a .loving thought to a family member after they've departed the physical plane, or be able to receive information from your personal angels or spirit guides about the true purpose of life—and the part you've selected to play in it?
I have . . . and through the pages of this book I will share a few of·my experiences in order that you might discover your true purpose by activating your natural psychic self.
My bizarre metaphysical tale began twenty years ago, when I was in my mid-thirties. I was an ordinary guy, cruising through life with the statistically typical family: a wife, a son and daughter, a dog and two cats. I was a partner in a family-owned construction business and had by this time in life purchased a modest home in suburbia, accrued reasonably good moral values, and accumulated my share of credit card receipts.
Then suddenly, at 6:45 P.M. on an October Sunday evening, I discovered that I was psychic. For the next fifteen years, I experienced some truly amazing adventures and witnessed some extraordinary events.
Now, a few traditionalists might take issue with those claiming to be intuitive or psychic in any form. They relish quoting specific scripture to illustrate God's decree to beware of false prophets. I have no disagreement with this proclamation but, at the same time, wish to make a clear distinction between directions issued from ego-based oracles or prophets and spiritually-directed psychic or intuitive knowing.
I think most of us would agree that creativity, inspiration, and true spiritual thought originate from a source other than the organic matter in the space located between our ears. As we psychically open to input from this higher origin, we begin to understand our purpose in this life and can begin to address the unresolved karma brought forward from previous incarnations.
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
