About this episode
Artist and author Nicole Meeuws joins host, Eric Bennett, to share the near death experience (NDE) she had during an emergency procedure following the loss of a pregnancy in 2015. Nicole recounts leaving her body as a surge of peace carried her into a luminous, “watery” blue-white light and then into a vast white hall where two enormous, blue beings sat upon marble thrones. With feather-like hair, indigo eyes, humanoid torsos, and mer-like tails, they conveyed—wordlessly yet unmistakably—“welcome back,” triggering a profound sense of home and dissolving grief, guilt, and fear. She describes the jarring sensation of being “sucked” back into her body, followed by several minutes of speaking an unfamiliar, tonal language her physician husband witnessed. The near death experience reoriented Nicole’s life toward nature, creativity, and what she calls heightened intuition. Years later, through fasting, meditation in the Greek sea, and research, she linked her vision to ancient traditions of oceanic guardians and an “eternal ocean of memory,” themes now central to her paintings and books. We explore how her NDE reframed earthly life as dense but purposeful—a brief window to choose love over fear, remember who we are, and live from the heart—plus the difficulties of returning, the healing power of water, and the courage it takes to create what we see on the other side. VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/QYoiJvEmvc8 Chapters 00:00 Welcome; guest intro from Greece; Nicole’s artwork & nature as muse 02:55 The NDE context: pregnancy loss, anesthesia, vitals spike 04:45 Entering the blue-white “watery” light; profound peace and remembering 06:45 The vast white room; marble thrones; two immense blue beings 09:40 “Welcome back” and the ancient tribe feeling 11:10 Life-reel imagery; sudden return to body (“sucked back”) 12:40 Speaking an ancient/tonal language post-op; husband witnesses 15:10 Earth life as dense/illusory vs. the clarity “there” 17:20 Research & fasting; linking vision to ocean-guardians traditions 20:30 The Abzu as an “ocean of memory”; two births concept 23:10 Painting the beings; creative process & fear of imperfection 25:20 What the love felt like; nature as a doorway (oceans, water) 28:10 After-effects & books ( Terra Infinita , Oceans of Memories ) 30:30 Choosing sovereignty: living from heart vs. fear 33:10 Final reflections and how to contact Nicole; show close Nicole: https://www.nicolemeeuws.com/ RoundTripDeath.com Donate to this podcast: https://www.roundtripdeath.com/support/