Dead, but Still Kicking: Encounters with Mediums, Shamans, and Spirits

by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski

Paul Sochaczewski travels to Indonesia, Myanmar, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland to speak with mediums, shamans, and, yes, spirits of dead folks. In this innovative work of personal journalism, Sochaczewski—a self-described Agnostic Spiritualist—creates the Three Tenets of Spiritualism. He receives a personal mandate from Moses, speaks with Alfred Russel Wallace about his relationship with Charles Darwin, gets frustrated by vague messages given by Wallace’s assistant, Ali, encounters a female vampire ghost who wants to follow him home (it’s his own fault), converses with nature spirits, and is invited on a date with the Mermaid Queen of Java. In exploring the characteristics that give mediums their power and in examining tricks of the trade, he admits there are many things we can’t explain with our science-oriented, logical, left brains. While there are few answers in this book, there are many questions and conundrums, such Are we more than our physical bodies? Is death the end, or merely the beginning of a new phase of existence? And, was the terrifying misandrous female vampire ghost Paul met in Borneo satisfied with the red chicken he offered her?

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2019

About the author

Paul Sochaczewski's highly acclaimed nonfiction books of personal travel include the five-volume Curious Encounters of the Human Kind series,An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen, Soul of the Tiger (with Jeff McNeely), and Distant Greens. Gary Braver, bestselling author of Tunnel Vision, said Paul's work is "in the great tradition of Asian reporting. The humanity of Somerset Maugham, the adventure of Joseph Conrad, the perception of Paul Theroux, and a self-effacing voice uniquely his own." Paul's handbook for people who want to write their personal stories, Share Your Journey, is based on the creative writing workshops he runs in more than 20 countries. Redheads and EarthLove are his eco-thrillers set in the rainforest of a mythical sultanate in Borneo.

Paul is an American writer (born in Brooklyn, New York), writing coach, conservationist, and communications advisor to international non-governmental organizations. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and has lived and worked in more than 80 countries, including long stints in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Paul served in the United States Peace Corps from 1969 to 1971, working as an education advisor in Sarawak, Malaysia. This exposure to Asia informed his writing, and as a result, most of his work has a Southeast Asian theme. He was also founding creative director of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in Indonesia and Singapore.

Reviews

[A Kotchoubey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that flows so flawlessly that you will read it all in almost one sitting. The author, takes you on a refreshingly unique journey to meet the likes of the famous 19th century biologist, explorer and ornithologist, Alfred Russel Wallace. The author travels to London, Indonesia and Geneva and taps into a network of mediums and his encounters with these characters takes reader on an unusual journey. What is truly enjoyable is the manner in which the book is written. The close attention to wording and dialog as well as the structure of the chapters creates an interaction between the author and the reader which allows us to meet a person who is witty, sarcastic, original and completely genuine. After reading this book, I have decided to take my own journey to meet my own spirit guide...