One of the questions most asked of those in the
spirit world has to be: ‘What’s it like over there?’ This
is natural enough – wouldn’t you be curious? After
all, we’ll all be going there one day…
When I was beginning to learn about mediumship
in my twenties, I assumed that spirit people looked like we do,
only a little more glowing. This, I suppose, was due to how I would
see them clairvoyantly. My instinct told me that the spirit world
was a well-backlit place filled with shiny, happy people. When
I imagined what it looked like, I saw white buildings and beautiful
countryside with colours beyond description. It was easy to accept
this, as most of the books I was reading at the time were packed
with heavenly realms that fitted my own ideas of the hereafter.
It wasn’t until I managed to find some cassette recordings
of a very rare type of phenomenon that my view changed completely.
Voices in the Dark
The mediumship of a man called Leslie Flint was different from anything
I had encountered at that time. When I say ‘different’,
I mean he didn’t give messages to his sitters like mental mediums
do or go into a trance and let a highly evolved spirit guide speak
through him, and as for ectoplasm, there was not even a hint of the
controversial misty white substance around him. It was simply that
whenever he sat in a darkened room, voices would be heard in the air
around him.
It first began in his childhood, back in the 1920s,
when he would go to watch the silent movies at his local cinema.
During the picture people around him would ask him to be quiet
and stop talking, as it was putting them off the film. Leslie never
understood this as he could hear the voices too, only he assumed
that they coming from someone else.
In his late teens, he tried to find out about
the strange events that were occurring around him and went on to
develop his gift in a Spiritualist circle. It became known as Independent
Direct Voice mediumship, so called because the voices were coming
directly from the spirit people and were completely independent
of the medium. All that was required of him was that he sit in
a darkened room.
Now it’s the dark room bit that makes you
think fraud, but over the years that followed, Leslie Flint was
tested by many scientists. Experiments would see our medium tied
to a chair, gagged and holding a mouthful of coloured water, which
he had to empty into a glass at the end of the test to prove that
he was not a ventriloquist. I’m certain that if he had been,
he could have made a good living on the variety circuit with that
kind of act! A Dr Louis Young invented most of these tests and,
along with members of the Society for Psychical Research, carried
out further tests in infra-red light with a microphone attached
to Leslie’s throat. Still the voices were recorded.
During the course of many years and many investigations,
no one ever accused Leslie Flint of being a trickster or fake and
his gift became known all over the world. People who had lost a
loved one would come from far and wide in the hope of hearing the
voices of their nearest and dearest speak directly to them from
beyond the grave. So many people, as it happened, that Leslie had
to hold group sessions to accommodate the demand for sittings.
Each group of people would assemble in the sitting
room of Leslie’s London flat in anticipation. Spirit people
of all descriptions would come and talk to them, not only their
relatives. It was as if there was a microphone in the spirit world
and the spirit people would stand in line waiting their turn to
speak. Voices would come from all corners of the room and often
several would converse at once, giving detailed descriptions of
their life on Earth and other pieces of personal information. All
of these sessions were taped, and on listening to many of them
myself, I can draw only two conclusions: either fraud was being
carried out by a large group of mimics who could create a wide
range of voices and speak in several languages as well as know
a great deal about everyone in each group, or that the phenomenon,
however unbelievable, was actually happening. I tend to go with
the latter.
Spiritual Evolution
Some of Leslie Flint’s spirit communicators became regular commentators
on their progression in the spirit world and would speak freely to their
families about events that had taken place since they last spoke. Common
descriptions of the other side included being in great light and feeling
a sense of weightlessness and contentment. There was also a sense of
being drawn into a brighter light and if the same spirit had the chance
to come and speak at a later session there was a noticeable sense of
development in how they spoke and in their reaction to the material world.
One young man who became a frequent communicator
was David Cattanach, who had died at the age of 18. He made many
visits to the Leslie Flint sessions over a period of almost ten
years and spoke to his mother there. I know her personally and
she is someone I would describe as very astute, someone who would
not easily be fooled, especially when it came to her son, and she
had no doubts that she was hearing his voice. In his earlier contacts,
he spoke mainly to her, giving brief messages of comfort, but also
describing his surroundings. At first these were of a fairly material
nature, although filled with a sense of peace and contentment.
But each time he managed to come through there was a new strength
in his voice and brightness in his personality, and there was even
a sense of his surroundings changing.
In one of the later sessions, when one of the
group asked him what it was like on the other side, David addressed
the whole gathering. He started by saying that he could not conjure
up the words to even begin to describe how beautiful it was there
and that he felt alive in a way that he never had before. He went
on to talk about how he had progressed away from the material world.
He said that he was in a state of luminosity and wasn’t aware
of having a body anymore – he still had some sort of vehicle,
but it wasn’t so important. In his new state he could expand
his knowledge just by encountering another spirit. Everything that
they knew was shared and so each grew in awareness. His knowledge
certainly seemed to be vast as he continued to talk about his understanding
of the spirit world he had become a part of. He described levels
of consciousness that were wonderful and open to all to discover;
he described death as a great adventure that none of us should
fear; he explained that all levels of life were interconnected
and that our earthly level was the darkest of all, that we were
limited in our understanding because of our emotions and that it
was important for us to expand our consciousness beyond our limited
vision of ourselves.
In the last part of his talk he spoke to his mother,
telling her that no matter how he evolved, they would always be
connected. For her, the most marvellous part of these encounters
was hearing how her son had grown over the years.
Leslie Flint died in 1991, but most of his work
was recorded and can be obtained from the foundation which was
set up in his name.
Truths and Misconceptions about the Afterlife
• White staircases, pearly gates and Saint Peter with a long white
flowing beard… No, these all went out went out years ago! It’s
no longer compulsory to wear white flowing gowns, play harpsichords and hang
around on fluffy clouds.
• You are likely to receive wings and a halo as a reward for your good
deeds or be thrown into hellfire for your bad deeds. The truth is that this
really won’t happen.
• Heaven will look like Earth with better backlighting and shiny, happy
people will welcome you with hymn singing and tambourine playing. Contrary
to what I once thought, it doesn’t and they won’t.
• Our father’s kingdom has many mansions set out for individual
religious groups. There are no religious divisions on the other side. So,
Muslims, Jews and Christians, you’ll all just have to learn to get on together
over there.
• On death you become immediately enlightened. No, you still have
to progress spiritually and take responsibility for your actions in your last
human existence.
• The spirit world is all there is. The spirit world is but the
first step on your development of consciousness, so don’t get too comfortable
there.
Knocking on Heaven’s Door
I can’t actually say that I have been to the spirit world, though
I have experienced altered states of consciousness and mental images
of it have been imprinted on my mind by spirit communicators. Either
way, even though I know the spirit world exists, I can’t give a
true description or pinpoint its location.
Descriptions of the hereafter have been given,
however, by people who have experienced a near-death experience
(NDE) or an out-of-body experience (OBE) (sound like awards, don’t
they?)
A typical NDE, as the name would suggest, happens
when a person is close to physical death. Many people have actually
been pronounced dead, only to come back with a tale of their marvellous
journey.
Although the description may differ from person
to person, most have a common thread running through them. First
a light appears, which draws the person towards it. This is usually
accompanied by a sense of travelling very fast down a tunnel. Ringing
noises may also be heard. The journey into the light always seems
to end at a point of stillness and contentment. Some say they see
a Christ-like figure or angelic beings, others have given accounts
of meeting Buddha or Mohammed, many see deceased family members.
Another common feature is a voice saying that they should go back
now, that it’s not their time. Most people come back to full
consciousness with a feeling of spiritual upliftment and no fear
of dying. Often they express great joy at the indescribable sensations
they felt when in this altered state of consciousness.
Many such accounts have been investigated over
the years and much has been said about the cause of the experiences
being a lack of oxygen in the brain, resulting in hallucinations
and a feeling of euphoria. Experiments do contest this, however.
Many of those who have experienced NDEs have claimed that they
were conscious of conversations going on around them while they
were ‘dead’, and some have said their spirit floated
upwards and have given accurate accounts of what they saw in places
they could not possibly have been physically. One test involved
labels being placed above the lights in the operating theatre,
where they could not be seen from the ground, and these were described
accurately by several people who claimed to have experienced an
NDE.
Recently I had to have a general anaesthetic before
having some very intrusive exploratory tests done and I really
hoped that I would have some sort of paranormal experience. As
it happened, I did, but not of the NDE kind. As I began to come
to, I became aware of a lot of people standing around me in the
recovery room. Some of them were writing, and then I realized that
I was speaking. It turned out that I had been talking during the
procedure and giving messages from the spirit world to some of
the theatre staff. One of the nurses told me that even though many
people mumble a sort of gibberish under anaesthetic, I was actually
referring to all present by their Christian names and talking about
their relatives who had died. Several of the theatre staff had
accompanied me to the recovery room to see if anything more would
be said and then for a laugh one of the hospital porters had asked
if I could give them the lottery numbers. Nobody expected an answer,
but then I began to spout numbers in quick succession! Suddenly
everyone was digging into their pockets for pen and paper!
Even though I had no experience of Heaven, maybe
one of the hospital staff found material Heaven in the following
Saturday’s lottery draw…
My First Out-of-Body Experience
Thankfully I have never had a NDE, but on many occasions I have found
myself in an out-of-body state.
The first time I remember this happening to me
was when I was in my early twenties. I was sitting at home in my
flat in Glasgow when my mind began to drift to memories of my childhood.
These were happy thoughts and I began to feel more relaxed as I
drifted down memory lane. Then suddenly I became aware of a sense
of vibration engulfing me. At first I thought that the chair I
was resting in was shaking, but as the vibrations got faster I
knew that it was more to do with me. Then I felt as though I were
floating up from the chair and moving towards the ceiling. I was
aware of how light I had become and that I was now looking down
on someone, but it took a moment to realize that that person was
me!
I have no idea why, but the first thought to enter
my mind was one about my workmate Sandra. No sooner had the thought
registered than I was somehow in her bedroom observing her. She
was sitting in a basketweave chair reading a book and looking very
peaceful and calm. Then I noticed the clock on her bedroom wall
and shot back into my body with a start.
The sharp return to my body startled me, yet I
felt amazing. I assume that the limited thought that I had about
time was what had brought me back. My body was stone cold, because
even though the whole episode felt as though it had taken no more
than five seconds, two hours had actually passed.
The following morning I asked Sandra what she
had done the previous evening and was astounded when she told me
that she had stayed at home and read a book in her room until late.
I had to ask, ‘Do you have a basketweave chair in your bedroom?’
‘ Yes, but how do you know?’
It wasn’t easy to explain.
Heaven Knows
It is very difficult for anyone to describe the sensations of being outside
their own body, for there are no words to describe the sensations of
lightness or stillness experienced in such a state. Similarly, it is
difficult for any of us to know what life is like after death. Even
with all of the spirit communications I have passed between the two
worlds, it would appear that everyone who tries to describe their new
surroundings gives a different account of what it looks or feels like.
Is this because we all perceive things in different ways or because
we gravitate to different levels of understanding in the spirit world?
One way of trying to understand what might be
going on is to imagine a group of alien visitors coming to our
planet and each one being sent to a different location. One might
find itself in the jungles of Africa, another in the middle of
New York City and another on a desert island in the Caribbean.
If each of these visitors tried to describe Earth based on what
they had observed in their own small corner, there would be no
corroboration at all. Each would feel that their description was
accurate, but put together it would not form a complete picture
of this planet and all the life that exists on it. What happens
in the spirit world may be something along these lines. The best
we can do is speculate.
Many people have already speculated on this very
subject. The 18th-century scientist Emanuel Swedenborg gave us
the theory that on death the human spirit is held in a between-life
waiting area where it may encounter spirit people who are familiar – family,
friends and associates. His belief was that the spirit would remain
in this state for a period, but would eventually be drawn to a
level of like-mindedness, where it would encounter others of a
similar essence, according to spiritual merits.
The idea of a between-life state also features
in other religious beliefs and practices. Tibetan Buddhists believe
that when we die we must go through what they call the Bardo state.
This is seen as a journey taken by the consciousness at the time
of physical death. At that moment it is said that a clear light
will appear and if you recognize this light, you will become enlightened.
Unfortunately, not many of us do so. However, there are other chances
with another five coloured lights that follow. The rule of thumb
is to go to the brightest one you see, as the paler, softer lights
can lead you in a backwards direction. Your consciousness will
move through seven stages of the Bardo during a period of 49 days.
During this time, your consciousness will come face to face with
many demons, which are projections of your own mind. You must try
to accept them rather than run away in fear, in order to reach
the brightest light that you can. Whatever state you have reached
at the end of 49 days will determine your conscious state at the
beginning of your new life.
Both the beliefs of Swedenborg and the practices
of the Tibetan Buddhists encourage us to be more aware that we
should carry out good actions in this life in order to build up
a spiritual bank balance to help us in the life to come. Even if
both views are wrong, they still encourage us to become better
in this life, and that can’t be bad.
Having a belief that there is a life after death,
no matter what religion or spiritual practice you follow, at least
gives a sense of hope. There are of course some people who think
that when we die we are dead, deceased and defunct. I think they
will wake up to a great shock on the other side, a bit like having
a surprise party!
The flip side of this coin was put beautifully
by my good friend Professor Archie Roy, when he said, ‘If
I find that when I die there is no afterlife, I shall be extremely
disappointed.’
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Robert Parker was a man who had no belief in God, religion or life after
death. After the loss of a son early in his marriage he became totally
opposed to the idea that the human spirit could continue in any way,
shape or form. At the age of 68, having no known illness, he went to
bed one night with his wife Barbara. Before turning to go to sleep,
she kissed him on the forehead and said, ‘Good night.’ The
following morning she was shocked to find that he was dead.
Even though her husband had been totally against
the idea of visiting mediums and on many occasions had ridiculed
people who spoke of such things, Barbara could not accept that
he had gone out of her life forever and so she decided to look
for a reputable medium to see if there was any chance that her
husband was wrong about life after death.
I was sitting in a small room in a Spiritualist
church in Glasgow waiting for my last appointment of the day when
the door opened and in walked a nicely dressed, good-looking woman
in her sixties. I began at once giving my usual spiel: ‘Have
you had a sitting with a medium before? This is how it works… Please
don’t give me any information about the person you hope to
contact’ etc. No sooner had I tuned into the spirit world
than I heard a man’s voice saying, ‘I was wrong, I
was wrong, please tell Barbara I was wrong.’
Once he got started, there was no stopping him!
He told me that his name was Bobby, which was how his wife had
always referred to him, and that he was with Raymond, who was the
son they had lost early in their marriage. The sitting was packed
with information about his life and with small details which his
wife understood and which were relevant to their life together.
Near the end of the sitting the mood changed somewhat,
as Bobby began to relate how he had found himself in the spirit
world. He recalled that he had gone to bed in his home and had
woken up after a beautiful sleep in a room that was filled with
light. To his surprise, there was a nurse there holding his long-lost
baby son Raymond. He then talked of meeting his parents and other
family members and friends who were dead – only they weren’t!
His wife was able to place all of the people he claimed he had
met. He gave no great description of his surroundings, but spoke
of a state of grace and comfort that he said he could not explain
in words.
The message ended with Bobby reminiscing, ‘The
last thing that you said to me was “Good night” and
I remember that you turned and kissed me on the head.’ He
said this was the first thing he remembered when he woke.
Bobby may have been dead against the idea of an
afterlife, but he is a good example of what mediums have said for
years: that you cannot die for the life of you!
God’s Waiting Room
For most of my adult life I have tried to understand what it feels like
to actually die (I know, it’s sad, isn’t it?) During that
time I have seen, heard, felt and held conversations with spirit people,
at times under the strictest of scientific conditions. I have also
experienced leaving my body, being engulfed by white light and having
what I can best describe as spiritual experiences. Yet no matter what
I have felt or witnessed, I still find it very difficult to comprehend
what it is like in the spirit world. No matter how we try to envisage
it, all we can do is compare it to our earthly lives. Maybe that’s
why so many of the descriptions of the afterlife still seem to be based
on a materialistic world and involve loving reunions with radiant departed
relatives.
As a medium I find it hard to believe that when
we die we hang around God’s waiting room for all of our relatives
and friends to arrive, with no other purpose than to act as a welcoming
committee. I’m sure there’s more to the next life than
that. Certainly, though, it would seem that there is some kind
of reunion with our loved ones. So many nurses and carers have
witnessed a dying person reach out and speak to an unseen person
who they claim has come to collect them and take them into the
other side. Similarly, many of those who have experienced an NDE
have mentioned spirit relatives waiting to greet them, as did many
of the communicators over the years at the Leslie Flint sessions.
There may also be a connection to other individuals who have shared
a part of our lives and have formed a spiritual bond with us.
It has occurred to me that the welcoming committee
is there because becoming a spirit in a realm of bright light may
be too much for the conscious mind to take in. Is the afterlife
so bright that we have to wear shades? We may have to acclimatize
and limit our view of the true spiritual experience with what our
mind can accept at that moment. So the afterlife may appear to
be a brilliant version of this life until our consciousness can
adjust and gravitate to its own level of awareness. Even in this
human form we have the ability to create different views of reality – so
often we choose to see what we want to see and not what is real.
Does the same apply after death? Yet the more we grow in spirit
and adapt to our new reality, the less attached we will become
to human ways and conditions and the clearer our vision will become.
From our current standpoint, dying is the most
major event we will ever have to face. What can make us more accepting
of death? Is it the hope that stems from the knowledge that we
live again? Or could it be that we have to reach a point of understanding
that we are spirits already and that physical death is no more
than a change of environment?
After thinking long and hard about what life will
be like when we die, I’m convinced that so much is dependent
on our life now and on our state of mind at the moment of death.
To prepare yourself for that inevitable journey you must begin
to take responsibility for all that you are in this life, to look
at your life with clarity and assess it with truth. It seems that
our delusions about what life holds for us in the hereafter arise
from our delusions about who we are in the here and now. If we
can accept that we are already spirit beings living in a spirit
realm, we can accept that death is not so much a journey to a different
world but to a different state of mind.
