Do our souls know when we're going to pass away?

SwiftieGrainger · 2023-09-20T21:45:17+00:00

Please, please do not read on if you find themes of loss or bereavement triggering. This is hopefully intended to be light hearted as a thread. I'm just wondering if anyone believes we subconsciously know when we or people close to us are going to pass away? I am not hugely superstitious and I have no real view or opinion on the afterlife that makes me more susceptible to taking on such beliefs but I think I do. I was at work and for absolutely no reason at all as I heated up my pasta, I felt the need to call my dad's uncle. We rarely speak- he's an absolutely wonderful old man, but I have never called him in my life. I just did it without any real thought and I could not tell you why. It was lovely, just a light hearted chat that I found time for in my day but hugely unlike me. He peacefully passed away in his sleep the next day and I'm so glad I called. I'm also really glad that somehow the phone call happened when I'm usually so busy at work I don't even respond to texts. It's made me really happy tbh to know he knew I was thinking of him before he went, has anyone else had similar experiences? Yabu - death is random and we can't know it on a cellular level Yanbu - this is a common phenomenon

Heyhoherewegoagain · 20/09/2023 22:48

I think there is so much we don’t know about death…kind of “we don’t know what we don’t know”, and just because it cam’s be explained doesn’t mean it isn’t true…if that makes any sense!

Original poster

SwiftieGrainger · 20/09/2023 22:49

Heyhoherewegoagain · 20/09/2023 22:48

I think there is so much we don’t know about death…kind of “we don’t know what we don’t know”, and just because it cam’s be explained doesn’t mean it isn’t true…if that makes any sense!

So true! I find it reassuring, although it can be a bit mind blowing the more you ponder it.

OP posts:

AlwaysPrettyOnTheInside · 20/09/2023 22:51

I think they do, on some level. When it's not sudden/an accident etc the body shuts down slowly.

Jasperdale · 20/09/2023 22:53

I absolutely believe in this. I remember visiting my friends grandad (we were only about 12 so he wasn’t actually very old maybe 60’s) was in good health absolutely normal. When we left he stood in the step waving goodbye to us and I was really choked up I knew I was never going to see him again somehow. Had to pretend to my friend I wasn’t feeling well but the memory is so clear. He died in his sleep that night.

WaxingGibbon · 20/09/2023 22:53

The story I heard, that I find comforting to believe, is that it's our guardian angels giving each other a nudge to ping messages across at these significant moments in life. I had similar but it was at a birth moment rather than death.

So in your case, your dads uncle's angel gave yours a nudge to prompt you to make the call. Who knows! I know this sounds like woo nonsense. But I find it comforting.

CarpetRug · 20/09/2023 22:54

An acquaintance tugged on my mind somewhat. I remembered something I had said to him and felt stupid because it was fairly affectionate and I had been over the top. The following day he died.

AbbeyGailsParty · 20/09/2023 22:58

@WaxingGibbon i like that idea.

Heyhoherewegoagain · 20/09/2023 22:59

@WaxingGibbon i like that thought!

Ykn · 20/09/2023 23:00

The night before one of my DB attempted suicide and very nearly succeeded, I felt the need to text him to tell him I love him. I also felt the need to text the same to DF.

The next morning, while DB was in ICU - which was unknown to me at that point - "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma" played on Radio 2 and it made me cry, bringing back memories of my wonderful DGM , who was almost certainly watching over DB and the family that terrible day.

Original poster

SwiftieGrainger · 20/09/2023 23:03

Jasperdale · 20/09/2023 22:53

I absolutely believe in this. I remember visiting my friends grandad (we were only about 12 so he wasn’t actually very old maybe 60’s) was in good health absolutely normal. When we left he stood in the step waving goodbye to us and I was really choked up I knew I was never going to see him again somehow. Had to pretend to my friend I wasn’t feeling well but the memory is so clear. He died in his sleep that night.

This is so touching and I can fully believe it! It's so odd it's like all the insignificance of life goes in these moments and perspective of it becomes so clear. I'm glad you were able to have this moment to say goodbye

OP posts:

LightSpeeds · 20/09/2023 23:04

I don't think a person necessarily knows that they, themselves, are going to pass, but I believe the soul starts to 'loosen' as death or serious illness nears and another person (e.g me) may be able to detect this (for example, through a dream, feeling or vision).

Original poster

SwiftieGrainger · 20/09/2023 23:04

WaxingGibbon · 20/09/2023 22:53

The story I heard, that I find comforting to believe, is that it's our guardian angels giving each other a nudge to ping messages across at these significant moments in life. I had similar but it was at a birth moment rather than death.

So in your case, your dads uncle's angel gave yours a nudge to prompt you to make the call. Who knows! I know this sounds like woo nonsense. But I find it comforting.

Oh my goodness I love this so much what a lovely thought

OP posts:

MarsandMercury · 20/09/2023 23:05

I think it's just confirmation bias. You are ignoring all the times you rang a loved one on a whim and they didn't die next day! I've had that feeling multiple times about my ageing and poorly parents - must call them - that sudden feeling of being desperate to speak now, despite being busy. So far, touch wood, they are very much still with us!

Heyhoherewegoagain · 20/09/2023 23:06

MarsandMercury · 20/09/2023 23:05

I think it's just confirmation bias. You are ignoring all the times you rang a loved one on a whim and they didn't die next day! I've had that feeling multiple times about my ageing and poorly parents - must call them - that sudden feeling of being desperate to speak now, despite being busy. So far, touch wood, they are very much still with us!

Maybe, but it can be a comforting thought at a time of grief

SaylessSayless · 20/09/2023 23:06

I read this thread title and repeated it in my head as 'do arseholes know when we are going to pass away.'

Birdsonawireoopthere · 20/09/2023 23:07

Following

RabbitsRock · 20/09/2023 23:08

I had a lovely friend who I met through CB radio. I’m not sure of his age but I think he must have been early 70s. One night I got a voicemail from hospital saying “ Just calling you for the last…” then he quickly corrected himself & said “ Last thing at night”. He passed away very soon after 😢

Catshaveiteasy · 20/09/2023 23:21

No I don't believe it as such, I'm too rational, but I would really like to. In later later life my mother saw her older brother only rarely. One day she decided it was time to catch up with him, and drove over to see him. They went out for lunch and had a good time. The next day he died of a heart attack. It felt like my mother sensed it was her last chance to see him and I've always found it a comforting idea, but it was probably sheer coincidence, unless he had overdone it the day before maybe, and that had contributed to his heart attack?

It is a very uncomfortable thought that one could have no inkling of a sudden death, but I know of several where this has occurred and their nearest and dearest were completely dumbfounded and disbelieving.

Ilikeyourdecor · 20/09/2023 23:24

I do believe that you can subconsciously pick up on things that lead you to "know", or dream, someone will die. Some people can literally smell when a person is dying, if it's a slow death.

I think it's mostly confirmation bias though. I've known far more people who have been traumatised by the sudden death of a loved one coming out of the blue than stories like yours.

I drove past a family member's house once (I rarely saw them) and decided NOT to pop in. They died a few days later. I regret not going a lot, but I didn't have any vibes.

Iguanas369 · 20/09/2023 23:31

The day before my grandma died as I was saying bye I said I'll try to visit again next week. She replied don't worry about it, you don't have to and dismissed it, which I thought was odd. Normally she would say something like ok see you next week. The way she said it was like it didn't matter. She passed away the next morning. It was like she knew she wouldn't see me the following week. She was ill but thought she had months left so it was unexpected. I still remember that last conversation and the tone in her voice like she just knew.

JustKen · 20/09/2023 23:32

I don't believe I have a soul. Or humans have souls in general. I've heard of dying of a broken heart which I can't explain in my rational atheist head but I don't think you know when someone will die.

Fallingthroughclouds · 20/09/2023 23:34

Ilikeyourdecor · 20/09/2023 23:24

I do believe that you can subconsciously pick up on things that lead you to "know", or dream, someone will die. Some people can literally smell when a person is dying, if it's a slow death.

I think it's mostly confirmation bias though. I've known far more people who have been traumatised by the sudden death of a loved one coming out of the blue than stories like yours.

I drove past a family member's house once (I rarely saw them) and decided NOT to pop in. They died a few days later. I regret not going a lot, but I didn't have any vibes.

I think this is true. I was 12 and I was sat behind my dad in the car. I suddenly started crying uncontrollably. I remember clear as day thinking, he's going to die and it's going to be soon. He was diagnosed with terminal cancel within the month. I don't know why, and it's not something tangible but I've convinced myself it was olfactory.

Nellieinthebarn · 20/09/2023 23:36

Something kind of the same happened to me. I hadn't spoken to my biological father for at least 30 years. He left my mother, and the country, when I was 4, and he just wasn't part of my life from then on. One day I suddenly thought that he was now an old man, and I should contact him. I had to contact a cousin of his that I was vaguely aware of to get contact details, and I wrote him a letter. He phoned me very soon after getting the letter, and we had a couple of really nice chats. 3 months after this he died of liver cancer. He had gone for the initial tests a week before he got the letter, about the time I thought I should contact him. Probably coincidence, but it's an odd one, I honestly hardly ever thought about him until that time.

Daffidale · 20/09/2023 23:38

Rather grimly, doctors who work with people at end of life will tell you that people do often know they are dying. Some A&E Consultant I knew were discussing the signs they look for that someone is in a really bad way and they need to jump to it. They all said: when the patient says “I think I’m dying” or “I’m going to die”.

Litmus1001 · 20/09/2023 23:39

MarsandMercury · 20/09/2023 23:05

I think it's just confirmation bias. You are ignoring all the times you rang a loved one on a whim and they didn't die next day! I've had that feeling multiple times about my ageing and poorly parents - must call them - that sudden feeling of being desperate to speak now, despite being busy. So far, touch wood, they are very much still with us!

I agree with you.

(I have no issue with someone believing certain ideas about death, if it comforts them, as long as they don't force those ideas on others.)