Sol Luckman's Blog, page 5
June 1, 2015
SNOOZE Wins 2015 National Indie Excellence Award!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sol Luckman
Email: snoozereviews@fastmail.fm
Website: www.CrowRising.com
Acclaimed nonfiction author receives major recognition in fiction from the 9th Annual 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards!
The 9th Annual 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards recognized Sol Luckman’s epic metaphysical novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, as the winner in the category of New Age Fiction in this year’s competition.
This prestigious national award, based in Los Angeles, is open to all English language books in print from small, medium, university, independent and self-publishers.
The National Indie Excellence Awards (www.indieexcellence.com) exist to help establish independent publishing as a strong and proud facet of the publishing industry. Recognizing authors that put their heart and soul into their work, the NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishers and small and independent presses that go the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Awarded since 2007, the NIEA competition is judged by independent experts from all aspects of the indie book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters.
Winners are determined based on “overall excellence of presentation in addition to the writing.” SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING is a work of speculative and visionary fiction in the tradition of THE CELESTINE PROPHECY that chronicles one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the world-changing reality of his dreams.
In SNOOZE we follow Max Diver, aka “Snooze,” along the razor’s edge of a quest to rescue his astronaut father from a fate stranger than death in the exotic, perilous Otherworld of sleep. An insightful look at a plethora of paranormal subjects, from Bigfoot and lucid dreaming to time travel via the Bermuda Triangle, SNOOZE further proved its literary merit by receiving an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition in the general fiction category.
Readers’ Favorite, the fastest growing book review site on the Internet, gave SNOOZE 5 stars and had this to say: “Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.”
Review copies and interviews are available upon request. Contact Sol Luckman here.
Previously, Sol Luckman was best known for his critically acclaimed nonfiction books, CONSCIOUS HEALING and POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, which explore the role of consciousness and DNA in personal healing and transformation.
April 23, 2015
Was Historical Russian “Apewoman” Really a Sasquatch?
Sol Luckman
I wish to take this opportunity to share with readers interested in the paranormal and cryptozoology this recent fascinating article from the INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES:
Russian “Apewoman” Could Have Been a Yeti, According to DNA Tests
Squatch skeptics love to point out the lack of verifiable evidence of Bigfoot and its arctic cousin, the Yeti. Then again, skeptics love to sweep the existing evidence of hominid cryptids under the carpet, as brilliantly pointed out by the late Lloyd Pye in the following seminal lecture from 1999 ...
Read more at ... https://snooze2awaken.wordpress.com/2...
March 13, 2015
Major Publishing News
Sol Luckman
If you’ve been following my work for any length of time, you probably already know that this blogger is also a visual artist and novelist. Regarding these related passions of mine, today I’ve got so much exciting publishing news to share I hardly know where to begin.
For starters, my original ink-on-paper painting, MESA, CANYON, RIO, is featured on the cover of Professor Itzhak Beery’s #1 New Release published by Destiny Books, THE GIFT OF SHAMANISM: VISIONARY POWER, AYAHUASCA & JOURNEYS TO OTHER REALMS.
I haven’t actually had the opportunity to read the text yet. But since the book is being put out by a respected publisher, is ostensibly my cup of tea and boasts a foreword by John Perkins, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the hard-hitting CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, I’m very much looking forward to diving in.
Another painting of mine, which I’ll disclose at a later date, will be the cover image for Beery’s follow-up anthology to THE GIFT OF SHAMANISM.
Even as this book is about to hit stores, yet another of my paintings is set to be on the cover of a new book on Gnosticism and astrology scheduled for release in the near future. Stay tuned for updates.
That makes a total of four of my original artworks on book covers, including one of my favorite pieces, DREAMCATCHER, which I used for my bestselling coming-of-age story about lucid dreams, astral projection and much more, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING.
Speaking of, I’m thrilled to be in the process of serializing—for FREE—the audiobook of this epic adventure in consciousness that has been likened to a new CELESTINE PROPHECY and also has some affinities to THE RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA.
To start listening to yours truly reading SNOOZE from the beginning, visit ...
https://snooze2awaken.wordpress.com/2...
In the words of Lance White, author of TALES OF A ZANY MYSTIC, SNOOZE is “a multi-dimensional, many-faceted gem of a read. From mysteries to metaphysics, entering the dream world, Bigfoot, high magic and daring feats of courage, this book has it all … I highly recommend [Snooze] for all ages.”
Thanks for reading—and sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
January 24, 2015
Dream Big with This Pair of Fantastic Interviews on SNOOZE
Sol Luckman
“I, Chuang Chou, dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, for all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware I was Chou. Soon I awakened, and there I was, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was a man dreaming I was a butterfly—or whether I am a butterfly dreaming I am a man.” Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi’s famous quote serves as the epigraph to my Amazon bestselling paranormal novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, the epic metaphysical tale of one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the reality-altering quality of his dreams.
Reviews have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Indie Reader had this to say about this newest sensation in visionary fiction that is taking the new age crowd by storm:
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.”
Readers’ Favorite was even more effusive:
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boys transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.”
For starters, check out this wide-ranging interview on SNOOZE with author and astrologer Laura Walker (THE BLACK MOON: GUIDE TO HEALING OUR SHADOW SIDE), who likened the novel to a new CELESTINE PROPHECY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts...
More recently, I joined Lance White, author of TALES OF A ZANY MYSTIC, for a Fireside Chat about SNOOZE on BBS Radio.
Lance and I covered a lot of ground in less than an hour, placing special emphasis on the manner in which SNOOZE touches on a plethora of conspiracy theories (many of which are proving true even as a I write for those willing to … awaken).
Lance summarized our chat this way:
Sol Luckman shared the story about how his latest book, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, came about. It’s a moving story, and the book is a multi-dimensional, many-faceted gem of a read. From mysteries to metaphysics, entering the dream world, Bigfoot, high magic and daring feats of courage, this book has it all … This is a delightful show, which opens up the person behind the writing, and I must admit he’s a very likeable fellow! I highly recommend [SNOOZE] for all ages. It’s an exciting journey within. Don’t miss it!
Listen to this jam-packed show at ...
http://bbsradio.com/content/fireside-...
And as always, sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
“I, Chuang Chou, dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, for all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware I was Chou. Soon I awakened, and there I was, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was a man dreaming I was a butterfly—or whether I am a butterfly dreaming I am a man.” Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi’s famous quote serves as the epigraph to my Amazon bestselling paranormal novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, the epic metaphysical tale of one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the reality-altering quality of his dreams.
Reviews have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Indie Reader had this to say about this newest sensation in visionary fiction that is taking the new age crowd by storm:
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.”
Readers’ Favorite was even more effusive:
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boys transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.”
For starters, check out this wide-ranging interview on SNOOZE with author and astrologer Laura Walker (THE BLACK MOON: GUIDE TO HEALING OUR SHADOW SIDE), who likened the novel to a new CELESTINE PROPHECY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts...
More recently, I joined Lance White, author of TALES OF A ZANY MYSTIC, for a Fireside Chat about SNOOZE on BBS Radio.
Lance and I covered a lot of ground in less than an hour, placing special emphasis on the manner in which SNOOZE touches on a plethora of conspiracy theories (many of which are proving true even as a I write for those willing to … awaken).
Lance summarized our chat this way:
Sol Luckman shared the story about how his latest book, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, came about. It’s a moving story, and the book is a multi-dimensional, many-faceted gem of a read. From mysteries to metaphysics, entering the dream world, Bigfoot, high magic and daring feats of courage, this book has it all … This is a delightful show, which opens up the person behind the writing, and I must admit he’s a very likeable fellow! I highly recommend [SNOOZE] for all ages. It’s an exciting journey within. Don’t miss it!
Listen to this jam-packed show at ...
http://bbsradio.com/content/fireside-...
And as always, sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
December 3, 2014
SNOOZE: A Blueprint for Merging Worlds
Sol Luckman
“I not only liked [SNOOZE]. I loved it … SNOOZE … is so much more than a story about a young man’s awakening … SNOOZE is as critical to spiritual seekers today as the CELESTINE PROPHECY in its time.” —Laura Walker, OracleReport.com
Check out this wide-ranging interview this wide-ranging interview focused on my Amazon bestselling novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING.
Indie Reader had this to say about this latest sensation in speculative fiction that is taking the metaphysical and consciousness crowd by storm:
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.”
Readers’ Favorite was even more enthusiastic:
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boy’s transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.”
Join Laura Walker in conversation with yours truly for an in-depth look at Sacred Masculinity, the Divine Feminine, the importance of art in social transformation, awakening to one’s own inner power, undoing the parasitic influence of the Archons—and much more!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
“I not only liked [SNOOZE]. I loved it … SNOOZE … is so much more than a story about a young man’s awakening … SNOOZE is as critical to spiritual seekers today as the CELESTINE PROPHECY in its time.” —Laura Walker, OracleReport.com
Check out this wide-ranging interview this wide-ranging interview focused on my Amazon bestselling novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING.
Indie Reader had this to say about this latest sensation in speculative fiction that is taking the metaphysical and consciousness crowd by storm:
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.”
Readers’ Favorite was even more enthusiastic:
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boy’s transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.”
Join Laura Walker in conversation with yours truly for an in-depth look at Sacred Masculinity, the Divine Feminine, the importance of art in social transformation, awakening to one’s own inner power, undoing the parasitic influence of the Archons—and much more!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
October 10, 2014
Hungry for an Enlightening & Entertaining Metaphysical Novel? Try SNOOZE
Sol Luckman
Back in the day, as I was digesting the very few palatable books that make up the anorexic canon of noteworthy new age novels, I remember reading James Redfield’s THE CELESTINE PROPHECY and experiencing completely contradictory emotions.
On the one hand, I was thrilled that someone had written an actually interesting, even epic, tale about ascension and the lightbody—of all bloody unimaginable things in the spiritual wasteland that is mainstream fiction.
To use a contemporary analogy, it was as if, for decades, I’d been traversing the country searching for nutritious road food only to be offered McDonald’s at every stop—and now all of a sudden I had the option to choose Chipotle!
Baby, I was lovin’ it!
On the other hand, while reading Redfield’s mythic tale that changed publishing forever by proving that indie books—even highly alternative ones—can make it big (and even be made into movies), I often winced at his sloppy prose and clunky plot devices proving that the author knew a good deal more about metaphysics than creative writing.
Even a quick glance at Amazon reviews of THE CELESTINE PROPHECY reveals a tremendous divide in how the book can be and has been assessed.
Depending on such factors as the reader’s spiritual appetite, literary pretensions, humility and humanity, reviews of this classic work of speculative fiction range from the cloying praise of purely heartfelt “love and light” to rationally blasting it all the way to Shambhala and back, tact be damned.
Last year, when I set out to write my own spiritual myth in the form of a novel, I gave a lot of consideration to the schizoid quality of most new age fictions, whose form and content often wildly diverge and effectively neutralize each other for most readers.
In other words, while, to my way of thinking, the average metaphysical novel may have its heart in the right place, too often its head seems to go missing.
There are, of course, exceptions to this generalization, such as Jean-Claude Koven’s charmingly intelligent GOING DEEPER: HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF YOUR LIFE WHEN YOUR LIFE MAKES NO SENSE.
But typically, given the questionable quality of the writing, if you’re anything like me, there are probably a lot of things you would rather do—visit the dentist, do hard labor, watch CNN—than read contemporary esoteric novels.
My humble, sincere hope is that SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING will change that for you.
SNOOZE is a spiritual adventure centered on a psychically gifted boy named Max Diver, who uses his lucid dreaming abilities to travel to a parallel reality to rescue his astronaut father.
I’ve written two recent articles that shed light on how SNOOZE, while billing itself as a young adult (YA) sci-fi fantasy novel, is for more than just young readers and constitutes far more than merely a sci-fi fantasy.
In the first article, Exploring Human Potential through Lucid Dreams, Paranormal Abilities, Parallel Universes & … Bigfoot, I map out the general metaphysical territory covered by SNOOZE, with an emphasis on the book’s central motif of lucid dreaming, which is treated both speculatively and scientifically.
The second article, Initiation, Totem Animals, Sacred Masculinity & Sound Healing, prefaces a lengthy excerpt while touching on the novel’s exploration of such themes as personal initiation; activating the occult powers known as the siddhis; the right use of power (the Sacred Masculine); the evolution of human consciousness; totem animals and animal medicine; sensing and working with subtle energy; the role of the heart in healing and transformation; intuition and surrender; and the oneness of creation.
Happily, even while conveying so much information of a philosophical nature, SNOOZE—which received an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival prize competition—has been repeatedly acknowledged to be a darn good work of literature, if I do say so myself.
But I don’t have to say so myself. I’ll let the book’s reviews speak for themselves.
Enjoy—and as always, sweet dreams!
SNOOZE is “a magnificent act of power, a novel brought forth for the Second Renaissance, the Return of Wisdom … [G]et ready for the ride of a lifetime. You won’t want to stop.” —OracleReport.com
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boy’s transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.” —Readers’ Favorite
“A literary treasure. Mr. Luckman has blessed us with an absolutely enlightening, heartwarming story filled with inspiration, adventure, and love. I believe most readers will readily relate to or identify with Max or some of his experiences. SNOOZE is a beautiful and fascinating depiction of the awakening process that will touch your heart. Enjoy Mr. Luckman’s precious gift!” —Liliana Cartagena
“A delightful read—weaving a myriad of altered states of consciousness into a rites-of-passage hero’s journey that is both timeless and present-relevant. Main characters have intelligence, innocence and charm, and point towards the tension of living in our current reality while expressing the seeds of humanity’s leap to our next evolutionary level—which in this story is about integrating and transcending mainstream consciousness with marginalized spiritual potentialities such as out-of-body and time travel, spontaneous healing, life beyond death, and more. A very creative synthesis of cultural edges from around the world that is both entertaining and provocative at the same time. Fun read full of ironies—recommend it to anyone who wants to escape into the possible future!” —Lynn King
“I came across a review of SNOOZE posted on Facebook … and, having nothing else in the queue, bought the e-version and started reading. Three late nights later (sorry kids for being somewhat absent for Labor Day weekend) I am transformed. One of the greatest parts of fiction in my world is when an author seamlessly blends the science and the story together into a new and Amazing world that I would love to enter myself. And for all of us ‘pseudo-scientists’ for whom noetics is old hat, to see our theories brought to life warms the heart and the soul. As a story-teller, I am so glad to meet you Sol Luckman. Your use of character dialog to explain the complexities of time-space succeeds where the academic descriptions lose 99% of the audience.” —Andrew L. Foss
“There is ALICE IN WONDERLAND which takes us on adventures through the Looking-glass and then there is SNOOZE which shows us how to get there. The archetypal hero Max begins with fear and trepidation and ends with certainty and the power of love. He navigates disappointment and finds unexpected blessings in loss … I hope a producer reads this book and makes a movie out of it … Great book. ” —Curiouser
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.” —Indiereader.com
“SNOOZE is without doubt one of the best coming-of-age, awakening books that I have ever read, and it had me entranced from the beginning to the end. Unlike a lot of books in the YA genre, which while perfectly enjoyable, are nonetheless superficial, SNOOZE takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of astral projection, lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, levitation, telepathy … the list goes on, and all of this is interwoven with themes of bullying, isolation, grief, friendship and characters … you cannot fail to love … It would be impossible to do justice to this wonderful book in just one review … [S]uffice to say that I highly recommend it and love the notion that the Loch Ness Monster might really exist.” —Ingrid Hall, Author & Freelance Editor
“This is a book that, when many people read it, will be instrumental in the world being a better place to live. This I feel strongly about. I’ve read all the books Sol Luckman has published and of the fictions, this one is my favorite. I want to share this story with everyone I know young and old. Great for a book club because there is so much to talk about. Refreshing, here is a story whose characters come to recognize and understand their own unique personal gifts that may seem ‘out there’ to people not yet awake. The journey of adventure here is much more than I expected and very unique in that I can feel myself awaken as I read it. I have been hungry for a book like this and feel my own questions about what I am experiencing during this mass awakening are shared and answered. This story took me on a ride like no other. I am visibly changed, moved and in awe of human potential and what’s to come.” —Jennifer Churchill
“SNOOZE was no snooze! I was up until 4 a.m. reading this book … no snoozing for me! Traveling along with Snooze/Maxwell was a wonderful adventure in the supernatural realm, as well as in the ‘real’ world. The continuous connections throughout the story and in his young adult life allowed me to go back in ‘time/space’ (or is it space/time?) to experience their moment of conception, drawing me further into the story. I was happy to see that this novel was more than a young adult book, as older adults will love it too (I am 48 years old). There are layers to this story, allowing each reader to enjoy the same story but take away a different meaning. Sol Luckman’s memorable characters are wise and witty, filled with compassion and ready to change the world. I want to know what happens next! Sequel?” —Kristina Barker
“SNOOZE is a book for readers ready to awaken from our mass cultural illusion before we self-destruct. SNOOZE calls out for readers open to the challenging adventure of opening their minds. It illustrates, in intriguing story form, the possibilities that imagination, dreams, visions, paranormal experiences, respectful relationship to nature, and non-linear thinking may hold the keys to resolving the ecological, economic, social, and political deadlocks we are currently experiencing. If you love a not-so-classic tale of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey,’ travel along with Max on his very adventurous flight into parts of reality we seldom dare to explore. You will be richly rewarded with hidden treasures that could awaken you to the hero and the mission buried within you. You may, incidentally, also discover a new and paradoxical relationship between science and fiction—normally considered incompatible routes in the quest for truth.” —Merry Hall, Co-Host of ENVISION THIS
“The description in [SNOOZE] was astounding … so incredibly detailed you could really very easily picture everything and it was perfect … [T]he author took the reader on a journey with the main character … The story included a lot of today’s issues and presented an outlook on things that we … don’t understand, such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. I rate [SNOOZE] 4 out of 4 stars as it was truly a story of awakening. This was the first novel I had ever read by Sol Luckman but I will certainly be reading more of his work now. I would recommend this to all readers as the story truly holds a lot. It was deep, it was humorous and it left nothing to be desired.” —OnlineBookClub.org
“Sol Luckman’s SNOOZE was exciting and interesting. Vivid characters populate the novel as well as a fast-paced plot. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. I rate this book a five-star read.” —Tracey Lampley, Book Mistress Blog
“Utterly engrossing! This is truly a riveting ‘becoming awake’ adventure. With an undercurrent of Max’s acceptance of who he is, this wonderfully spun tale touches so many topics that benefit us all to have in our consciousnesses. While the story is presented as fiction, there is so much to learn here. Google was my constant companion as I read, discovering so many ideas new to me, presented in this story, that actually have their basis in this reality, as well as learning of intriguing people I’d never heard of before. Discussing this book will be an easy way to begin conversations on many interesting topics that otherwise might be difficult to initiate. Presented as a ‘coming of age’ story; this book is more than sophisticated enough (not to mention well written) to keep even the most discerning ‘adult’ reader highly engaged.” —Sandy Sturner
“I loved this book! It was so interesting that I could hardly put it down! It combined all of my interests, as well as showing the beauty of a Native American path, in which we know that we are all in this together, that everything has consciousness, and that we humans need to find better ways to live or we will destroy our home planet. I would recommend SNOOZE to anyone who enjoys fantasy, science fiction, spirituality, or Native American studies, as it combines all four of these aspects.” —Nancy Crom
“If you have any interest in lucid dreaming, astral travel, or paranormal phenomena, you’ll love reading this book. It’s very well written, and grabs you so much that it’s hard to put down, not just for the action and adventure, but for the questions it raises about some things labelled ‘so far unexplained.’ The story centers on Max as he comes of age at college and university, taking advantage of his gift of lucid dreaming and astral projection to propel him into a quest which also becomes an initiation into a path to enlightenment. There’s pain and loss, but also love, laughter and tears, as he meets amazing people and prehistoric creatures in a parallel world which is seemingly thousands of years behind ours but so advanced in some ways. You don’t need to be young to enjoy this story, just ‘young at heart.’” —Peter M. Johnston
“Heartwarming, satisfying and highly enjoyable read. I am a big fan of Sol Luckman’s work … SNOOZE reveals a new facet of Luckman’s genius and completely exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, the conclusion and all of the ‘radical’ ideas thrown in. It was pure fun sprinkled with inspiration to see references to urban permaculture gardens growing exotic things like white cabbages (for healing poultices), pineal detoxification, vortices, spirit animals, non-petroleum based energy, the ‘good’ side of shamanistic coming-of-age rituals and of course the gentle, possession-shunning ‘bigfoots.’ The thing that stuck with me the most was the simple phrase ‘I see myself in you,’ a simple greeting between old friends and new acquaintances accompanied by meaningful eye contact and each person placing a hand on each others shoulder. If everyone would adopt this mentality, the world would be a completely different place. A much better one. Please read and share.” —Cpt2020
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
Back in the day, as I was digesting the very few palatable books that make up the anorexic canon of noteworthy new age novels, I remember reading James Redfield’s THE CELESTINE PROPHECY and experiencing completely contradictory emotions.
On the one hand, I was thrilled that someone had written an actually interesting, even epic, tale about ascension and the lightbody—of all bloody unimaginable things in the spiritual wasteland that is mainstream fiction.
To use a contemporary analogy, it was as if, for decades, I’d been traversing the country searching for nutritious road food only to be offered McDonald’s at every stop—and now all of a sudden I had the option to choose Chipotle!
Baby, I was lovin’ it!
On the other hand, while reading Redfield’s mythic tale that changed publishing forever by proving that indie books—even highly alternative ones—can make it big (and even be made into movies), I often winced at his sloppy prose and clunky plot devices proving that the author knew a good deal more about metaphysics than creative writing.
Even a quick glance at Amazon reviews of THE CELESTINE PROPHECY reveals a tremendous divide in how the book can be and has been assessed.
Depending on such factors as the reader’s spiritual appetite, literary pretensions, humility and humanity, reviews of this classic work of speculative fiction range from the cloying praise of purely heartfelt “love and light” to rationally blasting it all the way to Shambhala and back, tact be damned.
Last year, when I set out to write my own spiritual myth in the form of a novel, I gave a lot of consideration to the schizoid quality of most new age fictions, whose form and content often wildly diverge and effectively neutralize each other for most readers.
In other words, while, to my way of thinking, the average metaphysical novel may have its heart in the right place, too often its head seems to go missing.
There are, of course, exceptions to this generalization, such as Jean-Claude Koven’s charmingly intelligent GOING DEEPER: HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF YOUR LIFE WHEN YOUR LIFE MAKES NO SENSE.
But typically, given the questionable quality of the writing, if you’re anything like me, there are probably a lot of things you would rather do—visit the dentist, do hard labor, watch CNN—than read contemporary esoteric novels.
My humble, sincere hope is that SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING will change that for you.
SNOOZE is a spiritual adventure centered on a psychically gifted boy named Max Diver, who uses his lucid dreaming abilities to travel to a parallel reality to rescue his astronaut father.
I’ve written two recent articles that shed light on how SNOOZE, while billing itself as a young adult (YA) sci-fi fantasy novel, is for more than just young readers and constitutes far more than merely a sci-fi fantasy.
In the first article, Exploring Human Potential through Lucid Dreams, Paranormal Abilities, Parallel Universes & … Bigfoot, I map out the general metaphysical territory covered by SNOOZE, with an emphasis on the book’s central motif of lucid dreaming, which is treated both speculatively and scientifically.
The second article, Initiation, Totem Animals, Sacred Masculinity & Sound Healing, prefaces a lengthy excerpt while touching on the novel’s exploration of such themes as personal initiation; activating the occult powers known as the siddhis; the right use of power (the Sacred Masculine); the evolution of human consciousness; totem animals and animal medicine; sensing and working with subtle energy; the role of the heart in healing and transformation; intuition and surrender; and the oneness of creation.
Happily, even while conveying so much information of a philosophical nature, SNOOZE—which received an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival prize competition—has been repeatedly acknowledged to be a darn good work of literature, if I do say so myself.
But I don’t have to say so myself. I’ll let the book’s reviews speak for themselves.
Enjoy—and as always, sweet dreams!
SNOOZE is “a magnificent act of power, a novel brought forth for the Second Renaissance, the Return of Wisdom … [G]et ready for the ride of a lifetime. You won’t want to stop.” —OracleReport.com
“Luckman’s dazzling abilities as a novelist abound with lyrical prose … Although [SNOOZE] chronicles a boy’s transition into manhood, I would not consider it young adult. The provocative subject matter of science and spirituality is very mature … If you enjoy colorful characters, a fast-paced plot and stories that tug at your heart, this novel in eighty-four chapters is anything but a yawn.” —Readers’ Favorite
“A literary treasure. Mr. Luckman has blessed us with an absolutely enlightening, heartwarming story filled with inspiration, adventure, and love. I believe most readers will readily relate to or identify with Max or some of his experiences. SNOOZE is a beautiful and fascinating depiction of the awakening process that will touch your heart. Enjoy Mr. Luckman’s precious gift!” —Liliana Cartagena
“A delightful read—weaving a myriad of altered states of consciousness into a rites-of-passage hero’s journey that is both timeless and present-relevant. Main characters have intelligence, innocence and charm, and point towards the tension of living in our current reality while expressing the seeds of humanity’s leap to our next evolutionary level—which in this story is about integrating and transcending mainstream consciousness with marginalized spiritual potentialities such as out-of-body and time travel, spontaneous healing, life beyond death, and more. A very creative synthesis of cultural edges from around the world that is both entertaining and provocative at the same time. Fun read full of ironies—recommend it to anyone who wants to escape into the possible future!” —Lynn King
“I came across a review of SNOOZE posted on Facebook … and, having nothing else in the queue, bought the e-version and started reading. Three late nights later (sorry kids for being somewhat absent for Labor Day weekend) I am transformed. One of the greatest parts of fiction in my world is when an author seamlessly blends the science and the story together into a new and Amazing world that I would love to enter myself. And for all of us ‘pseudo-scientists’ for whom noetics is old hat, to see our theories brought to life warms the heart and the soul. As a story-teller, I am so glad to meet you Sol Luckman. Your use of character dialog to explain the complexities of time-space succeeds where the academic descriptions lose 99% of the audience.” —Andrew L. Foss
“There is ALICE IN WONDERLAND which takes us on adventures through the Looking-glass and then there is SNOOZE which shows us how to get there. The archetypal hero Max begins with fear and trepidation and ends with certainty and the power of love. He navigates disappointment and finds unexpected blessings in loss … I hope a producer reads this book and makes a movie out of it … Great book. ” —Curiouser
“SNOOZE is a captivating coming-of-age tale about a gifted boy traveling to a fantastical realm to save his father … Thanks to author Sol Luckman’s writing ability, SNOOZE can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, despite being aimed at young adults. Right off the bat, the writing is engaging and captures the attention.” —Indiereader.com
“SNOOZE is without doubt one of the best coming-of-age, awakening books that I have ever read, and it had me entranced from the beginning to the end. Unlike a lot of books in the YA genre, which while perfectly enjoyable, are nonetheless superficial, SNOOZE takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of astral projection, lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, levitation, telepathy … the list goes on, and all of this is interwoven with themes of bullying, isolation, grief, friendship and characters … you cannot fail to love … It would be impossible to do justice to this wonderful book in just one review … [S]uffice to say that I highly recommend it and love the notion that the Loch Ness Monster might really exist.” —Ingrid Hall, Author & Freelance Editor
“This is a book that, when many people read it, will be instrumental in the world being a better place to live. This I feel strongly about. I’ve read all the books Sol Luckman has published and of the fictions, this one is my favorite. I want to share this story with everyone I know young and old. Great for a book club because there is so much to talk about. Refreshing, here is a story whose characters come to recognize and understand their own unique personal gifts that may seem ‘out there’ to people not yet awake. The journey of adventure here is much more than I expected and very unique in that I can feel myself awaken as I read it. I have been hungry for a book like this and feel my own questions about what I am experiencing during this mass awakening are shared and answered. This story took me on a ride like no other. I am visibly changed, moved and in awe of human potential and what’s to come.” —Jennifer Churchill
“SNOOZE was no snooze! I was up until 4 a.m. reading this book … no snoozing for me! Traveling along with Snooze/Maxwell was a wonderful adventure in the supernatural realm, as well as in the ‘real’ world. The continuous connections throughout the story and in his young adult life allowed me to go back in ‘time/space’ (or is it space/time?) to experience their moment of conception, drawing me further into the story. I was happy to see that this novel was more than a young adult book, as older adults will love it too (I am 48 years old). There are layers to this story, allowing each reader to enjoy the same story but take away a different meaning. Sol Luckman’s memorable characters are wise and witty, filled with compassion and ready to change the world. I want to know what happens next! Sequel?” —Kristina Barker
“SNOOZE is a book for readers ready to awaken from our mass cultural illusion before we self-destruct. SNOOZE calls out for readers open to the challenging adventure of opening their minds. It illustrates, in intriguing story form, the possibilities that imagination, dreams, visions, paranormal experiences, respectful relationship to nature, and non-linear thinking may hold the keys to resolving the ecological, economic, social, and political deadlocks we are currently experiencing. If you love a not-so-classic tale of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey,’ travel along with Max on his very adventurous flight into parts of reality we seldom dare to explore. You will be richly rewarded with hidden treasures that could awaken you to the hero and the mission buried within you. You may, incidentally, also discover a new and paradoxical relationship between science and fiction—normally considered incompatible routes in the quest for truth.” —Merry Hall, Co-Host of ENVISION THIS
“The description in [SNOOZE] was astounding … so incredibly detailed you could really very easily picture everything and it was perfect … [T]he author took the reader on a journey with the main character … The story included a lot of today’s issues and presented an outlook on things that we … don’t understand, such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. I rate [SNOOZE] 4 out of 4 stars as it was truly a story of awakening. This was the first novel I had ever read by Sol Luckman but I will certainly be reading more of his work now. I would recommend this to all readers as the story truly holds a lot. It was deep, it was humorous and it left nothing to be desired.” —OnlineBookClub.org
“Sol Luckman’s SNOOZE was exciting and interesting. Vivid characters populate the novel as well as a fast-paced plot. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. I rate this book a five-star read.” —Tracey Lampley, Book Mistress Blog
“Utterly engrossing! This is truly a riveting ‘becoming awake’ adventure. With an undercurrent of Max’s acceptance of who he is, this wonderfully spun tale touches so many topics that benefit us all to have in our consciousnesses. While the story is presented as fiction, there is so much to learn here. Google was my constant companion as I read, discovering so many ideas new to me, presented in this story, that actually have their basis in this reality, as well as learning of intriguing people I’d never heard of before. Discussing this book will be an easy way to begin conversations on many interesting topics that otherwise might be difficult to initiate. Presented as a ‘coming of age’ story; this book is more than sophisticated enough (not to mention well written) to keep even the most discerning ‘adult’ reader highly engaged.” —Sandy Sturner
“I loved this book! It was so interesting that I could hardly put it down! It combined all of my interests, as well as showing the beauty of a Native American path, in which we know that we are all in this together, that everything has consciousness, and that we humans need to find better ways to live or we will destroy our home planet. I would recommend SNOOZE to anyone who enjoys fantasy, science fiction, spirituality, or Native American studies, as it combines all four of these aspects.” —Nancy Crom
“If you have any interest in lucid dreaming, astral travel, or paranormal phenomena, you’ll love reading this book. It’s very well written, and grabs you so much that it’s hard to put down, not just for the action and adventure, but for the questions it raises about some things labelled ‘so far unexplained.’ The story centers on Max as he comes of age at college and university, taking advantage of his gift of lucid dreaming and astral projection to propel him into a quest which also becomes an initiation into a path to enlightenment. There’s pain and loss, but also love, laughter and tears, as he meets amazing people and prehistoric creatures in a parallel world which is seemingly thousands of years behind ours but so advanced in some ways. You don’t need to be young to enjoy this story, just ‘young at heart.’” —Peter M. Johnston
“Heartwarming, satisfying and highly enjoyable read. I am a big fan of Sol Luckman’s work … SNOOZE reveals a new facet of Luckman’s genius and completely exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, the conclusion and all of the ‘radical’ ideas thrown in. It was pure fun sprinkled with inspiration to see references to urban permaculture gardens growing exotic things like white cabbages (for healing poultices), pineal detoxification, vortices, spirit animals, non-petroleum based energy, the ‘good’ side of shamanistic coming-of-age rituals and of course the gentle, possession-shunning ‘bigfoots.’ The thing that stuck with me the most was the simple phrase ‘I see myself in you,’ a simple greeting between old friends and new acquaintances accompanied by meaningful eye contact and each person placing a hand on each others shoulder. If everyone would adopt this mentality, the world would be a completely different place. A much better one. Please read and share.” —Cpt2020
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
August 21, 2014
Exploring Human Potential through Lucid Dreams, Paranormal Abilities, Parallel Universes & … Bigfoot
Sol Luckman
Dreams of Flying
My earliest dreams were lucid ones of flying. I have a particularly striking memory of soaring high above my father’s tobacco fields where I used to spend hours at a time searching for arrowheads as a boy.
There was a method to dream flight—not unlike the way a condor rides thermal currents to gracefully corkscrew up or down. The feeling was one of bliss almost beyond description … like walking into the light upon death, or emerging into it at birth.
I can still visualize the terra cotta of the clay fields falling away beneath me as I ascended—until they resembled not so much the Cherokee relic hunting grounds of my leisure, but rather irregular red pepper flakes sprinkled at random on a verdant tablecloth.
Given my background, it’s not entirely surprising I should return to the theme of lucid dreams of flying in my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING. After all, such dreams continued well beyond my childhood and happen even today.
Not infrequently, my lovely partner, Leigh, ever patient with my foibles, is jolted awake in the dead of night by my odd habit of putting an arm above my head in sleep—as if I’m slicing through the air. Fortunately, over time she has perfected the ability to ignore this eccentricity.
Fittingly, the idea for SNOOZE occurred to me one morning as I lay in bed trying to shake off a dream of flying.
My then nine-year-old son, deep in the throes of superhero addiction, sat beside me on wake-up-dad duty and innocently remarked that I looked like a superhero myself in my blue, lavender-scented sleeping mask. (Lucid dreamer or no, I’m a terribly light sleeper, and find that darkness does wonders for my pineal’s production of sleep-inducing melatonin.)
“You think so?” I managed to ask, yawning while removing my mask.
“Definitely,” he replied with confidence twinkling in his eyes. “You could call yourself Snooze.”
This ostensibly casual exchange mysteriously opened the floodgates of my creative consciousness—and soon I had written the first chapter of the novel that would eventually be called SNOOZE.
Real Magic for Changing the Real World
I had in mind to create something indeed like a superhero story—a believable one, a far cry from the stretched affairs currently gracing so many silver screens.
I also had a notion to write a book about how real magic, as opposed to a mishmash of hocus pocus featuring wizards and wands, might function in—and ultimately change—the real world.
The skinny story is that SNOOZE is a sci-fi/fantasy novel about a psychically gifted boy named Max Diver who uses his burgeoning paranormal abilities to fly to the dream world in search of his astronaut father who is marooned there. A full exploration of SNOOZE would have to go into much deeper territory, including:
• The book’s positioning of patriarchy, symbolized by Max’s father, as that which appears strong but is, in fact, weak and in need of rescue;
• The ways in which SNOOZE can be read as a profoundly “Gnostic” text promoting deep ecology and a wholesale reinvention of the way humans conceptualize and relate to nature;
• The novel’s in-depth treatment of Dewey Larson’s pioneering physics known as the Reciprocal System of physical theory, shortened to Reciprocal Theory, which provides a theoretical framework for the interfacing realities of consciousness and unconsciousness, or waking and dreams;
• The necessity of activating the energy of the heart, as confirmed scientifically through the research of Glen Rein and the Institute of HeartMath, in order to access the miraculous totality of human potential; and
• The possibility, explicitly explored, that as enough people awaken in this manner, a social tipping point will be reached sufficient to reinvent our reality and create a freer, more harmonious and more prosperous world.
By “real magic,” I mean just that. Specifically, I’m referring to the longstanding tradition of seemingly miraculous abilities called siddhis in Vedic literature—which are understood not as superhuman capacities so much as belonging to, if submerged in, human nature.
Scientifically Theorizing Paranormal Abilities
Siddhis are said to come in a number of shapes and sizes. Common ones, witnessed by thousands of people over the ages, include telekinesis (moving objects with the mind), telepathy (ESP), and levitation or flying.
Historically documented in numerous individuals, from Indian gurus to the famous Catholic priest Padre Pio, who was witnessed bilocating, such powers are said to emerge naturally from within the human being, often in connection with pineal gland activation and lucid dreaming.
To co-opt the title of an excellent scientific study of these types of weird phenomena by Dean Radin, the supernatural is perhaps best conceptualized as SUPERNORMAL.
Or as I phrase it in my teaser for SNOOZE, “Could it be there’s no such thing as the paranormal … only infinite varieties of normal we’ve yet to understand?”
The idea of siddhis had fascinated me ever since I initially learned of them as an undergraduate. It was mind-blowing that one of the most venerated systems of personal development on the planet—the Vedic tradition of India—insisted, in essence, that everyone inherits the capability of becoming a superhero!
Begging the question … What would it actually be like to experience the sprouting and flowering of these inborn occult powers in oneself?
This question guided me during the character development of my protagonist, Max, a boy endowed with just such abilities that immediately begin to reveal themselves only to grow more intense as the novel progresses. One reviewer described Max’s merging of dreams with reality as “lucid dreams on steroids.”
As previously suggested, in exploring this esoteric subject matter, rather than just shooting from the hip with wild-eyed speculation, I drew on a wealth of established knowledge—often of a scientific bent.
Obviously, I’m indebted to Carl Jung’s influential theories on the relationship between the unconscious and the subconscious and states of waking consciousness in personal “alchemy.” At its core, SNOOZE is a fictional meditation on the process of human metamorphosis into a more evolved kind of being with the ability to manifest thoughts in real time.
Subtitled “A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-death & Mystical Experiences,” Rick Strassman’s seminal DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE served as a starting place for theorizing the transformational role played by the pineal gland in the development of heightened human potential.
As noted, Dewey Larson’s Reciprocal Theory, elaborated in such classics as THE UNIVERSE OF MOTION and BEYOND SPACE & TIME, became the touchstone for SNOOZE’s physics of parallel universes.
The notion of mirroring realities in a unified field, further developed and applied by David Wilcock in THE SOURCE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS and by yours truly in POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, was already near and dear to my heart.
In SNOOZE I had the tremendously satisfying opportunity to “try on” how the mystical realm of time-space might be literally experienced from the perspective of the everyday world of space-time … for someone capable of undertaking, and surviving, the round-trip.
Coming to Terms with Bigfoot
Finally, we come to SNOOZE’s treatment of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. From the time I saw CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE and THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK as a kid, I was simultaneously terrified and hooked by the thought that a gigantic, hairy apeman might somehow inhabit the fringes of consensus reality.
As an adolescent circa 1980, long before the current FINDING BIGFOOT craze, I went so far as to go on “squatching” expeditions in search of the creature in the woods of Appalachia—to the general amusement, and gentle derision, of my family and friends.
I never encountered Bigfoot, never saw so much as a smudgy footprint of questionable provenance, but to paraphrase Journey’s Steve Perry, I never stopped believing.
Lloyd Pye, author of INTERVENTION THEORY THEORY ESSENTIALS and a major inspiration behind the theory of cryptids, or mysterious creatures, outlined in SNOOZE, never stopped believing either.
Pye’s research in genetics, Sasquatch and human origins directly challenges mainstream scientific orthodoxy and dogma. In fact, strange as it may sound, Pye makes it abundantly clear that if humans are to understand where we come from and where we’re headed, we first need to grasp our relationship to Bigfoot.
My intent in writing SNOOZE wasn’t to provide a definitive answer to this riddle, but merely to propose a possibility. Specifically, I suggest that Sasquatch might not be a wild animal to be feared and hunted, but rather another variety of person from whom we might have much to learn.
As for the hotly debated existence of Bigfoot, pointing out that slow-moving, dimwitted, diurnal pandas were once thought by “scientific” Westerners to be merely creatures of legend, Pye logically asked why couldn’t fast, intelligent, nocturnal Sasquatches exist?
“Some explained their elusiveness by pointing out that less than forty percent of the earth’s surface was fit for human habitation,” we read in SNOOZE. “That left fully sixty percent of the planet—much of which was poorly surveyed even if it had managed to be explored—as a potential habitat far from human eyes for any number of cryptids, including Sasquatch.
“As for why no fossilized Bigfoot bones supposedly had ever been found, Max’s mother pointed out that practically no fossilized monkey bones had ever been discovered either, for the simple reason that fossils didn’t form in the heavily forested areas inhabited by monkeys. If Bigfoots lived in similar places, as often reported, it only made sense that they wouldn’t leave fossils either.”
Call it poetic timing or subliminal programming—but I finished the first half of SNOOZE while sojourning in Humboldt County, California, close to Bluff Creek, where the famous Patterson-Gimlin film purporting to capture a female Sasquatch strolling through the woods was shot.
In my treatment of the Bigfoot phenomenon, be it reality or legend, “Patty” became fictionalized as “Zana,” a nod to the renowned Russian hominoid. Pye wrote in great and convincing detail about Zana, an apewoman who for decades was a member of a remote village, where, according to dozens of eyewitnesses, she worked as a laborer and bore simian-looking progeny to human fathers.
In closing, I wish to assure Pye—who recently passed away from space-time and is perhaps alive and kicking in time-space even as I write—that, at least in the pages of SNOOZE, Zana lives!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
Dreams of Flying
My earliest dreams were lucid ones of flying. I have a particularly striking memory of soaring high above my father’s tobacco fields where I used to spend hours at a time searching for arrowheads as a boy.
There was a method to dream flight—not unlike the way a condor rides thermal currents to gracefully corkscrew up or down. The feeling was one of bliss almost beyond description … like walking into the light upon death, or emerging into it at birth.
I can still visualize the terra cotta of the clay fields falling away beneath me as I ascended—until they resembled not so much the Cherokee relic hunting grounds of my leisure, but rather irregular red pepper flakes sprinkled at random on a verdant tablecloth.
Given my background, it’s not entirely surprising I should return to the theme of lucid dreams of flying in my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING. After all, such dreams continued well beyond my childhood and happen even today.
Not infrequently, my lovely partner, Leigh, ever patient with my foibles, is jolted awake in the dead of night by my odd habit of putting an arm above my head in sleep—as if I’m slicing through the air. Fortunately, over time she has perfected the ability to ignore this eccentricity.
Fittingly, the idea for SNOOZE occurred to me one morning as I lay in bed trying to shake off a dream of flying.
My then nine-year-old son, deep in the throes of superhero addiction, sat beside me on wake-up-dad duty and innocently remarked that I looked like a superhero myself in my blue, lavender-scented sleeping mask. (Lucid dreamer or no, I’m a terribly light sleeper, and find that darkness does wonders for my pineal’s production of sleep-inducing melatonin.)
“You think so?” I managed to ask, yawning while removing my mask.
“Definitely,” he replied with confidence twinkling in his eyes. “You could call yourself Snooze.”
This ostensibly casual exchange mysteriously opened the floodgates of my creative consciousness—and soon I had written the first chapter of the novel that would eventually be called SNOOZE.
Real Magic for Changing the Real World
I had in mind to create something indeed like a superhero story—a believable one, a far cry from the stretched affairs currently gracing so many silver screens.
I also had a notion to write a book about how real magic, as opposed to a mishmash of hocus pocus featuring wizards and wands, might function in—and ultimately change—the real world.
The skinny story is that SNOOZE is a sci-fi/fantasy novel about a psychically gifted boy named Max Diver who uses his burgeoning paranormal abilities to fly to the dream world in search of his astronaut father who is marooned there. A full exploration of SNOOZE would have to go into much deeper territory, including:
• The book’s positioning of patriarchy, symbolized by Max’s father, as that which appears strong but is, in fact, weak and in need of rescue;
• The ways in which SNOOZE can be read as a profoundly “Gnostic” text promoting deep ecology and a wholesale reinvention of the way humans conceptualize and relate to nature;
• The novel’s in-depth treatment of Dewey Larson’s pioneering physics known as the Reciprocal System of physical theory, shortened to Reciprocal Theory, which provides a theoretical framework for the interfacing realities of consciousness and unconsciousness, or waking and dreams;
• The necessity of activating the energy of the heart, as confirmed scientifically through the research of Glen Rein and the Institute of HeartMath, in order to access the miraculous totality of human potential; and
• The possibility, explicitly explored, that as enough people awaken in this manner, a social tipping point will be reached sufficient to reinvent our reality and create a freer, more harmonious and more prosperous world.
By “real magic,” I mean just that. Specifically, I’m referring to the longstanding tradition of seemingly miraculous abilities called siddhis in Vedic literature—which are understood not as superhuman capacities so much as belonging to, if submerged in, human nature.
Scientifically Theorizing Paranormal Abilities
Siddhis are said to come in a number of shapes and sizes. Common ones, witnessed by thousands of people over the ages, include telekinesis (moving objects with the mind), telepathy (ESP), and levitation or flying.
Historically documented in numerous individuals, from Indian gurus to the famous Catholic priest Padre Pio, who was witnessed bilocating, such powers are said to emerge naturally from within the human being, often in connection with pineal gland activation and lucid dreaming.
To co-opt the title of an excellent scientific study of these types of weird phenomena by Dean Radin, the supernatural is perhaps best conceptualized as SUPERNORMAL.
Or as I phrase it in my teaser for SNOOZE, “Could it be there’s no such thing as the paranormal … only infinite varieties of normal we’ve yet to understand?”
The idea of siddhis had fascinated me ever since I initially learned of them as an undergraduate. It was mind-blowing that one of the most venerated systems of personal development on the planet—the Vedic tradition of India—insisted, in essence, that everyone inherits the capability of becoming a superhero!
Begging the question … What would it actually be like to experience the sprouting and flowering of these inborn occult powers in oneself?
This question guided me during the character development of my protagonist, Max, a boy endowed with just such abilities that immediately begin to reveal themselves only to grow more intense as the novel progresses. One reviewer described Max’s merging of dreams with reality as “lucid dreams on steroids.”
As previously suggested, in exploring this esoteric subject matter, rather than just shooting from the hip with wild-eyed speculation, I drew on a wealth of established knowledge—often of a scientific bent.
Obviously, I’m indebted to Carl Jung’s influential theories on the relationship between the unconscious and the subconscious and states of waking consciousness in personal “alchemy.” At its core, SNOOZE is a fictional meditation on the process of human metamorphosis into a more evolved kind of being with the ability to manifest thoughts in real time.
Subtitled “A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-death & Mystical Experiences,” Rick Strassman’s seminal DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE served as a starting place for theorizing the transformational role played by the pineal gland in the development of heightened human potential.
As noted, Dewey Larson’s Reciprocal Theory, elaborated in such classics as THE UNIVERSE OF MOTION and BEYOND SPACE & TIME, became the touchstone for SNOOZE’s physics of parallel universes.
The notion of mirroring realities in a unified field, further developed and applied by David Wilcock in THE SOURCE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS and by yours truly in POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, was already near and dear to my heart.
In SNOOZE I had the tremendously satisfying opportunity to “try on” how the mystical realm of time-space might be literally experienced from the perspective of the everyday world of space-time … for someone capable of undertaking, and surviving, the round-trip.
Coming to Terms with Bigfoot
Finally, we come to SNOOZE’s treatment of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. From the time I saw CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE and THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK as a kid, I was simultaneously terrified and hooked by the thought that a gigantic, hairy apeman might somehow inhabit the fringes of consensus reality.
As an adolescent circa 1980, long before the current FINDING BIGFOOT craze, I went so far as to go on “squatching” expeditions in search of the creature in the woods of Appalachia—to the general amusement, and gentle derision, of my family and friends.
I never encountered Bigfoot, never saw so much as a smudgy footprint of questionable provenance, but to paraphrase Journey’s Steve Perry, I never stopped believing.
Lloyd Pye, author of INTERVENTION THEORY THEORY ESSENTIALS and a major inspiration behind the theory of cryptids, or mysterious creatures, outlined in SNOOZE, never stopped believing either.
Pye’s research in genetics, Sasquatch and human origins directly challenges mainstream scientific orthodoxy and dogma. In fact, strange as it may sound, Pye makes it abundantly clear that if humans are to understand where we come from and where we’re headed, we first need to grasp our relationship to Bigfoot.
My intent in writing SNOOZE wasn’t to provide a definitive answer to this riddle, but merely to propose a possibility. Specifically, I suggest that Sasquatch might not be a wild animal to be feared and hunted, but rather another variety of person from whom we might have much to learn.
As for the hotly debated existence of Bigfoot, pointing out that slow-moving, dimwitted, diurnal pandas were once thought by “scientific” Westerners to be merely creatures of legend, Pye logically asked why couldn’t fast, intelligent, nocturnal Sasquatches exist?
“Some explained their elusiveness by pointing out that less than forty percent of the earth’s surface was fit for human habitation,” we read in SNOOZE. “That left fully sixty percent of the planet—much of which was poorly surveyed even if it had managed to be explored—as a potential habitat far from human eyes for any number of cryptids, including Sasquatch.
“As for why no fossilized Bigfoot bones supposedly had ever been found, Max’s mother pointed out that practically no fossilized monkey bones had ever been discovered either, for the simple reason that fossils didn’t form in the heavily forested areas inhabited by monkeys. If Bigfoots lived in similar places, as often reported, it only made sense that they wouldn’t leave fossils either.”
Call it poetic timing or subliminal programming—but I finished the first half of SNOOZE while sojourning in Humboldt County, California, close to Bluff Creek, where the famous Patterson-Gimlin film purporting to capture a female Sasquatch strolling through the woods was shot.
In my treatment of the Bigfoot phenomenon, be it reality or legend, “Patty” became fictionalized as “Zana,” a nod to the renowned Russian hominoid. Pye wrote in great and convincing detail about Zana, an apewoman who for decades was a member of a remote village, where, according to dozens of eyewitnesses, she worked as a laborer and bore simian-looking progeny to human fathers.
In closing, I wish to assure Pye—who recently passed away from space-time and is perhaps alive and kicking in time-space even as I write—that, at least in the pages of SNOOZE, Zana lives!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
July 1, 2014
“The Cutting-edge of the Cutting-edge”: Doctor Raves about POTENTIATE YOUR DNA
Sol Luckman
Yet another fantastic reader review (below) of my empowering self-help book on DNA activation, POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, was recently posted to the book’s Amazon page, where both the paperback and Kindle versions are available.
The first DNA activation in the “revolutionary healing science” (NEXUS) of the Regenetics Method, Potentiation employs linguistic codes-produced vocally and mentally-to stimulate a self-healing and transformational ability in DNA.
In this exploration of sound healing, learn how to activate your genetic potential-in a single, 30-minute session!
Besides teaching you a technique you can perform for your family, friends and even pets, POTENTIATE YOUR DNA also: 1) provides tried and true supplemental tools for maximizing your results; and 2) outlines a pioneering theory linking genetics, energy and consciousness.
Writes Dr. David Kamnitzer in his five-star review of the book,
It is obvious that in POTENTIATE YOUR DNA Sol Luckman has seen clearly through much of the miasma that constitutes the “water” that our society swims in. This book presents a way of being with DNA that points to a path to and vision of wholeness that stirs the soul. He uses the term “meta-genetics” as a handle for this new paradigm—a paradigm that goes to the Heart of the Matter—literally! I resonated deeply with much of his message, including 1) the primacy of Love … expressing first as Sound … then moving into Light as the dimensional worlds appear; 2) the use of Solfeggio frequencies and specific vowel sound sequences to activate dormant potentialities of Being and DNA; and 3) a new model of the interface between planes and chakras that allows for and even illuminates the unique individual responses to common stresses. If you love the cutting-edge of the cutting-edge … read this book!
Download sample chapters of POTENTIATE YOUR DNA at ...
http://phoenixregenetics.org/books/po...
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: The Developers and all Facilitators of the Regenetics Method offer DNA activation as educators and ordained ministers, not medical doctors, and do not purport to diagnose, prevent or treat illness of any kind. Regenetics Method information and sessions are offered, and accepted, as exercises of freedom of speech and religion. The Developers and Facilitators of the Regenetics Method make no recommendations, claims, promises or guarantees relative to specific health challenges. You are solely responsible for your own medical treatment and care.
Yet another fantastic reader review (below) of my empowering self-help book on DNA activation, POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, was recently posted to the book’s Amazon page, where both the paperback and Kindle versions are available.
The first DNA activation in the “revolutionary healing science” (NEXUS) of the Regenetics Method, Potentiation employs linguistic codes-produced vocally and mentally-to stimulate a self-healing and transformational ability in DNA.
In this exploration of sound healing, learn how to activate your genetic potential-in a single, 30-minute session!
Besides teaching you a technique you can perform for your family, friends and even pets, POTENTIATE YOUR DNA also: 1) provides tried and true supplemental tools for maximizing your results; and 2) outlines a pioneering theory linking genetics, energy and consciousness.
Writes Dr. David Kamnitzer in his five-star review of the book,
It is obvious that in POTENTIATE YOUR DNA Sol Luckman has seen clearly through much of the miasma that constitutes the “water” that our society swims in. This book presents a way of being with DNA that points to a path to and vision of wholeness that stirs the soul. He uses the term “meta-genetics” as a handle for this new paradigm—a paradigm that goes to the Heart of the Matter—literally! I resonated deeply with much of his message, including 1) the primacy of Love … expressing first as Sound … then moving into Light as the dimensional worlds appear; 2) the use of Solfeggio frequencies and specific vowel sound sequences to activate dormant potentialities of Being and DNA; and 3) a new model of the interface between planes and chakras that allows for and even illuminates the unique individual responses to common stresses. If you love the cutting-edge of the cutting-edge … read this book!
Download sample chapters of POTENTIATE YOUR DNA at ...
http://phoenixregenetics.org/books/po...
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: The Developers and all Facilitators of the Regenetics Method offer DNA activation as educators and ordained ministers, not medical doctors, and do not purport to diagnose, prevent or treat illness of any kind. Regenetics Method information and sessions are offered, and accepted, as exercises of freedom of speech and religion. The Developers and Facilitators of the Regenetics Method make no recommendations, claims, promises or guarantees relative to specific health challenges. You are solely responsible for your own medical treatment and care.
June 21, 2014
SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING Is Now Available!
Sol Luckman
While my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, was composed with young adult and young-at-heart readers in mind, the book recently proved its literary merit by receiving an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition in the general fiction category.
Here are some excerpts from the stellar reviews that have already come in …
“SNOOZE is without doubt one of the best coming-of-age, awakening books that I have ever read, and it had me entranced from beginning to end.” —Ingrid Hall, Author & Freelance Editor
“SNOOZE is a book for readers ready to awaken from our mass cultural illusion before we self-destruct.” —Merry Hall, Co-Host of ENVISION THIS
“This is a good read. One to share across generations, across space and time—or time and space.” —Dr. Janet Graham, Kalamazoo, Michigan
“A literary treasure. SNOOZE is a beautiful and fascinating depiction of the awakening process that will touch your heart.” —Liliana Cartagena
“This is a book that, when many people read it, will be instrumental in the world being a better place to live.” —Jennifer Churchill
In a recent essay, I describe some of the how and why SNOOZE came about:
I had in mind to write something indeed like a superhero story—but a believable one, a far cry from the standard stretched affairs currently gracing so many silver screens.
I also had a notion to write a book about how real magic, as opposed to a load of hocus pocus involving wizards and wands, might function in—and ultimately change—the real world.
By “real magic,” I mean just that. Specifically, I’m referring to the longstanding tradition of seemingly miraculous abilities called siddhis in Vedic lore—which are understood not as superhuman capacities so much as inherent to, if submerged in, human nature.
Siddhis come in a number of varieties, but common ones, witnessed by thousands of people over the ages, include telekinesis (moving objects with the mind), telepathy (ESP), and levitation or flying.
Historically documented in numerous individuals, from Indian gurus to the Catholic priest, Padre Pio, such powers are said to emerge organically from within the human being, often in connection with pineal gland activation and lucid dreaming.
The idea of siddhis had fascinated me ever since I first learned of them in college. It was mind-blowing that one of the oldest systems of personal development on the planet—the Vedic tradition of India—insisted, in essence, that everyone inherits the capability of becoming a superhero!
Begging the question … What would it actually be like to experience the sprouting and flowering of these inborn occult powers in oneself?
SNOOZE is finally available—in both paperback and ebook formats—at most online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon (UK), Amazon (Canada), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Lulu, and my own website, where you can also peruse or download the first fourteen chapters ...
http://www.CrowRising.com/snooze
Finally, please tune in this Monday, June 23, at 7 PM EDT to ENVISION THIS radio for a live interview with me about SNOOZE.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision...
Thanks so much for reading—and sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
While my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, was composed with young adult and young-at-heart readers in mind, the book recently proved its literary merit by receiving an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition in the general fiction category.
Here are some excerpts from the stellar reviews that have already come in …
“SNOOZE is without doubt one of the best coming-of-age, awakening books that I have ever read, and it had me entranced from beginning to end.” —Ingrid Hall, Author & Freelance Editor
“SNOOZE is a book for readers ready to awaken from our mass cultural illusion before we self-destruct.” —Merry Hall, Co-Host of ENVISION THIS
“This is a good read. One to share across generations, across space and time—or time and space.” —Dr. Janet Graham, Kalamazoo, Michigan
“A literary treasure. SNOOZE is a beautiful and fascinating depiction of the awakening process that will touch your heart.” —Liliana Cartagena
“This is a book that, when many people read it, will be instrumental in the world being a better place to live.” —Jennifer Churchill
In a recent essay, I describe some of the how and why SNOOZE came about:
I had in mind to write something indeed like a superhero story—but a believable one, a far cry from the standard stretched affairs currently gracing so many silver screens.
I also had a notion to write a book about how real magic, as opposed to a load of hocus pocus involving wizards and wands, might function in—and ultimately change—the real world.
By “real magic,” I mean just that. Specifically, I’m referring to the longstanding tradition of seemingly miraculous abilities called siddhis in Vedic lore—which are understood not as superhuman capacities so much as inherent to, if submerged in, human nature.
Siddhis come in a number of varieties, but common ones, witnessed by thousands of people over the ages, include telekinesis (moving objects with the mind), telepathy (ESP), and levitation or flying.
Historically documented in numerous individuals, from Indian gurus to the Catholic priest, Padre Pio, such powers are said to emerge organically from within the human being, often in connection with pineal gland activation and lucid dreaming.
The idea of siddhis had fascinated me ever since I first learned of them in college. It was mind-blowing that one of the oldest systems of personal development on the planet—the Vedic tradition of India—insisted, in essence, that everyone inherits the capability of becoming a superhero!
Begging the question … What would it actually be like to experience the sprouting and flowering of these inborn occult powers in oneself?
SNOOZE is finally available—in both paperback and ebook formats—at most online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon (UK), Amazon (Canada), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Lulu, and my own website, where you can also peruse or download the first fourteen chapters ...
http://www.CrowRising.com/snooze
Finally, please tune in this Monday, June 23, at 7 PM EDT to ENVISION THIS radio for a live interview with me about SNOOZE.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision...
Thanks so much for reading—and sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
June 15, 2014
Summer Reading: SNOOZE Recognized in Beach Book Festival Prize Competition
Sol Luckman
One of the obstacles in publishing a young adult, or YA, novel is getting readers to take it seriously from a literary perspective.
My own perspective, for the record, is that YA fiction tends to be far more imaginative, and a lot more interesting, than most adult fiction.
Given a choice between exploring alternate realities, the province of many YA novels, and spinning wheels in this reality the way so much adult fiction seems intent on doing, I’ll take the former anytime.
Fortunately, there seems to be an increasing awareness that novels written with a teenage focus audience can also excel as works of literature. Enter my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING.
Concerned with lucid dreaming, astral projection, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and a laundry list of other supernatural topics, SNOOZE is an exploration and celebration of the paranormal in the form of an epic, coming-of-age tale of one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the reality-altering quality of his dreams.
SNOOZE is also a YA novel—and darn proud to be one.
Composed with young adult as well young-at-heart readers in mind, SNOOZE just proved its literary merit by being selected for an Honorable Mention in the prestigious 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition.
To put the cherry on top of the cake, this recognition occurred by way of, not the young adult, but the general fiction category. So there.
This bit of external validation comes on the heels of a number of incredibly enthusiastic reader reviews.
Would you like to download a copy of SNOOZE to read and review? Peruse the first fourteen chapters and explore becoming a reviewer at ...
http://www.CrowRising.com/snooze
Sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
One of the obstacles in publishing a young adult, or YA, novel is getting readers to take it seriously from a literary perspective.
My own perspective, for the record, is that YA fiction tends to be far more imaginative, and a lot more interesting, than most adult fiction.
Given a choice between exploring alternate realities, the province of many YA novels, and spinning wheels in this reality the way so much adult fiction seems intent on doing, I’ll take the former anytime.
Fortunately, there seems to be an increasing awareness that novels written with a teenage focus audience can also excel as works of literature. Enter my new novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING.
Concerned with lucid dreaming, astral projection, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and a laundry list of other supernatural topics, SNOOZE is an exploration and celebration of the paranormal in the form of an epic, coming-of-age tale of one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the reality-altering quality of his dreams.
SNOOZE is also a YA novel—and darn proud to be one.
Composed with young adult as well young-at-heart readers in mind, SNOOZE just proved its literary merit by being selected for an Honorable Mention in the prestigious 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition.
To put the cherry on top of the cake, this recognition occurred by way of, not the young adult, but the general fiction category. So there.
This bit of external validation comes on the heels of a number of incredibly enthusiastic reader reviews.
Would you like to download a copy of SNOOZE to read and review? Peruse the first fourteen chapters and explore becoming a reviewer at ...
http://www.CrowRising.com/snooze
Sweet dreams!
Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.
