In 1992, Carrie Kohan was an aspiring actress on the rise, but her struggles with alcoholism derailed those ambitions, leading to her first encounter with death. “My life was in turmoil, and I was drinking myself into the ground, so the experience felt very much like coming face-to-face with the devil”, she told The Portugal News.

The incident motivated Kohan to reflect on her life and set her on a path toward change. “That death was my wake-up call”, Carrie said. “I immediately decided to turn my life around, but you can imagine my surprise when I died for the second time a year later.” However, this death was different – she entered the light and met what she describes as the Creator, a presence of pure, loving energy, along with the Council of Men, who revealed “The Five Lessons of Life” to her, which could possibly be one of the most insightful and comprehensive teachings ever received.

Despite her initial challenges with addiction, learning disabilities, and self-doubt, the author was guided to return to life with a mission: to share these lessons with the world. Over the course of three decades, this extraordinary story offers a compelling message of hope, healing, and higher consciousness.

A path toward change

Carrie Kohan’s journey to finding her life’s purpose did not come without its adversities, but the power of Spirit propelled her to shape a career that would ultimately alter the course of a nation. “After a brutal abortion in 1988, I was told that I would never be able to have kids”, she recounted. “During my second near-death experience, the Council of Men informed me that I was going to be a mom when I returned, and this was the biggest incentive to come back because I always wanted to be one.”

What the author didn’t yet know was that she would go on to become the pioneer and catalyst of a child protection movement. “It all started when I found out that my neighbour was a three-time convicted paedophile. He entered our home and attempted to kidnap my then two-year-old daughter who had been gravely ill, a vulnerability I later learned often made children the targets for these offenders, as they prey on the sickly and neglected”, Carrie mentioned.

“This led me to discover the disturbing lack of safeguards for children in Canada; it was a silent epidemic back then”, she noted. Determined to make a change, the mother committed herself to studying child abuse, paedophilia, and child trafficking, spending two years finding and connecting with survivors and families.

In 1998, the legal system was severely inadequate, with 60 percent of sentences for paedophilia being as short as six months in prison, while 40 percent got house arrest with no supervision. “I worked with over 3,500 individuals affected by child molestation”, Carrie stated. “I became the foremost expert on paedophilia in the country, and then I started lobbying the government for new laws.”

“I dedicated 17 years as a volunteer, never getting paid because I didn’t want anyone to dictate what I should do or say, and I wasn’t going to be in anyone’s back pocket”, she explained. “I would go to Parliament in Ottawa a couple of times a year to debate with the country's best lawyers on various bills and I usually won... In the end, I amended and wrote 14 laws to protect children, more than any other Canadian citizen had done before, and probably more than any other citizen in the world.”

In addition to her pivotal role as a federal government witness, Kohan was also responsible for the introduction of the Amber Alert System across Canada and Carrie’s Guardian Angel Law, which mandated a 20-year minimum sentence for serial paedophiles, guaranteeing that the most dangerous offenders would never be easily released.

Spiritual guidance

Published in 2019, “The Five Lessons of Life” is an award-winning, international bestseller, ranking 3rd in the world for spirituality and philosophy by the Readers’ Favourite International Book Competition. These teachings are based on forgiveness, compassion, faith, trust, and unconditional love.

Credits: Supplied Image;

Carrie described the writing process as a form of a spiritual awakening, where hours would pass as memories and insights returned from her near-death experiences. “I truly believed that Creator was my co-author on this one because, as I wrote, so many things that I had forgotten, came back to me”, she elaborated. “Creator told me that when the time was right, I would remember everything and share these lessons with the world, but I never imagined it would be 27 years later.”

“In 2012, I thought I had finished writing the book”, Carrie revealed. It was originally set for launch, but the author felt called to wait eight months, and though she questioned the delay, she decided to accept the guidance, unaware of its importance.

“Since returning from the other side, I can hear, sense and see visions of guidance. It was those guides who told me to look at the calendar and circle eight months from that day”, she recalled. “So I did, and eight months later, my father passed away.” This resulted in a period of significant introspection and growth, during which she realised that the book’s core teachings had not been fully practiced, especially in relation to their connection.

The newfound awareness prompted an extensive rewrite, ensuring that the message was not only written but genuinely lived. “It took another seven years by the time that I finished because I had to go through many layers of healing and learning to really love myself”, Carrie concluded. “You can’t share this kind of message with the world and not be authentic with it.”

“The Five Lessons of Life” second edition is available for purchase online through https://carriekohan.com/, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Chapters, Walmart, Waterstone, and Amazon. This book's narrative provides a catalogue of insights, wisdom, and guidance, continuing to inspire those on a path of transformation.

Author

A journalist that’s always eager to learn about new things. With a passion for travel, adventure and writing about this diverse world of ours.

“Wisdom begins in wonder” -  Socrates

Kate Sreenarong