The Star Group

  “A lot of technology came out of NASA,” Shena said. “That's where we got microchips.”

  “We would have invented them anyway,” Jimmy said. “Don't get me wrong, I like the pictures of Mars and Jupiter and stuff like that as much as the next guy. But I don't think any of it has any relevance to daily life.”

  “I think the best things in life have no relevance,” Sal said.

  “Yeah,” Teri agreed. “I’d take a magical life over a practical one anytime.”

  “Ms. Corporate America speaks,” Jimmy teased.

  “I'm only making money to buy freedom,” Teri said. “Otherwise, I couldn't give a damn about it.”

  “Same line half the brokers on Wall Street feed people,” Jimmy said. “And they all work until their bodies explode. You want money because you want money, and basically there's nothing wrong with that. Money's a reality – we couldn't have got this place for the weekend without it. But outer space is outer space. What goes on out there is never going to affect any of us.”

  Had Mentor placed that line in Jimmy's mouth to get the discussion started?

  “You're wrong,” Gale said quietly. “Daniel has been directly touched by outer space. Something incredible has begun to happen to him. Tell them, Daniel, you don’t have to be shy.”

  I fidgeted. I would have preferred more lead-in to the discussion, but everyone was staring at me now. So now it was. Gale had spoken so seriously that no one had made a wisecrack. Not yet anyway, but the night was young. I didn't know how to begin.

  “What's been happening?” Sal asked when he saw my discomfort. “You're among friends, you can talk.”

  I stammered. “It's hard to know how to start. Well, let's see. You all probably know I'm fascinated by the supernatural and read everything that's published in the New Age and occult sections of bookstores. The other day I picked up a book on magnets, how they can be used to tap into the subconscious and the super-conscious. The technique the author describes allows you to ask questions and to get answers and hopefully new insights. While using the magnet, I refined my technique so that I could get it to spell out words and not just yes and no. I began to get very specific answers, from a source that identified itself as extraterrestrial.” I paused. “I know that must sound crazy.”

  Still, no one laughed.

  “What did this extraterrestrial tell you?” Jimmy asked.

  “This will be hard to accept – it's taken me some time to accept it. This being – he calls himself Mentor – said that all of us, the six of us, are extraterrestrials. That we have been born here to help humanity. But that in reality we continue to exist on a higher plane on a distant planet even while we walk around on this planet.”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  “He told you all this while you spelled out words with a magnet?” Sal asked.

  “Not exactly. I started with the magnet, but then he told me that I could just speak for him.”

  “How did you do that?” Teri asked.

  I sweated. “I did some long, slow deep breathing and then he took over and began to answer my questions. I had a tape recorder running. I never went into a trance or anything like that, and I wasn't channeling. Mentor explained the process as a high form of telepathy.”

  “What planet is he from?” Shena asked.

  “Ortee,” I added hastily, “But that's just a name. It's more important to understand that he's from a higher plane of existence, and that he has contacted us at this time to help us.”

  “But he hasn't contacted us,” Jimmy said. “He’s contacted you.”

  “He wants to speak to all of you while we're here,” I said. “It wasn't my idea to come here. It was his.”

  “He's going to telepathically contact us here?” Teri said, and she looked as confused as the rest of us. Except for Gale, of course, who continued to stare at me like I knew what I was talking about. I appreciated support, even though it had been silent so far.

  “He wants to lead us in some kind of esoteric process that will open us up and give us a glimpse of our higher selves,” I explained. “I don't even know what this process is. But he asked me to bring some stuff this weekend: a copper sheet with an eagle etched in it; and four precious stones, a diamond, a ruby, a topaz, and a sapphire. I was lucky, Gale had the first two, and I was able to pluck a small sapphire from earrings my mother has. The topaz we had to buy, we got a small one downtown. I made the etching on the plate myself.”

  “So you've talked to this alien?” Teri asked Gale.

  “I didn't talk to him directly,” Gale said. “But I listened to the tape Daniel made of him talking.”

  “What did he sound like?” jimmy asked.

  “Like Daniel,” Gale said. “He uses Daniel's voice to communicate, but the words he speaks are beyond anything any of us could say. It's obvious as you listen to him that he cannot be human.”

  “What makes it obvious?” Sal asked.

  “There is a power in his message,” Gale said. “A rhythm in his sentences. It's hard to describe, you just have to hear him.”

  “I would like to hear this tape,” Jimmy said.

  “You can't,” I said. “I didn't bring it.”

  “Why not?” Jimmy asked.

  “He wants you to be introduced to him as innocents,” I said. “I may have already spoken too much about him and should let him explain himself.”

  “Through you?” Teri asked doubtfully.

  I hesitated. “Yes.”

  There was another awkward pause. Jimmy finally spoke. He was my friend and could see I was uncomfortable.

  “How can you know for sure that you're not making all of this up?” he asked. “You say he speaks through you. If you are not consciously controlling your words, then it's almost certain your subconscious is speaking.”

  I nodded. “I've thought about that, I don't completely dismiss it, either. But you have to experience Mentor to understand why I think he is genuine. A wonderful peace comes in his presence. Like Gale said, he's able to speak on subjects I know nothing about. I honestly doubt my subconscious could do that.”

  “But we know nothing about him – even if he is real,” Sal pointed out. “And you want us to allow him to subject us to an experiment of some kind?”

  “Yeah,” Teri said. “What if he's a demon?”

  It wasn't going to be as easy as Mentor had indicated.

  “He's not evil,” Gale said firmly. “I trust him. Let him come and you can ask him your questions. Let Daniel do his thing and relax and keep an open mind. We can talk about this all night and get nowhere.”

  Gale's remark had a settling effect.

  Clearly no one really believed in demons.

  “What are you supposed to do with the stuff you bought?” Jimmy asked.

  “He’ll tell us once the process starts,” I said hopefully. “The only other thing he asked me to add to what I brought was some dirt. I picked some up near that cave we explored.”

  The group seemed willing to take it to the next level. We sat in a circle on the floor of the porch and placed the copper plate in the center. I brought out my tiny bag of precious stones. It had been generous of Gale to tear apart her jewelry to give me her stones free of their settings. I just hoped I hadn't damaged my mother’s earrings beyond repair. But I didn't know how to arrange the gems, so I just set the bag to the side. Then I told the group to sit up and close their eyes and breathe slowly through their nostrils.

  Once again the breathing relaxed me so quickly that I lost track of time. One moment we were starting and the next I was floating so peacefully that I almost forgot that I was surrounded by my friends. Of course I hadn't left my body; I was drifting through inner space, not outer space. I noticed a deep silence all around me, a palpable presence so loving that in that moment I had no doubt we were in the company of a being from the stars. Mentor spoke through me, his voice soft but powerful.

  “This is an interesting experiment, for all of us. For you to li
sten to these words, to have faith in these words, and for me to guide you to a place not far from here, but a place you have forgotten. A secret place not in space or time but in consciousness itself. But I want only to guide you, not control you. And I ask for only a few minutes of trust. When we are finished, you may decide for yourself whether you should have faith in the reality of this night. Faith without experience to support it is merely blind hope, and blindness will never lead to the truth.

  “My name is Mentor. It is just a name that I chose because it means wise teacher to you. We have no name on my plane of existence because we have no separation from one another. As I speak, I do not see you as separate from me. That is how I am able to affect your state of consciousness, by sharing with you my own state. In reality there is only One. Whatever is taught is always a distortion of One. If you like, you can refer to God as One.

  “But I have not come tonight to speak much. I have come to share experience with you. There is an energy in your bodies that sustains you. You call this energy many things – the names do not matter. Suffice it to say that this life energy flows through your body through seven centers. These centers are like keys on a flute, and how you play them determines the quality of your life. In other words, if you can lead your life energy up through these centers, in the end you will come to the One, which is the purpose of human life.

  “The first five of these centers are associated with five elements. When I speak of elements I do not mean hydrogen or oxygen or carbon. Your ancients described the matter that makes up your universe in a fashion not connected to your Periodic Table, and your modern scientists were not wise to discard everything these ancients knew. There is indeed earth, water, fire, air and space in every object in the physical creation. I will not go into this in detail right now, but perhaps later.

  “At this time I want you to remain sitting quietly with eyes closed. I am going to ask Daniel to place each precious stone on the sheet of copper. I want the diamond at the top, the topaz on the right, the ruby on the left, and the sapphire on the bottom. A small amount of dirt I want placed at the feet of the eagle. You may do this now, Daniel. Do not worry that the movement or the opening of your eyes will affect your focus.”

  I did as Mentor wished and closed my eyes again.

  He was right, my incredible calm had remained. He continued.

  “What you now have before you is something the ancients called a yantra – a point of focus. The yantra I have had you construct is similar to the one the Hopis used before the white man came to this continent. The yantra is merely a tool of truth, it is not truth itself. The yantra and its many parts represent an archetype. It connects the bound mind to the higher mind. Let me explain its symbology and then we will begin.

  “The earth element is represented the dirt. Water is denoted by the blue sapphire. Fire is the ruby, and because the sun makes the wind blow, the yellow topaz stands for the air element. The diamond is of course symbolic of that most subtle of all elements, the akasha, space itself. The eagle upon which all these are supported is representative of that aspect that connects a mortal to his immortal soul. The copper plate draws each of these elements together. Gold would have worked better, but I understand gold is expensive in your society.

  “This is the yantra, a tool to help you focus. To focus is not to strain, but to dissolve. When you dissolve you allow your higher self to carry out your meditation instead of your limited ego. As each of these elements is represented on the yantra, each is present inside you in each of your seven centers. Each element and therefore each center will dissolve as we proceed. Let us experience this.

  “Now focus your attention on the base of your spine, where the first center is present. This is the earth center and the energy that radiates from it binds you to the earth. As you bring your attention to this spot, you may feel some energy. Be with it, don't resist it. It is not necessary for you to mentally link this center with the earth element on the yantra. That will happen automatically.”

  Mentor was silent for several minutes. Clearly I felt some type of energy flow through the base of my spine. I didn't have to strain to keep my attention there; the process was addicting. Mentor spoke once again.

  “Bring your attention to just below your genitalia. Here is your second center, which connects to water. Your body is primarily composed of this element, and it also binds you to this planet. Let your attention relax here for several minutes.”

  Again Mentor fell silent. My euphoria continued to increase.

  “Bring your attention to just above your navel. Here is your third center, which connects to fire. Allow your attention to focus here.”

  More silence. It was growing deeper.

  “Bring your attention to your heart, the fourth center, which is connected to air.”

  I felt as if I were rising up. Being sucked up by a divine force.

  “Come to your throat. To space.”

  The sensation was definitely liberating.

  My mind was expanding rapidly.

  “Be between your eyebrows. Home of the subtle mind.”

  As my mind grew in size, it lost all activity.

  I was aware but I had no thoughts.

  “Rest at the crown of the skull. Be content. Just be.”

  I was dissolving. The I was being annihilated.

  I heard no more. Daniel knew no more.

  Yet it was as if I now knew everything.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE NEXT DAY, HIKING BY MYSELF IN THE mountains, I tried to sort out what had happened the previous night. The experience had been the most profound of my life, yet I could hardly remember it – and that was driving me crazy. There were only fleeting images in my head: vast blue-green planes; cyclones of colors spiraling into space; flying ships that were made of living matter, and strange glowing beings that flew through the heavens like angels. But beyond these images had been the exaltation of perfect peace and oneness.

  Yet I could not remember what I had learned. Worse, I didn't even know what the others had experienced. When I had become aware of myself again, I saw them lying around me, sleeping peacefully. And that morning over breakfast, when I asked to discuss our experience with them, they had shrugged and said that it had been pleasant, like a Technicolor dream. Obviously they remembered less than I did, but still had positive feelings about Mentor and his process. They didn't make fun of me in any way, yet I found their vagueness disturbing.

  My solitary hike was to bring matters into some kind of focus. At least I got some exercise out of the failed attempt. But I was surprised, on my way back, to find that Sal had also gone out for a walk. Actually, he was hanging out by a stream, throwing rocks into the water.

  Throwing very big rocks into the water – boulders actually.

  I surprised him as I came up behind him. He jumped.

  “Daniel!” he scolded as he removed his hand from the stainless revolver he had tucked into his belt. “Don't do that. I thought you were a bear. I could have shot you.”

  “Sorry. I was so intent on watching you play that I forgot to announce myself.” I gestured to the rocks he had thrown in the stream. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting a little workout. I didn't bring my weights because there was no room in the van, but I need to work out every day.” He paused. “Is there something wrong?”

  I sat down on a medium-size boulder. “No.”

  Sal smiled. “I love this place. I feel so good here. I slept like a baby last night.”

  “That's what I wanted to talk to you about, last night. At breakfast this morning you didn't say anything about Mentor.” I paused. “Do you think it's all nuts?”

  Sal sat and pulled out a cigarette. “Not at all. There's something there, that guy sure can speak on profound subjects.”

  “But what did you feel after he led us through the seven centers?”

  Sal lit his cigarette. “I just felt great, but I think I fell asleep somewhere in the middle.”

&nb
sp; “What's the last thing you remember?”

  Sal considered and then shook his head. “I'm honestly not sure. I just know I had a bunch of psychedelic dreams afterward.”

  “But you feel good now?”

  “Yeah.” Sal stood back up and did a couple of deep knee bends. “What do you think of that?”

  “I don't think you should go out for the cheerleader squad in college. What do you mean?”

  He beamed. “My knee feels better than it has since I hurt it. You probably don't notice because I don't walk with much of a limp, but I always have some pain in my left knee. Now it's gone.”

  “Totally?”

  “Yeah. I don't even feel a twinge.”

  “That's incredible. Do you think it has anything to do with last night?”

  Sal was puzzled. “Why do you say that?”

  I shook my head. “Never mind.” I pointed at the rocks. “Those are pretty big rocks to be tossing around.”

  Sal measured me with his eyes, which made me feel uneasy. But it wasn't as if his manner was hostile, only elusive. I couldn't imagine Sal angry, especially not at me.

  “What are you getting at, Daniel?” he asked.

  I stood. “Nothing. Have a nice hike. I'm going back.”

  Sal didn't offer to accompany me.

  I found another solitary explorer thirty minutes later – Jimmy. He was sitting by himself on a stone ledge, staring off into the distance. The sun was brilliant in the sky, and I missed having my sunglasses. Like Sal, Jimmy did not even notice me approaching. He didn't jump when he saw me, only flashed me a beatific smile.

  “How are you?” he asked. He appeared to be drunk.

  “Great.” I climbed up on the ledge. “Where's Shena?”

  “I don't know.”

  “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

  “Grooving.”

  I sat beside him. “Are you stoned?”

  He kept grinning. “I feel like it, but I'm not. I think your Mentor session did something to me.”

  He was a pleasant change from the others. Actually, Jimmy had already been out for a walk when I awoke. He was the only one I hadn't questioned.