“That is a distinct possibility, Deuce, but I can’t just let them suffer in ignorance. It’s my nature to keep trying and to show them that their essence is love. I want to overcome their sense of separation from me—from the divine essence in each one of them—and reach a new awareness of the richness and beauty of all life. With all the communication networks they have created, the time is perfect for a quantum increase in global consciousness, and YOU could be the catalyst. Just look at the good the others did in spite of their negative reception by the religious leaders of their day. They had NONE of the communication technology that would be available to you, yet look at how their influence has continued! Those four men alone, rightly or wrongly, are still worshipped by millions. Think of what you and I could do together now, Deuce!”
“Well, I could certainly improve the nutritional habits of the planet, that’s for sure. I regret that I couldn’t finish my research on K2, because I know how important it is to human health. They’re catching on to vitamin D there now, but K2 is its kissing cousin, so to speak. I do think that I could do a better job of allowing you to work through me than I did before, but how much of all this will I actually remember?”
“As a rule, very little. The transition in vibrational frequency to the Earth’s level makes all you have experienced in this state largely inaccessible. Every now and then someone breaks through the barrier and is able to maintain some sort of communication with this side. What usually remains of your experience here is mostly what they call intuition—a sort of gut feeling that you’re on the right path. That’s the challenge of the Earth frequency, which is why people there just need to let my energy work through them. Their religious systems, cultural beliefs, and self-generated sense of separation all usually work against that process. I see that some spiritual leaders are emerging that finally seem to get it—that everything is connected and that I am a part of each and every aspect of my creation. If they could just stop fearing me long enough to trust me, Earth would be a much better environment. I think you could help with that. You don’t seem to be affected much by anything other than your own thinking, which, in a way, is a good thing—at least as long as your thinking is on track, that is!”
“Well, I am pretty much my own person, and I am a kind of universalist, which I think is what you must be looking for. I intensely dislike the little exclusivity games that most religions play. Since I’ve been here, I have learned to open my heart and to trust my feelings more. I also know now that I am a divine, eternal being because of that spark of you within me. I’m pretty sure that has been ingrained in my cells enough here that I won’t forget that. If you will stick with me down there, maybe we could pull off your plan. I know I’m going to need some help, though.”
“I am always there, Deuce. Always available to each and every person, if they would just seek my presence. It’s easy to get distracted on Earth—easy to follow the wrong path, and more difficult to quiet the ego long enough to hear me speak. You do have a robust ego, which would be my greatest fear putting you back there. Your energy and drive, though, could make a huge impact, if you can remember to maintain an open channel to my guidance. As for the birth concern, I can let you bypass that. There is a situation there that will soon develop into a golden opportunity for your entrance, if you are willing to do it. There are also several people who would be within your circle of friends who could help in areas that you are the weakest.”
“Well, it’s obvious that you want me to go and equally obvious that they are in dire straits there on Earth. Give me a little while to mull that over. It is such a paradise here that it’s very difficult to even think about leaving, even for just a moment, which I know this would only be, in the grand scheme of things. I have enjoyed putting my own ego aside and letting you fill me with your presence. That is truly heaven. I just hope that I can maintain that on Earth!”
“That’s always the challenge, Deuce. You think about it, and we’ll communicate again soon. Fair enough?”
“Yes, and I do feel the love that you have for all your creation there on Earth. It is a powerful motivator, even for me. You know that I will be willing to give it a go if you want me to—I really couldn’t do otherwise, after all you have done for me. Just give me a little while to get used to the idea, and you can fill me in on more of the details later. I must have the opportunity to finish my research, though—that’s a big motivator for me to return!”
“No problem, I can manage that. Now, you can get back to whatever I interrupted. I believe you were mentioning ‘coming’ or something like that!”
A blush of sorts managed to return to Deuce’s cheeks, but only momentarily, as her hand slipped down once again between her legs. Ah, this is heaven! she moaned to herself as her mind quickly drifted back to her new body and those incredible new sensations! Earth was back to being a distant bad dream…at least for now.
chapter 12
For Whom the Bell Tolls
OHSU Library (High atop Pill Hill)
October 2004
Julian was restless. It was a fairly warm autumn night in Portland, and he had accompanied Ryan to the OHSU medical library. Ryan, as usual, was totally immersed in his studies, and was hot on the trail of some new research on vitamin D that he was convinced would lead a monumental advance in preventive health care. Julian admired his intensity, focus, and boundless energy, while secretly wishing for some of that for himself. Whereas Ryan always seemed to know precisely where he was headed, Julian really didn’t have a clue. His first two years at PSU had been spent largely nibbling at this and that, trying to decide what his interests really were and what he might do as a vocation. He was technically a sociology major, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to stick. In fact, he had been looking for something of greater interest to him for the past couple of semesters, albeit in a rather-haphazard fashion. As the fall approached, he was determined to make some progress in honing his academic interests, rather than just spinning his wheels and wondering what direction to take.
The band hadn’t materialized either, much to Julian’s dismay. He loved writing music and playing both acoustic and bass guitar. He reckoned himself to be a pretty fair vocalist as well, but as usual, Ryan seemed to be the mover and shaker where any public performance was concerned. Anyway, Julian had written a few more songs in the past year, improved his guitar skills considerably, and now did a few solo gigs around town in bars and coffeehouses. He missed Ryan’s energy, however, and somehow doubted that he would ever amount to much on his own.
As he sat there in his cubicle, contemplating life in general and his future in particular, out of the corner of his eye Julian noticed a figure staggering out of the periodical stacks, carrying a small mountain of bound and unbound periodicals that was so tall it had actually obscured his vision. “Jules,” the voice whispered in desperation, “help me out here, man!”
Laughing to himself, Julian could readily see that Ryan’s curiosity had once again gotten the best of him. “Couldn’t be satisfied with just a couple of articles at a time, could you, big guy?” he taunted his friend before coming to his rescue. As Julian removed the top foot or so of journals, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief as the remainder of the stack came crashing down on the adjoining desk.
“Jules, this is unbelievable!” he gasped, collapsing into the chair.
“This vitamin D stuff is amazing…I’ll bet you that, with just the research in this stack alone, we could reduce the amount of chronic