Now that I have an insider, someone with a unique perspective on the “Other Side,” I have such a wonderful opportunity to answer so may questions I’ve been harboring nearly all of my life. Of course, if I had the choice, I’d rather have Erik on this side with me, but he’s not. He’s gone from my arms to another place to which I have no access. Hopefully, the fact that he’s my “inside guy” will prove fruitful as he uncovers the mystical veil that shrouds our eyes from all things spiritual. If it provides comfort to me and others and if it satisfies the burning curiosity of those who yearn to explore the deepest realms of what would otherwise be the “unknowable,” then perhaps his tragic and untimely death will not have been in vain. I’ve am so grateful for all of the knowledge and wisdom Erik has already shared, but greedy for more, I continue my litany of questions. Pandora’s box is agape. The lid cannot be closed. Here is more of the dialog between Erik and me through psychic medium, Kim O’Neill:

‘I know you travel Erik, but how do you do that? Do you use your thoughts? If you want to go to Norway, for instance, do you just think about it and you’re there?’ I ask.

“Well, it depends. I can materialize and dematerialize with my thoughts like you just said, Mom, or if I want I can take a boat or train or bus.”

‘So you manifest these things through thoughts?’

“Exactly But I’m going to want to fly with you guys when you go to Norway for spring break. But if I want, I don’t have to stay on the plane the whole time, of course. Sucks for you that you have to!” he says with a chuckle. “I just do whatever I want to at the moment.”

‘Wow, lot’s of free choices there! Can you even travel to different planes and different planets?’

“Yes.”

‘On both counts?’

“Yes.”

Nice elaboration but I’ll take what I can get.

I probe further.’So how many planes are there, planes of existence I mean? Or do you even know, Erik?’

“Well, as far as I know there are two, the earthly plane and there’s life in Heaven and on other planets. Two or three depending on how you want to look at it.”

‘Okay. So what do you look like Erik? What shape do you take? Do you wear clothes? What age do you appear?’

“Hmm, well when I’m hanging with my buds, I’m like a beam of light, a ball of light. But when I try to materialize there on the earthly plane, I appear the way I did when I died, so you guys know who I am. Remember, Mom, I’ve had a lot of other lifetimes and if I appeared as any one of them, you might not know it was me!”

‘Yeah, okay. That makes sense,’ I say in agreement.

“Now, when you get to the heavenly plane, Mom, I’ll appear to you however you want. Do you want me to be a little boy? Do you want me to be grown up? You don’t have to decide now. Wait till you get here and I’ll be whatever you want—or a beam or ball of light. Ya know, come to think of it, Mom, when you’re in spirit too, it won’t matter to you at all. It won’t matter to you. You won’t be going by how I looked when I was there. You’ll just be interacting with my soul which you will see and feel as a beam of light.”

At this point, I don’t care what he looks like when I meet him in Heaven. I just want to wrap myself around him and love him and stay glued to the hip. I won’t let him out of my sight. Eventually, I guess they’ll have to peel me away from him, but not without me kicking and screaming the entire time! They’ll be lots of pent up kisses and hugs and love to deliver.

‘Okay, so what does the afterlife really look like, Erik?’ I continue.

“Anything you want it too! Picture life on the earthly plane as living with a real, real gray pair of glasses on. Here, the colors are more vivid than you can ever imagine, a hundred times more than on the earthly plane. (The afterlife) looks like whatever appeals to you at the moment.”

‘So what if your buddy wants to appear on a beach, but you want to appear..’

Erik interrupts me with, “You know what we do, Mom? We play paper scissor, rock, and then we decide! Other souls do other things, but this was my idea!” He laughs and says, “I usually wins, so I like that!”

Kim chuckles loudly at this remark and says, “That’s funny! That’s interesting, Erik!”

He goes on to say, “You compromise. One time we go where they want, another time we….and guess what, one of my new buddies taught me how to snowboard, so that’s how I started that.”

Hmm, I guess ADHD continues in the afterlife too!

‘So do your buddies appear to you as beams of light or how they were when they were alive?’

“To me here in Heaven?” Erik asks.

‘Uh huh.’

“Balls of light kinda like in that movie, Cocoon, when they take their skin off. Oh, but we don’t look like ETs or anything. We look like balls of light. Balls of light. Tell Michelle I said BAWLS!!! She’ll get it cuz it’s a joke of ours.”

Ha! I think I know that one! Michelle and Erik always had the funniest inside jokes. They use to say “Cheese” in a loud and annoying voice just to irritate Pappa. Worked like a charm every time.

After a long giggle, I continue with my next question. ‘So are there different levels of souls, like different levels of enlightenment? If so, are they different colors, I mean, how does the whole hierarchy thing work out?’

“Ah, good question!” Kim interjects.

“Sometimes the light emitted by a soul is different colors, but it has nothing to do with our enlightenment. It has to do with colors we like.”

‘Oh, okay,’ I reply.

“Just like with Kim, she would emit a blue light,” Erik says.

“Yeah your right, Erik! Blue is my favorite color! You’re right!” Kim exclaims in excitement.

‘Wow, me too!’ I add.

“Different levels of enlightenment, yes, yes. They’re not segregated, but you sort of hang out with the souls that are sort of, kind of the same caliber you are or with souls you’ve been with before for many past lifetimes who have been either your students or your teachers. Oh, and kindred spirits, too. I mean, everybody interacts with everybody else, but you kind of hang out with souls you’ve been with before. Everybody is a different level of enlightenment, and it depends on lots of things, like the age of your soul, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Somebody can be an asshole and be an old soul. So being an old soul means nothing. It’s what you’ve done with your time.”

Pressing for clarification, I ask, ‘So, if you’re too lazy or lack the courage to work on issues while you’re alive, then you might be an old soul, but you’d have a lower level of enlightenment?’

“Yep, you got it.”

‘So what level are you, Erik?’ I pry.

He laughs loudly and says,” I hate to even think about what level I am! Mom, Mom, after what I just did, it was a big no-no, so I haven’t been exactly working on what I needed to.”

“Well how do you know? How do you know how enlightened you are as a soul?” Kim asks.

“When your soul pops out of the body, it has a complete remembrance of everything, and then you do your review, review how you did in that lifetime. Did you do everything that you could have or should have? You judge yourself. Well, I don’t want to use the word “judge.” You measure. You measure how well you did, and then you just try to do better. When you’re here, there isn’t a lot of emphasis on self-criticism, Here, we all realize what a waste of time that is. That’s another real big difference between Heaven and Earth. You know how people are so self-critical, they criticize themselves so much on the earthly plane? Total waste of time! If they just channeled that energy into improving themselves….now don’t I sound like I know jack shit about everything? Ha! How long have I been here? Not long. But I’ve learned a lot! And Mom, I’m still going to therapy.”

That sounds like a good stopping point. I hate to leave you with a cliff hanger, but if it’ll keep you coming back for more…

Erik has so much more to share with you. Please be sure to register/subscribe so you can receive email updates for each new entry! Hopefully, your relationship with Erik will grow over time. It is the strength of this bond that will give you comfort and confidence as he guides us all on a journey into the unknown.