The author of this book, Dr. Crookall, has gathered and analyzed communications from the spirit world which were available from a wide variety of written sources, primarily through mediums, over many decades prior to 1960. He organized a series of statements about the death experience and the afterlife.

He concluded that he had found:

1) An afterlife description with a high degree of credibility because so many sources contributed the same information even though they were independently produced.

2) Strong evidence for the existence of an afterlife for the same reason--an intellectually consistent set of statements derived from many independent sources.

The following statements are described in the book, with numerous sources defined.

Statement No. 1a: Experiences in the immediate hereafter may be affected by dominant or habitual thoughts and feelings, and by strong expectations or fixed ideas developed during earth-life.

Statement No. 1b: Man possesses a 'body' that cannot be seen by the physical eye or touched by the physical hand. It consists of a 'vehicle of vitality' and a Soul Body, both of which interpenetrate the physical body. The Spiritual Body interpenetrates the Soul Body.

Statement No. 2: A person, having knowledge of their imminent crossing over, will issue a 'Call' to friends and relatives who have gone before. This is not true for those who pass suddenly without prior awareness.

Statement No. 3: Excessively self-centered individuals, who do not issue a 'Call', will be met by certain discarnate helpers who voluntarily undertake such services and are specially trained in such duties.

Statement No. 4: A fixed idea that there is no afterlife acts like a post-hypnotic suggestion and no 'Call' is sent to departed friends.

Statement No. 5: In the early stages of transition from earth life, individuals will experience a panoramic review of their past earth-lives.

Statement No. 6: About an hour before the cessation of breathing and heart-beat, a dying man has often almost completely vacated his physical body and stands nearby, perfectly conscious and happy, although he may appear to others to be in a pre-death coma.

Statement No. 7: Natural death involves neither physical pain nor fear.

Statement No. 8: Being brought back to the body from the verge of death, by stimulants, etc., does involve pain and fear. Those who thus 'return' from the brink of death to earth-life do so with reluctance.

Statement No. 9: Some of those who were conscious of vacating the body had a sensation of 'falling' or of 'rising'; others described a momentary 'coma', 'darkness', 'blackout' or 'passing through a dark tunnel'.

Statement No. 10: Many of the newly-dead do not, for a time, realise that they have shed their physical bodies.

Statement No. 11: Death was "not what was expected": the process seemed 'natural', there was 'no abrupt change' in the self; the new environment was 'familiar', 'earth-like', 'substantial' and 'real'; the new body, superficially at least, resembled the physical body.

Statement No. 12: Although several who died thought, at first, that they might be dreaming, most knew that they were not.

Statement No. 13: The double that leaves the Physical Body at death consists of the whole of the vehicle of vitality plus that portion of the Soul Body that was immersed in it.

Statement No. 14: A cloud-like mass first collects above the dying man. It usually floats horizontally over the recumbent body and is variously described as 'luminous', 'grey', 'smoke-like', 'steam-like', 'vaporous', 'cloudy', 'shadowy', 'misty' and 'hazy'.

Statement No. 15: This exteriorised mist gradually assumes definite shape and finally resembles the vacated Physical Body (though it looks younger and brighter).

Statement No. 16: In the majority of cases the distance of the exteriorised double above the vacated Physical Body varies from directly above to about four feet.

Statement No. 17: Many communicators describe how, immediately after death, they saw both their own Physical Bodies and the self-luminous 'double' in which they stood.

Statement No. 18: Many of the newly-dead also saw and heard friends who had 'gone before'.

Statement No. 19: Many say that the newly-discarded Physical Body at first remained attached to the vehicle of vitality (and the latter to the Soul Body) by something resembling a 'cord' (as well as by numerous 'threads', such as intertwine to form the 'cord').

Statement No. 20: Until the 'silver cord' snaps, decomposition does not commence in the Physical Body.

Statement No. 21: In the natural death of average men the 'cord' may break immediately after, or within a few minutes or hours of, 'visible death'.

Statement No. 22: After the 'cord' is 'loosed', the average man who dies naturally enjoys a recuperative sleep (often with dreams) lasting for three or four days (of our time).

Statement No. 23: The post-mortem sleep of the aged is due to mental fatigue and to a vehicle of vitality which is depleted of vital force. Once the vehicle of vitality has been shed from the total double, the former gravitates to the Physical Body. The two decompose simultaneously.

Statement No. 24: The after-death 'sleep' may be lengthened and deepened by certain features: (1) a prolonged and severe last illness, (b) an exceptionally difficult and strenuous earth-life, (c) excessive grief on the part of 'living' friends, (d) the fixed idea that there is no after-life, and (e) exceptional unteachability.

Statement No. 25: Those who had a post-mortem sleep may have a brief partial awakening.

Statement No. 26: Many do not describe a 'partial awakening': their awareness of a stable environment emerged simultaneously with their assurance of personal identity, and of having survived the death of the body.

Statement No. 27: Many communicators complained that the excessive grief of still-embodied friends depressed and hurt the newly-dead. It hindered their progress into happier conditions.

Statement No. 28: The first wish of many of the newly-dead was to assure their still-embodied friends of their survival and well-being.

Statement No. 29: The newly-dead greatly benefit by the prayers of 'living' friends.

Statement No. 30: Suitable mortals, and especially potential psychics, cooperate with certain discarnate souls in helping other mortals, the dying, the newly-dead and those long-dead who are delayed in "Hades" conditions.

Statement No. 31: Where a man's transition was natural, certain experiences may aid him to realise the fact: (a) the sight of his own vacated body, (b) the sight of those whom he knows pre-deceased him; (c) the loss of his ability to make himself seen or heard by mortal friends, and (d) the acquirement of new abilities, i.e. to defy gravity, pass through walls, etc.

Statement No. 32: The 'next' world of average men is 'semi-physical' in nature; it is intermediate between our earth and the 'Heaven' of the Scriptures.

Statement No. 33: The immediate 'next' world of average men is 'earth-like' and 'familiar'.

Statement No. 34: The newly-dead man experiences a second review of the past earth-life, one that is of an emotional, selective and responsible nature.

Statement No. 35: After an initial period of adjustment each person 'goes to his own place' in the 'Spiritual' ('super-physical') 'Heavens'. Although, we are told, these 'Heaven' conditions are beyond time, space and form and are indescribable except in poetic and symbolical language, they are far from being 'unreal': on the contrary, they are more 'real' than the physical world.

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