Sage advice from Friends on the Flipside - Tacitus and Plato

"Deride the stupidity of people who believe that today's authority can destroy tomorrow's memories." Tacitus

Tacitus - Roman historian

Last night I was in a deep and profound sleep. 

I was aware that I was talking to some fellows. I can't tell you how they were dressed, this morning I would argue they were in togas, but that's as a result of looking up information about one in particular.

I had the impression that I was "talking" to "wise guardians." (Or so it seemed)

For those familiar with my "Flipside" "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and "Hacking the Afterlife" reports, people often claim to be speaking to "wise guardians" or "spirit guides."  In this case, I didn't feel connected to these folks, just that we were having a conversation.

As I started to return to consciousness - waking up in Santa Monica - one of these fellows says "search "Tacitus" "souls return." He says "It will prove this is not a dream." 

So when I wake up, I try hard to remember that sentence.  I've heard things from the Flipside before, some I remember, some I don't. In this case, I remember "Tacitus souls return."

I don't know who Tacitus is or was... I may have been familiar with his name, as an abstraction, but absolutely no clue why. So I wikipedia'd him...  Tacitus was a Roman era historian (56 to 120 AD) who wrote a number of books about life under the Emperors. One of his books is the earliest reference to Christians, where he reports Nero's torching and persecuting them. 

He provided the quote above about how burning books, or burning people, doesn't change or alter the fact that we can learn from them.

Hmm. Okay. So Tacitus is a guy from an ancient era. Maybe that explains the toga.  What about the term "Souls Return"?

I search and find references to this in a couple of books - one from 1814 by Hugo Grotius, the other a book by Leon Denis written in 1909 - Denis is talking about the afterlife, and he provides a quote from Plato's Republic:

“Divine souls, return ye into human bodies and therein undertake a fresh career. Behold, here are the destinies that life offers. Choose freely, but remember that the choice is irrevocable, wherefore, if it be ill, accuse not God." 

Wow.

Doesn't get any more Flipside than hearing "new information" in a dream. By "new information" I mean - I get a message from someone not on the planet, who tells me to "search" something (Thank God he didn't say "Google" but I would have if he had anyway. If he said "Bing" I would have been more surprised. But he just said "SEARCH.")

Then by putting those words into a search string, I found the Plato quote, and learned that Tacitus ascribed to the same philosophy.

Divine rainbow.

“Divine souls, return ye into human bodies and therein undertake a fresh career." He's saying we all choose our life. "Behold, here are the destinies that life offers." Choose our lifetime. Choose our role. "Choose freely, (that choice is based on free will (not karma) but remember that the choice is irrevocable, wherefore, if it be ill, accuse not God." Once you make the choice "Don't blame God for your decision!" 

Which is exactly what they say in "Flipside" "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and "Hacking the Afterlife."

We choose to come here.  That once we're here we try to fulfill our contracts to the best of our ability.  If contract sounds to harsh, then think of it as solemn vow.  But what happens when we break the solemn vow and go back on our word?  

Nothing. There is no punishment over there. But there is disappointment. And it begins with ourselves realizing that we didn't fulfill the journey we set out to do, and likely screwed up everyone else's journey who agreed to come with us.

If being admonished by all the actors on stage for "muffing your part" "screwing up the lines"or "behaving like a fool" isn't motivation for not screwing up, then it's like the actor isn't doing his job properly.  Again - no "spanking machine" - no gauntlet to run. No spears to be poked by. No fires of hell.  But there are fires of embarrassment. Fires of humiliation.  Sadness for failure. Those are pretty hard lessons.  

But the argument can be made - from this side of the stage - that there are no lessons that shouldn't be learned, there are no lessons that shouldn't be tried to be learned.  Eventually we get it right. We're in no hurry to get it right.  But we do want to succeed.  We don't have to succeed - but it's a hell of a lot more fun when we do.  

Isn't it?

(The above Tacitus quote comes from his reaction to the Empire burning one of its critics books; "This makes one deride the stupidity of people who believe that today's authority can destroy tomorrow's memories. On the contrary, the repressions of genius increase its prestige. All that tyrannical conquerors and imitators of their brutalities, achieve is their own disrepute and their victims' renown." From the "Annals of Imperial Rome" by )

Latest reviews from the Audible version of Hacking the Afterlife

These are from here: 

Surprised and chagrined by the latest reviews on the Audible.com version of “Hackingthe Afterlife...”

"Great Book! #1 on my list to read first about the afterlife!!"

Narrator/Author was easy to listen to and at the top of my list for books on the afterlife. I have listened to quite a few and would recommend this one as the first book to read/listen to if you are questioning why you are here and what you will do after. Thank you for having it on Audible!

(You’re welcome, thank you!)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Conservative GirlMiami01-27-17

"excellent top notch book on the subject!!!"

this is an excellent book and I didn't mind the narrators natural style.....it was real, human and endearing. God Bless You and yours, for all your hard work. wishing you nothing but love-liness!!!! Emily

(Thank you Emily, most appreciated)

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazon CustomerIllinois, USA01-18-17

"Hacking Reviewed"

I've read and listened to many books in this genre and Rich does a great job at making the subject matter accessible and enjoyable. This is the first book that I have heard Rich narrate and so it was slightly different and not what you would be accustomed to from an audio book. However, his natural approach generates a more intimate and personal environment which adds to the entertainment. 

Having read Brian Weiss, Michael Newton, Jane Roberts, and Dolores Cannon, amongst others, there was not a lot of new material but what he does is bring the concepts together in a manner that is not overwhelming. For those beginning their journey into this field, Hacking is a great springboard that will send you on your way to a deeper understanding of what you will discover on the flip side.

(Thank you!)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Rich01-17-17

"it's like a spiritual talk over a good drink"

nothing better than a real-world author reading his own words of important things like spirituality in the afterlife, but reading it as if you were sitting in a Tavern and having the conversation over a drink with a good buddy. It's not boring spirituality lectures, it's stories of research into past life regressions and medium sessions with logic and humor SD structure and bases.

(Drinks on the house!)

Dbernelle01-10-17

"Great Content - Rich should have practiced his read & acoustics"

As in the title, Rich's work is fantastic, but he should have practiced his reading & used consistent acoustics.

His work is real & his humor is great.... if he wasn't surprised over & over by his own words & the wording of the book it would have had the impact that it deserved - I would still want him to be the reader, just practiced...

(I agree.  Elocution lessons for me!)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Marcia D.01-05-17

"The best Martini yet--a profound and joyful piece of work."

A true gift to everyone...particularly those whose hearts and minds pursue the "eternal questions" that continue to plague us and our planet...Rich Martini gladly shares the gold from his studies, research documentaries, filmed and radio interviews, personal experiences in the crossover worlds, questions, conjecture, opinions and, among all those facets gathered and recorded from the combined worlds of earth life and Spirit, issues proffered for any perspectives anyone may seek. I find endless delight in the ebook narration of this work simply because he exudes such irrepressible humor, common sense, joyful spontaneity and engaging warmth in the eager, direct conversations-with-a-friend spirit that leaps into the atmosphere and fills the personal space of the listener. In my almost 50 years of traveling these paths, this is surely the best summation I've found to date of the wisest truths that are there for the gathering. 

Congratulations, Rich Martini...and Thank You!

(Thank you Marcia!  Very kind.)

.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

BebeCentreville, VA12-30-16

"Worth the listen!!"

Any additional comments?

While the narration is different from other audiobooks I wouldn't say it bothered me. This book felt more like I was listening to a speech which in no way took away from the content. If you're a fan of esoterica or are open minded to discover new materials then this book is a treasure! I've read or listened to 100's on this topic and while some of the information and ideas already exist in print it's the depth of review that appeals to me in this book. Plus, there was plenty of new information. I found the listen to be delightful.

(I found this review to be delightful. Thanks.)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

JoyChimayo, Nm, United States12-29-16

"I love this book"

What did you love best about Hacking the Afterlife?

I love the author's reading of the book. His voice, humor and asides make a subject that is hard to believe very compelling. In studying the afterlife through reading many books, I am still unsure. I like this author. I think that he believes what he's saying. I am not with him as an absolute believer. I'm thinking about taking a deep hypnosis session because I listened to this book. Not sure, but maybe..
The Jesus fixation was a little strange. But I went with it. So many people who were with Jesus at one time or another? Strains credulity to a very, very, very limit. Still, I went with it. Kinda.

What other book might you compare Hacking the Afterlife to and why?

LIfe After Life.

Which character – as performed by Richard Martini – was your favorite?

Richard Martini is very funny and smart, and all of this book is done in his voice. I love his voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I listened to it in seven parts.

Any additional comments?

Keep going, Richard Martini. If I'm interested, many people are. Maybe less Jesus next time.

(Thanks Joy! I’ll let Jesus know! (just kidding) I’m just reporting though.)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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G. Merkel01-14-17

"Yawn! Waste of time."

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Was hoping for some, if not brilliant, at least interesting glimpses of the afterlife. Instead this book turned into a rambling monologue with very little substance and endless "name dropping." Heard about Amelia Earhart to ad nauseum with claims that she was a spy captured by the Japanese (he spent over an hour on that alone). Then of course, there was a long torturous interview with none other than Jesus himself, who claims not to have died on the cross after all. Michael Jackson put in an appearance as well as Robin Williams and the list goes on. Although I have no way of knowing what actually happened to these individuals, the story lines which were supposed to have been given through a medium, were all over the place and sometimes even contradictory. Boring would be an understatement. After about 6 hrs. of listening and trying my best to be open minded, I simply couldn't take anymore.

Has Hacking the Afterlife turned you off from other books in this genre?

Luckily, I have listened to books by many other authors on this subject which I thoroughly enjoyed and felt that I came away with a greater understanding of the topic. Raymond Moody, Jeffrey Long, Brian Weiss, James Van Praagh, Penny Sartori, Michael Newton and Eben Alexander, among others, have some terrific books on the subject and I am hoping they will release more.

How could the performance have been better?

In all fairness, I have read previous books by Richard Martini "The Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and they were not that bad. Although most of his work seems to revolve around the rich and or famous, not the regular person on the street, he at least didn't belabor one historic figure to the same degree in those books. I was able to get through them. My main complaint is that his works are filled with way too much dialogue and irrelevant information, rather than giving much insight into the afterlife. It almost comes across more like a bad script stuffed with fillers.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Main reaction was disappointment since I had really been looking forward to listening to this book, and then found out that it couldn't hold my interest.

Any additional comments?

The book came across as being fabricated and lacking in authenticity. If it was genuine, then it fell short of convincing this reader. At the very least, it could have been entertaining, even if I didn't buy it. Which is not to say that I am a skeptic on the subject, just this one particular book.

I tracked down Cheryl on Facebook and wrote the following:

Cheryl! I'm sorry you didn't like my audio version of "Hacking the Afterlife." How can I make it up to you?  I hope you asked for your money back... sounds like you had a hard time listening to it... really, tell me how. have you seen the print copy? (Michael Jackson isn't in it... I think you meant Prince, but that's not my choice - I didn't ask for any celebrities to "come through" - but I do live in hollywood). 

So I knew Robin Williams, I reviewed Prince for a show he did and saw him backstage... I don't know why they reached out to Jennifer Shaffer - but they did. Don't know what to say about it feeling fabricated - you've written positive reviews of my previous books "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife." Everything that I report is filmed. Meaning, I film my interviews, and I either post them online, or provide transcripts for what's said. The book are literal transcripts. The audio is me reading those transcripts. So not much I can fabricate.  

And as to Amelia - what can I say? After 30 years of research, I had 3 different mediums answer questions about her - and they were all accurate - not anything that is available in the research. So the point of her section was "new information" from people in the afterlife. Not because she’s famous. Because she’s still accessible. (as are all our loved ones.) It’s Amelia that tells the medium that US soldiers didn't dig up her body (she doesn't tell me!)

And finally - I thought long and hard about including the Jesus material - but this nearly half a dozen people contacted me to claim that they knew or met him in a previous lifetime... at some point I realized I was being prejudiced by not reporting that... 

Who am I to deny what they’re telling me? Again, I’m a reporter, reporting what I hear. Happy to send you a free copy of the book, or a copy of the film flipside? But Audible is a money back guarantee – and I’m sure you can get a refund. Thanks. Rich

A couple of Flipside Memories from those in the audience....

Some unusual emails and contacts from people around the planet lately....

My alma mater.

Phone rang. It was a woman in Canada.  She sounded surprised to hear my voice. She said "It's you!" I said "Yes, I think so. Should be me."

She said she had been listening to me on a blog radio broadcast the night before and fell asleep. She said that she began to dream that I was still talking to her.  But in this case, she was looking at me. (Gray hair, glasses, you know... me.)  The only problem was is that she'd never seen me before. 

So the next morning she went on line and watched a video of me talking and said "oh my god! that's the guy in my dream!"  

Trying to life Curtis Hanson's Oscar

She listened to the podcast again, and at some point they lost the connection with me, and someone in the control room said aloud my phone number to call me back to the show (Podcasts - it happens).  Only this woman could hear the person saying my number.  And she called it.

And I answered.

I said "Oh come on now, you must have seen a video of me speaking somewhere. I'm all over the net."  She said she had not.  I said "Well, there must have been a photograph of me on the blog radio ad" and she said "Well, I didn't see one. I just tuned in while I was in bed."

I said "That's funny. Well, let's examine it for a moment, shall we? Was this a creation of your imagination? Or did I actually come and visit you (not consciously, not aware of it) and speak to you?  What did I say?"  She said that I jokingly said "Maybe we know each other from a previous life."  She said, "Then you got up from the table and left behind your cellphone, keys and wallet."

Exqueeze me?

I said "Okay, try an experiment with me.  Freeze the image that you can remember.  Take a look at the phone. Describe it to me."

She said "It's a flip phone."  I said "Well, I don't own one of those - so it's likely your imagination of me doing this.  Open up the flip phone. What do you see?"  She said "I see a phone number."  I asked her to read it to me.  And in a very slow halting voice she read off the number... one digit at a time... and read off my cell phone number.

Me in reflection outside Ciprianis.

I laughed. "Well c'mon. You called me on this number!" She seemed startled. "Oh, yes, I did, didn't I?"  I said "So you are seeing that number on a cell phone - okay, it means that someone - likely your subconscious wants you to reach out to me for some reason. What about the wallet?" 

She described a wallet (that unnervingly sounded like mine - I instinctively felt for it - still there...) but when she opened it found credit cards and a photograph.  I asked "Who is in the photo? What's the first name that comes to mind?" She said a name. I said "Where does this person live, what year?"  She said a place and a year.  I asked "How do you know this person? Is she on the planet?"  She said "I don't think so. But I feel like I know her from another place - like from over there on the other side."

Everything's gonna be ok.

I told her to see if she could search this woman's name and find evidence of this person's existence. But perhaps that's the person who sent this message to her, for her to call me.  "What does this person want you to know?"  "That everything is going to be okay is what comes to me."

Then I asked "So what about the keys?" She said "There's big and small ones - one is a car key, the other a door key. And a key ring with a symbol."  I asked her to draw a symbol, and tell me what it meant. She drew something like the number 8 - "like the symbol for infinity." 

Infinity.

I said "Take the house key and take it to the door of the house that it unlocks. Describe it to me."  She described a two story house that seemed like it was in Eastern Europe.

I said "Open it. Go inside. What do you see?"  She said she was in the hall, and saw a plant and a mirror." I said "Great. Go to the mirror. Who do you see? A man or a woman?"  She said "A woman."  

She got the impression she was in Bosnia (a place she's never been) seeing a woman from the 1800's.  She gave me a name, a town - other details.  I said, "If you were doing a regression you'd spend more time with this woman. But based on what I've experience, look at this person. Is she a stranger? A friend? Or is she... someone else?" She said "It's me."

I said "Ask her. Why have you shown me this vision?"  She said "What I'm hearing is; "To show you that you don't have to stress or worry so much. Everything is going to be okay."

As I pointed out to her - that's a pretty long way to get to such a simple sentence. But by making it so complex, and a puzzle, when you get to the answer to the clues, it resonates more.  

I asked her if she really heard it. "Everything is going to be okay." She says she did.

Can you hear me now? On the set of "My Bollywood Bride"

A woman contacted me from Europe. She works for an airline.  She found me through one of my youtube videos.  She had recently had some very powerful dreams, and wondered if I might help her source them.

She told me that in one dream, which sounded like she was having an "out of body experrience" she felt like she was drifting over a desert setting at twilight... 

"My body started to shake, at my spine a tingling sensation (a bit like Kundalini when it's active, mine awakened a few years ago, but I didn't had it under control and it was very painful so I stopped meditating for a few years...but I  know how it feels). 

So I hear this music. It gets louder and louder.... music from movies.... (it was) soundtrack music that I like to listen (like "the force theme" from Star Wars and so on and many others) and then I heard voices. Whispers first. They got louder and then I could hear them saying "We take care of you all" (I felt they meant my family). 

And I asked in my mind "What's with my sister...? (Can you) take care of her?" and the voices said "We will take care of her, don't worry". I tried to stand up from bed, but couldn't move and realized I had sleep paralysis. Then I tried to force myself to fall asleep again to wake up from it. When I did, I immediately started to write to you..."

Turns out her sister has had a sudden illness. She's worried about her - so she got this dream where someone told her -- "It's going to be okay." 

I suggested that she try to meditate on the dream and ask some direct questions to these voices.  As an experiment I suggested she "freeze the frame" and see what she could learn without judging or worrying about whatever she heard.  Here's her slightly edited, complete reply: (grab a cup of tea and savor this if you please).

"Ok. Wow. My first attempt to examine it in freeze mode: I see myself lying on the bed in this situation and I try to freeze the frame. Then I said "Bring me to the place, where the music and the voices came from." 

At first I see a landscape, like a desert with a sky at the evening. I am kind of flying over it, in the air, then I make a sudden move upwards. I see light and then I see a group of people dressed in white (My conscious mind tries to judge it as something that I have read, but I try to say to myself "don't judge it"). 

I know all these people (not from this life though) and they are super happy to see me, laughing and joking. And they almost crack themselves up about what they did with me with the (Star Wars) music. Like friends who know you very well and who kind of tried to make a surprise party for you.

Here's a soul group. Got a surprise party for you.

I ask them "What's the point of always dressing up in white?" They said "Imagine how you would feel, if you saw us and we were all dressed up in black!". Ok - I get it. (This would really scare me.) 

I see that this form (of the spirits) as humans is just one they take for me but it is also convenient for them. As if they know this form very well.

So now I tried to examine the individuals... (previously, in out of body experiences) I mainly heard a female voice, (but) I knew that she spoke for many.... And (in my visions) I kind of saw her hair. Short wavy greyish, but no sharp face. So I tried to find her in this group.

But for some reason I couldn't examine them individually. Instead I (felt I) was sucked into them. I couldn't resist this force almost. I was just "one" with them. As soon as I tried to examine them individually, (it was like) I was spit out of this oneness. But it felt so calm and peaceful and I thought "Ok, just bathe in it for a while". This oneness... I (felt like I) was like a huge galaxy in this moment. I was in the universe. 

Another piece of home.

Then I tried to find people inside of me (from that "oneness") that I know from Earth. And again, as soon as I found them, I (felt like I) was spit out of the comfy zone of me being the galaxy, peaceful and calm. As soon as I found them, I also felt their energy and all the emotions connected to them and I was not in the oneness anymore. Which felt totally awful.

 I couldn't say if the emotions connected to them and the energy connected to them was my own feeling and energy towards them -- or their own which made them individualized from the "oneness." This really interested me, because in this life I have huge problems to differentiate if emotions are my own or if I just feel the emotions of others. Often it's all just a big enmeshed entanglement for me.

The first photograph... 180 years ago in Paris. 

Then I understood. To experience us and others as individuals we need to have all these emotions... especially/also the bad ones. The more "bad" the emotion the more we are separated from the oneness. Or the best term would be "individualized," not separated really, but defined or distinctive. For the first time I understood this now.

So to experience all this earth stuff from the oneness into this play with individuals, we need these emotions that separate/define us.

Hard to find the horizon that defines us from outer space.

I thought "this sucks, there needs to be another way". I then knew, this is what we have to try to learn as humanity. To hold this state of mind to be the oneness and individuals at the same time. Which as I understood it, is a certain frequency which is super hard to hold.

I then saw that is the reason for the strong movement of immigrants from the middle east to the west.

The middle east humans have more of a group consciousness, but they tend to disrespect the individual's freedom.

The western humans are individuals, but they forgot they are part of a group.

So these wars that are happening -- there is kind of a balancing out of these two extremes....like two ways to be a human, that clashes now together.

Flipside is in Italian, Spanish

This movement through immigration is a start of a long process of coming together again to learn from each other, so in future we can hold this frequency of feeling oneness and being individuals on Earth at the same time (which I understood will be the end of this cruelty on earth and new kind of experience that will begin here).

I have to say at the same time I also saw myself in front of a bigger group of people. Like a gathering. This kind of "happened" at the same time. My focus was more on the other thing, though. So in front of these bigger group of people --  they were all light and dressed white and they were like listening to what I had to say... I don't know what I said.... but I remember that I asked if i could speak with the part of the soul that is still here (in the light) of someone that I know who is still alive on earth. When I did, the floor under my feet opened up into a dark hole and I was thrown out of wherever I was, and (it's as if) they wanted to send me back to my body. I don't know why this happened. (We discussed this later, it may be related to her "not knowing" how this part of the story would end.)

You can find God in the eyes. Always. There.

I also remember asking if this oneness is all there is. If that is God. I understood that I just felt a tiny part of "all there is." More like a soul group oneness. Which again is part of something -- a bigger oneness -- and that even God as we understand God, and that (concept is) kind of responsible for us as a part of a bigger oneness and it never ends. 

Like circles made of individuals and this circle is again an individual of a bigger circle and every individual in a circle is part of many different other circles. Like clockworks entangled all together. And that's why if there is a tiny eruption somewhere it will effect everything. 

Hope that makes any sense. Hard to put this picture into words."

Stars? Or just shining parts of all of us as one?

Well.....

Wow. How about that? Pretty cool I'd say.

She tells me she has not read any of my books (although she owns a couple, has just started them) and here she lays out an important message for humanity.  (I could wait and write about this in another next book - and maybe I will - but for now, I'm sharing it with all of you.)

Our loved ones are not gone. They're just not here. You're on the planet for a reason.  Only you can examine that reason, but it's worth examining. We're all part of the same energy - and that energy is what God is.

As mentioned in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" - one person's spirit guide said "God is beyond the capacity of the human brain to comprehend - it's just too much information.  However you can experience God by opening your heart to everyone and to all things."

Got it?

Thanks for tuning in.