"Coast to Coast" with George Noory talking Flipside

Thanks for tuning in to "Coast to Coast" last night... it's always fun to talk to George Noory!

Here's a book talk I did last Saturday at the International Association of Near Death Studies in Chicago.  90 minutes, it's called "Sacred Heart."

Also...I forgot to mention two books worth examining - "My Life After Life" by Galen Stoller, and "My Life After Death" by Erik Medhus (channelingerik.com) - both have detailed descriptions of the architecture of the afterlife.  By and large they report the same - that its remarkably similar to here, perhaps because of "shared focus" by other individuals.  There are some fascinating sidebars in both books. Galen wrote the introduction to "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" (volume 2) from where he currently resides on the flipside.  

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/07/15


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Date:	Wednesday - July 15, 2015
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Gerald Celente, Richard Martini

In the latter half, author and filmmaker Rich Martini discussed his research into the afterlife, including near death cases and between-life hypnotherapy sessions. He's particularly impressed by cases where people access "new information" that they didn't know beforehand. For instance, in Eben Alexander's NDE he is given a guided tour of the "Flipside" (afterlife realm) by a woman he's never met. Later, the family that put him up for adoption shared a picture of his deceased sister (whom he wasn't aware of) and he recognized her as the woman from his NDE. Martini had his own such incident during communications from his deceased father who mentioned six names to tell his mother of people he was hanging out with on the Flipside. While Martini didn't know the names, his mother recognized them as his old friends from WWII.

Interestingly, a criminal attorney told Martini that her clients, who have been brought up on manslaughter and 2nd degree murder charges, say they've been visited by their victims either in dreams or as manifestations in the room. The deceased victims all say relatively the same thing to the people who killed them by accident: "I'm OK. I can help you." Martini also talked about the experience people share between lives, and how they are reunited with their soul groups. Soul groups sometimes incarnate together to work on specific purposes or premises as a way to learn and evolve, he explained.

News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Robert Zimmerman

Website(s):

• trendsresearch.com
• richmartini.com

Video(s):

• Flipside: A Journey Into the Afterlife

Book(s):

• Trend Tracking
• Trends 2000
• It's A Wonderful Afterlife, Volume 1
• It's A Wonderful Afterlife, Volume 2
• FlipSide: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife

Tonight Coast to Coast Radio and Today Tara Marie Live! talking Flipside

Just back from a fun event in Chicago talking about Flipside and the Afterlife... will post asap.

Meanwhile...

On the Radio today at 3 pm PST, (6 pm EST) with my pal Tara Marie Segundo on her Tara Marie Live! blog radio show...


 @AmLatinoRadio SiriusXM Ch 154

Tara Marie Segundo ‏@TaraMarie_Live  14h14 hours ago

Call-in (888) 411-7242 6-8p ET #TARAMARIELIVE Mon-Fri

And.... just got a call from "COAST TO COAST" AM RADIO and I will be appearing live with George Noory tonight from Midnight to 2 am, EST tonight.

TONIGHT! JULY 15TH. MIDNIGHT TO TWO A.M. PST.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

Tired of hearing about the Flipside? Okay, I'm sorry about that. Not much I can do. But here's the point -

IT'S NOT ME WHO NEEDS TO BE HEARD.

It's your friends and loved ones on the Flipside who are making these appearances happen.

THEY WANT TO BE HEARD.

I spoke to a friend this past weekend about the loss of her son. I asked "Has he been to visit you in any fashion?" She said "no." Then she said "Except for a dream I had where I saw him at this giant party at my parent's house. He seemed happy and was having fun. And I was startled and said "Wait! Where are you? How can I find you?" And he laughed and said "Mom, just look at the pictures."

She wanted to know what that meant.

Dreams might be the best way to reach out to you.

I said that in the research (thousands of accounts, which some people don't consider research, they consider them "anectdotes." Well, if you gather a thousand anectdotes from people who've never met who say the same things about the afterlife, you no longer have an anectdote. Call it what you want - some form of mass hysteria, hallucination, delusion - it doesn't change the statistical amount of replies involved saying the same thing over and over. And those results are replicable. Meaning, given the proper setting, the proper therapist, they can repeated by the most ardent of skeptics, disbelievers or people on the planet)... again, the research has many accounts of how it's possible for a person to contact their loved one "via dreams."

They say - that is, the people on the flipside say - that the way to do that is to mesh their energy with yours. They say that it's difficult to mesh their energy with yours when you're sad, upset or in another mind frame, but that it's easier if you're calm - or in a dream state. They find a dream that makes you comfortable (a party at your parent's house) and appear to them and state whatever it is you want them to figure out, research or look up later.

In this case, my friend's son said "look at the pictures." Looking at pictures, according to these reports, is like accessing a holographic memory - a slice of time if you will. As the photograph captures that slice of time. Magnetized ions capture the visual, but it also captures (somehow) energetic information. Code if you will. And that it's "easier for them on the other side to be in touch" with their loved one through photographs.

Here's a loved ones photo alongside of his ashes.  Good place to start.

So. Think of a photo as a portal. It's not about making it easier for you to contact them - it's about making it easier for them to contact you. Take out a picture of your loved one, imagine them in present tense, imagine them standing in front of you - and express whatever it is you want to say ALOUD.

As moments after I said this to my friend, a woman overheard me talking and said "I heard from my son after he died the same way. He said "speak out loud mom" so that he could hear me.

So there you have it.

Speak out loud.

A pic of someone outside looking in.

See you on the radio!!!!

Please visit the side panel for links to my books and video:

"Flipside" - the book or the DVD at Amazon or click the links to find them.

"It's a Wonderful Afterlife" - book or audible or click links.

My two cents.

Its a Wonderful Afterlife book talk July 11th, Evanston

THE WINDY CITY presents Northbrook Native

JULY 11TH SATURDAY

Turn left at Wrigley and go North (Skip the Sox/Cubs game on Saturday and go Sunday, you won't want to miss this.)

FLIPSIDE BOOK TALK WITH RICHARD MARTINI

Author of "Flipside: a Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife" and "IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE"

Frequent guest on George Noory's COAST TO COAST

CHICAGO this Saturday July 11th....

Checking for nuggets in Northbrook

Guest Speaker: Rich Martini

Chicago native, Author, Filmmaker, Award-winning American film director, producer, screenwriter and free lance journalist.

After Rich Martini had several “Other” experiences, including the death of a soul mate, which revealed to him that there is more to life than is apparent, he started exploring and looking for more information and answers to the truth about life and death.

Flipside was his debut non-fiction book. The film documentary is distributed by Gaiam TV and Amazon Prime. After experiencing a dream visit with his friend on the other side, Martini went on a literary quest to find out how science and philosophy are currently explaining these phenomena.

He journeyed into Tibetan Philosophy, made documentaries in Tibet and India, and eventually was introduced to the work of the Newton Institute, founded by renowned author and hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton (Author of Journey of Souls). The book contains interviews with numerous hypnotherapists who talk about past life regression and life-between-life therapy, using the information to help patients examine their immortal identity.

Flipside went to #1 at Amazon (Kindle, all its genres) and Rich’s follow up series It’s a Wonderful Afterlife also went to #1 due to his appearances on “Coast to Coast” radio. It’s a Wonderful Afterlife expands his research into the afterlife, including interviews with Bruce Greyson,MD, Mario Beauregard, PhD, and Gary Schwartz, PhD, about consciousness existing outside the brain. The author interviews people who’ve had both near-death experiences and between-life hypnotherapy sessions and includes transcripts from between-life sessions….including his own.

In 1978, Rich graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a BA degree in Humanitiess. He attended USC Film School and received an MA degree in 2008 from their Master of Professional Writing Program. He also took improv classes at Second City in Chicago under Jo Forsberg and with the Harvey Lembeck Workshop in LA.

Reviews:

Richard has written a terrific book. Insightful, funny, provocative and deep; I highly recommend it! ~Robert Thurman (author of Why the Dalai Lama Matters)

Everyone should have a Richard Martini in their life. ~ Charles Grodin (Author of Just When I Thought I’d Heard Everything!)

Inspiring, well written and entertaining. The kind of book where once you have read it, you will no longer be able to see the world in the same way again.~Gary E. Schwartz PhD (Author of The Sacred Promise)

We viewed Flipside last night and were blown away about how good it is; the visuals were outstanding - the care taken in putting it all together really shows.~Michael Newton (Author of Journey of Souls)

For more info, please see:

www.AWonderfulAfterlife.com, 

www.FlipsideTheFilm.com or

www.RichMartini.com

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEAR-DEATH STUDIES (Chicago IANDS) support and study group…..Near-Death Experiences, Out-of-Body Experiences, After-Death Communication, Losses, Research. All are welcome.

TIME: 2-5 p.m. on the Second Saturday of each month

COST: Suggested Donation - $20. No one is turned away.

PHONE: For more info, call (847)251-5758

LOCATION: Frank Auditorium in Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Ave. (& Central), Evanston.

DIRECTIONS:

From the Kennedy Exprswy: Take Eden’s Expressway to Old Orchard Rd. Go east to Gross Point Rd. Turn Left. Go one block to Central Street. Turn right and stay on Central about a mile, crossing over Green Bay Rd, until you get to Evanston Hospital, which will be on your left. Turn left immediately after you go under the “L” overpass (on Girard). Then turn right into the parking garage (free).

From Sheridan Rd.: Follow Sheridan north along the Lake until you reach Central St. Turn left (W). Ridge Ave will be the first stoplight. Continue one block further to the “L” overpass. Turn right on Girard, immediately before going under the overpass, then turn right into the parking garage (free).

On the “L”: Take the purple line into Evanston. Get off at Central St. (Metra is less than a mile away.)

Jesus and the Supremes

Eight years ago, Proposition 8 was passed in California by a majority of voters to deny same sex marriage.  That prompted David Boies and Theodore Olsen - famous attorneys from opposite sides of the briar patch - to team up to defeat that law.  It went all the way to the Supreme Court and was part of the reason the Justices voted the way they did this past week.


What does that have to do with the Flipside?

Well, alot, actually.

First, think of how this decision would have affected people if it was in the Constitution over 200 years ago.  It wouldn't be an issue, there wouldn't have been a fight, there wouldn't be rainbows bursting out all over.  Other countries passed the same law years ago (Canada over a decade ago), so it is unique to the US that they can be so involved in pendulum behavior.

Reports from the Flipside - as referenced in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and the other books, show that over there we don't have a panel of judges who judge us.  Some people as they approach this place where they can visit their "council" claim that it's devoid of any negativity, that their guides show them through images, feelings and sensations what their actions have caused during their lifetimes.

The people themselves have the lesson learned, or the transformation.  No one is waving a finger up there, or over there, saying "this is wrong" or "You did wrong."  They do however offer guidance and examples of what people are working on in terms of learning.

By and large these are lessons in compassion.  So it will be very interesting for those folks so angry about this recent decision, or angry about the battle flag decisions, or angry in general - about obamacare, obama, any other host of things that have pissed them off.

Once they get over there - on the flipside - after they're dead, it's almost universally reported that once they get there they're greeted with love.  Not just any kind of love - but unconditional love.  That pure sensation of being totally embraced and loved.

I've gathered reports from a few cases where people got over there and were horrified at what they'd done in their lifetime - murders, killers, other horrific acts - and they get the chance to experience what they've created while over there.  In at least two cases I've reported how people have chosen to "banish" themselves from the incarnation route for awhile, where they experience a kind of self imposed prison where they go (willingly) to examine why and how they acted.

And in one case, his previous lifetime was so controversial, let's say, that he was given the option to "reboot" his energy.  And he chose to do so.  He has no recollection of what it was he did that caused his guides to offer that option - but he claimed that is exactly what they did.  Pulled apart his energy and reconstructed it so that he was no longer a person who roamed the planet doing things that created chaos of awful experiences.

So if you want to call that "being punished" - certainly that's one way to put it.  But these people described it as an option - they didn't have to, but chose to experience these things in order to learn or grow.

Which brings us to Jesus. What's he got to do with this Supreme Court decision and tales from the Flipside?

Well, as noted in "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" people run into Jesus in a variety of ways - during a near death experience, sometimes during a meditation session, sometimes during an out of body experience, sometime via someone who is a medium, sometimes he shows up in someone's dreams.  Now of course - we can argue "that's not Jesus, that's just people wishing it was Jesus."  Okay, that's true, that's accurate, that may indeed be the case. After all, he's never, ever wearing a name tag.

But people still claim that during their NDE, during some traumatic event, Jesus appeared to help them, to guide them to embrace them, to send them back to the planet.  And what makes it interesting, is that in a number of these cases, when people recount the experience - they have the same physical reaction to telling it.  Their cheeks turn red, their eyes water, and they describe a feeling of "not being able to breathe."

It's possible that's a psychosomatic reaction - but why would different people have the same reaction?  It's like if all three broke out in hives, or all three suddenly felt nauseous and threw up - then we could point to that experience or feeling to show that whatever it was that affected them caused the same physical sensation.  Let's say that every time Jesus showed up in a between life sessions or during an NDE people had an uncontrollable fit of laughter.  It's possible they're all experiencing some kind of psychosis - but why the same effect?

I asked Jesus that very question.

Recently, I was interviewing a medium who is quite successful in her career helping law enforcement. I've checked into  that aspect of her work, and know that the people who are skeptics for a living, still call upon her to help them in a difficult case.  (Their attitude is "I don't know why it works, but why question it if it does?")

So as an experiment, I asked this medium if she could ask Jesus to appear during our interview.  And when she reported that he did - her face turned, red, and she couldn't breathe and began to weep.  I asked "Jesus" what was behind this physical reaction? I pointed out that in three different interviews I'd filmed or seen, the people seeing him had the same reactions - tears, red cheeks and shortness of breath.  I asked him "so why the allergic reaction to you?"  

His reply (again, I know this is a medium replying on his behalf, I know the construct involved, but I'm using syntax to describe how it went) was that "because he was closer to source, the energetic pattern in his makeup caused that reaction."  He also went on to say "other people on the planet, avatars from various religions, also have the same effect, because they're closer to the source in their energetic makeup."

I appreciate the answer.  Do I think the medium made that one up?  Since I've tested her on other details, I find it unlikely. Is some other entity pretending to be Jesus or someone who just looks like him?  Equally possible, except that the same event happens when he shows up.  (Note: it didn't happen to me, and I was sitting in the flight path of where he might have been.  So his energetic pattern didn't affect me in any way I could discern).

I bring this up because in the interview I reprinted in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" volume two, this same fellow claims that his purpose on earth was to show people that we are all equal, just like we are on the flipside.  That over there we have no hierarchy, no race, no caste, no gender, no orientation or preference, we're just who we are, and we are all equal.  And that's why he went through the experience he did on the planet, to teach that lesson to folks.  (Just doesn't seem to have been interpreted that way.)

So if Jesus was here to say "Hey, love your neighbor because we are all equal and we're all from the same source, don't waste your time judging others for how they look, or what path they've chosen" who am I to argue with him?

My two cents for the day.

Flipside book talk at IANDS Chicago July 11th

Alert the media!!!

Coming into the Windy City to talk Flipside.

Promises to be a fun Afternoon on Saturday July 11th, festivities begin at 2 pm sharp. C'mon down and get a full dose of flipside fun.

Chicago IANDS
The International Association for Near-Death Studies, Inc.
Into-the-light

Guest Speaker: Rich Martini

Chicago native, Author, Filmmaker, Award-winning American film director, producer, screenwriter and free lance journalist.

After Rich Martini had several “Other” experiences, including the death of a soul mate, which revealed to him that there is more to life than is apparent, he started exploring and looking for more information and answers to the truth about life and death.


Flipside was his debut non-fiction book. The film documentary is distributed by Gaiam TV and Amazon Prime. After experiencing a dream visit with his friend on the other side, Martini went on a literary quest to find out how science and philosophy are currently explaining these phenomena.

He journeyed into Tibetan Philosophy, made documentaries in Tibet and India, and eventually was introduced to the work of the Newton Institute, founded by renowned author and hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton (Author of Journey of Souls). The book contains interviews with numerous hypnotherapists who talk about past life regression and life-between-life therapy, using the information to help patients examine their immortal identity.

Flipside went to #1 at Amazon (Kindle, all its genres) and Rich’s follow up series It’s a Wonderful Afterlife also went to #1 due to his appearances on “Coast to Coast” radio. It’s a Wonderful Afterlife expands his research into the afterlife, including interviews with Bruce Greyson,MD, Mario Beauregard, PhD, and Gary Schwartz, PhD, about consciousness existing outside the brain. The author interviews people who’ve had both near-death experiences and between-life hypnotherapy sessions and includes transcripts from between-life sessions….including his own.

In 1978, Rich graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a BA degree in Humanitiess. He attended USC Film School and received an MA degree in 2008 from their Master of Professional Writing Program. He also took improv classes at Second City in Chicago under Jo Forsberg and with the Harvey Lembeck Workshop in LA.

Reviews:

Richard has written a terrific book. Insightful, funny, provocative and deep; I highly recommend it! ~Robert Thurman (author of Why the Dalai Lama Matters)

Everyone should have a Richard Martini in their life. ~ Charles Grodin (Author of Just When I Thought I’d Heard Everything!)

Inspiring, well written and entertaining. The kind of book where once you have read it, you will no longer be able to see the world in the same way again.~Gary E. Schwartz PhD (Author of The Sacred Promise)


We viewed Flipside last night and were blown away about how good it is; the visuals were outstanding - the care taken in putting it all together really shows.~Michael Newton (Author of Journey of Souls)

For more info, please see:

www.AWonderfulAfterlife.com, www.FlipsideTheFilm.com or www.RichMartini.com

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEAR-DEATH STUDIES (Chicago IANDS) support and study group…..Near-Death Experiences, Out-of-Body Experiences, After-Death Communication, Losses, Research. All are welcome.

TIME: 2-5 p.m. on the Second Saturday of each month

COST: Suggested Donation - $20. No one is turned away.

PHONE: For more info, call (847)251-5758

LOCATION: Frank Auditorium in Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Ave. (& Central), Evanston.

Chicago IANDS Merchandise: ,http://zazzle.com/chicagoiands* Good quality T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, keychains, and much more….

DIRECTIONS:

From the Kennedy Exprswy: Take Eden’s Expressway to Old Orchard Rd. Go east to Gross Point Rd. Turn Left. Go one block to Central Street. Turn right and stay on Central about a mile, crossing over Green Bay Rd, until you get to Evanston Hospital, which will be on your left. Turn left immediately after you go under the “L” overpass (on Girard). Then turn right into the parking garage (free).

From Sheridan Rd.: Follow Sheridan north along the Lake until you reach Central St. Turn left (W). Ridge Ave will be the first stoplight. Continue one block further to the “L” overpass. Turn right on Girard, immediately before going under the overpass, then turn right into the parking garage (free).

On the “L”: Take the purple line into Evanston. Get off at Central St. (Metra is less than a mile away.)

Reverend Moore, Self Immolation of Tibetan Monks and The Flipside

Came across an article in the Washington Post today, about a Texas minister who self immolated last July.

Reverend Charles Moore 

Story barely made a ripple in the national media, but having been painfully aware of so many Tibetans who've self immolated over the Chinese occupation of Tibet, 140 and counting, this was an unusual event inspired by the Tibetans, but over the cause of racism.

And as the nation has a dialog about whether to put away an archaic battle flag, which deserves a prominent place not flying over a state, but in a museum of intolerance, it's worth hearing what Reverend Charles Moore actually said as to why he committed this act.

We usually honor those who "sacrifice their lives" for the greater cause, if they're wearing a uniform, or taking a bullet on behalf of what we care for or believe in. 

But in this case, Reverend Moore took a bullet on behalf of racism.

Photo by Bill Renfro

First a little background:

Rev. Charles Moore was profoundly disturbed his entire life by a racist event that happened in his home town in Texas that he was forced to "ignore." 

"Moore explained that his death was not an impulsive act, but one to which he had given great thought. Renfro told The Post that Moore left behind a copy of a New Yorker article entitled “Aflame.” It was about the Tibetan Buddhist monks’ protest of China’s domination of Tibet. They, too, set themselves on fire.... 

(Rev. Moore wrote) “I will soon be eighty years old, and my heart is broken over this,” he wrote. “America (and Grand Saline prominently) have never really repented for the atrocities of slavery and its aftermath. What my hometown needs to do is open its heart and its doors to black people, as a sign of the rejection of past sins. … So, at this late date, I have decided to join them by giving my body to be burned, with love in my heart not only for them but also for the perpetrators of such horror.” 

Wow. Self immolation for a teaching in love. It's hard to wrap our minds around, but worth noting (and hearing his entire letter). The heart wants what the heart wants or needs. We honor his life of self sacrifice by at the very least examining how this ultimate sacrifice came to pass (which was completely missed by any media I'm aware of).

Here's an indepth article about him "I have always felt that death for a cause was my destiny, but never so much as during the past several years — when it has admittedly been a preoccupation,” he wrote.

In his typewritten notes, he said that his efforts seemed futile, the progress of the world too slow. He underlined a passage in a New Yorker article about Tibetan monks who set themselves aflame to protest China’s rule.

Moore wrote that he attempted the act several times, but fear and the simple beauties of the world tempted him to stay.

“The turning leaves on the trees in my front yard are almost reason enough to keep living,” he wrote.

Did you catch that?  Some things on the planet are worth sticking around for.

But I found the letter he left behind posted online. I must tell you, typing it up, knowing how this fellow died, and what was in his heart when he wrote this - it's pretty powerful. 

These words are his legacy. Obviously he had a strong connection to the word "hometown" and his self identity - being shunned at the age of 20 for applauding what the Supreme Court had ruled. (Here's CNN in 2006 talking about Grand Saline's dark history) Reverend Moore spent 60 years living with that anger - and after traveling to India, observing poverty close up - he writes how he was ashamed of his hometown. Knowing that he had a vision of sacrificing his life for a cause (a very Flipside concept - how could you know that if it wasn't something you'd already agreed to?) he ended up self immolating for a cause - which he spells out eloquently in this letter. 

If we don't open our doors and hearts to people, then what are we doing on the planet? All I can add is "Amen" and "Rest in Peace Reverend Moore." On behalf of Reverend Moore's selfless act, without judging it (since he reports he talked himself out of it many times) I give you his reasons in his own words:

O GRAND SALINE, REPENT OF YOUR RACISM 
by Reverend Charles Moore 

I was born in Grand Saline, Texas almost 80 years ago. As I grew up, I heard the usual racial slurs, but they didn’t mean much to me. I don’t remember even meeting an African-American person until I began driving a bus to Tyler Junior College and made friends with the mechanic who care for the vehicles: I teased him about his skin-color, and he became very angry with me; that is one way I learned about the paint of discrimination.

During my second year as a college student, I was serving a small church in the country near Tyler, when the United States Supreme Court declared racial discrimination in schools illegal in 1954; when I let it be known that I agreed with the Court’s ruling, I was cursed and rejected. When word about that got back to First Methodist Church in Grand Saline (which had joyfully recommended me for minister – the first ever from the congregation) I was condemned and called a Communist; during the 60 years since then, I have never once been invited to participate in any activity at First Methodist (except family funerals), let alone to speak from its pulpit.

When I was about 10-years-old, some friends and I were walking down the road toward the creek to catch some fish, when a man called “Uncle Billy” stopped us and called us into his house for a drink of water --- but his real purpose was to cheerily tell us about helping to kill “niggers” and put their heads up on a pole. A section of Grand Saline was (maybe still is) called “Pole town,” where the heads were displayed. It was years later before I knew what the name meant.
During World War II, when many soldiers came through town on the train, the citizens demanded that the shades in the passenger cars be pulled down if there were African-Americans aboard, so they wouldn’t have to look at them.

The Ku Klux Klan was once very active in Grand Saline, and still probably has sympathizers in this town. Although it is illegal to discriminate against any race relative to housing, employment, etc., African-Americans who work in Grand Saline liver elsewhere. It is sad to think that schools, churches, business, etc. have no racial diversity when it comes to blacks.

My sense is that most Grand Saline residents just don’t want black people among them, and so African-Americans don’t want to live there and face rejections. This is a shame that has bothered me wherever I went in the world, and did not want to be identified with the town written up in the newspaper in 1993, but I have never raised my voice or written a word to contest the situation. I have owned my old family home at 1212 N. Spring St. for the last 15 years, but have never discussed the issue with my tenants.

Since we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer in 1964, when people started working in the South to attain the right to vote for African-Americans along with other concerns. This past weekend was the anniversary of the murder of three young men (Goodman, Schwerner and Cheney) in Philadelphia, Mississippi, which gave great impetus to the Civil Rights Movement --- since this historic time is being remembered, I find myself very concerned about the rise of racism across the country at the present time. Efforts are being made in many place to make voting more difficult for some people, especially African-Americans. Much of the opposition to President Obama is simply because he is black.

I will son (sic) be eighty years old, and my heart is broken over this. America (and Grand Saline prominently) have never really repented for the atrocities of slavery and its aftermath. What my hometown needs to do is open its heart and its doors to black people, as a sign of rejection of past sins.



So what's this all got to do with the Flipside?

Well, as people who've read "Flipside" or "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" are aware of, it appears to be possible to communicate clearly with people on the flipside.  Michael Newton has done so in his books, various mediums have done so in their sessions, and people having a near death experience where they learn "new information" about their loved ones, appear to be able to do it.

And what they say is consistent:

We choose to be here on the planet. 

We choose the lifetime that we want to explore and learn about.

We do things out of compassion for fellow humans, including incarnating here on behalf of a loved one's request.

That suicide has no ramifications in the afterlife in terms of "judgment" - that we only can judge ourselves and our own path.  Only we can know if we "failed" in our journey, perhaps failed at overcoming anger, failed at overcoming bullying, failed at overcoming an addiction to drugs, or failed at overcoming our brain being wired differently.  What we learn on the flipside is that NONE OF IT IS A FAILURE.  It's just another experience that we've attempted to do, and have not quite accomplished.  Like being in a class and failing a test.  It's not the end of the world, or even the end of the class.  It just means that you have to try harder next time.  Any good teacher can tell you that.  Any good student knows this.  You just have to try harder.

I'm just repeating what is said in the research.  As the good Reverend said above, "Many times" he almost killed himself, but stopped because of the "beauty of the planet."  

And I would argue that is enough of a profound reason to stick around - the beauty of the planet which is real and accessible, is more profound, more of a reason to be here, than to not be here.  That there's no amount of mental stress that can't be overcome, or changed through meditation (see other posts to read about Professory Richard Davidson's (U of W) work on curing depression through meditation), there's no amount of stress or disaster that can't eventually be understood.

Because we don't die.  Let's start there.  We are here, and then we're somewhere else.  We can't come back here, at least immediately, but we do get the perspective of "Oh - that was the wrong thing to do" - not by way of judgment, but by way of observation.  

In many of the cases I've examined in "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" a person stands before their spirit guides and argues "I couldn't have done anything else.  I was at my last straw."  And out of compassion and love, their guides show them - "Actually there were many other avenues you could have taken - let's examine them..." and people report seeing "different outcomes" of their actions.  Like if they had not killed themselves, they could have seen a different path to take.

Which reminds me of a story I repeat in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife."  I call it "the Wednesday option." 

I was talking in Virginia Beach about how people who do commit suicide are not punished for their actions, but they do find all of their loved ones back there saying "What the heck were you thinking? We had so many plans worked out in advance, and you've screwed them all up!!! We love you man, but if you had only waited until Wednesday, you would have seen that tickets to Italy were coming your way and we were all going to meet up there!"

After my talk, a woman came up from the audience and said "i'm a wednesday person."  She explained that she was so depressed that she went online and learned the easiest, less painful way to do herself in and went down to the hardware store to buy the chemicals required.  And while standing in line she met these two kids from Uganda who were part of the wars over there, they'd lost their families and were here in the US trying to adjust.  And she in that moment realized that this was something she could help with, and now lives in Uganda and takes care of children in an orphanage.  She had literally "waited until Wednesday."

So when we think of Reverend Pinckney this week, and all the things we lost with his eloquent voice - gunned down - know that he is elsewhere enjoying the fruits of his love.  And think for a moment about Reverend Moore who died burning alive in a parking lot in Texas because of his anger about racism.  One who was sacrificed, and one who sacrificed himself - both people who believed that love was paramount, that love is the key to our existence on the planet.

 RIP Rev. Charles Moore. RIP Rev. Pinckney. May your paths on the flipside bring you closer to your goal of universal love.

My two cents.