Novato, CA: New World Library, 2006.  205pp.  $21.95 www.foreverours.com

To the outsider, the title of this beautifully written book stands in stark contrast to the science we tend to associate with forensic pathology.  After all, the author repeats her own caveat about the investigation of a death several times throughout the book: “Observe, don’t judge,” which she also combines with the reminder she received from the police: to provide the court simply with the facts, nothing else.  So what would then provoke such a fact-oriented scientist to stretch to the knowing beyond the realm of conventional science?  Perhaps one of the carefully selected quotations that introduce each chapter in Janis Janis Amatuzio’s book captures the answer most eloquently: “Look and you will find it.  What is unsought will be undetected.”  The true meaning of Sophocles’ statement has evidently led Dr. Janis Amatuzio to many heart-filled and touching stories that have enriched her personal and professional life.

“Trust yourself; you’ll know.” These words by one of Janis Janis Amatuzio’s beloved mentors and friends, have guided her throughout her career and personal life.  Having understood their deeper meaning, namely that the answer is always “found within” which, “of course, … changes everything” (p. 109), the author invites her readers to visit the realms that lie beyond the visible, tangible, and audible – beyond at least for those who do not wish to see, touch, or hear that which appears to belong in a different realm – in order to share with us the mysteries and messages of life and death.  One of the author’s friends and neigbors, who also added to Janis Amatuzio’s collection of experiences, advised her very wisely, “You realize we don’t have it all figured out.  You remember to do the best you can with the day you’ve got.  That’s what will change the world, Janis.” (p. 133).  Perhaps we can all walk away with this awareness and knowledge deeply edged into our hearts.

The mysteries and messages presented in Beyond Knowing are actually demystified by the author who refers to them as “wisdom of the ages.” Janis Amatuzio weaves the theme of revealing secrets through her book, which is divided into seven parts, six of which carry the word secret in the title.  In each chapter, the author skillfully blends tales of her personal development with descriptions of her professional learning and growth as a forensic pathologist.  She shares insights into some of the challenges of the profession, always accompanied by utmost respect and compassion for the human being, both the dead and the families of the dead.  The stories we are told are deeply touching, often through their seeming simplicity, and mostly because all of them carry affirming, comforting, inspiring, and truly heart-warming messages: We are all connected; there is nothing to fear; and all is well – all three of which also serve as chapter headings.  The author herself admits freely, “As a scientist and forensic pathologist, I could not prove the validity of these experiences to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, at least not with the tools I have been taught to use.  In fact, many times I have laughed at myself because, it seemed, they could not be proved at all.” (p. 137-8). 

Kudos to this woman who has the courage to speak publicly through her writing, educating, and lecturing to medical professionals and laypeople about the subject of near-death experiences, bereavement apparitions, visions she experienced herself in her function as a medical doctor, synchronicities, and afterlife She asks wonderful questions on the subject of perception and awareness, sometimes phrasing her insights poetically: “Awareness can come to you as softly as a butterfly or as the warming of your face in the morning sun.  But sometimes it jostles you awake like a gust of wind ahead of a fast-moving storm.” (p. 137).  A key question for the author lies in how the shift occurs that allows individuals to move from “seeing is believing” to “believing is seeing.”  And, she appears somewhat surprised and pleased that plausible answers are emerging from the fields of quantum physics and cell biology, confirming what many people appear to know intuitively.  She cites Bruce Lipton, whose publication The Biology of Belief is the only reference provided in her own book.

Instead of always featuring the author’s voice, Janis Amatuzio shares the words and experiences of others with the reader. It is remarkable, though not astonishing, to hear that not only bereaved family members are telling these stories, but also police officers, nurses, doctors, patients, and clergy. 

One of the most amazing stories among the many shared in this book must be “The Tale of the Dragonfly.” a story that comforted a young boy whose uncle had died.  It had become his favorite story, one in which a water bug set out to find out what would happen if it climbed up on a lily pad – after all, none of the water bugs that ever set out to explore the lily pad appeared to return from that journey.  The water bug managed to climb onto the pad, sunned itself and noticed that none of the other water bugs paid any attention to its presence above them.  After waking up from its sleep, this water bug knew something had changed – it had been transformed into a beautiful dragonfly.  Despite its numerous trips to the water, touching the surface, and sending its love to the water bugs there, it realized none of them became aware of it; none of them even looked up.  The mother who created this story and told it to Janis Amatuzio added that this young boy was killed as a 19-year old in a car accident.  The day of her son’s funeral, a dragonfly appeared and sat on the mother’s lapel – and she simply knew.

It is evident that these stories do not diminish the impact the death of a loved one may have on the family.  They illustrate rather how individuals may transcend the sadness, despair, and loneliness, realizing they are not alone.  Even though she admits that “many times all does not seem well, … the extraordinary experiences so often brought to my attention, especially while practicing forensic pathology, have put me on another path, the path of my own truth.  These experiences cause me to wonder and to open my hart to my own inner wisdom and sensibility.  They lift me to a new level of clarity and understanding of life, and God – which seem to be names for the same thing.” (p. 181).

Beyond Knowing is a powerful book that positions birth and death as opposites with life,as a continuum, marked by birth and death as important events in that life story.  This book is written in an inviting, warm, and non-threatening fashion that allows readers from all backgrounds and with divergent personal, religious, and spiritual beliefs to relate to the material Janis Amatuzio offers.  She summarizes these immortal mysteries or truths, as she calls them, in six simple statements in the epilogue of her book:

This book attests to the possibility that society at large is indeed awakening, as Janis Amatuzio suggests.  Perhaps we as humans can finally give ourselves permission to combine – once again – science, precision, intuition, and awe in order to create a more expanded vision of life and living that is steeped in inner knowing and wisdom.

Book review by Rev. Martina Steiger, ThD, IJHC Assistant Editor, Dean, Holos University Graduate Seminary

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