The Science of the Paranormal
Is There an "Afterlife"?
One of the questions that has vexed Mankind since the beginning of time is "What will happen to me when I die?".
Some people think that "when you are dead you are dead", that there is NO "afterlife", only a final loss of consciousness and extinction of all one once was. Others believe that people have "souls", a part of their conscious mind that keeps on living and is aware of its surroundings. These "souls" usually go to a "spirit world" unless they become "Earthbound" and, in this case, are called "ghosts". Still others believe, while there is a "soul", it is simply "recycled" into a new human body, what we call the process of "Reincarnation".
Are these beliefs simply the result of "wishful thinking", a psychological defense against the "unthinkable" concept of extinction? Are beliefs in immortality simply religious traditions that have no basis in any reality? Is there any proof of a person's survival after death at all?
While it is true that many people believe in "life after death" only as part of their religious faith, there ARE other reasons to take the immortality idea seriously. First of all there is the existence of the phenomenon we call the "ghost". While we do not have any evidence that proves that ghosts are really "souls", they certainly appear to be, at least at "face value" despite the other possibilities of what the phenomenon actually might be. There are also the "Near Death Experiences" (NDEs) and other "Out of Body Experiences" (OBEs) that certainly seem to suggest that a "conscious part" of us exists independently of our physical bodies. Finally, there are the accounts of people appearing to remember living on Earth BEFORE their present lifetime. These "memories" are sometimes obtained from Hypnotic "age regression" sessions and sometimes remembered "spontaneously" in "deja Vu" experiences.
From the "Ghosts and Spirits" section of this page, we have seen that what we call "ghosts" may encompass a variety of entities and /or physical effects, ranging from simple energy configurations, time portals and extra-terrestrial and extra- dimensional beings. Any of these things might be taken, by an observer, to be a "human soul" and, indeed, at least some ghosts MAY be "human souls"--but we can never be 100% sure as the "ghost"="soul" theory is based mostly upon ancient traditions. Still, if only ONE "ghost" can be demonstrated to be a "soul" then we have "proof" of an "afterlife".
OBEs and NDEs are another indicator of a possible "life after death". It seems that under certain conditions, a person's "consciousness" will appear to separate from the physical body and is capable of movement and observation independent of the "body" itself. Often the person is the victim of a disease of accident that results in a "clinical death" of the individual. Often such people, when revived, will recount very similar "stories" of their experiences while their bodies were in this "death state".
Some are aware of nothing, but many will recall being "detached" from the body and observing the acts of the medical attendants as they try to revive it. Later they will be "sucked into a dark tunnel" and encounter a light which they take to be the "primary deity" of their religious belief system. They review their lives and meet dead friends and relatives. Eventually they choose or are ordered back into their own "dead" bodies when they are revived. A minority go to a "place of suffering", but usually without the traditional "hell fire". ( THESE people usually have been suffering from emotional problems)
Some people can "separate" from their bodies at will, or spontaneously. This usually happens in the sleep or Semi-asleep state. This is usually called "Astral Projection" . In this state a person can observe his own body lying in the bed and can travel from place to place in this world, Universe or other universes, simply by thinking of where they wish to go. This is the classic OBE, where the person has a bit of control over where he is going--unlike NDE, where the movement is involuntary.
Those in a NDE/OBE state seem to have a body similar to their physical one. They often notice a very flexible and stretchy "cord" or "tether" connected to the navel area of both their physical and "spirit" bodies. This is taken to be the so called "silver chord" refereed to in the Bible--which when broken means that the soul cannot return to the body---and physical death occurs.
One does not have to be nearly killed to have an OBE. If you are not one of the fortunate few who can do this at will, there are exercises that can produce an OBE for some people, I will not go into them here, but there are plenty of such instructions in books you can easily obtain. One method I will mention however, is that of "exhaustion". It seems that many people have their first OBE when they are physically very exhausted, nearly to the point of fainting. Indeed, many "primitive" peoples induce OBEs as part of their religious ceremonies, by dancing to drumbeats until they physically collapse.
But do OBEs/NDEs prove "life after death"? Well, they certainly suggest that our consciousness can separate itself from our bodies. In one NDE, for example, a man was able to see a discarded tennis shoe on a roof of a near-by building he was "floating" over. Later, it was proved that such a shoe WAS there. In another case, a woman was able to describe the clothing that her sister was wearing hundreds of miles away. Such events are strong evidence for the existence of a separate soul. However, we do not have quite 100% proof that the "detached consciousness" can exist independently of a living body--There is still that "cord" or connection. It might be suggested that OBEs are related to "Remote Viewing"--which does not suppose a "soul" at all--but then again, Remote Viewing MIGHT actually be a form of OBE itself.---We simply don’t know yet.
Yet another intriguing possibility for "life after death" is actual "reincarnation". That is, the "consciousness", "soul" or "life essence" may be Reborn in the body of another (baby) HUMAN (Not reborn into an animal--that's TRANSMIGRATION)
While this seems a bit "weird", especially to us "Westerners", there is more "hard" evidence for Reincarnation than any other form of "survival". Many of us have felt what is called "Deja Vu"--the feeling of being in a place or situation before, but NEVER having really been there --at least not in this life.
Many of us have also had "strange memories" or "scenes" from a past time or place, often induced by unusual lighting conditions or certain smells. Usually these "memories" are accompanied by a "strange sadness" , "melancholia" or "nostalgic" feeling. These "memories" may be "past life" recollections. Most " Past life" accounts, however, are the result of hypnotic sessions where a person is "regressed" in age, beyond the point in which they were BORN. Often people "age regressed" like this will recall being another person who lived before the subject was born..
Yes, I could be the "imagination" of the subconscious "inventing" the memories or recalling old books and movies, but a good hypnotist and past life researcher will be able to ask the subject questions about the time and the person that the subject could not possibly know. Often the responses "check out". The subject is usually found to have been an obscure, average person. There are seldom any "Caesars", "Cleopatrias" or "Napoleons", despite the stereotypes. In many cases, the person of the previous life has been found in public records and even tombstones, all of which the subject could have known nothing about.
Recalling "Past Lives"
The "Recalling" of "past lives", one of the "proofs" of immortality, can be experienced by nearly anyone. Often we may have had "fragmentary memories" of a "previous existence" and not even know it. These might be the "pictures" we see often in our minds, of another place and time. These are usually accompanied with a strange "sad" or "melancholic" feeling. Often they are induced by smells such as horses, ozone, fresh mown hay, kerosene, pine resin and various spices. The reader may already know of several such "scenes" his mind often recalls. These "scenes" appear to be random and "disjointed", but they can play a part in reconstructing what may be part of a "Past life" memory. Of course, we must not let ourselves get "carried away" and assume that any "scene" from a previous time might be a past life memory. There is also the possibility that the scenes may be from old movies we have seen and forgotten about or even books we have read, not to mention our own imagination. Past life memories as such may not really exist at all, so we must keep a "level head " about such things while we pursue the subject.
What we do is to "follow the Lead" of the supposed past life memories that we recover and see where it leads us. If they are bogus it will soon be apparent--as they will not make much sense or they will be obviously wrong. If one is lucky, then the memory thread will make sense, and possibly provide clues and information that can be checked out.
The method I use is to relax and recall one of the "memory scenes" that might often "haunt you". Have a friend ask you questions about it. ----Note this is a variation of the Monitor technique described in the channeling and remote viewing section.-----If you don't remember such a "scene" try smelling one or more of the substances above, until you get one. You may also have the monitor tell you to go back to certain years, such as 1678, 1234, etc. and ask you to report what you see.--(Odd dates such as this were no historical significance work best) If there was no "life" at the time, then you will see nothing, but often a time appropriate scene will form and you will have a starting point.
The monitor asks you to look at your clothing--this will reveal your sex, age and social status. Next your monitor will ask you to go one month into the "future" of that scene--and other things might be observed. It is a good idea to be asked "how are certain things DIFFERENT than in the movies or your imagination?". Your monitor may ask as many other questions as he likes. YOU may also suggest questions if you are curious about something you see or wish to know (as in conscious channeling) . When the monitor then re- asks you then you will get an answer.
Of course, you will have difficulty with NAMES and place names. You may "hear" the "rhythm" and some consonant sounds however. Reading signs and text that you "see" may also be difficult.
Hopefully, you can at least get an idea of who you might have been in a past life, and perhaps, even more details. Don't take it too seriously however as there is always the possibility of self deception.--It may or may NOT be valid.
To be continued