“I am inclined to help you. It’s just a lot to take in, and I’d be putting a lot of trust in you.”
<Then let me help you communicate with Archangel Michael.>
He sighed. “Okay, I guess I can trust you that much. How do we do this?”
<Relax, close your eyes, sit up straight, cross-legged if that’s comfortable for you, and let me guide you in your thoughts.>
He closed his eyes and sat in a relaxed state.
<Take a deep breath in and let it out. Again, breathe in . . . and out. One more time, in . . . and out. Let your entire body relax. Feel waves of relaxation come over you . . . Now visualize this room with a screen in front of you. This is the screen of your mind. Your mind’s eye. If you are having trouble visualizing, know that whatever you are trying to visualize is there.>
Clarence viewed the safe room as he had seen it with the camp light on, and before him was a screen, like in a movie theater. He saw it all with his eyes closed, similar to dreaming!
<I will count down from twelve to one, and you will visualize each numeral on the screen. Now visualize the number twelve . . . see the number twelve . . . eleven . . .> Jocelyn counted down to one. <You are now in a light meditative state. Now I will guide you to a deeper, more focused meditative state, where you can meet Archangel Michael, and everything you do is for your highest good, harming none. Now, erase the screen of your mind. I will count down from thirteen to one, but don’t visualize the numbers this time. Just let the numbers take you down.> She counted down from thirteen to one.
Clarence had once been hypnotized and now felt similar to that.
<You are now in a deep, meditative state, where everything you do is for your highest good, harming none. This room as you see it with your mind’s eye is now your Inner Temple, and in your Inner Temple, you are safe from harm. Ask to speak with Archangel Michael. Call out to him. But do this with your mind, do not say the words aloud. Do this now.>
He did as instructed.
<Now, in the place where I am standing, erase me, and allow Saint Michael to take my place. He will appear to you in the manner which he sees fit. Do this now.>
He did as instructed and felt euphoric. The Archangel Michael appeared in Jocelyn’s place, a man in a red robe with green trim and a young, handsome face. A large sword stood before him, the tip of its blade resting on the floor, his hands resting on the hilt.
<Now converse with him. Try to keep an open mind. Listen to what he has to say. Tune me out. It’s only you and him.>
“Are you the Archangel Michael?” Clarence asked the giant figure before him.
Clarence looked around, amazed at how this representation in his mind of his safe room was so accurate, so detailed. Then again, it wasn’t much different from a dream.
“Yes. What is it you seek from me?” Clarence was surprised at how his voice filled up the room, as if it was vibrating every object, every thing, in his room.
“Er . . . Jocelyn wants me to accompany her on her mission. I wanted to . . . consult you about it.”
“May I read your mind? It will make it easier to understand your motivations, to understand why or why not you should do this.”
“Er . . . okay, as long as it’s not unpleasant.”
“You will not feel a thing.”
“Alright then.”
Michael closed his eyes for mere moments, after which he spoke. “You have had a very prosperous life, Clarence, and although you tithed your fortune, there still is more you can give back to society.”
“My wife died three and a half years ago. I’ve been lonely ever since. And now this zombie madness. I can’t use my fortune anymore. It’s not a good life.”
“But it was. You had your wife for forty-two years. You made your fortune in your early thirties. That was forty years ago. You had so much more fortune than most. That life might be over, but you enjoyed it. Now it is time to give back. Will you accept that mantle?”
“Is it true? Does this Jocelyn woman have real hope for a cure?”
“Yes, she does.”
“But a cure won’t bring my wife back. It won’t bring my fortune back. Those days are gone.”
“Yes, they are. Your life as you knew it is over. It seems unlikely that can change. But think about what you can do for billions of people, for humankind as we knew it to be.”
“Oh, you do not need to persuade me. It would be an honor to play even a small role in saving mankind. The only question is, are you truly Archangel Michael? Is this Jocelyn person telling the truth?”
“Ah. Who else do you believe I could be?”
“Beelzebub. The Devil. Call him what you wish, but I don’t want him to bring me into a nefarious scheme.”
“Hmm. Could it get any worse?”
“Pardon?”
“Let me put it another way. What are you afraid of?”
“Afraid I would do the Devil’s work.”
“May I be so bold as to suggest you are afraid of getting out of your comfort zone?”
Clarence had to admit that. “Yes, I’m afraid of that, too.”
“You doubt me because of that fear. But without you, the hope for a cure will be lost. Yes, it is dangerous, but you cannot live the life you became accustomed to. Do you want a sense of purpose beyond keeping yourself in this miserable little room?”
He sighed, both on the astral plane and the material plane,
