Author Claire Bidwell Smith on life’s good, bad and icky
Toddler helps balance writer’s look at afterlife.
carpet beside her. “I’ve Elrod, a filmmaker and and explore it to decide” come to understand that host of a spiritual series what’s what. I’m having a very human called “In Deep Shift” on Smith broke through experience, and it will the Oprah Winfrey Nether own sense of disbenot be my only experiwork; and author Christa lief after seeing mediums ence. It’s very humbling Parravani, whose memwho told her unknowand comforting to me in oir, “Her,” examines the able things about those some ways.” death of Parravani’s t win she had lost. She then Death follows Claire Smith lost her mothsister. became convinced that Bidwell Smith around. er and father to cancer “We’re all tattooed and those who have passed So does her 3-year-old by the time she was 25 thirt ysomething, and I’m are still there in some daughter, Jules. One asks — something she docua mom, and I spend half way. Smith to bring a greater mented in her 2012 memmy time going to TarBefore readers freak understanding of it into oir, “The Rules of Inget — but I’m really inout, wondering just what the world. The other asks heritance.” Both were terested in the afterlife, exactly their loved ones her to wipe her bottom. sick for years, and Smith and I believe in it,” says have seen, Smith wants
Together these two spent high school in hosSmith, who also works as to make something clear: mysterious entities reprepitals while her peers a grief counselor with a They’re not watching you sent the grand dualit y of were chasing dates and in Bozeman, Mont.; inprivate practice in Bevgo to the bathroom. the existence that Smith going to the mall. One of terviewed rabbis, priests erly Hills. “I do feel like People inevitably ask tries to parse in her new her best friends died of and hospice workers; atI have a path and a callthat question, or somebook, “After This: When leukemia when she was tended an afterlife coning. A lot of the mystical thing like it, when she Life Is Over, Where Do in college, and last sumference; and traveled people I’ve seen have retalks about her beliefs, We Go?” (Hudson Street mer another dear friend to the famous spirituiterated to me that this is and the answer is always Press, $25.95). died of breast cancer. al camp of Cassadaga in my work.” Those same
no..“Although no “They’re not watchSmith doesn’t profess to Smith examines these Florida. people call her a psychoknow the answer to the staggering losses with the She began her journey pomp — someone who ing us because that’s question the title proclarit y of vision of one as a skeptic and ended it acts as a link between poses, she is firm on one on a mission. Over the a believer. this world and the next thing: You can’t have the course of the five years it “I’m obsessed with for others. beautiful messiness of took Smith to write and Gahl [Sasson, a past-life “Right now I’m a humanity without the research her new book, regressionist] and astrolbridge bet ween all these promise of the unfathomshe dove into the hereogy,” Smith jokes. “I’m gurus and religions and able other side. after in every way she such a California flake the layman,” she says
“I think there are as could in order to honor now. It’s really embarof her work writing the many ways to be dead those she lost and to find rassing.” book, adding that she as there are to be alive,” them again — in one way The previous night, now hopes to open a censays Smith, 36, sitting on or another. she had spent the eveter for death and dythe sofa in the breezy livShe saw mediums; ning sitting around her ing. “I wanted to bring ing room of her Santa tried past-life regresdining room table talking this stuff down to a cerMonica home while towsion and astrology; went spiritual shop with a metain level where you can headed Jules plays on the on a shamanic journey dium named Fleur; Jonas take bits and pieces of it creepy,” says Smith, laughing. “My sense is that the other realm is too hard for us to imagine because it doesn’t use the same kind of time and space dimensions that we have here. We think about everything linearly, but I don’t think it’s like that. I think they’re connected to us in a way that we can’t perceive because we’re having this really limited human experience.”
As if on cue, Jules stands up on wobbly toddler legs and asks to whisper something in her mother’s ear. She wants to make it clear that she is pott y trained and now wears underwear instead of diapers. Not that anyone up there is watching.