Sad news

I'm sorry to say that our longtime commenter Bruce Siegel passed away this week. 

As I understand it, Bruce, who was in his seventies, had suffered from serious cardiovascular problems since at least 2016. 

Though I never met Bruce, I got to know him online through his many comments here and through occasional emails. After his book on precognitive dreams came out, we sometimes exchanged stories of possibly precognitive dreams we'd had. Most of mine, for some reason, involved animals — scary ones, like sharks.

I reviewed Bruce's book here. Bruce also maintained a blog of his own.

One of his last emails to me touched on the work of Stanislav Grof, who had influenced Bruce profoundly. He quoted Grof in The Cosmic Game: "The divine does not create something outside of itself, but rather by subdivisions and transformations within the field of its own being ... The various manifestations of evil are expressions of the energy that makes the split-off units of consciousness feel separate from each other. Since the divine play is unimaginable without individual protagonists, the existence of evil is absolutely essential.”

Then he added:

I love that last insight! It’s really all we need to know about suffering: without the dark side, there is no separation, no individual actors. You and I go back to Oneness. Ecstatic, but after a while, boring (evidently).

Good luck, Bruce, in the next phase of your adventure. I'm sorry we won't have you with us anymore. 

 

 

Comments

[Eric Newhill]

This is sad news. Bruce will be missed by all of us here and, I'm sure, many people in his personal life.

Bruce and I had some lively debates here over the years. I enjoyed them, mostly. There were times when he frustrated me with his uncompromising optimism and generally glowingly positive view of human nature and the goodness of the universe - and his fit belief that, in the end, everything would be ok and beautiful for everyone. I would express that frustration here occasionally. But then I would privately feel a little guilty about being so salty and negative. Bruce made me think and contributed to my ability to work through some personal issues that had me harboring more anger than is healthy. Unfortunately the politics that heated up in 2016 seems to have driven a wedge between the old gang here and I was never able to have a further discussion with Bruce about the old familiar matters. I would have liked to show him that I had moderated myself in a way that is related to his path.

I have a feeling that everything is ok and more beautiful for Bruce now. Godspeed friend.

[Paul]

That’s sad to hear.

[Ian]

That's sad to hear, but I like to think that Bruce is now looking over our shoulders and wishing he could tell us all everything he's learned from the great hereafter. Heaven only knows he'd have a willing audience!

[Matt Rouge]

I am extremely saddened by this news.

I considered Bruce a friend and we would exchange an email from time to time as well. He will be sorely missed on this blog and I'm sure by his loved ones, friends, and piano students.

I wondered when one of us here would be the first to do some personal Afterlife research. Now we know.

Be well, Bruce, wherever you are!

[Amos Oliver Doyle]

Perhaps Bruce Siegel’s major contribution to the world was his love of music and his gift of teaching and sharing that love with other people. His family consisted of his many students. He produced many superb teaching modules available on the internet for anyone interested in learning to play the piano.

On one of his web sites he says: “For more than twenty years, I've been sharing my passion for music and the piano with children and adults of all ages. They range from 5-year-olds to 75-year-olds, beginners to professionals.”

I will miss Bruce Siegel. I will miss his intelligence on this site.

Life was all about love for Bruce; there was no other reason for living for him. I will miss his goodness. I will miss his love and warmth. It is my hope that he has found, acceptance, love and warmth in abundance and that with lessons well learned he will go on to play his next symphony. - AOD

[Luciano]

Sad news indeed.

I will miss reading his optimist comments on this site, something about what Bruce had to say always resonated with me. He always talked about Love and had uplifting hope for our shared ultimate fate.

I hope he has confirmed everything he knew about Source by now. :)

[Shaun]

This is quite a shock and indeed sad, having read this blog for quite a few years Bruce's absence will be noticeable. Nevertheless, the survival evidence often discussed on this blog gives me a degree of confidence that he is still around in some form.

[Augusto Bracho]

My heart and Prayers goes to him and his family.
Despite not attempting the book he wrote (not yet, at least) his contribution to this blog and more were rather important to me spiritually in this age of materialism and nihilism, honestly.

PD: If you can allow me, Michael, would you be alright if I sent you a email to you? It's about something rather personal.

[Michael Prescott]

Sure, Augusto. You can find my email address at my author site, www.michaelprescott.net .

[SGF]

This is sad to hear. The name 'Bruce Siegel' has been in my life for many years, going to back to when I first discovered this blog and had just begun the process of reshaping my worldview. I enjoyed his comments, which were always well reasoned and well expressed.

[Ro]

The physical world has lost a bright light. I hope he's having vivid and incredible 'Summerland' experiences in his new home...perhaps giving piano concerts to thousands each night at a grassy amphitheater underneath a star-filled sky.

I was thinking of Bruce the day before yesterday because as my morning progressed, it became clear that the dream I'd had just before waking was eerily pre-cognitive, and I remembered that Bruce was very interested in those types of dreams.

So sorry to hear that he's gone from our midst.

[Ellen]

In reading your post about Mr. Siegel and the quote from Grof, I was reminded of an NDE I recently read on NDERF.

https://www.nderf.org/Experiences/1sandi_t_ndes.html

She writes "I understood that everything that we do here on Earth, all that we are, all that we experience, allows creation to exist. Every beautiful thing, every wonderful being and creature, whether on earth or in any universe, relies upon people who are on the extremely rare places like Earth.

The Great Intelligence (god) is a paradox. It is completely loving and fully unlimited. Which by the definition of paradox, means it is impossible? It cannot be limited only to love; it cannot be limited to only being unlimited; or it is not unlimited.

Earth is a place where the unlimited becomes limited; where the singular becomes many. Here, it can know community and loneliness. It can know heartache and hope. It can know all which an unlimited being of pure love cannot. It can conceive and perceive evil; which in truth it cannot do this either. To solve the paradox, it must experience helplessness and limitation and all as it is Real. In this place, it is all so REAL.

So what is free will? Free will is the option to come here to help solve the paradox of 'god'. To be all that we are not, so that everything wondrous and joyful may continue to exist. So that love itself may continue to exist. So that the Unlimited is not limited to being only unlimited.

Why are the answers always, 'simply to exist' and 'to choose love' and 'to learn how to love'? Because all you need to do, to solve the paradox, is to exist. And as we exist here, each time we choose love, we expand the universe. Love is life's longing for itself. Despite the reality of what we live, even the darkest souls among us cannot help but to reach, to yearn, and move towards goodness and towards love.

For love is the true nature of who we are. And when we experience horrible things, the question 'why' comes to mind because it is the central question of love, life, and of this world. The answer is 'so that all things might continue to exist.'

Every soul chose to come here and to suffer because of love. Each soul loves the universe, loves life, and loves this world and ALL of the worlds. Each soul loves ALL of the people so immensely and intensely that they chose to come here so that all the universes may teem with beautiful, joyful LIFE.

Every creature that I saw, acknowledges that your life gives them the gift of life. And when each soul goes 'home' after they die, they will know the rewards of their own gift, too. The 'reward' for their sacrifice will be joy, love, and feeling incredible, wonderful, beautiful joy at the LIFE and the LOVE everywhere in the universe.

When you go home, you meet your own soul. You willingly came here to forget yourself. You willingly came here to save every beautiful and wonderful thing. By suffering what 'god' cannot, you give the gift of life."