Updates

11/20/04
revised 12/23/04
I just posted on my home page, by permission of radio station WRFG here in Atlanta, the interview I arranged and participated in along with two past-life therapists, Carol McGlinchey of Massachusetts and Dr. Paul Schenk, who is local. I contacted both therapists through IARRT, and I thought they did an excellent job of presenting the case for past-life therapy. Therapists almost always stress that the therapy works whether the patient believes the memories are of real past lives or not. This is an important idea to get across to potential clients, but I've noticed it tends to subtley turn into the idea that it doesn't matter whether the memories are genuine or not. I strongly disagree--I think it matters a great deal. You can decide when you listen to the interview whether you think I addressed the issue tactfully or not...

Recently, I also conducted and posted on the Streaming Video page a new interview with attorney Angela Grubbs. I first learned of Angela on the Children's Past Lives Forum, which I stay reasonably active in. When I found that she lived close enough for me to interview, I contacted her and she sent me her manuscript describing her case. As I read it, I quickly realized it was not only genuine, but that it was in the same league as famous cases like Bridey Murphy (Virginia Tighe) and Jenny Cockell. It's especially interesting for a number of reasons, including that Angela was raised as a fundamentalist Southern Baptist. To give you some idea of how strong the case is, I brought the video interview to the attention of Dr. Jim Tucker, Dr. Ian Stevenson's successor at the University of Virginia, and he has initiated the preliminary steps to possibly investigating the case, despite the fact that his group is usually only interested in children's cases. I think we will be seeing more of Angela's case as time goes on.

I continue to sell about 6 or 7 DVD's and VHS tapes per month, some of them to college and university professors and libraries, which, as I mentioned in the previous Update, is very gratifying. I've tried to figure out why sales to the general public aren't higher. I've read in marketing guidelines that you are supposed to sell what people will gain from your product, not sell the product itself. This product doesn't aim at any selfish motives, not even personal prosperity or health. It offers wisdom and insight which then branches out into every area of your life. I've also read that you are supposed to distinguish your product from what the competition offers. This is easy, but the problem is being believed, with everybody saying the same thing. What "In Another Life" offers is the most authentic information, backed by the most authentic spiritual understanding and energy, while still being entertaining and absorbing to watch. I think it accomplishes these three goals together far more effectively than any other documentary I've seen on this subject. I can't force myself to engage in "hype" marketing, but there are your answers.

Perhaps another reason I don't sell more copies is that I do give away a lot of free information on this website, because I want people to be able to get quality information whether they can afford the documentary or not. This has been a conscious choice. However, I will say that the documentary is crafted as a work of art. It is designed to immerse the viewer in a new world, which unfolds carefully step-by-step on several levels as the show proceeds. Like any good art, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. The website, on the other hand, is designed on a totally different basis. Here, my idea has been to create something like a fantastic old house with a hundred rooms you can explore, hopefully running across what you need. Thus the website functions better as a supplement to the documentary than as as a substitute for it, except perhaps for advanced students who already have a solid introduction.

I've signed on as content editor for the reincarnation section of a new online spiritual directory, SpiritHit.com [dead link as of 1/28/10]. I don't know if this directory will take off or not, but as long as it lasts, this one is going to have some strong, no-nonsense reincarnation links, unlike the mix you usually find. I've taken them from links on my own Links page, and my Articles page. If you haven't ever looked through my Suggested Links, I've put a lot of effort into culling some quality resources.

I have been invited for another internet radio interview, this one on Strategies for Living, with family therapist/host David McMillian. My show is scheduled for Dec. 29th.

One last mention. I read an especially good book recently, "The Life Beyond Death," by Arthur Ford as told to Jerome Ellison. Ellison's assessment of society's reactions to reincarnation parallel my own, so much so that I'm glad I hadn't read it before I penned some of my articles, or I'd be accusing myself of plagarism via cryptoamnesia! I think he and I are just seeing the same things and making the same assessment. I've added a strong quote from this book on the home page, and I highly recommend it.

Music opening this page: "High Landrons," Eric Johnson (Ah Via Musicom album)
All I can say is, if you have a chance to see Eric in concert, don't pass it up...
(look for video on above page of "When The Sun Meets the Sky")