Last shot of the day on a film set, also the last name of the author of this blog. Martin - Latin singular, those soldiers who work for Mars, God of War. A smith. In this lifetime of words, music and film. AKA "The Afterlife Expert" (Coast to Coast AM) If you want to reach me, I can be found on FB, LinkedIn, or Gmail under MartiniProds (my youtube channel)
This was one of the more unusual podcasts in memory - mainly because it was on my birthday, and I had the profound experience of being with my friend Luana Anders on my birthday. Here, Luana left the planet in 1996, and being able to ask her questions and get answers, as well as ask her to give her Oscar's speech - is mind bending.
Jennifer and I have been doing this for 8 years. Luana has appeared to members of my family (when they'd never met her, but could identify her) as well as other friends. She was in over 300 TV shows and films, and was mentioned by Jack Nicholson in his speech for "As Good As It Gets."
Luana moderates our podcast from the flipside.
But before I get to her speech, Princess Diana showed up to talk about the event when she is mentioned in Prince Harry's book SPARE. How she not only orchestrated that event, but orchestrated Jennifer being in a restaurant with some friends, was in the midst of talking about Harry's report about her showing up via a medium (in his book "Spare") and then while talking about Diana, Harry and Meghan showed up in the restaurant.
She had a profound message for both her boys, to paraphrase, it's to "focus on love." To have unconditional love for each other, as well as their father - and moreover to be aware that everyone is going through troubles and difficulties, but if one can love themselves, then they can love others unconditionally - it's as profound a concept and statement about love as I've ever recorded.
Then Jennifer correctly predicts that "Everything Everywhere" would win many awards (that was widely predicted, but Jennifer hadn't seen it) just as last week's podcast when I asked Carl Laemmle (who purchased the rights to the original "All Quiet on the Western Front" when head of the company he founded Universal pictures) how many awards would they win? Or if the screenwriter who saw a vision she would win an Oscar for the film was correct - Carl said she was, and indeed, she did.
He said it would win three, it actually won four. It's not that Jennifer was right or wrong, as the question was asked to Carl. The future doesn't exist, there are likely outcomes, just pointing out that even Carl on the flipside, who said it would win three, was off by one. It happens.
Again - we're demonstrating how simple it is to speak to loved ones on the flipside.
Here's Jack Nicholson mentioning Luana in his Oscar speech: https://youtu.be/jS7Z--qJ-Dw
So in light of asking my pal Luana what she might have said had she won an Oscar, she said:
"I would like to say to all of those viewers out there... how much I love what I do.
I loved what I did there, I love what I do here... I love the intersections, the intercrossings.. all the directors, the actors, the people that feed them... how it takes everything, every unique talent and every situation -- that connects us all.
If everybody knew that this was a play; that you are here in front of me and you are one of the actors in my play and I'm one of the actors in your play, wouldn't we get along better if we knew we had to be clothed and fed and taking care of each other?
And maybe "The Union" was God? Or whatever (term) to keep things going? It could be that simple.
We make it so difficult to care for one another. Why can't we just care for everyone?
I just want everyone to know that we are all in this together and I'm grateful for everyone who is listening, from afar to here. To those that don't know us yet, to those that will never know us - when you bring up your abilities to wake up, to be connected, to know you are connected... Then anything else can be a little bit easier.
Just be who you are and know you have an important part in everybody's play."
Luana was a lifelong Buddhist, a member of SGI here in Los Angeles, along with her pals Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, the late Wayne Shorter - and I know Jennifer well enough to know that she would not have given her Oscar speech in this fashion, but I know for a fact that it is in line with everything that Luana believed in when she was on the planet, and chanted for on a daily basis.
Our loved ones are with us. Try to not forget that. But also try to remember, we are all actors in each other's plays - try to love without conditions.
Chatting with Audrey Hepburn, Monte Hellman and Laurie Bird.
Audrey in her job with UNICEF
I didn't ask for Audrey to come and chat with us; but I did have a discussion about her two days earlier, commenting that I always thought I had seen "My Fair Lady" but I had not.
With her pal Oscar
And her performance was amazing, also considering her background fighting Nazis as a partisan. So Jennifer mentioned that conversation, and then Audrey proceeded to talk to us about Earth Day and her love for animals and the earth.
Monte Hellman
At some point I realized we only had a few minutes left, and asked if Luana Ander's old friend Monte Hellman had stopped by. Luana is our class moderator on the flipside. She knew Monte well. She knew everyone in Monte's films well.
So we had a lively chat with Harry Dean Stanton, Bill Paxton, Monte had messages for Jack Nicholson, Robert Towne and Fred Roos. All the details he talked about were accurate - but the most unusual part was my asking if "Laurie" was there to greet him.
Monte Hellman
Jennifer could not know who Laurie was, or what I meant. But I knew Monte would. And he said he saw his old girlfriend waiting for him - someone he spent four years with back in the 70's, and who left him to be with Art Garfunkel. Laurie ended her own life (as her mother had) at the age of 26. Jennifer correctly reported that Laurie had taken her own life - but then had a message for Art Garfunkel.
Laurie Bird
What makes this unusual, is that when I met Art, I mentioned that I was a friend of Luana's. He said "I used to date Luana." Startled, because I knew that Paul and she were an item at one point, I said "Did Paul know that you dated Luana?" Art said "No, I didn't bother to mention it."
Laurie in Monte Hellman's "Two Lane Blacktop" with Dennis and James
What makes this even more mind bending, is after Luana passed in 1996, I got a letter from her old roommate back in her teen years, who said that "Luana used to have a photo of Paul and Art next to a candle, and she would tell her roommates "I'm going to know both of them." The roommate didn't stay in touch with her, had no idea that Luana and Paul were an item, or that Art and Luana were an item.
Laurie and Art
And here we were chatting with Laurie Bird, an actress who starred in two of Monte's films, who used an image of the "poster of Hair" to identify who she was dating after Monte. And that image made me laugh, because Art had a giant afro in those days.
When she said "I'm seeing a poster from the play "Hair" I thought of this photo. Funny.
I answer questions on Quora in a forum called "Hacking the Afterlife." This exchange happened recently, and I'm sharing it.
"A very very dear friend of almost 30 years recently passed of Covid on January 19. They removed life support at 4 pm. At this time I had no idea he had been sick (Since Dec 19th and put on a vent at that time.) We had been romantically involved years past and it just faded into a beautiful friendship; almost brother/sister. He used to call me all the time while on a detail (he was a police officer) and there was always noise in the background.
Our calls were a little infrequent during the holidays; he had moved in with his girlfriend so. I understood. I finally received a call January 19 it was at dusk.
"I said where the hell have you been???" We laughed and laughed. The conversation went in for about 2 hours. I actually had to pull off the road I was laughing so hard. And I was almost home. And didn’t want our conversation to end. Funny thing was, he never called at that hour. His work shifts were always around noon, but it was quiet in the background; no noise.
He was so happy like elated !!!!
I said, "Omg I have to go now" as I pulled into my driveway. He always said. "Ok - adios" and we hung up. The next day I told my friend. “ I talked to Dennis for 2 hours last night. I remember because it was her birthday.
But then I didn’t hear from him after that. I went to call to tell him my daughter had a baby, and his phone was disconnected. I knew something was wrong. I called his son and he told me (he had died). I said "Omg I just talked to him. In January."
He said, "There is no way you could have he was on a ventilator from Dec. 19th and died January 19."
Richard. What was that phone call !!!!!? I mentioned this call to numerous people. Because it as so wonderful. As all our calls were. Thank you for reading this.
My reply:
Thanks for sharing. It’s one thing to say “I’ve read about something like this” or “I interviewed someone who had that experience” and then to share the experience. When things occur we have to be a little bit like Sherlock Holmes and “eliminate all the other possibilities” to get to the truth.
I’ve heard of people “recovering” just prior to passing (Mentioned in Dr. Greyson’s YouTube talk “Is consciousness produced by the brain”), and there are people who get “cellphone calls” from people not on the planet. Sometimes it’s a word or two - Dr. Elisa Medhus got a call from her son who had ended his life early, and she was startled to hear him say “Mom I’m okay.”
My brother recalled having a long conversation with a good pal the night before he passed - and for two hours they spoke of how influential each other was in their lives, and how much love there was for one another. The next day he died from a sudden heart attack. At the funeral his widow went up to my brother and said “I overheard your conversation, and I’d never heard my husband talk like that to anyone so deeply about love and your relationship.” As if he knew he wouldn’t be much longer on the planet somewhere on the flipside.
The good news is this; everyone is accessible. I’ve been filming people chatting with loved ones for over a decade. Through hypnotherapy, meditation or mediumship. Each avenue yields results. What I frequently record is people saying “He’s telling me “I’m still alive. I’m still here. Just because you can’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not with you.” So there is a methodology to reaching out to your pal and asking the question “What was up with that phone call?” and to get an answer. Tell him we said hello."
Her reply:
"After some research. The phone call came on 1/19/21 at dusk. He was taken off life support on 1/19/21 at 4 p.m. I had no idea that he had passed until the second week of Feb when I tried calling him to tell him about my new grandson. That’s when I found out.
The phone call was light and he was so happy. And I don’t remember what we talked about except I said “Hey, we’ve been taking for over two hours. I’ve got to get in the house." He said, "Ok, Adios."
RIP Dennis
My reply:
"Very cool; again, thanks for sharing. It’s the kind of experience where it’s done casually and no one thinks twice about it - until they realize the person they were speaking to for over two hours on the telephone was no longer on the planet.
When I first started this research - and the more I think about it, the further the date backwards goes - I remember my aunt, a very religious person saying that her husband had appeared at the end of her bed and woke her up. When she saw him, she saw he was younger, healthier, happy. Just “stopped by to say I love you.”
And the phone rang, awakening her out of her “sleep” to tell her that he passed away. Her family didn’t believe this story when I told them - literally their own mother’s story. When we start to share stories, we find that people have had experiences across the board for a long time - if we look into literature or libraries, we find that people have reported these kinds of stories since people took pen to paper.
Oddly enough, he’s giving you this tool to “prove that life goes on.” By digging up the time stamp on your phone record (you can get them online easily enough) you can demonstrate that he clearly was in no shape to have a two hour phone call - off of life support (!)
I mentioned it to someone just now, and she said “I’d like to know if there was a record, it’s something I’d think is worth finding out.” I said “Well, people who are convinced life doesn’t go on, that consciousness ends cannot be convinced no matter what evidence they see.”
But maybe you can take a screen short of the time stamp. That would be fun.
Dr. Medhus said she didn’t believe in the afterlife until after he son passed, and called her on her cell. She told me there was “no number” but when she answered it, it was clearly her son’s voice saying “Mom, I’m okay.” Since then she’s spent years chatting with him via various mediums, but that initial phone call was pretty dramatic.
Now if we could just figure out what phone service Dennis was using, and create an app for that… we could all retire!"
Last night I was having a chat with someone on the flipside.
Not entirely sure who, but I was aware that he was Jewish, because he was showing me some artifacts from his "shul" back in New York City. I heard the word "shul" and remembered it enough to include it in this post. The word means synagogue in Judaism, and I was being shown these items, not from a perspective of pain or suffering, but just history, or remembering. It reminded me of when I played piano at my friend Dave Patlak's little brother Danny's Bar Mitzvah. Danny, bless his heart, is no longer on the planet, but when he was mitzvahed the family asked me to play. At the time I was playing guitar and piano in "open mic nights" in Chicago, and said "Sure."
But I wanted to play "Hava Nagila." (Most people were playing "Tequila" or "Innagaddavida" at events, but I thought I'd be politically correct - funny, I never knew what the title of "InnaGaddaDaVida" meant until today - according to its Wiki page, after a gallon of Red Mountain wine, it's what the drummer heard from the drunk Iron Butterfly vocalist Doug trying to sing "In the Garden of Eden.") Growing up Cat'lick, I didn't know the tune other than Harry Belafonte's version. So I learned it - and I played it. And the room was clapping, applauding and singing along until I forgot how it went - and apologized profusely, and said "Let's see if I can remember how it goes this time" and someone in the back of the room yelled "DON'T KILL IT AGAIN!"
Pretty funny. I'm still laughing about that one. So this fellow in my dream and I were chatting about the idea of how everyone is just "Walking each other home." I've heard it often - I know Ram Dass made it a popular phrase, but it's been repeated in the flipside research. "All roads lead to the same garden."Meaning, all religions, all philosophies, all non religions, all belief systems - we are all just walking each other home.
But beyond that - "who's the we?" If we ask people on the flipside what they look like to others, they often report "I'm a light." People can be asked "What color is that light?" Even the ones who say "It's mostly white" will also add "It's got streaks of vibrating blue, pink..." etc. These strands appear related to guitar strings - vibrating at a frequency if you will. All lights have all kinds of color inside of them.
Rich, Jennifer and Scott De Tamble
Scott De Tamble, lightbetweenlives.com and I have frequent discussions about what he's heard or learned about the flipside. He observed that when he's speaking with or communicating with someone considered to be "old and wise" or venerated (worshiped, adored) when asked "So if you were looking into a mirror, how would you see yourself?" they inevitably say "as light." So in essence - we are all lights.
When I'm doing my research with Jennifer Shaffer, and ask her "How does the bat signal go out to inform people that class is about to begin?" she often gets the visual of Christmas tree lights going on - or a string of lights, lights beyond lights into infinity. In one of the first sessions I filmed, Chanda Berlatsky ("Flipside") saw how everyone is connected together like a "string of lights." This metaphor is used over and over again by people who are trying to describe what they are seeing from the perspective of the flipside. We are all just lights.
Class in session
And then the conversation drifted into that speech that King T'challa gives at the UN - (the late great actor Chadwick Boseman) “Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers.” And I had this odd LIGHTNING BOLT of a revelation. These wars, these divisions, they're all metaphors - all portions of plays written to teach us lessons. Take any division in human history and examine it from this lens. Diasporas worldwide. People being harassed for the color of their skin, for their religion, for their sex, gender, choice of mate - etc. Millions of Jews being harassed since forever - not just by Christians, but beyond. Arabs fighting other Arab tribes. For money, for gold, for oil, for sand. Chinese tribals factions - Asians like the Khans marching across the globe, Tibetans being rounded up modern day, Native Americans wiped out by Europeans. Alexander the Great and his Greeks created war and havoc in India - in Egypt across the planet. Followed by the Romans versus the non Romans. Asians versus Asians, Africans versus Africans, Russian tribes versus Russians, etc. It's them versus us. Us versus them.
All variations of color of skin, of backgrounds, beliefs - like warring ants coming together to wipe out other armies of ants. From the above point of view, it's just ants fighting, but from the ants' point of view - it's history, it's differences, it's... survival. And yet here we are all lights. Just lights. But not only lights - multi-faceted, multi-jeweled lights. Multi-colored lights. At our essence and core, droplets of water fighting other droplets of water over something that has nothing to do with who or what we are. Refractions of light. Reflections of light. What I got from this discussion with this fellow on the flipside is "We never learn."
When I heard that - I realized each and every diaspora is a lesson... whether its building walls to keep out immigrants, or millions exterminated because of their religion. Estimates of 20 million Russians killed by Stalin because he feared them overthrowing him. Nazis exterminating gays, Jews, Catholics.... people they considered "less than." Never mind that the concept of Aryanism - that Tibet as the birthplace of the Aryan nation was fabricated out of thin air... Pol Pot arming children to kill children. Chairman Mao allowing the cultural revolution to murder estimates of ten million. Alexander the not so great wiping out civilizations - Darius of Persia, Genghis Khan and all his crazy kids... etc. All of it ridiculous wastes of humanity.
Not a lot of women in there, but give Victoria her due. Or Elizabeth. Or Catherine the Great, or Elizabeth of Russia. Napoleon. Even Columbus, and his impact on the Americas. Millions upon millions willing to kill each other (they didn't do all the killing, they pointed and the rest of the ants rolled over the hill and slaughtered the rest.) Will we never learn? Reportedly, there is a time element involved. I've heard it often in the research. That human consciousness is shifting whether it wants to or not - to realize that we are not alone in the universe. That the process of incarnation reveals that we chose our lifetimes as humans, that as light beings we choose lifetimes in other time zones, other realms, other planets. That's not my opinion, theory or belief. It's in the reports. I turn on the camera - people report they can recall lifetimes on other planets, I put those transcriptions into my books. Or, I turn on the camera, a medium talks directly to someone who is no longer on the planet, who reports new information from their perspective - and I post it online. It's data. We may not like the data, but that doesn't affect the data. So how to impress upon humanity that everyone they meet, everyone they've met, everyone they will meet is a light? They may be a bright white light, or a blue light, or pink, orange, green, purple - all variations on light. And if they look carefully they'll see the light dancing, moving, not matte, but electric and present. Not skin color. Not size or shape. Hair or eyes. Not clothing. Not anger, resentment, fear, jealousy - those may all be aspects of one manifestation of that light, but the overall picture or package is light.
It's a bit like walking past the sandbox. There's a group of toddlers over there throwing sand, arguing, fighting over toys. We can go over and say "Guys, calm down. There's no point in fighting over this stuff. It's just playtime." And they look up at the ancient, old avatars looking down at them and say "Pfft. What do you know?" and go back to slapping, biting and throwing sand. The oldsters look at each other and smile - with amusement, or perhaps melancholy. "Were we ever that young?" We cannot interfere, yank the toddler out of the box - we can't interfere, stand in the middle of the sandbox... we can take their toys away, but even then they don't want to hear the lessons.
Blind leading the blind (on film)
But we can repeat what we learn. And by repeating what we've learned - or giving people to access what we've learned, or by showing them how to access this information by bypassing the filters and accessing memories of previous lifetimes via hypnotherapy, guided meditation or just one on one questions - allows people to open up the garden gate. The truth is just by reading the above sentence, one's higher self becomes aware of the process. And some will see the truth in this research - or see the beauty.
John Keats doing his best Adam Driver imitation
Today an old friend was quoting the "Ode to a Grecian Urn" - and it reminded me I had been to the place where the young poet Keats died at the ripe old age of ... 25 to the same disease that felled his family. Too young to die, but his words burn brightly. His poem ends with the following: "When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." There are things of beauty here on the planet. We need to preserve them, not only for future generations, but for our own possible return. TRUTH IS BEAUTY I was making my Dogme film "Camera - Dogme #15" - and was filming a wedding and ran into Jack Nicholson. (I made it for fun - it was awarded the Dogme certificate, played in Dogme fests around the world, including India where I presented it to a sold out audience of 3000 Indians - who roared with laughter). I asked Jaaaack to make a toast for the wedding couple (I was going around asking people "How do you keep a happy marriage?" It appears in the film "Camera - Dogme #15"). He said "Suuuure Richaard." The wedding couple were two old friends. I asked Jack for a toast, and he gave it to me. I realized to my dismay that I hadn't recorded it, had just pointed the camera at that iconic face and had forgotten to push record. I had the temerity to apologize - and ask for a "take two." This is his "take two"Where he quotes "Ode to a Grecian Urn." My two cents.
Thanks to everyone who entered to win a free copy of the book "Backstage Pass to the Flipside 3" - a free PDF of the book has been sent to everyone who entered... (or will be sent, check the mailbox."
I asked people to ask Luana five questions. These folks had never met her, didn't know her, but as a demonstration that you can get an "answer" from someone on the flipside, I designed these questions in such a way that no one could answer them but a close friend of Luana's (none entered) or were actually speaking to Luana. The answers to the questions are: 1. What was Jack Nicholson’s nickname for you? (People might get an image or a sound, or something else. Whatever it is, don’t judge it, just write it down.) The winning answer came from "Frances" in Florida, who said "I get an image of her standing with a clutch purse. The color of the purse was turquoise." I asked what color that might represent, and she said "aquamarine?" I said "That's close enough - The answer is "Blue." (Could have been a state of mind comment, but Jack has a nickname for all his pals.) 2. What city did your mother own property in, that we went to visit? (Again, hard for them to use “words” – an image might come to mind, or an image of a person might appear; just note whatever that is.) One person answered this correctly; "New Mexico." Her mother brought property there in the 1960's, Luana and I went to visit it later in her life, and it was specifically in Santa Fe. New Mexico was/is correct. 3. What was the name of your dog that you found wandering the streets of West Hollywood? (Hint: This name is also the name of a city. Again – try not to judge it, but listen carefully for the name of a city, or a place on a map – if you get a state ask “north, south, east or west?” until you take out a map, look at the cities on the map and “ask her to direct you to the correct one.”) One person answer "Jose" - which in Spanish would be as in "San Jose" - but it's close to "Boyse" - which was her nickname for "boys town" or West Hollywood. I called him "Boise" (hence the hint) but Boyse is more accurate than Boise - and close enough to Jose to suggest a winning entry. 4. Name the cat in this photo. Painted by Luana (Hint: Not Mr. Bailey who is someone she often refers to. Cat shares the name with a friend of hers, and a person with the same name may appear.) This cat's name was "Robert." However, a number of folks said "Kit Cat" or "Kitty Cat" - I don't remember Robert being referred to as such - but who knows? Maybe he is on the flipside. So no one got this correctly, but that's fine; Robert doesn't mind. 5. What is your uncle’s first name, who was the brother to your mother? (Hint: an image of someone with the same name might come to mind. She would have called him "Uncle ____") This is a tough one - and I'll leave her uncle out of this since no one reported his name correctly. He was an unusual uncle of hers, had an unusal life and Luana took care of him in his elder years.
The point of this exercise was to inspire folks to do the same kind of "self experiment" with their own loved ones. Not with Luana per se - but with anyone that we knew that was on the planet. Devise your own "five questions" or ten, or twenty. Take out a photograph and ask them to reply. They don't have to reply with sound, could be an image ("clutch purse that's blue") could something that pays off later. Try not to hung up in the "proving" part - as Harry Dean Stanton told us (In "Backstage Pass to the Flipside 1") "Believe in the possibility of an afterlife, then you won't waste any more of your time arguing about it like I did."
Sage advice. But in this case, talk to them. Ask them questions. Repeat the questions in different locations - their favorite restaurant, a beach. Ask questions you don't know the answer to - 'When you hear an answer before you can ask the question then you'll know you've made a connection." Books and awards will be sent out as we speak - and the winner to Jennifer's raffle (a free hour with her) will be notified privately by email (and will announce here if they ask me to.)
Thanks for playing along! "Architecture of the Afterlife" and "Backstage Pass to the Flipside 3" will be on audible in a few weeks. Stay tuned.
It's the day we celebrate those who brought us into the world. They claim we all have only one, so depending upon how our relationship was with that person, we celebrate them. Some don't celebrate this day. Some don't know their mom, never knew their mom. Some knew and didn't like their mom, or fought with their mom, or had a hard time with their mom their "whole life." I'm here to offer a little "Flipside" perspective.
The book Luana got me to write.
In all the 50 cases of people I've filmed under deep hypnosis talking about their moms, they all claimed the same thing; "I chose her." They talk about a "life planning session" and then "casting" who is going to play the various roles in a lifetime. And even the worst parents - you know who I'm talking about - the worst of the worst - were part of that planning session.
Chose what?
One friend who suffered abuse from a parent, while under deep hypnosis was able to examine the moment when she "agreed to participate in that teaching." She said the parent learned about negativity of their actions, the suffering they caused - and she had "agreed" to participate to help teach these lessons to this person. (It's in the book "It's a Wonderful Afterlife.") After the session she told me, one of her oldest pals, that "years of therapy dissolved during that session."
Doesn't make abuse any less painful - or lessen its impact. But when you can wrap your mind around the idea of "helping someone" out of "compassion" to teach them a painful lesson... it gives it a different perspective.
The bedroom the Dalai Lama left when he escaped.
Still awaiting his return I guess.
The Dalai Lama points out that "everyone" may have been his mother in a past life. So he tries to act accordingly - when meeting a new person, or even a difficult person. "This person may have been my mother in a previous lifetime." Further, he offers this as a valuable meditation - "Imagine for a moment that the person you are having difficulty with was a your mother in a previous life. She nurtured you, fed you, bathed you - and that possibility forces you to relate to them in a different fashion." It's a good meditation. On Mother's Day, try to remember that everyone might have been a mother. Or more specifically, on Mother's Day, try to open yourself up to the idea that we've had many lifetimes before, and each one had a mother who brought us into the world. We may not be able to remember her, (and maybe she's playing a different role in this lifetime) but we can thank her anyway.
Mother church or mother of gelato. It's both.
I know of a few cases where mothers on their deathbed said the equivalent of "I was your mother in this lifetime, and I'll be your mother again" or "I was your daughter in a previous lifetime but I'm your mom in this one." People might dismiss this information as the rantings of age - but it's also in the research, the thousands of cases from Dr. Helen Wambach and Michael Newton - it's worth pausing judgment when a parent says something that we can't quite comprehend... yet. Happy Mother's day to all of my mothers - including my mom - Anthy Martini in this lifetime.
Anthy Martini Concert Pianist
She was hilarious, a treat to be around, was a concert pianist who played up to and including her last day on the planet - and I am happy to have come to the realization that I chose her for a variety of reasons. She was and is the perfect person to have allowed me to roam freely in my creative work. Love you to the moon and back (as they say.) So here's to you Momly. But wait, there's more!
Luana Anders by actor Tom Pittman (who died not
long after taking this)
It's also the birthday of our pal Luana Anders. (Hi Lu!) Fans of Flipside know her as the "mother of flipside research" - because she is the one who inspired it. She died in my arms, turned to me and laughed with her last breath, and since then has been visiting me - either physically (in dreams or have heard her voice) through friends on the flipside, through mediums here (Jennifer Shaffer observed "She is like me, doing the same work over there - she's a medium who helps people communicate with their loved ones - but she's doing it from the flipside"). I've had at least two experiences where I've seen previous lifetimes where I knew Luana. One (as reported in "Flipside") was in Sumeria - a place I knew nothing about, but reported dutifully while under my first deep hypnosis session. Later I looked up what I had said and found it all to be accurate... "Really? Sumerian? What the heck is that?" But then recently, I was shown another lifetime where we lived in Hawaii and were best friends as children. (Luana and I had been to Hawaii in the past, with our pal Dave Patlak.) I must say, upon reflection, they behaved like two teens who had known each other for some time while we were together roaming around the islands, and I had this odd experience of being the nagging parent; "You two! Stop giggling, I'm trying to map where we're going."
Luana hugging Mick Gough backstage
(Batman's original butler and long time pal)
It's mind bending I know - but I've stopped asking "how could that be?" and focused on "So if that's the case, what did we learn from back then?" Then "Easy Rider" popped onto my radar.
Luana Anders. The mother of flipside research. In a mirror of a mirror; also in "Easy Rider"
"Easy Rider" is playing at Cannes this year - the 50th anniversary. Luana appeared in this film back in the 1960's, because the cast is alphabetical, she's the first name that pops onto the screen. Some thoughts about it: I saw it when I was 14 in Chicago. I may have seen it 6 or 7 times - 8 years later, I came out to film school at USC and met Luana (who happened to play Peter Fonda's girlfriend in the film.) That was in 1979. Through Luana I met pretty much everyone involved on the film, from assistant Editor Henry Jaglom to Karen Black, to Jack, Peter and Dennis as well as Burt Schneider.
Luana and Peter in Easy Rider
Then 7 years after I met Lu, I happen to cast Peter's daughter in "You Can't Hurry Love" (Bridget Fonda) in her first speaking role. I knew she was Peter's daughter, but honestly wasn't making a connection to Luana's film. (Luana plays my aunt Macie in "You Can't Hurry Love" as well as co-wrote and appeared in "Limit Up." ) She appears in "Point of Betrayal" as a nurse who "solves the mystery" for Rod Taylor, and later, when she was too ill to come to the set, did a cameo as a "voice on the phone in the film "Cannes Man."
Luana and Dennis in Night Tide by Curtis Harrington
So in essence, Luana and Dennis - who starred together in the film "Night Tide" were both in my film, the last one Luana appeared in (and gets a laugh with her line deliver from her hospital bed.)
Luana in "Pit and the Pendulum" produced by fellow
Jeff Corey classmate Roger Corman
Which pulls us back into the circle of life.
Because Dennis Hopper appears in Cannes Man. I met Dennis at the preschool where his daughter and mine went to school and we chatted about Luana. Dennis had sent the "largest bouquet" I've ever seen to Luana's funeral (in 1996) - and it was as giant as the one sent by Jack Nicholson. Both boys vied for her affection - Jack in a more demonstrable way of loyalty and friendship; he put her in most of the films he made, and mentioned her when he got the Oscar for "As Good As It Gets."
Luana in a publicity still
But in Dennis' case - I knew Luana for 20 years and don't recall Dennis ever reaching out to her the way Jack did. I had helped Luana rewrite her script "Real Feelings" (Producer Fred Roos is trying to make it, about her days with Jack Nicholson, Sally Kellerman, Robert Towne - all pals in the Jeff Corey class) and I knew that she had written a hilariously funny real life scene when she lost her virginity to Dennis. He was a pal at the time and she had orchestrated the event to "get it over with" (she was the only person of her pals who hadn't "lost her cherry" as she called it) and Dennis "obliged." The scene is laugh-out-loud funny, as well as touching in light of the both of them being no longer on the planet. But when I read it, I knew it was the most compelling writing of a scene of its kind I have ever read. And I knew it to be accurate (as she told me so when she wrote it.)
Luana and Michael Gough while doing
Broadway in the 1960's.
Cut to last week; during a filmed session with Jennifer Shaffer, talking to people on the Flipside when I asked Luana if there was anyone in our group (over there) who "wanted to come forward?" Jennifer said she saw Dennis. (Looking thin, wearing oval glasses, short hair. I always ask "what's he look like to you?")
Jennifer Shaffer
He had a message for one of his children, and I did my best to pass it along to that child. (A friend of a friend.)
I took the opportunity to ask him why he sent this huge bouquet to Luana's funeral when they "weren't that close." He said"I always felt connected to her, even though it wasn't consciously." I asked if they "had a previous lifetime together" that he could recall. He told a long story about being a sailor in London (name of the ship, the year, etc which I will research) and how he had met her in Barcelona - she was a dancer, and he made frequent trips in that lifetime - and how they had a child together. (He also told me that child is on the planet today, someone that he is connected to, and asked me to pass along the message "Everything is going to work out" that the troubles the child is going through is via someone who "is focused on money" is "not telling the truth" and that it will "eventually disappear."
Cannes Man with everyone who Seymour Cassel
talked into being in this film
I'm not being cagey when I don't mention the name of the person he was talking about - it's not up to me to focus on that end of it. I passed it along as best I could. I have had friends feel violated when I've told them "Oh, by the way, I talked to your dad/mom and they told me to tell you the following..."
Hacking the Afterlife
First, they think I'm nuts, then they feel upset that I would have the gall to "pass along a message" from someone who they are still mourning. I can only offer that if my mom appears to someone with a message - please, pass it along. I'll know at first glance how accurate it is.
Luana Anders by Monte Hellman
Back to Luana. During this session, she said she was worried about a mutual friend (still on the planet). I asked her to clarify for Jennifer and Jennifer said "She showed me this friend passing out. Fainted." I had heard from this friend a WEEK BEFORE where he told me he had fainted. We talked about low blood sugar, etc, but I had not told anyone about it. And here was Luana showing Jennifer that this actually happened. She gave me some medical advice for me to pass along to this fellow, which I did. The point of the story is that Luana from her perspective over 20 years off the planet, saw this friend faint, mentioned it to Jennifer this past week later and she mentioned it to me. I see it as a confirmation that life goes on - but I won't make the argument, because what's the point? Not everyone is supposed to know how the play ends. The message was private and I passed it along. And now about Cannes - some years ago I was on a yacht moored in Cannes for Robert Altman's movie. At the party, Robert's wife said to me "You know Luana is responsible for Bob's career." I asked "How so?" She said "She starred in his film, "That Cold Day in the Park" and when it showed in Cannes, Luana's pal Jack Nicholson was in Cannes for Easy Rider and when he went to the screening he told everyone what a genius Bob is. And that's how his career began." I had never heard this story. Then today, when Peter Fonda posted this mention of how this year they're screening "Easy Rider" a number of stories came back.
CREDIT: HUFFSCHMITT/SIPA/NEWSCOM
Once, in Boston, Luana and I were having a pint in "The Sevens" on Charles Street. A group of backpacking students asked to share our table, and revealed they were from France. We went around the table introducing ourselves, and this one girl froze. "Luana is your name? Like the actress Luana Anders?" Luana smiled; "Yes that's me." The girl said"I worked in the movie theater on the Champs Elysee where "Easy Rider" ran for 20 years. I always wondered who you were and now I'm sitting with you." After I met Luana at USC film school, years later, she was invited to the 25th anniversary of the film in Santa Fe. We went together and said hello to Dennis, Peter and others. They all treated her as if she was someone special to have known or to be around. (I've always seen that among her friends - as if they always knew her, and would always know her.) So today while posting something on "the book of Faces" about Cannes and the screening, I was writing the story of Bob Altman's wife telling me that Luana was responsible for his career... and I heard Dennis say "I went to that screening too." I thought - "What? Did I just hear Dennis say that I got the story wrong?" A few seconds later, the cell rang and it was the Oscar winning screenwriter Robert Towne whom I worked for years ago, whom Luana had introduced us. He said "Isn't it Lulu's birthday today?"
Robert when Luana intro'd me to him, and worked for
him on Personal Best. In this photo as an actor. (Stephen Vaughan)
I said - "Yes, it is. And funny you should call. Can you confirm if Dennis went to the screening of "Cold Day in the Park" in Cannes? There was a long pause, and then Robert replied "I think that's a yes." What are the odds of him calling me at the same moment I was writing that?
Directing Rod Taylor and Luana in "Point of Betrayal"
Luana and I were in Cannes together in 1986, with Jonathan Krane raising funds for "Limit Up." I partied with my old pal Bill Paxton who had finished a B movie in Turkey, and Luana was dolled up in her designer gown she brought for the trip. Bill and I lost money at Roulette, while it was Luana's only trip to the festival - it featured one hilarious encounter in a pub. We were sitting at a group table with some young actors. She was asked by Cary Elwes (Princess Bride) to "tell a joke" - she said "I can't tell a joke, honestly" but Cary insisted. He was making everyone at our table "tell a joke."
Luana's best pal Sally Kellerman with her late
husband Jonathan Krane
She looked at me, and I said "tell Jonathan's joke you heard this morning." So she told a joke she heard about a notorious film producer - (which I later used in "Cannes Man") "Three hookers are in Cannes; they ask "Who would you agree to have sex with for free?" One says "Sean Connery" the second says "Tom Cruise" the third says "Elliot Kastner."The other hookers look at her and say "Who's that?" And the hooker says "I don't know but everyone walks around Cannes saying "F*%k Elliot Kastner! F*%k Elliot Kastner!" When she got to the punchline, Cary's face turned beet red, and his friends fell over laughing, and we didn't know why they did until Sally Kellerman revealed it to Luana the next day. Everyone at the table knew (but me and Luana) that Elliot Kastner was Cary's step-father. Ah, if only I had a cellphone camera to film Luana's reaction: "D'oh!"
Producer Jonathan Krane brought us to Cannes in 1986He was the source of said joke.
Later when I took over the film "Cannes Man" - in 1996 - Dennis was already in it, and later we chatted about how I had "directed him in a film although we hadn't met on set" (I finished the film) we talked about his connection to Luana and he seemed to be profoundly moved to talk about her after her passing. So here it is - Cannes is beginning again, the film that Dennis directed that changed the face of independent cinema is unspooling on the Croisette, Luana and pals will appear in the festival again, this time with more friends from the film on the Flipside. And she is still "working with them" proving on a weekly basis through our filmed conversations that she not only still exists, but she can help folks on the flipside to connect with people here, and can help me to translate what she's doing into books that people can read and contemplate how life does indeed "go on." Easy Riding into the Sunset to to speak.
So Happy Mothers day everyone, and happy birthday to you Luana, and happy birthday to to everyone who has come to the realization that they chose their mom for a reason, chose their life for a reason, and can sit back and applaud the clever math of it all. At some point I stop saying the word coincidence - when actually it's just complex math. The mathematics of being able to stimulate Robert to call me at 9:30 in the morning, the math of having me just have written this note on Facebook about Luana, the math of me starting this post and then hearing "It's about Mother's Day" and ... etc. etc. etc. So on this Mother's Day - I'm honoring my mom, the mother of me - but my other moms as well, the mothers who put up with me in previous lifetimes, and the Mother of Flipside Research, Luana Anders, who was born on this day.
Timeless photo of the both of us.
She ain't gone. She just ain't here. If you want to hear what she has to say from the Flipside, this is the foreword she "wrote" for our book "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer."
FOREWORD
by
Luana Anders
Forewords are an unusual introduction to the material
inside a book. In “Flipside: A Tourist’s Guide on How to Navigate the
Afterlife” Harvard PhD Gary Schwartz offered to write the foreword, where he
said that “self science” was something Einstein had done, and he felt my
“journey into the Flipside” should be considered as part of that canon.
In “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife volume one” Charles
Grodin suggested in his foreword that he didn’t quite know what to make of my
forays into the afterlife but enjoyed my passion for them. In Volume two, Galen
Stoller, a young man who passed away some years ago wrote an eloquent foreword
from where he is now, detailing what he wanted to impart about the journey. “It is a wonderful afterlife,” he
wrote (via a medium), “but only because
“it is wonderful to be alive.”
I suggested my pal and compatriot in this endeavor
medium/intuitive Jennifer Shaffer should write the foreword, as she’s the
conduit for this research. But while we were discussing this, Luana Anders, my
friend and inspiration for this journey (who passed in 1996 after our being
best friends for 20 years), suggested (through Jennifer) that she wanted to write her own foreword to
this book.
Note:
Luana, besides being an actress who appeared in 30 features (including “Easy
Rider”) also appeared in 300 TV shows. Her film writing credits include “Fire On
The Amazon” and “Limit Up” written with yours truly.) At some point in this
book, she suggested I try “automatic writing.” I sat in front of the keyboard,
put my fingers on the keys and thought; “Type whatever comes to mind.” I opened
myself up to the possibility I could write something on her behalf:
“First, let me be clear. Richard is not talking
through me. I am talking to him through Jennifer (usually). She does her best
to make it easy for him to understand what I’m trying to say, and I’m doing my
best to make it easier for him to understand.
But it is leaning in from both sides.
(Note: Like the 11:11
example Luana cites later in the book.)
At the moment, Richard is typing this sentence and has
put his mind on virtual hold (he claims it’s a meditation technique) to allow
“me” to take over his typing. Some
people call this “automatic writing.” Doesn’t
mean it’s any good. It just means it’s automatic. No brain stem involved.
First I’d would like to point out that chanting “Nam
Myoho Renge Kyo”[1]
saved my life. I know that Richard used to tease me about it, make fun of it –
and I’m grateful for that because it allowed me to laugh about it as well.
(Note: Luana would do her
“daimoku” (“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” prayer) in the car on the way to an event.
She’d chant at lightning speed, decades of practice, which sounds a bit like “homina homina munya homina.” I would
imitate her and she couldn’t help but laugh. Chanting helped her navigate her fear of parties. Luana was an incredible
listener, and on more than one occasion, I’d leave her for ten minutes at some
tony event, come back to find a close friend sobbing, pouring out his/her life
to her. She had incredible compassion, even as a listener.)
But
it saved my life. I never would have made it as long as I
did on the planet without being able to focus on something else so dear to
me. Saving
humanity by chanting about it. If
you’re not familiar with it, if you’re suffering, I recommend it as a form of
meditation and healing. You pray for
someone else and you are healed. Simple as that.
I suggested that I write the foreword to this book
because after all, much of it is about me – and I have little to say in the
matter. Believe me, it was as shocking to me as it was to my class to have him
(Richard) appear as he did – willy nilly – in front of my classroom over here.[2]
He just started speaking out loud as if was completely
normal that some ghostly avatar would appear in front of our class and start
blathering away about his “research.”
But I applaud him for it. He’s
got cojones this boy. I can call him
a boy – because I know him better than most.
He’s endearing... to me and to others. But at his core, he’s that little
boy that I’ve known for a long, long time.
It’s important work that he is doing, important work
that he and Jennifer are doing. To help us communicate with all of you back
there on the planet, and to open up people’s minds about the ability to do
so. It’s happened not because of any
great cataclysmic event that’s in the offing – it’s happening because it’s
time. It’s time to shift
consciousness, to shift gears to understand the nature of reality.
It’s going to upset some people, but we’re on top of
that as well. It’s going to liberate
most people. Help most people. And
ultimately turn out to be completely accurate when others figure this process
out.
Some may ask “Why now?” Some may ask “Is this a good
thing to do to communicate with our elders and loved ones who’ve gone on?” Well,
we still have things to communicate to you, we still have thoughts, dreams,
feelings and hope for humanity – because we consider ourselves part of your
journey as well. You may not think of us
that way – but we think of you that way.
So please, allow me to offer this small token of
appreciation for the fellow who is typing this sentence. Yes, you are a goofball Richard, you are
someone that has vexed and frustrated me during my life, but also during other
lifetimes.
But you also taught me how to laugh, how to let go,
and how to be more of myself while I was on the planet. I know what my path was about, I know why I
had to depart early – eventually you’ll come to know these reasons as
well. Suffice to say it’s okay not to
“know everything” or “why everything happens” but it is good to trust in the
idea that they do “happen for a reason.”
And let’s focus on that for a moment – “focus on
reason.” What is reasoning? Taking the evidence presented in front of us, and
trying to figure out what it means and how it can help me in my journey. We reason
things out because that’s what we do with our minds... we also can go “beyond
reason” and allow things to happen to us, or for us... and that’s how I want
you to consider what you’re about to read.
That this goes “beyond reason.”
And there’s a reason for that as well.
Okay, I’m telling Richard to stop now – and to let our
mutual friend Jennifer go over this text and see what “resonates” or rings true
for her. After all – it’s those
“feelings of resonance” when we get a shiver of truth, or when we get a feeling
that we’re actually learning or talking about something that’s beyond our logic
and thought, beyond our mind... that we truly are able to learn things... about
the nature of reality and about the nature of ourselves. I’m fortunate because Richard can type at the
speed of thought – I’m watching him do this as we speak, and I suggest a
plethora of ideas and he’s able to blast them onto the page.
One more thing about love. I love you all. I’m not just saying that as a phrase – but I want
you to really feel what I’m saying. I LOVE YOU. I send my heart and soul and
unconditional love to you who are reading this sentence. I hope and pray that you receive this love
because love is what moves this universe, it is the giant engine of who we are,
it’s what or who God is, it’s what or who we
are. If you can wrap your mind
around love – that’s great – if you can’t, that’s okay too, just open your
heart up to the idea of it.
Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy.
Love the idea of love, of creating love, or spreading love of being loved and
giving it in return. That’s about all I
have to say on the topic except... “See you on the flipside.” (To quote a corny
phrase too often used by a close friend of both of ours.)
PS: (It’s) Just a few days after my birthday – I would
have been xxx age in your realm – but
over here – not such a big deal. Which I prefer. Enjoy the cake.
Written (as if
channeled) by Luana Anders
[1]
SGI/NSA Buddhist chant.
http://www.sgi.org/about-us/president-ikedas-writings/gongyo-and-daimoku.html
[2]
It was during my first deep hypnosis session where I found myself
standing in her classroom, interrupting it. Everyone turned in shock as I
appeared. She looked at me as if to say “WTF?” She looked about 20 years
younger than when I knew her – at least 10 years before I met her. She looked
embarrassed to see me standing in the class talking – but I continued to speak.
(Flipside)
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ANTHY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUANA!!!!
When I put this pic on the fridge after she passed in 1996 I said aloud
"The essence of our relationship! Cookies and cappuccinos,"
When Charles Grodin had James Van Praagh on his talk show, a few months after she died, Chuck and I thought up a way to see if he could talk to our mutual pal Luana. I called in from Santa Monica
and James said live on the air; "She's telling me there's a photograph on your refrigerator that is the essence of your relationship." Indeed.
