Hacking the Afterlife Podcast with Jennifer Shaffer, Prince, Princess Diana, Luana Anders and friends

This was one of the more unusual podcasts in memory - mainly because it was on my birthday, and I had the profound experience of being with my friend Luana Anders on my birthday. Here, Luana left the planet in 1996, and being able to ask her questions and get answers, as well as ask her to give her Oscar's speech - is mind bending.

Jennifer and I have been doing this for 8 years. Luana has appeared to members of my family (when they'd never met her, but could identify her) as well as other friends.  She was in over 300 TV shows and films, and was mentioned by Jack Nicholson in his speech for "As Good As It Gets."

Luana moderates our podcast from the flipside.

But before I get to her speech, Princess Diana showed up to talk about the event when she is mentioned in Prince Harry's book SPARE.  How she not only orchestrated that event, but orchestrated Jennifer being in a restaurant with some friends, was in the midst of talking about Harry's report about her showing up via a medium (in his book "Spare") and then while talking about Diana, Harry and Meghan showed up in the restaurant.

She had a profound message for both her boys, to paraphrase, it's to "focus on love." To have unconditional love for each other, as well as their father - and moreover to be aware that everyone is going through troubles and difficulties, but if one can love themselves, then they can love others unconditionally - it's as profound a concept and statement about love as I've ever recorded.

Then Jennifer correctly predicts that "Everything Everywhere" would win many awards (that was widely predicted, but Jennifer hadn't seen it) just as last week's podcast when I asked Carl Laemmle (who purchased the rights to the original "All Quiet on the Western Front" when head of the company he founded Universal pictures) how many awards would they win? Or if the screenwriter who saw a vision she would win an Oscar for the film was correct - Carl said she was, and indeed, she did. 

He said it would win three, it actually won four.  It's not that Jennifer was right or wrong, as the question was asked to Carl. The future doesn't exist, there are likely outcomes, just pointing out that even Carl on the flipside, who said it would win three, was off by one.  It happens.  

Again - we're demonstrating how simple it is to speak to loved ones on the flipside.

So in light of asking my pal Luana what she might have said had she won an Oscar, she said: 

"I would like to say to all of those viewers out there... how much I love what I do. 

 

I loved what I did there, I love what I do here... I love the intersections, the intercrossings.. all the directors, the actors, the people that feed them... how it takes everything, every unique talent and every situation -- that connects us all. 

 

If everybody knew that this was a play; that you are here in front of me and you are one of the actors in my play and I'm one of the actors in your play, wouldn't we get along better if we knew we had to be clothed and fed and taking care of each other? 

 

And maybe "The Union" was God? Or whatever (term) to keep things going? It could be that simple. 

 

We make it so difficult to care for one another. Why can't we just care for everyone? 

 

I just want everyone to know that we are all in this together and I'm grateful for everyone who is listening, from afar to here. To those that don't know us yet, to those that will never know us - when you bring up your abilities to wake up, to be connected, to know you are connected... Then anything else can be a little bit easier. 

 

Just be who you are and know you have an important part in everybody's play." 

 

Luana was a lifelong Buddhist, a member of SGI here in Los Angeles, along with her pals Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, the late Wayne Shorter - and I know Jennifer well enough to know that she would not have given her Oscar speech in this fashion, but I know for a fact that it is in line with everything that Luana believed in when she was on the planet, and chanted for on a daily basis. 

 

Our loved ones are with us. Try to not forget that. But also try to remember, we are all actors in each other's plays - try to love without conditions.