Doug Dillon's Blog, page 66
June 17, 2015
Is There A God?
Most likely, you’ve clicked on this article because you’re searching for a deeper understanding of life.
Well, you’ve found a friend in that worthy effort and it is my pleasure to share some of my discoveries with you.
You see, I’m a Florida writer, educator, meditator, grandfather and investigator probing into the nature of reality. Through my years of careful observation, intensive research, and startling personal experiences, I’ve come to some partial conclusions about the nature of our existence and what lies beyond life as we know it.
In that light, I offer you access to my extensive blog postings about such things through this website. You can either use the categories I’ve set up or you can insert your own and see what pops up. For a few examples of such posts, see the active links at the end of this article.
Then again, if you would like to investigate some of the books I’ve written, you’ll find that information below.
But no matter what, I wish you well on your journey of exploration. May you find what you’re looking for and how very much I hope you share what you uncover with others, including me.
We’re all in this together and we very much need each other’s help. You may contact me through the link to this posting or you can use the contact form on the website. I would love to hear from you.
Now as to my books that I think you might find of value. If you’re interested, you can order any of them from your local bookstore and all the major online book outlets.
Or, you can ask your local library to make copies available if they don’t already have them in the stacks.
Every library has some sort of procedure for patrons to make book purchase suggestions and they often follow through with those ideas just like the Orlando Public Library does near where I live (pictured here).
First, let me first show you my nonfiction books:
Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Experiences (Published as a paperback, hardback and Kindle eBook)
I’ve always been fascinated by Carl Jung and his theory of synchronicity.
His idea that there are no true coincidences, and all things are linked, increasingly fits with what I’ve experienced in recent years to an astounding degree.
And when I investigated Jung’s life, I also found how many truly strange events occurred in his life. Here was a famous psychiatrist whose paranormal experiences mirrored so much of what I was coming to understand that I had to pull it all together in book form.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic (Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback)
The title almost tells it all. This is a true life adventure that extended to my entire family. Many years ago, right after my father died, strange things began happening.
Those events led to my lifelong pursuit of things paranormal and to the writing of this book with my wife, Barbara.
An imprint of Prentice Hall published the book across the world and Barb and I launched into an eye-opening round of radio and TV presentations.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Now for my fiction work:
The St. Augustine Trilogy
Much of my educational career involved teenagers. And after taking early retirement, I decided to combine my experience with young people, my love for history and my paranormal understandings in a book series for young adults. The stories are action packed, with the premise being: “You Create Your Own Reality.”
This series takes place in present day St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest and most haunted city in the United States. And surprisingly, what I have found is that even older adults like what I’ve written despite it originally being designed for teens.
Below you can see larger versions of the book covers and a brief description of each plot.
Sliding Beneath the Surface {Book I}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
In America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, teenager Jeff Golden is in trouble. Horrible dreams won’t let him sleep, and he is up to his eyeballs in terrifying, paranormal experiences.
Finally, Jeff turns to his girlfriend Carla, and Lobo, the mysterious Native American shaman, for help. But what he discovers is a lot more than he bargained for.
A ghostly presence linked to a local historic cemetery is not only threatening Jeff’s sanity but his life as well. And before he knows what’s happening, Jeff finds both himself and Carla pulled into one of the nastiest and bloody events in Florida history. It is a place from which they may never escape.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Stepping Off a Cliff {Book II}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine.
Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy.
In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Targeting Orion’s Children {Book III}. Publication due in late 2016.
In this, the final book of The St. Augustine Trilogy, the team of Jeff Golden, Carla Rodriguez, old Lobo, the Native American shaman and Lyle, the homeless guy, gather once again to join forces.
This time, though, the two teens face a paranormal presence that defies full human understanding and becomes a threat far beyond the oldest city in America where they live.
Overwhelmed by the immense responsibility they hold in their hands, Jeff and Carla make a jaw-dropping discovery that leads them in directions they could never before have imagined.
OK, and finally, as promised, here are the links to those blog post samples:
Meditation, Mindfulness and Premonitions
Haunted Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida
Can Synchronicity Link the Past and Present?
In our investigations into the paranormal, my wife Barbara and have come to the conclusion that no events are truly coincidental. Having that belief is one thing but seeing it demonstrated in a highly dramatic way tends to really grab your attention. This is the recent story about such a happening.
The book Barb and I wrote about the paranormal was originally published by an imprint of Prentice Hall back in 1984. When we brought An Explosion of Being back to life through Old St. Augustine Publications in the fall of 2011, I began to wonder about the people who read that first edition. Did the book have any lasting effect on them? Did anyone actually keep a copy or did they just give it away? Questions like that.
Two days later, the phone rang. The caller ID said, “Cassadaga Camp.” Cassadaga? Barb and I hadn’t had any actual connection with that Spiritualist town just north of us since we went there for a psychic reading in 1979. In our book, we wrote about our visit to Cassadaga and the medium, Mae Graves Ward, but I couldn’t see how this phone call could relate to that in any way. Much to my amazement, I soon discovered how wrong I was.
It turned out that the caller, was Selene Green, the manager for the Cassadaga Camp Bookstore and Information Center. This is what she said: “You probably don’t remember me but I was the manager of the B. Dalton’s bookstore in Gainesville, Florida when you and your wife did a book signing there back in 1985.” She went on to say that she still had her copy of our book we signed for her at the time and she believed that it led her to her present position in Cassadaga.
Spirit Pond in Cassadaga, FL. Photo by Marla Chirnside
To say I was astounded doesn’t begin to explain how I felt. Before I had time to recover, Selene put another woman on the phone. “Hi Doug, I’m Marla Chirnside and I hired your wife to work in the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce back in 1985.”
My phone connection with Cassadaga was getting weirder by the moment. Marla’s name rang a bell in my startled brain and Barb had indeed worked at the Seminole County Chamber.
Left-Marla Chirnside, Right-Selene Green
“I know you won’t believe this,” Marla went on to say, “but I’m living in Mae Graves Ward’s house here in Cassadaga, the medium you and Barb visited. I’m also a healer and serve on the Board of Trustees for the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp.”
What a double-barelled surprise! Talk about getting your questions answered and making a point about there being no coincidences! A few weeks after that phone conversation, Barb and I went to Cassadaga and had dinner with both Selene and Marla. We had a wonderful time catching up on the intervening years, talking about what brought us all together again, and discussing the paranormal.
Enough said about that experience. I think it speaks for itself. If you want to know more about Cassadaga, see my two previous posts, one of which is a photo gallery. My next post will highlight the Cassadaga Bookstore and Information Center.
For more information on Cassadaga, click on any of the following links:
Cassadaga, A Spiritualist Community
Cassadaga Bookstore and Information Center
If you are truly interested in all kinds of strange phenomena, you also might be like to take a look at my book, Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Coincidences. You can find it in most online bookstores. Listed below, however, are direct book links to some of the larger retail outlets in the English speaking world:
Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon India, Amazon Australia, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository
Excellent Book: Ghosts & Hauntings
Fascinating new book by paranormal author and investigator, Doug Dillon, brings to life Carl Jung’s personal supernatural experiences. Backed up synchronistic events and strange happenings in the lives of a large variety of other very reliable people.
Praise for Carl Jung, Hauntings, Paranormal Coincidences:
“This book is a part of all of us. The journey that we are all taking is inherently connected to those stories told in this book, written with so much joy, curiosity, and intelligence . . .”
Steven Ballou,
Psychotherapist and Adjunct Faculty/Psychology, Southern New Hampshire University
“Wow! As an experienced and seasoned paranormal investigator (24 years), I really loved this book!”
Jill Borter,
Operations Manager and Electronic Voice Phenomena Analyst, Orlando Paranormal Investigations
“Doug Dillon’s work helps one better appreciate the magnificence of all that surrounds and defines our existence.”
Jim Caccavo,
former NEWSWEEK, Vietnam war correspondent/photographer
“What a journey. What a litany of experiences. If you like ‘the Paranormal’, you’ll love Carl Jung, Hauntings and Paranormal Coincidences.”
Chuck Dowling,
author of The Hammer of God Series, the Story of Arthur
“I could hardly put this book down. For anyone who has questions about what happens when we pass from the living world, I recommend this book.”
Mary Jo Fister,
Lead Investigator and Case Manager, Offthetrails Paranormal Investigations
“This book illustrates the relationship of spirituality in everyday life with a curiosity about things we may experience and never understand.”
Kitty Mendoza,
Psychotherapist in private practice, Longwood, Florida
“Each vignette is crafted so well that I couldn’t stop reading.”
Diane Ross,
Hypnotist and author of Meditations for Miracles
If you are interested in reading this book, you can find it in most online bookstores. Listed below, however, are direct book links to some of the larger retail outlets in the English-speaking world:
Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon India, Amazon Australia, Barnes and Noble, Kobo (Canada)
This book is based upon a series of very popular blog posts Doug did on Carl Jung’s paranormal adventures. See links to all postings on the following lead article titled, Carl Jung Part 1: Paranormal, Coincidences and Synchronicity.
June 16, 2015
Orlando Literary News
LibCon Orlando on June 27, 2015. A full day focused on books, authors, writing and publishing. Come join us.
Panels, talks, discussions, workshops. Meet the authors and talk about their books. A literary delight!
LibCon Orlando
Saturday, June 27, 2015 (Free)
10 AM – 4 PM
Orlando Public Library, 101 Central Ave., downtown Orlando. 407-835-7438. Parking garage across the street.
Love books? Want to meet loads of published authors? Want to be an author and learn how? Here’s your chance. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity. Book signings going on all day.
Click here to connect directly with the library.
Carl Jung: Synchronicity & Precognition
Fascinating new book by paranormal author and investigator, Doug Dillon, brings to life Carl Jung’s personal supernatural experiences. Backed up synchronistic events and strange happenings in the lives of a large variety of other very reliable people.
Praise for Carl Jung, Hauntings, Paranormal Coincidences:
“This book is a part of all of us. The journey that we are all taking is inherently connected to those stories told in this book, written with so much joy, curiosity, and intelligence . . .”
Steven Ballou,
Psychotherapist and Adjunct Faculty/Psychology, Southern New Hampshire University
“Wow! As an experienced and seasoned paranormal investigator (24 years), I really loved this book!”
Jill Borter,
Operations Manager and Electronic Voice Phenomena Analyst, Orlando Paranormal Investigations
“Doug Dillon’s work helps one better appreciate the magnificence of all that surrounds and defines our existence.”
Jim Caccavo,
former NEWSWEEK, Vietnam war correspondent/photographer
“What a journey. What a litany of experiences. If you like ‘the Paranormal’, you’ll love Carl Jung, Hauntings and Paranormal Coincidences.”
Chuck Dowling,
author of The Hammer of God Series, the Story of Arthur
“I could hardly put this book down. For anyone who has questions about what happens when we pass from the living world, I recommend this book.”
Mary Jo Fister,
Lead Investigator and Case Manager, Offthetrails Paranormal Investigations
“This book illustrates the relationship of spirituality in everyday life with a curiosity about things we may experience and never understand.”
Kitty Mendoza,
Psychotherapist in private practice, Longwood, Florida
“Each vignette is crafted so well that I couldn’t stop reading.”
Diane Ross,
Hypnotist and author of Meditations for Miracles
If you are interested in reading this book, you can find it in most online bookstores. Listed below, however, are direct book links to some of the larger retail outlets in the English-speaking world:
Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon India, Amazon Australia, Barnes and Noble, Kobo (Canada)
This book is based upon a series of very popular blog posts Doug did on Carl Jung’s paranormal adventures. See links to all postings on the following lead article titled, Carl Jung Part 1: Paranormal, Coincidences and Synchronicity.
June 15, 2015
Why Am I Here?
Most likely, you’ve clicked on this article because you’re searching for a deeper understanding of life. Well, you’ve found a friend in that worthy effort and it is my pleasure to share some of my discoveries with you.
You see, I’m a Florida writer, educator, meditator, grandfather and investigator probing into the nature of reality. Through my years of careful observation, intensive research, and startling personal experiences, I’ve come to some partial conclusions about the nature of our existence and what lies beyond life as we know it.
In that light, I offer you access to my extensive blog postings about such things through this website. You can either use the categories I’ve set up or you can insert your own and see what pops up. For a few examples of such posts, see the active links at the end of this article.
Then again, if you would like to investigate some of the books I’ve written, you’ll find that information below.
But no matter what, I wish you well on your journey of exploration. May you find what you’re looking for and how very much I hope you share what you uncover with others, including me.
We’re all in this together and we very much need each other’s help. You may contact me through the link to this posting or you can use the contact form on the website. I would love to hear from you.
Now as to my books that I think you might find of value. If you’re interested, you can order any of them from your local bookstore and all the major online book outlets.
Or, you can ask your local library to make copies available if they don’t already have them in the stacks.
Every library has some sort of procedure for patrons to make book purchase suggestions and they often follow through with those ideas just like the Orlando Public Library does near where I live (pictured here).
First, let me first show you my nonfiction books:
Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Experiences (Published as a paperback, hardback and Kindle eBook)
I’ve always been fascinated by Carl Jung and his theory of synchronicity.
His idea that there are no true coincidences, and all things are linked, increasingly fits with what I’ve experienced in recent years to an astounding degree.
And when I investigated Jung’s life, I also found how many truly strange events occurred in his life. Here was a famous psychiatrist whose paranormal experiences mirrored so much of what I was coming to understand that I had to pull it all together in book form.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic (Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback)
The title almost tells it all. This is a true life adventure that extended to my entire family. Many years ago, right after my father died, strange things began happening.
Those events led to my lifelong pursuit of things paranormal and to the writing of this book with my wife, Barbara.
An imprint of Prentice Hall published the book across the world and Barb and I launched into an eye-opening round of radio and TV presentations.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Now for my fiction work:
The St. Augustine Trilogy
Much of my educational career involved teenagers. And after taking early retirement, I decided to combine my experience with young people, my love for history and my paranormal understandings in a book series for young adults. The stories are action packed, with the premise being: “You Create Your Own Reality.”
This series takes place in present day St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest and most haunted city in the United States. And surprisingly, what I have found is that even older adults like what I’ve written despite it originally being designed for teens.
Below you can see larger versions of the book covers and a brief description of each plot.
Sliding Beneath the Surface {Book I}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
In America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, teenager Jeff Golden is in trouble. Horrible dreams won’t let him sleep, and he is up to his eyeballs in terrifying, paranormal experiences.
Finally, Jeff turns to his girlfriend Carla, and Lobo, the mysterious Native American shaman, for help. But what he discovers is a lot more than he bargained for.
A ghostly presence linked to a local historic cemetery is not only threatening Jeff’s sanity but his life as well. And before he knows what’s happening, Jeff finds both himself and Carla pulled into one of the nastiest and bloody events in Florida history. It is a place from which they may never escape.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Stepping Off a Cliff {Book II}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine.
Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy.
In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Targeting Orion’s Children {Book III}. Publication due in late 2016.
In this, the final book of The St. Augustine Trilogy, the team of Jeff Golden, Carla Rodriguez, old Lobo, the Native American shaman and Lyle, the homeless guy, gather once again to join forces.
This time, though, the two teens face a paranormal presence that defies full human understanding and becomes a threat far beyond the oldest city in America where they live.
Overwhelmed by the immense responsibility they hold in their hands, Jeff and Carla make a jaw-dropping discovery that leads them in directions they could never before have imagined.
OK, and finally, as promised, here are the links to those blog post samples:
Meditation, Mindfulness and Premonitions
Haunted Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida
Synchronicity & Decision Making
Should you pay attention when a coincidence, or coincidences, seems to point to a possible danger? And if you pay attention, what action(s) should you take, if any, to avert that danger?
My wife Barb and I are serious believers in the idea that everything in existence is connected and also linked to unseen worlds, dimensions, universes, etc., etc. This boils down to the understanding that no event is fully random even though we may not understand how this comes about. For us, it’s just something we accept as a demonstration of such connectivity and we don’t have to prove causation to ourselves or anybody else. Nor do we question why something happened very much. Once in a great while, however, we are forced to look more closely.
Such a time came a couple of years ago when we got a letter from our electrician warning all his customers about the possibility of fire if they had a particular circuit breaker box made in the 1970’s.
Since our house was built in 1976, we paid close attention.
Sure enough, we were the proud owners of one of the breaker boxes in question. That kind of shook me up because during the previous week I had two experiences with electrical fires: one at my chiropractor’s office and one in a nursing home where I visit Hospice patients. Those fires were small and did little damage but the fact that they both happened with me present now made me sit up and take notice. Besides, the stink of burning wires from each fire was still fresh in my memory and the warning letter seemed to glare at me from its place on my desk.
When I called the electrician, he said that during all those years since the ’70s, the company did make some faulty breakers but all-in-all, not too many fires occurred, and there had not been a general recall. His assessment was that a slight danger did exist but probably not much to worry about. He told me he felt obligated to send out the notice he himself had received but since a new box would cost right around $1,000, it was highly questionable whether the minimal danger warranted such a high expense.
I liked what he had to say because I sure didn’t want to shell out that kind of money if I could help it. Still, I went on the Internet to research the situation myself. I came up with a mixed bag of results. The search verified much of what my electrician told me but I also read reports by other electricians who said the breaker boxes in question were crap, they wouldn’t have them in their homes and and they wouldn’t install one. Not so good but I still didn’t want to pay $1,000 if I could help it.
Just as I had that thought about not paying the money, the power in the entire house flickered on and off. Woops. A power shift when I’m researching electrical problems and almost deciding to not get a new breaker box? Uh, that was a little too coincidental for comfort. As a result, I did another Google search and came up with a newsletter published by a civic association for the the Village of Westover. Location? Very near Harrisburg, PA.
The entire front page was about my breaker box and how many of the homes in the community were originally constructed in the 1970’s using identical equipment. Evidently, enough fires had begun because of those boxes that quite a few families in the Village of Westover purchased new equipment. One woman talked about how fire started in her home built in 1976–the same year mine was constructed.
After reading that woman’s story, I happened to glance at the list of officers for the civic association. The last name for the immediate past president? Dillon, my last name. Not an overly common name. Yes, I did a double-take on that one. Click here to see that newsletter.
In discussing this all with Barb, we decided there were just too many linkages to ignore. As much as we hated to do it, we reluctantly agreed to get a new breaker box installed. It didn’t happen right away. I think it was a combination of my not wanting to part with all that money and just being overly busy.
A couple of weeks later while doing my usual walk around the neighborhood for exercise, I passed what was left of a house just up the street from us. For whatever reason, I had forgotten the thing burned up a year or two before. Since no repairs were made for so long, I guess I just accepted its looks as normal until that moment when the word fire suddenly sprang to mind. My neighborhood. 1970’s. Oh my God!
After she arrived home from work that evening, I reminded Barb about the burned out house near us and my new reaction to it. Like me, she had put it out of her mind but she immediately got on the Internet. After an extensive search, she found our city’s report giving details about the house fire in question. In the document she read, it cited the cause as faulty circuit breakers. Within a week, we had a new breaker panel, the one pictured above. Sometime you just gotta stop fighting the problem and go with the flow.
Update: May 23, 2012
A couple of months after having the new breaker box installed, our clothes dryer stopped working. So naturally, I called in repair guy. Turns out he had nothing to repair. He said I must have a faulty circuit breaker. What? No way. Sure enough, he had me feel it and damn if the thing wasn’t warm–a sure indication that a problem existed.
I immediately got the electrician back who installed our brand new breaker panel worth $1000. “Yup,” he said, “that’s weird. Shouldn’t happen.” He aslso said he didn’t think it really put us in any danger but he replaced the breaker for no charge.
SO – what does this say about interpreting a series of coincidences and acting on them? All the indicators pointed to danger so we acted, right? But what if our interpretation was wrong? If there was indeed a message in all those coincidental events, it is conceivable this was it: By All Means, Do Not Buy A New Breaker Panel. It will contain a Faulty Breaker and This Will Put You in Danger.
I bring this up to remind myself and everyone else how difficult it is to tease specific meaning out of coincidental events. This is one area where humanity has tripped itself up over the eons by assigning way too much meaning through the use of seers, oracles and psychics. If the Multiple Universes Theory of quantum physics is correct, perhaps the strong indicators we see in a series of coincidental events may have a probable meaning but it may have stronger or weaker shades of probability according to the universe in which you live. A huge caution sign.
Am I now second guessing our decision to install a new breaker box? I did for a few seconds but as I weighed the two interpretations, I realized I would do the same thing again. Choices. It’s all about choices but based upon as much cool analysis as possible.
If you are truly interested in all kinds of strange phenomena, you might be like to take a look at my book, Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Coincidences. You can find it in most online bookstores. Listed below, however, are direct book links to some of the larger retail outlets in the English speaking world:
Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon India, Amazon Australia, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository
Meditation, Mindfulness and the Supernatural
A quest for understanding dips into the unknown and plunges into haunting coincidences.
Even though I’ve been meditating for quite a number of years, I also attend meditation retreats periodically. They are a wonderful time to get away from it all, deepen my skills and learn more about myself than I could in any other way.
And although I have been studying and investigating the paranormal for a very long time, I never made a connection between meditation and “things that go bump in the night.” That all changed when I went on an extended retreat near Brooksville, Florida.
Florida is notoriously flat, but our retreat center turned out to be on one of the tallest hills in the state. A beautiful place, built in 1842, it was originally a plantation, now turned conference center. That location is one of the few in Florida where you can actually look down on a sunset.
The administrative offices were located in the manor house, behind which were smaller buildings, guest quarters, meeting space and, of course, a cafeteria. The rooms where we slept were comfortable and the wooded surroundings were wonderfully peaceful.
While driving to the retreat from my home near Orlando, I smiled at the fact that the manor house of the plantation was built right after the end of the Second Seminole War. Why? Because of a series of three circumstances that came together to form an interesting set of coincidences.
First of all, I had just completed the first novel of my young adult paranormal/historical series titled The St. Augustine Trilogy.
The book, Sliding Beneath the Surface, plunges two teenagers back in time, right into the middle of the horrific battle that began the conflict, a place not far from the retreat center. Every year there on the anniversary of the Dade Battle, as it is known, reenactors stage an incredibly accurate portrayal of what happened.
So for me, staying at a place built during the same era as the nearby battle as described in my book made for interesting speculation about how all three things could fit together so neatly. You see, long before that day, I had concluded, as had Carl Jung in his theory of synchonicity, that such coincidental events often point to something deeper in the nature of our existence.
But as interesting as the coming together of those three things were, I had a retreat to attend. And before long, I became thoroughly engrossed in my meditations. Engrossed, that is until one day everything changed.
It started after breakfast, two days into the retreat. After each meal, we were given a period of free time, and on that day, I chose to take a leisurely walk around the grounds of the old plantation. My little jaunt started out on what had once been an old road with tall trees still on either side of it.
And as I studied my surroundings, I looked up at the trees all around me and noticed how each one of them had a lot of dead branches at the top. Immediately, I became afraid, worried that one of those branches could come crashing down and hit me or one of my companions.
Fear? The likelihood of being clobbered in that way was very low and I had walked under many such trees in my time. So why the apprehension? I asked myself, trying unsuccessfully to shake off that sensation.
Instead of giving in to such thoughts, I started wondering what the original owners of the surrounding plantation might think if they encountered such modern day intruders on their property. And true to my writer’s inclinations, I suddenly conjured up this vision of a man in period dress in front of me.
In my imagination, this gentleman and I then had an interesting conversation about the past Vs. the present. And at the end of that chat, the man said, “And remember. Suffer the little children to come unto me.”
What? Those words were so inconsistent with what was being said, that it totally blew my little day dream apart. My companion disappeared, and I continued walking, this time past the manor house in an area I hadn’t visited before.
But those words spoken by my imaginary friend still made me wonder. That whole conversation was just me talking to me in an imaginative way, right?
Yes, I was raised a Christian, but I had long ago found Christianity unable to fulfill my spiritual needs. In fact, my retreat was based on Buddhism. Why that quote from Jesus would suddenly popped into my head made no sense, but I let it go.
Looking to my left, I was surprised to find a small cemetery dating back to the early days of the plantation. Obviously, it was the final resting place of long forgotten family members, containing only five or six tombstones.
One of those stones lay flat on the ground. Attached to the top of it was a carved lamb. The inscribed dates showed that a child was buried there who died at the age of one year. And under the date were the words, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.”
Okay then. That really made me think. In fact, it made me wonder if, when I was communicating with my imaginary companion, was I somehow tapping into something else?
Or, could it be . . . Nah, the guy couldn’t have had some sort of reality that I didn’t understand. Or could he? A ghost? No way.
Telling myself that I was l letting my writer’s creativity run away with itself because of the coincidental circumstances relating to the retreat location, I spent the rest of the day deeply immersed in meditation.
Then came dinner. And after dinner, I decided to just sit on one of the many benches strategically set between our cafeteria and living quarters. It had been a good day, even though part of it was a bit weird.
And, of course, my mind went back to my fear of those tree branches, the encounter with my ghostly friend, and the inscription on that poor child’s tombstone. What a strange set of events, I thought, just as something huge and heavy crashed to the ground about ten feet to my left.
When I say huge and heavy, I’m not kidding. The impact made the ground shake and immediately, one of my meditation friends came running over wondering if I was OK. Together, we surveyed the large branch that had fallen out of a tree. If it had hit me, I might well have been killed.
Did I have a premonition? And if so, why? I mean, did looking up into those trees and thinking how a branch could fall somehow influence me to sit on that bench instead walking under the branch that actually fell? I don’t know, but it certainly is food for thought, as are those other happenings during my retreat.
Could my meditations have somehow opened me up to such occurrences? Was there some sort of residual energy in that historic location ready to connect with me just then because of that openness? Beats me. Maybe.
Since that retreat, I visited the same location multiple times but without another recurrence of similar events. What I learned through those experiences though, was not to so easily dismiss those things I might normally consider as imagination.
The Dade Battle reenactment .
Oh, one more thing. The day the retreat ended, I felt compelled to visit the little cemetery one more time. And when I got there, a car was parked very close to the tombstones. A license plate on the front of the car said, “Seminole Wars Foundation.”
End of story, but if you are interested in premonitions, coincidental events, ghosts, Carl Jung and synchonicity, you might want to take a look at the book on your left.
I wrote it because I am fascinated by not only Carl jung’s theories but also by his own paranormal experiences. And in studying all that I decided to combine what I had learned with my own experiences and those of others. That’s the package.
You can find the book on most large online bookstores, but below is the link to Amazon.com where you can see the reviews by those who have read it.
Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Coincidences.
Sliding Beneath the Surface: Book I of the St. Augustine Trilogy
June 13, 2015
What is My Purpose in Life?
Most likely, you’ve clicked on this article because you’re searching for a deeper understanding of life. Well, you’ve found a friend in that worthy effort and it is my pleasure to share some of my discoveries with you.
You see, I’m a Florida writer, educator, meditator, grandfather and investigator probing into the nature of reality. Through my years of careful observation, intensive research, and startling personal experiences, I’ve come to some partial conclusions about the nature of our existence and what lies beyond life as we know it.
In that light, I offer you access to my extensive blog postings about such things through this website. You can either use the categories I’ve set up or you can insert your own and see what pops up. For a few examples of such posts, see the active links at the end of this article.
Then again, if you would like to investigate some of the books I’ve written, you’ll find that information below.
But no matter what, I wish you well on your journey of exploration. May you find what you’re looking for and how very much I hope you share what you uncover with others, including me.
We’re all in this together and we very much need each other’s help. You may contact me through the link to this posting or you can use the contact form on the website. I would love to hear from you.
Now as to my books that I think you might find of value. If you’re interested, you can order any of them from your local bookstore and all the major online book outlets.
Or, you can ask your local library to make copies available if they don’t already have them in the stacks.
Every library has some sort of procedure for patrons to make book purchase suggestions and they often follow through with those ideas just like the Orlando Public Library does near where I live (pictured here).
First, let me first show you my nonfiction books:
Carl Jung, Hauntings, and Paranormal Experiences (Published as a paperback, hardback and Kindle eBook)
I’ve always been fascinated by Carl Jung and his theory of synchronicity.
His idea that there are no true coincidences, and all things are linked, increasingly fits with what I’ve experienced in recent years to an astounding degree.
And when I investigated Jung’s life, I also found how many truly strange events occurred in his life. Here was a famous psychiatrist whose paranormal experiences mirrored so much of what I was coming to understand that I had to pull it all together in book form.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic (Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback)
The title almost tells it all. This is a true life adventure that extended to my entire family. Many years ago, right after my father died, strange things began happening.
Those events led to my lifelong pursuit of things paranormal and to the writing of this book with my wife, Barbara.
An imprint of Prentice Hall published the book across the world and Barb and I launched into an eye-opening round of radio and TV presentations.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Now for my fiction work:
The St. Augustine Trilogy
Much of my educational career involved teenagers. And after taking early retirement, I decided to combine my experience with young people, my love for history and my paranormal understandings in a book series for young adults. The stories are action packed, with the premise being: “You Create Your Own Reality.”
This series takes place in present day St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest and most haunted city in the United States. And surprisingly, what I have found is that even older adults like what I’ve written despite it originally being designed for teens.
Below you can see larger versions of the book covers and a brief description of each plot.
Sliding Beneath the Surface {Book I}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
In America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, teenager Jeff Golden is in trouble. Horrible dreams won’t let him sleep, and he is up to his eyeballs in terrifying, paranormal experiences.
Finally, Jeff turns to his girlfriend Carla, and Lobo, the mysterious Native American shaman, for help. But what he discovers is a lot more than he bargained for.
A ghostly presence linked to a local historic cemetery is not only threatening Jeff’s sanity but his life as well. And before he knows what’s happening, Jeff finds both himself and Carla pulled into one of the nastiest and bloody events in Florida history. It is a place from which they may never escape.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Stepping Off a Cliff {Book II}. Published as a Kindle eBook and paperback.
An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine.
Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy.
In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com Books-A-Million.com
Targeting Orion’s Children {Book III}. Publication due in late 2016.
In this, the final book of The St. Augustine Trilogy, the team of Jeff Golden, Carla Rodriguez, old Lobo, the Native American shaman and Lyle, the homeless guy, gather once again to join forces.
This time, though, the two teens face a paranormal presence that defies full human understanding and becomes a threat far beyond the oldest city in America where they live.
Overwhelmed by the immense responsibility they hold in their hands, Jeff and Carla make a jaw-dropping discovery that leads them in directions they could never before have imagined.
OK, and finally, as promised, here are the links to those blog post samples:
Meditation, Mindfulness and Premonitions
Haunted Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida
Florida Author & Book Conference
LibCon Orlando on June 27, 2015. A full day focused on books, authors, writing and publishing. Come join us.
Panels, talks, discussions, workshops. Meet the authors and talk about their books. A literary delight!
LibCon Orlando
Saturday, June 27, 2015 (Free)
10 AM – 4 PM
Orlando Public Library, 101 Central Ave., downtown Orlando. 407-835-7438. Parking garage across the street.
Love books? Want to meet loads of published authors? Want to be an author and learn how? Here’s your chance. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity. Book signings going on all day.
Click here to connect directly with the library.
