From: lalsoong@sprynet.com (Christine Wirick ) Subject: Pardox Delusion, part 14 Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 04:29:34 GMT Message-ID: <3315c72f.33208583@m3.sprynet.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Chapter Fourteen: Sam went to his room to think for a little while. Where should he go from here? Did he have all the pieces to solve this puzzle? If so, why did he still feel so unprepared? He retrieved the future lives journal and rested his hand on it. I'm afraid to even open it! He realized. How much worse could it get? He didn't want to know the answer. But he knew that he *needed* to know the answer. Yet some inner voice told him that it wasn't quite time to return to the entries. Had Patrick perhaps sent him a warning? If so, then what exactly did Patrick believe he should be doing right now? Sam closed his eyes in an attempt to better focus on whatever message his psychic mentor might be trying to send him. A knock at his door interrupted his concentration. "Yes?" he said. Meg opened the door and popped her head inside. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." "I could use a little distraction at the moment." She nodded before her eyes rested on the journal. "I think now would be a good time to begin explaining safety barriers to you." Maybe Patrick had sent the message--or rather messenger. "Yes," Beckett agreed. "I would like to feel as safe as possible before any more spirits show up." "Okay. Just let me get some paper from my bedroom and I'll meet you downstairs in the living room." He waited for her at the base of the stairs until she came down in a flurry with several sheets of typing paper in hand. "Let's sit down on the couch where I can draw on outline at the coffee table to help me better demonstrate how you can use safety barriers and why they are important." She waited for his nod of approval and then walked over to the sofa. Once they were seated, she wrote four headings at the top of her paper: Grounding, buffering, interface level, and psychic competency development. "It will be easiest to explain this chart by going from right to left," she said, tapping the fourth header. "First, you need to determine, with my help, your evolutionary path of PSI development." She jotted this down underneath the header. "Even among primary psychics there are for each individual areas that are unsafe for them. It is usually in some way contradictory to their personal mission. Depending on their mission structure, two psychics who are otherwise equal, could use different PSI tools and techniques. While they may have some practices in common, there will most likely be certain areas that are perfectly safe for one psychic, but dangerous for the other to even attempt." "That's why it's so important that we join forces to go against these evil spirits," Sam commented. "That's right. Before we go any further with this chart, I need you to state verbally your intentions for upgrade. How far are you willing to go?" Sam hesitated, realizing this was his last chance to turn back. He thought about Ben and Karen and the happy couple they had been in the beginning. Ben was a good man who had been corrupted by evil, both while living and after death. Sam knew that his conscience would only allow him to make one decision. "I am willing to advance as far as is necessary to help Ben and Karen," he replied. "Good. I'm proud of you, Sam." Meg squeezed his hand reassuringly. "The next step is in realizing who should not be exposed to PSI at all if avoidable. In this case that would include Andrew Montgomery and the Sheffields. You should consider those who are psychically aware but not truly active and enhance their capacity for buffering." "That would probably include Al." Meg nodded. "It is also important to be aware of areas that God does not want you to work." She jotted down a note referring to this on the paper. "If anything you attempt while exploring your psychic abilities feels wrong in any way, then stop that activity immediately. Some of the warning signs of this include Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue." "So physical symptoms can serve as safety barriers. That's reassuring." Next, Meg wrote: determine the correct purpose(s) of the work. "That would be to help Ben and Karen Simms," Sam said. "That is most likely part of your purpose, but I suspect that you are only allowing yourself to see a small portion of the big picture. What you need to explore here in addition to this current mission, is your entire life's mission. How will developing these PSI skills now effect your efforts to return home? And how will they enhance your role as a medical doctor?" "Raymond said something earlier about Levels having a holistic effect." "Yes, Levels can play a big part in it. There is also a new procedure being used with coma patients that you might be interested in knowing about. Some believe that music can help draw patients out of a coma." "Because it's soothing and uplifting. This is all very interesting. I'd like to believe that I could take what I'm learning here and use it to help others in need. Do you envision that as my purpose?" "You are the one who will have to discover that for yourself. God has a purpose for everyone and it is up to every individual to realize what his or her purpose is." "Of course. That makes sense." "But if it feels right to you, Sam," Meg added with a reassuring smile. Sam returned the smile. "Next on the list comes your check points. Any time you have to introduce potentially psychic material--no matter how slight the risk--you should precede it with some type of warning. Always give the recipient the opportunity to determine the risk to themselves and whether or not they are willing to take that risk. This should go both ways--you should expect other psychics to warn you before they offer you any material or information that may be potentially hot for you to handle." "That's why Raymond became so upset when he found out that Mia Bridgeman had given me that locket with Karen and Ben's pictures inside." "Yes, I was a bit worried about that myself," Meg replied. "Although the locket may prove useful to us, Mia was a bit naive in how she presented it to you. She should have asked the both of us if we wanted to see it first." "That's why I felt dizzy after we left the Bridgeman's. I guess I should consider myself lucky that the effect wasn't any worse." "Yes. Whenever you feel there is a chance something may be dangerous for you, do not even touch it. Always, always side on the error of caution." She allowed a brief pause, so Sam could muse over the advice. "There are also ways to set up barriers," Meg continued as she jotted more notes on the paper. "If a psychic feels something is potentially hot for another person, then he or she can place barriers, which essentially manifest themselves as locked doors. Patrick undoubtedly has set up a few of these for your protection." "How does Patrick know what could potentially be hot for me? You said earlier that what is unsafe for one psychic can be perfectly safe for another." "True. It is not always easy to predict every danger. That is why it is always best to err on the side of caution. If at any time you feel pushed by some outside force--" "Like when I fell over the landing?" "Yes, exactly. Although fortunately, most examples are not quite that extreme. Whenever you feel this happening, you should stop whatever you are doing and question what is going on. Think your actions through very carefully. It is quite possible that an opposing force is pushing you to do something you need to do anyway, and they can actually use that to their advantage and create a highly volatile situation. If they push you to react too quickly, or to do something sooner than you ought to, the energy overload will create negativity." Meg flipped over the paper and after rewriting the headers at the top, she jotted the next topic under the fourth column. "You can use minerals, colors, and talismans as good-luck charms. Several minerals tend to have a balancing effect including quartz, diamond, ruby, and emerald. Anything with a crystal structure is a potential means to boost your PSI functioning. Which stones work best often depend on the individual. You can test various minerals to see what works best for you. I would suggest that you begin with your birthstone, since it almost always proves as a balancer for most psychics." "My birthday is in August. I believe its birthstone is Emerald. I wonder," Sam mused, "since I'm inside Patrick, would it help if I used both of our birthstones?" "Your dilemma is obviously a unique one," Meg responded. "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to try." "I'll have to find out his birthday, then." "Actually, it is quite likely that you will find a piece of jewelry with his birthstone among his personal belongings. Besides minerals, the color themes you choose to wear will also work on you in a similar manner. Earth colors, greens and browns in particular, are useful in grounding applications. Colors can be used in both warding and buffering applications and thus one psychic can use a particular color theme for another." "Is that why you're wearing green today?" Sam asked. "Yes," Meg replied. "I knew we were going to have this lesson today. I thought this outfit was very appropriate for the situation." "It's also very beautiful on you--brings out the sparkle of your eyes." "Flattery will get you everywhere with me, Sam Beckett," she teased. She grabbed her necklace and lifted it so Sam could get a closer look. It was a bouquet of flowers with tiny turquoise jewels as the blossoms. "This was given to me by my Grandma. It is my most prized talisman. Whenever I wear it, I have this overwhelming sense that my Grandma's spirit is guiding me." "I've always thought of Al as my good-luck charm." Meg smiles broadly and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, that's not quite the same thing, but. . . ." After an awkward silence, Meg jotted more notes on the paper. "You should always proceed with caution when approaching potentially volatile material. Unless there is an emergency, you should handle it in stages, taking breaks in between and testing the okayness to continue at each checkpoint." "That makes sense, but how will I recognize when one stage ends and another begins?" "That is a valid question. Usually, when another psychic gives you material, he or she will provide appropriate pagebreaks in the material. Otherwise, it is best to seek out the advice of your guide--if you decide to do guide work--and then evaluate both their advice and your own instinct about the material. If it doesn't feel right to continue at any certain point, then that is probably a good place to step back and take a break. It is always better to err on the side of caution. If you look at material you are uncertain about and it causes damage, you can't undo that. "Also, you need to be aware that safety and risk factors of PSI skills and techniques will differ among individuals," Meg continued. "Dreams can be used as a tool to test for these differences and it is a technique that I've employed on several occasions." "How is that possible? Do you ask others to write down their dream experiences and then interpret them?" "That is certainly a productive method, but there is also another PSI technique that we can employ with the dreamer's permission. This technique involves actually entering the subject's dream and testing them with various dream scenarios to see how they react when presented with choices." "Is it similar to Levels?" "Not entirely. Although both are relaxing, dreams are filled with random imagery, while Levels is a conscious communication between psychics. That concludes all the topics under psychic competency development, Sam. Do you have any further questions?" "Will this ever seem like second nature to me?" Meg squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I believe it will--if you are willing to work at it and have faith in both your ability and in God." "With you as a guide, I think I can find the continued will to keep trying." "Why don't we take a break here? You have a lot of new information to digest already. You should buffer it a bit with a little mundane activity and when you feel ready, we can continue this lecture." "How about in an hour?" he asked and she nodded. "What type of activity would you recommend during the interim?" "It should be something with little or no chance of causing a psychic vision. It isn't much fun, but I've always found household cleaning to be one of the most mundane activities." Beckett grinned. "I suppose the kitchen floor could use mopping." With that, he stood and walked toward the kitchen to tackle the chore. When Sam stepped back out of the kitchen having completed the task of mopping the kitchen as well as cleaning out both the microwave and refrigerator, he found Meg on the phone. From the sounds of her conversation, he gathered that she was talking long distance with her editor. His heart suddenly pounding, for a moment, he feared that her boss would order her to return to Atlanta. No, he remembered, she has explicit permission to make this case her top priority. "Before we begin the next phase, Sam," Meg began, "do you have anything you'd like to ask or say?" "I'm sure some will come to me, but right now, I'm still trying to absorb it all." "Very well." Meg flipped through the handwritten pages back to the first page. "We are going to discuss the interface level now. Your intellect will allow you to look at what, other than PSI, your life path has led you to. Most importantly, this would include your quantum leaping, which has led to your ability to change history in positive ways." "Which I consider to be primary over any psychic abilities." Meg nodded. "That's fine. In fact, I believe for you, that PSI should hold secondary importance to your changing history and should only take primary importance if and when a particular leap needs to draw on any such abilities." "That is an acceptable path to me," Sam replied. "The next technique that falls under this category is called centering. Once you define the overall context of a situation, you need to stay focused on its purpose. You can have multiple purposes sometimes, but it is still important to keep your awareness of objectives in a proper balance. "After that comes comprehensiveness of perspective, which are available on a need-to-know basis. Some misdirections are allowed, because sometime the process of error gives a better final answer. Again, it is important for this reason that we work together as a group, with each of us bringing in our own unique part to play in the resolution." "Part of my uniqueness can be in the fact that I have been so many different people and have lived so many lives through leaping into all these people. I have literally seen through the eyes of many perspectives." "Exactly! I think you've really hit on something there, Sam." Meg scrawled the next technique down, setting wards, and Beckett did not have a clue as to what the terminology meant. He eagerly anticipated her explanation. "A ward is something a person can program into their subconscious mind to prevent them from crossing over a psychically dangerous line. It is also possible for another psychic to set up a type of 'netting' around someone to protect them." "Then Patrick has probably done this for me," Sam said, seeking out reassurance. Meg nodded. "Above all else, I believe Patrick wants to protect you from harm. He would rather sacrifice himself than live with the guilt of causing you pain. I feel the same way." "Wait a minute! I don't feel right letting anyone commit any sacrifices for me." "Sam, Patrick and I are the established psychics. We knew the risks going into this. You, on the other hand, leaped into this situation without knowing what to expect. Please accept our pledges to protect you. You certainly must know that we are doing everything to ensure everyone's safety--including our own." "I guess I will have to learn to live with that--but don't expect me not to worry about you." For a moment, Meg stared pensively at Sam seemingly at a loss for words. Then she leaned over and kissed him. "You are a wonderful man, Sam Beckett." Returning her gaze to the paper, she attempted to focus on her role as teacher. "You can use PSI to evaluate, through dreamwork and Higher Self and guides work, what your center should be at any time period. By applying PSI to non-PSI, this usage in itself can promote balance. "Next, we'll cover using incense and scented candles you can use to help aid in psychic functioning. Various plants have properties that can enhance either the psychic or the mundane side. Patchouly, pine, and coffee have properties that aid prosperity. Jasmine and vanilla can aid in psychic functioning, while there are others that effect spirituality and with enhancing intellectual elements of a situation. "I'm covering this topic under interface essentially because the aroma work is rather mundane or only psychic in the spirituality sense, which generally manifests differently and is more tied into an Earth plane than to PSI mission or project work. They are tied into the mundane, because the elements come from the Earth. Aromatherapy can be used in combination if you have some idea of using it correctly, and two or more elements can enhance varying elements of the work. However, if they are used incorrectly, two combined fragrances may nullify each other." "I've heard of aromatherapy. I read once that the practice of aromatherapy dates back as far as the Egyptians." "That is correct. They, as well as the Romans and Greeks of the time, developed strong beliefs in the healing and cleansing powers of certain plants. The emperors of China also researched the topic heavily and developed the fifty-two volume Pen Tsao Kang Mu, a catalog of medicinal herbs, in 1590." "Wow. And four hundred years later, many people still adhere to the natural healing powers of plants." "Doing things naturally appeals to a lot of people." "Maybe it would be a good idea for us to go out and purchase a few plants," Sam concluded. "They probably sell them at the shop Lisanne is now working at. That gives us an excuse for checking in on her." "I was thinking along the same line myself," Meg replied. "After I finish instructing you, I could make a trip into town." "That's a good idea. Not only could you better choose the plants that would help us, but Lisanne probably feels more comfortable talking to you." "I agree. I'm sure she will find another woman less intimidating. To continue the lesson, the next category is dream work. We've already hit on the topic of dreams a little in reference as a tool to test another's PSI ability. However, dreams can be used for many other purposes, including both PSI and non-PSI circumstances. Often, dreamwork can be done under the control of guides and sometimes have the simple purpose of just giving the dreamer a direction. Dreams are one of the most useful means of gathering data to determine where your evolutionary path and those to whom you have responsibility should be. You can also determine your overall center this way. Although today you realize that your mission is to help Ben Simms accept the truth about his wife, you need to recognize and understand your overall life path." "To change the world for the better." "That's certainly a large part of your life path. However, you need to look within yourself to completely understand and the easiest way to do that is through dreamwork. Having a couple of highly visual dreams analyzed by someone qualified in that area could prove very eye opening." "How do I determine whether a dream interpretation is accurate for me? When I leap into people, facets of their personalities remain in tact. Isn't it likely that they also influence my dreams?" "Yes, definitely, to varying degrees. Your circumstance is quite unique and I would be intrigued at the prospect of analyzing some of the dreams you've had since you began leaping. If you would be willing--and if there is time, of course--could you write the details of a couple of them down, I would also need a short bio about the host you were leaped into at the time you had each dream experience." "I take it you have experience with dream interpretation then?" "Yes, and I can provide references with any analysis. I have studied dreamwork since my teen years and have written up interpretations for several people. In fact, I am currently working on a book-length project about several dreams I've interpreted. It will be completely factual, although I will be keeping the true identities of each of my subjects anonymous. I would love to include one of your dreams in the project--but I'm not sure how I would convince any potential publisher of its authenticity." "I hope you won't let that stop you from trying." "Then you agree? Great! But you know, we have diverted from the main issue here and should really return to the chart on safety barriers." Meg picked up her pen and wrote the next note before continuing. "Okay, the next topic is related, and we already touched on it a bit earlier. Testing dreams is a psychic skill that can be used to get a certain "feel" for another's unique personality or fingerprint if you will, which manifest through Levels or dream spheres. Once you recognize their uniqueness, you can easily distinguish it from an impersonator." "Is that how you guessed I wasn't really Patrick?" "Yes. It is the main reason why I was able to so easily realize that you were not Patrick. You and he have a lot of similarities on the surface, but I'm trained enough to differentiate your two distinct personality signatures." "But you waited a while before telling me." "I had to test my assumption, thoroughly feel you out. Just because I knew you weren't Patrick, doesn't mean that I was immediately able--without a shadow of a doubt--to determine that you were a benign entity. Then even when I determined you weren't evil, there was still your own reaction to consider if I were to reveal too early that I knew you weren't Patrick. I didn't want to frighten you. I had to be sure that you were prepared to deal with a psychic knowing your secret." "I'm beginning to understand how carefully you have to handle anything PSI related." "And with that in mind, we can move on to the next subject: Defining 'hot' themes as well as positive themes for life experience. To determine areas that are potentially hot for you, it is best to first examine those things which are difficult for you in the mundane sense. Hot PSI areas often reflect them and are most likely areas of highest risk to you." "Like my fear of heights?" "Exactly. On the other side, receiving unexpected gifts, even small ones such as bookmarks or key chains, are usually very positive. The feeling of being cared about that these small gifts evoke can positively effect what you do and how you react to anything." "That makes sense." "As well as constantly evaluating potential 'hot' areas, you should also periodically reevaluate your needs for PSI upgrades. You should be on guard for any opposing forces that may vie for too rapid an upgrade. They may be motivated to do this, since opening PSI pathways in itself has physiological effects that can disrupt any psychic's work. So if and whenever you have the inclination to increase your work load, evaluate carefully whether the desire is stemmed directly from God or if something else is pushing you in that direction." "I--I hadn't realized that was possible," Beckett stammered. "Do you wish to rescind your okay to upgrade?" "No. This mission is too important. Ben and Karen need me. Patrick needs me. . . you need me. How could I ever turn my back on all of you--and live with myself? I want to do this, and I will go into it knowing and accepting all the risks. Please continue." "All right, then. We have reached the next safety factor heading: buffering. Buffering can be either PSI or non-PSI, but what it does is put a cushion around PSI work that creates a safer environment for use, and in some cases helps avoid overloads of PSI energy. Sometimes, this can be done on one's behalf by other individuals and someone who is functioning at a lower PSI level can actual serve as the perfect buffer. That's one of the reasons why Raymond and Patrick have such a strong relationship. In your case, you are helping Patrick buffer by leaping into him. Because of your leap in, he has been able to distance himself from this mission. It allows him to think clearly and work on a solution without any major risk of PSI overload." "So that's why HE had me leap into Patrick even though I'm far less qualified." "Yes. That is part of the reason, but let's not also forget that HE has reasons that will benefit you as well." "Patrick has emphasized that. It's just a little hard for me to get used to. I've always believed that leaps couldn't benefit me, because the risk of causing paradoxes was too great." "Sam, if you think about it--although you are constantly leaping back and forth through time, your time, or rather your body, still exists in a linear time. You continue to age, and I believe that is true of your mental and spiritual being as well. It is okay for you to learn and grow. I'm sure you have learned with each and every leap and quite frankly, I don't believe you could prevent any of it if you wanted to. It is time that you set aside your misconceptions and thoroughly evaluate just what it is you want to accomplish from here on out." She paused, blushing. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to lecture you." "That's all right. I think I had it coming." "Let's move on then to drama work. Psychics often develop an awareness of acting methodology and circles of awareness, because it helps them in knowing when a trusted associate is around in some way. This technique can also help buffer against opposing forces. Furthermore, going into a character other than yourself can be an excellent way to buffer yourself. This method helps remove yourself from the reach of adversarial forces." "That's why Patrick says I should concentrate on past hosts." "Yes, it is. By allowing himself to be displaced from the situation, Patrick is actually better able to contribute to solving the problem." "Through Levels." "That's certainly the easiest way. Another technique that can help is by placing a buffer between different PSI projects. It is unwise to overlap PSI projects or even place them back to back. You should allow adequate time in between, busying yourself with mundane or at least something non-PSI related. "Why don't we take a break here. We can discuss grounding after we've had dinner. I'd like a chance to get down to the flower shop before it closes anyway." "I agree. Give Lisanne Sheffield my well wishes." "I will, and hopefully, I'll come back with more than plants--hopefully I'll have information about her personal relationship with her husband." She pronounced the last word with an air of indignity. She kissed him quickly and then dashed off to get ready. "I'll have dinner ready when you get back," Sam yelled after her. While he prepared a meatloaf and potato salad, Sam studied the notes Meg had written for him. He set the papers on the counter as he mixed the meatloaf. Beside them, he had the locket open so he could glance at Karen and Ben's pictures. Sam couldn't explain why he felt so tense--for he knew that Raymond's warning was only part of it--but somehow, he knew that the pictures in the locket could either solve his problem or exacerbate it. One moment, he was still staring at Karen's angelic face and in the next, he saw a lion roaring. He nearly dropped the meatloaf before the vision faded. I leaped into another photographer, Sam realized, trying to remember the man's name. Was it Paul or John? No. George? No, he told himself, realizing he was naming off the Beatles. His name doesn't matter. Al popped in nearly causing Sam to drop the meatloaf for a second time. "I'm a little jumpy right now, Al," he apologized. "That's all right," the project observer replied. "Al, remember the photographer that I leaped into, the one who had to take pictures of a lion?" "Yeah," Al said with a nod. "That was the time you got to spend a couple of days with that gorgeous--" "Al. . .Al! I had a vision of a lion jumping out at me." "That's not good, Sam! You think you're suffering from some of that negativity again?" "I don't know. . .I don't think so. Patrick said that my past leaps could only help me. It was a pretty scary vision, but maybe it was trying to remind me how bravely I handled that leap and how brave I need to be for this one. Think about it, Al." "Mmm. . .maybe you're right." "What was his name?" "What? Oh, his name was Carl." Sam grew dreamily as the name brought back specific memories. "That's right, and I helped this young model from Indiana overcome a drug addiction. She returned home." His voice cracked a little as he grew sentimental. He remembered his desire to return home. He would give anything during that moment to slop the pigs or milk the cows. . .just to be with his family. "How did your meetings with Bridgeman and Anna Simms go?" Al asked. "They went quite well actually. Bridgeman's daughter gave me a locket that used to belong to Karen Simms." He picked up the locket to show it to his friend. "She was a beauty," Al remarked. "That she was. I keep wondering why HE didn't leap me back to just before their deaths. Why couldn't I be here to see that they lived?" "Maybe because you're here to help the Sheffields." "Or just Lisanne," Sam mused. "Meg went to the flower shop where Lisanne works to check on how she's doing--but also to buy some plants to help us. . .somehow. She explained it all, and I have it on these papers." Sam leafed his fingers through the papers to show Al. "But I'm still trying to digest all the information. Simply memorizing the words isn't enough in this case." "Now that's what really has me worried. You're too new at all this, and yet you have to pull it off. How?" "Anna suggested that I might try listening to the Beatles, since they were Ben's favorite group. You might say, I'm hoping to soothe the savage beast." "Let's just pray it works!" "Al, ask Ziggy what becomes of Bridgeman and his daughter. I'm particular concerned about Mia. She seemed like a very nice girl, and I hope everything turns out for her." The project observer turned to the handlink for a moment. "Mia is currently attending college and in a couple of years, she obtains a Bachelor's degree in graphic arts. She later goes on to become a cartoon sketch artist and a couple of the animations she works on become box office hits." "I'm relieved to hear that." "Ah Sam, the real reason I came was to let you know that Patrick has decided that it would be a good idea to conduct a Levels session with Karen Simms. He believes she can explain the events from the time the evil spirits first appeared up until now. He warned me, though, that we shouldn't expect her to know everything." Sam nodded his acquiescence. "Tell him that I'd like a chance to finish reading the second journal. I should be ready to conduct the third Levels tomorrow." "Hopefully Karen will be able to join you." Al tapped his handlink, opening the door to the imaging chamber. "I'll let you know if anything changes on my end." Sam had to chuckle at that. He placed the meatloaf into the preheated oven, then left to retrieve Patrick's future-lives journal. He would read the remainder of the journal and listen to the Beatles while waiting for dinner to bake.