Folks -

During the weekend of November 15/16, Annie and I had the good fortune to have Bruce Moen present one of his "Exploring the Afterlife" workshops at our home in rural East Central Alberta.

Having taken one of Bruce's workshops in 2002, and another in 2006, I still marvel at the beauty and power of his presentation. This time I concentrated more on the overall process, and my personal experience during the exercises, rather than making detailed notes of the whole workshop.

During the Retrieval exercise, in which we were to take a Helper to Focus 23, I became involved in a different experience, which - as the process developed - was obviously in the Belief System Territories, that area which TMI defines as Focus 24-25-26.

Having been involved with these types of processes for some time, when Bruce started the exercise, I noted the time as 12:20 hr, then I went on my way to see what would develop. I closed my eyes, and shifted to Focus 27, to the Park area.

In the Lifeline programs at the Monroe Institute, participants are invited to create a place in this area, which they can use as a "Meeting Place/ Staging Area" for working in Focus 27, and I have a log cabin there which I use. When I created it, I set forth the invitation for all my friends and acquaintances to feel free to meet and visit there. It's often pretty crowded with folks, who I often identify as other lifetimes - other personalities - of mine, and the "main organizer" is a fellow I most often greet when I arrive. He appears as a Roman era man, in a Toga. When I first met him, the name Claudius came to mind, and he struck me as some sort of a functionary in the bureaucracy of the Empire around 200 AD.  

So, arriving at my cabin, I find it crowded with people mingling and visiting, much as one would at any open house event, and Claudius is clearly in charge. The folks who I am to interact with on a given visit show up clearly, while the others are indistinct and featureless, but I am aware that they are there. I throw out the intent to work with a Helper, and immediately one appears on the deck out front, in a dark brown monk's robe complete with hood. I've seen this type of attire before, so I'm not surprised, but I laugh when the Helper pushes back his hood to reveal his identity as a Helper I've worked with before, who always shows up as a cowboy in faded jeans, a worn blue and white plaid shirt, and wearing beat-up old straw hat. I've never gotten a name for him, so I just call him Cowboy. Under the hood, he's even wearing his hat. Beside him is a German Shepherd dog, who I know as Rex. Rex is not really a dog, but rather is a guide of sorts who shows up on these type of trips as a dog. Rex acts as a "Guide Dog", who doesn't say much, but communicates with his mind - often with a dry sense of humor.

At this point, expressing the intention to assist on a retrieval, and touching Cowboy and Rex, we shift to what I assume is going to be Focus 23.

In the void, I see a male face, and then a female face. The faces are calm, with the eyes closed, with a golden/ bronze appearance, as if they were cast sculptures. They are highlighted in a vertical bar of light haze, so that they stand out in the surrounding darkness. My first thoughts are that I am looking at something from a Greek era. Then I think that perhaps they might be Polynesian. I hear a faint fragment of music and song, but could not remember the lyrics - or even what the theme of the music was.

The scene shifts, and I find the three of us - Cowboy, Rex and myself - walking down a road between flat, level fields toward what appears to be a small village on a mound about 400 yards/meters distance. The houses are built on the mound in what appear to be circular rows, so that each succeeding row toward the center shows up with a layered effect. Because the houses are uniformly whitewashed, the result resembles a layered wedding cake. My first thought is of the photos I've seen in Italy - say around Tuscany. Between the houses on the mound are trees, which I interpret to be olive trees.  

As we walk toward the town, I perceive that I am dressed in a toga-like garment. A two-wheeled cart is coming toward us, pulled by one horse, with a farmer or trader walking by the side of the horse. Behind the cart, at a couple of hundred yards distance, is another, similar cart. It appears to be late afternoon, from the type of light behind us, and it appears that we are walking to the east. As we pass each cart, I can see that it is loaded with produce and supplies. Each man greets us with a respectful, but friendly, nod, and moves on without conversation.

When we reach the village, we turn to the left on the lowest street which circles the mound. And I feel a draw to the third house on the left.

When we reach the wooden door, I rap my knuckles on it, announcing our presence. The door swings open to reveal a young woman wearing white, Roman style, dress. I announce that we have come to meet with Helena and Marcus. (These words had popped into my mind when the woman opened the door. I still had no idea where this was leading. This was the first clue that we were not in Focus 23. While doing retrievals in Focus 23, one typically - although not always - finds the person/persons in a given "thought-bubble" are alone.)

We are bid entry into the stone/brick house, into a room about 14 or 15  feet on each side, low ceilinged, and which is sparsely furnished with a square wooden dining table and a few chairs. The light is dim, as there are only two smallish windows on the far side of the table.  

Approaching the table, I see a young man and woman seated at the table, facing me. They look anxious, expectant. I sit down opposite them, as Cowboy and Rex move to stand behind me.

As I face the young adults, I perceive that Helena and Marcus are seeking to travel to a larger town for study, and are hoping to gain a sponsor for this venture. I intuit that this is where I come into the picture. This obviously is a formal meeting, and they have been expecting someone - however these types of interactions are set up by the Helpers, I am always bemused at the way things flow seamlessly.

Looking at Helena, I perceive that she wants to study design, to learn more about house planning and decorating. Looking at Marcus, I perceive that he wants to study building techniques for larger structures - large public buildings, stonework. Whether such things are really studied in the Belief System Territories, or whether this was merely my translation of their intent, did not seem to matter. There appeared to be some form of ritual for this type of event where we were at, and to maintain the formality of the moment, I asked to speak to their current tutors. Two well dressed, middle aged teachers step forward from the background. One is male, the other is female. I do not catch their names.

They state, in turn, that their students have achieved high levels in their abilities, but to continue their studies requires that they move on to a larger center for more comprehensive lessons. I intuit that the teachers are Helpers, who understand what is going on, but they use these formal proceedings to acknowledge the work that their students have invested thus far. The tutors, after speaking, each lay a sheet  of parchment in front of me on the table. I do not see any writing on the parchment, but I understand that these are documents which attest to their satisfaction at the accomplishments of Helena and Marcus.

I look them over solemnly (smiling to myself at the incongruity of looking at what appear to be blank documents), and agree that these students have made very good progress in their understanding. Therefore, my assistant (Cowboy) and I will escort Marcus and Helena to another institution which will be suitable for what they seek.

As I say this, a group of students - perhaps 8 or 10 - enters the room, cheering and exultant that these two will be able to progress. Marcus and Helena flush with pleasure, smiling and excited.

The room gets crowded, and the table is cleared, to be covered quickly with fruits and bread and cheese - and a farewell party commences. I note that other students - apparently long-time friends - come up to the two graduates, and congratulate them on their achievement. As evening arrives, Cowboy, Rex and I, together with Helena and Marcus, move out of the house, to the cheers and goodwill of the students and tutors, and walk to the street at the edge of the village. Once out of the village, as darkness is falling, I turn to tell Marcus and Helena to close their eyes as we offer thanks in a prayer to Jupiter.

As they close their eyes, Cowboy, Rex and I shift to Focus 27 with them, where we find a group of academics and scholars in togas awaiting outside a large, colonnaded, set of buildings - obviously we have arrived at a major institution for higher learning. They greet Marcus and Helena with dignity, and bid the two to walk with them to where they will meet the new group of students that they will be working with. With grace and courtesy, the young man and woman join the new tutors, and start walking toward one of the buildings. Cowboy and I bid farewell to them, and wave, and offer good wishes for their continued progress, then I turn away.

As we leave, I nod my thanks to Rex and Cowboy, and I return to C-1 as Bruce starts talking about the debriefing process.

The time is 13:00 hr.

For me, retrievals in the Belief System Territories are not rare, but they are not too common,either. I've had retrievals in Focus 23 which were pretty energetic and laden with emotion, and the type of gentle events which occur in the Focus Levels 24 - 26 are a real pleasure to participate in.

Once again, the way that events flow while interacting with people in the non-physical is a source of wonder for me. Names, actions, and understanding flow in as one progresses through the procedure. There was no sense that Marcus or Helena understood that they had no physical bodies - the whole issue did not seem important. It was clear that they were looking to advance, and to move on. Given that intention, it is only logical that they be allowed to move forward.

How it is that I was the one to assist, I have no idea. Bob Monroe, in Far Journeys, made the observation that "I sometimes get the dim percept that my entire adventure, including this one, had been neatly planned from the beginning." (P. 202). This type of experience makes it easy to understand the idea within Monroe's comment.

It was a real pleasure to meet and spend time with Bruce again. From the comments I heard from the other participants, I expect to arrange another of Bruce's workshops in 2009.

Jim Szpajcher

Jim;
What a nice great retrieval it was; the details and how it unfold,thank you so much for sharing it with us.

PUL
Romain