Apparitions at the Moment of Death – The Living Ghost in Legend, Lyric and Lore

I agree entirely with the assessment of this book by my friend and colleague Evelyn Elsaesser when she writes that ‘this book provides original, comprehensive, and compelling insights into spontaneous contact with the deceased, for which the post-materialist hypothesis offers a convincing explanatory framework.’ The inescapable conclusion is that crisis apparitions are universal both historically and geographically – they are not an anomaly to be explained away, but rather an indication of invisible realms interpenetrating the physical. Among the many remarkable experiences recounted are quite a number involving the death of saints, with accompanying light phenomena. These advanced beings are also capable of appearing to people at a distance and knowing what is going on there. Modern work began with the extraordinary 1,200-page study, Phantasms of the Living by Gurney, Podmore and Myers published in 1886, and I discussed some of the cases in my own book Survival. Many episodes, as we have found in our own work on after death communications, contain subsequently verified elements, especially the corresponding time of the death of the friend or relative at a distance. One example was Lord Chedworth‘s friend who appeared to him announcing that he had died at 8 pm, which turned out to be the case. The sheer volume and breadth of cultural diversity of the cases reported here constellate a recognisable pattern of human spiritual existence. In addition, the book provides support for the idea that we do not die alone; it should be in the library of anyone interested in this important topic.