The First Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference - notes

            The First Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference was held in Phoenix April 29 through May 1 and I can barely wait for the second one.  As many conferences I've attended, both as a writer and a researcher in most things metaphysical, this one will always be remembered as unique, not only because of the subject but because of the warmth and positive energy of the organizers, the attendees and the staff of the Embassy Suites hotel.  Talk about a love fest! 

            Due to my personal experiences with after death communication, I attended not realizing that, in spite of the name of the conference, (Duh!) workshops would extend beyond ADCs to include near death experiences, mediumship, the impact of grief on our lives, and beyond.  Attendees included members of Compassionate Friends, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, the International Association for Near Death Studies and others the names of which I've forgotten. For many of us it meant a great deal to be a part of a group in which we could speak freely about what was happening in our lives.  That in itself was worth the cost of registration.  We came together as strangers and left with new friends, all of them keepers.

Bill Guggenheim,  co-author of Hello from Heaven, was to be the keynote speaker on opening night but had to cancel due to a death in the family.  Regardless, we could feel his energetic support and we sent ours to him in what has to be a difficult time. With speakers like Ann Puryear, PMH Atwater, Herb Puryear, Mark Ireland, Terri Daniel, Louis LaGrand, Rochelle Wright, Craig Hogan, Mitch Carmody, Boyce Batey, Carla Blowey, Julie Beischel, Mark Nelson, the biggest problem for most attendees was deciding which workshops to attend, since two and sometimes three were scheduled at the same time.  Here's the list:

ADCs, Science and Sacred Writings

Mediumship 101

Working in Partnership with Guides, Loved Ones and Others on the Other Side

There Is No Death: The Other Side and Beyond

Practical Uses of the Extraordinary Experiences of the Bereaved

Suicide and the Afterlife – Why do our loved ones kill themselves?

Faces of Grief, Whispers of Love: Surviving the Loss of a Loved One

Beyond the Veil: Evidence for Life After Death

Dream Visits: Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

A Challenge from Near-Death Studies

Afterlife Research: Ghosts, Mediums, and Other Data from the Death

We Are Never Alone

Centering Corporation handled the sales of books, a guarantee that we left with luggage threatening to cost everyone for the extra weight.

Terri Daniel's Facebook page about the conference will give you a better idea of what a great event it was, especially remarkable since it was the first.  Terri and her volunteers pulled it off, in spades.  I took pictures but as a photographer I stink, big time, so you'll have to rely on those Terri and others have posted on Facebook.

Fair warning: registration for the conference closed in a very short time, the limit for the number of attendees reached far sooner than was anticipated.  Expect the same next year.  If you plan to attend, don't wait!   

Chassie West

Open to Receive

"In a recent poll sponsored by a cable TV station, 25,000 responded.  99% believed in life after death.  70% reported having experienced an after death communication"

~No Reason For Goodbyes: Messages From Beyond Life

Many of the stories in Chassie's book are spontaneous communications that took place directly between people here in the physical world and their loved ones on the other side, without the assistance of a medium.  Often, my own clients wonder why their loved ones "never" visit them or provide evidence of their existence in the afterlife, when in truth, they are likely being visited often and just not paying enough attention!  Because we remain connected by the bonds of love, no medium can possibly have a stronger connection to our loved ones than us.  Each of us, as soul-based beings, has the natural ability to continue a relationship with our loved ones even after physical death. However, because they are now free of the limitations of having a physical body, we need to learn how to communicate with them in a new way.  Following are some tips that may help you in keeping the lines of communication open:

• Pay attention.  Of course, not every dime on the sidewalk is going to be a sign from Aunt Lucy...but don't walk through life with blinders on.  Notice your surroundings, and be objectively observant.  If you find a dime on the bed you just made, the bathtub you just cleaned, the chair you were just sitting in...and were just thinking about Aunt Lucy as you did so, then that dime may be her way of saying "hello!" Also, be open-minded; many people miss the "post-it note" sized signs because they are too busy watching for the huge "billboard". 

• Journal your dreams.  As we sleep our conscious, logical mind takes a back seat to our receptive, intuitive senses.  Therefore, we are psychically "open" in this state and better able to receive messages.  For these reasons, many people find that their loved ones visit as they sleep.  It's a good idea to keep a journal next to your bed and make it a practice to write everything you can remember from each dream as soon as you wake, right down to the tiniest detail.  

• Meditate regularly.  Meditation need not be done sitting atop a mountain chanting "OM" while heavy incense wafts around your head.  Meditation simply means to "be"...be in the moment, in the thought, in the breath.  Make it a practice to take a few moments each day to breathe and allow the mind chatter of the day to drift away while you focus on the breath.  When you are in that state of zen-like calm, it is then that you are at your most "open" and able to receive clearer intuitive messages. 

• Ask.  Our loved ones want to communicate with us as much as we want to hear from them!  Ask (mentally or out loud) your loved one to show you a specific sign.  One author I know asked his deceased father to show him a specific rare mushroom (which had significant meaning to their relationship) to indicate his presence.  After many weeks had gone by, he had all but given up and as he trusted an intuitive message to walk out to his yard, there was the rare mushroom, growing in the soil where it had no logical business being.    

• Have patience. Know that time is an earthly concept.  Not receiving the sign you are asking for immediately does not mean that your loved one doesn't love you or doesn't want to make contact.  Be patient - it'll happen, and often when you least expect it!

A shared farewell

            In putting No Reason for Goodbye contributors' experiences into categories, there were a few I found difficult to peg, for instance, that of Lorraine Peck.  It was certainly an example of contact by the departed, yet very different than most others.  Wouldn't you know that among those I've heard as the result of the book was this one from someone very close to me.  In his words:

"While at work here at the hospital, I was painting a patient room wall. The patient room was adjoined to another patient room with a shared small walkway about 10 ft long. I was concerned that the paint smell would bother the patient in the other room, so asked the head nurse if it was ok to work in the area. She told me go ahead, that the patient was out of it and wouldn’t know anyway. As I walked past the room, I saw some people (about 4) standing around the patient’s bed. The patient from what I could see, was a man and somewhat elderly. I presumed that they were family members and thought little more of it. In being considerate of the patient and family, I resumed painting while trying to be as quiet as possible. A few moments later, the weirdest feeling came over me, one like I have never experienced. I almost dropped my paintbrush when I felt this overwhelming since of relief, as if an emotional weight had been lifted off me. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. The feeling wasn’t a good or bad feeling, but it did fill my spirit. Immediately after, I perceived a presence and a voice speaking to my mind, which said, “Finally I’m Free”. It momentarily took my breath away, because it was so weird, but I shook it off and resumed painting. I then could hear crying coming from the other room. I paused for a moment and felt the need to leave the room. It was about time for my morning break anyway. I stopped by the head nurse's office to let her know that I was leaving, and that I noticed someone crying in the patient room. She told me that it was the patient’s family, because the patient had just passed away. I immediately started to put two and two together.

I’ve carried this thing with me since then. When I hear people saying, “There are no such things as ghosts or the supernatural”, I shake my head. I used to be one of those people, until I was touched by what I perceived, was that man’s spirit or soul passing through me and speaking to me. It was as if, I had been captured by aliens from outer space. I’ll never forget the experience for the rest of my life."

            Whether A.W. had ever spoken of this with anyone else I don't know.  But for him No Reason for Goodbyes opened a door, made him feel free to relate this to me.  So for all the people who wonder why I would tackle a book of this nature, this is the answer.  Would he have ever mentioned it to me otherwise?  I seriously doubt it.  But he did, because of No Reason.  What more could I ask?

Chassie West

Wait for it!

            The impulse to tackle what became No Reason for Goodbyes – Messages from Beyond Life was the direct result of my anger at discovering that 1) I wasn't the only person who had experienced an after death communication; 2) I had never felt free to reveal it; and 3) there were a host of others in my shoes and most had been as closemouthed about it as I'd been.  So my wish in seeing our experiences in print was to help others like us feel free to talk about it or to accept the possibility that it just might have happened to them and they hadn't recognized it for what it was.   There's an old saying: "Be careful what you wish for.  It just might come true."  Well, it has.  And I'm delighted.

            Folks haven't exactly been coming out of the woodwork, but every time I've been asked, "So when can we expect to see your next book?" and I've opened up with the news about No Reason, the first reaction I've gotten has been a look of pure shock, since most know my last several books have been mysteries.  The next reaction has been a puzzled narrowing of the eyes.  I've learned what to do: wait for it.  And sure enough, what follows has been:  "You know, that's funny.  Something happened to me years ago and I've never forgotten it."  From there, they launch into the explanation, clearly uncomfortable but doing it anyway.  And in all but one instance, what they laid out was clearly an ADC.

            The first time was with someone I'd just met who knew nothing about me and I don't even remember how the subject of the book came up.  Her response, however, was as I described above, in her case, a dream.  Her father had died well before any of her children were born and she'd always been sad that he never got to see them.  In her dream, she and her children were in the family room, the kids playing in the middle of the floor.  She glanced up to see her father standing in the doorway of the hall, smiling down at his grandchildren.  Then, without a word he turned, walked back down the hall and disappeared.  She said that had happened years before yet she could still remember how real it had seemed, how well he had looked and the delight she felt at seeing her wish come true.  She extended her arm to show me the goosebumps pebbling her skin just talking about it. 

I explained about the difference between ordinary dreams and lucid dreams and hers certainly qualified as the latter.  She was amazed at the implications and couldn't wait to call her husband and her best friend. And order the book.

She was only the first.  More to come.  Wait for it.

Chassie

Radio appearance: Chassie West to discuss No Reason for Goodbyes on Walking the Path Radio

Author Chassie West will join Dawn Jones and Laura Wooster on Walking the Path this Sunday, March 20, to discuss No Reason For Goodbyes. 


The show begins at 8pm CT/9pm ET on  www.AchieveRadio.com, and they will be taking calls during the show from listeners who would like to share their personal after-death communication experiences on the air.  You may call in to share your story during the live broadcast at 888-235-7374, or send an "In-Quick" (one-way instant message) to the hosts.

Walking the Path Radio
 Focused on the spiritual
 journey & providing
 a supportive voice
 along the way.

How to listen 

Via computer: Visit www.AchieveRadio.com. You may choose from several different media players that are available there. 

Via phone: Call the "listen anywhere" line from any phone: 323-474-0045

Can't listen during this time? No worries, there will be a free podcast available afterward here.

After the ADC

How personal After Death Communication experiences have changed my life

"I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death,

this side where we live, and the other side where we shall continue to live.

Eternity does not start with death.

We are in eternity now."

~ Norman Vincent Peale ~

I’ve had the blessing of being on the receiving end of after death communications several times in my life, and like over 100 others all across the globe, had the honor of contributing my most profound experiences in Chassie West’s newest book, No Reason For Goodbyes - Messages From Beyond Life. Chassie has invited me to contribute to this blog in order to share how my life has been impacted by these experiences since they took place.

While I don’t feel that we should walk around convinced that every penny on the pavement is a sign from Aunt Lucille, I do believe that we all have contact with our loved ones on the other side far more than many of us realize…we tend to brush things off as mere coincidence too much of the time. From the song that plays on the radio at just the right moment, to the unexplainable scent of their cologne or cigar smoke in a closed room, our loved ones make their presence known in so many ways if only we are open to receive them.

When a loved one reaches out from beyond the veil, everything changes from that moment on. How can it not? For me, getting these confirmations from my father and mother-in-law personally and directly was incredibly validating and told me beyond any doubt that not only were they “okay”, but they could see and follow along with us as we continued this journey here in the physical world.

Life has changed in many ways since then. I became inspired to work toward developing my intuitive abilities, taught myself to read the Tarot (and now teach others as well) and eventually began my work as an intuitive consultant. Nearly 2 years ago, my good friend Laura Wooster and I launched Walking the Path, a radio program centered on ‘the great journey’ and I'm very proud of what it has become - a supportive resource for people who, like us, seek to learn and grow on a spiritual level.

Within my personal life, I feel that these profound experiences have shaped me into a different person than I used to be. Not just believing but knowing that my loved ones are just a breath away, still available to talk to and offer guidance on some level, is incredibly reassuring. It gives me a sense of peace and hope that I don’t think was as strong before. I no longer focus on the grief of these losses, as I know that, aside from the obvious physical absence, they are not losses but transformations in the way we interact. I cherish each moment more; I try to recognize the divinity within everyone and do what I can to help others out, whether they are family, friends or a stranger in need of a smile.

~Dawn Jones

Welcome to No Reasons for Goodbyes Blog!

Here begins a new adventure, if not for you, most certainly for me, since I've resisted joining the blogging population for years. Before No Reasons for Goodbye, I wrote mysteries.  When I typed The End at the completion of a manuscript, that's precisely what it was: the end.  I felt I had nothing further to say.  I assumed that even though No Reasons was an entirely different kind of book from any I'd done before, once I'd completed it, that would be it and again, I'd have nothing further to say.  A question from one of my brothers changed my thinking on the subject. To quote him: What motivated you to breech this topic?  I responded, reluctantly, I'll admit, and in the process was hit over the head with a reminder of the reason I tackled the book to begin with: to bust – or burst – out of the metaphysical/paranormal closet, that's why!

My husband, Bob West, left this life in April 1998.  He had taught Communication at a local university for years.  Did it ever occur to me that after his departure it would be the most logical thing in the world for him to "reach out and touch?"  Heck, no!  Dead was dead, kaput, "so long, it's been good to know you."  So when he did try to make contact, I was not prepared for it, in fact, didn't even realize that's what was happening.  He made several attempts using methods I learned later are typical of after death communication (ADC), but to me they were anomalies, electronic and electrical snafus.  It wasn't until he took a more direct approach that I finally got it.  (It's in the book.)  Even then, he had to do it a second and third time before I came to terms with what was happening. 

My initial reaction was typical.  I thought I was going Fruit Loops.  I came up with all the logical explanations I could think of, rationalized, wrestled with it, determined to beat it to the ground and kill it.  But there comes a point when one has to face facts.  Bob West still existed somewhere and was determined to let me know it.  A part of me rejoiced.  I considered myself on the receiving end of a miracle.  Did I tell anyone?  You jest.  Then, thanks to an on-line group I stumbled upon, the FriendsCommunities, I discovered I was not alone in what I was experiencing.  There were a lot of us out there.  And did we talk about it?  Among ourselves, sure.  But with others?  Spouses?  Occasionally.  But best buds?  Co-workers?  Not on our lives. 

When I learned that a fellow writer and friend, someone I'd known for a good decade, had actually seen her father a couple of days after his death, and heard him speak, yet had never talked about it, I was enraged.  Why should we have felt so constrained?  We'd been silent behind gags we'd tied around our mouths because we were afraid of how people would react.  To miracles!!  It was time that stopped.  No Reason for Goodbyes – Messages from Beyond Life is the result.  I and the sixty-plus friends and correspondents who sent me their experiences are officially out of the closet.  And it took brother Bill's question to remind me that the gag is off.  Time to talk the talk and walk the walk.  Ergo this blog spot.

I'll not be alone in posting and I hope you'll check in with us every now and again.  There will be others who'll share their thoughts, experiences and knowledge.  After death communication is far more common than you think.  All it takes is being open to the possibility.  You might be in for a surprise. 

The bottom line?  If there was ever a time for a paradigm shift about the way we view death, that time is now.  Join us in moving the shift along. 

Chassie West