When I Became a Metaphysical Author

a photo from Testament

This week I remembered how my life changed in January 1997 when the nonfiction case study book of my 'paranormal initiation' Testament was first published.  Also that year, the free Internet edition became available.  At the time the book was printed, I was living in Santa Monica and maintaining my 'audio journal' on microcassette tapes.  Comprised of interview and personal journal transcripts along with photos, the book documents what happened during my unique spiritual odyssey.  Here is a basic summation of the events chronicled in the current series of autobiographical articles —

Although I didn’t know it then, working as a publicity writer at Paramount Pictures while in my spare time researching and writing about the paranormal provided me with a unique perspective upon finding myself experiencing a bizarre sequence of events beyond anything I’d seen at the movies or had read about in case study books documenting unexplained phenomena.  I was then living in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.  The articles in this series of autobiographical remembrances provide a way for readers to learn about some of my specific steps to expanded consciousness and make possible that some of my initial steps to expanded consciousness can also be yours.
  
The mysterious events in my life culminated after a research expedition to investigate a 'talking poltergeist' in Oklahoma only to discover that upon returning home to Los Angeles the 'haunting presence' was continuing to interact with me.  Considering the diverse paranormal occurrences I'd witnessed, I realized my personal lifelong 'guide' or 'guardian angel' was manifesting in ways beyond the earthly limitations of space and time as an aspect of an unseen Intelligence/guide/angelic Force.  I used the name 'Michael' for my personal interacting entity — the name familiar to me as that of the most prominent manifesting entity in Oklahoma (and sometimes I also used the more lighthearted nickname of 'Boo'). 

This past week I listened to audio cassettes from the time the book was first published in early January 1997.  An advertisement in Daily Variety stating "JUST PUBLISHED!" revealed to entertainment trade readers the book cover of Testament and some other intriguing details.  The official publication date was January 9 while Tuesday, January 7 was the date selected for my ad to appear. 
 
Reliving that period this week filled me with the same tremendous emotions as I felt many years earlier.  On Sundays in 1997 I would attend the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) lecture.  On Sunday (January 5) after the lecture and having lunch, I drove to Arcadia to do the grocery shopping for my mother who suffered from gout and other ailments.  During the visit I tape recorded my spoken notes about the day's lecture while she listened to provide her with some respite from her daily routine of continuously watching television.  
  

Tape 170 excerpts recorded on Sun., Jan. 5 and Mon., Jan. 6

When I showed the ad facsimile to PRS President Obadiah Harris, he mentioned how he defined the word Testament — "It means covenant."  Recapping the PRS lecture to my mother, the speaker that day had been 'astrologer and metaphysician' Karma Welsh who talked about "Trends for 1997."  When Obadiah introduced her, he said 1997 would be the year of humanity growing up.  The following is some of my commentary heard on the recording as I looked at my notes. 

Karma said as we usher in this New Age moving beyond Homo sapiens and moving into the fourth dimension—as known by all the prophets, the Hopis, the Aztecs—something is going on between now and the turn of the century and all these great mystics throughout history have all said this was going to happen.  She talked about how the last year of the Egyptian calendar is the year 2001 . . . January 9th is apparently an important day because that's when Neptune and Jupiter come together.  So whenever you have these two energies that are coming together, expanding — she compared it to 'spiritual get rich quick' schemes . . . higher energies, man's consciousness raising . . . So she quoted this author named Harmon who said that the only thing we can do right now is let the economy crash all across the world and we all have to start over . . . Anyway we have to go through some of the same things that happened way back when with the original Declaration of Independence — as we all have to do on the world scene all over again . . . In each of us there's always a struggle between our higher natures and our lower natures . . . and the Earth is a little speck in the cosmic universe.  God knows we better love one another because if you're just a little speck you mean nothing at all in the overall scheme of things . . . She also said that God is within each of us but with some people He's not quite hiding as much as He is with other people . . . She also quoted this 'Corinne Heline' who talked about 'the magic kingdom' . . .  If our hearts will open more — if we can put behind us our prehuman past and embrace our superhuman future the veil will be removed.  We will all be less petty.  And this is what Christ started to do she said . . . She said out of the ashes comes the phoenix you might say and, of course, that's the little symbol of my publishing company.  Then 2000 years of corporation and peace will happen . . . she did say how apparently the Earth will be passing through some kind of photon belt . . . this Corinne Helene also was talking about how the angel Michael was leading all of this . . . so she also talked about the angelic kingdom . . . she said we too shall be like angels eventually . . . She said that there will be no racism and no discrimination of any kind once this great awakening takes place throughout mankind.

Among my usual banter about having an exceptional experience of life and the God Force each day, my mother brought up the subject of my and my twin brother Michael's names so I asked Ellen what was the reason she chose to name the firstborn Mark and the secondborn Michael.  She said, "For no reason at all . . . I thought they were beautiful, lovely names."  I made a comment about the influence of her subconscious mind.  During the ensuing conversation I was surprised that my mother was aware of herself having a guardian angel, whom she referred to as 'Maria Elena.'  This was something I found surprising as she usually disparaged my spiritual and metaphysical interest. 

Driving home I recorded some more events of the day:

Oh my goodness, the license plate [frame] in front of me has Betty Boop on it — 3NYTo63 Escort LX . . . So I showed a few other of my acquaintances at the PRS my book ad and I showed Karma the book ad too . . . she'd been talking about all the things that my book just made a forgone conclusion, so to speak.  I just wonder what she must be thinking . . . one of the songs played on the radio on the way home was "Suspicious Minds" (the Elvis Presley Pop song) . . . I think all the speeches I hear at the PRS are part of my book, if you know what I mean . . .

On Monday an impromptu interview with a woman named Lynn was conducted when I picked up a rubber stamp I'd ordered to be made for me at a shop nearby my beachfront apartment.  She'd mentioned having experienced an angelic incident of some kind when I'd talked to her during my previous visit.  The following is a question and answer transcript of the anecdote.  Other people can be heard talking in the background so I'm not including instances of EVP (or potential instances) in this transcript.
  

Q: So it has always been nice to meet the people who've had angel experiences.

L: Yes.

Q: So I'm not the only one.

L: No.  There are lots and lots of people.

Q: . . . Did you know you were having one at the time you were having it?

L: I felt that there was somebody watching out for me . . . I was driving on the freeway and I had a flat tire in the fast lane.  And it was right at the part of the freeway that's like a turnaround place so you don't get — the truck drivers don't drive quite that far and everything else.  So I stood there for over an hour.  Nobody helped.  It was on St. Patrick's Day.  And finally I thought about my angels.  And I just kind of looked up to heaven and said, "Okay, I can use the help.  Now would be fine.  Any time."  And I no sooner turned around then a young fellow in a pick-up truck pulled over.  And he came up to me and said, "I don't know what made me stop.  I never stop for people."  And so he came back and he changed my tire for me.  And while he was changing my tire his radiator hose gave out.  And I never carry water in my car but I had water in my car.  I had a bottle of drinking water — a large bottle.  So I gave that to him then followed him off the road.

Q: So you were each other's angels.

L: Yeah.

  

Tape 171 excerpts recorded on Tues., Jan. 7 and Wed., Jan. 8

"I'm just so pleased.  My ad placement turned out to be divinely guided.  It's right next to the report card article for Paramount for the year and it's in the 54th Annual Golden Globes Awards issue."  The ad appeared in a 90-page special edition issue.  Later on the tape during one of my impromptu interviews, a man named Jim told me about celebrating a mass for the family of a boy named Mickey who had committed suicide.  He described witnessing the anomalous movements of candles during the mass.
  

Tape 172 excerpts recorded on Thurs., Jan. 9 and Fri., Jan. 12

On Thursday I began receiving boxes of books from the printing company.  Upon talking to my representative Maureen, I realized that additional storage space was needed.

On Friday I found a larger space for book storage yet there still wasn't enough room for my entire 'Mysterious Collection' of antiques.  While relocating some of them to my apartment, a woman named Alma became interested in them and mentioned that she'd never traveled anywhere throughout her life.  A U-Haul truck parked next to my car had "Belzoni, Mississippi" painted on it.  At my high-rise apartment building, one man in an elevator full of people noticed a copy of my book and said: "What's the title of your book?"  I told him and he laughed and said, "Did you hear what the title of his book is!"

  

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The first press release was distributed by PR Newswire on January 29, 1997, as shown below.  Also shown is the book cover and a descriptive paragraph from the Internet edition of Testament.
  

 

TESTAMENT is a non-fiction book with a Q&A interview/journal format.  Subjects include poltergeists, aliens, bigfoot, synchronicity, angels, prophecies, reincarnation, psychic abilities, the Oneness of all spirit, Pop culture, Christ consciousness and events pertaining to what is sometimes referred to as the second coming.  This book illuminates how God is proving love so we should do no less.  Now is the time for each of us to make a stand and dedicate ourselves to expressing greater compassion for our entire Human and Animal Family.  If we are to evolve as a species, we must begin giving back to the world as much as we take and stop ignoring the destruction of Earth’s ecosystem.  (Click on the cover image to go to the Table of Contents.)