The stories in this book are from that adventure. Each story is a stepping stone, revealing how I learned something important about myself, or helped in my realization of the grandeur of life. Some are simple, yet potent, such as learning in 1959 that I actually loved someone—my little sister, Barbsie. Others delve into the experiences that helped me cope with growing up in the suburbs of New York, most notably my time in the woods at Boy Scout camp. Most, though, are birthed in the present day as I integrate a growing number of paranormal and interdimensional encounters into a comprehensive understanding of life. These experiences include abductions by Extra-Terrestrials, glimpses of orbs and energy forms, and even a few modest achievements in self-healing and physical manifestation.

As for my “regular” life, I grew up in a traditional upper-middle-class family on Long Island, New York, and attended Catholic schools until college. As a kid, my family and I lived in the tiny neighborhood of Floral Park Crest, just outside of New York City, and I played Little League baseball next door for the Village of Stewart Manor. However, when I was 14, we moved six blocks east to the snooty town of Garden City. My dad, Alan, was a business executive who commuted daily to New York City, and my mom, Frances, was a stay-at-home housewife. They ran a strict Catholic home for me and my sister, but I often felt like an outsider, as my thoughts and feelings were too outrageous to be warmly received. In short, I was the black sheep of the family, and rebellious. Tellingly, my first act of revolt was in fifth grade when I spent an evening in front of the convent of St. Anne’s Elementary School shouting: “Down with Mother Michaeline. She gives us too much homework. Even on the WEEKENDS!” That got me expelled until my mother repented on my behalf.

After that my family kept me at arm’s length. I think I was just too outspoken to be held close to anyone’s heart, and in response I became a raconteur—a “re-teller” of tales—to work my way back into the bosom of the family. 

Traversing through my teenage years, I discovered a deeper voice—one that was richly connected to my soul. This accelerated the friction between authority and me, and I dropped out of college – Lehigh University - got fired from my Boy Scout camp (twice), and went ski-bumming in Colorado for a winter. Eventually, I worked as an ambulance orderly for a year, and that led to an interest in medicine. I returned to college as a premed student, graduating from Hofstra University in 1974.

Afterward, I coupled my youth work for the Scouts to build the foundational skills to be a recreation therapist in psychiatry, first at the Nassau County Medical Center (NCMC) in New York, and then later at the nearby Northport VAMC. 

At NCMC I started a passionate romance with a fellow therapist named Barbara Jean, whom I call “BJ,” and lived with her for 14 years. After 10 years of doing psych work in New York, I left to start a business, a beachcleaning operation called Sandsifter. For eight seasons I sifted the beaches of Long Island and New Jersey, removing trash and debris through the screening plates of modified potato harvesters. By the late 1980s, I was knee-deep in environmental concerns, particularly the issue of medical wastes washing up in the greater New York area, and it was through this environmental work that I first heard about Ramtha.

Once I arrived at RSE, I developed a long-term relationship with a schoolmate named Francesca, and we lived together for seven years. When I turned 50, I married another schoolmate, a woman named Jen, but within a year we divorced. A year later, I married a second time to another RSE student, and this union lasted for several years. Even though it’s been an unconventional marital road, I cherish all the women who have shared my life.

In the course of my studies with Ramtha, I began to nurture my creative talents, and started performing as a storyteller and singer-songwriter. Later, I added my grandfather’s banjo and began strumming “story-songs” at folk festivals and on public-access radio, such as KAOS-FM in Olympia, WA. I never made much money, but the rich connections I’ve formed with my audiences have kept me going.

Along the way, I spent 15 months in Nashville crafting my musical chops, and that stint led to a five-year career as a stagehand. In turn, I wrote a freelance news column titled, “Stories from Backstage,” which later earned me a reporting job at a weekly newspaper in Eatonville, Washington. That gig evolved into investigative journalism, and along the way I wrote a book on the infamous skyjacker, DB Cooper. Titled, DB Cooper and the FBI – A Case Study of America’s Only Unsolved Skyjacking, it has earned me several appearances in documentaries and TV shows exploring the fascinating tale of this infamous hijacking.

Currently, I am deepening my activities in the World of the Woo-Woo. I am actively engaged in establishing direct contact with Interstellar beings via meditations, and I spend many days in channeling sessions to foster those connections. On the down-to-earth side of things, I am not protesting politically despite my distain for the current administration of 2025. Rather, I am out-and-about in my neighborhood radiating a commitment to a New World – sharing ideas, listening to others, and voicing my visions for a wondrous future. I am focused on building a New Earth - one that is loving and peaceful, creative and compassionate, joyful and inclusive. A World for everyone who craves respect and is willing to give it. A World that lives in harmony with Mother Nature and all of its Beings. A World beyond Climate Change and ubiquitous pollution. A World where everyone takes responsibility for their actions and understands that they create their reality – every bit of it. A World where everyone thrives and lives in contentment. A World that is unique in our history. A World that our children will cherish. A World that will earn the admiration of all those who reside in our Universe. A World that will be a Jewel in the Cosmos.