Trent Carlini’s ELVOLUTION™, Macmillan Audiobooks: Body-For-Life and Mafia Son, The X Conference Press Conference, The 5th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference, Curandero Fidel Andy, PaDeva Church, and more…

 

The X Conference Follow-up.

 

 

Thanks to Alex Johnson for the clever debate photo of John Alexander and Steve Bassett at the X Conference.

 

CNN.com reported on the press conference held after the X Conference:

 

“Earth Day may fall later this week, but as far as former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell and other UFO enthusiasts are concerned, the real story is happening elsewhere. Mitchell, who was part of the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission, asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the U.S. and other governments.

 

“He delivered his remarks during an appearance at the National Press Club following the conclusion of the fifth annual X-Conference, a meeting of UFO activists and researchers studying the possibility of alien life forms.

 

“Mankind has long wondered if we're "alone in the universe. [But] only in our period do we really have evidence. No, we're not alone," Mitchell said.

 

“Stephen Bassett, head of the Paradigm Research Group (PRG), which hosted the X-Conference, said that the truth about extraterrestrial life is being suppressed because it is politically explosive.

 

Trent Carlini’s ELVOLUTION™.

 

On Friday we went to the media/VIP event for Trent Carlini’s ELVOLUTION™. This man can sing! He’s brilliant!

 

Who is singing live anymore? Not Brittney Spears or Madonna. See Trent and experience a live performance.

 

The event started with a cocktail reception at 6pm, following by a performance of ELVOLUTION™ at 7:30pm. There was also a meet & greet with Trent at Triq Nightclub following the performance.

 

Trent Carlini, channeling the young, vibrant, sexy Elvis, is electrifying. Eight separate stage acts highlight the multiple years of the King’s career. However, Trent is so good, he just should put on a concert with his big band supporting him. Drop the videos, keep the black leather jumpsuit on, and just sing those timeless songs!

 

Trent inhabits the soul of Elvis. He shouldn’t be known as an Elvis tribute artist, he should just be billed as the reincarnation of Elvis.

 

When: 9 p.m. Sundays through Fridays; additional show 7 p.m. Fridays; dark Saturdays. Where: Steve Wyrick Theatre in the Miracle Mile Shops, Planet Hollywood. Tickets: $70 to $150; 777-9974

 

Last Word: Steve Wyrick has finally found a show that will run for years at his theater.

 

Body-for-Life for Women and Mafia Son Audiobooks.

 

How could I stand 1 hour every day on the treadmill if it wasn’t for Macmillan Audiobooks? My newest audiobooks are the fascinating Mafia Son and Body-for-Life.

 

Mafia Son: The Scarpa Mob Family, the FBI, and a Story of Betrayal by Sandra Harmon tells the tale of a Mafia killer and the son he betrayed, in the spirit of the great mob movies “Goodfellas” and “Donnie Brasco”. For decades, Greg Scarpa, Sr., ruled the Scarpa dynasty – and worked with the FBI as an informer. Faced with arrest in the late 1980s, he turned in his son! Mafia Son has violence, wealth, and mob sex. It’s the Sopranos for your imagination and Harmon sure knows the Mafia underworld. It kept me so captivated that I even listened to it in my car. Macmillan Audio, $39.95. 8 CDs, 10 hours.

 

Body-for-Life.

 

My son encouraged me to get this audiobook and he transferred it to my iPod. The #1 New York Times bestseller Body for Life is now an audiobook read by the author, Dr. Pamela Peeke. Dr. Peeke is the author of Fight Fat After Forty, adapts her unique insights of the Body for Life program to the specific hormonal, metabolic, and physiological requirements of women so they can achieve rapid results. The program is a 12-week eating, exercise, and emotional health program, specially tailored to women. Dr. Peeke is highly entertaining, encouraging, and the personal coach all of us need. Macmillan Audio, $14.95, 3.30 hours.

 

5th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference:

 

"The Art and the Heart of Healing". Last year I presented at the 4th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference in Iquitos, Peru. I made many new friends I’m still in contact with and met interesting presenters and curanderos. My favorite curandero from the 4th, Ron Wheelock, has been in the U.S. and will be once again holding very potent ayahuasca ceremonies at the 5th.

Organizer Alan Shoemaker has put together a full program. Among those presenting at the 5th Conference (July 11th - 18th, 2009) are Pablo Amaringo, Royce Alido, Harald Scherz, Rudolf Pinto Do Amaral, Carlos Hernandez, Hamilton Souther, Kaleb Smith, Benny Shanon (Tentative), Dr. Dennis McKenna (Tentative), Martin Ball (Tentative), and my good friends from the 4th, Alan Shoemaker, Howard Charing, artist David Hewson, the fascinating Peter Gorman, Richard Grossman and Robert Forte.  www.soga-del-alma.org/conferencesite.html

 

Curandero Fidel Andy.

 

I’d like to highlight one curandero who will be presenting and holding ceremonies at the 5th. Fidel Andy was born in 1966 on the river island La Soga in the outskirts of Tena, Ecuador, where he still lives and practices. He began his training with both his grandfathers at the age of six, learning about healing energies and medicinal plants. Soon he was introduced to tobacco infusions, taken first through his nostrils and later orally. He has spent substantial time in the forest finding his element, water, observed a variety of diets and practised celibacy until his mid-thirties. At the age of sixteen Fidel began to cure his immediate family, by the age of nineteen he became sought after by other people as well. Fidel is acquainted with San Pedro and Angel’s Trumpet, but Ayahuasca, which he began to drink in his early twenties, is his main companion plant alongside tobacco.

 

Fidel has been very active in the movement that successfully resisted the witch hunts of traditional healers in the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in the legalization of curanderos in Ecuador. Fidel can be contacted via: fidel.andy@gmail.com

 

Wiccans in Las Vegas.

 

There is quite a large pagan community in Las Vegas! The PaDeva Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico was founded four years ago by Xythos, who I briefly met at the 4th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference. Xythos wasn’t very forthcoming when I attempted to discuss PaDeva’s sex rites.

 

(I’m not from farm country. I know about these things.) I think this is an important area for discussion if one was interested in joining the Church. All I could gather from Xythos’s curt and dismissive conversation with me was that the Church has members and non-members. Xythos was not looking for new members - at least not me.

 

I didn’t pass the interview!

 

The Church uses ayahuasca in its member’s only rituals and that is why I was curious and approached Xythos.

 

Alan Shoemaker told me Xythos spent two intensive weeks in Iquitos preparing and praying over his ayahuasca medicine. It was said to be very powerful.

 

Xythos began studying pagan and shamanic paths nearly 2 decades ago. His studies brought him to Europe where he sought first hand contact with shamanic and pre-christian indigenous practices. His studies of European and American Paganism led him to a study of mathematics and its link to European ritual traditions. He later earned a degree from Kennesaw State University in mathematics and has since begun to teach the subject.

 

During this time, Xythos has been a student and practitioner of the Wiccan faith. His reputation and knowledge have resulted in being consulted by a Missouri police department on Pagan and Wiccan ritual practices.

 

He sought to bring his experience to others by starting a Wiccan Church in Georgia where he both taught classes and held public rituals; however, he felt something was missing from the Wiccan religion. After a friend and guide began to instruct him in the use of the plant teachers he became aware of what was missing and what had been lost to time from the European traditions.

 

He began to incorporate Ayahuasca into Wiccan ceremonies and introduce others to the practice. Over the past 3 years he closed the traditional Wiccan coven in hopes of starting a new type of church that would work to bring back the Indigenous Spirit to Western Culture. During a full moon ritual, the name PaDeva was heard while he was seeking to determine the next path for the emerging idea. PaDeva has remained the name of the church since that night. PaDeva Church

 

Movies I Saw This Week

 

Crank: High Voltage (YES)

 

 

 

Knowing (YES)

 

 

 

Fighting (YES)

 

 

 

The Soloist (NO)

 

 

 

The Soloist.

 

Downey is taking his “greatest actor of his generation” tag too seriously. I dreaded this movie. How many times have we seen it? Another movie about a homeless man who is (a) a savant (b) a world famous boxer (c) a loveable wise man or (d) a brilliant musician? Does every homeless person deserve a movie?

 

Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is a Los Angeles Times reporter who works under his ex-wife (Catherine Keener), who is still madly in love with him. Again, we all know this is in a star’s contract. Keener gazes at him as if he set the moon.

 

Why?

 

All we know about Lopez is that he’s an indulged reporter who is estranged from his college age son. He writes ponderous front page stories about L.A. life. Not able

to maintain a relationship with his son, a woman, or have any friends, Lopez decides to rehabilitate a crazy homeless man, Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). And his

lovesick ex-wife doesn’t even see the irony in this.

 

Bored after a bicycle accident, artistically banged-up Lopez chats up Ayers in front of a Beethoven statue across the street from his office. Let’s face it: these are the type of stories that win Pulitzers and garner 60 Minutes profiles, books and movies. We know it. Lopez knows it.

 

Because Ayers went to Julliard for a year, Lopez wants to tell his story and rescue him from mental illness. Lopez writes a column on Ayers and an old lady sends her cherished cello to the Times for Ayers. But, Lopez has to arrange for a place for Ayers to store and play the cello. So Lopez goes into the world of the homeless. He

starts hanging out.

 

In another insult to his phantom, neglected son, Lopez arranges for a concert cellist to give Ayers lessons and gets him an apartment! He doesn’t get him a shower, girlfriend, or take away his bulging cart of junk.

 

Lopez becomes involved with the shelter that provides for thousands of men and women who need help and medication. Why not put these people to work sweeping the shelter or combing their hair?

 

Paired with the shock of the homeless environment, the director, Joe Wright, gives us the LSD world of music as experienced by Ayers.

 

Downey cannot convey the inner reason why Lopez wanted to rehabilitate Ayers. He doesn’t even seem to like him. If, at least once, someone told him this would make a good book, at least we would have a sincere motivation to follow. Because, Lopez learns nothing, gains nothing, and doesn’t even like classical music.

 

Thank goodness Foxx doesn’t play stupid or naïve. In fact, Lopez is an annoying pest.