Harry Dean Stanton in the afterlife

It's always a treat to be invited onto Coast to Coast radio.

This interview was after Harry Dean Stanton passed away, and Jennifer Shaffer and I had a chat with him about his arrival on the flipside.  Harry Dean was famous for being a skeptic and atheist - but he has some funny things to say about his arrival over "there."

Here's the book "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer" 

Jennifer Shaffer, medium extraordinaire

And as an addendum to this post:

For Chris Coffey, who wrote the following to me on "The Book of Faces:" 

"So when will you tell me about Art Bell in afterlife, it was a request made on Coast to Coast with George Noory"

Indeed, I remember one of the callers asked a question about Art Bell - I didn't know Art, but he did reach out to me about appearing on his radio show after hearing me on "Coast to Coast" (a show he created) which I did with his Heather Wade (and posted below).  But to this fellow on the Book of Faces I replied:

"Honestly bro i dont have any questions for art bell. If you do you can ask him. Just say his name. Ask your questions.  When you hear an answer before you can form the question you'll know you've made a connection."

(I'm not ducking the question.  I get asked all the time; "why don't you talk to so and so?"  I also offer that "so and so" is welcome to come to one of the times that I'm filming a medium speaking - (including my weekly chats with JenniferShaffer.com) - but I really don't have much to ask Art - "Why did you get involved in this kind of research?"  "Who was there to greet you when you crossed over?"  I didn't know him - so I couldn't verify any of his answers.  The answer that I gave Chris came directly from someone on the other side as a "method of how anyone can speak to us over here.")

To which Chris replied:

"You led us to believe you could talk to the dearly departed, I will bring this up on Coast to Coast during open lines, I am sadly sorry you sound like a fake, I thought maybe you were real."

 Ok. Chris Coffey - since you weren't listening; I don't speak to the afterlife; I film people who do.
As per one of those conversations, we can all communicate with the afterlife - not just mediums. 

Art Bell is waiting for you to reach out to him. Tell him I said hi. (Not knocking Art, he reached out to me to be on his show before he died - but find it ironic my reluctance to talk to him would piss off one of his fans.)

And because I didn't answer your question the way that you preferred ("Wait, hold on,  yes, let me get on my headphone and speak to Art on your behalf") you are promising to go to "go on Coast to Coast" and tell everyone what a fake I am.

Too late. I'm way ahead of you bro.

Again. I'm not claiming to "talk to the dead." I've been filming people for ten years "talking to the dead" "talking about the dead" "talking about how the dead are not dead" "talking about how we don't die." 

So in that vein, "Hey Art Bell, do me a favor and "ping" this fellow so he can know that you still exist, so he can ask you questions - because as we both know, no one dies, no one is gone, everyone we've ever known or loved is accessible if we take the time to ASK THE QUESTIONS."

(Of course Art is welcome to join our chats, just not going to seek him out without a booker paving the way. I'm sure he's a busy man even on the flipside, answering all of the questions everyone has for him.)

So here's the interview I did for Art Bell's show with Heather Wade (his hand picked replacement). Heather reached out to me on his behalf years earlier, but it took a couple of years before they had me on his show, and sadly, Art passed a few months after this aired.  But Heather goes to a place pretty unusual during this interview - visits some things that are pretty unusual - so it's a fun listen either way. I know he enjoyed hearing it.

Enjoy.

Luana Anders speaking from the Flipside

Speaking of Luana

Luana portrait by Monte Hellman

Luana Anders popped onto my facebook page this morning. 

Could have been an algorithm, could have been because Jennifer and I were chatting with her YESTERDAY.  

Jennifer Shaffer and I meet up weekly, I film our interviews, and for fans of our work, Luana is the "holder of the backstage pass" (as dubbed by Tom Petty during a session) that allows us to speak to various individuals who still want to communicate with their pals back on the planet.  (If I know the family of the person involved, I reach out to them the best that I can, if I don't, I'll post something on their instagram page or social media page, figuring if their loved one on the flipside has the ability to tap their shoulder, they'll point to it and say "that's from me.")  

If they don't see it, or don't believe it, that's fine - as I'm fond of saying "Not everyone signs up for a lifetime where they know how the play ends."  It's okay to believe that life ends at death, but as Harry Dean Stanton said to us (in the 2nd chapter of the first book) "Believe in the possibility of an afterlife, then you won't spend any time like I did arguing about it."

(Harry had a number of verifying, validating things he said during his interview, which has been mentioned here in earlier posts, but suffice to say, I knew him, knew who he was talking about, and the friends he asked me to reach out to, all were going through exactly what he observed from the flipside.) 

In honor of those we've chatted with I try my best to let their loved ones know they AREN'T GONE, THEY'RE JUST NOT HERE. They still exist, albeit on a different wavelength but still want to stay in touch with them. (We were given a simple formula for folks to use on their own; 1. Say their name. 2. Ask your questions 3. When you hear the answer before you can form the question you'll know you have a connection. (I'm told saying their name, looking at a photograph, listening to their voice is a way of "strengthening the signal.") 

In honor of Luana and her continuing help with navigating the flipside, here's the Foreword from our book "Backstage Pass to the Flipside; Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer."  Might as well have Luana's name in the title - she's doing the same work that Jennifer is doing, only on the other side.   



FOREWORD FROM 

"Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer" by Luana Anders
  

My and Luana in Rome, laughing and having cappuccinos. For fans of "Flipside"
this is the photo that was on my fridge when James Van Praagh said live on air
on the Charles Grodin show "You have a photograph on your refrigerator that is the
essence of your relationship" - the same words I said when I put it up after her passing.

"Forewords are an unusual introduction to the material inside a book. In “Flipside: A Tourist’s Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife” Harvard PhD Gary Schwartz offered to write the foreword, where he said that “self science” was something Einstein had done, and he felt my “journey into the Flipside” should be considered as part of that canon.

In “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife volume one” Charles Grodin suggested in his foreword that he didn’t quite know what to make of my forays into the afterlife but enjoyed my passion for them. In Volume two, Galen Stoller, a young man who passed away some years ago wrote an eloquent foreword from where he is now, detailing what he wanted to impart about the journey. “It is a wonderful afterlife,” he wrote (via a medium), “but only because “it is wonderful to be alive.”

I suggested my pal and compatriot in this endeavor medium/intuitive Jennifer Shaffer should write the foreword, as she’s the conduit for this research. But while we were discussing this, Luana Anders, my friend and inspiration for this journey (who passed in 1996 after our being best friends for 20 years), suggested (through Jennifer) that she wanted to write her own foreword to this book.

(Note: Luana, besides being an actress who appeared in 30 features (including “Easy Rider”) also appeared in 300 TV shows. Her film writing credits include “Fire On The Amazon” and “Limit Up” written with yours truly.) At some point in this book, she suggested I try “automatic writing.” I sat in front of the keyboard, put my fingers on the keys and thought; “Type whatever comes to mind.” I opened myself up to the possibility I could write something on her behalf:)

Tom Pittman who took this photo, was an actor and contemporary of Luana's, but died in a car
accident like James Dean - Tom was wearing the same jacket and driving the same
Porsche as Dean when they found him up on Mulholland Drive in the 60's.

“First, let me be clear. Richard is not talking through me. I am talking to him through Jennifer (usually). She does her best to make it easy for him to understand what I’m trying to say, and I’m doing my best to make it easier for him to understand. But it is leaning in from both sides.

(Note: Like the 11:11 example Luana cites later in the book.)

At the moment, Richard is typing this sentence and has put his mind on virtual hold (he claims it’s a meditation technique) to allow “me” to take over his typing. Some people call this “automatic writing.” Doesn’t mean it’s any good. It just means it’s automatic. No brain stem involved.

I’d would like to point out that chanting “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”* saved my life. I know that Richard used to tease me about it, make fun of it – and I’m grateful for that because it allowed me to laugh about it as well.

(Note: Luana would do her “daimoku” (“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” prayer) in the car on the way to an event. She’d chant at lightning speed, decades of practice, which sounds a bit like “homina homina munya homina.” I would imitate her and she couldn’t help but laugh. Chanting helped her navigate her fear of parties. Luana was an incredible listener, and on more than one occasion, I’d leave her for ten minutes at some tony event, come back to find a close friend sobbing, pouring out his/her life to her. She had incredible compassion, even as a listener.) (*SGI/NSA Buddhist chant.) (You can see her chant in the film "The Last Detail" in a scene with Randy Quaid.)

But it saved my life. I never would have made it as long as I did on the planet without being able to focus on something else so dear to me. Saving humanity by chanting about it. If you’re not familiar with it, if you’re suffering, I recommend it as a form of meditation and healing. You pray for someone else and you are healed. Simple as that.

I suggested that I write the foreword to this book because after all, much of it is about me – and I have little to say in the matter. Believe me, it was as shocking to me as it was to my class to have him (Richard) appear as he did – willy nilly – in front of my classroom over here. He just started speaking out loud as if was completely normal that some ghostly avatar would appear in front of our class and start blathering away about his “research.” **

(**Note: It was during my first deep hypnosis session where I found myself standing in her classroom, interrupting it. Everyone turned in shock as I appeared. She looked at me as if to say “WTF?” She looked about 20 years younger than when I knew her – at least 10 years before I met her. She looked embarrassed to see me standing in the class talking – but I continued to speak. (as reported in Flipside))

But I applaud him for it. He’s got cojones this boy. I can call him a boy – because I know him better than most. He’s endearing... to me and to others. But at his core, he’s that little boy that I’ve known for a long, long time.

Me and Luana around the time we met at USC
assigned to the same screenplay for a script class.

It’s important work that he is doing, important work that he and Jennifer are doing. To help us communicate with all of you back there on the planet, and to open up people’s minds about the ability to do so. It’s happened not because of any great cataclysmic event that’s in the offing – it’s happening because it’s time. It’s time to shift consciousness, to shift gears to understand the nature of reality.

It’s going to upset some people, but we’re on top of that as well. It’s going to liberate most people. Help most people. And ultimately turn out to be completely accurate when others figure this process out.

Some may ask “Why now?” Some may ask “Is this a good thing to do to communicate with our elders and loved ones who’ve gone on?” Well, we still have things to communicate to you, we still have thoughts, dreams, feelings and hope for humanity – because we consider ourselves part of your journey as well. You may not think of us that way – but we think of you that way.

So please, allow me to offer this small token of appreciation for the fellow who is typing this sentence. Yes, you are a goofball Richard, you are someone that has vexed and frustrated me during my life, but also during other lifetimes.

But you also taught me how to laugh, how to let go, and how to be more of myself while I was on the planet. I know what my path was about, I know why I had to depart early – eventually you’ll come to know these reasons as well. Suffice to say it’s okay not to “know everything” or “why everything happens” but it is good to trust in the idea that they do “happen for a reason.”

And let’s focus on that for a moment – “focus on reason.” What is reasoning? Taking the evidence presented in front of us, and trying to figure out what it means and how it can help me in my journey. We reason things out because that’s what we do with our minds... we also can go “beyond reason” and allow things to happen to us, or for us... and that’s how I want you to consider what you’re about to read. That this goes “beyond reason.” And there’s a reason for that as well.

Circa Dementia 13 in the 1960's.

Okay, I’m telling Richard to stop now – and to let our mutual friend Jennifer go over this text and see what “resonates” or rings true for her. After all – it’s those “feelings of resonance” when we get a shiver of truth, or when we get a feeling that we’re actually learning or talking about something that’s beyond our logic and thought, beyond our mind... that we truly are able to learn things... about the nature of reality and about the nature of ourselves. I’m fortunate because Richard can type at the speed of thought – I’m watching him do this as we speak, and I suggest a plethora of ideas and he’s able to blast them onto the page.

One more thing about love. I love you all. I’m not just saying that as a phrase – but I want you to really feel what I’m saying. I LOVE YOU. I send my heart and soul and unconditional love to you who are reading this sentence. I hope and pray that you receive this love because love is what moves this universe, it is the giant engine of who we are, it’s what or who God is, it’s what or who we are. If you can wrap your mind around love – that’s great – if you can’t, that’s okay too, just open your heart up to the idea of it.

Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Love the idea of love, of creating love, or spreading love of being loved and giving it in return. That’s about all I have to say on the topic except... “See you on the flipside.” (To quote a corny phrase too often used by a close friend of both of ours.)

PS: (It’s) Just a few days after my birthday – I would have been xxx age in your realm – but over here – not such a big deal. Which I prefer. Enjoy the cake."

Written (as if channeled) by Luana Anders (Foreword from "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Medlyn Shaffer")

Here's Luana with Mick Gough when
they did Broadway together in the 1960's.

We spoke to this pal of hers yesterday. Michael Gough (original Batman's butler)
Luana and I went to see Mick in "Breaking the Code" on Broadway,
on our way backstage to find him, we walked across the pitch black stage
and stumbled into him. This photo taken a few minutes later.

Happy New Year 2019!

Happy New Year. It's the flipside of 2018, so to speak. When I think of all the odd things I've learned this year about the flipside, I can only say "It's all gonna be... okay. Just let go." As Paul's mother Mary told him from the flipside; "Let it be."

Let go of fear, anger, resentment, all the stuff that holds you back from being what you signed up to be. To laugh, to love, to cry, to taste love and give love. It's hard when the rain is falling to know there's sunshine on the other side of the clouds - but if you could hear what I've heard, seen what I've seen, spoken to the people that we've spoken to (Happy New Year my cellphone-to-the-Flipside Jennifer Shaffer!) you'd breathe a little easier, laugh a little longer. Take up meditation. It cures or alleviates depression.

Yes, we are only here for a short amount of time - and yes, we don't end, we just find ourselves on a new adventure. But that doesn't negate or change any of the amazing fun we've had here, can have here, or why we chose to participate in this adventure. We are all connected, all of us on both side of the fence or wall, on both sides of the aisle, on all the continents, all of us in a quantum way - we can't see it, but we can feel it - if you're still breathing you're still feeling. Spend a minute opening your heart up to everyone and all things - if only for a a few seconds.

As Harry Dean Stanton told us (from the Flipside) "Believe in the possibility of an afterlife, because then you won't spend any more time arguing about it like I did." If you open yourself up to the possibility that you are here for a reason, that maybe you chose to be here - you'll see the planet from new eyes. By going into your past and examining why you chose it, you change your present and you change your future.

You can change the past, you can change the present, you can change the future by examining it. (Once examined, you can't unlearn what you've learned.) And it leads to hope and understanding that change is not only inevitable, but part of our plan, our path, our journey. You don't have to walk around with your heart open all day long - or head in the afterlife - or even wonder what you were thinking when you chose to be here - but if you can think about it for a minute, as it will change everything you thought you once knew.

By wishing happy new year to those you love, to those you have loved, to those on the planet, to those no longer here, but who want to stay involved in your life by having you read this missive - it's like they're tapping you on the shoulder right this very moment. "Yes. We still love you. We are still here."

The best gift we learned in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer" was in order to speak to a loved one, 1. just say their name. 2. Then ask them questions. 3. When you "hear the answer before you can form the question you'll know you have a connection."


Backstage Pass

That's not my theory, belief or opinion - I filmed that advice coming directly from someone no longer on the planet who claims he's helping those over there "stay in touch with all of us." Now you know what I know. For more odd thoughts in 2019 www.richmartini.com

Carl Sagan, Coast to Coast Radio and Children's Past Lives

A question asked on Quora the other day....

Hacking the Afterlife

Why are Richard Martini's books labeled under New Age, not science in Amazon?

Richard Martini, Film Director Writer at Internet Movie Database (1985-present)

Answered Wed

My reply: 

"Ha! That’s an easy one. Because I label them, Amazon does not.

If I could label them under “science” I would get a lot of people arguing about the research. So why bother with arguing? As I’ve heard consistently in this research from folks on the Flipside: “Tell people to believe in the possibility of an afterlife, then they won’t waste any more of their time arguing about it.” 

Harry Dean and a furry friend

(That's a quote from Harry Dean Stanton from  "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer")

But let’s consider what you’re asking for a moment. Have I been able to present my research to scientists? Yes, I have. It happened after I finished “Flipside.” I was invited to the University of Virginia’s Dept of Perceptual Studies to speak about what I’d learned by filming people under deep hypnosis about the afterlife.

In the room were some of the top scientists in the world with regard to consciousness studies, including Dr. Bruce Greyson (NDE), Dr. Jim Tucker (reincarnation) Ed Kelly PhD (Psi) and others. They had all read the book, and began our conversation with telling me that “hypnosis is not considered a valid scientific tool.” (And Ian Stevenson, the founder of DOPS had written about why that’s the case.)

(A good place to take a look at near death experiences is IANDS.ORG - The website for DOPS is here: (see article below)

Fortunately, I was aware of Ian’s prejudice against the practice, and agreed wholeheartedly that “hypnosis as it was practiced by Freud” is not a valid tool. Too many factors can influence the process, including the desire of the patient to be cured, the doctor wanted to effect a cure, as well as the time element - “in the next hour please tell me why you’ve got a phobia.”

I pointed out that in Michael Newton’s case (before I was aware of Dr. Helen Wambach’s identical research a decade earlier) the time element was gone - as the sessions took from four to six hours. The questions by design were neutral; “What do you see if anything? Where are we now? Is it day or night? Are you a man or a woman?” But most importantly, and this was my point of pursuing this line of research, it didn’t matter who the person was asking the questions, it didn’t matter who the person was answering the questions, they all said relatively the same things about the journey; having a guide or guides, seeing their friends or loved ones in a “soul group,” all visited a “council” where they saw their life review, etc.

I argued that the fact that thousands of people across the globe said the same basic things during their session created a database of research. I gave them a challenge; to take any person off the street, or anyone that they chose, a skeptic, didn’t matter, and have them do a session; if they got contrary results, then fine the experiment was over; end of discussion. 

But if they got the same results that Michael Newton did, or that I was claiming anyone could, then it was up to them as scientists to prove why that is the case.

Because I am not a scientist. I’m a filmmaker. All I was doing was filming these people (which no one had done before) and transcribing exactly what they said, and comparing what they said - different hypnotherapists, different people from across the globe. Everyone said relatively the same thing.

Ultimately, I’ve learned second hand that indeed they have done that - that someone who is in the film “Flipside” has done sessions with scientists and had the same results. As I said at the time “It’s not up to me to prove why that’s the case, I’m just a filmmaker. If you guys are scientists, then it’s up to you why that is the case.”

They pointed out that it was nearly impossible to mount a university based study on what I was proposing. It would cost money, and the people who sponsor these kinds of studies are by and large pharmacological entities who want the results of the tests to help them market and sell their products. That’s not a pejorative - it’s just stating the facts. Very hard to mount a study about something if someone isn’t financing it. (I’m glad to see that DOPS has just published results of a study about reincarnation in children.) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/...

Now that study is science. (I don’t need to be a scientist to stand outside the school and point in the right direction.)

This topic came up the other day when I was filming an interview with a medium who was answering questions I was posing to people on the flipside. (Jennifer Shaffer - “Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer”) At some point, I was asking questions directly to Carl Sagan. (Yes, that Carl Sagan.) I asked “Carl” if he had any advice for his fans.

Jennifer: “He says tell them to stop wasting time doing what he did.”

Rich: “Arguing about the afterlife?”

J: It’s so pointless.

R: Well how can we help them?

J: It’s paradise over here.

R: But how can we help them?

J: We can’t.

R: So these books are not helping. Is that what you’re saying, these books are a waste of time Carl, “Mr. Blue Dot?” (I have a tendency to tease whomever I’m talking to).

J: They’re all laughing. “No. The books are timeless, people can come or go and think what they’ll think and they’ll find them… like if I (Jennifer) had come across your book “Flipside” in my 20’s I wouldn’t have been ready for it, but coming across it when I did was the perfect time for it.” 

(Excerpt from upcoming Third Book of “Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer.” All Rights Reserved. Copyright Rich Martini 2018)

So I’m not concerned AT ALL whether people find this research annoying, promising, science or fantasy. I know what I know, and I can only report what I’ve experienced, what I’ve filmed and transcribed. I’ll leave it up to posterity to figure out whether or not any of it is accurate. But thanks for the shout out! 

Happy Thanksgiving.'

Book Two - both available on Audible.com

I'll be appearing with George Noory this coming Dec. 2nd at 10 p.m. PST.  Tune in if you'd like to hear the latest about whatever the latest thing is that's on my mind.  Always a treat to talk to George.

George and moi

Here's the article from DOPS on the scientific research regarding children remembering past lives:

https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/research-area/children-who-report-memories-of-previous-lives/

"Some young children, usually between the ages of 2 and 5, speak about memories of a previous life they claim to have lived. At the same time they often show behaviors, such as phobias or preferences, that are unusual within the context of their particular family and cannot be explained by any current life events. These memories appear to be concordant with the child’s statements about a previous life.

In many cases of this type, the child’s statements have been shown to correspond accurately to facts in the life and death of a deceased person. Some of the children have birthmarks and birth defects that correspond to wounds or other marks on the deceased person whose life is being remembered by the child.  In numerous cases postmortem reports have confirmed these correspondences. Older children may retain these apparent memories, but generally they seem to fade around the age of 7 .  The young subjects of these cases have been found all over the world including Europe and North America.

For the past 16 years, Dr. Jim Tucker, now the director of the Division of Perceptual Studies, has focused mainly on cases found in the United States. His most recent book Return to Life offers accounts of  very strong American cases of young children who remember previous lives.

Types of Statements a Child Might Make:

Statements made by a child who seems to be remembering a previous life can be quite varied. The following is not an exhaustive list by any means. It is designed to give an idea of the kinds of things a parent or caregiver might hear, and in our Western culture, tend to dismiss as fantasy. It is also true that a child might say one or more of these things and not be remembering a previous life. It is probably best not to pump a child for information, nor to try and prevent him or her from saying such things.

• “You’re not my mommy/daddy.”
• “I have another mommy/daddy.”
• “When I was big, I …(used to have blue eyes/had a car, etc.).”
• “That happened before I was in mommy’s tummy.”
• “I have a wife/husband/children.”
• “I used to…(drive a truck/live in another town, etc.)”
• “I died … (in a car accident/after I fell, etc.)”
• “Remember when I …(lived in that other house/was your daddy, etc.)”

Please contact us if your child appears to be having memories of a previous life:

• We are very interested in hearing about cases of young children who are currently spontaneously speaking about memories of a previous life.  If you are a parent or a caretaker of a young child, please contact us to submit your observations and experiences of your child’s behaviors and statements about memories of a previous life.

Advice to parents of children who are reporting memories of a previous life.

• If you are a parent seeking advice about your child who seems to remember a previous life, please refer to Advice to Parents.

Books about the research being done at DOPS into memories of previous lives:

We invite you to view a list of books on reincarnation written by our faculty. The list includes books written by our director, Dr. Jim Tucker, as well as the long list of books authored by our founder, Dr. Ian Stevenson.  Among the many ground breaking books by Dr. Stevenson is his comprehensive two volume set, Reincarnation and Biology: A Contribution to the Etiology of Birthmarks and Birth Defects, Volumes I and II. In this 2268 page, two volume set, Dr. Stevenson wrote about his extensive research into cases of birthmarks and birth defects which appeared to strongly correlate to memories of a past life in particular subjects. Dr. Stevenson also wrote an abridged version of this research called Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect.

In 2013, Dr. Jim Tucker, appointed director of the Division of Perceptual Studies in 2014, authored his second book on the topic of cases of children who report memories of a previous life. In his most recent book Return to Life, Dr. Tucker describes the research into strong American cases being carried out at DOPS. In Tucker’s first book, Life Before Life, he reviews forty years of research into children who report memories of previous lives. This book contains some accounts of interesting American cases, as well as descriptions of Dr. Ian Stevenson’s classic cases in Asia.

(RM: I'd include Carol Bowman's work "Children's Past Lives" in this list) 

Other publications on past-life memories:

For a list of academic papers specifically on the study of past life memories written by our faculty, please see Publications on Past-life Memories.

Expanded List of Publications:

To view the expanded list of publications generated by the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies researchers, go to the Academic Publications Page.