Shamans from around the world constantly remind us of how special it is to exist in physical form. They teach us that most of the lessons we encounter can only be learned when on this dimensional plane. We must complete the tasks presented, and karma earned, before we can move on to the next level of understanding. To become open to your psychic self is a means by which you can access this understanding. Being out of sync with our purpose in this life is a waste of a valuable opportunity.
My initial psychic experience nearly twenty years ago was as scary as it was dramatic. How did I suddenly know that a lady across the room—a woman I had never seen before in my life—was about to choke and would need assistance? How could I possibly explain a clear awareness of events or situations I had never previously known to even exist? I soon learned that sudden and dramatic openings are not all that unusual, particularly with those who do not believe in things metaphysical--and boy, did I fit into that category!
We often are more affected by fearful or unexpected experiences than the more gentle or familiar ones. Doesn't a nightmare grab your attention more than a commonplace dream? As it turned out, I was so influenced by this experience that it permanently changed my life from that of a mainstream, conservative business-oriented general contractor to a spiritually directed professional psychic.
If you receive nothing else from this book, please understand that we are all psychic. Haven't you experienced knowing who is on the phone when it rings . . . or sensing that something unusual is about to happen prior to its occurrence . . . or feeling that you've been somewhere before when you know you haven't?
Time Magazine, USA Today and CNN have reported that well over fifty percent of adults in the United States have either seen a ghost or encountered a spirit guide or angel. Over seventy-five percent think such an occurrence is possible. And yet, there are a large number of people who are reluctant to admit their psychic experiences publicly, for fear of ridicule.
My first book, Funny You Should Say That . . . attempted to provide the assurances we desperately seek following an abrupt psychic opening. It demonstrated how to initially contact and work with one's spirit guides or intuitive source. It related personal experiences regarding shamans, psychic surgeons, ghosts, out-of-body journeys, sacred sites and power spots, earth energies and vortexes, and other energy manifestations which can be encountered along the "yellow brick road" of what we term reality.
So—here we go again with another installment intended to take us to a deeper level of metaphysical comprehension. Although this book continues my personal story, it is intended to be a lighthearted approach to opening your psychic abilities. In addition, it may help you navigate through limiting fear and resistance as you seek to use and understand your psychic gift, opening the gateway to personal spiritual enlightenment.
Reality Is Just an Illusion covers a variety of supernatural subjects, from how to contact your angels and spirit guides to procedures for grounding yourself in physical-based reality and protecting yourself from negative energy. I've tried to provide an understanding of the many modalities of hands-on healing as well as suggest ways to tune in to your inner knowing. There is also coverage of the methodology for viewing an aura and selecting a personal sacred site. The techniques of mystic shamans, psychic channeling, creating a personal tarot deck, psychic dreaming, and the concept of God-Consciousness are all major topics in this book. Each new discussion brings us closer to the conclusion that "reality" as we know and define it is, in actuality, an illusion—an extension of our belief system. All of this information is mixed and blended with personal stories, historical perspectives, and a dash of humor for good measure.
The journey commences by taking the reader into the deep reaches of the rain forests of Ecuador and a meeting with a shaman of the Shuar head-hunting tribe. This shaman introduces us to the art of psychonavigation, non-ordinary reality, and time journeying. From there we venture to the high reaches of the Andes where we . . . ahhhh . . . but that would be telling, wouldn't it?
So settle back, take a deep breath and put the outside world on hold. What takes place on the following pages actually happened to me—a common man not unlike you or the guy next door.
No need for shots and a passport . . . enjoy the trip!
chapter 1
In Search of the Shaman
"WHAT THE HECK am I doing here?'' I asked myself as I sat down to journal my last several day's adventures. It was a hot and muggy afternoon, as it had been since we arrived, and I was happy to be sitting in the shade under a man-made shelter . . . such as it was. A long-legged spider on the large leaf of a tree directly in front of me had finally made her way to an unrecognizable meal, which was bound up in the heavy net of her web. As I watched, I thought about my recently consumed lunch of similar unknown origin.
For someone who tends to tentatively peek through his fingers when viewing reptiles in nature films, I had a difficult time accepting the fact that I was deep in the Amazon jungle, a six day's journey on foot to anything even vaguely resembling a town.
"The rain forests of Ecuador contain over 120 species of birds found no other place on earth," our guide had told us as we flew by chartered single-engine aircraft to a grassy clearing near this remote campsite. I hadn't dared inquire as to the number of snakes that I was convinced would be waiting for me in the flora and fauna.
Shirl, a dream worker and my wife of thirteen years, and I had signed on to a Noetic Science sponsored trip to Ecuador. This journey was an extension of our ongoing fascination with native shaman healers who were willing to share their unique and precious spiritual knowledge with ordinary people from the "outside world." This was anything but an ordinary place.
The Question is: Why Bother?
I like to think of myself as an ordinary guy—not born with a special spiritual gift, not dramatically struck with a thunderbolt of ethereal light from the heavens above. Instead, I had suddenly discovered my ability to psychically know things following a three-day personal growth workshop some twenty years ago. Prior to that, I had never considered myself to be any different from other people. Rather, I was pretty typical, having amassed a respectable amount of Boy Scout merit badges and grammar school good citizenship awards during my formative years.
Once caught up in a new way of being, however, I found that I couldn't let go. I was determined to learn everything that I could about my newly-found psychic sense. My fervent study of spirituality and metaphysics led me to discover a variety of paranormal events just waiting to be explored. I encountered enchanting ghosts in a haunted castle on the Rhine River in Germany and in a historic pub in London. I experienced an animated and informative conversation with Shirl's deceased father, who appeared in our bedroom six months after his death. I met an angel during a moment of distress and learned to communicate with my spirit guides on a daily basis. I was drawn to visit powerful and mystical sacred sites in various parts of the world, and discovered a passageway to the spirit world in my own bedroom.
What initially set me apart from others who have experienced a sudden paranormal occurrence was my obsession to master this natural psychic ability, which, I came to understand, awaits discovery in us all. It's a capability that eventually provides us the opportunity to explore and expand our spiritual nature as well as resolve past-life karma. My fascination with developing this psychic skill was no different than someone whose sudden middle-age intrigue with the art world motivates them to develop their creative aptitude to paint or play a musical instrument.
Psychicism is a capability we can all access—and through it, we just might find enlightenment.
The Non-ordinary
Nature of Things
Shirl's and my search for spiritual knowledge led us to pursue new experiences