I am Kaliostro. Kaliostro is my spiritual name that was given to me by the Goddess Kali. I was born in the USSR.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the mysterious and the occult. I started meditating in fifth grade, thanks to my geography teacher, who became a close friend of mine. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t support my spiritual pursuits, and I had to give up meditation. They were average people and couldn’t understand why their son woke up at 4 a.m.
When I was a bit older, but still a kid, I suddenly started seeing a bright green-yellowish glow around me (in the mirror) and some objects too. After a week or two, it went away.
Here’s another vivid memory from my childhood: I was in first grade, and unexpectedly from time to time I’d go into a strange state where I’d stop seeing and feeling everything that was happening around me, and I’d just keep asking myself the same question over and over: “Why am I here? What am I doing here?” I couldn’t find an answer, and then suddenly I’d be back in the present moment.
As an adult, I now realize how huge a role parents play in their children’s lives. It’s wonderful when parents know how to prepare their children for life by helping them open their hearts and minds, teaching them to meditate, and guiding them in how to feel and understand the world, people, and themselves. They can also teach their children how to express their feelings, receive help from a higher source, overcome challenges, and work on themselves. But if parents don’t do these things, all we can and should do is educate ourselves and pass on this knowledge to our descendants.
The first thing that prompted me to start serious spiritual studies was the urgent need to help a friend of mine. She had left for America when we were students at university. We hadn’t been in touch for several years. Then, out of the blue, our communication resumed. During our conversations, I learned that she was hearing the voices of evil spirits (demons) in her head. It was horrific. I was in shock, and within a week or so, I was at the first level seminar at the local center of the spiritual school founded by Master Luong Minh Dang (the Universal Energy method). I knew that this school taught techniques for removing entities from people. I had already studied at this school years ago, when my former geography teacher (who I mentioned above) introduced me to it, but at the time I was a student and couldn’t afford the seminars.
I rushed up the school’s levels, eager to work with my friend from a distance. But to no avail. The evil voices remained. Master Dang had passed away before I started my training, and his wife had taken over the school. I had heard good things about the Universal Energy method, including many stories of miracles, healings, and psychic development.
Of course, I also sought the help of the church. I prayed to God and saints, asked for prayers for my friend, and met with priests. But the demons remained.
I also asked many of my colleagues from the spiritual school to help. Unfortunately, nothing worked. Only once, when we meditated on her situation, did the voices go away, and she was finally able to sleep peacefully. She said that before the demons left, their voices echoed throughout the house, and even the neighbors were scared. This peace lasted only a week, though. Then the voices returned.
After two or three years, my friend asked me to stop interfering. She preferred Christianity, so I respected her wishes. Soon after, she was diagnosed with cancer. Our communication dwindled as she opened a battlefront against the new disease. After a ten-year fight, she passed away. A very sad story.
My desire to help a friend gradually led me to pursue my own spiritual journey. I practiced a variety of techniques, including meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, and energy transfers. I also attended many spiritual seminars.
At a certain point, I felt called to leave the Universal Energy School. I was drawn to individual training, and a spiritual teacher from India soon entered my life. Initially, I attended his retreats as a guest, but after a while moved into his inner circle.
Our team was close-knit and dedicated. We spent most of our time preparing spiritual retreats for visitors, which involved cleaning the ashram, buying food, cooking, and other forms of service. Our spiritual practices also changed, with a new emphasis on mantras. We also did yajnas, pujas, meditations, yoga, and pranayama. The outer circle of the group was centered around God, while the inner circle was centered around the Teacher.
I was immersed in the amazing culture of India. It was awesome! However, I must admit, it was a bit too much India for me. I even changed religions at one point. As I see it, questions of spirituality and enlightenment are supposed to be universal and shouldn’t depend on national culture or religion, but in practice, they often do.
I don’t think Eastern spiritual schools and teachers are a good fit for Westerners. In the East, it’s customary to be devoted to the teacher as if they were God. In contrast, we Westerners value our freedom and independence. Are we ready to give up sex and our personal lives to serve a teacher? I don’t think so. I also have a gut feeling that this kind of sacrifice is wrong. It’s something that Indian gurus invented. Plus, many religions and spiritual traditions have vows of celibacy. But banning people on a spiritual path from having a personal life often leads to abuse by priests, monks, and spiritual teachers. This happens in both the East and the West.
Another difference I noticed between my Eastern teacher from India and my previous Western teachers from America is that Eastern teachers regard the transfer of energy from teacher to student (Shaktipat) as the teacher’s own grace. At the same time, the student must do a great deal of spiritual purification, including following whatever the teacher instructs them to do, both in terms of practices and service. This is a cleansing process, and Shaktipat only comes after a long time, when the teacher decides that the student is ready.
The approach of my spiritual teachers from a Western country was completely different. They transmit energy (Shaktipat) immediately, charging quite high prices for their sessions, which are conducted one-on-one over the internet. Devotion to the teacher is not required. The energy comes from space, not from the teacher, and the flow of energy itself produces the necessary cleansing. However, students are required to work on their personality, including their shadow. Ultimately, the endless process of improving one’s small “I” falls on the shoulders of the student who becomes his or her own guru. At the same time, no one forbids you from having a personal life.
A person’s desire to pay money to the teacher is a guarantee that they are ready to receive the energy for awakening. Those who are not ready will not come. Of course, it is important to strike a balance when setting prices, which should not be out of reach for most people.
Personally, I don’t put money first. My top priority is fulfilling my mission to help create a loving, harmonious, happy and prosperous community on our planet. That’s why I’m open to a flexible pricing policy.
One of the most vivid experiences I’ve had in my spiritual journey is the feeling that I am not the doer in my life. My Higher Self does everything for me. In fact, there is no small “self.” There is only the Higher Self, and all feelings, actions, and thoughts belong to Him or Her.
Eventually, I even had to drop the concept of God. This message and feeling came from the Higher Self. When we pray to God, we separate ourselves from God. But I don’t feel separate from God. So, either only God exists, or only I exist. From a religious point of view, this seems completely unacceptable. However, it often happens that in searching for God, people move away from religious dogma to knowing themselves and God through their own experiences. This is what distinguishes spirituality from religion. When you’re on a spiritual quest, you never know where your path will lead you. You simply trust Life, take responsibility, and boldly go your own way.
In addition to my main job in scientific research, I’ve become a KALI instructor. This has reawakened my childhood fascination with the mystical and unknown. I now approach everything from a different level of consciousness, guided by a sense of unity.
To conclude, I’d like to share my favorite movies and music, which inspire me on my life journey.