nl_11132006_13

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

1/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

2/24

2Copyright 2006 Si lva Int ernatio nal , Inc. All right s res erved. Available exclusiv ely at www.Sil vaM et hod.com

FROM

THE

EDITORBy Nelda Sheets

THE POWER OF CREATIVE THINKING is

the theme of this issue of SilvaNews. Creativity

is one of my favorite topics. As an artist and

a person who has a mission to x things,

increasing my own creativity is a major goal.

The rst class of the Silva Method was started

because art teacher, Dord Fitz had an intense

interest in creativity. In every art class he

challenged, Kids, our Creator made you

creative. Claim your creative heritage.

Creative thinking is in the heart of the

Silva Method.

Jos Silva gave us this directive: Let us

continue to strive to take part in creative and

constructive activities to make this a better

world to live in.

Creative thinking is a tapestry, a painting,

a poem, a story, a song, a dance, a building

or sculpture. It is a new health treatment,

an invention, a social reform, a new recipe.

Creativity is a solution for any change. In the

Silva Method class it is Level One, Dream

Control, Glass of Water Technique, Mirror of

Mind, Habit Control, ESP, and Case working.

Power is the ability to make things happen.

Graduates of the Silva Method have the power

and potential to make things happen in their

personal lives, careers and to make the world a

better and better place with creative thinking.

Now, more than ever, we yearn to be a

person with power to be in charge of our lives.

We yearn for peace and justice in our families,

our neighborhood and the world. We yearn

to be a successful and prosperous person. If

a magical genie offered us three wishes, one

wish would surely be for world peace, another

for purposeful lives. Until a genie comes along, let

us make use of our personal power to make things

happen. To insure a powerful life, we have choices.

One choice is to go outside and bury our head in

the muck or sand. A smart choice is go within and

utilize the power of creative thinking to make things

better and change what isnt working. A better world,purposeful living and positive changes with the power

of creative thinking are in you hands. Creativity is

our heritage. We only need to claim it.

Another reason that I am interested in creative

thinking is a recent reminder that this month

(October) I will celebrate 75 years of adventures and

life-changing journeys. I am thinking that it is time

to be serious about doing things that makes me again

feel the kid within. A few weeks ago I read this quote

by Sophia Loren and it immediately was placed on

my bulletin board. There IS a fountain of youth. It

is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to

your life and to the people you love. When you learn

to tap this source you will have truly defeated age.

Makes sense to me!

In this issue of the SilvaNews, we have articles on

creativity by three pioneers of the Silva Method, Harry

McKnight, Dr. George DeSau and me.

We have poems written by the very creative Alice

McKnight. As you read them give your self a treat

and read slowly, deliberately and enjoy the music and

rhythm of the words. Let Alices creative spirit touch

yours. It is with pleasure that I can tell you that the

book I have written about the early days of Silva is

published and available on this web site and the Silva

ofce.

In this issue we introduce a rst, a ctional story,

which is another facet of creativity from our own Art

Director, George Williams. n

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

3/24

3Copyright 2006 Silva Intern ati onal, Inc. All ri ghts reserved. Avai lab le exclus ively at www.Si lvaMethod.com

CONTENTS& CONTRIBUTORS

LETTER TO GRADSLaura Silva Quesada p4

THE GENIUS LEGACYNelda Sheets p5

CONVENTION 2006Various contributors p6

CREATIVE THINKING. REALLY.Dr. George DeSau p9

NORWEGIAN DREAM TOUR p10

POETRYAlice McKnoght p11

YOU, THE CREATORHarry McKnight p12

BOOK REVIEWSylvia Smiith p13

CONVENTION DIARYVarious contributors p14

WHO IS INSPECTOR TORCH?George Williams p15

COLOPHONSilvaNews is a publication of Silva International, Inc.

P.O. Box 2249 | Laredo | Texas 78044

1.800.545.6463 | 1.956.722.6391

www.SilvaMethod.com

Managing Editor: Nelda Sheets | [email protected]

Art Director: George Williams | [email protected]

Eagle Eye: Sylvia Hodges | [email protected]

Purchase Silva Products | [email protected]

Produced with a Macintosh iMac G4 computerrunning OS X Tiger, Adobe Creative Suite 2 (InDesign, Photoshop,

Illustrator, Acrobat 7 Professional), & Microsoft Word

We are entering a very exciting time inthe Silva organization. Many wonderful changes are

being implemented at Silva International so we can

be of greater service to you.

I am happy to announce that Laura Silva

Quesada has rejoined Silva International and will

be responsible for new product development as

well as program and lecturer development. Many

of you know Laura personally or have heard of

her wonderful contributions to Silva International.

I hope you have a chance to hear her speak or

connect with her at some point in the near future.

Other family members such as Tony Silva,

Margarita (Margie) Silva Cantu, and Isabel Silva

Chateau have also come on board and will act as

advisors. Diana Silva Mendez will continue providingservice to you at the home ofce.

Our focus will continue to be on supporting

lecturers on the worldwide delivery of the core

programs developed by Jos, those being primarily

the Basic Lecture Series, with follow-up programs

such as the Graduate Seminar, and the Ultra

Seminar.

In addition, a plan is on the design table to

continue the research work on the results obtained

with the various Silva programs, researchers and

graduate practitioners. Results will be published inthe hope of serving humanity better and to spread

the Silva programs to more institutions.

You can also expect to see signicant

improvements to course materials and lecturer

services in order to provide benets for lecturers

and graduates. Just as exciting, the Silva web

site is now being revised and updated with the

latest in web technology. New functionality will be

added for lecturer services, graduate information,

graduate memberships, product sales and course

registration.

We are pulling together a team to carry on the

work of Jose and Juan Silva and to continue building

a strong research and training organization that

serves our lecturers, graduates, and build a better

world for the future.

Better and better,

Joe Silva Jr.,

President, Silva International

a message from the president

Si

lva

Int e rnatio

na

l

Serv

ing

Humani ty

Be

tt

er

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

4/24

Copyright 2006 Si lva Int ernatio nal , Inc. All right s res erved. Available exclusiv ely at www.Sil vaM et hod.com

S

il

va

In ter na

tiona

l

Serv

ingHumani t

yBet

te

r

from

theoff

iceofLa

uraSilv

aQuesad

a

SilvaMetho

d

DearGraduates

,

Iamthrilledto

beworkingout

oftheSilva

Internationalho

meofceoncea

gain.Ilookforw

ard

toworkingwith

manyofyouin

hopesofprovid

ing

thebestprod

uctsandservices

foryourongoin

g

growthanddevelopmen

t.

WehereatSilv

aInternationalfeelthe

excitementinth

eairandknow

thatwehaveentered

anewera,one

ofgreatpositive

change,change

that

canrippleoutfr

omustoyou,to

yourfamilyand

the

restoftheworld

.

Webelieve,asd

idmyfatherJos

Silva,thatour

missionistose

rvehumanitybe

tterbyproviding

tools

thatwillallowy

outodiscovery

ourhumanpoten

tial,

gainself-empow

erment,solvem

oreproblemsso

astocontri

buteinconverti

ngthisplanetin

toa

paradise.Thatbeliefcontinue

stomotivatean

dfuel

ourveryexisten

ce.Weareinvitingyout

ojoinusin

accomplishingo

urmission.

Ilookforwardto

meetingyouin

yourareasoon.

Betterandbette

r,

LauraSilvaQuesada,

ProductandLe

cturerDevelopment

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

5/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

6/24


ilva Internationals 40thanniversaryconvention last August was acelebration of staying connected and focused

on the vision sparked by Jos Silva of

helping humanity to evolve while converting

the planet into a paradise.

Silva graduates, instructors and Silva

family members (even some of the original

research subjects) with a diverse range of

experience with Silvafrom 40 years to 4

monthstraveled from Australia, Belgium,

Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany,

Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, and all over the

US to radiate energies of love, compassion

and co-operation nestled in the charming

ambiance of the Embassy Suites in Laredo,

Texas.

The energy was very high, the

presentations inspiring, and the research

reports very supportive. The food was

excellent and plentiful. The entertainment

of the Mexican Folkloric Dancers, and

Serenatas de Mexico was delightful.

Dr. Aretoula Fullam had just completed

a research fellowship at Harvard Medical

School on the effects of the Silva Method

with MS patients, andyou guessed itthe

positive effects were conclusively dramatic.

More information will be forthcoming.

Dr. Gary Schwartz from the University

of Arizona wound up his $5 million study

for the National Institutes of Health on

case working and remote healing. He said

the results were amazing as to the efcacy

of our work. We will have more to report on

this fascinating subject.

Thank you and deep feelings of

appreciation extend to all participants,

speakers, behind-the-scenes staff, as well

as Max and Hilda Silva Rubio for helping

to make this happen. To Nelda Sheets, the

convention director responsible for the

selection and co-ordination of the speakersand workshops, for her continued service,

commitment, and love of the Silva Method

we congratulate you.

By Ken Coscia, CSMI Connecticut

In my opinion the 40th was the best yet.

My favorites

as far as heart

is concerned

have to be

Tony Estrada

and Joan

McGillicuddy.

This is the

rst time Ive

been in their

workshops and

both were very

touching and

heartwarming.

Dr. George

DeSau was his usual fabulous self, and I was

so inspired when he talked to the instructors

on Friday. I am so motivated to teach the

Limiting Beliefs course that I cannot stop

talking about it. Rosa Rivas was her usual

dynamic and inspirational self. Ken Coscia

did a great job as Master of Ceremonies. Dr.

Moiz Hussain was a very interesting speaker

and I had to sit myself down at his dining

table to talk more about the Sus. Nancy Ho

was cute, and wow, what a little powerhouse

she is. She has taught 800 students in three

years. Lee Pascoe deserves an award for

singing her touching song in her talk about

the Magic of Make-Believe.

By Esther Seymour, CSMI Florida

What a joyous time it was to bein Laredo, Texas, the home of Jos

Silva, for the celebration of the Silvas 40 th

Ken Coscia

The 2006Silva Convention

Just a ew years ago, the mind was

a vast, uncharted territory. We can liken

what we know about the mind to what

the 15th Century Europeans knew about

America.

Once Columbus had discoveredhow to get to America, maps were drawn

and others soon ollowed the trail he

chartered and others soon ollowed

the trail he blazed to the new world o

America, which millions now inhabit.

Over the centuries, there have been

many explorers searching orand

ndingthe new world o the mind.

Jos Silva studied them all. Some

explorers were searching or the spiritualaspects such as Buddha, Mohammed,

and Jesus. A second group o explorers

were searching or mental skills that

led them to science o suggestion and

to hypnosis. Some o these giants are

Gassner, Mesmer, Braid, Bernheim and

Charcot. A third group explored brain

physiology and its connection to the

mind, psychometry and psychology.

Some o the names we know best arePavlov, Freud, Jung, Adler, and Berger.

What Jos Silva has done or us is

to create a map o the New World, the

New Frontier o the mind. From what the

explorers learned about the mind, Jos

Silva applied to creating better health

and education or his children and his

neighbors. As he explored the practical

applications o all that he learned rom

the giants in the eld o the mind, he

created ormulas or subjective education

(a treasure map), or his children, his

neighbors and eventually millions o

people around the world. That treasure

map is what we know as the Silva

Method.

Our legacy is a treasure map o

creative thinking.n

Continued from page 5

S

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

7/24

Copyright 2006 Silva Intern ati onal, Inc. All ri ghts reserved. Avai lab le exclus ively at www.Si lvaMethod.com

anniversary convention! It was delightfulto see Joss children present and to be

able to speak to them about their legendary

father. The convention attendees were all

positive and fun, the weather was nice, the

food was great, and our hosts were very

hospitable. Nelda had done an awesome job

in organizing such a memorable function. I

will always remember this event.

By Kain Samiya, CSMI Texas

It was truly an enriching and inspiringexperience to attend the Silva Convention in

Laredo recently. It brought back memories

galore and reminders of what could be if I

got back to practicing all I learned from Jos

Silva and Nelda Sheets in 1968. Through the

speakers I looked back as well as forward.

The talks were certainly memory joggers as

well as challenges. Im back to going to

level at least once a day thanks to all the

presenters and participants. It was all so

soul stirring.

By Geri Eveler, Graduate Texas

This is what I remember most about theconvention: From Dr. George DeSau: Live

in fear and be manipulated into doing sub-

human things. Dont buy into the fear. The

universe always says, Yes. You think it, you

energize it, and you get it.

A special benet of celebrating our 40th

Anniversary was the sensing and feeling of

oneness as a group, which helps change, a

persons concept of who they are and can

become.

Betty Gerald, retired CSMI Texas

My objective in attending this yearsconvention was twofold: I was eager to

hear several other instructors present

40 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG

Continued next page

Above: Dr. George DeSau with grand-

daughter Jennifer DeSau Barber

(CSMI, chat with veteran trainer Sister

Naomi Curtin.Left: The trainer who trains the train-

ers, Betty Perry, enjoys a moment

with fellow conventioneers.

CSMIs Marianne Fitzgerald and Drs.

Joan McGillicuddy and Tony Estrada

say cheese for the photographer.

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

8/24


their ideas so that I could enhance my own

knowledge base and presentation skills, and

I wanted to share an idea for increasing

class attendance. I feel that in recent years

our classes have been eclipsed by similar

offerings, many of which cost far more and

deliver much less than ours. One factor that

could position us (Silva) for exploding class

size as well as decreased promotional costs

is to get our seminar certied by national

boards that govern continuing education

for dozens of elds of study, including all

medical elds. This initiative must come

from Silva International, rather than from

one individual instructor or a group of

instructors so that every certied instructor

could benet.

I much prefer this years convention

style: showcasing many of the talented

instructors from around the world rather

than simply having a big name speaker. It

was a pleasure for us to hear such a variety

of speakers, and it was difcult to choose

which workshop to attend. While meeting

many instructors from around the world is

fun, it is even more fun to hear them speak

and to learn from them. I plan to use many

of the ideas I gleaned to improve my own

presentation, and I hope my idea falls on

fertile ground as well.

Sylvia Hodges, CSMI Texas

Folks, the convention was as excitingand energizing as I had hoped. The

workshops were some of the best ever and I

came away looking forward to using what I

have learned. Hope you make it next time.

Betty Perry, CSMI Floridan Above: Fellow directors Bill Sasaki,Japan, Lee Pascoe, France, and Kain

Samiya, Iran.

Below: Legendary CSMI LaVerne

Reed is welcomed by the members of

the convention, including Ole Iversen

and Silva Ints Laura Silva Quesada.


8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

9/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

10/24


with techniques to produce

new solutions to problems or

existing conditions that are in

need o change. Here again

is a dynamic that needs be

addressed. Research shows

that about 95% o what we

do and think today is what

we did or thought yesterday.

This is at once a blessing and

a curse. It is a blessing or

some, giving stability, and a

curse in that it says we have

strong tendencies to keep

things as they are. Not a great

statement or creativity.

Given the desire or

a creative change, look at

some o the Silva techniques

that allow or this conscious

and subconscious use o

Intelligence to be creative.

The Glass o Water technique

plays on conscious (state the

problem) and drink water

and of to sleep letting the

unrestricted subconscious

orm solutions that bypasses

the critical conscious let brain

as well as the reptilian and

mid-brain anxiety producing

unctions. This gives

Intelligence ull rein to come

up with creative solutions.

Working cases, health,

business, personal or

whatever, also has the

dynamic o conscious

stating a problem then using

subjective non-time space

limiting to nd inormation

and work on solution. Or the

Mirror o the Mind where one

blue-rames the problem as

dened objectively. Then

to perceive the solution and

essentially turns it over to

Intelligence to create the new

situation. Our sensitivity then

is to be alert to synchronicity

that leads to the solution

created at subjective levels to

maniest objectively.

Exploration o other Silva

techniques gives urther

evidence o the creative

process developed by Jos

Silva which gave to us the

tools to be truly creative doers

rather than just thinkers.

We all, with use o the Silva

Method, have the ability to

be Creators to make this an

exciting lie as opposed to

tiptoeing through lie hoping

to make it saely to death.

The ability to create a ull and

exciting lie is available, so

create, and use the techniques

to maniest a better lie or

yoursel and help make this a

better world in which to live.

This becomes a statement

o both opportunity and

responsibility or the privilege

o sharing your lie on our

planet.

For this 18

th

anniversary cruise,we will depart from Houston on

January 13th, stop for the day at

Progresso, Cozumel, and Belize

City. See the charm of Mexico

and Belize; visit Mayan ruins, go

deep-sea shing, scuba diving,

cave tubing, or relish the time-

honored adventure of shopping

for bargains. For three days at sea

delight in the activities on the ship:

jogging tracks, an exercise room, atheater, a casino, an Internet caf,

six restaurants, and free workshops

by Nelda Sheets and friends.

No need to be a Silva graduate,

everyone is invited.

Special Silva prices are for one

person and based on two persons

to a cabin. Interior cabins cost

$560; ocean view cabins are $610;

balcony staterooms are $980, andall prices include taxes.

Airfare is at your own expense.

Shuttle service is available

from any Houston airport to

the departure dock and must be

reserved when you make your nal

payment. We recommend that you

select your own roommates.

Call Nelda Sheets for more

information or to reserve your

place on this exciting cruise.

512.246.2427

Sail with Silva Folks aboard the

Norwegian Dream


Young dancer from the Ma-

tachinas group at the 2006

Silva convention in Laredo.

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

11/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

12/24


What you desire, believe,expect, intend and choose at level, you

do achieve.

As the song goes, Youve got to

accentuate the positive, eliminate the

negative, and dont mess with Mister In-

between.

When you do all o the above rom

your centered-sel, you have empowered

your project.

To center yoursel is to practice

relaxing, neutralizing negative stress,

and ocusing your alpha-level thinking,

visualizing, imagining and verbalizing

so you can meaningully and mindully

release the creator side o your

personality, your spiritual sel.

It is then that your higher sel, the true

sel, the One Sel that we all are, reaches

through the chaotic darkness and

enlightens the reality that is.

Then you look upon It and say that

It is good. Away alls the positive, the

negative, the spaces and dashes in-

between. They, i they ever were, vanish

and you, the Creator, enjoy your creation,

along with myriad other acets in this

brilliant diamond o the Monad That Is

and that we all are.

And then you realize that there is even

more than you have experienced and

expressed, and you accept that you are

the Creator on this innite journey o sel-

expression and you are grateul, humbled

and joyous in adoration o the allthat we

all are.

Your joy is ecstatic!

You have arrived in your kingdom, out

o the swill o the pigsty.

The prodigal realizes where she/

You, The Creator

he/it always was: The Center o Being

where there is only now. Nothing was.

Everything is.

And you sigh in relie and return to

your busy days and nights, vibrating

quantum lie.

Harry McKnight

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

13/24


At last! Many of us haveasked Nelda to write her

memories of the early days of

Silva classes, working with Jos

Silva, and some of her classic

graduate success stories. For

those who have been fortunateto attend a class with Nelda

Sheets, the iconic first Silva

instructor Jos certied, youveheard some of these stories,

and many grads all over the

world have heard them second

hand as instructors have used

the classic stories to illustrate

the successful use of Silva

techniques. Now you can

get these wonderful stories

straight from the woman who

lived them!

Neldas memories of the early

days, when our founder wasbuilding the presentation one

class at a time, are invaluable

to Silva instructors, and wil

be an interesting insight for

anyone who wants to peek

into the past to learn how the

classes came to be.

Silva Stories begins with a

short autobiographical sketch

that lets the reader in on

the fantastic voyages, life-

changing events, and wonderfu

synchronicity that placed Nelda

Sheets and Jos Silva on the

same path. Her biographica

bits about Jos, early-day

instructors, graduates of the

very frst class, and the artist

Dord Fitz, are revealing, funnyand sometimes poignant.

A must-read for all Silva

people.

SilvaStoriesMy Adventures and

Life-changing Journeys

with the Silva Method

Book Review by

Sylvia Smith

Silva Sports a New Logo

Yo u may have noticed new Silva logos cropping up in vari-ous places, such as the Web site and bulletins rom Joe Silva,

Jr. to name only a few.

Why did we change? The reasons are many, but mainly we

wanted to make a modern-day version o Jos Silvass origi-

nal Mind Control/Psychorientology logo.

Why didnt we go back to the original? Simple. It no longer

represents the current state of the Silva Method. We dont

use the phrase Mind Control, and we are no more the sci-

ence of tomorrow today. Instead, we teach mind develop-

ment, and we are very much the science oftoday, today.

We have retained, in an updated form, some of the most

important symbols originally designed by Mr. Silva. Most

prominent is the torch, emphasizing that we are still lighting

the way to help improve the world and its people.

Behind the torch is a green triangle, representing body, mind

and spirit, and behind it is a green feld, gradating rom light

at the top to dark at the bottom, showing the journey from

limited to greater levels of awareness and perception.

Surrounding these elements is a rich blue circle describing

the global home of the Silva Method, Silva International,

with its signature idea of Serving Humanity Better. The

black outlining of the blue circle indicates that there exist

levels still unknown to us.

The colors blue, green, red and black are mirrored in theScale of Brain Evolution chart as the beta, alpha, theta and

delta levels respectively.

Si

lva

Int e rnatio

na

l

Serv

ing

Humani ty

Be

tt

er

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

14/24


Convention Diary 2006I wish to thank all o you at Silva

or making the

40 th convention a

wonderul event.

Its always great

to see people rom

past events and

meet new olks;

hearing all the ways

they are using their

techniques. The

hotels were great,

tooall the ood!

That was an added

plus. I didnt know

What an awesome experience we

had at the 40th Silva Convention, a rst or

us! It was an upliting experience, so lled

with positive energy. The speakers were

excellent and we came home with many

new ideas to incorporate into our lives.

The accommodations were frst class, the

ood was delicious and everyone was so

riendly. Thank you rom the bottom o

our hearts!

Deb Greenham and Sheryl Webber

Convention Diary 2006

CSMI in Ohio John Burleigh

Perennial conventioneers Hipolita Conchas and her sister Guadalupe, with SallyAldridge. Bill Fullam (in blue shirt) looks on.

we were having dinner at the opening

event. Im glad I hadnt eaten.

[I] enjoyed hearing LaVerne Reeds story

o her entry into Silva, and Dr. DeSaus

[lecture], too. I irst learned o Silva in

1976 at a Harold Sherman seminar held in

St. Louis. Rita Johnson rom the Chicago

area told me about it. When I heard Mind

Control I was spooked, but I fgured I could

dash out o the room should there be any

problem.

I did contact the Silva instructor here in

St. Louis, which was listed in the telephone

book, and took the class that July o 76. Bil

Tashaus was the instructor. At church jus

last year, I ound Linda and Lloyd Shantz

who had taken the BLS with Bill.

Thanks or a wonderul convention, and

heres to a better and better year.

Beverly Bretsnyder

Texas CSMI Marjorie Dearmont

Director Rosa Rivas of Mexicoshopping for books with

Singapores Nancy Ho.

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

15/24


WHO IS

INSPECTORTORCH

?

Continued next page

Joel Visas is an enigma. Little is known about his past. Some say he is of

Gypsy origins; others insist that he is Egyptian, a descen-

dant of the pharaohs. Still others say they have on good au-

thority that he is definitely of Mezzo-American extraction,

and to strengthen

their position they

point out that the

famous inspec-

tor is inordinately

fond of chocolate,

especially in liq-

uid form. Drink

of the Gods, he

was heard to com-

ment on numer-

ous occasions.

Of all this, Visas

would say only

that he recognized the connection between Gypsies and

Egyptians, and pointed out the similarities of the Egyptian

and Mayan cultures. And, he went on, everybody likes

chocolate. Does that make everybody Mezzo-American?

During one of his adventures, Visas observed that the

jade-masked skeleton of a man named Pakal, found in the

stone sarcophagus deep within the pyramid called the

Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico, was in fact the

mortal remains of a wandering Egyptiana Gypsywho

lived among the Mayan people a thousand years before

the temple was reportedly built. Pakal, when asked about

his name, said only that it meant man of the heavens and

that his brother and sisters had found refuge elsewhere

among the People of the Salmon, the first people of what

is now Canadas Pacific coast. Pakal was made ruler of the

Mayan people in the year 608 C.E., a year after his arriva

at Palenque when he was reportedly age twelve, although

stories in glyphs reveal that, a thousand years earlier, the

character written about as Pakal was eleven years old. It

would seem that he had aged only one year in a millen

nium. With a history

like that he would be a

mighty fine insurance

risk.

When, in 676 C.E.,

Pakal left his body,

(Visas reported) he

did so voluntarily and

without assistance. He

willed open the four-

ton sarcophagus cover,

climbed inside, put on the exquisite jade mask, and like-

wise willed the cover to gently lower itself. Then, withou

fanfare, Pakal checked out.

Temple of the Inscriptions

The sarcophagus

Presenting the amazing tales of Inspector Torch is aendeavor to illustrate the Silva Methods focused-think-

ing principles with gentle good humor.

Joel Visas is an anagram, and his alter-appellation,Inspector Torch, harks back to

the original Silva Mind Control logo.

In relating the adventures of the Torch there are otherclues and connections linking to the Silva Method. I

will leave it to the reader to discover them.George Williams

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

16/24


Who is Inspector Torch continued

The cover of the sarcophagus is,

by itself, an object of wonder and

much speculation. It is carved in relief

with an image of a manreportedly

Pakalssurrounded by some pretty

strange items. Some see the old boy

seated at the controls of a rocket ship

at blastoff. Its all there, they say, the

flames erupting from the bottom of

the ship, the nose cone, Pakal in his

space helmet seated at the controls.

Others say basically, that the space-

ship interpretation is so much pukky

and the real deal is that Pakal is actu-

ally shown linked with the Tree of the

World.

The Tree of the World is specially

marked as a sacred object: the sym-

bols for Te, or tree, confirm it is a

cottonwood. The symbols for Nen, or

mirror, indicate that the tree is a

shining and powerful being, called

That Which is Holy. The Tree of the

World is linked with Pakals body, in-

tertwined with his arms, legs and tor-

so. The tips of the trees branches areshaped like the bowls used to catch

sacrificial blood. Jade beads and

tubes surround the sacred square-

nosed dragons that are born from

these vessels. These jewel-covered

monsters are depicted in deliberate

contrast to the skeletal dragons below

them, illustrating the world of death

into which Pakal supposedly falls.

During his fall from the Tree of the

World, Pakal is seated upon the Mon-ster of the Sun. The Monster is aptly

represented in its state of transition

between life and death, a skeleton

from the mouth down, with eyes that

have the dilated pupils of living be-

ings. The sun enters into this state of

transition at dawn and at dusk. Here,

however, the emblem of the Monster

of the Sun contains the Cimi, or sign

of death, emphasizing imagery rep-

resenting the death of the sun or

sunset, with the sun located on the

horizon, ready to sink into the Under-

worldand take the dead king with

it.

Pakal insisted that he was separat-

ing his spirit from that particular body

for no other reason than that he had

been reassigned. His mission in Cen-

tral America was over and he was

headed elsewhereand elsewhen.

About Pakal and his extraordinary

departure, Visas would say little more

except to cryptically comment that the

end of the Mayan civilization was re-

ally just its beginning. For those who

wish to understand more, he said

simply reading the crystal skulls and

following their instructions will revea

alla difficult task since the world is

moving too fast these days. Visas has

an excellent sense of humor, a quality

equal only to his amazing powers of

observation.Some said that Joel Visas himsel

was most likely an Egypto-Maya

wizard. Visas would never contradic

them. I dont argue, he said.

If determining his lineage seems

difficult, estimating his age is jus

plain impossible. On some days Joe

looks youthful, apple-cheeked and vi-

brant; on others he appears ancient

gray of eye and demeanor.

No matter; whatever age Joel Visasseems to be, he never loses his aura of

immense and unquenchable power

He is truly a man of the ages. n

Above: The sarcophagus and lid in-

side the Temple of Inscriptions.

Below: Detail of lid showing Pakal,

The Pilot in his spacecraft.

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

17/24


THE INCIDENT OF THE

INCENDIARY

MICROCHIROPTERA

Mexican Free-tailed Bat

Continued next page

Joel Visas inherited his professionalname, Torch from a curly-haired, blue-eyed eleven-

year-old during a singular occurrence involving Visas,

two dozen amateur chefs, their spouses, and several hun-

dred omnivorous bats at the annual Francis X. Tolbert Chili

Cook-off in Terlingua, Texas.

Francis X. Tolbert was a hell of a man,

Texas and chili he preached across the land.

Hes the godfather of chili everyone did proclaim

Though most hadnt met him, they all knew his name.

Francis X. Tolbert single-handedly made chili a popular

household food. Francis was a journalist and author and

worked at the Dallas Morning News. Tol-

berts most popular work,A Bowl of Red

(1962), was devoted to chili con carne.

Soon after the publication of A Bowl ofRed, Tolbert founded the Chili Apprecia-

tion Society International, which is based

in the ghost town of Terlingua in Big Bend

National Park, where the Societys annual

chili-cooking contest is held.

The incident began when a cave full of

bats were startled into flight because of

an explosion in a pressure cooker used

by one Omar Fripner, a chili aficionado,

who had driven all the way from Nez

Perce, Idaho in his mothers vintage NashAmbassador especially to participate in

the famed cook-off competition. Due to the sorry condi-

tion of the Nash, Omar had arrived late on the day of the

event and his traditional slow cooking of the chili ingre-

dients was completely out of the question. Noindeed

nothe only way he could hope to catch up was to resort

to extreme measures and, gods of chili forbid, pressure

cook his tiny cubes of rib eye by using his mothers 1950s

vintage CookRite pressure cooker, the kind with the wob-

bly little gravity valve on top, and an off-again-on-again

O-ring seal in the lid. You have to give credit to Omar for

covering at least this one contingency, albeit with obsolete

equipment.

Considering his tardiness, things were going pretty well

for Omar until he became impatient and decided to turn

up the fire in his portable propane two-burner deluxe

camping grill with the handy pot warmer on the side. You

know, he said to no one in particular, I think Ill just kick

it up a notch.

The resultant explosion, while spectacular, was messy to

say the least. All 363 mini-cutlets of ribeye shot skyward

a near-orbit event. The noise of the blast and the rich smel

of the airborne steak awakened a huge family of bats who

burst from their nearby cave and, although

frightened and grumpy, were neverthe-

less ravenously hungry. And there, just as

they took off, appeared a seemingly end-

less number of edible, precooked, spicy

and delectable beef bits just floating in

the air, waiting to be gobbled up by any

flying nocturnal mammal in the vicinity.

Bats get bad press. Vampires, say some

while cringing and blessing themselves

Chupacabras, they say, sucking the very

life out of some poor baby goat and

who can sayyour neighbors kid could

be next. As you probably know, bats are

nighttime creatures, sleeping upside-down on the ceiling of a cave or in a dense

tree during the day, waking in the evening to forage for

food. Of the entire worlds bat population very few drink

blood let alone actually suck the stuff, except for the ones

that movie directors hire for their scary films.

Our man Fripners ill-timed pressure cooker explosion

jolted the bats awake a good hour earlier than usual and

they got up pretty darn crotchety. Despite their bad mood

The beginning of the Torch

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

18/24


INCENDIARY MICROCHIROPTERAcontinued

The Bat Cave

they were seriously ready for breakfast and on discover-

ing hundreds of pieces of ready-to-eat airborne meat they

were more than ready to chow downor up, in their case.

Unfortunately for the bats and anyone else nearby, Omar

had elected to perk up his steak bits with a variety of pep-

pers; cayenne, jalapeos and the deadly Red Savino Ha-

banero, the worlds hottest pepper. Registering

an amazing 500,000 Scoville Units, the Red

Savino is the Mount Vesuvius of hotness.

Hades only attempts to be as hot as a

Red Savino. When the bats gobbled

the floating beef cubes they imme-

diately developed a serious case

ofwellgas. And in an unusual

side effect, the Red Savino Habane-

ro peppers had the power to render

them temporarily insane and make

them uncharacteristically aggressive.

So now, get the picture. What we have

here is a world-famous chili cook-off con-

test in a ghost town, dozens of stainless steel

and porcelain pots of simmering chili, an erupt-

ing pressure cooker, sky-high ribeye, and flatulent, flesh-

eating, flying rats who, after clearing the air of tiny pieces

of steak, remained ravenously hungry. What else could

300-odd, voracious and psychotic bats do? They made a

mad dive for the rest of the chili, of course. Wouldnt you?

The chili pots never had a chance; but what came next

was the stuff of legends.

Along with the rest of the cook-off crowd, Joel Visas wit-

nessed the bat attack, but it was only Visas who had the

composure and acumen to do something to save the day

It was Visas, and only Visas, who realized that the airborne

rodents werein a phrasegas-driven.

Quickly snatching up a nearby long-necked, butane-

powered, professional-grade grill lighter, Joel ran

into the midst of the bat storm. Holding the

lighter aloft he clicked the trigger and it

erupted into flame. And so did severa

hundred bats, whose highly flamma-

ble methane vapor trails roared into

NASA-worthy columns of high-pres-

sure fire. It was a spectacle of epic

proportions.

Imagine, if you will, several hun-

dred jet-propelled bats shooting

skyward and exploding in a shower

of multicolored sparkles. And then, in

the middle of the best light show the resi-

dents of the ghost town of Terlingua, Texas

had ever seen, the golden-haired angel with twin-

kling blue eyes pointed to Joel Visas and said, See? Hes

the Torch.

The name stuck, and although the competition was can-

celled that year, there was still more than enough beer to

go around.

Everyone agreed that it was the best chili cook-off ever.n

COMING SOON

The Inspector Torch Mystery Dinner Theater

INSPECTOR TORCHin

The Quizzical

Quantum

Quandry

Dinner Murder Mayhem What a great combination!

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

19/24


T

Giving

Thanks

Giving

Thanks

he celebrations usually include sing-

ing, praying and decorating churcheswith baskets o ruit and ood in the estival

known as Harvest Festival or Harvest Home,

or Harvest Thanksgiving. During harvest es-

tivals in Britain, people bring in ood rom

the garden or arm. The ood is oten distrib-

uted among the poor and senior citizens o

the local community.

In the USA and Canada, the estival is set

in November and has become a national

holiday known as Thanksgiving. In North

America it has become a national secular

holiday with religious origins, but in Britainit remains a church estival giving thanks to

God or the harvest.

Harvest is rom an Anglo-Saxon word

haerfestwhich meant autumn. It then

came to reer to the season or reaping and

gathering grain and other grown products.

The ull moon nearest the autumnal equi-

nox is called the harvest moon. So in ancient

traditions harvest estivals were traditionally

held on or near the Sunday o the harvest

moon. This moon is the ull moon which

alls in the month o September.

An early harvest estival used to be cel-

ebrated at the beginning o the harvest

season on August rst, and was called lam-

mas, meaning loa mass. Farmers made

loaves o bread rom the resh wheat crop.

These were given to the local church as the

communion bread during a special service

thanking God or the harvest.

Early settlers took the idea o harvest

thanksgiving to North America. The most a-

m o u s one is

the har- v e sT h a n k s - giving

held by the Pilgrim

athers in 1621.

No wa da ys the esti

val is held at the end o har

vest which varies in dierent

parts o Britain. Sometimes

n e i g h b o u r i n g churches wil

set the Harvest Fest iva l on

diferent Sundays so that people can

attend each others thanksgivings.

Farmers celebrat- ed the end o theharvest with a big meal called a harvest sup

per. Some churches and villages still have a

harvest supper.

The modern British tradition o celebrat

ing Harvest Festival in churches began in

1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawke

invited parishioners to a special thanksgiv

ing service at his church at Morwenstow in

Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as Come

ye thankul people, come, and All things

bright and beautiul helped popularise his

idea o harvest estival and spread the an-

nual custom o decorating churches with

home-grown produce or the Harvest Fes

tival service.

In the early days, there were ceremonies

and rituals at the beginning as well as at the

end o the harvest.

In the west o England the ceremony o

Crying The Neck was practiced. Today it is

still re-enacted annually by the Old Corn

wall Society.n

beach festival in Mukah, Sarawak

Did you think a day for giving thanksstarted with the Pilgrims? Nosirree.Celebrations of successful harvests areas old as the history of mankind.

enean harvest festival circa 500 B.C.E.

y knew how to party.

Harvest Festival poster detail from theRed River Valley Sugar Beet Museum

Crookston, Minnesota

ng the Neck Festival painting,wall. The neck refers to thek below the crown of grain.

T

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

20/24


At last! Many of us have asked Nelda to write her memories of the early days of Silva classes, working with Jos

Silva, and some of her classic graduate success stories

For those who have been fortunate to attend a class with

Nelda Sheets, the iconic rst Silva instructor Jos cer

tied, youve heard some of these stories, and many

grads all over the world have heard them second

hand as instructors have used the classic stories

to illustrate the successful use of Silva tech

niques. Now you can get these wonderfu

stories straight from the woman who

lived them!

Neldas memories of the early

days, when our founder was

building the presentation one

class at a time, are invaluable

to Silva instructors, and will

be an interesting insight for

anyone who wants to peek

into the past to learn how

the classes came to be.

Stock #9543$16.95

Required reading for every

graduate and grad-to beSilvaBooksWORLDS IN YOUR HANDS

Silva StoriesMy Adventures and Life-Changing Journeys with the Silva Method

Nelda Sheets

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

21/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

22/24

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

23/24


El Mtodo Silva de

Control MentalJos Silva y Philip Miele

El Mtodo Silva de Control Men-tal es un sistema de meditacindinmica para el hombre modernoque vive en medio de las tensiones,el ritmo acelerado de la actividad,la dispersion mental y una seriede malos hbitos que ha desarrol-lado en l la civilizacin occidentaldel ultimo tercio de este siglo.Jos Silva descubri su mtodomientras trabajaba con grupos denios mexicano-norteamericanos

en la dcada de 1950. Susecreto consiste en llevar alindividuo al descubrimiento deniveles profundos de su propio

yo, donde radican fuentesde energia squica, mental yfsica, que prticamente sehan vuelto infructuosos por lasupercialidad del modo de viviral que ha ido acostumbrndose elhombre.

A sabiendas o sin darsecuenta, el hombre occidental

T, El SanadorJos Silva y Robert B. Stone

En T, El Sanador, primerlibro sobre el Mtodo Silvatraducido y publicadontegramente en Espaa, JosSilva expone las pautas de sumtodo y da instruccionesdetalladas para llevar a caboalgunas de sus aplicacionesms destacadas, como sonlas que tienen que ver con lapropia salud y con la de losdems.

Stock #9038SP $14.95

Crear un GenioJos Silva y Robert B. Stone

En esta obra, Jos Silva yRobert Stone se acercan a

las mejores cualidades queestn presentes en todosnosotros y abordan el modode poder desarrollarlasen nosotros mismos y ennuestros hijos, tanto si es-tos ya han nacido como si elembarazo actualmente no esms que un proyecto.

Los principios y las tcnicasampliamente conocidas delMtodo Silva, se aplican eneste libro a la educacin

y el aprendizaje, as comoen su anterior obra, Tu,el sanador, se diriganfundamentalmente aldesarrollo de la salud.

Stock #9076SP $13.95

Recuperar La SaludStephanie Matthews-Simonnton, O. Carl Simonton y

James L. Creighton

Nuestras reacciones individuales derespuesta al estrs y otros factoresemocionales pueden contribuir aldesdencadenamiento y progreso delcncer u otras enfermedadesal igualque una actitud positiva, un sistemapositivo de creancias y una mayorautoestima contribuyen no slo a lasupervivencia sino que hacen que la

vida gane en color y calidad.

Stock #9070SP $13.95

moderno busca a tientas unaplenitud de su ser que siente queexiste. El mtodo Silva conrmasus sospechas y le muestrael camino para recuperar esa

valiosa porcin de su propio yo.Instituciones educativas

de todos los niveles, empresasequipos deportivos. mdicos yartistas famosos demuestran consu experiencia comprobada en smismo, en los alumnos, en el personal de ventas o en los pacientesque las personas que aprenden a

vivir y actuar desde un nivel dconciencia ms profundo acrecientan sus facultades mentalesde comprensin, memoria y cre

atividad. Se libran --sin necesidadde atencin mdicade trastornossicos crnicos como dolores decabeza, disminucin de la capacidad visual o auditiva, insomnios yotros padecimientos sicosomticos. Ademas, multiplican susrecursos interiores y exteriorespara resolver todo clase de problemas y llevar una vida personal ysocial ms plena y satisfactoria.

Stock #9020SP $12.95

Libros en espaol

8/9/2019 nl_11132006_13

24/24

Graduates, please

share your success

story with us.

Your story may help change a

persons life

We have found that success stories

inspire and motivate others. Your

story may contain examples of the

same kind of situation that the new

student has. Your story gives some-

one an idea of how they can use the

Silva Method to find solutions in

health, relationships, parenting,

business, creativity, sports, stress

management, better grades in

school and more.

For every story we publish in Sil-

vaNews or use in the program at

the 2006 convention, well send to

you a Silva Method Review CD set.

Here is what we want you to do:

In your story include the follow-

ing: Name of your instructor,

when and where you took the Silva

Method, the specific Silva Method

technique you used, the specific

problem you had and the results of

using the technique.

At bottom of story write the fol-

lowing, I give Silva International

Inc. permission to publish and oth-

erwise use this story to promote the

Silva Method. Add your signature.

Write your story and send it to:

Nelda Sheets

SilvaNews Editor

1700 Deep Wood Drive

Round Rock, Texas 78681

or email:

[email protected]

Enclose a color photograph of

yourself if possible. Additional

photos or artwork are also wel-

come.

Include your mailing address,

email address, your instructors

name and where you participated

in a Silva class.

Instructors are eligible, but wont

be given preferential treatment.

YourSilvaSu

ccess Story

nl_11132006_13

Documents