Constance Victoria Briggs - Encyclopedia of the Unseen World: The Ultimate Guide to Apparitions, Death Bed Visions, Mediums, Shadow People, Wandering Spirits, and Much, Much More

ENCYCLOPEDIA of the UNSEEN WORLD

The Ultimate Guide to
Apparitions, Death Bed Visions,
Mediums, Shadow People,
Wandering Spirits,
and Much, Much More

CONSTANCE VICTORIA BRIGGS

First published in 2010 by
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
500 Third Street, Suite 230
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2010 by Constance Victoria Briggs. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Briggs, Constance Victoria.

Encyclopedia of the unseen world : the ultimate guide to apparitions, death bed visions, mediums, shadow people, wandering spirits, and much, much
more / Constance Victoria Briggs.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-57863-465-1 (alk. paper)
1. Future lifeEncyclopedias. 2. SpiritualismEncyclopedias. I. Title.
BF1311.F8B75 2010
133.903dc22

2009049349

Cover design: Stewart Williams
Text design: Donna Linden
Typeset in P22 1722 amd Perpetua
Illustrations on pages 48, 79, 123, 180, 221, 225, 230, 242, and 252 Miss Mary LLC; Illustrations on pages 14, 22, 32, and 59 The Peppin Press; Illustrations on the cover and pages 11, 17, 18, 26, 29, 30, 35, 38, 41, 42, 44, 50, 53, 57, 60, 64, 66, 68, 73, 74, 80, 82, 84, 87, 91, 95, 97, 99, 103, 105, 107, 111, 113, 114, 120, 128, 131, 133, 134, 139, 140, 143, 147, 149, 150, 155, 156, 160, 164, 170, 172, 177, 183, 185, 187, 192, 197, 200, 204, 207, 210, 213, 232, 236, 240, 244, 248, 254, 256, 260, 263, 265, 267, 271, 273, and 276 Dover.

Printed in the United States of America
EB
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997)

To my father, Wilfred, who from the other side
validated everything I have learned.

Thank you.

The Encyclopedia of the Unseen World is devoted to explaining the fascinating yet sometimes complicated subjects involved with life after death and the spiritual world. I feel that when we are seeking answers to questions such as the existence and state of our loved ones that have crossed over, it is particularly important that we understand the meaning of terms that have now become mainstream. I also believe knowing what others have experienced and are still experiencing is vital to our own spiritual growth, knowledge, and understanding. By gaining knowledge about the spiritual world, we can understand better what is ahead for each of us.

It is interesting to note that even though there are now studies being done to prove that there is a spiritual world, that there is indeed life after death, the information being discovered is basically the same as that which has been revealed to us for centuries by the ancients, whose firsthand accounts sparked whole religious movements on the one hand and disdain and disbelief on the other.

This book takes us on a journey through time, as we meet people that have received communications from the spiritual realm firsthand. We learn of people from ancient times through today that have actually crossed over to the other side and back in out-of-body experiences, and realized that they were seeing and reporting the same things as those that have journeyed into the next world and back in modern near-death experiences. We meet people that in the face of skepticism and ridicule stood up and said, Yes, it does exist, I have seen things, felt things, and heard things that prove that we are not alone and do not cease to exist once the physical body perishes.

A relative of mine, once he found out what the subject matter of this book is, asked me if it was scary. It is not scary. Only Hollywood can turn something this interesting and enlightening into fear. It is, in a nutshell, comforting to know that there is more to our existence, to our universe, to our being, than what we have been taught. It is not scary to step outside of our limited knowledge of things and explore. It is not scary to think that one day I will be able to once again meet people that I once knew, but who are no longer residing on earth.

The book is written in easy to understand terms. It is sorted in an A-to-Z format with highlighted cross-references. I have tried to include a variety of beliefs surrounding the spiritual world, from ancient times through today. I have incorporated people that have had experiences with the other side across the ages, so that we get a better view of what has been happening in this area of belief worldwide and for so long. Unfortunately, because of space constraints, the stories are only touched upon, but they are enough to get you started on your own spiritual path, your journey into the world that Shakespeare once called the undiscovered country. That country, by the way, is no longer undiscovered.

I also use the terms spiritual world and other side. Both are terms for the nonphysical world where souls exist after the death of the physical body.

Once you finish here, you can use the references in the back of the book to continue your research.

Good luck.

I wish you well on your journey of discovery and enlightenment.

ENCYCLOPEDIA of the UNSEEN WORLD

The dead dont bear a grudge nor seek a blessing.
The dead dont rest uneasy. Only the living.
Margaret Laurence, The Stone Angel

A river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. In Greek mythology it is a river connected to the spiritual world. The word acheron when translated means river of despair. In ancient Greece it was believed to be one of the five underworld rivers, through which the souls of the dead were transported by Charon (ferryman of the dead) to Hades, ruler of the underworld.

Headed by Bill and Judy Guggenheim, this is an in-depth project on the subject of communication from the spiritual world. Bill and Judy Guggenheim are the co-authors of Hello from Heaven!, which contains 353 after-death communication accounts. The ADC Project was started in May, 1988 and was the first thorough study on the subject. During their research, the Guggenheims interviewed two thousand people living in the United States and Canada. They were able to compile 3,300 accounts from people who had been contacted by a loved one from the spiritual world.

A strong dependence on a substance (or practice) that may have negative effects upon the participant. People that have serious, problematic addictions on earth and do not overcome them may still have the addiction after they pass on. Those existing in the spiritual world who passed on with this type of addiction may find themselves either earthbound or in the lower realms, unable to move on until they let go of their habit. This addiction can pose a severe problem for a person after death because it can hinder their spiritual development. People that have had near-death experiences have reported witnessing addicts who have crossed over. One observed a person in spirit attempting to inhabit the body of a living person who had the same addiction. Once a person in spirit lets go of the addiction, they are then able to move on with their spiritual journey and move into a higher spiritual dimension.