Dec
9thPreparing For The Afterlife

by Jurgen Ziewe

One day every one of us will have to pass through the portals of death. We don’t have to reach a state of enlightenment in order to enter the pleasant lands, but we can’t ignore the fact that where we are now, emotionally and spiritually, will determine where we will go to spend the next leg of our infinite future. We can push the idea of death from our awareness via distractions or entertainments of various kinds, by leading a hedonist lifestyle as if there was no tomorrow, but we will have to bear in mind that what is in our sub-consciousness will become our new external reality when we die. There is no doubt that the best way to prepare ourselves for the future is by conducting our life from a place of calmness and inner stillness, here and now in our present, which becomes our instant link to our infinity. We can embrace the infinity of our existence by pursuing a life where every moment counts, and living it by being mindful and aware of our thoughts, feelings and actions, informed by kindness and the loving heart.

We can learn to look at our conflicts and crisis points as learning opportunities for building a better base, and treat our inner demons as our educators. We can look at our enemies as our teachers to learn compassion and harness our own authentic strength in order to liberate ourselves from the rule of others. Instead of putting self-interest first, we can learn to appreciate how our actions are experienced by others. The easiest way to accomplish this is by acting, thinking, speaking and experiencing reality by employing the heart in everything we do.

Psychology teaches us that we cannot hide our unresolved issues or inner demons if we wish to lead a healthy and balanced life. The foundation of happiness is to be found in a life of balance and psychological hygiene, free from the toxins of negative and destructive attitudes. We are aided by our ability to respond dynamically to situations by not remaining stuck in rigid constructs and hardened beliefs, which are unable to adapt to the flowing forces of nature.

Religions of old have tried to make it simple do good things and you’ll go to Heaven, do bad things and you’ll go to Hell. Reality is more complex than that and works on multiple levels. We will need to find our own way to our inner heart and authenticity, often via trial and error rather than by following prescriptions. We don’t need to read books about ethics and morality, about what is good and what is bad, we simply need to read the book of wisdom laid out within us and read in a state of calm and reflection. We can find out how we can love and serve, how we can enhance the world rather than impoverish it, how we can add value rather than devalue it.

By living through the heart we no longer have to figure out for ourselves what effect our actions will have on others, we simply open our inner channels to allow the most positive energy to flow into us and guide our actions. We can trigger love by appreciation, out of which a loving, empathic and compassionate heart is much more likely to rise. It will be a guarantor for a rewarding life rather than a mind calculating our effects, torn by conflict, obsessed with self-gratification and motivated by greed and self-importance. Too keep these channels open and connected to our authentic self close to our Source we can practice regular meditation, engage in selfless service and live life by fostering inner wisdom in calm reflection.

Every religion has brought forward their shining lights of sages who provide inspiration and encourage in us the right attitude to develop a powerful connection to our Source. It doesn’t matter whether we follow Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen or any other faiths, as long as we don’t get blinded by dogma and fanatical stances. Mindfulness, which focuses attention on the sensations, thoughts and emotions, while remaining rooted in the present moment with an accepting and non-judgemental attitude, can be practiced whichever religion we follow, because it will put us in a position of ‘being’ rather than ‘becoming’. This attitude will keep us in touch with reality and will cleanse our channels for a positive downflow of creative energy. Whatever cultural context we use as our basis, we are best served by looking at the core aspects of our faith, where it connects us to the Core Consciousness it springs from rather than diluted interpretations and evolved dogma.

Even if we don’t believe in God or any form of spirituality whatsoever, we can still rely on the simple acceptance that we ARE and inquire into the mystery of our Being. Deep meditation does not require belief, it just requires a focus on ‘what is’, on the reality of ‘Now’, and this way we also can find stillness, even as atheists. It is simply narrow-minded propaganda that preaches atheists will go to hell because they don’t believe in God. Nothing could be further from the truth, and many atheists are in a better position to reach enlightenment than many devout followers of religious beliefs. Buddha himself did not believe in God and yet he is the figurehead of one of the most enlightened ways of living on the planet. Fanatical subscribers to religious belief will no doubt be quick to condemn such a liberal stance, but they will have remember that there is not a single person, life form or atom that is not intimately connected to God or Core Consciousness, whether they may believe it or not.

In the end we will discover that, whatever our beliefs, actual first-hand experience will deliver the final proof for continuous existence and we will no longer have to rely on the testimonies of others. Nothing is more powerful in delivering proof than first-hand experience.

We will have to decide for ourselves which teachers, if any, to enlist and how to open the inner channels to the seat of Consciousness. The simple rule to be guided by is to avoid anything that cuts us off from the free flow of love energy, such as narcissism, dogma, selfishness, fanaticism, hatred, bigotry, intolerance and all the negative feelings related to our own self-importance, which will restrict the free flow of creative energy. All the energy we set in motion and which enriches the world without diminishing others is energy stacked in our favor.

By focusing on the things in life that truly matter, embracing reality rather than denying or running away from it, and by nurturing our authentic self, fertilized by the generosity of the heart, we create the best conditions not only for the afterlife, but for our current life as well, because life is a continuum.

Excerpt from Vistas of Infinity

See Part II here.

Oct
10thThe Lowlands Of Heaven

by G. Vale Owen

This volume (what follows is a short excerpt) contains the first of a series of communications from beyond the veil, received and written down by the Rev. G. Vale Owen, Vicar of Oxford, Lancashire.

It should be clearly understood that these messages, while complete in themselves, deal chiefly with the “Sphere of Light” nearest to the earth in which the Vicar’s mother, who is the principal communicator, states that she dwells, and that her impressions are chiefly individual to herself and are thus those of a newcomer and learner whose experiences are limited to a restricted area. Wider regions and greater heights and depths are explored, the interrelation of this and the afterlife is more fully explained, and both narrative and exposition of aims and principles are more vigorous, clear and comprehensive in succeeding messages, contained in other volumes of the series. ~ H. W. Engholm (more…)

Oct
7thThe Misguided Quest for Physical Immortality

by Stafford Betty

As I drove down to Mission Viejo to give a talk on the afterlife, I thought back to the article in Newsweek I’d read a few days before. Brilliant scientists, including Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, thought it possible to someday “cure death,” and Dmitry Itskov, the “godfather” of Russia’s Internet, predicted that the technology that would allow him to live for 10,000 years would be in place by 2045.

Wow. And here I was about to tell 70 seniors that death was no big deal because all it involved was the shedding of the body — the same body that these scientists would go to any length and expense to keep running. (more…)

Aug
20thAfter Death: Waking Up On The Other Side ~ Part II

by Carl Wickland

Experiences Of The Selfish Spirit On The Other Side

THOSE whose earthly interests have been superficial, who have been dominated by pride, vanity, greed, ambition and selfishness, are held in the earth sphere after transition until these tendencies have been conquered and love and sympathy have been developed through service for others.

Frequently spirits whose earth lives were spent in pursuit of pleasure and the pastimes of wealthy society have attained realization of a higher life through our psychic circle. (more…)

Aug
15thWitness From Beyond ~ Part III

by Ruth Mattson Taylor, Margaret F. Tweddell (channel)

My father, the Reverend Alvin Daniel Mattson, S.T.D., a Lutheran theologian, died on October 19, 1970. Affectionately known as “AD” by hundreds of former students, colleagues, and friends, he was a pioneer among the clergymen who sought to awaken the organized church to its responsibilities in the area of social justice.

Not quite five months after AD died, Margaret Flavell, a close friend from London, was visiting us. She is one of the most respected clairvoyants in England and has a remarkable record of accomplishments in the field of psychic communication. On the morning of March 2, 1971, we decided to see if we could get in touch with AD from the world beyond and to tape-record our attempt. We had expected to make contact with him and to get evidence that he does survive, but little did we expect the quantity and quality of very significant communication and information that we received. (more…)

Jul
29thWitness From Beyond ~ Part II

by Ruth Mattson Taylor, Margaret F. Tweddell (channel)

My father, the Reverend Alvin Daniel Mattson, S.T.D., a Lutheran theologian, died on October 19, 1970. Affectionately known as “AD” by hundreds of former students, colleagues, and friends, he was a pioneer among the clergymen who sought to awaken the organized church to its responsibilities in the area of social justice.

Not quite five months after AD died, Margaret Flavell, a close friend from London, was visiting us. She is one of the most respected clairvoyants in England and has a remarkable record of accomplishments in the field of psychic communication. On the morning of March 2, 1971, we decided to see if we could get in touch with AD from the world beyond and to tape-record our attempt. We had expected to make contact with him and to get evidence that he does survive, but little did we expect the quantity and quality of very significant communication and information that we received. (more…)

Jul
22ndWitness From Beyond

by Ruth Mattson Taylor, Margaret F. Tweddell (channel)

My father, the Reverend Alvin Daniel Mattson, S.T.D., a Lutheran theologian, died on October 19, 1970. Affectionately known as “AD” by hundreds of former students, colleagues, and friends, he was a pioneer among the clergymen who sought to awaken the organized church to its responsibilities in the area of social justice.

Not quite five months after AD died, Margaret Flavell, a close friend from London, was visiting us. She is one of the most respected clairvoyants in England and has a remarkable record of accomplishments in the field of psychic communication. On the morning of March 2, 1971, we decided to see if we could get in touch with AD from the world beyond and to tape-record our attempt. We had expected to make contact with him and to get evidence that he does survive, but little did we expect the quantity and quality of very significant communication and information that we received. (more…)

Jul
7thVisit To The Spheres Of The Lower Astral ~ Part II

by Franchezzo – Transcribed by A. Farnese

The Frozen Land—The Caverns of Slumber

I was next sent to visit what will indeed seem a strange country to exist in the spirit world. The Land of Ice and Snow—the Frozen Land—in which lived all those who had been cold and selfishly calculating in their earthly lives. Those who had crushed out and chilled and frozen from their own lives and the lives of others, all those warm sweet impulses and affections which make the life of heart and soul. Love had been so crushed and killed by them that its sun could not shine where they were, and only the frost of life remained.

Great statesmen were amongst those whom I saw dwelling in this land, but they were those who had not loved their country nor sought its good. Only their own ambitions, their own aggrandizement had been their aim, and to me they now appeared to dwell in great palaces of ice and on the lofty frozen pinnacles of their own ambitions. Others more humble and in different paths in life I saw, but all alike were chilled and frozen by the awful coldness and barrenness of a life from which all warmth, all passion, was shut out. I had learned the evils of an excess of emotion and of passion, now I saw the evils of their entire absence. Thank God this land had far fewer inhabitants than the other, for terrible as are the effects of misused love, they are not so hard to overcome as the absence of all the tender feelings of the human heart. (more…)

Jun
28thVisit To The Spheres Of The Lower Astral ~ Part I

by Franchezzo – Transcribed by A. Farnese

Twilight Lands – The Valley of Selfishness – The Country of Unrest – The Miser’s Land – The Gambler’s Land

When my period of work in any place was finished, I used to return to the Twilight Land to rest in another large building which belonged to our brotherhood. It was somewhat like the other place in appearance only not quite so dark, nor so dismal, nor so bare, and in the little room which belonged to each there were such things as we had earned as the rewards of our labors. For instance, in my room, which was still somewhat bare-looking, I had one great treasure. This was a picture of my love. It seemed more like a reflection of her in a mirror than a mere painted image, for when I looked intently at her she would smile back at me in answer, as though her spirit was conscious of my gaze, and when I wished very much to know what she was doing, my picture would change and show me. This was regarded by all my companions as a great and wonderful privilege, and I was told it was as much the result of her love and constant thought for me as of my own efforts to improve. Since then I have been shown how this living image was thrown upon the light of the astral plane and then projected into its frame in my room, but I cannot explain it more fully. Another gift from my darling was a white rosebud, which I had in a small vase and which never seemed to fade or wither, but remained fresh and fragrant and ever an emblem of her love, so that I called her my white rose. (more…)

Jun
13thAscension: Stepping Into The Afterlife

by Edward C. Randall

What happens at Death? What are one’s sensations, and what meets the vision on awakening? This has been described thousands of times, and I quote from my records something of what I have been told on the important subject:

“It is a privilege to tell you of my transition. The last physical sensation that I recall was one of falling, but I had no fear—it seemed so natural. At the same time I heard voices speaking words of encouragement, voices that I recognized as those of loved ones that I thought dead. For a time I had no recollection. Then I awoke in this spirit sphere, and never will I forget the joy that was mine. I found myself, saw my body, which appeared as usual, except lighter and more ethereal. I was resting on a couch in a beautiful room filled with flowers. I looked through a window and saw the landscape, bathed in rose-colored light. There was a quiet that was impressive, then music, the harmonious vibration of which seemed to rise and fall softly. Then one appeared, and, though she spoke no words, I seemed to understand and answered. (more…)

Jun
4thLife Between Lives: Spiritual Settings

by Michael Newton

While in trance, my subjects describe many visual images of the spirit world in earthly symbolisms. They may create structural images from their own planetary experiences or have these images created for them by guides seeking to raise their comfort level with familiar surroundings. After discussing this aspect of unconscious memory at lectures, I have had people say that, regardless of the consistency of these observations, they strain credibility. How could schoolrooms, libraries and temples exist in the spirit world?

I address these questions by explaining that past observational memory is metaphoric as a current perspective. Original scenes from all our lives never leave our memory as souls. In the spirit world, seeing a temple is not a literal record of stone blocks but rather a visualization of the meaning the temple has to that soul. Back on Earth, memories of past events in our soul life are reconstructions of circumstances and events based upon interpretations and conscious knowledge. All client memory retrieval is based upon observations of the soul mind processing information through a human mind. Regardless of the visual structures of spiritual settings, I always look to the functional aspects of what a subject is doing in them. (more…)