to be present for it. We think if we're not present and go fast, we won't have to deal with it. But from Brennan's observations of the HEF during and after death, this is not true.
In the East, they pray for a slow death. This gives the person time to adjust to the process. There is wisdom in this — what happens in the field at death requires time and presence.
The Silver Cord
A "silver cord" connects the fourth-level HEF reality body and higher spiritual HEF levels to the physical body. In astral travel, the lower three levels stay with the physical body while the fourth-level body travels. The silver cord keeps the connection.
Brennan observed that the silver cord bifurcates (splits into two)about a foot outside the skin:
In physical death, the silver cord disconnects from both insertions. During heart transplant surgery, the cord is disconnected at the heart end only — it should be properly reinserted by a healer afterward.
The HEF at Death
Brennan describes what she observed in the HEF during the dying process:
Brennan's mother died slowly "from the feet up." Day after day, she and her sister sat with her. Her mother endured the pain, remaining half here, half there. As her mother looked deeply into their eyes, a tear rolled from each eye. She turned her head toward the heavens and left as her sisters "swooped down to help her away."
Post-Death Visits
Brennan observed that the recently deceased often visit their loved ones. The mother of one of Brennan's office colleagues walked up the stairs and into the room, trying to get her daughter's attention.
The mother's intention was to send distilled knowledge — the wisdom she had learned in this lifetime — through their relational cord connections. When the daughter opened herself to receive, clear consciousness flowed through the heart cords from mother to daughter. When she was finished, she kissed her daughter, bid her farewell, and left — down the stairs and out the door (apparently from habit, not yet realizing she could float).
Brennan's Father's Last Good-Bye
When Brennan's father died, she went into meditation to help him. Instead, he came into the room and filled her with the distilled wisdom he had learned in his life. He asked her to channel in her workshop because he had never seen her channel.
During the channeling, her father came into the room with his sister Grace and his mother (whom Brennan had never known, as she died when her father was eight). He was so happy to see her again. The entire room filled with ancestors of all workshop participants, and Heyoan led a healing between each participant and their deceased relatives.
The Tunnel Test
Brennan describes her own experience of leaving the body during her "tunnel test." She felt a strong force pulling her out as her healing teacher and Sai Baba pulled her out. She went up the vertical power current.
"I could feel/hear the wind blowing inside me as I rushed out of my physical body. I felt it on the inside of my eardrums, but it was different from a normal wind, because I was the wind that was blowing on my eardrums from my inside!"
This personal experience helped her describe to dying clients what it would feel like to leave the body.
Marjorie's Death and Continued Presence
Marjorie, a Juilliard-trained harpist who channeled music for Brennan's goddess healings, died of breast cancer. At her funeral, Brennan saw her in pure white robes with a golden halo and golden stars above. Her spiritual body was still connected to her physical body in the coffin.
When the priest sprinkled holy water, Marjorie's spiritual body disconnected from her physical body and floated up to the rafters. She resumed her normal looks, came down next to Brennan, and kept telling her how proud she was of her brother, giggling and joking about the ceremony.
For years afterward, Marjorie continued to play at the goddess healings. She said: "Finally I have the high notes I have always wanted! Can you hear them?" She eventually moved up through the hierarchy of angels and then told Brennan she would leave soon — and she did.
How to Support the Dying
From Brennan's observations:
The Deafening Silence
After her mother passed, Brennan wrote about the moment of departure:
"Then came the deafening silence. We sat there in silence, honoring and touching her body with love and gratitude."
The silence after death is profound. It is a sacred space. Honor it.
Related Content
Learn more about The Dying Process in detail, or explore Life After Death for Brennan's full observations of post-death consciousness.
Death Transition Stages
Stage 1
Physical Release
The physical body ceases functioning. The HEF begins to separate from the physical form.
Indicators
How does understanding death as 'a change of form, a letting go to an expansion of being' change your relationship to living?