The Atheist and the Afterlife- An Autobiography
Ray Catania
Limitless Productions (2020)
ISBN: 978-0578832579
Ray Catania is an Author, Publisher, Business Owner, Investor, Master Certified Life Coach, Certified Meditation Instructor, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Parapsychology.
He is the author of two books in his Awakening Series, The Atheist and The Afterlife and You’re Still Alive Now Act Like It. The first book will take you from the very beginning of his journey to his spiritual awakening. The second book will explain what he learned post awakening.
Hi Ray, thank you for joining us today at Reader Views. What is The Atheist and the Afterlife about?
The book is the story of my own spiritual awakening and how I went from being an atheist to finding spiritual and scientific evidence of an afterlife and so much more. What makes my story different from most is the fact that the more I rejected the notion of a spiritual world and the possibility of an afterlife, the more that world showed itself to me with clarity and power. The spiritual energy surrounded and stayed with me until I could no longer deny it was real. Then came the big question. Why me?
What inspired you to write your autobiography?
There was a period of time when the paranormal occurrences became so persistent and so overwhelming that I began to wonder about my sanity. I started journaling about them and brought my writing to the first psychic-medium I ever sat with to go over it all with her. I needed validation; I needed to find out if it was real or not. She gave me the affirmation I was looking for, so I continued with my writing in order to investigate and learn more about these phenomena.
These writings would eventually become a large part of the book.
What can you tell us about your near-death experience?
In chapter eight, I go into detail about that morning. There was a fire in my home when I was a young man still living with my parents. The fire was caused by a gas leak from the stove. The stove was in the kitchen which was directly under my bedroom at the time. The gas was rising, coming into my room while I was sleeping, and I was breathing it in. It was early morning when my mom turned on the stove which started a small fire that my dad put out as my mom called the fire department. When I heard the sirens, I tried to get up, but I felt paralyzed. I could only make certain parts of my body move and my mouth wasn’t one of them. With my one working arm I pulled myself to the edge of the bed and passed out, falling on the floor. This made a loud thump, and my father came running upstairs, but I was already dead. I watched him from above as the energy or consciousness (AKA Soul) left my body but remained in that room.
A feeling of pure euphoria filled me as looked upward to see a huge, bright, beautiful cone
shaped white light that was shining only on me. There was a voice that assured me it was safe to enter the light and so I entered it slowly. As I went deeper into the light the immense feeling of euphoria intensified. It was such a great feeling to be in that light. I wanted to stay there. I really did. However, each time I looked back into my room, I saw my father visually upset and yelling for the paramedics. He was distraught. I explained to the light and whomever spoke to me from inside of it, that I must return to my body. I couldn’t leave my father like that. When I awoke, I was in my living room with paramedics working diligently on me.
What did life look like as an atheist or agnostic and how did your perception of spirituality change after your NDE?
Before the NDE life and death to me was very simple. You lived and then you died, and you would have no idea that you are dead because you are no more. After the NDE, I opened up to the possibility of something more. I was very curious to learn more about this phenomenon but I was torn between my beliefs.
Thinking about it over and again was getting to me. So ultimately, I attempted to create a logical reason for the occurrence so I could just forget about it. I was in denial. Life was simpler for me if this wasn’t real. I boxed it up and buried it somewhere deep in my mind where it could be stored away as a non-event. However, since we know the story doesn’t end there, this afterlife and those energy beings, living in that realm, had returned to prove themselves in a grand way.
What kind of challenges presented when telling people about your NDE?
I knew right away I couldn’t discuss it with family. That would be out of the question as I knew they wouldn’t believe it. I recall on one occasion I tried to tell a few friends. When I was done speaking, each one of them tried to relate and told versions of their own NDE stories. None of which were real of course. They simply didn’t have the physical characteristics of an actual death. Maybe they didn’t understand what an actual NDE was. I’m not sure but at that point I gave up speaking about it.
Have you always journaled? How did this help you write The Atheist and the Afterlife?
In some way, shape or form, I guess you can say I always journaled. I was a serial note taker.
Later, it became a great way to examine my life and my feelings after the experiences. The journal was the key to my first book. The memories are stored there for me to look back on.
Journaling isn’t just for writing books. Journaling can be an amazing part of any emotional healing process. I always recommend it in my coaching sessions with clients. Remember to journal the positive and the negative experiences. In this way, we can begin to see behavioral and emotional patterns emerging. Once we recognize the negative patterns (thought, speech,
and/or actions) we can begin to change them.
What are your thoughts on being religious versus being spiritual?
One of the primary differences is that many organized religions have a set of rules and a philosophy that will not allow anyone’s ideas to differ. If you agree with one religion’s philosophy and are willing to adopt their rules, then by all means go for it. Everyone should have the right to follow their individual beliefs.
Spiritualists and especially those of us who study metaphysics, seem to have less rules and have a more open philosophical outlook and approach to our beliefs. In other words, all beliefs are welcome. I practice metaphysics and therefore I may have theories that might not yet have been proven by science. If your beliefs differ from mine, that’s not only fine, but it is also encouraged. A difference of opinion should be examined and considered.
Do spirituality and science mix?
I think they mix much more than many people are aware of. Metaphysics is essentially the study of where spirituality and science overlaps as it pertains to life, death, consciousness, energy, etc.
Here is an example.
The way I see it, we are living in what would seem like three worlds wrapped together as one.
Our level, I will call the “surface level” or the material world, is made up of matter. This is where Newtonian Physics thrives. One level “below” (so to speak) is our subatomic world. The world of quantum physics. Where almost nothing is as it seems, and almost nothing behaves like it technically should. Especially given the fact that it is responsible for the make-up and existence of our “surface level.”
For example, I am sitting in a chair, and we know that over 80% percent of all atoms are made up of space. My chair is made up of atoms. So how come I don’t fall through my chair that we know is made up of 80% space? At the “surface level,” if you built a house that was only 20% solid, do you think it may fall apart? Of course, it would. That is because what we consider to be space, up here on the surface level, isn’t the same as the space in the sub-atomic level, nor does it behave the same way.
There are so many fascinating examples of this type of “magic” that happens in the sub-atomic world. Above us, metaphorically speaking, is our “spiritual world.” This is another level that behaves more like the quantum or sub-atomic world, than our “surface level.” This world thrives on energy.
Einstein taught us that energy can come from matter and energy can become matter. Essentially what this means is that all things contain energy. Perhaps that space I referred to earlier in the atom contains energy that we can’t see. That would bring us around full circle to the sub-atomic world again.
Nikola Tesla stressed the importance of understanding that energy vibrates at various
frequencies. We know similar vibrations will attract one another. This is how our mobile phones work. For example, If I call your phone number my frequency aligns with yours and we can communicate as a result.
Tesla said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” Through meditation, I can control the frequency of my mind’s energy and the thoughts I am sending out. Therefore, I can expect to attract similar energies. In other words, what you think about you can bring about. If you think about, and tune into wealth, you will have wealth. Dwell on, or think about illness, and you will have illness. This is a highly simplified version of the laws of vibration and attraction, but they are true, nonetheless.
What is the main thing you hope readers take away from reading The Atheist and the Afterlife?
First and foremost, I would like folks to know that they have the power to change their lives. They are co-creators of the universe, as all of our energies are intertwined with that of everything else. If you don’t have what you want, then it is due to your own self-limiting beliefs.
If you have been hurt, you are not a victim. That hurt makes you stronger. It makes you more powerful than the next person. You have less to fear because you have already been there and lived through it. There is tremendous beauty in our past suffering. Stand up and wear it like a badge of honor because you earned it. You learned from it. You came out the other side. You will never go back to it. When you have weathered through life’s worst storms, you become the storm and your power is beautiful.
Secondly, do not fear death. It is but one small step on a great journey ahead. Treat every day as though it is your last, because one day you’ll wake up and be right. Tell everyone you care about that you love them, every day. Do something to help someone else and do something each day for yourself. An act of service, an act of kindness, and an act of love each and every day. There is nothing wrong with self-care and self-love, so treat yourself with respect and do something for “you” every day.
Lastly, if you are experiencing paranormal activity, synchronicities, feeling energy, or a feeling of “knowing things”, you are not crazy and you aren’t alone! Find yourself a mentor to gain clarity over these events, learn what to do next, and how to do it. It can be difficult to find the right mentor but take your time, and they will present themselves to you.
What kind of feedback have you received on your work?
The most amazing thing happened upon publishing this book. I was meeting people who began telling me that my book changed their lives for the better. The first time this happened to me, I was stunned. I had written something that had significant meaning to people.
How does one “Become Limitless”?
You become limitless by learning to connect your conscious mind harmoniously with that of the powerful entity that is the universal collective consciousness. It is through this connection that you have the ability to change your reality. You are in a constant flow state with universal energy. A guide of how to do this is in chapter 35 entitled “Becoming Limitless.”
What is Limitless Coaching?
I created Limitless Coaching to share with others the knowledge I have been fortunate enough to
acquire through a combination of my learning from some of the greatest intuitive minds in the
world (my mentors), my formal education in metaphysical parapsychology, combined with my
own personal experiences.
Limitless Coaching takes different forms as no two clients are the same, and the ultimate goal for all is to be able to harness their own individual abilities and to no longer need a coach. Ultimately, my clients will achieve goals, remove self-limiting beliefs, advance to the next level of consciousness, and become “whole,” in order to heal old wounds that may linger from past traumas.
What are some of the challenges you help with, and how can readers find out more about the coaching you offer?
Limitless Coaching follows many core principles such as setting goals, changing poor conduct, and removing negative belief patterns. However, I bring metaphysical and holistic modalities into my coaching practice such as: energy control, meditation, quieting the egoic mind, mindfulness, and how to manifest thoughts into reality. Some clients’ goals have been to increase earnings, change careers, increase focus, repair a relationship, overcome fears, grief, trauma, or lead a more balanced fulfilling life.
Having a better understanding of the power of the mind is the key to having it all. An initial assessment lets us begin to collaborate and put a viable plan in motion. For more information,
please visit my coaching website at http://LimitlessCoachingNow.Com
The Atheist and the Afterlife is the first book in your Awakening Series. Did you plan to write a series from the start?
It didn’t become a series until near the end of the first book when it became clear that there was going to be more to my story. In chapter 36 entitled, “Divine Intervention,” a whole new chapter of my life had just opened up. One I did not foresee originally while writing this book. It was then that I knew there would have to be more books to come. I am happy to say that I have just completed writing the second book in the Awakening Series entitled “You’re Still Alive, Now Act Like It,” and it should be released near the very end of 2022. I have learned so much since the release of the first book in 2020 that I cannot wait to share with everyone.
What can you tell us about the second book in the series?
In the second book, I describe many of my life experiences that I wrote about in the first book, and in that respect, it has some similarity. What makes this one different is how much more energy it contains. By energy I mean information; information on things I learned post-spiritual-awakening along with actual recipes for positive transformation of oneself. These are aspects of my personal transformation and perhaps others can use them as well.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
What I would like to add is a sincere thank you to everyone who has read the book and to those who have said so many nice things. I hope readers will be happy with the new release. I am truly grateful, honored and humbled by the support I have received.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Ray and for sharing a bit about yourself and your work!
Thank you, Reader Views, for this opportunity
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