In 2008, I attended a mediumship seminar in Baguio, Philippines taught by Rev. Ramon “Jun” Labo, Jr. On the sixth day of the ten-day seminar….

We began to meditate, sitting in a half circle of chairs with Jun at one end. Candles and a fire crackling in the fireplace lit the room. After a few minutes, Jun stood up and began to transmit the energy of the Holy Spirit by touching the top of each person’s head, forehead, and hands. 

As I observed Jun moving from person to person, I had a vision of a large “bubble” of sparkling golden energy centered above and funneling down into him. Secondary cords of light coming from this primary light went into the sixth and seventh chakras of each person as he touched them.

Angels and other Spirits filled the room. They appeared to be students, just as we were. They were taking notes and talking to each other, saying things like, “Oh see what he did there, and there, and there.” They appeared as a mirror image of our class in the physical world. 

After Jun touched my head, he moved away—but then he ran back and forcefully pulled me to my feet, saying: “Now you will go to astral. Lie down there.” He pointed to the pyramid in the center of the room. It was wood-framed and about four feet in diameter. My body began to vibrate with energy the moment I lay down on the red velvet cushion within it. The force of the vibration was a bit frightening, but then I heard Jun say softly, as if from somewhere far away: “What do you see?” 

At first, I was aware only of a soft mist and the sensation of movement. But then my vision cleared, and I was walking on a narrow road through a city made entirely of golden light resembling crystal glass. Somehow, I knew the light had formed itself into buildings and a road made of golden, hand-cut stones so I could relate to the scene and describe it to Jun and the others. Everything in the city only appeared to be solid. The architecture of this “Heavenly City” reminded me of ancient places I had seen in history books. 

I could hear myself responding to Jun’s questions, but it was like listening to my voice under water. At the same time, I felt the presence of Spirit Beings watching me from behind golden curtains in the golden windows of the golden buildings. They seemed neutral and without judgment.

Then I heard Jun say quite firmly: “COME BACK NOW. TEN MINUTES ONLY.” To the rest of the class, he said: “I go with the students on astral because I don’t want them to get lost!” 

I had difficulty getting my consciousness back into my body. But then Jun began to massage my forehead rather forcefully and I was rubbing my legs in order to focus myself in physical reality. The residual feeling was quite indescribable—like the quality and color of the light in the Golden City. My head was heavy and buzzing with energy, as if the same light was also inside of me.

After a few minutes, I looked up and observed Jun again blessing each student, so I returned to my seat at the end of the line. When he got to me, he did the blessing, backed away, and then ran toward me again. He grabbed my head and began to pray: “Holy Father, help this woman in her mission. Make her strong, Lord, to help the people more.” 

Then, even more dramatically, he said, “Your guide is not so strong…I give you…Paul as your new guide. As he spoke, a wave of rose-colored light rushed toward me and I fell into a deep trance.

*  *  *

After I returned home, someone said I had visited the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God, Jesus, and other Holy Beings described in the Bible. The word Jerusalem means “city of peace” or “city of perfect harmony.”

Many people have seen a similar City of Light, or Crystal City, during a near-death experience, which refers to a time when they died but were revived or spontaneously came back to life. During the few minutes when their consciousness was out of the body, some of them hovered up near the ceiling and watched while the doctors tried to save them – others traveled down a tunnel towards a brilliant light until they arrived at a beautiful city or garden where they talked with God and other Spirit Beings. 

Raymond Moody describes many such experiences in his book Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon, Survival of Bodily Death. Kevin Williams, the author of Nothing Better Than Death, also studied people who’ve had a near-death experience. In seventeen percent of fifty such cases, the participants described visiting a City of Light using similar language: 

“It was an entire world made of light and love; it radiated with multi-colored lights; there was transcendental music; it was filled with Light Beings and made of glass; it was the City of God, the Heavenly City described in the Book of Revelation; it was a golden city, unearthly, brilliant, and crystalline.”

Dannion Brinkley, author of Saved by the Light: The True Story of a Man Who Died Twice and the Profound Revelations He Received, describes his experience:

“Like wingless birds, we swept into a city of cathedrals. These cathedrals were made entirely of a crystalline substance that glowed with a light that shone powerfully from within….This place had a power that seemed to pulsate through the air.”

Edgar Cayce describes leaving his body and traveling to a similar city to view the Akashic records. Quoting from Kevin J. Todeschi’s Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records (Case 294-19), Cayce says:

“I see myself as a tiny dot out of my physical body, which lies inert before me. Suddenly, I am conscious of a white beam of light. As this tiny dot, I move upward following the light, knowing that I must follow it or be lost.

“As I move along this path of light I gradually become conscious of various levels upon which there is movement. As I pass on, there is more light and movement in what appear to be normal cities and towns. With the growth of movement I become conscious of sounds, at first indistinct rumblings, then music, laughter, and singing of birds. There is more and more light, the colors become very beautiful, and there is the sound of wonderful music….Quite suddenly, I come upon a hall of records. It is a hall without walls, without ceiling, but I am conscious of seeing an old man who hands me a large book, a record of the individual for whom I seek information.”

*  *  *

Fortunately, I did not have to die – even for a few minutes – to experience the New Jerusalem. A few months after returning home from Jun Labo’s mediumship class, I was “led” there a second time during a guided meditation in Ashland, Oregon….

The woman leading the meditation begins to speak in trance, channeling angels, and her soft voice lulls me deep into meditation. Soon I am no longer listening to her voice, but floating in a black void. Then I see before me a golden door with sparkling light all around it. This door reminds me of something I saw on The Twilight Zone a long time ago – it is totally lit up with vibrant energy. 

I am drawn to the door, somehow aware that if I put my hand on the doorknob and open it I will cross over into another dimension on the time/space continuum. The door continues to beckon and I move closer, until I am so close I can see nothing but the golden door. Suddenly, I am aware of the teacher’s voice. “If you see a door, just open it,” she says. So I open the door.

Now I understand it’s a portal, an entryway leading to the Crystal City, the New Jerusalem. I cross the threshold and am immediately drawn into an energy field made of shimmering light. Everything that exists is made of this same light. There are many people around me in spirit form. Some of them seem very familiar, and they greet me as if I am an old friend. 

I am guided along a roadway made of golden light, surrounded by many voices coming from spirits who are also made only of light. They seem the same, yet different, as though traces of who they were in their most recent lifetimes are still part of them. There is an air of intense excitement, as if we are going to a party. This movement down the road with the others reminds me of the scene from The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends are laughing and skipping down a road made of golden bricks, singing, “Follow the yellow brick road….”

The light begins to become more intense and the spirits more joyful, and then we reach our destination, which appears to be the center of activity in the Crystal City. 

Before me, there is a circle of large angels, or spirits. They appear to be having a meeting. Somehow, I know intuitively that this is the absolute center of the universe, and that these Beings are busy coordinating everything that happens in every dimension. They look rather like paintings I’ve seen of Jesus and the twelve disciples at the Last Supper, except they are standing in a circle. One of them seems to be leading the discussion. Yes…it must be Jesus, or perhaps the Holy Spirit, or even God. 

There are many colors in and around the Beings. In addition to the all-pervasive crystalline gold, there is also deep red and purple. Some of them are holding objects: a crystal cup, a golden fork, a ruby-studded cane.

They do not seem to be aware of my existence, and for this I am relieved. I would not want to disturb them. I’m not even sure I’m supposed to be here. The spirits I came with along the road are ecstatically singing and dancing around the outside of the circle. 

A beloved friend who died many years ago is sitting at the feet of one of the angels, staring up in total adoration and bliss. Just for a brief moment, he turns his head and looks at me. There is so much in his expression, so many thoughts and feelings, but mostly his look says, “You’re here! And look at the wonders you have been given to behold.” 

Somehow realizing it’s time to leave, I begin moving backwards, while still gazing upon this incredible scene – the very axis upon which the universe turns, creating itself and dissolving in each moment of ever-changing space. Everything begins to fade, gradually, as if I am backing up into a long, darkening tunnel. When I reach the door, I still do not turn my back on the City, but reach around, open the door, and step backwards through it. Then, waking up slowly into normal consciousness, I wonder, Which is the dream and which is reality, the Crystal City or the meditation class in the teacher’s living room? 

*  *  *

“And I John saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband….And He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal….And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Revelation 21:2-23

This article is an excerpt from MEDIUMSHIP AND THE FLOW OF GRACE: Messages from Paul by Jessica Bryan.