Richard Martini's Blog, page 17

The Flipside of the Oscars

"I'd like to thank the members of the Academy... and everyone who ever left a message on my phone machine....." Congrats to all the winners of the Oscars!


In my film classes, I would start them by asking the students to write their Oscar speech.  It's a very different kettle of fish that you thank when you're starting then when you're ending.. except in some cases.  It's a bit like crossing over - who is going to greet you?  Who will applaud you for your hard work and job well done?  Well... quite a few (according to the research in "Flipside" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife")
 
Let's examine the awards from the Flipside view of things.  That would be the observation of what was said during the Oscars from a spiritual point of view, or rare evidence that what happened last night on the Oscars wasn't just about glitz and pomp.  Beneath the fancy frocks, some profound spiritual lessons were revealed.


Begin with revelation of the mom who made a film about the suicide of her son.  She said "we should speak about suicide."  (forgetting for a moment NPH "takes balls to wear that dress" comment. It took balls for NPH to come out of the closet, and to do this show.)  Then just a few moments later, a young man gets up for winning the script award for ''The Imitation Game" and talks about suicide.  His own. How he had tried it because he didn't fit in.  Because he felt "weird." And he said "to all you who feel weird look where I am today."  He said it's okay to feel weird.  It's what makes us human.

Coincidence?  

What are the odds that a woman would say moments prior to her accepting the award that "we should talk about suicide" and a few seconds later a man stands up and does EXACTLY THAT?

Then take the song for "Selma."  The set of the Pettis bridge, that iconic bridge that became a focal point for the Dr. Martin Luther King's journey in this lifetime.  It was the bridge you cross to get to vote.  People were gassed and beaten to stop them from crossing the bridge.  Dr. King led the march - and it finally took the national guard to ensure their trip across that bridge.

And then the artist known as Common actually used the metaphor of the bridge to show that it's a bridge that connects us all.  That the bridge from ignorance to enlightenment exists.  That the song that has inspired many people comes from the same source.  The actor who played Dr. King (David O) had tears streaming down his face.  He channeled Dr. King in his performance.  It's pretty unusual for a fellow from England to so accurately find a voice and gestures of someone so foreign to his background.. and yet, he was clearly channeling Dr. King in his performance. Certainly Dr. King enjoyed that performance last night as well.

And John Legend and Common were clearly channeling Dr. King, or the energy behind Dr. King's message of nonviolence change in their song.  And in their speech.  The reason it resonates is that it is spiritual.  It is of the spirit. 


Then the lessons of playing roles of people with issues or problems in our society.  "The Imitation Game" deals with the powerful story of a man who signed up for a lifetime where he could not only solve the enigma code, but also a lifetime where he could demonstrate that being gay should never have been a crime.  I would venture to say that he SUCCEEDED IN HIS ENDEAVOR.


We have the story of a man who signed up to live a life in a wheelchair, using only his mind to wrestle with the most complex problems of the universe.  I would argue that he chose that lifetime because if he had lived his life normally, he never would have gone as far or gotten as deep as he has.  That the lifetime that Stephen Hawking chose, is dramatically proven that he SUCCEEDED IN HIS ENDEAVOR. (And would argue that he can find the theory of everything in examining how it came to be that he chose a lifetime like his own.)

And the actors who played these roles - E Redmayne and B Cumberbatch - are doing exactly the SAME THING that these souls are doing - signing up to play a role, one that is difficult, one that represents deeper truths, deeper spiritual lessons - and they got awards for them at the Oscars.  Because that's what we do when our fellow beings choose difficult lifetimes - when we greet them in the afterlife we APPLAUD THEM just as these people were applauded last night.

CITIZENFOUR is a film about a fellow who made a difficult choice in this life - to go into data collection, and then seeing what he'd seen - to reveal it to the world at great risk to his life and family.  

The soldier Manning did the same kind of revelation - and she credited looking at the planet Earth from outer space - the "PALE BLUE DOT" of Carl Sagan fame's photo - where she observed that everyone on Earth is the same, and doesn't deserve to be tortured or killed without reason.  And decided to speak up about it (and took the consequences).  Chelsea Manning.  The Overview Effect.  In like form, Snowden sees the planet from this bigger perspective - not us versus them, but us versus us.  

Who are we if we use information that's private against fellow human beings?  Crime prevention is one thing, but as he notes in TODAY'S REDDIT SESSION with Glenn and Laura, not a single terrorist act has been affected by the collection of all this private data.  Still - who among us could give up their lives for what they believe in?  Certainly one day he will have the applause and accolades he deserves - whether it be future generations, or directly from his soul group. 

Luana Anders starred in "Board and Care" an oscar winning film. Producer Sarah Pillsbury neglected to thank her. I don't think Luana cared.  But Jack Nicholson mentioned her in his Oscar speech for "As Good As It Gets." She's the inspiration for "Flipside"
The same goes for BIRDMAN, a film about ego, and the variations of what it does to control our lives, to drive us down avenues we wouldn't normally go... the film is variations on that theme - what lengths will we go for love? what lengths will we go for ego? are there metaphors that follow us around in our lifetime? that going on stage is a bit like jumping off the edge of a building? that allowing creativity to soar off the edge of a cliff, not knowing where we will land is worth praising?  that the good that we do reverberates through all those who experience it?  The film examines the "darkside" of EGO, but it's also a film about courage and daring - and when all is lost to actually allow our inner voice to champion who we really are .. even if it means pulling a gun on stage - after all, we're just actors upon the stage, and there is nothing that can happen to us that we can't examine later with the help of our friends and soul group...

 and I would argue that by forcing us into streets we normally wouldn't traverse, the ego does a yeoman's job of getting us to live lives that are beyond what he might have imagined them to be, and that we are all SUCCEEDING IN THAT ENDEAVOR.  Hence we are all Oscar winners when we get to our final bow.

Author with Charles GrodinAfter all that's why you've been drawn to this page, this blog, this research. Because you know on some level, that we really don't die.  That we really are here to celebrate life in all its forms.  So please, take a bow for the path and journey you've chosen.

And as Mike Myers would say: "End scene." 

In Praise of Dr. Oliver Sachs and Celestial Music

Dr. Oliver Sachs announced today that he's been told he has months to live, and wrote about it eloquently in The New York Times today.  

"Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life.

On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight.

This will involve audacity, clarity and plain speaking; trying to straighten my accounts with the world. But there will be time, too, for some fun (and even some silliness, as well).


I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential...."


Dr. Sachs is one of the pre-eminent brain researchers of our time. ("The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat")I completely understand his desire to keep his mind focused and his life geared to those things that he considers essential. This is his path and journey, and he's following it exactly as he's planned it. I don't know if he's familiar with Dr. Greyson's work at the University of Virginia dealing with consciousness ("Is Consciousness Created by the Brain") or neuroscientist Mario Beauregard PhD's research in neuroscience ("Brain Wars") or Dr. Sam Parnia's recent "Aware Study" results of what people experience while having a near death experience, but if he was familiar with this work, he would have a new appreciation for the facts that show our energy, or whatever it is that animates our bodies, our souls, do not die. That the transition to the Flipside is more like leaving a stage, walking through a door, or stepping into a pool of water than whatever's been suggested in the past.He's got an entirely new adventure to experience ahead of him - and it's not one of dissolution of mind, in fact it's entirely the opposite, reconnecting with our higher selves, where most of our energy resides in this other realm, where he experience all of our lifetimes, and see the nature of reality from a place of full consciousness.  Not omniscience, not all knowing, but certainly more knowing than what we experience here.But I mention him because in his work he's examined cases of people who hear "celestial music" and he concluded that it's either crytomnesia (hearing it from somewhere else) or hallucinatory.  I've found numerous cases of people hearing music during their near death experience, or even during a between life hypnotherapy session - and in some cases, it can be proven that they could not have heard the music or been hallucinating it.In Mario Beauregard's interview in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" he cites cases where people have been blind from birth, who had a near death experience, but were able to describe what people were wearing in the hospital room, or what colors they were wearing, even though they should not have been able to.  In like form there are cases where people are deaf and have had a near death experience, and seen or heard things that they could not in their conscious lives.  At some point you have to allow for the facts as they're presented to speak for themselves.  There are numerous cases of people who have died, meaning no blood going to the brain, where they see or hear events their conscious mind should not be able to.  In Dr. Greyson's talk "Is Consciousness Created by the Brain" he cites cases where people with alzheimers who should not be able to remember anything, suddenly remember with clarity great detail just prior to their passing.  And after death, the autopsies show that their brains should not have been able to access these memories.  The point being, that the brain appears to function more like a receptor, or receiver of consciousness.  And that reception is not the creator of the music so to speak, but merely accessing it.The following is an excerpt from "It's a Wondeful Afterlife: Further Adventures into the Flipside" where I talk a bit about "Celestial Music."There have been numerous accounts of people hearing these dulcet tones, from Beethoven to other classical composers who heard the music running in their head during their waking hours. I've spoken with Stuart Sharp, or at least emailed with Stuart, who is cited below as someone who had an experience with celestial music.  He has a pretty amazing story, where the night before the funeral of his son, he had a vivid dream where he was listening to an awesome symphony.  And one of the people he saw in his vision, a guardian angel of sorts, said to him that he needed to remember what he was hearing because one day he would be performing the symphony in front of people.

And the music haunted him so much that he left his job as a cook in a pub in England, and wound up with only a guitar to his name.  One day he was playing some of the music he had heard out in the street as a busker, and someone from the BBC spoke to him about his tune, and Stuart told him the story... and lo and behold, Stuart eventually composed the music and conducted the London Philharmonic playing the song he'd heard in his head.  The point is, that it was not a hallucination of music he'd heard previously. Oddly enough, Google makes "crawlers" that "crawl through various music posted on line to find the original authors of various compositions - so if what Stuart had heard had ever been performed by anyone else, it would have shown up in their copyright infringement notice.

I've spoken to many near death experiencers who heard "celestial music" during their near death experience.  In my research, I note that when someone hears "new information" from the afterlife, or spirit world - meaning information they could not have learned while being alive, could not have heard or experienced in their journey or path on this planet, then that experience must point to another paradigm at play.  

If you hear, sense, feel or experience something (music, someone telling you something, someone introducing you to a family member you didn't know you had, as in the case of Dr. Eben Alexander, and Colton Burpo, who both met sisters they didn't know existed - could not have known existed) that is new information from the Flipside... then it is proof that there is a Flipside.

 IPSO ERGO FACTO.



“I contemplate the luminous bodies continually revolving within their orbits, the sun, the stars, and then my spirit rises beyond these constellations, millions of miles, to the Source from which all creation flows and from which new creations flow eternally.”   -- Ludwig Von Beethoven
How does music fit into these visions of the afterlife?During LBLs and NDEs people often report “hearing” music that’s not of an Earthly nature.  In a number of LBLs I’ve heard people report that music and healing come from “related” places in the universe.   But there are many musicians who claim to hear music when composing. When we study the great composers, like Beethoven, we find that they spoke often of “hearing celestial music.” Oliver Sachs, the renowned scientist, considers this “hallucinatory music.”  As he notes: True musical hallucinations are experienced by those who have them as unprecedented and deeply disquieting. There is insufficient awareness among physicians of musical hallucinations, in part because patients are reluctant to report them, fearing that they will be dismissed or seen as ‘crazy’. But musical hallucinations are surprisingly common, affecting at least 2% of those who are losing their hearing, as well as patients with a variety of other conditions. Working with a population of elderly patients (though I have seen it in younger people as well), I am often given vivid descriptions of musical hallucinosis, and I think it is by far the most common form of non-psychotic hallucination. I related two stories of musical hallucination in my 1985 book “The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat,” and since then have received hundreds of letters from people with this condition. With musical hallucinations it is common for several voices or instruments to be heard simultaneously, and such experiences are almost always attributed, initially, to an external source. Thus in 1995 I received a vivid letter from June M., a charming and creative woman of 70, telling me of her musical hallucinations:“…Most of the music I hear is from my past—many of the songs are hymns, some are folk music, some pop up from the forties and fifties, some classical and some show tunes. All the selections are sung by a chorus—there is never a solo performance or any orchestration. This first started last November when I was visiting my sister and brother in law in Cape Hatteras, NC, one night. After turning off the TV and preparing to retire, I started hearing ‘Amazing Grace.’ It was being sung by a choir, over and over again. I checked with my sister to see if they had some church service on TV, but they had Monday night football, or some such. So I went onto the deck overlooking Pamlico Sound. The music followed me. I looked down on the quiet coastline and the few houses with lights and realized that the music couldn't possibly be coming from anywhere in that area. It had to be in my head.”It was not clear why June M. started to have musical hallucinations, or why she still has them, 11 years later. She has excellent hearing, is not epileptic, has no known medical problems and is intellectually quite intact. With her, as with many other patients, the most searching examination may fail to pinpoint the cause of musical hallucinations…”


excerpt from "It's a Wonderful Afterlife: Further Adventures Into the Flipside" Volume One.  All Rights Reserved. Copyright Richard Martini 2014.

"Main Stream" science V "Flipside"

"Oh please so thoroughly debunked by mainstream science...."
As I note in the Introduction to "It's a Wonderful Afterlife: Further Adventures into the Flipside" his research is not for everyone.
One fellow wrote that I was deluded by my own fear of the unknown, and had somehow created this fantasy of an afterlife.Today I got the above note from someone who watched my book talk (posted below) "It's a Wonderful Afterlife."
So here's my reply:

"Ah, finally, someone weighs in from main stream science! 

Hmm. Let's see. How main stream can we get? "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" features Dr. Bruce Greyson, psychiatrist, author of "Irreducible Mind" from University of Virginia discussing "Is Consciousness Created by the Brain" (free on youtube, I suggest you watch it). 

Then we have Gary Schwartz PhD ("Sacred Promise") (Harvard/Yale PhD, now teaching at University of Arizona talking a scientist talking about the science behind his research in consciousness). Then we have neuroscientist  Mario Beauregard PhD ("Brain Wars") from University of Montreal, now teaching University of Az, talking about post materialist science, disproving that NDEs can be assigned to part of the brain. So who is in the main stream? 

 Dr. Eben Alexander's also a Harvard Neurosurgeon, and his near death experience is just one of thousands that are equally powerful and revelatory. Let's start with the definition of skeptic. I'm sure you know what that is - someone who doesn't "believe in the prevailing school of thought" - the prevailing "school of thought" might also be called "main stream." 

But of course, the main stream science is predicated on the belief that the brain is the source of all consciousness. And I'm sorry to inform you, that's just not the case. It's not in the science. It's not in the data. So we can go around and around the circle of what constitutes science - but I defer to Gary Schwartz's definition, as he put it in "Flipside:" 

  "According to the prevailing views of mainstream science, there can be no such thing as the incarnation of consciousness because the brain is the sole creator of consciousness... (however) an emerging body of consciousness research.. when combined with contemporary quantum physics, seriously challenges (that belief). This new evidence requires we consider the idea of the incarnation of consciousness, and by extension, the plausibility (if not probability) of reincarnation.... this is the kind of book where once you have read it, you will no longer be able to see the world in the same way again..." 

 As Gary so aptly points out, 100 years ago, 5 people watched the Wright Bros fly a plane, up to then, an impossible feat. Did any of those 5 imagine that 100 years later flights would be ferrying millions of passengers every day? In like form, 100 years from now, the study of consciousness - and the verification that life doesn't end with death, will be as commonplace as a trip to starbucks for your cappuccino. 

The ability to understand, and converse with those who are no longer on the planet will be as commonplace as using a cellphone. And the insights that they will allow us to access, which will alter the face of the planet on every level, will be as commonplace, and considered to be "main stream" as apple pie, baseball, and instead of posting on youtube, mind mail where I can reply without having to use these lazy fingers. My two cents."

Flipside Book Talks and Music in the Afterlife

Interesting... a number of folks stopped by on Valentine's Day to check out the blog... Wonder why that could be? Looking for a soul mate? Or just a little bit of soul? Well here's two links for y'all... one is to my many book talks - they're all posted on youtube, and if can't get enough of my dulcet tones yakking about the afterlife, they're posted for free. 

Caveat Emptor - well, there's no buyer here, more of a general Caveat - this research isn't for everyone. You're on your path for a reason, and I'm not here to job you off of your path. Or to chase after you and point you in another direction. Or to stand in front of you and wave my arms and say "look over there!" I did an interview on a blog radio spot the other day, (will post a link when it's available) and the interviewer asked "So why is this information important?" 

And I said "Because we don't have the luxury of watching the planet Earth get ruined or destroyed by those who think they only have one life to live. If you don't want to save the planet for your children or your grandchildren, fine, but at the very least consider that it might be true what all these people are saying about returning to Earth in the future. So save the planet if only for your own ability to taste fresh water, clean fresh air, and live in a healthy environment... in a future lifetime."

 For that reason alone, I offer this research.


Then, someone who read "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" found my recommendation for "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers" and as some point, Billy says that the background music that he's heard in the afterlife reminds him of the piece below by Sibelius. 

I interviewed jazz artist Deron Johnson​ about where music comes from. He thought a bit, and said "It's just below the surface" and made a gesture describing water in a pool, and how music lies just beneath the surface of our consciousness. 

In the book "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers" Billy mentions this opus when trying to describe what the background music he hears in the afterlife realm. (I'd prefer to hear Beethoven's 9th myself, or perhaps Muddy Waters ) but was just reminded of this particular piece noted below. Sibelius. The Swan of Tuonela. Enjoy. 

Ohio boy remembers his lifetime as a Chicagoan

Dr Jim Tucker's research from UVA (took over for Ian Stevenson, Tucker's books cite many cases) corroborates these kinds of stories, and second, ignore the "catchwords" like "horrible death" or "ghost in my child." How horrible can it be that he not only didn't die, but chose to return again as thus blue eyed angel in Ohio? How can we call it a "ghost" when it's just a previous remembered life? The research shows we choose each life carefully, with the help and guidance of our loved ones. And if you want to see the research, read "Flipside" or "Its a Wonderful Afterlife." cites the latest studies in consciousness, pointing to how this story could be accurate. It also points to the shallowness of our tribal mentality, us vs them, left vs right, fundamentalist vs liberal - if we choose who we're going to be in the next lifetime, how do we judge a person's choice in this lifetime?



Ohio family convinced son lived another life as a Chicago woman
CHICAGO —  Do you believe in past lives? An Ohio boy’s family says they didn’t, until little Luke started sharing specific details. He spoke about living another life, in Chicago, as a woman who suffered a horrific death.
WJW’s Suzanne Stratford has the story in the video above.

Near Death on the Emerald Isle

I've interviewed Dr. Greyson (UVA) and cataloged near death cases in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" volume one - the bottom line is this, if a person experiences NEW INFORMATION during a near death experience, and there's no possibility they could have known the information previously then it's a matter of examining what that means. In the case of Eben Alexander (Proof of Heaven) , or even Colton Burpo (Heaven is for Real), both saw a sister neither knew, or could have known existed. 

 I've seen and heard many cases, including people who've had between life hypnotherapy, where they learn new information from people no longer on the planet. You may not like that this is the case, but that only means it should be examined by science and not ignored or somehow made light of. Her account of experiencing "unconditional love" is common in many cases - greyson has examined hundreds, he has thousands more in his office. So what does unconditional love mean? as opposed to conditional love? 

 That's why I call these events "near life experiences" - because it's closer to what real life is, as opposed to "death" or "no longer alive."  It's the opposite actually. You feel more alive.

She mentioned "the troubles" on ireland. It's a good example. do we love people who shoot at us? of course not. but that's conditional love - what these people experience in their near death experiences (and many more from between life sessions during hypnotherapy, I've studied thousands and filmed 25) people experience a "knowing" that we are all connected, all from the same source - there is no black or white, no young or old, no man or woman, or left or right.. we are all from the same source. This information isn't for everyone - because people choose their lifetimes, and being in the midst of it makes it hard to see outside of it - but for those who are meant to hear her music, they will. 

My two cents.
  Irish author saw lights of heaven in near death experience she says Kayla Hertz @irishcentral February 01,2015 01:00 AM



Roisin Fitzpatrick shares her insight on how to live life without fearing death; draws parallel to Celtic mythology. Photo by: Taking Heaven Lightly Facebook
  One day after her 35th birthday, in the prime of her health, Roisin Fitzpatrick suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in her Dublin home that led her to death’s doorstep.

There on the doorstep, Roisin says she was engulfed by a radiant and iridescent light. While her body lay in the ICU at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, her consciousness was one with a vast horizon of tangerine-colored energy and a force of pure, unconditional love.
Her near-death experience, validated by leading medical expert in the field of near death experience research Dr. Bruce Greyson, brought Roisin to a place of complete understanding about the meaning and essence of life.

Ten years later, this past January 15, Roisin published a book called “Taking Heaven Lightly” that has since skyrocketed to number three on Ireland’s best-seller list. The book shares with the world her remarkable insight into how to live life without fearing death; she also draws a profound parallel between her “near-life” experience and Celtic mythology.

“My thinking was more lucid than ever,” she told IrishCentral in an interview about her experience. “I remember thinking, well, who am I, what am I, where am I? I'd always associated myself with my body, and I wasn't in my body anymore. I was part of this vast, blissful expanse of a pure love and a powerful radiant light.”


Before she could put it into words, Roisin started sharing her experience with the public through art. The “artist of the light” toured with solo exhibitions featuring her innovative works made with crystal and silk, “for people to see the beauty of their own souls.” Currently she is on her 11th US exhibition at the Anam Cara Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut.

“I remember lying there feeling completely overwhelmed and daunted. And though I was trying to stay calm, I was utterly terrified,” she said about the moment before her journey.
“I didn't smoke, hardly drank a drop of alcohol, and was so fit I could salsa dance four nights a week for hours on end. How was I literally on deaths door in the ICU unit of Ireland’s neurosurgical hospital? I felt that I was standing on the edge of the unknown.”
This is when Roisin became enveloped by the light and the love, and the tangerine-lavender waves of energy and bliss: “It was nothing I’d ever experienced before. A profound sense of peace; it was a hushed silence.”

“One of the Gaelic ways of saying "may you rest in peace" is solas siorai - and it literally means the eternal light. And I realized that we're always a part of this eternal light, each and every one of us.
“We are so much more powerful than we can begin to imagine, because this is the deepest truth of who we are. When we're born we just put this coat on - some muscles, some bone, a bit of skin covering a few organs, but ultimately, we are this eternal light.
“Then when we die, we just take the coat off. And this is the deepest truth of each and every one of us,” she said, which is her ultimate message.


Roisin Fitzpatrick with Niall Burgess and Kevin O'Malley.What would make Roisin’s experience slightly different than others’ is her atheistic, professional and academic background, she said.

“I'm exactly the same as everybody else - I'm a very ordinary person. I just happened to have an extraordinary experience.”
The Dublin native had a particularly hard time believing in any sort of spirituality or a life past the material world during the Troubles in Northern Ireland - especially when she had witnessed an IRA explosion in London while working for the European Bank.

“There was a constant barrage on the media of Catholics killing Protestants, Protestants killing Catholics. There’s a kneecapping, a gun shooting, a bank robbery - all in the name of God. This God also has a commandment that says ‘thou shalt not kill,’ so I said forget it. I had nothing to do with religion growing up. That, to me, was the reason they were always at war.”

Roisin herself is stunned by her utter transformation from someone who never saw past a cruel, material world to someone so devoted to this encompassing energy that she believes we’re all wholly a part of.

“We all face challenges - whether they’re health issues, financial issues, relationship issues or bereavement. But when we can connect with something so much deeper it gives us the strength and the courage to pull through. And thats what I really want to share, and thats why I wrote this book. Because you don't need to go through the ICU unit of Beaumont Hospital to connect with this,” she said.

“No matter what’s happening, we can feel empowered and we can feel the strength and the courage to move on and pull through, and stay connected with this light.”

Roisin did an incredible amount of research into Celtic mythology and found a profound and undeniable link between her culture’s history and her experience - she teamed up with renowned archaeologists, historians and Celtic otherworld experts.

“I had no idea what I was about to embark on,” she said.
In her book she explains the parallel between humans today and the Tuatha de Danann of Irish mythology and Tir na nOg and Tir na mbeo, the land of eternal youth and the land of eternal light.
“Its time for us to go back to the original, to go back to Lugh, the God of light, and recognize the deepest truth of who each and every one of us are. We actually are these powerful beings of light - this is what the Tuatha de Danann were. The gods of life and light who could shape-shift their energy.

“And then I have a near death experience and realize, actually, hold on a second, my God, those myths are right. We are powerful beings of light. We do change our energy. And as how we use our energy, we make a change in this world.”

Roisin said she found every single aspect of her near death experience in Irish mythology - she also re-experienced aspects of it when visiting the sacred sites, and connected with the same energy once again.

Roisin’s book was published by Hachette on January 15, and the launch at the Westbury Hotel was buzzing, attended by US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley, former Irish Consul General to New York Niall Burgess and many other luminaries.
The book is receiving positive reviews and has been endorsed by Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and others.

Foxcatcher and the Council of Elders

For those of you who haven't seen Foxcatcher, it's a wonderful film.  If you don't want any "spoilers" about the film, please come back to read this after you've seen the film.  But it's based on a true story, so you might be well aware of it by now.



Mark and Dave Schultz, the amazing Olympic athletes, trained at Foxcatcher wrestling facility, under the auspices of John Du Pont.  The performances are brilliant, the film's look and the art direction are fantastic.  The film lays out the story pretty much as it happened, with some adjustments for drama, and attempts to gain insight into the events surrounding a tragedy, by pointing to the wealth of the Du Pont family that contributed to the murder that occurs.

Dave Schultz - from USA TodayToday is the 19th anniversary of that event.  It's been 19 years since Dave Schultz's life was cut short.  RIP Dave.



 But there's a deeper, richer story here, and it wasn't touched upon by the filmmakers. That's why you have your trusty Flipside correspondent on hand, to search for the other meanings that are buried in the story.

At the funeral of his son, Phillip Schultz made a dramatic revelation during his eulogy. Here's the original article about it: http://articles.philly.com/1996-02-12/news/25655410_1_john-du-pont-david-schultz-nancy-schultz

From the article

Later in his eulogy, Schultz told how David at age 4 predicted he would die young. David told his dad that before he was born, he was one of 12 men standing around in a circle in the clouds. David was told by one of the men that he was going to be tested on earth.``He said I would pass the test, but I wouldn't be here very long,'' David recounted to his dad. ``David was truly a transcendent figure,'' his father said softly.

Wait a minute.  

A group of 12 men standing in a circle in the clouds?  Where have we heard of that before?

In Michael Newton's "Journey of Souls" he talks about the "councils" we all have, and they average from 6 to 12 people.  In the 25 between life sessions that I've filmed, and report upon in "Flipside" and "Its a Wonderful Afterlife" many included the same reports - visiting the council of elders, or the "wisdom makers" where people gain insight into why they chose a particular lifetime. (And in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" the same research done by Dr. Helen Wambach shows how people under deep hypnosis recount "choosing to be here" with the assistance of "wise elders" or "council members" for a variety of spiritual reasons.)  


 12 men (often women) standing in the clouds talking to us about our journey on earth is not only common - it occurs in just about every between life hypnotherapy session. (LBL).  Michael Newton cataloged 7000 of them, Helen Wambach cataloged hundreds of them, and I've filmed 25.

Michael Newton, whom I interviewed for Flipside
In Newton's research (7000 people over 30 years before he published) he says that people visit their council two key times; before reincarnating to discuss the life lessons they're about to impart, and again when they return to review how the person feels they did during their lifetime.

Also, David noted to his father (again, he was four years old at the time) that he was "going to be tested on Earth," that he would "pass the test, but I wouldn't be here very long."

This is also in these reports - a matter of fact account of what's being shared between the soul and their spirit guides.  "What are you going to do while you're on Earth?" "Well, I'm going to try to do this, and this other thing, and help these other people."  Generally these stories all have to do with imparting a lesson in love.

At one point, a spirit guide spoke up while I was filming a session with Scott De Tamble (lightbetweenlives.com).  The person was asked "Who or what is God?"  And the woman said (a skeptical film producer, who never thought she could be hypnotized, but had an amazing session) "God is beyond the capacity of the human brain to comprehend. It's not physically possible. But you can experience God, by opening your heart to everyone and to all things."

So opening your heart to everyone and all things might be one of those events to examine.  And this as well.

Because if Dave knew that he wasn't going to be here long, how was that going to play out?  We could go through all the choices that Dave made in life, whether bungee jumping, or wrestling the most amazing matches in the world - at any point along that way, Dave could have chosen to check off the planet in some other manner.  Bungee cord breaks, he has a heart attack on the mat.  But that's not what happened.

He knew what was going to happen.  He couldn't put it into words at four years old, but he knew he wasn't going to be here for the full term, for the full journey.

So where does that put John Du Pont in this story?  He's a scary, creepy, lost soul - as Steve Carrell portrayed him, and as he everyone reported him to be.  In the film, they try to point to his lack of mother's love as a reason for his being unhappy, unloved.  A drunk, drug user.  An abuser. An unhappy 1 percenter.

But wait a second.  There's a deeper story here. He's playing that role of drug user, unloved soul.  He's fulfilling his own path and journey in this story.  Did he know what was going to happen when he became obsessed with wrestling to start Foxcatcher?  If Dave knew what his path and journey was going to be, could John Du Pont have known as well?

The research shows that we choose difficult lifetimes to experience all kinds of positive and negative energy. That between lives, when we are back "home" we are filled with unconditional love, and we see our journey here on Earth more like a stage play, or a classroom, where we examine things, learn lessons, teach things, have compassion, help others (or play the role of the person not helping others).  But back home is like stepping off stage. Or graduating from college.

As Kathy Bates says in the final episode of this year's "American Horror Story" - "Does Desdemona hate the actor who played Othello, who kills her in the play?"   Once we are offstage we see our journey as one where we can share and love and play many roles.

So Foxcatcher is a brilliant film to be sure.  But when you watch it, know that young Dave knew that he was not going to have a long life, that someone or something was going to cut it short, but despite that knowledge -  he gave his heart freely, gave his love to his brother, and his family - and his love continues on.  And I honor him today by suggesting that unconditional love is the way of the Universe.  That we need to love everyone unconditionally - because they don't die, they can't die, they just aren't here - and back "home" we get to continue our lessons in love by choosing our next lifetime.

This isn't my opinion or belief - I'm just reporting what people say under deep hypnosis, and now in my latest work comparing those concepts to what people say after a near death experience, out of body experience, or some other life altering event.  And many, many speak of these "life reviews" with members of some kind of spirit council, with elders, and spirit guides - but all of them speak of this unconditional love we find back "home" for lack of a better word.

Dave is not dead, he's just not here. He's home. And we honor his memory to consider his sacrifice - to go through that pain and anguish, to teach a lesson in love.

He said he would be tested while he was on Earth and that he would pass the test.  Admirably I'd say.  
Just a little Flipside perspective and my two cents.

Podcast with renowned medium Jennifer Shaffer

Here's about an hour book talk I did with Jennifer Shaffer the other day... enjoy!!

Jennifer’s Interview of Award Winning Filmmaker and Author RICHARD MARTINI!| January 15, 2015 | in "Your Spirit Hour" with Radio Host Jennifer Shaffer, Radio Archive | by admin
Jennifer Interviews Award Winning Filmmaker and Author RICHARD MARTINI! Jennifer Shaffer’s Interview of Award-Winning filmmaker Richard Martini! Listen in on how Richard discusses his explorations in the startling new evidence of life after death via the “life between lives,” where we reportedly return to find loved ones, soul mates and spiritual teachers.
Audio Player00:00Use Left/Right Arrow keys to advance one second, Up/Down arrows to advance ten seconds.00:00Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In Honor of departed pals Howard Schultz and Rod Taylor....

It's been a busy week in the Flipside.  A number of pals of mine have stepped off stage, from the reality TV Producer and pal Howard Schultz, to the great actor and star of my film Point of Betrayal Rod Taylor.

Howard was a unique individual.  


Photo from Variety
He grew up down the block from me in Northbrook, Illinois, in a unique stone house that sat at the end of our long street.  Some years later, Howard agreed to do a between life hypnotherapy session for me for my "Flipside" project.

During his session, which appears in the book under the chapter heading "THE SOUL RIVER" Howard (as "Steven" in the book - I offer anonymity to everyone who is in the book, as their hypnotherapy sessions reveal usually more than anyone wants to admit, but with Howard's blessing, no reason to keep that a secret now) began by going back in time during his life.  And at some point, he was talking about playing "Kick the Can" in his backyard, with his beloved dog, the sound of cicadas calling through the summer night.  

It's my childhood as well, and so unique to be 50 years older, listening to my neighbor describe events that happened to me as well. It also served as a verification of sorts, that Howard's memories of this lifetime were accurate, because I'd had the same ones.

It was his previous lifetime that gave me pause.  He quickly remembered being a young child in a country in Europe during World War II.  And after describing a kind of fearful existence with troops running around outside, and the parents hiding the children from them, Howard remembered dying in Dachau.  Literally remembered the moment of standing over a pit of bodies and being shot in the head.

I was startled.  Even when he said the word "Dachau" in reference to being asked "Where are you?" he said it as they say it over in Germany.  That hard CH sound, that even as he said it, reminded me of my trip there in my 20's when I was going to school in Italy.  A dark, drab place to be sure, but here my friend was reliving that awful moment in that awful place.

In the between life portion Howard lightened up.  He spoke of how he normally had lifetimes that were "filled with light" and "filled with laughter."  Even as he spoke about them, the odd coincidence that he had named his company "Lighthearted" took on new meaning for me, and for him as well.  He had many lifetimes where he was light hearted, or that the light from that realm filled him with memories of unconditional love.

And at some point, Howard spoke of how that lifetime in Dachau had "scorched his soul."  And so the hypnotherapist, Scott De Tamble, asked if Howard could find a way to alleviate that pain, or to help heal it.  And he said "They're taking me to the river of souls."  He described being escorted into this river where he felt whole and complete again, and experienced that powerful intense feeling of being healed from that dark lifetime.  He was asked "Why did you choose that lifetime?"  And he said "Because I had forgotten the dark.  It's important to remember the dark so that you can really enjoy the light."

Howard had the courage to choose a difficult lifetime so that he could "remember the dark."

Anyone who knew or loved Howard will tell you that he had a memorable laugh, and his eyes kind of twinkled when he laughed or recounted a great story.  He hired me at some point to write a film about his odd adventures in Mexico with Dog the Bounty Hunter - and how he very nearly wound up in prison while trying to film an extraction of a criminal.  There was incredible comedy in the story, but also it showed the amazing resilience of Howard.  He didn't feel that the script captured the chaos of what he'd gone through while he was down there - and I'm sorry that we didn't take it further along.  

We had dozens of meetings, over at least a decade, talking about doing a spiritual show together, a reality show based on past life research - a "past life detective" kind of show where people would be under hypnosis and we'd track down whether or not their stories were true.  He could never get anyone of his writing staff to be invested in the idea however, and he used them as a sounding board for whatever he wound up putting on the air.  If they didn't get it, then he reasoned, an audience wouldn't either.  This is how he wound up with "Naked Dating" and his other dating shows on MTV and elsewhere. It wasn't just the titillation involved - although there was that to be sure - it was because these shows were about connecting people on some level. 

Only a few months ago he called me about the afterlife show.  We still couldn't figure out how to make the project together, and I'm sorry we did not.  However, I'll bet he's putting together a hell of a show as we speak.  One thing he said during his session that's worth repeating - when he spoke to his departed mother during the session, she told him that speaking to someone in the afterlife was like picking up a cell phone and dialing a loved one.  We don't actually know how a cell phone works, we can't really get our minds around the mechanics, but we do know if we push so many buttons, our loved ones answer.  She said it was the same thing when communicating with the afterlife.  They can hear us when we speak to them, or reach out to them, and although they may not be able to have a direct response to our entreaties, they'll eventually get back to us in some manner. 
 1963 Rod Taylor Ed Fury Dorian Gray Daniela Rocca Picture
I met Rod Taylor while making a film called "Point of Betrayal" 20 years ago.  We had cast a couple of other actors who fell out the weekend prior to shooting, and the producer Jonathan Krane suggested Rod Taylor and Dina Merrill as replacements.  They both agreed.

Rod was the smartest actor I've ever met - he knew more about the camera, about directing, about staging, about choreographing a fight scene than anyone on the crew.  He would come in with new scenes that I had encouraged him to rewrite - and they were always 100 times better than what I had written or were on the page.  He was funny, smart, and told some great Hitchcock stories.


THE FIGHT SCENE FROM "POINT OF BETRAYAL"
WITH RICK JOHNSON AND ANN CUSACK 1996.

Rod choreographed this scene, we were losing the light and it was shot in one take.

One I remember is that one day during "The Birds" the studio had invited the international press to the set.  And during a set up, Rod noticed that the practical light in the refrigerator wasn't on, so when they went to do a take, Rod asked Hitch if "he was going to have them turn on the practical light in the refrigerator for the scene."  Hitch took a long pause and said "And now I will take a break while Rod Taylor directs the picture."  Everyone laughed but Rod, who was furious for being made a fool of.  During the lunch break, Hitch's secretary came looking for Rod, who was furious over Hitch mocking him.  

The secretary apologized profusely and insisted the Hitchcock wanted Rod to see him right away.  Rod went up to his office, thinking he was about to be fired, and when he came into the room, it was filled with all the international media - Paris Match, etc, all seated around a table having lunch with Hitchcock.  Hitch stood up and gestured to the empty seat next to him  and said "Ahhh, the star of the film has arrived.  Please, Rod Taylor, come and sit next to your biggest fan."

Of course they were best pals after that.


He last appeared in a Tarantino film - this is a wiki foto from an interview he did - via PDX retro
The saga of Point of Betrayal is short and sweet. Made for under a million, it was a thriller that was purchased by HBO and Paramount Home Video for distribution.  I thought that was fantastic.  Then it turned out no one had done an E and O for the film - an insurance document.  So Paramount sued the producer, and the film was put on a shelf - distributed overseas (I still get checks from odd territories for the musical score I did for the film, as well as checks from the Director's Guild) but the film has never been seen in theaters in the U.S. outside it's premier at the Palm Beach Film festival.




ROD TAYLOR IN "POINT OF BETRAYAL" WITH REBECCA BROUSSARD, ANN CUSACK, DINA MERRIL AND RICK JOHNSON. DIRECTED AND SCORED BY YOURS TRULY

I had a number of memorable dinners with Rod.  Funny, smart, didn't suffer fools lightly, he was also a terrific painter. 


Let's see if I can dig up one of his pix.



Anyways, as we grow older, more of us won't be on the planet much longer.  Both of these fellas made the world a brighter place, and I'm sorry to see them go, but looking forward to seeing them again at some point in the future, on the Flipside.

"Flipside" "Unbroken" and "The Great Zamperini"

I just watched the film "Unbroken," the amazing true story of Louis Zamperini.  

Wow.  What an amazing journey and path this man was on.  After watching the film, I really wanted to see Watanabe, "the Bird" speak - and found the following clip from 60 Minutes.


First it's Watanabe in his own words - the clip I'm showing is the one where the translation was reportedly done improperly by 60 Minutes the first time around, and a translator clarifies what he had to say. The differences are subtle but important.

Watanabe says clearly that "(You) Caucasians consider beating and kicking as cruel (torture)."  Meaning, it's not the same for me.  Then he goes on to say "If Zamperini says these things happened, they must have happened."  Completely disassociating himself from the acts of torture.

Gee where have I heard the same words said in defense of torture before?  Let's see... could it be... Dick Cheney?  Here's where he says " "It's not torture if it prevents another 9/11." "We did what had to be done." At least Watanabe didn't claim that what he'd done to Zamperini was justified.




But it's exactly the same.

"It's not torture if we're doing it to save our people."

But let's go beyond that.  The key moment in this story happened after Louis Zamperini returned home and was haunted by nightmares of killing "the Bird" out of revenge for his cruelty.

He went to see Billy Graham speak, who counseled him that forgiveness would alter his path and journey.  And as he says in this 35 minute interview, I highly recommend watching this if you're a fan of the book and film, that the idea of forgiveness caused him to stop dreaming of The Bird, or having nightmares about him.



(it's 35 minutes, highly recommend this Bob Simon award winning short film made for the Olympics)
That the act of forgiveness, or the thought of compassion towards him allowed him to alter his path and journey.  

Science would tell us that the altered the shape of his amygdala with that meditative thought.  That's what the research shows out of Richard Davidson's clinic at the University of Wisconsin.  That a single meditation on compassion can change depression in a human being - and that meditation, or forgiveness to his enemies, caused Louis Zamperini to emerge from his depression a new person.

And now comes the Flipside part.  In "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" volume one, David Bennett talks about his Near Death Experience where in his "life review" he saw that the negative acts of his life reverberated like ripples on a pond.  

But David experienced those acts from the point of view of the victim - so when he was kicking the shit out of a guy in a cowboy bar who made the mistake of making a pass at him earlier in his life, David experienced the blows, the blood, the humiliation all from the victim's point of view.  He said he experience that negativity, plus all the hatred from everyone in the bar who joined in on beating this poor fellow up.

So let that sink in for a moment - that every blow that the Bird rained down on Louis Zamperini, he is likely experiencing that now - all of the pain and suffering that he engendered during his lifetime.  Imagine the feeling of experiencing all of those blows at once - and not only do you experience it, but all of the people in your soul group experience it as well (according to David's account, which was later examined under clinical conditions at the University of Virginia by Dr. Bruce Greyson, and finally reconfirmed during an LBL that David had years after the event, but helped him see it with clarity.)

And conversely, all the joy and happiness and compassion that Louis has created in his life through forgiveness, is reverberating for him now - just as David Bennett (in "Voyage of Purpose") experienced when viewing the positive acts from his lifetime.


So by living this extremely difficult lifetime, and then forgiving those who trespassed against him, Louis Zamperini has given us all a gift that keeps on giving.  The lesson of compassion, the gift of forgiveness.  It not only heals us, but it reverberates throughout the universe as a positive healing wave.

But don't take my word for it, it's in the science. All that's required is to look for it.

Congratulations to Ms. Jolie and her crew for bringing this film to the planet and allowing his story to be one of healing for those that are able to embrace it.  I'm sure Louis is enjoying it from where he is now... back "home."