Table of Contents
As Pedram Shojai so eloquently exhorts, its time for us each to let go and open up to our own true potential, and to come home to ourselves. In these stressful, unpredictable times, he provides an inspiring, userfriendly guide for this essential journey. In this fascinating read, Pedrams brilliant mind and open heart lead you inevitably to your true being, where you will find peace, love and joyand the inspiration to create planetary change in the process.
Hyla Cass, M.D., author, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health
Every once in a while you run across a literary gem that is so purely poetic, so lovingly and perfectly crafted, that each word is a tracing at the edges of transcendence. A doorway opens. A new life beckons. Then your soul knows it has come to the source of all longing In that moment you know you have been given a gift beyond measure. Rise and Shine is that gift. Pedram Shojai is that voice.
Paul Rademacher, Executive Director of The Monroe Institute and author of A Spiritual Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe: Travel Tips for the Spiritually Perplexed
A brilliant book on the alchemy of the Spirit. Revealing the secrets of health and even immortality, Pedram Shojai takes us through an inner journey into the secret teachings of the Taoist Masters. A must-read for any serious student of the healing arts and the alchemy of life.
Alberto Villoldo PhD, bestselling author of Shaman, Healer, Sage, and Power Up Your Brain
Acknowledgements
I owe everything to my beloved parents, Farhad and Sonbol Shojai, who brought us to America in times of uncertainty. They were seeking a better future for their children and sacrificed everything they had in order to make that future a reality. The degree of selflessness and personal commitment to family, love, and mutual respect always served as the central foundation of my worldview and has helped me become the man I am today. I can never thank them enough for setting their own dreams aside so that we could realize ours. They wanted a better world for me and, in that light, the only way I know how to repay them is to make the world I have stepped into a better place. Thanks to Farhad and Sonbol Shojai, I am committed to shining the light of love and realization through the shadows so that goodness reigns on Earth once again.
I would also like to thank my sister Shery who has lovingly been by my side throughout the years and has always believed in me. Again being surrounded by love and mutual respect is an honor that is not to be taken lightly. Of course there is my beautiful wife Elmira who has supported me and encouraged my work from the beginning. Baby, I love you.
There are also many teachers, masters, doctors, and friends to thanktoo many to list them all. One, in particular, deserves a full saluteGrandmaster Carl Totton. He has been my guide, friend, teacher, and mentor for many years. He has served as a major influence in my awakening and continued development. The world owes Sifu Totton immense gratitude for preserving the essence of the Chinese internal arts and so openly sharing these secrets.
Id like to thank H.H. The Dalai Lama, for his patient instruction and dedication to the enlightenment of humanity. I was fortunate to learn from him in India and his mere presence is a testament to our potential.
The list wouldnt be complete without my meditation master, Yo Hoon. He is a beacon of light and peace in this fast-moving tumultuous world. I thank him for his patience and dedication to his students. Im proud to have learned from Yo Hoon and am lucky to know him.
Finally, Id like to thank Jay Weidner, Sharron Rose and Steve Grabowsky for being such great friends and mentors and believing in me. It has been an honor to be in your company and I am proud to know you.
Introduction
At some point in the history of our human development, we fell asleep and forgot about the most amazing miracle in the Universe. Imagine that. The most incredible truth about the essence of our being and the nature of our existence simply slipped under the radar of our knowing. We went from seeing energy and being able to heal ourselves with thought and touch to relying on devices and drugs to save our lives. We slipped out of the realm of multidimensional awareness and fell asleep.
In a not too far-off past, the practice of Alchemy, the ancient spiritual science of the transmutation of lead into gold, was alive and well. In the past few centuries, however, alchemy has become misconstrued by many as being only a literal process. There is another perspective from which to view this process, and it is centered around a powerful metaphor. It is about taking the lead of our human experience and transforming it into the gold of spiritual awareness. It is about refining the essence of our physical bodies into the development of a fully activated Light Body--a luminous sphere that is a reflection of the internal balance and connection of our mind, body, and spirit. Alchemy is about finding the gold inside of ourselves and waking up from the trance that tells us that something out there is what we are lacking. Its about snapping out of the delusion of dualistic thinking and becoming aware of our true nature, one that is inherently whole.
It has been a good few hundred years since the western world fell into this culturally-induced hypnosis, one which causes people to walk around like sophisticated zombies, sleepwalking through their lives. Most people are completely unaware of their true nature, the energy flow within their bodies, and their profound connection to the rest of the Universe. It is my conviction, and the wisdom of the ancient Taoist Masters from which I draw that we all must collectively stir from this deep sleep and awaken. We must free ourselves from the dark bonds of our subconscious programming and evolve towards the light of awareness. Then we can appreciate the beauty of who we truly are and take a more active role in manifesting a peaceful world around us. For when we move beyond the dark veil of unconsciousness, we are able to focus the conscious light of awareness back on the present moment and wake up to our inner voice.
For me, this first happened most unexpectedly. I was eight years old and was visiting a powerful spot near a city called Hamadan in modern day Iran. I was with my family and we had taken the trip to see a series of subterranean lakes that had formed inside a network of caves. It was bonechillingly cold and the deepest darkness I had ever encountered.
The tour guide had a strong flashlight and he was in the first in a series of boats that were linked together like a train; each equipped with bicycle peddles for our feet to propel them along. That cutting beam of light was all we could see in a cocoon of darkness that wrapped all around and was our only thread of connection to the bright world from which we came. We peddled deep into the caves for over two miles before my uncle and the guide decided to play a prank on the group. The flashlight suddenly went out and the guide yelled a series of profanities. He shouted that his batteries were dead and we were trapped two miles underground in rickety boats over freezing cold water.
