Updated 2022.05.09

When your Loved One crosses over and leaves their physical body, they don’t always go to the lingering Earth area immediately. 

In most cases, your Loved One goes into the Light and crosses-over at the same time they leave their physical body. But this is not always the case. 

When your Loved One dies, there are generally three options for what happens and the timeline of when their Spirit and their Body separate:

Option 1: The Spirit leaves the body and crosses-over into the Light before the physical body ceases to function adequately. This can occur in cases of:

• Mental decline at the end of life

• In some coma situations

• In the body shut down, they start to leave their body and go into an etheric state of mind

Option 2: The Spirit leaves their body and crosses-over at the exact time the physical body loses function. This is the case in most transition experiences. Imagine a finger-snapping or a glow stick breaking and illuminating - a bit like that, it happens quickly.

Option 3: The Spirit leaves the body and crosses-over after the physical body loses function. This is often the case in the passing of a Loved One who:

• Hasn’t had a chance to say goodbye to everyone

• Wishes to attend their own funeral

• Needs to comfort loved ones (often in the case of a husband/wife crossing)

• Has some family/estate issues that need to be solved in the days following transition

If you or your Loved One chooses Option 3 - the option to not cross-over right away - don’t worry -there is no right way to die. They all have some time built in before they lose their option to go 'into the Light' which is the most critical part.

The Light is the gateway tunnel that appears to guide a Loved One before, during or after passing and will stay open for between one hour to ten days as a Loved One transitions into spirit. This is what is known as the Crossing Over Window.

The Crossing Over Window is the timeframe the Light stays open and it seems to change from person to person, circumstance to circumstance, but is typically not more than one week to ten days after physical body departure.

During this time window, your Loved One can:

• Say goodbye to those who were unable to be present before or during their physical transition

• Comfort those who are grieving and go to their own funeral, if they so wish they can and many do

• Make any necessary and uniquely strong after-transition visitations, to get their point across, usually

Sensing your grandmother, saw her at the foot of your bed, or swear you felt your husband touch your neck in the days after his transition? It's pretty likely you did - as visitations in the days immediately following the departure can be some of the strongest -

Concerned someone may be lingering a bit too long on Earth before they fully cross?

What's normal? It all depends. The Crossing Over Window can appear more than once and these are called 'outs' or 'near-transition experiences,' which can also be euphoric experiences), can they last anywhere from an hour to ten days, though it all depends.

For example, when someone has a terminal situation, this window may appear more than once, which is why a caretaker may some days feel it's time and other times that feeling goes away. Frequently caretakers are very intuitive and can sense when the Light is near; some have even seen it.

It can be startling and create emotions the first time you sense it, however, once you realize when it's happening, it gets easier to handle over time.

It's like getting close to the sun, and it can feel very big.

So try not to force processing loss on someone, because if someone is already sensitive, you don’t know what might happen. This is doubly why it’s important to let everyone grieve in their own way even if that way takes twenty years.

If you know someone not comfortable with loss and tends to feel high energy when someone is about to transition, it is often because this person can sense the Light nearby and they aren’t comfortable with it yet.

After the Crossing Over Window is up, the loved one is greeted and met with any Angels, family members or friends to help escort them safely if that’s what they choose.

Usually, these escorts are people they already know in spirit; and you may or may not also know them, as sometimes it's an old friend(s) from college or someone similar.

Overall, the Light is a bit like a red carpet The Spirit World rolls out, and it doesn't abandon anyone willing to take its hand. In most cases, it is around for seven to ten days in the immediate period following transition, but can stick around for on average, up to eight weeks after transition.

It's designed to make your loved ones crossing the most comfortable experience possible, will appear more than once, and for an extended period, to make sure whoever has wanted to get on board has.

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Other Articles You May Enjoy:

• What Happens After Death? 6 Things To Expect When Your Loved One Crosses Over

• The Gift of Presence: How to Sense a Deceased Loved One When They Visit

• 12 Signs Your Loved Ones Are Visiting You

• Do The Deceased Go To Their Own Funerals?