Soul and body resonate in the cell's energy system

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes writes: "Cells are the foundation of physical life. Groups of cells form tissues, and similar tissues join together and form organs, which are dependent on the health of the underlying cells.

"Individually, cells are small: ten thousand can fit on the head of a pin. Yet if your cells were spread out like a galaxy of stars, they would occupy a space in the heavens a thousand times larger than the Orion Galaxy. Within each cell there are trillions of molecules composed of trillions of atoms. Like the spaces between stars, which contain huge amounts of energy, the ultrasmall nano-spaces inside the atoms team with energy to constantly manifest new creation. In this microworld of the inner composition of your cells, energy and matter interface in ultrafast blips of time: nano- or pico-seconds. When an event occurs in these swift pulses of 10^-9 or 10^-12 seconds, the cells enter a type of quantum reality—no longer linear and no longer predictable. The cell is the interface between ordinary and nonordinary reality; possibilities exist here that we have barely begun to understand or develop.

"It is a good thing that we do not have to keep mental track of the operation of all these tiny parts. Yet we can influence them with our consciousness. Conventional research has established the detrimental effects of negative thinking, stress, and toxicity on the cells of the immune system and brain. Science has begun to offer evidence of positive thinking on the beneficial effects of spiritual practices such as meditation. Improvements in health and happiness can be achieved by embracing the healing power of positive Flow.

"Hundreds of years ago, the poet Rumi put words to the mystery of the interconnectedness of soul and body when he wrote, 'Soul, a moving river. Body, the riverbed.' Cell-Level Healing happens at this interface of soul and body.

"There are five components of cells that need to be understood in order to activate your intrinsic capacity for renewal and healing. The scientific names of those parts unwittingly hide the amazing functions they provide. Each one has a crucial and defined function.

"Most living cells share similar basic components and biological functions, although they may differ significantly in appearance. A single animal cell may be round, cubic, columnar, or long and stringy, depending on its location and particular job. Each cell has an outer membrane, to which receptor molecules attach. These sites grab free-floating messenger molecules, such as hormones, and help push them inside the cell in order to trigger specific cell activities. This is one of several ways in which cells stay in communication with the rest of the body and adapt their biochemistry accordingly.

"Inside the cell membrane an entire cosmos of complexity and beauty lives in the watery medium of the cell sap, the cytoplasm. More than 90 percent of the cytoplasm is water, and one can only speculate how our thoughts might affect this cell-water and thereby affect the critical life functions of the other subcellular component. Masaru Emoto’s provocative work certainly challenges us to consider the messages we give our own water milieu. Floating fibers in the cytoplasm create a loose inner skeleton for stability, yet they allow Flow throughout.

"The nucleus, enclosed in its own membrane, occupies a good portion of each cell. Molecular pores punctuate the nuclear membrane for the passage of rather large arrays of molecules, which translate the directives of the genetic code. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), into cell production and function. DNA is the information center of the cell.

"Messages carried by molecules direct the assembly sites of the cell to make very specific substances needed by the body. These sites of assembly lie outside the nucleus in the cytoplasm. There, long sheets of folded membranes called the endoplasmic reticulum comprise the ‘action’ part of the cell. Massive numbers of ribosomes spin from the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. On these sites, molecular information from the nucleus direct the action of plugging one atom into another, thereby forming molecules in precise sequences, which then become proteins. Each protein is unique. One will become a muscle fiber; another, an estrogen molecule, an enzyme for digestion, or a protein that will partially shape your nose.

"Cells may also export products into the bloodstream to be circulated to another part of the body for use. Neatly packaged in vesicles, these products are wrapped in their own membranes. They float to the cell surface and make their way out of the cell.

"How does a cell obtain energy for all this work? After food is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, cells take in what they need for the power stations of the cell to spring to life. Tiny ellipsoid dynamos, hundreds of the power-station-like mitochondria inhabit each and every cell. Magnificent, linked complexes of enzyme chains called the Kreb’s cycle buzz in each mitochondrion, further breaking down glucose, one of the end products of food digestion (glycolysis) and releasing energy. As the bonds between carbon atoms in the backbone of glucose are unplugged, energy is released and then stored for future needs. This crucial energy does not run rampant, gleefully tripping through the cells, but rather it is instantaneously taken up by yet another type of enzyme (ATPase), which hangs on the inside of the mitochondrial double membrane like a bat on a cave wall. Safely sequestered, the stored energy is available to the cells for heat, structural repair, or synthesis.

"Curiously, the ATPase enzyme, which captures and releases energy, spins as it works. In fact, the universal spiral is resonant in every cell. The most impressive telescopes look outward and see spiral galaxies, and the most powerful electron microscopes look inside cells and see spiral structures smoothly running the business of life. The ribosomes perched on the endoplasmic reticulum arrange themselves in a spiral as they create all of the life-dependent proteins in the body.

"DNA is packaged in a double spiral, and now we know that the enzyme responsible for all energy maintenance in the body spins as it works in the mitochondria."

 

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

 

Hawkes clarifies energy Flow and Soul-Signature

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes explains that: “Ancient philosophies call the energy of life by many different names—among them Chi. The robust flow of Chi is associated with vibrant health, whereas a natural return to the absence of flow is correlated with ill health. A natural return to the unobstructed flow of Chi occurs when blockages are removed allowing the body, mind, and spirit to be open and clear.

 

“What is the nature of this flowing life energy? In my early work with clients, I could sense flow patterns—and, curiously, each person’s felt different. The patterns were unique, much like fingerprints or snowflakes. In fact, I was able to recognize an individual and recall the issues we had previously addressed simply by noticing the particular signature of their energy flow.

"How could Chi be so variable? I wondered whether there was an ‘energy signature’ that was a part of personal identity. Eventually, two principles emerged:

1.     Each person embodies a distinctive variation on universal energy: a natural and unique pattern exists for each individual consciousness. I call this quality their Soul-Signature.

2.     In a healthy individual there is an abundant flow of energy through the body. In this regard I will use the word Flow to convey the quantitative aspects of speed and direction of the Soul-Signature.

"Let’s look at what Flow means to the cells from the point of view of the following fundamental fact about biological life: all cells experience a constant in-and-out flow of the elements necessary for survival. This essential pattern includes growth, repair, replication, response to stimuli, acquiring nutrients, and expelling waste. Scientists call this biological flow homeostasis, which literally means ‘a relatively stable state of equilibrium.’ This profound state of balance prevents sudden changes that could kill these delicate units of life. Complex feedback loops keep the cells at the correct temperature, regulate size, and maintain a relatively consistent molecular organization Food and oxygen move into the cells, and waste is removed. Life ceases for a cell or group of cells without this Flow. If disease prevents large areas of Flow in a critical organ, the entire body dies.

"The topic of Flow places us on that delicate threshold between spiritual, emotional, and physical issues. Well-established Flow changes a person’s inner perception from empty to full, from waking in a state of dread to waking with contentment, anticipating the day ahead. Joy at simply being alive may prompt spontaneous outbursts of gratitude. When Flow reaches all of the levels from Soul to Cell, liveliness enhances simple daily routines. The body responds with improved health. Spiritual healing, therefore, works best in concert with the natural order of life.

"Ed called me for an appointment because he was intrigued by the ideas I expressed about energy healing during an interview on Art Bell’s Coast to Coat radio show. Ed had felt the chill of death when he nearly died during hospitalization for alcoholism. Fortunately, he recovered completely and no longer uses alcohol, but he was not faced with serious heart problems. Our first session seemed to have little effect. Intense concentration was required to clear enough of the stuck energy in Ed’s body to allow him to feel any Flow. Fortunately, we both saw enough progress, albeit it temporary, to continue. After a few sessions, Ed began to respond physically. His stamina increased and his fatigue receded. ‘I just feel better!’ was how he described it.

"We continued with individual sessions, and Ed also attended my classes to develop his own healing gifts. He enjoyed focusing healing energy on others and was quite effective in clearing blockages and increasing Flow in his fellow students. The results in his own body were significant; his health steadily improved. Ed’s purpose in life was now expanded, and he volunteered each weekend at a local spiritual bookstore doing energy healing.

"Our sessions continued on a monthly basis, with emphasis on supporting the Flow in his body. As his physical health continued to improve, he began to have extraordinary spiritual experiences. Sensations of floating, expansion, and great lightness came over him. He experienced joy and awe. Each session opened him to new levels, which were reflected in a profound evolution in his view of himself.

"Our goal was to find a specific quality of energy and a Flow pattern that would stabilize Ed so that he would not become re-blocked after our sessions when confronted with the stresses of work and the ordinary trials of traffic, groceries, and his checkbook.

"As I listened to him, I began to experience the unique energy that resonated within the very core of his being. Many experiences in my own journey had taught me to tune in to the particular energy imprint of the client. Ed had his own angels, his own guides, and his own healer’s heart, but they were buried under years of creating himself as an astute manager and business person and an alcoholic. While working with Ed, I discovered something I have come to think of as each person’s specific Soul-Signature.

"Ed’s way of seeing himself as an administrator did not support health in his body or peace in his soul. Ed felt wonderful when we uncovered his core energy. The next step was to stabilize the energy and then to teach him how to access his own Soul-Signature. Once again, I was reminded that energy work is most effective when it respects and harmonizes with the specific energy of the individual."

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

 

Hawkes enables physical healing with meditation

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes writes: “Elli hobbled into my office on crutches. She had made an appointment intending to work on other issues, but a recent skiing accident resulting in a broken leg occupied the focus of her visit. It was the first time she had been to my office, and after going over her personal history, I helped her onto my treatment table. I use a massage table with a thick foam pad covered by a handmade quilt. Comfortable and relaxed, fully clothed, and covered with a soft blanket, she sighed with relief. 

“The first step in a healing session always involves searching for blockages. I held my hands about six inches above her body and moved them slowly from her head down along her arms, over her torso, and finally down each leg. My hands stopped at one specific place above the cast on her right leg as if a wall had leapt up. I asked Elli if this was the site of the break, and she said it was.

“I attempted to clear the blockage, assuming the ‘stuck’ energy was the result of trauma, but I could not seem to move past the area. As I continued to work on the blockage an unusual sensation came over me. I could see the bones in Elli’s lower leg. The two ends of the tibia were offset at the site of the break, as though her leg had not been set property before casting. Imagine how odd I felt telling Elli that I had seen the inside of her leg and that she needed to seek further medical attention!

“Two weeks later, we met again after an X-ray confirmed that her leg was misaligned. Surgery and titanium pins were needed to correct the position of the tibia. Later, as I cleared the energy from the surgery, I could feel energy flowing smoothly along her body. I focused on enhancing her natural healing process, and Elli recovered fully and returned to her active, athletic life.

“Jeremy’s injury was a different story. He had broken his ankle during a soccer game with his friends, all in their twenties. The ankle had healed as much as could be expected, according to the doctor, but he was still limping from pain eight months after the fateful game. Jeremy hoped energy healing would bring relief. After all, he was a young adult with many decades of life ahead, and he wanted the full use of his ankle.

“The orthopedic specialist had identified bone spurs as the culprits. He had done everything at his disposal: surgery for the original injury and months of immobilization in a cast. At this point, the doctor was out of treatment options and could offer Jeremy only pain medication.

“Jeremy relaxed on the treatment table, his sock off and pant leg rolled up mid-calf. I began moving my hands above his injured ankle. After just a few minutes, his lower leg began to sweat and turned ghostly white. The rest of his body was normal. I felt spikes of sharp heat in my hands. As I continued to slowly run my hands above his lower leg, the spikes decreased and eventually subsided. We continued to work together in this way for several sessions until Jeremy’s bone spurs were completely gone.

“Osteoclasts are cells that remodel bone. They also have the ability to remove bone spurs. In addition to the healing work we did together in my office, I taught Jeremy to call his osteoclasts into action during meditation in order to achieve healing at the cellular level. In my development as an energy healer, I have learned how to reach into the body energetically to promote healing at the cellular level. I call this work Cell-Level Healing. As a result of these techniques, his healing went far beyond what the physician had been able to do, and Jeremy returned to a fully mobile life that once again included soccer.

“Physical blockages can occur anywhere in the body as a result of injury, infection, or disease. Removing the energy blockages does not necessarily cure the malady. However, it is a valuable first step to any subsequent treatment, because an open system with freely moving energy offers us the best chance of healing.

“A range of sensations may indicate physical blockages in the body’s energy flow. You may feel pain, heat, cold, or prickles. There may be no pain but rather an uneasy feeling that something is amiss. Blockages can be identified by any of the senses. Visual and auditory information might come in a vision, such as dense, red smoke, or as an anguished cry during meditation or the dream state.

“Some of us inadvertently pick up blockages secondhand; we absorb pain from others and subsequently become ill. Releasing anything that is not your own increases your vitality and affirms the ability to distinguish between issues that are yours and those you have taken in from someone else."

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

Healing by clearing energy blockages in the body

"Early in my healing practice," Joyce Wilkes Hawkes writes, "I thought my job was to meditate, fill myself with healing energy, and blast my client with it—to the best of my ability. On rare occasions, the outcome dazzled: sudden reversals of arthritis, shriveled cancers. More often than not, the results did not reflect the endeavor. Some clients even became nauseated. 

 

"Puzzled by these inconsistent results, I sought answers. I discovered that people who had already done a considerable amount of spiritual or meditative practice were able to receive and utilize a substantial flow of energy. Those who were just starting to meditate and awaken spiritually, or who were just beginning some other form of complementary healing, had the most difficulty. Seeking the advice of a wise Chinese physician and acupuncturist, I learned about the concept of blockage, which is so thoroughly understood in this tradition. Energy blockage prevents healing, no matter how much energy is available. This new awareness helped me to understand the variable results I was seeing in my healing practice.

"I realized that in addition to sharing healing energy with my clients, I needed to find out more specifically where the energy blockages were and clear them. The more specifically I could locate them, the better the healing.

"I began using a pendulum, which would begin to spin when I held it above the blocked area. I found this method to be generally reliable. Soon, I was able to sense the blocked places with my hands. A cold wind or excess heat would come from the sites of disease or former injury. Sometimes, I could see the blockage with my eyes, or I might have an uncanny sense of knowing where the problem originated.

"Not all blockages are easy to clear. Energy obstructions can be especially tenacious when a belief system has locked them into place. Jocelyn’s case illustrates a limiting belief system that obstructed her from healing. Her case in not unusual. I have heard hundreds of similar stories.

"Tears poured down Jocelyn’s face as she walked from my reception area into the office. She slumped onto the comfy couch, clutched the sky-blue chenille decorative cushion, and launched immediately into her concerns. ‘I was diagnosed with breast cancer a month ago, and I had surgery three weeks ago. The doctor found a very aggressive tumor. I’m scheduled to start chemotherapy the end of this week. I read that I need to find the cause of the cancer before I can heal. I don’t know where to look. My brother abused me when I was sixteen. I was terribly mean to my kid sister after that. Am I being punished? What did I do to cause my cancer?’

"Certainly many factors can contribute to illness, including emotional trauma, genetic predisposition, and environmental toxic exposure. We tend to extrapolate backwards, however, from the disease to a simplistic cause, particularly one that points the finger of blame toward others or guilt toward ourselves.

"Jocelyn’s generally intense emotions and all-consuming guilty thoughts contributed to her state of phenomenal stress. The serious effects of stress included depression of the immune system and reduced nerve regeneration (neurogenesis), both of which can block the healing of the body.

"Although the cause of Jocelyn’s cancer was unknown, her stress clearly undermined her well-being and blocked her recovery. Confused and upset by surgery, chemotherapy, and other treatments, it took all her courage just to face each day. We needed to help her fin tools to reduce her stress. We used imagery of Jocelyn walking along her favorite stretch of beach listening to the crashing waves, smelling the fresh salt air, and feeling the warmth of sun on her shoulders. We continued using imagery that she could initiate and change whenever she needed to make the process uniquely her own. She not only found peace of mind but eventually resolved her feelings of guilt and let go of her suspicion that she was being taught a lesson for having done something wrong.

"Months after she had completed her course of medical treatment—and her formerly bald head sported a vigorous cap of new, fuzzy growth—we looked back on the intrusion of cancer and what she learned from the experience. ‘I have new insights about my life,’ she said. ‘I’m a good person with gifts that help others. I count to a lot of people. All the ‘things’ I’ve accumulated mean much less to me now. Material possessions are no longer an important goal. My priorities have changed, and I am happy and free to enjoy my life and my loved ones. With your help, I was able to focus on using healing meditations in conjunction with the best possible medical treatment, and I was able to get through my cancer.’

"Jocelyn’s main blockage was the belief that her illness was punishment. Once she was able to clear this limitation, her body responded. She had fewer aftereffects from chemotherapy, less fatigue, and a much increased sense of well-being. Her confidence that she actually had a good future increased, too. The outcome of her illness included physical healing plus a new level of wisdom about herself and her life. Beliefs are powerful tools that can limit us, but they can also be used to propel us into life-giving freedom."

 

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

Joyce Hawkes becomes a Cell-Level Healer

"The world of healing did not come naturally. I could not ‘think’ my way to solutions as I had with science. I meditated regularly, sought divine guidance, and received it every step of the way, usually no sooner than the instant it was needed. My path evolved daily in the healing room and took quantum leaps during time spent with indigenous healers in Southeast Asia. Now, after twenty year of learning how to reach deeply into the cells of the body with healing energy, I am eager to share the wonder of weaving together the spirit world and physical healing.

"My near-death experience established a connection between me and something much, much bigger than myself. If it is a part of God, the Source of creation, the bond has never failed. I lost my fear of death, and with it, my fear of separation from the Source. I lost any notion that the Source is available to only the few who belong to a specific religion. The Healing Presence of the Source is for everyone.

"So, what about those cells? Is there love after the laboratory? Certainly the cells mean even more to me now. After all, physical health begins in our cells. Likewise, healing must touch the cells, because illness also begins at the cellular level.

"Did you know that individual cells seldom get completely sick all at once? Simple practices can help you support injured cells on the road to recovery. For example, Jerry, one of my first clients, was a construction worker with a new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). He has lost most of the strength in his dominant hand and could no longer wield a hammer or steady a nail driver. The vision in his right eye was blurred from time to time, and the unreliability of simple physical functions, such as sight and arm strength, frustrated him. We began healing work together, and within two weeks his vision was normal. Several months later, Jerry arrived at my office carrying a heavy jug of water in his right hand. He thrust it into my face with a huge grin of delight. Three months earlier, he had not been able to hold an orange in that hand. Both his eyes and the nerve cells in his body had healed.

"The more you know about your body—and the cells of your body—the more you will appreciate how truly precious and sacred all life is. Rather than struggle against the body and our sojourn here on earth, the body can be experienced as a sacred temple of the spirit and an expression of consciousness. This knowledge is the first step toward a life of fullness and oneness of spirit and physical existence—a seamless connection from Soul to Cell.

"During the first years after the intensity of being ‘on the other side,’ as I call my near-death experience, I wanted to return to that place where there was only peace and love. I wondered why I was given a taste of heaven and then dumped back into the dense physical world.

"I asked for guidance: ‘Show me what this means. Show me!’ to receive answers required a change in my meditation practice. Rather than journeying as far from my body as my imagination, drumming or the scent of roses could take me, I concentrated on staying with my physical body. Instead of leaving the body, I tugged at my higher consciousness, bringing it forth, bit by bit, from deep within. I began to feel a bit of heaven right here. From this, I developed a two-step practice that helps me connect with my higher consciousness in daily life.

"Begin with the practice of appreciation, which can open you to receive good things. Gratitude leads to devotion, resulting in compassion that flows naturally from the heart as profound healing. An attempt to heal your body, or to help someone else heal, makes no sense if you lack respect and appreciation for your physical body and the physical universe. Fulfilling our heart’s desire and your soul’s mission requires presence in the here and now, and that includes awareness of your body.

"The human body is amazing and deserves honest appreciation. The sheer number of cells in your body, nearly 100 trillion, outnumbers the entire population of the earth by 1,500 times and the stars of the Orion Galaxy by 1,000. Cells belong to action groups, or tissues, each with their own shape, size, job, and rate of cell division for renewal and repair of worn out parts. These trillions of cells work together to keep you alive.

"Let appreciation fill and warm your body. Invite more of your higher consciousness, your spirit, to emerge from within you. Contemplate yourself in a new way using a special phrase, such as ‘at one with the Universe,’ ‘resting in luminosity,’ or ‘in the temple of the Holy Spirit.’"

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

Hawkes hears the words: "You are called to heal."

After her near-death experience, Joyce Whiteley Hawkes writes: "I began to look for information about other strange phenomena, such as the sixth sense, inner sight, and remote viewing. I joined a class given by a local healer. The meditations in class helped me establish a deep meditative practice at home, which led to visionary encounters with angels, animals, and other galaxies.

"The teacher invited me to accompany him during his work with clients one afternoon a week, and people began responding positively to my touch. They told me they felt heat in the areas where I had touched them and that tingling shot through their body. They said their health improved as a result.

"Others wanted to come to me for healing sessions, so I converted a former study in my home into a place where I could see a few clients each week. Never imagining anything but an avocation of heart. I enjoyed both worlds: science and whatever this new arena might be.

"I continued to be challenged to reach deeper and deeper into the cells of the body in order to assist those who sought my help. The results astonished both my clients and me.

"During a long weekend trip to Mount Shasta with my teacher and two other students, my life changed precipitously, once again. We climbed to red Butte from Panther Meadows on the south side of the mountain. Still snowy, the spring days were enchanting as we chopped steps in icy slopes, heated pots of snow to melt for drinking water, and settled into intensely blissful meditations at the 9,600-foot elevation.

"On the drive back to Seattle, we four grubby pilgrims stopped at a Catholic shrine, the Grotto, on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. I had no previous exposure to the Catholic church or theology, having grown up mildly Protestant. My companions went to pray in a small chapel, while I wandered alone and eventually stood in front of a room-sized cave that had been naturally formed in the side of a steep cliff. Candles flickered around a replica statute of the Pieta. Mary seemed almost alive as she sorrowed over the crucified body of Jesus.

"As I approached the cave and knelt on a bench provided for worship, I felt the air shift and become charged with power and energy. I felt a tingling all over my body when I heard a woman’s voice say, You are called to heal.

"It felt like the near-death experience all over again. Love, peace, and awe surged through me. How could I contain this emotion, this energy, this blessing? My life changed forever in those few moments. The loving authority in the voice left no room for doubt or delayed action. When I returned to Seattle and work the very next day, I began my resignation process to leave the laboratory."

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).

Hawkes discovers her NDE made her psychic

At first, my scientist’s brain discounted the experience as a hallucination, merely the consequence of a sound crack on the head and loss of consciousness. But, I soon discovered, it was the beginning of another form of consciousness that would prove to be more valuable than any career, status, or fringe benefits.

My head hurt too much to listen to music, read, go to the movies, or exercise—all the forms of relaxation I had previously enjoyed. Trapped in a fit body with a sorely pounding head and a physician-imposed three weeks at home, I was utterly bored. When I had recovered enough to drive, I went downtown to Seattle’s waterfront area to visit my favorite bookstore, Elliot Bay Books. Creaking wooden floors and the aroma from decades of books comforted my senses.

I was walking slowly along the rows of shelves, browsing the titles, when a gook nearly jumped into my hands. It was Ray Moody’s Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon—Survival of Bodily Death, and it contained page after page of detailed near-death experiences. I purchased the book, and reading it forced me to look closely at the evidence presented by the many others who had experiences similar to mine. I could no longer dismiss what had happened to me. Wonder and curiosity began replacing my grouchy self-pity at having a wounded skull.

Another man named Ray, a podiatrist, showed up in my life. Trained by the Super Learning group at Ohio State University, Ray taught memory skills via deep relaxation and visualization techniques. Don’t ask what this had to do with feet! Seemingly unrelated to my recent experience, I embarked on memory training to help keep authors and citations straight in my work as a publishing scientist.

In our session one day, I reclined in a big, comfortable chair in Ray’s office, listening to a tape describing in detail the features of a small, gray kitten. I was a little surprised when, in my mind’s eye, I saw myself walking around a room looking at specific things: a chair with blue velvet upholstery, a fireplace that was open on two sides into the room, and pictures on the wall. Even more surprising was the look on Ray’s face when I described the room. We were both astonished when I described with precise detail the setting in which he had produced the memory tape. Put two scientists together and you launch a truth-seeking mission. We decided to discover how my inner sight worked in a real-time situation. I would go to Ray’s office and relax in the big chair, and after we had chatted for a while, Ray would go down the hall and examine one of his podiatry patients. When he returned, I could tell him details about the person’s foot, the pathology, and anything else that had caught his attention during the examination.

We also established an informal mini-study in mind reading. Ray would think about a particular color as he walked to the room where I was waiting, and my head would be filled with that exact color. I was not guessing. I saw the color accurately every time. My view of myself as a levelheaded, rational scientist became unhinged. Perhaps you, too, have had some unusual experiences that scared you, at first, and then opened you to far-reaching possibilities in your life.

Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell (Atria Paperback, 2006).