Margaret Fields Kean

Margaret died the first time back in 1978 from severe phlebitis, and then she came back - much to the surprise of family and medical staff. The near-death experience she had at that time was extraordinary, but not nearly as amazing as what came next with her sudden ability to heal others. I'd like to quote from some of her story that appears in my book, "Beyond the Light" (pages 83 to 88):

"When Fields Kean revived, the nurses were in a state of panic; pandemonium reigned. Irritated at first by the abruptness of her reentry, Field Kean nonetheless took on the role of healer: She spoke softly to the boy shot in the neck and soothed him to sleep (the nurses later thanked her); she "projected" into the isolation room of a white boy charred black by severe burns and counseled him about his purpose in life and told him it was okay if he chose to die, for God was loving and he had nothing to fear."

When Margaret described her visit with the young boy, she told me she just floated right through the wall of that room and sat on the boy's bed. He saw her and they conversed verbally. She introduced herself, and asked why he was there. They had a long talk about death. The boy was worried about his parents, what would happen to them after he left. With loving assurances from Margaret, he calmed down and smiled at her.

When near-death researchers talk about being able to verify the stories experiencers tell - stories about shoes that were seen out-of-body and a man's false teeth and where a nurse put them - Margaret's visit with this boy is one of the most stunning I have come across, FULLY verified by the parties involved. Here's the rest of her story:

"Months later, while continuing her recovery and still in great pain, Fields Kean was attending a horse show when a couple, hearing the loudspeaker announce her daughter's name as a winner, sought her out. They were the parents of the severely burned boy. Before he had died, he had told them about the meeting with her and relayed all the wonderful truths she had told him about God and about life. The parents were thrilled to have finally located her so they could say thanks for what she had done for their son. The dying boy had identified her by name - EVEN THOUGH THE TWO HAD NEVER PHYSICALLY SEEN EACH OTHER OR VERBALLY SPOKEN IN ANY MANNER, NOR HAD ANY NURSE KNOWN THAT THE TWO HAD EVER COMMUNICATED, NOR HAD IT EVER BEEN POSSIBLE THAT SHE COULD HAVE KNOWN IF THE ISOLATION ROOM WAS EVEN OCCUPIED WHEN SHE "PROJECTED" INTO IT."

Later on, Margaret developed the Results System, a technique that enables anyone to access the wisdom of "inner knowing." Her system of healing took off, hundreds were trained, thousand were affected; and she even took the system to Africa where she trained the "sangomas" (native healers) of Swaziland and Transkei. Countless people owe their good health to this woman; countless more were touched by her generosity of spirit, her love, her gentle ways, her joy. If there was ever an angel come to earth, it is Margaret Fields Kean.

Margaret died for the second time, leaving her body at 2:00 am, April 8, 2009, with her husband Leonard Kean by her side, family and close friends. God's Heaven is blessed to have her now in residence. The rest of us are blessed to have ever known her. This fall, "Beyond the Light" is reissued by Transpersonal Publishing. In the year she finally returns Home, the book with her story in it is finally republished.

God bless you, Margaret. PMH

Juliet Nightingale

Juliet Nightingale was nearly blind. She experienced several near-death states in her lifetime; in each, her sight was more than perfect and her experiences life-changing. With rare courage she moved around a lot, searching for the right place to live, always starting up Friends of IANDS groups wherever she was, reaching out to others through the media and any opportunity she could find; counseling, teaching, helping. Her radio show, "Towards the Light," became a beacon to untold thousands. It's archives, her legacy to the world. Her website address was www.TowardTheLight.org, and her blog was http://towardthelightorg.blogspot.com. What will become of her archives has yet to be decided. For now, I believe they can still be accessed. During the final weeks and months of her life, she shared with her audience what it was like for her to be dying and what she was going through. DJamil, her daughter, stayed with her and took care of her during the final months. This time together was rich and deep. Last I heard DJamil was thinking of writing a book about her mother's death, and the gift of conscious dying. I'll let you know if this happens.

Juliet died at 1:30 pm on February 28th, my Mother's birthdate. My Mother died the last day of 2007; had she lived, she would have been 92. The next morning, while in prayer, Juliet came to visit me. I heard her first - "Hi Lovey" - her British brogue pronounced and healthy. I turned and saw the upper part of her body, mostly her face, and was struck at how innocent and free she looked, fleshed out and full, light-filled and glowing. She thanked me for praying for her, her words almost playful and musical. Her hair floated about her head as if it were threads of yellow-gold-white, each individual hair alive and glowing. Juliet is free now, and all of us who loved her will miss her. She is in a good place. Yet I know that if DJamil writes that book, it will be a collaboration, a two-some project, a mother/daughter effort to heal themselves, their relationship with each other, and a mighty statement about consciousness and the path of the sacred and holy. I know it will be wonderful.

God bless you Juliet, and DJamil, and all of us, who choose the path of love. PMH

Jean Houston

Jean Houston, one of the greatest leaders in the field of symbols, myths, self-discovery, and psychological modeling, lost her husband, Robert Masters, this last Sunday, July 27, 2008. Details at this point are difficult to come by. My husband and I extend to Jean and all who loved her and her husband Robert, our heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving for his life and hers, and the knowing that Robert is truly filled with light, and moving even deeper into realms of light and love. --PMH and Terry Atwater

Dr George Ritchie

One of the giants in the field of near-death studies just died. Dr. George Ritchie passed away on Monday, October 29th, in Irvington, Virginia. He reached the age of 84 before returning to the place he was most familiar with, that special place many of us visit during our near-death experiences.


George's near-death episode, that occurred when he became seriously ill while in the Army barracks where he was sent to be trained for duty during World War II, is still today one of the most striking ever recorded. Years later, when he was giving a talk about what happened to him then, Raymond Moody, Jr., M.D. was in the audience. This was the first such experience like this that Dr. Moody had ever heard. He was so taken by it, that he resolved to find others and investigate the phenomenon further. This one event led to a research project that became the book "Life After Life," and spawned the term "near-death experience." Following this, George authored his own book titled "Return from Tomorrow," a small but straight-forward telling of what he witnessed while dead, of his time with Jesus and what he was shown, and the difficulty he had locating his body in the morgue when he returned.

Even considering some of the amazing narratives given over the years since by experiencers, including the thousands who have personally touched my life and were a part of my research, I have yet to discover one that touched me as deeply as his did. There's something about his book, and the telling of his story, that stops you in your tracks and demands that you rethink, not death, but life itself.

As I sit at my computer writing this tribute, I need only turn around and there on my wall is a photo of George and I at a conference. I see it every day. There is so much joy in that photo. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of interacting with George numerous times, hearing him tell his story, visiting as friends do. Once I sponsored him to give the keynote address at a conference I held. While standing at a back wall overseeing the event, I accidentally leaned against the light switches and turned them off. My mistake was immediately corrected, but the embarrassment remained. George just laughed it off and kept talking as if nothing had happened.

I'll never forget that moment, nor the love beaming from his eyes, comforting me, and saying in essence, "All is well."

George, now it's my turn. As I gaze at your photo, love beaming from my eyes, I can say to you, truly, "All is well." PMH

Grandmother Twylah

Grandmother Twylah of the Seneca Nation was one of many teachers I was privileged to have in my life, and especially after I died. I hold her in great esteem and respect highly what she accomplished and what she stood for. Her visions are her own. Her predictions of coming disaster (recounted below) are as much an offering of her heritage and the Seneca tradition as they are what she herself believed. Now that she has passed, I feel it only fitting that a memorial to her appear on my blog, and who better to do it than my dear friend Brad Steiger, who was also deeply affected by Grandmother Twylah. To Brad, to Grandmother, to all of you, I say, “Ho.”

Grandmother Twylah, Repositor of Seneca Wisdom, Beloved Medicine Teacher, made her Skywalk on August 21, 2007 A Tribute By Brad Steiger

Sherry and I have just received word from Twylah’s son Bob Nitsch of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge that on August 21, 2007 at 7:12 a.m., “our beloved Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch sang her song and made her Skywalk back to the world beyond the Skydome. The way made clear by Skywoman for all humankind to follow.”

A Celebration to honor Twylah was held at the Crystal River Archeological Site State Park on the North Temple Mound at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday August 26, 2007.

Many of you know that on August 2, 1974, I was adopted by Twylah into the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Tribe. My Seneca name is Hat-yas-swas ( He Who Testifies). At a private ceremony, I was also initiated into the Wolf Clan Medicine Lodge. Twylah was a great teacher to me, and her words and wisdom will always guide me.

In the early 1990s, before the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge moved to Florida, Sherry and I visited Twylah at her home in the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York. Twylah was a direct descendent of the great Seneca chief Red Jacket, a staunch defender of his people’s traditions and a brilliant orator.

Twylah and her family lived in her ancestral home that had been built in 1858 by her great-grandfather Two Guns. She had persevered the original Seneca longhouse from the old Buffalo Creek Reservation, and this was were the teaching lodge meetings were conducted. We spoke often of the tribal legends that tell of other worlds before our own having been destroyed and of people emerging from the destruction that had been visited upon a former civilization on the North American continent. The Seneca prophets say that the world has undergone the traumatic experiences of birth, death, and rebirth six times before--and they predict that all of humanity now stands on the brink of destruction prior to entering the final world in our evolutionary cycle. Grandmother Twylah told us that she foresaw dramatic changes coming to the Earth Mother, and she envisioned great cosmic beings gathering to assist humankind through this terrible time of transition.

"Thunder Beings are truth beings," she said, refering to these powerful entities who offer humans their assistance. "Their teachings are of truth, and they are filled with love. In these final days, it is important to think of unconditional love and not to permit anything to interfere." Twylah believed that the Thunder Beings are now speaking to everyone, "but only the awakened Thunder People are listening."

In order to hear the Thunder Beings, she gave firm advice: "Go within...go within...go within. Go within to your vital core."

Twylah warned that we cannot stop the coming Earth changes, but we can prepare for them. “All the great Medicine priests are saying that another time of purification and cleansing has rolled around on the great cosmic calendar. We are once again about to enter a time of earthquakes, vulcanisms, and dramatic Earth changes.

"It is now time that people better get on their horses and decide which direction they're going,” she told us. “The important thing will be whether or not they will be able to stand in their truth. Those who stand in their truth will eat whatever Mother Nature provides--and it will be roots, bark, and seeds. Before this time ends, we will be crawling on our bellies--but we will be surviving."

Twylah said that the "great fires" have already begun burning. "The Middle East set the flames going. The planet is warming up; the ice is melting, so much land is going to go under.

"The Earth Mother is changing her garments. She's going to put on some new stuff. She is going to be dancing around. And it's about time. She's sick and tired of the way she's been treated."

Twylah repeated the importance of standing in one's truth during the troubled times ahead: "Supposing right at this moment the Earth began to quake and up in the sky world there would be thunder and lightning and so much noise that we couldn't think. The best thing that we could do for our survival would be to stand on our truth. To run in panic never accomplishes anything."

Information about Gram Twylah and her life work may be obtained through the e-mail site sihs@comcast.net or mail to Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge of the Seneca Indian Historical Society, PO Box 2313 Orange Park FL, 32067-2313.

Tom Sawyer

Two days ago the world lost a precious soul to pulmonary fibrosis - the "real" Tom Sawyer, the bike racer who died while doing some mechanic work on his vehicle (his chest was crushed), only to return very much alive after a visit to the otherworldly realms beyond death during his near-death experience. Part of his aftereffects was writing down in notebook after notebook all manner of physics, formula after formula, names, information about people, future happenings....things he had absolutely no knowledge of nor interest in....a veritable "download" of advanced material that wouldn't quit coming. Ever!

This confused him and panicked his wife and family. Tom went on to share this ongoing font of knowledge with near-death researchers, with friends, with the world....in one of the most generous, open, and loving marathons I have ever witnessed. His heart-light became so big, so bright, it was as if one of heaven's greatest stars had come to bless the earth. To know him was to love him. Sidney Saylor wrote two books about Tom. Check them out if you are interested: "What Tom Sawyer Learned From Dying" (Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, VA, 1993). And: "Tom Sawyer and the Spiritual Whirlwind" (Om Chamois Publishing, Berea, KY, 2000). --PMH

Ian P. Stevenson, M.D.

Ian P. Stevenson, M.D. passed away from pneumonia on February 8, 2007. Childless, he leaves behind his widow and numerous younger colleagues that he has inspired to continue research on the afterlife and on reincarnation. Author of many books on the subject, his most extensive is the 1997 "Reincarnation and Biology: A Contribution to the Etiology of Birthmarks and Birth Defects."

Ian traveled six continents, often logging 50,000 plus miles annually during almost five decades, as he accumulated over 2,500 case histories in Asian and Western cultures, usually of young children who recounted details of previous lives. With diligent persistence and the assistance of many local interpreters and colleagues, he meticulously verified the children's accounts with witnesses, often in locations they had never previously visited or that were unknown by the child or his or her family. Hospital records, autopsy reports, death certificates, and photographs also supported many of his findings. He and his colleagues and collaborators have published their findings in over 300 publications including 14 books.

He was a founding member of the Society for Scientific Exploration as well as its "Journal of Scientific Exploration." Although often shunned by colleagues, he observed that "It's been said that there's nothing so troublesome as a new idea and I think that's particularly true in science." He was especially distressed by fellow scientists who denigrated his work without taking the trouble to examine the evidence he presented.

It can be said that no one else in the world has yet to match Ian's record of accomplishment, nor of his thoroughness in tracing down every possible lead and explanation for what he found. He leaves behind a body of work that is so stunning in its implications, so meticulous in its evidential strength and vigor, that it truly supports and validates the existence of an afterlife and the continuance of life itself from form to form, while seriously challenging any other interpretation one might have of the work he did.

I consider it a privilege to have known Ian and to have spent several sessions with him. I admired him greatly; and, even though hard-pressed of late to continue, I am pleased to say his department at the University of Virginia is still alive and well. PMH