[flopay]

i just discovered wynn free's 2004 book about david a few days ago. i've been involved in 'new age' movement ever since about 1975, when a friend introduced me to the cayce work. (until then, like cayce, i stuck to my fundamentalist christian roots.) in the intervening 35 years or so i've been exposed to a great deal of alternative viewpoints. i live in a small town in the deep south, which is still quite provincial in some ways, so i hardly ever mentioned any spiritual interests besides christianity since it could undermine my local professional credibility. i am now long retired, so the stakes are different.

i am a retired therapist, so one of the things i do whenever i encounter new spiritual information is to test it to see whether it makes sound psychological sense, or whether it seems to be someone's self-centered fantasy about themselves and the universe. (i have seen plenty of both - and i found agreement for this in the ra material, in the strong warnings about channeled information.)

the thing that impressed me about both david and the ra material is how much good sound sense it all makes on a psychological level. first of all, ra emphasizes that spiritual growth is a lot of hard work, and no one else is going to do it for you. taking responsibility for oneself is one of the most basic foundations of good mental health. secondly, david makes clear (in wynn free's 2004 book, p. 201) that one cannot leap into spirituality as a means to escape from the demands of physical life. rather, getting one's physical house in good working order is a *foundation* for spiritual health. i would say that the attempts to escape from physical inconveniences by trying to leap into deep spiritual water is the single most problematic notion i have seen recur in the re-emergence of interest in spirituality since 1975.

i am also pleasantly surprised to find that the law of one dovetails quite nicely into my social work background, which emphasizes specific values such as (1) the inherent worth of every individual, and (2) the importance of self-determination. i scan every piece of spiritual writing i see to evaluate it for adherence to these type values as well, and i am happy to see david's material being such a comfortable fit for my professional orientation.

i could say a great deal more about the psychological integrity i see in david, the ra material, and the law of one, but i do not want to bore people unduly. i just wanted to poke my head in long enough to speak a word of encouragement to anyone who might be hanging on the fringes wondering if they are standing on the verge of a trip into loony-land -- don't worry. i have barely scratched the surface of all this material, but what i have seen is more than enough to tell me that david is eminently trustworthy, and there need not be any concern at all about following a pied piper here. for myself, i don't follow *anybody* at all, and i find david's material thought-stimulating, conceptually rich, spiritually healthy, and psychologically sound. no doubt david has already received endorsements from people with better mental health credentials than mine, but here it is anyway.

blessings to everyone on your spiritual journey.