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!
In the call, she refers to a few things in my apartment including my cocktail glass collection (my last name engenders gifts that are Martini glasses of all shapes and sizes.) But there's a moment in this clip when I realized beyond any shadow of doubt that James could speak to our departed friend - further that our departed friend was "still alive" - as she had to have been "over my shoulder" when I put the only photograph of her on the refrigerator and said aloud "Oh, look, the essence of our relationship. Cappuccino's and cookies in Italy." Laughter as well. Lots of laughs.
