During the NEO Neurophone Indiegogo of 2014-2015 I fell horribly out of balance as I strove to help awaken a planet to techno-meditation.  Good news I raised over $1.6 million for Dr. Patrick Flanagan’s amazing new brain device. Bad news I had not taken more than a handful of days off in 12 months of 15 hour work days.

Healing the earth begins within, especially for planetary healers. But I had gained 40 pounds as a lump in front of a computer screen, becoming systemically inflamed, my body still recovering from 2013 black mold infection that nearly killed me and ended my hiking in the hiking capital of the world, Sedona.

In May of 2015, NEO inventor Patrick Flanagan took a terrible fall down a stairs. The great scientist lay in a coma for two weeks. Miraculously, he awoke from coma a few days before his own NEO release party with over 100 guests all getting his new device, an update of many earlier versions of the Neurophone dating back to 1958. But the hospital would not let Pat out to play at his own party. I ended up last minute as the host when his wife Stephanie got the idea to Skype Pat into the party.

What a moment when the doctor appeared on screen at the July NEO release party.  Watch and keep reading after the jump!

Happily, Pat’s recovered fully here in 2016 and is enjoying life in Ecuador with his Stephanie. But in October of 2015, we sold out the last of 5,000 NEOs the Indiegogo campaign had ushered into the world and Pat asked me to end the Indiegogo as he was not yet up for another intense round of NEO work yet.

I had never pictured this suspension of a hit Indiegogo that had gotten worldwide media attention and raised $1.6 million. So when I pulled the plug I was at loss. And for the first time in a year I looked at how out of balance my life had become and how horribly my health had suffered.  I had zero social life unless you count: Pilates, going alone to movies and overeating in restaurants.

Patrick had been so vital before the accident that filming him for the hit web series THE FLANAGAN EXPERIMENTS and THE NEUROPHONE EXPERIENCE had taken over my life. I’d pushed all my own film projects aside. After all, how often does one get to film a scientist that’s a cross between Einstein and the Dalai Lama?

WHAT’ NEXT AFTER HIT NEO?

I spent time meditating on what I should do next. I had a few months cushion with the success of the NEO to not take on new social media work. My spirit guide Ohom had answers, “Let go any resentments you are feeling about the halt of the NEO project. Pat will resume when he is fully well and ready. It’s time to finish the work you began in 2012. make your 24 meditations in one film to help awaken the planet.”

Robin Williams chimed in too, “And get yourself back on a healthy diet and exercise plan. I’m the one whose living life as whale now, not you, Blubber boy!” See my blog series here on Robin to understand the whale joke.

And so I went to work on the movie in October 2015, ignoring Robin’s advice. I worked so hard on the movie I wore right through my editing chair. As I finished the film’s first cut in early November I had damaged my butt muscle and could barley walk. Yes, a year of the NEO Indie and months of 18 hour days on editing THE COOLEST MEDITATION EVER: ANTARCTICA 12.12.12 had left me crippled from overwork, bad food and lack of exercise.

Spirit guide Ohom warned me in November after the film was done, “Seek balance, Ken. Get in shape or you will die in March of 2016.”

The next day after Ohom’s warning I decided to accept an invitation to LA to my friend Ed Asner’s 86th birthday party. I stayed at a lovely new friend, Sima Morrison’s, sweet guest house. She and her husband became my first test audience for my Antarctica film as we watched on their big screen. Both loved the film and we were blown away by how their house’s decor mirrored many of the themes in my documentary.

My friend Tanya was my guest at the party for Ed. I could tell Ed was surprised and touched that I had made the trip to LA to honor his 86th. His party benefited the Skylight Theater.

The next night I ended up having dinner with a lovely singer I’d met on the flight in from Phoenix. We went out to karaoke after and were joined by Sarah and Greg Larsen. We partied late, closing the karaoke joint down.

Next day I hung out with Sima in Venice Beach. Sima runs a great conscious website, House of Citrine and it was wonderful getting to know her better. I expect great things from she and her husband Brett, now head of IT for Space-X. As we headed back to the house Sima invited me to stay on another extra night, instead of flying out that afternoon back to Sedona. Tired from the big Karoke night I said I’d think about the kind offer. Nothing except the next round of editing the Antarctica film was calling me back, but I was anxious to keep editing on.

Later that afternoon Elizabeth England contacted me, sorry she had missed my karaoke FB general invite to LA friends. She asked if I wanted to get together for dinner that night. I said I was too tired for dinner, but that Sima had offered me to stay over so how about breakfast next day before I headed home? Elizabeth seemed disappointed I was not up for dinner but accepted my invite to breakfast next day.

GRATITUDE

Breakfast was at Cafe Gratitude. As soon as she looked deep into my  eyes I could see Elizabeth had a lot on her mind so I texted Sima not join us as originally planned. Elizabeth was frustrated with how her social media career was going. Nothing was jelling in a way that Elizabeth was enjoying. She asked if I would teach her effective crowd funding and I invited her to consider working with me on my next crowd funder to raise distribution for my film releasing 6.16.16.  Elizabeth exclaimed, “June 16th is my birthday. And, yes, I’d love to help and learn.”

I sensed something deeper than work in Elizabeth’s interest in me and I ventured, “Hey. My LA friends Ellen and Brian are coming to Sedona for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. I am a lousy cook. I have a guest room and I’d love to show you the town. Want to come and save me from ruining Thanksgiving with my bachelor cooking skills? ”

Now, I’d been asking Elizabeth every so often to come to Sedona for 2 years at this point and each time she’d politely decline, but this time she enthusiastically said “Yes!”

BALANCE COMES TO SEDONA

Two weeks later Elizabeth hitched a ride to Sedona with two of her friends. And from the moment she arrived in Sedona she was welcomed by the spirits, the red rocks and people. Despite my injuries from being glued to a desk chair for 18 months, I kept my word and showed Elizabeth the hiking trials, where coyotes answered her cries, and her past life as a Hopi names Red Deer, with me as her beloved Laughing Skies, returned to her on a moonlit desert hike.

At Thanksgiving Elizabeth was more amazing a cook than I could have imagined, having worked with Martha Stewart in the 80s. Elizabeth quickly bonded with Brian and Ellen and their Kendra.  Ellen was suspicious love was afoot.

We were joined at the Thanksgiving feast by Elizabeth’s two friends Julian and Astara, plus another couple. It was divine and my most balanced holiday in ages.

Since Thanksgiving 2015, Elizabeth and I have been together except for a 10-day break for her to pack up her LA life, happily returned to me by Sima. Elizabeth;s great planetary healing work on Ocean Nation compliments my own. She’s a whiz on the web and Excel spreadsheet in ways I am not.  So work gets done faster and this makes more time for fun and healthy activities.

Elizabeth is 17 year vet of the military and in phenomenal shape. She’s gotten me into Yoga for the first time. So far I’ve lost 30 pounds of the 40 I packed on since confining myself to a chair.

What can I say except, “Thanks, Ohom!” After all, he suggested Elizabeth would be my perfect mate back in 2012.  And it took a few years to manifest but the love and life Elizabeth and now share day and night is bliss.  Hmm.  Maybe Ohom should start an ‘ET Match Making’ service with the whale reincarnation of Robin Williams offering blubbery motivation.

Please visit my new crowd funder for the 24 sacred mediations I performed with good humor in Antarctica DO PENGUINS MEDITATE is tax deductible for your contributions thanks to Elizabeth’s introduction of my film to her client From the Heart productions.