Chapter 13: Advice From Someone Who’s Seen the Light

A heavily bearded man wrapped in a heavy wool coat, hurried through a small town in northeast Alaska. He’d almost reached the wilderness when someone called out.

“Mister!”

Ignoring the woman, he kept marching. As much as he liked working with people, he didn’t want to risk being recognized. That’s why he chose to live in this remote region since disappearing from the public’s radar.

“Pardon me, sir,” she called again, her insulated hiking books echoing off the frozen pavement.

Sighing, he turned, waiting for her to catch up.

“Sorry,” she said, slowing down as she neared. “I couldn’t resist stopping you. You’ve got the brightest aura I’ve ever witnessed! Are you a shaman, guru or reincarnated Dalai Lama?”

Eric laughed, the motion causing his full beard to shake, the frozen ice crystals producing weird motions. “No, I’m just an ordinary guy. I’m aware of the aura, but it’s the result of an accident, pure and simple. I didn’t study to achieve it.”

“I can relate. I had a ... near-death experience, or NDE. Ever since, I’ve worked to balance my energy levels. They can affect all different aspects of health.”

Eric cocked his head, his brows rising. “Say what? I’ve never heard of any such thing.”

“It’s a recognized condition, although few deal with it enough to discuss it.” She extended her hand. “My name is Nina Myers. I suspect we’re two of a kind, lost souls drawn to the Alaskan wilderness to escape exposure to people. It’s common among the NDE community. There’s a fair amount of us here.”

“Mine is ... Roger, Roger Moore,” Eric said, repeating the first name to pop into his head.

The middle-aged Hispanic woman laughed, her voice sounding like the flight of a dozen butterflies on the breeze. “No relation to the James Bond act—Yeow!” she cried, yanking her hand back before he could shake it.

“Jeez! You’re definitely overloaded with psychic energy. I felt it when your hand neared mine. Sorry to be rude, but I wrestle with grounding enough as it is. Touching you would give me problems for weeks!”

“Pardon me. You have to forgive my ignorance, but I didn’t understand any of that. Do you mean grounding, as in using a metal source to drain an electric current?”

She smiled, taking pity of his naiveté. “It’s similar, but psychic energy doesn’t work like electricity. For us, grounding helps equalize our energy, either pulling it from the earth into us, or draining excesses from our bodies. I’m guessing you’ve got shoes with modern materials, likely some sort of plastic?”

“Uh, I guess. I purchased the warmest ones they sold.”

“Since the materials aren’t natural, they block the flow of energy. Instead, it gets bottled up inside you. Often, I’ll enter my backyard, sit in a chair and let the ground pull my excess energy from me. Massage helps, as does a metal spoon.”

“Pardon me? You mean like a kitchen spoon?”

“Exactly, since it contains metal, its magnetic nature activates the soles of your feet, making them more receptive to grounding. Simple massage works, but the spoon speeds the process.”

“I’m curious, when I wore my dog tags after I returned, I couldn’t handle them.”

“That’s because they became a focal point for all the energy in your body. With no chance to drain, it’s drawn to the metal and causes them to overheat. You’re lucky they were so uncomfortable, otherwise they’d produce blisters.”

“Please,” he said, indicating a nearby fallen log. “I’d love to hear more.”

She seemed amused, not in a humorous way, but enjoying his appreciation of a common affliction others can’t relate to. “It’s still warm, take those boots off. Leave your socks on and let me massage your feet. When I finish with each one, put them on the ground and observe what happens.” As she worked over his foot, she continued. “I drowned in Southern California a number of years ago. I had the whole experience, the bright light, realizing I could cross over if I wanted, but I remembered my family and pulled back. I awoke to a lifeguard trying to rescue me. He told me my heart hadn’t beaten for several minutes. How about you?”

Eric chuckled. “Nothing so dramatic; I didn’t suffer any near-death experience. Well, I did, but I didn’t encounter any bright lights,” he added, thinking fast to create a fictional biography on the fly. “Instead, I was struck with an electric discharge while flying a jet. I blacked out, but recovered just before impact and bailed out.”

“I’d say that’s pretty dramatic. Guess you didn’t have time to stand around staring at the lights, huh?”

“Nah, the sun was in my eyes. The only thing I saw was the ground approaching as my life flashed before my eyes. Luckily, it was an uneventful life, so it finished quickly.”

“You’re cute, and tell a good story. It almost seems like I’m there in the cockpit with you. I take it you were in the Air Force? I doubt you’d have bailed with a plane full of passengers.”

He gave the woman another evaluation. She was young, perhaps early thirties, with clear skin, straight black hair and deep brown eyes. The colorful flower tattoo showing through her parka around her neck revealed she still enjoyed her life. She was too sharp to play with. She might see beyond his lies.

“Didn’t the tattoo cause you problems if contact with metal produces blisters?”

“That only occurs when your energy is out of balance. The body is good at handling things, but when the energy gets congested, it can produce a variety of health issues.”

“You mean like meridians in acupuncture?”

“ACM, or Ancient Chinese Medicine. The topics are discussed in a variety of treatment protocols: meridians, elements, and chakras all describe the same things. In acupuncture, they call them energy blocks, but it’s not an accurate term. Your energy is constantly flowing. It’s more of a congestion issue with the impeded traffic producing secondary health issues, just as city traffic causes infrastructure damage.”

“What about electronics? I’ve noted that ... I have problems with some electrical devices.”

She watched his reaction, her curiosity triggered. “It’s not usually so obvious, but it’s a related issue in energy medicine. It’s called ‘parallel paths’. Electronics will draw your energy parallel, instead of along the vertical meridians. That causes unexpected health issues too. That’s why you shouldn’t spend too long working with computers. If you do, be certain to ground yourself afterwards to redirect your normal energy flow. The fact the left hemisphere of your brain controls the right side of your body reflects this sense of balance. If you put too much into any one side, or redirect the energy needed in another direction, you disrupt the healthy flows within your body.”

“I’m not sure that’s quite my case, but I’m intrigued by the idea of grounding to resolve it. So this might relieve the effects of prolonged exposure to electronics?”

“The complications are because the energy is running at cross purposes. If you can reorient it, it will drain normally. If you can’t redirect it, it’ll cause difficulties. Your levels are way out of control. I could see it in your aura from across down the street.” She rolled her sleeve up to allow him to view her arm. “Even from this distance, my hairs are standing on end from being this close to you.”

“I’ve never met anyone who worked with auras before, so no one’s ever commented on mine. In my case I don’t technically witness auras, instead I see into people’s souls. I think it’s a whole different kettle of fish.”

She squinted at him, raising her brows. “That is different. I’ve never heard of anyone actually seeing someone’s soul before. Often, someone will see the spirits of family members, but it’s hardly universal. I didn’t. What exactly does a soul look like?”

Eric shrugged. “I guess it’s similar to an aura, but instead of surrounding a person, it’s a separate physical entity. I can see a person’s intents, their regrets and whatever they feel guilty about.”

She looked at him askance, the wheels in her head grinding as she considered his words. “That can’t be easy. There’s enough survivors’ guilt associated with NDE. The last thing any of us need is tacking on everyone else’s guilt on top of what we’re already carrying.”