InPresence 0111: The Psychopomp

InPresence host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). For many years he served as president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people were supported and encouraged in developing inner intuitive abilities.

Here he corrects an error he made in InPresence 0103 in which he reversed the meanings of hypnopompic and hypnogogic. He explains that the error occurred because of his understanding of the word "psychopomp" as the person who guides one into a deeper knowledge of the soul. Subsequently, he has come to see that the psychopomp is better known as one who traverses the worlds of both the living and the departed -- sometimes associated with the "grim reaper". He explores the deeper meaning of that interpretation.

(Recorded on June 15, 2018)

[RichHandsome]

It's interesting how I actually enjoy these inPresence segments more than the interviews

[feedbackart]

Your humility is humbling. Be gentle with yourself and fret not. I still love your work. Gr8 thought to leave us with!

[James-kuey]

Very nice video. I am going to peruse again the Bardo Thodol with the idea of being a psychopomp. It certainly helped me get to the place of realization which I currently call the present.

[billthorne]

My wife and I took a course from Robert Monroe designed to aid the transition of the dying to a state he called "Focus 27". Focus 27 is a state where the deceased is allowed to collect oneself between lives. It has proven very useful as we've grown older and our elders and friends are passing. We've had many great adventures as a result of that training. Guess we're psychopomps...

[timothygervais]

Well done! You keep the grey cells of the mind active. A lot to process, I love it.

[tewtravelers]

This was one of my favorites! I love when you explore ideas on dreams.

[michaelscarlino]

I found myself being guided out of my bed a few weeks ago, as I sat with my feet on the floor, one of the two entities recognised I was coming around, with a smirk they vanished into the wall…

[laurascheffer]

It's all Greek to me anyway! Lol. Thank you Jeffery. I am going to watch this one again, just to try and understand it a little better. I just had a dream before waking this morning where a person I knew was struggling with cancer appeared. I woke up thinking perhaps he passed away. I'm gonna check and see if he, in fact has.

[cagedgreed]

The music you are now hearing is "Psychopomp and Circumstance." Feel free to march or dance during your transition. If you start to feel hypnogogic from the tune, it must not be time for your graduation, so you are free to dream of pleasantries and awaken refreshed. (I just really wanted to make a joke about psychopomp and circumstance, I hope it's okay : )

[MichaelSoucy]

would love to see you interview Robert Moss

[sinamofidi]

Dear Dr Mishlove, Your last sentence reminded me a narration (saying) from prophet Mohammad " People are sleep and when they die they really become awake " . You also talked about deceased loved ones, Im really curious that when you really miss some one who has passed for example your mother, in that moments that strong feelings grab the neck, How do you console yourself ?How Do you think in that moments of sadness ? Please answer my question .

[brianmcglade]

Wonderful Dr. Mishlove !
Thank you !

[jennyrook]

I first came across the word psychopomp in a Stephen King novel, when a flock of sparrows appeared whenever someone was dying, the psychopomps took them away....

[nativejoe]

Charun with his hammer always fascinated me, he had a very important job in the Etruscan mythology.

[mattd]

The children of Nyx can be a pain to sort out and include Dreams, Death and the ferryman. Probably a little more relatable if you read the Sandman comics by Neal Gaiman but he deliberately doesn't go into showing to much of what happens after death. Apart from hell. Heaven is famously impossible to make convincing.

[adc]

what's your personal views on after life

[Flanalb]

Error schmerror! As I said before, the terminology was irrelevant to the message. I just realized that Edward Elgar must have been a member of the SPR, and someone at his publisher must have changed the title of his famous coronation march from the original, "Psychopomp and Circumstantial Evidence." See, you can never tell whether your research will survive in its pristine form, regardless of the care you take with precise language (or even mathematics;). That's why we just have to hold the door for each other on our way back and forth. Just as an example: this morning I wrote two very cute replies to your monologue (well, *I* thought they were cute), and someone slipped across the veil and erased them before I could hit "comment".
Someone had a vision of heaven and hell in which people were at a big table with lots of food. In both places, the forks were three feet long; in hell, everyone tried to feed themselves. In heaven, everyone fed each other. I doubt that any scientific study would confirm or falsify that image.
C U tomorrow (I hope)

[justherenow]

Maybe that's the reason why I can hate those who live in ignorant violence. They will take more work. I hate work. No I'm joking. They might be the most rewarding