After Death or Letters from Julia ; What is Death? ; Where Do We Go?

by William T. Stead, Mary T. Longley, Édouard Grimard

W.T. Stead. What is death?
Mrs. M.T. Longley. Where do we go?
"Death. Where do we go? ... by the late Ed. Guinard [i.e. Grimard]. A translation from 'Revue spirite' ... by Mrs. A. Monthon Tattersfield": 1 l., 15 p. at end.

113 pages, Unknown Binding

First published May 31, 1942

About the author

William Thomas Stead was an English newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst editor of The Pall Mall Gazette, and he is best known for his 1885 series of articles, The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon, written in support of a bill to raise the age of consent from 13 to 16, dubbed the "Stead Act."

Stead's 'new journalism' paved the way for the modern tabloid in Great Britain. He was influential in demonstrating how the press could be used to influence public opinion and government policy, and advocated "government by journalism". He was also well known for his reportage on child welfare, social legislation and reformation of England's criminal codes.

Stead died when the RMS Titanic sank, and was considered to be one of the most famous Englishmen on board.

Reviews

[Marina Quattrocchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia was not someone famous or well known in her time, but after her death she had a strong desire to communicate with people on earth. She accomplished this with automatic writing through William T. Stead a man who was well known as an English journalist and editor. He was noted as being a pioneer for investigative journalism, and advocated "government by journalism" in his reporting on child welfare, social legislation, and reforming England's criminal codes. With his reputation at stake he begins the book by telling readers, "I vouch for my absolute belief in the authenticity of the communications received through my hand. I am positive that the letters did not proceed from my conscious mind...But I can hardly imagine that any part of my unconscious self would deliberately practice a hoax upon my conscious self about the most serious of all subjects, and keep it up year after year with the utmost apparent sincerity and consistency."
Parts of the book are almost humorous when Stead tries to ask questions or guide the content of the communication, because Julia's replies are always that from the limited perspective we have in a physical body, our questions are not always the best or most practical for our own soul growth. Politely she tells him to shut up and pay attention. Over and over again Julia speaks of love and it's importance in our lives. She says if we all truly loved one another we would create a heaven on earth. She suggests we all start a new type of rosary where we write down the names of all of our family members and friends, both living and deceased, and meditate or reflect on our love for them to keep this love alive and growing. Stead says that three themes emerged for him from the years he took dictation from Julia. One, death makes no break in the continuation of our consciousness--we are essentially the same personality after we die. We have such a vivid sense of this identity that it's often difficult for most people to realize they have crossed over. Second, we keep learning and growing when we cross over with the goal of reaching perfection or enlightenment. Third, that is it important for people on earth to keep up communication with loved ones who have crossed over. Although this book was originally published over a hundred years ago, its messages were ahead of their time, and all the more relevant today.

[Payaso Uno]

Illuminating missives from the next world ♡

Nutshell review: Not all afterlife books are created equal: This one has no fluff whatsoever and dives right into the urgent business of curating one's soul for the long haul. 5 star for the intensity &, yes, the innocence of Julia's organized lessons. (Too,Victorian England prior to 1900 was a lot of both.)

William Stead, that rare individual who wrote books before and after his death, :-) was the medium/scribe for Julia's spirit. His array of professional credentials are impressive enough to warrant a respectful Wikipedia entry - at least until his relationship with Spiritualism is mentioned. Since the 'anti-woo' brigade was just as close-minded a century ago as it can be today, Stead aims to explain the process to those who exhibit what Spencer called 'contempt prior to investigation'. Perhaps surprisingly, Stead's also honest about his own initial doubts regarding the unlikely reality of spirit messages: He worried that what he wrote came from his own subconscious vs from the conscious spirit of one who's crossed over. In the end, both Stead and this reader were convinced of the authenticity of the letters.

Stead's arc as a mystic did not happen overnight: His interest in the afterlife was gradual, developing throughout his career as a journalist. By the time his close friend Julia passed away, he was not only a 'believer' in spirit communication, but a skilled medium in his own right via automatic writing. (I like the Spiritist term for it: 'psychography'. The ostensible difference is that 'automatic writing' may stem from the subconscious of the scribe and 'psychography' is the mystical channeling of messages from one now in spirit.)

It's clear that Julia was on a mission to convey not only the realities of the next world, but also - perhaps more importantly - instructions on how folks on earth may connect to those on the next plane. (We found her suggestions for meditation & protection helpful.) To anyone mildly curious about spirit messages, Julia's fervent exhortations to elevate the soul's progress above all - and she means all - may smack of religion. Frankly, if we'd read this book in our younger years, we'd probably concur. Conversely, her insistence that punishing hellfire in the next world is wholly nonexistent should ease folks' minds.

Lastly, if anyone's new to afterlife and/or mediumship studies, we strongly recommend visiting the White Crow Books website/blog. It's simply top shelf metaphysical fare. ♡♡ Peace & light to all.

[Pam Ostdahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about talking to the dead! I so believe you can do it!

[Karan Attri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other books are better

Other new books are available ! Such as Law of spirit world and the sound of silence. Which have more knowledge and wisdom.