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Loitering at the Gate to Eternity: Memoirs of a Psychic Bystander
"Author Louisa Oakley Green didn't believe in psychic phenomena when she met her husband Stephen. Now, twenty years later, this self-described "psychic bystander" from New Jersey shares haunting tales from family, friends, and strangers who see life through the veil of clairvoyance and mediumship.
In Loitering at the Gate to Eternity , Green recounts the psychic tales of everyday people, from school teachers and business professionals to blue collar workers, as well as four gifted psychic professionals. Some have had only one psychic experience in their lives. Others are guided by them daily. Green offers engrossing insights into the world of clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, and the peculiar penchant deceased relatives and friends have for sharing our burdens and celebrations.
Providing credence to the belief that everyone possesses psychic ability, though some seem to have a more natural affinity for it than others, Loitering at the Gate to Eternity chronicles Green's journey from skeptic to believer through more than one hundred paranormal stories. When you finish reading these personal accounts, you may never view 'reality' the same way again."
In Loitering at the Gate to Eternity , Green recounts the psychic tales of everyday people, from school teachers and business professionals to blue collar workers, as well as four gifted psychic professionals. Some have had only one psychic experience in their lives. Others are guided by them daily. Green offers engrossing insights into the world of clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, and the peculiar penchant deceased relatives and friends have for sharing our burdens and celebrations.
Providing credence to the belief that everyone possesses psychic ability, though some seem to have a more natural affinity for it than others, Loitering at the Gate to Eternity chronicles Green's journey from skeptic to believer through more than one hundred paranormal stories. When you finish reading these personal accounts, you may never view 'reality' the same way again."
184 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2026
Very entertaining book for believers, non-believers and everyone in between. I like that these are genuine stories from every day people, expertly told by “a psychic bystander” / Author who Chronicles these tales with the objective eye of a former journalist …who happened to marry someone who sees ghosts. 😊
March 30, 2020
Warm and touching
What a warm feeling reading of others who have been given the gift of communication with the other side. Very comforting to me.
What a warm feeling reading of others who have been given the gift of communication with the other side. Very comforting to me.
December 2, 2013
Louisa Oakley Green is a talented writer. This much I’ll tell you up front. If you’ve read any of my older work, you’re likely well aware that I have little time for those who would call themselves psychic. This isn’t because I don’t believe it to be possible; I do. I just have little faith in the verity of those people who would advertise these abilities for personal gain (which is an unfortunate thing for those with genuine gifts, but as they say, it is what it is).
Loitering at the Gate to Eternity: Memoirs of a Psychic Bystander offers no such conflict though. This book is essentially a collection of anecdotal recollections of Green’s husband and his family. In broad strokes, it tells the story of how her husband, Stephen, and his family seem to have a propensity for psychic and mediumistic talents. Looking more closely though, one finds this book to be an examination of nearly every form of PSI or ESP that is known, all from the perspective of, not one who has experienced the gifts, but of one who has witnessed the phenomenon from the sidelines. This perspective is familiar to me in my personal life, and perhaps this contributed to my appraisal of Green’s work.
The subtitle, Memoirs of a Psychic Bystander, is poignant, and becomes a theme throughout the book, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the romance of the stories. Green expertly illustrates the particulars of each memory as told to her by any number of family members and friends of the family who have either witnessed the phenomenon, like her, or whom possess what seems to be a hereditary propensity for sensitivity. Beyond that though, she skillfully captures the essence of their experiences and lets the reader live it right alongside her.
Green has admitted to me privately, that she was unsure how I would receive this book, because I have a reputation for approaching such subjects from a pointedly skeptical position. I do admit that some of what is relayed in Loitering at the Gate to Eternity rubbed me the wrong way, but this is not because Green is wrong, or because I deny that the events are true. It’s entirely because I require evidence that is not and could never be available. There are times, it seems, that Green is resigned to the fact that those of us without such gifts will never know the truth of it, but it’s also easy to see that her mind is open and that she has a great love of her husband and her extended family, and of their history.
This book would likely be a turn off for the staunch skeptic, but for those with an open mind, and/or those who enjoy folksy biopic literature, Loitering at the Gate to Eternity is a good choice.
Loitering at the Gate to Eternity: Memoirs of a Psychic Bystander offers no such conflict though. This book is essentially a collection of anecdotal recollections of Green’s husband and his family. In broad strokes, it tells the story of how her husband, Stephen, and his family seem to have a propensity for psychic and mediumistic talents. Looking more closely though, one finds this book to be an examination of nearly every form of PSI or ESP that is known, all from the perspective of, not one who has experienced the gifts, but of one who has witnessed the phenomenon from the sidelines. This perspective is familiar to me in my personal life, and perhaps this contributed to my appraisal of Green’s work.
The subtitle, Memoirs of a Psychic Bystander, is poignant, and becomes a theme throughout the book, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the romance of the stories. Green expertly illustrates the particulars of each memory as told to her by any number of family members and friends of the family who have either witnessed the phenomenon, like her, or whom possess what seems to be a hereditary propensity for sensitivity. Beyond that though, she skillfully captures the essence of their experiences and lets the reader live it right alongside her.
Green has admitted to me privately, that she was unsure how I would receive this book, because I have a reputation for approaching such subjects from a pointedly skeptical position. I do admit that some of what is relayed in Loitering at the Gate to Eternity rubbed me the wrong way, but this is not because Green is wrong, or because I deny that the events are true. It’s entirely because I require evidence that is not and could never be available. There are times, it seems, that Green is resigned to the fact that those of us without such gifts will never know the truth of it, but it’s also easy to see that her mind is open and that she has a great love of her husband and her extended family, and of their history.
This book would likely be a turn off for the staunch skeptic, but for those with an open mind, and/or those who enjoy folksy biopic literature, Loitering at the Gate to Eternity is a good choice.
September 19, 2013
Absolutely fascinating collection of real paranormal and psychic accounts from a wide spread and very different group of people. The author did a wonderful job of telling these stories without forcing any opinions or beliefs on the reader while still keeping the book engrossing enough that I read through most of it before I realized it. And I can honestly say by the end it had me seriously regarding some of the unusual things that have happened to me in my life in a different way. For believers and nonbelievers alike this will book WILL make you think and is definitely worth a read.
December 10, 2015
This collection of brushes with the "other side" is an endearing work that gently demystifies the mysterious. The author's own compelling connection to family ties, either by blood or by virtue of being part of the human race, leaves you feeling deeply moved by the personal stories and subtly connected to a larger truth. I am a believer in paranormal phenomena and have experienced it firsthand, so I find Ms. Green's retellings not only believable but delightfully entertaining as well. I have already ordered the second book in the Bystander series! Sit tight for the next review!
October 22, 2016
I admit that I am a skeptic and still am even after reading this very entertaining book. But it has me thinking. As someone who tries to be open-minded (I have, after all, eaten alligtor and ostrich), I am considering the possibilty that there is some validty to this phenomena. In researching my own project about my deceased father, I have occasionally been led down a path which helped with my work and wondered if I was directed there by him. So nonbeliever that I am, I have also read her second book.
November 10, 2015
Beautifully written and engrossing.
Louisa Oakley green has written a book with engaging stories of the paranormal that I could have read in one sitting.
Louisa Oakley green has written a book with engaging stories of the paranormal that I could have read in one sitting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews