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(4 January 1943 – 24 February 2018)
Prem Deepak was born Joseph E. Vidmar in Washington, USA. He went from being a high school dropout to become a Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education as well as a Counseling Psychologist. He later trained to become an NLP Master practictioner and trainer, hypnotherapist, Human Design analyst and LYD guide.
In the ’90s, when he was not on excursion in the hills around Pune on his motorbike, he was seen in a black robe giving astrology sessions for the Mystery School and leading Dynamic and Kundalini Meditations in Buddha Hall.
He started travelling widely conducting sessions, groups and trainings in astrology, Human Design, hypnosis, and meditation, as well as giving individual sessions in astrology and human design.
Most famously, he wrote for many years the horoscope column for Viha Connection Magazine. His last contribution was for the March/April 2018 issue which has just come out.
Deepak lived many years in Taiwan – being married to Veetnisha, a Taiwanese sannyasin – with a 2-year intermission on Bali in the late noughties. He usually spent his winters in Goa, India. This time he fell very ill and was taken care of by Magno and Madita there. Ten days after his return from Goa he died, very quickly and peacefully, at the Wanfang Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. He had been suffering from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.
In the 2008 BBC series ‘Louis Theroux’s spiritual journey’ he is teaching Louis the Dynamic Meditation:
Watch on YouTube – watch the full episode on Daily Motion
Based on text sent in by Bhagawati, Mega and Osho Viha, photos thanks to Brian, Bhagawati, Mega, Ketan – alert credit to Mega, Mahana and Ilaa
Deepak Dying Consciously
by Veetnisha, Deepak’s wife
Deepak left the body with consciousness during the whole process. He followed every word I said to him until he left the body.
Deepak had been very sick in Goa, India – so much gratitude to Magno and Madita who took care of him while he stayed there. It was a really hard time for Deepak.
He came back to Taiwan on 14th February. I found him so slow with everything, thinking that he was losing his memory. Three days later, Deepak fell down and was taken to the Emergency at Wanfang Hospital. It looked like a stroke in every way. But his hands and legs were still strong to lift himself up and move around, just a slow response in words. So he went through a lot of tests; finally the results showed that it was UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). After IV antibiotics, he woke up, very conscious and with a quick response. Then I realized that he must have already been infected in Goa and that he was not losing his memory.
For further checks, to determine what bacteria were in the urine and if there were any in the blood, Deepak was admitted to hospital on 18 February. Later we came to know that the bacteria was E. coli, a very common one. He received IV antibiotics every day and he was getting better and better with this treatment. Everything seemed fine, so much so that on 22nd February he could even walk again and with good balance.
Then, on 23 February things changed. From midnight till early morning Deepak he became very restless, suffering from lots of sweating and feeling cold. I kept swiping the sweat off to give him some relief. He had a bladder test at 11:30 that morning.
Brian and Lorraine came to see Deepak.
I felt that he might leave his body in a week so started staying with him all day and night, not going anywhere, just sometimes left to go to the toilet. I started sending loving-kindness, talking to him and telling him how much I loved him and that I would take good care of myself.
On 24 February things changed even faster. From midnight to early morning he stopped eating and drinking. I kept sending loving-kindness, reciting Medicine Buddha’s name, and praying. When near noontime he started giving off a sound from his throat – one of the signs that tells that the person might leave the body within 24 to 48 hours – I thought that Deepak might leave the body within two days. The hospital tried to do IV or some other intrusive treatment, but I told them that he had already signed up for no NG Tube, no resuscitation or any other intrusive treatment.
I continued sending loving-kindness, reciting Medicine Buddha’s name, and praying. Then all of a sudden a technique of relaxation that Deepak taught in hypnosis came to my mind. I said, “Every sound you hear takes you down to deep, deep, deep relaxation.” Immediately both his hands relaxed and became soft. I kept repeating this to him, with loving-kindness and praying in between.
Now his body was so relaxed. Then suddenly I realised that’s how one’s consciousness leaves the body and another hypnosis technique that Deepak taught came to mind in that moment. I said, “Every sound you hear takes you up, up, lighter, lighter, like a balloon lifting you up, up, up.” Deepak immediately turned and looked straight into my eyes, and stopped there, staring at me, no more movements.
His breathing became very regular, slowly slowly in and out. I kept sending loving-kindness, praying and the balloon-lifting-up technique in between. And then he stopped breathing. I thought that was it. Then he had a big last out-breath with a big, beautiful smile on his face. I wanted to check his pulse, trying to look for this and that. At that moment, his left hand lifted up in the air, holding it up in the air. Just when I wondered what he was doing, he slowly slowly put it down. And at that moment I clearly saw a pulse in a vein of his left hand, pulsing strongly, then became weaker and weaker, until it stopped.
The nurse came in and went to get the doctor. He came to check and diagnosed that Deepak had died at 13:47, 24 February, 2018.
Around 18:00, my shaman teacher and seer came to the hospital to do the Great Death Rites.
Deepak left the body with consciousness, throughout the whole process. He followed every word I said to him. On 23 February I thought he would still have one week to go. Then on 24 February at noon time, I thought he would still have two more days to go through the dying process. But somehow he went through it so smoothly, so quickly, and so peacefully. It looks as if he was so determined to leave the body once he had made the decision, just like when he decided to quit smoking – he just quit after 58 years of smoking, with no regrets, no hesitation, no suffering.
I am so grateful that Deepak was in my life. He taught me so much in every way. He was, is and will always be in my heart, as a great teacher and as a best dear friend, so close to my heart.
Johnny Gongre says he remembers Joe from Boy Scouts and Rosalie Lott Ewing remembers him from Mrs. Woodward's 6th grade class at Warren Easton when she slapped Joe on the back of the head for some misstep he made which was not unusual for Joe. Rosalie said any teacher doing that nowadays would be in serious trouble. Polly remembers Joe as always being into some kind of mischief.