To attempt to explain this lifestyle to someone not a part of it is sometimes as difficult as trying to explain the color blue to someone blind from birth. It is the light bulb that lights up when one discovers something. I call it the "Ah-Ha!" moment or "waking up."

As a society here in the Tennessee Valley, it appears this movement is indeed flourishing. One the more active areas of this holistic world is alternative health care. In the past few months Chattanooga has given birth to two organizations heralding alternative health, C.A.T.A., the Chattanooga Alternative Therapy Association and C.A.H.S., the Complementary and Alternative Health Society of East Tennessee. Both of these organizations support a body, mind spirit approach to health. Their combined memberships include massage therapists, spiritual healers, acupuncturists, and an assortment of other practitioners from psychics to Zen meditators.

C.A.H.S., which began in Knoxville last year, now has chapters in Oak Ridge, Blount, Lenoir City and Chattanooga. They now have over a hundred enthusiastic members. Suzanna Alexander and Carol Shelby, both in traditional healing professions, held the first Chattanooga chapter gathering last month with an attendance of 22 people. One young woman, Dawn Weis, claimed to have eliminated a brain tumor with sound. Other miraculous healings were mentioned, from this gathering of people into new technologies (such as those of Andrew Weil, MD and Deepak Chopra,. MD), as well as ancient medicines and parapsychological and mystical methods

C.A.T.A appears to be more related to the body healing arts. It is sponsored by the Natural Touch Institute, a massage school in Chattanooga. This past month, Christian Thompson, it’s director, held a fundraiser, which raised over $5,000 for a Chattnooga hospice.

Yet another group, called OMAR, an acronym for Ooltewah Meditation & Awareness Retreat opened their doors last month. It’s director, Maryanne Carlock, has had the dream of a holistic retreat for a number of years.  Their April newsletter offers a wide range of classes and workshops ranging form women’s events to stress management, and writing as a spiritual path.

I attended an OMAR video lecture there last week. It was about UFO’s and our relationship to extraterrestrial life. At the turnout were people who shared "experiences" ranging from contact with reptiles to mystical dreams they "knew" were real in which extraterrestrial or interdimensional aliens performed surgery on them.

At the OMAR video night I met a craftsman from Charleston, TN, Martin Ahearn, who suffered a disastrous brain stem stroke. Although it appeared the stroke would leave Ahearn paralyzed for life, he claims that through the energy healing method called Reiki, and other spiritual techniques, today he walks without a cane!

A single thread that seemingly connects all of this movement is a transformation in human consciousness. This transformation can take a multitude of forms. In some they experience having been touched by an angel, yet others feel a breakthrough or epiphany, and yet still others claim to have been this way since birth.

In future columns, I will dust of my 18 years of publishing New Frontier Magazine, to include some of the more interesting people, places and ideas of the granola crowd (oops, I mean …or well…those other folk around here)…

In coming columns I will examine the esoteric healing methods …from crystals to pyramids. Next week, "Energy Medicine"

Until then, this is Virato, saying….take another look at your reality.