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| Category: Spirituality And Psychology:Unexplained Phenomenon |
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| About the Book | |
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Readers will be amazed when they realize that the Other Side can help them in their most trying times. The book describes sixteen such cases that were witnessed by the author. In one of the stories, Corson tells of his deceased father warning him that the intersection he was approaching in his car posed a grave danger to him. Paul responded by putting on the brakes. Forewarned, as he crossed the intersection, he narrowly avoided a head-on collision. Although the two cars sideswiped and spun around, no one was injured. In another story, Corson describes how a man suddenly appeared one freezing night when his car was stuck on ice and freed it, which saved Corson from suffering hypothermia, at the least. This happened before the advent of cell phones. These tales take up the first five parts of the book. The sixth part is a poem that was inspired by Gregg Easterbrook’s article in The Atlantic, “Are We Alone”? which focuses on the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project. Easterbrook declared that if we made contact with an extraterrestrial civilization that had met God and was willing to tell us what it had learned, “human society would shake to its foundations."" The poem describes an imagined encounter between villagers who were star gazing and space travelers from beyond the solar system. Trembling, the villagers asked the aliens, “Tell us of your God”? The space travelers related how God disclosed itself and how this knowledge led to them becoming more nurturing, loving beings. The seventh part is comprised of short stories that can inspire us to set higher standards for ourselves. The first tale tells about an island paradise, Efil, where people live in harmony with each other. In time, their civilization sufferers a “mid-life crisis,” in which their civilization teeters on the brink of autocratic rule. The crisis is brought on by the fear we all harbor that can be manipulated by those in power, which all too often serves no good end. Here, when the darkness of tyranny seems inevitable, two betrothed idealists, Jen and Vale, 18 and 19 respectively, set out from their hamlets to enter the unknown to save their island people from acting on their worst impulses. Their goal is to restore their golden loving inner light. After many harrowing adventures, Jen and Vale returned to address the island people in the grand amphitheater where they enlightened them, restoring their inner light. The second story draws attention to human greed and the fact that it is destroying their beautiful planet. The central protagonist in this tale is the sentient planet, Kara, which is sterile of life. One day she sees an object from outer space approaching. When the craft landed on the planet’s surface four upright forms with moving appendages emerged and exchanged unfamiliar sounds between them. The planet found she could communicate with the visitors by using invisible portals—telepathic gateways—that are common to living things. During their communication, the planet learned that the space travelers believed that material reality is most important, which led to the planet setting off in a mind journey. In this journey Kara discovered the limits of materiality from which she entered a magnificent new chapter in her life. Millennia later, after Kara had sparked life in all its diversity, space travelers from Earth arrived. Howerer, unlike the much earlier visitors, they were not seeking knowledge, but rather to plunder Kara and to colonize its inhabitants. This visitation was beamed back to the people on Earth, who, inspired by the Karians response, dramatically changed their ecological approach from exploiting the planet to nurturing and investing in it. This action reversed the warming trend that the people had initiated. In time, Earth recovered its wondrous splendor.
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| Reviews | |
“Tales from the Other Side” by Paul Corson was designed as a companion piece to his “Regaining Paradise: Forming a New Worldview, Knowing God, and Journeying into Eternity”. While, the books are strong enough to stand as independent reads, when taken together, their message is elevated to the next level. But first off, a few words about “Regaining Paradise”. This daring book goes beyond the curtain of materiality to tackle some of the biggest existential questions relying on personal experience, science, and rationality/logic, sprinkled with a little bit of imagination. Although the spark for this intellectual and spiritual quest lies in the three lived transcendental experiences of the author, he heavily relies on science to argue his perspective. In “Tales from the Other Side”, Paul Corson delves deeper into his personal life, revealing instances of when the “Other Side” seeped into this side. These confessions and stories will enable the reader to have a more holistic view of the thought-process of his spiritual journey. The book is segmented into seven magical parts, of which five are autobiographical, the next part is a rather out of the ordinary conversation (between space travelers and stargazers) and the last part consists of fiction stories that form allegories. The autobiographical parts present an apparently disjointed series of events subtracted from different periods of Paul Corson’s life. But these puzzle pieces fit the general pattern of a greater plan. These simple, every-day stories, with all too familiar “characters”, often defy expectations and explanations. Some events will give you the shivers, others might be amusing… but taken as a whole, they achieve two essential things: 1) elicit questions and curiosity and 2) draw attention to small good deeds. In my view, this is the greatest accomplishment of the book, to make the reader reflect on spiritual matters, but also encourage by example to do any and all good deeds, no matter how trivial they might seem. The seventh part is also of particular interest, as the two mystical allegories are strikingly different from the previous parts of the book. The first story follows the re-start of civilization and its potential downfall. It is a telling narrative about human nature and its dual potential for good and evil. The second story is a science fiction tale, which revolves around a sentient planet, space travel, and telepathic communication. Paul Corson presents to us probably the two most important events in this lonely planet’s life, a first visit by space travelers, which opens up a new bright chapter for her; and a second visit from a more familiar planet, which might threaten to close that chapter. All in all, “Tales from the Other Side” is a quick and easy read that (hopefully) leaves a lasting mark. The author does not attempt to mesmerize the reader with fancy linguistic or aesthetical feats, but rather he addresses the message in a direct and frank manner. Perhaps that is why it hits harder.
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| About the Author | |
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Paul Corson’s description of his otherworldly experiences were featured in 'The Philadelphia Inquirer'. Corson received the 2000 Philadelphia Hero Award for his contributions in supporting AIDS survivors. Paul's poem, 'What Can Comfort Those Who Have Lost a Loved One' has been read at each of the opening ceremonies of the Aids Quilt in its original 20-city tour. |