COMMENTARY:
REMEMBERING A COURAGEOUS AFTERLIFE RESEARCHER
Father Francois Brune (1931-2019) is one of our heroes. He was an expert in electronic voice phenomena (EVP), instrumental transcommunication (ITC), and all areas of afterlife evidence. Whereas the majority of conservative Catholic priests are, in his words, "persuaded that all attempts at communication with the Beyond are condemned by the Church", Father Francois Brune was constantly emphasizing that this is simply not true. He was always keen to point out that the Vatican had been involved with the early development of EVP (see video below).
The 87-year-old Catholic priest, who held degrees in Latin, Greek, and Philosophy and spoke several languages, wrote several books on afterlife communication. He was a close friend of all the European pioneers of ITC including Marcello Bacci, Dr. Ernst Senkowski, and Dr. Anabela Cardoso.
He claimed that he had in his possession thousands of accounts from deceased persons who have communicated with their loved ones through a variety of modern electronic devices. He wrote: "The dead speak and can be taped. I have no doubt about the survival of life after death. Therefore, the day I die shall be the loveliest one of my life". Read Dr. Cardoso's wonderful article on Father Brune.
FATHER BRUNE'S COURAGEOUS DECISION
According to Dr. Cardoso, afterlife researcher Father Francois Brune's life was focused on the teachings and ethics of Jesus. She says that, although he was a leading Catholic theologian, "he was a severe critic of the present-day Catholic Church". She claims that it was because of his love for original Christian principles that in the last months of his life he "renounced the Catholic faith and adopted the Orthodox one." He was buried in Paris, in a beautiful ceremony at the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
ATHEIST NEUROLOGIST TRANSFORMED BY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
Former atheist and materialist, Dr. Bettina Peyton tells us that she learned her atheism from her father who said to her that when you die there is nothing. This was reinforced by medical school. Then her worldview was shattered by her personal experience.
AFTER-EFFECTS: EVIDENCE OF NDES
Many researchers have found that there is a distinct pattern of after-effects among NDE survivors that does not exist among people who have had hallucinations. Dr. Melvin Morse found that NDE survivors had three times the number of psychic experiences as the general population. They were frequently unable to wear watches and often had problems using electricity - their laptops would short circuit and their credit cards would be erased (Morse 1992). He also found that adults who had near-death experiences gave more money to charity than others, were more likely to do volunteer work in the community, worked more in jobs where they could help people, did not abuse drugs, and ate more fresh fruit and vegetables than other people (Morse 1992). Read PMH Atwater's paper on NDE after-effects.
DR. RUSSELL TARG - A PHYSICIST'S PROOF OF PSYCHIC ABILITIES
Some people begin to question the materialist paradigm when they have psychic experiences - hearing a voice that saves them in a dangerous situation, a dream that foretells the future, or an incredible synchronicity. Many are surprised to learn that there is a huge amount of evidence supporting the existence of these abilities.
See this introductory bibliography.
CONTACT DREAMS
Dream communication is the most frequently reported method of after-death communication. Researchers in cross-cultural studies found that about half of all reported spontaneous psychic experiences occurred in dreams. Unlike normal dreams, contact dreams don’t fade with time. They are incredibly vivid and you can remember details even years later. The person who has died usually looks much younger and in perfect health. They are smiling and telling you that they are fine and happy. They tell you that they did not suffer during their passing and that they are with family members. You may wake up with a feeling that they have hugged and kissed you. Some contain evidence that suggests it was more than a dream - see next item.
THE CASE OF CHARLES VANCE
Diane Arcangel relates the case of Charles Vance in her book Afterlife Encounters. He began having recurring dreams about his deceased friend Murphy. The friend kept telling him to get a message to Murphy’s widow Lorraine to look inside a wall in their house. Charles Vance eventually called Lorraine who broke into the wall. She reportedly found thousands of dollars hidden there. When Lorraine called her own daughter (who did not know Charles Vance) she found that the daughter had been having the same dreams but had disregarded them (Arcangel 2005:74-85).
HARRY'S MESSAGE THROUGH MEDIUM TERESA CAPUTO
Roberta and her daughter Patti were surprised by Spirit at a group reading.
SPIRIT- ORGANISED WRITING PARTNERSHIP
Alberto Oyarvide tells us that the Cross Correspondences reminded him that Spirit used Dr. Waldo Viera and Chico Xavier to write several books dictated by Spirit authors. Each would be given alternating chapters without the knowledge of the other. This began when Xavier wrote Evolution in Two Worlds in automatic writing dictated by Andre Luiz. It was only when Xavier finished the heap of disjointed chapters that his "guiding spirit" told him to contact Dr. Vieira. Dr. Vieira's chapters - written without knowing the previous chapter by Xavier - took up the narrative exactly where the other had left it. That was the first of 17 books they would write that way.
AN APPORT CONVINCES A GRIEVING HUSBAND
Mr. Don Borwhat was the skeptical husband of one of Annette Child's dear friends, Margaret, who died in 2006. For years Don had sarcastically referred to Annette as the 'Godwoman' due to the skeptical eye he cast toward what he called the 'foo-foo' philosophies that she shared with his dying wife. After Margaret's death, Don's world was turned upside down by an extraordinary 'foo-foo' event, the type he had spent his entire adult life scorning.
SYDNEY NORTHERN BEACHES SPIRITUALIST CHURCH FRIDAY AUGUST 2ND HEALING GROUP AND MEDIUM DEMONSTRATION
Northern Beaches Spiritualist Church (Sydney, Australia), is having a face-to-face meeting on Friday 2nd August 2024, at Manly Vale Community Centre - Innes Road Hall - See location and transport details.
From 6 p.m. to 6 45 p.m. We will be having our healing service. We need healers and developing healers who would like to practice their skills - contact Paul Hinson at paulhinson@gmail.com
And from 7 p.m. [NOTE THE NEW TIME] we will be welcoming our returning guest medium Luda Ost who will be demonstrating how psychometry can lead to messages from spirit. Please bring a small (low-value) item or photograph that has your energy or the energy of a loved one. Place it in a sealed paper bag or container or envelope with a mark you recognise on it. Our medium will use some of them as keys to link to a message.
Luda can be contacted for private readings via her Facebook page.
NEXT WEEK'S FREE AFTERLIFE ZOOM GROUPS - ALL WELCOME
Saturday July 27th 2024 / Sunday July 28th Australia
Spiritist Literature: Directed Study with Ana Castro.(SLIDS)
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 July 28th 2024/ Monday July 29th Australia
Global Gathering: Every Sunday/Monday
Our talk this week is about Divaldo Franco, the Brazilian
medium and speaker who, after the death of Chico Xavier in 2002, became the best-known Spiritist in the world.
Our speaker is Alberto Oyarvide who will be speaking about Spiritism in Mexico and the life and works of Divaldo Franco.
Alberto has been drawn to the topic of the afterlife and the myths surrounding Mexican culture. He is a student of Kardec, Spiritism, Spiritualism, and everything related to the afterlife. He especially admires people who put into practice the lessons received from the spiritual world, such as the mediums Chico Xavier and Divaldo Pereira Franco, and has a passion to raise the spiritual level of society. Alberto is very skilled at producing small documentaries on topics of spiritual matters of myths. Some of these can be viewed on his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/albertomon and on his TikTok channel https://www.tiktok.com/@albertomon_ (with an underscore at the end).
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
Vienna 11 p.m. Sunday
Sydney/Melbourne 7 a.m. Monday
New Zealand 9 a.m. Monday
Check time in your city
Co-ordinator: wendyzammit@gmail.com https://zoom.us/j/7595442928
Monday July 29th 2024/ Tuesday July 30th Australia
Dream Circle Kim Parker When: Every two weeks on Mondays (UK EUROPE and USA) and Tuesdays at
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 this 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
Vienna 11 p.m. Monday
Sydney/Melbourne 7 a.m. Tuesday
New Zealand 9 a.m. Tuesday Check time in your city
Email: Kim at kmrainbow57@yahoo.com https://zoom.us/j/7595442928
Tuesday July 30th 2024
Australian-based Physical Mediumship Development Circle (Dark Circle)
Every week participants interested in trying to develop physical mediumship sit in a darkened space in their own homes for 40 minutes, relax, and listen to music. This is a long-term project and participants must be prepared to sit in harmony without much seeming to happen on the surface.
Times:
Pacific time 3 a.m. Tuesday
Phoenix time 3 a.m. Tuesday
Mountain Time 4 a.m. Tuesday
Central Time 5 a.m. Tuesday
Eastern Time (New York) 6 a.m. Tuesday
London 11 a.m. Tuesday
Rome 12 noon. Tuesday
Perth/Singapore 6 p.m. Tuesday
Sydney Australia 8 p.m. Tuesday
Auckland 10 p.m. Tuesday Check time in your city
Email Paul Hinson paulhinson@gmail.com for more information and Zoom link.
Wednesday July 31st, 2024 / Thursday August 1st, Australia
USA-based 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.
THIS GROUP IS CURRENTLY TAKING NEW MEMBERS
Email r.craig.hogan@afterlifeinstitute.org for meeting guidelines,
Times:
Pacific 6 p.m. Wednesday
Arizona 6 p.m. Wednesday
Mountain time 7 p.m. Wednesday
Central 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
Email r.craig.hogan@afterlifeinstitute.org for meeting guidelines,
Thursday August 1st 2024 / Friday August 2nd Australia
August Goforth: Exploratorium This group meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.
August, a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in New York City, leads a participatory "Exploratorium" where readers of the book "The Risen" will be encouraged to offer ponderings and ideas on grief and growth. Free PDF copies of the book are available here.
Thursday August 1st 2024 / Friday August 2nd Australia
Book club Afterlife Book Club with Gary Langley
1st Thursday of the month at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
Book of the month for August 2024 - Guided by Spirit - A healing Journey through Breast Cancer and Mediumship" by Elfriede Erzen.
The author attended August’s Exploratorium and also the book club, she transitioned very recently. Download a PDF copy
THE VEIL IS THINNING - SPIRIT GUIDE JONATHAN THROUGH ELAINE THORPE
Elaine Thorpe is an English trance medium who brings through the spirit of Jonathan Hunter, a Victorian gentleman who lived from 1845-91. In this video, Eileen goes into trance, and her guide, Jonathan, discusses current happenings in the world and how they relate to Spiritual Awakening.
TEST THE SPIRITS
"We never say to you: 'Do not use your reason: have faith only.' We say: 'Use that which the Great Spirit has given you. Test us. Examine us. If aught that we say is debasing, cruel, or immoral, then reject us. If we seek always to teach you to live nobler lives, lives of greater self-sacrifice and of idealism, then surely that demonstrates that the hallmark of the Great Spirit is stamped upon our teaching'." Teachings of Silver Birch p. 29
A BEAUTIFUL ENCOUNTER
How wonderful that humanity has moved on from killing and fearing whales to protecting and valuing them. In this video whale scientist Nan Hauser describes a soul connection that she developed with a giant humpback who, she says, saved her life.
BRILLIANT, HIGHLY INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC
"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Nash, released in 1972. Jimmy Cliff, re-recorded the song in 1993 for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings.
Lyrics
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Bright (bright) bright (bright) Bright sunshiny day
It's going to be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Songwriter: Johnny Nash
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. We accept the imputed claim that the afterlife and paranormal research done by the researchers is done in good faith. ALL WORK IS COPYRIGHT BY THE CONDITIONS SET AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE ON COPYRIGHT.