Lura Ketchledge was merely 19 when a horseback riding incident in Virginia resulted in a deep, near-death episode. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
Lura Ketchledge insists she’s “not one for drama – I’m just an ordinary individual” yet at the tender age of 19 she lived through one of the most extraordinary events ever recorded – forever altering her perception of reality.
Currently living a serene life in Arkansas, having settled in a lakeside community after retirement, the 66-year-old now dedicates two hours to swimming without pause. Nevertheless, there was a time when her days revolved around horseback riding.
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In one haunting foreshadowing moment just before her 13th birthday, she was unseated from a bolting horse as it collided with a road. This became her initial venture outside her body.
Lura perceived herself approximately 15 feet behind the horse in her vision, “observing as an onlooker.” She recounted to Round Trip Death: “It felt very startling, while also feeling innate, and then it concluded, and then the horse ran me over. I was severely wounded, yet I managed to stand up and hobble on one leg, contact my parents and proceed to the hospital.”, according to the Mirror.
It’s key to remember this occurred in the 1970s. Lura stated: “There wasn’t the internet. If you began discussing any paranormal happenings like exiting your physical form when you were 12-years-old you were branded a lunatic … you were placed in the madhouse.”
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It’s no surprise, therefore, Lura remained silent concerning her primary out-of-body journey. She persisted in riding during her adolescent years and, similar to countless other mornings – opted on one beautiful day in April to visit a well-known stable and embark on a ride in 1979. This turned out to be the ride that almost took her life.
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She picked a horse “beyond her skill set” confessing “you feel invincible at 19.” Following a day of riding, she encountered fellow equestrians who chose to race back to the barn. Lura remembered this as “not her most intelligent action.” As the horse sprinted at top speed, she succeeded in staying atop until the steed faltered.
At that instant, she articulated she “knew I was about to be struck – it was undeniable.” She continued: “I commenced veering to the horse’s right and I never connected with the ground – I departed my corporal form much to my shock and fear – I mean it was quite frightening. The incident held no terror – the separation from my body did. I then descended into this shadowy cavity or passage. One moment I’m on a horse. I’m 19 and savoring existence. The following moment I’m out of my body, I’m within this pitch-black hole, and I explicitly knew I had died. There was no misunderstanding it.
“I sensed death – I understood this was the end and I lacked any influence. I felt like myself – I felt the presence of arms, legs, a head – I wasn’t experiencing pain – I don’t think I recognized breathing at all but I was still me and I was proceeding down this tunnel and its walls felt very gentle and packed at the same time. It lacked a confining feeling, it was simply ‘zoom’ you’re travelling rapidly.”
Lura also succeeded in linking with her grandfather, admitting she had to “suppress her emotions as she became ” extremely moved” when referencing him. She recalled: “He passed away when I reached 12 – he was my everything and he stood right there awaiting my arrival. Understanding my grandfather was present – all the sensations tied to the mishap and evacuating my physical body simply disappeared. It was a deliverance to see him.
“He possessed these Paul Newman azure eyes – he was a statuesque Irish fellow. It was absolutely amazing. Simply picture encountering the individual you cherish most in the hereafter.
“If you’re an adult, you lose the ability to imagine reliving your childhood and I simply sensed being a child again. I was overwhelmed to see him. It proves difficult to articulate. The silver lining lay in his freedom from cancer – his suffering had ceased.
“He was still older yet resembled the superior version I recalled of him around the age of five or six… I remember the realization that he wasn’t wearing spectacles. “
Lura recollects posing numerous inquiries yet perceived she could never garner all the answers she desired. Nevertheless, their mode of dialogue was different.
She clarified: “It wasn’t vocalizing with your mouth, it was communicating with your inner thoughts, rendering it more polished and authentic. “My grandfather expressed abundant joy at seeing me. He displayed unwavering support, and his affection remained unchanged, and just understanding his continued existence holds immense value.”
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When questioned on whether she entered an alternate dimension, she responded: “Now, reflecting, I possess precise knowledge of my destination. It resides on the outer layer of reality… would I label it paradise?
“I would define it as the ongoing nature of being… it’s akin to turning inward. I was under direction at this juncture – I lost sight of my grandfather. Despite failing to see the guide – images of one’s lifetime emerge as spheres or bubbles.
“Emotionally, I continued being a teen and witnessed the repercussions of my acts – callous, unkind deeds committed during my youth. When I treated this young girl poorly at six – I sensed her feelings of letdown in me.
“Additionally, I was revealed genuinely commendable acts I performed. It didn’t feel good – it displeased me as I desired to improve. It existed not to chasten me, rather to reveal things. The lesson conveyed to me indicated the acceptance of proceeding through life as an acceptable person while stressing the significance of non-interference in others’ destinies – avoid being a stumbling block.
“You appreciate how your deeds affect the other party.” She subsequently ended up within a third realm accompanied by “additional spirits”. There, she observed her prior lives, an encounter she deemed disquieting.
Upon touching an aging gentleman, she perceived his essence within herself. She detailed: “I felt averse to the concept of reincarnation. I struggled more to come to terms with it.”
Subsequently, she arrived at a shoreline where hues seemed “more intense and vibrant” than those on Earth. Here she encountered the tree of life, radiating brilliant tones.
Thereafter, everything receded – the sensation of limbs vanished as she transitioned into sheer awareness. Lura articulated “lacking nothing and immersed within an ocean of affection.”
She likened it to penetrating clouds together with kindred souls – “a luminescence exists, and one’s field of vision broadens immensely.” Melody floated within during “sporadic pulses”. Yet without warning, she underwent a backward momentum.
The 19-year-old discovered she had been thrust back into her grandfather’s company. However, they now occupied a divergent realm, in a “level exterior to the tangible plane”, bearing a “lilac aspect.”
At that moment, she felt reluctance toward departing his presence – following which physical discomfort surfaced. She equated it to re-corking a bottle. “I harbored no gratefulness – my purpose didn’t lie here. I scanned this majestic countryside in Virginia and questioned to myself this can’t be reality.”
Distressingly, Lura felt an immediate longing to rejoin her grandfather. She remained uncertain regarding the span of her state of unconsciousness. She stated: “I couldn’t dismiss the notion that a part of me suffered scratches.”
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After being swiftly transported to a medical facility for care, she shared her encounter with the attending physician – in spite of this occurring four years subsequent to the inception of near-death experience discussions and the doctor brushed off her account with laughter, insinuating she had consumed mind-altering substances.
Devastatingly, Lura remained unable to discuss it with anyone until the age of 25, when she confided in her grandmother – who revealed Lura’s mother herself had undergone comparable episodes. Lura characterized this disclosure as granting her “profound solace” and she currently speaks openly regarding her near-death experience on a frequent schedule.