George Anderson's Lessons from the Light

May 3, 1999
Author of the classic bestseller We Don't Die, Anderson has worked as a medium for over 25 years, helping bereaved families come to terms with their loss by passing along messages of well-being and promises of joyful reunions in the hereafter. "I feel a whirring in my head, very much like a generator starting up," Anderson explains. "And while I am discerning I am part of the exhilarating electromagnetic force that souls use to transmit their messages." Part of Anderson's procedure is confirming the identity of the participating soul. Here, with the assistance of Barone, he employs written submissions from his clients that intimately describe lost loved ones and the circumstances of their deaths. The book also incorporates Anderson's reflections on abortion, miscarriage and reincarnation, as well as his compassionate view of suicide (he disagrees with mediums who profess that suicide victims are forever exiled in purgatory). But the fundamental point of this intriguing book is that love binds us. Anderson writes that "souls in the hereafter constantly tell us that love is what survives our physical bodies." Whatever skepticism some readers may feel about the possibility of an afterlife, the testimonies of Anderson's clients do provide poignant examples of the struggle to deal with loss. Readers don't need to share a belief in mediums or an afterlife to accept that an enduring spiritual bond with a lost loved one can be heartwarming and therapeutic for the living.