In 1998 I decided to take contemplative prayer seriously, but I was not prepared for the way the Holy would break into my body and mind.
While praying in October of that year, I was literally knocked to the floor. I was flooded with spiritual energy. My body shook with tremors, but my mind was perfectly clear. I knew that something holy was entering me, and I knew I had to surrender.
I felt a doorway open in the hollow of my chest, just below my heart. I felt as though my spirit was standing at this doorway, and beyond it was the expanse of all that is. Over the next few months, I concentrated my prayer time on this internal portal to the Holy, and my prayers deepened. I began to sense the heavy presence of the Spirit around me, even in me. My hands shook, my stomach muscles quaked, my arms and shoulders trembled.
On December 17, 1998, a spiritual presence came over me. The tremors in my body became intense. They seemed involuntary, yet I knew I had surrendered my body and mind willingly. I was held within myself by a soothing yet strong force, and I could not control any part of my own body. I stopped breathing. My awareness expanded, as if my consciousness were no longer confined to my mind. I was intensely alert to the energies coursing through my physical body, yet also released to an expansive awareness far beyond that body. The spiritual presence entered me through my chest, then rose into my neck. My throat tensed. My face contorted. My breathing returned. A long inhale filled my lungs. Then I began to speak, not of my own will. The first words spoken through me were, “Holiness, holiness, holiness. Be calm and center in. The Holy is upon you.”
Such was my initiation into the intermediary experience known throughout history by the shaman, the prophet, the oracle and the channel.
Gradually, I learned that I could enter this mystical state of awareness at will, and this spiritual messenger—identified to me as a “Spirit of the Holy”—would enter me, gently take control of my body (especially my breathing and throat) and speak through my voice. I began to call this spiritual guide “the Messenger of the Holy” or “the Messenger” for short. The wisdom from these prophetic sessions presented a depth and complexity beyond my awareness, and my wife discovered she could ask questions and receive startling answers from the spiritual messenger who spoke through me. These answers were communicated through my voice, my vocabulary, and my cultural framework, but the wisdom came from beyond me. In short, I learned to surrender my voice and my mind to a spiritual messenger, who used them as tools to mold wisdom lessons. I’ve received messages on many vital topics, such as prayer, human suffering, the voice of God, the reality and roles of heavenly messengers, and the dawn of a new spiritual awareness.
The experience of becoming a host to a spiritual messenger has been known cross-culturally and throughout time. It has been understood as the journey of the shaman, the voice of the prophet, the advice of the oracle, and—most recently—the guidance of the channel or psychic. However, to gain training and support for the intensity of this intermediary experience, it is necessary to have a culture that both accepts and values the ability. Sadly, such guidance is not available to most people in developed countries.
When sacred energy first shook my body and a spiritual messenger began to enter my me, I had no framework to understand what was happening. I had been raised around artists and theologians, so I was quite open and curious about creative inspiration, sacred influence and spiritual perception. I was an English Professor and writer with a background in Native American literature. I had a respect for biblical studies and an open mind about religious diversity. But none of this background informed me about the intermediary experiences of the shaman, prophet, oracle or channel. In short, I was intellectually curious, spiritually willing but culturally ill-prepared for the intensity of the spiritual energy and wisdom that would shake me into paralysis, overcome my body, expand my consciousness and utilize my voice.
But I am getting ahead of my story.
In Messenger of the Holy, you will find my personal journey, as I received, struggled with and finally accepted this oracle gift. You will also find transcripts from “Oracle Sessions.” Early in my experiences of channeled speech, I recorded the words from the Messenger of the Holy and transcribed them. These transcripts from the Messenger of the Holy are dense with layers of meaning, metaphysical insight, and spiritual guidance. Thus, the book is a combination of personal narrative and channeled material. As a skilled fiction writer and novelist, I use my artistic skills as a writer to present my story with literary style and precision.
The topics of the transcripts from the Messenger of the Holy include:
• The Purpose of the Soul
• Human Grief and Sacred Hope
• The Grand Design of Creation
• The Generation of Children of Light
• Starving the Mind to Nourish the Soul
• Holy Messengers: Angels, Guides, Guardians and Companions
• Spiritual Healing
• Homosexuality and the Covenants of Love
• Evil as Errant Spirits and Parasites of the Soul
• The Power of Society Versus the Energy of the Holy
• A Sacred Perspective on the End Times
• Terrorism as the Fear Within
• The Gatherings of Spirit People
• The Braided Way: The Integration of Spiritual Practice from Various Traditions.