Big question: do you believe in life after death? Any proof?

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Sorry to start such a morbid thread but I am interested to hear what people think about this.

My dad died a year ago and had a wonderful (as far as it could be) last 3 weeks (albeit in hospital), with hundreds of visitors, people sending emails and good wishes and love from all over the world, lots of laughter and black humour and my 2 sisters and I with him 24 hours a day from diagnosis to death. We also held a huge goodbye party for 200 family and friends 4 days before he died. He attended this in his wheelchair with oxygen and nurses for support. He was coherent to the end and firmly believed (or said he did) before he died that "we are all spirit, that is all we need to know...earthly termination is not the end". I didn't agree at the time (I'm agnostic) but I?m not sure what I think now since:

• About 6 months after his death my sister went to a clairvoyant who was uncannily accurate and very specific. This to the extent that she used his language (and as he was an English and Drama teacher he was eloquent and pedantic about the use of the English language), and made some very accurate comments (like there were 3 of us girls, my sister's profession, the fact that she was out of work at the time, my name). The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when she told me about this consultation since it was so (seemingly) accurate. And it wasn't all vague, could-apply-to-anyone stuff either.

Said sister just emailed me one of her wedding pictures. The wedding took place 3 months after his death with his blessing and at his request and after much deliberation. One of the photos of her new husband the day after the wedding shows a shaft of light coming from the left of the picture and looking very* much like a hand on his shoulder. This light is nowhere near the light source in the room and the photos taken minutes before and after do not have this.

I'm aware that Justine Picardie has written about this recently (trying to contact the dead) but I can't bear to read the book yet. I also know that people often believe what they want to believe since it helps with pain and grief and bereavement. But we're (sisters and me) not stupid and we're beginning to think maybe there is something in it after all. I'd be happier with a concrete SIGN that he is still with us, but maybe it doesn't work this way? Any experiences? Beliefs? Really would like to know what people think about this. And since it?s such a morbid subject, I do understand if no-one replies at all?

www - I think this is a fascinating subject and I will be very interested in all the replies.

I have to say, my logical, cold mind does not believe in life after death at all. My father died about 13 years ago, and I thought if any event would restore any indoctrinated faith it would be that but no, zilch, nada. Plus, he was very Catholic and I was an adored daughter and I would have thought I would have received some 'contact' if it were possible.

However, I do have an extremely creepy photos story. A friend of my mother's was taking some photos of the rooms in her house. It was a 50's/60's house, not an old place. When the photos were developed, there appeared to be another room (with higher ceilings) superimposed on all the rooms in her house - there were about 1/2 dozen like this. And then, dotted all over the photos, were pictures of old peoples heads who, I can only say, looked dead. They each had a bright light to one side of them and a blue scarf-like thing round their necks. The woman who took the photos wasn't particularly excited about them, just thought they were interesting and, eventually, lost them. But, I have been fascinated by what might be a suitable explanantion for them. I did see them myself when I was about 14. Hmm, I've gone cold just writing that.

Wow, what a wonderful story. I don't think I have anything very constructive to add, but I'm going to tell you my thoughts anyway

I am an athiest and I very much believe in life-after death. I understand what you're suggesting about bereavement having an effect, but I think there have been too many stories about this kind of thing to disregard.

I have seen ghosts. I truly beleive there is more to life than can science can explain.

I have a theory that fears and phobias can be a result of events from previous incarnations...but I won't bore everyone with my many theories...

I will be very interested to see everyone's thoughts on this issue as it is a subject which fascinates me.

thats fascinating tinker.

I don't know exactly what I believe, but I have seen things that made me think there's gotta be something. When I was 9 my gran died, she lived in Devon with my uncle, and in order to go to the funeral we had to stay in their house. I was having problems getting to sleep and my gran came in and sat on the bed. She asked what was the matter and I said I couldn't sleep. She said "It's because it's my house isn't it?". She went on to say not to worry, she was much better now and where she was going was a wonderful place. She told me to get some sleep, for I needed to be strong the next day (for the funeral), and stayed with me til I fell asleep.

Another thing that happened was when dd was 2 mnths old, my 17 y/o cousin died after a long and hard battle with meningitis. She also lived in Devon, and I felt really bad throughout her illness that due to dd's age among other things, I couldn't visit her in hospital. The night she died - and I didn't know she had at the time - she spoke to me and said she knew I felt guilty but not to, she knew how much I was thinking of her and I had to concentrate on dd, she was my priority, especially as dp wouldn't always be there for me.
Six months later, dp and I went our seperate ways.

I don't know if I believe in life after death as such, but so many people who have had "experiences" can't all be wrong!

Well I was going to go to bed, but now I've read this...
I've always believed in God and some sort of after life but here's a story that's quite strange. My SILs boyfriend committed suicide about 5 years ago. On the morning of his death (although no one knew at that time that he was dead) my nephew took a Beano annual over to my MILs house for said boyfriend who was a big comic fan. He never received it. My SIL put the annual on top of the coffin before he was buried. My MIL and 2 SILs all stared attending a spiritualist church after his death, which was such a shock to everyone, to try and make sense of it. They didn't "hear " from boyfriend for about 2 years but then one of the church leaders had a message which he delivered in front of the congregation. Boyfriend is Ok etc etc and says thanks for the beano annual. This person had no Knowledge of this incident, or the fact that the annual had been placed in the coffin.
I find it hard in some ways to believe these stories, but at the same time, hard NOT to believe them, as this really happened. My MIL has had all sorts of messages from family, and her mum who used to swear a lot when alive, had the medium in stitches apparently with her bad language! My MIL also had a dream, the night before my BIL died very recently. He was surrounded by candles and a voice was telling her that he was not in pain and that it would all be OK.
It is so difficult to know what to make of these things, but I guess that if people derive comfort from them then that;s OK. I am mystified. Look forward to more comments.

A very interesting subject and one about which I'm confused, to be honest! I'd like to believe there's an after-life but in the cold light of day, I don't. Yet my MIL is an ardent spiritualist and I don't disbelieve her stories. The only experience I've had is of cats we've lost, when I think I've seen them in the house but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

www, I totally believe, my whole family does. Have you ever watched John Edward on Living TV? He is amazing and I would love to go and see him. There is another thread were we discussed this with stories something pyhsic.

Be aware of things going on around you. To give you an example. My nan died last year and every Christmas she would buy my dad some winter pansies and my mum one of those red christmas plants poinsettes is it. My mum I think had a type of raffle thing at work were she won a poinsette and some notelets with pictures of winter pansies on. These are the signs that there are watching over you. Certain smells, I smell my nans perfume or my grandads shed (of all things but always loved the smell and the wonders inside as a child) when they are around. Dont look too hard to see them but just signs that link you to that person.

We always have someone or other around us and my sister can speak to them.

This is a very interesting thread www. It's fascinating to read some of your stories.

I must admit that i do believe in something after death but I'm not sure what. I know that my mum has had some really weird things happen in her house including weird light shafts in photographs and coming from her bedroom window in the middle of the night (they aren't street lights as her bedroom window faces the garden and woods behind).

Also the other night at about 5am our telly switched itself on ! No joke, it does this often actually - it gave us both a real shock. I know that it was probably something perfectly explainable but at the time it freaked me out.

Oh, I just remembered another thing that the clairvoyant said: "he says that one of you dreamt about him last night and wants you to know that was him talking to you (I had vividly dreamt that he'd phoned me and I'd said, can I call you back Dad, oh no, I can't) and there's a flickering light somewhere and that's him too. This one had dp nearly convinced since the main light in our bedroom had been flickering intermittently for about a week, despite dp screwing the wire back in tightly, twice. It doesn't seem to be happening now though. I'm usually more of a Scully than a Mulder but this got me thinking...

Very interesting everyone, thanks.

I have to add my point of view I think. I don't know what all these stories mean, but it's not something I beleive in. I'm a Christian, I beleive in life after death dependant on how you lived your life, and I don't think people come back after they are dead. Don't want to get all dogmatic on you all, so I wont!

I've just remembered something that happened where I used to work. It's a bar downstairs, a night club upstairs, and is about the second oldest building in the city. Everyone had left by 3am on the friday night/saturday morning. At 10am, the assistant manager and one of the cleaners went and opened up.

The first thing the cleaners do is put the kettle on, so while the assistant manager went thru to the office, the cleaner went to put the kettle on... but it was hot. It had more or less just boiled.

She thought the other girl must have put it on, thought nothing of it and made the coffee's. However when she asked the assistant about it, she said she hadn't even been behind the bar never mind put the kettle on.
And it couldn't have stayed hot from the night before!

Suew you would call them that because you dont believe. It is very hard for people who do believe to explain to other people without feeling silly so as a family we tend not to speak about our experiences and keep them to ourselves. I for one certainly dont feel detached from the loved ones that have died which helps me not to grieve forever. The raffle is only one example.

I haven't actually read any of this except the title, haven't got time at the moment, but although generally I do believe that what we have here is all there is, weird things do happen sometimes which are hard to explain...

My dad died suddenly, sometime during the night of Feb 25/26, from a form of heart failure (a valve stuck), and some time during that night I woke up almost gasping for breath - I didn't look at the time, and I don't know exactly what time he died, but that has never happened to me before or since.

Odd. (Not really life after death though - some form of communication? Or just a coincidence?)

And - I forgot to mention - the post mortem established that he died on the 26th, which was the date my mother died on, 29 years ago.

Had never really thought about life after death until I went to work in a hospice and actually witnessed people die. This really made me think, what is it that makes you alive? And where does it do to when you die? Not sure if I do now really believe in life after death and ghosts etc, but I'm definitely more open-minded on the subject.

janh - your story reminded me of my other spooky story. It was Christmas time about 15 years ago. My brother and I had been talking about one of his friends. I went to bed at about 2 am and then at about 4 am I woke up in a complete panic - heart racing, fearful, began to pray (I'm a non-believer!) but having an awareness of his friend whilst this happened.

Then, the feeling left me and I felt overwhelmimgly calm. I turned to go to sleep and remembered the time as 4.28 on the clock. The next morning, we were told that this friend had died in a car crash (he was only 25) that night. Later that day, we found out that the time of death had been recorded as 4.28.

www, I read a review of the Picardie book the other day and it said it was far from morbid, a really good read and quite sensible - a bit like her sister Ruth's writing I suppose