Customer Reviews

The Afterlife Codes: Searching for Evidence of the Survival of the Human Soul

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Contrary to the title, this is a very interesting autobiography. Only the introduction and the first and final chapters deal with the author's plan to provide an internet service by which people might be able to send a code from the Afterlife to prove their continued existence. Frankly, I had no desire to read 242 pages dealing with codes; therefore, I procrastinated in buying and reading this book. Once I got into it, however, I had a hard time putting it down.

Smith, who was born in 1911 and passed into spirit a few months ago, was the author of more than 30 books, mostly on metaphysical subjects. In her younger years, including her days as a journalism major at the University of Texas, she was not interested in spiritual matters. In fact, she was a cynical agnostic. It was not until after she was into her 30s that she discovered she had the gift of automatic writing. "It was the most peculiar feeling I'd ever experienced," she explains. "The hand was just writing by itself without my conscious will being involved in any way. It wrote scragglingly across the page in run-together words."

Smith received a number of messages from her mother as well as from "intruding" spirits. Later, she began hearing from a spirit who identified himself as James Anderson. Later, Smith figured out that Anderson was the famous psychologist/philosopher William James of Harvard. James admitted that he used a pseudonym, because he figured that if he came to her with a celebrated name, she would not believe him. Smith states that she wouldn't have. Of course, the pseudo-skeptics, i.e., the cynics, would scoff at this whole idea, but Smith established herself as a very credible investigator and reporter during her career.

The introduction and conclusion to the book are written by Drs. Gary Schwartz and Linda Russek, authors of "The Living Energy Universe." Schwartz recently published "The Afterlife Experiments," reporting on his study of five famous mediums at his Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Schwartz and Russek had met Smith and had encouraged her to write her final book. As they state, the book is "a good read that is also a philosophical experience and a heartwarming adventure."

The Afterlife Codes describes the remarkable life journey of Susy Smith in her search for an answer to what happens to the soul after the death of the physical body.

Smith has arranged a secret code which can be broken only by information in a message she intends to send after she dies. "The concept is that if you hear from me when I'm no longer on Earth, it should suggest that I've survived somewhere after death." She has established the Susy Smith Project at the University of Arizona for anyone else who wishes to leave their own secret code.

Smith has spent most of her life researching life after death, and she believes that modern science has validated many of her theories. She says "that this is what many of our scientists today are saying: that all matter, including the human body, is composed of energy or force controlled by consciousness-which lives in everything, forever." She adds that "at the death of the physical matter within which this awareness resides, the soul leaves, sailing forth into other dimensions of time and space."

Although she wondered even as a child about what lay beyond physical life, Smith resisted many of the insights she was given over the years. Trained as a journalist and scientist, she wanted evidence. She chronicles her doubts and the events that eventually led her to accept the validity of the information given to her primarily by her spirt guides.

Her guides have continually emphasized that "you do survive death and therefore how you live on Earth is important." She shares the guidelines they've provided her for the spiritual development we need to do in our physical lives in preparation for the life afterward.

Smith has devoted nearly fifty years to investigating spirit communication and survival of the soul. The Afterlife Codes is her thirtieth book on this fascinating subject. It's must reading for anyone who has wondered about what happens to the soul after death.

If you like Sylvia Browne then you will probably like this book.

The title of this book indicates that it provides evidence on survival and follows a scientific approach. Instead most of the book is about the life story of Susy Smith, which is interesting and at times delightful and full of new age fluff, but perhaps 2 or 3 pages actually talk about the codes project. In fact the web site where you are supposed to register your code is already gone and I searched google far and wide on this and found nothing. No evidence of any kind is ever presented and the spirits that amazingly are able to talk inside of her head are unable to even give the name of the next door neighbour. In fact they never are able to provide any information that she is not already aware of. Her deceased mother wrongly tells her that the publisher will accept her first writing effort, and when she finally gets the bad news it is explained away as having been a bad spirit masquerading as her mother. A poor excuse.

I am not an unbelieving skeptic but prefer reading the more scientific approaches of Dean Radin and Ian Stevenson. If you haven't already, please read Old Souls by Tom Shroder, which truly provides evidence in a scientific fashion.

Suzy Smith writes in semi-autobiograhic manner about the development of her psychic gifts and the personal research she has done with them. The title is dervived from a foundation named after her to prove the survival of consciousness after death. The actual flow of the book is written so honestly without any hypocrisy or self-consciouness that I found I had difficulty putting the book down until I had finished it! It definitely holds your interest and you painlessly learn about her view of the spirit world. I would heartly recommend it to anyone interested in psychic powers or the survival of consciouness after death.

I really did enjoy this book because Susy Smith is a good story teller, and you just can't help but love her, but the title is a little misleading. The Afterlife Codes aren't even mentioned until the end of the book.......a foundation she founded to prove she survives death after her departure from this world. Great idea, but this book is more about her fun-loving, hectic, and psychic adventures. She is adorable and believable, and I wouldn't mind reading one of her other books!

I've read many, many books on the topic of life after death - some were about NDE's, other's after-death communications, and still more from psychics who report what they've "seen" & "heard" from those on the other side. Quite honestly, I find nearly all of them interesting! I believe that each of these books has something wonderful to impart - though none of them have the full story - and that is how I approach each reading re: the afterlife.

"The Afterlife Codes" is mostly autobiographical in nature - describing Susy Smith's life, as well as her ongoing research into the topic of life after death. The other part of this book deals specifically with her hope to prove that there is life after death through a series of codes. She has created certain codes (of which no one has any idea of what they contain). Her idea being that, once she has "died", she will attempt to relate these codes to various psychics - and when the code has been broken, it will prove that our souls do not die with our bodies.

Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject of life after death. A note of caution, however, this must be approaced with an open mind.

I read this book in 3 days and have lent it now to 3 of my friends. All 3 of my friends have since bought the book. It is an amazing 'character building' book. Even if you have trouble believing in the after-life, this book can motivate you to be a better person. If you don't read anything else, read Chapter 19. It is an amazing and different view of the afterlife. She claims that when you die, you don't feel any different. You are the same person with all the same character traits, but without the body. If you were too busy on the earth doing earthly things and not building character (compassion, courage, love, etc), you must do it in the afterlife. It is a very positive way to view life and I felt obligated to write a review. Thanks Susy Smith. All your research changed my life.

Susy Smith's AfterLife Codes is a wonderful book to read. She warms your heart sharing stories of her psychic adventures. Her words are from experience and many years of research. Words of wisdom to those that read them and allow their spirit to listen. We can all identify with Susy Smith, a feeling of knowing there is something beyond this life. Ms.Smith hopes to challenge our perceptions and give us proof. I enjoyed this book for its candid humor at times and also for the truth that Susy Smith hopes to convey and hopes that her readers will take her challenge seriously. She has spent her entire life devoted to truth, keeping an open mind and heart when it comes to possibilities of our souls eternal progression. Ms. Smith is very believeable and worth the read. Enjoy!

This is a must read! She walks you through a distinctly entertaining journey we call life. Her enthusiasm makes you smile, her joy for living is evident, and it is hard to put down once you begin. Susy, one day when I cross over, we must do lunch. :-)

This book is more autobiographical than specific to life-after-death evidence. However, and even so, it's a charming read and details the life of Susy Smith entertainingly.

Having said that, many are more interested in Susy Smith's after-death experiments---the experiments she claimed she would conduct upon death, from the other side---sending a message or phrase across to prove life indeed existed beyond death. These experiments have in fact taken place:

"Immediately following the death of Susy Smith, 89 years old, the author of thirty books on parapsychology and survival of consciousness, it was possible to conduct two experiments to see if evidence of her continued consciousness could be obtained. Experiment I involved a single-blind design with an experienced research medium who serves as Chairperson of the Mediumship Research Committee in the Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Experiment II was partially blind and included two new research mediums who were blind to the name and history of the deceased person (Smith). The findings from both experiments provided strong evidence for the continuance of information about Smith. It is hoped that the publication of these findings will encourage scientists and spiritual leaders to bring Smith's afterlife codes experiment and the Susy Smith Project to the attention of mediums and students."

[...]

The Afterlife Codes is a good read, overall, though not much information was given on the actual "afterlife codes" mentioned in the title.

Peace.