THE AFTERLIFE HEALING CIRCLE – HOW ANYONE CAN CONTACT THE OTHER SIDE - review

The Afterlife Healing Circle – How Anyone Can Contact the Other Side, Candace L. Talmadge and Jana L. Simons, New Page Books, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2015, 192pp, $14.99.

Losing a loved one is traumatic, even if you expect it, and as Raymond Moody, M.D. writes in the Foreword: “All over the world, and from prehistoric times, human beings have attempted to contact the spirits of their loved ones lost to death.” We do so for a variety of reasons, including closure, comfort and forgiveness. He also relates: “…in China, there is an ancient, well-established tradition of what are known as birth dreams. Pregnant Chinese mothers often communicate through dreams with the yet-to-be-born individuals they are carrying…” 

      The authors ask how the world would change if we did not fear death. How different would it be if we could “meet” our not-yet-born children to learn some of their needs prior to birth, or contact departed loved ones to help them (and ourselves) heal?

     Anyone with the will to do so can learn to be a medium, and The Afterlife Healing Circle is an excellent place to begin.

    I was impressed with the respectful, comforting, and professional manner in which Ms. Talmadge and Ms. Simons present their information. They say each healing circle incorporates love, connection and trust, which is clearly evident in their presentation.

    The authors explain that, although an afterlife healing circle may appear like a séance, it is definitely not. It is a sacred space where “those in physical bodies may communicate with those who are not” to accelerate healing and alleviate fear on both sides. The soul of a suicide or murder victim, for example, may be confused, frightened and traumatized.

     Unlike a séance, where one person conducts the session, the healing circle allows everyone to participate, which the authors sum up with the Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.” Through involvement, all participants understand what happens before and after a soul is in a physical body.

     Talmadge and Simons go into great detail describing an afterlife healing circle as well as séance, poltergeist activity, and possession, which is incredibly helpful so that we learn the differences and understand how to deal with or react to each. They also explain the use of the circle. King Arthur chose a round table to foster a sense of equality in his knights; it builds community, honors all voices equally, and generates mutual understanding and respect. The afterlife healing circle empowers each member of the group.

   Talmadge and Simons explain that the soul is energy—Chapter 7 is incredibly thought-provoking—and energy cannot be destroyed. “The kind of energy that forms the soul is most accurately defined as the ability to love.” The afterlife healing circle allows participants to experience “a magnified, enhanced flow of that unconditional love-energy.”

    Whom do we connect with in an afterlife healing circle? Perhaps a loved one who has recently passed or the soul(s) of our unborn child(ren).

     I like the fact that Talmadge and Simons include examples from various afterlife healing circles. We meet individuals and share their experiences. Parents communicate with not-yet-born children to learn what their life lesson might be, or communicate with a child that died of SIDS. In one instance, a woman considering abortion was told that the soul would wait for the right time to be born.

     Can anyone “contact the other side”? Chapter 10 includes guidelines on conducting an afterlife healing circle, which include asking your spirit guides for protection and assistance.

    Spirit guides? Oh, yes. We come into each life with what might be called a “spiritual mentor”, one or more souls “on their own journey of spiritual growth and self-discovery.” We travel together and help one another. Our guides “cannot command us in any manner…they cannot violate our free will. They are mentors—trusted advisors—not dictators.” I found that information interesting after someone had recently told me, “my guides told me to…” Nope. Not your guide. It might have been what Talmadge and Simons call “A denial spirit [that] denies Creation and God’s light and unconditional love.” If we begin each afterlife healing circle by asking our guides to protect and assist us, everything should be fine. Our guides act as sentinels, protecting us from negativity.

   The Afterlife Healing Circle is a wonderfully comforting book. I would love to participate, as I’m sure many others will be after they read the book.

   I encourage you to visit the authors’ website, http://www.thehealingcirclebook.com, for more information and to sign up for their newsletter.

- Karen Howard