In the Spirit: Conversations with the Spirit of Jerry Garcia

by Wendy Weir

Book Overview

Through telepathic communication with Jerry Garcia, legendary member of the Grateful Dead, Wendy Weir, sister of Dead guitarist Bob Weir, presents Jerry's deep, loving, and often humorous insights from the realm of spirit and his wishes not only for the band that has become a cultural phenomenon but for each and every one of us. Early one morning in August 1995, Bob Weir called his sister and asked her to check in on Jerry Garcia, who had died only...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609604619
• ISBN13: 9780609604618
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Harmony
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Jerry's Spirit Is Still Singing

I am not a Deadhead, and the closest I've come to a Grateful Dead concert is a video of their 1987 New Year's Eve concert at the Oakland Coliseum. Even so, through Wendy Weir's book I have come to know Jerry quite well. And I like him a lot.In the Spirit is a remarkable example of a loving, insightful conversation between someone on the Earth plane and the spirit of another who has recently left it. This volume is full of provocative yet affirming messages about our many levels of existence. Clearly Jerry's intention is to offer the reader his perspectives from above on the lives that the rest of us are still leading below. In the chapter on Inner Knowing, for instance, Jerry says, "Music is an incredible key to accessing this inner space [our higher consciousness]. So are the sounds of nature. At first you may think them discordant, but that is because you are only able, with your Earthly ears, to listen to the more obvious sounds; the song of birds, the chirp of crickets, the wind whistling through the trees. But what beautiful sounds do the trees themselves make? What note does each blade of grass sing? What harmonies do the bushes add to the symphony that is Nature?"Could there be a more exquisite reminder that our lives consist of what we hear and don't hear, see and don't seen, know and don't know? And who better to give us that message than Jerry Garcia, the man who expanded the consciousness of a whole generation?In the Spirit is full of eloquent, discerning observations such as this. I found Jerry's insights subtle yet penetrating. His relationship with Wendy is rooted in a deeply shared love and respect, tempered with a hefty dose of irreverence. Wendy has done a superb job of tapping into Jerry's essence and documenting her conversations with him. It took a great deal of courage for her to go public with these messages. And in doing so, she has given voice to Jerry's spirit. It sings throughout the pages.

Thank You Wendy!

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Weir at a local booksigning event. The audience, like that at a Grateful Dead concert, included people of all ages and walks of life in a friendly and open exchange. Clearly many were moved by Weir's words, and perhaps even more by her honesty and courage in speaking openly about such culturally taboo topics as communication with the spirits of the dead.The original tale of the grateful dead, from which the name of the band is derived, suggests that departed spirits may indeed be able to assist us in our collective quest to heal the soul of the land, which is clearly suffering from the callous disregard for life and the short-sighted, self-centered greed that characterize our contemporary culture. Most indigenous cultures regularly communicate with their ancestors (not to mention animals, plants, and even rocks) in the guise of spirit guides who help them in very concrete ways. Perhaps as a result they tend to treat the natural world and each other with far greater respect and consideration than we do.Over the past thirty years, I have attended many Grateful Dead concerts and have consistently been amazed and delighted by the transformative power of their music; as Ms. Weir points out in her book, "their music wove a wondrous spell around all who heard it and brought each and every one together." Many myths speak of the power of music to enchant the soul and the music of the Dead has certainly been a healing balm to many. Even more significant is its capacity for opening other dimensions of being to direct experience. There is a palpable sense of magic, of "something new waiting to be born," that pervades the culture of the Grateful Dead, instilling feelings of deep peace, love, joy and kindness in all who share in the experience.Thus I am surprised at the level of intolerance and hostility expressed in some of the earlier reviews of this book. Each of us experiences truth through the filter of our own life's journey, but that hardly justifies the wholesale rejection of one person's perspective. As another reviewer has pointed out, the experience of the Grateful Dead was all about experimenting and learning from each other; about tolerance, acceptance, and inclusiveness. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Weir for sharing her experience with us, however strange and unfamiliar it may seem; there is a lot to learn from what she has to say if one can listen from the heart. I myself plan to keep listening to the music "till things we've never seen will seem familiar."

A friendly visit & psychic lessons

"In the Spirit" had some vital lessons for me and hopefully for you too.Last summer I had started taking guitar lessons. I was self taught as a kid, but now I have the time and money, so I decided to take some real lessons. I would practice late at night, after my kids went to bed. I kept feeling like there was someone in the room with me.One day I was in a book store and came across Wendy's book. I had never seen it before so I browsed through it. I used to be a Grateful Dead fan, so it was compelling, but I was skeptical, and did not buy it. I kept coming across it, and finally gave in. It was almost like I was lead to the book. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down.About half way through I really had the urge to talk to Wendy. Something told me to look in the back of the book, and I found her email address. She was receptive and answered. I told her about my late night visits - and we concluded it was probably the Spirit of Jerry Garcia. She reminded me he used to be a music teacher, and was always interested in people wanting to learn to play.Well since then Jerry comes around to give me guitar lessons. "In the Spirit" is magical. Buy it and read it. There are lessons there for you too.

Helped me with very difficult healing process

Wendy Weir's book "In the Spirit: Conversations with the Spirit of Jerry Garcia" was a total surprise to me. First of all, I'm not a Deadhead. So it wasn't a book I was going to rush out to buy.A friend recommended the book to me because he knew I was in the middle of an excruciatingly difficult healing process after the death of my longtime husband. He thought the loving conversations between Jerry and Wendy might "speak to your spirit," and indeed that's just what I experienced. For example, Jerry says that it's very important for one who is in pain -- whether physical, emotional, or spiritual -- to be around people who are joyful and happy. "The energy of the one in pain will try to automatically match the vibration of those in joy, and this process will aid the healing." I found Jerry's ideas fascinating, and Wendy's writing kept my interest all the way through. I would recommend "In the Spirit" to all my friends. I'm still not a Deadhead, but now I'm a real Jerry Garcia fan.

Beyond Dead

Over the years I have channeled the spirits of such musicans as Jim Morrison, Pigpen, and Lowell George. It was something I prefered to keep to myself, due to the fact I knew some people would question the validity of such claims, as well as my sanity. But it was the spirit of Jerry Garcia, that came to me with an agenda for me to work toward helping with the healing of the Earth. Wendy Weir's book "In the Spirit" describes similar channeling that I have been receiving from Jerry Garcia, since 1997. It took some great courage for Wendy to come forward and write about her pyschic experience with Jerry. She knew that people would have many negative things to say about her decision to write the book, and the validity of the material inside. She wrote the book in spite of what some people would think, and there is a lot to be said about her courage for this. This book has helped people such as myself begin to be more open about our own experiences with Spirit Channeling.The message of the book could best be described by quoting the words of Ken Kesey at Jerry's Funeral. "We've got a world to save." So let's get on with the business of saving the World. The spirits are waiting to help us. W. Dire Wolff