Will You Accept A Collect Call From The Dead?

*From the Out of (cyber) Thin Air website archives -- originally released 10/96*

Doesn't that sound like the kind of question fittingly asked on All Hallows' Eve? Or if you're into things like the paranormal and reincarnation, perhaps you're one of those who would love to receive such a call.

The afterworld. Life beyond the grave. The supernatural. Subjects that inspire 'spirited' debate among theologians, paranormal researchers, astrologists and cynics. From 'back from the dead' experiences to haunted houses, reports of encounters with supernatural entities tend to have their supporters and their detractors. Watered down, those who 'believe', versus those who demand undeniable, absolute proof.

Perhaps maybe we finally have some?

From the archives of the Denver Post (fittingly enough the Halloween edition in 1995) comes an article by Bill Briggs entitled, In Touch With The Great Beyond. The story centers on a group of crackpo...uh...remarkable researchers and their work in the field of communications with the spirit world.

And vice versa.

One researcher interviewed by Briggs -- Mark Macy -- even has a book out, Conversations Beyond The Light (Griffin Books). In the book and article, Macy tells an incredib(ul)le story of a Latvian psychologist, one Konstantin Raudive, and his research into contacting and communicating with the dead. Raudive insists that the dead had, in fact, found a way to communicate with the living, using electronic and communications and entertainment devices we take for granted today.

Using a standard tape recorder, Raudive would find a place of quiet solitude and speak to departed friends and loved ones, asking them various questions. Later, in his lab, he would play back the tape, monitoring it for several hours, finding answers to all of his questions recorded thereon.

Raudive's research revealed that spirits need "white noise" -- like radio static -- which the spirits are able to "modulate into voice patterns strong enough to be captured on audio tape". Allegedly, Raudive collected over 75,000 voices in his years of research.

Macy then relates a telephone call he received from Raudive in 1994. As Macy tells it, he answered the phone and heard the distinctive voice of Raudive (whom he'd heard on audiotape many times, studying Raudive's work). Raudive told him "This is Konstantin Raudive. This is the first contact you get from us. We have succeeded in establishing a new bridge to the States. You are the first to be contacted by this means".

And with that, Macy says, the phone line went dead.

Apparently, literally: Konstantin Raudive died in 1974.

Since 1991, Macy claims to have been investigating and researching what is referred to as ITC: instrumental transcommunication. Through this means, Macy claims that he and other researchers have had 'conversations' with spirit beings who have learned how to use technology "on the other side", and have it communicate with our own modern-day technology.

Among the things Macy claims to have learned from the other side, is the existence of a place called Marduk -- a place we might refer to as Heaven. Marduk is a planet with three suns that has nothing to do with Fred MacMurray, located in the Third Astral plane, another physical dimension that shares space with our own. And life on Marduk is better than any Club Med: residents of Marduk average the age of 30 (as we measure it here). Physical anomalies as we know them don't exist there; but all of the human pleasures do, including sex.

In short, Kevin Costner, it isn't Heaven or Iowa: it's Marduk.

To believers, it sounds awesome; to skeptics, "yeah, whatever".

As for me, I'm open to reasoned arguments about almost anything except for the viability of sauer kraut as edible and Bill Clinton being ethical; but I found the claims by Macy to be a bit much to accept at face value. So first, I attended an ITC event at a local hotel last November 1995; interesting, but not totally convincing.

So I followed up with a phone call to Mr. Macy (1-900-SPIRITD...not really the number, but it fit the theme) to get more information. The following is a transcript of the conversation I had with one of Mr. Macy's associates (herein referred to as PC, Person Contacted):

PC: Hello?

Me: I'm calling to speak to Mr. Macy. Is he available?

PC: I'm sorry, Bill is not available just now. Can I help you?

Me: Perhaps you can...you are who?

PC: Albert, but you can call me Al.

Me: Fine, Al. What exactly do you do for Mr. Macy?

PC: I occasionally do research work in conjunction with Bill and his associates.

Me: So...you're pretty familiar with the work Bill and his associates do. What are your thoughts on it?

PC: It's fascinating and very illuminating, I must say. I had often pondered such things myself years ago, but never got around to spending much quality time on it. Now I have the liberty to do so, and I am happy to say I'm learning more and more.

Me: So you're a scientist?

PC: *chuckle*..I've been known to dabble in a bit of assorted theories, relatively-speaking.

Me: Al, level with me: have you, Macy and the others actually found demonstratable evidence of the existence of the afterworld and a communications link to it?

PC: Indeed we have. Granted, what we refer to as 'demonstratable' evidence may not be so in the conventional sense to cynics, but to the open mind, we have found and compiled what we know to be not only evidence of the afterworld, but ways and means for that world and the physical world to communicate.

Me: You say your evidence is more definitive to the open mind, as opposed to that of a cynic. How so?

PC: The average man tends to believe only in what he can touch, feel, see, sense, and explain within the framework of his own established standards of reality and accepted sciences. His limited knowledge fails to comprehend or take into account the idea of other realms, or vastly differen and as yet undiscovered laws of Nature and physics that he can't as easily touch, feel, see or sense. Man is singularly naive in making assumptions that he knows what the laws of physics are, since he knows at this point only that which he has been able to see, test and prove, and explain in his terms of understanding. Believe me, the cosmos have bared but a fraction of it's complex nature and dynamics to Mankind. Even we are barely beginning to grasp a whole new reality-dynamic with the ITC project.

Me: So...you support the theory that Macy espouses, including the existence of this Marduk place on a parallel dimension with our own?

PC: Absolutely.

Me: Al, your positive assertions aside, nothing sells like tangible, "show me" proof.

PC: I was once of that mindset too. I know better now. Just as my friend Isaac has come to re-examine some of his own theories in the dawn of new enlightenment, opening the mind to possibilities beyond the horizon of what you see, and new dimensions of thought and rationale are potentially infinite.

Me: That's fine rhetoric for a sci-fi seminar Al, but it still doesn't get to the point that documented proof of what Macy, you and your associates are claiming, is at best debatable.

PC: The proof we have, as you refer to it, is in abundance. The openess of the mind to receive and assimilate it is the key to grasping that beyond the merely "I can pick this up and feel it, therefore it is" mentality that limits your grasp of the evidence. The open mind is prerequisite to being able to receive and understand communications between where you are and I am.

Me: I still am having an issue with...uh...what did you mean by "where you are?"

PC: That's just a figure of speech. I really must be going now. Thank you for the interesting conversation. Try Mark another time.

Me: Well thank you for your time, Al. For my column, can I have your last name?

PC: Einstein. Bye now.

Me: Thank yo....say WHO? Whoa, don't hang u...*click*

I tried to call the number back without success, so I tried having a US West operator connect me; she informed me that the number I gave her didn't exist.

*Theme music from whatever sci-fi show you choose*

So...believe or not what you want from this, but one thing's certain: if that number doesn't exist, the call to it hadn't better show up on my phone bill. Can you imagine the potential charge for a direct dial inter-dimensional long distance phone call?

Ewwwwwww.