Alzheimer's and the Flipside - a Memorial for a friend

About six months ago, I got a note from an old friend telling me his father was in hospice care with dementia.  

I've known this friend's dad since I was 12 or so, and I was best friends with his son for about 30 years, before he died from a heart attack.

Jack Tracey, life long friend, father of my pal Paul

But as pals of "Flipside" know, death appears to be a temporary experience.  

As reported in that book, I was walking in Tibet, around Mt. Kailash when I heard my friend's voice clear as a bell speaking in my ear.  I was complaining to myself about the altitude (about 18K in some places) carrying a backpack of film equipment (making the documentary "Journey Into Tibet with Robert Thurman") when I thought "Wow, this is really hard to walk at this altitude."  And I heard Paul Tracey say "You think it's hard for you, imagine how hard it was for me!"

Paul had passed away a year earlier - in fact, I was carrying the titanium ball from his hip in my backpack, as I was going to plant some of his ashes on Mt. Kailash.  (His mom Lois sent me a tupperware jar of some of his ashes, and inside was the titanium ball.  As friend Dave Patlak said "The thing Paul hated most in life he willed to you!") Paul was a star athlete when he had routine surgery that he didn't need to have, but had - and it destroyed his hip.  He had two replacements in his life, and walked with a pronounced limp and cane afterwards.

But here I was on Kailash, hearing his voice clear as frickin' bell. And then he said "Richard, you were responsible for the happiest day of my life." I couldn't think of what he meant - I walked on, puzzled, until he showed me. A day when we went walking in the Cuyahoga Valley outside my uncle's home in Brecksville, Ohio, and we got lost. Instead of panicking we followed a creek until we came to a waterfall and we spent hours jumping off a stone ledge into a pond.  It was idyllic and outside of time. And I had forgotten it completely.

With Billy Meyer and Paul 

I told this story to his parents afterwards. 

His mother didn't want to hear it ("I'm his mother! Why wouldn't he appear to me instead of you?" She forgot she had told me she saw him "standing in the backyard" once after he passed.)  

His dad was a tad more generous "It's rare in life to find one true friend, and Paul was lucky to find you."

Jack Tracey gave me my first job. At 16, one summer Paul and I worked in a packaging factory on the West Side of Chicago. I learned more about capitalism and union politics that summer than I did in any job I had since then; it was an eye opening experience. As the foreman Mr. Lagacki said to me "Son, you're never ever gonna be blue collar. Just go to college and be the white collar you are supposed to be."

When I heard that Jack Tracey, an athlete like his son, who rode his bike sometimes 70 miles a day, was on his last legs and in hospice care I thought - "Well, in my experience with this research, I know we bring about a third of our consciousness to a lifetime, so it's likely that I would be able to access that other percentage of him. I mean, I've already spoken to his son, so I should be able to contact his father - even though he's still alive, part of his "higher consciousness" is always back home."

Jack on his chariot

So in our weekly scheduled session, I asked medium Jennifer Shaffer to help me access my friend's father. 

She had accessed Paul a number of times and instantly recognized his pale blue green eyes (hypnotic as they were and apparently still are.) The following is a transcript between me, Jennifer Shaffer, Luana Anders (our pal on the flipside who helps facilitate these conversations) and Jack Tracey. (Recorded on film Nov. 22, 2019).

I’m in Jennifer Shaffer’s office in Manhattan Beach. Jennifer is a medium who works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases. 

We’ve been doing these interviews for five years and we have two books “Backstage Pass tothe Flipside; Talking to the afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer.” I’ve been conducting these interviews for long enough to not judge whatever she says or sees – and do my best to help her translate whatever image she might be getting. This is from last November’s session (when Jack was still on the planet in hospice care.)

My questions are in italics, Jennifer’s answers are in bold. In the midst of doing other interviews I mention this:

Rich: I got a message from my friend Paul Tracey’s sibling telling us that his dad is on his way off the planet. You may remember, Paul is my friend who showed up in Tibet in my ear; the question I have for Paul is, what do you want me to pass along if anything?

Jennifer: They’re making jokes – saying “It’s a lot of fun over here!” I feel like he (Jack) lives over there already – I don’t know if he’s had dementia or has it here.

He does. (ding!) He's still here, but can we bring him forward?

He says “This is interesting.”

(Note: I think he’s referring to our conversation in a restaurant where we access people on the flipside via our friend on the flipside, Luana Anders. Jack had met her when we went to visit Paul in San Francisco.)

Jack, what’s you impression of this conversation?

He says “It’s very interesting!” The view I got was him looking at us from above, even though his body is still here. He’s saying that “Some people (still) need to say goodbye – or make it to his bedside before he leaves.” (Jennifer aside) I’m asking him “Why are you holding on?” He says “There are people who need to say goodbye.”

Here’s a question about how much of your conscious energy is in you now, and how much is already back home?

90% there and ten percent here.

(Note: In the research people under deep hypnosis claim we bring about 30% (20-40%) of our conscious energy or “soul” to a lifetime. When we cross over, that amount “returns home.”  In this case, he’s saying 4 months before his passing that 90% of his conscious energy is already back home.  Ten percent remains (like being in a coma) while he’s still “on the planet.” We’ve interviewed people who have passed over who had dementia, but this is the first time interviewing someone who is still on the planet at the same time.)

Are you able to do things over there on the flipside?

He’s showing me that he’s still tethered or tied to his body. He’s saying “It’s like he can’t go to (visit) other galaxies or star systems because he’s tethered.”

Can you ride a bike?

“Everything else but.”

How is your son Paul doing?

He says “He’s the one who helped me up.” (Jennifer aside) I asked him “At what point did Paul bring you up?” He said “Recently.”

I’ve known Mr. Tracey since I was ten or 12.

Did you smoke cigars with him?

With Paul. I’m not sure if Jack smoked cigars.  You were always very kind to me, “Mr. Tracey.”

He says “He loved it when you played the piano.”

(Note: No possible way that Jennifer would know that I played the piano in their home.  Nor have I ever mentioned it to anyone. But I did often.)

I did play the piano in his house often. (ding!) I had long hair in high school and you were the only parent who didn’t treat me as if I should be arrested.

He says “Well, you were a punk. But you reminded him of himself, with your wit.”

(Note: “Punk” is not a word I’ve heard Jennifer use before, but would apply to a Chicagoans pov from the 1960’s.)

I once asked you about the first time you met your wife Lois.

Is she years younger?

I don’t know but I think she’s younger.

He says “They met at a dance. At a high school dance.”

That’s correct. (ding!) I’m going to run through some of your kid’s names. Anything for Jack Jr?

He said “Tuck ‘em in.” I saw something like a blanket not being tucked in.

Is that a metaphor?

Something about “tucking him in.”

(Note: Could be about shirts, or his kids – or something only Jack Jr. would know, and may not remember now but will later. I ask follow up questions later on.)

What about his daughters, Susan or Pamela or Hope?

“Susan is hysterically funny.” He’s laughing.  “He loves them all,” he says.

How about Pamela?

Something about her possibly not being there and that’s okay.

Anything specifically to Peter or Hope?

Peter is relatively happy – both he and Hope know that this is for the better, with him leaving.

How long have you had Alzheimer’s?

Like ten years.

Anything you want me to tell your wife Lois?

“Tell her I’ll be waiting patiently for her.”

Anything you want me to tell Lois about Trump?

(Note: This is a joke. We had some epic arguments in their Arizona home over Rush Limbaugh alone. One can imagine what I had to say about the current administration; and while I've not talked with Lois about djt, we had discussed previous administrations.)

“Challenging.” When you said “Trump” - he just can’t stop laughing. (Jennifer aside) I don’t know why.

I get that. So who was there to greet you on the flipside when you first became aware of it?

He says “Paul was there. He missed Paul so much, the love he had for him,” he said “It was bittersweet.”

Paul can you bring Hedda forward?

(Jennifer, puzzled) Hedda?

Paul knows who that is, Jack knows who that is. They can say no – but can you?

Is that an animal?

Yes. (ding!)

I feel like it was a dog.

It is a dog. (ding!) Huge ears, a basset hound. Jack took care of Hedda, I remember in high school he fed her toast every morning... Jack, have you talked to Hedda since you’ve been there?

He said “Hedda knocked him over when he got there.” They just thanked one another, kept thanking one another “for being in each other’s lives.”

(Note: We’ve conducted a few with “pets” on the flipside, and each time ask for information that only the owner would know.)

Can we talk to Paul for a second?

He has blue green eyes, right?

Yes. (Ding!)

They’re very bright.

They are, recently I had dinner with his nephew – who has his eyes. It was uncanny.

That’s the first thing he showed me was his eyes.

Dave Patlak and Paul in Pizzeria Uno's.

We have a number of friends over there. Bill Meyer, Craig Ottinger. Paul is there anything you want to pass along? (A phone nearby rings with an odd “ding dong.”) Paul, don’t call me a ding dong!

(Jennifer laughs) The gods are interrupting us. Paul says “He’s very interested in your research.”

There’s a picture of you and my mom in my kitchen. I always say hello.

You do – he says “That’s as weird as his dad feeding that dog.”

Dad, Paul, Mom; Paul's BMW

Is there anything I’m missing in my work... besides making money?

Paul is laughing. He’s showing us (me and Jennifer) doing a radio show or podcast.

I was talking about this yesterday. Carin.. whom you had a fling with, in college.

She has like ten kids?

No, just a couple but you came through to Carin and said “I’m sorry we didn’t have a kid together, I’m sorry I wasn’t nicer to you.” Something like that. Anything that you want to say to Carin?

“I wish we had ten kids.”

But then you came out of the closet.

He showed me that too... (Jennifer gives me a look.) I know.

Anything you want to say about that?

“No.” He says “I’m out of the closet. There is no gender, it really is fluid for everyone.”

So Jennifer, when you’re looking at Paul what do you see?

Blue green eyes and like a light.. his chiseled chin and how gorgeous he was... that’s how he appears to me.

(Note: Jennifer has never seen Paul in life, and perhaps has seen a photograph on my Facebook page.)

Last time I saw your mom she revealed she had researched the medicine you were taking, and that it may have been the reason you died – one of the side effects of the drug is heart attacks. And you may have had a heart condition.

“Yes, it was twofold. Both the medicine and his heart. It was faulty; like he had a faulty valve.

So why was your death not related to alcohol?

(Note: Paul had done a number of stints in rehab for drinking. When he died suddenly most assumed it was alcohol related - but according to the autopsy it was not; a heart attack possibly related to the medication he was taking for a broken kneecap according to his mom.)

I don’t feel like he had enough alcohol in him.

Your mom told me that the autopsy showed that as well. (Ding.) Your dad told me when they went to your apartment, it was trashed, like someone had smashed everything. Did you do that, or did someone else?

Somebody else was there. It felt like they got in a huge fight.

Was the fight related to your passing?

“No." I feel like he had a heart attack afterwards. (After the other person left).

You called me on the phone... (before I can finish)

.

And you didn’t answer.

Right; I did but I answered sarcastically and you hung up the phone. So was that around the time of your heart attack... was that during that event? Before or during or after?

(Jennifer aside) I’m not getting a clear read either way.  I feel like (the phone call) - he just wanted to tell you he loved you, not that he thought he was dying...  “You couldn’t have saved him,” he says.

But you did make the call consciously?

I don’t think he remembers making the call.

Butt dial from the flipside? That’s funny.

Part of it was that you meant so much to him.

We have talked about that before in our conversations with him.

(Jennifer aside) I don’t remember.

When I was in Tibet, I heard his voice in my head, saying I was responsible for the happiest day of his life.” I couldn’t think of what it was... but he showed it to me. Us getting lost in a valley behind my uncle’s home in Ohio, we found a waterfall. Paul was jumping off this rock into this pond and it was really outside of time. I had forgotten about it when he popped it into my head. Hey, I got a question for you, why is my hip bothering me – is it the same hip that bothered you?

(Note: Paul had a titanium hip and walked with a limp for most of his life, after being a stellar athlete in high school. After he passed, his mom sent me a small Tupperware jar of his ashes, and when I went to bring some with me to India, I found his titanium hip. I brought it all the way to Kailash where it it rests inside a giant stone stupa, on the far side of Mt. Kailash. I carried two packets of ashes - both Paul's and Luana's.)

Yes, he showed me you carrying a little spirit baby on your hip. (Jennifer listens) Did you put both of their ashes on Mt. Kailash? Both Luana’s and Paul’s?

Yes. (Ding! Ding!)

They showed me ashes flying in the air, it was very sparkly, she’s showing me that’s where you put both of their ashes...

So what are you and Luana doing when you’re together, Paul?

He said “Roller skating.” Like dancing on roller skates.

 

You mean like you two are dancing to “YMCA?” 

He says he’s learning a lot... from us, from our class, from Luana. They learn how to talk to people here from us.

Do you want me to go to your dad’s funeral when it happens?

(Note: This was November, he passed three months later.)

He said “He’s not going to be there.”

Funny. So what can I tell everyone about your journey?

(Jennifer aside) I’ve never seen that before, I’ve worked with people before that are in a coma, but he showed me... I’ve never seen that much over there, as he just showed me.

He used to love to bike ride – I was curious if he can construct that.

He said “He can do anything! (over here)” He just showed me the Kentucky derby, even someone riding a horse as a jockey.

(Note: We’ve heard this detail from different people. Some say they’re “playing golf” - in our next book, Junior Seau says that he's playing football with Dave Duerson, and reveals some information about how to "Cure CTE" (hyperparic oxygen therapy as touted by Joe Namath who cured his own) - will be in "Backstage Pass Book 3")

 Follow up interview February 20th, 2020 after Jack's passing.

Rich: Hi class. Luana who needs to talk to us?

There’s someone who you wrote a tribute to.  Named Jack.

Yes, my friend Jack Tracey. We spoke to him before and he’s crossed over. So Jack, can you sit down for a second?

“Yeah.” He says “This is cool. This class is cool and he really appreciates your (Facebook) post.” He showed me him opening a newspaper which is his way of saying he “read something” he wants to share.

I asked you questions about your children. I didn’t get answers for everyone; how about for your daughter (that I forgot to ask about earlier).

I feel like she emulates him.

There’s something different about her. Can you show Jennifer what that is?

“She’s adopted.”

Correct. (Ding!) How did you see that?

He showed me a family of people and one that stood out; a way of symbolically saying she’s adopted.

Correct, did she choose you?

“Yes.”

Explain that. How or why did that occur?

He says, “Because they’ve been together before they came here. In a previous lifetime, in many previous lifetimes.”

So part of her journey was to find you?

“Yeah.”

She chose you in a way.

“She had to have (learn) different lessons than anyone else (in the family.)”

(Note: This is often reported in the research. People under deep hypnosis speaking about an adopted child often recall having a previous lifetime with them.  As odd as it sounds, people can and do report that even adoptions are “planned in advance.”)

I was there in grade school, when the school principal made a public announcement, got everyone to kneel and “say a prayer for the loss of Mrs. Tracey’s baby.” That’s how Paul learned of the loss. They then adopted his sister. It was pretty odd when the principal came on the PA, telling everyone before notifying the family.

That’s horrific.

When you guys adopted her, Paul used to say to me...

Yes, I remember Paul now. With the blue green eyes...

Yes.

Paul said “She was the focal point of everything.”

Yes. He often said he was going to make sure she had the best of everything, a Porsche, riches, etc.

Did she?

No, but I think she’s happy. She lives outside of LA. Jack, put in Jennifer’s mind what her opinion of our work is.

He showed me trash. 

Well, I think she thinks it's "fake" or "phony."  I don't know, but so I've heard. Her opinion or our discussions with family members is negative. So my question; is there anything in her life you can mention that she’ll know this is you? There are plenty of things in this earlier interview that could only come from you – Hedda the dog, etc., how you met your wife in a high school dance... but is there something that would help her believe it’s you?

He’s saying “She just doesn’t believe in it.”

Which is fine. Is there something in her possession, around her house that only she would know about?

I’m seeing a graduation picture of her graduating from somewhere – a picture with both of them. I’m seeing her in a graduation gown. I think it’s blue. “The picture is crooked,” he says.

Jack, I want to clarify some other things – when we talked last November, when you were in hospice care, you said there was still a percentage still here – about ten percent. But now all of your conscious energy is back home. What’s the difference?

He’s showing me an aerial view – he shows me looking down.

He showed you that when he was still on the planet as well; my question is, now that you’re all there, what’s the difference between being partially here and all there?

“The immersion.”

You mean like being in a pool?

"The people that are here" – (Jennifer aside) if I’m getting this right - "when we’re in our bodies we can only go to a certain level, (Jennifer raises her hands to indicate levels) but (now) he can go all the way, to being “immersed.”"

Kind of like dipping your toe in the pool – but the opposite way – when you are set free (from earthly bonds) you can go swimming?

"Yes." He’s showing me that Paul helped him. "Showed him the ropes."

So Paul is more expert at this than when we first chatted with him?

“Yes.”

In our conversation in November, Paul talked about our class, and we discussed Paul’s crossing over.

(Jennifer aside) I never remember what we talk about here.

There are quite a few verifiable details – but I want to ask you some more about your kids. Your oldest; you said it was better for him or the family that you’re not longer on the planet. Anything for (him)?

He says “He wants to say thank him.” Says, “He really helped him let go. He helped him to go to the other side.”

And (the other sister)?

I feel like she wasn’t there or couldn’t make it to see him before he left.

He did say that before (four months earlier, but Jennifer has not seen the transcript.)

And he says “That it’s okay that she couldn’t.”

Anything to say to now that you’re over there?

He says “She’s beautiful.” It’s like he kissed her on the forehead and said “She’s a very beautiful soul.”

Yes, she is. How about (another daughter)?

He showed me her writing. He says “She should write more... about her life.” Something like documenting her life or travels, something with a book. It feels like a memoir. “She should do that.”

Okay, how about (other son)?

I’m seeing him rocking in a rocking chair, back and forth. (Taking things slower) He says... “He’s going too fast. He needs to slow down, enjoy... he does enjoy life, but he’s not taking it in. He enjoys it – he’s just not taking it all in.” 

"Slow down and take it in." That’s great advice. He is a tech guy.

He said “He’s crazy smart.”

Anything for (your wife)? I’ve heard she’s having a hard time with your passing.

“She’s got a lot more years left” he says. He’s showing me that she thought they would have more time together and that upsets her.

How old were you?

I’m getting 79... (laughs) No, it’s 89. He said “He couldn’t remember.”

You want me to write this up and send it to your family?

He said “Yes, and to post it as well. Along with his story too.”  I have the chills over that. He says “You have a way with words and writing, Richard. And a small percentage might not like it...

I’m sure (one daughter) is not going to care for it.

He’s laughing.

But at some point you will stop by to see her correct?

He says “Yes. But it will be awhile.”

What should they look for in terms of a visit from you?

He showed me his eyes. Those blue eyes. "Perhaps in a dream."

So when they dream of his eyes, that’s a way for Jack to tap them on the shoulder?

“Yes.”

Anything else for your wife, Lois?

She’s still.. he’s saying “How grateful his is to her, that she talked to him normally as if he was okay, as if he didn’t have Alzheimer’s. He’s grateful.”

I know they had a wonderful life together. Thanks Jack, I appreciate that.

“Thank you Richard.”

I’ve been doing these interviews with Jennifer for five years now. We’ve had many interviews with people I knew, people whose details I could verify.  Sometimes it’s a matter of interpretation – so when someone sees that the transcript is incorrect, that’s a way for them to bail, or consider it all “not true.”  

But I’ve been doing this for so long, I know that some of these observations are true, and the point is to be aware of the “possibility that there is an afterlife,” that life goes on.

Because allowing that it’s possible that people can communicate with us, appears to be an important part of them being able to do so.

*****

What do we learn from this interview?

We learned that people with Alzheimer's are "still connected" - still here - but that a higher percentage of their conscious energy is already "back home."  (That's the word people use for the afterlife, substitute the word "afterlife" or "heaven" for whichever aspect one would like; they mean the same thing.)

We learned that people who are adopted had a "plan" in terms of their lifetimes. And that they find each other.

This isn't new information. I published the exact same information in "Flipside."  I had not interviewed a person with Alzheimer's at that point - but now I have.  I know that everything that he says about the journey and process is reflected in the research.  

I post this personal, perhaps intimate portrait of a friend, someone I knew and loved, from a family that I know and love - not to disrupt, upset or otherwise interfere with their grief. 

One person on social media called me a "Grief Thief."  (Pretty funny but they were upset). I can tell you that it was through Jennifer Shaffer's own grief over losing her dad, that I learned the most profound lesson about it.  I asked him to come forward and help us help others with grief.  He said "Tell people to try to move grief to nostalgia." I asked her what that meant and she said "I don't know."  I suggested we ask him; she said "He's saying that grief is only sad memories. That nostalgia is both sad memories but happy ones as well. When you can move grief to nostalgia, you begin the healing process."  

This post is about moving our grief for loved ones to nostalgia.  

It's a different paradigm when you realize that the loved one with dementia is not "gone" - they're just mostly already "back home."  They still have access to some memories - playing music, getting them to sing is helpful and lasts up to the end.  They may not know who we are, but we know who they were. And further, on the flipside, they're completely aware of our love and affection.

This post sent with love and affection to my lifelong friends, the Traceys. 

(Hedda too.)

(Excerpt from the future book: "Backstage Pass to the Flipside; Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer book 3." All rights reserved.)

And thanks for making my latest book "Architecture of the Afterlife" #1 in new releases at Amazon (in its genre.)

With Jennifer Shaffer

Thank you for making Architecture of the Afterlife #1 at Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Afterlife-Flipside-Discovering-Blueprint-ebook/dp/B0859VRF75?fbclid=IwAR3oPOBZk9PUxI-KBGnvadD9QgHDLOseljmjiUYsztGTUM5N8432gX0oaFM

Architecture of the Afterlife: The Flipside Code: Discovering the Blueprint for the Great Beyond Kindle Edition

by Richard Martini  (Author)

#1 New Release in Occult Near-Death Experiences

---

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Architecture of the Afterlife Now in Print and Kindle!!!

It's taken a couple of years, but it's finally here!

"Architecture of the Afterlife: The Flipside Code" is finally in print and kindle.

In the book, I interview people NOT UNDER HYPNOSIS saying the same things that people under hypnosis say during hypnotherapy sessions.

How can this be?

I discovered there's a code, a way to unlock the subconscious.  To directly access past lives, teachers, guides, loved ones no longer on the planet on the flipside.

THE FLIPSIDE CODE

I know that sounds mysterious, but it's not.  It turns out that all one has to do ... is ask.

I have put together about 50 new interviews (my first four books have about 50 interviews of people under deep hypnosis, including six sessions of my own.) 

My books with Jennifer Shaffer, "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer" demonstrated that I could ask anyone anything about their path and journey.  (Our third book will be out soon and we interview everyone who crossed over in the past two years that wanted to speak with us.)

But this is a book where I ask simple questions to a variety of people:

Doctors, a minister, scientists, actors, actresses, producers, writers.  Two Harvard graduates, one federal agent, 3 mediums who access their 1st spiritual experience, religious people - and everyone in between.

Logic tells us that they would not be able to access the afterlife without hypnosis, a drug, a near death event or some other consciousness altered experience.

But they do.

Consistently. And as this book demonstrates, those results are reproducible. Sometimes I'm in the room when the questions are asked - sometimes not. Sometimes I'm filming someone and someone else shows up in their mind and I interview them. One would think those interviews would be all over the map - but they aren't. They say the same things that everyone says.

Further, I interview council members - everyone has a council, but not everyone has interviewed their council members to find out what they're up to, why they're on their council or where they're from.

All I can say is DON'T READ THIS BOOK IF THIS MATERIAL IS GOING TO UPSET YOU OR BOTHER YOU.  We live in a fear based world, and at the moment, fear is part of our shared zeitgeist.  I don't recommend anyone read this book, or share this book, or even tell people about this book unless they feel COMPELLED to do so.

It's a huge caveat. "Don't buy this book if you aren't prepared to drop every known philosophy, religious belief, or scientific approach." It's a simple as that.  Please don't buy this book unless you feel compelled to do so.

That being said: here are the links:

THE PAPER BACK IS HERE: 

THE KINDLE IS HERE:

From Amazon:

"After filming 50 cases of people under hypnosis saying the same things about the afterlife, ("Flipside" "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and "Hacking the Afterlife") and working with medium Jennifer Shaffer talking to people directly ("Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer") I began to focus my research on people who were NOT under hypnosis, but who could recall a vivid event; a dream, a near death experience or something that was consciousness altered. 

By asking simple questions to them about their experience, I found that I could "ask them" to invite "people on the flipside" into the conversation, including loved ones no longer on the planet, including guides, teachers and council members that are aware of all of their lifetimes, as well as have answers to key questions about the nature of reality, about consciousness about how things work. 

By asking nearly 50 people not under any form of hypnosis "the same questions" to these "people on the flipside" I was startled to see that they said the same things about the journey that the people under hypnosis have said. Within these pages, people are going to read or here things that will upset their paradigm, that will challenge their belief system, that will force them to rethink (or at least consider rethinking) everything they've ever been told about the journey. 

As one science based author wrote to me in an email "Your experiments, which I have tried on my own and replicated, have "shaken me to my core." I am a filmmaker and author, I have been filming people talking about the afterlife for over a decade, and have reported extensively how I came to this line of questioning. 

These reports have been gathered over the past two years; some remain anonymous, some are not - either way, they're people fully conscious, eyes open, staring into the distance over my shoulder (or speaking live on the radio) accessing vistas and worlds I've heard about from other people. The reports are consistent and they are reproducible. 

We apparently choose our lifetimes, bring "about a third" of our conscious energy to any given performance, when the play is over, we "return home" to connect with our loved ones, teachers, and guides. These accounts point to another reality altogether - one that does not include fear, does not include attachment to worry, an understanding of why we each chose our lifetime and what we are here to learn. 

As Gary Schwartz PhD wrote in the Introduction to Flipside "As you read Richard’s journey of personal discovery in the context of these great questions, you will awaken to a vision of mind and the universe which is filled with opportunity and awe. This is the kind of the book where once you have read it, you will no longer be able to see the world in the same way again." This book is no different."

"American Factory" in the heartland with Chairman Mao (Cao)

Just watched "American Factory" on Netflix, and wanted to make a few observations about it.  It's the Oscar winning documentary produced with the help of the Obamas ("Higher Ground") and made by documentary filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar (Participant.)


What makes the film compelling is that two cultures come together to try to create something new and different.  The Chinese company Fuyao Industrial Glass Company takes over the old General Motors plant in Dayton Ohio.

Complications ensue.

Not at all like the Ron Howard directed film "Gung Ho" which starred Michael Douglas Keaton and was about the conflicts when a Japanese company took over a car plant. (I had written a script "Bases Loaded" about the same topic which was pitched and passed by Ron's company prior to their making the same basic film a year later. But I digress.)  Both films deal with the culture clash over the "Asian" workplace versus "The American workplace."



What makes the film "American Factory" so compelling (and tragic) is the irony that is written large over the film but is not addressed.  There's an interview with the filmmakers and the Obamas after the film that is worth watching, where they both suggest that the filmmakers "did not take sides" and appeared to tell a story from "both points of view."

That may have been the desired methodology for the film, but it is not what the footage showed.

Chairman Cao (Cho Tak Wong) comes to the U.S., and the filmmakers were allowed to film his meetings with his employees - where the Chairman says one thing ("If they unionize I'll shut down the plant") and the translator says something more diplomatic "Chairman says he would prefer if unionizing was not part of the plant's future."  Their American counterparts (not bringing their own translators obviously) were left hearing mixed messages throughout the film.


The Chairman

It reminded me of the time I was hired to write "The Adventures of Little Nemo" and prior my trip to Tokyo, the Producer asked for a brief meeting where I would outline the story. I pitched my story about how Nemo's dream state was part of his subconscious, and that what was happening in real life to him, played out in metaphors during his dreams, and after speaking for five minutes the translator said one sentence.  The producer frowned.  I looked at the translator. "Did you just tell him what I said?"  She shrugged. "Basically." The meeting was short, and my time on the film was shorter.

Translation is everything. There are amazing scenes of the Chinese supervisor telling his employees what he knows about American culture "They're lazy, they don't want to work beyond 8 hours, they talk all the time instead of working" and when he's speaking to the American workers in English, it's all about "finding their enthusiasm for the work!"  

The film has the Chinese employers showing "happy, singing children" videos to the American workers who grouse "What the hell am I doing looking at Chinese kids dancing for?"  Everything goes downhill - the workers are getting hurt and injured, they're earning minimum wage ($14 and hour and still are) in adverse conditions - 200 degree furnances that are delitirious to all the worker's health.

Then the film travels to China to learn those workers are forced to work 12 hour days, no time off - no overtime, six days a week.  It's grueling forced labor, and the workers do their best to seem like it's "getting them ahead."

But the most revealing part, for me, was the billionaire Chairman driving in a car alone, then going to the Imperial Palace in Beijing, lighting incense (for his relatives) and lamenting how he misses the old Beijing, the old China, where he could hear crickets and children laughing in street. He actually says "Am I the problem? I have many factories? Am I responsible for changing the planet?"

(Hint: "YES.  YOU ARE.")

Unfortunately no voice from heaven made that case, and the film shows the local union being voted down, and those who helped organize the union vote being fired or pushed out or being forced to do dangerous tasks to encourage them to vote. Then an administrator walks with Chairman Cao and points out that they're firing more workers and replacing them with robots as if that's a valuable thing.

The film ends with the title card that says the factory has earned profit since its opening and the workers are still being paid $14 an hour.

From Dayton Daily News

Fuyao's reaction to the film is to say that a scene was "mistranslated" where one of the Chinese bosses threatened anyone who tried to unionize.

Here's the great irony.

China is a country that adopted a political belief system that was supposed to honor workers. It comes from the actual phrase "Workers of the World Unite!" Marx and Engels weren't writing about how to make more leisure time - they were writing about the horrific conditions in England where children were dying in workhouses, dying in factories, dying to make someone somewhere a profit.

The entire country was built on that ideal - that workers should not be treated as objects, as pieces of glass easily discarded in different colored bins.  Yes, Chairman of Fuyao, you are responsible for doing this - but so is everyone who supports the system.  

The idea that someone (like me) would have to write about how the Communist Party has failed its workers is beyond ironic. The idea that the bottom line, or profit (whether to line a boss's pockets or the ruling elite) is no less heinous whoever is forcing people to live their lives in quiet desperation.

I think any reasonable person would agree that humans are not on the planet to be exploited. That lives are not expendable or should be dismissed.

Humans come to the planet to experience all the joy that living a life can bring.  Hard work comes with rewards - but there's no reason that people should be working 12 hour days, earning no benefits, free health care, a home with amenities or minimum wages so they don't see their children ever.  This is insanity.  This is the worst that humanity can offer.  

I'm not pointing (wagging) a finger at the Chinese government or at Fuyao - just pointing out that one doesn't have to be humiliated into change. 

When someone is successful, they can change the paradigm. There are companies that have made its employees equal partners, profit shareholders, and those companies see an increase in every area of its business. From profitability to genuine happiness about working for that company. There's no logical reason why people can't share the wealth, the profit, or the work of making a company grow.

There's no reason that Fuyao couldn't do the same - after all, the idea expressed repeatedly is that "American workers are too lazy" - which is a misrepresentation of history. American workers fought hard to get their rights, died in strikes, they fought hard to get benefits, they fought hard to get health care - and our government, our leaders, business leaders turn their eyes downward to avoid the obvious.  

At the end of his life, the Fuyao Chairman will not remember if he met the bottom line - he won't remember any of his wealth. He'll only remember those he gave love to, and those who loved him in return.  If work doesn't include the idea of "loving the people who work for you, or that you work with" then it's not work; its a form of slavery.

So while I appreciate the filmmakers thinking they've made a "non political film" and they just "turned on their cameras" - there is a higher power, a spiritual power that made sure that people could see what capitalism, even when run by Communists can do to destroy the human spirit, and destroy the planet while doing so. People think of scenes as "happy coincidences" when the truth is they have guides, teachers, helping them to decide where to point the camera, where to edit a scene, and how to present it. It may feel like a learned skill - but those of us in the film business know there's more to it than that.

It's time for a change.

Gee that sounds familiar.

If there's any silver lining, it was in the court system. According for Forbes, some workers at Fuyao fought back... and won. 


From FORBES: 
Fired ‘American Factory’ Workers Successfully Fought Back by Lisette Voytko

Netflix’s documentary American Factory, released a month ago, raised big questions about labor law and how far companies can go to bust a union. It also prompted a much simpler question: What happened to the workers in the movie who were allegedly fired by the Chinese conglomerate Fuyao for organizing?

At least some of them pursued cases against Fuyao—and left with settlements. Jill Lamantia, who was featured prominently in the documentary, tells Forbes she settled a claim against Fuyao, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and received three months of back pay, totaling about $15,000. According to Fuyao, Lamantia was one of three workers who were awarded a total of $120,000, including back pay, from Fuyao through NLRB settlements, according to documents unearthed by the Dayton Daily News that did not identify the workers. All alleged they were fired for supporting the union drive. 

Lamantia was relieved, saying, “I didn't know if the case would stick or not stick.” Fuyao, meanwhile, maintains it was not at fault, but that “it elected to settle the charges in 2018 so the Company could move forward with focusing on its business operations.”

But those cases offer a small glimpse into the aftermath of Fuyao’s efforts—and struggles, as documented by filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert—to revive a previously shuttered GM plant. The movie captures an inevitable culture clash between the Chinese company and its American workers, who attempt to form a union amid what certainly seem like trying conditions. In the middle of it all, Fuyao’s chairman, Cao Dewang, says during a visit to the Dayton, Ohio, plant: “If a union comes in, I am shutting down.” Then later, Jeff Liu, Fuyao’s U.S. president, is shown telling Dewang that “a lot” of union supporters were fired.

It’s illegal under U.S. law to threaten or fire employees for trying to form a union. Fuyao claimed the translations of Dewang was incorrect, while Liu called his translation misleading. The filmmakers stand by them. But the film, which is the first acquired by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, dropped at a moment when labor’s role in U.S. manufacturing has become a particularly hot, and fraught, topic."



The irony I wanted to point out is that the film highlights the inequity of management and workers, not just China vs. America, but also delves into the "love of money" versus "love of planet." Worth seeing.  

And the one country that is in a unique position to focus on helping the "workers of the world to unite" (I've been across China from Shanghai to Beijing, Chengu to Hong Kong) would be a country that founded itself on those principles.  It's amazing to me that corporate giant General Motors turns out to be the one company in the film that demonstrated (after hard fought battles) genuine care for their workers (before they cast them into the snow.)

The tragedy of American worker's history is that management has found ways to diminish, demean dissenters, union organizers - (Lobbyist LRI in the film) convincing people that the union would hurt them rather than help them. 

The same logic tells us universal health care is a bad thing, or that the climate is not worth fixing. Sure; if you're never planning on coming back to the planet, it wouldn't be. If possible, could those people who are making worker's lives miserable or polluting the planet be asked not to return? 

I think I'll light some incense.

Happy Valentines Day from the Flipside

In terms of this research, I often find myself in the odd position of defending turning on the camera.  


"It’s easy - just lean forward, push the button.  Record. Transcribe. Compare what one person says to the other.  If it was imaginary, it would show up in terms of random thoughts, entrenched beliefs or cryptomnesia - something someone said or heard or believed to be true."

JenniferShaffer.com

That is essentially what I've been doing for over ten years. 

Filming people accessing the flipside via deep hypnosis, via mediums, via no hypnosis - saying the same things about the journey that are contrary to whatever we've been told up til now. Proving to themselves at least, that their loved ones still exist.

What shows up in the research is consistent and reproducible - two hallmarks of science.  

My observations; At first it’s startling. 

Then a bit infuriating. (“Really? People have been making up this fear based stuff for millennia and no one called them out on it?”) 

Then humbling. (“Well, if all roads lead to home, then everyone’s on the same path, it’s just a matter of degree. So there’s no point in trying to change anyone's opinion on the topic.”) 

Sometimes revelatory. (“Many of us have had lifetimes on other planets, we should stop using the term “alien” because we’re all aliens.)  Who can you report this to?

I just came from a two hour session where I spoke to two individuals on the flipside via the medium and my pal Jennifer Shaffer. 

One person was/is a close friend who passed, whose last conversation with me was about there “being no afterlife.”  The second with a famous person who recently died who spoke fluent Italian.  

I conducted his interview in Italian.  

Jennifer doesn't know or speak Italian - so I said to her “I’m going to ask this fellow a question on the other side, and I want him to respond with an image, that you will say to me in English.”  

This was way outside her usual methodology - which would be for her to repeat (to herself) every question I ask “in English” to the person on the other side. 

But in this case, I’m asking the questions in Italian - a question that she had no idea what I’m asking and could not repeat. 

And then the person on the flipside puts an image into her mind, a response to my question and she responds by describing that image.

For example, I asked; “Have you reached out to your wife since your crossing over?  If so, how do you do that?”  ("Hai parlato con la tua moglie dopo sei morto? Come fa cosi?")

Jennifer Shaffer said (in English) “He’s showing me ice cream.”  I thought about it for a moment.  

I said to him in Italian, “Are you trying to show her ice  (giaccio) or ice cream (gelato)?”  (Quale' parola voi usare? Giaccio or gelato?"  She replied “He say’s it’s the first one you said.” (“Giacchio” means “ice.”)  I thought about that for a moment.

I then asked in Italian, “Are you telling Jennifer that you give your wife chills when you’re reaching out to her and that’s how she knows it’s you?” And before I could finish asking the question, Jennifer tapped her nose.  (Her gesture for "yes!")

“He’s saying that’s correct, whatever you just said.”

To reiterate, I'm interviewing a person on the flipside who was an American, but fluent in Italian, because he was raised there as a child, and he is responding to my questions by "projecting an image" to Jennifer (using an international language, “her mind”) and she is responding to me in English. 

(This fellow wasn’t an Italian, I just knew he was fluent in Italian, so I used it as an experiment to prove beyond any doubt, it was actually him.)

Jennifer had met and knew the person we were speaking with - but had no clue that he spoke Italian.  But I did. We had mutual friends, and he later told me some private information about those friends.

And we got about an hour interview with him in this same fashion. (To be in our next book "Backstage Pass to the Flipside Book 3")

He's not gone. Just not here.

The other person we chatted with today was a close pal who passed away recently after a long bout with cancer. He appeared at first as a famous guitar player to her (whom he resembled, and he did play guitar - we played often together.)  She at first said she was "seeing this famous guitar player."

When I asked him to come forward, I asked if this was the famous guitar player, or my friend who played guitar?" She asked "Well, did he look like this guy?"  He did.  He stepped into our interview chair.

I asked him to describe to her our last conversation together and she said “He’s telling me you are hard headed.”  I said “That’s correct; we had an argument where I argued that life goes on and he said “I’m not buying it.” I tried to tell him I wasn't "selling it" but citing the research.  He still was "unconvinced" there was an afterlife. I was hard headed by not letting him have his own opinion on something that he was fearing was going to happen to him. "He didn't want to think about it, so he didn't want to accede the point."

However, I asked him to give me something to say to his wife and family that would prove "beyond a shadow of a doubt" that it was him - that he still exists. He jokingly said he wasn’t going to give me anything specific other than “tell them I said thank you and I love you and will be with you forever.” 

I asked why and he finally admitted he wasn't going to give me anything specific because 1. they wouldn't believe it anyway, and 2. then he would be allowing me to “win the argument.”  

Which is pretty funny when you think about it.

I'm not reporting who these two people are at the moment, because it's not the right time to do so - neither family has had a chance to have a memorial service for their loved ones. Both were and are beloved by everyone who knew them, but it was fun to chat with them today and prove, at least to myself through the amazing medium Jennifer Shaffer, that these folks still exist.

Happy Valentine's Day. Love love.

Better Called Saul the Tax Collector who turned a Prophet who had an NDE

The topic popped up yesterday.  Someone was quoting "Paul the Apostle" in reference to the idea that "mediums shouldn't be listened to" or that talking to people on the flipside was equal to "conversing the demons."


Saul the Tax Collector turned A Prophet (Mantegna)

I answered with my general knowledge of Paul, having grown up under his influence (one of the most influential writers of the New Testament, we can thank him for a number of rules that were doled out in churches including "women covering their heads" and avoided mass "during that time of the month") and a general knowledge that he lived and wrote having never met the man in person that he claimed to know intimately.

First we can offer that he wasn't an "apostle."

He was a self appointed apostle. When he had his "conversion" on the road to Damascus, Jesus was reportedly already resurrected.  (He wasn't, he was in hiding, on his way to Kashmir but that's another story (as told in my book "Hacking the Afterlife"))

So Saul, the tax collecter (later known as Paul the Apostle) is with some pals, walking on the road to Damascus when a voice "from heaven" says "Paul why are you persecuting me?" And he says "Who dis?"  (Actually said, Lord, who art thou?" or something more appropos - but basically didn't recognize the voice cause he'd never heard it before, obviously).  And reportedly Jesus gave him a "what for" lecture, blinded him on the spot for three days.  The pals traveling reportedly "heard" the same voice, but didn't "see anyone."  (Of course, neither did Saul, the tax collector.)


Looking rather tax collectory in this Lutheran depiction

Then, the story goes, Jesus (in spirit form) shows up to a fellow in Damascus (Ananias, a Christian) and tells him to go and heal the blindness of Saul the tax collector. 

This guy (Ananias) protests “but that’s the guy arresting Jews who are believers in Jesus and getting them killed!” (a pretty funny notion, as … Jesus shows up with a message and instead of saying "Jesus! You're alive!" this fellow argues with him; “No way Jose! I’m not doing you any favors… oh… well.. okay. If you insist. After all, you don't show up here that often as it is.”)

While researching this idea that Saul had this transformation that earned him his accolades - I was reading his “Apocalypse of St. Paul” and saw that he clearly had a “near death experience.”

I’ve filmed many people talking about the afterlife, some who are under deep hypnosis, some who are not - some who had near death experiences, some who did not.  

But they all report going to these “different realms” - or as he calls them “seven levels of heaven.” They’re not Heavens per se - but frequency shifts.  (When people under deep hypnosis are asked "So what happened after the death from that previous lifetime?" they most often say "I went home."  Home as in not here - not of earth - but home as in the "afterlife" or "Heaven.") 

So for example we’re on one level (people often claim that we exist here on the planet on the "third level" but it’s relative) and then when one goes up to see their council it is often described as the "fifth level."  In his account he sees the 12 apostles - he never names them, nor does he identify any of them - but sees 12 people on his “council.” 

Anyone familiar with my work or Michael Newton’s work will recognized the “council of elders” - everyone has their own council and the number ranges from 3 to 15 generally - people who don’t “sit in judgment” (else why the heck would they be there?) but help us understand our path and journey.


Councils of Twelve or Twelve Apostles? Does it matter?

In this account - from the Nag Hammadi library - Paul reports a near death experience that is pretty much IDENTICAL to what people say under deep hypnosis - other than claiming who these individuals are. Some people claim to see Jesus, but others claim to see Buddha, Mohammed, Archangels - all kinds of folks appear on councils.

My point is - if you’re going to take ANYTHING that Paul the converted tax collector says - we should also take this account seriously. That is - report it the way a police officer would. “So what did you see? How many people were there? How were they dressed?” etc.


I am startled to read this because I’ve been filming people saying the same relative things (without any of the religious overtones or claims or power structure) for the past decade. 

And here is a guy (credited often as the "founder of Christianity") who is trying to interpret what he’s seeing - and basically crafting a story that fits his belief system to surround what he experienced. I have new respect for Paul - not as a person who should be followed or agreed to or even quoted as a sage - but for having the chutzpah to report a near death experience and not getting strung up immediately for doing so. (Although he lost his head for Nero fiddling while Rome burned many years later.)

Here, from the Nag Hammadi library is the "Apocalypse of Paul" -

The Gnostic Society Library
The Nag Hammadi Library

The Apocalypse of Paul
Translated by George W. MacRae and William R. Murdock


[...] the road. And he spoke to him, saying, "By which road shall I go up to Jerusalem?" The little child replied, saying, "Say your name, so that I may show you the road". The little child knew who Paul was. He wished to make conversation with him through his words in order that he might find an excuse for speaking with him.

The little child spoke, saying, "I know who you are, Paul. You are he who was blessed from his mother`s womb. For I have come to you that you may go up to Jerusalem to your fellow apostles. And for this reason you were called. And I am the Spirit who accompanies you. Let your mind awaken, Paul, with [...]. For [...] whole which [...] among the principalities and these authorities and archangels and powers and the whole race of demons, [...] the one that reveals bodies to a soul-seed."

(*Note: So... a little child says "I know who you are Saul... among the principalities and these authorities and archangels and powers and a whole race of demons... the one that reveals bodies to the soul-seed.")   First - people who have a near death event, often report meeting someone who is "wise" and tells them things. In Michael Newton's research, people often claim to be met by a "guide" - and that guide can be of any age (it's a construct after all.) So little child is no different than "man with a beard." 

Based on the Flipside research, I can actually translate the above. Research shows that everyone has a "council." On these councils we find all kinds of individuals - including "archangels" (they're non incarnating folks who have never incarnated, but are found in many councils) - "principalities" refers to realms, as there are reportedly quite a few, "race of demons" doesn't refer to evil people per se, but folks from other planets who often show up on councils look like all kinds of creatures including "grays" and "lizards." 

Thirty percent of people who visit a Newton Institute trained hypnotherapist claim to recall "off world" lifetimes. In my most recent research, interviewing people not under hypnosis who access their "councils" - they often report seeing one or two of their council members as "aliens" - until the council member points out we are all "aliens."



It's just in these reports and I'd be lying if I didn't report them.  "One reveals bodies to a soul seed" is the process of incarnation.  Our "soul seed" or conscious energy shows up to animate a human being. We bring about a third of that to a lifetime - the other two thirds stays back "home."  (That's what the research shows.)

Back to the text:

"And after he brought that speech to an end, he spoke, saying to me, "Let your mind awaken, Paul, and see that this mountain upon which you are standing is the mountain of Jericho, so that you may know the hidden things in those that are visible. Now it is to the twelve apostles that you shall go, for they are elect spirits, and they will greet you." He raised his eyes and saw them greeting him."


Monastery of Temptation; Jericho.

(*Note: He doesn't name these 12 apostles.  We assume he's referring to those fellows who hung out with Jesus, but in terms of councils, there are often 12 on the council... anywhere from 3 to 15 normally - but they often appear in "robes" - so they might look like "judges" - even though they don't judge us, or anyone - they help people access why they chose their lifetime, and what they did (or didn't learn) from that choice. I'm not surprised he saw them at all.)

"Then the Holy Spirit who was speaking with him caught him up on high to the third heaven, and he passed beyond to the fourth heaven. The Holy Spirit spoke to him, saying, "Look and see your likeness upon the earth." And he looked down and saw those who were upon the earth. He stared and saw those who were upon the [...]. Then he gazed down and saw the twelve apostles at his right and at his left in the creation; and the Spirit was going before them."

(*Note: He was in the third heaven when he meets his council. Well - news flash, people after refer to various realms when under deep hypnosis. I've heard this realm we are in (earth and its physical properties) as being "the third level" - and then I've heard people refer to where their councils are as "the fifth level" and then a level beyond that where people might be waiting to incarnate as "the seventh level."  It's hard to talk about without getting caught up in hierarchy - but that's not the point. Paul is talking about levels that show in in near death research as well as the deep hypnosis research talking to people about the "between lives realm.")

"But I saw in the fourth heaven according to class - I saw the angels resembling gods, the angels bringing a soul out of the land of the dead. They placed it at the gate of the fourth heaven. And the angels were whipping it. The soul spoke, saying, "What sin was it that I committed in the world?" The toll-collector who dwells in the fourth heaven replied, saying, "It was not right to commit all those lawless deeds that are in the world of the dead". The soul replied, saying, "Bring witnesses! Let them show you in what body I committed lawless deeds. Do you wish to bring a book to read from?"

(*Note: Okay, there's no whipping over there or at least no accounts of such a thing. You'd have to mentally construct a whip to have one handy. 

But people do report feeling "pummeled" by the memory of the negative things they've done to other people. And the council showing them what pain they engendered by having them experience that "same pain."  

So if a fellow was actually being "whipped" it was likely Saul himself - seeing that he had whipped others and was being whipped to remind him not to do that in the future.  The toll-collector (a reference to Charon, of course, another myth entirely) but is more like a self reflective comment as he was Saul the tax collector who whipped people into paying up.)

And the three witnesses came. The first spoke, saying, "Was I not in the body the second hour [...]? I rose up against you until you fell into anger and rage and envy." And the second spoke, saying, "Was I not in the world? And I entered at the fifth hour, and I saw you and desired you. And behold, then, now I charge you with the murders you committed." The third spoke, saying, "Did I not come to you at the twelfth hour of the day when the sun was about to set? I gave you darkness until you should accomplish your sins." When the soul heard these things, it gazed downward in sorrow. And then it gazed upward. It was cast down. The soul that had been cast down went to a body which had been prepared for it. And behold, its witnesses were finished.

(*Note: Again. Likely is Saul seeing what crimes he had committed and was experiencing them first hand in his "life review" which many claim to have experience during a near death experience. The idea that they would be so specific about their deaths (showing up in the second hour, etc) that it seems likely he was having a past life review. See IANDS.org for some examples of dramatic past life reviews).

"Then I gazed upward and saw the Spirit saying to me, "Paul, come! Proceed toward me!". Then as I went, the gate opened, and I went up to the fifth heaven. And I saw my fellow apostles going with me while the Spirit accompanied us. And I saw a great angel in the fifth heaven holding an iron rod in his hand. There were three other angels with him, and I stared into their faces. But they were rivalling each other, with whips in their hands, goading the souls on to the judgment. But I went with the Spirit and the gate opened for me."

(*Note: "Fellow apostles" is a bit of a stretch. He was Saul, didn't know the apostles, so it could be meant as a figurative term "fellow souls" or "Members of my class" or "My soul group." Again with the whips in hand - I can only report with some confidence that there's no one else in the history of the planet that has reported seeing people on the flipside carrying whips during an NDE.)

"Then we went up to the sixth heaven. And I saw my fellow apostles going with me, and the Holy Spirit was leading me before them. And I gazed up on high and saw a great light shining down on the sixth heaven. I spoke, saying to the toll-collector who was in the sixth heaven, "Open to me and the Holy Spirit who is before me." He opened to me."

(*Note. Yeah, like that would work. "Hey look everyone, it's Saul the tax collector and he's shouting something? I think he's saying "Open the gates!  Should we pretend there is a gate?  And who are all those dudes following him with whips?") 

Then we went up to the seventh heaven, and I saw an old man [...] light and whose garment was white. His throne, which is in the seventh heaven, was brighter than the sun by seven times. The old man spoke, saying to me, "Where are you going, Paul? O blessed one and the one who was set apart from his mother`s womb." But I looked at the Spirit, and he was nodding his head, saying to me, "Speak with him!". 

And I replied, saying to the old man, "I am going to the place from which I came." And the old man responded to me, "Where are you from?" But I replied, saying, "I am going down to the world of the dead in order to lead captive the captivity that was led captive in the captivity of Babylon." The old man replied to me saying, "How will you be able to get away from me? Look and see the principalities and authorities." The Spirit spoke, saying, "Give him the sign that you have, and he will open for you." And then I gave him the sign. He turned his face downwards to his creation and to those who are his own authorities."

(*Note: This is where we are in common territory. I've filmed numerous people arriving at a destination and seeing an "old man."  Everyone describes the old man (or old woman) differently - not the same clothes, or hair, or color eyes - but always differently. As if that was a personification of what we might want to see when we felt we had "arrived."  

Either way - the construct is created between the two individuals. The perceiver and the actual "light being" - who is often described as light before they "manifest into human form" so the human can comprehend (or learn from) the experience.  And in this instance, Saul has flipped the normal story - most people want to "return home" at this point. They see someone they identify as "god" and feel "unconditional love" and say "I want to stay!" And this guide, teacher, loved one says "You cannot stay you must return!"

So in this case - it's Saul who says "Yeah, okay, I'm up here in the 7th realm, nice to see you my friend, but look, I can't stay because I gotta go back to the "land of the living" (c'mon, land of the dead? how apocryphal) and teach them what I've seen. Maybe they'll follow me as well.  Then he says "I'll give him a secret sign so I can get in there" (for "secret signs" see "Book of Mormon" for the secret handshake, glory hole, or the Masons for their secret handshakes which all have to do with the hands of Jesus on the cross.  Just saying.)

"And then the heaven opened and we went up to the Ogdoad. And I saw the twelve apostles. They greeted me, and we went up to the ninth heaven. I greeted all those who were in the ninth heaven, and we went up to the tenth heaven. And I greeted my fellow spirits."
******

Ogdoad, in gnostic mythology - the 8th realm of the dead where 8 "primordial deities" live.  Suddenly Paul shifts to a Gnostic reference although he's seeing 12 "primordial deities" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdoad_(Gnosticism)
Above is the "ten celestial spheres" as written about in Peter Apian's Cosmographia (Antwerp, 1539)

Woah, hold on their cupcake. It's not like we can't do math. What happened to the 8th realm? Why skip that one? Did you see something you didn't want to report? And here - in this "uppermost region" he sees his council (again).  And he counts 12.  Which is common, normal... and maybe they're dressed in robes, maybe not - he doesn't describe a thing about them. Did they all have arms and legs? Were they standing or sitting? I've been interviewing them for years now - and they all say relatively the same thing. "We are always with you. We can always assist you. Just think of us and we appear."  I guess Saul forgot to mention that part.

Saul finally winds up in the 10th realm.  He's saying in essence his fellow spirits are "up there" or "above everyone else." In a hierarchical sense?  Either way - it sounds like a near death experience to me.

So, look, I know this is heretical, sacrilegious etc.  But it's fun to point out that everything that Saul the tax collector, self appointed apostle says is reflected in a variety of near death experiences, as well as people under deep hypnosis, as well as the 50 or so I've filmed of people not under hypnosis accessing the same councils, the same realms, the same story.

What I've learned in this research is that with effort, anyone who has ever existed on the planet can be asked questions, and a person can receive answers which they can look up or verify. A long way of saying "If you see my pal Pablo, "Better Called Saul" tell him I said hello."