The document was a transcription of a channelling session. Reading through this I was taken aback by the complexity and intricacy of the utterances from an amphibious being called Glampikox residing in the 11th dimension, just to the right of Sirius. I quickly became mesmerized by this material and read carefully through it several times. Such was my reaction, I almost canceled the workshops. Why? Because That which I had just read was so very similar to material I had previously read in books and on the Internet. It was also exactly the same style of material spouted in TV interviews by the gurus of religious and New-Age cults. All of this was so very different to the simple and direct message I wanted to get across to people.

I wasted several weeks in mulling this gulf of difference over without being happy with the compromises I was slotting into the workshop outlines. However, gradually, the clarity of thought that Skully has brought to me descended and infused into me. I reread the transcript that had earlier sent me into such a spin and quickly realized that it wasn't -as I thought- a recent transcript from one of the Skully sessions. It was over thirty years old, and divided into several areas. In many ways, this material was very, very similar to the mountain of occult ritual I had chewed my way through in the 1980s. On the surface, these looked most impressive tomes. Reading them gave one the impression that the authors knew vast amounts about their subject. In short, I was completely overawed by it all and all that priceless knowledge went straight over the top of my head.

It was only much later, when Skully's gentle wisdom began to filter into me did I have the confidence to realize that all of the old rituals are now actually unintelligible drivel. The rituals described in these tomes may -though I very much doubt it- have worked for their author but are extremely unlikely to work for anyone else. (Your own door key admits you into your home, but not to that of your neighbour.) Conversely, keys that are more general will open more doors. I.e.: Christianity is based only on ten simple principles, yet these have endured for two-thousand years. The most perfect key will open all doors, but this presents itself in such a general and vague form as to be almost invisible: Just as glass is difficult to see. It is for each individual to forge his, or her own key. No one can tell you how this process it to be completed. It is a uniquely individual experience. To ask how this is done is as futile as asking a tree how it grows or a cat how it knows how to behave like a cat. The answers to all of your questions are waiting for you inside your own soul, mind and mind.

The Hermetic axiom: 'Know thyself' is the most succinct expression of spiritual development I have ever seen in printed form. Which book could you consult to discover answers about yourself? In addition to the sense of 'Understand the person that is you,' this golden key underlines one's initial interpretation with a deeper meaning. This being: 'Learn (come to know) through firsthand experience.' And what book can offer you that? None!

It is an established fact of occult lore that: 'Only when the student is ready will a teacher come.' Whilst there is a great deal of truth contained in that statement, its true significance has been greatly misunderstood. It would be better stated as: 'When the student is ready he (she) will see a door.' The appearance and subsequent opening of this door is not necessarily facilitated by a teacher. Nor does the student have to walk through it. Until the student is ready he will never even see it, even though it is always there and open for him.

The name on the door is 'Fear.'

Anyone who has attempted a system of spiritual development will already be aware of the 'Fear Barrier.' Frustrating as this is to the student, it is in place for a very, very good reason. For those who do not know what I am referring to, I offer two simple examples.

1.. During 1993 I rented an old, terraced cottage. Right from the start it was apparent to anyone and everyone that the house came with several items not listed on the lease. A bit of research on the house soon turned up a singularly unpleasant incident which had occurred their. Just after the war, a husband returned from his shift at the pit to discover that his wife had left him for another man. Much to his surprise, she returned after a time and begged for his forgiveness. He dragged her into the larder and strangled her with a washing-line. Naturally, I connected the disturbances in the house with this event.

One of my best friends lived in York at the time. He was keen to learn of all the latest developments and weird occurrences. About three months after I'd moved into the house, my friend (and partner) came to stay with me for the night. These were always somewhat skeptical of my paranormal hobbies and of the Supernatural in general. But both seemed almost childlike in their expectation of seeing a ghost that night. They could hardly contain their excitement. However... As the hours passed a savage storm blew up. Wind and rain lashed at the windows and howled around the walls. The atmosphere, charged with ghostly tales and alcohol almost crackled with electricity. The house lived-up to my wildest expectations and just before we all retired to bed all eyes were darting around in anticipation of the spirit's arrival.

In the bright light of morning I rose to find the pair in the kitchen clutching cups of strong coffee. Both looked pale, drawn and tired and neither had slept a wink all night. I asked, in light of the previous night, what their feelings towards seeing a ghost now were? Both answered simultaneously:

"Thank fuck it didn't come!"

2.. Imagine that you -as usual- whilst doing your meditation exercises, are doing your very best to imagine that your spirit double is stepping out of your body. As usual, nothing very much is happening, despite your best efforts. Then, and quite suddenly, you feel a sensation rather akin to two sheets of honey-covered paper slowly being pulled apart. On your part there is an immediate and alarming sensation that in some way, you are being split apart, or, more accurately, that of being opened, like the case of an Egyptian mummy. The sensation is as unmistakable as it is frightening. The first time this occurs in an individual, it will take several hours for that individual to fully recover from the experience.

It is one thing to imagine that you would love to learn how to travel on the astral planes. It is quite another thing altogether to discover this is actually happening to you. The realization that you are crossing from your safe, cozy and known world into something completely unknown is utterly terrifying. I would bear this in mind before you attempt any of the exercises presented in the next section.