As a young adult, I craved to know the meaning of my childhood near-death experiences, which drew me to the investigation of parapsychology (psychic phenomena). Years into my studies, a friend suggested that meditation would enhance my efforts to develop intuitive abilities. As a Catholic, I had been told by the local priest to stay away from Transcendental Meditation (TM), but his reasoning did not convince me; still, I approached my TM initiation with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Within two weeks I was having experiences of great inner peace, light, and unity (more…)