World renowned medium, James Van Praagh returned to the show to discuss spirit communication and psychic intuitions. From his contacts with those who have passed over, he has concluded that the "other side" is a place of "peace and joy."

Interestingly, he noted that one reason that people commit suicide is that they may have left the spirit world prematurely when they were between lives, in their hurry to come back to the physical plane and take on new lessons. One of Van Praagh's spookiest experiences was when he visited the town of Lily Dale, New York, known for its large number of mediums. It's very haunted--- literally "packed with spirits," he said.

"Thoughts," explained Van Praagh, are real things "like a bullet" that can go right into the person you are thinking about, though they may only be aware of it on unconscious level. People can develop their receptivity to spirit communication through meditation techniques, he added, and towards that end, he has collaborated with musician Steven Halpern on a new series of guided exercises.

Van Praagh's Spirit Guides

In his book, Talking to Heaven, Van Praagh writes about spirit guides that sometimes come through when he is giving readings or in a trance state. He considers these spirits to be the same as guardian angels, and describes two types: "personal guides"--people known in earlier incarnations, and "mastery" guides-- spirits that have expertise in a particular area. Here are some of Van Praagh's guides:

• Master Chang-- appearing as a Chinese man circa the early 1900's, with a bald head and goatee, he is "surrounded by gold light of the highest spiritual realm."
• Harry Aldritch-- An authoritative English doctor, who died in the 1930's-- he helps to identify physical ailments of Van Praagh's clients.
• Golden Feather-- A North American Indian who shares messages of brotherhood.
• Sister Theresa-- A nun with "brilliant blue eyes" who works with Van Praagh to teach compassion.

Extrasolar Planets

First hour guest, UC Berkeley astronomer Dr. Geoffrey Marcy spoke about new planet discoveries, which lately have included smaller bodies closer in size to the Earth. His team, he said, has been responsible for finding 90 extrasolar planets in recent years. Marcy didn't totally discount the possibility of a Planet X on a long orbit in our own solar system, because if it was similar in size to Earth, it would not have any illumination from a great distance, he said.