by Mark Pitstick MA, DC

Note: If you already know the following information scroll down to the article title in maroon below the seven asterisks.  However, I strongly recommend reading this introduction until you really ‘own’ it.  In addition, post The Great News where you’ll see it every day.

In 2019 – 2020, a series of studies at the University of Arizona definitively demonstrated scientifically that life continues after physical death.  This research was conducted by Gary E. Schwartz PhD and a team of electrical engineers, software specialists, evidential mediums, and postmaterial (so-called ‘deceased’) luminaries at the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health. 

See articles #1 and 60 at SoulProof.com for an overview of the scientific and clinical evidence indicating – with 99.9% certainty – that consciousness survives bodily death.  This collective evidence, along with many firsthand experiences, also shows – with very high degrees of certainty – The Great News that you and everyone else:

  1. continue to live after bodily death.
  2. do not really lose ‘departed’ people and pets and can interact with them again.
  3. are integral, infinite, eternal, and beloved parts of Source Energy / Creator.
  4. receive assistance / guidance from angels, guides, master teachers, evolved energies.
  5. are sacredly interconnected with all people, animals, and nature.
  6. have special purposes for being on this planet at this time.
  7. have everything you need to survive and thrive during this earthly adventure.
  8. possess a magnificent, self-healing body that can optimize your earthly experience.
  9. can find meaning and trust the timing behind life’s biggest changes such as death.
  10. co-create how heavenly / hellish your life feels by your thoughts, words and deeds.
  11. can find silver linings and opportunities for growth and service amidst challenges.
  12. can likely use SoulPhone technology in the future for communication with postmaterial loved ones and luminaries who can help us heal our world.

This is, obviously, a new and exciting era for humanity.  When understood and internalized – even just a bit – The Great News can help you make the shift:

  • FROM thinking, believing, and acting as if your time on earth is unfair, meaningless, cruel, and ends with cessation of consciousness or the possibility of endless suffering.
  • TO thinking, believing, and acting as if this earthly experience is a totally meaningful, safe, and magnificent adventure amidst forever.

Upgrading your language can help you adopt a greater reality perspective and live based on the second worldview.  That, in turn, can help you create the greatest life YOU have envisioned, fulfill your purposes for being on earth, serve others, and enjoy the journey.  In my articles, l:  

  1. Will use the term ‘YOU’ to describe the totality of your energy / being. The real you may manifest in different spacetime ways simultaneously. Only 20% of your consciousness may be needed for an earthly experience.  The term ‘YOU’ recognizes both of these possibilities.
  2. Will not use the terms ‘die, departed, deceased, or dead’ without single quotation marks since those have strongly entrenched and erroneous meanings indicating an end of life.
  3. Will use the terms ‘bodily death’ and ‘death of the earthly form’ to remind you that only the earth-suit dies. The rest – all the intelligence, love, personality, memories, preferences, sense of humor, and much more – continues living in other parts of the field of all possibilities.
  4. Will use the terms changed worlds, passed on, transitioned and others that aptly describe a continuation of consciousness after bodily death.
  5. Will primarily refer to those who have passed on as postmaterial persons. That term recognizes the points in #3. I also will use soul, consciousness, essence, and awareness.
  6. Will primarily refer to ‘physical humans living on earth’ as material persons. Why? Because those terms within single quotation marks may apply to postmaterial persons: they can have physicality, visit earth, and are still human in meaningful ways.
  7. The terms lower versus higher energy emotions / ways of being, are not judgmental or subjective. They are based on well-established observations that ‘as you think, so shall you be.’ Those terms are also based on objective measurements by, for example, David Hawkins PhD, MD author of Power Versus Force.  He and other researchers found that higher-energy emotions of peace, joy, and love calibrate at 600, 540, and 500 respectively.  Lower-energy emotions of anger, fear, and guilt calibrate at 150, 100, and 30.
  8. I will use single quotations marks with words such as ‘lose and fail’.  The Great News and collective afterlife evidence can expand your worldview about what seem to be losses and failures.  We can’t accurately judge the big picture of life – what is lost or how we failed – with our limited human senses.
  9. To recognize and respect different genders and sexual identifications, I will alternate using ‘he’ or ‘she’ and related pronouns. Depending on a person’s orientation, one, both, or neither of those may apply.

The free articles and radio shows mentioned are available at SoulProof.com.  To learn more about the collective afterlife evidence and The Great News, read Soul Proof, The Afterlife Evidence, Greater Reality Living (co-authored with Dr. Schwartz) and The Big Picture of Life (with Schwartz and Katta Mapes MA, MEd).  To experience expanded states of consciousness to heal and transform your life, use the audio programs under Shop at SoulProof.com.

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When Your Pet Transitions from Earth

Life isn’t quite the same when a furry spirit enters or appears to leave your life. 

I had a morning paper route when I was a kid.  One freezing winter’s morning, I was trudging through a foot of snow when something moved in the predawn darkness ahead.  As I got closer, I saw it was a little mixed beagle puppy that was trying to eat frozen poop.  She was emaciated, shivering, and looked like she wasn’t long for this world.

I scooped her up and took off my glove to pet her. She licked my hand and stole my heart. (Hey, that would be a good title for a country-western song!)  That dog knew a soft touch when she saw one.   My new best friend spent the rest of my route bundled up under my coat and soon became part of our family.

But she almost didn’t.  When I got home, my little brother and sister were all excited that we had a new pet.  My mom and dad . . . not so much.  They said ‘No, absolutely not.  We are not getting a dog.”  My siblings’ shrieks of joy turned to crying.  As tears ran down my cheeks, I sobbed, “If she goes, I go!”

That approach worked.  (Fifty-five years later, my ninety-year-old mom jokes that she could have gotten rid of both of us at once.)

Thus began our life with Snoopy.  She became, alternately, our rescue project, friend, protector, and longtime companion.  If you’re reading this article, you no doubt have your own story about a favorite pet who entered your life.

Understandably, some people are closer to their pets than other humans.  Many furry friends are loyal, loving, grateful, and always there – qualities sometimes lacking in humans.  It’s not surprising that many people grieve deeply when the life force of a beloved animal moves back into the field of all possibilities.

The stages of grief that occur can be similar to those when human friends graduate from earth school.  You may experience denial, anger, bargaining, and depression before accepting that your beloved pet has changed worlds.  These emotions can surface in no particular order and jump back and forth.  You may have good days and then sadness triggered by a memory or finding a play toy while cleaning.

Nearly every day, I’m asked by someone around the world: “Is my cat still alive in another form and place?”  Or, “My dog died; is he still happy and peaceful?”  And, invariably, the biggest and most important question: “Will I see my dear beloved pet again?”

Here’s a recent one from Susan. . .

Q: I’ve always wondered if animals join us in the afterlife?  It would seem an awful waste if our pets were just unconditionally loving and accepting props for us to enjoy while on Earth and then that’s it — nothingness.

A: Yes, as you say, it would be an incredible waste of energy and love for any life form to cease existence after bodily death.  Surely the universe can certainly do better than that.  Good evidence indicates that the consciousness / energy of all life – including pets – continues into the next page of life’s never-ending saga.  This evidence comes from:

  1. Documented near-death experiencers who report seeing ‘departed’ pets during their visit to the Light
  2. Evidential mediums who relay specific details about pets who have passed on. These sensorily gifted people often relay accurate information they could never know.
  3. After-death communications (ADCs) while awake or dreaming can involve beloved pets who have crossed over. Evidential and shared ADCs indicate that at least some of these perceptions appear to be actual visits.
  4. Miracles that involve pets.
  5. Scientific laws that energy cannot be destroyed, but only changes form.Unconditional love and acceptance are so special and important; surely Life recycles it.

Pets can show up when they are most needed.  After my first love break-up, I was feeling pretty alone and sad.  A good friend brought me a beautiful kitten she had named Liebe, a German word for love.

Liebe was very loving and spent many hours resting on my shoulders while I studied theology and clinical psychology. She brought valuable companionship when I was alone a lot.  Liebe gave me someone to talk to when I couldn’t afford counseling.  She was my first cat and I learned why some people love cats so dearly.

Interestingly, shortly after I was in a new relationship, Liebe disappeared.  We looked and looked for her, but with no success.  Maybe her mission was completed?

Decades later, Miss B — who looked exactly like Liebe — blessed us with her presence for many years.  And that great cat — the best I’ve ever been around —may have just now assisted with a technological mini-miracle.  Let me explain.

WordPress is the software platform I use for the SoulProof.com website.  I’ve added new articles many times so was perplexed when my first version of this one wouldn’t open correctly.  I checked my directions, even though I knew I was doing it right, and tried it again.  Still no success.

A third try . . . no luck.  I was just about to email my tech guy when a subtle voice / thought came in: “Maybe it’s not working because you didn’t mention Miss B in the article.”  The article was already fairly long and I couldn’t think of any impressive story about her.  She was just the coolest and most loving cat I’ve known.  I discounted the idea of expanding the article to make the technology work as ludicrous.

Then I created article #23 “Are You a Sensitive or Empath?” and everything worked just fine.  Hmmm, maybe I could try mentioning Miss B.  I resolved to include the following story if, indeed, adding a bit about her cleared up the problem.

I added just one sentence as shown a few paragraphs above: “Decades later, Miss B — who looked exactly like Liebe — blessed us with her presence and spirit for several years.”  Then I went through the very same set of steps as before and . . . voila!  It worked perfectly.

A skeptic would call it coincidence.  I believe it was a message from her so I can add yet another bit to the many pieces of evidence that life and love are never-ending.

Then I remembered how Miss B came into our lives.  My girlfriend Andy and I drove to a remote lake to kayak.  Ours was the only car in the area and, as we started unloading our gear, a cat appeared.  She was very thin, but had a great personality.  The cat rubbed against our legs and let us pet her.

Andy wanted to take her home.  I said, ‘No way!’  We don’t need another cat.’  She felt like this was a great cat who had come to us and persisted.  I said, ‘OK, if that cat is still here when we return, we’ll take her home.’  (We would be gone several hours and I thought there was no way she would still be there.)

When we pulled our kayaks out of the water, there she was, laying in the shade just under the front of the car with her front paws crossed.  It was as if she was saying, ‘I’m still here.  Let’s go home.’

Departed pets can apparently visit after transitioning from earth as illustrated by the following story.  Heidi had a cat named Lucky that passed over at age twenty-one.  As you will see, the ADC with Lucky prepared Heidi and her family for a very difficult time.  She states:

I wasn’t a religious person and never really believed in life after ‘death’ but the following experience in 1990 changed my beliefs. I had just laid down in bed for the night. I was still awake when I felt that someone was calling for me. I sat up and thought, “I can’t go. If Bill (her husband) wakes up, he’ll wonder where I am.” That didn’t seem to matter because before I knew it I was going down our hall. I didn’t make the conscious decision to go and I actually do not remember getting up and walking.

I noticed a very bright light coming from our son’s bed- room. I looked in and saw my cat Lucky who had passed on about four months earlier. She was rolling around on her back the way cats do when they feel good. She appeared young and didn’t have her arthritis anymore. I was amazed at how bright it was in the room. I looked at the window and thought, “the sun isn’t out and the light in the room isn’t this bright.”

I knew that someone was behind me. It seemed like the person was dressed in a white robe; I felt it was Jesus. I remember thinking how warm and peaceful I felt—I had never felt anything like it. I looked down at my feet, but it was like they weren’t there. I reached for my cat with both hands to touch her but a man’s voice said, “No, don’t touch her.” I immediately pulled my hands back to my chest and realized, “That’s right, I don’t want to ruin it for her.” After a while, she started to fade away. I felt sad that she was going, and then it was over.

I didn’t tell anyone about this until my husband and I were watching a TV show about near-death experiences a month later. I told Bill because my experience was so similar and he felt it was from ‘God.’ I also eventually told my father. Dad asked me to tell him the story again four times during the week before he passed on even though he wasn’t ill and his ‘death’ was totally unexpected.

Our son Mike was killed in a car accident on January 13, 2001. I cannot begin to put into words how difficult that was, but the experience I had with Lucky eleven years ago helped us through this terrible time. We KNOW Mike is still with us because we have had several contacts from him. We miss Mike’s physical presence very much, but we have the peace of mind that he is alive and well in another place.

Pets might also help when facing a fork in the road.  In 1981, I was trying to decide whether to become a medical or holistic chiropractic physician.  One day, a stray cat arrived at our isolated home in the country.  She was starving, had severe mange, and walked with a limp.  Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there were many hard lumps under her skin and her paralyzed tail was covered with feces.

I had worked with vets for several summers and was a skilled dissector so I went to work.  The bumps were shotgun pellets just under the skin and I removed those.  I gave her a haircut and started mange treatment.  But the paralyzed tail, weak back legs, and chronic diarrhea continued.  It was no fun wiping off her tail several times each day.  So, despite having little money, I took Daisy to a veterinarian.

My girlfriend at the time was driving and I had the cat on my lap – on top of a towel, of course.  The vet said the cat had probably been hit by a car and her nerves were permanently damaged.  He said we could euthanize her or keep lots of toilet paper around.

On the long drive home, I was reading a book about chiropractic.  Diagrams showed how nerves from the lower back supply the bowels, legs and – in an animal’s case – the tail.  The book described how specific spinal adjustments removed nerve pressure and assisted normal functioning of associated organs and muscles.

All at once, the proverbial light bulb went on.  I didn’t know how to adjust a spine, but the cat’s tail provided a way to traction the lumbar area.  I stabilized Daisy’s pelvis, took a deep breath, and firmly pulled on her tail.  She meowed loudly and her tail moved spastically.

I repeated these crude spinal tractions every few days – when I could catch her.  Within a month or two, her bowels, legs, and tail worked normally. 

We took her back to the vet for shots.  He said Lucy’s recovery was a miracle.  The vet had no explanation for how such serious paralysis and bowel dysfunction could heal.

I took that as my sign about which physician training path to pursue. 

Here’s another question from a subscriber to the Soul Proof newsletter:

Q: My beloved dog died recently.  I was closer to him than most people.  Will he continue on in some fashion, or is the afterlife only for people? – Elle

A: Great question, Elle.  The light and energy in all life is indestructible.  After physical death, it can manifest in a different time and place.  As mentioned above, much clinical evidence indicates that:

  1. Your beloved animals will be present when you pass on. You and they can enjoy a wonderful reunion. The movie Talking to Heaven beautifully portrays this.
  2. They may appear to you as you knew them before or in a more ethereal way with multi-colored light.But you will recognize them.
  3. Your dear pets who changed worlds may come back to you as another pet during your earthly experience.Circumstances, markings, and mannerisms may strongly suggest who has come back to you.
  4. You might detect their presence with your usual senses or more subtle ones. For example, you might see them via physical sight or in your mind’s eye. You also may hear their bark or purr, feel their presence, or have a sudden vivid memory that warms your heart.
  5. You need not worry about death of the earthly form breaking your connection.

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At age 27, I had lived in other cities and states as I went through pre-med, theological, and clinical psychology training.  But I visited my folks whenever I could and always enjoyed seeing Snoopy, petting her, and getting dog kisses.  Snoopy was now the equivalent of 105 years old.  Funny how that works.

(Side note: our veterinarian and long-time neighbor has practiced for 35 years.  He grew up on a farm and his dad was the dean of a vet school so he is very knowledgeable.  I asked him why animals age so rapidly compared to humans.  They have a very similar anatomy and physiology and many live healthier lives than people with more rest and exercise.  He had no idea.)

Whenever I find a puzzling situation like that for which there is no clear physical explanation, I consider emotional and spiritual factors.  Here are a few possibilities:

  • Pets live shorter lives to prepare us for our own death and that of human loved ones.
  • Our furry friends don’t have karmic and growth lessons to learn like people do so don’t need long earthly experiences.
  • Their open hearts and big love may only allow them to endure earth’s density and lower energies for a short time.
  • They teach us how to love and live in the present moment.When we learn those lessons a bit more, they can move on to help and heal others.

Back to Snoopy . . .  

Nearly blind, very arthritic, and totally deaf, she walked very slowly.  But she still enjoyed life’s little pleasures: a belly rub, dog treats, sunning herself, walking around the yard, and visits from the three now grown children and their families.  I hadn’t been home for several months since I was wrapping up a thesis and master’s degree several states away.

When I came home, I noticed how poorly Snoopy was doing.  She was moving very slowly, but still got up to get and give some loving.  Later that day, as we ate dinner on the back patio, we heard the screech of a car’s tires on the road.  Running out, I saw Snoopy lying in the road.  The driver felt so bad, “She just walked right across the road like she couldn’t see or hear me” he said.

She couldn’t.

My dad started to call the vet, but I told him it was too late.  I could feel that her spine had been broken in two.  She laid still for a few minutes as everyone petted her and told her how much they loved her.  Then she closed her big brown eyes and took her last earthly breath this time around on earth.

I buried her no-longer-needed shell beside the big maple tree in the back yard, the one with such magnificent red and yellow colors every autumn.  Those colors seemed brighter and bolder after that.  Forty years later, we still talk about Snoopy with love and gratitude for having such a fine friend in our lives.

If you have loved and “lost” a furry friend, please remember that life and love are forever.  You will see him or her again – perhaps sooner than you think.  Pets help us remember the most important lessons in life: to love unconditionally, to accept others for who and how they are, and fully enjoy life’s precious moments.  Here’s to the day when more humans can live with a fraction of that love and acceptance.

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Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you: 

  1. read this article again within a few days so you really own it. 
  2. discuss it with trusted family members and friends.
  3. take recommended action steps that seem right for you. 
  4. share it with others who can use it.

Let it shine,
Mark

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, master’s level clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar / workshop facilitator.  He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings.  Mark directs The Soul Phone Foundation, founded Greater Reality Living Groups, and assists research on the SoulPhone Project.  To learn more about how Dr. Pitstick might help you, visit SoulProof.com/About.

Dr. Pitstick’s goal is to help you know and show– no matter what is happening to or around you – that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity.  Visit SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters, and radio interviews with top consciousness experts.  Other resources include his very reasonably priced books, audio-products, and documentary film.

Note: Because of his many outreaches, Dr. Pitstick can no longer answer complex and/or multiple questions.  However, he has created many resources to answer your biggest questions and provide holistic solutions for your toughest challenges . . .  

FREE ARTICLES, RADIO SHOW, AND E-NEWSLETTERS

– Articles for Transformation and Healing (top tab Articles at SoulProof.com) address the most common questions, concerns, and challenges about life, death, and afterlife.

– Radio Shows (top tab Radio Shows at SoulProof.com) share his answers and those of top experts to life’s biggest questions: “Who am I? Why am I here?  What happens after I die?  Is there a God?  Why is there so much suffering?  Why do children die?” and others.

– E-Newsletters (sign up on any page at SoulProof.com)

AUDIO-PRODUCTS, BOOKS, AND DOCUMENTARY FILM

– Transformational Audio Products  (see Shop at SoulProof.com) provide quality sessions at home for a fraction of the cost of an office visit.  These CDs and digital audios use deep relaxation, visualization, breathwork, and/or other techniques to: access your inner wisdom, visit with “departed” loved ones, release old wounds and lower energy emotions, evaluate your pre-birth planning, have past life regressions, and other goals.

– Books and Documentary (Shop at SoulProof.com) provide information and strategies to help you more deeply realize and demonstrate:

  • you are a forever being of energy / consciousness
  • the many wonderful benefits of realizing this
  • how to reflect this great news in every aspect of your life — even when confronted with big challenges and changes

Webinars and Workshops: to learn about these, subscribe to newsletters at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org (Classes & Interviews at SoulProof.com)

Greater Reality Living Groups: these local and online groups share information from Dr. Pitstick, Dr. Gary Schwartz, and other experts on consciousness and holistic wellness topics.  (Visit Greater Reality Living at SoulProof.com)

Coaching / Counseling Session: meet with Dr. Pitstick by Zoom to gain answers to your toughest questions and holistic solutions to your biggest challenges.  (Shop at SoulProof.com)

Disclaimer: This information is not designed to replace medical or psychological care.  Dr. Pitstick’s remarks are based on his personal and professional training and experience during forty-eight years of helping many thousands of people.  Collective clinical, scientific, and experiential evidence supports some, but not all, of what he shares.  Mark’s views may change over time, and he does not claim to have all the answers or the only answers.

Dr. Pitstick encourages you to consider this information and decide for yourself what makes the most sense.  Note: the articles and other resources at his SoulProof.com site are NOT purely based on scientific research as is the SoulPhone Project.