|
Media Watch for February 2007 (Issue 63)
Pets in Paradise: An article with the same title by Maureen Hutfless, which appeared in the Lincoln Journal Star, was an interesting look at how various religions view our spending an afterlife with our pets. The Roman Catholic Church was quoted as saying, “We don’t believe that animals have immortal souls and therefore they can’t share in eternal life. They won’t be in heaven.” Both Judaism and Islamic belief had differing reasons but gave no hope of a reunion with our beloved pet friends in the after-life.
Lucky for us the author interviewed a Lakota medicine person and spiritual leader, Joe Bad Moccasin. He told of an experience that he had when he nearly died. He saw in the next world not only his deceased relatives, but also all the dogs and a cat he had raised, as well as birds flying. “I came to the conclusion that anything that has life, like the animals … they too have a place to go in the spirit world. I believe Tunkasila (Grandfather/God) gave all these four-legged animals, the feathered fowl, the fish that swim … he gave us all a spirit.” From: Pets in paradise? By Maureen Hutfless, For the Lincoln Journal Star www.journalstar.com
A Guiding Dream: We wanted to share the personal experience of Laura Mann published in The Paranormal Review. “In April 2006, I had a dream that was striking enough for me to tell people about it the next day. Parents…all were told that I dreamt my eighteen-year-old cat had walked into my room and spoke to me in English. She said, ‘Laura, I need a pen.’ So I promptly got up and gave her one, wondering what she needed it for. Then later in the dream she sat on the landing filling in a form, where I saw that she was entering herself into ‘Pop Idol.’ My immediate thought was not to query why she was doing this, but that I should be entering for her, as she really is talented.
That was my dream, of which I thought nothing more until a couple of weeks later, when my mother handed me the local paper…I turned the page, and there was a big advert for a competition called, ‘Pet Idol,’ in which entrants had to send a photo of their pets and say in twelve words why they were so special. Normally I wouldn’t have bothered, but remembering the dream, decided to take part.
There were seventy-six entries varying from Labradors to lambs, but two weeks later I received a phone call from the editor informing me that my cat had won! The prize was £100, a weekend break, and a trophy for my very special cat – Topsy. From: Experiences, Topsy comes top – via a dream, Society for Psychical Research, The Paranormal Review October 2006 Issue 40.
Developments in Quantum Physics: There are many theories proposed to explain the phenomena of Spiritualism using principles of quantum physics. In every such theory we have examined, quantum principles were used to explain observed phenomena, such as the information gathered via mental mediumship, without requiring the existence of discarnate people as part of the explanation. In other words, these theories usually hold that the people in spirit who our mediums communicate with are only “echoes of the past.” Of course, there is considerably more experimental evidence showing that our communicators are sentient, self-aware entities and there is essentially no experimental evidence supporting the notion that our communicators are echoes of the past. This disparity in experimental evidence does not seem to be a problem for orthodox science researchers, however. This is probably because the researchers are beginning with the assumption that there is no such thing as survival of personality after so called death.
With this said, it is important that Spiritualists are aware of some of the
developments in quantum physical research. This is because for physical science to acknowledge survival of the personality, they will have to find a way to describe the interface between things physical and things etheric. It is quantum physics that will probably provide that description, and allow scientists to finally begin modeling the greater reality in terms they can understand. One of the most promising characteristics of quantum physics for the interest of Spiritualists is research concerning the concept of “entanglement.” In entanglement, once two particles have become entangled, they can be separated and still behave as if they were connected. In keeping with physicist’s sense of humor, this is often referred to as “spooky action at a distance.” From our viewpoint the mechanism that propagates this influence between entangled particles may point to the physical – etheric interface.
Entanglement has always been thought of as a subatomic phenomenon, but researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY have shown that at least one quantum effect, the uncertainty principle, can occur in much larger domains. The accompanying picture is of a nanomachine that is free to vibrate. The vibration is detected with a nearby detector called a superconducting single electron transistor. They found that, when the detector was tuned for maximum sensitivity, the vibrating reed slowed down. According to the scientists at Cornell, “This effect is a basically a quantum-mechanical phenomenon called back-action, in which the act of observing something actually gives it a nudge.”
This is one of the first times quantum phenomena has been observed in relatively large scale structures, posing important possibilities for future quantum computers. For Spiritualism, the unseen force and media that allows that force to propagate represents the hoped for interface between things physical and etheric. From: www.world-science.net/othernews/060923_quantum.htm
Signs: Feeling a touch, lights going off and on, seeing butterflies, these are just a few of the kinds of signs the living say they have received from the dead. These stories are often shared cautiously for fear of being called delusional with grief by a skeptical listener. Even in grief support groups like Compassionate Friends, these types of stories may be discouraged, say Phran and Bob Ginsberg whose daughter, Bailey, died in 2002. Unable to discuss the ways that their children were contacting them, a “second meeting” was often held in the parking lot after the Compassionate Friends meeting was over.
Phran stated that, “The knowledge that our kids were still with us gave us the hope we so desperately needed just to survive each day.” Phran and Bob began “Afterlife Discussion Groups” in their home state of New York in 2003. There are now groups in eight states and they hope to have one in every state within a couple of years. All that is needed is ten to twenty people in drivable distance of each other and a facilitator. In 2004, the Ginsbergs incorporated the nonprofit Forever Family Foundation to coordinate the groups and support research into survival of consciousness. For more information see www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org or write to Forever Family, 222 Atlantic Avenue, Oceanside, New York 11572. From: Signs: gifts from dead? Scientists study question; many
bereaved believe, By Elaine Jarvik
Where Truth Lies: Michael Tymn wrote, “There is so much to be found outside the highly guarded boundaries of mainstream science and orthodox religion for those willing to open their minds to it, for those willing to recognize that the dissemination of truth did not stop with the good books of organized religion and cannot always be found in the laboratory. If the world is ready to bear it, science must move from pseudo-skepticism to true, open-minded skepticism, looking at the results of psychical research in areas such as the near-death experience and after-death communication, while orthodox religion must exit its fortress and permit its faithful to move from pseudo-faith to conviction by opening itself to the lessons of the near-death experience and credible, discernible post-biblical spirit communication.” From: “Truth lies beyond shut minds,” by Michael E. Tymn Oct 28, 2006 Island Life.
|
|
||||||||||
 |
|
|
Donate to ATransC | Pledge | Top | Contact the Association TransCommunication |
|
|
| |
atransc2009-banner.gif){kind=spacer}
