This is an excerpt from my book "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife."
It's been about ten years since I did this initial session. I had begun to make a documentary about the work of Michael Newton and what people say under deep hypnosis. I began the film with a skeptic's eye as to what I might find. I interviewed Newton for the film (his last filmed interview) and it's part of the film "Flipside." The transcript of that conversation is in the book as well.
 |
| Michael Newton and hypnotherapist Morrin Bass (both in "Flipside" book and film) |
At some point, Paul Aurand, former head of the Newton Institute (who had arranged the permission for me to film their conference and teaching methodology) suggested that I try a "session" myself. The journalist in me said "I can't do that, it wouldn't be objective." But the artist in me said "Sure, that's a great idea. I can prove this to be inaccurate, because I don't believe in previous lifetimes, I don't believe in an afterlife per se, and I won't allow myself to be "led" by a hypnotherapist.
The night before the session, I thought "Well, what if you do get somewhere?" I scoffed at that idea, and jotted down a few questions to give the hypnotherapist to ask me "in case I went somewhere." I thought - "well, what would I ask God if it was possible to ask?"
I even slipped in a ringer of a question - "What's the meaning of "vanum populatum?" It was a phrase that I had heard in my sleep, woke up and wrote it down next to my bed, and then weeks later found it and looked it up. I was startled to see it meant something in a language I don't speak, a phrase I've never heard, but actually has a logical meaning. "Annihilate vanity."
(I live in L.A., where to begin?)
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| Luana keeping an eye on me. |
This session was conducted in my home town of Chicago where the Newton Institute was teaching their method to prospective hypnotherapists. (Scott De Tamble was there, a hypnotherapist I work with often in LA (lightbetweenlives.com) I hadn't met him yet.) Paul suggested I "try" a session and film myself doing so. I know how hyper aware I am of cameras, especially when directing someone, including myself, so I thought it would be fruitless to try it. But the George Plimpton in me ("Paper Lion") realized this was a chance to observe a process first hand that I didn't think would work.
I was prepared to say "I don't see anything" for four hours. But I was in the hands of hypnotherapist Jimmy Quast, (www.eastonhypnosis.com) who does the accreditation for the Newton Institute, and as you'll see, "walked" me into the flipside with ease. I filmed this event; it's partially in the film "Flipside: A Journey Into the Afterlife" and the full transcript is in the book.
I've filmed 50 of these cases since then, and compared the answers to the thousands by the studies of Dr. Helen Wambach and Michael Newton ("Journey of Souls.") Since then I've been working with Jennifer Shaffer to access what I might learn from others on the flipside. What I say - and what they say - is consistent across the board, across the globe - doesn't seem to matter what the background of the person doing the session is, or who asks the questions - the results are the same.
Since then, I've met numerous people (either through their hypnosis sessions or actually live on camera) where people recall a lifetime as a native American. It's almost as if the "ghost dances" of the late 1800's were referring to something that actually does occur. We reportedly choose each lifetime, and those who were native Americans can choose to return to that tribe, or find other groups to work with.
I must add that since this session, every time I see photographs of a particular region of the country, or look at an article of clothing, or read some of the historical accounts of this same era, I see them with more detail, more respect. (Since then I've done four other sessions, different hypnotherapists and accessed lifetimes in other countries, other places, other adventures. But the "between lives" arena is always the same; same guide, same teachers, same Luana.)
Enjoy.
Jimmy's questions are in italics, my answers are in bold.
Jimmy Quast:
"You're in your front yard, 12 years old. What color is this house?"
Me: I'm in the front
yard making a bow and arrow. (I saw my home as it looked in 1967, older cars in
the driveways of homes nearby) I've got an ax – Oh. I’ve cut my finger deeply. (I
saw blood coming out of my finger) I've cut through the skin, it's deep,
bleeding and I have to get my dad. (I choked up at the sight of my father, who
had passed away a few years earlier. I was also profoundly aware of my 12 year
old emotion of seeing him, the rescuer who can solve any problem.)
He's washing it now -
we're inside at the sink. And then we go
to the doctor to stitch it up... he's telling me never to point the ax toward
me... “Always away." Something I remember through life.
When he's there with
you, helping you, how does that feel?
He really knows how
to take care of things. He’s a smart
guy.
What’s the house
like?
The house is a single
floor; at this point I'm sharing a room with my brother Robbie... (As I spoke, I saw Robbie, a red headed,
freckle faced brother about 17.)
What's in your room?
Bunk beds. Stickers
on the closet door from Mad magazine. There’s writing on the bunk bed underneath...
(I was looking at the bottom panel of the top bunk) I can see my brothers and I
have written graffiti on the bottom of the bed.
Anything special in
this room?
A Tibetan Thankga my
uncle gave to my dad. He found it in Burma during World War II, I didn’t
realize until I was an adult what it was.
 |
| This thangka was over my bed in the house I grew up in. Gifted to my father by his brother who brought it back from Burma after his service there in WWII, it wasn't until I was in Tibet with Robert Thurman that I understood what it meant and where it was from. |
Any place else?
My mom's a concert
pianist, so there's a piano in the living room, set against a beautiful red
brick wall. Downstairs is a basement with all of my father's tools - it’s where
my father works as an architect and it smells like lead pencils.
Let's go deeper and
younger...
It's the hospital...
I'm... coming out... (I gasp). I’m being born. I see the doctor's face with
this thing on his head - it's bright and he's sort of - not whacking me - I guess I’m breathing
okay - his face is the first thing I see. I can see him clearly, the color of
his eyes, the mask on his head, the head banded metal thing that’s reflecting
light, the mask across his mouth - intense hazel eyes. It's very clear. It's a
little bit cold... now he's placed me with her and it's nice to be with my mom.
It's startling to see... such bright lights.
 |
| This was the hospital. Some years later, when driving down Ridge Ave, I suddenly recalled the memory of this event - "flying in" as if "being here before" |
Let's go back a step;
to before you were born... you're in your mother's womb now, into the womb, any
impressions coming to you?
I hear voices, but
like a buzz. I hear her heartbeat... pleasant.
My body is working ok, fairly comfortable here, my mom is happy... I'm
just in tune with her.
Anything else you
pick up on?
My dad's not at my
birth. He's driving here. I’m aware of the logistics of he's not here, she is;
he's on his way. [1]
Go back... getting
younger and smaller, traveling with speed perhaps... Back and back, guided to
another time, a different place. A different life; one that would be most
beneficial to you, the one just before this life of Rich. I want you to trust
the impressions without editing or analyzing. What are the impressions?
NOTE: I paused for
some time, seeing and saying nothing. I didn’t want to “satisfy the questioner”
that I remembered a past life if I really didn’t. I was fully prepared to say “I don’t see
anything,” and end the session. I felt obligated
to be skeptical of “seeing” something that I didn’t actually see. So time passed, while I scanned in my mind’s
eye, for any kind of visual. Nothing
came to me, until Jimmy said simply “Just look down.”
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| Not me. But in this disputed photo of Crazy Horse I recognized the chest piece, shoes and single feather (I had two hanging down) |
MY PAST LIFE AS AN AMERICAN INDIAN
Just look down. What
do you see?
This is unusual. (I
saw my bare feet in a creek. The water was cold, soothing. My feet bloody,
scratched.) What's coming to me is... Native American Indian. I'm a male. And
I'm trying to get the impression here... What’s on my legs? I want to say
buckskin, there's a feather. Two feathers, not up, but down... tied in my hair,
black hair, and I can feel my clothing - suede vest, pants... bare feet.[2]
How old are you?
Seems like 28. I'm
looking around; it's hills, trees and dried old grass. It's the dry season...
Are you alone?
Not around anyone
else at the moment – I’m by a creek; I can put my foot in. I have wounds on my
feet; don't know why, but... I notice they're beaten up, feels good to put them
in the water.
Is that why you've
come here?
I come here for
solace to get away. I think it's about
my spirit guide. I come here to commune.
A spiritual
connection with your guide... what do they call you?
I heard Tan’ tanka’
mon, I think that means “running bear” which sounds funny to me; tatanka...
(Remembering the Kevin Costner film “Dances With Wolves,” where he was a Lakota
Sioux named “Buffalo” – Tatanka). In my case it means “Runs from bear.” It might be Watanka…[3]
Your spirit guide is
here by the water?
Not a human guide.
It's a cougar.[4] Mountain
lion.
What does that mean
to you?
Hunter, alone.
Would it be okay to
visit where your people are?
(Sigh) I’d prefer not to.
Where is your
village?
My overall impression
is that... it's gone. (Sigh)
Just relax... (Puts
his hand on my forehead)
I see. I didn't want
to tell you about it. There's a wife, involved... there was a problem.
You’re safe, tell me
what happened.
(I started to choke
up. In my mind's eye a village of teepees and bodies everywhere. A massacre.
Lots of blood. People hacked to death.)
What happened?
Hacked to death.
By whom?
Damned Hurons. [5] Everyone's
dead.
Except you?
(Through tears) I was
away. I was doing something else, picking something up. I just came back and
everyone is dead.
Your wife?
Yes.
 |
| Recognized Wisconsin Tribes. Eau Claire would be under the D. I was not aware of this, and this site claims the Huron were there as well. |
NOTE: In my mind’s
eye, I saw this village of massacred Indians whom I sincerely believed to be my
people. I went to a teepee, the
classical type with a leather flap and sticks holding it up, and pulled it
aside to see a beautiful woman with long black hair lying in a pool of blood,
dead. I was overwhelmed with the emotion of seeing her; my dead wife. But I was also conscious of the fact that
this emotion swept over me – If I was making this up, why was I so connected to
this emotion? I started to sob.
I had one child... My
son was taken. (Feeling the full emotion of that thought.)
And where do you go
now? Do you have any place?
That's why I'm here,
by the river, soaking my feet. I'm trying to understand.
I want you to move to
your last day in this life. In this body. Are you still alone?
I'm alone. I see. It's alcohol and drowning. I got drunk
and went to the river and just slipped away. (A muddy brown river, floating
down, holding a whisky bottle, bobbing like a cork.)
Not much else to do,
was there?
No. Everything about
my life that I cared for - my family, my culture, my world is gone.
Move away from that
body. You're free now. Are you looking
back?
Much happiness.
You feel any remorse?
No, I’m just passing
into "the Great White." I've done this many times. It's time to move
home. No reason to linger.
NOTE: Some years ago,
I was at a Christmas party with some old friends, and they pulled out a bottle
of whisky from 1840 that had been in the family for generations. We all took a sip of this concoction, which
was smooth and burning at the same time – nothing like modern day liquor. At that moment I had a flash of me holding an
old empty whisky bottle.
A JOURNEY TO THE LIFE
BETWEEN LIVES
Tell me what this is
like, you're moving away.
Going home? Looking ahead. Just getting together with my
friends. (I saw a vast field of white in the distance, then I moved into it at
lightning speed until the faces and bodies came into full focus. A crowd of
people greet me). They’re here with me... It's just lovely. Lots of friends. Smiling. Embracing me. Everybody's here.
Recognize anyone?
My wife. (The Indian
one; long black hair, and a young boy next to her. A profound sense of
connection with them.)
The one who was
killed.
My son. Both of them.
(I saw them standing together, smiling at me).
Who else?
My father. (Charles,
who passed away in 2004.)
How are they
arranged?
Sort of a semi-circle. About 20 or so.
Who comes out of this
group first?
An elder. Comes out from the center, about twelve
o’clock. A male, white hair, somebody
very gentle, welcoming me, he's my grandfather at one point... (Not in this
life - He has a kindly, old face, very distinct, about 70 years old. Smiling. A
warm greeting)
His immortal name?
Ray... ma.
Does he touch you?
How does that feel like?
Fabulous.
Does Rayma have any
message for you?
"Welcome home.
Welcome... home." Nice.
Back to the circle,
welcoming you. Any colors?
Purple light. That's
his light.
If you were to rate
this in terms of brightness... is it bright?
Deep purple, rich
purple.
Is Rayma your
personal teacher?
Feels like it; he
seems to be in charge.
So the others, is
there a different color?
It seems like
everyone's sort of in a darker blue.
NOTE: In Michael
Newton’s “Destiny of Souls” he catalogs soul colors of the Afterlife by asking
“If I held up a mirror, what color would you be?” He learned the categories
followed those from a prism of light; youngest, white, moving to darker colors,
the eldest, purple.
 |
| In this "Assumption of the Virgin" a lot of folks waiting for her arrival. |
MY SOUL GROUP
What's your sense of
this group? Is this your own family? Or is this different?
I sense I'm hanging
out with them all the time. It's a little odd that I'm not seeing people come
forward, just one, but I sense they're my group. (Seeing a semi-circle of
light. When one light moved forward, his features came into view)
If you could see you,
through their vision, what do you look like?
Dark blue. Purple's on the outside, blue is sort of
interspersed, like strings, like stripes, they sort of move back and forth.
It’s not a static color, it sort of moves. Rayma seems to be a dark purple.
Is there someplace
he'd like to take you?
He wants to take me
to a healing center.
How does he do that?
Just sort of glides
me by the hand, I know where to go, we go together. It's like an energy field,
if you looked at it, you'd see it as multiple, colored lights, but depending
what work needs to be done, it's just you and your light. It's sort of the way
I was sitting by the river, same kind of equipoise where you draw energy from
the room into places where it's been depleted.
NOTE: A common
occurrence in sessions, where a person goes to a “place of healing.” In my
mind’s eye, this center was a room filled with energy. I walked into this room and sat down so I
could go through the “re-energizing process.”
It’s difficult to describe with words, other than perhaps being
re-energized in a Star Trek transporter.
As I used my mind to draw energy into me, it was as if I was filling
myself with liquid, and all the areas that had been depleted from a difficult
life as an American Indian, now were being made whole again.
 |
| This image came to mind, although I was sittin down. |
Just him, he's
observing as I pull the energy into myself.
Mentally you draw the energy towards you to repair the places that are
damaged or missing. It feels like filling up with liquid water, but blissful
water, filling you as you pull it to the places that need to be healed. I'm
aware there are people that can do that for you, but you can do it yourself.
You don't need those
people to help you?
I don't think so,
because Rayma's just sort of smiling and enjoying it.
How long does this
process carry on?
The idea is to go
from the floor up, (Pictured myself sitting, with feet on the ground, energy
coming in waves through my feet to my head) you move it from your toes to your
head and then back down repeatedly because each time more energy comes forward.
It's a process, doesn't seem to take long. Afterwards you feel rejuvenated.
Is Rayma involved
where you're going next?
I'm asking him where
we are going next and he said "Well, that's up to you." A bit of
comedy.
Where do you want to
go next?
I want to go see my
friends.
What does Rayma say
to that?
"Let's go!"
Oh, there's so many places you can go here, people you can see, they're
everywhere...
Strewn about?
Well it's more
organized, but there are many opportunities to stop and see people and friends
and those you’ve touched before.
Do you have a core
group that you started out with at one time?
I do. For some reason
I feel like they're out working and doing their own thing. My core group is
teachers and I can go visit them in their classes.
NOTE: In my mind’s
eye, this classroom was like anyone I’ve been in, or taught in; students in
rows at their desks, sitting down, the teacher standing in front of them, some
kind of blackboard, or smart board behind them.
In this case, I recognized one of the teachers as an old friend of mine
– I knew her name, but didn’t recognize her as anyone that I’ve met in this
lifetime. She had blond hair, and a
bright, white essence about her.
 |
| From "MapMakersWorld" - an example of a "fractal" or "sacred geometry" a term I was not familiar with, but has been repeated in various deep hypnosis sessions. These "fractals" retain or assist memory. |
A TRIP TO AN ENERGY
CONSTRUCTION CLASSROOM
What's going on?
Just greetings and
salutations. I'm in a classroom with a friend who's a teacher and she’s
introducing me. The teacher knows me but the class doesn't.
You're like a guest
speaker?
Her name is Kajeera,
she teaches a class in... Energy construction.
Do you know about
that?
She says I do. Energy
construction has to do with aligning energy, aligning the milk of the universe
into geometric shapes. They retain
energy, they retain everything, the stuff of the universe; memories, dreams,
reflections, attitudes, happiness, joy; composed of physical stuff mostly -
containing emotions, because emotion is energy, so when you have an intention,
it goes into this geometric shape and it stays there.. And if you create it
properly it will stay there.
NOTE: These shapes
are similar to the ones Sophia mentions in her session recounted in
“Aquaphobia,” and similar to the packets of energy mentioned in Morrin’s
session in “Golden Light Within.”
You can keep the
energy in the geometric shape?
Right, but also
you're retaining it. So let's say you're in the classroom and you create this
energy; you put your good intention (or some kind of intention) together into
this geometric shape. You bring it to life, and you create it so that it stays
with you and then you're able to carry that energy packet into your current
life so you can have access to it.
That's why it's
important to bring it along with you -- how else are you going to retain all of
your past experiences unless you have these energy fields? (Responding to
Kajeera holding up an example) I see. Here's the thing, you're in the
classroom...-- I'm starting to sound like a teacher --
Maybe you are...
You're in the
classroom and your teacher helps you to manipulate energy, that's the basic
thing - the actual things you're creating in the classroom are almost like
emotional ball bearings...
That's the
geometrical part?
Yes, they do have
different shapes. But because the nature of the way it’s designed, it looks
like a geometric shape - but that's how it functions. Try to think of it as a
ball bearing - we know how ball bearings work, they help everything in a
machine move more fluidly - so you carry these ball bearings with you through
your incarnations. And as you go along,
unfortunately, they pick up negative energy, and that causes disruption in the
ball bearings. So when you come back here, you work on cleaning that stuff up -
make new ball bearings, restructure them - like taking them into the shop.
So Kajeera teaches
people how to do that?
She does.
What's the level of
this class? New souls?
No, I can tell you
their colors are white tinged with gold. They've been around a bit, but they're
learning how to manipulate energy for retention later, it's a lovely class.
(pause) I'm praising her, how lucky they
are to have such a great teacher.
Is that why Rayma
brought you here?
He said it was up to
me, I was in charge of that. I get a feeling he's treating me like I’m
somehow... he's sort of like a friend traveler, more than like a spirit
guide.... it's unusual.
Even though he's this
take charge guy.
Well I mean he's the
most vocal. Because he's got the most energy in that area, he feels comfortable
speaking up, but I sense he's treating me in a very gracious way, that I'm part
of his group or something - it's just very honored and flattered by it.
NOTE: I’ve never
talked or thought about geometric shapes retaining “life energy” or “Memories
of a lifetime” but it mirrors what quantum physicists have posited about
consciousness possibly existed outside the body. I’ve seen a ball bearing, but not since I was
a kid sneaking into the local car shop to look at the pin-up calendars and
pretending I needed one.
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| Michael Newton's book introduced me to "classrooms in the afterlife" a concept told to me by Luana before she passed over. She said she had a "recurring dream she was in a classroom in another universe." |
A TRIP TO A HEALING
CENTER CLASS
And you're just
visiting friends like Kajeera... Where
are we heading next?
He's asking me
"Where do you want to go?" I'm
telling him I'd like to go see Luana's class. (As I entered the “classroom” I
saw her as a young blond in her 20's, years before I met her – wearing a pony
tail, with bright blond hair sitting in the back of the class.) She's in a
healing class.
Oh, this is a deep class. She's part of a group of
older souls and her teacher is incredibly smart. Their job is to help people on
the planet... Earth. And when they do
energy work on Earth... wow. So they're able to help people.
How do they do that?
They heal
humans. I'm asking them "How are
the candidates chosen?" (I had the sense of being in a classroom where
everyone in the class turns to look at you, wondering what you’re doing there).
Not sure they want to tell me. Wait, let me just ask. (Pause) Well it's the
choosing. How are they chosen? (In my mind's eye, the class wasn’t used to
being interrupted, and the teacher is patient, but not particularly pleased
I've interrupted them. I saw Luana smiling in the back, looking mildly amused
by the discomfort.)
Are they holding back
because I'm here?
No, they're saying
the choosing of the candidates is a very complex process, but Luana’s trying to
explain that the easy way to say it would be if somebody was really in need of
spiritual help and they focused their mind on asking for help... (Pause) It's like they (members of the class) would
help a healer, somebody here on the planet that is a healing energy person who
calls upon them to help, and they come down, or come here and supply the
energy, the light, to help the healing process.[6]
However, there are
caveats - it gets complicated because some people aren't supposed to have the
help when they ask for it, because it hinders their journey, so that's where it
becomes a little complex.
They have to be ready
and ask...
That's right. But
this is a very playful, fun class, everybody here is very talented and highly
evolved and I'm really only allowed in because I'm seeing Luana, my friend, who
I knew in this life.
And Rayma?
He's not present. I'm
trying to focus on the teacher.
What's your
connection to Luana? Is she one of your old bunch?
I'm getting the sense
we've had many lifetimes together - but way back - a long time ago. We came
together this lifetime after many interruptions. I'm getting the sense I've
done that with many people.
NOTE: In the last
chapter, I revisit this detail, and through the help of my spirit guide, detail
a life where I claim she and I were part of a Sumerian cult. I hasten to add I know little about Sumeria,
have less information about Sumerian Priests or cults, but I reference it here
and examine it later on.
 |
| Luana portrait by Monte Hellman |
Is Luana a spirit
name?
It's close to her
spirit name. (Laughs) She's
interrupting, she's teasing me. We had so many names with reference to her name
Luana; "Zooluaga," "Lufthansa;" people had a hard time with
her name, and now she's just having fun with me. She's not going to give it to
me.
So aliases are a fun
thing...
Well teasing,
anyway... But her teacher is a very important person to know. I want to say
Teth...era... He's green; he has a deep
rich green healing light.
Masculine?
Masculine, no, he's
just... that's the sense of him. But he bridges all. Deep green, he's showing me the glowing
healing color.
Coming from his center?
It's around him. His
center is purple. I wanted to say that I get a sense that even in this life,
the people around me haven't been with me in recent lives, but they were in
past lives.
Looks like judging by
their color they may not really be incarnating anymore?
Tethera? No, he's a
teacher; he's a full timer (meaning “non reincarnating spirit”). But the
students in her class, will be coming back. Luana will be coming back, she may
be back already. I'll have to track that.
NOTE: When asked a
question I can’t answer, I feel myself saying things randomly like “I’ll have
to track that,” as if I had the ability to do so. However, in the later session with another
hypnotherapist, I was able to find an answer to that question, and give a
detailed answer about Luana’s current incarnation on Earth.
 |
| Hard to call filmmaking a "form of healing" but somehow I manage to do so. |
WHY I CHOSE THIS
LIFETIME
What are you involved
with?
My work? It’s a form
of healing. It involves energy transfer, I'm trying to do it with art, voice,
music, film; but I get caught up in so many other things that hold me back from
doing that. It's like I'm trying to
teach how to transfer energy through emotion, through words, through language,
through art.
Everything you create
is an energy form, if you create positive energy things, energy forms, then
you're putting out positive love and energy into the universe, it's a way of
keeping that light going... of expanding
it.
So you are in healing
as well?
I think it’s a form
of healing, but this is my odd way of doing it... You can heal people through
words. We all know you can heal through action, but the idea of healing through
words, through thoughts and putting those into pictures and film, because those
are all images of...
Just another way to
deliver the energy...
..the same energy,
that transfer.
It's very clear to
you.
It's clear to me, but
(in my career) I'm not very successful at it. What was I thinking?
NOTE: At this point
Jimmy laughed, but so did the members of my council. I had the odd experience
of getting laughs on two different planes of existence simultaneously.
Sounds like you're a
little bit frustrated.
I agreed I would come
and do this (using healing energy through filmmaking), and that's what I'm
doing. It could be I’m just here to help other people have success.
This was Rayma's
idea?
My idea. And using
Rich (referring to myself as the current vehicle, as if Jimmy was asking the
question to my eternal self) to be the story teller.
Have you tried this
before in other lives? With the voice, the music?
When I was Lakota I was a healer.
Was that about using
herbs...?
No, I was healing
through touch. Like a shaman - people accepted I was good at that way of
healing - witch doctor, I guess, and they came to me (in the Native American
world) when they had psychological problems.
So you're trying
something different this time, you're an innovator, looking for another way
to...?
Honestly, I don't
think it was my original idea, I get the sense that other people are using it
right now, on the planet, using voice and energy, and maybe it's always been
the case, I think it was just that I was going to try it myself this time.
"I'll step up and see if I can do that." Still, I have a certain
amount of confidence in my ability to deliver (chuckles) which is unusual.
Did you actually have
a teacher who suggested it?
NOTE: As Jimmy asked this question, I saw myself in a “life planning
session” - standing in a room full of
people, casually sitting around, as I raised my hand and detailed how I was
going to attempt a lifetime that dealt with the same kind of energy that’s
involved in healing, but through cinematic arts. I saw myself describing it as an “outside the
box” way of viewing energy transfer between people, and how the healing energy
of the Universe can be drawn down in a variety of fashions, including,
surprisingly, film, music and art.
 |
| On the set of a film I wrote and coproduced "My Bollywood Bride" Healing? That's a stretch, but I manage to avow it. |
It came from a classroom
environment, yes, where we were talking about coming back and what was the
method you could use to help people with energy transference, that might be a
little bit out of the box, or unusual, or different.
Did the word fun come into it?
I think it was just
natural I’m fun. I think whatever I ended up doing was going to be fun.
And you've learned
that quite well. It seems...
Well, the quickest
path from someone's lips to their consciousness is through laughter. Because
then they can hear it. Tears work as well, but certainly laughter is the most
pleasant way.
Will you continue,
are you trying to decide if it's worthwhile..?
I think, I’ve made
the deal -- I'm "in for a penny, in for a pound."
And that's with
regard to the life as Rich?
I'm being told it's
all going to pan out the way I imagined it. It just takes time. It's one of my
bugaboos; patience. I've always charged
up the hill expecting everyone to follow and then I turn around and no one’s
there. And then I go down the hill and say "Hey, what the heck's going
on?" they say "Patience. Give us time to get on the same
wavelength."
Is this part of your
lesson? Patience, is really important?
Yeah, patience is
really key... and letting go. There’s a lot to be said for enthusiasm, but also
a lot to be said for just letting go.
So is it clear to you
that patience is going to be essential, from what you're telling me?
Patience, because the
end result will work out as I imagined it, and had planned it - and intricately
manipulated it. And everyone’s on the same ride and I think it's going to work
out just fine.
I'm wondering and I’m
not sure why... Tatanka...
I said that wrong...
either “Tan Tanka” or "Wa’ tanka."
NOTE: Through
research, I’ve been able to determine that Wa’tanka means "Holy Man"
in the Lakota language, typically be a name for a Holy or Medicine Man. Tatanka, as we’ve learned from “Dances with
Wolves,” means Buffalo. “Tanka” means
great, “Tan-tanka” means short. According to R.J. DeMailie, the Dakota world
was “characterized by its oneness,” with no separation between the natural and
supernatural world. Wakan Tanka is defined as “the animating force” of the
universe” or “The Great Spirit.”
WHY I COMMITTED
SUICIDE IN THAT LIFE
He was a healer and
his life ended in a way that I wonder if that has imparted some energy... or
shift in direction.
(Thinking of the way
I saw the death, floating down a big muddy river while drinking a bottle of
whisky) A little bit of water filling the lungs is not pleasant; alcohol wasn't
really a huge problem, but it certainly a lesson to avoid, but I knew that
everything was over, the shell was just there... age.
When you returned
from that life as Wa’ tanka and the welcome back seems really marvelous, is
there any concern about how you brought about your own death?
I would tell you
right away if I felt it was a suicide, it really wasn't... it was more just
letting... go.
Incredible remorse
there, unhappiness because everyone else was gone.
Honestly it was a
tired body, and the loss of not only my people, but all the values of my
people, and the way a person feels when they've been dominated by another group
to the point of relentlessness. I mean, I sensed it was time to move to the
next episode. The journey was finished and it was just time to move on, and I
don't think I had the courage to do a sky burial. (Referring to an ancient
Lakota practice of leaving the dead on a scaffold for consumption by birds.)
Easier to just float down the river.
Easy to get drunk and
go in the river.
(Chuckles) Have a
little cocktail before you go and then have the big cocktail. And honestly I didn't chastise myself for it.
It was just; "Was the ride okay?"
Is there someplace
else that we need to go?
NOTE: I continue this
thought later in the session, but the research shows there is no pejorative
concept associated with a person taking their own life, rather it’s the person
themselves who is reportedly distraught over breaking previous commitments to
complete a chosen life. There’s a sacred
oath involved with choosing a life, and those who break it return to find
themselves disappointed with their lack of ability to fulfill it. In this case, I argue that the life I was
leading had become a shell and was ready to return.
 |
| Council of Elders? Waiting to review your lifetime. |
A TRIP TO THE COUNCIL
OF ELDERS
Let's go to the
council. Does Rayma come along
on this trip?
(Pause) He's there
with me. He says "You're on."
(Like an actor going onstage.)
NOTE: I had the
profound sense of a buzz in the room, as if there was some kind of anticipation
of my speaking to the council. The only
feeling I can associate it with is just prior to going onstage to perform or speak,
but knowing that good friends are in the audience, and eager to
participate. In my research, many people
had said they were apprehensive about this trip to see their council, either
having the feeling like a trip to the principal’s office, or in Albert Brook’s
hilarious “Defending Your Life,” before a judge. In my case, it felt fun.
What's this like?
Beautiful room;
beautiful in a light sense. A radiant
room, radiant place. And... counting (the amount of people in the room)...
The energy, what's
that like?
Very peaceful...
(Laughs) I feel like it's a little bit of a performance.
By whom?
By me, but because
they're used to my sort of antics, everybody’s in a good mood. Eight people
that I can see. There might be more...
What do they look
like?
Non-denominational...
sort of just lights.
Not flashy.
No, rich hues of
purple and a little bit of red tinge over there. Just purple with a tinge of
vermillion... (Seeing a woman cloaked in a purple light, but a few streaks of
bright red shining within).
What's the red mean
to you?
Fierce... warrior...
fierce person. I've got green here, but it's a purple green... [7]What's the
color called... chartreuse?
Just checking again,
how do you look to them?
That dark blue with
maybe a little, I want to say, purple.
It is what it is?
And... I'm asking
them my questions.
NOTE: I’d read that it was helpful for the session
to bring a list of questions that might be answered. I had no clue that I would get this far in my
own session, but the night before, I quickly jotted down some questions one
might ask God if they had the chance. My
first questions: “What does Vanum Populatum mean?” was a trick question, as I
knew for certain that no one, outside of me, would know the answer. The rest
were #2. “What is my connection to Tibet? Or Rome?” – two places I felt that
I’d returned to. #3. “What part in my
life does music play?” #4. My
relationship with Luana. #5. A question
about the deaths of my Father and friend Paul Tracey #6 was a question about a
vivid dream I had when my daughter Olivia was born, #7 “What creative projects I should focus
on?” #8 and finally “What’s the meaning of my life, what am I doing here?” Oddly enough, after the session, I thought
the therapist had asked the questions and I answered them, but the footage
shows that I asked them in my head as if I’d memorized them, even though I’d
only jotted them down the night before.
 |
| Atop the Jokhang looking at HHDL's pad |
They're saying...
“Yes.” (Laughs.) "Yes, you were a monk in Tibet, not so long ago."
Something that you
want to pause and go look at it?
It was in a monastery
that was an old tradition of Buddhism, closer to the older dogmatic point of
view. Nyingma? (One of the older Buddhist sects in Tibet.) They're reminding me
this monastery was not as rich in tradition. The reason I was there was to learn
patience (laughs) because the teachers were not very bright and I felt I knew
more than they did. That particular life, as a Tibetan monk, was to learn
patience.[8]
Is there a pattern
with you and patience?
Through eternity.
They're also taking me back to my other question. the vanum populatum question;
it was a dream that came to me and it was me (my higher self) speaking to me,
part of my energy that's back there (between lives), speaking to me in Latin..
And those words…?
(Note: Jimmy is reading from the "list of questions" that I jotted down the night before. I wrote them around 2 in the morning, and then handed them to him. But when he is asking them, it's as if I had memorized them all, or asked them prior to my council, as they are giving me answers as he's speaking.)
"Vanum
populatum."
Does the meaning of
that deepen now that you...?
They're all amused by
the cleverness of me speaking to me in Latin to myself, knowing I (in this
life) don't speak Latin, never studied Latin, would write it down because it
was unusual, and then knowing I would look it up (on the internet) and find the
Latin translation. Knowing that only by my forcing myself to examine these
words as a puzzle, would I come to embrace or understand them. As if just
saying "Destroy the Ego," or "Annihilate Vanity" wouldn't
help me get it - I had to Google it in order to understand it. And knowing the
concept was the same I’d learned in Tibetan philosophy about stripping away the
ego. What they're saying to me is "If you heard it as a phrase you would
have dismissed it, but because you heard it in another language, you gave it
depth."
Had to dwell on it.
They're showing me a
past life I had in Rome. I was a patrician, a teacher of Latin and Ethics. I can feel the feeling of the toga around me
as I walk, and as I reach into my pocket, I can feel the sensation of what
Roman era coins felt like to my touch. I'm stopping at a food stand in Pompeii,
being greeted by others, and nodding to them.
I didn't die in the eruption - actually there had been some kind of
scandal with me and a slave, something about me spending more time with my
slaves because they were much more entertaining and educated in a different way
and that somehow brought shame to my family. My wife's family - I think it's
her father and brother, who supplied the poison - so that she would live on in
the style and luxury to which she was accustomed. But I had true friendship
here - especially with these people who were considered my slaves; I considered
them my teachers.
Even though I was
rather successful and wealthy from teaching Ethics, it was a fun and unusual
life. Ah, okay, in my current life in film, I've written a story about a
character living in Rome during this era; they're showing me that my past lives
parallel my writing…
Ok. Let me ask
another of question... I’m
asking them about a project I'm working on right now, and the question I'm
asking them is, "Is this important?" and they're hesitant to respond,
in the desire to not direct me where I may already be going.. They enjoy saying
to me "You know the answer, why are you bothering us with the
question?" But the answer is -- that this person I'm writing about had a
tremendous amount of influence, energy-wise, on the planet, and that's why it's
important to tell the story, or work on the story, or even recreate the story
in a writer’s mind. Whether it gets made or not is not important, but the focus
on the person and the energy is... Okay I get that.[9]
It makes sense to
you...
Yes. My next question
is about my family. I already know the answer; my wife is what someone might
call an angel -- a spirit that is selfless and loving, and knows I need
grounding. And my daughter is yes, a
very old soul... as I knew. And my son is the same, a little younger soul, but
as playful as me.
NOTE: At some point
the lead member of my council said “Richard already knows the answer to this
question,” and an image appeared before me of myself on the couch, with Jimmy
Quast sitting next to me. That image and
answer made me realize he was addressing my eternal presence, or spirit – and
by saying “Richard” he was referring to the guy on the couch – my present
incarnation.
A QUESTION ABOUT THE
LIFE ESSENCE
The specific question
I have is when our daughter was born, I had this vision of men dressed in
white; older men with beards, surrounding her. She was only a few days old
lying in the bed next to me, and I was completely aware of their presence.
I'm asking them about
this, how there was one elderly man standing in the center of this semicircle
around the little baby - and he was pouring something into her body from
a copper vase, like an antique funnel -- as he was pouring this golden liquid
out of the funnel I panicked and shouted "What are you doing?" He
turned around and said simply; "This is how it's done." So I'm asking
(the council) about "What was the liquid?" (Pause) Uh... nobody wants to fess up.
(Pause, as I
understood their answer) Ok, what I saw as a liquid -- it was energy... I want
to say, I'm not sure if I should reveal this to you, but it's a little bit
of predetermination of how long a person
might be on the planet.
For her?
For everyone. When
you're born, there's this little bit of a determination of how much energy you
will have and I was seeing a demonstration of filling a person up with that...
or maybe they're teasing me with this answer. I can't tell. They are letting me
ramble on with this story and are not talking. Maybe I'm not supposed to reveal
this information. I can't tell; they do that.
This is separate and
apart from her soul energy committed to her life?
Separate and apart
from her spirit, but it was like visualization of what your life experiences
are. I mean it was like literally coming out as a golden liquid into a funnel
into her, and everyone in the vision looked at me like, "Why are you
asking this question? This is obvious." I'm not getting a straight answer
(from the council) from anybody... They're all just saying... not it's
"none of your business," but it's something you'll figure out eventually.
You had a question
about music?
Music, well that was
answered. [10]
(Refers to the list
of questions) What about your friend
Paul (Tracey) and your dad?
Paul, is a young
soul. Dad, a bit older soul. Just a great guy, both great people. Paul’s very... like me, sense of humor; he's
saying his excuse is that he's younger and he's working stuff out... [11]
What color is he?
White.
Your dad?
Golden, more yellow.
Little twinge of orange, maybe that's the architect in him. But Paul’s a young
soul, I was very angry with him for dying early, dying young...
Can you understand it
was by plan?
Oh yeah, it's true.
Does that mean they
didn't pour enough of that stuff into him?
(Chuckles) Or he
mistook it for a beer, which is one of the difficult issues he spent a part his
life working on. (Pause) They're telling me "You already know the answer to
whatever question you have, just meditate on it, and go within, and the answer
will come to you.” Also “keep up the good work."[12]
Anything from them
about Wa’ tanka?
I healed and touched
a lot of people. The reverberation from that is important. I was able to do
that in difficult circumstances, but by and large, a happy circumstance...
somehow I turn what seems difficult into a happy circumstance; a bit more fun.
So even though the
other tribe...
Goddamned Hurons.
Damned Hurons...
(Laughs)
I don't see it as a
predetermined, before life agreement;[13]
the tribe had issues they were working on, and there was an ego dispute between
a Chief of the Huron and the Chief of our tribe. I know there are other names
for our tribe (Lakota) but we just refer to ourselves as The People.[14]
Ultimately the battle between us was more about a war of insults, tit for tat -
revenge.
NOTE: As I
remembered, the arguments, war council, planning for battle came back to me in
a flash.
 |
| Mt. Kailash in Western Tibet |
NOTHING IS
PREDETERMINED
And they went beyond
the plan a bit, or a lot?
Honestly, everybody
was in agreement; "Eh, when you act out of revenge, this is what
happens." People get hacked up if you don't find a way to resolve your
differences. There is always the opportunity to change the contract, or the
path. You can always change your so called ‘karma,’ if you resolve to change.
There's nothing
predetermined. You don't have to pick up the rifle to kill someone, even if
that's part of your contract or your reason to be on the planet. You can always
learn, change, and evolve. You don't
have to go through a whole lifetime to learn one lesson.
It's just that
simple, isn't it?
(Resisting agreeing)
It's very difficult. Because even after you've made an agreement to live a
particular life or act in a particular way to help yourself and others, you can
change the agreement - if you can find the determination within yourself to
change yourself and those around you and put your energy towards curing and
healing.
Simple to say, but
difficult to do.
Very difficult. And
when you see the agreement going awry, it’s sort of "Well, we did agree
upon this and we didn't get to the point we should have." In my mind, you
haven't worked hard enough to change the dynamic in a healing way. That's my
feeling. But I'm unusual that way. (Laughs)
Not everybody (in this realm) agrees with my point of view.
Anyone else you'd
like to see?
 |
| Soul group or just old peeps? |
(As I'm heading back,
I see my father, handsome, young, in his 40's, standing next to my friend Paul
Tracey, in his early 20's - side by side, happy to see me. I stop to kiss my
father on the head.) I'm just giving a loving kiss on the forehead to my father.
Thanking him. (Laughs) "Get back to work." That's what he said.
Anything else you'd
like to impart to Rich?
To tell him he needs
to try to be more in the moment, in the present, and just... let... go.
Remember these
experiences you've had, you're not alone, and you have a big bunch of friends.
(Pause) Hmm. I'm just saying goodbye to everybody. They
say "See you later." I ask
"When?" They all laugh;
they're not about to tell me. (Chuckles) Very funny. Okay.
Remember this world
is always with you and within you... and you may have moments of clarity in the
days ahead, all is retained to help and
empower you with renewed energy and greater... What was it?
Patience.
Back through the
tunnel to the present as I count from one to ten... back to a very fortunate
life.”
 |
| with pals Paul (no longer on the planet) and Dave who is an avatar living in Miami. |
In the first class I
visited during my session, everyone welcomed me as if the Teacher’s Pal had
arrived. In Luana’s class however, the
teacher stopped speaking, the class turned as if to say “Why are you
here?” The students mocked my simplistic
description of their complex work. Apparently not everyone can get attend this
advanced class. Somehow I’d found a hall pass to get in.
Recently I was at a
family funeral in upper Wisconsin. I happened to speak to a relative who is a Lakota
Sioux historian, something I was unaware of. I said “I had this unusual vision
while under hypnosis about me being what I appeared to be a Lakota.” He stopped
me. “How many feathers did you have and were they up or down?” I said, “Two, they were down.” He said “That
means you were a medicine man. What did they call you?” I said “Sounded like
Watanka.” He said “Wakantanka or Wa’tanka means The Great Spirit, and what they
call medicine men.” I said “If that’s true, then why would I think the Huron
killed my tribe when they’re located on the East Coast?” He said, “We’re
actually sitting near a spot they fought over for 60 years in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin.” He confirmed details that I
tried to confirm on my own but couldn’t.
In my session, I met
my spirit guide, who seemed to be someone I’ve known forever, and then found my
soul group of fellow travelers. I visited classrooms where I got to see myself
through other’s eyes. I’d made a trip to
my council where they confirmed a number of details about my life that seemed
extraordinary. I had the same experience
Newton’s clients had. And most improbably of all, I felt as if I’d gone to the
classroom Luana had told me about before her passing – I saw her there, spoke
to her, felt as if I’d really seen and heard from my dear departed friend.
I felt as if the
Earth had suddenly shifted on its axis. Everything I thought I knew about the
planet, about humanity, about life, had
been altered by this session.
My skeptical,
conscious mind kept hammering at this new information. Had I really just seen a
past life? Was I just eager to make it up? How would that account for details I
didn’t know until later? Or could it be I’d already been through this psychic
door, and like most people, merely ignored the signs and messages that had
already come from the Great Beyond?
I cannot think of permanent
enmity between man and man, and believing as I do in the theory of
reincarnation, I live in the hope that if not in this birth, in some other
birth I shall be able to hug all of humanity in friendly embrace.
Mahatma Gandhi
[1] After this session, I
spoke to my mother and asked her where dad was while I was being born, and she
said, "He was driving on his way to the hospital..." something I had
not known previously.
[2] I found
out later from a Lakota historian that medicine men had two feathers pointing
down.
[3] Tatanka, means
"Bull Buffalo" in Lakota. According to my historian, it‘s definitely
a Lakota name. Watanka means “Great Spirit.”
[4] Some Native American
tribes have a “Vision Quest” where they commune with an animal spirit, who
becomes their “spirit guide.”
[5] My conscious mind
thought - "If I'm calling myself by a Sioux name, I couldn't be fighting
with a tribe associated with the East Coast.” But post session, I discovered
through research that the Sioux and the Huron fought a series of battles in the
upper Midwest.
[6] This
process is described later, which I found in various citations about near
death experience (NDEs) and LBL’s. However, at this point, I’d never
heard that Doctors or healers on Earth might have help from the Afterlife.
[7] Green is associated
with being a healing color in many cultures, including Tibetan. (Green Tara)
[8] I examine
this more fully in the final chapter.
[9] I wound up working on
"Amelia," starring Hilary Swank, and assisting them with all of their
research into Earhart's life before she disappeared.
[10] Meaning: the idea of
energy transfer and why I chose to learn different musical instruments, and how
my lifelong connection to music has to do with the transmission of the energy.
[11] In my mind's eye, I
see my father as a young man in his 40's, and standing next to him, my friend
Paul, looking as I knew him in his 20's, but am feeling more like he's a
brother, than a friend.
[12] These questions I'd
wondered about, and by meditating on them had come to various conclusions prior
to the session.
[13] Meaning the killing
of my tribe by the Huron tribe with regard to the testimony that sometimes
people who kill each other do it as part of an agreement to learn something
deeper.
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