Hello everyone

I'm glad to finally be among the members here, I've lurked for years waiting for the courage to register and share the tales of my life. I won't go into detail quite yet, but I can confidently say that I have seen and experienced a lot more than I should have for my mere 19 years. Once I accrue the required 18 posts (I believe that is what it said) my story will posted in bits and pieces over various areas of the forum and hopefully a few fellow ATS users will be able to assist me in the more curious things that I have encountered and have been challenged by in my life. Thank you for having me.

reply to post by Glycon


seems to be an affliction of sorts, an anomaly if you will. lurkers coming out of the wood works by the droves. good luck. want an avatar click on the link under my signature and tell them what you want. the response is unreal. very talented people and friendly.

Extending you a warm welcome into the ATS family.

Enjoy the ride

From one newbie to another, Welcome!

Hello, enjoy your time on these forums. I'm a former lurker myself and have been on here for only a small amount of time but I do find it interesting and i'm sure you will too. There are lots of different topics being discussed so just jump right in and have a good time.

See you around!

Welcome aboard!
Don't be afraid to believe or disbelieve. Whichever side you fall on just keep an open mind and enjoy the folk/posts/info here.

welcome to the party, beware of the troll, don't feed them and they will go back under the bridge. Have fun look forward to seeing you in the forums.

reply to post by Glycon


Just joined today myself. Good site! I think you will enjoy it.

Thank you all so much, most internet forums aren't quite as accepting of newcomers. I see now why it is referred to as a community here. Thank you again.

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Hello and welcome!

I've decided to post the story of my life here, since I am a bit anxious and do not wish to waste other poster's time when my comments aren't useful to their threads. Please take the time to read this and without further adieu I give you my story.

I'll begin with my parents, their stories are not mine to tell so I'll provide only outlines if that is OK. My father came from a close-knit family of German descent, I myself am only 4th generation American. During their time in Chicago my grandfather had became connected to the mafia, in ways they won't share with me. As expected my father and his siblings became part of the seedier side of society which eventually ended with my father in prison from the ages of 17 to 32. It is not my place to say why. Now, for my mother.

She came from varied descent, with her father's ethnicity unknown even to my grandmother. Part Cherokee and Irish, tracing back to the ancient Celts and supposedly old royalty. Though I have my doubts on the last part. Growing up in a very small town in Kansas she had a run-in with an infamous local psychopath and lost her brother to a murder when he was only 20(the two events are UN-connected). Her family has always had connections to the Paranormal, from direct encounters with spirits and demons to visions of the future, or so they say.

I myself was conceived out of adultery on both sides, leading my 5 older sister's to secretly resent me and blame me for their parents separating. My parents stuck it out and tried to make things work, bringing me another, younger sister. I had a good child-hood, I won't lie. Fine schools, good friends, etc. We moved a lot while I was young but I never had problems making friends, until the final move that is but more on that later.

Since I was young, my sisters and parents both noticed my seeming interest in things they couldn't perceive. Playing with invisible play-mates and before you say that's normal, the incidents would involve such things as me rolling a ball and the ball returning to me with accompanying dis-embodied voices. Along with that, as long as I can remember I have heard voices, imitating those I know drawing me to secluded areas, attics, basements, store-rooms, etc. Small children and animals have a natural affinity towards me, even the most viscous of animals I have encountered have simply examined then settled by my side.

I have also always been drawn to forests, bringing some of the strangest experiences in my life but those are tales for another time. My story sort of calms from the ages of 12 until 17, there are a few stories but again, for another time. At 17, right before my birthday I began developing strange symptoms. It started with brief black-outs, where I would not be able to remember portions of time, usually a few minutes but a few times hours on end. It too died down for a bit, until I was about to turn 18. At that time I began to develop strange legions on my hands, accompanied by swelling and stiffness. I saw many doctors during this period, my symptoms developing from legions to full-blown necrosis of the fingers. The doctors ran many tests, from August 2, 2011 until April 25, 2012. During the course I lost one finger and parts of the others leaving my hands scarred and not very mobile. All tests they ran came back negative, Factor V Leiden, Raynauds(sp?), Diabetes, Arthritis, Lupus, various mutations and even Leprosy, those are also just the ones I can remember. Hundreds of vials of blood and dozens of biopsies later and they still had no leads, my vitals, build, etc. all above-average. Everything said I was as healthy as a metaphorical horse.

With all this I began to feel a bit hopeless, a bit lost. I turned to books for answers. That is when I stumbled upon "The Sacred Sickness" which in turn led me to Shamanism and something clicked inside of me, I felt I was finally on the right trail. Though everything I know has been self-taught. There are a surprising lack of True Shaman in Central Illinois but I digress. The deeper I got into these things, the more questions arose and the more questions I asked my (entire) family, the more vague their answers grew. So, I gathered the courage and came here, to all of you in the hope that someone, if even just one can assist me on this ever more winding path I have chosen.

Thank you for your time,
Jonathan

hello and welcome..that goes for me to! LOL

Originally posted by Glycon
I've decided to post the story of my life here, since I am a bit anxious and do not wish to waste other poster's time when my comments aren't useful to their threads. Please take the time to read this and without further adieu I give you my story.
So, I gathered the courage and came here, to all of you in the hope that someone, if even just one can assist me on this ever more winding path I have chosen.

Thank you for your time,
Jonathan

Well, maybe I can be of help. It sounds like you might be considering the path that I chose.

About 6 years ago I decided to travel to Peru and participate in 5 ayahuasca ceremonies. If you are not familiar, ayahuasca is a VERY powerful psychedelic drink made from plants in the amazon jungle. This drink generally makes one vomit profusely, and the shamanistic belief is that you are purging negative entities from your body that have attached themselves to you over the course of your life. These entities cause the "spiritual sickness" that you describe, which is why shamans often call ayahuasca "the medicine".

But be warned, the ayahuasca experience is INTENSE and not to be considered lightly. This was the first psychedelic I had ever taken, and during those ceremonies I experienced both the greatest terror and the greatest joy of my entire life (at different times). I've taken many other drugs since then, and I still stand by that statement even today.

My best advice to you is, if you choose to take this path, do diligent research on the shaman and organization associated with the ceremony. Make sure that you have a positive feeling about them and no doubts. Perhaps meet the shaman beforehand if possible. The shaman and the organization is very important because there will likely be times of great terror, and also the shaman is responsible for "closing the door" that he has opened during the ayahuasca ceremony.

Good luck to you friend.