Tag: mediumship

My Own New Normal

A Look Back Since Publishing Adventures of a Soul

I can’t believe that it’s been more than a year and a half now—a year this past August, to be precise—since I published Adventures of a Soul: Psychics, Mediums, the Mystical, and Me. I’ve learned so much about the world of self-publishing and book promotion, and yet there is so much still to learn! A heartfelt thank-you to EVERYONE who has purchased and read my book, and doubly so to those who have posted a review on Amazon or elsewhere. It’s GREATLY appreciated. The Reader reviews I’ve received have been touching and heart-warming. Honestly, I’ve been surprised many times at precisely WHO has enjoyed my book the most and/or expressed to me that they’d been profoundly changed by reading it. Friends who admitted they had barely even thought about metaphysics or the invisible realms, but had a mind open enough to read Adventures of a Soul when they heard about it, have asked me for recommendations for their first psychic or medium reading; for classes and workshops; and for more books in this genre to read. Now, that, Dear Reader, REALLY warms my heart! After all, that was the reason I wrote this book in the first place: to encourage others to expand their horizons—both inward and outward—by embarking on a personal metaphysical exploration of their own.   

Even more surprising to me, Reader, has been another phenomenon that’s occurred since my book’s launch. Friends who read Adventures of a Soul with whom I’d not had contact for a long time—sometimes several decades—confessed to me that they’d had “paranormal” experiences, and even discovered “paranormal” gifts and abilities of their own. Some have come into them in recent years; others had them back when we were classmates or neighbors or work colleagues, but had never shared this aspect of their lives with me, as they had no idea I was interested in such things. (And, honestly, who can blame them? Up until fairly recently, most people haven’t generally talked about these topics in “mixed company,” for fear of being branded deluded dreamers, wackos, or mentally ill.

Reader, the stories they’ve shared with me have been fascinating! One told me of seeing an apparition, dressed in clothing from another era, that vanished before his eyes; another, of hearing a “little voice” throughout her life that told her things, including a long-buried family secret that proved to be true. One described having an ability to intuitively sense serious medical issues in the patients she was treating as a physician’s assistant, at times second-guessing her superiors, and being right! A former coworker told me she has become able to contact the dead, along with a number of spirit guides; and a former schoolmate of experiencing an “awakening” that left her able to communicate with guides, angels, and other higher-dimensional beings. One friend told me of seeing, as a teenager, up close and unmistakably, a UFO craft (or, in current parlance, a UAP); the husband of another shared his experience of seeing two actual ETs—the ones with little bodies, big heads, and huge eyes, in this case—in his bedroom! (Yes, he was freaked out; no, he’d not ingested any controlled substance; and no, they did not harm him.)

And this is not to mention any of the new friends I’ve made, while pursuing my explorations, who are gifted intuitives, mediums, past-life readers, and energy healers . . . I’ve even gotten to know several who can talk to the animals (move over, Dr. Dolittle) and see fairies (yes, Reader, I now believe in fairies, though they’re not, as I understand it, quite the way our pop culture has portrayed them: think less Tinkerbell, more energetic-beings-existing-in-a-higher-dimension-who-often-appear-as-light! (Then again, “Tink” did often appear as a bit of light, so perhaps author J. M. Barrie was on to something . . . )

Actually, Reader, all of this should hardly have surprised me. It’s part and parcel of what I’ve been learning about for a good number of years now in my studies and explorations regarding the idea of a “Shift” on planet Earth—a global shift in consciousness—that’s been long awaited, and is now taking place. (Come on, you knew something weird was happening, didn’t you?) This Shift, apparently predicted by many of the planet’s indigenous cultures and ancient civilizations as something that would occur if we got to this point in history without wiping ourselves out, involves, among other things, vast numbers of people “waking up” to the fact that we are far more than just our bodies, and stepping into a far stronger connection with their Higher Self . . . including claiming such innate human abilities as intuition, mediumship, telepathy, remote viewing, channeling, energetic healing, knowledge of their past lives, and more.

But it’s one thing to read about it and hear about it for decades from so many metaphysical teachers and sources as something “coming”—it’s another thing to hear that it’s here, now, and to actually witness these things occurring among your otherwise “normal” acquaintances and friends. If it sounds a little X-Men-ish to you . . . well, you’re not alone. And from what I’ve come to believe, Reader, we ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. I’ll be writing more about the Shift and in particular the information that’s been “brought in” about it via channelers—individuals who serve as “vessels” for higher-dimensional beings or collectives who are able to communicate through them—for many years now. (There are a few channelers out there who’ve been doing it for thirty or forty years. One has even been invited to speak numerous times at the UN! Who knew?)

So, yes, Virginia . . . and anybody else who’s seriously asking . . . paranormal HAS become the new normal, as I hope I’ve begun to show in my previous blog posts, and looks to be becoming more so every day! Stay tuned . . .

Mediumship: Follow the Science at the Windbridge Research Center

I was talking to a friend the other night after learning the deeply sad news that one of his brothers had just died in an accident. Louie had lost his mother a few years before, and had been extremely close to her, as had his sister. He was not only now grieving the sudden death of his beloved brother, he was also quite concerned about how the shock and loss were affecting his sister, who was still very much mourning their mom. As we talked on one of those video apps—we were a continent apart—I could see the worry etched on his face as he spoke about his brother, and then his sister, wondering how he could help her.

While I generally hesitate, Reader, to bring up my beliefs about the continuation of consciousness after death with anyone going through a recent loss, as Louie expressed his profound sadness about his brother, pointing out that he would never see a new exhibition of Louie’s paintings, some in a style his brother had especially loved, it just popped out. “Well, you know me, Louie. You know I believe he can see the paintings, and that he’s around you right now. And that you can talk to him, and he’ll hear you.”

As I said it, I felt a twinge of apprehension. Had I overstepped? But Louie simply took in what I said. I told him, then, that during the course of the explorations that had resulted in my book Adventures of a Soul, and in the years since, in which I’d continued to explore, I’d become convinced that death was not the end of consciousness, but simply a transition, and a marvelous one at that. “Well, maybe it’s hard for me to believe it, because I haven’t had any experiences like you’ve had,” he said. “Of course,” I answered. “It really is the personal experiences that create the belief. That’s why I wrote the book: to encourage people to explore these things themselves. To perhaps help set them on their own exploratory path.”

After we hung up, though, I realized that what I’d said wasn’t entirely true. Personal experiences are the most persuasive. However, more and more each year, there is research being carried out that, to my mind, proves, or in some cases, all but proves, many of the phenomena I write about in my book, including the existence of an “afterlife.” I’ve written many posts about such work in this blog. But specifically, this time, I thought about the Windbridge Research Center. As their Web site explains, “The mission of the Windbridge Research Center is to ease suffering around dying, death, and what comes next by performing rigorous scientific research and sharing the results and other customized content with the general public, clinicians (like medical and mental health professionals), scientists (like researchers and philosophers), and practitioners (like mediums).” Windbridge has been studying, among other things, the ability of mediums for more than fifteen years. And I do mean scientifically studying. Serious, scientific, “fully blinded” (more than five levels of blinding!), peer-reviewed, replicated studies with optimized environments, and maximized controls. Their conclusion? Put simply, that “some mediums are able to acquire information about deceased persons through some unknown or anomalous means.”

I’d never heard of Windbridge until I happened upon the book Investigating Mediums by Julie Beischel, PhD, while trolling the waters on Amazon. Reader, with that title, of course I bought it, pronto. And I couldn’t put it down. Reading about the extraordinary work of the Windbridge Institute—which still exists, but which has since shifted its work on mediumship research to the not-for-profit Windbridge Research Center—I kept thinking, How have I not heard of this place before? Dr. Beischel, whose graduate training includes pharmacology, toxicology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, biochemistry, protocol design, and statistics, founded the Center with her husband, Mark Boccuzzi, a psi researcher, in 2017. As she explains in that book (which is now out of print, but is actually a collection of three previously published e-books, including the very much available Among Mediums: A Scientist’s Quest for Answers), her interest in mediums began after the death of her mother, and her first mediumship reading soon thereafter, which she approached as an experiment (definitely a woman after my own heart!). It’s a story that she recounts in the section of Among Mediums called “How Did I Get Here?”, and one with a great twist at its ending. (Reader, you know I’m not going to give it away! And by the way, I see she’s recently published another book—Love and the Afterlife: How to Stay Connected to Your Human and Animal Loved Ones. I’m definitely adding it to my “gotta get it” list!) After finishing graduate school, Dr. Beischel began performing medium research as a post-doctoral fellow, became totally hooked . . . and, as they say, the rest is history.

The section of Windbridge’s site that first caught my eye asks, “Why Is Mediumship Research Important?” That question is answered in three parts, each of which is expanded upon, but I’ll give you the main points here: “1. No research question affects more people than ‘What happens when we we die?’ 2. People are getting mediumship readings every day and it is important to understand the resulting effects of those experiences. Extensive research exists demonstrating that spontaneous after-death communication experiences (ADCs) have a positive impact on grief. 3. Sensory experiences related to accurate information about the deceased and similar psychic abilities point to more extensive human capabilities than can be explained by the currently dominant scientific paradigm.”

Amen to all that! I had experienced the “positive impact on grief” mentioned in point number 2 myself, after connecting with my recently deceased father through a personal friend with newfound mediumship abilities, as I wrote about in my book (quite a story, if I do say so myself!). And on a larger level, my explorations into these sorts of phenomena have completely taken away my own fear of death . . . a result that I didn’t expect when I began them. But it’s sure been a nice side benefit, Reader.

Getting back to Louie though. . . the day after our video chat, he texted me to thank me for our talk. “I wish I had your faith in the spiritual afterlife,” he wrote. I could almost hear the hopelessness and desolation in his voice as I read it. Well, Reader, that was all the invitation I needed. “You know, Louie, there are a lot of studies going on, scientific studies, on mediumship and the afterlife, that you might find interesting . . . ” I didn’t intend to take away Louie’s grief; I knew that I couldn’t, nor should I. I still grieve my loved ones when they pass—though more and more, I find myself focusing on celebrating their life, and on the memories and love we shared. But I did want to offer him some hope, and perhaps, through him, offer some to his sister, too. With the continuing work of places like the Windbridge Research Center, that hope is no longer unfounded, and I am so grateful to pioneers like Beischel and Boccuzzi for that.

 

The Science Behind the Woo-Woo: Mark Gober

Are you ready for a paradigm shift? Are you even open to one? Why is a shift in paradigms so threatening to so many? And what does it mean to have a paradigm shift, anyway? Calling all those who are interested in REALLY “following the science,” regarding the metaphysical—phenomena such as the continuation of consciousness after death, intuition, mediumship, remote viewing, telepathy, and much more. Have I got a book for you!

As those of you who have surfed the waters of YouTube know, it has its own algorithmic elves who pop up recommended content that relates to other videos you’ve recently viewed. That’s how I came upon Mark Gober, and this “Buddha at the Gas Pump” interview conducted by Rick Archer. Mark Gober is the author of several books with “Upside Down” in their titles, the first being An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth That the Brain Produces Consciousness, and the Implications for Everyday Life. After watching this interview, and several of Gober’s others on YouTube too, this book jumped to the number-one spot on my personal to-buy list.

Why? Reader, I loved Gober’s story. Like me, he’d launched into his own exploratory expedition, and written a book that I would have loved to have written myself, if only I could have. Gober reminded me of the smart, nerdy (in a good way) “kids” who went to Stuyvesant, my math-and-science specialized New York City high school, with me, many of whom, I’m sure, think I’m crazy for believing in the phenomena I wrote about in Adventures of a Soul. But here’s the thing I’ve always said to them, and to others who roll their eyes indulgently when I tell them what my book is about: There has been SO MUCH RESEARCH on SO MANY OF THESE PHENOMENA that many of them have actually already been proven—using the standards by which all NON-“suspect” types of scientific phenomena are typically judged—and yet, hardly anyone in the world of mainstream media, nor the scientific community, talks about or even acknowledges this. I know this. And others like me who have sought out this information know this. (It’s not hard to find it!) But Gober didn’t know it: Until he did! And it rocked his world.

But, Reader, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Gober had me hooked with his tale of how, as a Princeton graduate working at a “technology-focused investment bank and strategy firm” in Silicon Valley and commuting long hours each day in his car, he’d tuned into a health-related podcast, only to find that the featured guest, Laura Powers, was talking very matter-of-factly about psychic intuition and her ability to communicate with nonphysical entities—things which Gober had no absolutely awareness of. Gober was a self-described “materialist” at the time, who believed that consciousness was a product of the brain, and that when the body—and thus the brain—died, well . . . that was it (although, as he states in this interview, he’d had an interest in “big existential questions for a long time”). When Powers mentioned her own podcast, “Healing Powers,” where she interviewed other people who had abilities and experiences similar to hers, Gober was left with a dilemma: What he was hearing, from these people who sounded intelligent and credible to him, didn’t fit in with his own long-held beliefs about reality. Unlike many who would simply dismiss such information as rubbish, and move on with their day, Gober grew extremely curious.

Gober ended up, on his daily commute over the next few weeks, listening to every single episode of Powers’ podcast—at that time, five years’ worth of shows. Hearing so many independent individuals’ convincing accounts of their own experiences, experiences that so fully contradicted his own materialistic worldview, he grew more curious yet, and plunged deep into his own “obsessive” research on these and other such topics. (Sound familiar, dear Reader?) Gober looked at the science—experiments and research that had been conducted about which he’d never read or heard—and also eventually worked firsthand with people who had these types of abilities themselves, finding that what he witnessed in doing so backed up what the science claimed. The results: His vigorous investigations brought him to the point of a total “paradigm shift” in terms of his beliefs about reality, which, he says, “rocked” and, for a time, disoriented him. After sharing what he was learning about topics like psychic abilities and life after death with some friends, many of whom had been as skeptical of such things as Gober had, they encouraged him to write about it. And thus, Gober’s amazing first book!

In An End to Upside Down Thinking, Gober tackles not just the scientific and academic studies that are proving that so much of what a good part of the world considers “woo-woo” is real—with many notable physicists and other scientists, including Nobel prize-winners, chiming in—he discusses the implications of that conclusion for our world and our future. He also discusses why it is that so much of this work and information is ignored, dismissed out of hand, or ridiculed sight unseen by so many in the scientific community—including the fact that most scientific journals refuse to publish studies, no matter how professionally and rigorously done, to do with topics such as psychic ability, even when the studies have proven that these things are real; that university faculty won’t generally pursue such studies until they are tenured, for fear of losing their jobs; and the tendency of many in the scientific community to even consider ideas that they don’t personally feel—without any study or investigation of them—could possibly be real.

Why is this the case? Gober discusses that, too. Basically, he points out, if these phenomena were widely accepted as real, it would call into question the world’s currently established scientific views on . . . well, pretty much everything!

Now that’s a paradigm shift.

After devouring Gober’s book, I signed up for his mailing list at MarkGober.com, and received back a lovely letter from him and his “team,” thanking me for my interest and asking about me—who I was, what I was doing, and what had made me interested in his work! Reader, I loved that too. So I wrote and told him about myself and my book, and how much I loved how open-minded he’d been to have done what he did; how excited I was about it; and how this was the book I was going to give to all my “skeptical” friends! He not only wrote me back personally, but told me he thought my book sounded fascinating, and that he’d just bought a copy. (I knew I liked the guy!)

Whether self-proclaimed skeptic or committed, seasoned metaphysical explorer, I hope with all my heart that you’ll check out Mark Gober’s uber-important first book. (I’ve already bought one of his other three—about ETs and UFOs—which I can’t wait to crack.) You, too, may want to gift it to your skeptical friends and family for the holidays. Not only may they stop rolling their eyes and calling you crazy (well, a gal can dream), but, not too far down the road, when the mainstream media and the scientific community finally begin to admit that all of this stuff is real, you’ll be able to say, with a knowing grin, “I could’ve told you that!”