Mr. Johnson Speaks from the Other Side
Among the many recordings of transcendental communication made in the presence of Direct Voice medium Leslie Flint (1911-1994) is the conversation between 'Mr. Johnson' and the current group of seance sitters. This article presents transcript excerpts for the recording originally made with a 'reel-to-reel' tape recorder in 1966. The recording begins with a brief conversation with Flint's wry control, the inscrutable 'Mickey.' Then, after a few words from 'Hilda,' a somber male voice is first heard at 8:17.
Good morning. This is quite an interesting experience I must admit. I am not quite sure about it. I understand that you've made quite a study of this sort of thing. So I understand from various people who are here who suggested that I might like to come and have a go at it. I've been here — oh it must be 63 years . . .
My name is Johnson. I used to live in this terrace [Westbourn Terrace]. Did you have a young woman just come here? That was — I thought she might have tried to have spoken. It was a maid of ours. We used to visit this house as a matter of fact. My wife and I many years ago, going back a long time.
Of course, this whole neighborhood has changed beyond recognition really. It doesn't seem at all the same — gone down, I regret to say — I suppose [this] is modern.
Asked to talk about how he passed over and his reaction, Mr. Johnson said:
Oh I caught a chill. And my health had begun to deteriorate for some time. My chest had been my main trouble — caught a very bad chill and I think that that must've — [if] my memory serves me — was the cause of my death. Pneumonia. Oh that's a long time ago. Miriam's here, if you met — my wife.
Some of the conversation is about the couple's activity as theatre aficionados during their lifetimes.
A sitter asked him again about his reactions when he passed over.
I don't think I ever had any very strong thoughts about death when I was on your side.
I was religious from the point of view of attending church regularly. And I wouldn't really say I was a good Christian. I don't think that I was surprised when I realized I was dead. If anything I think it came as a most natural thing for me.
Mr. Johnson was met by his parents and younger brother who had all made passed over before him.
I was shown a village and I don't know but this village to all appearances was very much like the village that I'd known as a child. I used to visit an uncle of mine in the summer hols — holidays. We used to go to this place . . .
And it seemed as if when I came here that that village to all intents and purposes [was] exactly the same as here. It must have been — well of course to me at the time when I came it all seemed very real. But my relations were living in a house — I did go [to] the one they'd had on Earth . . .
We used to have such happy times as children. And I was very surprised — in a way, of course, to find that this place actually existed here. And in every detail as far as my memory serves me it was identically the same as I'd known it in my childhood.
My aunt and uncle — they loved this place so much that in some strange way — I don't know how this happens but they put so much into this house. It had meant so much to them. They loved it so much that when they came here they had an exact replica of it.
He explained that "age is purely a physical, material thing" and in his new existence he found people appeared younger:
They had reverted back to their earlier years and I recognized them. It was as if in some strange way although they were younger I could see them in two senses — as they were now and as they were when on Earth. It’s a most extraordinary thing — this sensing that we have. It’s a peculiar thing even to describe how we are conscious and aware of things and people and all sorts of incidents appertaining to ourselves and others. And yet these things may be changed and yet we’re conscious of all the detail. It’s as if sometimes we can live in — well it’s almost as if we’re living not only in the present but also in the past in the same time. And to some extent an extension going into the future. How one can explain this I can’t really imagine — it is so.
There was some reminiscing about his Earth life when he was drawn to music and the theatre. He mentions being "very comfortably off" and he was "a very good scholar." Resuming his discourse about life in the new realm, Mr. Johnson recalled moving to other residences.
This house that I — was prepared for us was a house that had been created presumably by [an] architect of the 18th century who when he came here continued to design and bring into being various properties, houses for people. Not necessarily people he had known but because he loved to design and create he was able to gather around him a group of individuals who also had the same interests in houses and places were created. And these were allocated to people — certain people when they came over. And in some strange way my design and desiring of a certain type of house was made apparent presumably and this house was presented to us for a time until we ourselves felt the need to adjust ourselves further in other directions. But we were very happy there and it's only just recently that I've moved elsewhere.
He said his new work is helping "new souls when they come over" to adjust to life in the new realm. Mr. Johnson said that his wife and son were also with him and were also now serving as teachers. He explained that there are no countries nor friction between nationalities; and no marriage although there are people who devotedly live together.
. . . if you were to ask me as you have asked me — what our world is like, I would say that it is a replica of your world without any of its defects — great continents; there are vast plains, mountains, lakes, great areas that are devoted to life, devoted to peoples. There’s a great animal kingdom which intermingles with the human kingdom, where there’s a greater understanding and a greater feeling for the animal kingdom. There’s no fear.
But there is a greater development even among the animals and actually — and one of the most fantastic things that ever happened to me when I first came here was to hold a conversation — I suppose it’s the only way I can put this — it may sound mad — hold a conversation with a pet dog. But I realized that this is not a conversation in the normal sense as you understand it by the use of one’s vocal organs and creating sound and words, etc. But this is a conversation between minds, between consciousness, awareness, transmission of thoughts, being able — see, another thing I learned very quickly and it’s speech as such isn’t necessary here. You can communicate entirely by the process of thoughts. It isn’t necessary to use vocal organs and to speak though many people do. I’m not suggesting they don’t. I’m not suggesting that we don’t speak to each other. I’m not suggesting the great singers don’t sing and vibrate the atmosphere and create sound. Of course they do.
That’s why, of course for instance, we can know exactly what the other person is feeling or thinking. Here’s another one of the things that rather at first disturbed me a little I suppose because I was unfamiliar with it and also because in a sense it was rather odd and perhaps a little frightening in a sense at first — was the realization that people could tell exactly what you were thinking. And you soon began to realize that you could no longer say one thing and mean something else. In other words you could never deceive — not that one particularly wanted to deceive anyone. I suppose when on Earth one became accustomed to avoiding issues sometimes and sometimes not saying things that you were thinking deep down inside. Those things now of course are impossible — to no longer hide truth, never no longer hide your true self. Here you are revealed as you really are. No longer can you put up the old facade.
When Mr. Johnson was questioned by Flint’s sitters about the great seas of his world, his response indicated that he has seen great seas yet "But it may well be that there are other spheres where there are no such seas." He also commented upon traveling by thought: “Yes, in a sense that’s true. You can travel by thought. You can transport yourself. You see, there again, our bodies become as solid and as real to us in our own environment and not necessarily solid and real to us when we come to you. But our communication to you is purely on a thought vibration and we can transmit ourselves in a mental state to you.”
At one point Mr. Johnson commented to the sitters, "I believe you write books . . . I understand you've had [a] tremendous number of experiences with various selves from this side over a long period. You should have some very interesting material."
A sitter made a statement about sharing this knowledge and Mr. Johnson reflected on the matter.
. . . if people don't make the effort to find out something, whether it has to do with this subject as you term it — this Spiritualism as you call it — or whether it's something else, it's the same old story in that you've got to go out of your way and exert yourself and give time and thought to it. It's so stupid to condemn something of which you know nothing and have made no effort to discover or find out about.
When asked to describe the schools of learning, Mr. Johnson responded:
Well these schools of learning are so many and so varied. And any individual can study any particular subject or many subjects as he or she wishes. If you want to go back in time and you want to study the history of there and you wish to go back as it were, you can experience all that. You can go to classes here where there are masters or great teachers who by the very process of their thought can transport you temporarily as it were back in time so that you can actually witness and experience and enter into if you wish things that have happened centuries and centuries ago to man. For instance, if you had a particular interest in a certain period — shall we say, a Roman period or an Egyptian period, not only could you be transported back through the efforts of these great souls who have this wonderful power — by their assistance and help, you can be transported mentally back temporarily so that you can actually witness these things, which you see everything that has happened is still there. You see, people assume that what happened yesterday no longer exists but of course it still exists because what has ever happened in the mental state which has brought forth a material reaction — in other words whatever has transpired or happened is registered and it’s only a matter of tuning in to a certain vibrational wavelength upon which you can re-enter as it were . . .
But I must go. Anyway, good-bye. God bless you. And perhaps some time I may have the pleasure of coming again. Good-bye.
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