JUNE Update

Joe Fisher, 53, author of The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, died on Wednesday, May 9, 2001, by jumping off a limestone cliff at Elora Gorge, near his hometown of Fergus, Ontario, Canada. A variety of personal problems, including a growing list of unpaid bills for the writer, appeared to have pushed him over the edge. In one of his last communications with his editor-in-chief, Patrick Huyghe at Paraview Books, Fisher noted that the spirits were still after him for having written his final book. Joe Fisher was an investigative writer specializing in metaphysical topics. His books had sold more than one million copies in 22 languages. Andrew Joseph Fisher was born and educated in England; he held dual citizenship with Canada, his home base since 1971. He regularly gave workshops and seminars based on his explorations into the supernatural. A veteran broadcaster who gave more than 200 radio and television interviews on his work, Fisher started his career as a junior reporter on The Staffordshire Advertiser where he became, at 22 years of age, the youngest news editor in England. After emigrating to Canada, he worked as an investigative reporter and feature writer for both The Toronto Sun and The Toronto Star. His journalistic stints were interspersed with excursions to Greece, Ireland, Ecuador, Morocco and Peru where he pursued personal writing projects. At Ecuador's Colegio Americano in Quito, he taught English and composed journals which were later edited for the book Cotopaxi Visions: Travels in Ecuador. In 1981, Joe Fisher left daily journalism to concentrate on writing books and freelance articles. Since then, he has traveled widely (Australia and Antarctica are recent destinations) and contributed to periodicals ranging from Canada's national dailies, The National Post and The Globe & Mail, to magazines including Outpost, Equinox, Ocean Drive and Life & Soul. Joe Fisher's books included the contemporary metaphysical classics The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, Life Between Life, The Case For Reincarnation and Predictions. While His Holiness The Dalai Lama wrote the preface to The Case For Reincarnation, film rights to Hungry Ghosts have been optioned to a Los Angeles film company which is moving towards production. For five years, Fisher painstakingly investigated the claims of channelers and the mysterious voices that speak through them.The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, his last book, is his gripping journey into a realm of darkness and deception. The revised edition includes a new foreword by Colin Wilson, and an epilogue that updates events since the book was first published in the U.K. a decade ago. In 1987, Fisher was presented with The Leask Award by The Spiritual Science Institute of Canada for "making an outstanding contribution to the field of spiritual awareness." Many in the publishing community, as well as friends of Fisher's, are expressing shock at his death. A Fergus-area friend, writer Sheila O'Hearn said: "He believed in giving of himself for other people. He felt, for him, that's what life was all about." Her husband, Ray Krzyzanowski remarked: "He's going to be really missed. He was my only real friend here. I'm going to miss him.' Fisher's family have decided there will be no services. --Loren Coleman

Word that the Vatican recently had declared devout Catholics free to believe in aliens traveled at warp speed around the globe and, quite possibly, to points unknown.

Earth-bound theologians and astrophysicists debated it, online "Jedi Council” forums erupted in geeky chatter, and many who have long dared believe that life exists beyond our terrestrial confines felt some small measure of vindication.

"If you're sitting in a room that's totally dark and you can't see anything, and the door is cracked just a millimeter to let a little light in, that can be extremely useful,” said Peter Davenport, head of the National UFO Reporting Center in Washington state.

In other words, in the lonely world of alien believers, visitors are always welcome.

In fact, Catholic priests and scholars have written about the issue of extraterrestrial life since at least the Middle Ages. What made the recent statement significant, several experts said, is that the comments by the Rev. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, were printed in the Vatican's own newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. That gave his words a certain papal heft.

It has also sparked some lively discussions between liberal and conservative theologians.

The Rev. Christopher Corbally, vice director of the Vatican Observatory, said he has been bombarded with e-mail from colleagues pondering whether God could have created more than one world and whether other beings could be granted redemption via a Christ-like savior.

If God created people in His own image, how could there be others who don't look like us? Little green men, Corbally said, certainly do not fit the popular image of God.

"It's a fun way to catch people's imagination,” he said, jubilantly. "How wonderful it would be to have other life beyond our own world, because it would show how God's creation just flows out without abandon.

"We are always trying to restrict God's creativity, putting theological difficulties in the way. But I don't think God bothers with theological difficulties.”

People have a tendency to be a bit literal when interpreting the teachings of their faiths. Proof of that can be found in the Puritanical pudding at the Salem witch trials in 1692, not to mention countless history books or even today's headlines. Many a faithful soul today would be aghast at talk of UFOs and other forms of intelligent life.

"Any kind of literalist in Christianity would be barring these sorts of beliefs,” said Thomas O'Brien, a professor of religious studies at DePaul University. "If you were to go to some fundamentalist Christian churches, you'd hear some pastors say belief in UFOs is tantamount to a nonbelief in Jesus Christ.”

Such pooh-poohing of cosmic possibilities runs quite counter to recent comments from the Vatican Observatory. Funes said that to not believe life exists beyond our planet would be to "set limits on the creative liberty of God.”

As the Rev. Thomas O'Meara, a visiting theology professor at Boston College, said, "If you have a mature view of God, God can do what God wants.”

So the question becomes: Will this declaration from the Vatican be of any help to those who truly believe in visiting spacecraft and populated worlds more advanced than our own?

"Religion does play a big part in the UFO phenomenon,” said Julie Shuster, director of the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, N.M. "A lot of people feel it's a very demonic thing.”

Shuster doesn't expect an onslaught of new visitors to the center. And she sounded a bit skeptical of why the Vatican — which, she understands, has "a wide array of books on UFOs” — picked this particular time to bring up aliens.

"Maybe they felt that, for whatever reason, the timing is right,” Shuster said.

So, what's next? A canonical embrace of ghosts, psychic powers, fairies and, perhaps, the Easter Bunny?

"There are no problems with ghosts and the paranormal because a lot of the personages that populate the cosmic world of Catholicism are precisely those kinds of figures,” O'Brien said. "So, there's nothing against that kind of belief.”

In fact, O'Brien and other experts agree that the Catholic faith and many others are based not on things a person can't believe, but on the things a person must believe.

So, belief-wise, as long as you buy into the basic tenets of your religion, the sky — or in this case, the universe — is the limit.

"As soon as I knew about this book I bought it. I just knew it would be a fabulous read and I was not disappointed. I read it in one sitting. Just couldn't put it down. Thought about sending it to my Mom, but decided to keep it so I can read it again and again. I'll order my mother another one. I'm sure it will bring her comfort like it does me. It's very inspirational to live your life to the fullest and best that you can.

I had a reading by James shortly after my father's death and in that reading he told me that my father was telling me where my mother had been and that he had been with her. I called my mother and told her and she was unable to speak. She had just been to their favorite place in Sedona, AZ with all the fountains and to know dad was there with her brought her to tears she was so happy. James also told me things NO ONE on earth including me could possibly have known. I am still in contact with my father and others who have passed thanks to James validating what I thought was true. Love you James. Keep up your fantabulous work!! "

Dale Hewey, a EVP Researcher, would like to suggest that there is much in common between SPIRITUALISM and "Technology Augmented Mediumship" (EVP): "An important modern day development in mediumship is spirit communications via an electronic device. This is most commonly known as Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP); however, when images are involved, or two way communication through a device such as a radio, it is know as Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC). And yes, what is known about this phenomenon tells us that it is correct to describe it as Technology Augmented Mediumship (TAM)."

Rob,

As we had discussed by email, I wanted to get back to you regarding some concepts I have gleaned from the teachings of the Spiritualists. Generally, I find myself in agreement with what they say. Based on our mutual experience in EVP investigation and research, it seems that EVP researchers invariably get led down a fairly consistent path when they draw inferences and conclusions about their experiential findings.

One of the first questions researchers must deal with is to consider from whom the EVP communications are coming from. The Spiritualists feel these voices emanate from "spirits" or "entities."

Spirit or Entity.

The vital principle or animating force within living beings. The indestructible essence of self-conscious life. The word spirit is often used to describe a discarnate person. However, we are all spirits. The difference would be only in the type of body we presently inhabit be it physical, astral, etheric, etc.

If we accept that the EVP utterances we receive are from spirits, then it also sometimes comes to our attention that some of these spirits seem to be unhappy or troubled.

Evil Spirits:

Spiritualists believe that “spirits” are just like us only they abide in a different sphere, atmosphere and awareness. They are no more evil than we are. Calling spirits evil is in general caused by a fear of the unknown. In truth most “evil spirits” would be better called misguided, ignorant or undeveloped. Testimony from Spiritualists and others who do rescue work would confirm this.

On the other hand, some voices we receive seem both good and helpful. These might be described as guides.

Guides:

A continual, benevolent, protective influence who act in a protective and /or instructive capacity. They are said to be advanced spirits who voluntarily return with a purpose in mind. Some guides say that they are only the mediums for even higher or more advanced entities.

And, of course, many people have the desire to contact deceased friends and family some of whom become helpers.

Spirit Helpers:

A discarnate entity who is eager to assist the subject. They may be under the direction of a control. They are usually the more recently deceased and are often friends and relatives of the subject. They are different from guides who have a greater understanding and experience of spiritual matters.

Another question we might ask ourselves is from where do these voices originate from. The Spiritualists believe it can be explained by the Nonphysical.

Nonphysical:

Not of this physical reality, which is sometimes referred to as the Physical Plane of existence. This is not simply a matter of something that has not yet been defined by science. The working hypothesis is that there are levels or aspects of reality that are energetically different from our aspect of reality.

Some definitions used to define this nonphysical reality as:

Higher Planes of Existence
Beyond the Veil
The Other Side
A different dimension
Finer worlds
Spirit world
Etheric reality
Heaven

However you think of it, the idea is that there is one reality, but that this reality has aspects. Our physical universe is one aspect of reality. Here, we are referring to the greater reality beyond our physical universe as "nonphysical" reality.

Sometimes we will then ask ourselves what the nature of reality is within the nonphysical dimensions. Again, the Spiritualists talk about the levels or spheres of the nonphysical, spiritual realm.

Spheres:

The subsequent realms of spirit life following that of earth. The higher levels are invisible to those in the lower levels. The nearest environments are similar to that of earth but disease and physical deterioration are absent. There have been many attempts to define and name the different spheres. In any event there seems to be an infinite gradation of levels from those closest to us to those in the celestial spheres. The celestial area is said to be full of harmony and light and is inhabited by very spiritually advanced beings.

Immediately after the death of the physical body, the Spiritualists believe we enter a state of existence which can be referred to as the Etheric or Astral Planes.

Etheric Plane:

The region where we go after passing through the change called death. There is gravitation to those of like mind and spiritual development. This is the plane contacted by mediums for evidence of survival. The surroundings in the near locale of the Etheric Planes are said to resemble the earth but are more responsive to thought.

The lower levels of the Etheric or Astral Planes would be considered unpleasant places to be.

Lower Astral:

A term often used to describe the part of the Spirit World nearest earth. This is said to be the level of ghosts and other spirits who would be considered earthbound or lost.

~:~

Rob, do you have any thoughts on how EVP research might be considered a form of mediumship?

"Authentic mediumship is that process where the innate abilities of 'human sensitives' form a two-way 'receptive interface of communication' between the visible world and the invisible world, allowing information to be received and processed on behalf of those who have passed beyond their physical existence.

Dale, it seems to me that "electronic devices" provide a great opportunity for discarnates to communicate with us - for 'Technology Augmented Mediumship' (TAM) offers one really important benefit beyond Mental Mediumship - and that is - the voices and comments received are no longer clouded by the sitter's subjective interpretation that can sometimes cloud 'mind-to-mind' mediumship.

Using this method, we may have to only deal with the 'clouded' mind of the discarnate contact rather than the receiving one!

Great question

rob