Five months after being wounded in Vietnam, I was retired and discharged from the service with an 80% disability. I tried to get back into my old occupation of hairdressing, but my concentration was not there anymore and besides, it was very hard on me physically. During this time period, I was involved in a romance under the guise of friendship. I was bored and not able to understand myself nor the state of the country at that time. When a friend suggested that I go back to school, I thought about the idea and enrolled at the RCA Institute in New York.

Slowly the door to enlightenment was beginning to creep open for me. One day, a fellow student gave me a book called, The Boston Strangler. In the book, I read how the Boston police were so frustrated because of their inability to capture the strangler, that they secretly called in a psychic from Holland. I was fascinated by this man, Peter Hurkos, and his abilities! Reading about how the Boston police tried to trick Peter and his being aware and seeing through their tricks, really caught my interest! From then on, I began reading everything I could get my hands on concerning the subject of psychic phenomena.

Another student friend turned me on to Silva Mind Control. I took the course, and I learned how to relax. I also learned how to locate negative conditions in my physical body and deal with them in a constructive manner. The course even helped me quit smoking! In order to graduate, we were required to do five examination exercises.

One day during a reconditioning exercise at Silva Mind Control as we were being talked though a guided imagery, I experienced something that is difficult to describe. We were told to project (mentally) to a place near a lake and to see ourselves there in a relaxed state. I saw myself sitting on a blanket with my feet in the sand, which I actually seemed to feel. The sun felt very warm on my body, there was a gentle breeze, and I experienced the presence of a delicate fragrance that awakened my senses. We were then asked to visualize ourselves slowly walking into the water and to be aware of all that we were experiencing. The water was a comfortable temperature as I slowly walked out to my chest. I put my head into the water and opened my eyes, but I didn't see anything. When I took my head out, I had a strong feeling that I was really there as I felt the water flowing down the back of my neck. Then something totally unexpected happened! I saw a giant hand come from out of the sky and hanging from it, was a chain and a cross with the sun reflecting the light from the cross into my eyes. When I emerged from the vision and came back to the room, it seemed in darkness compared to what I had experienced. The questions at the time were...why? Where did this experience come from? I sensed that it was time for me to wake up, and I realize now that waking up is a continuing process.

Next issue, the strange circumstances that brought me to Florida.

Sal Cacciola

Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VII
Part IX

© 1978