WHERE IS THAT FISHEYE LENS?
Hmmm...watching the news...it seems to me that the only intelligent move is to back up a bit and pick up the fisheye lens and look at universal humanity...the big picture, the whole...I think it was Einstein who said, "You can't solve a problem at the level of the problem." ??? We've got the political and emotional dramas played out on tv ...and we've got the people in the valley of Ur reconstructing their reed houses...that valley was known as the cradle of civilization, you know....
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
ELEVEN NOVEMBER
Oak limbs, bare and dark,
reach across clouds of red maples.
Below...yellow lilies
begin their blooming for another season.
Eleven Eleven Eleven...
--Barbara Smith Stoff
reach across clouds of red maples.
Below...yellow lilies
begin their blooming for another season.
Eleven Eleven Eleven...
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Monday, November 2, 2009
PERSEPHONE
After the Great Fall,
it is that the warrior has danced upon the bones
of our dismembered illusions.
Isis, come now.
Re-member us with new forms, new ideas.
Life must survive.
After the Grail seeking and the Persephone tasks,
tell us what can we envision together.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
it is that the warrior has danced upon the bones
of our dismembered illusions.
Isis, come now.
Re-member us with new forms, new ideas.
Life must survive.
After the Grail seeking and the Persephone tasks,
tell us what can we envision together.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
THINKING ABOUT THE RED BALLOON
There is a book/film about a very lonely little boy...it's called "The Red Balloon." Current news coverage of 'the balloon boy' bring long thoughts about alienation in our society...and what to do about it...how to make things better?....
A memory from long years ago. I am teaching a course called "Introduction to Literature" to first year college students. It happens that I have a great many students from Iran—they always asked, quickly and intensely, to be called Persian…as many college students came here during the reign of the Shah—so I have to think of some creative strategies in these introductions because, although many of them could quote the poet Rumi to me, they were not overly proficient in English.
My own esteemed college professor has told me that when prize winning authors were surveyed as to their purposes and priorities when writing, the general conclusion went like this, "When I have something really important to say, I put it into a children's story." So I have decided to bring in some children's literature, especially those book which have been made into films.
Of course, "The Red Balloon" is at the top of my list—the film having won honors at the Cannes Film Festival, and the book had been a great favorite with my own children. So before assigning the reading of the book, I showed the film to my class and asked them to write down their thoughts after seeing it.
In the back of the room, one of my Persian/Iranian students lifted his hand and said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "I have seen that film EIGHTEEN times."
I thought…oh my…what to say next…So I said, "Well…what did you see in it this time that you have not seen before?"
To my surprise, and real joy, he replied, "This time I saw love."
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Sunday, October 18, 2009
MORNING AGAIN
Raining today softly
the world is washed clean
today
a new light
waits in the mists there
in the distant trees
softly
lighting our gaze
toward All Dreaming.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
the world is washed clean
today
a new light
waits in the mists there
in the distant trees
softly
lighting our gaze
toward All Dreaming.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
DOE TRAIL LANE
It's coming up deer season again. A poem:
DOE TRAIL LANE
Down in the meadow
the crack of the day
is marked at meeting
by the sound of shooting,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
Counting Lane by Lane
cleanly laid out...
Pinto, Polo, Possum,
house by house to the lake,
tall thin saplings fling up
their fretwork and veining,
simply ending up there
in the grey flesh of heaven,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
Down in the meadow
the crack of the day
is marked at meeting
by the sound of shooting,
down at then end of Doe Trail Lane.
Being warm inside this cabin
and knowing, that come dark,
I will be able to nestle myself
with blankets, and lay me down to sleep,
I look at the stars on the covering
my mama sewed for me...
and, hearing a shot,
I look through the window.
I ask for clean release
for the hunted; for the hunter,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
DOE TRAIL LANE
Down in the meadow
the crack of the day
is marked at meeting
by the sound of shooting,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
Counting Lane by Lane
cleanly laid out...
Pinto, Polo, Possum,
house by house to the lake,
tall thin saplings fling up
their fretwork and veining,
simply ending up there
in the grey flesh of heaven,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
Down in the meadow
the crack of the day
is marked at meeting
by the sound of shooting,
down at then end of Doe Trail Lane.
Being warm inside this cabin
and knowing, that come dark,
I will be able to nestle myself
with blankets, and lay me down to sleep,
I look at the stars on the covering
my mama sewed for me...
and, hearing a shot,
I look through the window.
I ask for clean release
for the hunted; for the hunter,
down at the end of Doe Trail Lane.
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
OUR COLLECTIVE DECISION WINDOW
Shel and I woke up at five o’clock, as we often do, and fell to talking about the expressions of ‘extremism’ so prevalent in the news right now. Before sleep we had watched a film..Not Without My Daughter…based, I believe, upon a true story, which certainly illustrates several brands of extremism. I guess that film had invaded our dreams even, as we both woke up thinking about news-rants. We needed to look for hopeful intimations.
I said that I do not feel than this trend toward belligerence will gain full ascendancy—that there is a growing core of creative and evolutionary thinkers who will ‘sway’ the tide of emotional energy…energy which is harvested, from that subterranean river in the unconscious, by those who are still holding onto the “dominator” model. Shel reflected again on the critical importance Riane Eisler's partnership concept and her clear presentation of that in The Chalice and the Blade. He said, “Well, you know that in a society where those who have a need to “look down upon others” …when they see those “beneath” begin to climb upward…even to the presidency…they begin to get very nervous indeed and try to put them back “in their place.”
In the moment, as I write here, lines from T.S. Eliot and C.S. Lewis come together in my mind…
“There will be time, there will be time…Before the taking of a “toast and tea…”
and…
“Til we have faces…”
and…then there is…
Ervin Laszlo’s The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads...…the "decision window”…
He says that as we now face a choice between “collapsing into chaos and evolving into a sustainable, ethical global community” the voices of the few—even the individual—can have a powerful effect for change.
We need to outgrow our “absolutizing instinct”…as William F. Lynch puts it in his wonderful Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless.
Ah—Let us listen to the gathering voices of imagination and hope.
I said that I do not feel than this trend toward belligerence will gain full ascendancy—that there is a growing core of creative and evolutionary thinkers who will ‘sway’ the tide of emotional energy…energy which is harvested, from that subterranean river in the unconscious, by those who are still holding onto the “dominator” model. Shel reflected again on the critical importance Riane Eisler's partnership concept and her clear presentation of that in The Chalice and the Blade. He said, “Well, you know that in a society where those who have a need to “look down upon others” …when they see those “beneath” begin to climb upward…even to the presidency…they begin to get very nervous indeed and try to put them back “in their place.”
In the moment, as I write here, lines from T.S. Eliot and C.S. Lewis come together in my mind…
“There will be time, there will be time…Before the taking of a “toast and tea…”
and…
“Til we have faces…”
and…then there is…
Ervin Laszlo’s The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads...…the "decision window”…
He says that as we now face a choice between “collapsing into chaos and evolving into a sustainable, ethical global community” the voices of the few—even the individual—can have a powerful effect for change.
We need to outgrow our “absolutizing instinct”…as William F. Lynch puts it in his wonderful Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless.
Ah—Let us listen to the gathering voices of imagination and hope.
Friday, September 11, 2009
REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER ELEVEN
http://www.colorfromthelightwithin.blogspot.com/
I began to make a painting as I watched the news on the morning of September 11, 2001. I kept thinking of cathedral windows—I kept seeing a Rose Window. And my work with the brushes made the television watching more bearable. As the days went on, I looked back into my journal and saw that on September 12, I had written, “Hope walks through the dusty streets with a golden sieve.” I realized I had been making a sieve on the paper. So I called the painting “Golden Sieve” …. for winnowing truth and beauty from the ashes of destruction.
–Barbara Smith Stoff
I began to make a painting as I watched the news on the morning of September 11, 2001. I kept thinking of cathedral windows—I kept seeing a Rose Window. And my work with the brushes made the television watching more bearable. As the days went on, I looked back into my journal and saw that on September 12, I had written, “Hope walks through the dusty streets with a golden sieve.” I realized I had been making a sieve on the paper. So I called the painting “Golden Sieve” …. for winnowing truth and beauty from the ashes of destruction.
–Barbara Smith Stoff
Sunday, September 6, 2009
FOREVER FAMILY FOUNDATION RADIO INTERVIEW
http://www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org/SOLRarchives/SOLR031507StoffSmith.mp3
http://www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org/images/StoffSmithCombo.gif
http://www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org/images/StoffSmithCombo.gif
Friday, September 4, 2009
COMMUNITY AT THE TOWN HALL MEETING
By Sheldon Stoff and Barbara Smith Stoff<
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We have attended a "town hall" meeting. It was a long evening. There was much noise and emotion, seemingly no understanding, and little reasoning. Positions seemed to have been firmly taken even before anyone had spoken. We had innocently thought that there would be an honorable presentation of thoughts and facts and that this meeting would offer an opportunity for deeper understanding of the healthcare reform issues. This was not to be. If only for our own self-therapy, we are writing about our thoughts about this experience, while still recovering from a kind of sick feeling.
There were three wonderful speakers...don't know who they were. One was a man who stood up to share with us the reading he had been doing of the actual bill. The crowd laughed at him, and the congressman interrupted him to call for a sudden expression of yays and nays from the entire assembly. Exactly what they were yaying and naying about, I was not sure. Once the shouting subsided, the man was allowed to continue. At this point I began to feel some anger that this man, who had attempted to do his homework and become informed, was laughed at and basically prevented from speaking. Another was a man who brought a five year old girl with him "to see how democracy works"...He spoke of our need to learn to care for each other. And then there was a woman who spoke movingly of her feelings in response to the irrational fear and selfishness stirring in the crowd. Other than that...the atmosphere was just plain toxic and irrational. We have tried to write something of value to counterbalance...a feather in the wind.
The Republican congressman who had called for this town hall meeting presented his position, but did not present "the other side of the argument" for rebuttal or even discussion. There were posters, signs and slogans, and even loud cat-calls by some attendees. Those supporting President Obama were in the minority, and seemed more reasonable in their behavior. Those siding with the congressman seemed absolutely sure of themselves, and their opinions and were very passionate in their spontaneous vocalizing. Very few seemed to take notice of the realities, or points of view, of the others. There was no meeting of minds, no reconciliation, no understanding—just a hardening of positions. It was an experience in futility.
That night both of us had a very restless sleep. Even our dreams seemed to be invaded by all those wildly gyrating placards… "What would Jesus do?" … "No socialized medicine." …"Healthcare is a right."… "Don't take away my freedom!" Often, in our meditations, as we ask for clarity, our inner guidance somehow offers an answer. This morning, after some time, it came:
"You are responsible to your brothers and sisters. Let that responsibility guide you on this path."
So, for us, this is the answer. This is a moral responsibility, a mutual and communal responsibility. We need to join quietly together, as a nation, to forge a new path toward Healthcare Reform. It must meet the test of responsibility to our brothers and sisters. We emphasize responsibility to…Responsibility includes responsiveness to our brothers and sisters. There is a difference between responsibility for and responsibility to. There is a difference between giving the man the proverbial fish and the proverbial teaching him how to fish.
It seems that the direction of the looked-for solution to the problem is guided by the basic assumption about the nature of our human society. One thought, or assumption, is that it's everyone for himself or herself. Another thought, or assumption, is that it's "we're all in this together." Both assessments say something about the basic belief about what is possible for humankind, and whether we as individual participants have some say in the direction humankind takes for the future. Together, let us create a more benevolent path.
SUGGESTED READING:
Robert Reich's blog on the subject of these 'discussions'....
Wendell Potter | Against Wall Street's Health Care Takeover
http://www.truthout.org/090109T?n
Wendell Potter, Common Dreams: "I would like to begin by apologizing to all of you for the role I played 15 years ago in cheating you out of a reformed health care system. Had it not been for greedy insurance companies and other special interests, and their army of lobbyists and spin-doctors like I used to be, we wouldn't be here today."
Editor's Note: Now Professor Emeritus at Adelphi University, Sheldon Stoff taught a course on the philosophy of Martin Buber while he was studying for his doctorate at Cornell University.
During in his long career as an educator and spokesperson for Humanistic Education, with inspiration from Dr. Buber, he established the International Center for Studies in Dialogue. He also received the Outstanding Educator of America Award in 1974. He is author of
The Two Way Street, The Human Encounter, The Pumpkin Quest, Universal Kabbalah: Dawn of a New Consciousness, and the newly released
The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side. As well, he is co-author, with Barbara Smith Stoff, of the forthcoming Partnership Community: Listen to the Gathering Voices. Barbara Smith Stoff, teacher, painter and poet, is producer of Emmy Award winning "Poems of Wonder and Magic."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Drawing From Within...Why?
I used to tell my students to look deeper within themselves for wisdom and understanding, and that a worthy life-task is to distill within whatever is good and beautiful, and then draw from that for the outer…as a gift to the without.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
WHEN WE SPEAK OF THE WITHIN--WHAT ARE WE MEANING?
When we speak of the “within”—what are we meaning? Sri Aurobindo often said that, even in our very cells, we are lit by God Light at the core. We are lit by god light…what does that mean?
Richard Grossinger, contemplates this phenomenon we call light in his book The Night Sky. In his chapter on occult astronomy he discusses with a characteristic look at the writings of others [especially Pierre Teilhard de Chardin--who wrote so much about the "within"] and then makes his own intuitive mystical synthesis.
“When we imagine the primordial seas…” Can we then be like the ancient small creatures learning to survive in the residual tide pools as the oceans receded and withdrew from the land. These small creatures internalized the seawater—that which had been their supporting environment—and developed the circulatory system. Through individuation, having internalized the supporting environment, the codes and mores of our evolving social institutions, we can draw together by using the force of radial energy from the heart. We might think of this radial energy as ‘entropised’ energy which has built up our ‘within’—rather than having been dissipated throughout the aeons—radial energy now makes a rich conserve within the heart of humanity. Radial energy allows for the drawing together from within rather than being pushed together from without—thus allowing the optimum development of the individual as well as, and simultaneously with the whole, the collective, the society.
It is basic to an evolving consciousness to understand that, to a more or less degree depending on circumstances, all persons are bound together in ties of consciousness. We are unified from our initial creation as a spiritual being. Our energy source is shared, thus enabling us to communicate without verbal speech. Reality extends beyond time and space.
(c) Sheldon Stoff and Barbara Smith Stoff
(excerpted from the forthcoming Partnership Society: The Marriage of Intuition and Intellect)
Richard Grossinger, contemplates this phenomenon we call light in his book The Night Sky. In his chapter on occult astronomy he discusses with a characteristic look at the writings of others [especially Pierre Teilhard de Chardin--who wrote so much about the "within"] and then makes his own intuitive mystical synthesis.
So we can look at the sky as a screen of hydrogen fires, or we can look at the same light as the divine component of creation transmitted eternally. The sun is the local embodiment of this material, and the Earth is constructed of solar material. When we imagine the primordial seas with their millennial rains and steam, the upheaval of the molten core, the emergence of bare rock, and the clinging life mantle, we can intuit an inside to this process so that the astral is transmitted through the elemental …. We are encouraged to look anew into the night sky, and it is a hive of cells and souls traversed by divine light and the archetypal data of creation. In Gurdjieff’s system, light carries information from higher worlds into lower ones, information which can be transformed by physical nourishment and breath back into astral thought. (Richard Grossinger in The Night Sky, pp.49-50)
“When we imagine the primordial seas…” Can we then be like the ancient small creatures learning to survive in the residual tide pools as the oceans receded and withdrew from the land. These small creatures internalized the seawater—that which had been their supporting environment—and developed the circulatory system. Through individuation, having internalized the supporting environment, the codes and mores of our evolving social institutions, we can draw together by using the force of radial energy from the heart. We might think of this radial energy as ‘entropised’ energy which has built up our ‘within’—rather than having been dissipated throughout the aeons—radial energy now makes a rich conserve within the heart of humanity. Radial energy allows for the drawing together from within rather than being pushed together from without—thus allowing the optimum development of the individual as well as, and simultaneously with the whole, the collective, the society.
It is basic to an evolving consciousness to understand that, to a more or less degree depending on circumstances, all persons are bound together in ties of consciousness. We are unified from our initial creation as a spiritual being. Our energy source is shared, thus enabling us to communicate without verbal speech. Reality extends beyond time and space.
(c) Sheldon Stoff and Barbara Smith Stoff
(excerpted from the forthcoming Partnership Society: The Marriage of Intuition and Intellect)
WHAT IF SONY WERE A BOYSCOUT?
What if we, as Robert Coles counsels us, listen to the young ones???
This story just gets amazinger and amazinger!!!
As grandmother to one of these young ones, you can imagine how I have watched with great interest as this story developed from simply playing with lego toys...and sim games...on the computer...young ones learning to use their minds creatively.
"Six US kids are driving global wildfire detection thinking, overcoming technical as well as legislative barriers which have flummoxed adults, in order to push a detection system prototype through to trial this summer. Watch how this simple idea came about and snowballed to pro bono support from global tech giant Sony electronics." (from Sony's youtube promo)
Then, if you have time, you might scroll down for the three minute 'youtube' at bottom of page...or click on this 'livejournal' link....http://forestguardsony.livejournal.com/522.html ...and then--below that is a link to an article about these kids on softpedia.com...http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/When-Sony-Meets-Smokey-The-Bear-2780-01.html ...
....a world transforming...
with love and hope,
--Barbara Smith Stoff
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:11 PM
Subject: more press on the Lego Guards
More press for the Lego Guards and their Forest Guard, from the tech industry media... curious!
t
"Ever wondered at night "what if Sony were a boyscout?" Nope, I have not. But for those of you that have, I have news that will fry your display: Sony, probably seeking to gain some good publicity, melt the hearts of those of us that are still waiting for the PS3 to get cheaper or just because it cares about mother nature, having decided to support the Forest Guard team's idea regarding the prevention of forest fires."
http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/When-Sony-Meets-Smokey-The-Bear-2780-01.html
(from Tracy--July 2, 2009)--Alejandro's LegoGuard team's experience just keeps getting more amazing all the time. Coach Heidi has just sent this link to a short YouTube video of the team's experience in Copenhagen and their project Forest Guard. REALLY well done, and quite fun to see my boy in pictures!!
Enjoy!
love, Tracy
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Heidi Buck >
Date: Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Subject: Independent UK blog site
To: theteam@legoguards.net
Hello Team,
Here is the UK Independent Forest Guard blog site (it has a link to the You tube video of the 3 minute video promo!!)
http://forestguardsony.livejournal.com/522.html
- Heidi
"Six US kids are driving global wildfire detection thinking, overcoming technical as well as legislative barriers which have flummoxed adults, in order to push a detection system prototype through to trial this summer. Watch how this simple idea came about and snowballed to pro bono support from global tech giant Sony electronics." http://forestguardsony.livejournal.com/522.html
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
GOOGLE AND THE AKASHIC
GOOGLE AND THE AKASHIC
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUS422108559020090706
"Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture, and knowledge that's often difficult to discover." I think we should be thankful to Google and Eric Schmidt, and not pile up the whole legal system on his Monday morning breakfast plate.
Upon reading the above article "Google's Dark Day"...I just want to say that I appreciate what Google is doing with rare books. I actually see this effort as a way of making accessible the "akashic" if you will. Here is a story which illustrates what I mean, and how Google can work for us.
This story is from our recent work with "The Western Book of Crossing Over...." ...I will quote from pages 82-83 …Lorraine has transmitted from the other side the following fragment of a poem. Sheldon has written it down exactly as it was given to him and included it in his writing of the book. The fragment:
For see, there nothing is in all the world
But only love worth any strife or song or tear.
Ask me not then to sing or fashion songs
Other than this, my song of love to thee.
--From the Arabic, "The Camel Rider"
"As a brief aside, we share the following: When the copy editor set us searching for a source for this poem fragment, we were at first dismayed and then amazed at what we [Sheldon and Barbara] uncovered. Sheldon said, "Where to look? I have never heard of this poem, nor of any reference to it. This just came from Lorraine, and I wrote it down."
After I [Barbara] spent a couple of hours looking for the proverbial needle in that haystack we call the World Wide Web of information now stored in cyberspace, I did find the poem from which the lines are taken. I found By Thy Light I Live: The Poetry of Wilfrid Blunt, selected and arranged by W.E. Henley and George Wyndham. It was published in London by William Heinemann in 1898, and printed by Ballantyne, Hanson& Co. of London and Edinburgh. The lines are found on page 273, taken from the last stanza of "The Camel Rider." Looking further, I discovered that Wilfrid S. Blunt was born in 1840 and died in 1922. All this certainly leaves me with some deep thoughts about the memory bank in the Akashic Field.
It is not only remarkable that Sheldon was able to record this from Lorraine's transmission, but also that I was able to locate the source. This book is digitized by Google from its resting place in the Library of the University of Michigan. I found the Google commentary rather lovely and poetic in itself, and worthy of reproduction here:
This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary from country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture, and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations, and other marginal"ia present in the original volume will appear in this file—a reminder of this book's long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you. Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. –Google
"Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture, and knowledge that's often difficult to discover." I think we should be thankful to Google, and not pile up the whole legal system on his Monday morning breakfast plate.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Reviews for The Western Book of Crossing Over
REVIEWS for The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side.
Here are editorial and review comments about this book:
Reviewers' Quotes:
"A book that's one of the most amazing I have ever come across–and for two reasons and not just one. One reason is the fact of the book: written in conversation with the "other side"—with a life-companion who is no longer here but, it appears, still is, and has been over many incarnations, the author's partner.… The other reason is the content. An expression of the purest, clearest love–for everyone and everything, as our task and mission on Earth and throughout our lifetimes. A book to read, to marvel at, to learn from, and to heed in all that we do."—Ervin László
"Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be."—John L. Mayfield, DC, author of Body Intelligence
"Throughout human history there have been monumental questions which have bubbled up through the elixir of life.• Why am I born?• What is the meaning of my life?• Why does my very being resonate with that one person?• Will I reconnect with relatives and loved ones after they have died?• Will I feel pain when dying?• What will happen to me when I die?• Will I come back again?"For anyone who has sought answers to the above and other questions about life and consciousness, finally there is a fountain of testimony through which flows reason, meaning, and purpose on many levels."There have been guidepost books which have attempted answers: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, even The American Book of the Dead, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's On Death and Dying, Chopra's Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, Sogyal Rimpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying. But are they faint whispers in gathering simple truths for consciousness today? The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side is not esoteric mythological journeying. Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be."—Jon R.G. Turner and Troya Turner, co-founders and co-directors of the Whole-Self Discovery and Development Institute International, and authors of Birth, Life, and More Life: Reactive Patterning Based on Prebirth Events
"Anyone hungry to know more about the ultimate nature and purpose of human life would be lucky indeed to find this guidebook! The lucky part is holding in your hands a Google map of the trail, a precisely written journal of someone who has just made the journey, or the answers to the final exam before seeing the questions. For this little book on the biggest subject in the world we are indebted to a scholarly, disciplined, and trustworthy pair of Soul Mates, one on earth and the other in heaven communicating back and forth--a rare and priceless perspective on the human odyssey."
David B. Chamberlain, Ph.D, author, The Mind of your Newborn Baby (3rd ed.) North Atlantic Books, now in 14 translations.
Editorial Review:
This reflective series of conversations with his wife Lorraine after her death enables author Sheldon Stoff to take readers on a journey through the process of living, dying, and living again—in the afterlife. Insights gleaned from both Western and Eastern traditions, especially those of Kabbalah, provide a universalist, non-sectarian context for Stoff's experiences. With chapters addressing reincarnation, fulfilling one's life mission, life review, and the significance of finding one's soul mate, The Western Book of Crossing Over presents a transcendent view of human consciousness and what it means to be alive. Packed with fascinating details about the afterlife, The Western Book of Crossing Over builds on the foundation laid by popular psychic authors Sylvia Browne and John Edward, and serves as a passionate reminder of the importance of keeping an awareness of the afterlife in order to live fully and authentically on this side of the life-death divide. Eleven original drawings of the Other Side based on the conversations between the author and his wife by their son Jesse provide a fascinating visual counterpoint to Lorraine's descriptions of the afterlife and her uplifting, ultimately hopeful and joyful messages of love.
Packed with fascinating details about the afterlife, The Western Book of Crossing Over builds on the foundation laid by popular psychic authors Sylvia Browne and John Edward, and serves as a passionate reminder of the importance of keeping an awareness of the afterlife in order to live fully and authentically on this side of the life-death divide. Eleven original drawings of the Other Side based on the conversations between the author and his wife by their son Jesse provide a fascinating visual counterpoint to Lorraine's descriptions of the afterlife and her uplifting, ultimately hopeful and joyful messages of love.
About the Author
Sheldon Stoff, EdD, spent most of his career in academia as an educator and spokesperson for Humanistic Education. A former Education Department Chair at Adelphi University, he established the International Center for Studies in Dialogue with inspiration from his mentor, the renowned philosopher Martin Buber.
Barbara’s Foreword to The Western Book of Crossing Over….
Foreword
By Barbara Smith Stoff
Although he had been fascinated with the concept of reincarnation—having begun, while still in his teens, with studies from the New York Psychic Society—Sheldon Stoff, who is now retired from university teaching in education and philosophy, had never thought to ask a question regarding the career and whereabouts of the soul between incarnations. In this book, he keeps company with such as C. S. Lewis (A Grief Observed), in that he finds himself in continuing contact with his deceased wife, Lorraine. During these surprising communications, Lorraine Marshak Stoff, who was married to Sheldon for over fifty years, describes her experience of passing over, and then proceeds to go into details about the soul's ongoing experience and progress between lives.
Asking a new kind of question can precipitate a profound change in our world view, and in our understanding of the entire cosmos. When we change our question, we begin to move forward in comprehension and toward greater spiritual evolution.
Today it seems that the whole world must come to terms with a multi-national hydra-headed existential face-off. Thus it becomes, at this point in history, imperative that we work hard to educate ourselves, in order to gain some insight and understanding of our idea of ourselves as human beings in a very large universe, and how that idea is interpreted and played out on the increasingly communal world stage.
In our efforts to widen and deepen our concepts and understanding of life and meaning, it may be helpful if we place our inquiries within the larger questions posed by general systems theory. It may indeed be helpful to direct an inquiring look at general systems theory and the nature of systems and how and why they organize themselves, and how they may change toward a more benevolent evolution.
Ervin Laszlo, often known as the father of systems science, says that as we now face a choice between "collapsing into chaos and evolving into a sustainable, ethical global community" the voices of the few, even the individual, can have a powerful effect for change. He says, in The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads:
Scientists would say we are living in a 'decision window'—a transitory period in the evolution of a system during which any input or influence, however small, can 'blow up' to transform existing trends and bring new patterns and processes into existence. This is similar to the often-discussed 'butterfly effect' discovered by U.S. meteorologist Edward Lorenz in the 1960s….In periods of relative stability, the consciousness of individuals does not play a decisive role in the behavior of society. But when a society reaches the limits of its stability and turns chaotic, it becomes super-sensitive—responsive to even small fluctuations such as changes in some people's values, beliefs, world views and aspirations. Many signs point to the fact that we are entering a new period of ecological and social instability, a time rife with chaos but also a window of exceptional freedom to decide our destiny.
Reading history upon tragic history, and trying to comprehend truly and fairly, we think that now is the time to offer thoughts about strategies for a deeper healing at the heart of humankind. With Martin Buber and Vaclav Havel, we plead for benevolent evolution in our consciousness, in our understanding of who we are, and where we are going. Are we evolving toward understanding and partnership?
Gregg Braden writes of "the existence of a field of energy—The Divine Matrix—that provides the container, as well as a bridge and mirror, for everything that happens between the world within us and the one outside of our bodies." Drawing upon theorists such as David Bohm and others within the discipline of quantum physics, he describes "deeper or higher planes of creation that hold the template for what happens in our world. It's from these subtler levels of reality that our physical world originates." He says:
"The implication of both quantum theory and the ancient texts is that in the unseen realms we create the blueprint for the relationships, careers, successes, and failures of the visible world. From this perspective, the Divine Matrix works like a great cosmic screen that allows us to see the nonphysical energy of our emotions and beliefs (our anger, hate, and rage; as well as our love, compassion, and understanding) projected in the physical medium of life."
If we look to ancient wisdom traditions and metaphysical writings, we find abundant theory on soul development. Having read deeply in the fields of esoterica for some forty years, I am excited to find validation in the fact that contemporary physicians, psychotherapists, and educators are now providing scientific support to ancient wisdom teachings regarding what we might call journeys of the soul. In particular, through the enduring and painstaking work of researchers such as David Chamberlain, Brian Weiss, and Michael Newton, there is now an expanding body of thought in the exploration of controversial issues involving our understanding of consciousness.
You can imagine my excitement and feeling of good fortune when I found myself in face-to-face dialogue with an individual who had the personal experience of an extended conversation with beings on the "other side."
Sheldon's between-the-worlds dialogue with Lorraine can offer a response to essential questions and, as well, encourage us to keep on asking for more enlightenment regarding our situation and way of progress.
In his introduction, Gregg Braden goes on to say, "The Divine Matrix is written for those of you whose lives bridge the reality of our past with the hope of our future. It is you who are being asked to forgive and find compassion in a world reeling from the scars of hurt, judgment, and fear. The key to surviving our time in history is to create a new way of thinking while we're still living in the conditions that threaten our existence."
To act in accord, to make a bridge to new ways of thinking, and in the belief that the reported experiences of individual journeys in consciousness can be of great significance now—at this point in time with the world in a general state of confrontation and conflict—we offer this story. It is within this frame of reflection that Sheldon's book, The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations With The Other Side, can be considered as making a vital statement for our progress toward a sustainable future here on Earth.
Barbara Smith Stoff
Tucson, Arizona
April, 2007
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Judgment of the Birds
As I watch the news, I reflect upon the role Twitter is playing in the shaping of world events, I remember the news images of the hotel bombing in India last fall...the images of flocks of birds flying back and forth in front of the cameras...the bombed hotel in the background. It was reported that Twitter posts played the first alert role regarding that tragedy too. And I am remembering another story about birds which comes to us from the journals of that keen observer and faithful chronicler of our long evolutionary journey, Loren Eiseley, as he wrote in his most poignant The Immense Journey about the songbirds' protest in the face of imminent danger. He called it "the judgment of the birds"...
I have said that I saw a judgment upon life, and that it was not passed by men. Those who stare at birds in cages or who test minds by their closeness to our own may not care for it. It comes from far away out of my past, in a place of pouring waters and green leaves. I shall never see an episode like it again if I live to be a hundred, nor do I think that one man in a million has ever seen it, because man is an intruder into such silences. The light must be right, and the observer must remain unseen. No Man sets up such an experiment. What he sees, he sees by chance.You may put it that I had come over a mountain, that I had slogged through fern and pine needles for half a long day, and that on the edge of a little glade with one long, crooked branch extending across it, I had sat down to rest with my back against a stump. Through accident I was concealed from the glade, although I could see into it perfectly.
The sun was warm there, and the murmurs of forest life blurred softly away into my sleep. When I awoke, dimly aware of some commotion and outcry in the clearing, the light was slanting down through the pines in such a way that the glade was lit like some vast cathedral. I could see the dust motes of wood pollen in the long shaft of light, and there on the extended branch sat an enormous raven with a red and squirming nestling in his beak.
The sound that awoke me was the outraged cries of the nestling's parents, who flew helplessly in circles about the clearing. The sleek black monster was indifferent to them. He gulped, whetted his beak on the dead branch a moment and sat still. Up to that point the little tragedy had followed the usual pattern. But suddenly, out of all that area of woodland, a soft sound of complaint began to rise. Into the glade fluttered small birds of half a dozen varieties, drawn by the anguished outcries of the tiny parents.
No one dared to attack the raven. But they cried there in some instinctive common misery, the bereaved and the unbereaved. The glade filled with their soft rustling and their cries. They fluttered as though to point their wings at the murderer. There was a dim intangible ethic he had violated, that they knew. He was a bird of death.
And he, the murderer, the black bird at the heart of life, sat on there, glistening in the common light, formidable, unmoving, unperturbed, untouchable.
The sighing died. It was then that I saw the judgment. It was the judgment of life against death. I will never see it again so forcefully presented. I will never hear it again in notes so tragically prolonged. For in the midst of protest, they forgot the violence. There, in that clearing, the crystal note of a song sparrow lifted hesitantly in the hush. And finally, after painfully fluttering, another took the song, and then another the song passing from one bird to another, doubtfully at first, as though some evil thing were being slowly forgotten. Til suddenly they took heart and sang from many throats joyously together as birds are known to sing. They sang because life is sweet and sunlight beautiful. They sang under the brooding shadow of the raven. In simple truth they had forgotten the raven, for they were the singers of life, and not of death. (Loren Eiseley in The Immense Journey, 1946)
Today, under brooding shadow and countering any prediction of doom, one voice after another lifts to remind us that a new world is being built within the hearts of people all over the world. These singers of life, while listening to the lovely promptings from the deep within, and laboring to prove the validity of their cries through the study of sciences, systems theories, and a profound spiritual awakening, are swelling in number as the chorus begins to resound throughout. With such a gathering of voices, if, as many physicists say, the world is truly built on sound, then a new and better world is about to be born. It is our hope that our efforts here will blend into the swelling chorus of those "singers of life."Barbara Smith Stoff
Monday, April 13, 2009
Here is a poem, important to me...which I have kept close to hand for some forty years...It still speaks to me and instructs me...and delights me...From the within...like Shirley MacLaine in her story (The Camino) of her pilgrimage walk to Santiago de Compostelo...holding an imaginary heart of unconditional love toward a menacing dog. The dog ceased its attack...and she continued on her way...and so here on the internet...we hold out our stories...
An Introduction to Literature
by William Stafford
Look: no one ever promised for sure
that we would sing. We have decided
to moan. In a strange dance that
we don’t understand till we do it, we
have to carry on.
Just as in sleep you have to dream
the exact dream to round out your life,
so we have to live that dream into stories
and hold them close at you, close at the
edge we share, to be right.
We find it an awful thing to meet people,
serious or not, who have turned into vacant
effective people, so far lost that they
won’t believe their own feelings
enough to follow them out.
The authentic is a line from one thing
along to the next’ it interests us.
strangely, it relates to what works,
but it is not quite the same. It never
swerves for revenge,
Or profit or fame: it holds
together something more than the world,
this line. And we are your wavery
efforts at following it. Are you coming:
Good: now it is time.
-- William Stafford
An Introduction to Literature
by William Stafford
Look: no one ever promised for sure
that we would sing. We have decided
to moan. In a strange dance that
we don’t understand till we do it, we
have to carry on.
Just as in sleep you have to dream
the exact dream to round out your life,
so we have to live that dream into stories
and hold them close at you, close at the
edge we share, to be right.
We find it an awful thing to meet people,
serious or not, who have turned into vacant
effective people, so far lost that they
won’t believe their own feelings
enough to follow them out.
The authentic is a line from one thing
along to the next’ it interests us.
strangely, it relates to what works,
but it is not quite the same. It never
swerves for revenge,
Or profit or fame: it holds
together something more than the world,
this line. And we are your wavery
efforts at following it. Are you coming:
Good: now it is time.
-- William Stafford
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side
I want to post here some notes about what I mean by "the within"...am working on that, but in the meantime...Here is my foreword to the forthcoming (June, 2009)...
THE WESTERN BOOK OF CROSSING OVER:
THE WESTERN BOOK OF CROSSING OVER:
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE OTHER SIDE
BY SHELDON PTASCHEVITCH STOFF
Illustrations by JOSHUA JORDAN STOFF
Frog Books, Berkeley, California
Foreword by BARBARA SMITH STOFF
Although he had been fascinated with the concept of reincarnation—
having begun, while still in his teens, with studies from the
New York Psychic Society—Sheldon Stoff, who is now retired
BY SHELDON PTASCHEVITCH STOFF
Illustrations by JOSHUA JORDAN STOFF
Frog Books, Berkeley, California
Foreword by BARBARA SMITH STOFF
Although he had been fascinated with the concept of reincarnation—
having begun, while still in his teens, with studies from the
New York Psychic Society—Sheldon Stoff, who is now retired
from university teaching in education and philosophy, had never thought
to ask a question regarding the career and whereabouts of the soul between incarnations.
In this book, he keeps company with such as C. S. Lewis (A Grief Observed), in that he finds himself in continuing contact with his deceased wife, Lorraine. During these surprising communications, Lorraine Marshak Stoff, who was married to Sheldon for more than fifty years, describes her experience of passing over, and then proceeds to go into details about the soul’s ongoing experience and progress between lives.
There seemed to be some significance to the fact that Lorraine had
chosen to cross over on my birthday in 2001, and that Shel and I had
met on their wedding anniversary in 2004. Then we discovered that
we had been pretty much on the same page with regard to teaching and
public education in general all our professional lives, albeit he on the
east coast, and I on the west coast. We each even held dog-eared copies
of Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which we used to broach
There seemed to be some significance to the fact that Lorraine had
chosen to cross over on my birthday in 2001, and that Shel and I had
met on their wedding anniversary in 2004. Then we discovered that
we had been pretty much on the same page with regard to teaching and
public education in general all our professional lives, albeit he on the
east coast, and I on the west coast. We each even held dog-eared copies
of Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which we used to broach
similar topics in our lectures. He taught education and philosophy, while
I taught literature and art. Dean Radin writes a lot about such “entanglement”
over distances.
Here on Earth, somehow I think I must have signed on to help with
the finishing up of an important task, especially in regard to Lorraine’s
meditative illuminated paintings depicting each of the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet. Lorraine developed her medieval illumination techniques
at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and these paintings are her last
work before she crossed over. She called them her “Mystical Interpretation
of the Hebrew Alphabet.” I feel a strong personal responsibility (a personal
Here on Earth, somehow I think I must have signed on to help with
the finishing up of an important task, especially in regard to Lorraine’s
meditative illuminated paintings depicting each of the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet. Lorraine developed her medieval illumination techniques
at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and these paintings are her last
work before she crossed over. She called them her “Mystical Interpretation
of the Hebrew Alphabet.” I feel a strong personal responsibility (a personal
tikkun, if you will) to see that this lovely work finds a berth of honor—as a
permanent exhibit in a museum and as a published book about them as well.
Throughout my life, it seems I have needed to ponder many puzzling
pieces, and Gregg Braden’s long, intense focus on bridging the
voices of ancient wisdom and the modern world has been so very
Throughout my life, it seems I have needed to ponder many puzzling
pieces, and Gregg Braden’s long, intense focus on bridging the
voices of ancient wisdom and the modern world has been so very
comforting to me. Even more coincidentally, it happens that
for a great many years, I have been fascinated with the concept of the Hebrew
Alphabet as being a sacred alphabet based on sound and number. Gregg
Braden treats this at length in The God Code (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House,
2005, illustrated edition), where he discusses a signature in our common
DNA. I am hoping to soon come upon a similar exploration regarding
Sanskrit—also a language based upon sacred sound and number.
Aurobindo said, “At the core, in each cell, we are lit with God Light.”
Asking a new kind of question can precipitate a profound change in
our world view, and in our understanding of the entire cosmos. When
we change our question, we begin to move forward in comprehension
and toward greater spiritual evolution.
Today it seems that the whole world must to come to terms with a
multi-national hydra-headed existential face-off. Thus it becomes, at
this point in history, imperative that we work hard to educate ourselves,
in order to gain some insight and understanding of our idea of ourselves
as human beings in a very large universe, and how that idea is
interpreted and played out on the increasingly communal world stage.
In our efforts to widen and deepen our concepts and understanding
of life and meaning, it may be helpful if we place our inquiries
within the larger questions posed by general systems theory. Directing
an inquiring look at general systems theory and the nature of systems—
how and why they organize themselves, and how they may change toward
a more benevolent evolution—could help elucidate our own place in
the larger universe.
Ervin Laszlo, often known as the father of systems science, says that
as we now face a choice between “collapsing into chaos and evolving into
a sustainable, ethical global community,” the voices of the few, even the
individual, can have a powerful effect for change. (The Chaos Point: The
World at the Crossroads, Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing
Company, Inc., 2006.) Scientists would say we are living in a “decision
window”—a transitory period in the evolution of a system during
which any input or influence, however small, can “blow up” to transform
existing trends and bring new patterns and processes into existence.
This is similar to the often-discussed “butterfly effect” discovered
by U.S. meteorologist Edward Lorenz in the 1960s. In periods of relative
stability, the consciousness of individuals does not play a decisive
role in the behavior of society. But when a society reaches the limits of
its stability and turns chaotic, it becomes super-sensitive—responsive
to even small fluctuations such as changes in some people’s values,
beliefs, world views, and aspirations. Many signs point to the fact that
we are entering a new period of ecological and social instability, a time
rife with chaos but also a window of exceptional freedom to decide our
destiny.
Reading history upon tragic history, and trying to comprehend truly
and fairly, we think that now is the time to offer thoughts about strategies
for a deeper healing at the heart of humankind. With Martin Buber
and Vaclav Havel, we plead for benevolent evolution in our consciousness,
in our understanding of who we are and where we are going. Are
we evolving toward understanding and partnership?
Gregg Braden writes of “the existence of a field of energy—The
Divine Matrix—that provides the container, as well as a bridge and
mirror, for everything that happens between the world within us and
the one outside of our bodies.” Drawing upon theorists such as David
Bohm and others within the discipline of quantum physics, Braden
describes “deeper or higher planes of creation that hold the template
for what happens in our world. It’s from these subtler levels of
reality that our physical world originates.” He says:
“The implication of both quantum theory and the ancient texts is that
in the unseen realms we create the blueprint for the relationships,
careers, successes, and failures of the visible world. From this perspective,
the Divine Matrix works like a great cosmic screen that allows
us to see the nonphysical energy of our emotions and beliefs (our
anger, hate, and rage; as well as our love, compassion, and understanding)
projected in the physical medium of life.” (The Divine Matrix:
Bridging Time, Space, Miracles and Belief, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc.,
2007, p. xiv.)
If we look to ancient wisdom traditions and metaphysical writings, we
find abundant theory on soul development. Having read deeply in the
fields of esoterica for some forty years, I am excited to find validation
in the fact that contemporary physicians, psychotherapists, and educators
are now providing scientific support to ancient wisdom teachings
regarding what we might call journeys of the soul. In particular, through
the enduring and painstaking work of researchers such as David
Chamberlain, Brian Weiss, and Michael Newton, there is now an expanding
body of thought in the exploration of controversial issues involving
our understanding of consciousness.
You can imagine my excitement and feeling of good fortune when
I found myself in face-to-face dialogue with an individual who had the
personal experience of an extended conversation with beings on the
“other side.” Sheldon’s between-the-worlds dialogue with Lorraine
can offer a response to essential questions and, as well, encourage us to
keep on asking for more enlightenment regarding our situation and
way of progress.
In his introduction, Gregg Braden goes on to say, “The Divine Matrix
is written for those of you whose lives bridge the reality of our past with
the hope of our future. It is you who are being asked to forgive and find
compassion in a world reeling from the scars of hurt, judgment, and
fear. The key to surviving our time in history is to create a new way of
thinking while we’re still living in the conditions that threaten our existence.”
If Ervin Laszlo is right, and I think he is, in his Chaos Point: The World
at the Crossroads, then such reporting of deep personal experience is
extremely valuable at this time, in this critical “decision window.” Carl
Jung was fond of stressing that the experience of even one individual is
statistically significant. It’s staggering to contemplate that—but I often
do and then look within myself for the courage to “belly up to the bar,”
as an old friend used to say.
To act in accord, to make a bridge to new ways of thinking, and in
the belief that the reported experiences of individual journeys in
for a great many years, I have been fascinated with the concept of the Hebrew
Alphabet as being a sacred alphabet based on sound and number. Gregg
Braden treats this at length in The God Code (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House,
2005, illustrated edition), where he discusses a signature in our common
DNA. I am hoping to soon come upon a similar exploration regarding
Sanskrit—also a language based upon sacred sound and number.
Aurobindo said, “At the core, in each cell, we are lit with God Light.”
Asking a new kind of question can precipitate a profound change in
our world view, and in our understanding of the entire cosmos. When
we change our question, we begin to move forward in comprehension
and toward greater spiritual evolution.
Today it seems that the whole world must to come to terms with a
multi-national hydra-headed existential face-off. Thus it becomes, at
this point in history, imperative that we work hard to educate ourselves,
in order to gain some insight and understanding of our idea of ourselves
as human beings in a very large universe, and how that idea is
interpreted and played out on the increasingly communal world stage.
In our efforts to widen and deepen our concepts and understanding
of life and meaning, it may be helpful if we place our inquiries
within the larger questions posed by general systems theory. Directing
an inquiring look at general systems theory and the nature of systems—
how and why they organize themselves, and how they may change toward
a more benevolent evolution—could help elucidate our own place in
the larger universe.
Ervin Laszlo, often known as the father of systems science, says that
as we now face a choice between “collapsing into chaos and evolving into
a sustainable, ethical global community,” the voices of the few, even the
individual, can have a powerful effect for change. (The Chaos Point: The
World at the Crossroads, Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing
Company, Inc., 2006.) Scientists would say we are living in a “decision
window”—a transitory period in the evolution of a system during
which any input or influence, however small, can “blow up” to transform
existing trends and bring new patterns and processes into existence.
This is similar to the often-discussed “butterfly effect” discovered
by U.S. meteorologist Edward Lorenz in the 1960s. In periods of relative
stability, the consciousness of individuals does not play a decisive
role in the behavior of society. But when a society reaches the limits of
its stability and turns chaotic, it becomes super-sensitive—responsive
to even small fluctuations such as changes in some people’s values,
beliefs, world views, and aspirations. Many signs point to the fact that
we are entering a new period of ecological and social instability, a time
rife with chaos but also a window of exceptional freedom to decide our
destiny.
Reading history upon tragic history, and trying to comprehend truly
and fairly, we think that now is the time to offer thoughts about strategies
for a deeper healing at the heart of humankind. With Martin Buber
and Vaclav Havel, we plead for benevolent evolution in our consciousness,
in our understanding of who we are and where we are going. Are
we evolving toward understanding and partnership?
Gregg Braden writes of “the existence of a field of energy—The
Divine Matrix—that provides the container, as well as a bridge and
mirror, for everything that happens between the world within us and
the one outside of our bodies.” Drawing upon theorists such as David
Bohm and others within the discipline of quantum physics, Braden
describes “deeper or higher planes of creation that hold the template
for what happens in our world. It’s from these subtler levels of
reality that our physical world originates.” He says:
“The implication of both quantum theory and the ancient texts is that
in the unseen realms we create the blueprint for the relationships,
careers, successes, and failures of the visible world. From this perspective,
the Divine Matrix works like a great cosmic screen that allows
us to see the nonphysical energy of our emotions and beliefs (our
anger, hate, and rage; as well as our love, compassion, and understanding)
projected in the physical medium of life.” (The Divine Matrix:
Bridging Time, Space, Miracles and Belief, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc.,
2007, p. xiv.)
If we look to ancient wisdom traditions and metaphysical writings, we
find abundant theory on soul development. Having read deeply in the
fields of esoterica for some forty years, I am excited to find validation
in the fact that contemporary physicians, psychotherapists, and educators
are now providing scientific support to ancient wisdom teachings
regarding what we might call journeys of the soul. In particular, through
the enduring and painstaking work of researchers such as David
Chamberlain, Brian Weiss, and Michael Newton, there is now an expanding
body of thought in the exploration of controversial issues involving
our understanding of consciousness.
You can imagine my excitement and feeling of good fortune when
I found myself in face-to-face dialogue with an individual who had the
personal experience of an extended conversation with beings on the
“other side.” Sheldon’s between-the-worlds dialogue with Lorraine
can offer a response to essential questions and, as well, encourage us to
keep on asking for more enlightenment regarding our situation and
way of progress.
In his introduction, Gregg Braden goes on to say, “The Divine Matrix
is written for those of you whose lives bridge the reality of our past with
the hope of our future. It is you who are being asked to forgive and find
compassion in a world reeling from the scars of hurt, judgment, and
fear. The key to surviving our time in history is to create a new way of
thinking while we’re still living in the conditions that threaten our existence.”
If Ervin Laszlo is right, and I think he is, in his Chaos Point: The World
at the Crossroads, then such reporting of deep personal experience is
extremely valuable at this time, in this critical “decision window.” Carl
Jung was fond of stressing that the experience of even one individual is
statistically significant. It’s staggering to contemplate that—but I often
do and then look within myself for the courage to “belly up to the bar,”
as an old friend used to say.
To act in accord, to make a bridge to new ways of thinking, and in
the belief that the reported experiences of individual journeys in
consciousness can be of great significance now—at this point
in time with the world in a general state of confrontation and conflict—we offer
this story. It is within this frame of reflection that Sheldon’s book, The Western
Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side, can be considered
in time with the world in a general state of confrontation and conflict—we offer
this story. It is within this frame of reflection that Sheldon’s book, The Western
Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side, can be considered
as making a vital statement for our progress toward a sustainable future here on Earth.
—BARBARA SMITH STOFF
REVIEWS for The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side.
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781583942666
Here are editorial and review comments about this book from the Random House catalog:
This reflective series of conversations with his wife Lorraine after her death enables author Sheldon Stoff to take readers on a journey through the process of living, dying, and living again—in the afterlife. Insights gleaned from both Western and Eastern traditions, especially those of Kabbalah, provide a universalist, non-sectarian context for Stoff’s experiences. With chapters addressing reincarnation, fulfilling one’s life mission, life review, and the significance of finding one’s soul mate, The Western Book of Crossing Over presents a transcendent view of human consciousness and what it means to be alive. Packed with fascinating details about the afterlife, The Western Book of Crossing Over builds on the foundation laid by popular psychic authors Sylvia Browne and John Edward, and serves as a passionate reminder of the importance of keeping an awareness of the afterlife in order to live fully and authentically on this side of the life-death divide. Eleven original drawings of the Other Side based on the conversations between the author and his wife by their son Jesse provide a fascinating visual counterpoint to Lorraine’s descriptions of the afterlife and her uplifting, ultimately hopeful and joyful messages of love.
Review Quotes:
“A book that's one of the most amazing I have ever come across–and for two reasons and not just one. One reason is the fact of the book: written in conversation with the “other side”—with a life-companion who is no longer here but, it appears, still is, and has been over many incarnations, the author’s partner.… The other reason is the content. An expression of the purest, clearest love–for everyone and everything, as our task and mission on Earth and throughout our lifetimes. A book to read, to marvel at, to learn from, and to heed in all that we do.”—Ervin László
“Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be.”—John L. Mayfield, DC, author of Body Intelligence
“Throughout human history there have been monumental questions which have bubbled up through the elixir of life.• Why am I born?• What is the meaning of my life?• Why does my very being resonate with that one person?• Will I reconnect with relatives and loved ones after they have died?• Will I feel pain when dying?• What will happen to me when I die?• Will I come back again?“For anyone who has sought answers to the above and other questions about life and consciousness, finally there is a fountain of testimony through which flows reason, meaning, and purpose on many levels.“There have been guidepost books which have attempted answers: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, even The American Book of the Dead, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's On Death and Dying, Chopra’s Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, Sogyal Rimpoche’s The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying. But are they faint whispers in gathering simple truths for consciousness today? The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side is not esoteric mythological journeying. Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be.”—Jon R.G. Turner and Troya Turner, co-founders and co-directors of the Whole-Self Discovery and Development Institute International, and authors of Birth, Life, and More Life: Reactive Patterning Based on Prebirth Events
"Anyone hungry to know more about the ultimate nature and purpose of human life would be lucky indeed to find this guidebook! The lucky part is holding in your hands a Google map of the trail, a precisely written journal of someone who has just made the journey, or the answers to the final exam before seeing the questions. For this little book on the biggest subject in the world we are indebted to a scholarly, disciplined, and trustworthy pair of Soul Mates, one on earth and the other in heaven communicating back and forth--a rare and priceless perspective on the human odyssey."
David B. Chamberlain, Ph.D, author, The Mind of your Newborn Baby (3rd ed.) North Atlantic Books, now in 14 translations.
—BARBARA SMITH STOFF
REVIEWS for The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side.
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781583942666
Here are editorial and review comments about this book from the Random House catalog:
This reflective series of conversations with his wife Lorraine after her death enables author Sheldon Stoff to take readers on a journey through the process of living, dying, and living again—in the afterlife. Insights gleaned from both Western and Eastern traditions, especially those of Kabbalah, provide a universalist, non-sectarian context for Stoff’s experiences. With chapters addressing reincarnation, fulfilling one’s life mission, life review, and the significance of finding one’s soul mate, The Western Book of Crossing Over presents a transcendent view of human consciousness and what it means to be alive. Packed with fascinating details about the afterlife, The Western Book of Crossing Over builds on the foundation laid by popular psychic authors Sylvia Browne and John Edward, and serves as a passionate reminder of the importance of keeping an awareness of the afterlife in order to live fully and authentically on this side of the life-death divide. Eleven original drawings of the Other Side based on the conversations between the author and his wife by their son Jesse provide a fascinating visual counterpoint to Lorraine’s descriptions of the afterlife and her uplifting, ultimately hopeful and joyful messages of love.
Review Quotes:
“A book that's one of the most amazing I have ever come across–and for two reasons and not just one. One reason is the fact of the book: written in conversation with the “other side”—with a life-companion who is no longer here but, it appears, still is, and has been over many incarnations, the author’s partner.… The other reason is the content. An expression of the purest, clearest love–for everyone and everything, as our task and mission on Earth and throughout our lifetimes. A book to read, to marvel at, to learn from, and to heed in all that we do.”—Ervin László
“Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be.”—John L. Mayfield, DC, author of Body Intelligence
“Throughout human history there have been monumental questions which have bubbled up through the elixir of life.• Why am I born?• What is the meaning of my life?• Why does my very being resonate with that one person?• Will I reconnect with relatives and loved ones after they have died?• Will I feel pain when dying?• What will happen to me when I die?• Will I come back again?“For anyone who has sought answers to the above and other questions about life and consciousness, finally there is a fountain of testimony through which flows reason, meaning, and purpose on many levels.“There have been guidepost books which have attempted answers: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, even The American Book of the Dead, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's On Death and Dying, Chopra’s Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, Sogyal Rimpoche’s The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying. But are they faint whispers in gathering simple truths for consciousness today? The Western Book of Crossing Over: Conversations with the Other Side is not esoteric mythological journeying. Now, through their binding love, Sheldon and Lorraine Stoff offer direct testimony to life and consciousness never before so clearly articulated. Through practical answers to practical questions, the Stoffs have succeeded in forging a bridge of consciousness between then and now and what will be.”—Jon R.G. Turner and Troya Turner, co-founders and co-directors of the Whole-Self Discovery and Development Institute International, and authors of Birth, Life, and More Life: Reactive Patterning Based on Prebirth Events
"Anyone hungry to know more about the ultimate nature and purpose of human life would be lucky indeed to find this guidebook! The lucky part is holding in your hands a Google map of the trail, a precisely written journal of someone who has just made the journey, or the answers to the final exam before seeing the questions. For this little book on the biggest subject in the world we are indebted to a scholarly, disciplined, and trustworthy pair of Soul Mates, one on earth and the other in heaven communicating back and forth--a rare and priceless perspective on the human odyssey."
David B. Chamberlain, Ph.D, author, The Mind of your Newborn Baby (3rd ed.) North Atlantic Books, now in 14 translations.
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