In the first half, psychologist and regression therapist Linda Backman discussed reincarnation, past lives, and the time that souls spend between incarnations —both earthly and interdimensional— as well as visitors from the angelic realm. Her knowledge has been gleaned from her clients and the consistent information they shared during regression sessions. The soul's purpose is to grow and learn and evolve, she noted, as we reincarnate in a series of lives as part of this process. There are various types of souls, she outlined, including "interplanetary" or "starseeds" who are designed to incarnate mostly on other planets.
There are also souls that come from the angelic realm who at times visit Earth, she said. They "generally don't incarnate at all, serve the divine," and are ambassadors of the "love and compassion energy." Humans, she continued, typically incarnate with the same group of 10-15 souls in a kind of "soul pod," and this may include loved ones, close friends, and mentors. After death, the time of reincarnation can vary, but Backman estimates that it's usually from six months to five years, depending on what the soul feels it needs. She further detailed that at the moment of death, a soul is assisted in the "leave-taking process" by deceased loved ones who ease the movement into the higher realm.
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In the latter half, education professor Roger Straughan spoke about his research into issues surrounding the afterlife, and the differences and conflicts between psychical and religious approaches to the possibility of a continuation of consciousness after death. The British researcher Robert Crookall compared reports from mediums, out-of-body experiencers, and other sources, and found that the immediate stages of death are very much like the dream state, where created elements might resemble an extension of the person's concerns in life. There was also a period of rest to recover from the dying process. Straughan said he's come to accept the reality of the afterlife, as he believes evidence from both religious traditions and psychical research present a strong case for it.
Christianity preaches practicing certain behaviors or rituals to ensure life everlasting, and thus church authorities were critical of the rise of Spiritualism in the 19th century, he noted. The new religion of Spiritualism declared that the afterlife was real, regardless of one's actions or whether one attended church. In a sense, they replaced the priest with a medium (who were often women), Straughan pointed out. During this period, psychical research began to take hold, and the Church sought to discredit both the mediums and researchers. Straughan looked in particular at two early psychical researchers-- the distinguished British scientist Oliver Lodge, and the famed author Arthur Conan Doyle (who eventually became an outspoken Spiritualist). For Straughan, one of the most convincing afterlife communications came from medium Eileen Garrett in 1930, when she reportedly brought through the voice of a flight lieutenant from a crashed airship who provided astonishing technical details.
News segment guests: Charles R. Smith, Christian Wilde