Books on Life after Death.

These books are channeled - in other words they are the words of someone who is "dead". There are two exceptions.

	Life in the World Unseen by Anthony Borgia. It amazes me how long one can spend, interested in the things that happen after death, and still find amazing books that you somehow did not discover earlier. This has to be one of the best written, and more than adequately in depth, on the topic of what happens in the Spirit Spheres. It was first published in 1954. The spirit telling the tale in this case is an ex-cleric, Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson. In spite of his previous religious background, he tells us a tale largely devoid of religious comment, save for his indignation at what he previously believed and indeed wrote as a mortal. He does not cover topics such as Divine Love, and that is to be expected. There are a number of later books by the same duo, so I await those with interest. I have moved this almost to the top of the book list, as all it takes is 113 pages for you to know a huge amount about life in the Spirit Spheres. The topics include passing over, the magnificence of the spheres, how they move around, eating fruits, their cities and buildings. How buildings are constructed, hospitals and children. A number of topics are better covered here than anywhere else I have found, including the issue of garments, movement, and even boating. Yes boating. For those of us who like boating! This book is largely out of print, and even pdfs seem hard to come by unless you pay. So I have created a pdf and offer it here.
	More about Life in the World Unseen by Anthony Borgia. This is a continuation of the book "Life in the World Unseen". It was first published in 1956. It is again an interesting book, particularly if you are pretty fanatical about wanting to know what happens after death. However compared with the first book, it should be said that there is a lot of repetition. There is an interesting discussion about the role, and the limitations placed on churches in the next realm.
	Here and Here After. by Anthony Borgia. This is a continuation of the book "Life in the World Unseen". It was first published in 1959. It is again an interesting book, particularly if you are pretty fanatical about wanting to know what happens after death. However compared with the first and second book, it should be said that there is a lot of repetition. One of the things that I wondered about, is that Monsignor seems not to have progressed spiritually very much in the period since his death. It is almost as if in giving up his Catholic Faith, he has decided he is not interested in God at all.
	Through the Mists Robert James Lees This book was recorded by James Lees in 1898, and had 20 reprints by 1952 when it went out of print. It is apparently a story related verbatim, as the spirit materialised and spoke to James Lees, who simply wrote down what he heard. This is a rather rare way of communicating, it must be said. I would rate this as one of the finest expositions of the spirit worlds, albeit that the language is perhaps too flowery for today's audience. If you put up with the slow pace, you will learn a lot about the next realm. This book covers many Spiritual Laws along the way, as the spirit tells of his first few weeks in "heaven". If you are a lover of the Bible, you may be amazed at the different turn put on many well known phrases, but if you are not a Christian, this may irritate. There is more to tell, and perhaps the sequel may tell that, but as an introduction, it is very comprehensive. I am indebted to a fellow enthusiast who has created a pdf, so that you can enjoy this book without charge. Again give it time to download. Then save it locally on your computer to read at leisure. If you would like a newly printed copy, you can get one here, as secondhand copies are scarce.
	The Life Elysian Robert James Lees. This is the second book in a set of three. It was initially published seven years after "Through the Mists", in 1905. I was frankly completely astounded how the material in this book aligns with that delivered by James Padgett from 1913 on. The book is in fact an attempt to set straight what Jesus really taught. As such it uses a large number of Bible quotations, and frequently the interpretation laid on these is both clear and novel. The book also covers a number of topics of great interest to folks, such as the issue of children lost in their early years. It is particularly good in its explanation of the purpose of the earthbound state, as I have not previously seen that covered, and did not realise that it had a purpose. It is also very good in explaining how it is that Father helps us, when we cry out for help. There is also a fascinating glimpse of the issue of our being frequently in spirit during the sleep state, and thus being able to recognise many old friends when we finally arrive in spirit. A pdf is available from another site, where it has been created by a fellow enthusiast. Give it time to download. A newly printed copy can be had here, as secondhand copies are now scarce.
	The Gate of Heaven Robert James Lees I was frankly somewhat disappointed with this book, the final book in a set of three. Perhaps I should not have been? This book confirms the intriguing, and critically important spiritual information conveyed in both the Padgett Messages and the Urantia Book that there lies a dimension beyond the Spirit World. But I was looking for more. Some confirmation of how Aphraar got to that point. Some differentiation between those that pass through the Gate and those who do not. I could not find that, but perhaps I was being too hard? A pdf of this book is available here, and a newly printed copy is available here.
	Spirit World and Spirit Life Charlotte Elizabeth Dresser Now that I have read so much on the life after death, this is really a book I might have selected as a starter. The reason for that is I believe there is very little error in this book. And it does help if the first few books you read are accurate. This book is not one that portrays any philosophy of how the spirit world is organised. And is somewhat limited in explaining progression. But it does a really great job of trying to explain how they live, move, talk, what they do, what their houses are like, how they make music etc. The final chapter on the education of children is really good too. While we are never going to totally understand how things are in the spiritual realm until we get there, this book gets as close as any I have found. One chapter I would have preferred to have seen left out, and that is the one on aliens. Not that I am a disbeliever in that topic, but as presented one gets the idea that Mars is covered with inhabited settlements. And seeing as we have had a pretty close look at Mars, that statement is preposterous. Other sources suggest all habitation on that planet is below the surface, and that may be the explanation. Pdf Copy here.
	Life Here and Hereafter by Charlotte Elizabeth Dresser This is a continuation of "Spirit World and Spirit Life" by Charlotte Elizabeth Dresser, also a fabulous book. Actually however, it is a very different book, and is only partly her work. The pdf is available here Pdf Copy For me this book was really a missing link. The missing link between "30 Years among the dead" and the various Padgett related messages on life after death. It is a large number of case studies of a human working with a celestial support group tasked with awakening these recently departed folks - presumably in the Astral Plane, although that is not stated. Finally I have a very clear idea of how the many of us typically awaken in the next realm. And it's a sad scene. All too many mortals awake into darkness and confusion, with minds in a dream state, unable to see anything or hear anything. Some are relatively quickly taught how to awaken their spiritual sight, and hearing, and then progress as expected. Some are so caught up in their original earth beliefs, that they take a lot of work to awaken, insisting that they are not dead, because they are "alive" etc. Others (relatively few) may apparently take centuries to come out of this zombie like state. These are not folks that are bad either, just folks who never gave a thought to life after death. One can see how "earth bounds" occur, and one case of obsession is handled as well, although very interestingly this is a case of two ex-mortals being attached to another ex-mortal. I did not imagine obsession of one spirit by another could occur. This book also has two very interesting sections right at the end. One is on the subject of thoughts, and how they actually influence the mind. The other is on the location of what I suspect is the First Sphere.
	Gone West: Three Narratives of After Death Experiences J.S.M.Ward Received in 1914, this book is a phenomenally detailed description of the dark planes of the First Spirit Sphere, and also the Astral Plane. Quite useful classifications of these and even the higher spheres are used in this book, and although these may not easily align with the Spheres described through James Padgett, nevertheless they seem very descriptive and useful. The Astral Plane has to my knowledge not been as carefully explored and communicated in any work that I have ever read, and this seems a great pity, since many mortals apparently pass to this plane where they may reside for a considerable period, till eventually passing up into the Spirit Spheres, or down into the dark planes. It also thus gives a lot of background to the phenomenon discovered by Dr Irene Hickman, and also Dr Carl Wickland of obsession and possession. One of the REALLY amazing things about this book, is that even though it has very little on the life in the higher spirit spheres, the spirit very clearly communicates that there is yet another realm beyond the Spirit Spheres, and that it is a one way journey there, though what he calls "the wall of fire". This is of course the Celestial Realm, and that is the focus of James Padgett's work, so it's good to find this corroboration. This book can be purchased on Amazon, as it is available though Kessinger Publishing. It is a pity that this publisher does not user OCR, and merely scans the old books, with the result that some pages are nearly impossible to read. The pdf is here.
	A Subaltern in Spirit Land - a Sequel to Gone West Part One J.S.M.Ward This book concentrates on the Astral Plane. That statement may mean nothing at all to the reader, as it is rare for any of these books to be so specific, and one often wonders where the spirit is located, who is describing life after death. This is the finest description of the Astral Plane I have ever read, and makes it clear that some people go here after death, while others go to the Spirit Spheres. There are also excellent descriptions of other inhabitants of these planes, both elementals and astral shells. The elementals include "wee folk", or fairies, indicating that some folks have really seen these elusive creatures. There are also evil elementals, and evil astral mortals. The issue of obsession and possession is extremely well described, being whiolly supportive of Dr Irene Hickmans book : "Remote Depossession" and also Dr Wickland's "30 years among the dead" A pdf is located here.
	When Ghosts Speak by Mary Ann Winkowski. The author has been able to see and converse with earth-bound spirits since she was a child. Interestingly, she cannot see those "in the light". This book should be good enough to convince even skeptics that folks are alive after death. It is a very good coverage of earth-bound spirits, also called ghosts. But because she has no experience of those who have crossed over, it does not cover the situation that the majority of us will experience. This book is current, and should be available in many book stores.
	The Blue Island by Pardoe Woodman and Estelle Stead This is a relatively short channeled book, the spirit author being W.T. Stead, a man of considerable significance in journalistic circles in his lifetime, and who died when the Titanic sank. It is his story of passing over and spending time in the transition zone, which he has called the Blue Island. It is probably the most comprehensive coverage of the transition zone that I have found, and thus answers very completely what happens after spirits "pass into the light". Interestingly, he did not travel through a tunnel of light, nor did he see any light immediately after his death on the Titanic. Also interestingly, he reports that all the dead traveled together in a group to the transition zone. It is a good coverage of the issue of communication by thought, as also the technique of materialising and transferring thoughts to mediums. The book is at it's strongest in describing his personal experiences, but it is at it's weakest when he tries to postulate on what lies ahead. Here he foresees the choice to reincarnate, and he repeats a common belief that one loses one's individuality in passing beyond the seventh, into the eternal realm. This book can be downloaded as a pdf. It was published in 1922. A hard copy of this book can be purchased here.
	Letters from the Light Written through the hand of Elsa Barker. This book was first published in 1914 under the title "Letters from a living dead man." It was republished in 1995 by Beyond Words Publishing - ISBN 1-885223-08-0. This book chronicles the experiences of a spirit in it's first year. There is an amazing ring of Truth to much that is explained, even though I do not accept reincarnation as true. It is a reasonable explanation of life after death, and the spirit describes many things that are undoubtedly true, even though he was in some cases too inexperienced to put these experiences into the correct context. In particular, I now suspect he may be describing the Astral Plane, particularly in the light of his having a young companion. I have created a pdf copy of the portions of this text which are in the public domain.
	Testimony of Light by Helen Greaves Quite a recent book, published in 1969 and is the communications of Frances Banks. For 25 years she was a teaching nun, based in South Africa. But her ever inquiring mind led her out of the Anglican order, and into more general psychology and spirituality. This story is at its best when she tells exactly what she is experiencing, and far less so when she repeats that which she formulated on earth. She too believes in reincarnation, but this topic does not form a large part of this book. She describes the Healing Hospital, or Station where she initially woke after death, and subsequently served. This book does not have as much detail on the after life as many of the books I have recommended, but for all that it is interesting. As the copyright is still in force, there are no pdfs of this book.
	A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands by Franchezzo, transcribed by A. Farnese. This book, published in 1901 is an extensive coverage of the dark spheres, but not quite as extensive as Gone West. The same topics are covered in the Padgett Messages, but here we have an entire book devoted to the subject. Franchezzo passes into darkness, and details his extensive journey back to the light, and later, back to help others in the dark. Some of the descriptions of cities ruled by dreadful ex-mortals are quite terrifying. I do not think this book would fall into the "must read" category unless, like me, you are extremely keen to understand all that one possibly can about the Spirit Realms. In fact I would recommend against reading this book, unless you already have a clear idea of the wonderful places in the next realm. But for me the most important material was a very good description of the Astral Plane. It seems that our definitions of earth bound spirits may in many cases be inaccurate, as it appears there are also a significant number of astral shells which once housed a mortal, but no longer do, as also thought forms some of which can attain a degree of independence. Probably these are the classic ghosts that no one seems to be able to help. I also wonder how many of the attachments that Dr Irene Hickman and Dr Carl Wickland described may fall into some of the categories described in this chapter. I have created a pdf of this book.
	30 Years among the Dead. Dr Carl Wickland. There is no finer explanation of possession, obsession, spirit attachment and the existence of so called "devils" than this book. At one level it may seem repetitive, as spirit after spirit is introduced, insisting they are not dead, insisting perhaps that they have been reincarnated, or are simply trying to live as best they can. But at another level, this book is a wealth of information about the phenomenon often referred to as earthbound spirits - spirits residing on the Astral Plane. One can learn here how it is that some people can tear their hair out, bite themselves, and even commit murder or suicide. One learns of the vast number of people who pass over into almost total spiritual darkness, and are attracted to the only spiritual light they can see - other living mortals with a little more soul development. Originally published in 1924, and now out of print. If every Christian pastor read this book, not only would millions of folk be spared their arrival in the lowest of the spheres, but they would recognise that they are dead. And avoid obsessing others. How ironical is it that the very devils these pastors warn about are most often their very own spiritually blind followers? I have written a short précis of the book. Read that before downloading it, I would suggest. It is a very big book, some 350 pages of A4, and thus a large pdf. Give it a lot of time to download.