My meeting with Osiris

In January 2019, I took a journey to the ancient village of Abydos.

Abydos is a small town in the Egyptian countryside close to Luxor.

For thousands of years, the best way to get to Abydos was to take a boat on the Nile River.

Instead, I chose to take a flight with “Egypt Air” from Cairo to Sohag airport (built in 2005), which is a short drive away from the ancient village.

I arranged to have a van from the hotel pick me up at the airport.

At baggage claim in the little airport in the countryside, I stuck out like a sore thumb with my long hair, black-brimmed hat, and western clothing.

Everyone else there wore the traditional Egyptian body-length dresses of varying pattern and muted colors.

Outside the airport on the road, a group of taxi drivers were trying to get customers, and one of them called out my name.

The man was my tour guide from the Hotel in Abydos.

He introduced himself as Adam, and led me to the hotel van in the parking lot.

There, I met our driver whose name escapes me.

We began driving south on a highway that cut through desert, farmland, and date palm plantations.

While we were driving towards Abydos, Adam was telling me, in perfect English, about sites we could go visit in the area.

We had a pleasant conversation, and soon arrived at the Hotel.

In Abydos, which is a tiny, rural village, there is one incredible hotel: The House of Life.

There is a swimming pool, a lovely restaurant, and a hookah/coffee bar at the House of Life, giving it a modern and western atmosphere.

Upon arrival, I checked in, went to my room, and fell asleep.

I was utterly exhausted from my long travels.

Later that night, I met the guardian of the hotel: Mr. Horus.

Mr. Horus is a fascinating man, and we had an interesting conversation that first night at the hotel.

We agreed to talk more after I had rested.

I stayed at the hotel for a few days, resting, swimming, lounging, reading, meditating, and preparing my energy before visiting the temple of Seti the 1^st and the Osirion.

I ate incredible vegetarian food at the hotel restaurant: Egyptian Beans, fresh hummus, steamed vegetables, fried potatoes, falafels, and more.

Every day, I walked by the large statue of the ancient goddess Isis and gazed upon her through the windows at the restaurant.

The House of Life took good care of me.

I visited the Temple of Seti after a few days of meditation and rest.

I had visited the temple the year before with a large group of people.

On this visit, I was intuitively drawn to a particular room in the temple: The chapel of Thoth.

I was visiting with Adam, my friend from the hotel, and we walked past the ancient painted scenes and columns to the small room in the central part of the temple.

In the chapel dedicated to Thoth, Adam and I stood and looked at the ancient imagery.

We were silent, and after a few moments, I began to see a faint purple light emanating from a carved image of the young prince Ramses the 2^nd.

We felt a strange, mystical energy at this point, and I smiled brightly as Adam made a curious expression.

The wave of strangeness left as quickly as it came, and we continued our visit of the amazing building.

We eventually found our way to the back door and eventually to the Osirion temple.

Adam and I looked at the mysterious, megalithic temple and conversed for a while about its construction and history.

The Sun was slowly moving towards the western horizon, and the view of the cliff sides and the sand ramp was so beautiful.

A few days later, in the morning, I was meditating in my room at the Hotel, when I intuitively received guidance that I should eat lightly and prepare myself for a mysterious experience I would have later that day.

I followed the guidance, and abstained from my usual breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, fried potatoes, and beans, instead having some fruit.

I relaxed on a lounge chair by the pool in the sunshine for some time, clearing my mind and energy field.

I was quite relaxed when I returned to my room in the early afternoon and began to meditate.

While seated on the floor of my hotel room, I closed my eyes and immediately felt the presence of another.

I didn’t know who the spirit was, but he was emphatic that I follow him to the Temple of Seti.

My consciousness leapt from my body, through the top of my head, out the window, and towards the temple.

I followed the spirit into the temple, past the columns and painted scenes that I had seen just a few days before, and into the chapel of Osiris, at the rear of the temple.

My consciousness could see all the details of the temple, but they were more colorful, and somehow, animated with movement.

At the rear of the chapel, there are “false-doors” which are small, artistic gateways into the spiritual world, and I could see golden light pouring in through them.

I walked through the “false-door” and on the other side was a space made of golden light, with rainbows and flowers adorning a temple made of light.

Osiris was standing on the dais of the temple, looking at me.

He was elevated slightly above me, and had his arms crossed on his torso.

He had green skin, wore white clothes, and had piercing eyes that looked into my soul.

I was captivated, surprised, and humbled as I saw him.

Osiris never said anything, nor did he move, but the flowers and rainbows were dancing and spinning around him.

I did not know how much time passed before I was told it was time to leave the golden space.

I bowed my head to Osiris, and began to move back into the chapel room of the temple of Seti.

Suddenly, my consciousness flew back to my body at the hotel, and after collecting myself, I stepped out of my room and went to the pool to get fresh air and reflect.

The sun was about to set over the western horizon, and I watched it for a time as it fell in the sky, thinking.

Far from the busy, modern city of Cairo there is a small village in the Egyptian Countryside known as “Abydos”.

These days, Abydos is a small community surrounded by farmland and date palm trees.

For some of the first Pharaohs, Abydos was a royal cemetery and launching place for the journey into the Eternal Afterlife.

In Abydos, on the western horizon, there are natural cliffs, which rise above the village.

In a natural break on the Cliffside, there is a ramp of sand, which descends from the desert plateau to the river valley.

This natural ramp of sand, called “the gab” or “the gap”, is where the ancients believed a person’s soul could more easily enter the eternal afterlife.

Ancient people believed that Abydos was a gateway to the afterlife, and that their soul would have an easier time reaching the other side if their bodies were buried nearby.

In Abydos, there is an ancient temple in the center of town.

The temple was built by the order of Pharaoh Seti the 1^st, in about 1300BCE.

The temple was sacred to the ancient people that used to live there.

 It was the regional center of culture, religion, medicine, and record keeping for hundreds of years.

The sandstone walls, columns, and ceilings were all meticulously decorated with carved, painted images that are meant to tell stories from ancient times.

The temple of Seti the 1^st is different from other Ancient Egyptian temples because it is dedicated to several Ancient Gods, as opposed to the usual one deity per temple.

The temple has several sacred rooms, each dedicated to the worship of an Ancient Egyptian God.

These rooms, which are now open to visitors, were considered very holy places and only priests of the temple were allowed entrance for a very long time.

Directly behind the temple of Seti, there is a mysterious ancient temple known today as “the Osirion”.

The Osirion is a very unique temple.

It was excavated in modern times by a team of archaeologists named Margaret Murray and Flanders Petrie in 1902-1903.

It is an anomaly in Egyptology, and its origin is mysterious and unknown.

The temple is found sunken into the ground, about 8 meters below the floor level of the temple of Seti.

The temple was built of massive granite blocks, which were much larger, heavier, and harder than the sandstone blocks used to build the temple of Seti.

A unique feature of the building is a natural spring of freshwater that flows into the Osirion and makes a small stream of water that surrounds a central stone floor.

Also, there are several underground rooms, which connect through small tunnels to the Osirion.

It is the hypothesis of many, that the Osirion was built many thousands of years before the Temple of Seti, which would make it one of the oldest known Ancient temples in Egypt.

According to the ancient myth of Isis and Osiris, his brother Set cut Osiris’ body into pieces and scattered the pieces across Egypt.

His head was supposedly buried in Abydos.

The myth led to Abydos becoming the center of worship of the ancient god Osiris for many thousands of years.

Ancient peoples would pilgrimage to Abydos to offer prayers to Osiris and to seek healing and wisdom.

Every year, the temple priests would host a festival to celebrate Osiris and people from all over the ancient world would attend.

One of the more popular events at the festival was a theatrical performance of the story of Isis and Osiris, which ends with Horus defeating Set in an epic battle.

The battle scene took place on a boat, in the middle of a sacred lake near the temple of Seti.

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Stargates are places, which have special features that are known to help induce astral or out-of-body experiences.

An initiate in meditation can learn how to astral project, or in other terms, consciously leave their physical body and travel or explore “places” using their mind.

An experienced meditator can perform mystical feats like astral projection in any environment, however certain environments can make it easier to perform.

Certain Ancient temples in all corners of the Earth could be called Stargates.

Some ancient temples were very thoughtfully designed and crafted in such a way that their non-physical features, like acoustics, energetics, and lighting, are effective tools for stimulating mystical experiences in humans.

The Osirion is a temple from pre-dynastic Egypt and it was designed by it’s architects to be a highly effective stargate.

The decision to build the Osirion in Abydos was surely related to the natural stargate in the cliffsides, “the Gab.”

The Osirion has a magical and otherworldly energy to this day.

Perhaps one day soon, more open-minded historians and Egyptologists will openly discuss the mystical and spiritual functions of the Osirion, and not fear criticism from their colleagues.

After being buried in sand for thousands of years, the mystery of the Osirion deserves to be remembered and appreciated as an extraordinary example of an ancient, advanced, pre-dynastic society.

“For every blade of grass, there is an angel whispering to it, saying “Grow, grow…”

Angels have played a crucial role in the human experience since the very beginning, and have been talked about by people of the earth since before recorded history.

Angels have been called many different names by many different cultures all over the world.

In Hopi tradition, the Angels are referred to as Kachinas, and are said to live at the tops of the sacred mountains.

In Jewish tradition, angels are referred to as “Malakh” which means “messengers,” and their role is to do the work of God on Earth by positively influencing human consciousness.

Angels are multidimensional beings of light, who have ascended beyond the physical, third dimensional existence we humans find ourselves in.

Angels exist beyond time and space. They can travel anywhere in the universe at any time, because they are not bound by natural laws of physics like humans are.

Humans having mystical experiences sometimes see angels.

Common sighting reports tell that angels can be humanoid in shape and appearance but with large wings made of feathers coming out of their backs.

Frequently, angels are seen dressed in white, flowing robes.

Other peoples’ reports indicate their appearance to be quite different to the shape of a human.

Sometimes they are seen as patterns of geometric shapes and colors that move and shift in wave-like patterns.

People have been communicating and working with angels for a very long time.

Humans can have interactions with angels through conscious prayer.

Frequently during experiences of witnessing angels, humans report hearing messages in their native language, or see visions of certain events and places.

The angels communicate with us in ways that we, as humans, can understand.

Humans typically cannot understand with clarity the angelic realm of consciousness.

Angels live in heaven, which is also called nirvana, which is also called the 7^th dimension of consciousness.

They ascend and descend the dimensions of consciousness at will, freely traveling between heaven and the physical world.

Angels are mysterious, and perform miraculous acts, unexplainable by human logic and reasoning.

Angels fly above the human world, and can see the greater perspective of human life on Earth from their birds’-eye view.

The angels want humans to remember the nature of spirit and mind: that we are all one spirit. We are totally interconnected and interdependent on one another.

When humans remember that we all share one incredible spirit, one incredible love, one incredible mind, we will remember that we are eternal beings capable of creating miracles in the physical world.

It is possible to hear messages of wisdom and guidance from the angels when we are still and peaceful in our hearts and minds.

Occasionally, angels will show signs to people to indicate their presence.

These signs occur in many different ways, but common signs experienced by many people are white feathers floating in the breeze, or seeing repeating numbers like ‘1111’, ‘444’, or ‘777’.

Meditation and ceremony are important ways humans can share space with the angels and receive their loving wisdom and insights.

The angels want us to be happy and blissful.

They want us to remember our original nature, and to evolve beyond our small ways of thinking that bring us suffering.

If one is experiencing an extreme challenge in life, or suffering from intense disease of the body or mind, one can pray to the angels for help, and if the prayer is genuine, one may expect a miracle to occur for them.

Miracles happen everyday to those who genuinely invite them into their lives.

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Personal experiences with Angels

I first heard the voice of an angel when I was driving my family car on a dirt road in the mountains near Fort Collins, Colorado on the way to the Colorado State University mountain campus in Autumn 2016.

I was very depressed and sad at the time, and I had given up hope on becoming happy and fulfilled in life.

I had recently ended a long-term relationship with a lover who became very ill, and my heart was heavy.

I talked to my good friend Jared about my woes, and he recommended that I pray to God and ask for help and guidance.

I had not prayed to God since I was a young boy, and had forgotten that the almighty even existed.

One night, I prayed for help and an end to my suffering. I heard no response that evening.

The next day, I was playing loud electronic music, and driving too fast on narrow canyon roads when I heard a voice.

The voice came from all directions, and I could hear very clearly a voice that said, “ I am archangel Michael. I am watching over you.”

I began to cry, and felt my immense sadness began to release.

“Everything will be alright.”  I heard from all around me.

I began to wonder if I was crazy, and didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t tell anyone what happened that day for many years.

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While drinking a coffee and twiddling prayer beads in a café in Sintra, Portugal, in February 2019, I suddenly saw an immense light from above me, and heard a booming voice that said, “Andrew, I am your higher self. Go to Washington D.C.”

I was a bit frightened, and confused, as the immense light went away.

I looked around the café, and could see no one around besides the bored wait staff, and it was obvious that no one else heard the voice or saw the light.

I sat there for some time trying to understand what had just happened to me, as it was certainly out of the ordinary, and mystical.

I did not want to go to Washington D.C. and fought against the guidance for some time.

I was afraid to heed the guidance offered to me.

Eventually, I worked up enough courage, and I traveled to Washington D.C. in September 2019, and learned many things about my family history, the nature of human society, and the social structures of power on the Earth.

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While eating porridge for breakfast in an apartment in Coimbra, Portugal in July 2020, I saw an angel surrounded by a swirling green light.

The angel spoke to me in a distinctly masculine voice, and told me his name was Raphael.

He told me to go to Luso, Portugal, not far from Coimbra by train, and to visit the fountain in the middle of town, for which the town of Luso is quite famous.

My travel companion and I arrived in Luso the next day, and the summer heat was intense.

We were resting on the grass near the fountain in the center of town, drinking the sacred waters, when I saw the angel Raphael, surrounded by green pulsating light, behind the mountain of Bussaco.

He spoke to me, and said, “I watch over this place. People come here to heal.”

It was so hot, and the spring water was so cool, so we poured the cold water over our bodies and on the backs of our heads, and felt good, and peaceful.

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While waiting for my clothes to finish drying in the self-service laundry shop in Sintra, Portugal, I saw an angel standing above me, behind the ceiling.

I was listening to electronic music in my headphones, and could clearly see the angel surrounded by columns made of light in an infinitely large room.

The columns reminded me of an ancient Greek, Egyptian, or Hindu temple, and the angel was standing in the middle of the space surrounded by pulsating waves of golden light.

After a few moments, the angel lifted their hands and projected golden light towards me, and I felt the wave of energy hit my body immediately.

The hair on my arms went stiff, small bumps raised on my skin, and I had tingling sensations ripple through my body.

The sensations felt very pleasant.

The golden light subsided after 30 seconds or so, and the angel vanished, but I could still clearly see the columns of rainbow light supporting a ceiling.

The vision of the room and the angel vanished after a few moments, and I watched the dryer spin my clothes.

In the proceeding moments, I had several thoughts about the future of humankind and what we all may expect to witness in the coming years.

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For thousands of years, all across the world, people have been eating psilocybin Mushrooms.

People eat psilocybin mushrooms on a regular basis in order to maintain a healthy state of mind and to connect with the spiritual side of life.

Humans have discovered over 100 different species of mushrooms that contain psilocybin, and continue to discover new species frequently.

Psilocybin mushrooms grow on every continent except Antarctica.

 They grow in tropical climates as well as cold, wet coastal forests.

Some species of Psilocybin mushrooms are saprobes, meaning they eat decaying wood and sticks on the forest floor, some species grow in dense grassy plains, and some species grow in dung piles of grain-eating animals like cows, horses, and water buffalo.

Some psilocybin mushroom species are easy to cultivate in greenhouses or home-grows and some species are extremely difficult to cultivate and typically only grow in the wild.

There is evidence of ancient cultures consuming and cultivating psilocybin mushrooms in many places around the world.

In Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered many mushroom shaped stones carved from volcanic rock covered with anthropomorphic imagery like faces, hands, legs, and clothing.

In Algeria, there is cave art of a shaman surrounded by mushroom symbols and holding two large mushrooms that is estimated to be over 10,000 years old.

In ancient Egypt, several temples have hieroglyphs on the walls depicting scenes of priestesses with hanging baskets of growing mushrooms.

The ancient headdresses of the pharaohs were made in the shape of an immature mushroom.

The ancient Aztec people of Mexico regularly ate psilocybin mushrooms in elaborate ceremonies and called the mushrooms ‘Teonanacatl’ which translates to ‘the flesh of the gods.’

Psilocybin mushrooms have been known to produce mystical, multidimensional, spiritual, or generally out-of-the-ordinary experiences ever since humans have ingested them.

Several scientific studies have been conducted by Johns Hopkins University in the last 50 years that provide substantial evidence as to the reliability of mystical experiences being caused by ingestion of Psilocybin and psilocybin-bearing mushrooms.

After ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, many people report seeing beautiful, colorful patterns and mandalas, having heightened emotions and sensations, and feeling an overwhelming sense of connectedness to Nature, the universe, and themselves in ways many had not experienced prior to their psilocybin experiences.

Many people report meeting deceased loved ones, as well as having interactions with angelic beings made of light while under the influence of psilocybin.

Many people report feeling a personal and intimate connection to God and Mother Nature while having psilocybin experiences, and feel the uplifting and beneficial effects of such meetings long after the mystical experience ends.

It is understood in the psychedelic community, that the experience of a psychedelic trip will largely depend upon what the user’s intention is.

Not everyone who eats psilocybin will have deeply mystical experiences, however it is quite common.

Scientifically, psilocybin works in the brain by stimulating the 5-HT2A receptor, which is a regulator of the hormone Serotonin.

Psilocybin stimulates the human brain in such a way that parts of the brain that usually do not interact begin to transmit neurological signals to each other.

Sections of the brain that usually have no connection become connected and begin to integrate.

Psilocybin produces Neurogenesis in the human body, which means it stimulates the brain to produce new neurological pathways.

These new neurological pathways can be extremely beneficial to people suffering from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Migraines, Parkinson’s, and people recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

Many neurological diseases occur because the brain does not have the necessary neurological pathways to send electrical signals to different parts of the brain and body, which regulate muscle movement and the five senses.

Psilocybin stimulates the body to create new neurological pathways, therefore providing the necessary physical pathway for electrical signals.

Neurogenesis is an extremely rare and relatively un-studied effect of natural, plant medicines, and will be a critical aspect of creating cures and treatments for neurological disorders in the near future.

Psilocybin mushrooms are highly beneficial as a supplement in one’s diet whether one suffers from disease or are relatively healthy.

Neurogenesis is beneficial to slowing the aging process as well as aiding people with meditation and spiritual practice.

When ingesting Psilocybin mushrooms, one can eat a tiny amount and still receive the medicinal, neurogenesis effect without having a full mystical experience.

The practice of eating a small dose of psilocybin mushrooms is called micro dosing, and is very popular in the modern time.

Eating enough psilocybin mushrooms to have a full psychedelic, mystical experience is called macro dosing, and is the traditional, ancient practice.

Psilocybin mushrooms can be eaten fresh, dried, made into a tea, mixed with food, or ground into a powder and placed in capsules or mixed with chocolate.

An ancient recipe for preserving mushrooms is mixing dried psilocybin mushroom powder with honey.

If done properly, dried mushroom powder mixed with honey can be stored for many years without losing any potency.

After a few months, honey mixed with mushroom powder changes color from golden to indigo blue, and is called ‘blue honey’.

When ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, it is very important to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for multiple days leading up to the psychedelic experience for optimal effect.

Eating healthy, plant-based foods for three to four days before the trip, as well as fasting for at least 12 hours before ingesting the medicinal mushroom is good practice.

Preparing the environment in which one will have the psychedelic experience is important as well.

Cleaning, tidying up, and preparing music, incense, and anything else one would like to experience while under the influence of psilocybin before beginning is good practice.

Listening to mellow, melodic music is a key aspect to having a positive psychedelic experience, and preparing the playlist before beginning is important so one is not distracted during the trip.

An optimal setting for experiencing a psychedelic trip in is one that is quiet, mellow, safe, and relatively private.

Ideally, one will not ingest mushrooms in public places such as busy city environments, public parks, or on a public street.

It is good to have a ‘sacred space’ that is safe, private, and reserved exclusively for the individual or group ingesting the mushrooms.

However, many people use psilocybin mushrooms in large group events like music festivals, concerts, at crowded beaches, or at parties, and when doing this, one should practice techniques for reducing anxiety like breath work, humming a tune to oneself, or repeating a mantra to provide peace of mind.

Holding a crystal or a stick may also help provide peace of mind if one finds oneself under the influence of psilocybin in large crowds.

If one ingests mushrooms and finds that they are very anxious, thinking about unpleasant things, or generally not having a pleasant psychedelic experience, there are techniques one can practice to produce a more pleasant experience.

Singing to oneself, taking slow deep breaths, and putting ones hands on their own heart are helpful when experiencing anxiety during a psilocybin experience.

Finding a reliable and pleasant friend to share space with and avoiding unpleasant people are also very helpful if experiencing anxiety.

Sitting with a tree, a potted plant, or in a natural setting can be very calming while under the influence of psilocybin.

Mixing psilocybin mushrooms with other substances like cannabis and alcohol can potentially produce unpleasant results.

Ingesting cannabis while under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms will greatly intensify the psychedelic effects, and consuming alcohol while under the influence of psilocybin will greatly reduce the psychedelic effects.

A macro dose of psilocybin mushrooms will produce a psychedelic, mystical experience that will last approximately 6-12 hours depending on the ingestion method and amount consumed.

When macro-dosing psilocybin mushrooms, it is important to let go of expectations and be open to experiencing whatever comes up in the psychedelic experience.

Many people who have had traumatic experiences in childhood may re-visit memories of the trauma during the psychedelic experience, and many people report the ability to release and heal the mental distress they experienced in the past during a psychedelic trip.

Psychedelic experiences are the some of the most effective ways available to humans today to heal and restore mental well being.

Many people who suffer from addictions, post-traumatic stress disorder, behavioral disorders, and social anxiety have incredibly healing experiences with psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms and report feeling the positive effects of a trip long after the healing session is over.

Psilocybin mushrooms can help suicidal people find purpose and meaning in their life, and have contributed to saving countless lives from suicide.

The mushrooms are miracle healers, and humans are still discovering how effective they are at healing a wide variety of diseases of the body and mind.

Psilocybin mushrooms are sacred plants, and deserve to be respected and treated with reverence.

As humans begin to understand our relationship with natural plant medicines in a deeper way, we will grow to become more capable healers and more conscious individuals with greater capacity to take care of each other, ourselves, and the planet on which we live.

In the Universe there is a subtle energy field from which all things are produced.

It has been called the Chi field, the Quantum field, the Zero-Point field, as well as many other names throughout history.

Spiritual masters cultivated their own heightened awareness and mystical abilities by interacting with this field of energy.

Ancient Chinese medicine has many teachings about interacting with the field of energy, and so does ancient Ayurveda medicine from India.

The ancient Egyptians were known to have healers that could resolve serious physical diseases without the use of medicine or surgery by interacting with the patients’ personal energy field.

The energy field is everywhere, even in the vacuum of space, and is dense with energy.

The energy is always moving and vibrating, nothing is still and at rest.

The human body can function because the energy field supplies it with vitality.

Human bodies have subtle electrical pathways that course through the whole of the system.

Disease can manifest in the body if energy pathways are blocked from flowing properly.

Energy blockages can occur from physical, mental, or emotional trauma.

Also, energy can flow partially, or with too much intensity, and this can cause disease or discomfort as well.

The energy field of the body extends beyond the physical body and into the environment immediately surrounding it.

Energy fields vary in size and shape throughout an individuals’ life, but for an average person, it typically extends about half a meter from the body.

A person’s energy field, or aura, is always moving energy from the crown of the head to below the feet.

Energy flows from the crown chakra down into the third eye chakra, and then into the throat chakra, and then the heart chakra, then the solar plexus chakra, then the navel chakra, then the root chakra, and finally to the Earth chakra below the feet.

Energy is always seeking to move from a higher vibration to a lower vibration.

It is always seeking to go to the ground, just like a bolt of lightning is seeking to move from the atmosphere to the Earth.

To maintain proper health and vibrancy, a person wants their energy to be in a balanced, free-flowing state, without blockages getting in the way.

Checking in with one’s body to identify blockages should be done regularly to ensure proper health.

One can identify energy blockages by finding tight muscles, painful areas on the body, or inflexible and sore areas.

Massaging the physical body and loosening muscles and tendons are a practical, everyday method for opening energy flows.

If the energy blockage is particularly sensitive or dense, an energy healer can project energy into the blockage to aid with its loosening and release of tension.

This method of projecting energy is very ancient and has been practiced by many cultures around the world for millennia.

Everybody can do it, because everybody is an energetic being.

Projecting energy is done through a combination of intuitive hand placement as well as mentally focusing upon an energy blockage.

Energy healers visualize in their mind a concentrated ball of light energy and then place it into or onto the energy blockage within the aura.

One will find that dense energy blockages that are not flowing properly are dark and do not radiate light, where as energy that is flowing properly is light, radiant, and emits subtle colors.

There are several techniques for loosening dense energy blockages besides projection of energy.

Smudging is the age-old method of burning small bundles of sage, small sticks of Palo Santo wood, or other incense in the immediate vicinity of an energy blockage.

When smudging, an energy healer will draw small circles around the body and immediately next to energy blockages with the burning incense, and the energy flow will be increased.

Another useful technique for increasing vitality and stimulating energy flow in the body is to breathe deeply while resting.

 Breathing is an amazing energy balancing system in the human body.

If one has too much energy in their system and are not feeling relaxed or ‘grounded’ one can breathe slowly and fill their belly with air, being sure to exhale slowly.

If one has too little energy and feels tired or fatigued, one can take large breaths into the belly with a slightly accelerated tempo.

Be sure when doing the latter technique to stop after 40 seconds or so, so that one does not hyperventilate and feel faint.

If you do feel faint or light-headed, stop breathing heavily and resume normal breathing tempo.

It works so well; it can provide one with too much energy rather quickly.

Sound and music are powerful energy healers.

The sonic waves emitted by singing, playing musical instruments, or listening to music from a speaker are very effective at breaking apart dense energy blockages in the body.

Dancing while listening to music is so effective for releasing tension and dense energy that it is the most recommended method in this article.

Dancing does not have to be elegant and grand, it can simply be moving ones body from side to side or swaying to music, and it will still be very stimulating to the energy fields within the body.

Crystals are high-energy transmission devices that energy healers use to focus energy where they want it.

Having crystals in ones home, car, office, and next to ones bed can increase one’s energetic vitality immensely.

Healers can project energy into and through a crystal to increase the effectiveness of a healing session.

Pyramids are natural resonators of energy and are powerful tools for healing the body.

All pyramids concentrate energy inside of them, regardless of type of pyramid or the material used for construction.

Pyramids can be solid like the ancient stone pyramids of Giza in Egypt, or they can be hollow, like many inexpensive copper pipe pyramids available in spiritual markets in the modern time, and both are effective.

Pyramids work by creating resonant energy waves within and directly above them, and when a human is inside of these resonant energy waves; energy blockages are slowly and painlessly released through the energetic ‘massage’ of the high vibrations.

Ancient pyramid-building civilizations were highly aware of the effects of pyramids on the body, and used them for thousands of years to heal the body and aid in enlightening the mind.

Many ancient temples and sacred sites are natural energy resonators, and one can experience these effects for themselves by visiting ancient sacred sites and singing or playing music.

One will find that in certain places within the sacred sites, the music resonates perfectly and creates large harmonics of sound that physically vibrate the body and aid in the release of tension and dense energy blockages.

As a final note of advice provided in this article, the author recommends that the reader practice healing themselves through loving themself and holding the intention in their mind of harmonious, joyful living.

A mindset of self-empowerment and capability is a miraculous thing, and invites the universe to provide everything that is needed for one’s own healing journey.

Be sure to drink plenty of clean, fresh water and eat plenty of whole, plant-based foods, and life will provide abundant healing energy for you and everyone.

Namaste.

-Andrew

June 13, 2020

Throughout all of the human experience on Earth, in every culture, there have been enlightened men and women that are fully aware of their own divinity.

They have been teachers, guides, friends, and much more to those who seek a relationship with them.

In the modern era, the title of “Ascended Master” has been used to honor the nature and character of fully enlightened spiritual people.

There are many ascended masters who have strived to enlighten all humans to the truth of eternal life, infinite love, and ever-expanding consciousness.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), and Babaji who dwells in the Himalayas, are stellar examples of humans who have achieved total awareness of their own Spiritual Nature.

All of the ascended masters have had human experiences and lived on Earth as people.

All of them have raised their consciousness to the most high, achieving total understanding of the nature of the universe and the great mystery of eternal life.

They offer their teachings to everyone who wishes to receive their loving guidance.

The ascended masters can help people relieve themselves of their lustrous desires and ego-mind, and they do so by showing people their own dharma, or their life path of loving, thoughtful, and grateful service-to-others.

Everyone is walking the path of life, whether they are conscious of it or not, and the ascended masters help people stay focused upon the light, love, and gratitude one experiences in life.

They are beings of light, and are free to travel anywhere, anytime.

If a prayer is offered to an ascended master, and a genuine, loving, and receptive attitude is adopted, one can experience their presence no matter where one is in the world.

The ascended masters dwell in a higher plane of existence made entirely of light and thought.

Buddhists have called the higher plane “Nirvana,” while Christians have referred to it as “Heaven.”

Some modern scientists and philosophers refer to the realm as “the 7^th dimension.”

Each of the ascended masters walked the Earth just as humans do today, and successfully navigated the obstacles, desires, and challenges of the human experience.

They lived as servants of humanity.

Teaching, healing, and providing love and care for their communities were some of the activities they engaged in while they walked the Earth.

Meditation and sharing meditation with others are very important to the ascended masters, as it is the key to understanding higher consciousness as a human.

Meditation is the process of calming the mind and body to allow the spirit of the universe to be personally experienced.

The ascended masters are excellent meditators in their own way.

They work together in their quest to enlighten all beings to the truth- that we are all one.

They hold no prejudice, for they see all beings as aspects of the One Spirit of the Universe.

The ascended masters embody Love and peaceful living, and most humans who cross their paths strive to achieve as they have achieved.

Even if they no longer live in a human body on the Earth, their Spirit and teachings live on after their death, and are experienced time and time again by those who live on the Earth.

The ascended masters live through us.

They heal through our hands, and teach through our minds.

 They enlighten all beings through our dedicated service.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I met Jesus for the first time while staying in the ancient city of Abydos, in modern day Egypt.

I was on a tour of Egypt with spiritually minded people, and we were meditating together as a group in the evenings after visiting ancient temples.

I was lying in bed after a long day of touring the Seti temple in Abydos, when I was invited via a cell phone message to join a group meditation in the small, modern temple at the House of Life Hotel, which is where we were staying.

I did not want to go, as I was very tired, exhausted even, but I heard a whisper from my spirit guides that I really needed to attend the group meditation.

So, I gathered a few things: a water bottle, a crystal, and my rainbow poncho, and I walked over to the small temple at the back of the hotel.

My friends were seated in a circle around the room, with their backs to the walls, and there were candles burning in the middle of the room.

A few portraits of the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor were placed in the middle of the candles, and shadows from the candlelight danced across their faces.

When the meditation began, the group began to chant OM with great volume.

I was singing OM as well, but quickly became overpowered by a blinding white light, and I stopped singing as I felt my spirit leave my body and ‘fly’ through the roof of the temple and into the night sky.

I saw an infinite, multi-dimensional landscape of lightbeams arranged in straight lines, very much like a grid, but with great depth in every direction.

I was no longer an individual, but instead, a point of light fixed in the infinite grid of light-mind consciousness.

I had no body, nor did I feel materiality in any way.

The space was made of infinite light in every direction.

It had no edge, only a horizon beyond which I could not see.

I spent an indefinite amount of time in the infinite mind grid, and when I was feeling deeply peaceful, relaxed, and blissful, I heard a voice booming from all directions.

The voice told me, “You have to go back Andrew. Your work is not yet complete.”

I replied, “But I want to stay here with you forever! I love you so much!”

I meant it.

I was so blissful; I wanted to stay there. It was so different from life on Earth, so perfect and infinite.

“You will return when the time is right.” The booming voice told me.

Then I began to feel a falling sensation, and I returned to my body, and I saw the world around me materialize and my friends were in a circle chanting OM.

My whole body was vibrating and pulsing with energy, and I could barely feel my hands and feet, they were numb.

 I felt prickling and tingling sensations running up and down my body.

I tried to stand up to walk out of the temple but was too faint, so I reclined against the wall for a time, and focused on my breathing.

A few minutes passed by, the sounds of OM all around me, and I stood and walked out of the temple.

I walked to the swimming pool, removed my poncho, and jumped into the water.

I swam from one side of the pool to the other, and then floated on my back staring at the stars.

It was then that I saw Jesus’ face in the night sky, made of stars and faint lines of blue and purple.

He smiled at me, and I could feel that he was paying special attention to me at that moment.

Our consciousness connected, and I felt his presence all around me as I floated on my back in the pool.

We exchanged no words, but I felt powerful sensations of bliss and ripples of energy moving through my body.

I was smiling and could not help but laugh to myself.

I saw my friend by the side of the pool, and she smiled at me.

The face of Jesus slowly faded and after a few moments, I was looking at stars again, just as I had seen them hundreds of times before.

I swam for a while, trying not to think too hard about the experience, and inviting the sensations of bliss and light to linger in my mind.

After a long time, I got cold swimming in the pool, and decided to return to my room for a shower and a good night’s sleep.

I felt so blessed to have met the ascended master from Nazareth that night.

Ever since, my life has been different and filled with deep insights, meditations, and otherworldly experiences.

After leaving this plane of existence in Abydos, I have lived with a very different consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the same trip through Egypt, I was blessed to have met Sri Yukteswar, the lion of Bengal.

Sri Yukteswar is the Guru of Yogananda.

Yogananda has been and continues to be a wonderful teacher on topics of the spiritual nature of life.

 I was reading his book “Autobiography of a yogi” while I was traveling in Egypt in April 2018.

While I was staying in a hotel room, after a long day of touring an Egyptian temple, I felt guided to assume a meditation posture at the foot of my bed.

Shortly after straightening my back and relaxing my mind, I saw a crystal-clear vision of Sri Yukteswar looking at me.

He was seated in lotus posture about one meter in front of me, and was fully transparent, as I could see the wall of the room behind him.

He did not say anything to me, but gestured with a nod of his head that I was to follow him.

My consciousness leapt from my body, seemingly through the crown of my head, and I flew from the room out into the evening sky.

The image of Sri Yukteswar was flying ahead of me, and I effortlessly followed him above the clouds, and out into space.

There were stars all around us as we flew, and huge swaths of empty, black space.

We arrived after a short time at a massive blue star, which was radiating waves of purple and blue flames from its sides.

Sri Yukteswar indicated to me that we were to fly down to the surface of the star.

As we were approaching the blue star, I saw three triangular pyramids made of light on the surface.

They were arranged with the triangular bases of the pyramids forming a larger triangle, in the shape of a tri-force.

We flew down to the surface of the star, and arrived in the triangular “plaza” in the middle of the three pyramids.

The plaza was huge, and the pyramids were very tall.

We were not alone as we set our astral feet upon the star’s surface, which was surprisingly firm and stable.

In every direction, people of many different sizes and shapes were walking through the plaza.

The people were not made of flesh and bone, but were wholly comprised of light, and their auras were brilliant and obvious.

None of them paid us any attention, as it seemed they all had somewhere to go and were busy carrying out their business.

Sri Yukteswar and I stood and watched the scene for a long while, and it reminded me of a busy train station in a big city.

The light beings walked from one pyramid to another, or meandered aimlessly, and some were lounging on what appeared to be benches made of light.

Sri Yukteswar and I exchanged no words, we simply watched the people.

After what felt like a long time, Sri Yukteswar looked at me with a piercing look, and wanted to see if I understood what we were seeing, or if it was confusing and overwhelming to me.

I was comfortable and curious more than anything, and shared a smile with Sri Yukteswar.

He smiled back, and gently indicated to me that the time for our departure was upon us.

We simply flew straight up into the sky, and left the surface of the star with no effort.

After a short flight, we returned to my hotel room in Egypt.

 I could see my body in mediation posture and I flew towards it.

I entered my body, through the crown of my head, and was back on Earth.

I held my hands in prayer for a long time, offering thanks and blessings to Sri Yukteswar for the incredible journey I had just taken.

He was nowhere in sight as I stood from the floor and walked to the balcony.

I could see the Nile River below me, and above me were countless stars.

I heard a voice at that moment, and it shared with me that I had just visited the star “Sirius.”

Ever since that evening flight, as I gaze up into the night sky, I always look for Sirius.

I want to one day return to the star-station and hopefully befriend some fellow sky-travellers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While living in a hostel in Sintra, Portugal, I have seen the Buddha many times.

Once, I saw the Buddha behind the wall of the bathroom.

He was radiating golden light, and waves of rainbows were emanating from his body.

He held his hands in prayer position, and bowed his head to me.

I did the same.

Then he vanished, and the bathroom wall was solid and green again.

Another time, I was lying in bed, relaxing and talking with my friend Lily about the divine nature of reality, when I saw the Buddha in the ceiling of my room.

Again, his body was made of golden light and his aura was rippling rainbows of bright colors.

He smiled at me, and a beam of purple radiated towards me.

I felt the purple light when it finally touched the crown of my head, and instantly felt blissful, peaceful, and light as a feather.

I was talking about consciousness and it’s infinite nature, but I cannot remember exactly what I was saying as I was so enraptured by bliss and serenity.

After some time, I felt my vibration slow down and the ecstasy subsided.

I looked out the window, and saw white clouds flying by.

As I stared at the clouds, I could see the clouds turn purple and indigo blue, and later yellow and golden.

I could see waves of purple light with rainbow edges emanating from the top of sacred Mountain of the Moon.

I was very happy and peaceful, and I felt the Buddha’s presence in the room with us.

After some time, the Buddha vanished, and my bliss subsided, and I relaxed on the bed.

Another time, on a different day, in a different room in the hostel, I was lying on my bed alone, meditating, when I had an incredible multi-dimensional vision of space and the cosmos.

The vision lasted for a long time, and I saw many beautiful and immense landscapes and people, but the part of the vision that I wish to share in this moment, was seeing the Buddha inside of the Sun.

He was immense in size, radiating golden light, and he was lounging on his side comfortably, his right arm propping his head up.

He smiled at me, and stared into my eyes.

He was surrounded by golden fire, and was covered in a monk’s robe made of fire and rainbows.

He did not say anything, but looked at me with intensity, and I knew in that moment that he was focused on me.

We stared at each other for a time, and I bowed my head in prayer and to honor him, before he vanished and the vision transitioned to different, beautiful, far out vistas and places.

Then I relaxed, and offered a prayer of thanks to the Buddha and all of the ascended masters for their loving guidance.

It is my hope that sharing these stories may motivate the reader to reach out to the ascended masters and pray for blessings to be shared with all of humanity.

They are waiting for us in the higher planes of consciousness.

The ascended masters love us, and want us to be happy and aware of our own divine nature.

~~~Namaste

-Andrew

June 2020

Shamans have been performing healing ceremonies for a very long time.

They can be found in every culture around the world, and are highly revered by many communities for their mystical abilities.

Shamanism is an ancient art that began long before people recorded their history.

The human experience has been deeply mysterious and spiritual since the beginning, and shamans have played key roles as guides and healers.

Shamans help people navigate life and death, and guide people between the physical world and the spiritual world.

The physical world is where humans live everyday and is made up of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and energy.

The spiritual world is non-physical, and is made entirely of light and energy.

Life in the physical world adheres to the laws of time and space.

Life in the spiritual world is eternal and there is neither time nor space.

The role of the shaman in the physical world is to help people travel to the spirit world and return safely.

Shamans are also healers and help people learn how to take care of and heal themselves.

They accomplish this by maintaining a safe space in the physical world to help others’ explore their bodies, minds, and spirits.

When people are suffering from disease and in pain, they are usually disconnected from their original, spiritual, natural self.

Shamans help people remember their original self, which is balanced, capable, and lives in harmony with Nature and the Universe.

Shamans help people remove their fears, doubts, and ‘shadows’, in order to reveal their own inner light and spirit.

Everybody has an aura, or spiritual light that surrounds their physical body.

The aura stores memories and emotions felt in life.

The aura is affected by trauma, anxiety, and depression.

Trauma, if not released and processed, can stay in the aura and physical body and negatively affect health and well-being.

Shamans use various techniques for removing energy patterns caused by trauma from the spiritual aura.

Some of these techniques include drumming, singing sacred songs, smudging with incense, and concentrating and projecting spiritual energy (also known as reiki).

Shamans also may invite benevolent spirits to perform non-physical healing.

Since shamans have the ability to navigate between the physical and the spiritual world, they may invite certain spiritual beings into the physical world to perform miraculous healing.

Benevolent spiritual beings are capable of manifesting miraculous healing, and can remove disease from the body and aura with ease.

Shamans will also invite the spirits of one’s ancestors and deceased loved ones into a healing ceremony.

Feeling the presence of one’s ancestors and loved ones who have already departed this world can be deeply healing and offer profound insights to the nature of life.

Shamans may also invite the presence of certain animal spirits into healing ceremonies.

Spirit animals are guides and friends to people navigating the spirit world, and offer protection, companionship, and magical healing to those who connect with them.

Common spirit animals many spiritual people connect with are the Eagle, the Lion, the Jaguar, the Bear, the Owl, the Fox, the Dolphin, the Wolf, the Dog, and the Cat.

Each have their own unique qualities, teachings, and abilities, and one can connect spiritually with any or all of them, but usually only one or two at a time.

One can connect with spirit animals at any time in their life, and a shaman does not need to be present in order for the spiritual connection to occur.

If one has no experience connecting with a spirit animal, a shaman can help show them how to do it.

In ceremony, shamans may make a small altar that focuses on the four natural, physical elements.

Each of the four physical elements, Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, each has their own magical teachings and abilities.

Earth can calm the mind, air can stimulate the imagination, fire can provide vitality, and water can soothe and cleanse the body and mind.

These are just a few examples of the healing magic that each of the four basic elements has to offer.

A shamanic healing ceremony will involve all or some of the techniques mentioned earlier.

A shamanic healing ceremony can be done one-on-one with the shaman and the person receiving the healing, or it can be done in groups of people.

There is no limit to how many people can receive the shamanic healing at once, but a group of 10 people is considered to be very large, whereas a group of 3-4 is considered to be small and manageable.

When practicing shamanism, there is an unofficial code of ethics that must be adhered to, in order to maximize healing and minimize potential harm.

When in ceremony with a shaman, the shaman has a role as facilitator and guide, and as such, must be dedicated, respectful, reliable, honest, and trustworthy.

People receiving healing in shamanic ceremonies are vulnerable and open to influence from the shaman, and it is paramount for the shaman to adhere to strict boundaries regarding intimacy, romance, and sexual advances.

It is unethical for a shaman to make romantic or sexual advances to a person receiving shamanic healing.

Just like most careers in medicine or education, it is very important for shamans to be strictly professional while facilitating healing ceremonies.

While in ceremony, if a shaman is unreliable and untrustworthy, the healing ceremony can become a traumatic experience, thereby negating the healing potential and in fact, expand the suffering of the individual who wanted healing.

Most shamans are reliable, trustworthy, and adhere to professional ethics, but just like in all professions, there are people who break ethical guidelines.

Determining the background of the shaman one wishes to work with as well as speaking with people who have worked with them already are good practices for developing a relationship with a shamanic healer.

People who participate in shamanic healing ceremonies always have the right to end the session before it is over.

The intention of a healing ceremony is to aid the person in need of healing, and to enhance their life.

A healing ceremony is not supposed to be an opportunity for the shaman to flex their ego and show off their skills.

Shamans who are ethical and trustworthy can be amazing healers, teachers, and friends, and many people throughout history have benefited from the spiritual healing techniques that they have to offer.

Shamans who have learned to live in harmony with themselves, Nature, and the Universe, have a child-like sense of wonder as part of their character, and know that their life journey is deeply impactful on the world and the universe in which they live.

Shamans have the ability to share the deeply mysterious and mystical aspects of life with other people, and as such, have a responsibility to be morally, ethically, and spiritually healthy, respectful, and wholesome.

A shaman’s goal should be to act, speak, and think in harmony with Nature and the Universe.

When living in harmony, the incredible mysteries of life and death can be understood and appreciated fully.

“Beauty above me, Beauty below me, Beauty to the left of me, Beauty to the right of me, Beauty ahead, Beauty Behind, Beautiful outside, and Beautiful within.”

The beauty of the spirit is all around, and if one loses sight of this truth, a shaman can help open ones’ eyes again.

This article will discuss several topics that are related to spiritual healing.

Healing oneself or others can be done gradually and with ease, without mental strain or overwhelming experiences.

The goal of healing is to be in a receptive state, that is, to be open to receiving vitality from Nature, the Universe, and from ones’ self.

Healing can be done for people, places, animals, plants, and even non-animated things like objects.

All that is, is divine creation, and deserves to be healthy and harmonious.

Everybody is deserving of health, wealth, and the pursuit of happiness.

Everybody deserves to live without fear and to feel whole and complete.

Good health is the greatest wealth one can have.

Living creatures like humans, animals, and plants are naturally healthy and can accomplish their goals without hindrance.

Environmental stresses and lack of nutriment can block harmonious, constant growth and accomplishment.

If there were to be a thesis, or a singular teaching that could be learned from this article, it would be that humans are naturally healthy and capable, and that we live in a natural state of harmony, which can be disturbed by environmental stresses and corrected by healthy lifestyle choices which can sustain and maintain equilibrium of the elements and forces that humans’ rely on while living in the physical world.

This article has three main sections, and is focusing on healing humans’ bodies, minds, and spirits.

~~~Healing the physical body~~~

—Food and Beverage

The human body is physical and comprised of material things like muscles, bones, tendons, fatty tissue, veins, organs, and nerves.

All of these materials are made up of basic elements like calcium, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and oxygen.

The body is always assimilating and eliminating basic elements into its structure through the process of eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating.

To maintain a proper balance of elements in the body, one must eat and drink regularly as well as urinate and defecate regularly.

It is very important for healing the body to choose food and beverages that are natural, organic, and minimally processed in order for the body to receive the maximum amount of nutrients that they contain.

Foods that are highly processed before reaching the market often contain preservative chemicals and have lots of unnecessary additives in them to preserve their shelf-life, which makes them difficult to digest and hard for the body to assimilate the nutrients inside of them.

These foods should be avoided when healing the body.

Ideally, a person in need of healing should drink pure water from a natural spring or filtered water, and should avoid sugary beverages.

Not all water is the same.

Water from natural springs usually has high mineral content and excellent electrical conductivity where as tap water from a municipality will have poor mineral content, poor electrical conductivity, and usually contains potentially dangerous additives from the water processing plant like fluoride and chlorine.

An easy way to differentiate between healthy and non-healthy foods and beverages is to identify the source.

Foods and beverages that are produced from natural sources with minimal processing are usually healthy, and food and beverages that are from man-made factories, industrial kitchens, and bottling facilities are usually not healthy.

It is the recommendation of the author that when seeking healthy food and beverage, one should eat a plant-based diet that consists of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pure water, while limiting or avoiding meat, dairy, sugary beverages, and processed food.

Eating a rainbow of foods, that is, eating naturally colorful fruits and vegetables, provides the body with all the nutrients it needs to be healthy and to heal itself of disease.

Food and beverage are an everyday part of life, and small improvements in one’s diet can produce health that is long lasting and sustainable.

—Exercise and stretching

Movement of the body is a critical aspect of healing.

Human bodies evolved over many thousands of years to be moving in the environment regularly.

Trees evolved over many thousands of years to stay sedentary and stable, but humans did not.

Human bodies need movement everyday in order to maintain a high level of health.

Walking, running, bicycling, rock-climbing, dancing, and swimming are all great ways to move and stimulate blood flow in the body.

When exercising, the body breathes air at a higher rate than when the body is at rest.

This higher rate of breathing allows for oxygen to be assimilated into the blood.

Oxygenated blood circulates around the body and provides necessary nutriment for healthy cellular function.

Also, when moving the body, muscles are stimulated to grow and improve their function.

When the body does not move enough, muscles become weak and incapable of accomplishing tasks.

In order to move everyday sustainably, it is important to have a regular stretching regimen before, during, and after exercising.

Tendons and muscles tend to tighten when they are sedentary for too long, and regular stretching or assuming yoga postures can loosen them and make them feel comfortable and flexible.

It is important to exercise lightly, or ‘warm-up’, before stretching too intensely because muscles and tendons can easily be over-extended and strained, producing pain and discomfort.

If the physical body is feeling uncomfortable and tight, stretching and moving can provide quick relief and stimulate the body to feel wonderful.

—Healthy sexuality

Humans are naturally sexual and regularly have urges to find a mate and reproduce.

Sexuality is a part of the human experience for most people, and expressing sexual urges in healthy, safe, and thoughtful ways is a big part of healing the body.

Communicating honestly with sexual partners is a critical aspect of a healthy sexual relationship.

Being honest with yourself is a critical aspect of healthy sexuality, and honoring your own boundaries with respect to what you desire and what you do not desire is important for maintaining sexual harmony.

In ancient Hinduism and Buddhism, sexuality is embraced as a part of the human experience, and is often discussed as a pathway to enlightenment and realization of the divine.

Tantra is the practice of conscious sexuality as a means of uniting and harmonizing male and female energies in the body in order to achieve enlightenment.

Basically, there are two main types of tantra, white tantra, and black tantra.

White tantra is the practice of sexual intercourse between partners that is meant to raise the vibration of consciousness in both partners while not culminating in orgasm.

Black tantra is the practice of intercourse between partners that is also meant to raise the vibration of consciousness in both partners and culminates in an orgasm.

Both practices are meant to be done with full awareness, consciously, and with full attention to seeing and feeling the divine nature in each other.

Tantra can be understood as an act of worship, or prayer, towards one partner and oneself, and is a path used by many throughout history to understanding the nature of creation, pleasure, love, and divine connection.

Navigating the human experience can be both very pleasant and very disturbing, and sexuality if expressed unconsciously or without loving, caring, respectful attention, can be painful, traumatic, and hollow.

It is important when healing the body to express sexual urges thoughtfully, with loving, caring, gentle energy, in order to produce pleasure, enlightenment, and expanded consciousness.

—Drugs, sugar, tobacco

Throughout history, humans have used substances to alter their consciousness.

Many people all around the world use opium, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, tobacco, and many other natural and artificial substances every day.

The divine creator included consciousness-altering substances in natural creation, and humans use them regularly to feel different.

Not all drugs and substances are the same, as some can be used regularly without detrimental effect on the body and spirit, while others can produce intense addictions and alter behavior and free will.

Opium, heroin, and codeine are examples of opiates, drugs that produce feelings of intense euphoria and pain-alleviation.

They also are very addictive, and can alter behavior and one’s ability to function without them.

All drugs that are highly addictive are not conducive to healing the body, as they prevent the body from making choices based on rational, clear-minded thinking, and instead limit the body’s’ ability to navigate the world freely and without hindrance.

Cocaine can produce feelings of euphoria, increase vitality, decrease hunger, and is very addictive.

Cocaine is not conducive to healing, and its recreational use should be avoided for optimal health.

Sugar is a substance that produces pleasure and can be found in almost any food market in the modern world.

It is highly addictive and taxing to the body, and its intake should be limited.

Tobacco is widely available in the modern world, is highly addictive, inflammatory to the body, and its intake should also be limited.

Cannabis and CBD bearing hemp are widely available and legal in many parts of the world, and are known to be medicinal and powerful healers of many ailments if ingested moderately.

Edible cannabis oils or tinctures are the optimal method for ingestion, as they produce medicinal effects without the need for inhaling smoke or vapor.

Everybody has free will to use substances as they choose, and in order to heal the body, one must moderate their use of consciousness altering substances, or if they choose to, abstain from their use.

Sobriety can be very fulfilling and healing, and using substances in moderation can also be part of a fulfilling and healing lifestyle.

Spiritual entheogens, or psychedelics like Psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, are a different class of substances than those mentioned above, and will be discussed later in this article.

—Chakras

 In the human body, there are points of concentrated electrical and spiritual energy that are called Chakras.

There are seven main chakras that can be found along the spine, and there are hundreds more, smaller chakras located all throughout the body.

Chakras are not visible to the average person, however they can be felt and seen by those with high sensitivity.

Chakras absorb and process spiritual energy (also called chi or prana) from the environment around the body, and transform it into usable vitality.

An analogy often used to describe chakras, is comparing them to an electrical transformer on a high-voltage transmission line.

In order for the electricity to become usable for practical purposes, it’s intensity must be lowered so that it does not overload the low-voltage electrical systems used in ones day to day life like toasting bread in a toaster or illuminating a light bulb.

The spiritual energy field that provides vitality, life, and animation to the body is so dense with energy that it must be transformed by the chakras in order for it to be usable and not overpowering to the body.

The seven main chakras found on the spine each transform and absorb different frequencies of universal energy.

The chakra at the base of the spine processes energy that is associated with survival consciousness, and is associated with the color red.

The chakra found behind the navel processes emotional energy and is associated with the color orange.

The chakra behind the solar plexus processes energy that allows for the body to take action in the world and feel capable of accomplishing tasks. This chakra is associated with the color yellow.

The chakra in the heart center processes loving energy and allows for healthy, loving relationships to occur in ones’ life. It is associated with the colors green and pink.

The chakra in the throat processes communication energy and allows for one to speak, sing, and communicate ideas with others. It is associated with the color blue.

The chakra in the brain, located between the two hemispheres of the brain and at the top of the cerebro-spinal column, is called the third-eye chakra.

This chakra is very important as it processes thoughts and wisdom, and allows for the body to see, feel, hear, and otherwise understand the non-physical, or spiritual, aspects of life. The third-eye chakra is associated with the color indigo, or deep blue.

The chakra at the top of the head, slightly above the skull, processes divine energy and allows for the body to understand the spiritual nature of reality.

This chakra is associated with the color purple.

Chakras can be functional or dysfunctional just like any other system in the body.

When the chakras are fully open and transforming spiritual energy at high rates, the body feels healthy, harmonious, calm, relaxed, and connected to the environment around it.

When the chakras are closed and not functioning optimally, the body can feel depressed, uncomfortable, anxious, incapable, and disconnected from the world around it.

For optimal health, practicing various techniques for keeping the chakras open and receiving energy from the environment must be put to use regularly.

Yoga, exercise, breathing techniques, meditation, sunbathing, and many other techniques can be used to maintain the chakras.

A simple way to remember the various functions of the chakras is shown below.

Red chakra = I AM

Orange Chakra = I FEEL

Yellow Chakra = I DO

Green Chakra = I LOVE

Blue Chakra = I COMMUNICATE

Indigo, Third eye chakra = I THINK

Purple, Crown chakra = I UNDERSTAND

~~~Healing the Mind~~~

—Self-love

When healing the mind of troubling anxieties or unnecessary stress, it is very important to begin any healing work from a mindset of loving one self.

Everybody has to a certain degree, had experiences that have made them feel angry, sad, depressed, empty, cold, or just generally unhappy.

To shift these negative expressions of thought and emotion, it is important to love ones’ self enough to want happiness, joy, and peace in ones’ life.

If we don’t love our self, we will lack the foundation upon which all healing takes place, a desire to be loved and to love others and the world around us.

Love doesn’t have to be romantic for it to be profound and fulfilling.

Love manifests in many different ways, whether it be friendships, familial relationships, or love for animals, plants, nature, and sunsets.

Sometimes in western society self-love is viewed as selfishness, but in fact it is quite the opposite.

When we love ourselves so much that we strive to achieve peace and wholesomeness in our own lives, we provide an overflow of love and care to others and the world around us.

We are a divine vessel of spirit and light, and when we are filled to the brim with self-love, it overflows and pours into the vessels of our community and the world.

—-Community and Sharing with friends

Humans are naturally social, and most of us are not meant to live in isolation, separate from others.

Living in a community of peers that love and respect us as we are is an important aspect of a healthy mental state.

Having friends and family around us with whom we can share our thoughts, emotions, and experiences with is critical for most people to maintain a wholesome mind.

Telling and hearing stories, sharing emotional bliss or trauma, and experiencing life’s ups and downs with others is part of healing and maintaining health.

Humans rely on one another to live in the world, and learning to love and be loved is a great way to be in harmony with our friends and neighbors.

Through love we can learn to overcome trauma, depression, and anxiety.

Through loving the community in which we live, we can expand our individual lives into a collective experience, and this allows our own problems and successes to be manageable.

If we isolate ourselves from our community, our suffering can be overwhelming.

When we live, love, and work together with our friends, family, and neighbors we can create a harmonious pattern of healing and exchange, which will sustain future generations and us in the present moment.

When we share our lives with others, we all heal together, as one.

—-Selective with media

In our age of media, with images, stories, videos, and music being projected at us from many sources, it is an important practice to limit engagement with media that makes us feel negative or drains our emotional health.

Mainstream media can be very draining to our emotions and contribute to a feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness.

Music and movies that focus on horror, fear, pain, and suffering, if indulged in too much, can affect our mental health in profound ways.

Minimizing exposure to media with themes of pain and fear is an important practice for maintaining a healthy mindset about the human experience.

On a more positive note, listening to uplifting music, reading stories about accomplishment and adventure, and watching movies and television shows that are informative or enriching emotionally are good practices for relaxation and entertainment, which are important aspects of maintaining a healthy mind in the modern era.

—-Stress-management

We live in a stressful time, with many environmental, social, and financial reasons to feel worried and anxious.

Learning techniques to release worry, stress, and anxiety are paramount for maintaining a healthy mindset about life.

Exercise, spending time with friends, meditation, yoga, exploring nature, and listening to or creating uplifting music are all excellent methods for releasing stress.

Releasing stress and worry should be practiced everyday for optimal spiritual health.

Feeling appreciative for the blessings in life is a great way to turn the focus of the mind from stressed out to blissed out.

It is hard to feel deeply appreciative and anxious at the same time.

~~~Healing the Spirit~~~

—-Alchemy

A fundamental teaching of alchemy is that humans have three selves: The former self, the current self, and the higher self.

The former self is who we were in the past: unconscious and ignorant of our own spiritual nature.

The current self is who we are today: growing, learning, and expanding our consciousness to be more loving, caring, thoughtful, and capable.

The higher self is who we will become one day.

The higher self is all knowing, all capable, all loving, divinely aware, and radiant with the light of the divine spirit that is found in all things, everywhere.

One of the main teachings in alchemy is to raise the vibration of the soul from physical to spiritual, or in other terms, from lead into gold.

The ancient Egyptians, who developed alchemy as we know it today, taught countless initiates throughout the ages the art of living from the consciousness of the higher self.

When humans live and act according to the principles of being capable, loving, and aware of the universal spirit in all things, they begin to develop their ‘golden body’ or divine body.

The golden body is not physical, it is made of thought, light, and consciousness, and it can be used to navigate the physical or non-physical worlds, many of which have been discussed in holy books through out time.

In Buddhism, the golden body is referred to as the ‘Rainbow body’ and it is the vehicle used by Buddhist monks to achieve nirvana-consciousness, or awareness of the divine spirit that pervades all things, thoughts, and dreams.

The Buddha taught that any man or woman could achieve this awareness in one lifetime, and did not have to reincarnate throughout many ages in order for their awareness to be raised to the highest consciousness.

Similarly, the ancient priests of ancient Egypt taught that the highest achievement of alchemy could be made in one human lifetime.

One of the highest achievements of both alchemy and Buddhism is to become aware of ones’ self as a manifestation of the divine spirit in the physical world.

Humans are far more capable, loving, and aware of the nature of reality than most of us think in western society.

Time and time again humans have achieved what was formerly thought of as impossible.

Space travel, building pyramids, magnificent temples, and cities are all manifestations of humans’ incredible capability for creation that were thought of as impossibilities in the past and are recognized as normal in the present.

The dreams and fiction of the past are now realities lived by many people.

Anything is possible if humans connect with and live from the consciousness of the higher self.

—Ceremony

Throughout history, humans have held rituals and ceremonies to reconnect with the divine on a regular basis.

Ceremonies manifest in many different ways but there are some similarities that are present in most.

Gathering groups of people together is a common foundation for ceremonies.

Also, the use of music and dancing is very common in most ceremonies in most cultures.

Ceremonies are designed to stimulate the human senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell.

A central fire, the burning of candles, or laser lightshows in modern times, is often used as a representative for the divine light.

The burning of incense or use of perfume is common in ceremonies.

Food and feasts are common at ceremonies and play a large role for sustaining ceremonies that take a long time.

They have been held in every chapter of the human experience and every religion or spiritual practice includes them as fundamental practices for maintaining a connection to the divine spirit.

Holidays and holiday traditions can be understood as ceremonies that are regularly practiced on the same day every year in order to teach specific ideas or remember certain events in history.

—Meditation

Meditation is fundamental to maintaining a personal relationship with the divine spirit.

Meditation can be practiced alone or in groups of people, and is done with the intention of calming the mind in order to receive energy and inspiration from the divine spirit.

When practiced regularly, meditation is a powerful practice for achieving higher levels of consciousness.

People who regularly meditate may have mystical experiences, higher-dimensional experiences, or visitations by non-physical beings.

Spirit-flight, or astral projection, is a phenomena of one’s consciousness leaving the physical body and navigating worlds and realities of a different nature than the physical world.

Good comparisons of the realities that can be accessed by spirit-flight are dream states achieved during sleep.

When we sleep at night, and dream, we experience things that are impossible in the day-to-day physical world, and it is quite common for people to see things that are confusing, bizarre, or otherworldly while dreaming.

Similarly, when meditating and deliberately leaving the physical body through spirit-flight, ones consciousness can do physically impossible things and meet beings that are both non-physical and nonsensical to the common human.

Consciousness is not bound by gravity like the physical body, and when performing spirit-flight, one can fly above the Earth, leave the atmosphere, and fly through space at incredible speeds.

In the television show ‘Star trek,’ the spaceships the main characters fly in are capable of flying at faster than light speed, or as they call it, warp speed.

At faster than light speeds, singular objects become stretched into lines of light, and the spaceship can travel vast distances in very short amounts of time.

This phenomenon of achieving faster than light speed travel can be experienced by regular meditators and is remarkably comfortable and easy to do in the spirit body.

A common phrase used by meditators in the modern time to describe this experience is “flying through hyperspace.”

Hyperspace is hard to describe, but has been called “the space between spaces.”

Meditation is the key to understanding the non-physical aspects of life.

Ancient spiritual masters like Buddha and Jesus Christ advocated for it to be done regularly if one wants to achieve higher levels of consciousness.

Meditation can allow for the practitioner to achieve otherwise impossible things, and is fundamental for any spiritual path.

When in meditation, one may see visions with their eyes closed, hear sounds or voices in an otherwise silent space, and know things without a logical explanation for their being understood.

These gifts of Clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience are achievable to everybody, and meditation is the best way to practice and enhance ones’ natural abilities.

The best place to meditate is anywhere one can be comfortable and relaxed, and the best time to perform meditation is anytime.

As guru Ram Dass, aka Richard Alpert, taught in the 1960’s, Be Here Now.

No matter where you go, and no matter what time it is, we are always Here, and it is always Now.

—Psilocybin Mushrooms

Throughout human history, spiritual people have used psychedelic plants as tools for becoming more aware of the spiritual reality of life and for healing their minds and souls.

Psilocybin mushrooms were eaten by many advanced cultures all around the globe for many thousands of years in order to achieve higher levels of consciousness.

Psilocybin mushrooms include over 150 known species of naturally occurring mushrooms that contain several psychedelic compounds in varying quantities.

Psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, and norbaeocystin are psychedelic compounds that occur naturally in certain mushrooms.

Psylocibe Cubensis is the most common species of psychedelic mushroom that has been studied in western culture since the 1950’s.

Psylocibe Cubensis mushrooms grow in the southern United States, Mexico, South America, Northern Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the pacific islands, Australia, and all over Europe.

Typically they grow in moist, warm climates out of cow, horse, or ox dung piles, and have been collected and ingested for at least 10,000 years.

Paintings on cave walls depicting a human both holding a large mushroom and surrounded by mushrooms in Algeria is evidence of their use by ancient shamans long before the beginning of recorded history.

In Mexico and Guatemala, there are carved stone statues of Psylocibe mushrooms that date to pre-Olmec cultures, approximately 4,000-6,000 years ago.

In southeast Asia, particularly Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the locals have been ingesting Psylocibe mushrooms since before their histories began, and many ancient Buddhist temples are surrounded by naturally occurring Psylocibe mushroom patches.

Psilocybin mushrooms are non-toxic to the human body and one cannot die from overdosing, however, the effects may be overwhelming if too much is ingested.

An active, psychedelic dose of psilocybin mushrooms is less than one gram of dried psilocybin mushroom.

For a user to have a fully psychedelic experience which may include extra-sensory perception, visuals, and profound feelings and emotions, one should ingest between one and 3 dried grams of psilocybin mushrooms.

If a user ingests more than 3 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms, the experience is almost guaranteed to be mystical, very out of the ordinary, intense, visually beautiful, and potentially uncomfortable.

Only those with a lot of experience should ingest over 3 grams of dried mushrooms.

When ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, the user should avoid dangerous environments like cliff sides, rivers, the ocean, or other places where the physical body could potentially be in danger.

Ideally when ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, the user should have a sober, clear minded and reliable friend or colleague nearby in order to provide care if the user is in need of anything.

Typically, psilocybin users experience diminished appetite during the experience, and it is wise to only eat fresh fruit and vegetables before and during the experience, as “heavy” foods like meat and cheese can produce discomfort.

During the psilocybin experience, limiting interaction with others is recommended, as the experience is highly personal, introspective, and profound.

However, it is very important to ask for help or support if the experience is too uncomfortable or intense, and if in a safe environment, usually people are very happy to be helpful to someone having a psychedelic experience.

Having the psychedelic experience with an experienced guide or shaman is highly recommended but not essential, and establishing clear boundaries and rules for interaction between guides and the user should be made before any psilocybin is ingested.

The ideal environment for the psychedelic experience is anywhere the user feels comfortable and safe, and is not in an area where other people will be disturbed.

Public areas in the middle of town and crowded public campgrounds are examples of locations that are not ideal.

After ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, the effects can be felt for 4 to 12 hours, and during this time, minimizing hiking, exercising, cooking, and other physical activity is recommended.

Laying down on the ground and relaxing or lounging and listening to music are ideal activities for the psilocybin experience.

The idea is to limit activity in the physical body so that the more subtle, introspective, and non-physical experiences can be fully explored.

—Angels, spirits, non-physical beings

Humans are quite used to the physical world in which we live.

We wake up from sleep and feel the sunlight on our bodies, the water we drink, the earth below our feet, and the air we breathe.

These are all physical phenomena, and the four basic elements of earth, air, water, and fire are experienced with our physical bodies and the five human senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell.

The physical phenomena we experience are only one small part of the universe in which we live in.

There are non-physical, subtler phenomena that can be experienced by humans and have been talked about by mystics, sages, and holy men and women for ages.

There are places in the universe that can be explored using the golden, or rainbow body and when exploring these places, one can meet non-physical beings that have character, free will, individuality, and speech, just like humans.

These non-physical beings have been given many names throughout history.

Some of the more common names for non-physical beings are angels, spirits, demons, ghosts, genies, elves, fairies, as well as many more.

They are the characters from countless children’s stories and holy books, mythologies, and legends told around campfires.

There is no question as to their legitimacy or their being real.

The non-physical beings are not made of physical elements like humans are, but are instead comprised of light, thought, and life force energy.

Some are benevolent, and want to help humans in their journey of life if given the opportunity.

Some are indifferent to the business of humans and tend to avoid interaction.

Some are malevolent, aggressive, violent, and dangerous to humans, and if given the opportunity, will attack humans and attempt to drain their life force energy.

It is important for those on a spiritual healing path to have awareness about the spiritual beings that one will encounter in life, and to learn how to differentiate between those that wish to offer guidance, support, and loving, healing energy versus those who wish to do harm and spread malevolence.

Learning to avoid interaction with malevolent beings and invite interaction with benevolent, loving beings is learned through experience, although, avoiding certain places that are known to be haunted or otherwise homes to spirits is usually wise.

Benevolent beings like angels are capable of travelling anywhere in the universe instantly, as they are multi-dimensional, and not bound by the laws of space and time.

 If invited to one’s home or sacred space, they can offer many blessings, guidance, and loving vibrations that are very helpful for those healing from ailments.

Learning to be receptive to the guidance offered by angels can help heal ailments that were otherwise thought impossible to recover from.

Miraculous healing occurs when the guidance offered by angels is followed.

That being said, every human has the choice of free will and should not feel pressured or forced into taking actions that are outside their personal boundaries.

Guidance is very different from taking orders, and learning to respect oneself enough to make choices for your self is important.

In the experience of the author, benevolent, angelic beings never demand action from humans.

 They offer loving guidance.

While in Egypt in 2018, a woman from Austria approached the author of this article, and she told him that she had a dream of the author placing his hand on her forehead.

She told him that she was having trouble conceiving a child with her husband, and she asked him if there was any spiritual healing the author could perform for her to help her situation.

In that moment, the author received a vision of the woman wearing a topaz crystal earring on her left ear, and a sapphire earring on her right ear, and was guided by an angelic voice to tell her to wear these crystal earrings the next time she wished to conceive a child with her husband.

The author then felt guided to place his hand on the top of her head and send loving thoughts and energy into her third-eye chakra, which he did.

The interaction ended as quickly as it had begun, and one year later, the woman had conceived and given birth to her daughter, who is now healthy and almost two years old.

This story illustrates the miraculous effect of listening to the guidance of angelic beings.

—Sacred spaces and temples

Ancient cultures built magnificent temples and pyramids, many of which survive to this day.

The building of sacred temples, pyramids, stone circles, or artificial caves has been practiced all over the world throughout human history.

Stonehenge in England, the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, kivas in the American Southwest, and the Incan city of Macchu Piccu are just a few examples of sacred spaces deliberately built by humans.

Sacred temples are made for many reasons.

Temples are places for ceremonial gatherings, schools for the education of initiates and priesthoods, houses for spiritual community leaders, storage spaces of sacred artifacts, astrological observatories, healing and medicine centers, musical and theatrical performance halls, meditation spaces, as well as providing a space for many mystical practices beyond our understanding in the modern era.

Not all temples are the same, but many share common traits.

One of these common traits is the use of stone as a construction material.

Another common trait is they are highly resonant spaces, which allow for sound to reverberate very well.

Also, many temples are deliberately dark spaces, allowing minimal sunlight to enter.

This is conducive for viewing the invisible, non-physical aspects of reality.

Many temples, although not all of them, are decorated with symbols, hieroglyphs, stone carvings and statues, and functional artwork.

The artistic decorations are usually meant to tell stories or teach lessons about the nature of reality, and often serve as altars or centerpieces for spiritual ceremonies.

Temples are artistically designed spaces that are meant to facilitate miraculous and seemingly impossible experiences.

Often, miraculous healing takes place in temples and sacred spaces, and many people throughout history and in the modern era have journeyed to ancient, sacred temples to pray for healing and good health, often experiencing good results.

—–Sacred Symbols

One way to communicate higher levels of consciousness without written language or speech is through the use of symbols and sacred geometry.

Symbols are images or patterns that share teachings and spiritual insights and can be replicated, drawn, carved, or otherwise shared from person to person without the need for a complex written language.

The use of symbols to communicate is as ancient as humanity itself, and predates shared language and writing.

Symbols like the Ankh, Eye of Horus, Flower of Life, Tree of Life, a Star, and the Cross are very ancient and have been studied and used by most religions and spiritual practices throughout history.

Meditating while imagining or visualizing symbols in ones’ minds eye is a very effective way to induce mystical experiences and higher consciousness.

Every symbol has it’s own teachings and abilities, and their study can aid in spiritual wellness and healing.

Symbols are magical, and should be treated with great respect, as they all have individual and unique power.

The energy that certain symbols emit can be very intense, and their use in drawings, ceremonies, or meditation should be practiced with great care.

A practice for beginners, who desire to experience the energy of symbols for themselves, is to take a blank writing surface and draw a large circle with a cross inside of it, with the points of the cross touching the edge of the circle.

Then, gaze at the circle with the cross in it for a while, not staring too intently but in a relaxed way, and try to notice any unique feelings or thoughts that arise.

If you can, visualize or imagine the circle with the cross inside for enhanced effect.

—Universal mind

“My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.”

The incredible Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla shared the phrase above.

Tesla had many profound insights into the nature of the universe and created many incredible devices that include the modern-day radio, alternating current electrical system, and a system for the wireless transmission of electricity.

His creations changed the world in profound ways, and set the stage for the modern way of life all across the world.

He never claimed to have invented any of his creations, but explained his inspiration by his receiving the designs from the universal mind, and then building them in the physical world.

He saw in great detail, all of the inner-workings and complexities of his devices in his mind before they were ever put to the workbench.

Nikola Tesla’s achievements were only possible because he was receiving information, visions, and thoughts from the universal mind of the Divine Creator.

Every human is capable of receiving inspiration and insight from the universal mind, and need only be open to receiving the information in order to receive it.

The information from the universal mind can come in many forms: visions, sounds, intuitive feelings, sensations, smells, and other multi-sensory experiences are all different variations of the same energy being emitted from the universal mind, or in other terms, the spirit of the Divine Creator.

Humans are all born with the ability to access the universal minds’ incredible, miraculous, and mysterious information, and need only practice listening to their intuition in order to manifest amazing things in the physical world.

The universal mind is something shared by everyone, and nobody has the right to limit or prevent access to its’ divine information.

Everybody is given the “key” to access the universal mind, and need only unlock the gate of the illusion of being individual and separate to receive it’s blessings.

—Samadhi and Connection to God

In Hindu and yoga teachings, sages and mystics can achieve a mystical state of consciousness called Samadhi.

Samadhi occurs when all the chakras of the body are fully open and receiving life force energy.

The state of Samadhi can be interpreted in western society as a state of consciousness in which one feels fully connected to God, or the divine spirit which creates and pervades every thing, every thought, and every dream.

In the state of Samadhi, the illusion of separation from other beings and the universe is fully removed, and the person experiencing Samadhi can feel, see, and understand the whole of the universe and all of the beings that inhabit it from a personal, intimate perspective.

Samadhi is a deeply profound and expansive experience, and is one of the highest states of consciousness a human can experience in life.

In Samadhi, the consciousness of the observer is not in one fixed location in space and time, but is diffused amidst all places and times.

In the experience of the author, Samadhi is a state in which the observer is outside of their ego and individuality and instead, equally distributed amidst all minds and places in the universe.

Samadhi is a visually pleasing and beautiful experience.

There are fractal patterns of geometry and golden light pervades and makes up the images of people and places.

The state is deeply profound and once experienced, the consciousness of the observer is forever disillusioned by the material world around them.

The state of Samadhi can be a short experience or lengthened by practicing a spiritual lifestyle and being of service to other beings and the world.

When a sage or mystic has achieved a very high level of consciousness, they can stay in the Samadhi state for as long as they wish.

This advanced level of consciousness is called Sahaj Samadhi, and is considered a pinnacle of human consciousness while the spirit resides in the physical body.

Many spiritual masters throughout history, like Jesus Christ and the Buddha, have achieved Sahaj Samadhi, and it is possible for anyone devoted to their own spiritual healing path to achieve this state.

~~~Concluding Statement~~~

Everybody’s spiritual healing path is individual and unique.

It is up to the person navigating their healing to make their own decisions and choices.

Even though masters and prophets throughout history have created many religions and spiritual paths, the person must still make their life journey their own and strive to achieve their own greatness without hindrance by others’ ideas of what or how they should do it.

There are many healers, spirit guides, friends, and teachers one will encounter along the way, but it is up to the individual to walk their life path, as no one else can do it for them.

There is an old saying, ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.’

This saying is quite relevant to the spiritual healing path, and illustrates the principle that a healer, friend, guide, or teacher can only help along the way, but it is up to the navigator to strive for good health, harmony, and peace of mind.

Love, Light, and Blessings to you.

Namaste.

People have been using crystals for healing their bodies, minds, and souls for many thousands of years.

In Tibet, Buddhist monks used quartz crystals to decorate their monasteries, and in India, Shiva Lingam stones are central parts of ceremonial altars in many sects of ancient Hinduism.

Native American cultures felt that semi-precious gemstones, particularly turquoise, were very important. They were thought of as critical tokens or talismans as part of maintaining a harmonious way of life, and were traded wide and far.

The ancient Egyptians also sought out semi-precious gemstones, particularly Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian, to use for talismans and spiritual artwork.

Many mummies have been found with turquoise necklaces, Lapis Lazuli talismans, and carnelian beads on or around the body of the deceased, in order to ensure a safe and easy passage to the afterlife.

In modern times, the art of crystal healing has seen resurgence in the public mind of western society since the 1970’s.

An author and crystal healer based out of Taos, New Mexico named Katrina Raphaell wrote several books on the technique of crystal healing in the 1970s and 1980s that were widely circulated.

Her and a handful of others reintroduced crystal healing to western culture at a time when many people found great interest in personal, spiritual practices and practical spiritual mysticism.

Rock Crystals are natural and can be found on every continent.

They are rare to a certain degree, but abundant in many locales across the world.

In Brazil, there are whole mountainsides covered in quartz crystals, and emerald mines that produce many thousands of specimens every year.

In Hot springs, Arkansas, there are dozens of small quartz crystal mining operations that produce hundreds of thousands of crystals, some as big as one meter in diameter.

Crystals of every variety have special properties that allow electricity to flow through them at higher rates than most stones.

Some crystals are piezoelectric, meaning they produce an electric current when squeezed by mechanical pressure or vibrated by sound waves.

These unique properties make them ideal tools for spiritual healers to remove energetic blockages or stimulate energetic flow in the body and the spiritual aura.

Spiritual healing is based on the principle of Harmonic Resonance.

Harmonic Resonance in the body occurs when the bodies’ chakras are vibrating at the same rate and frequency of the universal frequency.

The universal frequency is a subtle tone that reverberates everywhere in the Universe.

Humans hear it as “OM.”

Crystals help the human body clear blockages in the chakras and open the chakras in order to vibrate at the same frequency as nature and the cosmos.

Some of the symptoms of the body, mind, and soul being harmonized are a deep feeling of peace, the alleviation of anxiety, feeling blissful, and seeing or hearing patterns of light or strange, pleasant sounds.

Any type of crystal can be used to achieve the goal of opening and balancing energy flow in the chakras, but certain crystals work best for specific chakras.

The seven main chakras on the body are found in a straight line along the spine.

They are spheres of concentrated energy, and radiate outwards from their center on the spine.

The seven main chakras from the base of the spine to the top of the head are associated with the colors of the rainbow.

The chakra at the base of the spine is red.

The chakra behind the navel is orange.

The chakra in the solar plexus is yellow.

The chakra in the heart center is green.

The chakra in the throat is blue.

The chakra in the middle of the head, or the third eye chakra, is indigo blue.

The chakra on top of the head is purple.

On a basic level, a crystal that is the same color of the chakra being worked upon will resonate with the chakra and allow for its opening.

For example, if one wishes to open the third eye chakra, a deep blue stone like lapis lazuli will be the appropriate stone.

Another example is if one wishes to open their root chakra at the base of the spine, a red crystal like ruby will work well.

Crystals can be held in the hands during meditation or laid upon the body in healing sessions.

They can also be worn in jewelry on the hands, wrists, ankles, or neck and the effects will be the same.

The important thing is to have the stone physically touching the body for optimal effect.

Crystals can be placed in the vicinity of the body  for healing as well, but the effects will be slightly reduced compared to the crystal touching the skin.

A practical way to use crystals for relaxation and meditation is to lie down and place crystals on the chakras, and then stay with them in position for however long feels right.

If only using one crystal, placing it on the forehead between the eyebrows is a highly effective location for receiving the healing effects.

There is no one way for practicing crystal healing for yourself or others.

The most important thing is to follow your own intuition and do what feels right.

If you feel like a purple crystal should be placed on the solar plexus and a red crystal should be placed on the throat, then you are right!

Go for it!

Experiment and see for yourself what works and what doesn’t.

It is important when choosing your stones to use non-toxic minerals, and to avoid heavy metals.

Lead, arsenic, and mercury are heavy metals that are found in nature in beautiful, colorful crystals.

Crystals that contain these minerals are toxic to the human body, and should not be used for healing or meditation.

Do research about whatever stone you feel you want to work with, and investigate the scientific literature about the chemical composition of the crystal.

You will learn a lot about their origins, what unique properties certain elements have, and their level of toxicity by looking into the scientific understanding of the stones.

With practice and time, one can learn to feel crystalline energies and see the subtle energetic fields that they produce.

The energetic fields that crystals produce are colorful, radiant, and pulse with vibration.

Crystals are living entities with personalities and character.

This may seem like a far-out concept, because crystals are seemingly very different than other forms of life.

They do not breathe, move freely, eat or drink, nor do they reproduce by themselves, but despite all of that, they are alive and can be communicated with through telepathy.

They often share profound insights as to the nature of reality, and also are incredible storytellers of ancient times on the Earth.

Crystals have been around for many millions of years, and they remember the vibrational imprints left on them throughout the eons of time.

Certain quartz crystals with triangular trigons on their surface are nicknamed “record keepers” because of their ability to record events, thoughts, and imagery of past times.

To access these vibrational memories, one must meditate for long periods of time with the crystal and interpret for themselves the images, words, or extra-sensory feelings that are experienced.

To record spiritual information or set a particular intention of healing into a stone, a person can “program” a crystal with their thoughts or intentions.

An example of this is if one wants to set an intention for a particular crystal to heal their friend’s heart chakra, they can meditate with their crystal and imagine green light in and around the crystal.

They must do this for a short period of time until they feel intuitively that the crystal is fully holding the intention, than they can give that crystal to their friend.

Or, if one wants to record a specific memory or experience they had, they can hold a crystal and think about the experience for a short while.

The crystal will record the consciousness of that experience, and if another person were to meditate with that crystal, they will experience the memory of the person who programmed the crystal.

These techniques sound far-out, but they work. Try it!

The ancient masters of the Earth knew about these phenomena, and one of the legends of Atlantis is that the ancient priests recorded much data about their civilization into large quartz crystals and hid them in sacred temples to be discovered by people in the future.

The legend goes on to say that the one of the Atlantean Hall of records is located under the Sphinx on the Giza plateau in Egypt, and that the records are not written on parchment or hieroglyphs, but stored in Quartz crystals, waiting to be experienced by those who can understand them.

Crystal healing is very ancient, and many people are practicing it in the modern age.

There is a massive, global trade network of miners, jewelry makers, crystal healers, and amateur enthusiasts in the modern time, and many crystals from all over the world can be found at trade shows and conventions.

In Denver, Colorado there is an international crystal and mineral trade show and convention that takes place in September every year.

In Tucson, Arizona there is an even larger international crystal, gemstone, and mineral trade show that occurs in the last week of January and into February that draws tens of thousands of people every year.

One can find incredible and beautiful stones at either of these conventions, and meet lots of interesting crystal enthusiasts as well.

Hopefully, you will reach out to the crystal kingdom and see for yourself their majesty, magic, and wonder!

When working with crystals and gemstones, you will be surprised many times by the infinite beauty and wisdom they have to share with us.

For several years I have felt the desire to create a healing center in the energy vortex of Sintra, Portugal.

The natural beauty of Sintra is undeniable, and hard to miss.

The forest is very healthy, wet, dense, and filled with diverse plants and animals.

The gardens of the many palaces and Quintas found in Sintra imported many tree and flower species from all over the world as part of decorating the lavish estates.

Sequoia trees from California, flowering trees from Japan, Star-pines from New Zealand, and Massive Brazilian pine trees can all be found in a day’s walk around Sintra.

Jasmine, Wisteria, Roses, Camellias, and other flowers of every size, shape, and color can be seen and smelled in Sintra.

Cacti and aloe plants, as well as agave plants from Mexico, thrive in the unique microclimate of the Monte de Lua, or Mountain of the Moon.

Rain falls regularly in Sintra, and provides fresh water for all the plants as well as the fountains scattered around town, some of which produce water pure enough to drink safely.

The locals drink the fresh spring water, and take long walks in the gardens and mountain trails, and visit the beaches just 10km away from the center of town.

The air is clean and pure, and is blown in from the Atlantic ocean, bringing with it moisture and humidity.

Just a few meters away from the busy tourist attractions, one can find a feeling of peace and serenity in Sintra.

There are dozens of alleyways and small trails to get lost on.

There are many palaces and mansions in Sintra, built by former royalty of Europe.

Some were summer homes for kings and their families, while others were meeting places for the Knights Templar.

The mountain of the moon and its surrounding communities have had occupants for at least 7,000 years, and there is archeological evidence of communities using quartz rock tools for hunting and skinning of animals from at least 5,000 years before Christ.

People have been drawn to the forest of Sintra for generations for hunting, gathering, making shelter, and healing using the natural spring waters for baths and drinking.

People have been holding healing ceremonies and holy rituals in Sintra for thousands of years, and there is evidence of Celtic peoples worshipping the water that poured from the natural springs and streams for its’ life-giving properties.

Christian Monks built retreats and monasteries on top of the mountain, where the granite boulders that form the ridgeline meet the sky.

Many people have lived in Sintra throughout history, and they felt it’s especially holy, natural qualities.

Holy men and women from pagan and Christian backgrounds, as well as others, have felt that living in Sintra has helped them feel closer to the divine, or closer to God.

Many members of the royalty of Europe from the past one thousand years also felt that Sintra was the ideal place to relax during a summer holiday.

People suffering from diseases and ailments of all varieties came to Sintra for healing and relief from their suffering.

Holy men and women offered aid in the form of natural cures and remedies, including but not limited to, guided prayer, bathing in the holy waters, pure food diets, and meditation in special spots on the mountain where the energy of the divine is especially strong.

The Mountain of the Moon is an energy vortex, a place where the geo-magnetic flow between the Earth and the atmosphere exchange particularly high amounts of electrical energy.

The combination of the mineral-rich, pure water with the highly charged electrical flows make an environment that is conducive to healing the body, mind, and Spirit.

The plants thrive in the wet, energetic environment, and so do humans.

Human bodies are mostly water, and our nervous system animates all parts of our physical body with electrical pulses.

When the environment surrounding the human body has plenty of pure water and robust electrical fields, it allows for the human body to heal itself in many, seemingly miraculous ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend of mine once told me, “If you have love in your heart, you can heal yourself.”

In my experience, I’ve found the power of self-love to be miraculously effective in healing the body, mind and soul.

Learning to Love oneself can be a challenging path, but is worth it, as it leads to Enlightenment, Health, Harmony, and Peace.

A person can suffer in many ways.

Whether physically, mentally, or spiritually, the beginning of healing and feeling better is being open to loving oneself.

When we do not love our self, we do not have the capacity to take care of our self, or we don’t feel we can take care of our self, and our body, mind, and spirit begin to fall out of harmony with each other and the world around us.

A healing center where people can explore different techniques of spiritual healing like: meditation, sound healing, crystal healing, energy healing or Reiki, Qi gong, Yoga, massage, plant-based nutrition, cardio-vascular exercise, visualization, music-making, ancient cultures’ healing practices, and learning philosophies of spiritual wellness,  is a necessity for conducting the healing of individuals, the community, and the world.

The best way to heal somebody is to teach them how to heal themselves and take care of themselves.

The best way to teach somebody something is to practice technique with them, and give them a safe space to practice without anxiety or worry of their performance and skill level.

The Healing center I would like to create will be a place with sturdy infrastructure, have a plant-based kitchen, and have plenty of indoor and outdoor space for holding classes of 10-20 students.

I believe that the Healing center should be able to provide housing for the instructors offering classes, as well as spaces for a handful of full-time staff who will be caretakers of the land and help facilitate the classes, so teachers can be fully focused on their curriculum.

I see myself teaching spiritual healing classes as well as being a full-time caretaker of the Healing Center, and maintaining a high vibration of consciousness and wellness for the inhabitants and guests.

One-on-one spiritual healing sessions will be offered at the Center in private, therapeutic settings while classes are not being held.

Spiritual healers of different backgrounds will be allowed to use the spaces as their studio for one-on-one healing sessions.

Spiritual healers will be able to use the healing center to facilitate healing sessions whether they live on site or off-site.

The location of the Healing Center will ideally be within walking distance of the Sintra train station so that commutes to and from Lisbon can be simple.

This will allow for students and healing recipients to travel to and from the center without the use of a car, and make it accessible to international travelers flying into the Lisbon international airport.

The Healing center will ideally be located on a small acreage, and have plenty of outdoor gathering space to allow for small concerts, theatrical performances, and full moon parties.

The Healing Center will be a for-profit business with the intention of investment of funds generated into sustaining the center and its staff, permaculture and ecological projects, as well as charitable projects for the local community of Sintra.

Individual classes will be made available at a low cost with the intention of allowing any traveller the ability to attend without jeopardizing their travel budget.

Apprenticeships will be made available to those interested, and will last three or four months, the length of a semester of college classes.

The goal of the apprenticeship will be training a novice in the spiritual healing arts to empower them to become a spiritual healer capable of starting their own practice after the semester long course.

The apprentice will learn many diverse skills, have the opportunity to practice their skills, and eventually prove their mastery by teaching technique to others.

The school of spiritual healing will be called “The Lightworkers’ Academy” and will be one facet of the greater Healing Center.

Holding ceremonies that celebrate the natural world, the elements, the Great Spirit, and the universal mind will be a regular occurrence at the Healing Center, to help harmonize the community of teachers, students, healers, and travelers.

Live music and dance as well as flow arts like fire-spinning and acrobatics will be encouraged and brought to life during these ceremonies, and will offer a healing of the spirit to all those who attend.

The vision for the Healing Center is an on going, never finished, always ready to adapt to change vision, and should be flexible enough to encourage change and evolution at every step of its’ development.

Like consciousness, the greater plan of the healing center can only be made from the present moment in time and space.

Many environmental, economic, social, and spiritual changes may occur between the beginning of the development of the Healing Center and its’ eventual fruition, so it’s important to be flexible and open to adaptation and re-configuring.

Still, making a plan is the first step to making a dream come true, and that is precisely what I intend to do, make dreams come true.

Dreams come true every day when one has Love in their heart and feels the Great Spirit in their life.

When Love and Spirit are felt, miracles occur, and miraculous and divine healing happens.

In conclusion, the Healing Center will be a physical location with physical infrastructure that is multi-faceted and offers one-one healing sessions, classes about the spiritual healing arts, apprenticeships that enable novices to become practitioners, and ceremonious gatherings for the harmonization of the community.

Part III: John goes to Sintra

One rainy morning in the winter of John’s 17^th year, a man arrived at the family estate on horseback.

The man was wearing chainmail and a helmet of steel.

On his armor was very fine, white cloth with a red cross that covered his chest.

He wore on his hip, a long, steel sword in a brown leather sheath.

John’s father left the breakfast table immediately upon hearing of his arrival, and told his family to wait inside.

The man on the horse did not dismount before speaking to John’s father.

They talked for the better part of a half an hour, with grim, serious looks upon their faces.

The knight handed John’s father a scroll of parchment, wrapped in a red ribbon, and sealed with a red, wax stamp.

He rode off into the foggy morning without taking food or drink, as he was rushing to reach his next destination.

John’s father stepped back into his home and removed his soaked tunic and handed it to a manservant.

He took a blanket from the cupboard and went to sit by the fireplace, a noticeable frown on his face.

John and his mother had finished their breakfast porridge already, but John’s fathers’ porridge lay cold on the table.

Johns’ father gazed into the fire, contemplating what the messenger had shared with him.

Hours went by and the rain stopped.

The sun came out and illuminated the family estate, and everything was covered in bejeweled droplets of rainwater. Small rainbows diffracted through the droplets, and the yard was covered in the seven colors.

John knew not to disturb his father, so he went out into the courtyard to practice his swordsmanship.

He was swinging his sword in long fluid motions, trying to be graceful, as his father had taught him to be when handling a sword.

It was meditative for John, but something nagged at his mind.

He had only seen his father upset three or four times in his life, and they were all during extreme moments of grief.

He was halfway through a routine of stabbing and turning, spinning and swinging, when he saw his father standing in the doorway to the courtyard watching him.

His father held the opened parchment in his left hand, and motioned to John to approach him with his right.

When they were a few feet apart, John’s father asked him how his swordsmanship was and how he felt holding the blade.

“It feels like my arm has grown to twice it’s length, and I could cut off the head of a heathen with no sway!” John replied.

His father had a small chuckle and looked down to the ground for a moment.

He looked up, into his son’s eyes, which were blue like his mothers’, blue like the sky.

“You will need that confidence where we are going.” John’s father told him with a serious expression.

“Hopefully you will not need to behead any heathens on our way.”

“What do you mean, Father? ” John asked.

John’s father held up the parchment to his son.

“Do you know who this parchment is from? Did you recognize the Knight’s cross on his chest?” John’s father asked him.

“I know not who sent the parchment, but I do know the insignia of the Knights Templar. Was the knight a member of that blasphemous order? I heard from a manservant that they were all killed by King Philip decades ago,” John said.

“Not all of them. Not all of my brothers were murdered by the pope and his pawns,” John’s father said with a very serious expression.

John was quite surprised his Father had just said those words.

“Your Brothers? Father, are you a knight of that order!?” John said quite loudly.

“Quiet son, quiet…” John’s father said while motioning with his hands to lower their voices.

“You are a knight of the Templar order!?” John said with a whisper.

“Yes son, I am a knight of the temple, and so was your grandfather, and his father, and his father, and his father. Our family was given knighthood by the grace of the order, and you should respect that we are nobles now because your ancestor was a commander in the order during the beginning of the crusades to capture the Holy land.”

John’s father put his arm around his son’s shoulder and began walking towards the forest on the edge of the property.

“You must never speak of what I am about to tell you with anyone, not even your mother, understand?” John’s father said in a whisper with a look of serious contemplation on his forehead.

John nodded in agreement.

They were in the forest by the small creek that ran through the woods, about 100 meters from the river on their property.

“The knights Templar is no longer, we have King Philip to thank for that. In the year 1308, on October the 13^th, which was a Friday, the Kings men arrested many of my brothers in France, and all over the kingdoms of Europe.”

“The kings men demanded my brothers hand over the gold and treasures of the order as well as the records and parchments from the vaults, and my brothers refused.”

“They were tortured, boiled in oil, pulled with ropes, cut with one thousand knives, and practically ripped apart in many unholy ways in the kings’ dungeons.”

“The king tried those who he captured, and killed them. He burned them at the stake, and he hung them, and he beheaded them. He killed my brothers after torturing them and holding false trials with no witness, no justice…”

John’s father stopped talking for a few moments, and looked solemnly at the creek.

“Your grandfather was killed at that time. The kings men came to our house and took him away while we supped dinner…”

“I never got the chance to say goodbye. They took him from his own doorstep with no word and no charge. They just took him away from here, and I never spoke to him again.”

“I have never taken you to his grave because even I know not where his body lay.”

John’s father stopped talking for a long while. He looked up at the sky, and listened to the birdsong in the small forest with no leaves on the trees.

John sat on a rock and held a small stick, which he ripped apart, piece-by-piece.

“Father, are you still a knight in the order?” John asked his father.

“Yes son, I am, and you will be someday as well should you decide it is what’s best for you.”

“I thought the order was no longer, just a distant memory,” said John.

“We have a new name now, and our holdings are much smaller, and much more secret than they once were. We are the Order of Jesus Christ, and our kingdom is no longer all across the continent, but mostly in Portugal, and Switzerland,” John’s father said.

“That’s where we’ll be going before the week is out- the kingdom of Portugal.”

John’s father looked at his son sternly and silently, and waited for his response.

John was very excited to hear he would ride with his father to a faraway land!

His imagination ran wild thinking of all the places they would see and the odd people whom he would meet!

A smile crept onto his face, and he looked at his father, who was frowning.

“When do we leave?” John asked his father.

His father smiled when he heard that, and told him that before the next Sunday they had to be on the road.

“It will be very cold in the mountain pass, there may even be snow falling from the sky, so you will need to bring your furs and four more blankets than you think you will need.”

“We will ride alone- just the two of us. No manservant will prepare your bed or start your fire or cook you dinner so you better be prepared- and tough my son. This will be no easy journey.”

“If we make good time, we will ride for three weeks, and if we are slow or get stuck in snow in the mountains than the journey will take double that time. Can you ride for weeks, everyday, with little sleep and no fun and games, my son?”

“Of course, Father. You taught me all I know and you taught me well. I will be ready to ride with you. But, Father, why must we go?” John asked his father.

“My Lord Commander has sent word to all of the knights still in Southern France, that we must report to him at his headquarters in Sintra, and it was asked of us to bring our first-born sons if they are strong enough. You are strong enough.” John’s father replied.

John was quite happy in that moment. He was filled with pride.

“I will speak with your mother later this evening about these matters, and I ask that you do not, is that clear?”

“Yes, Father.”

“It is settled then. Prepare your things and supplies and do not tell your friends where we are going. We ride in four days’ time.”

The next four days felt as if they lasted an age to John.

He was ready to leave the moment his father and him returned to the house from the forest, and was packed and ready to go later that evening.

He spent the next three days practicing with his sword and shooting arrows and eating fine food.

The servants of the house had heard that their masters were leaving for some time, perhaps they would not return until the springtime.

They prepared magnificent feasts that week for their masters.

Roast meats and vegetables every night, and sweet cakes and honey breads every morning.

The servants of the house did love their masters, and were saddened to hear of their mysterious departure.

They knew better than to ask the lord of the house where he and his son were going, so they quietly wondered to themselves about the unknown destination.

John was anxious to be on the road.

This would be his first long ride with his father beyond the horizon of his known world.

He had only heard a few stories of Portugal from the village gossip, and knew little about what he would find there.

He had heard many stories about the Knights Templar and their heroic and mysterious order.

His imagination cast visions of holy knights riding into Jerusalem, killing the heathen Muslim guards and claiming the city from their grasp.

In his minds’ eye, he saw golden light reflecting off the steel armor of the knights, and envisioned them in silent prayer surrounding a cross with Jesus bleeding from his divine wound from the spear thrust through his chest.

He thought of them as guardians of the holy pilgrims to the holy land, and slayer of devils who wore men’s’ clothing and didn’t follow Christ.

He thought about joining such a heroic, holy, and secretive order, and his heart beat furiously at the thought of becoming such a divine protector of the kingdom of Christ.

He wanted to become the Knight in his imagination, and radiate golden light, and slay the wicked, and protect the good in the world.

He already knew that he would ask to join the order before he set out from his home.

On the day of their departure, which was Saturday, the sun was shining on John and his family.

The horses were prepped and ready to go.

Both horses were stallions, one was black with white spots and the other was white with black and brown spots.

They had large bags on either side of the saddle, and skins filled with wine were slung onto their rumps.

John and his father wore brown, simple tunics and brown wool leggings. They wore no armor, but his father had his chainmail packed away with him.

They both wore swords at their hips, but expected the journey to be relatively safe.

No highwaymen or gangs of thieves were known to be on this road for hundreds of years.

As the manservants held the horses, John and his father said goodbye to John’s mother.

They embraced for a long while, and John’s mother cried as she saw her son, almost a man, preparing to leave her home.

“I will always love you, don’t ever forget that.” She told him as they embraced for a final time.

As the embrace ended, John noticed his mother’s eyes, filled with tears, and they reminded him of the color of the sky.

They were blue, and white, and somehow golden at the same time, like the sky in autumn.

John did not know that this would be the last time he would see her for many years.

John and his father mounted their horses, and rode in a few circles on the driveway, checking their gear and inspecting knots that held the saddlebags.

When they were ready, they waved goodbye to John’s mother and the servants who were assembled on the gravel driveway, and started to ride down the road.

When they were at the end of the property, John’s father told him to not look back.

“We’re not going that way.” John’s father said.

They rode for five days and camped for five nights before they arrived at the foot of the mountains.

They bundled their furs on their bodies as they rode up to the mountain pass, and they were certainly needed, as the cold was bitter high up in the mountains.

They rode for three long days in the mountains, not talking much.

It rained and snowed for two of those days, and John and his father were quite uncomfortable.

The horses didn’t like it either, as they were used to warm grass and sunny fields.

John and his father stayed the nights at small inns on the mountain road, and did not get comfortable, as they were in a hurry to be through the mountains.

They ate dried meats, and cheese, and fig jam on bread while they rode.

They drank wine from the skins, and occasionally had a handful of crystal clear mountain river water.

When they finally descended the last hillside, they were quite cheerful to be out of the mountains.

The weather was much warmer on the plain, and the sun was shining for many days, making their camps dry and comfortable.

They traveled through the Spanish countryside on roads patrolled by the king of Aragon’s men.

They kept quiet and did not talk to the soldiers of Aragon.

They were demanded a tax for traveling on the road several times by the soldiers, and John’s father gave them a gold piece, to which they were pleasantly surprised, as the tax was only one silver piece.

The soldiers left them alone, and the ride through Aragon was uneventful and pleasant.

They rode through the kingdom of Castille for ten days, enjoying the sunshine and drinking good Spanish wine.

During this part of the trip, John heard many stories from his father about his youth that he had never heard before.

They laughed regularly, and even shared a few jokes and limericks of the sexual and sensual variety.

They felt like good friends during the ride in the sun, and brothers.

John was captivated by the beauty of the Castilian countryside, and was very happy to see beautiful women with dark brown skin and black hair.

He was reminded of Tania almost every day while in Castile, and figured that she must have been from this land, as every woman he saw had similar features to her.

Every day they would rest for an hour while the sun was high, and slept under trees or next to creeks, and he soon learned that the locals called the practice “having a siesta.”

John and his Father soon arrived at the border with Portugal.

They made good time, and it was at the end of the fourth week of travel that they arrived in Lisboa.

They spent two nights at a large inn in the city, near the Tejo River waterfront, and ate a lot of sardines and bread.

They sat by the fire during the day, and took hot baths in their room, prepared by the innkeeper.

It was a good time, and they were both is high spirits.

The night before their final ride, John’s father asked him if he was prepared to meet the Lord Commander of the Order the next day.

John thought for a moment, and asked his father if he needed to bring anything or do anything special before the meeting.

“No, just be yourself and speak the truth. Say no lies, and speak only what you mean to say. That is important.” John’s father told him,

Early the next morning, they departed Lisboa and began their final ride to Sintra.

John saw that the farmland between Lisboa and Sintra particularly lush and green, and the farms were filled with crops even though it was winter.

He saw several knights on the road that day, all wearing the white tunic with the red cross on their chest, and none of them wore armor.

Upon turning a corner, one knight was riding towards them, wearing the white tunic, with a thick mustache on his face, and called out to John’s father.

“You bastard I thought you were dead!” He yelled at them in Portuguese.

“Son of a bitch is that you Ricardo!” yelled John’s father.

They dismounted and embraced, laughing with big grins on their faces.

“How many years has it been? Almost twenty I reckon!” said the knight with the mustache.

“Almost twenty years I believe…” said John’s father.

“Ricardo, this is my son John. John this is Ricardo, an old friend of mine. We haven’t seen each other since we were lads.”

“Pleased to meet you Senhor Ricardo.” John said with a smile and a small bow of his head.

“Pleased to meet the son of my legendary friend and brother,” Ricardo replied with a small bow.

“I think you are here to meet with the Lord Commander, No?” said Ricardo to John’s father.

“Yes, we were given word four weeks ago that a gathering was being held at the headquarters, and I was told to bring my son.” John’s father said.

“Yes that is right, I will not say more here but I will be in the circle at the gathering. I have no son to bring with me but I am happy you do!” said Ricardo.

“The order will meet in two weeks time from today, so enjoy your time in Sintra. I am sure you had a long ride from France.”

“See you again soon Brother, I am off to Lisbon to meet with a beautiful young lady at a brothel by the waterfront,” Ricardo said with a grin.

“See you again soon Brother,” said John’s father, and they had a short embrace before mounting their horses and riding in different directions.

After a few moments of riding, John and his father could see the Castle of the Moors on top of the Mountain of the Moon.

John found Sintra to be exceptionally beautiful.

The gardens were so colorful and fragrant.

Fruit trees hung heavy with fruit, and the trees were very large and robust.

Thick green moss and ferns covered the ground, and the forest was dense and thick.

They soon arrived at the main square in town, and dismounted their horses.

“That is the kings’ summer palace, and that is the Lord Commanders’ headquarters,” John’s father pointed out to his son.

“I will meet with the Lord Commander in private before you meet him, as he prefers to speak one-on-one when he can. In the meantime, you can wait here with the horses or get a drink at the pub. Do not worry about the horses being taken, because in Sintra, no one steals from a Knight of the Order.”

“ I will meet up with you later tonight, before sundown, and then we will go to our quarters,” John’s father said with a nod before hustling into the Lord Commanders’ house.

John sat on a stone bench for a while, and eventually lay down and pulled a cloth over his eyes, and fell asleep in the sun.

Part II: John meets Tania

John was an adventurous young man, and had a knack for exploring the world.

He spent many summer afternoons shooting arrows at trees by the river on his family’s estate.

In the evenings he would practice swordsmanship with his father and the metal smith who lived on the estate.

When he was quite young, he trained with a wooden sword, but when he was twelve years of age, his father gifted him a beautiful steel broadsword, purchased from the finest sword makers in all of France.

He could hardly lift it at first, but quickly became an adept, and by the age of fifteen, could easily beat his father in sparring matches.

John’s father was extremely proud of his son, and knew that he would make a fine warrior someday.

John was confident, and brave, and took risks all throughout his childhood.

When he was just four years old, he left the house without telling anyone. He brought with him a basket of fruit and cheese and walked the long way to the river, where his parents found him later that evening, smiling and laughing, covered in blackberry juice.

When John was eleven, he snuck out of the big house in the middle of the night, and walked for many hours until he arrived at the nearby village.

At breakfast time, he walked into the local inn and ordered bread, meat, and beer from the bewildered Innkeeper.

He was given the breakfast, and he paid the two copper pieces for the meal.

The whole of the inn was talking about the young lad who strolled in for a meal, and soon enough word was sent to John’s father that he could be found at the inn, drinking beer.

His father gave out a hearty laugh when the messenger told him the story, and rode into town to fetch his wandering son.

At age fourteen, John had several friends from the neighboring estates, whom he would visit frequently.

They explored the forest together and hunted for rabbits and mushrooms.

They fished in the crystal clear waters of his family’s river, and would chase after deer with bows and arrows, though they never landed a shot.

One day while he was walking down the road with two of his best friends, the three of them stumbled upon a band of traveling gypsies, camped out on the side of the path.

One of John’s friends shared a warning about gypsies being thieves and murderers with John, and his other friend told him a tall tale about a gypsy stealing a baby from his mother in the local village.

John was frightened at first, but was not worried about the gypsies, as he had a bow and quiver of arrows with him, as well as a long, silver dagger.

His friends also had weapons, and the three of them skirted the camp, hiding in the bushes, and decided to get a closer look, just in case they had to rescue a stolen child.

What they saw was a great surprise to all of them.

There were four young women bathing in the river, all of them nude as the day they were born.

They were singing songs, and washing each other’s hair in the cool water.

The young men stood silent, jaws agape, and watched.

The gypsy women had black hair, and brown skin, and were laughing and singing songs of good times in far away places.

John and his friends had had many adventures in the woods together, and had seen many strange sights, but none had prepared them for how they felt hiding in the bushes by the gypsy camp.

They were spellbound, and could not stop watching the young women.

They did not hear the approaching footsteps of the hunting party that had returned to the gypsy camp, carrying a deer with two arrows in its side.

The five men approached the boys from behind, making sure to not make a sound, and grabbed them all at once.

The boys let out a welp, and were quickly bound in ropes by the deft hands of the hunting party.

They were dragged back to the gypsy camp and thrown onto the ground by the fire ring.

The hunting party was laughing and speaking in a strange language, one the boys could not understand.

They were terrified, and knew that this would surely be the end of them.

A few moments passed, and the gypsy men started a fire and began smoking from long wooden pipes.

The young women returned from the river wearing linen gowns, and carrying jars of water on their heads.

They were smiling and laughing, and suddenly changed their expression when they saw the young boys, wrists and feet bound, with their faces down in the dirt, gypsy men’s boots squarely on their backs.

The young women argued with the men in a strange language and demanded they release the boys.

After some arguing, the women began to laugh as they heard the story of their captured voyeurs.

The mood lightened, and a gypsy man flipped the boys onto their backs, and told them in French, that he would now untie them if they agreed to not run away and to stay for dinner.

The boys exchanged several looks, and quickly nodded in agreement.

The gypsy man cut the ropes that bound them, and another handed them mugs of wheat beer.

The young women were giggling on the far side of the camp, and shot many looks at the three young boys who were staring at them.

The fire was roaring, and the deer that had been freshly skinned, was now hanging over the fire on a wooden spit, slowly roasting.

John and his friends were still afraid and confused, as they thought they would be killed a few moments ago, and now were sharing drinks with their captors.

The young women started to sing a song in French, and a gypsy man pulled out a lute from one of the covered wagons.

The women were stomping and clapping in unison, as they danced around the fire, singing their song of love and war, God and the devil.

John found himself smiling as he watched the women dance, and heard the lute player make fancy trills and chords.

His friends were still frowning, skeptical, and uncomfortable.

John was happy, as he saw the harmless nature of the gypsy band, and soon enough was drinking his fourth cup of wheat beer.

He could not help but stare at one young woman in particular, as she had piercing blue eyes that reminded him of his mother.

She was singing the high notes of the harmonies, and would close her eyes for long periods as she felt the music in her heart.

John watched her dance and sing, and could not help but think of the way she looked as she bathed in the river.

He smiled as his heart began to beat heavily, and his palms began to sweat, and he felt hot.

It was warmth he had never felt before, and he wondered if the feeling was love.

As the sun began to set, and the venison began to start smelling wonderful, John realized he was drunk.

He looked at his friends who were busily guzzling more wheat beer and pulling out their knives to carve meat off the roast deer, and didn’t realize that the young woman with the blue eyes had sat on the ground beside him.

“What’s your name?” she asked him.

 He was startled, and spilled his beer over his tunic.

She laughed and smiled.

“John” he said as he blushed and rubbed the beer off his tunic with his handkerchief.

She placed her arms over his shoulders, and moved her head close to his.

“My father tells me you were watching me and my sisters bathe in the river,” she said.

John’s face felt flush, and his heart beat very fast, he stuttered, as he did not know what to say.

“Did you like what you saw?” asked the young gypsy woman with blue eyes and a big smile.

John was speechless, mouth agape, and could hardly feel the ground below him.

His heart beat as if it would burst.

She kissed him squarely on the mouth, and bit his lower lip.

John felt as he had never felt before in his young life, and embraced the young gypsy with blue eyes and pulled her closer to him.

They shared a long kiss, and their eyes closed, as they felt each other.

The young gypsy woman used her tongue as she kissed John, and he nearly fell over from the feel of it.

He was very drunk, and kissing the young woman was the best sensation he had ever experienced.

The lute player never stopped playing, and the men in the gypsy band were laughing hysterically and singing drinking songs as they ate the roast venison and drank the fine wheat beer.

John forgot about his friends while he was engaged with the young woman with blue eyes, in fact, he forgot about everything but her.

After a while, the young woman, who was not as drunk as John, stood up off the ground, and led John to the riverbank.

He stumbled along behind her, holding her hand and smiling.

When they arrived at the sandy riverbank, the Moon was high in the sky, and was casting it’s light over the forest.

The young gypsy woman sat John down in the sand, and climbed onto him.

They kissed for a long time, and felt each other’s bodies with their hands.

It was a warm summer night, and the young woman stood and removed her tunic in the moonlight.

She swayed from side to side, and danced in circles, kicking her feet in the air and holding her hands above her head, grasping at the moonbeams.

John lay in the sand, spellbound, and watched her dance on the riverbank.

After some time she stopped dancing, and walked over to John.

“My name is Tania,” she told him while panting to catch her breath after dancing.

John pulled her closer to him, and they began to kiss once again.

After what felt like an eternity, and less than a moment, they stopped kissing and she lay on the sand beside him, resting her head on his chest.

The moon was low in the sky, and it was very cold at the dark hour, so they stood and walked back to the fire.

John’s friends were fast asleep, beer mugs in one hand, and roast venison in the other, by the fire.

Tania led John by the hand to a covered wagon, lifted the cloth door, and brought him inside to a small cot on top of wooden boxes and barrels.

She lay on the small cot before him, with her bare backside facing him, and he removed his wool tunic and leggings before laying beside her.

Tania pulled a woven blanket from a cabinet in the wagon, and they wrapped themselves in it.

Tania fell asleep with her head on John’s chest, and John stared at the cloth covering of the wagon for some time.

He was sure that this was love.

He fell asleep.

The next morning, the wagon was stiflingly hot.

He awoke to see Tania had already left the wagon.

John put on his clothes, and lifted the cloth door to the wagon, and stepped out into the morning air.

There was dew on the grass, and the sunrays hit them at a sideways angle, illuminating them, and giving the appearance of gemstones glittering on every surface.

The fire was still smoldering, and his friends were snoring by its side, bodies covered in dirt and beer and bits of venison.

They were holding each other, not quite spooning, but close.

John laughed a hearty laugh when he saw them, and went over to nudge them awake.

They could not be awoken with a gentle shake, and they continued to snore loudly.

John left them and went to the river, to get a drink and relieve himself.

He found Tania there, on the sandy riverbank, kneeling, and waving her arms in the air, slowly from side to side.

He walked up to her, and she stood and smiled when she saw him.

They looked at each other for a while, smiling, and saying nothing.

The river splashed gently on their feet, and the birds were singing sweet songs.

A blue heron spread its wings and took flight over the heads of the young man and the young gypsy woman.

John took her hands, and kissed both of them gently, before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her.

They walked back to camp together, and arrived to see a few of the men cooking a stew of vegetables and venison.

They sat by the smoldering fire, and Tania introduced John to the men in the cooking circle.

“Really gave ya’ a fright yesterday huh?” one man asked John as they laughed and smoked their long wooden pipes.

“Women sure are goddesses,” said another as he nudged John with his elbow and smiled a wide grin.

John ate stew from a wooden bowl with a hand-carved wooden spoon, and had a tea of pine needles and dandelion flowers.

He was very happy and content that morning.

When his friends awoke, and realized they were holding each other, they shoved each other away and quickly stood up, brushing dirt and grit off their clothes and cursing the pain in their aching heads.

As soon as one of his friends smelled the stew, he immediately felt sick and ran to the bushes to vomit.

The men laughed hilariously and John’s friend had to lie down for a while longer as his head was spinning.

“A cure for a spinning head is another mug of beer!” exclaimed a gypsy man as he poured a mug and handed it to John’s friend.

He took a few big gulps, and sat up, feeling much better.

After breakfast was over, the gypsies began packing up their camp.

John asked Tania if they were leaving and asked her where they were going.

Tania explained to John that in the life of a gypsy, they never stayed in one place longer than a few nights, as it was their way to travel on to see new sights and smell new smells and taste new tastes and hear the sounds of the world.

John was devastated, as he couldn’t imagine watching Tania leave.

His heart felt as if it was draining into his stomach, and a huge knot of pain and grief struck him in his core.

He asked her to stay with him, and she smiled at him.

“That is not our way John, I simply cannot, it is impossible.” She told him firmly.

“Why don’t you ask my father if you can travel with us for a time?” she asked him.

John’s mind flashed to his parents back home at the estate, and knew it was impossible, as he could not leave them.

“I cannot…” he said, as his gaze moved from her eyes to the ground.

She dropped his hands and lifted his chin to meet her gaze.

She kissed him, and they looked at each other for a while, not saying anything.

“Perhaps we will return to this valley next year, as we came for the midsummer festival and there will be another next season,” She said, although, in her heart she knew it was only a slim possibility.

“I will never forget when I first saw you, bathing in the river with your sisters,” said John.

“I will never forget when I first saw you, hands bound and face in the dirt under my brothers’ feet,” said Tania with a laugh.

They embraced each other, and stood in the sunlight, swaying from side to side.

They had a short kiss, and Tania told John that she had to prepare for her journey.

John asked if he could wait and watch her go, and she agreed.

Less than an hour later, the wagons were fully packed, the fire was put out with a bucket of water, and the horses were hitched up and anxious to get moving.

Tania sat in the back of one of the wagons, and John stood on the ground, his hands outstretched to her.

They heard the crack of a whip, and a call from the gypsy man at the head of the wagons, and the horses began to move the caravan out.

John jumped onto the wagon, and kissed Tania passionately, and she smiled as he bounced around on the back of the wagon.

She told him he had to get off the wagon if he didn’t want to end up far away from this place.

He gazed at her blue eyes, kissed her one last time, and jumped off the wagon.

He felt tears in his eyes as she waved at him from the back of the covered wagon, and after some distance was made between them, he shouted, “ I will always love you Tania!”

She didn’t hear him over the loud creaking of the wagon and clopping of the horses’ hooves.

It was midday, and John and his friends watched the caravan go over the hillside and disappear from sight.

They walked home, telling each other tales from the night before.

Part I: John’s Parents Fall in Love

            John was born to wealthy parents on a lavish estate in the south of France, 1313 years after Christ.

His father was a member of the French aristocracy, albeit, a low-ranking member.

His mother was sweet-hearted, beautiful, and had yellow hair, the color of straw in autumn.

Her piercing blue eyes and pale, white skin were the first things John’s father had noticed about her.

They met at a large party, or Ball, held by the King of France in Paris.

John’s father fell deeply in love with her when they first danced together.

It was the first day of John’s father’s happiness and joy, and for many weeks after the ball, John’s father could not stop thinking about the beautiful young woman with yellow hair and piercing blue eyes.

He saw her face in the night sky, and in the river on his family’s estate.

He saw her dancing and twirling in the clouds, and he saw her smile in the light of the setting sun.

He was madly in love with her, and after some time, he decided to visit her family’s estate, two days’ ride on horseback from his home.

He sent a messenger to tell of his coming arrival, two weeks later.

He brought gifts of homemade soft cheese and hard, smoked meats along with fruit jams that were produced on his family’s estate.

He was blissful as he rode to her.

He traveled with two manservants, and they told him that they had never seen him in such a joyful mood.

When he arrived at the large stone home at the end of a long, gravel pathway he was greeted by the elderly patriarch of the house, L’ Count de Chamay, surrounded by his servants.

The Count was very happy to see John’s father, as he had heard stories from his daughter of the strong nobleman whom she had danced with at the ball.

He embraced the newcomer with a smile on his face, and welcomed him to the estate.

He asked him to state his title and familial line, as was the proper way to understand a man of nobility in those times.

John’s father listed his many titles and claims, and told the story of when the king of France granted his great-great grandfather his Knighthood and Class.

The count was impressed enough, and invited the man into the house for food and wine, and later, a hot bath and cleansing from his long ride in the hot summer sun.

John’s mother looked on the scene taking place in the driveway from her balcony on the third floor of the house, and her heart raced with passion and love for the man whom she had met at the ball.

She felt like a young girl for the first time in years, and wrote in her journal of her excitement that he had come to see her again.

They met at dinner that night.

The servants had roasted a fat pig over a fire for 12 hours, and prepared many cakes and sweet-breads to be enjoyed by the guest of honor.

Lemonade, wine, wheat beer, and fruit juices were prepared and offered to the guest.

A young musician from the neighboring estate brought his lute and miniature harp and played sweet music for the small dinner party.

John’s father, who was very fond of food and fine drink, was thinking only of the beautiful woman across the table from him, seated next to her father, who sat at the head of the table.

He found he had only a light appetite despite his long and arduous ride.

He wanted the dinner to end quickly so he could walk under the stars with the lovely woman who had yellow hair, the color of straw in autumn.

John’s mother found herself nervous and her heart beat with intensity when she noticed the man gazing at her across the table.

She was happy he had come.

L’Count de Chamay talked a lot at dinner that night, about things that affected the Kingdom of Christ.

The moors in the Holy land, and the heathens in the orient, were particularly irksome to the Count and he made sure to tell everybody at the table just what he thought about them.

“They all deserve to burn in hell for all I care!” was an ending to a particularly long rant that the Count gave.

The Count then noticed that everyone had finished eating except for him, and he decided to shut up and let everyone carry on with the night’s activities.

John’s father seized the moment and asked the Count if it would be all right if he walked the grounds with his daughter, so that she may show him the various parts of the estate.

The count agreed and stood to kiss his daughter on both cheeks.

He whispered in her ear, “ Have fun my sweet rose.”

She smiled and took John’s father by the arm.

They strode out the backdoor to the rose gardens, and walked slowly, arm in arm, for hours.

She showed him the hen houses, and the pavilion.

She showed him the small dairy and the cows’ barn.

She showed him her secret place in the forest where she used to play as a young girl, chasing fairies and dreaming of meeting her one-true love.

They almost kissed when she told him that, but at the last moment, she pulled her face away, and pulled him by the arm.

They kept walking in the dark, moonlit forest until they arrived to the small creek that ran through it.

There they were silent for a time, and watched a Blue heron spread its’ wings and take flight.

They were both very much in love with each other.

That night felt like one thousand nights.

They held each other by the water, listening to the splashing, and the sound of the birds flying through the trees.

They walked back to the house before dawn, and John’s father kissed her on the hand before saying “Bonne nuit.”

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They were married less than 3 months later, during the autumn harvest.

The ceremony was held in the Cathedral in the town nearest to John’s mothers’ family estate.

The wedding reception was very grand, and the party held in their honor drew large crowds from all over.

The Count spared no expense, and had luxurious goods brought from all over France and the Orient to the massive gathering.

Fine porcelain plates and tea sets, gold and silver flatware, fine lace tablecloths, and huge bouquets of colorful flowers adorned the massive tables arranged in the field behind the big stone house.

There were spots at the tables for one hundred and fifty guests, but more than five hundred showed up.

The Count was in ecstasy, and had so much fun letting the party take place at his usually quiet, country home.

He told the servants to give as much food and wine as possible to the partygoers, and to open up the reserves from the cellar, to keep everyone fed and happy.

Music filled the air.

Lute, Guitar, Cello, drums, singers, and bassoon players maintained a lively and fun atmosphere for many hours, stopping only to dine and hear the Count give his speech of Love and adoration for his daughter and her new husband.

He stood on the table and shouted to the crowd, and said a prayer of thanks to God for the pleasures felt by all who attended.

John’s father stayed by his wife’s side the whole night, and was deeply thankful and happy.

As he looked at his beautiful wife, who was laughing and sharing stories with her many friends, he felt a deep peace in his heart, one he had never felt before and would not feel again in his lifetime.

He could not help but gaze at her and smile as he noticed that the color of the dry grass in the field was the exact color of her yellow hair- golden, and shimmering.

He saw the color of the sky in her eyes. There was no difference to him.

The partygoers ate over one hundred wheels of cheese, and drank over six hundred bottles of red wine.

Ten pigs were roasted, as well as five cows, twelve goats, and fifty ducks.

The massive crowd enjoyed one hundred and seventy-five platters of roast autumn vegetables, sprinkled with thyme and rosemary.

The servants worked hard to keep the food moving through the crowd until the early hours of the morning.

The partygoers brought many delicious cakes and sweets, and their friends and neighbors fed each other by hand, and all had a wonderful evening.

The party was the talk of the town for years, and set a high standard for decades of local wedding receptions afterward.

Just before dawn, the Count and his drunk, elderly friends decided it was time to push the new couple into their bedroom, as was standard in those times.

They mobbed the tired but happy couple, drunk and shouting profanities, and not so gently forced them into the house and up the stairs to the third floor bedroom where John’s mother had slept most of her life.

The mob pushed the newlyweds inside and slammed the door shut, laughing hysterically and loudly offering suggestions of lovemaking technique for the new couple to experiment with.

“Just remember what happened to the Sodomites!” shouted the Count as he blushed and hurried the mob away from his daughters’ bedroom.

The newlyweds held each other for a long time, swaying back and forth and embracing each other’s bodies.

As the morning sun shone through the window, John’s father kissed John’s mother, with great passion, as he pulled her into his arms with force.

John’s mother forgot her whole life in that moment, and only felt Love for her Husband, and the sun’s morning rays on her face.

She felt warm, whole, happy, and youthful.

He felt her in his arms, and loved how soft her skin was.

He felt her curvaceous hips in his hands, and tasted red wine on his lips after kissing her.

They loved each other.

In the fullness of the morning sun, they went to bed, and fell deeply asleep.

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John’s parents made arrangements to travel by carriage to John’s father’s estate in the south of France.

They left the Count’s home after one week, and enjoyed their peaceful ride through the countryside.

They arrived at their estate, and rested for many days.

Reading each other their favorite stories and fairytales, and taking long walks by the small river were their favorite activities at the time.

They made love every night for weeks, and both of them were very satisfied with each other.

John’s father was fierce and strong most of the time, but in the bedroom with his wife, he was very gentle and loving.

He wanted her to be happy, and he told her so everyday.

She was very happy, and enjoyed exploring her new life with her husband.

She took up crocheting when she found a forgotten crochet set in a cupboard, and found the activity to be very peaceful and meditative.

A few weeks before Christmas, she realized that she was pregnant.

She didn’t tell her husband for some time, because she wanted to be absolutely sure.

Before sleeping one night, as John’s father lay in bed and watched his wife undress, he noticed that her breasts were swollen and larger than normal.

He then saw a small curve at the bottom of her stomach, and he began to wonder if she was suffering from some unknown sickness.

As she slid into their bed, and kissed him on the cheek, he asked her if she was feeling all right and if she had any symptoms of disease that she had not shared with him.

She told him “no, of course not,” as she shared almost everything with her husband.

He exclaimed that he saw her swollen breasts and large belly just moments before.

She smiled at him, and told him that he would have a child in the summertime.

“I think he will be a boy…” She said.

John’s father jumped out of bed and ran to the small window beside the fireplace and yelled to the heavens “ A son! A son! I am going to have a son!” and punched the air in joy and ecstasy.

He danced around the room in his nightgown and kicked his feet in a circle like an Irish river dancer.

He went to his wife and kissed her passionately, and she smiled as she saw joy pouring out of his eyes.

They made love with great veracity that night, and held each other afterwards, hearts beating and sweat pouring off their bodies.

John’s father kissed his wife on her belly, and they slept without nightgowns.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John was born in June, during a heat wave that swept through the countryside.

His delivery was a long one, and lasted the better part of a day.

From before dawn until after dusk John’s mother labored and struggled against the pain of childbirth.

At noon, while she lay in bed in the upstairs bedroom, sweating and cursing the heat, John’s mother demanded to be moved to the wine cellar below the house.

The servants helped her down the stairs, and John’s father cleared a space in the middle of the cellar and placed straw mats in a pile, covered with a blanket.

He was sure to move the wine bottles to the far side of the cellar, and removed the turnips, beets and carrots to the kitchen.

It was much cooler in the wine cellar, and John’s mother knew that she could deliver her child there.

Johns father was very nervous, and as was customary at the time, was in a far corner of the house for most of the day, pacing, and wringing his hands over and over.

The lady servants of the house helped John’s mother deliver her child, and she screamed from the pain many times.

At one point, a bottle of vintage red wine was knocked over by a rushing lady servant, and shattered, cascading red wine all over the floor.

John’s mother smelled the vintage, and demanded a glass be poured for her.

She drank the red wine in three big gulps, and a few minutes later, John was no longer inside of her belly, but was on the blanket in front of her, bloody, covered in fluid, and screaming.

John’s mother felt pure ecstasy and relief, and immediately began to sob.

A lady servant tied two strings tightly around the umbilical cord, and another cut the cord with a kitchen knife.

John was taken to the Kitchen sink were he was washed off with warm water, and wrapped in a small wool blanket.

He was brought back to the wine cellar, and John’s mother held him for the first time.

She cried even harder when she saw his face.

He was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

A manservant invited John’s father to the cellar, and he ran across the house and down the stairs.

He walked up to his smiling wife, and kissed her on the forehead.

He looked at his Son for the first time, smiled, and began to cry.

He then saw the broken wine bottle and the spilled wine, and thought for a moment that it was blood.

He was petrified for a moment, and thought that his wife was dying.

A lady servant saw the look of terror on his face, and reassured him that it was only wine and that his wife had a healthy birth.

John’s father fainted, and collapsed onto a table behind him.

It was the only time he would faint in his life.

True stories from the Mountain of the Moon

In January 2018, while walking with his Brother in the pine forest near the Convento Dos Capuchos, on the Mountain of the Moon in Sintra, Portugal, a young wizard had a vision.

His vision split between the current day and a older, more ancient reality.

His Right Eye saw his body in the current time, wearing a modern t-shirt and brown jeans, bright blue running shoes, light skin, and the long hair of a modern, young man’s body.

His Left Eye saw the body of an old monk dressed in brown, woolen robes. He was wearing sandals made of rope and leather, and his hands were wrinkled and brown from countless hours digging in the garden.

The young wizard took a few steps while having the vision, before he stopped to stare at his hands, one old, and one young.

He then stood between times for a few moments, and knew that he was in both times, simultaneously.

The old monk was having the experience of witnessing the Future, and the young wizard was having the experience of witnessing the Past.

He knew that he was that monk, and that monk knew he was the young wizard.

“The soul of that old monk is my soul, and my soul is the soul of the old monk,” thought the young wizard to himself.

The sunrays were passing through the pine trees at a sideways angle, and he could feel the warmth and light of the sun on both sides of his face.

The right side felt young and new, while the left side felt old and weathered.

The experiences of both lifetimes overlapped for a few moments, and a great peace was felt in the heart of both the old monk and the young man, as it was one Heart experiencing one great Peace.

In that moment, with the light of the sun on his face, the old monk felt the promise of the miracle of a future rebirth, and the young man felt the understanding of lifetimes of experience leading him to the present moment.

Both the eyes of the old monk and the eyes of the young wizard closed to hold a silent prayer of thanks to the One Infinite God inside the inner temple of their mind.

They both felt the Love of the Almighty One in that moment, and both of them smiled, and felt at peace.

Suddenly, with eyes closed, the vision ended and the young wizard was fully in his current time.

He opened his eyes and looked at his body, no longer split in two, and then gazed at his Brother, who smiled at him.

They continued walking in the pine forest, and the light beams guided them on their path.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In March 2020, a young wizard and his Brother walked in the forest on the Mountain of the Moon, and had a strange encounter with a Spirit.

The young wizard and his Brother were trying to get fresh air and exercise before potentially being quarantined in the hostel they were living in at the time.

There was a pandemic of Coronavirus in those times, and the situation was quickly escalating beyond anyone’s predictions.

They knew that they had to go on their walk in the forest that day, just in case the Portuguese government imposed stricter rules for leaving the house in the days to come.

The sky was covered in a thin veil of wispy clouds, and the sun was barely shining on Sintra.

The young wizard and his Brother brought bananas, almonds, and fresh spring water with them for a trail lunch.

They set out in the morning, and while walking through the city center, encountered the employees of a local café standing in a circle, wearing paper, surgical masks and rubber latex gloves.

The employees were speaking loudly and excitedly in Portuguese, exclaiming their confusion and anger at the government regulations being imposed to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

They all gave sharp looks to the brothers as they walked through the circle of conversation.

The young wizard’s brother showed him an old, stone archway with symbols of the Moon, faces, dragons, Bird-people, and the year ‘1533’ carved into it.

The young wizard had walked by the old stone archway many times without looking closely at it, and was very impressed by the old masons’ handiwork.

The brothers walked past the Quinta da Regaleira, silent and empty due to the government-imposed closures of the public parks.

The Quinta Da Regaleira was usually very busy with tourists in those times, and the emptiness and lack of crowds produced an odd atmosphere.

It was quiet and peaceful, and the brothers heard birds singing.

The Brothers walked on the dirt trail behind the Quinta Da Regaleira, called the Rampa da Pena.

They were in heated discussion, and were trying to predict what the future would hold for the World during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The road on which they walked was usually packed with tourist buses, cars, and tuk-tuks, but on that day, there was only one car with a young family inside that passed them.

When they arrived at the top of the Mountain, they walked past the gates of the Castle of the Moors, and later, past the gates of the Palace of Pena.

Usually packed with people, the empty tourist attractions had an atmosphere of peace and serenity, albeit, with a hint of spookiness.

The Brothers continued to walk in the forest, until they arrived at a trail that was marked with orange spray-paint arrows.

They followed the trail, and it led them to a small stone building.

The building was falling apart, and had a broken glass window with iron bars over it.

The metal door to the building was locked tight, and had spider webs in its’ corners.

There was a pile of massive granite boulders ten meters from the building, and a small pool of fetid water sat in a fountain near the entrance to the small ruin.

There was evidence of dark magic rituals being performed at the site.

A magik sigil made with red spray-paint was visible, and around the corner, “666” was spray-painted on a different stonewall with black paint.

A stone table was split in half and had tumbled downhill from its prior position.

The young wizard decided to have lunch after exploring for a bit.

The wizard and his Brother sat down to have almonds and bananas at the top of the site, near the Red magik sigil.

They were conversing and philosophizing, when the young wizard’s brother suddenly looked pale and uneasy.

Strange noises in the Forest, and the sounds of things falling from the trees quickly surrounded the young wizard and his Brother.

The young wizard’s brother told him that he thought they should leave the strange ruins.

The young wizard insisted on eating another banana, as he was quite hungry.

It was at this moment, that the young wizard and his brother suddenly felt the presence of a spirit approaching them from downhill.

The young wizard’s brother then insisted that they should both leave the site as quickly as possible, as he felt intuitively that the Spirit approaching them was a dark and sinister character.

In less than a moment, the young wizard packed up his lunch and spring water, and the brothers quickly walked back the way they had come.

After hiking uphill for a few moments, and ducking under a fallen tree that crossed their path, they both felt that they had crossed the energy-barrier of the ruined site.

They continued to walk, very quickly, back to the road from which they came.

Thankfully, they avoided contact with the sinister Spirit, and were quite grateful.

As they walked down the Mountain, the young wizard and his brother talked about Dragons, and possible explanations for their great history and mythology.

The young wizard’s Brother was very wise, and had much insight to the spiritual nature of Dragons.

They stopped at the Sacred Fountain to fill their water bottles, and later returned to their hostel- home.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met was a Priest of Thoth.

He Lived in Abydos, in the time when the throne of ancient Egypt belonged to the pharaoh Seti the first.

He was the only son of wealthy plantation owners in Memphis.

Memphis was the capital city in those times, and flourished under the Giza plateau, where the Great Pyramids of old still stand.

His father was a retired warrior and military man of high status.

His father enjoyed relaxing, eating, and being served-upon by his many servants.

 He was a kind man to his family and friends.

But, if you disobeyed his commands, he was known to be cruel and fierce.

Father was not a heavy man, but round, and very muscular and fit from his time fighting wars on the Sinai Peninsula.

He enjoyed walking the fields of the plantation before dawn, alone, to thank The Gods for all of his wealth and good fortune in life.

There was so much bounty of food at the plantation; it made him happy, as he was hungry often in his youth.

Drought and famine was a problem for his family when he was very young.

Father died at the age of 53 in his home in Memphis.

He was known to be smiling in bed when discovered the morning after his passing to the Halls of Amenti.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met’s mother was a kind and gentle soul.

She often gossiped and drank too much wine.

Mother would spend lavish amounts of money on dinner- parties and feasts to impress her circle of aristocratic friends and peers.

On one occasion, 10 cows were slaughtered for a single, massive feast.

On another occasion, 1,000 roast ducks were prepared in a single afternoon, and the guests were very impressed.

The pharaoh Seti was fond of the stories he heard of the magnificent parties and banquets held at the plantation.

The royal courtiers and princesses who had been to the large gatherings shared with the pharaoh the stories of magnificence and charm.

The plantation was a large estate and had dozens of cows, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, and oxen living on site.

There were several lazy dogs and colorful cats that intermingled with the animals.

They grew wheat, barley, alfalfa, and many vegetables and fruits.

The land was very fertile, and was re-made each year by the annual flood of the River Nile.

The land was worked by dozens of slaves.

At times, 60 or more slaves lived and worked at the plantation.

Nubians, Israelites, and Egyptian slaves worked side by side in the fields, and in the household, although the women from Nubia were the home keepers of the estate and prepared most of the food.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met’s parents felt totally justified in their own minds of owning the slaves – as they were racist and did not have empathy for them as they did their kin and peers.

They thought the gods preferred them, and thus, it was perfectly all right to mistreat and enslave the workers.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met went to Abydos for the first time when he was nine years old.

The family left the Memphis estate and traveled by river boat to the sacred town of Abydos for the annual festival that celebrates the power of Osiris and Horus’ ability to conquer Set year after year.

On the third day of the festival, the family was approached by the head of the chapel of Thoth, an important priest with high regard in his community for his ability to write, record, share knowledge, as well as other valuable skills.

The priest told the parents that their son would become a priest of Thoth, if he so chose.

They were told that the priest saw something special in the boy.

What the priest saw was, in fact, the Purple Flame, burning in his third eye.

“Not every child is aflame with the light of Ra,” said the priest to the boy’s parents.

The parents were honored.

This would mean a life of wealth and knowledge for their son.

Only very few were given the opportunity to enter the Thoth priesthood.

The priest told them to take the boy back to Memphis, and to keep raising him until he was ready to live in Abydos.

The parents thanked the high priest, and returned to their lavish life in Memphis.

The boy did not return for four years.

When He-Hak-Sheh-Met was 13 years of age, he moved to Abydos for the rest of his life.

He arrived by boat, with only a single trunk filled with cloths, papyrus, incense, beer, starter sourdough, and a few small trinkets of holy images.

The holy images were small, stone statuettes of Osiris, Isis, Thoth, Sekhmet and a papyrus painting of Horus.

The young man went to the chapel of Thoth shortly after dawn, and found the gate to be locked.

He waited outside in the cool morning air for several hours before the door opened and a young man stuck his shaved head out of the chapel gates.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met was invited in and brought to the high priests’ quarters where they were reintroduced and had some food.

For breakfast they ate local fruit and bread and some wine.

He was shown to a small mud hut at the back of the chapel, and told he could sleep there for a few days until a proper mud brick house could be built for him.

The hut had a sand floor and a small fire ring in the corner near the entrance.

The roof was mud and had broken through in a few places.

He-Hak-Sheh-Met could see the stars at night.

He was so happy his first day in Abydos.

He thanked the Gods for his good fortune, and was so curious to see what his life in the priesthood would be like.

End of part I.

Mankind uses water everyday, all over the world, in a myriad of ways.

We use water to grow vegetables and grains, to hydrate our bodies, to travel on boats, to bathe and cleanse ourselves, and to relax after a long day of work or play.

Tea, coffee, beer, wine, milk, and fruit juices are all water-based beverages.

Humans cannot live on the Earth without drinking water everyday.

The average man or woman cannot survive longer than a few days without drinking water.

Nor can we grow food, which we rely on for survival, without fresh water.

Some say that water is the most important element for determining if life can exist.

“Water is life,” is a popular phrase used by environmentally minded people.

If water is polluted with toxic chemicals or minerals, it cannot sustain life, and becomes a poison.

If water is fresh and clear of pollutants, it can become a potent medicine for those suffering from disease.

Not all water is the same.

Water from a natural spring is very different from water that passes through municipalities’ sewage-treatment facilities.

Water that is acidic is very different from water that is alkaline.

Water found in a stagnant pool in the desert is very different from water found at the base of a glacier.

The differences may be obvious and easy to detect or they may be subtle and invisible.

Water, when pure and clear of pollutants, has no odor, little flavor, and is perfectly transparent.

Water that has minerals or pollutants in it, is often opaque, colorful, and has flavor and odor.

Differences between water that are subtle and not easy to detect using the five senses are apparent only to the trained observer.

Water can be “structured” or “not structured.”

Structured water and non-structured water may look the same, taste the same, and smell the same, but are different on an atomic level.

Structured water molecules are aligned in symmetrical patterns, much like the molecules found in crystals.

Non-structured water molecules are not aligned, and are found in a more chaotic, random pattern, like glass.

Structured water is found in deep underground, artesian wells, as well as natural springs and unpolluted rivers.

Non-structured water is more common, and can be found in tap water, bottled water, stagnant lakes and pools, and shallow wells.

Structured water allows electrical energy to pass through it better than non-structured water.

Crystals, found in the Earth, have a relationship with structured water.

They have properties that create subtle energetic fields.

These subtle energetic fields can turn non-structured water into structured water.

People, to “structure” their own water, can use this relationship.

Simply place crystals, of any variety (but Quartz crystals work very well), in the immediate vicinity of a bowl or glass of water, and allow time to pass.

Placing crystals in the vessel of water works as well, but one must take caution when adding poisonous minerals to their water, as the minerals will dissolve on an atomic level and potentially pollute the water.

Malachite, azurite, wulfenite, and other Heavy-metal bearing minerals must not be placed in the vessel of water, as they will leach toxic metals into the water.

Water is an excellent solvent, and can dissolve a wide variety of minerals, metals, and gases.

The water molecule has two Hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom arranged in a “L” shape.

Oxygen atoms have a negative electrical charge, and hydrogen atoms have a positive electrical charge.

Because the two Hydrogen atoms are positive and the one oxygen atom is negative, water molecules have a positively charged side, and a negatively charged side, like a common alkaline battery.

Water is a “polar” solvent due to these distinct electrical charges.

Water can fully dissolve polar minerals and gases into it.

Salt, which is a polar mineral, is readily dissolved from its’ solid form into water.

The world’s oceans and seas are chock-full of not only salt, but a wide variety of metals, minerals, and gases that are invisible to the naked eye, but easily detected when the water is evaporated away.

Salts and other electrically conductive minerals are called electrolytes.

Animals rely on electrolytes for their nervous systems to function.

Electrical pulses pass through the brain, muscles, and nerves at an incredibly fast rate and are the mechanism for the five senses and muscular movement.

Without electrolytes dissolved in water, animal life could not function, as we know it.

On a more metaphysical level, water can hold inside of it, the thoughts or intentions of people.

Positive emotions like love, friendliness, peacefulness, and joy can be “infused” into water.

Similarly, negative emotions like hatred, anger, pain, and misery can be “infused” into water.

This was proven in a laboratory experiment by researchers in Japan, during the 1990’s.

Dr. Masaru Emoto, in his famous experiments, proved that consciousness and thoughts affect the molecular structure of water.

Groups of people would project specific emotions onto a vessel of water, and then the water would be frozen, and the subsequent ice crystals were then photographed.

The ice crystals that were made from the water that had positive emotions projected onto them were beautiful and symmetrical, like snowflakes.

The ice crystals that were made from the water that had negative emotions projected onto them were chaotic and asymmetrical, and did not look like snowflakes.

The practice of blessing water to make it “holy water” is very old and pre-dates the Catholic Church, which practices the technique to this day.

Native American medicine men have a tradition of offering prayers and blessings to the local rivers and streams, in an effort to have the blessings and prayers be carried downstream to all of the users of the water.

Blessing the rivers, streams, and lakes are a practical and easy way to heal the world and all who inhabit it.

For those seeking healing from disease, they may find relief by bathing in natural spring water baths or hot springs.

For thousands of years, all over the world, people have bathed in natural hot springs to alleviate symptoms of chronic diseases.

In ancient Roman culture, bathhouses were erected all across the empire for the well being of the public, and to heal the sick.

In Sintra, Portugal, a monastery devoted to Santa Eufemia was built to house and provide healing baths for sickly people. Many people came from all over to have their symptoms alleviated by the healing waters.

The great explorers and conquistadors of the past were reliant on fresh water to conduct their expeditions, and had to refill their stores of water regularly at springs and lakes.

They also were reliant on water in order to travel quickly and efficiently.

Before roads were built on a large scale, rivers and oceans were the “highways” of the ancient world.

Trade, travel, exploration, and the shipment of cargo were all conducted exclusively on rivers and waterways.

The buoyancy of wooden boats provided a huge advantage to people wishing to travel quickly or carry heavy loads.

The wooden boat was the best mode of transportation for thousands of years, and still offers a pleasant way to get around and recreate.

As mankind begins to explore outer space and the greater universe, we begin to look for water sources in order to sustain space colonies or as evidence for potential alien life.

There is a lot of fresh water in outer space.

Many asteroids and comets are extremely large chunks of ice.

The classic streak or tail of a comet occurs because ice falls off of the main body of the comet as it flies through space at high speeds.

Europa, one of the moons of Saturn, is made almost entirely of water.

It has a thick layer of ice surrounding a huge ocean that surrounds the whole of the moon.

Europa has been deemed an excellent candidate for hosting Extraterrestrial life, because of the presence of water.

There is evidence in the geological record to support the idea that Mars may have had large oceans and rivers on it in the past, and because of this, may still have extraterrestrial, organic life present on it.

Water is life, and is truly the best indicator for discovering unknown forms of life, beyond our Earthly concepts of plants and animals.

When mankind becomes capable of traveling through outer space, we will need water to survive.

And while we are exploring the stars, we will continue to brew our morning coffee as we have for thousands of years, with hot water.

Lovely, pure, delicious, Water.

            Everything is energy.

Many ancient religions of the world have a common teaching: that everything in the Universe is made up of energy, or chi, or life force.

The teachings go on to explain that all of Creation is energy.

This includes ‘things’ that are not physical, such as ideas, dreams, and Light.

This can be explained in the modern context by examining Electricity.

Lightning is a natural phenomenon that has been observed since the dawn of humanity.

Lightning occurs when storms in the atmosphere compress water molecules and rub them together ferociously, producing incredible amounts of friction energy.

This produces a highly charged, positive field of electricity in the atmosphere, which in order to maintain a balanced, neutral charge, will produce a large bolt of lightning in the direction of the negatively charged Earth.

The Earth and its’ atmosphere are always trying to maintain a neutral electrical charge.

To do this, the atmosphere is constantly producing lightning.

One scientific analysis concluded that at any given moment, there are at least 10,000 bolts of lightning being produced per second on Earth.

In the amount of time it took to read this sentence, there were at least 50,000 bolts of lightning striking the earth.

All matter allows electricity to flow through it in varying amounts.

Wood, stone, metal, plastic, and all other materials allow electricity to flow through it.

Things that allow electricity to flow through them very easily and without high amounts of friction and energy-loss are called conductors.

A few examples of conductors are Copper metal, salt-water, and Gold.

Things that don’t allow electrical fields to pass through them easily are called insulators.

Rubber is one of the most common insulators and is used to coat copper wires to keep the electrical flow contained and manageable.

Another class of materials worthy of mention is super-conductors.

Super-conductors are materials that allow electricity to pass through them with little to no loss of energy, and will be the materials of future technology, as they allow maximum amounts of electricity to pass through them without any friction or loss of energy.

Friction and energy-loss in electronics result in the materials heating up and potentially melting, thereby breaking the technology.

Computers today use traditional conductive materials such as copper, silver, and gold, and require large cooling systems such as metal heat sinks and fans to stay cool enough to operate.

It is the belief of the author that the computers and electronics in the future will be built using super-conductive materials and will not produce heat.

This will make the computers and technology of tomorrow capable of being very small. Far less electricity will need to be used to accomplish great tasks and perform complex problem solving.

Humans use electricity to accomplish tasks every day.

Electricity can be harnessed by mankind to produce Light, to drive motors, to compute complex mathematics, to produce sound, and in countless other ways.

It is a natural force that animates biological beings and technology alike.

Animals use electricity in their nervous systems and brains in order to function.

Small electrical pulses are the driving mechanics of the sensory organs and allow muscles to be directed and used by the nervous system.

This has been proven in modern medicine.

Small electrical pulses can be used therapeutically to relieve symptoms of muscular-nervous system disorders such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

Also, in medical school, a common lesson that is used to show this function, is the observance of the application of a small electrical charge to muscle tissue.

The electric charge, when applied, causes the muscle tissue to spasm and contract. When relieved of the electricity, the muscle relaxes and stays at rest.

Modern computing and the Internet rely on electricity to function.

The complex world of microelectronics and computers uses a steady stream of electricity in order to operate.

If the electrical flow is too weak, the technology will not operate. If the electrical flow is too strong, the materials used to build the technology will burn and break.

Our modern devices, which we often take for granted, will not operate unless the electric flow is just right.

This is true for animals as well.

If there is no electricity in the nervous system, the animal is considered “dead.”

When there is electricity in the nervous system, the animal is “alive” and can perform the many functions of the animal kingdom.

The planets and stars are electrical as well.

Earth has an invisible, magneto-electric field that projects many hundreds of kilometers out into Space.

The magneto-electric field surrounds the whole of the Earth and is shaped like a donut, or Torus.

The Sun is always emitting Light, heat, and invisible radiation in vast quantities. The flow, or “river,” of charged particles is much larger than the Earth.

The magneto-electric field that surrounds the Earth deflects the flow of charged particles around the Earth.

It protects the Earth and all of its’ inhabitants from the extreme heat and radiation of the Sun.

Were it not for this protective magneto-electric field, most living things on Earth would not be able to live in the extreme, radioactive environment of Space.

However, the vast rivers of light, heat, and radiation from the Sun provide the necessary energy for photosynthesis to occur, and thus, for most Life on Earth to function.

The rivers of hot, highly charged particles that flow out from the sun are called Plasma.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter as it increases in energy.

Matter, or physical creation, changes from solid to liquid to gas and then to plasma, as it’s vibration increases.

 Another way to convey this is that as a thing heats up and increases in energy, it will change from solid to liquid to gas to plasma.

Water is a great example of this principle.

If you take ice, or solid water, and put it in a pan on the stove, the increased energy from the heat will change it into liquid, and eventually it will boil into vapor or gas.

If you continue to heat the vapor or gas, it will become plasma, and emit light and heat.

Plasma is very common in outer space. It can be found in huge amounts around stars and very-large planets.

The aurora borealis, or the northern lights, is a great example of plasma in the atmosphere of Earth.

Electrical flows are generated in various ways.

A common method used by many utility companies to create an electrical flow is the use of a spinning bar magnet surrounded by a coil of copper wire.

The bar magnet pushes individual electrons in the copper wire and forces a chain reaction of electrons.

 One electron is shoved from one copper atom to the next, and then the second electron is shoved into the next copper atom, and so on and so forth, thus creating a chain reaction throughout the whole of the copper wire.

The electricity flow can then be harnessed across vast distances on the other end of the copper wire from the bar magnet.

Another common way electrical flows are generated is by nuclear fusion.

The Sun operates using nuclear fusion. In fact, all stars in the observable universe use Nuclear Fusion to produce light, heat, and radiation of particles.

Nuclear fusion, in a nutshell, is the process of two Hydrogen atoms being squeezed under intense heat and pressure, until they fuse into a Helium atom.

This process releases energy in the form of heat, light, and electricity and is the source of energy that biological Life uses to sustain itself.

In outer Space, there is no air or matter of any kind. This vacuum allows for electricity to flow across vast distances without losing any of its’ energy to friction.

Some plasma rivers, or large electrical flows, have been observed to travel millions of kilometers from its’ source star.

They cannot be seen by the human eye, but can be detected using scientific instruments.

As humans learn more about the plasma rivers in space, the more our perspective shifts from outer space being “empty” to “filled with energy.”

Electricity has been a mysterious natural force throughout history.

Natural electrical phenomena were considered magical or supernatural for a long time.

St Elmo’s fire, or the micro-plasma fields that occur around metal rods or masts of boats during lightning storms, was not understood scientifically until the 19th century.

Sailors and common folk have reported seeing and experiencing St. Elmo’s fire for thousands of years all across the world.

Ball lightning, or highly concentrated plasma spheres in the lower atmosphere, were seen and reported by many people throughout history and were considered magical.

Sprites, or huge upper atmospheric lightning discharges between the topside of storm clouds and the ionosphere were seen and reported throughout history and were not understood scientifically until the 21^st century.

If the reader examines the trend of humans observing natural phenomena and trying to understand it and then applying the understanding in practical ways, they may see that mankind will one day understand the function of Plasma Rivers in outer space and learn to use it for practical purposes.

It is the hope of the author, that mankind will learn to “sail” the plasma rivers and explore outer space in the near future.

            In modern times, people remember Ancient Egypt because there is so much evidence of their advanced civilization.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, many thousands of examples of art, architecture, advanced agricultural systems, weapons, boats, tombs, and temples with complex religious structures were excavated and brought to light by mostly European explorers and archaeologists.

For the first time in thousands of years, human eyes and minds experienced the creations of the ancient Khemitians.

Khemitians?

That was the name of the ancient Egyptian people in their own language.

Egypt is the Greek name for the land that rests along the banks of the Nile River in North Africa.

Khemet, or “Black Land”, was the local name for the land.

They called it the “black land” because every year the Nile River would flood it’s banks and deposit healthy, nutrient-rich soil all throughout the Nile river valley.

The Nile River Delta, where ancient Memphis and Modern-day Cairo stand, was particularly rich farmland, and would produce incredible amounts of food.

The ancient Khemetians lived along the Nile river for many thousands of years, passing both culture and farmland from generation to generation.

Indeed the modern Egyptians never left the banks of the Nile, and live there to this day.

The modern farmers work on the same plots of land that could have been used many thousands of years before Jesus Christ walked the Earth.

The ancient Khemetians were skilled artisans and craftsmen. They also were adept warriors and temple-builders.

Many of their creations have stood the test of time.

The greatest examples are the Pyramids of the Giza plateau.

The great pyramid of Giza is the oldest and last remaining Wonder of the Ancient world.

The pyramid has relatively maintained its shape and design, despite many thousands of years of weather, earthquakes, and other natural forces that regularly break down man’s creations.

It is certain that the ancient Khemetians were master builders and were highly aware of Nature’s ways.

They shared their knowledge of Nature and Creation in formal, prestigious universities that are known in modern times as the Mystery Schools.

The Mystery Schools were housed in Temples made of stone, and many of the buildings are still around.

Kom ombo temple, the Isis temple at Philae, and the temple of Horus at Edfu are a few examples of temples that housed mystery schools.

Anyone who wished to become a Priest or Priestess in ancient Khemet had to learn the teachings of the mystery schools before being considered for priesthood.

The process of learning the many facets of Nature and Creation took many years and required total commitment of the student.

Lessons were taught incrementally and over a long period of time.

Challenges, tests, and opportunities to prove that the knowledge was understood were fundamental to the teachings. The student could not progress to a more advanced knowledge, unless they were capable of passing the test of individual lessons.

Many students would never progress beyond certain levels of understanding, and as such, were cast out of the Mystery schools and had to return to everyday society.

The students who did understand the lessons being taught to them, however, would move on to greater, more complex teachings, by leaving the temple and moving on to the next mystery school.

There was a progression of knowledge, from basic, to complex, and then to Mysterious.

The basic lessons imbued the student with a working knowledge of the ways of their physical body.

The complex lessons would teach the student of the ways of their mind and individual soul.

The mysterious teachings would grant the student access to the inner workings of the Spirit, or collective soul of humanity.

The student who learned all of the teachings would be free to explore the Universe and their selves in ways unknown to most modern people.

A graduate of the mystery schools’ abilities may seem miraculous, or impossible to modern man.

Clairvoyance, prophecy-making, miraculous Healing, and the ability to return to Life after Death are a few examples of what is possible to the graduate of the mystery schools.

Many of the gifted Masters throughout history were trained in the ancient Mystery Schools.

It is widely theorized that during Jesus Christ’s “missing 18 years” before his return to Judea, the Master was learning the lessons of the Ancient mystery schools.

Many Kabbalah teachings and other Jewish mystical work can trace their origins to teachings of the ancient mystery schools.

The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were all trained in the mystery schools. The knowledge taught to them was considered the key to maintaining their power and ability to rule over others.

Clearly, the knowledge taught in the ancient mystery schools was powerful and capable of changing the human experience in big ways.

The knowledge was considered Sacred and Divine, and was kept secret from common people.

It was known that if the sacred knowledge was misused or abused, that great calamity and chaos would surely follow.

The secret knowledge left the boundaries of the Nile River, and has spread to every corner of the Earth.

In modern times, the name “Alchemy” was given to the teachings of the mystery schools.

Alchemy, or Al-khem-y, is the collective knowledge from ancient Khemet, and is taught to millions of people through books, the Internet, and orally through teachers.

The ancient Egyptian mystery schools never vanished from the Earth, They still live on through individuals sharing knowledge and secrets with one another.

On a side note, Sintra, Portugal is a community in which Alchemy was taught to the royalty of Medieval Europe.

There is much evidence of this to be found in the Palaces and gardens scattered about town. Alchemical symbols, initiation wells, and Alchemy laboratories can be found and explored to this day.

Mountain of the Moon – Energy Vortex

            Sintra, Portugal is known to many across the world as a beautiful place to spend their summertime holiday.

There are many reasons why people come from all over the world to Sintra- some come for the sunny beaches, others come to visit the Old Castle of the Moors- built in the 12^th century by Moorish people who came from North Africa.

Another large draw to the area is Pena Palace- one of the homes of the Portuguese royal family. The palace is painted in many pastel colors, although pink and yellow are predominant.

The architecture is playful and fairytale-like, as per the orders of the king Don Fernando II, it’s chief designer.

Still others are drawn here for the unique forest and natural ecology. The forest is different than the surrounding area because of the moist micro-climate.

The forest receives a lot of water from moisture blowing in from the sea.

In ancient times, the Sintra forest was especially abundant with fruit, nuts, and animals for hunting. Many generations of people hunted and gathered in Sintra for many thousands of years.

The forest was so abundant that it earned the reputation of being the home of the goddess of the forest and the hunt.

In Roman times, she was called Diana, or Cynthia, and statues of her can still be found around town to this day.

There are a handful of monasteries, convents, Nunneries, and other sacred retreat sites on the mountain. The Convent dos Capuchos is a particularly well-designed spiritual retreat, as the buildings on the property are all designed to be one with Nature. The stone and cork walls are thoughtfully tucked between Boulders and caves, and allow for Plants and natural Sunlight to be present in most of the rooms.

The monks that used to live there were followers of St. Francis of Assissi, who taught that Divinity and Holiness could be found and experienced in the natural world.

The baths at the Chapel of Saint Eufemia were fed from natural Springs. These baths were known as healing waters, and many sick and diseased people would go there to be relieved of their ailment.

Interestingly enough, the City of Sintra is renovating the old bathhouse, and is planning to make the healing waters available to the public again in the near future.

Obviously there are more than a few good reasons to come to Sintra.

Alas, there is a subtle feeling of calm and well being that permeates the community in Sintra.

In general, people tend to feel very good when they are in Sintra.

Travelers who have spent time in busy cities often report feeling calmer, happier, and less in a hurry when they arrive in town.

The feeling of comfort and well-being is a phenomena that is known as fact to those who have stayed in the area.

This positive energy is a palpable force on and around the Mountain of the Moon.

Many people report feeling “drawn” to the area as if magnetically attracted. Often, it is their intuition or a hunch that they feel as if they should go to Sintra.

The author of this article was indeed, drawn to the Mountain himself, as if invisible forces were pulling him towards the mountain.

The monks of old and the royalty of Europe also may have felt this magnetic attraction to the area.

So what is this attractive, positive force that permeates the air in Sintra?

The author believes that there is a concentration of positively charged, Geo-magnetic (Electrical) fields radiating out of the Earth through the Mountain of the Moon.

This Geo-magnetic concentration can also be called an energy vortex.

The phenomena of energy vortexes, i.e. feeling good, feeling magnetically attracted ,  very healthy ecosystems, holy people making residence,  can be found in multiple sites across the globe. A few examples are the Giza plateau, Sedona, Arizona, and Jerusalem.

These positively-charged electrical fields are natural phenomena, and occur all over the Earth, on every continent.

However, they are only found in a few areas, as most places on the Earth are Negatively charged.

The Earth is always trying to maintain a zero-charge in it’s Geo-magnetic field, and as such, there is a constant stream of charged particles flowing between the ground and the upper atmosphere.

Most places, the charged particles are streaming from the atmosphere to the ground.

In Energy Vortexes, the flow of charged particles tends to move from the ground to the atmosphere. This is not true for all energy vortexes.

Human bodies are electrical, or energetic, by design.

Our nervous and muscular systems are reliant on electrical pulses to function.

Humans bodies are effected by the background electrical charge of the environment in which they find themselves.

The principal of energetic resonance is that if one thing is vibrating at a certain frequency and it comes in contact with another thing, that thing will begin to vibrate at the same frequency.

This principle can be applied to the idea that people begin to resonate with the subtle, electrical “vibration” emanating from the ground, and therefore their personal “vibration” is altered from what it was before arriving in the energy vortex.

The vibration of a positively charged environment produces the feelings of well-being, calm, and health.