I was having a dream the other night - and heard the phrase "You're lucky to be alive."
I have some pretty odd dreams to be sure, and since doing this flipside research for the past ten years, filming people under hypnosis, without hypnosis, talking to mediums about the afterlife - having a weekly podcast with Jennifer Shaffer - I often have "conversational dreams."
That is, opposed to the usual "travel" dreams I have, or "hotel dreams" I have. Often I'm on my way somewhere, dealing with all the ramifications of travel, or sometimes I'm in some grand hotel somewhere participating in, or being on the outside of some grand event. Those dreams I dismiss upon waking up.
But since doing this research, I've had more conversational dreams. Sometimes it's with someone I don't know - as was reported in the example of a conversation with a "Guardian of the Galaxy" at MartiniZone. (See below)
In that case, someone who self identified as an "angel" answered my questions while I was asleep, reminded me of the conversation prior to waking up, enough so that I could turn it into a conversation with Jennifer Shaffer.
But this message last night was simply "You're lucky to be alive."
We hear that comment when people are "pulled out of the water" or "rescued from a ledge" and their lives were saved. Or even after a hard night of partying where they wake up not knowing where or why or who they are. "Geeze, you're lucky to still be here."
But this wasn't related to rescue. This comment was related to choice. That is the choice to incarnate. That is that we all choose to come here, and the ones who do are "lucky to be here."
To recap for folks just arriving at this page - I have been researching the topic for over a decade. For the science of reincarnation, I refer folks to UVA.EDU where DOPS has been researching reincarnation for decades via Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim Tucker (Return to Life) along with another former student Carol Bowman (Children's Past Lives.) There are 1500 cases under review at UVA, and Dr. Tucker does the historical research to show how accurate they are.
I also have been filming people talking about the afterlife - both under hypnosis and not - for a decade. What these 100 sessions report (half without hypnosis, as detailed in "Architecture of the Afterlife") is the same as what the clinical case studies from Dr. Helen Wambach showed in her 2750 clinical case studies, or the thousands from Michael Newton and the Newton Institute. (That we choose to be here.)
In Dr. Wambach's case studies, she noted a number of people "complained" about being here, as if they were "cajoled" or "forced" to return by their loved ones, guides or teachers who "talked them into it." (To me that's like the kids who volunteer for dodgeball but then hate it when they get bounced out of the game. ("Sorry. You did raise your hand."))
I maintain a forum on Quora called "Hacking the Afterlife" where I answer questions or encourage people to report things that have occurred to them that is related to the research. I don't encourage posts that are about fear based ideas, or new age concepts that aren't in the research - I just focus on the research and those experiences people have that reflect the research.
Today a woman posted a comment that she once heard someone say something to her - she asked why she could "hear" from the flipside and asked "Why is this happening to me?" and she heard a voice say "This is part of your story."
I noted that the sentence is filled with flipside research. First that our journey here on the planet is a story - and like all stories it's crafted, constructed by someone who understands stories.
As I have lived my life I've noticed that things that occurred to me were like novels - the same kind of structure. People showing up in the first act, returning later to pay off some story point. At first I thought I was imagining this - that my life could not be so ordered, as that would imply some "creator" sitting around crafting everyone's life stories - which didn't make any logical sense.
However the research shows that we craft our stories. We choose who we are going to be, what we are going to do - and because of free will, we have people who sign up to participate who sometimes don't do what they said they were going to do, or we fail at the task given us, or free will makes us realize that the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. Many a drop twixt cup and lip.
But the fact that it is a story is worth noting. It is her story. She crafted it. Her guides or guide knows she crafted it, and her guide saying to her "this is your story that you created" was as profound a sentence as any human could ever hear. Only she had no context for it.
I wrote to one person on Quora who was mourning the loss of her mom: "But she knows she still exists… and is fine now. So speak to her, ask her questions you don’t know the answer to. Ask how she’s doing. Who greeted her when she crossed over. What are the lottery numbers (always gets a laugh). Just strike up a conversation, she’s standing by to communicate directly with you."
She replied:
Thanks, that's how I've gotten through this far actually. I still ask her how to cook! Lol…😊I was trying to figure out her dressing recipe for the holidays. I just started thinking about what she would say. She has shown up in a dream. She was walking down a dirt road and she was smiling all the way down the road. I never seen that smile on her; she looked so happy. I said, "Well what do you do now?" She said, "Anything I want to do."
My reply:
"Thanks for sharing. It’s always fascinating to hear when people hear from their loved ones, and it’s always very profound what they have to say, even if it sounds incredibly simple. “Anything I want to do.” Think about that for a second. It’s true. Anything she wants to!
Another poster wrote in reply to a comment about "speaking to our guides" directly and how a guide might prevent us from "accessing this information" if it would "upset our path" :
"Interesting you mention possibly a guide preventing you and that "Not all of us signed up to know the end of the play." I can channel, I get messages loud and clear and I once asked “Why me?” And the answer I got was “because that’s part of your story”, I never really gave it much thought until I read your comment."
My reply:
"Great quote. Thanks for sharing it. Allow me to repeat it: “Because that’s part of your story.” So much inside that sentence… the idea that it’s your story - the idea that it is a story… a long time ago, I started to notice that my life was like a book or a novel. People who showed up randomly in chapter two would have a profound impact on chapter seven. Little small bits of observations would come to fruition later on.
At first I thought “Well who the hell is writing this novel?” Could it be “the Universe?” It was too specific, (and often clever) for it to be that someone was writing “everyone’s stories.” And then years later, when I started this research, I was hearing it, observing it over and over that we write the story.
That about two thirds of our conscious energy is always “back home” - that we have crafted an improvised story - because of free will people don’t always live up to “their end of the bargain” or “follow the script” - but if people have complaints about the structure of their story, they know who to complain to."
So a couple of things about "Thanksgiving."
Try to give thanks. I mean literally.
Speak of the departed in present tense. Tell that what you think about them. If it's love, speak in those terms. Toast them at Thanksgiving. If it's not love, then say "I know you still exist, I'm not sure why I had such a hard time with you, but I'm toasting you now, because why not?" Speak of them in present tense. "Here's to you dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, brother, sister..."
In the research people report that "We can hear you. We know when you're thinking of us. No we don't hover around you at all times. But when you take out our photograph, say our name, or tell one of our stories, we are there enjoying that story." So allow that's possible. At Thanksgiving - even if it's on a Zoom or Skype call - just say "Thanks to mom and dad we are able to be here." And see them in one's mind's eye. Toast them.
Jennifer and I have three books:
"Backstage Pass to the Flipside"
And think over the title of this post. "You're lucky to be alive."
What that refers to is the legions of people who want to come back here. I know that there are many on the planet who cry foul when I report this - "My life has sucked. I hate it here. I wish I wasn't here." (Sounds like George Bailey's "I wish I'd never been born.") We can't see the lives we've effected, the people we've helped in our limited awareness.
In an expanded awareness (a life review from a near death event, while under hypnosis, or not, during a guided meditation, etc) we can become aware of how many people we have helped by being here.
But it's important to realize that we volunteered. We took someone's spot who would have preferred we "bowed out" or said "no thanks" to the suggestion of a lifetime. People report that there are "lines around the planet" of people who want to come back here, to experience what it's like here. And not everyone gets to come. I know that's problematic for some to hear - but they know what it means to be here, they know why it's fun to be here, they even know how traumatic it can be to be here.
"You can learn more spiritually from one day of tragedy on Earth than 500 years on some boring planet."
That's a quote from a filmed session in "Flipside."
We come here because we ask to. We volunteer. Our guides suggest, cajole, ask us to learn difficult lessons because it helps us - it helps everyone in the universe because every difficult lesson we learn here helps someone somewhere else. It's hard to see, impossible to see really - the great wheel of life isn't just about "getting off the reincarnation wheel" - but it's realizing that we are on the wheel by choice - and the actions of our lifetime affect and help (or harm) others down the line, or on the other side of the wheel.
So this Thanksgiving - take some time to reflect on it. Between gobbles, gobble up the idea that you chose to be here.
 |
| My grandparents center photo, thinking about how this photo in 1939 would wind up on my blog. |
Nothing much better to do. But reflect on the gift we've been given. Reflect on the idea that thousands and millions and a hell of a lot of folks who aren't here would be happy to take our place in a heartbeat.. (And eventually will.) But that while we are here, we can give thanks to those around us - and to those who came before us.
Give thanks to those no longer here, for being here, for paving the way, for fighting the good fight, for giving us the ability to read this missive on a cellphone, a laptop or a computer. Thanks. It's easy to give, and something no one can take from us.
My two cents.
Since Jennifer and I took the week off, here's a previous session that reflects this sentiment. PS: will be appearing on COAST TO COAST AM on Friday Dec. 4th at 10 pm, talking about the "Architecture of the Afterlife."
Enjoy! And Happy ThanksGiving.
