The Early Days

I first became aware of the crystal skulls and pieces of their legend(s) through my reading in the 70s, but had never really given them much though. This changed when I took a class in school called the Natural and the Para Natural. This was a course put together by my academic advisor, Dr. Robert Ramsdell.

The class was wonderful, UFOs, Atlantis, Pyramid Power, Crystal Skulls, lots of interesting topics. As the only/last remaining declared Philosophy Major at the school, I also had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Dr. Ramsdell, and he would discuss these topics with me. In fact, he ran the concept of this class by me, asking my opinion.
As I understand, this class was so popular, he taught it right up until his retirement (even when he was Dean).

In the mid 80s, I was living in Texas and completing my doctorate. I became friends with our next-door neighbors, a wonderful couple from Belize. We had wonderful conversations some involving the Mayans. I was told contrary to popular belief, they never disappeared. They are all over the South and Central America; in fact my neighbors said they were of Mayan decent.

Just before we moved to Japan, our friends went home to Belize for a visit, and when the returned invited my family over. This was my introduction to conch, a meal my wife enjoyed much more than I. We were later presented a few small gifts from their home, a pair of intricately designed ash trays, a large conch shell, and a small crystal skull.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized that this skull was from the same area as the “Legendary 13 Crystal Skulls” and was more than likely made from crystal from the same source. And according to National Geographic, unlike those in the Smithsonian and the British Museum, my crystal skull is authentic.

Solstice with the Crystal Skulls

On the Summer Solstice, I'll be working with my crystal skulls, scrying and sending out healing and helping energy. If anyone has a question
or request for good thoughts and energy, please let me know.

Crystal Skulls are connected with the Mayan prophecies and the changes to take place on the Winter Solstice this year. The skulls have been said to heal, show images of the past and future, and are a source of psychic energy.

It is my belief that their use will be strongest from the Summer Solstice through the Winter Solstice, so starting with this event, I'll be using my crystal skulls in my work up through December.

Happy Birthday, American Style

202 years ago today in Boston, arguably the nation's most well known writer, Edgar Allan Poe, was born.

So today I looked at the TV listing to see what offerings were on in celebration:

A&E (Arts and Entertainment) will celebrate our poet with back to back airings of Dog the Bounty Hunter followed by consecutive reruns of Storage Wars.

Bravo (our other station designed for the arts) will air Top Chef reruns culminating in Restaurant Wars.

SCIFI is airing Ghost Hunters, but nothing special about that, it is their regular Wednesday night thing.

So I will spend the night listening to the Caedmon Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection, 5 hours of his work read by Basil Rathbone and Vincent Price. And maybe a little Absinthe, as Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

On The Radio

A few years ago, I was considering auditioning for a part in a TV show. A few friends were also taking part in this. After discussing the program with the head of casting, I decided that it was not a good fit for me. I supported the show, one of my friends was cast and was phenomenal.

Last year the casting director contacted me; there was a new show that she thought might be a better fit for me. This too was not a good fit, but she allowed me to contact those whom I thought it may fit better and put them in touch with her, which I did.

At this point, I had a conversation with a dear friend about television, and he asked me THE question, “WHY?”. This was a mind opener for me, I had never really considered, “why”, it had always seemed a natural progression.

The answer, at that time turned out to be “ego.” I let it go.

Shortly thereafter, some friends began appearing on radio shows, some “real radio” some internet based. I supported them and listened in, and gave feedback after the shows. I fell in love with the format, I had my own show back in my college days, and had appeared on a few shows myself in the 70s and 80s. I had considered doing a show myself a few years ago, but had left it when the opportunity of television had come about.

Now the thought was back in my head. My thinking was that this would be a great way to get to meet new and interesting people, have interesting guests and introduce them to people who may find them as interesting as I do, to learn, to grow, and perhaps help a few people along the way.

In supporting others, I had come across several interesting shows, and met some very interesting people. I fell in love with the concept of Internet based Radio, the shows are available to anyone with an interest, and there are chat rooms for the shows allowing for off air interaction and feedback during the show.

I began outlining the format of my show, reading everything I could find relating to the topic, and listening to shows along the lines of what I wanted to do. I wanted to make sure I was not replicating someone else’s format, plus I was drawn into the radio “thing” as a listener.

Last week, something happened to take all the joy out of this. I was listening to a show, there had been some controversy on the previous shows, a situation that had been resolved, and the host was moving on. During the show, the chat room filled, far beyond previous numbers, and then the phone lines were all full with the nameless and faceless. That is when it began, hate filled diatribe flooding the airwaves and chat room. Personal attacks on the host, those of us listening, and those with an interest in the subject matter. The attacks did not end there, the host, and some of us listeners received hate filled emails and messages through the following day.

At this point in time, I’m not anxious to put myself in that type of situation. I surround myself with positive energy and thoughts, I do not need, nor do I want negativity. For now, I will stick with my writing, lecturing, and personal counseling. There everyone has a name, everyone has a face, and everyone must take responsibility for their words and action.

Mediums and Psychics - Part 1

Over the past few years I’ve come across a phrase in books and training classes, a phrase that is untrue, yet is has been copied by many sources and picked up as a mantra by those who have heard it or read it in one source or another. Sunday night I was witness to one such utterance, and I attempted to correct the individual. Let’s just say that it was not accepted well.

I cannot be sure that all she said was aimed at me; the “radio host’s” on-air commentary as it went from my off-air disagreement with her statement to amateur psychics, moving to mediums that she feels are not real, and then to her knowledge based on 20 years of experience

What was interesting was the audience response to all of this, the mistake on her initial statement and her rant. She was encouraged, cheered on, and accepted as the expert based on her stated experience.

What, you may ask was the statement that caused this fuss? It was, “All mediums are psychic, but not all psychics are mediums.”

To the casual observer, the statement may appear to be true, but it is not, the two groups, psychics and mediums, are not mutually inclusive, as anyone knowledgeable about the two groups should know and understand. This irks me, not just that false information was being passed off as fact by someone who has put herself up as an authority, but for a second reason I will discuss in a future essay.

Let me explain why the statement is false.

First, a simple definition of terms:

Psychic: Dealing with the mind and mental abilities, and a person with such mental abilities. The abilities/talents/skills (whatever one wishes to call them) are from within the person. They are not the result of an external force, object, rite, entity, they are internal and from the individual’s mind and or mental efforts.

Medium: Term used to describe one who purports to communicate with the spirits

These are simplified definitions, but are the generally accepted common definitions, and were back in the 1970’s when I started my formal studies and work

So a psychic who is a medium contacts spirits by an internal mental process.

But this is not the case for all (or arguably most) mediums.

Most every religion, culture, and mystic tradition from the beginning of time to current has its “contacting the spirits.” These are for the most part, externally generated phenomena. By this I mean they are not generated by the “psychic/mental abilities” of one person, but are the result of something from outside the individual, be it a force or superior being, the result of a ceremony, rite, ritual… Even though many of these are lead by, or accomplished by, or the phenomena is exhibited by an individual, the ability to accomplish it stems from outside that person or group.

An example would be some Spiritualist Mediums. Albeit some Spiritualists call themselves psychics, but some do not, depending on the denomination of the Church. For the Christian denominations, the gift to speak with spirits is a divine gift, a gift from God, from outside the individual. It is not a gift of the mind, but a gift of spirit. This type of gift is not unique to Spiritualists, many other religions have “clergy” with the same gift, all may not use the term “medium” to describe these people, but they fit the definition of the word and perform a mediumistic function.

A mystic/magician/shaman reading a prayer, spell, conducting a ritual to contact the spirit world, calling on forces greater than him/her, to pierce the veil and contact the spirit world is anything but an internal process. The process is being asked of and being provided by an external force. As above, some may be referred to as “mediums” but all serve the function.

Cultural and traditions methods of speaking with the spirits abound. Many involve asking a question, performing an action, and then looking up the result of the action for an answer (for example, asking a question and tossing sticks, then looking up the result in a book to see what it means). There a many, many forms of this, going from family, local, regional, or even societal traditions, to parlor games. Does this make the person with the book, the codex, the oracle, or even the Magic 8-Ball psychic?

What of scientific investigation, and mechanical/electronic methods of contact? There have been many devices patented with the purpose of contacting spirits. There are radio devices, spirit phones, cameras… These have been used by people calling themselves “mediums” for private and group connections/contacts with the spirit world. What would constitute the “psychic” act here, turning the device on or off? What of EVP work? Is a person at home contacting the spirit world by running an audio recorder while asking questions, then listening for unexplained voices or sounds in the recording for answers, is this person psychic? Or is the recording device the psychic? They are contacting the spirits…

In all actuality, of those serving the function of “medium” very few actually fall under the category of “psychic” (at least in the method they use for contacting the spirits). Classifying them as such either indicates a lack of understanding of what “psychic” means, what “medium” constitutes; parroting words and terms that one heard or read without understanding what is being said; not seeing, recognizing, and or acknowledging areas outside one’s own; or some other internal motive. Either they don’t know better or don’t care. Neither is acceptable. Opinion is just that and should not be passed off as fact; it creates misinformation, especially when coming from a source accepted as "expert" on the topic.

If one wanted to use the phrase correctly, a word would have to be added: “All “psychic mediums” are psychic, but not all psychics are “psychic mediums”.”

In my opinion, a rather silly thing to say in the first place.

Allison Dubois

I attended the Allison Dubois “seminar” on August 29th.

The event was due to start at 2:00, and I arrived at 1:30 for registration. There was no registration, I just entered and took my seat, a prefect seat, last row center on the aisle.
There was a line of people who had opted for the special Meet and greet tickets. There were going behind the curtain to have a few moments of private time with Allison.

Things got off a few minutes late, Allison explained that the Secret Service had taken their rooms because the President came into town last night and stayed at this hotel. Her group did look a little tired and all their bags were in the back of room.

She gave a 10 minute introduction explaining how the afternoon would go, told some stories, explained that she only started doing these events recently and was doing smaller venues because she realized that in venues this size, she could get to a majority of those who attended rather than just a small percentage in a large venue, and that she would work quick. She feels that in this way, there is less disappointment and the group would function as an extended family and all could benefit and interact. Then went into a 20 minute Q&A session (her term) where she called on those who had questions related to their life, concerns, relationships, or employment. These people raised their hands and were called on by her, or selected by Mark Gomez (Allison’s cousin who also served as the audience member sector and microphone carrier). The guests voiced their questions and she inuited answers in a fun and interesting manner. There were 6 questions asked and answered in this portion.

Next she explained that she would go into the readings for those concerned about a lost loved one, and that those who were here for the entertainment aspect should pass on getting a reading so that those who may need to get a little help in finding closure could get what they need.

Allison had a large comfortable chair on the platform up front that she sat on while doing much of the readings and a table beside it that she used when doing her automatic writing on her pad which she said helps her gain more insight.

Eleven people were called on over the next hour and a half with readings ranging from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the number of people involved. People attending these events tend to travel in packs, and most readings involved 3 people each having questions answered, 30 people in total were involved in this portion of the event.

What I found interesting were: On one occasion, the woman interrupted Allison as she was speaking and mentioned that the passing occurred in a car accident. Allison shushed her and said, I was just about to mention a car, let me finish before you bring something up… There were a few occasions where this occurred; some very specific things were mentioned, unprompted; and most every reading ended with laughing not just from the guest being read, but the entire audience. Another thing I found interesting is that all but two of the readings were for the premium ticket purchasers. Most of the people picked were picked by Mark, but on several occasions Allison guided him or just outright selected the person to be read. The ending came rather abruptly, people were raising their hands for the next reading when she gave her exiting speech. The event ended at 4:40.

The breakout of the event was, mostly women, only 2 men were called on for readings, on for the first section and one for a connection with a passed family member. 57 of those in attendance were the premiere $150 meet and greet ticket holders, and 30 were general admission ($95 a ticket); the first group had reserved seating and those chairs were marked.

Hint: if you want to get a reading from her, be aware that she is more in tune with those who purchase the more expensive tickets, as I mentioned before, all but 2 of the readings came from that group.

This brings me to another issue, if one is going to do an event like this, she should have her own sound system as a backup. Tech support came in twice during the event to fix the issues, but they were not resolved. Having her own PA system would have made my recording work and allowed for everyone to hear what was being said all of the time.

Allison traveled with her mother (a very attractive looking woman who could pass as an older sister), her cousin Mark, and a girlfriend and her husband. Joe and the kids stayed home.

I really enjoyed this event, it was comfortable, friendly, and laid back. There were a few lessons here, good and bad, and I am very happy I attended.

Tony

Lisa Williams

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend a live appearance by Lisa Williams. She is a medium and is the cute and quirky alternative to John Edward. She had a show on Lifetime, and is in negotiation on either a new one there, or a show on a different network. She is the rising star in television mediums.

I did enjoy the show, I thought she was fantastic, a great stage presence and unique. She was entertaining and poked fun at herself and what she did, and is very much a fun personality. Some may not like or agree with what she does, but in my observation, she was not exploitive and was very much guest oriented and her goal appeared to be to help guide the people there towards their own acceptance of what had happened to their loved ones. If her theme could be summed up in a few words it would be, remember the person, but move on and get on with your own life. She did this in her own unique way; there were a few tears, but lots of laughs as well.

Having seen her live, I can understand why she has had attention and has a fan base. She is quirky, and very empathetic. As for her presentation, those who were read as well as those around them got the most from this. She got to about 10 groups in the 3 hours, some left upset because they were not addressed, and many who attended had the hope that they would have personal time. Lisa was very clear at the beginning and actually addressed this in a very unique way, expanding those who would get readings to anyone with an open mind. I won’t get into this as it is not mine to share.

I was seated at a table with two other mediums/readers, and a woman who had recently lost her husband. The advice one of the mediums gave prior to the show was to acknowledge things said if they apply, I found it interesting that she mentioned several of these things that applied to her but she did not acknowledge during the presentation. Of course, the mediums I was with admitted that Lisa was good, but they could do so much better, human nature I guess. The woman who had lost her husband did not get a personal session and was not happy when she left, even though she received very good advice from those at the table with her.

After the show, I listened to the comments of the crowd outside the theatre and it was interesting, somewhat expected, and eye-opening in some respects.

All in all, it was well worth going out on the coldest night Boston has seen in over 10 years, well worth the discomfort of sitting in an awkward position for 3 ½ hours, and the pain I’ll be in for the next several days. I was impressed with Lisa Williams in the way she handled people and presented both herself and the subject matter, and I confirmed, at least in my own mind, some things that I want to modify in the way I do my own presentations. Seeing her do things that I currently do (format wise), and hearing the after-comments, has inspired me to make some changes.

On her format, even though some people seemed upset as not having had personal attention, a full 1/3rd of the audience identified themselves as being repeat attendees to her presentations. That is a testament as to how she is received by those in attendance, especially those who are not the few who have personal contact.

There are many lessons to be learned seeing any successful speaker or presenter, regardless of the subject matter or your personal feelings of it. There are lessons to be learned as to what works and what does not, and all we can do is grow if we attend with an open mind and observe.

My EYEs were opened and directed inward. Thank you Lisa!