Exploring Life After Death on the Internet
Part II - After Death Communication (ADC) and Research Sites

---

Last month, we gave you addresses of web sites devoted to Near Death Experiences (NDEs). This month's column is dedicated to sites that deal with After Death Communication (ADC). As we said last month, these sites can help those who are actively dealing with the grieving process. They also can help anyone -- and that means just about everybody -- who has asked that big question: What happens after we die?

ADC Sites
Rosemary Altea (www.rosemaryaltea.com): British medium and author Rosemary Altea has a compact site that focuses on her books, audio tapes, healing requests, media and tours and lectures. It does not contain a lot of added information about ADCs. For that, you'd have to go to her books (i.e. Proud Spirit) or audio tapes. There is one very interesting section called "Ask Rosemary," however. In this section, Altea answers questions sent in by web site visitors. Her advice seems to be sound and compassionate. For example, one woman asked: "When we die and don't ask for forgiveness, do we go to that dark place you talked about?" Altea answered: "No, I don't believe we must ask forgiveness for being merely flawed human beings..."

George Anderson Grief Support Programs (georgeanderson.com): George Anderson is a well known medium, the subject of classic ADC books by Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski, including We Are Not Forgotten and We Don't Die. There is a very commercial feel to this site, although it also contains some valuable free information. The "This Month" section lists Anderson's public appearance: "On Thursday,, June 29th, George Anderson will be featured on CBS NEWS 48 HOURS" or "On Sunday, July 23 at 10PM ET/PT George Anderson will appear in a filmed segment for Lifetime Network's "Beyond Chance..."Sessions with Anderson are pricey, to say the least. Private sessions range from $1000 to $2000, telephone discernments are $1000 and participation in group sessions range from $200 to $450. There is some great information here, though. In the "Ask George Anderson" section, Anderson answers questions like the one from someone named Susan about what people from the Other Side have to say about prayer. The "Lifeline" section features articles by grief experts on coping with loss. The site also features a section with Grief Support Resources and Links.

John Edward (www.johnedward.net): I have a lot of respect for John Edward's work as a medium. His program "Crossing Over" on the Sci-Fi channel, for example, is helping thousands of viewers get a better understanding about mediumship and its benefits. I wish, however, that his web site contained more comprehensive information about ADCs and mediumship. Instead, the site comes across as rather commercial, touting his book, One Last Time, his TV show, his paid newsletter and his retreats. One bright point, however, is the "Services and Referrals" section. In addition to information about his own fees ($300 plus $100 per additional family member), the section features links to other psychics and mediums like Sandy Anastasi (www.starchildbooks.com), Shelley Peck (www.shelleypeck.com), Susan Northrop (www.theseance.com) and Robert Brown(www.robertbrownmedium.com).

Exploring the Spiritual World (www.angelfire.com/tx2/spiritual/index.html): Both ADCs and Near Death Experiences are featured at this site, as are topics like "Angels & Miracles" and "Ghosts & Apparitions." The purpose of the site is to "open a door and let you peek into the world of the 'unexplained.'" The site's creator traces her own spiritual journey back to after-death communications with family members that began at age six. The section on ADCs features a number of ADC experiences gleaned from other sources.

Insights Into the Afterlife (ils.unc.edu/inls300/usr/kaplr/doc18u.htm): This site, the creation of Nora M. Spurgin, consists of information gleaned during the terminal illness experience of her close friend, Linna, and through a wide range of reading and searching. It is in a question and answer format. Spurgin attempts to answers questions like, "Is there life after death? How do we know?" "What is the Spirit World like?" and "If we are not religious, what happens?" The site also includes a list of suggested readings. The information was originally published in booklet form by the Women's Federation for World Peace.

James Van Praagh (www.vanpraagh.com): The welcome page of author and medium James Van Praagh's site states: "It is my hope that the pages of information I have gathered will assist your desire to evolve yourself upon the road to self-awareness and enlightenment." The site does contain commercial elements like the store where you can purchase books and tapes and an invitation to join Van Praagh on a tour, retreat or conference. There is also a lot of valuable free information. For example, Van Praagh's book and lecture schedule now prevents him from giving private ADC readings. In the section, "Practitioners," he presents a list of spiritual centers, healing centers and practitioners. Included in this list is the venerable Spiritualist enclave, the Lily Dale Assembly in New York State that has close to 100 registered mediums. Healing centers in Illinois include the Chicago Center for Chronic Disorders and the Heartland Spa. His section on "Internet Links" includes the site of Brian L. Weiss, M.D. and the site for Compassionate Friends. The site also includes recommended reading list and a section called "Inspiration."

Spiritualism: I'm planning to write about Spiritualism in another column, but meantime, here are some sites to check out. A comprehensive Spiritualist site belongs to The First Spiritual Temple (www.fst.org). In addition to information about this particular Spiritualist church, there is a whole section about the 150-year history of Spiritualism that includes biographies of Spiritualist founders and pioneers. The British Spiritualists' National Union site (www.snu.org.uk/home.htm) is particularly interesting if you are planning a trip to England and would like to experience the rich Spiritualist tradition of that country. Other interesting Spiritualist sites include The International Spiritualist Federation (www.laurence-harry.co.uk/isf.htm), Spiritual Philosophy Through the Mediumship of Lucy Hale (http://freespace.virgin.net/john.hardaker/Lucy/lcy-idx.html) and The Federation of Spiritual Churches and Associations (www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/1885/?).

Research Sites
After Death Communication (www.after-death.com): This site was developed by Bill and Judy Guggenheim , authors of Hello From Heaven and founders of the After Death Communication (ADC) Project. Hello From Heaven was the first book ever written that documented this new field of research. The site includes information on the ADC Project, sample ADCs and a place where ADC experiencers can add their experiences to the project. The project is particularly interested in certain ADCs including those from children and from adults who experienced them when they were under 18 years old; and ADCs that include Jesus, Mary, angels and/or other spiritual beings.
After Death Communication Research Foundation (www.adcrf.org): This site contains a lot of useful information in sections like "Intro to After Death Communication," "ADCRF Research" and "After Death Communication Stories." Visitors can add their own ADC experiences to the site.

Afterlife Knowledge (www.afterlife-knowledge.com): This site by engineer, author and lecturer Bruce Moen, is dedicated to reducing fear and uncertainty about death and to increasing knowledge about the Afterlife. The site features workshops, books and information about how you can develop mediumistic skills. One interesting feature is the transcript of what Moen calls "An Online Retrieval" from a Chat Room session. According to Moen, a spirit name Nancy who had recently died of cancer was stuck in the afterlife. The transcript details a retrieval session in which Nancy is led into the light.

A Lawyer Presents the Case For the Afterlife (www.ozemail.com.au/~vwzammit/): This fascinating Australian site was developed by Victor Zammit, a retired Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia. Zammit presents the case for the Afterlife based on "The Irrefutable Objective Evidence." Contents include sections like "What's wrong with being a closed-minded skeptic?" "Respected scientists who investigated" and "Science and apparitions." This site is well worth a visit.

Is there life after death? (www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/070331/31near.htm): "Is there life after death?" is an archived article, the cover story from the March 31, 1997 issue of U.S. News. The article explores Near Death Experiences (NDEs), stating that they may be physiological or may be "peepholes into a world beyond." Whatever the cause, the article points out that NDEs alter some lives: "Alcoholics find themselves unable to imbibe. Hardened criminals opt for a life of helping others. Atheists embrace the existence of a deity, while dogDavid J. Chalmers, Ph.D. writes in the Scientific American (1997): "Consciousness, the subjective experience of an inner self, could be a phenomenon forever beyond the reach of neuroscience..."...psychiatrist Bruce Greyson writes in The Lancet of February 5, 2000 after having examined all bio- and neurochomical explanations that these do not offer any satisfactory solution for this phenomenon.matic memb i c . . t - m n . e " i S d i c i / s e i C h n c r n - c e 201C;home circle is used in Spiritualism to describe a group of individuals who come together at a home or church in order to develop mediumistic abilities.

Society for Psychical Research (http://moebius.psy.ed.ac.uk/~spr/): Founded in 1882 by a distinguished group of Cambridge scholars, SPR is the granddaddy of psychical research. You won't find a lot of in-depth research finding here, but you will find out about SPR programs, research initiatives, the SPR library, etc. The purpose of the society is to examine allegedly paranormal phenomena in a scientific and unbiased way.

Survival of Bodily Death (http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/tart/survival/important.html): This is a brand new site that shows great promise if it develops as promised. Most section are under construction, but the purpose of the site stresses the importance of research. The splash page for the site features a statement that begins: "We, a group of scholars and scientists who have carefully studied the scattered, empirical evidence for the possibility that people may, in some form, have some kind of survival of consciousness after death, agree on the following five points:" I won't go into those points here, but please go to the site and check them out. They are very interesting.

I will conclude this column by quoting from John R. Audette, M.S., a co-founder of International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS). Audette is referring to the cornerstone insights gained through study of NDEs, but I believe ADCs could be added to that equation:

1. We are all one.

2. There is survival of consciousness/spirit beyond death.

3. Loving and serving one another is what matters most ultimately.

4. There is a God, one God, who is all-knowing and non-judgmental and who is the manifestation of pure unconditional love.

5. There is no reason to fear death. Ipso facto, the need for every thinking person to reevaluate one's values and priorities on earth.

Have you experienced vital information or assistance regarding NDEs or ADCs from a web site? If so, please drop me an e-mail at Monty764@aol.com.

If you have a favorite spiritual or personal growth Web site that you'd like me to review, please let me know via email.