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Richard Martini is a best selling author (Kindle in their genre) about books about the flipside. Jennifer Shaffer is a medium-intuitive who works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases (JenniferShaffer.com). They’ve been meeting weekly for 8 years to record their interviews (Backstage Pass to the Flipside 1, 2 and 3, Tuning into the Afterlife) and have been podcasting for two years about conversations with people no longer on the planet.
Episodes
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
As usual - Jennifer and I have no idea what we're going to talk about, or who we're going to speak to.
We have our moderator on the flipside, Luana Anders to thank for our guest list.
Today's podcast is the 2023 DAY OF THE DEAD version. We start off talking about Jennifer's latest events, (JenniferShaffer.com) - as we note in this podcast, by remembering our loved ones, we realize this is the DAY OF THE NOT DEAD.
Because what people report is that when the play is over we go home. Without exception.
We invite whomever wants to speak to us to check in with Luana first. And she brought Matthew Perry.
Jennifer points out that he's been coming in to her sessions during the past week. Friends of his that she was reading, brought him forward. So it's not like Jennifer and I thought "Oh, let's talk to Matthew."
So I asked him the same questions I ask everyone. In this case, I knew that he had done his first movie with River Phoenix - and that when they become close friends, River's sudden death affected him directly.
In this session he talks about the people that he's helped with their addictions, he talks about passing away after a game of Pickle ball (accurate, but Jennifer didn't know that), he talks about seeing River on the flipside. He says "He likes what we're doing, and he has friends Jennifer will be speaking with and he wanted Jennifer to "get used to it."
He mentions his book during the podcast: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir. I looked at the prologue and put a sentence at the end of the podcast from the book: "If you like, you can consider what you're about to read to be a message from the beyond, my beyond."
Jennifer saw Bob Saget come through - and said "The comedian who we spoke to who golfed." She didn't remember his name - I said "Garry Shandling" because Garry did come through to talk about golf... but in this case, she was referring to Bob Saget (who corrects me later in the podcast.)
We spoke to River Phoenix about his journey - about how he shows up to his brother Joaquin often and he's aware of those visits. (Only he could answer this question.) For those interested in attending a Jennifer evening, see JenniferShaffer.com - fun events in Manhattan Beach and around the southland.
Hank Azaria showed up in our podcast with Stephen Hawking talking about a story he told on the Late Show.
It's another mind bending podcast.
Fellow has a strong sense of humor. My laughter is reflected by doing this kind of conversation weekly for 8 years.
Bless his heart. Hope this helps someone. He says he's grateful he left a book. If you're missing him, or want to talk more about him - check out his book. "Every day should be the day of the dead" he says. "Love well. You have to love yourself in order to love others." River Phoenix. "I'll be back." Bob Saget: "Laughter is great medicine."
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Tonight's podcast begins with a reference to the documentary AFTER DEATH which I happened to go to their premiere. It's about the data, research from near death experiences, and focuses on some of the NDE's that included visits with "heaven" or "god" or "Jesus." Angel.com studios is a crowd funded distribution network, and their members vote which films they'd like to see.
In this case, something that's up my alley - I saw the film and wished I had made it. They interview scientists talking about the research, and do excellent reenactments of events. The only quibble I have is the quote that "23% of NDE's are hellish" - I asked the author of that quote where he got it from, he said "The guidebook of NDE's" which was written by my friend Dr. Bruce Greyson. I have the handbook, as well as his latest book AFTER which clearly states that figure is "1 to 3%" - not "23%." But that aside, I understand the need for people to believe that hell exists - or that it might be waiting for people who are less than honorable.
Which leads us into tonight's podcast, because in it, Luana Anders, our moderator on the flipside who passed in 1996 brought four disruptors - icons, Einstein, Hawking, Tesla and Genghis Khan. The reason he was there was to point out that "everyone plays their role on the planet" which can include some pretty awful stuff.
Genghis Khan's army was responsible for an estimated "40 million deaths" - more than Stalin and that German fellow combined. But that doesn't mean that we cannot speak to him - again, I don't make the guest list, Luana brought him to make a point.
And so I interviewed him, asked him the same questions I ask every new member of our class. From there he spoke about his journey, and the three scientists spoke about how to fix the planet, and a methodology to do so. (Think tanks where people do exactly what we're doing.)
Finally, my friend Margaret Lindsay showed up - Luana mentioned she had been to visit me a week ago - and Jennifer saw her with a woman. I guessed correctly that the woman with her was "Helen" - as Margaret owned her home on Martha's Vineyard, where I stayed, and signed Helen Keller's guest book.
Just another mind bending podcast in an ocean of them.
Enjoy.
Friday Oct 13, 2023
Friday Oct 13, 2023
We don't plan our podcasts in advance, and let the folks on the flipside, our class organized by Luana Anders (my pal who passed in 1996 and who brought me and Jennifer together). Luana is in charge of the topics discussed and the guest list.
Podcast begins with a discussion about the recent tragic events in Israel. Some of Jennifer's sessions are involved with people whose children serve in the military overseas or are scheduled to serve.
In our podcast we generally don't discuss matters involved with the future, as the research shows that the future is not set, we have free will to change outcomes, but important to mention that a medium like Jennifer has better access to likely outcomes, which people on the flipside have more access to.
There's a discussion of how prayers work, meditation functions, how people on the flipside are aware of the trauma and issues involved. Also an unusual bit of new information about those involved in perpetrating trauma - and what their observations are about being on the other side.
It's not something we've covered before, and a first to hear that people of like energy - that is the people causing mayhem - find themselves in a holding place, or locale where they wait for their life reviews, which in the cases of those who cause mayhem may last for a long time.
Because they have the experience of seeing all the trauma, all the negativity in others that they've caused, they experience that first hand as if they were the victims. We've heard this before in terms of a person's life review - that those who create joy in others experience that, and those who create the opposite experience the negativity caused in front of the audience of their classmates, council members, guides.
It's a hellish description, and I tried to clarify that this wasn't a permanent location (as the research is consistent about the fact that everyone eventually returns home, there are no dungeons on the flipside, however there are those who are voluntarily placed in a form of isolation. (This was reported in Michael Newton's JOURNEY OF SOULS.)
Then, I invited a person forward that I wanted to speak to - the Pulitzer prize winning author John E Mack who died in a car accident at age 74. He was famous because while at Harvard, he started a study with people who had been "abducted" during their experiences with UFO's, and he took a lot of heat in his career over publishing those detailed accounts.
It was interesting to put him together with J. Allen Hynek, someone I knew in my youth, the author of Project Blue Book, and the man responsible for the term "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Jennifer was not aware of who John was, or his last name, which I didn't reveal until the end of the conversation.
We also invited Carl Sagan forward, because they were friends - Jennifer couldn't have known that either when she said "I'm getting the feeling that he's a buddy." We have interviewed Carl before - about what it was like for him to realize he was on the other side. He told us in BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE FLIPSIDE that he "spent a lot of time wandering different vistas without seeing anyone" because he didn't believe - or was of the strong belief - that no one would be there.
It took him a "long time" to shift his focus to realize that people still did exist, and he could interact with them. He appears a number of times in our interviews, and each time brings a bit of his wit and sense of humor.
We know this is all disconcerting for many - the topics involved. All we can do is report. Jennifer Shaffer works with law enforcement agencies daily, we met eight years ago and I realized she was like having a "cell phone" to the flipside. It may not always be clear what the message is, but I found that if I tailor my questions to what I know about another person, I can gain new information. Things that the general public doesn't know - and Jennifer couldn't know until she says the answer that she's getting.
Hope this helps.
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Friday Oct 06, 2023
As we like to point out, we have no clue who is on our guest list when we start the podcast. Luana brought three people we've spoken with before, and they wanted to weigh in on the same topic that was talked about last week - that is, how to get out of a negative mindset, as well as how to treat the negative impacts of football or drug abuse on the brain.
In this case, Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft who created the brain institute stopped by. When Jennifer and I first met Paul it was some years ago - and is in the film TALKING TO PAUL ALLEN, JUNIOR SEAU AND DAVE DUERSON (Free on Youtube). In that film, we detail how these three individuals wanted to tell us that "Joe Namath has cured his CTE using oxygen therapy."
No other way to put it - we were not aware of that in any way shape or form. And after their third visit to talk about it - I learned that indeed Joe was telling people that his oxygen therapy had likely cured his CTE.
So I tried to clarify that what he had come through to tell us, was that Paul is suggesting "from the flipside" that oxygen therapy would be valuable in treating depression or brain trauma.
As noted, in the research of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, he's shown that meditation can "change the shape of the amygdala, the regulator of serotonin in the brain - the regulator of emotions.
I highly recommend people take a look at this research if it's something they're working on. Davidson has demonstrated that meditation can "cure or alleviate symptoms of depression." Worth examining.
Then there were two other friends who stopped by - one was Bill Paxton whom I knew for decades, and has shown up often in our book BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE FLIPSIDE where we interviewed him extensively about his journey. But also the film TALKING TO BILL PAXTON is now available on Amazon where I had three different mediums ask Bill the same questions on the flipside and he answered them all the same - including one session where I was not present.
Finally, Charles Grodin is and was a dear friend, and for Jennifer to say that he was the source of the voice that I heard this morning (saying "HELLO" so loudly it woke me up) and my wife woke me up yesterday with this poking of my foot - saying "someone had poked her three or four times in the night."
Again - it's a way of demonstrating that they still exist. Neither my wife nor I suspected that it was someone we knew - and I had planned to "ask the question during the podcast" if the time arose that I could ask it... and sure enough, it was brought up without me prodding, and Jennifer said that "something happened to Sherry as well" which was accurate.
Anyways, a long way of saying our loved ones are not far away. Just allow that they know what we're doing, they know that it's okay to chat with us, they know that we will disbelieve that it really is them, but if one is listening to this podcast, it's likely because they would like to be able to converse with a loved one.
Jennifer is doing a wine and spirits group this weekend in Santa Ynez, near Solvang - so if one is in the neighborhood check it out.
Another mind bending session with the flipside.
Thursday Sep 28, 2023
Thursday Sep 28, 2023
One of the most unusual podcast I can remember.
Jennifer and I decided to meet up today at the last minute, and had no idea or clue what might be the topic of discussion.
This one is about addiction in all of it's forms. Jennifer first talked about her own experience with the use of drugs, or cigarettes or alcohol - and then a number of people came forward to talk about the subject.
Elvis came forward to talk about his own issues in this area. Then Janis Joplin came forward - we had interviewed her in the book BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE FLIPSIDE and it's also in TUNING INTO THE AFTERLIFE. She talked eloquently about the idea that people are trying to "escape from the illusion they have onstage." Mind bending to put it that way - but we are all in a play, and people in the play use drugs and alcohol to escape the play they're in, thinking they're escaping reality when they're escaping the play.
Aretha Franklin stopped by - as she knew a number of people who left the stage early, and I asked her about our interaction with her niece who is the executor of her estate. She offered that she and her niece are "speaking regularly now."
Then Junior Seau stopped by - Junior was interviewed in the documentary TALKING TO PAUL ALLEN, JUNIOR SEAU AND DAVE DUERSON on Youtube. In that documentary, Junior said that he showed up when Paul crossed over to thank him for starting the brain institute.
But he also wanted to tell us (along with Dave Duerson, who both suffered from CTE) that "Joe Namath has cured his CTE using oxygen therapy."
That's in the documentary.
But today he stopped by to say that addiction was like CTE - in that the repeated abuse of the brain had the same effect of many hits on the brain. He also suggested the oxygen therapy could treat addiction.
No way of knowing if that's accurate, but it certainly is worth looking into.
Finally, Anthony Bourdain came forward, as he had mentioned in his previous interview that his drug use in his youth contributed to his inability to "feel joy." He repeated the concept that people should learn to meditate - and when I asked him to use his interview skills with our class, he asked them all for "one concept that would help people with addiction."
And then he said that they responded with the word "love." As in love yourself, love those who you chose to incarnate with, love the idea of love, love what love is - and that will help keep a person on the planet.
Interesting to contemplate, mind bending to see live.
Enjoy.
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Another fun adventure with the flipside.
Jennifer Shaffer works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases. For the past 8 years we meet up weekly to talk to people offstage.
I've been filming people talking to loved ones offstage for fifteen years. Examples are in the documentaries FLIPSIDE; MY JOURNEY INTO THE AFTERLIFE https://www.amazon.com/Flipside-Journey-Afterlife-Richard-Martini/dp/B0081U6K1Y TALKING TO BILL PAXTON, https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Pass-Flipside-Talking-Paxton/dp/B0CGRKSYGN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B31PRFLYCZF1&keywords=talking+to+bill+paxton&qid=1694192902&s=instant-video&sprefix=talking+to+bill+paxton%2Cinstant-video%2C141&sr=1-1
and HACKING THE AFTERLIFE https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0M297GRYOUK92ZY6V09DS43CGV/ref=atv_dp_cnc_0_0
A couple of weeks ago, Tony Bennett came through and we didn't talk about his dementia - something he had before he left the planet. He said that "only about 2-10% of his conscious energy" was in his body while still on the planet. (The rest is reportedly back "home" - which is what people consistently report. That is - they're already "offstage" before the curtain falls.)
He talked about feeling the emotions of all those who loved him and his music, and said that he connects to those individuals "through the heart." He said that Lady Gaga was a beautiful, talented person, and that he "communicates with her all the time" whether she's aware of it or not.
When we play an instrument, or sing - it's like they can "share the ride" with us.
He mentioned that Rock Hudson was one of the people who greeted him, and we asked if Rock wanted to come forward and speak. He spoke about who greeted him on the other side, as well as seeing a number of friends who also had left the stage due to AIDS.
We talked a little bit about his friend James Dean, and the concept that we had spoken to both the higher self of James, and the person who James told us to seek out who he's "come back as." Rock said "that's normal, and many have done that" including himself.
Tony mentioned seeing Gloria Vanderbilt speaking with JFK - and I asked Gloria about her journey, as well as Anderson. I know that Anderson is a skeptic in this area, but she said he has many talents besides news gathering - and to remind him that he doesn't have to stay at CNN for the rest of his life. (Her words, not mine.)
She talked about seeing her son, Anderson's brother before she left the planet.
Jennifer mentioned seeing Wayne Dyer - someone she has followed for years, and how he showed up to remind her to not doubt when he does show up. It echoed what Yogananda said a couple of weeks back; "When you put me on a pedestal it's harder to allow me into one's heart."
Thanks for tuning in!
Friday Sep 08, 2023
Friday Sep 08, 2023
Another mind bending episode.
Luana Anders is our pal on the flipside who generates the guest list. In this case it was someone who passed away recently, musician Gary Wright.
Gary was famous for his song "Dream Weaver." He worked with George Harrison and others in a long career. Jennifer did a private session with him in his home a few years ago, and he wanted to talk about his journey to the flipside. He talked about who greeted him there, and what his experience was like.
Gary was a fan of the Indian pandit Yogananda. His book "Autobiography of a Yogi" changed Gary's life because he said it inspired the song Dream Weaver. We've chatted with Yogananda before, I asked him questions about his teacher and other events in his life.
It's a mind bending thing he says when I asked him "What do I tell friends of mine in India about the fact that we've spoken to you?" He said "They have me on a pedestal. You need to have me in your heart to speak to me."
He answered that question before I asked it by taking Jennifer's hand.
Luana then took us to "a concert." I had been asked about a number of people who passed recently, so I wondered if this "concert" was so we could talk to them. Indeed, she brought forth Tony Bennett.
Tony mentioned the time that we met backstage on the tonight show, talked about my healthy head of hair - which allowed me to talk about the black wig he was wearing for that show in the 1980's. Later his son switched it to a grayer one - (or he stopped wearing one, I don't know) but it was funny because he brought it up.
Then we spoke to Walter Matthau. Indeed, I worked as his dialog coach on the Charles Grodin film Movers and Shakers, and he refers to our long conversations. That brought forth Gene Wilder to remind me that we had dinner together (yes, we did with Louise Lasser and Charles Grodin, and I recalled his thick white sox.)
Then Jimmy Buffett stopped by and talked about when he went over to the flipside, he walked onstage to a concert gig. It's often reported by musicians - the feeling of walking onstage and being met by fans and other musicians. He said "It was like playing a 12 hour gig."
He talked about feeling all the love from his fans, and had words for his family.
For other interviews with musicians, take a look at the book TUNING INTO THE AFTERLIFE which is mostly about them.
Thanks for tuning in.
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Another mind bending podcast.
As noted, Jennifer Shaffer and I have been doing these weekly meetings for 8 years. It was not long after John McCain's passing that I was upstairs in my apt. and heard his voice say "I understand you're the guy to get a message to my family."
I was startled - I didn't know him, met his chief of staff while researching "Three for the Road" in DC, but had no connection to him. Yet I could tell it was his voice. I said to him what I say to everyone "I'm not in charge of that - but if you can get on Luana Ander's guest list we're happy to chat with you."
He had a private message for his daughter, which I passed along through a radio producer we both know - and I have no idea what she thought of someone claiming to "hear her father." I know I would be dubious about it. But I said I would and I did.
And as noted, when RFK's voice showed up one day in my apt - clear as a bell, I was startled to hear it. Again - I said "Well, if you want to pass a message to your family, you need to speak to Luana."
And we did pass a message along to his family, and as noted, that family member thanked me for doing so. It's not up to us whether people take these messages seriously - however if I can figure out a way to pass along a message I will do so.
In today's podcast, John appeared in a dream I had last night, talking about opening up a "McCain's Pub" or "McCain's joint" - a place where people from both sides of the political spectrum could meet - talk about politics without the fervor. Perhaps do karaoke - maybe a folk singer - and people could listen and perhaps not argue. Doesn't mean they're going to change their opinions about anything - but it would be more civil.
It's not something I've ever thought of - and like Jennifer notes, politics is the last thing we want to stir people up about. But he pointed this out in the dream - and talked about it on the podcast.
Was surprised to hear JFK and RFK stopped by - as they did not previously. When we first interviewed Maverick - LBJ stopped by, and later Nixon, then Lincoln, then Mary Todd Lincoln. It's all in BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE FLIPSIDE.
I try to ask the same questions to all of them. If they can add some kind of insight into our world, I'm happy to share it. I do have conservatives in my family tree - and hopefully we survive the upcoming election. But either way - I love the concept of "before you respond, calm yourself, think a peaceful thought before you respond."
It's really unique and not something I would have ever thought of, or Jennifer would come up with.
Whitney Houston stopped by - I recall interviewing her mother Cissy when Aretha came through (it's in TUNING INTO THE AFTERLIFE) as they were very close, and Aretha had Whitney around her often.
But in this case, I try to focus on what it is they want to express or talk about - and how others can ask them questions or ask them for help.
As always our class is moderated by Luana Anders, who appears on TCM this week in THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM. I saw the restored print in a theater - it was amazing to see.
I like to point out when people are incredulous about who shows up in our podcasts. "They weren't celebrities when they were children or teens, it's only later on that happened to them. They're always who they are - and when they get to the flipside, they see all the people they've had previous lifetimes with, and the whole notion of celebrity is related to one particular performance.
Their friends, teachers, guides, council members know their whole history - whether in this lifetime they were singers, actors, politicians, carpenters or podcasters. Everyone is just walking each other home.
Hope this helps. Here's a fun video I found looking to see what Maverick's favorite restaurant was... is: https://youtu.be/UNZSCokrrYM?si=of8T0mzvUyJqPsms
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Today's podcast is about managing energy and the myth of Er.
As noted, we don't speak prior to our podcast, not for any particular reason, just that's how it's worked out for the past 8 years.
So whatever comes up is either what pops into my head or what Jennifer sees, hears or gets in reply to my questions.
In this case, Jennifer mentions that she's had a hard week at work with her law enforcement cases and other issues; and so we turn that into a question for Luana on how to manage energy - or stress from the flipside.
She talks about the process of managing energy from the Flipside, how to center oneself via simple meditation... which leads me into a question about Plato's Republic and the Myth of Er (One can read the article I wrote about it at RichMartini.com - https://richmartini.blogspot.com/2023/08/flipside-of-platos-myth-of-er.html
It's uncanny that the concepts explored by Er in terms of talking about his near death experience, visiting his council is in many ways identical to the reports from the folks 2500 years later in the book DIVINE COUNCILS IN THE AFTERLIFE.
One can find that at DivineCouncils.com - either way, Jennifer talks about how to calm one's energy in the chaotic world we live in, and Luana recommends this idea of centering and focusing on a simple meditation of gratitude before one falls asleep - to help center one, and to make the dream state a happier one.
That and more in this episode!
Enjoy!
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
First there's a number of mistakes that I made in this podcast. (Note: Not that Jennifer makes, but that I make). One is that the film Dementia 13 was made in 1963, not 1967.
Then there's a discussion with Elvis about his granddaughter Riley, who has a daughter who is not an actress, at least yet; she's only 2.
People sometimes complain that there are "too many celebrities on our podcast" - again, Jennifer is not in charge of the guest list, I ask Luana Anders to bring the guest list.
In this case, a friend of Jennifer's came through first, Eddie Hassell, a young actor who was killed in Texas some years back. He wanted to talk about her event that she did the previous night in a private setting.
Then Elvis and his daughter Lisa Marie came through not to talk about themselves, or their journey, but to point out that our loved ones are always available, always nearby, and that there are people who are suffering over that on the planet, and they wanted to weigh in on the topic.
Jennifer mentions a free meditation app, it's called InsightTimer.com - it has free guided meditations on it. Also there's a reference to my book DIVINE COUNCILS IN THE AFTERLIFE (DivineCouncils.com)
We do this podcast to remind people that their loved ones are always nearby, that they are accessible, that's it's not hard or impossible to chat with them, to bypass the filters to do so - and worth the effort, whether it's Uncle Eddie or Uncle Elvis who stops by to chat.
We can always learn something new from them.
Also a shout out to Tom Petty, thanks for stopping by to confirm that the opening line from "American Girl" came from a line he heard in "Dementia 13."
But he noted that the reason he knew about Luana and our class was much more complicated than that simple notion - because there are connections upon connections will people offstage. And they know how that works.
Hope this helps.