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Imagine This: John Lennon's
Music from Heaven


by Joel Bjorling*


Death might be a new adventure, but if some psychics are to be believed, for composers and musicians it's just another gig or a new opus. In the 1960s, Rosemary Brown of Great Britain claimed to receive "new" compositions from such deceased composers as Liszt, Beethoven, and Chopin. Similarly, Belita Adair of Ojai, California, in the late 70s, allegedly played works by Chopin as he put his ethereal hands beside hers on the keyboard. She played complex compositions and sang songs in unknown or unlearned languages, her vocals ranging from low baritone to high soprano. (1)

Now, John Lennon, late leader of the Beatles, resumes centerstage. However, now it's not just to write new compositions. It's to save the world.

In late 1999, a song "Listen to the Angels," purportedly channeled by Lennon, was performed by Linda Polley, a psychic from Fargo, North Dakota, on KROQ radio in Los Angeles. Linda and her husband Gerald, also a psychic, are editors and publishers of Voices from Spirit, a newsletter of "Spiritist" teaching. They have conducted spirit interviews with such dead celebrities as Lou Costello, Rudolph Valentino, Jean Harlow, Mae West, and Elvis Presley. Historical personages have included spiritualists Arthur Conan Doyle and Margaret Fox, the scientist Nikola Tesla, the aviator Amelia Earhart, and religious figures like Jesus, Paul, Luke, and even Satan.

Gerald and Linda are from Maine. Gerald had many psychic experiences as a child, but didn't know what they were. They became especially pronounced when he was seventeen. Spirits appeared to him in dreams and visions. They taught him his purpose in life and gave him instruction. Linda began speaking with spirit guides in 1971 when she attended mediumship classes with Gerald.

The Polleys call their philosophy "Spiritism," though it is derived from a group in England, rather than from the writings of Allan Kardec (author of The Spirits Book). (Kardec's Spiritism was prominent in Latin America, especially in the religion called Espiritismo). The Polley's teachings hold that there is no Supreme Being (only Natural Law), that the body and soul evolve (reincarnation), that the male/female relationship is sacred, and that extra-terrestrials have visited earth.They spread their teachings through their newsletter and through two non-fiction books, one on reincarnation and another on alien conflict over the earth. They have also written novels and short stories based on their beliefs.

Altogether, the Polleys say, Lennon has channeled seventeen songs. It all began in a dream. Linda said, "I could see in the spirit world someone singing (the song), but I couldn't tell who it was. I knew it was a guy with dark hair. I could (also) see a choir in the background...." Through Gerald's spirit guide, she learned that the song came from John Lennon. Linda didn't hear the whole song until she wrote the lyrics. After completing the melody, she played it for Gerald. Gerald, himself, had channeled songs from Lennon and from Kurt Cobain, formerly of the rock group Nirvana.

According to the Polleys, the intent of "Listen to the Angels" is to enhance the spirit realm. Lennon, a life-long activist, whose efforts, they say, continues in the ethers, wants people to understand that "because of the decline of spirituality, the netherworld is running out of energy (that is) needed to sustain it."

What happens if the spirit realm disintegrates? If that happens, Linda says, "all life on earth will cease to exist. It's the scariest situation we've come across in any of our lifetimes! If people don't stop supporting the dark forces and start praying for their Loved Ones, repent and give up following those who spread hate and greed, the Earth is doomed!" (2)

The public response to Lennon's discarnate music and the Polleys has been positive. The Polleys have appeared on The Daily Show (July 1998), and The Howard Stern Show (October 1998). "Listen to the Angels" was featured on a CD produced by KROQ during the holiday season and sold 65,000 copies. The Polleys are currently looking for a producer and musicians for their CD, "Songs from Beyond By Speakers Gerald and Linda Polley, with Channeled Lyrics and Music from John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles." Lennon's share of the proceeds from the CD (at his request) will be donated to Save the Children.

Of course, whether these songs are, in fact, from John Lennon is a matter of conjecture. I have listened to three of their songs, "Listen to the Angels," "Care", and "Don't Make Heaven Mad." The melodies of the first two closely resemble, almost note-for-note, traditional American folk tunes. "Listen to the Angels" is strikingly similar to "Listen to the Mocking Bird," and "Care" is nearly identical to the song "Five Hundred Miles." They are closer to the Kingston Trio than to the Beatles. "Don't Make Heaven Mad", however, is an exception. It is upbeat, with a rock-like rhythm, and in my estimation, most similar to Lennon's music.

Michael Harrington, professor of music at Belmont University in Nashville, has transcribed over seven thousand Beatle songs. The channeled music, he said, "was consistent with some of Lennon's music...(with a) melodic similarity in structure to something such as 'Julia' or 'Give Peace a Chance.'" It also resembled the rhythm and harmony of some of his works. Comparing the transcription of Polley's work with that of Lennon, he "found it to be original."

"In other words," he concluded, "to the best of my ability, I have been able to rule out Linda Polley's having taken some other song and simply saying that this other song was the Lennon song. Also, I was not saying that this HAD to be a John Lennon song. I have simply stated that had this music been presented to me by Julian or Sean Lennon who then told me that they had found it in their father's personal items, I would certainly have believed it was John Lennon's song. Throughout all of this, I made no comment as to whether I believed Linda Polley had this song channeled to her. That is something upon which I should not comment and did not comment."(3)

References
1. James Crenshaw, "Belita Adair's Musical Mediumship," Fate,31(May 1978).
2. Matt Schild, "John Lennon's Spirit Speaks Out Against the Disintegration of the Afterworld," Sinners and Saints Cemetery, (January 24, 2000).
3. Personal correspondence with Dr. E. Michael Harrington, March 10, 2000.



*JOEL BJORLING is a specialist in the field of new and alternative religions. His books include Consulting Spirits, Reincarnation: A Bibliography, and Channeling: A Bibliographic Exploration.


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