by Kelvin Chin, Life After Life Expert
So, let’s say you believe in ‘the other side’…perhaps through an "NDE" (Near-Death Experience) or some other experience, of yours or a loved one, that has convinced you — convinced you that what I refer to in my lectures as “the Afterlife” exists — that the mind or soul continues after death.
Perhaps you've been to a psychic, maybe you are psychic yourself, or maybe you've received information ‘from the other side of the veil’…
Do you believe everything you’re told?
Let’s think about this, and see if we’re approaching this area of what some refer to as ‘the paranormal’ with our normal thinking process, with a process that serves us well.
MY BACKGROUND
But first, let me share with you my experience in this area, a little bit of my history — so you have an understanding of the context from which I am speaking.
I started meditating when I was 19, and in my mid-20s I began having memories of what seemed to be past lives, then in my mid-30s I started receiving information ‘from the other side’ from various sources — all of the above has continued to the present. So, it all is very natural now, not unusual like it was at first.
However, when I began receiving information in that way, I went through a daily assessment of ‘who I was’ in relation to the information and the sources. After several months of assessment, I settled on redefining myself — expanding my sense of self to include aspects of my mind that I had up to that time not been aware of nor able to access before (see my blog essay on the Houston Astrodome Analogy for a visual of this different perspective on oneself). At the same time, it became more and more clear to me how to recognize and distinguish other minds — minds ‘on the other side of the veil’ — as distinguished from myself when this information was being communicated, sometimes in conversational format, other times in a more feeling-tone telepathic format.
THE ASSESSMENT
Most importantly to our discussion here though was how I assessed the information — how did I decide if it was valuable.
My analytical mind, my skeptical mind, and my common sense was always active and intact — I did not turn them off. Did the information make sense, was it appropriate in the given context or situation at that time — bottom line — should it be listened to?
Does this sound familiar?
Isn’t it the same line of thinking we all should do in our daily lives all the time?
What difference does it make whether we’re getting advice or information from people on this side of the veil, or from non-physical ‘energy-only’ minds on the other side?
Said another way, do we listen to and follow every piece of advice that our parents, friends or…clerk at the dry cleaners gives us? Of course not.
We assess it. We ask ourselves — using our own minds — drawing from our own history of experiences — whether it makes sense or not, whether it seems like ‘good advice’ — or not.
I suggest that this is the very same level of scrutiny we should apply when we are faced with information ‘from the other side of the veil.’
WHO ARE THEY?
After all, who are they — who are the entities who sometimes share information with us from the other side? My experience is that many of them simply are minds that used to be in physical bodies, have died, and are now on the other side, and find a way to communicate ‘across the veil’ with some on this side.
Others may never or rarely have been in physical form, and may have spent their entire existence on the other side in just this 'energy-only' mental form.
So, ask yourself.
Does it make good sense to unquestioningly listen to and follow the advice of someone who has LESS experience than you do? Less experience than you do with the challenges of living in a physical body, and dealing with all of the complexities that entails.
I think not.
And who says that just because someone doesn't have a body any more — just because they are on the other side now — who says they are all of a sudden, smarter and wiser? If someone was dumb on this side, it makes more sense to me that they’ll be just as dumb on the other side. The difference is that they don't have to eat to feed a body any more. But their mind is still the same — it’s as smart or dumb as they were before they dropped their bodily coil.
Now, don't get me wrong. They are different — e.g, they may be free from physical pain and free from the stress of needing to provide for themselves in order to support their physical body. But mentally, they are still basically the same. Perhaps they have a different, a broader perspective on things — but that does not inherently make them suddenly wiser and someone for whom you should drop everything to listen and follow.
Also, don't misunderstand me. I am not denigrating information from minds on the other side, per se.
I am merely saying they are more like us than not like us — mentally speaking.
And as such, we should treat them the same — we should treat information from them the same — i.e., with the same level of scrutiny we always should apply to all information we receive from ANY source.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We should never jettison our common sense. We should always retain our Free Will to choose and decide for ourselves.
It is the least we can do for ourselves.