CHAPTER 1

Meeting Chang

I am a trained scientist with a master's degree in cultural anthropology. I haveconducted field research in Latin America and Asia. I have published articles inprofessional journals and spoken at national anthropological conferences.

For over a decade, my wife Francesca and I have owned and operated an angel-themedgift shop in Ventura, California, called Things From Heaven. Working inthis store, I have documented many amazing spiritual events. These includevisions of angels, spontaneous healings, and conversations with lost loved oneson the other side. I have published three books documenting these phenomena.

The most amazing and life-changing experiences I have had, however, occurred dueto what appeared to be an accidental contact with a spiritual guide named Chang.This book documents the revelations I have received from this highly evolvedspiritual entity.

* A Guided Meditation by John Edward

In January of 2001, I purchased what I thought was a book on tape, calledUnderstanding Your Angels and Meeting Your Guides by psychic John Edward. JohnEdward was very popular at the time with national daytime and evening talkshows. His concept of communicating with people's deceased loved ones usingparticipants from a television studio audience was a new and exciting conceptthat had everyone talking about heaven again. I thought it would be good tolearn more about Mr. Edward's opinions about angels so I could better discussthem with people who visited my store.

Francesca and I always go to a gift show at the Los Angeles Convention Center inmid-January, and I thought it would be interesting to listen to this tape whilewe drove to the gift show. I waited until we got on the freeway to put the tapein our car's player, and then I heard something that really disappointed me. Thevoice on the tape said, "Please don't listen to this tape while driving yourcar. This is a guided meditation."

At first I was furious. I had purchased this tape with the single intent oflistening to it on our way to Los Angeles.

I felt I had wasted my money and considered returning the tape for a refund. Iangrily ejected the tape from the player and threw it on the floor in the backof my car. It sat there for the next month.

On a Tuesday in mid-February of 2001, Francesca and I had the day off withnothing important to do. I suggested that we try to listen to the guidedmeditation by John Edward. I found it still lying on the floor of my car where Ihad thrown it. We turned off all the lights, unplugged the telephone, and sat onour couch. I figured I would get my money's worth out of this tape yet.

The tape started out with a discussion of chakras. I was immediately frustrated,as I was only really interested in what John Edward had to say about angels. Andthen he said something that concerned me even more. Communicating with yourangels was not that important, he declared, which was why his meditation wasabout "spirit guides" instead.

"Spirit guides? I don't even believe in spirit guides. This tape really isstupid. I have wasted my money and now I'm wasting my time," I thought tomyself.

Despite my concerns, I grudgingly decided to do the meditation anyway. JohnEdward first led me to meet my "spirit animal." To my surprise, an animal didcome to meet me. It was my dog Shauna, who had died three years before. At firstI was really happy to see my little dog in such good shape as she ran to meetme. Then I thought to myself, "This is stupid. Of course I'm going to see mydog. It's all just wishful thinking. There's nothing real about this vision atall."

John Edward's voice led me to follow my dog down a beautiful wooded path, past abubbling spring, and finally into a clearing covered with bright green grass. Inthe middle of this clearing was a small wooden cabin. I followed my dog to thedoor of the cabin. At this point she left me and went frolicking through thegrass and disappeared back into the forest.

John Edward directed me to knock on the door of the cabin. He said that I wouldmeet my spirit guide when the door opened.

"Why am I doing this?" I asked myself. "I don't believe in this sort of thing.It's the stuff that crazy people tell you about. Yeah, everyone has this reallycool Native American spirit guide that gives them messages. People should learnto accept responsibility for their own actions. They should learn to think forthemselves and not have to rely on silly invisible friends like spirit guides."

But I had gone too far now to turn back, so I knocked at the door of the cabinand shortly thereafter it began to slowly open. As I looked at the personstanding in the doorway, I was stunned. It was not who I had expected at all. Itwas a tall, thin-faced Asian man who appeared to be in his late fifties or earlysixties, and looked a little like the mythical character Fu Manchu.

He had a long, thin mustache that hung down each side of his mouth, he had agoatee on his chin, and his head was bald with the exception of a long ponytail.He wore a strange double-decker hat that had a blue brim with a yellow bandaround it. The upper portion was red, topped by a large gold pointed spike. Hewore a yellow robe with dragons embroidered on it. He clasped his hands togetherand politely bowed to me.

I was shocked. "I must be eating too much Chinese food. Everyone has a reallycool spirit guide. And for some reason I'm stuck with one that looks like FuManchu."

Then John Edward said that I should ask my guide his name. "What's your name?" Iasked sarcastically.

"Chang," the tall Asian man standing in front of me replied.

"I really have been eating too much Chinese food," I thought. "I've met ChangKing."

John Edward suggested that I ask my guide what my life mission was. Ihalfheartedly complied.

Chang opened his robe and pulled out a copy of a book that I had written in 1997called Andy Lakey's Psychomanteum. I was surprised at first, but then Iconcluded, "Of course I'm going to see my book. I must be on some sort of egotrip or something."

John Edward talks pretty fast, and the tape wound down before I had a chance toask Chang any more questions. I asked Francesca what she saw, and she responded,"I can't meditate. I didn't see anything at all."

Then I made what I would at first feel was a big mistake. I told Francesca of myencounter...