Gateways to the Otherworld

HUMANKIND HAS AN innate “knowledge” that there is something more to our existence than our brief lives on this planet. And we yearn to understand exactly what it is. It is this unquenchable yearning that has led to the creation of religions and myths, and explorations of such concepts as life after death, reincarnation and past lives. We long to truly discover this “otherworld.”

In his fascinating book, Gateways to the Otherworld: The Secrets Beyond the Final Journey, from the Egyptian Underworld to the Gates in the Sky, author Philip Gardiner delves deep in the knowledge of ancient cultures and discovers that they might have had the ability to journey to other realities. He also explains how we can begin to take that journey ourselves.

In this interview, Mr. Gardiner explains some of what he has learned.

Q: Let’s start with the title. What is the “otherworld” you refer to?

Gardiner: There are, of course, many definitions and they seem to grow with each year. Today, people often think about the otherworlds of science fiction (or maybe not) such as those of Stargate. However, for the purposes of my book, we are dealing with more ancient concepts that have come down to us today in the Western world, such as Heaven or even Avalon. For as long as there has been consciousness, it seems man has found the desire to overcome the greatest of fears – the loss of self following death. And so we now have myths and religious belief systems built around the concepts man created (or discovered) to overcome this issue.

The other concept of the otherworld seems to have come later (although this may not be so; it is difficult to prove either way historically). This secondary otherworld is the place that our Shaman claims to visit and is, of course, related to the world of the “spirits”. The two otherworld concepts are related in most cultures, although some have them slightly differing.

Q: In the first sections of the book, you delve into a lot of history. Is the “secret” information that was known to the ancients and has been lost or forgotten?

Gardiner: I have often had this discussion with other authors in the field and many of us agree that these “secrets” fell out of popular perception over time naturally, but that some were pushed out, especially by a jealous and empire-building church, which wanted its “heaven” to take precedence. Some elements have been kept alive in the undercurrent, and by that I mean the many so-called secret societies that maintained the “wisdom traditions”. By piecing their elements together with those from ancient texts, archaeology and even science, we can draw some conclusions and that’s what I did for the book.

Q: What is the significance of the great Egyptian pyramids in this context?

Gardiner: Quite apart from the fact that one cannot leave the Great Pyramid at Giza out of any equation regarding “gateways” to otherworlds, I was amazed to see the science of the building and its materials actually meeting with the belief systems of the ancient Egyptians.

Let me explain. The Great Pyramid stands at what was then said to be the centre of the Earth’s landmass. It was built from materials well-suited for absorbing energy – specifically, electromagnetic energy. The Kings Chamber is created from granite, which is made up mainly of quartz crystal, which magnifies electromagnetic energy. So the building collects and magnifies energy. This energy is that of the natural world around us – the energy of the Earth (Mother, as our ancestors believed). Place yourself in a meditative state inside the Kings Chamber and you not only bring your brainwaves down to a specific frequency known as the hypnagogic, but you also become one with the frequency of the Earth. Sounds mad, I know, but that’s the science, and there is much more to it.

Q: Is an understanding of this ancient knowledge essential for making this journey?

Gardiner: I would not say so totally… but it is extremely important that one gains knowledge of balance and grows in wisdom before attempting anything that involves trance. We can often take heaven or hell with us wherever we go.

Q: What can we expect to find through the gateway?

Gardiner: The last answer gives a clue. Those individuals who are not balanced and who have not sought out “themselves” prior to accessing this otherworldly truth have all too often discovered a terrifying world. I cannot say with all certainty that what is found within these states is real in the classical sense, but the fact is that man has sought out and had these experiences for millennia, and the similarities among the experiences are profound. Quite often, people can have these experiences spontaneously too, and this can give rise to the many tales of alien abduction… but that’s another book….

Q: How difficult is it for any of us to find our way through the gateway? What’s required?

Gardiner: First and foremost, one needs to deal with the thing we know as consciousness and its relationship to chaos, which is created by conflict between being aware and yet having natural urges in a society that is simply not natural – it’s called ego. Once we have dealt with that – which is basically discovering one’s true self – then we can move on. Our ancestors discovered many methods from drugs (not advised nor required) to meditation, prayer, fasting, solitude and even dervish (spinning around). These things help the mind become entrained – to get the brain frequency to meet with the frequency of the Earth (twilight zone!). They also release certain hormones and drugs that affect our consciousness and perceptions. Then one is on the road.

Q: How has this knowledge changed your life?

Gardiner: All the knowledge I have gained over the years has changed my life in many great and sometimes also subtle ways. I began by wanting to know many things – the who, where and when – but as time went on and the more I learned, the more I realized that what mattered most about history was why! H. G. Wells said that we teach our children about the philosopher, about when and where he lived, but we fail to teach them the philosophy. Nothing seems to have changed since he wrote that.

It is time we began thinking more about our responsibilities as conscious beings on this planet, and stopped reacting like barbarians who can make a brilliant weapon, use it for war and murder and yet not really know why we do so. My personal role is to help the innocent in any way I can, and if that means I have to go through the process of getting a message of “philosophy” to those who are not innocent, then I shall continue to do so.

Philip Gardiner is also the author of The Ark, The Shroud, and Mary and Gnosis: The Secret of Solomon’s Temple Revealed. His website is www.gardinersworld.com.

 

Gateways to the Otherworld is also available as a DVD and an audio CD.