James Van Praagh enjoys an extraordinary gift--he can communicate with the spirits of men, women, children, and animals who have died. Possessed of the rare ability to bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds, he provides comfort to those who have lost loved ones and brings back powerful messages from the other side. Now, in his remarkable, inspiring book, this nationally acclaimed medium shows us what lies beyond our visible world and answers our most profound questions about life after death.

Few understand the spiritual world more powerfully than James Van Praagh. While growing up he wasn't even aware of his special talents. It was only after he came to terms with who he was and what he could do that he was able to translate these gifts into an ability to help others. In the years since, many have come to Van Praagh searching for solace and for proof of an afterworld where they can make contact with those they have lost.

In Talking to Heaven, you will share in many personal and deeply moving stories of after death communication, from the mother who finds hope and a reason to live when she hears the sweet, brave words of her little girl who died of AIDS to a courageous solder killed in Vietnam. You will be touched by the son who begs his mother to forgive him for his suicide and will rejoice in the reunion of a husband and his deceased wife on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. What these spirits share about themselves, about a wondrous place of peace and light, and about the unbreakable bond of love fills us with awe and inspiration.

Aware of the harrowing pain caused by death, Van Praagh also offers a means of dealing with sorrow and loss in a positive and healthy manner. He shows how you can contact the spirit world on your own and not only recognize your spirit guides but also become aware of the "spirit sights" that loved ones are sending you here on earth.

Part spiritual memoir and part instructional guide, Talking to Heaven offers a powerful and inspirational message about the world beyond. Filled with hope and enlightenment about our spiritual future, it is a book that will forever change the way you look at death--and life.

Van Praagh describes himself as an evidential medium--which means that he emphasizes the bringing forth of compelling evidence in his communication with spirits, evidence which the receiving person will often immediately recognize as information that only the departed spirit would know. The key results in this book are the set of readings which Van Praagh describes dealing with a wide variety of personal stories and means of death. From the standpoint of a student of the Afterlife, particularly important are those readings in which information is revealed which was not known to the receiving person. This serves to strengthen the case for actual spiritual communication, as opposed to telepathy, between Van Praagh and his client. Examples of these readings are It's Not What You think (p. 58), The Policeman, (p. 77), and My Mother and the Bus (p. 79).

Van Praagh is perhaps the best-known medium in the U.S. today. This is his first book and has been widely read, especially among those who are seeking ways with which they can deal with grief at the loss of a loved one. This book provides considerable insight into the techniques and results of evidential mediumship, describes cases where the probability of true communication with spirits is high, and gives an overall description of the afterlife.

Interview with James Van Praagh: