EXPEDITION UNKNOWN goes to the Bermuda Triangle

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Trish and Rob

 

 

The image above shows a thunderstorm sweeping across the Atlantic toward Key Biscayne and the lighthouse where I was perched high above the water. I was there to be interviewed by Josh Gates of the Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown. The show was working on an episode about the Bermuda Triangle. Josh picked me (Rob) to open up the show with him from atop the lighthouse after a referral from Dave Shrader of Beyond the Darkness Radio.

The interview was pretty basic. Since I’d co-authored two Bermuda Triangle-related books,  he started out by asking me to define the B.T.—where it is and what it is. We talked some about the origins going back to 1492 and Colombus’s first voyage to the New World.  We also talked about the theories and I told him that I had been somewhat skeptical about the BT until I started researching stories and hearing some first-hand encounters, such as the ones by my co-author Bruce Gernon.

We did take after take with slightly different wordings or postures. At times, it was more like acting than being interviewed. But it was a lot of fun.

Josh’s last question to me prompted a startling synchronicity. He asked  if I’d ever had a Bermuda Triangle experience myself. In fact, I had. It was on a flight from Andros Island in the Bahamas to West Palm Beach with Trish and Bruce and his wife, Lynn. The flight had followed interviews Bruce and I had done for the History Channel’s UFO Hunters. We took off, flew out over the Tongue of the Ocean, the 6,500-foot trench on the west side of the island, after circling past the U.S. Navy base on the island, known as AUTEC, Atlantic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Center.

The GPS screen showed a string of Bahama Islands spreading out to the west toward Florida. Abruptly, the navigation system shut down. No more islands, no more GPS. Just as I said the system shut down, a booming peal of thunder startled us. Josh was amazed and quickly check with the sound guy to make sure he recorded the boom and he asked the two cameramen if they had turned and filmed the approaching storm.

I continued the story, explaining that fortunately Bruce is a very experienced pilot and was able to find the way back to Florida without getting confused or lost. Curiously, as we passed over the mainland, the GPS screen popped back up. The next day, Bruce had the system checked and it was found to be in perfect order.

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Expedition Unknown, you probably know that Josh Gates likes to push it to the edge and he has found himself in some dangerous and precarious situations. So it wasn’t surprising when he continued the interview, repeating segments of it over and over—seeking the perfect combination of picture and sound—as the storm moved our way. By the end, the storm hit us as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled and we were still doing takes literally shouting above the storm. That’s just the way he likes it! It was fun, a little scary, and we were both very wet as we wrapped.

After the shoot was over, I told Robert Vanover, the chief producer, about the timing of the initial blast of thunder, and he responded: “Synchronicity!”

Josh Gates: Expedition Unknown

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The Beauty of 11, 111, 11:11

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Trish and Rob

Ah, those 11s, 111s, 1111s. I love synchronicities that involve these numbers. They’ve held different meanings over the years – spirit contact, that I’m on the right track with a project, that I’m exactly where I should be in a relationship or situation. Our friend Melissa sees these numbers frequently and associates them with her cat, who passed last year. What the numbers mean to any individual depends on what’s going on when they occur.

So here’s what was happening. Nancy Pickard and I trade ideas about our respective novels and how they relate to Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat books. There’s a cat book for script writing and a cat book for writing a novel, but both use the same “beats” and provide the page number where a particular scene should occur. For a 400-page novel, the beats occur later than in a script of 110 pages.

Nancy and I were both trying to find the right logline for our respective novels. After she helped me with mine yesterday, she sent me hers today. In both instances, our novels are already underway and we needed a blueprint of what the stories are about.

Here’s what we decided on for mine:

The island home of a reluctant psychic is invaded by people with terrifying powers from centuries in the future. She discovers their brilliant, misguided leader is her descendant, fleeing a world devastated by climate change, and that he will seize the island unless she can defeat him – by joining him.

It’s 50 words. Nancy thought hers should be shorter. Here it is:

A chemist fired from his dream job, an athlete who is viciously injured, a faithful husband accused of infidelity, a secret poet who is stymied at every turn when she tries to save her dying little town–the four of them are old friends who feel like failures. But when a desperate girl tries to kill herself at the same spot where a  popular friend of theirs died twenty years ago, they begin to wonder if there is a connection between those kids and their own stories, and together, they launch a dangerous search to identify their hidden enemy–and the motive–before other lives, and their home town, are destroyed.

When I read it, I thought it was perfect, but wondered if there could be a way to shorten it by starting with the protagonist – the poet. But the more I read it, the more perfect it seemed. I did a word count: 111 words. My phone buzzed as I was doing that and I glanced at it. The time was exactly 11:11.

To me, this synchronicity indicated her logline was perfect. Don’t change a thing! I wrote her, and explained why.

If you Google these numbers, you’ll find all kinds of meanings. But in the end, the only meaning that matters is yours and it will be obvious if you’re paying attention to what you’re doing, thinking, or saying at the time.

 

P.S. As I put this on the dashboard to be published, I noticed it’s the 11th post in the lineup for publication. I think that officially makes this a cluster.

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Viper hits a viper!

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Trish and Rob

This is a strange visual synchronicity: a disc golf disc called Viper actually strikes a viper. This is how Manual Tavares of  Odessa, Texas explains what happened:

“Threw my Viper off the tee pad on Com South 19 and the wind got it and it spike hyzered left of the basket in the brush. I heard the rattle and as I got closer this is what I found. A rattlesnake under my disc. It must have spiked it just under the head because it was not moving it’s head area at all. The skin was even ripped from the muscle. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen or heard of.”

While putting this post together, I Googled viper and this came up. Double synchro!

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Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Trish and Rob

 

Here comes the month’s second eclipse – a lunar eclipse in Capricorn. This one may be rough. Not only is Mercury retrograde, but Pluto is conjunct this eclipse, which could result in power struggles. Saturn is widely conjunct the eclipse degree, so the power struggles could be with someone who has authority over you – a boss, employer, parent.

Uranus, the planet that represents sudden, unexpected events that can be jarring, forms a challenging angle to Mercury and to Mars. There could be problems with a contractual agreement, communication project, or with travel plans. You won’t be thinking as clearly as you usually do. Tempers may be short, particularly on the road, so be vigilant for careless drivers and stick to the speed limit.

Full moons often live up to their lore – ask anyone who has worked in an emergency room about the crazies who appear on full moon days – and since the moon will be eclipsed, that craziness factor may be multiplied. Best to lay low on July 16, mind your own business, and avoid confrontations. Remember: this too shall pass.

Check out the July forecast in the masthead for a description of this eclipse’s impact on your sign.

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Indiana Jones and the Space Between

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Trish and Rob

“The space between…is the space that lies between the observer and the observed; it is the space of the creative act that brings a poem or painting to life.” – F. David Peat, Pathways of Chance

In The Seven Secrets of Synchronicity, we designated Secret 4 as The Creative. We could’ve called it ‘imagination,’ which is the essence of creativity. But imagination is a somewhat vague term with a variety of meanings. Imagination can be defined as a phantasm or an irrational notion. Ie. It’s your imagination. So we stuck with The Creative.

Recently, I came across a great example, or actually a series of examples, of how creativity generates synchronicities that serve as guidance on the creative path. But it’s also an example of how imagination might actually start out as an irrational notion. In this case, what might’ve seemed a phantasm came full circle to fruition as a creative accomplishment.

These synchros were described by Dale Dassel, a frequent visitor to the blog and an ardent fan of all that is related to the Indiana Jones saga. Ten years ago, at a time when Dale was captivated by an Indiana Jones computer game called, The Fate of Atlantis, he was struck by inspiration as he drove one day on his morning commute. The first line of a novel, adapted from the computer game story, flashed into his mind.

Indiana Jones crawled through the narrow tunnel, aiming a thick electric flashlight into the darkness.

Dale jotted it down on a piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. Great idea, he thought, then realized that he would have to write the entire novel. It was a long game and he thought it would take forever, especially since he’s a perfectionist. For many people, that would be the end of it. After all, it would be a fan novel, one that would be offered free on the internet at fan sites. It would take a long time to complete, and there would be no financial benefits. Yet Dale pursued the inspired notion.

“…as I drove down the street, the scene continued to play like a movie inside my head. I could see Indy clambering through that dusty passage leading to God-knows-where, and the words escalated into a torrent that literally would not stop. I had to pull over and commit them to paper before I forgot anything. I’d been writing since I was a kid, but never before had I experienced such an overwhelming flood of excitement for a story. Creatively, my mind was on fire. By that afternoon, I was practically bursting with zeal to leave work and start writing in earnest.”

When he arrived home, he was eager to begin writing. He stepped inside and was astonished to see the word ATLANTIS on the TV screen. It was a commercial for the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas! “It was a sign from the universe, confirming that I was meant to write the Fate of Atlantis novel!”

A month later, he was driving his car, en route to Home Depot, and obsessing with details of a particular scene that takes place on the island of Crete. He entered the parking lot of Home Depot, passed a series of wooden sheds, turned a corner, and there was a semi truck occupying the space where he usually parked. To his astonishment, the word CRETE was displayed in bold red letters across the side of the truck. Another synchro, another sign that he should continue his creative pursuit.

A few weeks later, he decided to see if he could get a vanity license plate with the word ATLANTIS to commemorate his all-time favorite game and his new passion, the novel. He requested ATLNTIS or ATLNTS. Both were already taken. The clerk told him to try again later and so he returned on his birthday and requested: ATLANTS. Once again, taken.

A few months later, he was behind the wheel again when he pulled up behind the minivan at the traffic light and was astonished to see that its plate read: ATLNTIS. “I was floored. What are the odds that, in the *entire* state, I see the exact vanity tag that I tried in vain to secure? How about the odds that the person driving that vehicle lived in my city? Positively astronomical. It was yet another friendly nudge from the cosmos, assuring me that I was on the right path.”

Dale full story about the magic related to his creative endeavor can be found here at deviantart.com. He goes on tell more synchronicities related to the actress Julianne Moore, who he envisioned as the model for his character named Sophia.

Dale posted his Fate of Atlantis novelization online in June 2013, four years after he was struck with that flash of inspiration.

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Kryptos Unsolved

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Trish and Rob

This sculpture, called Kryptos, is located in the courtyard outside the entrance to the CIA’s New Headquarters Building in Langley, Virginia. It was created by artist Jim Sanborn in 1990. The main piece consists of four curving metal panels with eighteen hundred cutout letters and three question marks that contained four hidden messages.

The world’s top cryptologists went to work on the script, but it took years before the first three messages were deciphered. Below you can see the Kryptos transcript and try to imagine how someone would go about finding hidden messages.  But finally cryptologists at the NSA broke the codes.

You can look here to see how they did it. The first two messages are said to be straight-forward and supposedly can be solved by anyone with a a basic education in cryptology. The third one is more advanced. The explanation of how it was solved to me is mind-boggling. Frankly, I don’t know what they’re talking about. The fourth message is said to be near impossible to solve. To make matters more confusing, there are three words intentionally misspelled in the first three messages and one necessary letter was missing completely from the sculpture so it would remain aesthetically balanced.

Initially, the NSA geeks refused to reveal what the messages said. But eventually the first three messages were revealed. The first is a poetic line written by the sculptor. It reads: “Between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of iqlusion.”

We could call that the Space Between. The second message is quite cryptic and who knows what phenomenon it could be about.

“It was totally invisible Hows that possible? They used the Earths magnetic field X
The information was gathered and transmitted undergruund to an unknown location X
Does Langley know about this? They should Its buried out there somewhere X
Who knows the exact location? Only WW This was his last message X
Thirty eight degrees fifty seven minutes six point five seconds north
Seventy seven degrees eight minutes forty four seconds west ID by rows”

The third one is a quote from archaeologist Howard Carter as he describes entering King Tut’s tomb. With a misspelling.

“Slowly, desparatly slowly, the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower
Part of the doorway was removed. With trembling hands i made a tiny breach in the upper
Lefthand corner and then widening the hole a little i inserted the candle and peered
in. The hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker but presently
Details of the room within emerged from the mist x can you see anything q?

Interestingly, the fourth and final message in the puzzle sculpture, which consists of the  97 remaining letters, has yet to be deciphered.  But a few years ago, Sanborn began to wonder if he would die before anyone figured it out. So he provided a clue: BERLIN

Considering that Sanborn was busy working on the sculpture in 1989, the year that the Berlin Wall fell many  at CIA and NSA—as well as amateur cryptologists—went to work on the puzzle with renewed interest. It was a matter of pride for the CIA since  NSA cryptologists had solved the first three.

However, no one came up with a solution, so in 2014,  Sanborn offered another clue, CLOCK. That twist left the Berlin Wall resolution in shambles. But there is a cryptic clock in Berlin, the Mengenlehreuhr—German for Set-Theory Clock. It’s the first public clock in the world that has no numbers or hands and tells the time by means of illuminated, colored beams of light. So possibly the arrangement of lights in that mysterious clock might have something to do with the arrangement of letters in the message. So far no one has figured it out, and there have been new clues for the past five years.

A mysterious postscript: Sanborn has revealed that the sculpture contains a riddle within a riddle, which will be solvable only after the four encrypted passages have been deciphered.

Kryptos Transcript

EMUFPHZLRFAXYUSDJKZLDKRNSHGNFIVJ
YQTQUXQBQVYUVLLTREVJYQTMKYRDMFD
VFPJUDEEHZWETZYVGWHKKQETGFQJNCE
GGWHKK?DQMCPFQZDQMMIAGPFXHQRLG
TIMVMZJANQLVKQEDAGDVFRPJUNGEUNA
QZGZLECGYUXUEENJTBJLBQCRTBJDFHRR
YIZETKZEMVDUFKSJHKFWHKUWQLSZFTI
HHDDDUVH?DWKBFUFPWNTDFIYCUQZERE
EVLDKFEZMOQQJLTTUGSYQPFEUNLAVIDX
FLGGTEZ?FKZBSFDQVGOGIPUFXHHDRKF
FHQNTGPUAECNUVPDJMQCLQUMUNEDFQ
ELZZVRRGKFFVOEEXBDMVPNFQXEZLGRE
DNQFMPNZGLFLPMRJQYALMGNUVPDXVKP
DQUMEBEDMHDAFMJGZNUPLGEWJLLAETG ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD
AKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYP
BRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPT
CYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTO
DPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOS
ETOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSA
FOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSAB
GSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABC
HABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCD
IBCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDE
JCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEF
KDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFG
LEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGH
MFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHI

ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIA
CHTNREYULDSLLSLLNOHSNOSMRWXMNE
TPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAE
WMTWNDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOE
TFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEYQHEENCTAYCR
EIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLB
TEEFOASFIOTUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTI
BSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGRIEWFEB
AECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORIT
RKLMLEHAGTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHE
ECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW?OBKR
UOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSO
TWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYP
VTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCA

RNGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJL
OHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJL
PIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLM
QJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMN
RLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQ
SMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQU
TNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUV
UQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVW
VUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWX
WVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZ
XWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZK
YXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKR
ZZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRY
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD

If you’re wondering why I (Rob) am writing about this sculpture, it’s because it plays into the novel I’m working on, An expanded version of the novella, SPINNING OUT, that appeared in our new book of short stories, THE OUTLIERS. Kryptos, however, won’t be found in the novella. It’s something new that has crept in the story.

 

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Inktip and Scriptwriting

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Trish and Rob

I’m not sure how I heard about Inktip. But at some point after Hilary Hemingway and I had written a script for my novel, Ghost Key, we registered it with Writers Guild West, proof that the script is yours. I uploaded the script along with a logline, a synopsis, and a resume. The price is reasonable – $60 for four months on the site and every six weeks, you’re able to bring your script to the top of the viewing.

Their site is easy to use. You’re supposed to select the main genre for your script and the choices range from action and adventure, fantasy and horror to science fiction and thrillers and everything in between. There’s a large selection for sub-genres and elements that your script contains – like aliens, the paranormal – and you check all the ones that apply. Thanks to Blake Snyder’s book on script writing, Save the Cat, I played around with the logline and synopsis until I had something that felt right.

Since that first upload of Ghost Key, I’ve written three more scripts based on my novels that are also on the site. Skin Shifters, Black Water, and Shrouded (based on Out of Sight, which won the Edgar.) With these, I used Snyder’s recommended “beats,” which are incredibly helpful – whether you’re writing a script or a novel. I’m just giving you a taste here, the first several beats of 15. Whether you’re writing a script or a novel,  get both books.

Opening image: who is your character? What’s the opening scene of this person’s life?

Theme: What’s your script/book about? What’s the core idea, the core challenge for your character?

Setup: Introduce everyone who exists within your protagonist’s world. What are the protagonist’s flaws? What in the person’s life needs fixing?

Catalyst: Oops. This is where your character’s life and the plot take an unforeseen tone. They can do longer deny the quest (Campbell).

Debate: The plan. How will your protagonist (characters) get to where she/he wants to be in order to experience act 2, where everything is upside down from act 1.

Once you’ve got your perfect script, upload to Inktip and follow their easy, intuitive guidelines, And every day I assure you, you’ll be logging on to see who has viewed your logline. When an industry professional has viewed your synopsis, resume or script, Inktip notifies you by email. The site also has some other perks.

The weekly newsletter that lets you know what producers/directors are looking for enables you to pitch directly to that company. You pay for this service, but again, the fee is reasonable.

What I love most about Inktip is that it removes the middle man – the agent, manager, whoever – who stands between you, the writer and storyteller, and the producer or director who is looking for a good story. In today’s world, that’s a welcome  new paradigm.

@inktip.com

Here’s another script we have out there…SPINNING OUT.

 

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YESTERDAY, THE MOVIE

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Trish and Rob

 

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, drop everything you’re doing and treat yourself to a couple of hours of magic .

It’s one of the best and most uplifting movies I’ve seen in years. It’s also an incredible tribute to the Beatles.  The script is powerful and seems to follow Blake Snyder’s beats in Save the Cat.  The story has heart, is funny, sad, triumphant and perfectly illustrates the idea that as human beings, many paths are open to us.

The young protagonist played by Himesh Patel is superb. The friend/love interest, Lily James, is perfectly cast. The… hey, just go see the movie. If you don’t come out of the theater smiling, then I owe you a drink and I want to know why.

+ + +

There’s also a neat synchronicity in the movie related to the song Eleanor Rigby. In the movie,  Jack Malik, a struggling/failing musician  has an accident during a power outage and becomes the only person who can remember the Beatles. So he starts playing their songs and becomes super popular. However, he keeps getting asked what inspired different songs. Since he didn’t write them, that’s a problem.

To rectify the situation, he takes a trip to Liverpool, England—a trip that baffles his new agent— to become familiar with some of the material in the songs. He stops in the Walton section of Liverpool where John Lennon used to live and visits a graveyard where he finds a headstone that mentions Eleanor Rigby.

Of course the context is that Paul McCartney, who wrote Eleanor Rigby, must’ve wandered through this graveyard, saw the name, and decided to make up a song about someone by that name.

But it turns out that’s not true at all, and the existence of that gravestone in Lennon’s childhood part of town is a synchronicity.

I found that out recently when I listened to a video made a few years ago in which McCartney talks about the origins of his songs. I watched it after seeing Yesterday, and was fascinated when he talked about the origins of Eleanor Rigby. He recalled a childhood memory of seeing older women sitting around gossiping.  He said he enjoyed listening to them, and decided to write a song about one such person. The name Eleanor came to him right away, but he didn’t know what last name to use until he happened to see a barber shop named Rigby one day. “I knew right away that was the name: Eleanor Rigby.

Years later, he heard about the gravestone. Apparently, a fan  had been researching the Beatles, and discovered it. But it was news to him. Recognizing the Twilight Zone-type oddity, he says: “Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee, Dee-Dee, Dee-Dee.”

One other interesting note about the origin of Beatle songs, McCartney says he wrote “Let It Be” after having a vivid dream in which his deceased mother appeared to him. He was having some difficulties in his life, and his mother told him to just “let it be.”

(This 26-minute video would’ve been real helpful for Malik to learn about the origins of many of the songs,  but of course it didn’t exist any longer in his reality!)

 

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Mercury Retro Alert!

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Trish and Rob

 

On July 7, at 7:15 PM EDT, Mercury turns retrograde in Leo and won’t turn direct again until July 31, at 11:58 PM EDT, in Cancer. The last Mercury retro was from March 6-29, in Pisces.

During this period, miscommunication is often rampant, appliances and electronics break down, and it’s wise not to launch any new projects or to sign contracts, since Mercury rules contracts. Don’t submit new project either. Revise, review, and reconsider.

Since Mercury also rules moving parts, it’s smart not to buy a car or electronics during these periods. Travel can be iffy – plans go south quickly, itineraries change without warning. However, you may also return to that spot at some point in the near future. The other thing is that old friends may resurface.

Some years ago, we foolishly set a closing date for the sale of our house, the move, and the closing on our new house during a Mercury retrograde. Big mistake. It turned out to be a comedy of errors all the way around.

The buyer of our home was doing the final walk through and found some details he wanted taken care of before we closed – i.e., screws were missing on several of the hurricane shutters. Rob had to run to Home Depot to buy some new screws and meanwhile, the clock was ticking down to the closing time on the house. Since we were also closing on our new house that day, we had to call both title companies to let them know we were running late. We were afraid that we wouldn’t make the closing on our new place by 5 p.m. and would be homeless for the night with our young daughter and two cats and all our belongings.

During the closing on the house we were selling, things got a bit heated when the buyer and the Realtor who supposedly represented us tried to slip in some provision at the very end of the contract. We refused to sign. The title company intervened and the deal was finally culminated. By now, we had thirty-five minutes to make the closing on our new place. I called them and explained the situation and they stayed open past their usual closing time to accommodate us.

We finally got into the house, but I wouldn’t recommend selling your home or moving during a Mercury retrograde!

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”It’s real!”

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Trish and Rob

Tina Hines had just left her Phoenix home and was about to take a hike with her husband when she collapsed. Her heart stopped and she had to be resuscitated six times en route to the hospital.  She was dead for 27 minutes, and apparently had a near-death experience that made her believe that heaven was real.

When she finally was revived, she couldn’t talk, but gestured for paper and pen. She promptly scrawled the message above that seems to say, “It’s real.”

“It was so real, the colours were so vibrant,” she later said. She also said she saw a glowing figure she thought was Jesus standing near a gate. Many people have undergone near-death experiences. Some have religious-related experiences, such as Tina’s, while others describe a tunnel of light, and deceased family members greeting them.

But if you think these experiences are proof of the existence of life after death, think again, say mainstream scientists studying NDEs. Predictably, they say it’s all in the activity of brain synapses that they say are enhanced near the time of death. They’ve got proof by studying brain activity of rats just before they died.  You can read about it here. It certainly would be interesting to know what the rats are experiencing. Certainly not Jesus. But maybe the big celestial mama rat. Who knows.

More on the science from Dr. Jim’s Borjigin of the University of Michigan, author of the 2013 rat-brain study. “Like ‘fire raging through the brain’, activity can surge through brain areas involved in conscious experience, furnishing all resultant perceptions with realer-than-real feelings and emotions….However, for those instances where experiences may occur around the time of cardiac arrest – or beyond it – these new findings provide further meat to the bones of the idea that the brain drives these fascinating and striking experiences.”

Fortunately, there are also scientists who look beyond brain functions and are interested in studying evidence of life after death, rather than ignoring or denying it, which are common positions of neurologists. These outlier scientists say that experiences such as Tina’s are her interpretation of a real after-life experience. In other words, the afterlife is both real and subjective.

In fact, people who don’t believe in an after-life and have near-death experiences might experience just what they believe. Many years ago, I was present when the actor Cary Grant mentioned that he had a near-death experience. (He mentioned that after talking about his LSD experiences.) I asked him what it was like. Grant made it clear he didn’t believe in an afterlife, and said what he experienced was “nothing.”

That might be an initial experience. But Grant and others like him might eventually consider if there is nothing, why am I experiencing anything? At that point, they might start experiencing ‘something.’

Tina and Brian Hines. Below, Tina’s niece Maggie Johnson got a tattoo of the message.

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