COMMENTARY: CAN SPIRITS INFLUENCE US NEGATIVELY?
I think most people reading this would agree that we can be influenced by the thoughts and feelings of the living, but what about those of the dead?
The idea that afterlife entities can influence our thinking and "win us to our harm" has been accepted in every human culture, literature, and religion. As Alan Kardec warns us, people are no different when they die, and "thus, there are very superior spirits as there are very inferior ones; very good and bad; very wise and very ignorant; there are those of levity, malevolence, liars, astute, hypocrites, polished, sharp, jokers, etc.".
While our medical and legal systems may ridicule the idea of spirit influence, several modern psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, and hypnotherapists have written books claiming that we can be negatively influenced by smothering relatives as well as by malevolent entities.
Some of the most influential writers on this topic are the following:
Dr. Carl Wickland: Thirty Years Among the Dead.
Dr. Edith Fiore: The Unquiet Dead. Dr. Louise Ireland-Frey: Freeing the Captives. Dr. William Baldwin: Spirit Releasement Therapy.
Dr. Samuel Sagan: Entity Possession.
Dr. Wilson Van Dusen, a clinical psychologist and author of The Presence of Spirits in Madness claimed that he was able to hold coherent conversations with the voices of his schizophrenic patients and that their behaviour precisely matched what Christian Mystic Emanuel Swedenborg described. Jerry Marzinsky, in his book An Amazing Journey into the Psychotic Mind (2019) comes to the same conclusion.
Given the number of reports and the fact that we are living in times of enormous emotional stress, it makes good sense that all those seeking to make spirit contact (whether it be mediumship, EVP, or automatic writing) practice "spiritual hygiene" and always use their discernment about whom to invite into their space.
See Michael Tymn's blog post Do Earthbound Spirits Really Influence Humans?
Consciousness researcher and author Nanci Trivellato, MSc, will be giving a free Zoom webinar on "How to Prevent the Impact of Negative Spirits on Your Life" on Saturday 24th September. Read details here.
A SPIRITIST PERSPECTIVE ON SPIRIT INFLUENCE
Luis Sergio Marotta discusses possible influences of lower entities with Sheri Perl during a Zoom Global Gathering. He has found that Kardec's teachings on the nature of spirits and how they can affect people (Spirits' Book p. 93) are in line with his experiences of healing people in Spiritist Centres and mediumship circles in Brazil.
A PERSONAL DESCRIPTION OF DYING "The actual act of dying is as simple as dozing off after lunch. A drowsy feeling fills the whole of your body with relaxing comfort. You can still see, with your earthly eyes the room about you. Then you notice that there are all kinds of new people standing around your bed, people that you once knew, such as parents, a favorite uncle, a friend who passed over many years sooner. The joy of seeing them again takes your mind off everything else. They take you by the hand and lift you to your feet. This invariably causes you to look back at the bed and to your surprise, you or your mortal shell is still lying there. You say aloud: 'But how can I be here with you people and yet still be lying there on the bed?' Only then do you realize that this is death".
(Mike Swain to his father Jasper in "From My World to Yours" p.50.)
Dr. JEFFREY MISHLOVE SAYS THAT THE EVIDENCE FOR THE AFTERLIFE IS OVERWHELMING
Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove is a best-selling author, licensed clinical psychologist, and a prominent figure in the realm of consciousness studies. From 1987 to 2002, Dr. Mishlove graced the screens of many as the host of the national public television series, 'Thinking Allowed' something he has continued with the Youtube series New Thinking Allowed. His essay "Beyond the Brain" was awarded first prize in the 2021 Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) afterlife evidence essay contest.
The video is set to open at 5:36 where he is asked "Is there life after death".
THE STORY OF JENNY'S SANCTUARY Ron Gilkes from the UK has built a cottage at the back of his home near Banbury that it is suitable for physical mediumship (i.e. must be able to block out ALL light). His story of meeting again his young daughter Jenny who committed suicide is totally inspiring. He writes: " Jenny, my daughter, first spoke ...at a Bath seminar and was very tearful and saddened about passing to spirit by her own hand. I cannot even begin to describe how on this occasion, when I recognised Jenny's voice saying 'Hello Daddy: I am sorry Daddy', that I was able to compose myself."
Ron makes available a tape of the 5 occasions on which his daughter spoke to him through different physical mediums. Read more and check out the Sanctuary home page.
WHAT RON GILKES LEARNED ABOUT SUICIDE Ron writes: "She has discussed things about her granddad who had recently taken his own life and how silly they had both been but are now having a lovely time and concluded by telling us a joke about her granddad. All five communications are full of interest and it's so plain to see that although the taking of one's life is not right and it causes a great deal of grief for those who are left, it's still the most wonderful thing to know that your loved one is perfectly happy and getting on with their life in that Higher Plane of Existence. As she said, "Dying was nothing at all, that's the easy part".
RESEARCHING NDEs WITH DR. PENNY SARTORI
Contents: 00:10 How did you come to study near-death experiences?
16:09 So what was the overall conclusion?
21:00 You also looked into end-of-life visits.
25:26 How do we know this is not just a hallucination? 26:02 What do you think is the value of this research for society? 28:06 Have you had experience with patients who committed suicide or tried to commit suicide? 29:44 Can you talk with every client about near-death experiences? Or is there a resistance?
A BRILLIANT MEDIUM AT AGE 11 SPEAKS WAY BEYOND HER YEARS Cora Richmond became a trance medium at age 11. From the beginning, it was announced that there was a group of 12 spirits, each with different gifts or areas of knowledge who would speak as required on scientific, philosophical historical, political, or other topics chosen by a committee or by members of the audience.
"At age 14, she appeared before a large audience in New York City and was given the topic “The Influence of the Aryan Philosophy upon the Philosophy of Modern Times” to discourse on. The next day, the New York Herald story read, in part: “She gave a most eloquent lecture upon the subject, replete with logic and erudition…and showed a knowledge of the subject far transcending that which [is] possessed by any mortal… Many abstruse metaphysical questions were propounded to her, which were answered with perfect ease and always in the same scholarly, dignified language.” Read more about this incredible medium on Michael Tymn's blog.
SCOTT TAYLOR'S SHARED DEATH EXPERIENCE
Those scientists who try to argue that Near-death experiences are the product of the dying brain cannot expelain the fact that some healthy people share the NDEs of their oved ones. Dr. Scott Taylor is a skilled trainer and Monroe Institute’s former president and executive director. In this video, he shares an account of how in 1981 he unexpectedly journeyed with his girlfriend and her son into the next realm following their deaths in a car accident.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A SHARED DEATH EXPERIENCE "All of a sudden, I had a very vivid vision. I opened my eyes after this vision and the whole room seemed to be made out of light. I know that might be hard to understand, but it was like everything was made of particles of light: my mother and the bed and the ceiling. Everything was so beautiful. I looked across the bed and I saw my son Justin. And Justin was weeping. Tears were just streaming down his face and he had this wonderful, soft look, this look of awe on his face. "And he said to me, 'Mom, the room is filled with light. Can you see it?' "And, boy, I said, 'Yeah, I see it. I see the light.'
"And he said, 'It's Grandma. Grandma is holding open the door to eternity for us so that we can catch a glimpse.' And then he went on, he looked at me with so much love and he said, 'You know, Grandma was a very great soul. She came to this world and she took a role. She took a part much smaller than the wisdom in her soul so that you can have something to push against; you can have something to resist and become fully who you are.'" Dr. Joan Borysenko.
YOU ARE BUT PILGRIMS TREADING A TEMPORARY PASSAGE THROUGH LIFE "Strive to remember who you are, what you are and why you are here. Even with all your knowledge there are times when, immersed in the day-to-day problems, you are apt to overlook eternal realities. It is these eternal truths to which you must cling. There is nothing else in the whole world of matter which can provide you with a foundation on which to build your lives.
Spirit, not matter, is the reality. You may not be able to see it, or touch it, or feel it. You may not be able to experience its reality in the manner in which you obtain material sensations, but it is still the master of all. Realise that you belong to eternity, You are but pilgrims treading a temporary passage through life".
"Teachings of Silver Birch" by A.W. Austin, published in 1974.
Saturday September 23rd, 2023 / Sunday September 24th, in Australia
Spiritist Literature: Directed Study with Ana Castro.
A free Zoom group about Spiritism, Kardec, and Chico Xavier. See videos of previous meetings
Times:
Pacific time 1 p.m. Saturday
Phoenix time 1 p.m. Saturday
Mountain time 2 p.m. Saturday
Central time 3 p.m. Saturday
Eastern time 4 p.m. Saturday
London 9 p.m. Saturday
Rome 10 p.m. Saturday
Sydney/Melbourne 6 a.m. Sunday
New Zealand 8 a.m. Sunday
Check time in your city
Co-ordinator: Ana Castro
Just click this link to join.
Sunday September 24th, 2023 / Monday September 25th, in Australia
Mediumship Development with Dr. Susan Barnes. Developing the skills of mental mediumship and blending with spirit.
Meetings: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday
Times
Pacific Time 10 a.m. Sunday
Phoenix time 10 a.m. Sunday
Mountain Time 11 a.m. Sunday
Central Time 12 noon Sunday
Eastern Time (New York) 1 p.m. Sunday
London 6 p.m. Sunday
Rome 7 p.m. Sunday
Sydney/Melbourne 3 a.m. Monday
New Zealand 5 a.m. Monday Check time in your city
Coordinator: Dr. Susan B. Barnes, CSNU susanbbarnes@gmail.com
Online in Zoom https://zoom.us/j/8738817733
Sunday September 24th, 2023 / Monday September 25th, in Australia
Global Gathering - Guest Ingrid Honkala Ph.D. From the moment she nearly drowned in a tank of cold water at the age of three, Ingrid Honkala was aware of other dimensions of life than those most of us normally experience. She was also gifted with wise input from mysterious “Beings of Light” who gave her invaluable insights and assistance as she faced the challenges of growing up, falling in love, and finding her professional destiny as a research scientist and oceanographer.
Her book "A Brightly Guided Life - How a Scientist Learned to Hear Her Inner Wisdom" traces her journey and reveals how any human experience can be illumined from within. Her message is that if we are willing to pay attention to subtle signals, take our intuition seriously, and forgive our most challenging difficulties, anyone can experience a brightly guided life.
Times:
Pacific Time 2 p.m. Sunday
Phoenix 2 p.m. Sunday
Mountain Time 3 p.m. Sunday
Central time 4 p.m. Sunday
Eastern time 5 p.m. Sunday
London 10 p.m. Sunday
Amsterdam 11 p.m. Sunday
Sydney/Melbourne 7 a.m. Monday
New Zealand 9 a.m. Monday Check time in your city
Co-ordinators: karynjarvie@ozemail.com.au and wendyzammit@gmail.com https://zoom.us/j/7595442928
Monday September 25th, 2023 / Tuesday September 26th, Australia
GOSH: Gatherings over Strange Happenings When: Every two weeks on Mondays (UK EUROPE and USA) and Tuesday 7 a.m. (Sydney).
A small group that meets to share
and explore the meaning of strange experiences like missing time, seeing scenes from another time, interacting with a person who suddenly wasn't there, bi-location etc. If it's something you cannot share easily with others, bring it to this group to get validation and speculate on its cause. See short video about GOSH
Times:
Pacific Time 2 p.m. Monday
Phoenix 2 p.m. Monday
Mountain Time 3 p.m. Monday
Central time 4 p.m. Monday
Eastern time 5 p.m. Monday
London 10 p.m. Monday
Amsterdam 11 p.m. Monday
Sydney/Melbourne 7 a.m. Tuesday
New Zealand 9 a.m. Tuesday Check the time for your city
Email: Kim at kmrainbow57@yahoo.com https://zoom.us/j/7595442928
Tuesday September 26th, 2023/ Wednesday September 27th Australia.
Spirit Art We are meeting to create spirit art with messages.
No art experience required.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday
Times:
Pacific time 6 p.m. Tuesday
Phoenix time 6 p.m. Tuesday
Mountain Time 7 p.m. Tuesday
Central Time 8 p.m. Tuesday
Eastern Time (New York) 9 p.m. Tuesday
London 2 a.m. Wednesday
Sydney/Melbourne 11 a.m. Wednesday
New Zealand 1 p.m. Wednesday Check time in your city
Coordinator: Dr. Susan B. Barnes, CSNU susanbbarnes@gmail.com
Online in Zoom https://zoom.us/j/8738817733
Wednesday September 27th, 2023 / Thursday September 28th, Australia
Physical mediumship development group Every Wednesday with Rob Blackburn and Craig Hogan. Participants sit in a darkened space in their own homes; the group has been going for some time and members are experiencing phenomena.
Pacific and Arizona time 6 p.m. Wednesday
Mountain Daylight time 7 p.m. Wednesday
Central Daylight time 8 p.m. Wednesday
New York time 9 p.m. Wednesday
London 2 a.m. Thursday
Perth 9.a.m. Thursday
Sydney/Melbourne 11 a.m. Thursday
New Zealand 1 p.m. Thursday Check time in your city THIS GROUP IS CURRENTLY NOT TAKING NEW MEMBERS
Email r.craig.hogan@afterlifeinstitute.org
Wednesday September 27th, 2023 / Thursday September 28th, Australia
Platform Mediumship with
Paul M. Hinson
2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 5.30 p.m. Pacific time
Paul is a classically trained English evidential medium now based in Sydney. He does "platform readings" giving messages to a number of people in the audience.
Times:
Pacific Time 5.30 p.m. Wednesday
Phoenix 5.30 p.m. Wednesday
Mountain time 6.30 p.m. Wednesday
Central time 7.30 p.m. Wednesday
Eastern Time 8.30 p.m. Wednesday
London time 1.30 a.m. Thursday
Perth 8.30 a.m. Thursday
Sydney/ Melbourne 10.30 a.m. Thursday
New Zealand 12.30 p.m. Thursday Check time in your city Coordinator: wendyzammit@gmail.com https://zoom.us/j/7595442928
Thursday September 28th, 2023 / Friday September 29th, Australia
Sheri Perl's Loss, Bereavement and Connecting-Up---Exploring Electronic Voice Phenomenon
This group usually meets on the last Thursday of the month at 3 p.m.
The group is open to anyone who wishes to attend. Each month personal stories will be shared about afterlife connections members have made. Then we will make a group EVP recording and the EVPs that come through will be sent to everyone’s email.
Times:
Pacific time 12 noon Thursday
Phoenix 12 noon Thursday
Mountain Daylight time 1 p.m. Thursday
Central Daylight time 2 p.m. Thursday
New York time 3 p.m. Thursday
London 8 p.m. Thursday
Sydney/Melbourne 5 a.m. Friday
New Zealand 7 a.m. Friday Check time in your city
Contact: sheriperl@gmail.com
Just click this link to join.
A COMFORTING THOUGHT FROM SWEDENBORG - THE INNER PART OF YOU IS IN GOOD SHAPE
DO ALL ANIMALS SURVIVE DEATH?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions about the afterlife. Information that pets that have been loved while on earth survive in the afterlife has come from every country – through near-death experiences, mediumship, out-of-body experiences, after-death contacts etc. It has been repeated over time and space. Silver Birch tells us that loving your pet raises its vibrations so it can join you in the sphere where you are. All animals survive, we are told, but in their own areas. It is interesting to note that while Christianity has traditionally taught that animals do not survive death that may be changing. Some 60 "well-known Christian teachers" have stated their own belief that animals go to heaven in this book.
ARE PETS AFRAID TO DIE?
Animal communicator Danielle McKinnon asks "Do you wonder if your beloved pet is afraid to die? Learn whether or not animals fear the crossing over process AND what most people think HELPS the dying process (that really doesn't)! All from an animal communicator's point of view".
FEEDBACK: (Three only)
1) "New colors and new notes/sounds quite intriguing!" Jack
2) "I look forward to reading your post every Friday. Thank you." Leah
3) "Thanks again team for putting this together. Another beautiful comment from Silver Birch talking about what awaits us back home and substantiated by so many wonderful Afterlife authors. Wonderful picture!" Samuel
HIGHLY INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC: "WE ARE THE WORLD"
"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones. With sales of over 20 million copies, it is the eighth-best-selling physical single of all time.
After nearly 40 years the words of this song and the need for us to come together is stronger than ever.
Whilst we encourage and we publish many papers and reports by afterlife researchers, we are not in a position to guarantee the accuracy of all claims. ALL WORK IS COPYRIGHT BY THE CONDITIONS SET AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE ON COPYRIGHT.
COMMENTARY: CAN SPIRITS INFLUENCE US NEGATIVELY? 
"The actual act of dying is as simple as dozing off after lunch. A drowsy feeling fills the whole of your body with relaxing comfort. You can still see, with your earthly eyes the room about you. Then you notice that there are all kinds of new people standing around your bed, people that you once knew, such as parents, a favorite uncle, a friend who passed over many years sooner. The joy of seeing them again takes your mind off everything else. They take you by the hand and lift you to your feet. This invariably causes you to look back at the bed and to your surprise, you or your mortal shell is still lying there. You say aloud: 'But how can I be here with you people and yet still be lying there on the bed?' Only then do you realize that this is death".
Ron Gilkes from the UK has built a cottage at the back of his home near Banbury that it is suitable for physical mediumship (i.e. must be able to block out ALL light). His story of meeting again his young daughter Jenny who committed suicide is totally inspiring. He writes: " Jenny, my daughter, first spoke ...at a Bath seminar and was very tearful and saddened about passing to spirit by her own hand. I cannot even begin to describe how on this occasion, when I recognised Jenny's voice saying 'Hello Daddy: I am sorry Daddy', that I was able to compose myself." 
Ron writes: "She has discussed things about her granddad who had recently taken his own life and how silly they had both been but are now having a lovely time and concluded by telling us a joke about her granddad. All five communications are full of interest and it's so plain to see that although the taking of one's life is not right and it causes a great deal of grief for those who are left, it's still the most wonderful thing to know that your loved one is perfectly happy and getting on with their life in that Higher Plane of Existence. As she said, "Dying was nothing at all, that's the easy part".
Cora Richmond became a trance medium at age 11. From the beginning, it was announced that there was a group of 12 spirits, each with different gifts or areas of knowledge who would speak as required on scientific, philosophical historical, political, or other topics chosen by a committee or by members of the audience. 
"All of a sudden, I had a very vivid vision. I opened my eyes after this vision and the whole room seemed to be made out of light. I know that might be hard to understand, but it was like everything was made of particles of light: my mother and the bed and the ceiling. Everything was so beautiful. I looked across the bed and I saw my son Justin. And Justin was weeping. Tears were just streaming down his face and he had this wonderful, soft look, this look of awe on his face. "And he said to me, 'Mom, the room is filled with light. Can you see it?' "And, boy, I said, 'Yeah, I see it. I see the light.' 
"Strive to remember who you are, what you are and why you are here. Even with all your knowledge there are times when, immersed in the day-to-day problems, you are apt to overlook eternal realities. It is these eternal truths to which you must cling. There is nothing else in the whole world of matter which can provide you with a foundation on which to build your lives.
Spirit, not matter, is the reality. You may not be able to see it, or touch it, or feel it. You may not be able to experience its reality in the manner in which you obtain material sensations, but it is still the master of all. Realise that you belong to eternity, You are but pilgrims treading a temporary passage through life".
Spiritist Literature: Directed Study with Ana Castro.
Developing the skills of mental mediumship and blending with spirit.
From the moment she nearly drowned in a tank of cold water at the age of three, Ingrid Honkala was aware of other dimensions of life than those most of us normally experience. She was also gifted with wise input from mysterious “Beings of Light” who gave her invaluable insights and assistance as she faced the challenges of growing up, falling in love, and finding her professional destiny as a research scientist and oceanographer. 
When: Every two weeks on Mondays (UK EUROPE and USA) and Tuesday 7 a.m. (Sydney). 
We are meeting to create spirit art with messages. 
Every Wednesday with Rob Blackburn and Craig Hogan. Participants sit in a darkened space in their own homes; the group has been going for some time and members are experiencing phenomena. 
Platform Mediumship with 
Phenomenon 
FEEDBACK: (Three only)