Where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from? As strange as it may seem to us now, there was a time when no one thought they would go to heaven or hell after they died. In fact, there is no mention of them in the Old Testament, and Jesus did not believe the souls of the departed were bound for either realm. In this gripping history of the afterlife, Bart Ehrman reveals how the concepts of heaven and hell developed and took hold, and why they endure to this day. He examines the social, cultural and historical roots of competing views held by Greeks, Jews and Christians, and traces how beliefs changed over time. Ultimately, he shows that many of our ideas about heaven and hell emerged long after Jesus's time, through the struggle to explain the injustices of the world.

THE CLASSIC BESTSELLER ON A TRUE CASE OF PAST-LIFE TRAUMA AND PAST-LIFE THERAPY FROM AUTHOR AND PSYCHOTHERAPIST DR BRIAN WEISS Psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss had been working with Catherine, a young patient, for eighteen months. Catherine was suffering from recurring nightmares and chronic anxiety attacks. When his traditional methods of therapy failed, Dr Weiss turned to hypnosis and was astonished and sceptical when Catherine began recalling past-life traumas which seemed to hold the key to her problems. Dr Weiss's scepticism was eroded when Catherine began to channel messages from 'the space between lives', which contained remarkable revelations about his own life. Acting as a channel for information from highly evolved spirit entities called the Masters, Catherine revealed many secrets of life and death. This fascinating case dramatically altered the lives of Catherine and Dr Weiss, and provides important information on the mysteries of the mind, the continuation of life after death and the influence of our past-life experiences on our present behaviour.

An uplifting collection of spiritually illuminating texts and powerfully thought- provoking real life stories, showing death as an integral part of life. Modern medical advances have resulted in death and dying becoming a taboo, which leaves us feeling isolated when the inescapability of death touches our lives. These touching observations of closeness to someone else who is dying, and personal accounts of near death experiences and after-death communication, illustrate how coming to terms with the inevitability of death is actually a life-affirming experience. These emotionally powerful and inspirational experiences address timeless questions and help expand our limited awareness of the nature of consciousness. They show how each of the individuals concerned has come to understand that death teaches us that the preciousness of life must be lived with a sense of purpose and meaning, as a celebration of our existence.

Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has tended thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love, meaning and grace. They reveal that there is hope beyond cure as they transition to focus on personal meaning. In this extraordinary and beautiful book, Dr. Kerr shares his patients' stories and his own research pointing to death as not purely the end of life, but as a final passage of humanity and transcendence. Drawing on interviews with over 1,200 patients and more than a decade of quantified data , Dr. Kerr reveals why pre-death dreams and visions are remarkable events that bring comfort and exemplify human resilience. These are not regular dreams. Described as "more real than real," they frequently include loved ones long gone and mark the transition from distress to acceptance. These end-of-life experiences help patients restore meaning, make sense of the dying process and assist in reclaiming it as an experience in which they have a say. They also benefit the bereaved who get relief from seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure. Beautifully written with astonishing stories, this book, at its heart, celebrates the power to reclaim how we die, while soothing the bereaved who witness their loved ones go with unqualified grace.

The bestselling author of "Many Lives, Many Masters" breaks new ground to reveal how progression therapy into future lives can help transform us in the present.

How often have you wished you could peer into the future? In "Same Soul, Many Bodies, " Brian L. Weiss, M.D., shows us how. Through envisioning our lives to come, we can influence their outcome and use this process to bring more joy and healing to our present lives. Dr. Weiss pioneered regression therapy -- guiding people through their past lives. Here, he goes beyond that to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of progression therapy -- guiding people through the future in a scientific, responsible, healing way.

Through dozens of case histories detailing both past-life and future-life experiences, Dr. Weiss shows how the choices that we make now will determine our future quality of life. From Samantha, who overcame academic failure once she learned of her future as a great physician, to Evelyn, whose fears and prejudices ended after she envisioned prior and forthcoming lives as a hate victim, Dr. Weiss gives concrete examples of lives transformed by regression and progression therapy.

A groundbreaking work, "Same Soul, Many Bodies" is sure to deeply affect peoples' lives as they strive toward their future.

With over 120,000 copies sold, this unique contemporary work brings the timeless Tibetan Bardo teaching into current American culture and language, with 49 days of readings for someone who has died or who is preparing for the dying experience. This book has been and still remains an important tool for providing a spiritual service to a dying person as opposed to grieving, processing loss, or mourning for that person's passage. Front matter includes "Notes on the Labyrinth" (or the Bardo...) and other commentary by the author that provides insights for an American reader who wishes to provide this guiding service to a family member, spouse, friend, or anyone who is terminal. The reading instructions very clearly outline when and what to read, without any limitation of belief system--the practice is presented as non-denominational, not requiring Buddhist or Christian or Jewish prayers, but also not in conflict with any of these. A schedule of readings shows graphically how to carry out the full series of 49 days of readings, at approximately 10 to 20 minutes per reading. The book has been in use since 1974 in various editions, taught in university courses on Death & Dying and related subjects (it is referenced in a recent handbook of acting exercises, for example...), and used by hospice workers and nurses internationally. The American Book of the Dead is often referenced in discussions of the 1970's West Coast spiritual renaissance, and many of the baby boomer generation will recall it in circulation when they were in college or beginning their careers. Translated editions have appeared in Spanish and Greek languages, with editions in preparation in German, French, Italian, and Polish.There is a course available by correspondence and on the internet that gives additional training for readers who wish to pursue the practice of performing "Labyrinth Readings" or "Bardo guiding" as a service to others--beyond one's own family and personal network.

You don't have to 'be religious' to believe there may be a life after death! The Medium and the Minister explores psychical and religious approaches to the possibility of an afterlife. The tensions and conflicts between these two approaches and the heated controversies they have generated are illustrated by a number of case studies. These focus on the challenges posed by psychical research and spiritualism to orthodox religion as the ultimate authority for information and teaching about the afterlife. Prominence is given initially to the campaigns of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Oliver Lodge which aimed to publicise the psychical evidence and to the Church's reaction to them. Later developments and initiatives to try to reconcile the opposing positions are then examined in the light of further psychical research. The issues raised are shown to be still highly relevant to current beliefs and attitudes and to the question of what might constitute evidence for life after death.

"Prospects for Immortality: A Sensible Search for Life After Death" theorizes how matters concerning the birth of the universe, its ultimate fate, and the creation, evolution, and final destiny of life on earth co-exist with regenerated consciousness. Readers of this volume will be prompted to think about the basic concepts of life, death, and consciousness in a unique way. Written in a style that entertains and informs, author J. Robert Adams speculates on how the transfer of memory and consciousness into the hereafter occurs in conjunction with the physical, chemical, and historical facts already established by science.

Learn the magick of energy healing for those on their sacred journey into the land of the ancestors. A Guide of Spirits teaches us how to guide the dying to the land of the ancestors in a way that is balancing and healing. It teaches us how to help the person who is transitioning energetically and spiritually prepare for their final journey to the afterlife. Chris Allaun also shows the witch and healer how to escort earthbound spirits to the ancestral lands so they may find healing and rejuvenation. This is a step-by-step 'how to' book to help every witch, healer, and shaman lend comfort and compassion to the dying.

In December, 1943, 20-year-old Army private George Ritchie died of pneumonia. Nine minutes later, he came back profoundly changed. What had happened to him while his dead body lay under a sheet would change his life, and that of his family, friends, and patients.

His first book, Return From Tomorrow, has sold over 200,000 copies and has been translated into nine languages. Now, in Ordered to Return, George Ritchie briefly re-tells the story of that strange experience and then tells what happened later, including the real miracles that he has seen in his years of practice as a physician and psychiatrist.

What's more, using plain, every-day examples from life, he offers penetrating insights into what is wrong with American life today and how it can be set right.

Your Karma Got You Down? Claim your history, own your power, and change your life! In this groundbreaking book, Tracee Dunblazier takes an in depth look at your karmic relationships: the spiritual imprints and repetitive patterns that position you in life. The restoration of every soul, and the systems that govern them, get an overhaul! Karma is not punishment and reward; it is the reassurance that we will inevitably experience all we are, are"€"and all we have created for others"€" through reincarnation and spiritual patterning.

This wisdom will inspire change on every level.

You will understand what karma is and learn all the ways to reveal, accept, forgive, and transform your connections in every dimension.

For years Howard Storm lived the American dream. He had a fine home, a family, and a successful career as an Art Professor and painter. Then, without warning, he found himself in hospital in excruciating pain, awaiting an emergency operation. He realised with horror that his death was a real possibility, but as an atheist he was convinced that his demise would mark the end of consciousness. Storm was totally unprepared for what was to happen next. He found himself out of his body, staring at his own physical form. But this was no hallucination; he was fully aware and felt more alive than ever before. In his spirit form, Storm was drawn into fearsome realms of darkness and death, where he experienced the terrible consequences of a life of selfishness and materialism.However, his journey also took him into regions of light where he conversed with angelic beings and the Lord of Light Himself, who sent him back to live on earth with a message of love. "My Descent into Death" is Howard Storm's full story: from his near death experience in Paris to his full recovery back home in the States, and the subsequent transformation of his life. Storm also communicates what he learned in his conversations with heavenly spiritual beings, revealing how the world will be in the future, the real meaning of life, what happens when we die, the role of angels, and much more. What he has to say will challenge those who believe that human awareness ends with death.

Betty Eadie died after an operation, but was later to recover. It was during the intervening period of a few hours that she had what has been described as the most profound near-death experience ever. Her description of her experience is one of the most convincing arguments for the existence of life after death.

Betty?s story is both inspiring and moving. She came back from her experiences with an almost photographic memory, and saw more perhaps than anyone has ever seen before.

In Embraced by the Light, Betty Eadie recalls the people she met, the truths she learned and the magnificent realities of the spirit world.

The message she was given during her near-death experience has filled countless people with hope, and changed her life forever. Reading this fascinating, dramatic and thought-provoking book may change yours too.