The spectre of Death for many is an idea which evokes terror and fear. In reality, Death is natural and organic, an instrument of God to cross over souls into the next realm. Death is just as much a part of human life as living itself.
Tonight, I let go of my fear of Death, for he came to Ian while we were driving and set forth into motion one of the most incredible experiences we have had yet as a couple intertwined with the paranormal. I am writing this right after my shift ended and we arrived home, so that I could accurately put into words the event which transpired, and how it changed both of our lives forever—and for the better.
I had just accepted a delivery order and was heading toward the merchant for a pickup, when we approached an intersection at about eight o’clock in the evening. There was a cemetery along the passenger side of the vehicle, hidden behind a long hedge row. About halfway along the extended block, Ian exclaimed that he saw Death standing on the sidewalk in the darkness, looking directly at him and pointing his skeletal finger at my husband. As we approached a stop light at the intersection, Ian’s next words confused me. “He’s dead,” he said.
At the corner, there was a Black man in a hoodie and track pants, weaving back and forth in a slow and deliberate manner. I could see him, clearly and as solid as any living person, which normally I am unable to. The man’s eyes were closed, his head lifted up slightly in the cloth hood. His skin had a grayish pallor to it, his lips slightly open. The back and forth motion of his body continued, as if he was in a trance.
“No, he’s alive,” I rebutted. “I can see him; he’s not dead.”
“He’s dead,” Ian insisted. “He has a neon red glow around his body. It’s like an outline.”
I couldn’t see the glow, and tried to rationalize a connection between this man and the presence of Death just seconds before. “Maybe Death is here for this man,” I replied. The idea that Death was here for Ian unnerved and concerned me—I did not want to accept that maybe something very bad was going to happen to my husband. There had to be a reason why Death had showed himself, and only about two hundred feet away there was a man with an eerie aura upon him that only Ian could see. But he was insistent that this man was, indeed, dead. I accepted the fact that I was seeing a ghost. But I was struggling with the revelation that Death was communicating on some level with my husband. I did not like that at all.
I pulled into the parking lot of the merchant where the food order was held for pickup, and aligned my car into a space directly in front of the restaurant’s entrance. I was getting ready to exit the vehicle, when Ian told me that Death was standing right next to the passenger side window. He had followed us to the location! A fight or flight instinct gripped me as Ian rolled down the window.
“What do you want?” my husband asked Death in a sharp tone. He was as uncomfortable as I was with the situation, and his voice betrayed his concern. Unlike the dead man I had just seen moments before, I could not see Death. His presence was only for Ian to witness. There was a pause as Ian was listening, to something I could not hear.
I immediately postured myself into the role of a protector, and spoke to Death directly, putting my arm around my husband’s shoulders. “You can’t have him!” I rebuked. “He belongs to Jesus Christ and to me. He is not yours to take! Please, do not take him from me!” I exclaimed forcefully, tightening my arm around Ian’s shoulders in vain.
“You need to calm down,” Ian clipped at me. I did not know this at the moment, but those were the words Death spoke to Ian in regards to me. I became silent at Ian’s command, concern raging in my mind, heart pounding.
There was a long pause, where Death was communicating with my husband. Then Ian extended his arm out of the window, palm upwards, toward the entity I was unable to see. Suddenly, Ian jerked his hand back in alarm, his whole body jumping as if he had received a powerful electric shock.
What just happened? I was deeply concerned, and was expecting my husband to die right there in the seat next to me. He had touched Death—but survived! A couple of minutes passed like an eternity, then Ian rolled up the window, massaging his right palm which had touched Death with the fingers of his left hand. He looked bewildered, and then a sense of calm enveloped his demeanor. “Well, I’m not dead,” he said, quietly, contemplating the events which had just occurred.
“Are you okay?” I asked, unnerved.
“Yes,” Ian said. “I’m fine.” He was still rubbing his palm, looking at it as if to analyze the skin beneath his soothing fingers.
“I’ve got to go in to pick up the order. Is Death still here? Are you going to be okay?” I queried, afraid to leave him alone at that moment.
“I’m fine,” he reassured me. “Really, I’m fine.”
I left the car to go into the restaurant, immediately putting on my “happy face” for the merchant (I am always professional and polite while working, even at times when I may be feeling anxiety or unease). The merchant had seen us through the large picture window during the experience in front of the store, and didn’t make much eye contact with me when she handed over the carefully sealed plastic bag containing a hot food order. I quickly returned to the car, then asked Ian to explain exactly what had happened.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” he told me, unsure of whether to share the details of the encounter.
“Honey, you need to be brutally honest with me,” I assured him. “Brutal honesty. I believe you one hundred percent, and accept what you tell me as the truth.”
As we pulled out of the parking lot, the GPS on the phone app directing me on the route for the customer delivery, Ian shared every detail with me.
He sees Death as a skeletal figure in a matte black sheet which is pulled over his head like a hood, the rest of the material flowing downwards to cover his fleshless body; a bone hand protrudes from beneath the sheet, clutching the fabric closed like a shroud at the chest. This is how Death presents itself to his eyes, and this is not the first time he has seen him. But this is the first time that Ian interacted with him, and this encounter changed him forever. Until now, Ian has avoided interacting with Death, keeping him at arms length out of fear that maybe Death, when he’d see him, was here for him. Not wanting to leave this earth, his husband and our life together, he has prevented Death from getting too close. But tonight, Death pointed directly to him, followed us, and engaged Ian—whether he wanted to or not. But Death had a purpose tonight, and the timing is nothing short of fortuitous.
After Death told Ian to calm me down, and before Ian stretched out his hand, Death asked him, “Do you trust me?” This connection was telepathic, and Ian was in direct communication with Death via his talent, hearing and speaking in return through his mind. Ian responded to this question by slowly reaching out, palm upward, accepting what Death had to offer. The being put his skeletal hand onto Ian’s, their palms touching completely. Death’s touch was warm, not at all what Ian expected. Then there was a transfer of energy—a powerful ZAP that seared through his body, causing him to lurch back in a brief state of shock which lasted only a portion of a second. I witnessed this physiological response, and it was real and significant.
Death told him that he now had the power to stop the dead from touching or harming him in any way. Death had shared his power to cross over spirits with Ian, with a new ability to see who was going to die (the neon red glow—Death used the spirit we had seen minutes before as an example), and to shield himself from any physical effects the dead could have on him. Ian told me that his fear of death and the presence of unrestful or aggressive spirits had left him completely. In its place was a newfound sense of power and security; a confidence in his talent he never had before. He said he felt more alive than ever, and that he was entering a new phase of his abilities. The dead could not hurt him. The dead could not scare him. The dead could now be crossed over at his will—he has the ability to open the door of the afterlife and usher spirits through. Until now, this had been my role in our partnership with the paranormal, and is something I can still assist with. But now Ian is empowered.
I mentioned above how important the timing of this is: I am about to go away for ten days to care for one of my closest friends who is in hospice and dying. I made an oath thirty years ago that when this friend’s time came for him to leave this world, I would not let him die alone. I am now keeping that promise. I have been feeling a rising sense of anxiety about leaving Ian alone for so long without me being here to protect him from any aggressive or tormented dead who may make their presence known during my absence. I have never been away in the years since Ian’s gift was bestowed upon him by God, and was deeply concerned about what may transpire when I am not present to intervene in the event a dead person became aggressive or insistent, attracted like a moth to a flame by his abilities.
Death knew this. And Death has been waiting for the right time to engage with Ian and share his gift. Ian now knows that Death is someone not to be feared, but is a compassionate being whose sole purpose is to help cross over those whose time has come. Death has been watching Ian, and now has become an ally. He brought a gift today that not only helped my husband, but also helped me. I have no fear about Ian and his interactions with the dead while I am away. Death’s gift touched us both, and was a beautiful lesson on the integral relationship our bodies and spirits have with the eternal. I have a new reverence for Death, and an appreciation for him. He is a mixture of sadness and compassion, relief and a dutiful servant of God. He is a part of each of us—not to be feared, but to be trusted. He is gentle and giving, taking only that which is called by God.
Some day, it will be my time and I will see Death with my own eyes. I will not be afraid, and I thank him for that.
Death in the Passenger Seat
The first time Ian saw Death was about a year ago. He was on break at a veterinary clinic where he worked, and was standing outside talking to a co-worker while she enjoyed a cigarette. Ian doesn’t smoke, but will occasionally spend breaks with those who do, relationship building and getting to know his associates.
On this particular day, as his co-worker was chatting about her home and family, Ian’s attention drifted to the corner at the end of the parking lot behind the clinic. Death was standing there, facing his direction and looking at him. Ian felt a sense of dread at the vision, because he instinctively knew that this was Death himself. The spectre was solid and silent, just watching him. Ian didn’t say anything to his associate about what he was witnessing, for fear of ridicule or gossip which could jeopardize his employment. But she knew something was amiss, and asked him if he was okay, to which he replied simply, “Yes.” She went on to continue with her smoke, oblivious to Ian’s body language thereafter. When she returned inside to go back on shift, Ian remained outside, observing Death only a hundred feet away. The entity was silent, never breaking his stare with my husband from empty, black eye sockets, hollowed out of a skull shrouded in black material.
Ian pulled out his phone and texted me. Death is on the corner staring at me, he wrote, to which I immediately reacted with alarm. I asked him to call me, which he did. My husband described Death in detail, and we both grew concerned about the implications of his presence. After a few short minutes, Ian got off the phone and returned into the building, still feeling Death’s stare as the door closed behind him.
An hour later, when his lunch break began, he went back out into the parking lot to get some fresh air and enjoy a meal. Death was still in the same spot, staring in his direction, unmoved and unspeaking. This is when Ian began to become really concerned, and texted me again. Death is still there, watching me. Suddenly, Ian’s dog Chavelle, who passed away in 2019, came running up the sidewalk and to Ian, leaping onto him with unbounded joy and excitement, licking his hands and face. He nuzzled her and sat down on the curb, relishing in the unconditional love and happiness his beloved pet was showering upon him. Chavelle’s presence was a gift from Death, and a welcome diversion from the unsettling feeling he was experiencing. The rest of Ian’s lunch hour was spent with his dog, who then disappeared as he was finishing his break and preparing to go back inside the clinic.
As he rose to his feet, he engaged Death’s stare once more, just as a car pulled up to the stop sign. One person was in the car: an old man behind the steering wheel. Death then turned from Ian and passed through the metal of the car and settled into the passenger seat. As the car moved on and turned the corner, Ian could see the old man with Death beside him, silent, until they drove out of view and into the stream of vehicles on the busy road.
Death at the End of the Driveway
The second time Ian saw Death, the spectre was standing at the end of our driveway by the mailbox. It was several months ago and late at night, as Ian was taking the dogs out for a potty run in the back yard. He froze for a moment at the vision of the entity, who was facing his direction and watching him. The matte black sheet crumpled along the ground was billowing and flowing with the motion of all of our dead dogs, who were playing and running around the angel with joy and excitement. They looked just as they did in life, happy and healthy.
Death didn’t say a word as Ian turned uncomfortably to lead our two dogs down the concrete of the carport and into the expansive backyard beyond. He kept his back turned to Death, as he did not want to engage with the spectre or acknowledge its presence beyond the initial moment of recognition. They remained in the yard for about ten minutes, as our dogs played and ran out their energy. When Ian returned to the door leading into the kitchen, Death and all of our departed pets had gone.
When he came back inside, he shared the sighting with me. Together, we prayed and I asked God to please spare Ian’s life, as I was afraid that Death was appearing to take his spirit away from me. I was not ready to lose my husband!
After last night’s experience with Death, and the transmission of his gift to Ian, the previous sightings over the last year have fallen into perspective. Death was making himself known to my husband, and in each of the encounters, silently illustrated his purpose and dominion over the deceased. The old man in the car; bringing beloved pets to Ian, not in a state of sadness or pain, but full of joy and happiness. Death’s purpose in Ian’s life today is one of empowerment, confidence, protection and friendship. Ian has the ability to see and interact with the dead, and this is Death’s domain. With one foot in the realm of the living and the other in that of the dead, Ian experiences two worlds every day in his waking life.
Now we have more peace and a deeper understanding of the gifts Ian possesses. And I have a stronger confidence in my husband’s ability to protect and guard himself from intrusive spiritual forces. As I prepare to depart on a journey of love and support to a friend who is getting ready to meet Death himself, I am thankful that Death is a being of love and compassion. He has a job to do, like each one of us. There is a purpose behind Death; not only with those departing from this world, but in the lives of others who share Ian’s abilities. Death is not to be feared, but to be trusted. There is honor in his presence, and caring for each soul he delivers into the arms of our Savior…or into the realm of hell for those who have done great evil and harm in their lives. He passes no judgement; only does what is required of him by God.
It is our job on this earth to be ambassadors of love to each other, plain and simple. Until I meet Death myself, and welcome him with trust and open arms, I have a deeper understanding of the balance between life and death, where we go after we leave our bodies, and how we interact in this dimension between the living and the dead.