Anita Moorjani is an international speaker and the author of the New York Times bestseller, Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer to Near Death to True Healing. 

Regarded among the world’s most spiritually influential people, Anita’s journey into the spirit world came as a result of her own personal health battle. After a 4-year battle with cancer, Anita fell into a coma and was given just days to live. This is when she experienced what she describes as her near-death experience (NDE), where she was given the choice to return to her physical form or continue on to a new realm. She chose to return to her physical form and upon waking was free from her countless tumours and cancer within weeks. 

Since her experience, Anita has dedicated her life to empowering the hearts and minds of people inspired by her own personal story of courage and personal transformation. 

Co-creation Global chats with Anita about her spiritual journey and how she hopes to inspire and influence others through her own experience. 

Tell us a bit about your journey into the spiritual world? 

Anita Moorjani: In my memoir Dying to Be Me, I describe how after battling cancer for 4 years, my body finally succumbed and I crossed the boundary between life and death. However, I was given the choice to return from the other realm in order to share my fascinating insights with others. My near-death experience was the catalyst that allowed me to cure myself of cancer and to accept my true purpose here on earth. 

My heightened awareness in that expanded realm was indescribable, despite my best efforts to explain it. The clarity was amazing. The universe makes sense! I finally understand—I know why I have cancer! I was too caught up in the wonder of that moment to dwell on the cause, although I’d soon examine it more closely. I also seemed to comprehend why I’d come into this life in the first place—I knew my true purpose. 

Why do I suddenly understand all this? I wanted to know. Who’s giving me this information? Is it God? Krishna? Buddha? Jesus? And then I was overwhelmed by the realization that God isn’t a being, but a state of being…and I was now that state of being! 

I saw my life intricately woven into everything I’d known so far. My experience was like a single thread woven through the huge and complex colourful images of an infinite tapestry. All the other threads and colours represented my relationships, including every life I’d touched. There were threads representing my mother, my father, my brother, my husband, and every other person who’d ever come into my life, whether they related to me in a positive or negative way. Oh my, there’s even a thread for Billy, who bullied me as a child! Every single encounter was woven together to create the fabric that was the sum of my life up to this point. I may have been only one thread, yet I was integral to the overall finished picture. 

In that state of clarity, I also realized that I’m not who I’d always thought I was: Here I am without my body, race, culture, religion, or beliefs…yet I continue to exist! Then what am I? Who am I? I certainly don’t feel reduced or smaller in any way. On the contrary, I haven’t ever been this huge, this powerful, or this all-encompassing. Wow, I’ve never, ever felt this way! There I was, without my body or any of my physical traits, yet my pure essence continued to exist, and it was not a reduced element of my whole self. In fact, it felt far greater and more intense and expansive than my physical being—magnificent, in fact. I felt eternal as if I’d always existed and always would without beginning or end. I was filled with the knowledge that I was simply magnificent! 

Why do you think that you got cancer and experienced this massive transformation? 

Anita Moorjani: As I looked at the great tapestry that was the accumulation of my life up to that point, I was able to identify exactly what had brought me to where I am today. Just look at my life path! Why, oh why, have I always been so harsh with myself? Why was I always beating myself up? Why was I always forsaking myself? Why did I never stand up for myself and show the world the beauty of my own soul?

Why was I always suppressing my own intelligence and creativity to please others? I betrayed myself every time I said yes when I meant no! Why have I violated myself by always needing to seek approval from others just to be myself? Why haven’t I followed my own beautiful heart and spoken my own truth?

Why don’t we realize this when we’re in our physical bodies? How come I never knew that we’re not supposed to be so tough on ourselves?

I still felt myself completely enveloped in a sea of unconditional love and acceptance. I was able to look at myself with fresh eyes, and I saw that I was a beautiful being of the Universe. I understood that just the fact that I existed made me worthy of this tender regard rather than judgment. I didn’t need to do anything specific. I deserved to be loved simply because I existed, nothing more and nothing less. 

This was a rather surprising realization for me because I’d always thought I needed to work at being lovable. I believed that I somehow had to be deserving and worthy of being cared for, so it was incredible to realise this wasn’t the case. I’m loved unconditionally, for no other reason than simply because I exist. I was transformed in unimaginable clarity as I realized that this expanded, magnificent essence was really me. It was the truth of my being. The understanding was so clear – I was looking into a new paradigm of self, becoming the crystalline light of my own awareness. Nothing interfered with the flow, glory, and amazing beauty of what was taking place. 

You write about how prior to your near-death experience you never really loved yourself or your soul. Can you explain what you believe is the essence of the soul and why self-love is so important? 

Anita Moorjani: The most meaningful lesson I learned from being at death’s door is that unless I love myself, nothing else in my life can function at its best. The amount of depth, meaning, and joy I experience in my life is in direct proportion to how much love I have for myself. The amount of love, kindness, patience I have for others is also directly proportional to how much love, patience and kindness I have for myself, because we cannot give others what we ourselves do not have. And, unsurprisingly, the amount of love, respect, support, and compassion I receive from others is also in direct proportion to how much of the same I have for myself. 

Many of us are taught from a young age to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” But what if we don’t love ourselves? What if we are our own worst enemy and our own harshest critic? If we treat others as we treat ourselves, then are we judging everyone else with the same harsh brush that we are using to paint ourselves? Is this why there are more people on our planet are obsessed with trying to condemn anyone who is different, instead of learning to embrace everyone who shares our earth, and rejoice in our differences? 

Learning to love others begins with learning to love ourselves unconditionally first. This seems to be a well-kept secret, which no one taught me as I was growing up. On the contrary, I was encouraged from a young age to put myself last, that it is selfish to love ourselves or put ourselves first. In fact, I used to give and give of myself, without tending to my own needs, to the point that I became so drained it started to affect my health. Continuing in this vein, I constantly believed that I needed to work on myself because I wasn’t good enough as I am. So I continued to work on being “better,” kinder, more “loving,” more “spiritual.” I was always it judging myself because I never felt I helps to be discerning. However, made the mark. 

Who or what has had the most them. Many have already made up influence or impact on your personal their minds and to be in an argument spiritual journey? 

Anita Moorjani: My husband Danny for his unconditional love throughout my journey with cancer and beyond. He continues to be an endless support to me today, which allows me to do the work I do. 

Also Dr. Wayne Dyer for his wisdom and support to enable me to get my story out into the world.

Do you believe that everyone has the power to transform themselves and beat illness and adversity in the same way that you did?

Anita Moorjani: When we live with a soul-deep sense of self-love and are at peace with every aspect of whom we are and are joyously following your life purpose, we no longer question our self-worth. We are able to see perfection in imperfection. We are no longer preoccupied in fixing ourselves or our life because we realize nothing is broken. In this state of being, you are free of others’ expectations and judgments and you allow the wisdom of your soul to express itself through you. This is when transformation takes place and, yes, healing is possible for anyone in this state of total self-love and appreciation.

How do you deal with sceptics and non-believers? 

Anita Moorjani: There will always be debunkers. As your story spreads you will attract them. Healthy scepticism is good as it helps to be discerning. However, I don’t engage with debunkers, as I don’t think it is my job to convince them. Many have already made up their minds and to be in an argument with them means I would have to be in a totally different frequency to match the one that they are in. Rather than do that I prefer to focus my attention on and speak about and offer wisdom on the things that can support others. Things that are uplifting that will change fear to love.

You are considered to be one of the most influential people in the spiritual world. What is the main message that you want to convey?

Anita Moorjani: Just be yourself and shine your light as brightly as you can! Don’t suppress who you are, or try to be who you think everyone else wants you to be. Your only purpose is to shine your light. We are all expressions of the divine. When we don’t love ourselves or allow ourselves to shine, we aren’t allowing the divine to express itself through us. 

Thank you Anita for sharing such powerful insights about your own spiritual journey with our readers and for the inspirational wisdom you continue to offer us all as to how we are all capable of transforming our lives when we learn to love and accept ourselves.

For more information about Anita Moorjani visit AnitaMoorjani.com