There are also a number of accounts
of the experiences of individuals who, without any apparent psychic gifts or
other ‘advantages’, underwent such extensive involvements across the boundaries
of death that they decided to publish an account of their experiences. Some of
these books are included below:
Kennedy, David (1973). A Venture in Immortality.
Colin Smythe, Gerrards Cross. ISBN 0-900-67579-9.
A careful and readable account of
communication between the author, a Minister in the Church of Scotland, and his
wife who died prematurely. A fascinating and convincing record.
Pearce, Ian (1986). One Man’s Odyssey.
C.W. Daniel Co., Saffron Walden. ISBN 0-85207-179-5.
Dr. Ian Pearce was a ‘perfectly
normal, orthodox doctor’ in Diss, Norfolk, until the death, from leukemia, of
his darling daughter Vicky, ten years old. His grief started him on a spiritual
journey which put him in touch with Vicky and the reality of the Afterlife, and
made him a healer and pioneer of holistic cancer care. His communications with Vicky,
and later with ‘Paul’, through a medium, are transcribed from tapes.
Two recently-published books
recount the experiences of mothers who, having lost young sons, sought for
evidence that they had survived in the spirit world. They recount the evidence
that convinced them of their sons’ survival; Gwen Byrne’s descriptions of the
materialisation evidence that she witnessed over a long period of time are
particularly interesting.
Byrne, Gwen (1994). Russell. Janus Publ. Co.
ISBN 1-85756-150-3.Prentice, Margaret (1999). Richard, Spirit and I.
Lionheart Press. No ISBN.Richelieu, Peter (1996). A Soul’s Journey. Thorsons, London. ISBN 0-7225-3291-1. (Originally published 1953; also Turnstone Press, Wellingborough, 1972, ISBN 0-85500-065-1).
"While in a state of despair
after the death of his brother, the author is visited by Acharya, an Indian
mystic. Using astral projection, Acharya takes him out of the physical world
onto the astral planes of the ‘afterlife’. Each astral plane teaches something
new about life and death, karma and the ego. Through a series of meetings with
the ‘dead’ - including his brother - the author comes to realize how irrational
it is to fear death.
Through his teaching, Acharya opens
up a whole vision of life in the world that follows this, a world where
anything is possible.
Based on notes taken immediately
following out-of-body experiences, this book is both enlightening and
absorbing. It gives the reader a direct insight into the unknown mysteries of
life and death."
Rose, Aubrey (1997). Journey into Immortality. The story of David Rose. Lennard Publishing, Harpenden. ISBN 1-85291-133-6.
This is the story, written by his
father, of a remarkable young man who died of cancer at the age of
twenty-three. During David’s illness he had received help from healers but they
were unable to effect a cure. After his death David’s father was guided to the
direct voice medium Leslie Flint and soon made contact with his father-in-law
and then with David. Communication was not always easy but, as Aubrey Rose
says, "the sittings continued, the messages mounted, the tape recorders
continued to whirl, and the joy of being once again with David uplifted us as
we had confirmation after confirmation that death was not the end."
On to Section 8. The Survival of Pets and
Other Animals