What inspired you to turn your personal reflections into a book — was there a defining moment when you knew you had to write Reflections of My Higher Self?
The book came out of me while I was writing a 500-word short story. I never intended to write it,
How did your early childhood experiences shape the themes you explore in your writing?
Childhood trauma had set patterns in me that came with a need to become introspective for resolution.
You mention healthy introspection — what does healthy introspection look like for you, and how can others practice it?
Healthy introspection is done with self-love. Knowing that our experiences don't define us, but that we are the experiencer. In other words, there's a 'separate' part of us that can step back to examine our experiences. It's called 'Witness Consciousness'.
How has your time as an initiate of the Rosicrucian Order influenced your worldview and your writing?
My early times with the Rosicrucians were most beneficial and taught me about history, perceptual laws and healing techniques. However, I have since gone 'lone wolf' and have not been an active participant in recent years.
In what ways did A Course in Miracles and The Kybalion impact your personal philosophy and the ideas in your book?
ACIM was life-changing for me. It taught the difference between ego-identity and divinity. It is a vast writing, yet is cyclic in nature, expounding on the same basic principles of life repeatedly. I found that students tended to confuse the many different angles that depicted the same thing, and mistook them for addressing different things, when they were not, which made for complication. That in itself was a learning experience for me. Paradoxically, like many writings, including the Bible, people come away with differing interpretations. I do not participate with ACIM groups since I came away with a different, and even oppositional view than many others involved with The Course, which believe the ego to be a 'bad' thing. I do not. Problems begin when we define ourselves by our culturally conditioned ego, which is a tool, not an identity. I explain this in my writing.
The Hermetic Principles in The Kybalion opened my eyes to the workings of mental alchemy. How to use the polarity of thought to create desired change. My first-hand experience with using the information found in The Kybalion, is that the principles were key to my ability to quit smoking cigarettes nearly twenty years ago. I alluded to the technique in my books.
Your work discusses an underlying singularity — how would you describe this Essence to someone unfamiliar with these spiritual ideas?
One way would be to say we are all drops of water from the same ocean. Another would be to say we are all as rays of light from the same sun. On a more scientific level, I'd say we are quanta of a quantum, or units of a unified field. On a rudimentary level, I'd say all life is extended from one Source, or Creator, Separation is an impossibility. We are of one Essence, therefore, part of what we call 'God' and each other.
Was it challenging to translate such profound and abstract insights into words that readers can connect with?
Yes, to say the least. I can't tell you how many times I rewrote large sections. Some still don't connect with it. But I think that's largely due to unfamiliarity with the genre and a bit of impatience. My book is more of a study than a walk in the park. But there's also the possibility that my writing doesn't quite cut the mustard.
Did writing the book change your understanding of yourself or your spiritual journey in any unexpected ways?
Most definitely. My intention was to write a 500-word short story, when a 'movie screen' opened in my head. I transposed what characters and scenarios I saw and heard onto paper. Necessary editing followed.
What part of Reflections of My Higher Self do you feel most personally connected to, and why?
The childhood molestation I experienced and the associated betrayals by authority figures in my life, and the mental abuse done by a priest in a confessional, and most pivotal, how I understood what it meant to forgive them all.
How do you hope readers will feel or think differently after reading your book?
I hope they will have appreciated the colorful allegorical displays of our genuine identity and innocence, and I hope it leaves them with a greater understanding of what belief is, how it works and what it does. Most of all, I'd love if they grasp an all-encompassing understanding of true forgiveness.
What daily practices or rituals help you stay aligned with the teachings you write about?
Mindfulness, witness consciousness, taking the time to evaluate my automatic reactions to things to discover their roots, and not taking myself too seriously. All at least fifteen minutes every morning and at night before bed, and more often during the day.
Many people struggle with facing themselves honestly — what advice would you give to someone afraid to look inward?
I'd tell them it is identity-shifting for the better, and that at first look, we see only the compounded, culturally-conditioned debris on the surface of our minds, which is not at all who we are. Mainly, I'd say that we have to observe and fully accept ourselves with love, and without resistance, what we think of as ourselves right there on the surface, in order to go through and beyond that displaced sense of self, and move toward knowledge of our higher selves, beyond all the conditioning. Some people would call this being 'born again'. I prefer to avoid that term since it reeks of exclusive religious dogma.
Who are some other spiritual teachers or writers who have deeply influenced you?
Maxwell Maltz, Eckhart Tolle, Michael Singer, Gary Zukov, Joe Dispenza, Barbara Symons, Rene Gade, Mel Robbins.
Do you see yourself writing more books in the future — if so, what themes might you explore next?
I've been thinking about writing something more humorous for a change.
What has your AllAuthor experience been like so far? What are some highlights?
I am utterly embarrassed to tell you that I am not internet savvy. To the detriment of my book sales, I haven't done much at all with what AllAuthor has to offer.
