While this book does not claim to have all the answers, it effectively points readers toward a direction where they might be able to ask the right questions. Packed with facts, logic, and compelling anecdotes, this is a body of work that will start conversations and generate discussions among those who read it. Its unbiased exploration of the relationship between that which is known and unknown will ensure that it is appreciated by both scientists and philosophers alike, and even more so by those who share the author’s belief that one simply cannot exist without the other.
Author: Shawn Murphy
Shawn Murphy received his bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1982 while working part-time as machinist for Ramar Engineering. While working full-time as an engineer for General Dynamics Ft. Worth division, Mr. Murphy completed his Master in Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1985 and his Master in Business Administration from Texas Christian University 1989.
At age 30, he moved to Liechtenstein to run the investment team for PRP Performa Ag and started to study German. He received his CFA charter in 1994 and then started studying philosophy in German. After moving the investment team to Bermuda in 2000, he started publishing his philosophic works in the Bermuda Sun, following the attack on 9/11/01. He published a series of six articles speaking out against the rhetoric that had erupted. The final article in this series was entitled: “We all have the same spiritual ancestry”.
After a long pause, following his publication “Origen: Heretic of Prophet” in 2004, Shawn was inspired to write following the stroke of his twenty-year-old daughter, to share with others the wisdom he has gained in his life’s journey that gave him strength in this trying time.
Interview: The Big Question
Josh Okello invited me back on his show and he entitled the episode “The Big Question” where we talked about transmigration of souls, reincarnation and life after death. We also discussed my writings on Quora where I have been answering many questions related to the three books I have written.
We talk about the most popular question that I have answered so far, and that is about the story of Eve being made from Adam’s rib. As with many of the stories in the bible, this is of a nonmaterial nature. God did not wrap earth around a rib He took from Adam, but rather He took a physical body and ensouled it with one of the false ribs – the fallen pair of Elders (Rev 4:4). God put this symbolism into man’s body – showing the 24 elders and only fourteen of them are connected to Jesus (the sternum).
We discussed the flood as how it fits into earth’s history. The abrupt global warming that occurred around 8,000 BC, flooded the inhabited delta regions and wiped out those who were not prepared for the rising waters. But Noah, a spiritual pioneer in the plan of this benevolent force, was saved. This was like burning the dry brush away to allow the tender green roots of virtue to take hold.
In addition, we spoke about the plan of salvation which is not spoken of in any religion. The concept is that each one of us is a fallen angel and this material world was created for us to regain our virtues and overcome our vices in an unperceivably slow process of rebirth. I have explained this in the books and also in a post on Quora called How can God’s work of salvation be summarized?
Torn Between Two Worlds answers many common questions on Quora
Since the release of my trilogy, I have been answering common questions posted on Quora addressed by my books. Over 400 questions have been answered and these have received over 51,000 views in the past 45 days. There seems to be a hunger for logic and reason that both religions and science are having difficulty delivering. Below are the questions I have answered that are of most interest to readers.
Does the human soul visit the home after death?
How is it that the pyramids were build 12,000 BC and Adam and Eve came about 8000 BC?
What is the best evidence for a historical Jesus?
What do you think occurs spiritually after you die?
Please visit my profile for these and many other questions with the perspective presented in Torn Between Two Worlds.
The Discovery – thoughts on life after death
I was looking to forward to this film to see how they handle the the topic that I discuss in my third book – Torn Between Two Worlds: Material and Ethereal. I was quickly disappointed in the first scene where the discovery of life after death turns into a call for mass suicides. But then when I thought about it further, I realized that this might be a logical conclusion with no guiding philosophy. The conclusion drawn is that death is like “pushing the reset button” on life. In my book I lay out some of the research into the consequences of lifestyle on the type of after life that could follow such a life. There is an indication in the research that a suicide has dramatic consequences, including the theory that the next life could present the same issues that one is attempting to escape.
The second thing that stood out for me was a quote by Thomas (Robert Redford). He said, “Faith, oh god, I have such contempt for that word. Show me someone who relies on faith and I’ll show you someone who has given up control over whatever it is that they believe.” This shows me how misunderstood faith is in the scientific community. Einstein was one of the few scientists that understood the importance of faith. He once said that he has faith in the nobility of nature. Science needs to relearn this trait if they are to successfully unravel some of nature’s secrets.
I often tell friends that they need to learn to have faith in themselves. By looking at all that one has been able to overcome already in life, should reassure one that they can handle anything life throws at them in the future – have faith instead of fear. This is faith based on a logical assessment of one’s accomplishments. No one should be ashamed of having faith in themselves or, like Einstein, in the beauty of nature.
New insights into addiction from beyond the veil
I start with this account from the late 19th century, not for its time period, but for the level of enlightenment of the deceased. He is a self-proclaimed egotist and the ethereal world that he describes is fitting to his character. I imagine it on the one hand as the wild west, due to its amount of lawlessness, and like a ghetto on the other hand, due to its run-down and dirty appearance.
This is a fascinating story to read after having read Wickland’s work, because it complements the knowledge he imparts. Franchezzo explains how he and other ethereal beings in this wild west influence weak-willed humans. After death, an addict is still an addict, so they seek out humans that they can connect with to experience the “high” of their addiction. They accomplish this through temporary possession. For example, a deceased alcoholic will search out weak-willed drinkers and encourage them to keep drinking so that he can enjoy the ethereal essence of the alcohol and the intoxicating feeling experienced by the drinker.
We also find from this story that the deceased are encouraged to improve their base thinking and strive for virtue. Benevolent beings visit these lower regions and encourage the residents to consider a path of redemption, a nobler path. Though, as in the material world, free will is respected and no one is forced to change their ways, until they are incarnated again in the material world.
Research behind Torn between the Worlds of Science and Religion
Torn between two Worlds looks at the conflicts that exist between science and religion and also between wisdom and rhetoric. Wisdom is hard to find, just becuase something is easy to find on the internet does not mean it is wise. On this page I share some of the wisdom that I have found on the web, some is outright wisdom, others are found in the rhetoric of words from well known “experts”.
Below are the YouTube videos that I have found as inspiration in writing the book. Some of them are very outspoken people in their field, and these are the ones that I tend to most skeptical of. The methodical, experienced experts are the ones in my opinion to have a closer look at. Those who understate their results as apposed to those who make extrapolated claims from their research or knowledge.
Here is an example of this type of extrapolation from Neil deGrasse Tyson on Larry King Now. He says: “There is no evidence that I am conscious of anything [after death] and by the way is that so weird? Did you have consciousness before you were born? Were you saying, how come I’m not on earth, my god, I need to be on earth, where am I? No, there is just the state of non-existence.” Where is his research that backs up theses grandiose statements? Where is his research that shows there is no reincarnation, that there are no alternate dimensions where our consciousness continues to live and that there are no angels?
Just like religion, science has also created its own dogma around the areas that do not fit neatly into their theory of the world. But since most scientific knowledge is theory and not scientific law, there is much that is being speculated on. This is what this book looks at.
Heal Thyself – Modern medicine has not changed much in a century
After nearly one hundred years, the success rate of treating mental heath ailments has progressed little. In his book, Heal Thyself, Dr. Edward Bach discusses the variability of results from the various treatments available at his time. He was disturbed by the lack of consistency in treating the symptoms. A similar situation exists today with results from pharmaceuticals, eastern medicine, acupuncture and various energy healing techniques, including Dr. Bach’s own Bach Flower Remedies.
The theme of my trilogy, Torn Between Two Worlds, is to highlight scientific anomalies that are not currently understood with a materialistic viewpoint and to suggest a holistic approach that can help to encourage researchers to look at other factors not currently part of their experiments. In the case of Bach, this is the logical step he took. He boldly named his book Heal Thyself becuase he truly believed that it is the patient who knows the most about the underlying causes of their ailments, they just need to be empowered in order to treat themselves.
It seems logical to me that when anomalous results exist, that there are more variables involved in the solution to consider. Currently, medical professionals are discouraged from looking for non-materialistic factors and non-materialistic results. Dr. Bach went out into nature and discovered thirty six essences that are effective treating the sources of many ailments such as anxiety, depression, and mental distress. These essences are of an ethereal nature. They are the direct transfer of the flower’s essence into water using sunlight and contain no material components. There are other similar studies that have come to the same conclusion, notably Dr. Emoto’s use of Hado water in treating similar ailments.
Discussion on Periscope with Josh Okello
Josh Okello invited me to join his show on Friday night to discuss the trilogy Torn Between Two Worlds. After having read the first book, Josh had a wide range of questions about the nature of reality and truth, the origin of the universe, and more philosophical concepts that stretched the breadth of my three books. I look forward to continuing the conversation with Josh and his twitter followers.
In this discussion, I hope I was able to make the point that any theory of our universe and its creation needs to encompass much more than scientific realities. It must be able to explain:
- the anomalies that science ignores,
- the common perceptions of people with clairvoyant gifts,
- commonalities in near-death and out-of-body experiences,
- the shared experiences researchers have with ghosts,
- the multitude of religious beliefs, and
- the wide variety of human life experiences/tragedies.
Ideally this theory should also answer the three basic questions of human existence:
- Where do we come from?
- Why are we here?
- Where are we going?
Dark Energy explained in Death by a loss of 21 grams
The work of Dr. Duncan MacDougall was groundbreaking in many respects. Firstly, he had the curiosity to apply science to the impact of death, with scientific rigor. Secondly, becuase he was able to explain the variations in the test to match the personality of the subject.
Finally, the 21 grams which are lost at death correspond to 1.9 billion MJ of energy that escaped into ether, providing evidence for the so-called Dark Energy theorized by astrophysics. If each living body, including celestial bodies, contains a promotional amount of energy, this might account for the missing energy that the Dark Energy hypothesis represents.
A secondary effect of MacDougall’s experiment is to suggest that the universe is permeable, not to suggest that there are multiple dimensions. The 1.9 billion MJ was not released into the closed room of his experiment, but the first law of thermodynamics says that this energy went somewhere, it was not destroyed. The Torn Between Two World hypothesis is supported by this observation.
Together with the work of Ian Stevenson, we have enough evidence to examine the so-called Dark Energy in near space. By bridging the gap between science and spirituality, wisdom can be acquired. We need more scientists to help religion to dispel their illogical doctrines and dogma, rediscovering the wisdom of the founders of science: Euclid, Pythagoras, Democritus, and Hippocrates.
Scientific anomalies explained by astrology.
There is much wisdom in sayings of old, if we have an open mind to accept them. People have believed from the beginning of time about the power in the stars and the impact that they have on our daily lives. Many have dedicated their lives to the practice of astrology, finding truth and wisdom in their studies and practice. How does astrology fit into the modern scientific world?
Most scientific theories require the addition of both dark matter and dark energy to describe the behavior of the universe and in massive proportions. Some more recent theories by Mike McCulloch and Gregorio Baquero have eliminated the need to have dark matter to explain the observed behavior, but still require huge amounts of dark energy. Let’s be clear though, the term dark energy stems from the fact that it cannot be seen or measured, it does not imply that it is truly darkness.
Most all of the research is being done is on big money projects in physics, either looking into deep space or into smaller particles at the CERN. No one seems to be looking for dark energy in near space, or in our solar system. If dark energy makes up more than 80% of the universe, shouldn’t we be able to find it in our solar system?
The project, Torn Between Two Worlds, was created in order to form a bridge between two seemingly opposing sides. In this case between science and astrology. What can the two learn from each other? In the introduction of my first book, I talk about the statistics from identical twin studies done throughout the last 60 years. One statistically significant variable falls out of those studies that can only be defined as a function of time. All of these studies show that our personality is impacted by the time we were born. This has nothing to do with genetics. Astrologists know this to be true.
Here is the Torn Between Two World hypothesis: We are citizens of two, coincidental worlds; a physical world, that is open to the eyes of its inhabitants and an ethereal world that is only visible to a very few gifted individuals. The physical world is finite, in that it is limited to the materials created in the Big Bang, whereas the ethereal world in infinite. Both worlds can act upon each other.
Putting this all together, I propose the following hypothesis:
- Dark energy is the same energy that we experience in near space and it is associated with bodies, both celestial and living. It is coincidental with these bodies and it is ethereal.
- Like gravity, its effect can be measured.
- Unlike gravity, some gifted people can see it.
There is a proof in near space that can be made within our solar system and then applied to the universe using a well know anomaly. The AU is increasing by 15 cm per year and nobody knows why. Under our hypothesis, both the sun and the earth contain dark energy, so how much dark energy would each need to contain in order to increase the earth’s orbit around the sun by 15 cm per year? And if each celestial body had promotional amounts of dark energy, would this explain the accelerated expansion of the universe?