You still have a chance to make a difference – I board the plane in less than 3 weeks!! ♥

Joshua Thomas is CEO and Founder of an incredible website, Macro7.com which is going to truly shake up the world.  He’s a visionary, totally authentic and “gets it.”

Before I share the quick video let me relate an amazing thing that happened yesterday.  When you are in alignment with the universe – in other words, on purpose, incredible things unfold.

Yesterday I was on my way to the swimming pool for some badly needed exercise.  On the way I noticed a small red car was in a hurry to keep up with me, narrowly going through a red light.  It seemed to be following me.  I thought that was rather peculiar.

I came to another stoplight and sure enough this little red car pulled up alongside me.  The driver was someone who I personally knew.  ”Can we go somewhere to talk for a few minutes?”

I instructed him to follow my car to Caribou coffee.  I figured we’d talk for maybe 5 minutes.  We ended up talking for almost an hour and a half.

Here’s what I learned.

When he woke up that morning, his intention was to drive into town (he lives out in the country) and somehow find me.  As soon as he arrived downtown Fairfield, I was just pulling out of an intersection!  He drove about 20 to 30 minutes into town specifically to find me and BOOM there I was.    This is what happens when the universe is conspiring to bring seemingly impossible things together so easily.

As we drank coffee and talked, I learned further that he did some Shaman training in Brazil and took the course of a man named Alberto Villolodo whose book “Shaman, Healer, Sage” I just bought recently!  When I told Angela, the Shaman I am going to Peru with, about this encounter she told me that she had at one time studied with Alberto as well.

Why am I telling you this?

Because when someone is aligned with his or her divine purpose, the universe conspires to help make it happen so effortlessly.

Take for instance my fundraising campaign.  In just 16 days the universe helped me raise almost $2,500, which is half of what I am seeking.  And now with 3 weeks before i board the flight, Joshua and I are asking you to open the cycle of giving and receiving and push me to the finish line:

Every amount helps - your investment will help me capitalize on a timely and rare opportunity to learn the art of ancient healing in the Amazon.

Please don’t feel that your contribution won’t matter – it DOES.  No matter how small it is!

If you are now a believer and want to see me go to Peru to study with some of the most amazing healers for the benefit of global healing, there are several ways to make that happen.

The online magazine you saw last week is still up and functioning but there are other options too:

1. donate via GoFundME: http://www.gofundme.com/2sueb8

2. donate via check: email me for my postal address

3. donate via Paypal:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=W3BMXQRYFMQQ6

I wish to leave you with a link to a wonderful article about true badasses of the world, of which I am proud to be one.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you counted yourself among them.  Check this out:  37 Ways to be a Total Badass.  When you check out my BADASS REWARDS for donating, you’ll see you you will fit right in!

Namaste.

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It’s really an incredible journey that I’m taking and I’m excited to have you along for the journey.

On April 29/May 1st, I began a campaign to “Awaken the Shaman” within by asking everyone I know to send me into the jungles of Peru to study with some of the most amazing healers.

If you have already donated, thank you so much!

Before I introduce you to Raamon Newman, CEO and Managing Partner of Raam Global Partners, take a look a moment to reflect on this day of everlasting achievement.

According to the Vedic Calendar, today (May 13, 2013) marks “Akshaya Tritiya.”  The word “Akshaya” means “the never diminishing” in Sanskrit.

It is believed that if you do charity on this day you will be blessed.  Not only that but your contribution to anything you feel drawn to will cause a massive ripple effect and boomerang back to you.  The legend is that any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya continues to grow and bring prosperity.

On May 1st, we started with ZERO.

With each passing day the momentum kept growing at astonishing speed with an average of 3 donors per day who became believers in my vision.

During the weekend of May 10th to 12 2013, seven new souls came onboard with $605 in new funds.  And believe it or not  includes substantial money I mysteriously found while walking barefoot in nature (photo coming soon!).

That brings us to $222 shy of reaching a brand new threshold ($2,000)!

We still need another $3,222 to reach five thousand (which will cover airfare, the retreat fees, ground transportation to the airports, food, supplies, etc):

1. Retreat Fee $2,900 (this includes ground transportation, hotel in Lima, retreat accommodations, meals, ceremonies and other things)
2. Airfare: Iowa to Lima (approximately $1140 roundrip)
3. Airfare: Lima to Iquitos (approximately $380 roundtrip)
4. Parking at airport, Gas, supplies and other expenses will make up the balance less GoFundMe and Paypal fees (very expensive).

While sun gazing this morning (now up to 10 minutes straight), I confirmed with the universe that I will be able to book my flights to Peru today before prices spike up.

Will you join the 36 believers who have helped make it possible for me to go to Peru, including this incredibly powerful man Raamon Newman?

Here’s what he had to say about why he was among the earliest to donate 12 days ago:

Every amount helps - your investment will help me capitalize on a timely and rare opportunity to learn the art of ancient healing in the Amazon.

Please don’t feel that your contribution won’t matter – it DOES.  No matter how small it is!

If you are now a believer and want to see me go to Peru to study with some of the most amazing healers for the benefit of global healing, there are several ways to make that happen.

The online magazine you saw last week is still up and functioning but there are other options too:

1. donate your Skymiles (I’ve never asked for that before so I don’t know how it works but maybe you know)

2. donate via GoFundME: http://www.gofundme.com/2sueb8

3. donate via check: email me for my postal address

4. donate via Paypal:   https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=W3BMXQRYFMQQ6

5. spread the news via FB, Twitter and email!

I wish to leave you with a link to a wonderful article about true badasses of the world, of which I am proud to be one.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you counted yourself among them.  Check this out:  37 Ways to be a Total Badass.  When you check out my BADASS REWARDS for donating, you’ll see you you will fit right in!

Namaste.

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Before I go into detail I just want to take a moment, and give a special note of thanks to long-time subscribers who have been with me since 2006.  You are among the most loyal, loving and supportive fans.  You’ve seen me rise and fall on my face.  You’ve seen me accomplish the impossible.  And you stayed with me and waited patiently for me to return to blogging.

I’m very humbled by all of this.

Thank you!

For those of you who are new subscribers – welcome.  I’m so happy to have you onboard.  I hope to get to know you more!

So what’s all the excitement about in this blog post?

Well, a rare opportunity to learn the art of ancient healing in the Amazon jungles has come my way  - it’s something that’s been on my bucket list for several years and I am asking you to help me get there.

Less than 5 minutes after you click on the invitation, you will understand how I arrived at this juncture and what will happen next.

  Of course, if you choose to do so, you will be taking on a very powerful and life changing role and pick up some really BADASS REWARDS at the same time – check it out!

  CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE INFO!!

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If you haven’t already discovered for yourself, FB affords an amazing way to keep in touch with old and new friends, family, clients, fans and the like.  I’m even in touch with my fifth grade teacher from oer 40 years ago who said the now-famous 3 words that forever changed my life, the story of which you read first in this blog and was subsequently published in my first book Obstacle Illusions.

I have an announcement to make!

As a result of completely re-engineering how I intend to serve the world, I’ve created a brand new Facebook page  called “Awakening Specialist” where I provide uplifting, inspiring and potentially important information relating to the awakening of the planet’s collective consciousness.  I also share quotes from other inspiring authors, shamans, speakers, light-workers as well as those of my own.

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One of the mines I visited this summer in Arkansas

In the last article I briefly expounded on one of several trips, actually road trips to be specific, to Arkansas where I went hunting for quartz crystals.

“Why,” you are probably asking.

Good question!

I had the same question.  Let me share how it all unfolded.

This has been an amazing year for me spiritually because I have been practicing the art of listening to my inner self and I have been hearing what it’s telling me loud and clear.  One day I literally woke up with this unexplainable, more like unfathomable, interest in quartz crystals.  If you know me well enough, you’d know that when something profound shifts inside me and catches my attention, I become like an arrow speeding toward the bull’s eye with uncanny accuracy.  I suddenly become consumed with the subject at hand and learn as much as I can with the incredible focus and intensity.  It almost becomes obsessive.

This type of energy has previously catapulted me to higher levels of achievement on Wall Street and in aviation, among other things.  Once I set my mind on something, the universe has never fails to gather at my feet and conspire to help manifest my inner desires.  When you think about it, anytime you are incredibly excited about something and you move with a purpose toward the manifestation of whatever it is you’re aiming for, you summon mighty unseen forces of nature.  It works every single time.  The key, of course, is to muster as much genuine excitement because that’s the only way you can literally move mountains.  Based on my experience, if you do anything half hardheartedly, you won’t get very far.  Sound familiar?

Digging for crystals in super hot temps!

I’m not exactly sure how it all unfolded but while I was learning more about crystals, the universe brought to my attention the idea that I should travel to Arkansas and go digging for them myself!  Further research led me to discover that Arkansas actually holds the 2nd largest quartz crystal deposits in the world followed by Brazil.  My stomach rumbled with excitement  in response – a quick check on Mapquest revealed it would only be a 12 hour drive south.  It felt right.  It was just a matter of time before I left town in search for crystals.

As I got closer to the departure date,  I became increasingly mystified as to why I was feeling so strongly about Arkansas.   It didn’t take long for the answer to arrive in the form of an email from a friend who knew I was preparing for the trip.  Take a look at what I found in my inbox…… this article:

Masters, are you aware, truly aware of the incredible changes taking place around you?   The shift is easily apparent, in all of its nuances, and undeniably so.

And we tell you that there is no place on the Earth at the present time revealing more wondrous evidence of the Earths transition, than the Crystal Vortex of Arkansas.

Why Arkansas you may ask. The answer is because within this vortex lies the largest single deposit of quartz crystal on the planet. The Atlanteans as well as the Sirian-Pleiadean Alliance were well aware of this fact. Accordingly there are energetic devices, and refined crystals within this area that were set in place precisely to play a major role in the transition of the earth…and that is happening now before your collective eyes.

It goes on to clarify the purpose of crystals in Brazil and Arkansas:

As Arkansas and Brazil are the largest generators of crystalline energy on the planet and both hold very key energy devices that are playing a major role in the Crystalline Transition of the planet.

And then my role with crystals became crystal clear (no pun intended) with a one liner toward the end:

If you are indeed one of these envoys, you are feeling the need to be involved in the recoding, and are drawn to the Crystal Vortex and to other locations of the 12-helixed discs.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that I was both stunned and relieved by the time I finished reading that article.  Stunned because I got the answer I was seeking and relieved because it was no longer mysterious.  Finally!

Just prior to departing, another article came to my attention, making me feel that I was now on a very specific mission handed down to me by invisible commanders:

Arkansas is emerging as one of the most important and powerful vortexial portals on the planet.  It is the northern hemisphere source of the Crystalline field. Arkansas is not only the largest singular deposit of natural quartz crystal in the world; indeed it contains a unique quality of crystals, coded to awaken at this time, coded with the energy of the ‘Law of One’.

Haul of “Dirty” Crystals having sunbath before deep cleansing

I suspect the load of crystals I dug up and brought home somehow have to do with massive awakening taking place this year and that my assignment was to be their keeper until further notice.  These timely articles served as a powerful confirmation from the universe to just pack up and go.  Somehow I knew without a doubt I’d receive all the support I would need to make this trip a success but little did I know just how much!

On the day I hit the road for the 12 hour drive, I had the first night’s lodging in Arkansas already taken care of thanks to Couchusurfing.org.  Beyond that I was prepared to go camping in the wilderness if it came to that.  In fact, my trunk was packed with a sleeping bag and mat, tent, etc.

Six hours later, I received on my Blackberry (I’ve since tossed that aside and upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy III, haha) a Facebook message from a woman who introduced herself as having met me once while in Fairfield but had since relocated to Hot Springs, Arkansas.  She said she had seen some updates on FB about my upcoming trip and felt guided to offer, free of charge, a place to stay at her not-yet-opened-to-the-public-hostel!  I flashed a knowing smile to no one in particular for I knew this was the universe taking care of me.  The only thing she wanted in return was a strong recommendation for the hostel on social media.  Noooooo problem!

Now, here’s the funny thing.  You just never know what the universe has up its sleeve for you when something like this happens.  I’ll tell you about it in a future blog article but let’s just say that I wasn’t going down there just to dig for crystals.  The universe had a lightworker type job for me to do.  It entailed bringing much needed light to two people at the hostel.  Stay tuned for that story in the near future!

The day after crashing at the Couchsurfing guy’s house and then moving into the hostel just a few blocks away, I paid a visit to the Ron Coleman mine in Jessieville, Arkansas.  It’s reputed to have the best quality quartz crystals about 30 to 45 minutes north of Hot Springs where I was staying.  Armed with a shovel and a pair of heavy duty gloves, I thought I was well prepared for a full day of digging but this inexperienced crystal hunter was NOT.  I had arrived to Arkansas in the middle of an extremely hot summer where average temperatures routinely hovered over 100 degrees!

Crystals after a week of deep cleansing

Getting to the mine required a moderately steep climb over uneven gravel littered with several unsightly potholes – needless to say, it proved to be somewhat of a challenge for my trusty little Honda.  At one point during the climb, it felt as if the car was going vertical and I found myself subconsciously leaning toward the steering wheel, as if that would help keep the car from flipping backward.  Can you imagine?!?!

Upon arriving, I surveyed the public digging area and went right to work.  It wasn’t long before I was coming up with what appeared to be both large and small crystals.  The trouble was I couldn’t tell if they were of good quality because they were virtually submerged in wet mud, iron and ore.  It would take a week of detailed cleaning before I would learn of their condition.  So I did what I had to do and that was to simply take my chances and throw in the bucket what I intuitively felt would be good finds.  On my first day, I was super excited at the prospect of finding my first crystal, that I made the mistake of hardly paying attention to the scorching hot sun beating on my head.  I would later pay dearly for that misstep – taking a shower later that night proved to be p-a-i-n-f-u-l.

After four to six hours of digging, I called it a day.  The trunk was full of dirty quartz crystals and I was satisfied.

Here are some more pictures of the scenery:

I stayed at this cozy room at the hostel for a week and a half!

Stay tuned for an update about what happened at the hostel that led me to realize that I wasn’t “just going crystal hunting.”

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500 feet on Bell Rock – Sedona, AZ

2012 has been the year of road travel, visiting places like North Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Missouri.  All of them have led to some amazing magical experiences, especially Sedona which I will write about today.

All of these trips were spirit inspired – I simply heard the powerful call to rise up and go forth.  The feeling was so strong that I knew I couldn’t ignore them.  In the back of  my mind, I held the possibility that spirit was leading me somewhere so that I could serve some kind of higher calling.  Or maybe even learn a lesson or two.

In North Carolina I visited a couple living in Asheville, which I had heard was a spiritual mecca, progressive and very beautiful.   The only way one could enter and leave North Carolina, particularly Asheville, was through mountain passes.  While the passing scenery was tantalizing, the idea of driving these mountain roads in the winter truly gave me the willies.

My hosts were both working full-time during my visit so I went off and explored mostly on my own.  I enjoyed myself but when it was all over, I simply didn’t feel the call to move there.  The “pull” just wasn’t there.  To say at he least, I was a bit surprised but I learned not to question or doubt my inner promptings.  The first major road trip of the year went smoothly – everything I needed was easily and effortlessly provided for including, but not limited to, shelter, food and fuel.

One of the mines I visited in Arkansas this summer

As 2012 continued to unfold, I suddenly found myself inexplicably and mysteriously drawn to the power of quartz crystals.  It wasn’t long before I began reading up on them.   Pretty soon I was attracting information that eventually shed light on their metaphysical and healing properties.  A month or two after becoming aware of their existence, the spirit led me on a crystal hunting expedition to Arkansas, the site of the world’s 2nd largest deposit of quartz crystals.

Like the road trip to Asheville, this was another long drive, taking me twelve, almost thirteen hours of driving but the experience proved to be profound.    I ended up bringing home a haul of gorgeous crystals that could easily sell for hundreds of dollars apiece but I am not yet ready to part with them.    One of them has turned into a necklace (see photo).  For now, they have been strategically placed throughout my home, giving off the feeling of love, light, warmth and protection.

Shortly before I left for the expedition, someone surreptitiously sent me an email about Arkansas that led to a huge AH-HA moment.  It became clear that my role as an “ascension specialist” is to use the crystals to help other people and the planet ascend as well as heal.

This was one of the crystals I dug up at the Ron Coleman mine among a cluster of others!

Like what happened in Asheville, everything I needed was easily provided for.  For example, even though I was fully prepared to go camping (my trunk was loaded with camping equipment), I received a text message from a woman who used to live in my hometown inviting me to stay at her not-yet-opened-to-the-public hostel for free!  This is what happens when you follow your inner promptings and go forth in complete faith.

Not long after I came home from the crystal digging expedition, the ever relentless spirit rose up once again; this time prompting me to visit the Southwest, particularly Sedona.  This would be the longest road trip — twenty-one plus hours.  Over the years I had heard wonderful things about Sedona but it wasn’t until this year when the urge to visit was particularly strong.

As I was getting ready for Sedona, a young man from my hometown somehow got wind of my intentions and offered to accompany me for he was in need of a cross country ride to Burning Man in Nevada.  After some discussion, we agreed to split the cost of fuel, take turns driving and explore Sedona the first week we were there.

Little did I know I was in for some major healings and breakthroughs.

Healings and Breakthroughs

Perhaps this would be a good time to tell you that before I left for the Southwest, I was experiencing unusual pain in the left side of my head that was only felt whenever I vigorously shook my head back and forth.  Now before you think I’m crazy and alert the authorities, it only happened while brushing my teeth.   As soon as the toothbrush goes in my mouth, I have this strange tendency to move my head back and forth to match the rapid movement of the toothbrush.   Are you picturing this?

It felt as if there was some extra fluid in the left side of my head.  I was reminded of what a brain surgeon does during an operation where a small incision is made on the patient’s head so that excess fluid could be drained out to prevent dangerous swelling.   It made me shudder to think about it.   Nevertheless, I made a mental note to make a doctor’s appointment upon my return if needed.

Rock Climbing at Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ

The first week I was in Sedona, my travel buddy and I did nothing but rock climb, hike and camp out.   We visited all 4 major vortexes (see map below).  The two of us were pretty much eating plant -based food, meaning fruits and vegetables.   My favorite breakfast was organic banana dipped in organic peanut butter  – if you haven’t tried that, I suggest you do.  It’s cheap, healthy, filling and really delicious!

At the end of that week, he and I went separate ways with him going on to Burning Man in Nevada and me staying behind for another week.  I wanted to explore Sedona on a more grassroot level.  That’s when I began to experience the onset of a healing although I wasn’t yet aware of it.

It happened while I was toweling off the back of my neck after taking a shower one morning.  The same feeling of excess fluid in the brain was felt but this time it was on the right side of my head instead of the left.  Puzzled, I thought to myself, “Hmmm…how strange!”

Meanwhile I continued to rock climb, hike and camp on my own.  I should mention that during the first week that I was with my travel buddy in Sedona, we did so much rock climbing that I almost completely overcame my fear of heights in the process -  an ironic feat when taking into consideration I’ve been flying airplanes since 2000!

Overcoming my fear of heights was my first breakthrough in Sedona.  Truth be told, I was never fond of climbing ladders or setting foot on ledges several feet up but the more I rock climbed (with determination, I might add), the more my fear of heights shrank.

The first big climb happened at Cathedral Rock (see photo above).  Heading toward the top became progressively steeper and more challenging yet what kept me going was witnessing a Japanese family of four (two young boys and their parents) climbing up ahead.  I kept thinking, “Well, jeez, if they can do this, so can I!”  While I didn’t make it all the way to the top, the experience prepared me well for what was to come.

We visited all of these vortexes and more!

A few days later, we were taken up Bell Rock by a man named Peter Alan Gersten who is a lawyer by profession and an UFO enthusiast.  He offered to guide us up to the top, a spot he believes will be THE PLACE TO BE on December 21, 2012, the end of the Mayan calender.

By that point, I had grown steadfastly more confident.   As I climbed higher and higher on Bell Rock, I marveled how far I had come.  The fear of heights was almost completely gone.  Even though I stopped 100 feet short from the top, I felt tremendous satisfaction to the point where I cried tears of gratitude 500 feet above ground.  Clearly, I was on  a roll in magical Sedona!

By the time the second week came to an end, my instincts told me it was time for me to move on.  New Mexico was my next stop.

Again spirit provided me with a place to stay.  Within a few hours of driving to NM, the owners of a house in Albuquerque sent me a beautiful message.  Even though we had never met in person (we connected through Couchsurfing), they informed me that while they already had plans for the evening, I’d be given an extra key upon arrival so that I could come and go as I pleased – what a blessing!

Famous Santuario de Chimayo Chapel (Sacred Site) at Chimayo, NM. Legend has it that the holy site of the Santuario de Chimayo produces earth with miraculous healing powers. This church was built 200 years ago.

Sometime after I left the vicinity of Sedona, I experienced my first healing.  I was brushing my teeth on yet another morning when I discovered that the pain in my head had completely vanished!

Stunned, I shook my head vigorously a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.  (Don’t worry, I was alone when I did this.)

And true to form,  I was NOT imagining things.  Incredulous, I said to myself, “What just happened?!?!?”

One can probably safely surmise that spending a lot of time at those vortexes and sacred sites couldn’t have hurt!

After a deeply spiritual visit to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Chimayo, NM, I continued north for a brief visit with friends in Boulder, CO.  After spending one night there, I felt it was time to head back home even though I really didn’t want to.   There was something powerful about the Southwest.  It was as if it was beckoning for me to stay or at least come back.

While setting my sights on the trip back home, I received a message from an old friend in St. Louis asking if I would stop by for a reunion for we hadn’t seen one another in 27 years.

Reunion with Deborah S. Mayer in St. Louis

I was faced with two choices.  By this point, I had grown accustomed to listening to spirit so I decided to pay close attention.

Regardless of which way I went, I’d arrive at my destination in 11 or 12 hours, well after sunset.

What you don’t know is that about a year or so ago, I had mysteriously grown extremely uncomfortable with long distance driving at night.  As soon as I turned my headlights on, a feeling of intense discomfort and dread would spread all over my body like a virus,  causing me to unconsciously tighten my grip on the steering wheel.   It only happened on trips lasting more than 2 or 3 hours in the night.

My intention was I’d leave Boulder super early the next morning so that I wouldn’t have to deal with nighttime driving but that’s not what happened.  One thing led to another and it wasn’t until almost noon when I finally left.   As soon as I hit the road, I quickly realized that if I wanted to arrive at Deborah’s house in St. Louis the same day, I’d be spending at least 4 hours of driving – yep, you guessed it, after sunset.

The mere thought made me squirm but I decided to press on and deal with it after the sun went down.  My thinking at the time was if worse came to worse, I could always pull over and stay in a motel for the night.

Eight hours into the St. Louis-bound trip, the sun finally slid beneath the horizon.  There was that air of expectancy as I waited for that familiar dreadful to creep all over me but it never came.  In fact, with each passing mile, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely relaxed, alert and quite confident.  After four hours of driving in the night, at long last I pulled into her driveway happy as a lark.  I don’t know whether you’d call this a healing or a breakthrough but it is what it was and I was glad for it!

As is often the case when one follows spirit’s promptings, new opportunities spring forth and spontaneous healings occur.

My lesson this year?

Pay attention to spirit’s call to action and go forth in confidence – you never know what’s in store for you!

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If not, the end of the year is fast approaching and I’m having a “Back to School” inventory sale – Obstacle Illusions is on sale for 12% off the list price plus shipping!

The offer is only good until midnight, Thursday, September 13th, 2012 and then I’m taking down this post so here’s your opportunity to get yourself an autographed copy while there’s still time!

If you want more information about the book, take a look at the landing page but don’t buy the book there because the sale price is only available through this blog post, right here!

The book is on sale for only $15 plus shipping.  Click the “Buy Now button to be taken to checkout.  No need for a Paypal account – your credit card will be just fine.   Please be sure to indicate to whom you’d like me to autograph the book to in the note box provided and expect it to arrive within 5 to 7 business days.

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Newly constructed copper pyramid on my rooftop.

The year of 2012 has been rather incredible for I found myself taking an interest in many things, mostly of spiritual nature, that I never before contemplated.  If you’ve been following me on Facebook lately, you’ll know that I literally woke up one day and suddenly became enamored with quartz crystals to the point where I actually went on a road trip this summer to Arkansas to dig them up!  You might want to put that on your bucket list.  It was an incredible experience.

Below you’ll see a table full of newly cleaned crystals from that expedition.  I’ll be sharing more on my experience with quartz crystals and other minerals in a future blog post.

A week after I came back from Arkansas, the universe told me there was a man right here in this town who owned gigantic crystals and I was eventually invited to see them at his property.  Imagine my surprise!  More on that as well in a future article.

And then I developed this strong need to connect with beings from other civilizations.  That, too, happened out of the blue.  Looking back, I see that this desire grew right around the time I decided to move into my current residence (March 2011).   I couldn’t get enough of books on the subject of UFO’s and crop circles.  My absolute all-time favorite is a book by Dr. Stephen Greer, MD entitled Hidden Truth – Forbidden Knowledge.  It was absolutely riveting and opened my eyes to what’s really out there.  I even learned how to vector in spaceships and have had at least 4 sightings from my rooftop.  Yep, you guessed it  – more on that later!

Load of newly cleaned Arkansas Crystals

Like what happened with crystals and UFO’s, sacred geometrical shapes, particularly pyramids, have taken root in my consciousness lately.  What’s happening to me!?!  Haha.

I first became intensely aware of the existence of pyramids on Facebook where I witnessed a friend in Hawaii building them on his property for meditation and other purposes.  Over time the universe saw it fit to awaken those images deep inside my mind after reading something out of a book, admiring a piece of artwork, engaging in a random conversation with a friend, staring at a cluster of amethyst crystals or more frequently, while out on my roof stargazing in the evenings.

By the way, have you taken a close look at the night sky lately?  There’s plenty of pyramid-like configurations up there.  In short,  geometrical shapes are literally every where you look:  building designs, the night sky, artwork, the spokes of a bicycle and yes, even in nature!

Pyramids are becoming increasingly important now because the earth is shifting to higher vibrations and its gridlines are going into progressively higher octaves.   According to a friend who is very familiar with this information, the gridlines are moving from an icosahedron into a dodecahedron form which means grid points and lay lines all around the world are about to shift.  Basically what that means is some chakra points on the planet are being activated while other points are being deactivated in order to stabilize the new geometries on the planet.  Mother Earth has been busy shifting to higher dimensions and I’m assuming that one of the reasons I came to Earth at this time was/is to help with that shift, hence my sudden interest in pyramids.  In other words, I feel I’m becoming awakened on many,  many different levels.

Meditating Inside Pyramid

I intuitively feel I’m being called to work with and study crystals as well as sacred geometry to help uplift the planet and its collective consciousness.  While I’m slowly but surely “remembering” things, I still don’t fully understand my role but in due time I know it will become clearer.  I just need to be patient.  The same applies to you because, like me, you also chose to be here to assist humanity in some way, form or shape while it undergoes this critical shift to higher dimensions.

According to research, those who use pyramids to meditate have had their theta and alpha brain waves increased because they are energy emitters and carry high vibrational energy.  Dr. Carl Benedicks (a Swedish scientist) discovered that a pyramid produces a resonance or frequency inside.   Researchers say whatever items that are placed inside remain “charged” for a certain length of time after they’ve been taken out of the pyramid.   Even a burn ward in a Canadian hospital are using pyramids on their patients where after a few minutes inside one, they experience less pain.

The most common effects meditators experience while inside a pyramid include things like a sense of weightlessness, time distortion, tingling sensation of the skin, increase of skin temperature, and a  deeper “dropping off” in the transcendental state to name a few.  I believe a pyramid serves as a 3 dimensional turning fork for the body, helping with the cleansing and opening of the chakras (like the third eye), lowering of stress, increase in creativity and a balancing of energies.   Despite what we already know about the effects of pyramids and other geometrical configurations, they have other mysterious healing properties that science still has yet to identify.

As for my own personal experience so far, I’ve had tingling sensations in both hands (particularly the left one, my non-dominant hand), a “buzz” in and around my head and a sense of “dropping off” in the transcendental state, not to mention feeling a tremendous sense of calm and peacefulness.  In addition, I’ve also felt an increase of body temperature, which I feel indicates an increase of energy swirling around me while inside the pyramid. 

Now, I’ve only used my new pyramid a few times so far so we’ll see what effects it’ll have on me going forward.  Keep checking back for updates with my experiences!

Four 5 foot copper pipes, “M” type, 1/2″ diameter

Are you ready to start building one for yourself?

Well, then let’s get started!

After doing research online and consulting with Benjamin Dean from Copper Pyramid for Meditation and a friend from Hawaii named Oliver Huntley, I decided to build rather than purchase one.  Thanks to their advice, I pretty much had a good idea what I needed to do.  It became a fun and somewhat challenging 3 day project after which I felt a great sense of satisfaction when it was finally completed.

The first thing I did was to pay a visit to the plumbing section at Home Depot.   I’m assuming this will be your first attempt at building a pyramid; therefore, I recommend you start small with 5 foot copper pipes (unless you’re well over 6 feet in height – more on that below).

When you get there, you’ll see that you have a choice between 5 and 10 foot copper pipes and they come in two types, “L” and “M.”   The difference between the two is the thickness/density.   The “L” types are roughly 43% more expensive because they are slightly thicker/more dense than the “M” types but no more effective in terms of pyramid power.

They also come in three different diameters:   1/2″, 3/4″ and 1.”    According to my research, the 3/4″ and 1″ diameters make for bulky and cumbersome pyramids, at least for your first project, so I would start with the 1/2″ diameter pipes.  At Home Depot the ones I purchased were $7.92 each for a total of $31.68 for the four 5 foot, 1/2″ diameter, “M” pipes.

Ok good, so now you’ve put four 5 foot pipes in your shopping cart. What’s next?

Copper wiring!

18-Z Clear Lamp Wire – you will split this apart prior to inserting through the holes of the pipes on the bottom

You are making a collapsible pyramid which means the bases cannot be solid copper or otherwise.  The solution to that is purchasing stereo/lamp copper wiring.  They come in clear casing and can be split apart as you can see in the photo.

It’s called 18-Z Clear Lamp Wire.  I know that might sound gobblygook to you but any sales associate worth his salt will lead you right to the electrical section where they have a bunch of different wires, including this particular one, on different rollers.

As you will learn later, the length of your bases will be roughly 64 inches each (i.e. 5 feet and 4 inches) so you want to get more than you need so that you can comfortably tie a double knot at the 4 corners and cut off the excess wire.

I initially purchased 25 feet of copper wiring but I found that while that was sufficient, it didn’t really allow me the extra 5 or 6 inches (per base) to comfortably tie a double knot (I tied a single knot which so far has been just fine but you really want to tie a double knot for more security).  My recommendation is you purchase between 30 to 35 feet of copper wiring.  Home Depot was selling this kind for thirty-seven cents per foot which translated to $9 to $12 for the whole thing.  Not too shabby, hmm?

1  1/4″ key ring

Next, you will need a key ring to hold the pipes together at the top.  You can find one in any hardware store.   You want one that’s not too small or too big.  I opted for 1 1/4″ but after putting it together and seeing the poles a little too close together (but still manageable) the next time I build a copper pyramid, I am going to go for the slightly larger diameter of 1 1/2.”   I would buy a couple of them so that you have extra replacement key rings should the original break due to wear and tear.

The last thing you need before checking out of Home Depot is a cleaning solution to wipe off the sticky residue from the UPC labels as well as the red lettering on the pipes.  You want your pipes to be as clean as possible without any residue on it.  A very knowledgeable sales rep at Home Depot recommended an ultra power remover called Krud Kutter (see photo below).

After I scraped off the nasty UPC code labels (under running warm/hot water) and drying it off, I dabbed a few doses of Krud Krutter on a paper towel and very easily got rid of the sticky residue as well as the red letters. Apparently Home Depot denotes the “M” types with red lettering while the “L” types had blue imprints on them.  Go figure!

Used to clean off sticky residue and lettering

Armed with these materials, you are now ready to start building your first pyramid!

Drill Set

TOP:  First mark with a black marker where you’ll drill a hole for the top of the pipe.  It should be 1/4″ down from the edge.  Then take a hammer and nail to create a small dent in the marked spot. This is to help the drill bit catch on when you start drilling because otherwise the drill will keep slipping off (it still might but at least a small dent will help a little).

Using a drill bit size 3/16″, drill right through to the other side – this will be the top of your pyramid where you’ll be threading a key ring through.

BOTTOM:  Mark a spot 1/2″ from the edge of the bottom pipe and using drill bit size 15/64″, do the same thing you did for the top, drill right through the other side.  Make sure the bottom hole lines up with the top hole.  Again, drilling on copper surface is slippery business so be sure to create a dent on the bottom spot to at least minimize the slipping.

TIP:  As you’re drilling, don’t press down too hard – just go with the flow even if the drill slips.  Eventually it’ll catch on and you’ll be drilling right through in no time.  Try not to get frustrated.

Thread the key ring through the holes.  Photo Source:  Meditation Pyramids

This part will probably be the most tricky.  While I didn’t need it, you might want to have a pair of pliers handy to help you pull the key ring through the top holes because it took me several minutes to get it all the way through four pipes!

Based on my experience with the 1  1/4″ key ring and seeing how closely clustered the pipes become after spreading the legs out, I recommend you try the slightly larger 1  1/2″ diameter ring instead but nothing bigger.

TIP:  If this size proves to be too much room on top (I doubt it – I actually think it’ll work very well), pull that one out and insert  a 1  1/4″ key ring but nothing smaller (except maybe one that is 1  1/8″  – you might have to experiment with this).

What a good knot looks like.  Photo Source:  Mediation Pyramids

After getting the key ring through the top, you’re ready for the last step of the building process.  As I mentioned above, you need to split apart the wire so you’re dealing with a single casing of copper wire rather than double.  If you attempted to tie a double knot using the double casing, you wouldn’t have enough room for another knot coming in from the other base to fit inside the 1/2″ diameter pipe.

But if you split the wire all around, you can easily fit two double knots (one from each adjoining base) inside each pipe.  While it’s true that by splitting the wire, you’ll have plenty of leftovers,  it’s not necessarily a bad thing because if somehow you make a mistake, you’ll have extra wire to play with!

Now, because I wanted to replicate the dimensions of the Giza Pyramid, I learned that the relationship between the bases and the sides is 1.05333.   Therefore, to determine the length of the bases, I simply multiplied 60 inches (i.e. 5 feet) by that number and came out with 63.2 inches.  So whatever the length of your pyramid is, simply multiply that with 1.05333.  My final dimensions came out to be roughly 64 inches on all 4 sides which is not perfect but close enough to the above mentioned calculation.

TIP:  You will be cutting 4 separate pieces of single casing wire, one for each base.  I recommend they be about 6 FEET each so that you have at least 6 INCHES of excess wire on BOTH ends in order to comfortably tie a double knot and cut off any excess wire.

A pyramid with 5 foot sides and roughly 64 inch bases will be approximately 3 feet and 3 inches in height. Note how taut the lines are on a carpeted surface. Plastic caps would be recommended if used on smooth surfaces.

Once you’ve constructed the pyramid, its height in the center will be roughly three feet and three inches when opened on the floor.   When someone like me with a height of  5’7″  is in a sitting position with a straight back in the center of the pyramid, he will have about 3 to 4 inches of clearance from the top.  It stands to reason that anyone whose height is up to 5’7″ will have no problem sitting inside this pyramid.

I have a friend who is slightly over 6′ tall and even he was able to sit inside the pyramid without touching the top.   But if you’re significantly over 6 feet tall, I recommend you construct a pyramid using 6 foot (or longer) pipes.

If for some reason you want to build a larger pyramid – most, if not all, places that sell copper only offer 5 and 10 foot pipes.  Home Depot informed me that for liability reasons they cannot cut it for you so I’m assuming you’ll need to buy one or at least borrow someone else’s.

When you are ready to use your newly constructed configuration (congratulations!!!), the pyramid should not be forcibly opened into position.  You’ll want to pay attention to the wires dangling below the pipes and not let them get entangled; otherwise you’ll have a useless mess on your hand.

TIP:  I found it was much easier to open the pyramid on a carpeted floor versus a smooth surface.  If you plan to use the pyramid on a smooth surface, I recommend you buy plastic caps for the bottom so that it doesn’t slide around, messing up the layout and possibly scratch your beautiful floors.

Good luck and be sure to let me know how it goes.   I would especially like to know if you have any interesting experiences while inside your new pyramid!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  If after reading this you want me to make one for you, I’d be honored to do it for you.  Please contact me for more details about pricing plus shipping.   Thank you!

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Breakfast with Mike, a Couchsurfing host in Sedona, AZ

If you haven’t heard of Couchsurfing (CS) and you really want to travel around the world but without having to spend money on hotels, this article is for you!

I first heard of CS through a friend.  In this article I’d like to tell you what it’s like to be a part this unique community and encourage you to at least take a look at the idea of offering your home to those who might be coming through your town.   If you’re unable to host because you still live with your parents or have a really tiny place that only fits just yourself and perhaps a pet, then it’s no biggie – you can indicate on your profile that you’d be happy to show people around and have coffee with them.

How it works is that everyone who joins, regardless of whether they want to be travelers, hosts (or both), writes a bit about themselves by filling out a detailed profile of who and what they are about.  You also have an opportunity to post photos that enhance other people’s chances of  “getting to know you more.”

I opened an account during the summer of 2011 because I was getting ready to go to California and I wanted to stay at other people’s places rather than staying in a hotel.  This isn’t just about saving money – it’s a great way to meet and get to know many people you would otherwise not get to meet.

Before I could send a CS request to anyone (i.e. to stay with them at their places), I needed to build a detailed profile of myself along with a handful of references.  In the beginning it’s a little challenging because you start out with zero references.  As you can imagine, this community relies heavily on other people’s recommendations/comments before they either contact you for a place to stay (or you contact them).

The first thing I needed to do was to find friends from my hometown who could vouch for my character.  That was a good start.  Then I used the Facebook function on CS to find FB friends who were already members of CS and proceeded to write a recommendation for them.   It’s a good idea to give others that you already know a reference first rather than asking them to give you one.   Zig Ziglar, the motivational speaker is famous for saying something like, “To get what you want, you have to give what other people want first.”

When you write a reference for someone, CS automatically lets them know via email and gives them a link to give you one in return.  Easy peezy!

Dinner party at CS host Sean’s house also in Sedona, AZ

In case you’re wondering, you can give those you know a glowing review even if you’ve never hosted them before.   What you’re doing is you’re helping them build a good reference list and they’re reciprocating.  It’s a win-win situation.  That’s how  everyone on CS gets their start.

Last summer, as a spanking brand new member of CS, I sent a CS request to a handful of people in California where I was planning to spend up to 2 weeks for both business and pleasure.  Rather than staying in overpriced hotels, I was hoping I’d have a couple places to crash.  Unfortunately the responses were late because I had already booked myself a hotel in all the places I was staying.  But those who did respond told me that while they were sorry to have gotten back to me so late, I was welcome to contact them again if I were to visit their hometowns sometime in the future.

This summer (2012) I decided to go on a crystal hunting expedition in Arkansas.  The reasons behind that is beyond the scope of this article but I’ll write about it sometime in the future.  Fortunately the first person I contacted with an impeccable (and numerous) reference list accepted me, a first timer/newcomer, to stay at his place for one night.   I was stoked!

I couldn’t wait to give CS a try.

My bed in Arkansas.

While it’s true that some people will not take a chance on someone w/ little or no references, there are those like the Arkansas guy who are “risk takers” (and probably a good judge of character) who will welcome a newbie like myself.   After my one-night stay was over, not only did I take the initiative to give him a great reference but he also followed suit and gave me an even better review!

Here’s what I wrote about my host:

After traveling 600 miles in ONE day, I was relieved to see Lloyd sitting out on the front porch with a couple of his neighbors. As soon as I arrived, he gave me a hearty welcome to this weary traveler. I immediately felt at ease and knew that I had made the right choice to stay at his place.

He has a warm, open-hearted personality that I took to a liking immediately. It was obvious he read my profile and knew about my lip-reading skills. I’m grateful he gave me, a first-timer guest, a chance.

We went out to dinner in “old downtown” Hot Springs at this beer joint/eatery. I was not very hungry but enjoyed a few beers.

We enjoyed bantering for a bit and then a friend of his showed up and pretty soon we were all having a great conversation, mostly about flying, walking among nature, crystal digging and other things.

I can see why so many people have stayed with him – he truly is a good host. I have absolutely no reservations about recommending him!

A few days later he came back with this:

My experience with Stephen will be one that is more memorable than the average couchsurfing experience. Stephen’s communication before he arrived was excellent. Upon his arrival after a 600 mile car trip, Stephen was kind, cheerful, positive, inspirational, grateful, and many other adjectives that I don’t have the eloquence to use. He has lots of great things to say based on his life experiences. If I had been wiser, I would have spent last two days traveling with Stephen instead of doing my own thing. He left me with a copy of his book “Obstacle Illusions” which I can’t wait to start reading.

So there it is – my first reference from a host!

Arkansas Crystals I dug up before they were cleaned…..

Within a month of joining, I began searching for groups within CS to join and found two groups:  “Queer Couchsurfing” and “”Deaf and Signing Couch Surfers.”

I decided to send a general request to both groups in hopes of finding a host in Sedona, AZ where I was heading later in the summer of 2012.

Apparently a Brazilian guy saw a general message I had sent to the Queer Couchsurfing group and contacted me.   The ironic thing about hearing from this Brazilian guy that is I was actually thinking of going there after a recent successful crystal hunting expedition in Arkansas!  (See photos of crystals I had dug up before and after they were cleaned)

Brazil has the largest quartz crystal deposit in the world followed by Arkansas.   Not only were his references impeccable but his photos gave me a warm feeling about him as a potential host.  He wrote in his message that he had read my profile and liked what he learned about me because not only is he learning Brazilian sign language but he’s working in an internship that involves working with deaf children!  He also said he wanted to buy a copy of my book.  It was obvious the guy thoroughly read my profile and customized his email to my liking!

Crystals after they were cleaned

Of course, I responded with enthusiasm and accepted his invitation to visit and stay with him in Brazil sometime in the future.  If he had sent me a “cookie-cutter” type of invitation, I would have sensed something wasn’t right and probably would not have responded.  When you receive an invitation and/or a CS request (i.e. a person wants to stay with you), you truly have to rely on your intuition whether this person is the real deal or not.  So it goes without saying that it’s really important to read their profile on CS and look up not only their photos but also check their references.

CS also has a feature where members are “verified.”  When you first sign up, you are asked if you want to be a verified member which involves CS confirming that you are who you really are and that your mailing address is accurate (the mailing address is never shown to anyone – it’s for their records only).  The way they do this is by asking for a one time payment of $25 via credit card.   This gives them ongoing revenue to keep this site “free” and allows them easily verify your identity and location.

I’m a verified member and you should be too if you decide to join.  It’s a small price to pay for lifetime membership.  If you move, you pay again because your credit card will have a new address on it and they’ll have to start the verification process all over again.

After I received the Brazilian guy’s invitation, I not only looked through and thoroughly read his profile but I also glanced at numerous photos in the photo gallery to get a feel for his energy and character.  You can truly tell a lot by looking at photos.   The more photos, the better.  He has a really cute dog that got my attention and when I wrote back to him, I told him how much I’d love to meet his pooch if i were to stay with him (I’m a dog lover!).

Update:  I just got back from a 3 week trip to the Southwest and as you can already see, I stayed with two Couchsurfing hosts while in Sedona, AZ.  It just keeps getting better!

Bottom line:  If at first you aren’t successful in getting those w/ long and positive references to take you in, you could always take a chance on someone who’s never hosted before because they’re just as eager to build a reference base.  Everybody has to start somewhere!

The beautiful thing about the CS system is that it’s set up in a way that when a host accepts your CS request, it will automatically ask the host (and you) to leave a review at the end of the hosting period, which makes it easy for you to remember to leave a reference for your host (and vice versa if you are a host yourself to leave a reference for the surfer).

Join Couchsurfing and if we know each other, send me a character reference and I may do the same for you!

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Speaking of “treats,” I discovered a delicious, healthy smoothie recipe while on a life-changing road trip to the southwest this summer (Boulder, CO; Sedona, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Santa Fe, NM and a side trip to visit an old friend in St. Louis, MO).  I’ll be updating you on my incredible experiences in the near future but for now, let me just share with you this recipe that I stumbled on in a coffee shop in Sedona.

All you need are the following:

1.  Blender (I use a Vitamix – they are fantastic – if you don’t have one, you can purchase one through this blog and get free shipping)

2.  Banana (either frozen or unfrozen, it’s up to you)

3.  Almond Butter (you can substitute peanut butter if you wish)

4.  Honey

5.  Almond Milk

6.  Ice

Using a Vitamix blender with its ultra powerful blade makes it super easy to create this smoothie.  Throw in the blender 1 or 2 bananas, 1 to 2 tablespoons of Almond butter, 8 oz of Almond milk, a handful of ice and squeeze some honey in there and voila!

I ordered this when I was in a coffee shop to prepare for a strenuous hike on one of the Sedona vortexes and it gave me energy all day.  Try it.  It’s a delicious smoothie you won’t soon forget!

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