The Flipside of the Oscars

"I'd like to thank the members of the Academy... and everyone who ever left a message on my phone machine....." Congratulations to all the winners at the Oscars!

In my film classes, on the first day I require the students to write their Oscar speech and then deliver it.  It's a very different kettle of fish that you thank when you're starting then when you're ending... except in some cases.  As J.K. Simmons eloquently put it, mom and pop always deserve our thanks.

But from a Flipside perspective, reaching this perceived pinnacle is a bit like crossing over into the afterlife - who is going to greet us in our own ceremony? Will it be a resounding echo of crickets? Or will thousands applaud us for our hard work and "job well done"?  

Well... according to the research in "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" there's loved ones and friends and family... and a host of others that we've influenced who greet us to applaud our performance on this stage. 

Let's examine the recent Academy awards from the Flipside view of things.  That would be the observation of what was said during the Oscars from a spiritual point of view, or the rare evidence that what happened during the Oscars wasn't just about glitz and pomp.  Beneath the fancy frocks, some profound spiritual lessons were revealed.

Another era. My grandparents meeting the King of England in 1933.

Begin with revelation of the producer/mom Dana Perry who made a film about the suicide of her son.  She said "We should speak about suicide."  (Forgetting for a moment Neil Patrick Harris' "takes balls to wear that dress" comment. It took "balls" for NPH to come out of the closet, and to do this show.)  Then just a few moments later, a young man gets up for winning the script award for ''The Imitation Game" and talks about suicide.  His own. Graham Moore shared with billions how he had tried it because he didn't fit in.  Because he felt "weird." And he said "to all you who feel weird look where I am today."  He said it's okay to feel weird.  It's what makes us human.

Coincidence?  

What are the odds that a woman would say moments prior while accepting the Oscar that "we should talk about suicide" and a few seconds later a man stands up and does EXACTLY THAT?

Doors of perception, or gateway between realms?

Then take the song for "Selma."  The set of the Pettis bridge, that iconic bridge that became a focal point for the Dr. Martin Luther King's journey in this lifetime.  It was the bridge you cross to get to vote.  People were gassed and beaten to stop them from crossing the bridge.  Dr. King led the march - and it finally took the national guard to ensure their trip across that bridge.

And then the artist known as Common actually used the metaphor of the bridge to show that it's a bridge that connects us all.  That the bridge from ignorance to enlightenment exists.  That the song that has inspired many people comes from the same source.  The actor who played Dr. King (David Oyelowo) had tears streaming down his face.  He channeled Dr. King in his performance.  It's pretty unusual for a fellow from England to so accurately find a voice and gestures of someone so foreign to his background.. and yet, he was clearly channeling Dr. King in his performance. Certainly Dr. King enjoyed that performance last night as well.

And John Legend and Common were clearly channeling Dr. King, or the energy behind Dr. King's message of nonviolence change in their song.  And in their speech.  The reason it resonates is that it is spiritual.  It is of the spirit. 

Isaac Newton "The great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
photo from "It's a Wonderful Afterlife"

Then the lessons of playing roles of people with issues or problems in our society.  "The Imitation Game" deals with the powerful story of a man who signed up for a lifetime where he could not only solve the enigma code, but also a lifetime where he could demonstrate that being gay should never have been a crime.  I would venture to say that he SUCCEEDED IN HIS ENDEAVOR.

This Einstein quote is often heard from people under deep hypnosis
or who have experienced a near death experience

We have the story of a man who signed up to live a life in a wheelchair, using only his mind to wrestle with the most complex problems of the universe.  I would argue that he chose that lifetime because if he had lived his life normally, he never would have gone as far or gotten as deep as he has.  That the lifetime that Stephen Hawking chose, is dramatically proven that he SUCCEEDED IN HIS ENDEAVOR. (And would argue that he can find the theory of everything in examining how it came to be that he chose a lifetime like his own.)

And the actors who played these roles - Eddie Redmayne and Benny Cumberbatch - are doing exactly the SAME THING that these souls are doing - signing up to play a role, one that is difficult, one that represents deeper truths, deeper spiritual lessons - and they got awards for them at the Oscars.  Because that's what we do when our fellow beings choose difficult lifetimes - when we greet them in the afterlife we APPLAUD THEM just as these people were applauded last night.

As noted in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife," the film FOXCATCHER also has a powerful Flipside element to it.  When the father of slain Olympian Dave Schultz gave his eulogy, he remembered when Dave was a little boy, he'd taken him outside to "tell him a secret."  His father recounted that Dave said "Dad, I spoke to a council about coming here to teach a lesson in love. But I won't be here very long."  He had forgotten that conversation until the tragic events around the death of his son.  However, the powerful story is REPEATED OFTEN in cases cited in both "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife."  

People under deep hypnosis often claim that we have a "council of elders" who advise us on our mission BEFORE we come to the planet, and advise us on our SUCCESS after we've left it. Dave Schultz succeeded in his endeavor, and Mark Ruffalo succeeded in bringing him back to life - or more precisely, Dave still exists, but Mark brought his memory back onto our stage with great eloquence.

I've filmed 25 individual cases, and examined MANY MORE cited in the works of Michael Newton, Dr. Helen Wambach and others, including in near death accounts about the journey we take on the planet. So I'm merely reporting what's been said during an NDE or a between life hypnotherapy session.

According to these cases, sometimes we COME HERE KNOWING what our mission is going to be, but for some reason, the memory of it is blocked, or hard to access while we are here.  But THERE IS A MISSION, and often we do accomplish it (with the help and guidance from above.)

Papparazzi in our alley, looking for celebrity.

CITIZENFOUR is a film about a fellow who made a difficult choice in this life - to go into data collection, and then seeing what he'd seen - to reveal it to the world at great risk to his life and family.  

The soldier Chelsea Manning did the same kind of revelation - and she credited looking at the planet Earth from outer space - the "PALE BLUE DOT" of Carl Sagan fame's photo - (as cited in Alex Gibney's film "We Steal Secrets") where she observed that everyone on Earth is the same, and doesn't deserve to be tortured or killed without reason.  And decided to speak up about it (and took the consequences).  This effect on humans is cited in the film "The Overview Effect." It's about how astronauts return from space with a different perspective of the planet.  In like form, Snowden sees the planet from this bigger perspective - not us versus them, but us versus us.  Watch the film yourself, but warning: you may no longer see the planet the same.



OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.

Who are we if we use information that's private against fellow human beings?  Crime prevention is one thing, but as he notes in Post Oscar REDDIT SESSION with Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, the act of giving up our privacy is about losing our inalienable rights... you know, those rights that someone long ago cited as a reason to start a new country.

Still - who among us could give up their lives for what they believe in?  Certainly one day he will have the applause and accolades he deserves - whether it be future generations, or directly from his soul group. 

Luana Anders starred in "Board and Care" an oscar winning film. Producer Sarah Pillsbury neglected to thank her. I don't think Luana cared.  But Jack Nicholson mentioned her in his Oscar speech for "As Good As It Gets." She's the inspiration for "Flipside" after visiting the author after her passing in 1996.

The same goes for BIRDMAN, a film about ego, and the variations of what it does to control our lives, to drive us down avenues we wouldn't normally go... the film is variations on that theme - what lengths will we go for love? what lengths will we go for ego? are there metaphors that follow us around in our lifetime? that going on stage is a bit like jumping off the edge of a building? that allowing creativity to soar off the edge of a cliff, not knowing where we will land is worth praising?  that the good that we do reverberates through all those who experience it?  

The film examines the "darkside" of EGO, but it's also a film about courage and daring - and when all is lost to actually allow our inner voice to champion who we really are .. even if it means pulling a gun on stage - after all, we're just actors upon the stage, and there is nothing that can happen to us that we can't examine later with the help of our friends and soul group...

 And I would argue that by forcing us into streets we normally wouldn't traverse, the ego does a yeoman's job of getting us to live lives that are beyond what he might have imagined them to be, and that we are all SUCCEEDING IN THAT ENDEAVOR.  Hence we are all Oscar winners when we get to our final bow.

Author with Charles Grodin, who wrote the forward
to "It's a Wonderful Afterlife"

After all that's why you've been drawn to this page, this blog, this research. Because you know on some level, that we really don't die.  That we really are here to celebrate life in all its forms.  So please, take a bow for the path and journey you've chosen.

And as Mike Myers would say: "End scene."

Richard Martini is a writer/director of 8 theatrical features you've never heard of and some obscure documentaries, including "Flipside: My Journey into the Afterlife." He's also the author of "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife," and it's follow up "It's a Wonderful Afterlife: Further Adventures into the Flipside" both went to #1 on Amazon in its genre in Kindle after his appearances on "Coast to Coast" with George Noory. He also wrote freelance for Variety, Premiere and Inc.com.

In Honor of Dr. Oliver Sacks and Celestial Music

Dr. Oliver Sacks announced today that he's been told he has months to live, and wrote about it eloquently in The New York Times today.  

"Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life.

On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight.

This will involve audacity, clarity and plain speaking; trying to straighten my accounts with the world. But there will be time, too, for some fun (and even some silliness, as well).

I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential...."

Dr. Sacks is one of the pre-eminent brain researchers of our time. ("The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat")

I completely understand his desire to keep his mind focused and his life geared to those things that he considers essential. This is his path and journey, and he's following it exactly as he's planned it.

 I don't know if he's familiar with Dr. Greyson's work at the University of Virginia dealing with consciousness ("Is Consciousness Created by the Brain") or neuroscientist Mario Beauregard PhD's research in neuroscience ("Brain Wars") or Dr. Sam Parnia's recent "Aware Study" results of what people experience while having a near death experience, but if he was familiar with this work, he would have a new appreciation for the facts that show our energy, or whatever it is that animates our bodies, our souls, do not die.

 That the transition to the Flipside is more like leaving a stage, walking through a door, or stepping into a pool of water than whatever's been suggested in the past.

He's got an entirely new adventure to experience ahead of him - and it's not one of dissolution of mind, in fact it's entirely the opposite, reconnecting with our higher selves, where most of our energy resides in this other realm, where he experience all of our lifetimes, and see the nature of reality from a place of full consciousness.  Not omniscience, not all knowing, but certainly more knowing than what we experience here.

But I mention him because in his work he's examined cases of people who hear "celestial music" and he concluded that it's either crytomnesia (hearing it from somewhere else) or hallucinatory. 

 I've found numerous cases of people hearing music during their near death experience, or even during a between life hypnotherapy session - and in some cases, it can be proven that they could not have heard the music or been hallucinating it.

In Mario Beauregard's interview in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" he cites cases where people have been blind from birth, who had a near death experience, but were able to describe what people were wearing in the hospital room, or what colors they were wearing, even though they should not have been able to.  In like form there are cases where people are deaf and have had a near death experience, and seen or heard things that they could not in their conscious lives.  

At some point you have to allow for the facts as they're presented to speak for themselves.  There are numerous cases of people who have died, meaning no blood going to the brain, where they see or hear events their conscious mind should not be able to.  In Dr. Greyson's talk "Is Consciousness Created by the Brain" he cites cases where people with alzheimers who should not be able to remember anything, suddenly remember with clarity great detail just prior to their passing.  And after death, the autopsies show that their brains should not have been able to access these memories.  

The point being, that the brain appears to function more like a receptor, or receiver of consciousness.  And that reception is not the creator of the music so to speak, but merely accessing it.

The following is an excerpt from "It's a Wondeful Afterlife: Further Adventures into the Flipside" where I talk a bit about "Celestial Music."

There have been numerous accounts of people hearing these dulcet tones, from Beethoven to other classical composers who heard the music running in their head during their waking hours. 

I've spoken with Stuart Sharp, or at least emailed with Stuart, who is cited below as someone who had an experience with celestial music.  He has a pretty amazing story, where the night before the funeral of his son, he had a vivid dream where he was listening to an awesome symphony.  And one of the people he saw in his vision, a guardian angel of sorts, said to him that he needed to remember what he was hearing because one day he would be performing the symphony in front of people.

And the music haunted him so much that he left his job as a cook in a pub in England, and wound up with only a guitar to his name.  One day he was playing some of the music he had heard out in the street as a busker, and someone from the BBC spoke to him about his tune, and Stuart told him the story... and lo and behold, Stuart eventually composed the music and conducted the London Philharmonic playing the song he'd heard in his head.  

The point is, that it was not a hallucination of music he'd heard previously. Oddly enough, Google makes "crawlers" that "crawl through various music posted on line to find the original authors of various compositions - so if what Stuart had heard had ever been performed by anyone else, it would have shown up in their copyright infringement notice.

I've spoken to many near death experiencers who heard "celestial music" during their near death experience.  In my research, I note that when someone hears "new information" from the afterlife, or spirit world - meaning information they could not have learned while being alive, could not have heard or experienced in their journey or path on this planet, then that experience must point to another paradigm at play.  

If you hear, sense, feel or experience something (music, someone telling you something, someone introducing you to a family member you didn't know you had, as in the case of Dr. Eben Alexander, and Colton Burpo, who both met sisters they didn't know existed - could not have known existed) that is new information from the Flipside... then it is proof that there is a Flipside.

 IPSO ERGO FACTO.

Chapter Ten– “Celestial Music”  

“I contemplate the luminous bodies continually revolving within their orbits, the sun, the stars, and then my spirit rises beyond these constellations, millions of miles, to the Source from which all creation flows and from which new creations flow eternally.”   -- Ludwig Von Beethoven

How does music fit into these visions of the afterlife?

During LBLs and NDEs people often report “hearing” music that’s not of an Earthly nature.  In a number of LBLs I’ve heard people report that music and healing come from “related” places in the universe.   But there are many musicians who claim to hear music when composing.

When we study the great composers, like Beethoven, we find that they spoke often of “hearing celestial music.” Oliver Sacks, the renowned scientist, considers this “hallucinatory music.”  As he notes:

True musical hallucinations are experienced by those who have them as unprecedented and deeply disquieting. There is insufficient awareness among physicians of musical hallucinations, in part because patients are reluctant to report them, fearing that they will be dismissed or seen as ‘crazy’. But musical hallucinations are surprisingly common, affecting at least 2% of those who are losing their hearing, as well as patients with a variety of other conditions. Working with a population of elderly patients (though I have seen it in younger people as well), I am often given vivid descriptions of musical hallucinosis, and I think it is by far the most common form of non-psychotic hallucination. I related two stories of musical hallucination in my 1985 book “The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat,” and since then have received hundreds of letters from people with this condition. With musical hallucinations it is common for several voices or instruments to be heard simultaneously, and such experiences are almost always attributed, initially, to an external source. Thus in 1995 I received a vivid letter from June M., a charming and creative woman of 70, telling me of her musical hallucinations:

“…Most of the music I hear is from my past—many of the songs are hymns, some are folk music, some pop up from the forties and fifties, some classical and some show tunes. All the selections are sung by a chorus—there is never a solo performance or any orchestration. This first started last November when I was visiting my sister and brother in law in Cape Hatteras, NC, one night. After turning off the TV and preparing to retire, I started hearing ‘Amazing Grace.’ It was being sung by a choir, over and over again. I checked with my sister to see if they had some church service on TV, but they had Monday night football, or some such. So I went onto the deck overlooking Pamlico Sound. The music followed me. I looked down on the quiet coastline and the few houses with lights and realized that the music couldn't possibly be coming from anywhere in that area. It had to be in my head.”

It was not clear why June M. started to have musical hallucinations, or why she still has them, 11 years later. She has excellent hearing, is not epileptic, has no known medical problems and is intellectually quite intact. With her, as with many other patients, the most searching examination may fail to pinpoint the cause of musical hallucinations…” [1]

There is another possible explanation for the source of her music that Dr. Sach’s hasn’t explored: that it is not created by her mind.

A speaker can sometimes pick up the vibrations from other sound waves and reproduce them, but the sound is not being created by the speaker. Sometimes our radio picks up bursts of short wave radios from police scanners, but it’s not that the announcement is created by our stereo.

In Eben Alexander’s NDE he heard “celestial music.”  “I heard… the richest, most complex, most beautiful piece of music (I’ve) ever heard.” It’s also one of the hallmarks of NDE’s according to Bruce Greyson’s research.

“As a high school student, Burt Bacharach always had trouble getting to school on time: he couldn't sleep at night because he kept hearing music in his head. Throughout his life, Bacharach would never stop hearing music, because for him music would always be about sounds rather than ideas.” [2]

In David Bennett’s interview (“Voyage of Purpose”) he talks about hearing a “canyon of sound” during his NDE.  He gives specific details on what that music sounds like. 

Pete Townshend, legendary member of the band, The Who, heard celestial music as an 11 year old boy. “Townshend tells of hearing the music while on a boat with his Sea Scout troop. “I heard violins, cellos, horns, harps and voices, which increased in number until I could hear the threads of an angelic choir. It was a sublime experience. I have never heard such music since and my personal music ambition has always been to rediscover that sound and relive its effect on me.”[3]

Stuart Sharp heard celestial music when he was a young man. The experience was similar to Townshend’s: he first heard the angelic orchestra in a dream as a boy in 1956. Years later he heard it again after his baby son Ben died at birth. He explains: “In my dream I was back at Ben’s graveside staring down at his tiny white coffin. I heard distant angelic music with choirs, violins, cellos, horns and harps that grew in intensity and I gasped as Ben’s spirit rose slowly through the coffin. I couldn’t bring myself to see him in the mortuary. I didn’t have the courage.”

He was so haunted by the music he quit his job as cook in a Leicestershire country pub, left his wife and two daughters and moved to London and into a homeless shelter. He taught himself to play music after he bought a battered guitar from a second-hand shop which, by an amazing co-incidence, happened to be owned by Townshend’s parents. Eventually Stuart Sharp met someone who was moved by his story and helped him record with the London symphony – the result is an orchestral piece called “Angeli Symphony.”[4]

I’ve found other accounts, just from searching them out on the internet. From the NDE of “Jeanette Mitchell-Meadows”: “When I went for surgery the operation took nine hours. During the operation my spirit left my body, in the time it takes to blink an eye, I was in Heaven and saw the light of Heaven… There were musical notes I have never heard on Earth.  They were so clear and flawless, and the tone was so beautiful.  It is the most wonderful place to be. [5]

Or the account of an NDE from Canadian musician Gilles Bedard: "All day long, I went in and out of a coma… Then I saw myself from the ceiling. I was nine feet higher than my body and I was looking down at the people around me.... My vision expanded and I went into a place like a cosmos where there were twelve people standing in a half-circle. They were all pure white lights and they had no faces. I somehow knew these people although they weren't family or people I could recognize. It was as if they were waiting for me. I asked them what was happening, and they told me, 'You are not going to die. You are going back to Earth. You have something to do.' I asked them what it was, and as soon as I asked it was as if I knew the answer… What I remembered most is the music I heard when I was out of my body. It was fascinating.[6]

---

ref-[1] “The Power of Music” by Oliver Sacks. Oxford Journals Brain Volume 129.

ref-[2] “Self-Portrait of an Experimental Songwriter” David Galenson, Huffington Post 2-19-14

ref-[3]“Who I am: a Memoir” by Pete Townshend Harper, 2013

ref-[4] “Homeless man turns haunting noises in his head into symphony” The Express May 2, 2013

ref-[5] http://www.bibleprobe.com/mitchell-meadows.htm

ref-[6] Gilles Bedard's Near-Death Experience and Music Research by Kevin Williams  http://www.near-death.com/music.html

excerpt from "It's a Wonderful Afterlife: Further Adventures Into the Flipside" Volume One.  All Rights Reserved. Copyright Richard Martini 2014.

Flipside Book Talks and Music in the Afterlife

Interesting... a number of folks stopped by on Valentine's Day to check out the blog... Wonder why that could be? Looking for a soul mate? Or just a little bit of soul? Well here's two links for y'all... one is to my many book talks - they're all posted on youtube, and if can't get enough of my dulcet tones yakking about the afterlife, they're posted for free. 

Caveat Emptor - well, there's no buyer here, more of a general Caveat - this research isn't for everyone. You're on your path for a reason, and I'm not here to job you off of your path. Or to chase after you and point you in another direction. Or to stand in front of you and wave my arms and say "look over there!" I did an interview on a blog radio spot the other day, (will post a link when it's available) and the interviewer asked "So why is this information important?" 

And I said "Because we don't have the luxury of watching the planet Earth get ruined or destroyed by those who think they only have one life to live. If you don't want to save the planet for your children or your grandchildren, fine, but at the very least consider that it might be true what all these people are saying about returning to Earth in the future. So save the planet if only for your own ability to taste fresh water, clean fresh air, and live in a healthy environment.. in a future lifetime."

 For that reason alone, I offer this research.


Then, someone who read "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" found my recommendation for "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers" and as some point, Billy says that the background music that he's heard in the afterlife reminds him of the piece below by Sibelius. 

I interviewed jazz artist Deron Johnson​ about where music comes from. He thought a bit, and said "It's just below the surface" and made a gesture describing water in a pool, and how music lies just beneath the surface of our consciousness. 

In the book "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers" Billy mentions this opus when trying to describe what the background music he hears in the afterlife realm. (I'd prefer to hear Beethoven's 9th myself, or perhaps Muddy Waters) but was just reminded of this particular piece noted below. Sibelius. The Swan of Tuonela. Enjoy. 

Ohio Boy Remembers Life as a Chicago Girl

Dr Jim Tucker's research from UVA (took over for Ian Stevenson, Tucker's books cite many cases) corroborates these kinds of stories, and second, ignore the "catchwords" like "horrible death" or "ghost in my child." How horrible can it be that he not only didn't die, but chose to return again as thus blue eyed angel in Ohio? How can we call it a "ghost" when it's just a previous remembered life? The research shows we choose each life carefully, with the help and guidance of our loved ones. And if you want to see the research, read "Flipside" or "Its a Wonderful Afterlife." cites the latest studies in consciousness, pointing to how this story could be accurate. It also points to the shallowness of our tribal mentality, us vs them, left vs right, fundamentalist vs liberal - if we choose who we're going to be in the next lifetime, how do we judge a person's choice in this lifetime?

Ohio family convinced son lived another life as a Chicago woman

CHICAGO —  Do you believe in past lives? An Ohio boy’s family says they didn’t, until little Luke started sharing specific details. He spoke about living another life, in Chicago, as a woman who suffered a horrific death.
WJW’s Suzanne Stratford has the story in the video above.

Foxcatcher and Notes from the Flipside

For those of you who haven't seen Foxcatcher, it's a wonderful film.  If you don't want any "spoilers" about the film, please come back to read this after you've seen the film.  But it's based on a true story, so you might be well aware of it by now.



Mark and Dave Schultz, the amazing Olympic athletes, trained at Foxcatcher wrestling facility, under the auspices of John Du Pont.  The performances are brilliant, the film's look and the art direction are fantastic.  The film lays out the story pretty much as it happened, with some adjustments for drama, and attempts to gain insight into the events surrounding a tragedy, by pointing to the wealth of the Du Pont family that contributed to the murder that occurs.

Dave Schultz - from USA Today

Today is the 19th anniversary of that event.  It's been 19 years since Dave Schultz's life was cut short.  RIP Dave.



  But there's a deeper, richer story here, and it wasn't touched upon by the filmmakers. That's why you have your trusty Flipside correspondent on hand, to search for the other meanings that are buried in the story.

At the funeral of his son, Phillip Schultz made a dramatic revelation during his eulogy. Here's the original article about it: http://articles.philly.com/1996-02-12/news/25655410_1_john-du-pont-david-schultz-nancy-schultz

From the article

Later in his eulogy, Schultz told how David at age 4 predicted he would die young. David told his dad that before he was born, he was one of 12 men standing around in a circle in the clouds. David was told by one of the men that he was going to be tested on earth.``He said I would pass the test, but I wouldn't be here very long,'' David recounted to his dad. ``David was truly a transcendent figure,'' his father said softly.

Wait a minute.  

A group of 12 men standing in a circle in the clouds?  Where have we heard of that before?

In Michael Newton's "Journey of Souls" he talks about the "councils" we all have, and they average from 6 to 12 people.  In the 25 between life sessions that I've filmed, and report upon in "Flipside" and "Its a Wonderful Afterlife" many included the same reports - visiting the council of elders, or the "wisdom makers" where people gain insight into why they chose a particular lifetime. (And in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" the same research done by Dr. Helen Wambach shows how people under deep hypnosis recount "choosing to be here" with the assistance of "wise elders" or "council members" for a variety of spiritual reasons.)  

 12 men (often women) standing in the clouds talking to us about our journey on earth is not only common - it occurs in just about every between life hypnotherapy session. (LBL).  Michael Newton cataloged 7000 of them, Helen Wambach cataloged hundreds of them, and I've filmed 25.

Michael Newton, whom I interviewed for Flipside

In Newton's research (7000 people over 30 years before he published) he says that people visit their council two key times; before reincarnating to discuss the life lessons they're about to impart, and again when they return to review how the person feels they did during their lifetime.

Also, David noted to his father (again, he was four years old at the time) that he was "going to be tested on Earth," that he would "pass the test, but I wouldn't be here very long."

This is also in these reports - a matter of fact account of what's being shared between the soul and their spirit guides.  "What are you going to do while you're on Earth?" "Well, I'm going to try to do this, and this other thing, and help these other people."  Generally these stories all have to do with imparting a lesson in love.

At one point, a spirit guide spoke up while I was filming a session with Scott De Tamble (lightbetweenlives.com).  The person was asked "Who or what is God?"  And the woman said (a skeptical film producer, who never thought she could be hypnotized, but had an amazing session) "God is beyond the capacity of the human brain to comprehend. It's not physically possible. But you can experience God, by opening your heart to everyone and to all things."

So opening your heart to everyone and all things might be one of those events to examine.  And this as well.

Because if Dave knew that he wasn't going to be here long, how was that going to play out?  We could go through all the choices that Dave made in life, whether bungee jumping, or wrestling the most amazing matches in the world - at any point along that way, Dave could have chosen to check off the planet in some other manner.  Bungee cord breaks, he has a heart attack on the mat.  But that's not what happened.

He knew what was going to happen.  He couldn't put it into words at four years old, but he knew he wasn't going to be here for the full term, for the full journey.

So where does that put John Du Pont in this story?  He's a scary, creepy, lost soul - as Steve Carrell portrayed him, and as he everyone reported him to be.  In the film, they try to point to his lack of mother's love as a reason for his being unhappy, unloved.  A drunk, drug user.  An abuser. An unhappy 1 percenter.

But wait a second.  There's a deeper story here. He's playing that role of drug user, unloved soul.  He's fulfilling his own path and journey in this story.  Did he know what was going to happen when he became obsessed with wrestling to start Foxcatcher?  If Dave knew what his path and journey was going to be, could John Du Pont have known as well?

The research shows that we choose difficult lifetimes to experience all kinds of positive and negative energy. That between lives, when we are back "home" we are filled with unconditional love, and we see our journey here on Earth more like a stage play, or a classroom, where we examine things, learn lessons, teach things, have compassion, help others (or play the role of the person not helping others).  But back home is like stepping off stage. Or graduating from college.

As Kathy Bates says in the final episode of this year's "American Horror Story" - "Does Desdemona hate the actor who played Othello, who kills her in the play?"  Once we are offstage we see our journey as one where we can share and love and play many roles.

So Foxcatcher is a brilliant film to be sure.  But when you watch it, know that young Dave knew that he was not going to have a long life, that someone or something was going to cut it short, but despite that knowledge -  he gave his heart freely, gave his love to his brother, and his family - and his love continues on.  And I honor him today by suggesting that unconditional love is the way of the Universe.  That we need to love everyone unconditionally - because they don't die, they can't die, they just aren't here - and back "home" we get to continue our lessons in love by choosing our next lifetime.

This isn't my opinion or belief - I'm just reporting what people say under deep hypnosis, and now in my latest work comparing those concepts to what people say after a near death experience, out of body experience, or some other life altering event.  And many, many speak of these "life reviews" with members of some kind of spirit council, with elders, and spirit guides - but all of them speak of this unconditional love we find back "home" for lack of a better word.

Dave is not dead, he's just not here. He's home. And we honor his memory to consider his sacrifice - to go through that pain and anguish, to teach a lesson in love.

He said he would be tested while he was on Earth and that he would pass the test.  Admirably I'd say.  
Just a little Flipside perspective and my two cents.

Podcast with my pal Jennifer Shaffer medium

Here's about an hour book talk I did with Jennifer Shaffer the other day... enjoy!!

Jennifer’s Interview of Award Winning Filmmaker and Author RICHARD MARTINI!

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| January 15, 2015 | in "Your Spirit Hour" with Radio Host Jennifer Shaffer, Radio Archive | by admin

Jennifer Interviews Award Winning Filmmaker and Author RICHARD MARTINI!

Jennifer Shaffer’s Interview of Award-Winning filmmaker Richard Martini! Listen in on how Richard discusses his explorations in the startling new evidence of life after death via the “life between lives,” where we reportedly return to find loved ones, soul mates and spiritual teachers.

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In Praise of Rod Taylor and Howard Schultz

It's been a busy week in the Flipside.  A number of pals of mine have stepped off stage, from the reality TV Producer and pal Howard Schultz, to the great actor and star of my film Point of Betrayal Rod Taylor.

Howard was a unique individual.  

Photo from Variety

He grew up down the block from me in Northbrook, Illinois, in a unique stone house that sat at the end of our long street.  Some years later, Howard agreed to do a between life hypnotherapy session for me for my "Flipside" project.

During his session, which appears in the book under the chapter heading "THE SOUL RIVER" Howard (as "Steven" in the book - I offer anonymity to everyone who is in the book, as their hypnotherapy sessions reveal usually more than anyone wants to admit, but with Howard's blessing, no reason to keep that a secret now) began by going back in time during his life.  And at some point, he was talking about playing "Kick the Can" in his backyard, with his beloved dog, the sound of cicadas calling through the summer night.  

It's my childhood as well, and so unique to be 50 years older, listening to my neighbor describe events that happened to me as well. It also served as a verification of sorts, that Howard's memories of this lifetime were accurate, because I'd had the same ones.

It was his previous lifetime that gave me pause.  He quickly remembered being a young child in a country in Europe during World War II.  And after describing a kind of fearful existence with troops running around outside, and the parents hiding the children from them, Howard remembered dying in Dachau.  Literally remembered the moment of standing over a pit of bodies and being shot in the head.

I was startled.  Even when he said the word "Dachau" in reference to being asked "Where are you?" he said it as they say it over in Germany.  That hard CH sound, that even as he said it, reminded me of my trip there in my 20's when I was going to school in Italy.  A dark, drab place to be sure, but here my friend was reliving that awful moment in that awful place.

In the between life portion Howard lightened up.  He spoke of how he normally had lifetimes that were "filled with light" and "filled with laughter."  Even as he spoke about them, the odd coincidence that he had named his company "Lighthearted" took on new meaning for me, and for him as well.  He had many lifetimes where he was light hearted, or that the light from that realm filled him with memories of unconditional love.

And at some point, Howard spoke of how that lifetime in Dachau had "scorched his soul."  And so the hypnotherapist, Scott De Tamble, asked if Howard could find a way to alleviate that pain, or to help heal it.  And he said "They're taking me to the river of souls."  He described being escorted into this river where he felt whole and complete again, and experienced that powerful intense feeling of being healed from that dark lifetime.  He was asked "Why did you choose that lifetime?"  And he said "Because I had forgotten the dark.  It's important to remember the dark so that you can really enjoy the light."

Howard had the courage to choose a difficult lifetime so that he could "remember the dark."

Anyone who knew or loved Howard will tell you that he had a memorable laugh, and his eyes kind of twinkled when he laughed or recounted a great story.  He hired me at some point to write a film about his odd adventures in Mexico with Dog the Bounty Hunter - and how he very nearly wound up in prison while trying to film an extraction of a criminal.  There was incredible comedy in the story, but also it showed the amazing resilience of Howard.  He didn't feel that the script captured the chaos of what he'd gone through while he was down there - and I'm sorry that we didn't take it further along.  

We had dozens of meetings, over at least a decade, talking about doing a spiritual show together, a reality show based on past life research - a "past life detective" kind of show where people would be under hypnosis and we'd track down whether or not their stories were true.  He could never get anyone of his writing staff to be invested in the idea however, and he used them as a sounding board for whatever he wound up putting on the air.  If they didn't get it, then he reasoned, an audience wouldn't either.  This is how he wound up with "Naked Dating" and his other dating shows on MTV and elsewhere. It wasn't just the titillation involved - although there was that to be sure - it was because these shows were about connecting people on some level. 

Only a few months ago he called me about the afterlife show.  We still couldn't figure out how to make the project together, and I'm sorry we did not.  However, I'll bet he's putting together a hell of a show as we speak.  One thing he said during his session that's worth repeating - when he spoke to his departed mother during the session, she told him that speaking to someone in the afterlife was like picking up a cell phone and dialing a loved one.  We don't actually know how a cell phone works, we can't really get our minds around the mechanics, but we do know if we push so many buttons, our loved ones answer.  She said it was the same thing when communicating with the afterlife.  They can hear us when we speak to them, or reach out to them, and although they may not be able to have a direct response to our entreaties, they'll eventually get back to us in some manner. 

 1963 Rod Taylor Ed Fury Dorian Gray Daniela Rocca Picture

I met Rod Taylor while making a film called "Point of Betrayal" 20 years ago.  We had cast a couple of other actors who fell out the weekend prior to shooting, and the producer Jonathan Krane suggested Rod Taylor and Dina Merrill as replacements.  They both agreed.

Rod was the smartest actor I've ever met - he knew more about the camera, about directing, about staging, about choreographing a fight scene than anyone on the crew.  He would come in with new scenes that I had encouraged him to rewrite - and they were always 100 times better than what I had written or were on the page.  He was funny, smart, and told some great Hitchcock stories.


THE FIGHT SCENE FROM "POINT OF BETRAYAL"
WITH RICK JOHNSON AND ANN CUSACK 1996.

Rod choreographed this scene, we were losing the light and it was shot in one take.

One I remember is that one day during "The Birds" the studio had invited the international press to the set.  And during a set up, Rod noticed that the practical light in the refrigerator wasn't on, so when they went to do a take, Rod asked Hitch if "he was going to have them turn on the practical light in the refrigerator for the scene."  Hitch took a long pause and said "And now I will take a break while Rod Taylor directs the picture."  Everyone laughed but Rod, who was furious for being made a fool of.  During the lunch break, Hitch's secretary came looking for Rod, who was furious over Hitch mocking him.  

The secretary apologized profusely and insisted the Hitchcock wanted Rod to see him right away.  Rod went up to his office, thinking he was about to be fired, and when he came into the room, it was filled with all the international media - Paris Match, etc, all seated around a table having lunch with Hitchcock.  Hitch stood up and gestured to the empty seat next to him  and said "Ahhh, the star of the film has arrived.  Please, Rod Taylor, come and sit next to your biggest fan."

Of course they were best pals after that.

He last appeared in a Tarantino film - this is a wiki foto from an interview he did - via PDX retro

The saga of Point of Betrayal is short and sweet. Made for under a million, it was a thriller that was purchased by HBO and Paramount Home Video for distribution.  I thought that was fantastic.  Then it turned out no one had done an E and O for the film - an insurance document.  So Paramount sued the producer, and the film was put on a shelf - distributed overseas (I still get checks from odd territories for the musical score I did for the film, as well as checks from the Director's Guild) but the film has never been seen in theaters in the U.S. outside it's premier at the Palm Beach Film festival.




ROD TAYLOR IN "POINT OF BETRAYAL" WITH REBECCA BROUSSARD, ANN CUSACK, DINA MERRIL AND RICK JOHNSON. DIRECTED AND SCORED BY YOURS TRULY

I had a number of memorable dinners with Rod.  Funny, smart, didn't suffer fools lightly, he was also a terrific painter. 


Let's see if I can dig up one of his pix.



Anyways, as we grow older, more of us won't be on the planet much longer.  Both of these fellas made the world a brighter place, and I'm sorry to see them go, but looking forward to seeing them again at some point in the future, on the Flipside.

The "Flipside" of "Unbroken" and "the Great Zamperini"

I just watched the film "Unbroken," the amazing true story of Louis Zamperini.  

Wow.  What an amazing journey and path this man was on.  After watching the film, I really wanted to see Watanabe, "the Bird" speak - and found the following clip from 60 Minutes.


First it's Watanabe in his own words - the clip I'm showing is the one where the translation was reportedly done improperly by 60 Minutes the first time around, and a translator clarifies what he had to say. The differences are subtle but important.

Watanabe says clearly that "(You) Caucasians consider beating and kicking as cruel (torture)."  Meaning, it's not the same for me.  Then he goes on to say "If Zamperini says these things happened, they must have happened."  Completely disassociating himself from the acts of torture.

Gee where have I heard the same words said in defense of torture before?  Let's see... could it be... Dick Cheney?  Here's where he says " "It's not torture if it prevents another 9/11." "We did what had to be done." At least Watanabe didn't claim that what he'd done to Zamperini was justified.




But it's exactly the same.

"It's not torture if we're doing it to save our people."

But let's go beyond that.  The key moment in this story happened after Louis Zamperini returned home and was haunted by nightmares of killing "the Bird" out of revenge for his cruelty.

He went to see Billy Graham speak, who counseled him that forgiveness would alter his path and journey.  And as he says in this 35 minute interview, I highly recommend watching this if you're a fan of the book and film, that the idea of forgiveness caused him to stop dreaming of The Bird, or having nightmares about him.



(it's 35 minutes, highly recommend this Bob Simon award winning short film made for the Olympics)
That the act of forgiveness, or the thought of compassion towards him allowed him to alter his path and journey.  

Science would tell us that the altered the shape of his amygdala with that meditative thought.  That's what the research shows out of Richard Davidson's clinic at the University of Wisconsin.  That a single meditation on compassion can change depression in a human being - and that meditation, or forgiveness to his enemies, caused Louis Zamperini to emerge from his depression a new person.

And now comes the Flipside part.  In "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" volume one, David Bennett talks about his Near Death Experience where in his "life review" he saw that the negative acts of his life reverberated like ripples on a pond.  

But David experienced those acts from the point of view of the victim - so when he was kicking the shit out of a guy in a cowboy bar who made the mistake of making a pass at him earlier in his life, David experienced the blows, the blood, the humiliation all from the victim's point of view.  He said he experience that negativity, plus all the hatred from everyone in the bar who joined in on beating this poor fellow up.

So let that sink in for a moment - that every blow that the Bird rained down on Louis Zamperini, he is likely experiencing that now - all of the pain and suffering that he engendered during his lifetime.  Imagine the feeling of experiencing all of those blows at once - and not only do you experience it, but all of the people in your soul group experience it as well (according to David's account, which was later examined under clinical conditions at the University of Virginia by Dr. Bruce Greyson, and finally reconfirmed during an LBL that David had years after the event, but helped him see it with clarity.)

And conversely, all the joy and happiness and compassion that Louis has created in his life through forgiveness, is reverberating for him now - just as David Bennett (in "Voyage of Purpose") experienced when viewing the positive acts from his lifetime.


So by living this extremely difficult lifetime, and then forgiving those who trespassed against him, Louis Zamperini has given us all a gift that keeps on giving.  The lesson of compassion, the gift of forgiveness.  It not only heals us, but it reverberates throughout the universe as a positive healing wave.

But don't take my word for it, it's in the science. All that's required is to look for it.

Congratulations to Ms. Jolie and her crew for bringing this film to the planet and allowing his story to be one of healing for those that are able to embrace it.  I'm sure Louis is enjoying it from where he is now... back "home."

The Jewel Tree Meditation of Flipside

Just a couple of notes of merriment. 

 
The audio version of "It's a Wonderful Afterlife Volume Two" is now live and online.

It's also available in Nook here:

Volume One is available in Nook here:

And available in audio here:

It's a particularly hard time around the holidays when your loved ones are far away, either in spirit or physically.

There's a Buddhist meditation about that, and perhaps giving yourself a taste of that can be helpful.

Put yourself in a calm place, or a place where you feel calm.  That could be a Starbucks, or a lake or a pond, or in your chair while you're reading up on the latest online news.

Sit back for a moment and breathe.  You know what I mean.  Literally, sit back, take a deep breath and let it go.

Stressed from shopping?  Stressed from getting gifts?  Stressed from giving gifts? Stressed because there's no money to give gifts?  (Sing it).  Stressed because everything seems a little bit more heightened at this moment?

Take a deep breath.  Let it all go.

Look around you.  What do you see?  Did you ever notice that particular thing before?  What's it doing in your field of view?  Did my suggesting you look at it bring it into view, or was it always there and you just didn't consider it?  Could be a photograph, or a pencil, or a person sitting on the other side of the coffee shop.  (I met my wife in a Starbucks, and in 20 minutes, after realizing how much we had in common I said "Let's just skip down and get married and have a couple of kids."  She was convinced I say that to everyone at Starbucks.)  But I digress.

Breathe in.  Listen to what sounds you might be able to hear.  Are they unique?  Annoying?  What are they really? Waves of sound just coming your way?  Let them pass through, don't attach anything to them.

Breathe in.  And then breathe out. 

Now, here comes the fun part.  Don't do this while driving.  Imagine yourself sitting by a pond somewhere, the most beautiful lake you've ever seen.  Then imagine a tree coming out of that lake.  A magnificent tree, and hear the sound of the leaves as it rises out of the water.  Birds come and land on your tree. The sun is at the right height to really allow you to see this tree.  Feel the warmth of the sun, listen to the sound of the birds.

Then in the center of the tree put the happiest person you know.  It could be someone alive or dead, doesn't matter. Just put them there in the tree.  Gaze up at them, and let them gaze down upon you.  Welcome them to your tree.  

And then open up a channel from your heart, straight up into the tree, like a laser beam of light.  Let it hit that person in the center of the tree and light them up with love.  And it starts their engine as well, and they return that love to you.  Could be anyone - your mom, your dad, your most sacred deity, your best friend - whoever it is, shower them with that unconditional love.

(Funny, it's the most common thing I've heard in NDE's and LBL's - a sense of "unconditional love."  As opposed to "conditional love?"  That would be.. "Uh, yeah, I love you... but...")  I digress.
 
And now put everyone you love around this person and do the same with them.  Open up the iris of this beam of light and allow them to return it equally.  Feel that intense love coming from you and then it returns more powerful, stronger than before.

Then put around your loved ones from near and far, alive or dead, people you see on a daily basis, who may be sad or unhappy, or stressed.  Put them up there too, why not?  It's a tree for the masses.  And then finally after them, put up there the people you really don't like, or can't stand, or believe that you hate.  Or that you believe hate you.  (Because hate is a relative thing - the person you "hate" in middle school may become a best friend later on in life).  

They're startled to be called into your tree, but they like the light.  They like the feeling up there. So you've got this magnificent tree in front of you, filled with your loved ones, friends and acquaintances.  

Then put gifts in each one of their hands.  Could be anything - it's free! - you just imagine it and hand it to them, and see that look of happiness, gratitude, or love coming from them.  It's your gift to them.  Didn't cost you anything but the time it took to read this blog.

Give love freely.  Feel the vibration of the return that comes to you.  Breathe in that golden healing light that showers you, breathe out as much healing energy and light as you can muster.   

And then, just for fun - turn the healing light to snow - let it blanket everyone.  They aren't cold, just startled by the white flakes falling on them.  Healing snow, melting into their hearts, making their gifts turn white.

Then slowly one by one thank them for appearing in your life, or your tree, and then allow them to dissolve, until you're back to your most beloved... and thank them for taking away all your pain and stress today, because that's a gift from them to you.

Merry Holidays, Happy New Year.

(This is a Martini modified version of the Jewel Tree Meditation of Tibet, taught me by Robert Thurman while we were in Tibet.  You can watch him give it in Tibet here: or get a copy of Journey into Tibet here:)