05-15-2008, 03:01 AM
Submitted by SHNS on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 12:48. By PATRICIA SHERIDAN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The original ghost whisperer, James Van Praagh, is known as a psychic/medium who has made a career of talking to the dead and reassuring the living.
He talks about what he claims happens to people after they die, about ghosts attached to Britney Spears and about his own Heath Ledger experience.
He created and co-produced CBS's No. 1 drama "Ghost Whisperer," starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, and has written several books, including the best-selling "Talking to Heaven."
His latest, "Ghosts Among Us" (HarperOne, $24.95), being released this week, is meant to serve as a practical guide to the spirit world. For more information go to http://www.vanpraagh.com.
Q: You say in the book that spirits regret not knowing the truth of life when they were alive. What is that truth?
A: It's very, very interesting because that is like the No. 1 message that comes back when they come back to communicate with loved ones. They regret that they didn't realize how important it was to love themselves, love another person, and they took many, many things for granted. So that is the truth we are talking about.
Q: You talk about everything being energy, even thoughts.
A: Love is the strongest force there is, so positive. Loving thoughts (are a) healing force. Love brings together and fear separates.
Q: If we are recycled from past lives, then why does the population continue to grow? From where are the extra souls coming?
A: That's a good question. The answer to that is this Earth is not the only place to come back to. There are many galaxies and other forms of life on other planets to go to. Unfortunately, the Earth is one of the most unevolved places to come back to.
Q: So why is it so popular?
A: Because here we have free will. There are a lot more opportunities here for growth.
Q: At one point in the book you describe two teachers who had passed and were still teaching children on the other side.
A: When you pass over there is an astral world, which is a replica of this world. It seems like a waiting station. It helps you to adapt. It seems over there you are able to experience everything of the Earth and more. Once you become adjusted to that you have a second death and move to a higher level.
Q: More death?
A: Right. It also seems like if you always wanted to play the piano, but didn't, then in the spirit world you are able to do those things. Everything your heart desires. That's why it's called heaven.
Q: Some people are perfectly good but their lives are continually plagued by problems. Is that karma?
A: All it is, is cause and effect. The energy you create .... You are creating, creating with your thoughts, conscious and unconscious. Look at it this way: This is a school room and we come here to learn. The hardest lessons for people who are the most difficult to deal with (usually family), those are the ones that we grow the most from. I believe that we choose the lessons. My mother was an alcoholic when I was a child. I hated it and wished she was dead. But that was one of the greatest lessons of my life because it taught me compassion and patience and unconditional love.
Q: Do you think your own death experience will be different?
A: No, not necessarily. I had a near-death experience and that was interesting for someone in this work. In 25 years of doing this, I have never been afraid of death, but the suffering part, that's hard. The actual leaving of the body is not painful.
Q: So, is the suffering part a necessary evil for spiritual growth?
A: Yes, yes it can be. These are very good questions because there is always a lesson in everything.
Q: Did you ever give much thought to those who call you a con man, a charlatan?
A: I believe that anyone who effects change there will always be people who are naysayers. There are people that are living in fear, and they are afraid to step out of their paradigm. You don't have to believe me, fine, but just listen to what is being said because a lot of my teaching is how to live life in a spiritual way. That means taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions.
Q: But weren't you a little kid when you started seeing ghosts?
A: Yes, and that was real to me. Children measure the world around them by what they experience. Also, I wanted to mention to you this thing with Britney Spears. She has two ghosts attached to her. I don't know if you read about that. Very, very clearly I saw them. One guy with a beard and another guy with tattoos. They are not the good ones, and I don't know where she picked them up, but they attached themselves to her. Also, Heath Ledger appeared to me after he died. I was shaving in my bathroom and he appeared to me, and I heard him say "I (messed) up." Then he had a thought about his daughter. He knew of my work, but we had never met. We had mutual friends. His wife has been having visitations from him. Furniture has been moving in the house.
E-mail Patricia Sheridan at psheridan(at)post-gazette.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com.)
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33123
The original ghost whisperer, James Van Praagh, is known as a psychic/medium who has made a career of talking to the dead and reassuring the living.
He talks about what he claims happens to people after they die, about ghosts attached to Britney Spears and about his own Heath Ledger experience.
He created and co-produced CBS's No. 1 drama "Ghost Whisperer," starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, and has written several books, including the best-selling "Talking to Heaven."
His latest, "Ghosts Among Us" (HarperOne, $24.95), being released this week, is meant to serve as a practical guide to the spirit world. For more information go to http://www.vanpraagh.com.
Q: You say in the book that spirits regret not knowing the truth of life when they were alive. What is that truth?
A: It's very, very interesting because that is like the No. 1 message that comes back when they come back to communicate with loved ones. They regret that they didn't realize how important it was to love themselves, love another person, and they took many, many things for granted. So that is the truth we are talking about.
Q: You talk about everything being energy, even thoughts.
A: Love is the strongest force there is, so positive. Loving thoughts (are a) healing force. Love brings together and fear separates.
Q: If we are recycled from past lives, then why does the population continue to grow? From where are the extra souls coming?
A: That's a good question. The answer to that is this Earth is not the only place to come back to. There are many galaxies and other forms of life on other planets to go to. Unfortunately, the Earth is one of the most unevolved places to come back to.
Q: So why is it so popular?
A: Because here we have free will. There are a lot more opportunities here for growth.
Q: At one point in the book you describe two teachers who had passed and were still teaching children on the other side.
A: When you pass over there is an astral world, which is a replica of this world. It seems like a waiting station. It helps you to adapt. It seems over there you are able to experience everything of the Earth and more. Once you become adjusted to that you have a second death and move to a higher level.
Q: More death?
A: Right. It also seems like if you always wanted to play the piano, but didn't, then in the spirit world you are able to do those things. Everything your heart desires. That's why it's called heaven.
Q: Some people are perfectly good but their lives are continually plagued by problems. Is that karma?
A: All it is, is cause and effect. The energy you create .... You are creating, creating with your thoughts, conscious and unconscious. Look at it this way: This is a school room and we come here to learn. The hardest lessons for people who are the most difficult to deal with (usually family), those are the ones that we grow the most from. I believe that we choose the lessons. My mother was an alcoholic when I was a child. I hated it and wished she was dead. But that was one of the greatest lessons of my life because it taught me compassion and patience and unconditional love.
Q: Do you think your own death experience will be different?
A: No, not necessarily. I had a near-death experience and that was interesting for someone in this work. In 25 years of doing this, I have never been afraid of death, but the suffering part, that's hard. The actual leaving of the body is not painful.
Q: So, is the suffering part a necessary evil for spiritual growth?
A: Yes, yes it can be. These are very good questions because there is always a lesson in everything.
Q: Did you ever give much thought to those who call you a con man, a charlatan?
A: I believe that anyone who effects change there will always be people who are naysayers. There are people that are living in fear, and they are afraid to step out of their paradigm. You don't have to believe me, fine, but just listen to what is being said because a lot of my teaching is how to live life in a spiritual way. That means taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions.
Q: But weren't you a little kid when you started seeing ghosts?
A: Yes, and that was real to me. Children measure the world around them by what they experience. Also, I wanted to mention to you this thing with Britney Spears. She has two ghosts attached to her. I don't know if you read about that. Very, very clearly I saw them. One guy with a beard and another guy with tattoos. They are not the good ones, and I don't know where she picked them up, but they attached themselves to her. Also, Heath Ledger appeared to me after he died. I was shaving in my bathroom and he appeared to me, and I heard him say "I (messed) up." Then he had a thought about his daughter. He knew of my work, but we had never met. We had mutual friends. His wife has been having visitations from him. Furniture has been moving in the house.
E-mail Patricia Sheridan at psheridan(at)post-gazette.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com.)
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33123
