This is my summary of the interesting book Witness from Beyond I recently read. The book is out of print and hard to find. 

So that I am within the free will of copyright, I will gather the themes of the book that caught my attention and then discuss them in my own words.

1. Higher planes of consciousness are not "higher up there" but rather "finer". They are vibrationally finer, quicker, smoother...they are not dense or slow.

2. The world of the other side is only a change of condition. As water exists as ice, liquid, gas, so do the other realms exist concurrently and overlap each other. The other side, afterlife is not visible to our physical eyes because of the wavelength of the energies but it is visible to our third eyes and in meditation and during the dream state. Just as radio waves are not seen does not mean they do not exist. 

3. Each overlapping realm exists together. There are "dead" people and living people able to exist in almost the same space....we just can't "see" or "talk" to each other, except when aligned in free will and via telepathy/thoughts.Personality exists in both physical and nonphysical. As does consciousness. Only the bodies are different. Each body is compatible to the plane it is designed to exist upon. We have a physical body, astral body, mental body and a spiritual body. We also have an individual body and a group body. Each level is a varying degree. We are connected to each other on all levels and yet, here in the physical and also in the astral/mental still retain our individual consciousness. Group existence (not as groups of individuals but as an individual group) is in spiritual body as we get into oversouls/monads.

4. Physical body has enhanced organs and background chakras. Astral body has enhanced chakras and background something else (let's call it A). Mental body has enhanced A and background something else (let's call it B). And so on. All bodies are dependent and yet independent at the same time. All coexist. Your higher self and your physical self are dependent and independent, you exist on different levels at once. Your current consciousness in the physical body has a different perspective than your current consciousness in the higher self. But all are the same.

5. Sound is color and color is sound in higher realms. This is clearer from astral body onward...although you do notice that mantras enhance your chakra colors here. ;)

6. Sense of smell is also retained in astral body....according to the book. This is something interesting and worth studying.....that is why incense/essential oils use is powerful in spiritual practices....

7. Astral body, emotional body is denser than mental and emotions govern it....so if you feel great it is working well....if not then you get an astral checkup from an astral doctor. Astral body can shape and reshape. You can dress yourself how you wish using your astral body....remember it is also tied to your emotions so smell the flowers, listen to the music and stay in joy to keep going in astral body.

8. Travel by thoughts is the mode of travel for mental body...this is where teleportation happens...you think and you are there.

9. Astral libraries exist with replica earth books in astral form. Mental plane users read from thoughts from the ethers and do not need to hold any books, everything is read from Light.

10. Astral plane is like airplane looking down on earth in regards to time. Astral plane sees all time both past, present and future as one.

11. Addicts exist in astral planes....cravings have an emotional effect, that craving is what is not resolved after losing the body....be satisfied don't crave and you have nothing to resolve.

12. When we set clear intentions and ask for it from our Creator and feel and know it is done...then walk away...those intentions manifest using astral substance while we are busy here....that is why you get things you ask for later in life.....the astral surprises the conscious mind, they operate on two levels but yet also on the same.

13. When we ponder our lives every now and then, when we take the third person perspective and step out of our bodies...it makes the pondering easier on the other side..why? because you already did it. Well that is number 13, which since it is soon 2013...sounds like a good place to end this post. Bless you all my brothers and sisters.