‘Hypnotizing Maria’ by Richard Bach

   It’s been a decade since Richard Bach wrote “Out of My Mind: The Discovery of Saunders-Vixen.” I remember when I first discovered on the Internet that this book was out, I’d just purchased my first computer and was in awe about my new access to millions of great books. I quickly ordered “Out of My Mind,” read it and then wrote one of my initial book reviews on the Internet.
  Since then, Bach has written several more books, all of which have dealt with his two pet ferrets and their unusual adventures. It was only by chance that I recently found out that Bach had a new book that was finally geared toward adults. I was excited because I’m a longtime fan and still remember buying his second best-seller, “Illusions,” when it came out in paperback many years ago and then “The Bridge Across Forever,” which gave me hope that soul mates do actually exist.
  Anyway, after reading the newest book, “Hypnotizing Maria,” I feel it wasn’t an accident or coincidence that I just happened to look up Richard Bach recently, only to find out he had a new book coming out within days. You see, there are no coincidences when certain people or events or things suddenly come into your life to help change it for the better, one of the primary themes of “Hypnotizing Maria,” and it’s certainly an important one to remember.
  This short novel starts off with pilot Jamie Forbes flying from Washington state to Florida in his small aircraft. On the first leg of the journey, he hears an emergency call for help on his radio from a distressed flier and realizes the other plane is near his location. He quickly finds the aircraft and discovers the pilot has passed out from a stroke and that his wife, who doesn’t know how to fly an airplane, is left to handle things on her own for better or worse.
  Jamie swiftly calms the wife down and carefully leads her to a nearby airport, giving her instructions on what to do and helping her to land the airplane safely. The next day, Jamie reads an article about the whole incident in a newspaper. The woman, Maria, states in the article that Jamie had hypnotized her with his soft voice, knowledge and total confidence in her ability to land the plane. It’s her use of the word "hypnotized" that causes him to remember an odd experience that occurred in his earlier years.
  He’d gone to see a live show featuring the well-known hypnotist Blacksmyth the Great. One thing led to another, and Jamie found himself onstage as a volunteer for the performer’s act. Jamie was hypnotized into believing he was enclosed within a stone-walled room and couldn’t get out. To Jamie, the room appeared to be real, no matter what he tried or how hard he attempted to escape, he couldn’t get out. Just as he was about to panic, the hypnotist awakened him and explained that it had all been in his mind, just like the reality we live in on a day-to-day basis.
  The incident remained in the back of Jamie’s mind for years. The article about Maria, however, brought it back to the surface, causing him to question the state of reality as we know and experience it. This soon is followed by the appearance of a mysterious lady, who prepares him for a quantum leap of faith and the many questions that will soon follow about parallel universes, larger dimensions of time and space, life after death, the power of one’s thoughts, and why we’re really here.
  Much of the information being offered in “Hypnotizing Maria” has been around for hundreds of years but is just now being investigated by scientists around the world. Bach offers his view of this evolutionary leap for mankind in easy to understand terms and in a way that isn’t threatening to those grounded in their own religious beliefs. The fact is that what scientists are exploring is way beyond religion as we know it and opens doors to unique possibilities that leave us in awe of what might really be out there in a space. For me, reading “Hypnotizing Maria” was the opportunity to re-explore my own interests in spirituality and this amazing universe and how we’re all connected to each other. This is a fabulous little books filled with golden nuggets of insight that can be read in a day but will have you asking very important questions for a lifetime.
  Here’s something that shocked me the other day. I work in an office with several women, the oldest being in her late 30s. When I mentioned Richard Bach and this book, not to mention “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” “Illusions,” “The Bridge Across Forever” and “One,” nobody knew what I was talking about. Other than me, not one person in the office had ever heard of Richard Bach or knew about his several best-sellers during the ’80s and early ’90s and how they changed the lives of countless people. Once again, this may not be an accident. Maybe — just maybe — I’m supposed to buy several copies of “The Bridge Across Forever” as Christmas presents for the ladies I work with so that they can have the opportunity of taking a new look at their own lives and the wonderful possibilities out there.