Posted on 08 April 2024, 15:17

Easter 2024 is behind us. I hope all readers of this blog had a good Easter. However, it seems clear to me that the meaning of Easter has been completely lost in our hedonistic world.  USA Today kicked off its Easter coverage on “Holy Thursday” with a front-page article on the cost of eggs. There was not a single mention of what was being celebrated. There was nothing on Friday and the paper does not publish on weekends. My local paper had an article on page 4 about the pope being well enough to celebrate Easter by discussing peace in Israel and Ukraine.  I admit that I saw only a small fraction of the various media during the week, but I would bet that what I saw was representative of all of it.

Maybe if I were a church-going person, I would have sensed it on Easter Sunday, but my best guess is that the message would have been as imprecise, elusive, ambiguous, distorted and otherwise as vague as it was during my church-going years. It would have dealt with the resurrection of Christ’s physical body rather than his spirit body and not even mention spirit bodies we all have in common with him. And it would be a very humdrum heaven for which we are striving. Many say that they prefer total extinction to such an afterlife.   

If I were a roving television reporter and stopped a number of people on the street, asking them what Easter is all about, I suspect that not one in 50 would agree with my understanding of what is celebrated on Easter. I imagined myself as a pastor of some church and made an attempt to write a sermon for Easter Sunday. This is what I came up with, minus the salutations and gestures that go with a speech. Pardon me for using some of the same quotes as in recent blogs, but I feel that they need to be heard and stressed over and over again. 

The Easter Message

“If man believes in nothing but the material world, he becomes a victim of the narrowness of his own consciousness.  He is trapped in triviality.”  So said Emanuel Swedenborg, the renowned Swedish scientist and polymath. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the famous Russian author (Crime & Punishment, etc.) put it: “Neither a person nor a nation can exist without some higher idea. And there is only one higher idea on earth, and it is the idea of the immortality of the human soul, for all other ‘higher’ ideas of life by which humans might live derive from that idea alone.” 

If I am properly remembering what I was taught in my Catholic school religious studies, Jesus came at a time when the world had lost sight of that “higher idea.” I’ve wondered who did a survey to determine the worldview at the time, but, if such was the case, Jesus’s primary mission was to reestablish a conviction that consciousness survives death in a larger life. As I still understand it, that’s what Easter is supposed to be about.  It’s not about eggs and bunnies, nor is it about God, original sin, atonement, peace or worship. They all follow the acceptance of consciousness surviving death.
   
During the mid-1800s, Science began impeaching Religion, reaching its peak around 1870, a decade after “Darwinism” was introduced to the world by scientists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. ”We were all in the first flush of triumphant Darwinism, when terrene evolution had explained so much that men hardly cared to look beyond,” wrote Frederic W.H. Myers, one of the pioneers of psychical research, in explaining why he began searching for evidence of the soul. As Myers saw it, the old-world sustenance was too unsubstantial for the modern cravings, the result being that advances in science and technology were leading to the unprecedented prosperity, but at the same time, this prosperity brought a decline in the dignity of life.  It was suddenly life without meaning. In effect, the advances in science and technology outpaced man’s ability to mentally and morally adjust to them, thereby creating an emotional void, one referred to as “soul sickness.”

The ”death of God,” as decreed by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882, the same year that Myers helped co-found the Society for Psychical Research, resulted in despair and hopelessness for many, especially the intelligentsia of the civilized world.  There were some who repressed the idea of Nietzsche’s “nothingness” by escaping into mundane earthly activities but there were others who could not completely repress it or relieve their minds of this soul sickness.  A melancholy mood prevailed among them, one that often turned to anxious trembling and fear as life’s end approached. 

Humbug

In addition to Myers, a number of other scholars and scientists searched for the “larger life” in order to restore the meaning that had been lost. They included psychologist William James, astronomer Camille Flammarion, chemist William Crookes, and physicists William Barrett and Oliver Lodge.  They attempted to reconcile the teachings of science with those of religion by studying various psychic phenomena which suggested a spirit world. As Professor James put it: “Humbug is humbug, even though it bear the scientific name, and the total expression of human experience, as I view it objectively, invincibly urges me beyond the narrow ‘scientific’ bounds.”

Wallace, who it is said persuaded Darwin to accept the “survival of the fittest” concept, was among those more open-minded scientists who became convinced that a spirit world exists and that consciousness survives in that larger world.  As he saw it, the evidence for survival from the phenomena studied and validated as genuine was as good, if not better, than the evidence for evolution. Moreover, the two did not conflict with each other, as many believed.  Others, such as famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, joined in.  “A man should be able to say he has done his best to form a conception of life after death, or to create some image of it, even if he must confess his failure,” Jung offered. “Not to have done so is a vital loss.” As Jung put it, “critical rationalism” had eliminated the idea of life after death.

Apparently, some progress was made in restoring belief in a hereafter by 1914. In reviewing a book about life after death for the April 1914 issue of the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, Professor James Hyslop wrote: “The primary importance of the book is the simple fact that the subject can be discussed, when twenty-five years ago a book either affirming or denying immortality would not have received publication, most probably. Skepticism and agnosticism have been so confident of their positions ever since Immanuel Kant and Herbert Spencer, that no man has dared venture to show himself on the affirmative side for fear of being accused of being religious or of being a fool.”

For those with an open-mind the evidence for survival was overwhelming and was embraced by many during the Great War. But the conviction melted away during the “Roaring Twenties,’ when materialism renewed itself in times of prosperity.  An economic depression and then another world war stemmed the tide of materialism and its close companions, hedonism and epicureanism.  But with the aid of the new technology called television, the entertainment and advertising industries regained the upper hand for the materialists. “An unfortunate awareness has overtaken our species,” opined humanistic philosopher Alan Harrington, in his 1969 book, The Immortalist. “Masses of men and women everywhere no longer believe that they have even the slightest chance of living beyond the grave. The unbeliever pronounces a death sentence on himself. For millions, this can be not merely disconcerting but a disastrous perception.” 

As Harrington viewed it, when people are deprived of rebirth vision, they “suffer recurring spells of detachment, with either violence or apathy to follow.” Harrington saw mass atheism, to which he subscribed, as responsible to most, if not all, society’s ills, including misplaced sexual energy.  Erich Fromm, another humanistic philosopher, agreed. “The state of anxiety, the feeling of powerlessness and insignificance, and especially the doubt concerning one’s future after death, represent a state of mind which is practically unbearable for anybody,” Fromm stated. 

As science progressed, its leaders became concerned as to how to replace the soul it had succeeded in eradicating.  Their solution was humanism – materialism, secularism, and rationalism bundled together with ethical and moral concerns and constraints. Also referred to as a moralist, the humanist was someone able to live a life of dignity and morality without subscribing to religious beliefs.  In effect, it was seen as a very noble and honorable way of living, one governed by discipline, moderation and courage rather than fear of punishment in an afterlife.  It was a more heroic approach than that of the religionist. Yet, the humanists struggled in their idealism.  While sound in principle, it was not so easy to put into practice, especially for those past their prime years and approaching what they saw as the abyss of nothingness.

One with our Toys

Research in the areas of past-life memories and near-death experiences supplemented earlier psychical research in countering the materialistic mindset, but the researchers in those fields, especially that of the NDE, were overly cautious in linking their findings to consciousness surviving death. It was all about enjoying this life, even if it meant self-deception, i.e., tricking oneself into enjoying it with a possible false assumption. Not until very recently have some leading NDE researchers dared make the link between the experience and a larger life. Meanwhile, religion has continued to stress the need to worship God while avoiding the evidence for survival, since some of it seemingly conflicts with established dogma and doctrine. This has made it quite easy for the fundamentalists of science to continue repudiating survival.  That is, the evidence for a Higher Power is much more subjective and elusive than the evidence for survival. No God, no afterlife is the mistaken inference.       

In spite of the overwhelming evidence for survival developed by scientists and scholars to this day, as well as the support provided by quantum physics, those subscribing to scientism, the other extreme from religious fundamentalism, have not yielded in their resistance. Moreover, the mainstream media has fully supported the fundamentalists of science.  The distinction between the findings of psychical researchers and the superstitions and follies associated with religion is too much and too inconvenient for science and the media to grasp.  And they ask why, if your God is so powerful, “he” can’t provide evidence that goes to absolute certainty. Victor Hugo, the famous French author and poet, asked this very question of a spirit claiming to have been Martin Luther in the physical body. The reply was that “doubt is the instrument which forges the human spirit.”  To put it another way, some doubt is vital to learning lessons that give life a purpose. 

Further bolstered by the entertainment and advertising industries, materialism, the core of nihilism, is simply too attractive to the vast majority of people. In recent years, the entertainment industry has bombarded the public with uncensored lewdness and vulgarity. 
Nevertheless, there is no indication that the Easter message of some 2,000 years ago is going away. The need for meaning in life beyond being “one with our toys” will always be there, even if mostly a subconscious need. “The decisive question for man is whether he is related to something infinite or not,” Jung asserted.  “That is the telling question of his life. Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite can we avoid fixing our interest upon futilities, and upon all kinds of goals which are not of real importance.”

Although Sigmund Freud is remembered as an atheist, he is said to have sent a 1921 letter to researcher Hereward Carrington, saying: “If I had my life to live over again, I should devote myself to psychical research rather than psychoanalysis.”

Michael Tymn is the author of The Afterlife Revealed: What Happens After We Die, Resurrecting Leonora Piper: How Science Discovered the Afterlife, and Dead Men Talking: Afterlife Communication from World War I.
His latest book, No One Really Dies: 25 Reasons to Believe in an Afterlife is published by White Crow books.

Amos,

An interesting post about colors. I confess I haven’t thought much about that subject, although I just banged out my next blog in which Phinuit explained that he recognizes souls in the spirit world by their light and that there is a great variance in such light.  I struggle to understand that, but so much of it is apparently human understanding. 

Thanks to you and all others who have commented here.

I got to thinking today about the colors that human beings can see.  Actually, humans don’t “see” colors, what they see are parts of the electromagnetic spectrum; different frequencies and wave lengths.  The wave lengths that humans see are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum but there is much more to the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see.  Actually, it is the brain that interprets those electromagnetic wave lengths as colors; the wave lengths themselves actually have no color.  And the brain, acting as a filter, filters out wave lengths that, from an evolutionary viewpoint, would not be beneficial to the survival of human beings.

I have wondered at times why the colors of earth are so agreeable to humans.  The sky is blue, clouds white, sunsets orange, red or yellow, the grass is green, water blue, reflecting the blue sky at times, and flowers, birds, butterflies and all of life of many different colors.  Human eyes are brown, blue, green, amber, and variations of those colors. Why aren’t all eyes brown?  And, the green trees in the temperate zone change colors in the fall to red, orange and yellow. Why don’t they just freeze, turn brown, dry up and fall off?  Have we all created a giant egregore or tulpa on Earth?

See Jeffrey Mishlove’s podcast about Tulpas and Egregores at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZJbFMUnJNI

In the disembodied state, people report that the colors they saw in that state were more intense and of a kind not seen on Earth.  Apparently, spirits without the brain filter, can “see” more of the electromagnetic spectrum that embodied spirits can see.  Other animals, e.g., insects, probably see other electromagnetic wave lengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that are meaningful to them but humans cannot see, e.g., ultraviolet.

So, what does all of this mean?  Well, maybe group human consciousness has created the world we see, an egregore of sorts, which we see about us and the brain is used to bring it together as a meaningful accommodating place for humans to live in physical form. I think we all need to be careful that we don’t create an egregore, e.g. ‘climate change” that many of us really do not want.  - AOD

Don,
The understanding of the organisational structure on the Other Side has been my goal for many years. I mentioned before that most mediums pass on personal messages and I have done this with some examples on the podcast but I wanted to know more, the corporate structure.
I was involved in the marketing of high technology products so that we tried to understand the theory. Technology diffusion models such as Bass model mentioned https://www.productdevelopers.eu/blog/technological-diffusion-exploring-the-spread-of-innovations were used. The best example was the Crossing the Chasm set of books. The adoption of new idea/product had chasms to its smooth adoption. I was trained to jump those chasms in the market. Religion and high technology products are remarkably alike. We also looked at technology push and market pull concepts, you are pushing an idea/technology before the market needs it as opposed to waiting for the need to pull the idea/technology across. I am sure you have run in to such examples in your illustrious advertising career.
In the Spiritualist world the loss of life in WW1 prompted more people to explore life after death. Many lost sons and lovers. Spiritualist churches filled to overflowing following WW1 with those yearning any message from a loved one. The 1920-1930 was a market pull, people needing answers. The mediums were therefore in great demand. Frauds were also common, similar to todays deep fake technology which was adopted quickly by scammers as money can be made. The diffusion of ideas of life after death has adoption curves the same as technology. Early adopters find late adopters and the churches form from seminal groups.  I like Cayce’s formation of his ARE operation with initial funding by a weathly supporter and later the hard times when funds were withdrawn. To me, as a marketing person it was a spiritual innovation in the religious marketplace which was adopted as it was a good product. A direct connection to Akashic records is a great sell. Getting messages from passed loved ones is a hard sell, you need hard evidence.
So the push in my view has not decreased but the pull has altered with the market of beliefs being more sophisticated. I would think that the strategy that is being used is to transform people from non believers to believers is now more on a case by case basis.  There are many innovations in the after life marketplace, NDEs,EVPs, television mediums, Youtube stars each with their adoption curves. I would term this narrow casting. The adoption is based on views and likes.
Do I have any inspirational insights on the spirit organisations? I get messages which make more sense after years of research. I would say I am a slow student but I am getting there. Sometimes the sun shines through the clouds. So your search for consistency of the message is invaluable. This is a cluster model of innovation diffusion where the idea sprouts in the right environment. When you see consistency you also see where the message worked. The environment where the message took hold. Michael Porter from Harvard University (Mr Cluster) explained the high technology sector growths as places which had strong linkages between government, industry and university. Many governments, including Australia set up incubators with this model, the hot house approach. They replicated the magic many times with expensive failures. I am sorry to use these terms but I wanted to explain how when you measure outputs of trance mediums or books filled with messages it is a measure of output that does not fully reflect the input of the spiritual push. Measuring the spiritual push and their area of concentration is what I hope to achieve. The first wave of mediums established landfall but specialist operations are now needed.
Thanks,
Bruce

Elizabeth,

Thanks for the comment and the interesting link.  Like you, many others have suggested that progress is being made while citing the internet, including you-tubes.  I guess I don’t see it, because I don’t spend much time on the internet and rarely look at you-tubes.  My somewhat pessimistic view is based on seeing no significant changes among the people I know and the media I regularly see.  Even if I were to spend more time on the internet, I’m not sure that would be reliable gauge as to progress in the subject matter as there is no way to tell what percentage of the population they represent and whether there has been an increase in that percentage from pre-internet days, or even from five years ago.  I hope you are right.

People seem to think that Hawaii, where I live, is a “hotbed” of spiritual activity, but, if it is, it has escaped me. There seems to have been much more in the way of spiritual organizations and books stores 25 years ago than there is now.

Thanks to all others for the comments so far. I know some have had difficulty posting.  If so, send to my email (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) and I’ll make sure it gets posted.

Don,

I don’t think you are crazy.  I think your point that we will probably incarnate in very different kinds of bodies, over time, makes total sense.

The Christian (white) nationalists, if they succeed at manifesting Armageddon by their strong collective belief in the end times, will be quite shocked when the only bodies available for them to incarnate into are not only a different color, but a different shape.  It will be quite a growth experience for them!

-Lloyd Ferris

Don,
Interesting comment about “psychic creations.” I have read in reports of apparitions appearing associated with some mediums that they seem to float without feet and as you know there are reports of just “hands” appearing alone, without any other part of a body; and then there are “direct voices” without any tangible physical apparatus of speech.  I am reminded of the movie “What Dreams May Come” in which spirits and things appeared and behaved according to the intension or expectation of the ones who were within the midst of the mutual conscious experience.

A question to ask is, “Does consciousness have any form at all?” Or, as some opine, consciousness just occupies a physical form which differs from lifetime to lifetime and which may include forms that are non-human.  Hands and feet may not be appropriate in some incarnations of consciousness. (I know, I know, some people may think I am crazy.) - AOD

Amos…

Just a brief aside regarding your comments about the way apparitions “appear” to those who see them. Mary is on record as telling some of her seers (I believe at Medjugorje, but don’t have the exact reference to hand at the moment) that the “hands” and “feet” she appeared with, were actually “psychic creations” (those aren’t the exact words she used, but they convey what she meant) that were added to her appearance because that’s what her viewers “expected” to see…but that under her gown, where the rest of her “body” would be, there was nothing that was really tangible or visible…

Excellent essay, as usual, Michael.

Judging by the growing rates of anxiety, depression, and despair (including “deaths of despair”), the need for asking, and the truthful and positive answering, of “the decisive question” of our lives is intensifying.

And as our individual and collective despair grows, intensifying our need for the truth (or Truth), so does the number of the sources that make the answer available to all willing and able to absorb it.

There are now countless (free!) websites and YouTube channels discussing death, spirituality, and spiritually transformative experiences, including NDEs. Under each new post or video, especially on YouTube, there are growing numbers of comments from people for whom this content resonates deeply.

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Off The Left Eye, devoted to Swedenborg and his teachings. The comments under each new post, especially from young people, show such hunger and appreciation for those teachings. Many also share their own spiritual experiences. Viewers’ responses under a recent video about hearing the voices of angels and/or God (!) were fascinating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXeuM7483PA

I believe that we are given the means to heal our cultivated spiritual ignorance and the process is well underway now, taking us, by necessity, outside of the confines of organized religion and (back?) into the realm of our direct and shared experience.

Bruce…

You get it. With your own special talents, you (obviously) have a wider perspective on things than we mere mortals, but for anyone willing to look, the signs are there. To jump (again) on Michael’s bandwagon of “the spirit world pulling back” as you call it—if one can grasp the full scope of just how broad and how INTENSIVE the communication effort was in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s (including the Marian communications—my “Great Convergence”)—one would have to be quite blind indeed not to notice the falling off in the 20’s and 30’s. The spirits gave it a full shot—and, once again, it seems we weren’t ready. Maybe next time…

To David Chilstrom (from the last blog)...

Thanks for your comments. Sounds like some interesting work you’re doing on Cora (choose your own last name)..will look forward to hearing more about it…

Amos,

Thanks for the comment.  You may be right, but I tried to focus on belief, not religion.  Too many don’t make the distinction.  As for the media, I don’t think any one of them hopes to appeal to everyone with every article.  Most newspapers still give at least a full sports page to major league baseball, but I doubt that even one in three is interested in any of the baseball coverage.  Probably more like one if eight.  So why can’t the media have articles that appeal only to believers?

Mike,

Excellent and eloquent article as always. Hope your Easter was nice, too.

So true how the scientific establishment and the media discount offhand what we know to be true.

From my personal experiences…we are and have been in a religious/spiritual transition that started many years ago and seeing more and more of the effects for good or bad… (see books by Wade Clark Roof (Spiritual Marketplace- Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion), James A. Herrick (The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Traditions and others). 

Spiritists teach what the spirits taught Kardec, his society and others, and continue to teach…Jesus came to make very clear we have a spiritual body that survives physical death and there is an afterlife. He gave us clarification regarding divine laws through his moral teachings and by his example by virtue of the superior nature of his spirit, and he said, it is what we can aspire and evolve to. “this and more will you do…”

Traditional religious institutions’ attendance is down drastically as we know, if the parents are not going to church, neither are their children. Such is the situation.

I personally found many of these people use the term “a higher power” for God and are not sure of any attributes, they do not know Jesus as those who have had religious schooling or have any particular feelings toward him, and they have no information regarding Bible stories, parables, etc. They do not know the Lord’s Prayer or any particular prayer. They do not read the Bible either.

They would have no clue what Jesus’ resurrection was.

However, I have found many of these same people, especially young people, believe in a wide variety of spiritual matters; they believe that humans have a soul, there is an afterlife, there can be communication between with spirits, in mediumship and various psychic phenomena, and some in reincarnation. Many allege experiencing psychic phenomena and spirit interaction of various types. 

I believe most are in a search, they have a spiritual hole they are longing to fill.

There has been a loss of a sense of community for many. We know the ill effects in our society. Where do they look for purpose, faith and hope? 
There are so many types of groups out there… secular, spiritual, religious, political, etc., etc.

I hope they find what will inspire/guide them towards goodness, and comfort/support them through the struggles of life.

Respectfully,
Yvonne

Don,
I caught up with the latest discussions yesterday. The subject matter brought a song to my heart. My impressions were that the heavyweights (Rick and Amos) were the main show. The standard of literary punches was excellent. It reminded me of the battle of the Ironclads, between the Monitor and the Merrimack https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Monitor-and-Merrimack. (My ancestor developed a very fast torpedo boat in 1890s so long family stories of obscure sea battles.)  However away from the main event ring I caught sight of your interesting statement.
The sheer consistency of much of this material (what I’m working on now) from a variety of sources, and on the most key questions, is quite impressive.
Consistency of spirit communications is my favourite subject. After extensive reading, I like the Edgar Cayce reading For do not consider for a moment….that an individual soul-entity passing from an earth plane as a Catholic, a Methodist, an Episcopalian is something else because he is dead! He’s only a dead Episcopalian, Catholic or Methodist. And such personalities and their attempts are the same…
I also like the debate that happened when ARE Study Group Number 1 was offered the services of an angel Halaliel in their writing lessons. The group split Some believed that the Christ message came from within and others wanted any spiritual guidance that they could obtain.  A difficult choice.
I have also pursued consistency and sought original statements in the archives. As you say there is much dross and then you find the hidden and unexpected gold. I think that this training of research promotes spiritual growth in order to be able to spot the gold.
Spirit writings are as you say dependent on the plane from which they are delivered, perspectives change as you go up the planes. Much the same as with any organisation. Michael concludes that after all this time the spirit world has pulled back. I suspect that they have long range plans to pass their messages on. As any marketing person knows messages have a reach timeframe (it is similar to radio versus magazines with radio instant but magazines laying around various waiting rooms for many months).
Time and time again the spirit writings say you already have the message but your progress needs to be at the point of acceptance.  I remember funding a project which would appeal to IBM in three and a half years time. IBM bought the company in three years. Was the developer psychic? No he could see their need before the organisation could see their own need.
Spirit messages are often in advance so that as you progress you understand what they were talking about. I recorded some messages on The Big Séance Your Stories of Messages from Passed Loved Ones https://bigseancepodcast.com/. I have stories in Parts 1-3 but in Part 3 I finally understood the message after ten years.
I hope that Rick and Amos don’t ask who was which Ironclad. Sometimes an extended observation is not wise.
Thanks,
Bruce

Mike,

Good sermon. I tried to post something on your blog site but it wouldn’t let me for some reason. But again, good message here.

Mike S

A little less than a third of the world’s human population is believed to be Christian, so in an era of diversity, especially in “the west”, I suppose that the media are trying not to offend anyone with any religious preference.  So, Easter eggs and bunnies, Santa Claus and reindeer provide the fodder for media attention on front-page human-interest articles during the Easter and Christmas Christian holidays.  Maybe that is OK from a world perspective.  And probably most Christians don’t give it a thought as their belief in Christian dogma and ritual is waning and they seem perfectly happy with Santa, Rudolph and the Easter Bunny as their saviors.

Was Jesus really raised from the dead or did he, appear and disappear as a spirit apparition in a locked room before his followers?  Some people claim that apparitions appear today, looking very much resplendent and alive as did Jesus to his disciples. And reports of “heaven” by people who have had a near death experience do not support a belief in any one religious belief system although adherents of certain belief systems might tend to gravitate toward each other, perhaps in one of the “many mansions” of heaven as referenced by Jesus.
 

Religions are eventually going to be replaced by some sort of new understanding of reality which includes consciousness and a spiritual component, supported by scientific hypotheses, and that all living things are conscious and as such, are part of that one large universal consciousness that some people might call “God.” - AOD