Author, researcher, and speaker Mark Gober serves on the Board of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and the School of Wholeness and Enlightenment (SoWE). In the first half, he discussed compelling scientific evidence from a diverse set of disciplines, ranging from psychic phenomena, to near-death experiences, to quantum physics that consciousness creates all material reality, and biological processes do not create consciousness. He defined consciousness as our subjective awareness or sense of experience in life. Citing a metaphor from philosopher Bernardo Castro, he suggested there is one universal consciousness that we can think of like an infinite stream of water. "Each of us is a whirlpool within that stream, so we have a sense of individuality but we're fundamentally connected with everything else." Extending the analogy, psychic phenomena could be conceptualized as two whirlpools mixing together, he added, with the afterlife, a de-localized whirlpool that has transitioned into a new form.

We could think of the brain as a kind of blinder that blocks out a wider perception, he continued, and this is demonstrated with near-death experiences where people describe enriched types of consciousness even as their brains are barely functioning or shut down. He also talked about reincarnation and how our consciousness may be the product of many lives, strung together with "pre-birth planning." This was described in a number of case studies of children who recalled past lives in a study at the University of Virginia. Their "intermission memories" included encounters with intelligent beings and a planning period between lives, where they choose their parents. For more, check out Gober's podcast series, Where is My Mind?

---------------------

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC, has over forty years' experience and training in hospitals, pastoral counseling settings, mental health centers, and private practice. In the latter half, he talked about his collaboration with Dr. Gary Schwartz on their experiments that reportedly offer definitive proof of the afterlife. Schwartz is holding off on an official announcement, said Pitstick, until his peer-reviewed paper is published, and six different universities and institutes replicate the research. Through their research, Pitstick continued, "we have demonstrated communication with 'post-material persons' (their term for the deceased)." This communication is accomplished through the SoulPhone, an integrative set of devices they're developing.

Technologies of the SoulPhone include the 'SoulSwitch,' a binary switch set up for simple 'yes' and 'no' answers (this is what has primarily been experimented with so far). Future iterations of the technology include the 'SoulKeyboard' that will "allow us to type and text with those in another dimension," said Pitstick, as well as Skype-like video and voice capabilities. In their experiments, they have worked with the spirits of Albert Einstein and David Bohm, Pitstick reported. Mediums involved in the tests said the scientists appeared as they did in life. They are "historical energy systems who can manifest as desired depending on conditions," he recounted. He also revealed how they set up a "personal ID test" so they can verify that a spirit is who they say they are.

News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Mish Shedlock