My awakening actually began in 2016 after I suffered a heart attack and underwent open-heart surgery. Some would consider this a near-death experience.

After many weeks of painful recovery, actually during my recovery, I started to experience physical changes. At first it was my personal thermostat that seemed different, as the heat and humidity bothered me more than usual, but my tolerance to cold also seemed higher than usual. My tolerance to pain became apparent later, not that I didn't feel pain, but I could withstand more pain than what was normal for me.

These initial changes had to do with my physical being, but most of my changes had to do with my mental and spiritual nature. I began to see myself differently as if I were a different person. I actually felt free from the grasp of society, truly liberated, and I launched myself into a new and different lifestyle. My move to Tennessee in 2018 after I retired proved to be a good decision, giving me the opportunity for a new start; not to mention the climate seemed to suit me much better.

Although physically my inner self longed for more; I let my hair and beard grow and I started dressing more comfortable and leisurely.

Eventually I started with the tattoos and piercings, becoming addicted to the pain and desiring more and more. The artist who has done all my tattoo work became a dear friend, and beginning with her I learned new spiritual things; not in the way of religion, but more in the way of personal enlightenment. I began a search to find out more about myself; my inner self. I started by joining one of the ancestral websites. I searched relentlessly for two years, devoting many hours to uncovering my past and my ancestors. It was quite interesting and rewarding in most cases as I traced my lineage through the pages of time.