Book Quotes from the Flipside for Hacking the Afterlife

The following is a fun experiment I did with my ability to gain access to the flipside from others.

It goes like this - during the past year of interviewing mediums, channelers and others with access to the flipside, I came across a number of individuals whom I wrote about in the book.

To be clear: I did not know these people. Was not "friends" with them in this lifetime (except for Howard) (Or any other lifetime I'm aware of).  These are people who are in the public eye, who for some reason or other, appeared in front of me, like a deer standing on a road on a dark moonless night in the desert.

Your car lights come upon them; you have no time to think about or wonder - "How did they get here?"  They just appeared.  In like form, these folks appeared in my book for one reason or another, because I simply "ran into them."

So when it came time for me to finish the book, I thought about the folks I would send it around to for commentary - Gary Schwartz PhD (Harvard/Yale/UofAriz) generously wrote the foreword to "Flipside" - then Charles Grodin, my friend and mentor, wrote the foreword to "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and Galen Stoller (who passed away some years ago) wrote the foreword to "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" volume two - the first time I'm aware of that happening.

But I couldn't think of the most appropriate person to ask to write a foreword for "Hacking the Afterlife" ... so instead, I thought about doing something a bit different.  This has been edited down from original, but you'll get the idea:

Some cats appear to have the ability to access the flipside.

BOOK QUOTES:

I asked Jennifer Shaffer if any of the people interviewed in the book might give a quote or “blurb” for the book cover. I wrote her (tongue firmly in cheek): “I assume no one spends time in the afterlife reading books, however, perhaps one of them might be able to give a quote I can put on the book?” She asked each person on my list for a reply:

Edgar Cayce

 

Edgar wiki

“Tell Richard that his book has an appealing thunder for controverting settings that are falsely depicted, for those that need (to hear) it. (Jennifer asks Cayce “Need what?”) The truth we need is, how we survive our bodies, (arrive) in the afterlife to different situations that make up (I think he means comprise) the past, present, and future outcomes of our spiritual existence. (“Controverting” may mean “contradicting misconceptions.”)

              

Tell Rich not to fear the outcomes of what it is, that (the response to this book) will have people questioning their own disbeliefs and belief paradigms. And that we all have to, (and) at some point of our spiritual growth, need this “upheaval” to make a difference. Rich, you are that translation of the ethers. For now; I’m “The Awakened Prophet.” (laughing.) (Note, Jennifer had a hard time with his syntax and I’ve done my best to unpack it. Edgar Cayce was known as “The Sleeping Prophet” so his comment “The Awakened Prophet” is pretty funny.)

Howard Schultz 

 

Northbrook boy

Howard is a lifelong friend who grew up down the block from me. He came out to LA and became a successful TV writer/producer, creating successful shows “Extreme Makeover” and “Naked Dating.”  He offered to do a between life session with me, which I filmed and included in “Flipside” (but made him anonymous at the time.) We spoke often of doing a “spirit show” together, but it just never happened. We were talking about doing a show together the last time we spoke, but he passed away from a sudden heart attack a month later. Jennifer asked him for a quote:

Jennifer: Howard told me “The beginning is near and the ending is nonexistent.” (I see this as Howard playing with “the end is near!” when it comes to talking about the Flipside.) It’s something we all have to incorporate into the well of our being. Not to “look for the now,” but to “live for the awakened shift.” And not to use fear to have it… (Jennifer; “oh my gosh, he just showed me, a picture of a fear monger who’s running for President”)  Not to use fear tactics within your soul’s purpose to gratify who you are now.

He says “Tell Rich I support him in all his endeavors, even more so because I get where he’s coming from. Much luck to you… and you Jennifer… for making the unbelievable claim that there is even an afterlife. (Jennifer laughs.) He’s so funny; he showed me (a cover of) The National Enquirer; “The irony is that all the things we’re afraid of are actually true in the afterlife.”

Then he showed me the main characters from the movie “Men in Black.” “Everything was true.” “Truth” is written in big bold letters. “Truth has now become a way of making fear and the lies are the fear’s way of making truth nonexistent.” Then he showed me a wheel, he says “It’s a never ending circle of stupidity in the population of the planet and the people in the afterlife are trying to make up for it.” (Jennifer asks “Of what you guys caused?”) He says “No, of what’s going on now; the past and the future, it’s all one - in a nice bow that looks like it hurts." (She saw a picture of a Tiffany box with a bow that Howard pulled until the box bulged.)

He says “Tell Rich to keep listening, I’m there.” What else did you want to say?  He showed me Amelia Earhart and said “Tell Rich not to worry, everything will work out, (“I think he means financially”) - spiritually he just showed me you were skyrocketing over him. Howard it was good to talk to you. He gave me that cute look of his. Gosh I love that… see you soon.”

Prince

 

Wiki Prince

Since Prince and Robin Williams appear in the book, they’re naturals to ask if they have a quote for the book. Jennifer sends me a file where she asks on her cellphone; “Is there anything Prince can say about why people should or should not should read this book?” “He says “They should read it if they want to fly.” (Jennifer laughs “to the moon?”) “then Robin Williams came in and said “That’s mine!”

“Prince showed me the book opening up and then stars floating from the page, like it’s magical.” He says, “But it’s history repeating itself.” Jennifer: “He said put lyrics in the book from his song Purple Rain; it’s the fourth section. (Jennifer: I hope I’m interpreting it right.)   

(Note: The 4th verse of "Purple Rain" (that neither I nor Jennifer were aware of) is this: 

"You say you want a leader

But you can't seem to make up your mind

I think you better close it

And let me guide you to the purple rain"

with regard to the quote above, I assume he means electing a leader like the one recently elected is merely "history repeating itself.")

Jennifer: He’s showing me the magic of the purple rain going up instead of going down, with the sparkles that happen upon opening up the book; it makes the reader open up. They’re calibrated, is what it feels like, into what you’re reading. “It’s beautiful written music, Rich.”

He’s also showing me an image of the Radio shack logo - that’s so funny. He says “You’re a transmitter of a spiritual language, hitting the masses in this dimension, which is hard to do unless you wear high heels like he did… which hurt his back. He’s showing me it’s ultimately what caused his death.” 

Jennifer asks “So you died from high heels?” 

“Technically yes,” he says. “What would you have done differently?” He said “I would not have used that piano (to jump from) … Ah, I see, it’s a metaphor. He wanted more, so he jumped off of it; jumping off his favorite instrument, trying to reach the ethers. Jennifer asks: “So you could have just done that by playing, no? “Yes,” he says, “he could have done that by playing.”

He’s showing your book at the piano. “Just do it” he says, laughing. But what does Rich have to do with jumping off a piano? He’s says you’re jumping off a different cliff, but he’s showing me a trampoline (laughs) – that you’ll be fine.  Because you feel like you’re jumping off a cliff with this endeavor.  He said “Balls to the wall.” He says “Tell Rich I can only have him hear me when he wants to listen.” “What does that mean?” Oh, (that) you don’t care to have things pushed on you.  Jennifer asks “Are you pushing him?” “Kind of…” he says, “to the point where…” ah, I see, that’s where the disbelief comes in.

He says he won’t push you, he’ll “Enchant your writings. Like on the piano, like a duo;” He showed me both of you guys side by side on the piano bench… (Note: Something I spent a lot of time doing with my mom who was a concert pianist who played duets.) “Tell him that we’re all doing this from all aspects.”

Oh… aw.. he just gave me a flower, I hope that was for me, I’m actually blushing… He gave me a daisy, not a rose.  He said “The rose is saved for God.” What does that mean? He says, “God is all of us, in you and me. The daisy is the enchantment of something. Something different in the matrix.” And then he showed me a beautiful array of flowers… wow. He said “Signed Prince.” He made an x for a signature… “He’ll know what that means,” he said. (Like a sideways version of his signature of the “Artist known as Prince.”) “See you soon.”

Robin Williams

Jennifer: I first want to say happy birthday to you, Robin (It’s his birthday as we write this.) Do you have a quote for Richard’s book, a direct message to your fans and friends? 

“I have only two words; “Love… Love.” Jennifer asks, “Love all?”  “No, love Love.” He says “That’s the key ingredients for happiness; love the love. Find that. In everything that you are. Whether you are in hell (metaphorically speaking) or in your prison cell, (physically speaking); find the truth. Love is God’s connectedness, love is God, it’s every single one of us, even if we can’t hear it. Love… Love. And then send it to everything." Oh my gosh, the sun just came through my window, my heart’s pounding. I said is that it Robin? He says “No; that’s everything.”  Wow that makes me want to cry. Thank you.

He says “Tell Rich I’m here for him. He says tell him that I’ll surprise him.” When? He’s going to visit this person, he’s going to visit this person and then this person is going to come to you; that’s how you’ll know. He just winked. He says “Tell Rich it’s exciting: the matrix, the connections, God…” -- it was so interesting when he said that -- and now he says “nanu nanu,” and just did like a little thing on his head, "over and out. Until now.” (A play on the parting line “Until then…”) “It’s Over and yonder.”

(A pause) Robin showed me a record. “The record is your lifetimes. Playing over and over and then sometimes we scratch the record and then we have to get a new record.” He’s showing me how in this lifetime he scratched it and he left, and (then) you come back as like a CD or a Walkman. And then we end up all virtual. (Note: I think he means at the end of all of our lifetimes. Each lifetime is like a variation on a theme, like music on cylinder, on vinyl, on digital – variations on each them we choose as our lifetime, and eventually we become that recording in a virtual way.) The music keeps going, our souls keep going, that was such a great thing he just gave me – we’re all records, sometimes we scratch, sometimes we get broken, eventually we just live on to more instruments more human bodies, I love the way he shows me the Walkman, the cd player, then we go virtual… for millions of people.

“And you are that right now, Rich - you’re now the virtual .. you’re not the record player anymore, or the record, you’re now in the virtual, you’ve made it, and you’re sending it to everybody else. I commend your thoughts and love who you are and thank you and love to both of you.” He showed me a pebble of some sort, he showed me a rock “You’ll know what that means.” Something with rocks. All right, bye. (I have a collection of rocks from around the world – world’s cheapest souvenir, but reminds me instantly where I found it. I have one on my desk and my eye went straight for it.)

Amelia Earhart

“She has the most beautiful eyes by the way.” says Jennifer. “First thing she says is “Don’t find me.” She says “it will disrupt everyone.” She says that her bones will be found or get shown soon. And that she’s having fun with all the crazy people that want to find me, “I’m not worth that. They’re spending too much on resources,” What about a tv show? “That would be okay, I’ll lead you; let them pay for it.” Oh I have the chills.

She says that she wants you to lead (the search). You’ll understand what not to look for. Not sure what she means by that. (Note: I do.) Oh, the plane. She’s showing me the plane and one of the wings, like half the wing tip. She says something about it not being hers; something about 1948 (whatever that means to you, Rich.) (Note: I don't.) What else? She says: “Tell him I love him.” 

Oh, Luana came in by the way – both of you guys are conspiring something.  They both just came in while I’m talking to Amelia.

Um, aw… Ha, so Amelia just showed me her girlfriend and that you’re correct. Whatever that means. (I know what that means.)

We are all part of this play, she just showed me how she did so much – the last five years (of her life incarcerated in prison) she could live without – she says. But what about his book? Any quote? “Lift it to your soul. And see what your soul has to say. Hearing the words from the book; don’t judge it, just listen to your spirit, it will guide you and tell you that the “unthinkable” is real -- and (she says) make sure that the unthinkable is in quotes; she’s saying you’re not thinking it – it’s unthinkable. The things that you put in your head; it’s the stuff you don’t put in your head that’s real.

She just gave you a kiss on the cheek and spun you around in the chair, She said “Bon Voyage… to what?... to the ethers.” She says “I think we all have a lot in common. And we’re lucky to have us in all dimensions, I am grateful.” She says “Be grateful for your breath. It is coveted sometimes, (breathing) not the biblical sense of coveting of course. Wanting breath is everything; it’s your source, it’s your power. Move and laugh, laughing’s the best medicine don’t waste time trying to dig up things.  Unless it’s a TV show, she keeps saying; she’s showing me September as well, not sure what that means. (Possible date of production of a documentary I’m helping about her). She says – “Au Revoir.”  

The Alpha and the Omega

I asked her; “see if Jesus has a quote for us…”

They’re fighting for it, hold on, - oh, Mary Magdalene (is here), my heart always feels better when I feel her. She says “Tell Rich he is not a saint…. Aw, that’s so sweet, she says that you’re not a saint, but you’re an etheric saint, and she showed me a statue in the ethers. She showed me like a map of the US with lights, you know how like if you were pinning destinations everywhere, with all the destinations lit up? She says that you’re doing that through your work. Then she showed me how you reach all audiences in all the quantum fields – she’s showing me the dimension on top of our dimension and all the dimensions after that; so that’s why you’re an etheric saint… that’s hilarious.

I’m being shown (Jesus) -- you know when I described him as he came to me with loafers and jeans and button downed shirt and his hair long, looks like a 1960’s guy yet cleaned up? He has brown eyes, beautiful eyes, that’s amazing, but they change.

First thing he says is “Tell Rich “Thank you.” Why? “For allowing a different outcome in the way people can hear my story.” He’s showing me the Bible and showing me your work and how they stacked up against each other… that’s so funny! Well, not funny.. but.. wow. He’s showing me how my brain is like an antenna, thank you, and my heart as well…

“Tell Rich that his work is the truth. That people have become fearful and might say bad things (about it); it’s one of many multidimensional truths that has to… heed the warning from not putting it out. That’s where damnation happens - by not putting truth out there – it was taken out of context, (like) what was written in the Bible.

“You’re a truth-gnostic.” What does that mean? He’s laughing. “Tell Rich that a truth-gnostic is someone who is unbiased and wants what others have to say, that resonates with his heart. You put it out there, even when you might not believe everything that you’re listening to (or writing about).

Then he just showed me like lightning of some sort, like a lamp going out with a flash, just the frequencies bursting – what an amazing metaphor! He’s showing how the frequencies (are affected), like your (way of putting things,) your language is making things crash, with people internally… You’re breaking the old lamps so they can put a new bulb in, to bring forth the light, instead of (just) trying to dust off the old light. He says “Thank you for doing that.”

“It is a challenge frequency that always hurts initially. Follow your spirit and only look back for the theater of history it plays in, or plays to. And know the audience members have to watch the play - the modern day version of it - enough times for them to have it sink in. Like (the Broadway play) Alexander Hamilton – using the different races that played the historic characters in Hamilton. People prep the stage for it to last.

He just showed me the Michelangelo painting where they’re touching fingers in the Sistine chapel - where God imbues the human spirit with his touch – he says “Everyone touches God and makes up (comprises) what God is.” He says “It’s molecules of light in different shades, in different colors of light in different shapes and sizes. And some are big lights like you, so others can follow - not in a hierarchy way, but so they won’t get lost on the path.” He’s showing me a dirt path. He says “Sometimes a dirt path is harder to stay on and being in a car is easier, but some people choose to keep walking up hill because they’re told it’s the only way.”

(laughs) “You’re giving them a hybrid choice - to question (reality) – nobody would have believed in the electric car (before it was made) – (Jennifer: He just showed me my electric car and said “but you already have one.”) He says “I love you and everyone.” 

He’s showing me all the U.S. presidents, and says “Everyone (of them) made a difference. In the quantum field of light and darkness, without one, you would not have had the other. So for you, for one, please do not judge.” He showed me an image of Paul Revere. He says “Do not judge the messenger and its contents to set you free; “free” meaning in your heart, where in the ethers is (always) “true.” We all are Shakespeare’s love.

He shows me that we technically die and rise together. Whether in our hearts or in our spiritual uncertainty, or in our spiritual uncertainty or demise. We can rebuild. He says take my advice; Gandhi did it right. And we all have Gandhi inside our hearts. And he just showed me Robin Williams and said “Love the love. Within us all. And peace. And then peace has to follow.”

“Thank you Rich. We are entertained by your thoughts.” Why was that shown to me? The Holy bible? “It was a foundation.” Now he showed me a lightbulb and breaking it with the frequencies, and showed me a new lightbulb and showed me your book, one of many books incorporated into – not “the new age” but “the new vulnerability.” “Love the love.  It’s so simple yet dissected into a thousand different ways, thousand different shades of light that make up one… “Without darkness there is no light, and vice versa…. you get the drift.”

He says “Sing well. And listen more. To your own advocacy. Of this multi-dimensional world.” He’s showing how you have to get along with all dimensions, not just this dimension, but you have to have the awareness that (reality) it is multidimensional. He shows me there is no stealing, everything is free. As long as your heart is (free) and you take action…

“Like you, Rich. More people will be changed by your words, than the ones who can’t hear what you’re saying. That is their path. Maybe the next lifetime; but again, he shows me the contract between people that you have to have both; people who can hear and people who can’t hear the difference, otherwise everyone would be following him or someone like him - like a saint. (Jennifer: hey, you’re a saint in the ether, how’s that make you feel?) I said I don’t want them to leave but they’ll be back. He just said “Rich; you are an en-Richment.”

 

Luana with Michael Gough

And finally, a quote from Luana Anders, which I heard in a dream six years after her passing: she said “The hopes of a thousand generations are resting upon you.”

            *                *             *             *             *

 Okay.  I'm not insane. 

I don't post these quotes believing that they are verbatim quotes from people on the flipside.  I mean c'mon - Edgar Cayce taking the time to say he's the awakened prophet? Or Jesus making a pun about en-richment?

Or Prince and Robin and Amelia all having a conversation with me?  It's beyond sane.  It's beyond an argument.  I include it because that's what I do. I include the good, the bad, and the bizarre in my writing. Because when you do that - some people will be turned off - turned away - will get a refund for the book. 

That's fine, that's what they're supposed to do.

But others will say "Hey, wait a second. If he's reporting this verbatim, then how do we define what he's saying?"

I can tell you that I've known Jennifer for a couple of years now, I know that she works with law enforcement agencies nationwide, I know that she's helped solved some crimes and mysteries.  I know she's not 100% accurate all the time, and I know that anyone who puts a sentence together calls upon memory and syntax and reference in order to be able to speak.  So let's call that our "grain of salt" when examining these "quotes" from people no longer on the planet.

 But when you take away the salt what do we get?

We get a number of people "speaking" through Jennifer in an unusual way.  She's a friend of mine, so I hope that some of these effusive comments, and compliments, come from someplace in her heart, or from her higher self.  But even when you carve out the compliments, we're still left with some pretty unusual observations.

Edgar Cayce's syntax for one. Who talks like that anymore?  No one I'm aware of. Is Jennifer familiar with his work?  Not by any stretch of the imagination I'm aware of.  I read his books over 30 years ago - and am not familiar with his syntax. But after this quote I did look it up - and see that it matches the way he spoke during his life.

I know Howard Schultz very well. Do I think he might have made those jokes? Turning phrases on their heads "the end is near!" Yes, that was like him. His sense of humor. Do I think he would say something like "Good luck with even saying that there is an afterlife"? Well yes.  He was pragmatic as well.  But then Jennifer and I have spoken to him before, and in that prior conversation, he accurately described where I was during his funeral.  (Which Jennifer was not aware of.) So I already have a profound feeling that when he speaks to me through Jennifer he's speaking of things only he and I know of.

Then we have Prince and Robin Williams.  Prince's syntax - the way he puts together words - is quite unusual.  It's almost like a musician composing sentences - using the turn of the phrase.  Like "your words moving off the page and into the sky" - it's something a writer or a musician might compose or think up in a good moment. 

But again, in this construct; Jennifer is having a glass of wine while on vacation with her family, and responding to my request with whatever comes off the top of her head and speaking them into her iphone, then emailing them to me. One after the other. All in a row. No time to write or compose the concepts within.  I know writers who could turn that phrase, use that metaphor - but they're paid to do that, they do it for a living.  It's not something I would say, nor Jennifer.

And then him telling her that he "died from wearing high heels."  She did not know what he meant, and asked him to explain it to her. I didn't understand it either - what is he talking about? He certainly did wear high heels on stage... but then he explains it - one of his amazing feats was to jump off a piano onto the stage. I saw him do it when I reviewed the concert for Variety. 

But Prince explained to her that the stunt caused him joint pain, bad joints and what eventually led him to take pain meds, and become addicted to pain medication - which led to his demise. If Jennifer had been thinking about it - or had conceived of that metaphor, she wouldn't have had to ask him "What does that mean?"

In the book, both Prince and Robin Williams make a joke about teaching a class in "how not to leave the earth early."  (Which is also odd, because when asked what I teach in film school I tell them "How not to have a film career in hollywood" because if you follow my advice, you won't have one either. Ha!)

And then Robin Williams' quote: "Love love."  What I love about it is that Jennifer asks (as I could hear her ask on the audio, just after saying it;) "What does that mean?"  If anyone is making up a story on the spot, even subconsciously, when it comes to a turn of phrase - like "love love" - you would KNOW what that meant and could explain it.  You wouldn't ask. In Jennifer's case, she does NOT KNOW WHAT HE MEANS.

And so, he explains it to her.  Love the act of love. Love what love represents. Share that feeling and emotion of love. Give love.  It's way more profound concept than anything I've ever said in any of my books, and I would offer that it's not something I've ever heard Jennifer refer to or be aware of.  

"Love love."  She says it now, and I say it too - it's something we should all contemplate and think about.

As mentioned in the book, when it comes to Amelia, I had three different mediums access her, each asked the same relative questions, and each gave the same answers which are not public knowledge. (i.e, the identity of her girlfriend, which she refers to above, and that only her husband George Putnam knew about, and I've since confirmed.)  "The unthinkable is real."  Not a turn of phrase I'm aware of, but makes sense in this context.

It's not me saying or claiming these details - but it is someone who has or had intimate knowledge of Amelia and her life. And the answers were consistent among all three mediums. But beyond that, she's saying "DON'T LOOK FOR ME." As if it's a waste of time.  I understand what she means by that as well.  

And finally, I thought long and hard about including anything about The Alpha and the Omega in my books. Good friends advised me not to.  As it causes "brain freeze" or it just steps on too many toes.  

But my entire concept here is to just report what people are saying.  The good, the bad, the bizarre - whatever it is they're saying so that people can decide for themselves whether what people are saying has any resonance for them.  

I was surprised when people starting saying the same things - and even more surprised when people on the flipside should show up and say the same relative things they'd said to other people ... in the book! "Oh by the way, Richard asked this question to this council two years ago, and now we have an answer for him."

A long way of saying "If you don't believe me, just read the transcripts."  And the transcripts are in the book "Hacking the Afterlife."

Okay, enough about me...

Enjoy the show! Stay tuned!

Hacking the Afterlife" - Interviews with New Information From People No ...

Here it is on Audible:

Here it is in Paperback:

Here it is on Kindle:

Here it is on Itunes: 

Here it is at Barnes and Noble:

Here it is as a Nook Book:

Other links, like "Flipside in Italian" are on the right side of this page ---->>

Kevin Moore Hacking the Afterlife

Always a treat to speak with my pal Kevin Moore about the Flipside.



 Enjoy!

"Just Be"

I'm sharing this story from Colorado, because it's essentially what I've been filming and studying for the past decade.

What's going on over on the Flipside?

IANDS (mentioned in the article) is a place for people who've experienced near death experiences to meet up and share their stories. (I'm appearing at the Santa Barbara chapter on March 8th, and the Orange County Chapter on March 11th. (link is from a talk I gave there in 2012, but it's the same place, just on March 11th, 2017) 

I've given a number of talks at the International Association for Near Death Studies - it's a group put together by scientists which allows people to share their experiences in a non judgmental way.  People are given the space to talk about whatever happened to them.

In my case, I've been examining what happened to them, and comparing it to what other people say has happened to them - sometimes under deep hypnosis, sometimes not.  And I'm finding (Michael Newton found this to be the case way before I came to his research "Journey of Souls" etc) that people are consistently saying THE SAME THINGS about the Afterlife.

That's why I've written these books and made the documentary "Flipside."

Because when you read and compare and watch these accounts, you also can see for yourself that they're talking about the same place (relatively.)

So here's an account from Fox News in Colorado:

‘Near Death Experiencers’ Meetup members share their stories

By Macy Egeland

Published: February 22, 2017 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — .....

They call themselves Near Death Experiencers, and some members of this Meetup say they have died and come back. The Near Death Experiencers group in Colorado Springs has more than 100 members. They say they’re a rarity that can share an important message.

It’s something we’ve all wondered, whether you’re religious or not: what happens to us when our lives come to an end?

“We all want to serve and help others to share the message of love,” organizer Theresa Diaz said. Now they’re sharing what they saw in the afterlife.

“It educates people on what the experience of dying is like and the other side to hopefully alleviate fears for people for their own death and their own passing, as well as for loved ones that maybe have or have not passed yet,” Diaz said.

For the members who say they have experienced death themselves, there’s no question about what lies beyond. “I wish that I could put it into words,” Dea Dewitt-Maltby said. “Seven years later, I’m still fighting for the words. It has changed my life completely.”

Dewitt-Maltby lives in Salida, and back in 2008 she was driving home from a shopping trip in Colorado Springs. While she was driving along Highway 115 right by Fort Carson, she hit a rut on the side of the road and lost control.

“I was being directed into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler, and I knew that I couldn’t survive a crash like that,” Dewitt-Maltby said. “I just remember thinking ‘let me be the only one that dies in this accident,’ and that was the last thing I remember until I found myself hanging upside down in the vehicle and not able to move. I was crushed in between the steering wheel and the roof of the car.”

Dewitt-Maltby was badly injured. Her lungs had been crushed by the impact. But the only thing she could think about was her dog, Reebok, who ran away after the crash. “I remember just looking up and saying if there is a God, you made my dog, and you’re the only one who can protect him,” she said. “Please protect my dog. And within a millisecond, it was like this light came down out of the ambulance, the roof of the ambulance, it came into my face, permeated my whole body, filled me with peace and with the knowing that my dog was okay, that I was okay and that everything was taken care of. It literally went down through my entire body.”

And that was just the first of her unexplainable experiences. Dewitt-Maltby spent the next 12 days in a coma. “I knew that I no longer was connected to my body,” she said. “I knew that it was just consciousness. I was enveloped in these beautiful colors and these beautiful sounds and I knew I was being held.”

“It was as if that essence, and I’ll call that essence God, stroked the left side of my face, only I didn’t have a face, it was just the essence of me, and said, ‘just be,’” she said. “And for the first time in my life I understood what that meant. When that happened, it was as if somebody waved their hand and the whole universe opened up. And all of a sudden I’m out in this wonderful universe and there’s a million stars. Only they weren’t stars, they were souls. I had totally forgotten about this realm. I had totally forgotten about this life.”

Over the following days, Dewitt-Maltby began to recover and eventually came out of the coma a new person. She was also reunited with Reebok, who was found safe and uninjured. “Now I’d have to say I don’t have faith or belief, I have a knowing that there truly is life beyond this life and there truly is a fabulous essence of love that created us,” Dewitt-Maltby said.

It’s a belief she shares with many others who say they have had near-death experiences. Many of them say they encountered similar scenarios and feelings while they were on the other side. “The universe talks to us every single day, but are we listening? Sometimes I think near death experiences are just a rap upside the head for people,” Dewitt-Maltby said.

“We need support for one another because otherwise you feel kind of strange that you’ve had this experience and so you want to feel like you’re not alone. So we have each other to share our stories,” Diaz said. With stories so bizarre, this group is used to the skeptics.

But still, they want to share their stories and give those who believe a better idea of what lies ahead in the afterlife. “I don’t think any of us have all the answers, but we do know there’s something far greater than this reality that we’re living in,” Dewitt-Maltby said. “You don’t have to have a near death experience to find the doorway in between this world and the next.”

Dewitt-Maltby was also featured on a show called “I Survived Beyond and Back.” Dewitt-Maltby, Diaz, and the Meetup group’s creator, Roy Hill, have all written books about their experiences. They meet once a month.

There is an International Association for Near-Death Studies Convention in Denver this August. (I'll be speaking there.)

According to the International Association for Near Death Studies, near death experiencers often go through one of more of these scenarios:

Floating
Looking down at their body
Entering a tunnel
Moving toward a light
Seeing intense colors and music
Being met by others
Feeling unconditionally loved and at peace
Experiencing a life review
Seeing a border between life and death
Having a reluctance to return
Feeling no pain
Having no sense of time

These are the hallmarks of the near death experience.  They're also the hallmarks of what people say about the between lives realm when they access it while under deep hypnosis, or in some other fashion.

Consistently.

Across the globe. Doesn't matter if they've had a near death experience before, if they're atheists, agnostic or religious. When it comes to their descriptions of the flipside, they're consistent.  

Why does it matter? What's the big hurry to understand the flipside? Who cares?

Once you wrap your mind around the fact that we are here temporarily, you see that we choose to come here. And for those of us who plan on coming back, doesn't it make sense to leave behind a clean campground?  Let's pretend for a moment that what I'm saying is true, is accurate.

Doesn't it make sense to leave behind fresh water, fresh air and clean earth... if not for our children, but for our own return?

If it's true what these people are saying - that between lives we are all equal, there is no hierarchy - that we come here to learn lessons in love - doesn't it make sense to see adversity as something to surpass, to move beyond? To see our fellow humans here on the planet as what they really are? People from the same source that we are from?  People that deserves the same level of insight, learning and teaching that we deserve?

We currently are living in a time of challenges - but no more so than any era on earth, any epoch of this planet. Except perhaps that we are in imminent danger of losing the planet. Of losing what this place was, is, and could still be.  All we need to do is open our eyes... and "just be."

My two cents.

Introduction to "Hacking the Afterlife"

So sad to report the passing of my old pal Bill Paxton.

Photo: Billy Mumy

Known Bill him since his Martini Ranch days. (Bill had a hit song in the 80s as part of a duo. No relation.) (First 20 seconds of this clip are from Bill's band "Martini Ranch") 

Met Bill in London while he was making Aliens. He said he'd star in my 1st film "You Cant Hurry Love" rewrote a number of scenes. Hilarious. (Unfortunately his agent intervened but the film opens with his music as an homage to him. Some of his jokes remain). 

We tooled around Cannes (a few times), lost too much money at a casino, can still hear his booming laugh in the Aero for a screening of "Cannes Man". 

Such a distinctive laugh. It was his laugh that I 1st recognized in a pub in London. Grade school pal Lori Axelson knew his then girlfriend Louise; over a pint of Guiness he did his in your face - full frontal guffaw - and I said "Wait a second. You're that crazy brother from Weird Science!" 

Our last conversation Bill called driving in from Ojai, said "i'm in the catbird seat now, man. I get to pick and choose what i want to make." West Texas. Beloved brother. Rare individual. Heart of gold. Just at the beginning of the third act man. Sorry to not be able to see that. God speed Billy.

(For fans of "Flipside" and "Hacking the Afterlife" if Billy shows up in any of the research, I will report it here.  Not to mitigate the loss of him in any way - his family and friends are in shock - but if Billy does show up in one of my interviews, I will do my utmost to be as accurate as I can to anything he might be able to impart via a medium that I'm interviewing! As you know, a number of acquaintances have appeared during these interviews, and I try to search for "new information.")

For those unfamiliar with the concepts describe here:

Here's the Introduction to my book "Hacking the Afterlife."  Available in paperback, kindle, audible, itunes, etc. 

Introduction

To Be or Not To Be; That’s THE Question

“Ascent of the Blessed” by Hieronymus Bosch

This detail has been cited as an example of a near death experience, complete with a tunnel of light and souls venturing through it.  

A “Life Hack” refers to “any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life.”^[1]

Or in this case; “and beyond.”

I’ve been examining near death experiences, between life hypnosis sessions, out of body experiences and speaking to mediums and others who report relatively the same things about the afterlife.  These reports point to the conclusion; that we don’t die, that those who’ve gone before us are accessible on the other side of the veil.

I’ve been filming people under deep hypnosis for a decade and I’ve expanded my research to include people who’ve had near death experiences, as well as interviewing people who appear to be able to communicate with people no longer on the planet. At some point, by asking questions about a person’s “memory” of a past life, I realized people appear to be able to access and explore a “between lives realm” without being under hypnosis at all. 

The unusual premise of this book is that what or who we are as individuals does not disappear upon our demise and this bundle of “what we are or were” is still accessible to our loved ones back here.  Reportedly, our core essence doesn’t turn into bits of fairy dust and vanish after death, nor does our life’s energy drift into a Jungian pool of unconsciousness. These reports claim our “life energy” moves from this reality into another “reality,” reportedly like walking from “one room to the next.” Like using the transporter room from a Star Trek episode.

Of course, our physical bodies eventually dissolve, turn to ash. But the energy does not; as the “law of conservation of energy” argues in physics.^[2] Reportedly, our energy exists here during our lifetime, like a smaller piece of a holographic image. When the plate of a hologram is broken into pieces, each part contains all of the information from that holographic image, but “in a diminished fashion.”  Once we are finished here with this lifetime, our energy apparently leaves the body and “returns home” intact to reconnect with the rest of the energy left behind.  

According to the hundreds of sessions or cases I’ve examined, dozens of near death experiences, hundreds of hypnosis sessions, along with the 30 or so that I’ve filmed – when we return “home” we reconnect with that portion of our energy we left behind coming here. What was startling to learn, and a bit disconcerting, is that most people claim we only bring a relatively small portion of our overall life force to our lives; the average is “about one third.”^[3] Further that each lifetime is a choice.

To decide to incarnate or not to incarnate. Good question.

This book will explore “life planning” sessions, where under deep hypnosis, people access that decision to come to the planet, why they chose their particular persona, and what they hoped to accomplish in doing so. That our life choice is not based on previous lifetimes or karma, or difficulties we’ve had in the past – although we certainly can choose to explore those arenas - but the choice to do so is based on free will.  We can always say “No. I’m not returning. I have better things to do back here than to go down there with the rest of you.”

But for some godforsaken reason, because our soul group convinces us to do so, or our guides convince us that it’s a journey we should take on behalf of others, we agree to participate. Indeed, those of us here have all agreed to come here, to get back on stage, to play our parts as requested of us. We may not like it once we get back here, but how we perform is entirely up to us. When we leave this mortal coil – it’s not that we drift like a “wisp of smoke” into a bardo as Buddhism argues, but a full third of our energy heads “back home” to reunite with the other two thirds of our energy that is “always back there.”

It’s bit like the liquid robot from in the film “Terminator 2.” When a piece broke off, the liquid sought out the rest of the robot so it could reformulate the whole machine; our energy seeks out and finds the rest of our energy and melds with it to make us “whole” again.  People have described this event of “resynthesizing” with their higher energy as “mind blowing” and “intensely healing.” When we reconnect with our literal selves, we remember the motivation behind our adventures here, and all of our previous adventures with other members of our soul group. We can see why we chose this lifetime, we understand why we chose our previous lifetimes, and understand the overall theme of all of those choices.

They report that each lifetime reflects the overall discipline that our soul group is working on.  Like being part of a university class in a chosen discipline; one soul group’s overall theme might be medicine, healing, compassion, forgiveness, loyalty, any of the various themes that are explored in literature and the theater. 

In one between life session a woman reported that her “soul group examines what addiction does to people” and recalled various lifetimes that include addictions in all their forms.  She was able to see that the overdose of her brother, the sexual addictions of her father, and her own life’s addictions all had a theme to them, of understanding the fundamental energy behind addiction and how to transform it into healing energy.

In some cases a soul may not want to return “home” right away, may forestall the trip to stick around and see how things play out. It’s up to us whether we stay or go, after all, just as it’s up to us whether we come here or not. We might see these souls who haven’t left in some energetic, etheric way. They’re usually referred to as “ghosts” and in popular media appear with eerie music. But in many cases, after a person checks out, says goodbye to their loved ones, they can’t wait to get back home. They report they usually can’t wait to return to their friends, “back home.” 

To be clear, this isn’t my belief, philosophy or religious bent. I have a background as a journalist (written for Variety, Premiere, USA Today and Inc.com) I’m a documentary filmmaker (“White City/Windy City” “Journey into Tibet”) I’m a film director (“Limit Up,” “Point of Betrayal,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” among others) and I’m just reporting what the research consistently says. I’m not an expert on the afterlife, nor an expert on anything really.  I’ve been filming and interviewing people about their Flipside experiences for a decade.  The reports are essentially the same.

These eyewitness reports are a bit like the explorers who took ships across the sea, then came back with fantastic tales of what they’d seen.  Some went with an attitude of reinforcing their religious beliefs, some made up stories to get money for future trips, while others kept diaries and reported verbatim what they’d witnessed. But when the reports were consistent and could be repeated, their destination became “the new world.”  What these people report about the Flipside is both consistent and replicable, which is pretty much what science requires for something to be considered data.

The main difference here is that when these explorers return from their trip abroad, they refer to that other place across the sea as “home.” 

Further, the research shows that while we are on the planet, that two thirds of our energy back there, on the Flipside, isn’t just floating on clouds. It’s reported that our higher selves “attend classes,” “learn how to manipulate energy,” even report playing “games with our soul mates.” In one case, a person reported finding her soul group playing an elaborate “game of tag.”

She said the game required a person to track down and “capture” six other soul mates. They could hide “anywhere in the universe;” the added complication was that “everyone is invisible” and they can hide “in any realm” they wanted to.  Like an incredible multi-engine version of a Google search, but using their mind’s engine to search for the energy pattern of invisible entities in multiple dimensions.

They also report that on the Flipside, our higher selves can tune in, watch, enjoy or be horrified by our performance back here.  A bit like watching a play in the theater where we are both in the audience and on stage at the same time.

The people on stage have a filter that prevents them from knowing there’s an audience watching them, or from knowing why they chose a particular part or costume or prop, or why they agreed to the part in the first place.  Of course, it would ruin the play if they spent most of their time shading their eyes to wave at the audience and say “Hi Mom. Look at me! I’m in a play!”

From our seats “back home” we can cheer, applaud, cry, laugh with those onstage acting out these roles.  When our friends exit, it’s reported we often congratulate them for a job well done. When the actor who plays Romeo meets the actress who played Juliet backstage, he doesn’t chastise her for screwing up his life and causing both of their deaths. He embraces her, congratulates her for a job well done. “Great acting tonight, Julie.” “You too Romy; see you at the after party.”

“It’s not your time to exit the stage yet.” 

Some people have a near death experience, find themselves “back home” with their soul group, but these folks are usually told “Hey, get back on stage! You’re not supposed to be here yet.”  

I’ve spoken to a number of International Association of Near Death Studies groups^[4] and I’ve met a number of people disconcerted they felt so wonderful “back home” and are upset to be forced “back here.” They saw loved ones back there, experienced the unconditional love many report backstage and have no desire to put on the makeup, and step into the limelight.

We live in a world where we try to own time, manipulate and change time. We may not be happy we have more work to do onstage, work that we aren’t prepared for, or want to do.  But hang on.  What if I told you it’s possible to “go home” while you’re still here, still on the planet? 

What if I told you it’s possible to visit your friends who are no longer on the planet, and you can ask and get information that you didn’t know was possible to learn?  What if I told you that anyone who has ever walked the Earth is available and accessible, because their energy never dies?  It transforms, as per the first law of thermodynamics, from one form to the next, but the essence of that form, since it’s outside of time, will always exist.^[5] So if you want to ask Will, “What did you mean by to be or not to be? Is that a rhetorical question? Or are you talking about incarnation?” you can.

We’ve all heard fantastical accounts about the afterlife.  From visions of satanic fires to angels riding on clouds, we’ve been inundated with these reports since humans populated the planet. But in reports of the afterlife, isn’t it unusual that no two of these reports are ever the same?   

As scientist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, a rainbow is different for everyone who sees it.  No two rainbows are alike. “The exact Rainbow any of us sees in the sky is entirely our own -- a personal, yet communal gift from the laws of optics.”^[6]

The same is true for visions of the afterlife.  Two people may visit a “Library of records” but no two descriptions are alike.  People may visit a “soul group,”^[7] but exactly where it’s located or how it’s constructed varies from person to person.

We may even see the same person in the afterlife others have seen. They may appear to us differently than they appear to another person, it appears to depend on how they want to present themselves.

Sometimes we see them as older, sometimes younger, depending on the person we’re visiting. Yet we have a feeling of knowing that we’re actually seeing the person we once knew.  I’ve filmed first hand reports of these encounters with people from all walks of life; different genders, beliefs or lack of belief - who are consistent in their reporting. With different hypnotherapists, different accounts of near death experiences, different experiences as we’ll see; all describe the same “place” in a different way.

Caveat Emptor!

As I’ve mentioned in “Flipside: A Tourist’s Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife” and “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife” a skeptic is someone who “doesn’t believe in the prevailing school of thought.” I’m a skeptic in the truest sense of the word.  Science considers accounts of past lives to be “cryptomnesia”; something a person imagined, heard, or read about someone else’s life, that they forgot -- but their subconscious did not. Or, science argues people may tap into what Carl Jung referred to as the “universal unconscious” - a place in the universe where the energy from our lives supposedly comes to rest, floating like an island of non-biodegradable detritus in outer space. Past life memories are people merely “tapping into” that island.

Further science believes near death experiences are due to Hypoxia, lack of oxygen in the brain which causes hallucinations.  (As happens in high altitude.)  I know about Hypoxia – I’ve been at high altitude in the mountains of Tibet and had some pretty fantastic “visions” up there.  But science “believes” this because, well, there’s no data on the topic.

Finally, materialist science believes consciousness begins and ends in the brain, as if the engrams contain all the information we need to know, and if someone has enough of them – or a computer does – it can become “sentient.” To quote my former Oxford/Harvard alum Boston University professor Julian Baird; “I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.”

The simplest way to prove past lives, out of body experiences, near death experiences are actual events, not imaginary, is through the evidence of “new information.”  If a person sees, hears, learns something during one of these events that they couldn’t possibly have known - that there’s no “known example” anywhere in books or the internet or in “some other person’s mind that perhaps they were accessing” - then it must come from somewhere else other than the brain.

If that new information turns out to be accurate -- then the person could not have gotten the information from the Jungian unconscious, from the energetic memory of some previous person, from the hidden recesses of their subconscious, or from not being able to breathe atop Mt. Everest. 

It’s not up to me to convince anyone either way. I’m just a reporter here. If that’s your final answer on the matter, as they say, I recommend putting this book back on the shelf, returning it to the kindle app or whatever dime store bin you found it.  You should be able to get your money back. After all, buying books is not like being alive – they come with a money back guarantee. There may be solid reasons for you not to venture down this avenue, and I appreciate that. I’m not writing these books for everyone. No really, if you’re feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable, it’s going to get a lot more freaky up in here. Maybe this amusement park ride isn’t for you.

Apologies in advance for syntax mistakes, typos, and any other errors I make here; someone complained of my reading of my books on Audible, I sometimes laugh, am overcome with emotion, correct myself or as one wag put it, could “hear my cat meow” in the background. If meowing bothers you, then I’m not your guide. Get a refund, please!

That being said, there are people who may need to hear these reports, and need to hear it in the tone and syntax I express. For whatever reason.  Now, for those of you who have stuck around:  I invite you into this world of the afterlife, where we can query people no longer on the planet with specific questions and get some pretty amazing answers.  Care to follow me? But you have been warned.

Giordano Bruno, philosopher burned at the stake for revealing his out of body experience where he saw that the earth goes around the sun.

“L’asciate ogni speranza voi ch’entrate”

 “Abandon All Hope Ye Who Turns the Page.”

---

[1] Detail from “Ascent of the Blessed” by Hieronymus Bosch. Wikimedia.

[2] In physics, the law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant—it is said to be conserved over time. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it transforms from one form to another.

[3] I examined these reports in “Flipside: A Tourist’s Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife” and “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife volumes one and two.” There are many other sources, a partial bibliography is at the end of this book.

[4] Iands.org is a great place to share and listen to a variety of experiences like this.

[5] The law states that “energy can be transformed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed.”

[6] Neil deGrasse Tyson tweet ‏@neiltyson 12:41 PM - 14 Jun 2016

[7] “Soul groups” are spoken of by Michael Newton in “Journey of Souls.” His reports suggest 3-25 people in the immediate circle, with the average being about 15.