Anita Moorjani’s Dying to be Me – My Thoughts

It was around March or April time last year (2017) when I was home alone with the baby who was sleeping soundly in her baby rocking chair, when while flicking through YouTube a suggested TED Talk popped up titled ‘Dying to be me!’. Immediately it caught my attention and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as I was feeling quite low around this time; partly baby blues, partly struggling with adjusting to living life in a brand new country.

As I watched, I was riveted by every word that came out of the speakers mouth as she told her story of her cancer journey, the Near Death Experience (NDE) that ensued and passing over to the other side only to come back and completely heal herself from the final stage cancer that was devouring her body. I was enthralled and so touched by her story – especially with the messages she had returned back to share with the world: one being that heaven is not a place but rather a state that is accessible to us at any time and two, that to fulfil our life’s purpose we must be completely true to ourselves and live that experience. I recall telling my husband her story later on that evening and thinking about it for days afterwards. I even began to research other NDE’s and was fascinated by the uncanny similarities in most stories.

Anyway, although this TED Talk did impact me, I hadn’t really given the actual talk itself much thought after that, even forgetting the title of the TED Talk and the speaker’s name. Quite some time passed and I think we were in November of 2017, when walking past a pop-up book stall in one of the shopping malls, something made me stop and I was drawn instantly to the self-help section where one lone book shouted out to me from among the rest. It was Anita Moorjani’s ‘Dying to be me’ and upon reading the blurb I instantly made the purchase (of the only copy they had), somehow not making the link between the book and the TED Talk that had touched me earlier on in the year.

I don’t believe in coincidence so I know that there was a force at play taking me back to Anita’s story, as there is more I needed to learn and take from it. I didn’t even realise that this was the full story of the lady behind the TED Talk I had watched until after I had finished reading it!

So let’s talk about Dying to be me by the wonderful Anita Moorjani. The book is her miraculous story about her Near Death Experience broken down into 3 sections: Part 1, ‘Seeking the right way’; Part 2, ‘My Journey to death… and back’ and Part 3, ‘What I’ve come to understand’. Firstly I must comment on the style in which it is written: it was such an easy and friendly read, if that makes sense. I feel that Anita writes the way she would speak, making her story easily accessible in simple terms to practically anyone – it was as if she could have been sitting right in front of me, relaying her story back to anticipant ears. Secondly, I was gripped! I finished the book in two sittings – and with two small children to run around after all day (and sometimes all night!), that’s really saying something.

Although already well into my own journey to consciousness, happiness and inner peace at the time I came across this book, I feel that Anita’s story came to me exactly when I was ready to receive it, answering many questions that were still flying around my mind. One thing I was thinking about a lot around that time was death, but not in a morbid kind of way. More so, the experience of it and the changes and clarity it would bring. Anita’s story brought such a sense of peace to my thoughts around death – and reinforced what I already knew: that our loved ones who have passed over are always around us as well as the ultimate love of God, which is unconditional and eternal and always there.

Some other important points that I took from this incredible story are as follows…

• Her story up until the point that she was diagnosed with cancer, in my eyes, is so significant. Battling with being different; coming across different religions and paths to God and being confused by them; trying always to please other people and neglecting herself and majorly, the massive fear that she had developed of getting cancer herself, after losing her best friend to it. For me, that shows just how poisonous our thoughts, feelings and fears can be when they go against the true essence of who we are. We create our own realities and her story shows how her broken, confused and fearful mind manifested into physical reality as a cancer in her body. In this sense, her story is so, so powerful and I believe her message could prevent people from developing life-changing illnesses and diseases.

• Anita is literally a medical miracle who was in the final stages of cancer and had slipped into a coma, when she went over to the other side, learnt what she needed to learn and came back in order to share her story with the world. The doctors treating her were absolutely flabbergasted by her recovery. A few weeks after she was at deaths door and admitted into hospital to die, she was cancer free after having her NDE – and another 2 weeks later, she was allowed to go home. I know some people will call Anita’s story blasphemous and come up with all kinds of stories and excuses for how or why she had the experience that she did (if they even believe she had it in the first place!), but I think if you look from a medical perspective at her situation… well, it speaks for itself really!

• Finally, what I took most from her story is the message she has brought back to share with the world… “Live your life, fearlessly!”. In a world where we are brought up with a fear-based mentality with such a massive focus on obtaining security and comfort, Anita shows us that through her real life experience, living in fear can be absolutely detrimental. She literally had to die in order to be herself and is living proof that switching from living fearfully to living fearlessly can make your wildest dreams come true. What people fear the most in life is death but Anita’s story conveys that there is nothing scary about dying – not at all – so we may as well live our lives the way we want to live… fully, boldly and fearlessly.

So would I recommend this book? 100% yes, and particularly to people from a South Asian background like myself and like Anita, who were brought up in a more Western environment, torn between different cultures, ways of living and religious paths. I feel that this story will answer so many questions for those who are torn between what they have been told to believe and what they really feel inside.

I also recommend to anyone who has a gripping fear of death, of getting ill or of anything really! I think Anita’s message, which she returned to share with the world, is a message that everyone needs to hear, absorb and practice. I certainly don’t fear death anymore and I try every day to live from love, rather than from fear… and I can honestly say, I feel the changes already happening and those that are on their way too and I am so excited and grateful for all the magic in my life, knowing that there is so much more to come.

You can purchase Anita’s book, Dying to be me, here. Since this was released in 2012, Anita has also released ‘What if this is heaven?’ which I am really looking forward to reading and also a children’s book called ‘Love: a story about who you truly are’ which I will be getting for my own children as soon as possible, and which I am sure I’ll enjoy as much as them (if not more!).

Keep up with Anita on her Twitter account and be sure to visit her website www.anitamoorjani.com for more nuggets of wisdom. You can also read my recent blog post, ‘A Whatsapp Convo with… Someone who has had an out of body experience’ here and you’ll be surprised to see just how similar these two accounts are.

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