Children of Light was originally published in 1995, and is no longer in print. In the process of making it available as an e-Book, I realized I had a rare opportunity (at least for a published author) to rework my book. So welcome to the 2nd Edition of Children of Light! Enjoy! Heather Macauley

INTRODUCTION

I remember as a little boy, I wanted so much to be able to think like a grownup. I figured that I'd be able to answer any question that ever came up, to solve any problem that ever came up, and to help anybody who needed help, including those who needed help but didn't even know it! When things got difficult I'd ask myself, "How would I deal with this if I were grown, as an adult?" I became very serious as a child, even considered precocious, mature, and wise beyond my years.

When I was around seventeen I decided that I would no longer be in such a hurry to grow up, that adulthood seemed full of a lot more (and worse) problems and troubles than childhood, and that life certainly was already complicated enough just being seventeen. Still, I was very serious and everything was still so important. We were all supposed to be deciding what we wanted out of life and doing our (age- appropriate) best to start in that direction.

I remember my dreams changing. I could no longer fly, or run like the wind, or catch a falling star (to put in my pocket and save for a rainy day). I remember how rational thought took over in my dreams, while I tried to figure out what was going on all the time and what was the significance of it all. And, since I had already stopped praying in the wakeful state, there was no room for God in my dreams, I figured.

With adulthood came the witnessing of struggle and suffering and conflict and illness and death. With adulthood came parenting -- and the witnessing of innocence, and the miracles of life through birth, and the magic of a child's world. I found myself in the curious and ironic state of envy of such youthful innocence. I found myself fighting to somehow protect that magic as an inalienable right of childhood. Hopefully, other children would not wish to think like grown ups too much and thus too-soon lose their youth.

In recent years, I have been able to rediscover magical, childlike thinking. It took what many would consider an extra-complicated route in order to return -- learning to let go of logic in the middle of a dream and just go with it; letting kids teach me how to play again; letting go of harsh judgments and the need to be right; releasing attachments to the way I had remembered things, learned things, taught stuff. Fun and faith and hope and more fun and knowing things will work out 'cause that's just what's gonna happen. "Hey, lighten up! Let's not take this stuff so seriously! Come on -- we're all just kids, anyway!"

When we let the light back into our lives, we realize that we are all children of light. I am personally grateful to those masters of magic and light with whom I have orbited as mentors, colleagues, friends, playmates (Dr. Deepak Chopra, Prof. George Wald, Louise Hay, Mother Teresa, Brother Blue, Kermit the Frog -- just to name a few). I am honored to welcome a new master in Heather Macauley -- and I am glad to share in her magic and light.

Through my association with Dr. Chopra at our Center for Mind Body Medicine, I have had the privilege of reviewing many manuscripts and proposals for endorsement and support. I immediately became excited (like a kid!) upon experiencing Children of Light. This wonderful journey not only captures the principles of Vedic sciences, Quantum Mechanics, human psychology, spiritual traditions, and mind-body healing with accuracy and depth, it does so with enthralling and suspenseful entertainment which reaches audiences of practically any age. She is truly a gifted storyteller.

What does all this mean, anyway? While in the midst of grounding ourselves in the harshness of reality and practicality, along comes some creation of nature which gently but powerfully--elevates our minds and spirits to higher states of awareness and possibility. We are returned to the realm of magic and of "me, too!" and of "Yes, I can!" For some precious time we are captured by the spirit of giving, of loving, of sharing, and teaching. We are floating, flying -- transcending, above and beyond the bounds of the mundane of our existence, to experience a lightness of being -- as beings of light.

In this everyday world we perceive ourselves as distinct, separate beings, having totally separate existences and experiences from one another. Things happen, and they are seemingly done to us by others, causing us either grief or joy, failure or success, illness or health, pride or disgrace. We, thus, see ourselves as essentially alone, surrounded by billions of others who are also alone, but whose actions cause all of those situations with which we have to somehow cope. We are taught that mind and matter are completely separate and independent of one another, and that we are primarily physical things, creatures that have evolved into "thinking machines."
Our presumptions are that the 'objective world' is the only true reality -- what really matters -- and that this existence of the universe is independent of our perception, participation, or lack thereof. Moreover, we are taught that intelligence and mind are finite limitations of the brain, the nervous system, and genetics.

Amazingly -- miraculously -- the consciousness of a child is not burdened with these constraints. It is the consciousness of true freedom, of magical beginnings, of magical being. It is through our socialization process that we succumb to such a different set of conclusions and core beliefs about universe and existence.

Through the contributions of our growing family of masters of literary magic, more and more of us are turning to that state of knowing greater truths. We are not self-contained entities totally independent of one another -- rather, we are inseparably connected as a set of cosmic relationships. Aloneness does not exist. Emotions and our responses to actions (reactions) are choices. Mind is unbounded, infinite, and can find expression in, though is not encased in physical structure. Matter exists because of consciousness -- not the other way around. Intelligence is infinite and universal. And it is as beings of light, of truth, of love -- as Children of Light -- that we know the magic of the master plan, our universal playground.

As we each read this story, may we all give to our selves the permission to once again embrace the light....

Enrico Melson, MD, MPH, FACPM
Center for Mind Body Medicine
Del Mar, California
April, 1995

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all Star Children and especially to my children, Ian, Andrew and Amelia, who have blessed me with their loving, joyous presence and awakened me to all the children of the world.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Facing Death
Chapter 2: Everything will be the same and everything will be different
Chapter 3: Missing from the Third Dimension
Chapter 4: Beyond the 'E' Ticket
Chapter 5: The Field of Possibilities
Chapter 6: The Dance of Light
Chapter 7: Star Children
Chapter 8: 99.9999% Empty Space
Chapter 9: Interrupting the Program
Chapter 10: The Crystal Cave
Chapter 11: Walking through Walls
Chapter 12: The Abduction
Chapter 13: Instruments of Hate
Chapter 14: What could you want, forgiveness cannot give you?
Chapter 15: Going H.O.M.E.

Chapter I

Facing Death

How strange it was to be sixteen and facing death. The tranquility of the desert night with its vast array of glittering stars and the merest crescent moon belied the imminent danger of hypothermia. There was little comfort in the fact that Amelia wouldn't be dying alone. She barely knew the boy sitting by her side. Matthew had been randomly chosen as her hiking partner by their geology teacher. They'd never really spoken until that day.

The hiking had been so beautiful. It was seventy degrees. The sky was clear and blue and so incredibly immense. They'd scrambled up and down over boulders gathering rock samples for their class. They hiked through fields of coarse grass, sage and prickly pear, and along dried stream beds. There was something about the desert that was peaceful yet exhilarating.

Deep, earthy colors contrasted vividly with the sky. Everything was on such a grand scale Amelia hardly noticed the lack of trees and water. She'd always expected the desert to be flat and boring, yet in reality the desert canyons had endless variations.

They'd planned to head back sooner but Matthew was constantly being drawn around another bend or to the top of a plateau and would not rest until Amelia had shared the view. The beauty was more spectacular around each corner, which probably had something to do with the fact that the sun was slowly setting and the colors were deepening in the sky. As shadows lengthened across the canyon Amelia realized how late it was and convinced Matthew to turn back.

"Don't worry. We'll make it!" Matthew sounded confident but Amelia noticed a certain urgency in his walk. They climbed through crevices and cracks in the rock that were hardly visible from just a few feet away. Even though they were hiking back on the same trail, it was barely recognizable when heading in the opposite direction. Wherever the land was fairly flat they ran instead of walking. As it grew darker, Matthew realized he'd forgotten to bring his glasses. He'd been wearing prescription sunglasses all day but with dusk settling in he could no longer see to lead the way.

Until this point Amelia felt confident Matthew would take care of everything, but now it was up to her to get them back. She took the lead and tried to run from one rock cairn to the next but her body would no longer allow it. When they climbed steep cliffs she felt the muscles in her legs shaking from exhaustion. She tried to jog through the fields but could manage no more than a fast walk.

In the shadow of the outcrops Amelia could barely see any markers. Several times they had to retrace their steps in order to find the next cairn. At last they climbed to the top of another plateau. There was just enough light to see the cairns up ahead, and despite exhaustion Amelia tried to run as fast as she could from one to the next. They were so close, yet suddenly it was too dark to see any further. The sky turned a soft sable and three stars twinkled around the crescent moon.

Under other circumstances it would have been serene and peaceful, but Amelia was gripped with fear. Her heart pounded in her chest and the blackness made her too dizzy to walk straight. Finally, they sat down. Amelia tried to appear calm but she could feel her heart beating anxiously in her chest.

The temperature had been dropping quickly as the sun was setting and now it was quite cool. Amelia put on her sweater. It was oversized, warm and cozy. She immediately felt better as she buttoned the big handmade buttons. Silently they watched more stars appear as the moon sank slowly below the horizon. Amelia dug through her pack and handed Matthew half of her sandwich.

"Thanks. I'm starving," he whispered gratefully.

Though they were in the wilderness where even screaming and yelling wouldn't be heard, it seemed only right to whisper. Amelia felt the reverence and awe of being in the world's largest cathedral as she watched a vast array of stars dangling like faintly tinted jewels.

"The constellations don't even look the same," Amelia said quietly as she shifted her weight on the rock where she was perched in a futile attempt to get comfortable. "They're so much brighter and bigger than anything I've ever seen.” She paused for a moment staring. “Do you see that really bright star?"

"No," replied Matthew squinting upwards. "I can't see a thing without my glasses."

Amelia peered into the darkness. She felt quite certain the star was flashing different colors; red, yellow, green, blue. Suddenly the star dropped, then zigzagged. As she stared a strange sensation flowed through her body, as if she were looking down a long, dark tunnel and this star had become the only star in the sky. Light-headed, barely able to sense her body, Amelia continued in this near trance-like state with no sense of time.

Breaking the silence Matthew asked curiously, "What about the star?"

Amelia gasped slightly as her body jerked.

"I'm sorry," Matthew added apologetically. "Did I scare you?"

Amelia took a deep breath, shook her head a little trying to regain some clarity. "I have the strangest feeling that's not really a star," she said quietly.

"Do you think it's a satellite?"

"No... it's not just what I'm seeing,” Amelia replied slowly, gathering her thoughts, “it's how I feel when I look at it. It's been turning different colors and sort of bouncing around. I know this sounds weird, but the strangest thing is that my body started feeling sort of light and tingly. And I didn't hear voices or anything, but I had this odd feeling someone was trying to talk to me - not out loud, but trying to talk directly to my mind." Amelia took a deep breath, "I don't know," she sighed hopelessly, "I really can't explain it."

"You know," Matthew added thoughtfully, "if someone from outer space offered to take me somewhere ...I'd go."

"Really? What about your family? Wouldn't you worry about them?" said Amelia ingenuously.

Matthew sat quietly for a moment, "I know this sounds kind of cold,” he said with a slight note of apology in his voice, “but I don't feel like I'm part of a family. It's more like I'm a statistic: Matthew James McKinley the third; first-born son; 4.0 grade average; possession of Matthew James McKinley the second and his lovely wife, Elizabeth.”

Amelia smiled and said softly,"What are your parents like?"

Matthew picked up a rock and started scratching the surface of the boulder where they were sitting. "Have you ever been in a situation where everyone was doing and saying the right thing, but it just doesn't feel right?"

"Of course," said Amelia casually, "just pick a family holiday!" They laughed. It was an insight known by many but shared by few.

"My parents despise each other,” Matthew said matter-of-factly, “ but they've always maintained the we're-so-happy look for outsiders and visiting dignitaries. And they at least try to be nice in front of the children. I'm sure you've heard some version of this story before."

"I'm afraid so," sighed Amelia.

"Yeah, well, in the midst of my parent's badly hidden, personal turmoil I've always felt invisible. Sort of like sitting here not being able to see your hand in front of your face," he chuckled, as he stuck out his own invisible hand. “So I figure what's the difference if I left the planet on a friendly UFO?"

"Sounds good to me!" cheered Amelia.

"Why? What are your parents like?" asked Matthew curiously.

"Well, there's this Bible story where there was a very wise man named King Solomon. And when these two women came to him, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby, King Solomon said the baby should be cut in half; whereupon the real mother told him to just give the baby to the other woman. King Solomon knew the one who loved the baby enough to give it up had to be the real mother. Clever guy. Now, in my situation," said Amelia clearing her throat, "my parents are getting divorced. I'm their only child and, unlike the baby in the story, they both agreed to just cut me in half, so no matter what I do one feels loved and the other feels hurt. I can't live with them both at the same time so if I didn't live here at all that would settle it!"

Matthew laughed. "What do your parents do?"

Amelia cheered, "Are you ready for this? They're both psychologists and Mom specializes in ....Ta Da! Family Counseling! Honestly, Matthew, it's like the blind leading the blind." She sighed, "What about your parents?"

"Ah, yes,” said Matthew in a tired voice. “Well, my father is the great white hunter. He retired at thirty after inheriting a lot of money. And now we have the heads of dead animals from India, Africa and South America hanging in his study. I detest the place. Mother plays the doormat role, but she's one of those doormats that'll rise up and bite you in the rear if you're not careful!"

Amelia laughed. She was starting to get a feel for who Matthew was. At the same time, she realized she couldn't really remember exactly what he looked like. She knew he was about six feet tall with light brown, shoulder-length hair he wore pulled back in a pony tail. He had an athletic build like a mountain climber and he dressed simply in jeans, hiking boots and a flannel shirt.

Though she couldn't remember specific details Amelia knew he had dark brown eyes, ruddy cheeks, and was basically attractive. She couldn't really remember if he was technically good looking because who Matthew was inside was quite appealing and she knew if she actually lived to see his face again she'd find him to be handsome.

Suddenly Amelia shuddered uncontrollably. She'd been so engrossed in the conversation and her own thoughts she hadn't noticed the quick drop in temperature. Her teeth were chattering. Stone cold took on a whole new meaning, and her nose was running a marathon. She searched relentlessly through every pocket for a tissue, but to no avail. Though a good blow was in order, Amelia took into account the fact that she'd packed only one sweater, balanced it with the possibility of survival, and settled for wiping her nose with her sleeve.

"How cold is it going to get tonight?" Amelia asked with chattering teeth.

"It'll probably drop to below freezing." Matthew paused then said slowly, "Do you know what that means?"

"What?" sniffled Amelia.

With a strained voice Matthew replied, "It means we could die from hypothermia."

Amelia blew warm air into her hands. "Do you think they'll look for us?" She was frightened again, but she wasn't about to admit it. At that moment Matthew put his arm around her. Amelia involuntarily gasped and tears silently streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm sure they'll look for us," he said gently, "but they'll be looking at Canyon Rim which is nowhere near here." He drew Amelia closer and said sincerely, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I never should have taken you off the trail."

"It's okay," she said touching his hand lightly. "It was my choice too."

As they sat in silence Amelia thought about her life. Everything was so confusing. If she was just going to die, what was the point of living in the first place? She thought to herself, I know this seems trivial, God, or whoever you are, but I've never been to the prom or homecoming or even on a real date for that matter! If I die now, is that fair?

It was a poor excuse for a prayer but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Amelia hadn't exactly been gliding through adolescence and as yet she hadn't decided who was to blame. Was it God, or genetics, or poor parental advice?

Taller than most boys her age, Amelia had medium-length, dishwater-blonde hair that she tried to lighten in the summer with lemon juice and sunshine. Her eyes were an unusual blue-green color and though she wasn't unattractive her father kept telling her she'd grow into her looks - whatever that meant. Until this year her breasts had been virtually nonexistent. When at last she was blessed with a little development in this department, she discovered to her dismay she was no longer one of the guys. Being a tomboy was familiar territory, being a woman was not.

Amelia had always been competitive with boys, not to mention the fact she was in all the advanced placement classes and a straight 'A' student. Her grandmother had often chided, "You know, dear, boys like to win. If you beat them at games, or if you act too smart, they won't take you out on dates. So let them win and don't say too much."

That concept grated against everything Amelia believed in. She decided right then and there she would never let a boy win, nor would she play dumb. But then again, based on the fact she'd never been on a real date, her grandmother might have been right after all.
It seemed funny all these trivial things should be going through her mind when here she was facing death. Then her mother's words rang in her ears, Make peace with imperfection, darling... Though Amelia still couldn't reconcile herself to that concept, she felt an overwhelming urge to hug her mom.

Amelia snuggled closer to Matthew and said, "Do you believe in God?"

"I don't know, " he replied thoughtfully, "we never went to church ...what about you?"

"I'm not sure," said Amelia shaking her head. "I've heard so many versions of God I don't know what to think.” She took a deep breath, “Do you think we're gonna die?"

Matthew hugged her as she tried to inconspicuously wipe the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

The night grew colder. The stars seemed more and more distant. Amelia's body began to shake uncontrollably. Matthew sat behind her with his chest against her back and put his arms around her. This helped a little, but she knew it was a losing battle. The coldness of the rock penetrated her bones, drawing out the little warmth left in her body.

Mostly Amelia kept her eyes closed, but when she did open them she always saw the bright star changing colors. She felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness, and couldn't figure out if it was the star or the cold that was having this effect on her. The next time she opened her eyes the star was much closer.

She could see lights set up in a circular pattern. A row of yellow, followed by green, then blue, then red and back to yellow again. The lights lit up in such a way that it followed this circular pattern. But when the star was farther away it had seemed like a single blinking light.

Amelia had heard of people seeing strange things in the desert. Was this an illusion brought on by the cold? Matthew couldn't see that far so there was no sense asking him. Light-headed, as if she were about to float out of her body, Amelia thought, This must be what it's like to die. This isn't so bad.

All at once she became aware of Matthew shaking her, "Listen, Amelia,” he said desperately, “our core temperatures are dropping, we have to find a way to make the most of our clothing and everything we have."

Amelia willed herself back to full consciousness. They discussed their options for a few minutes and decided it would be best to lie on their sides on top of their back packs. After arranging the packs, they took their arms out of their sleeves, unbuttoned their shirts and Amelia's sweater enough to allow them to share.

Despite the desperate nature of their situation, neither one could help laughing as they fumbled around in the dark constantly apologizing for bumping into each other. Finally they realized they needed to stand in order to accomplish their goal. They tried to stay warm while wriggling into the shirts and sweater; unbuttoning and re-buttoning. At one point they unexpectedly found themselves facing each other, their bodies pressed together in the confined space. Amelia had never felt the warmth of man's skin against her own body, and though she would like to have stayed in that position indefinitely, an involuntary, nervous giggle emerged and she quickly turned around awkwardly, relieved Matthew couldn't see her going red.

Though their plan seemed simple enough, they hadn't anticipated the difficulty of two functioning as one: Positioning themselves to lie down on their packs while pinned together with their arms at their sides. It seemed like something out of a bizarre survival game show, except that failure wouldn't afford them the luxury of being sent home.

With some scooting and fidgeting, they finally managed to lie down on their sides with Matthew behind Amelia, skin-to-skin, with one arm under her head and the other arm wrapped around her waist.

Amelia felt an unfamiliar warmth surge through her body and combine with an overwhelming desire to kiss Matthew. Under the circumstances she might have thrown caution to the wind, but it was impossible to turn and face him while lying on their sides, especially the way they had cocooned themselves together. Somehow Amelia suspected this was God's response to her earlier complaint about never going on a date ....even if it was more like a date with destiny than a real date.

Once again her mother's voice echoed through her mind, ... just surrender to the fact that life isn't fair. Until this moment Amelia thought she would never surrender to anything or anyone, but suddenly she understood what surrender really meant. It didn't mean she wasn't strong or courageous, it was simply an acceptance of what is. There was nothing she could do. Amelia could feel herself giving up, surrendering to the reality of the moment. But rather than feeling weak, she was surprised by a deep sense of peace flowing through her body and mind.

Without fear and struggle Amelia's attention shifted out of the uncertain future into the present moment. She noticed that she and Matthew were naturally breathing at the same pace, and as she paid even closer attention she could feel his heart beating in time with her own heart. Amelia felt an intimate oneness she had never known.

As she made an effort to stay consciously in the moment she could also feel Matthew's guilt and pain over their situation. Without a word she gently took his hand from her waist, put it over her heart and then put her hands on top of his hands.

As Matthew followed her lead, putting his other hand on top of her hands, Amelia suddenly had a vision of him as a beautiful golden angel with his huge wings wrapped around her. Much to her surprise the vision became increasingly more vivid as she experienced Matthew opening his wings and discovered she was standing in the middle of a beautiful field, filled with wild flowers, under a blue bird sky. Before her stood a radiantly beautiful woman with long blonde hair. Amelia she couldn't take her eyes off this woman, who returned her gaze with nothing but love in her eyes.

Amelia searched her mind trying to remember her, when suddenly she realized why the woman looked so familiar. Smiling warmly, the woman embraced Amelia and spoke directly to her mind, Yes ...I'm you in the future. You're much more than you think you are, and you're loved more than you will ever know. In reality you are quite safe. Nothing is as it seems to be.

The woman then stepped back and handed Amelia a small, golden book. Amelia opened the book and saw a beautiful poem set to music. She thought, This is so lovely, I wish I knew the music. Instantly she heard music, but it wasn't the customary 8-note scale she knew. This music resonated through her body and soul, and was literally attuned to sounds emanating from the sun, moon and planets.

Amelia recognized these planetary voices from recordings she heard in her high school science class. Her teacher also had tuning forks tuned to the sounds of each planet. Amelia had been fascinated not only by the unique sounds, but also by touching the different tuning forks to her body and feeling the vibration of the different planets. She especially liked feeling the vibrations of two planets at once. In particular, Mars and Venus together created a harmonic fifth that resonated in her heart, regardless of where the tuning forks were placed on her body.

Now that she was hearing and feeling the planetary sounds in the form of music, she wondered why no one had created music like this before. In comparison to regular music it was the difference between a small child plunking away on an old piano and hearing a world-class symphony at Carnegie Hall. Yet this celestial music went beyond mere physical vibration. It was a dimension unto itself.

Amelia soon discovered the music was only the prelude as she heard voices singing the words of the poem in the little book she was holding. She looked up and saw a choir of light-beings surrounding her. They weren't angels. They were clearly men, women and children, yet they appeared as radiant, white light, shimmering with rainbow colors. Their numbers were countless; their voices sublime.

Something was so familiar about the experience it didn't even occur to Amelia there was anything unusual about the moment, and she thought to herself, I do know this song, and started singing with the choir. Immediately a column of gold light shot down from the sky filling her entire being with golden light and a feeling of love she'd never known before. As if magnetized by the light, Amelia felt herself floating up into the sky. Though she knew she was still lying on the ground with Matthew, she vividly saw herself floating up into a wide tunnel at the center of a starship.

Instantly she opened her eyes. She was still lying on the cold rocks with Matthew's arms around her, but oddly enough she could still feel the gold light radiating from her heart and every cell of her body, as if she contained the sun.

Matthew whispered, "What happened? Your body's suddenly so warm!"

Somewhat disoriented and still trying to make sense of it all, Amelia said in a misty voice, "I had this dream... but it was really vivid... more like a vision. I saw this golden light and when it touched me everything felt warm inside. I felt this love and peace as well. And then I suddenly woke up. But the same warmth and feeling is still here inside."

Suddenly, before them stood a golden-haired child, a little girl no more than ten or eleven years old. She had rosy cheeks and a wreath of wild flowers in her hair. She wore a simple white dress and had no shoes on her feet. She carried no light, and she certainly didn't glow from within, yet Amelia and Matthew could see her clearly. However, they still couldn't see each other.

The child smiled sweetly and said reassuringly, "I'll take you both back to your camp."

At that moment Amelia and Matthew could see everything. What had seemed a simple hike in the daytime could have proved fatal at night. There was only one path leading down, on either side of the path were sheer cliffs. Of course before they could go anywhere they had to disentangle themselves from the shirts and sweater. Matthew simply ducked out from under the clothes as Amelia found his shirt and quickly produced it from underneath her sweater.

Amelia was bursting with questions but nothing came out of her mouth. Her body had the strangest feeling, as if she was barely touching the ground. They walked quietly back to camp and before they could thank the child she turned and said succinctly, "Nobody knows you were missing, so just go to bed."

"What do you mean, they don't know we're missing? They'd have to know we didn't make it back!" Amelia blurted out as she planted her feet in the dirt.

The child continued as if she didn't hear Amelia, and said calmly, "In the morning everything will be the same and everything will be different." With that she disappeared.

Amelia couldn't find her voice. She just stood there staring at the place where the child had been. In the dim glow of the remaining campfire she could see Matthew's face. He didn't seem the least bit puzzled or perturbed, he looked calm and peaceful. He turned and looked deeply into Amelia's eyes. She felt her cheeks going slightly pink at the thought of Matthew kissing her, but instead he smiled broadly, gave her a big bear hug, and said good-night before heading to his tent.

As Amelia walked back to her tent her mind was racing. Slightly incensed she thought, How could he just say goodnight as if nothing extraordinary had happened?

Without even undressing she crawled into her down sleeping bag as a litany of questions marched through her mind: How could that child have known nobody was looking for us? How on earth did she find us? And what happened to her? Was she an extraterrestrial? If so, at least she could have admitted it! The diatribe continued, but as she sank into the warmth and comfort of her sleeping bag. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she fell into a deep sleep.

Amelia woke to sunlight streaming into the tent. She yawned, stretched, and remembered a strange dream from the night before. But oddly enough it didn't feel like a dream. In fact, everything was so vivid being awake felt more like a dream in comparison. What was it that child said? 'Everything will be the same and everything will be different.' Amelia saw her backpack just as she'd left it the day before with a blue, tin cup still hanging from a strap on the side. She noticed the other girls sleeping peacefully and thought, Well, everything certainly is the same...I don't see what's so different.

At that moment their instructor, Mrs. Caldwell, came to the tent cheering, "Rise and shine everybody!" Mrs. Caldwell was a solid-looking, middle-aged woman with spikey gray hair and ruddy cheeks. She was always clad for serious hiking, even if she was just on a quick trip to the grocery store, and she was a no-nonsense kind of gal when it came to leaving punctually for a hike. The girls slowly started to wake up as Mrs. Caldwell rattled on about breakfast duty, who was to cook, who was to wash up. She looked right at Amelia and announced, "Where's Amelia? Have you girls seen her?"

Amelia laughed affably, "Very funny. I'm sitting right here." All eyes turned toward Amelia's cot. Immediately the girls began talking at once.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon!"

"Didn't she go hiking with Matthew?"

"Has anybody seen him?"

All at once Amelia realized nobody could see her.

Chapter II

Everything will be the same and everything will be different

Gasping for breath, her heart pounding wildly, Amelia yelled, but there was no response. Desperately she tried to grasp a friend's shoulder, yet her hand passed through the girl's body as if it were nothing more than a holographic image. She couldn't make herself seen, heard or felt. Her stomach was in knots as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

Amelia rushed out of the tent trying to find anyone who might acknowledge her presence. She saw Matthew coming toward her. Please, God, let him see me!

Matthew waved his arms and cried desperately, "Amelia!"

"You can see me?" she yelled, "No one else can!"

He rushed up to her and said urgently, "No one can see me either!"

Tentatively Amelia reached out to touch Matthew, “Thank God,” she sighed, deeply relieved that her hand didn't pass through his body as it did with her friend.

“I'm right here,” said Matthew reassuringly as he wrapped his arms around her.

Amelia closed her eyes and held him tightly, fearing he too might dissipate in the morning light. The pounding in his chest confirmed Matthew's fear as well, yet the sound of his heart and the warmth of his body comforted to Amelia.

At this point, everyone was running through the camp frantically asking if anyone had seen Amelia and Matthew. Mrs. Caldwell started beating on a pot with a large, metal spoon and hollered, "Everyone! Gather over here." Matthew and Amelia tried desperately to be noticed but there was no response. Finally, they withdrew to a nearby hillside and watched helplessly as their teacher and bus driver began to form search parties and made plans to contact forest rangers.

Matthew finally broke the silence, "Do you think this has anything to do with that little girl we saw last night?" he asked.

"I'm not sure,” Amelia muttered, scanning the campsite searching for clues. "How come you never said anything about her last night? You acted like everything was so, normal."

"It's hard to explain," he said turning to her in earnest. "I felt like I was walking in a dream. One minute I was freezing to death in pitch darkness and the next I'm warm and I can see. I didn't even feel like I was walking... it was more like floating, and I couldn't feel my body except for this tingly, warm feeling. When we reached the camp it felt like everything was as it should be... like when you dream you're swimming under water and breathing and that seems perfectly normal and reasonable until you wake up and think, that's not possible. Do you know what I'm talking about?”

Nodding slowly Amelia stared at Matthew silently for a moment. An unsettling realization began to play itself out in her mind and flickered across her face. "What if we're dead?” she whispered. “I've read about people who died and came back to life. They talk about being outside of their bodies, but not being able to communicate with anyone and yet they still have bodies, just like we do."

"Well," said Matthew, thinking out loud, "if we're dead... and we've left our bodies, then our bodies must be somewhere."

Slowly she said, "Maybe we really did die of hypothermia. Maybe that little girl was some sort of an angel. In which case, our bodies.....”

“Would still be on the rocks where she found us,” said Matthew finishing her sentence. “Come on let's go!” he added quickly, grabbing her hand.

Though it was a steep climb they ran quickly, with no effort at all. Immediately they found the place where they'd been the night before. There was a water bottle Amelia had accidentally left behind, but no bodies. They walked around, climbed back down the rock face and onto a dirt trail. Following Matthew, Amelia suddenly stopped.

"Matthew! Look!” she exclaimed breathlessly, “We're not leaving any footprints!"

Matthew looked at the trail and then at Amelia. Stunned, he exclaimed, "My, God! We must be dead. But what happened to our bodies?"

"You're not dead," said a voice behind them.

They turned and saw the little girl, dressed the same as the night before. "Well, what happened to us?" Amelia demanded, a combination of panic and anger conspiring to get the best of her.

"You're in another dimension," the girl said slowly.

"What do you mean, another dimension?" Matthew asked warily, studying her intently.

"It's difficult to understand,” the girl said sympathetically. “Maybe we should sit down."

"Wait!" blurted Amelia nonplussed, planting her feet and crossing her arms. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The little girl sat in the sun on a large, flat rock. "There's so much to explain. Please, sit down," she sighed as she motioned toward an unusually lush portion of soft, new, fragrant grass, dotted with tiny wildflowers.

Amelia shifted back and forth uncomfortably for a few moments and then flopped to the ground frustrated and utterly confused. Matthew sat next to her and seemed to be taking things more in stride, which was a bit annoying in itself. The girl sat facing them. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Though she couldn't explain why, Amelia felt a sense of peace and well-being wash gently over her.

The girl opened her eyes. In her previous panic Amelia hadn't noticed the child's radiance. Her eyes were almost translucent and so intensely blue Amelia found it difficult not to stare. The child looked directly into her eyes and held her gaze. Amelia had never felt so vulnerable, as if this child could see into her very soul, and knew all of her deepest, darkest secrets. Yet there was no feeling of judgment. She felt as if she were staring into the eyes of mother and child at the same time; eyes both wise and innocent, sea and sky, jewels transposed with flowers. Amelia felt as if she were floating in the center of the universe surrounded by stars. There were no constellations she could recognize and yet it all seemed so familiar. Her heart filled with joy and she began dancing among the stars; yet dancing is too earth-bound a concept for what she was able to do and feel. Imagine the body singing, or think of swimming in an ocean of pure light, glittering with an infinite spectrum of color beyond anything you've ever seen. Colors as feelings, alive and distinct, yet blending together: A rainbow into white light, the spirit of Christmas, the dance of a first kiss.

Gradually, Amelia realized she hadn't moved. Her eyes had never closed and she'd remained fully conscious. It was like being in two places at once. She blinked, looked at Matthew, then back at the child. As if waking from a dream she asked, "Where was I?”

"Home," said the little girl ingenuously.

"I've never felt like that at home," protested Amelia feeling confused, but less combative.

"This isn't your home,” said the girl matter-of-factly. “Your Einstein said, Imagination is more important than knowledge. You both need to use your imaginations for what I'm going to tell you. Forget what you think you know. Just imagine. Instead of judging what you see or hear as right or wrong simply say to yourselves, This is a possibility. Are you both willing to stay open to possibilities?" Amelia and Matthew both nodded.

"My name is Äsha,” she said leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, looking at them intently. “I come from a star system called the Pleiades. It has seven stars known as the Seven Sisters, but the Pleiades is actually comprised of several hundred stars."

"How long did it take you to get here?" Amelia asked curiously.

"No time at all,” Äsha replied lightly. “We can simply think of a destination and arrive."

"How's that possible?" asked Matthew incredulously.

"It's possible because I live in another dimensional reality,” said Äsha directly. “To understand this you must begin to see the enormity of creation and that life on Earth is really quite primitive. The earth in comparison to the Milky Way is smaller than a speck of dust, and the Milky Way in comparison to the universe would be about the size of an atom, not even visible to the human eye.

"If you think about it,” Äsha continued categorically, “Life on Planet Earth has only really evolved in the last hundred years. Think of civilizations that have been evolving for trillions of years, beings that exist multi-dimensionally. Now think of the possibilities! Imagine life as pure consciousness, that you don't wake up from dreams into reality, but you merely shift from one consciousness into another."

Thoroughly confused, Amelia cried, "Wait! Stop! Go back! What are you talking about? We live in a dream? Multi-dimensional? Who? What? When?"

"How do you shift consciousness?" asked Matthew eagerly, completely fascinated by the obvious fact that Äsha had experience of other dimensional realities.

Before Äsha could answer, Amelia added skeptically, "You don't seem anything like a child to me."

Äsha smiled warmly at them and soothed, "I know this is all very confusing.” Carefully choosing her words she continued she said quietly, “I'm not a child in the sense you're thinking. It just seemed to me this form would be the most acceptable and least frightening.”

Amelia replied cautiously, “Then what are you...really?”

Matthew and Amelia leaned forward anxiously as Äsha looked deeply into their eyes. She took a deep breath as if to answer, but then replied conclusively, "No. You must understand other dimensions before I can explain myself."

"Wait!" exclaimed Amelia hastily. "I don't mean to interrupt, but there are a lot of people looking for us right now and we really don't have time to talk about this. We need to let someone know we're alright." Äsha was quiet.

Amelia looked at her skeptically and said, "That is, of course, unless we really are dead."

Chapter III

Missing from the Third Dimension

"You're not dead in the classic sense of the word,” said Äsha deliberately. “You are, however, missing from the third dimension. Time as you know it is relative and in this dimension we can play with time. And though you won't understand this now, you will be able to return and your friends' experience will seem to them to be only a hazy dream."

Completely overwhelmed and confused Amelia felt herself just giving up. She could no longer force herself to make any sense of all that was happening. Observing Amelia's stunned reaction Äsha suggested, “Let's walk a bit. It will help if you keep breathing... I know this is a lot for both of you to take in.”

Grateful to be walking after an entire night on cold rocks, they both complied readily with Äsha's request, following her as she led them down a trail and along a stream bed. There was only a trickle of water, but even so lush greenery, unseen in other parts of the desert, had sprung to life on either side of the stream bed providing cool moisture and shade. Contrasting sharply with the harness of the desert this miniature world was an oasis to countless birds singing in the canopy of the tall trees. Dragonflies and a variety of multicolored butterflies flitted among the leafy branches and newly opened flowers. Tiny lizards lazed in freckled sunshine or skittered along rocks and twigs. As they walked along Amelia picked a bright red Indian paintbrush and smiled as she stuck the flower through a buttonhole in her shirt.

Breaking the silence Matthew said matter-of-factly, "Why are we being held captive?"

"You're not captives. Both of you actually agreed to this before you ever came here," said Äsha smiling reassuringly while holding out her hand as a landing zone for a huge dragonfly.

Shaking her head, Amelia said, "What do you mean? No one ever said anything about this before our trip."

"No,” soothed Äsha, as the dragonfly, perching delicately on her hand, stretched its gossamer wings. “I mean before you came here to the earth-plane."

"You're saying," Matthew began in utter disbelief, "that in my mother's womb I somehow agreed to be kidnapped into another dimension while on a high school field trip?"
"It is so difficult that you remember nothing,” Äsha responded lightly, taking a deep breath. “Though most people are quite unaware of this, you choose everything before you come to the earth. You choose your family, your name, your date of birth. You even have a game-plan for what you want to accomplish, or to be more specific, how you want to play the game of life. Both of you chose to be on what you might call the accelerated program. And that's what this is all about.

"In true reality, not the reality that you know, life is pure consciousness. You know everything; you have total access to universal intelligence. In fact, you're an integral part of it. Every experience and feeling is recorded. In a way, you come to the earth-plane or the third dimension for the purpose of learning. You're teachers and students at the same time."

"Why would we come here to learn, if we already know everything?" Amelia asked somewhat apprehensively, yet all the while fascinated by the fact butterflies were now landing on all of them, including a neon-blue beauty on her shoulder.

"Imagine you knew everything about sky diving, but you'd never actually jumped out of a plane and had the experience," replied Äsha, grinning as a gorgeous monarch butterfly landed on her shoulder. "Or knowing everything about soccer, but you've never played the game. Think of the difference between reading a romance novel, and the actual feeling of being in love.” Amelia felt herself going slightly pink as she reflected on her growing feelings for Matthew.

“So you see,” said Äsha, as yet another butterfly landed on her arm, “it has more to do with the experience, and the feeling of learning from your experience. However, nothing ever happens against your will, it must still be your choice to have the experience in the first place.”

“So what if we choose something else?” said Matthew, stepping gingerly over a particularly fat lizard lounging languidly in a spot of sunshine right in the middle of the path.

“If you don't choose the accelerated program,” Äsha continued, as a tiny, white butterfly added itself to her living collection, “I can take you both back to your camp and you'll return to the third dimension.” She giggled as a ladybug claimed a spot next to dragonfly, “But I must tell you,” her voice dropped into a more serious tone as she looked directly at them, “your decision will affect this entire planet."

"We're in high school!" exclaimed Matthew. "How much of a difference can we make?"

Äsha whispered, "Watch."

Before them appeared a globe-shaped holographic image hovering in the air about two feet off the ground and extending another ten feet above them. As they stood silently watching, the hologram drifted over them and encased them. From within this holographic bubble they found themselves high above a chain of tropical islands in the South Pacific, and they floated down to one particular island.

"Where are we?" asked Amelia, transfixed.

"The island of Koshima, near Japan, 1952," replied Äsha, succinctly. "You'll see monkeys being studied by a group of scientists."

As the holographic image brought them closer, they saw they were on a beach surrounded by lush, dense jungle. Before them was a pile of sweet potatoes and a colony of monkeys eyeing the potatoes suspiciously. Finally one monkey picked up a potato and after toying with it, took a bite. The other monkeys also tried the potatoes, and though they seemed to find the flavor pleasant, they quite obviously found the dirt distasteful.

Amelia and Matthew laughed as they watched the different ways in which the monkeys tried to remove the dirt, brushing the potatoes with their hands or wiping them on themselves or each other. It never seemed to be quite good enough. Then they watched as a young female, about eighteen months old, took her potato to a nearby stream and washed it. As they watched, time began moving more quickly. They saw the monkey show her playmates and her mother this technique and her playmates in turn showed their mothers. They also noticed the other adults refused to learn the method.

They watched time move rapidly through a six-year period. They saw a bird's-eye view of other colonies of the same monkey species on other islands in the chain and on the mainland, but none of those monkeys were washing their potatoes. Yet on the island of Koshima all the young monkeys grew up learning this washing technique. However, even after six years, the older monkeys still refused to adopt the procedure. Then time slowed down to an autumn day in 1958. A particular young monkey in the colony was being taught to wash its potato. In that moment something happened. All the older monkeys who had never washed their potatoes before began washing them.

Then the holographic image shifted and showed them all of the colonies on all the islands and on the mainland. Almost all of the monkeys were adopting the new technique, and this was taking place on the very same day this one last monkey was being taught to wash its potato. Then the image vanished.

Amelia asked in awe, "Did that really happen?"

"I read about it somewhere,” said Matthew as leaned up against a nearby tree. “It's a phenomena called critical mass. Oddly enough it doesn't have anything to do with the habits or beliefs of the majority. It has something to do with conscious thought causing what's called a self-sustaining chain reaction.

"What about the monkeys on the other islands?" asked Amelia feeling a bit confused. "They never saw the young monkeys washing their potatoes. Why would they all suddenly start doing something they'd never seen before?"

"That's just it," said Matthew enthusiastically, "scientists are starting to believe that we're all linked in some way. I guess you could say our minds are sort of like drops of water in a sea of consciousness. So, when people are making conscious choices and there are enough of them, there's a point where everyone who's, you know, on auto pilot, will find themselves doing things differently; the way a drop of dye would change the color of a glass of water."

"You may think your choices couldn't possibly make a difference," said Äsha, "but notice how everything appeared to stay the same until just one more monkey learned. That one monkey caused the consciousness of all the monkeys to shift, and the shift had nothing to do with experience or exposure. Don't underestimate what you can do. You never know if you might be the one who makes all the difference."

They all stood quietly for a few moments. Matthew and Amelia couldn't help grinning as they saw more butterflies delicately land on Äsha, as if she was the most desirable flower imaginable. Äsha smiled back and said, "So would you like to continue learning or would you prefer to go back to your camp?"

Amelia sat on a big log, took a deep breath and said emphatically, "I'll stay."

At that very moment a humming bird zoomed up to the red flower on the front of Amelia's shirt and hovered, just long enough to realize there was something very different about the flower. It then shot up a few inches, only to see itself reflected back in duplicate in Amelia's sunglasses, before zipping up into the treetops!

Everyone burst out laughing and Matthew cheered, “Count me in!” He raised his eyebrows and said meaningfully to Amelia, "It's the 'E' ticket!"

Noticing Äsha's puzzled look, Amelia smiled and laughed, "The 'E' ticket is for the best rides at Disneyland."

Suddenly Amelia saw in front of her an energy vortex. She closed her eyes and could still see it. Intense neon shades of emerald green and amethyst swirled together with distinct patterns. It was like looking down into the eye of a hurricane with the shapes and colors of a kaleidoscope. She felt herself being drawn down the center of the vortex as if she were being pulled out of her body. As the vision continued she found herself surrounded by the most intense white light she had ever experienced. Immediately she put her hands over her eyes but gradually took them away as she realized the light wasn't painful. She looked for the source of the light, but it wasn't until she looked down that she realized the light was emanating from her own body. Her body was pure, radiant light.

She was standing in some type of an immense library, and there were others who were light also. Each had varying hues and intensity, and even different combinations of colors. Without knowing why, Amelia realized she knew everything about each person she saw; but it was more than that. There was the feeling she knew everything. She comprehended past, present and future all at once, and saw that everything was actually happening simultaneously.

In the library there were no books or computers, only disks of light. She reached out to touch one of the disks and the light from her body merged with the light on the disk. Instantly she knew the contents of the disk. Amelia could feel the light from her body radiating out with such intensity it merged with all the light-disks in the library. She suddenly comprehended everything in the universe and saw there was perfect sense and order to everything.

A man came toward her. He was the most intensely luminous of all the people she'd seen. As his light touched her own she felt the most incredible sense of love. This love was powerful yet gentle, even harmless, and she felt she'd known him forever. Without words he communicated to Amelia she was deeply loved and cared for and that when she returned to her physical body she wouldn't be able to remember all she currently knew and felt.

Amelia's body jerked. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew staring at her. Amelia's breathing was at first uneven but eventually she became more calm and her breathing stabilized. Amelia looked at him for a moment and then turned to Äsha.

"You're light, aren't you?” Amelia cheered enthusiastically. “You're pure light! That's what you really are!"

Äsha smiled and nodded.

Excited, Amelia turned to Matthew, "For just a few minutes, I knew everything! Everything! It was just like Äsha said!"

Matthew leaned toward her eagerly, "Tell me!"

"I can't tell you what I knew,” replied Amelia slowly, “but I know I knew everything. And everything made perfect sense. But it was more than that, it was how I felt. It's like, I was me and I had a body, but it wasn't solid. I was pure light, but I was still myself."

Amelia stopped for a moment, feeling somewhat exasperated by her inability to describe her experience, finding words were totally inadequate.

"Can you remember anything else?" asked Matthew hopefully.

"I can tell you one thing," Amelia replied, barely able to contain her enthusiasm for this newfound information. "Time isn't the way we think it is. It's not linear; time doesn't go from point A to point B. It's more like the past and future are actually different dimensions of the present, as if time is vertical, instead of horizontal. It's like being at the hub of a bicycle wheel and looking up at the spokes connecting to the rim... which would represent past, present and future. But from the perspective of the hub you can look in all directions and see all the 'events' are happening at once."

"Come back," Matthew said, sitting down next to her on the fallen log. "Since I wasn't there you'll have to be patient with me."

"Sorry," said Amelia, scooting over a bit to give him more room. "It's not like school where you're given facts and statistics. Instead, information comes like a feeling. You feel information instead of thinking information. I'm not actually sure I can describe this."

"Don't give up," Matthew encouraged, patting her knee. "I'm almost with you. It's just a brand new concept."

"Well," Amelia continued earnestly, turning slightly to look at him more directly, "think of a three-layered chess board. Imagine the past as the bottom level, the present as the middle, and on top is the future. All the levels are transparent. So if you're looking down from the top you'd see everything all at once. Whatever shifts on the second level (or in the present) affects both the future and the past. In fact, changes in our future can affect the present."

"Wait! How could the present effect the past?" asked Matthew skeptically. "The past is past. It can't change. And the future hasn't happened so it can't affect the present."

"I can't explain why it works that way," said Amelia patiently, "but it does. The past isn't dead and gone like we think it is; it isn't . . . solid." Amelia stopped. "This is impossible to explain. Äsha, will you try?" she pleaded hopefully.

Äsha looked at her affectionately. "Attempting to explain this will help solidify the ideas in your own mind. As you teach, you learn...just do your best."

Amelia searched for an image to describe what she'd felt. Then she had the strangest feeling she was getting help. It felt as if images were being projected into her mind. She took a deep breath and began.

"Okay, Matthew, this is the closest I can get. Imagine the present as if it were liquid, like a river that's flowing, and the past as if it were frozen. The future's like moisture in the air; it's present but you're not aware of it. Wait! Better yet, imagine a man who's been frozen through cryogenics. He could stay in that state for hundreds or thousands of years, but if someone finds him and has the technology to bring him back to life then what's happening in the present is affecting the past and the future all at the same time." Amelia stopped to see if Matthew understood.

He smiled and said reassuringly, "I'm with you so far."

"Now here's the hard part," she said, turning to straddle the log, facing Matthew directly. "Try not to be too analytical or you won't get it. What makes history change -- from being solid ice to liquid -- is a conscious decision in the present. The cryogenic man, or the past, could've stayed frozen indefinitely, but the scientist, who represents the present, would've had to make a choice about bringing the man back to life. In the same way we can consciously choose to bring the past back to life, so to speak, and change history simply by what we're thinking in the present about the past."

Matthew sat quietly for a few moments and scratched his head. "So how can the nonexistent future affect the present?"

"Well," said Amelia, "to the cryogenic man, our present was his future. He wouldn't be waking up to his concept of present, he'd be waking up in his future, which would indelibly shape his sense of the present."

"Now, I'll tell you both a secret about how to change what you call the future," added Äsha perching on a nearby rock with more butterflies accessorizing the flowered wreath in her hair. "There is no future. There's only now. Think about it. Can you grasp the future or the past? There’s really only this moment. What you feel in this moment is what will create your so-called future experiences. Your feelings, not so much your analytical thought, literally magnetize to you your experiences."

"I think I'll have to stay with this one for a while," said Matthew looking at them both.

"Remember," said Äsha kindly, "you cannot perceive other dimensional reality from your analytical mind. Just allow the information to flow through the imagination. Don't try so hard."

"I think it would be much easier," Matthew said, feeling a bit disconcerted, "if I could just go to some spinning energy vortex of my own. How come these things happen to Amelia and not me?"

"For one thing,” Äsha soothed, “try not to compare your experience with Amelia's. Everyone has unique life lessons tailored for whatever they're here to learn and experience, and it's the same in this case too. Whatever you're ready for will come to you in a form you can perceive without feeling threatened."

"What you do mean, without feeling threatened?" asked Matthew.

"Suppose," Äsha began, "that you were someone who loved snakes."

"Oh, I hate snakes!" exclaimed Matthew vehemently.

"But if you did love snakes and were extremely knowledgeable,” continued Äsha, “not the least bit afraid, it wouldn't bother you if a friend handed you a snake or dropped one in your lap. You might even let the snake wrap itself around your neck or let its tongue brush your cheek."

“Ugh!" Matthew winced.
.
"Now, Matthew,” said Äsha calmly, “think of how you feel about snakes. Would you want someone to drape a snake over your shoulders?"

Recoiling at the mere thought, Matthew replied in defense, "I'd probably pass out!"

"In the same way," Äsha continued, "there are certain experiences that could be so frightening to you it would be impossible to learn because you'd have so much difficulty overcoming your fear. Amelia has the feeling of leaving her body. She's able to go with it, but some people find the experience genuinely frightening, thinking they may never be able to get back into their bodies. Or they may be holding some fear that closes them off from the experience. So just keep in mind whatever comes to you is perfect and when you're ready for more I promise you it will be there."

Äsha stood up and beamed brightly. "I think we need a change of scenery."

Instantly they traveled through space and time, yet there was no sensation of movement. It was as simple as a scene change at the movies. They were all standing on a mountainside overlooking the Pacific, surrounded by wild flowers. The glittering ocean below peeked through the trunks of ancient sequoias. Azure blue canvassed fluffy, white clouds drifting lazily across the sky, teasing the imagination with ever-changing pictures.

Chapter IV

Beyond the 'E' Ticket

"Whoa!" exclaimed Matthew, "I take it back! This is way beyond the 'E' ticket!"

"How did you do that?!" cheered Amelia.

"We're in another dimension,” said Äsha frankly. "The laws and limitations you know in the third dimension don't exist here. In this dimension, whatever you think becomes reality instantly."

"But I didn't think of coming here," said Amelia breathlessly.

"That's true ...but you did agree to come along for the ride, and this,” said Äsha, smiling with her arms outstretched indicating their surroundings, “is where the 'E' ticket brought you!"

"This is totally beyond me," Amelia laughed, her eyes sparkling as she noticed the neon-blue butterfly still on her shoulder, also apparently along for the ride.

"Let me begin by explaining the dimensions," said Äsha enthusiastically, as they walked slowly down the grassy knoll. "As you know, the first dimension could be represented by a dot on a piece of paper, the second dimension would be a line, and of course you know that most of what comprises your world is in the third dimension.

"Now there are many dimensions beyond the third, but they're difficult to describe. For instance, if you were a two dimensional line on a piece of paper and you became a person for a day and then had to go back to being a line, you'd have a really difficult time describing to the other lines what it was like being a human and living in the third dimension. You see, there's no frame of reference. The same difficulty exists for you in your ability to comprehend dimensions beyond the third; this includes the concept of past, present and future as one.

"Amelia, your consciousness is very open, which is why you've been leaving your body and having the feeling of being in two places at once. Your mind is able to release and have experiences of other dimensions. In your case, Matthew, having these experiences may not seem to come as easily to you because your thought is very linear and analytical."

"So where are we?" Matthew inquired curiously.

"Right now, you're in the fourth dimension."

"Which means?" Matthew asked.

"It means that you don't have the same limitations you had in the third dimension. There's no time or space or solid matter in this dimension. What you see are thought forms. Things are thoughts."

"Things are thoughts?" blurted Matthew. "I don't get it."

"What has more substance, a chair or the idea of a chair?" Äsha asked, as three chairs magically appeared before them. Äsha sat in a beautiful hand-carved, child-sized chair that seemed to have been made for her, Amelia sat in an overstuffed armchair and Matthew ended up in a funny blow-up chair that looked like a blue race car.”

"A chair, of course," he said laughing. "You can't exactly sit on an idea!"

Äsha laughed, "That's one way of looking at it. However, you could destroy every chair that was ever made. Could you destroy the idea of a chair?"

"No,” replied Matthew thoughtfully.

"So what is more substantial,” continued Äsha, “the idea or the thing?"

Matthew thought for a moment then said, "I guess it would have to be the idea."

"So, anything you see began as an idea,” said Äsha. “That's why things are thoughts.”

"Does this tie in with the question, which came first, the chicken or the egg?" he asked.

"Well, since everything's in consciousness, there's no separation between the chicken and the egg," said Äsha. "The idea is one. Ideas don't have to start as infantile or mature. They can incorporate everything all at once."

"But where do the ideas come from?" asked Matthew plainly.

"Where do you think intelligence comes from?" replied Äsha.

"My brain, I guess," he replied.

"Then what's the intelligence that told your body to develop from a few cells into a full body, complete with the brain that you think gives you your intelligence?"

"I don't know..." Matthew pondered out loud.

"Look at the life-force on this planet,” said Äsha with a sweeping motion of her arm. “Can't you see there's incredible, creative Intelligence all around you?" She paused for a moment, then added, "There exists a Source of all intelligence, all love, and it's infinitely creative. Think of the sun as the source and the rays as the expression. You can't separate the sun from the rays. So everything you see, feel and experience around you is the expression of the Source, including yourselves. You can't separate the thought from the thinker."

"But where does this Source come from?" asked Amelia.

"It just is," Äsha said brightly. "Think of the origins of Love... the essence, the idea of Universal Love. Can you imagine this Love beginning or ending?"

"Then why do people hate each other?" asked Amelia.

"Because they have the freedom of choice. They can choose not to express love, but they cannot choose the existence of Love."

"There's one thing I don't get," puzzled Amelia, curling up in her comfy chair. "You said things are thoughts and I understand the concept of the idea being more substantial than the thing, but I'm solid... the ground is solid," she said as she stretched out one leg and tapped it on the ground.

"Are you sure?" asked Äsha looking directly into Amelia's eyes.

"Of course I'm sure!" exclaimed Amelia as she tapped her foot a bit harder on the ground and squeezed her own arm. "I can feel that!"

"What if this is a dream you're having?” Äsha whispered patiently. “Could you squeeze your arm and feel it, or tap your foot on the ground?"

"Of course," said Amelia, stating the obvious.

Äsha looked steadily into Amelia's eyes, "Then where is the ground in your dream? And what is it that's being pinched?"

Amelia thought for a moment, "Well, I guess it's in my mind."

"Does everything seem real to you when you're dreaming?"

“Most of the time.”

"So how do you know you're not dreaming right now?" Äsha asked deliberately.

Matthew and Amelia looked at each other and then back at Äsha. "Well, for one thing," said Amelia, "this doesn't feel like a dream."

"What does a dream feel like?" asked Äsha, as she shifted her position on the chair, perching on one of the wooden arms.

"I don't know,” shrugged Amelia. “More hazy and distant, I guess."

"Is it hazy and distant when you're having the dream,” asked Äsha, “or does it seem real at the time?"

Amelia shook her head, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I guess so. I mean, yeah, it does seem real."

"When you wake up you look at the dream and think, Oh, that was a dream; this is reality. But what do you compare reality with?” asked Äsha steadily. “How do you know what's real?"

Amelia had never thought of questioning reality.

"You all look to each other and agree the world you live in is real," Äsha continued with a smile, as she stood up and her chair disappeared, "but what if you're all in the same dream together? You think nothing of creating entire worlds while you're dreaming, all kinds of people and events, yet you never question the world you wake up to.

"How often have you had dreams that, upon waking, made absolutely no sense, but you never questioned the reality of it while you were dreaming? Does it make sense that people would destroy their own living environment? Or destroy their own families through physical and emotional abuse? The reason you never question your reality is because you are so deeply immersed in the dream."

"Are you saying, we spend our entire lives going back and forth between dream states, without ever waking up?" asked Matthew standing up, his chair disappearing instantly.

Amelia began to stand up as well, but Äsha put up her hand indicating she should stay in her chair, while encouraging Matthew to walk with her.

"For the most part, yes,” said Äsha. “You could say that you simply shift from a sleeping-dream into a waking-dream, unless of course you consciously choose to wake up,"

"How do you wake up?" asked Amelia, giggling as her chair began floating a few inches off the ground, keeping pace with Äsha and Matthew as they walked.

"By being conscious of true reality," said Äsha.

Puzzled Amelia said, "If we have no means of comparison then how do we know whether reality is true or not?"

"That's what you're here to learn and discover,” replied Äsha. “Be patient. There's no quick answer to that one."

Matthew gazed at Amelia in her floating chair and smiled broadly as she returned his smile and laughed. Returning to his thoughts he said, "I don't know if this exactly relates to what you're talking about, but I read of an interesting scientific discovery related to the dream state and the conscious recognition of reality.

“Scientists discovered if a person is dreaming, for instance they're sitting in a wheelchair paralyzed: The person could briefly wake up and consciously realize they're not paralyzed. Interestingly enough when that person would resume dreaming, they'd be in the same exact situation, still sitting in the wheelchair, but they'd no longer be paralyzed.

“Apparently the conscious knowledge that they weren't paralyzed, even though it was a very brief moment, had an instantaneous effect on the dream. Is that sort of like waking up, because the person realized what was true?” he asked.

"That's it exactly,” said Äsha enthusiastically, “but it's more than just knowledge ...it's a feeling. Think of how it would be if you dreamed you were paralyzed and how relieved you'd feel when you woke up. It wouldn't be just intellectual... you'd feel it physically and emotionally too. It's the feeling that would change the dream state. In the same way, it's not what's happening that determines your experience... it's how you choose to feel about what's happening."

"How can you choose what to feel?" asked Amelia, still floating along in her chair. "Things happen and you feel how you feel."

"Initially that's true," agreed Äsha. "You may react to a situation with anger or fear. But what if you decided to look at it differently?"

"How could you look at it differently?" Matthew inquired. "You can't change what happened."

"If you had a hundred people who all had the same experience, would they see it exactly the same way?" Äsha returned.

"I doubt it,” replied Matthew.

"So you could say that each person's experience is determined by their perception or their interpretation,” said Äsha. “And how you're perceiving something comes from the judgments you've made based on your past experience... what you've decided is good or bad, right or wrong. In other words, you can't change the experience but you can change your interpretation of the experience."

"I think you've lost me," said Amelia, suddenly aware her chair had disappeared and she was sitting on air.

As she stretched out her legs to stand, they were all instantly standing on a lake front beach where Amelia's family had a cabin. Amelia loved this place. Emerald Lake had the color and clarity for which it had been named. The scent of pine permeated the air, overpowering even the pungent odor of seaweed and fish that usually transpired from the soggy beach. Amelia looked around and was shocked to see herself from a year earlier standing barefoot on the dock on a hot summer evening, wearing black shorts and a lime green t-shirt.

They'd gone back through time!

The strangest thing was Amelia could feel exactly how she'd felt that day. Her young cousin, Gerand, had been driving her nuts with his practical jokes; rubber dog poop, snakes, and spiders, live frogs and toads. It was a beastly hot, humid day but her parents had insisted she take her cousin on a nature hike. For lunch he'd made her a sandwich with anchovies, peanut butter, guacamole, potato chips, Tabasco sauce, mustard, mayonnaise and pickles. Unfortunately, she couldn't take his sandwich and force him to eat hers because he was eating the same thing.

As Amelia watched herself standing on the dock she noticed an energy field around her body. The energy extended out about six to eight inches and was sort of a muddy, red color. It was as if she could see her own feelings in the color. She felt hot, tired and annoyed with her little cousin. As her past-self glanced over the edge of the dock for a clearer view of something floating below, she was shoved into the water. Enraged, feeling this was absolutely the last straw, Amelia pushed off the bottom and was already making plans to kill her little cousin. But when she surfaced she was surprised to see her neighbor, Jordan, grinning broadly at her. He was tall and handsome. Something between Prince Charming and the older brother she never had. She'd had a crush on him for years.

"Sorry, 'Melie! It was just too much of a temptation! Here, let me help you up," he said smiling gregariously as he reached over the edge.

"That's okay! I needed to cool off!" Amelia said brightly as she grasped his hand tightly, wedged her foot just below the dock, and pulled with all her might.

Jordan flew head first into the water. He burst to the surface, laughing heartily. They played and tickled and dunked each other until finally they walked back toward the cabins tired and dripping, but happy. Amelia noticed the muddy red color she had seen around herself had been replaced by a soft pink glow. She thought how odd it was to have been standing in her own past, not remembering, but experiencing her past in the present.

Amazed, Amelia turned to Äsha and said, "Why did you show that to me?"

“Did you notice your experience of being pushed in the water didn't change,” said Äsha. “You just perceived the experience differently? Rather than making others responsible for your happiness, remember you always have the ability to respond positively if you choose to. There's another way of looking at any situation. It's a matter of whether you're willing to look for it. You have to decide if you prefer to be right... or happy.”

“Can't I be both?” said Amelia hopefully.

“When you're right about something you're usually angry. Can you be happy and angry at the same time, or do you have to choose?” Äsha reasoned.

Smiling Amelia conceded with a nod of her head."Are there any questions?" asked Äsha.

"I have one," said Matthew. "Why am I seeing colors around Amelia?"

"When the past-me was on the dock, you could see that too?!" Amelia said, surprised.

"Could?" said Matthew grinning. "I still can! I've been sitting here watching the colors shift and change around you. When you're confused the color looks kind of muddy and when you begin to understand, the color becomes lighter and more translucent."

"How come I can't see that around Matthew?" asked Amelia sulkily.

"You each have your own talents,” Äsha replied patiently. “Amelia, you skip around in other dimensions and Matthew has the ability to see auras. The idea is cooperation, not competition."

Chapter V

The Field of Possibilities

Suddenly they found themselves standing next to an American man in his late forties, sporting glasses and wearing conservative yet disheveled clothing. He had a hat in one hand and a soggy handkerchief in the other which he used to mop his sweaty brow. Though they were in a room full of people no one seemed to notice their sudden appearance except the Indian yogi to whom the American man was speaking.

The yogi sat with bare feet and crossed legs. He wore a white robe and turban. Though the surroundings were simple, Amelia had the feeling this man was powerful and important. He looked right at them, and smiled slightly, but didn't say a word. "Where are we?" whispered Amelia, still a bit taken aback by their ability to move instantaneously through time and space.

"India, 1954," replied Äsha, as she pressed her hands together in prayer pose and bowed respectfully to the yogi. Though he acknowledged her with his eyes and a slight nod of his head, his movements were so subtle no one else in the room noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"Don't they see us?" asked Matthew in a hushed tone.

"No, just the yogi,” said Äsha quietly. “He's been trained to see multi-dimensionally. Now, just watch."

There was such a stark contrast between the yogi and the American, and not just in the way they dressed. Amelia noticed she'd become sensitive to the energy field surrounding each person. The feeling around the yogi was like the ocean on a calm, sunny day -- peaceful yet powerful at the same time. The feeling around the American was sort of a combination: People rushing around after work in a major city and the uncomfortable feeling of waiting in a long line when you're in a hurry. Amelia thought it was odd she'd never really noticed this in people before and yet the feelings came so clearly and easily now that she was finally paying attention.

The American said hastily, "Sir, as I said, I'm a psychiatrist from the United States. I'm the head Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University. I understand you're considered the best hypnotist in India and I'd like to try an experiment. I propose to challenge your ability in some form of a contest and I'd be willing to pay for this opportunity."

The yogi sat quietly for a moment. "There's a cave outside the town. This boy," he said, indicating a child about eight years old, "will take you there. Meet me at the cave tomorrow morning at dawn. Your challenge will be simply to walk all of the way into the cave and walk back out."

"Thank you, sir," replied the American, bobbing ineptly as he departed.

Äsha, Matthew and Amelia followed as the boy led the man toward the cave. They walked through the dusty streets of the small town. It seemed to be a place where very little changed, yet Amelia felt drawn to its simplicity. Though she didn't know any foreign languages, she was surprised to realize she understood everything that was being said around her. Though no one could see them, Amelia noticed animals were aware of their presence, which made her wonder what her own animals might have been seeing when they were reacting strangely to something that supposedly wasn't there.

They walked through the town until they reached a dirt road leading up into the hills. Then they continued on for another mile and took a narrow trail up a steep incline. The sun beat down on the dry grass and coarse, rangy shrubs. Amelia could see how hot it was by the perspiration streaming down the psychiatrist's face, but oddly enough she felt perfectly comfortable. Finally they reached the cave. The man tipped the boy and thanked him. The boy then turned and ran down the path.

The man pulled a small flashlight out of his bag muttering to himself, Always handy. He stepped into the cave still completely unaware he was being followed. Shining his light on all the walls, he walked along the sandy-bottomed cave until he reached the far end. The cave wasn't even big enough to be pitch black. He looked around, shook his head and said, Hmm, nothing, as he turned, walked out, and headed back down the trail.

Äsha stood quietly with Matthew and Amelia outside the cave.

"Well, now what do we do?" asked Matthew, a bit impatiently. "Wait 'till morning?"

"We'll just speed up the process,” replied Äsha mysteriously. “Both of you, imagine yourselves here tomorrow at dawn."

Instantly everything around them changed. Gold and red streaks glistened across the sky as the dawn broke. Amelia smiled as she saw jewels of morning dew suspended on a nearly transparent spider's web. She'd never heard such a symphony of sounds. Songbirds trilled to a chorus of crickets, cicadas and other insects. From the midst of all that came the occasional loud and high-pitched protest of a few territorial squirrels not too thrilled by the presence of humans.

Amelia was surprised to see not only how many people had gathered for this event, but that they were all sitting so quietly. It appeared the entire town had gathered for the competition. The yogi was sitting about 20 feet from the mouth of the cave with the townspeople behind him and on both sides. Just as the sun fully appeared, the American reached the top of the trail. Dripping with sweat and completely out of breath, he bobbed his head in the direction of the yogi, turned toward the cave and instantly stopped dead.

At first Amelia and Matthew thought he could see them, but then they realized his focus was behind them. They turned and saw that the mouth of the cave had been totally sealed off with huge boulders and stones, impossible for any man to move alone. They watched as the man walked up and touched the boulders. He tried to move them but couldn't. He stopped, thought for a moment, then said to himself, Oh, of course, it's not real, as he proceeded to ram one of the boulders with his shoulder, ending up bruised and bloody. He jumped around in pain for a few minutes and finally sat on the ground, glaring angrily at the boulders.

Amelia turned to Äsha and asked, "What's he doing wrong?"

"By physically trying to force his way in, he's giving his mental power over to the illusion,” replied Äsha. “You see, he's believing there's an obstacle he needs to get past instead of recognizing it's only a mental picture. It's no different than the movies. The projector projects light onto a screen and creates images. What you see on the screen is actually nothing more than a play of light. Yet your mind translates these flickering lights into images that affect you physically and emotionally. And the depth to which you are affected is dependent solely on how much you believe what you see.

“This is called suspension of disbelief, which means that for the time being the audience chooses to believe that what it sees and hears is real. But if someone in the audience closed their eyes, put on a headset and listened to music, or got up and walked out, their reality would change instantly.

"In this case, the yogi is like the movie projector and the psychiatrist is the blank movie screen. The yogi is using his mind to project images into the mind of the psychiatrist and as long as the psychiatrist remains in the dark, so to speak, he will continue believing what he sees. Now think of what happens when you're watching a movie... suddenly all the lights come on and it's so brightly lit you can hardly see the screen? The reality disappears instantly, doesn't it? So, think in terms of darkness as ignorance and light as knowledge. The psychiatrist simply needs to know that what he's seeing is nothing more than a false projection."

"But he's a psychiatrist," said Matthew. "Doesn't he know all of that already?"

"To know something mentally is not the same as having the experience,” replied Äsha. “One thing the professor didn't expect to be dealing with is his own fear. His arm is bruised and bloody, and he's in a great deal of pain judging from the look on his face."

"Well, how's that possible," asked Amelia, "if it's not real?"

"Don't underestimate the power of belief, Amelia,” replied Äsha simply. “That man's belief that he's been harmed by something real is more powerful than the fact there's nothing there. Right now, he's afraid to try again. Now both of you, remember this: Fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real."

"Wait a minute," said Matthew. "Aren't there some things you should be afraid of?"

"No. Fear is an indication you're giving your power to an illusion. In reality there's nothing to fear."

"But I'd be afraid to drink poison," Amelia blurted.

"Then don't drink it," replied Äsha as if this was quite obvious.

"But you just said we shouldn't be afraid," Amelia returned.

"Actually,” replied Äsha, “I said, There's nothing to fear. It's never necessary to be afraid. However, if you are afraid and cannot overcome the fear then you need to honor your feelings until your belief changes."

Äsha was quiet for a moment, "Matthew, what are you seeing around that man?"

Matthew concentrated for a moment, "There's an energy field that's close to his body. It's a deep maroon color with bits of black; he's much angrier than he appears to be."

"Do you give up?" said the yogi, a bit too loudly.

"No," replied the professor, completely befuddled, "I'm just thinking."

The yogi interpreted this statement for the audience and they all laughed, finding the situation quite amusing. Clearly this was the biggest event the town had seen for quite some time, and the townspeople had come prepared with blankets and baskets of food and drink. The American was quite a spectacle, especially for the children because they weren't hypnotized. Some of them had never seen a white man before, and the children eagerly pointed and asked their parents questions about the strange, sweaty man who was running into nothing, jumping up and down for no apparent reason, and bleeding.

"Let's help him," cheered Äsha gaily.

At that, the yogi looked directly at her. She smiled, waved and said to the yogi in a loud whisper, "He does need some assistance."

Äsha turned her attention back to Amelia and Matthew and said, "It will be much more powerful if we all do this together. Imagine projecting light into the man's consciousness. As you do this, simply keep in mind that what he's seeing is an illusion and remember what the cave really looks like."

After a few moments of doing this, the man suddenly jumped to his feet, walked up to the boulders, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and walked right through the stone wall. As he opened his eyes to look back at the wall, he watched it disappear. "Ha!" he exclaimed, getting his flashlight out of his pocket as he continued walking through the cave. Once again he was unaware he was being followed.

Suddenly they came to a huge chasm, at least 15 feet across. He shined the light into it but could see nothing. Then he threw a rock and they waited several seconds before they faintly heard it hit the bottom.

"I don't remember this being here," Amelia said surprised.

"It's not," replied Äsha.

"Oh, of course," said Amelia smiling broadly. "Should we help him out again?"

"Let's just watch this time,” responded Äsha, “and see if he figures it out himself. Of course the beauty of it is that he thinks he figured it out himself the first time, too!"

Sure enough, the professor took another deep breath, closed his eyes and walked across the chasm. Once again he looked back and watched it disappear. They followed as he walked quickly around a corner coming abruptly to a halt. There in front of him two cobras reared up, ready to strike. He laughed a bit nervously, took another deep breath, closed his eyes and walked right between them.

With his eyes closed he didn't even notice as the cobras tried to strike, nor did he see the cobras hit an invisible wall of energy and slump to the ground. This time the professor didn't bother to turn and see whether the illusion was still there, but continued walking briskly to the end of the cave. They watched as the slightly dazed cobras made their way to the walls and disappeared into the crevices. The psychiatrist then turned and walked jubilantly out of the cave.

"I don't get it!" exclaimed Matthew. "Those were real cobras! How did he do that?"

"His belief that the snakes were an illusion was more powerful than the so-called reality,” Äsha stated deliberately, “and this conviction literally set up an energetic force-field which the snakes couldn't penetrate."

"What if he'd been afraid that they were real, and still tried to walk past?" asked Matthew.

"He would have been bitten. But notice, at first he did think the cobras were real. Then he changed his mind about what he was seeing. It was that shift in his conscious thought that changed his reality making it impossible for the snakes to attack."

They walked out of the cave into warm sunshine. Amelia noticed the psychiatrist talking to the yogi. "Look! His arm isn't bruised or bleeding anymore? That's impossible!" she exclaimed, completely astonished.

"Have you heard the term, As above, so below?" asked Äsha.

"No," Amelia replied.

"It means,” Äsha continued, “that whatever you believe in your conscious mind goes into the subconscious and is then out-pictured as your reality. This was once described as the subconscious being fertile soil and the conscious thoughts and feelings being the seeds. Whatever you're thinking and feeling is planted in the subconscious. And these thoughts and feelings grow into your experience . . . which will be positive or negative, depending on what you're thinking and feeling.

"Your mind is literally a field of possibilities, whatever you hold to be true you will create. And in the same way, you will never create an experience of something you don't believe or feel to be true. For the psychiatrist, he thought and literally felt what he believed when he rammed into the boulders. When he recognized it was an illusion and overcame his fear, the boulders became illusions. Obviously doesn't believe he can be harmed by an illusion, so the evidence disappeared. Now listen to what he's saying."

They walked over to the man and watched as he talked with great animation to the yogi. He said, "You know, the only reason I got through was because I came here yesterday. I saw the cave for myself. I knew there were no boulders or chasms or cobras . . . ."

"You saw cobras?" asked the yogi. "Ah, how interesting."

"Yes. Well, like I was saying,” the American continued, glistening with sweat, “it was the memory of what the cave really looked like that helped me recognize everything else was just a hypnotic illusion."

"Keep that in mind," said Äsha, as a small, red bird landed on her outstretched hand, then proceeded to hop up her arm and onto her shoulder. "When you focus on reality you can recognize the illusion or waking-dream and walk right through it."

"When I was younger," said Amelia, "I had trouble with nightmares. My parents, who are psychologists, taught me how to sort of wake-up in my dream. So when this monster was chasing me I'd tell it to turn into a piece of cheese... and it did instantly. Once I knew I could do that, I wasn't afraid anymore and it didn't take long for the nightmares to stop."

"If you have a clear, conscious desire, without fear... that's an important point,” added Äsha, “It must show up in your experience."

"But wait a minute," said Matthew. "There have been plenty of things I've wanted but I didn't get it."

“Well it's the difference between hoping you'll get something and knowing it will come to you,” said Äsha, as a small monkey made it's way to her from a nearby tree and grabbed her hand the way a child would take a parent's. Äsha swung the monkey up on her hip without the slightest break in the conversation.

"Hope means you have some confidence in the outcome. But to know an outcome means you already see it as fact. Can you see how the feeling of knowing, or certainty, would out-power the feeling of some confidence? Remember, things are thoughts. What you believe is what you see."

"You have succeeded admirably, my friend," said the yogi, "but how would you feel if I told you the cobras were not part of the illusion, they were real?"

Instantly the color drained out of the psychiatrist's face and he looked like he was about to faint.

"Well, that should give him something to think about," Äsha cheered. "Matthew, what did you see around him?"

"When he first came out of the cave his energy field was broad, going out maybe 12 inches from his body, and it was a bright yellow. As he talked I noticed bits of blue and green, too. But when he heard the cobras were real, the energy wavered immediately, pulled close to his body, and turned an ugly yellowish-brown color."

"What was your experience, Amelia?" Äsha asked as she shifted her newfound monkey- friend to the other hip, while the bird flew into the treetops.

"I still can't see any colors,” replied Amelia, practically willing herself to see something, “but in my body I could feel what Matthew described. It was like waves of emotion. I felt the psychiatrist's anger right in my solar plexus, my heart was pounding, and I could physically feel pain in my shoulder when he rammed into the boulders.”

"Good!” congratulated Äsha. “One of your talents, Amelia, is empathy. You're able to physically feel other people's feelings as if they're your own. And as you've seen, you're also able to see mental images that explain what you're feeling.

“Each of you reads and interprets a different language, so to speak, but you still come up with the same message. So the fact that you feel and Matthew sees makes no difference. You each just need to concentrate on being as sensitive as you can be in your own particular area. Other areas of perception will open in time."

Chapter VI

The Dance of Light

All at once they were in an elegant city, standing right below the Eiffel Tower. Amelia thought it must be Paris until she noticed the Statue of Liberty standing in the harbor with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background. Smiling, shook her head and decided not to bother asking any questions.

They had obviously just missed a huge downpour. The pavement was damp. Little streams rushed down gutters as droplets of water continued to fall from trees and flowers. Grey cumulus clouds were tinged with gold as the setting sun created the most spectacular, neon-bright, triple rainbow Amelia had ever seen. Everything seemed renewed. The scent of spring combined with the wonderful fragrance of freshly baked bread and sautéed garlic from a nearby restaurant.

"I'm starving!" exclaimed Amelia.

"Me too!" added Matthew enthusiastically.

"Well, you're both on your own for a while," Äsha said merrily. "There are lots of splendid restaurants and hotels. Go anywhere you like. Don't worry, you won't need money." With that, she disappeared.

Amelia and Matthew stared at each other, speechless. Then they both burst out laughing.

"Come on," said Matthew brightly, "let's not even try to figure it out! How 'bout if we find a place to stay and then we'll get a bite to eat?"

"Where should we go?" Amelia asked.

"Let's check out that hotel over there."

"You mean the one with the incredible flowerbeds? The place we'd never be able to afford?"

"Yep. That's the one!" Matthew said, smiling.

Amelia laughed. "Okay!"
As they walked along a cobblestone path bordering a beautiful park, they heard crickets and peeper frogs along with the sound of a waterfall hidden from view. The sweet fragrance of honeysuckle and jasmine clung heavily in the dense moisture. Deep, rich colors were interlaced with long, shadowy patterns caused by the setting sun. A couple of musicians played a harp and hammered dulcimer. The effect was magical.

Matthew reached out and held Amelia's hand. She looked at him and smiled, hoping she'd covered the fact her heart had skipped a beat or two.

He said, "You know, Amelia, this has been quite a memorable first date."

"And it isn't even over yet!" Amelia laughed as Matthew smiled and squeezed her hand.

Across the street from the park was the hotel. It was an elegant ten-story building and every floor had balconies with flower boxes. The walkway leading up to the hotel was composed of polished amethyst, rose and clear quartz. In the center was a beautiful green marble fountain with sculptures of dolphins leaping and playing in the water. At the top of the fountain was an incredible golden angel standing on a pink marble pedestal with water pouring out from where she stood.

The angel had long, wavy hair and the most beautiful face Amelia had ever seen. She wore a dress with a tight bodice, draped softly across her breasts, from the waist down the dress was full. With bare feet the angel was standing like a ballerina, up on the ball of her right foot with her left foot pointed and extended out behind her. Her arms were outstretched, palms down, and below her hands jewels were suspended in midair: Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, different shades of topaz, pearls and amethyst. All of the jewels were huge, with perfect clarity. Engraved at the base of the fountain were the words:

THE DANCE OF LIGHT
To the night have come the Dancers
Stars from the heavens,
Light on Earth,
Seekers of the searchers,
Gently leading them Home

Amelia and Matthew stood and stared. Dazzled, Matthew whispered, "Can you see the colors around this fountain?"

"No, but I can feel it," Amelia replied completely enchanted. "What are you seeing?"

"Neon rainbow colors flecked with bits of gold," he said. "The colors have shapes and patterns that keep shifting and changing. It's like the colors are alive!"

"I know exactly what you mean!" exclaimed Amelia. "I can feel all of that. Look, the hair on my arms is standing on end."

"How strange," Matthew said in a different tone. "I'm not hungry or tired anymore."

He stepped back a couple paces and smiled. Amelia looked behind her, then back at Matthew. "What?" she asked, playfully and a bit suspiciously.

"Amelia, you should see yourself. There's this pink and gold glow around you,” he said mesmerized by the pulsating light surrounding her. Matthew took Amelia's hands, looked deeply into her eyes and kissed her gently on the lips.

Amelia had read about first kisses, hearts leaping, feeling ecstatic, but when she closed her eyes as Matthew kissed her, she saw colors. Soft pink, amethyst, opalescent white, the colors shifted and danced and seemed to have an energy all their own. She was simply an observer of the most beautiful light-show she'd ever seen.

After kissing her Matthew took a step back. Still holding her hands, he said gently, "Let me take a look at you." He led her over to a bench and they sat facing each other. "I know this may sound strange,” he said, “but remember what happened when you first looked into Äsha's eyes?" Amelia nodded, feeling her cheeks going pink.

Matthew continued, "I get this feeling that if we just look at each other, without looking away, we'll both see something we haven't seen before."

She was quiet for a moment. With the exception of Äsha, Amelia had never looked at another person in this way before. As she looked at Matthew, he seemed so familiar. Looking at him was like running into an old acquaintance where they recognized each other but neither one could remember why.

Their eyes kept shifting back and forth not quite knowing where to focus. Amelia remembered something about the left side of the body being receptive, so she looked with her left eye into Matthew's left eye, and he held this gaze with her. At first her mind was racing. She'd read books, seen movies and been exposed to many lectures by her parents on safe sex and waiting until she was emotionally ready for sex, but nothing had prepared her for the depth of intimacy of simply looking into another person's eyes.

Amelia realized that once again she was barely breathing, so she took a few deep breaths and immediately felt more relaxed. She noticed a little smile in Matthew's eyes. After a minute or two, she realized he was breathing with her and as this happened she began to notice a strange pressure, a feeling of vibration, in her forehead. It wasn't painful like a headache, but it was a very definite sensation she'd never felt before.

As Amelia continued to look into Matthew's eyes she suddenly saw a vision of herself moving down inside her own body. It was that feeling of being two places at once again. In the center of her body was a huge, beautiful, ancient tree with deep green leaves. She moved inside the tree, down into the roots and deep into the earth. It was dark and muddy, and filled with swamp creatures and insects. She waded through the muck, climbed up onto solid land and there in front of her was Matthew. He hugged her and then walked with her over to a place with an invisible barrier.

At the barrier she was told she had to give something to the gatekeeper in order to pass. Amelia had nothing, so she reached into her chest, pulled out her own heart, and handed it to the gatekeeper. Somehow she knew she was meant to go alone. As she walked she noticed there was a hole where her heart had been. She then saw a dry, hand-carved stone fountain. She climbed into the fountain and the fountain suddenly came to life, but instead of water, the fountain was moving, rainbow-colored light. She looked down and noticed the light had filled the empty hole where her heart had been.

Amelia felt totally alive and filled with love. She stepped down from the fountain and saw Matthew on a huge, white horse with a long mane and tail. He was dressed as an armored knight. Then she noticed she was wearing a floor-length, sky-blue velvet dress, tight through the bodice with a square neckline, embroidered with pearls. Instantly she found herself sitting sideways in front of Matthew as he rode the horse. He had the reins in one hand, his other arm supported Amelia. They rode quietly through the forest for a while and then she found herself slipping off the horse. She thought she was going to fall but instead she felt herself supported by something invisible, and found herself gently placed on the ground.

Matthew climbed down from his horse. As he stood above her the armor flew off his body and disappeared instantly. He knelt directly in front of Amelia, took her hands, drew her up to him and embraced her. She could see and feel a golden energy vortex swirling around them, then the golden light shot up into the sky. Immediately she felt the same feeling she'd had in the desert of being drawn by the gold light up to the base of a starship. Amelia's body jerked.

Matthew smiled and said softly, "Where were you?"

"I was inside of myself . . . with you," sighed Amelia, feeling somewhat baffled.

"How odd," he said. "You and I were literally dancing in my heart... I mean my physical heart. And you were wearing this beautiful, blue velvet dress."

"Really?"

"I reached into my pocket and I handed you this huge, perfect pearl. And suddenly we were standing inside a starship. We were surrounded by hundreds of people, and Amelia, we knew them all. You and I were walking side by side. It was some kind of a procession and the people stepped back, sort of creating an aisle for us as we walked. You were wearing a white dress instead of the blue one. It was kind of shimmery, and then I realized there was light woven into the dress...and you had flowers in your hair. We kept walking until we came to some people wearing white robes. Then you and I looked at each other the way we were looking at each other just now. And not out loud but in our minds, we promised to remember each other." He paused for a moment, then said, "Does that make sense?"

Amelia nodded and told him about her experience. "Do you think we were maybe seeing ourselves in the past and the future... that somehow we've come here out of our own future? Or is this all just in our imaginations?"

Matthew sat quietly for moment, and then spoke intently, "You said you've experienced past, present and future as happening all at once. Right?"

"Right..." Amelia said slowly, not quite sure where he was going with the conversation.

"And Äsha says that everything takes place in consci