I looked at that page. It says "PDF for Adobe Digital Editions." Maybe that is different from a regular PDF. Maybe it only works with Adobe Digital Editions.

I downloaded Adobe Digital Editions this morning for other purposes. You may have to open the document INSIDE Adobe Digital Editions to get it to work.

Hey Derek,

I have been able to open other documents from INSIDE Abode Digital Editions as well as from outside, but not this one. I assume I do this only from LIBRARY, Add Item to Library?

I did find the file in my Finder / Downloads folder. So I can see it. And I changed the suffix from ".acsm" to ".pdf," but that's not helping. I tried opening both forms in Preview, and still get error messages.

Lulu wants me to send them a "screen shot" of the error message. I get 3 or 4 different error messages depending on which way I approach this beast.

I should suck it up and take a class on how to use my computer.

Oh, mine was an epub file, not an acsm file.

Did you try leaving the file extension as acsm and opening that inside Adobe Digital Editions?

According to this page here, acsm is not the actual pdf, but just a stub file that tells Adobe Digital Editions to download the pdf:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/ACSM

That was the ticket, Derek!

Many thanks.

So far, my favorite part is the description of holding the wooden cross in the palm of your hand. That totally spoke to me/ about me.

Do I have to wait till the very end to find out if the hero ends up going into a monastery?

The discovery that there are such things as consecrated hermits was quite exciting. There must be caves in those rocky mountains, little huts on the plains. Who am I trying to kid, attached as I am to easy chairs and luxurious cuisine!

Okay, I just bought the Kindle version. I am writing a wee book, too. It should be finished early next year some time -- if the world doesn't come to an end on December 21, 2012, that is

Hey, that's great, Derek! Keep us posted.

Yes, Derek, I'd be happy to read your book. Weren't you the guy who wrote a book about retreat centers in Canada? I vaguely recall looking at something like that and finding it very beautiful.

Stephen, I finished your book a while back and enjoyed it very much. There were some references I didn't understand, the vocabulary or some cultural allusions being over my head. I think it's geared for fairly highly educated, cultured folks. Overall though it moved swiftly and it was easy to remain engaged owing to how emotionally forthright you are and crafty in your expressions. I felt some good pangs of shame where you shared about being rendered somewhat disoriented by women who were 'dressed to kill.' Seems that was a recurring theme in your sharing. I used to enjoy having that kind of cheap power over men. It was good to repent of my old ways, again.

I imagine your book will get a lot of people asking you questions about the energy manifestations you describe.

Yes, I did write a little travel book about that. Sadly, of the seven retreat centers I mentioned in that booklet, three are now closed. I find it troubling that people are now so driven to consuming stimulation and distractions that fewer and fewer seek out silence. But that is a topic for another thread. I have started Stephen's book. The language is very creative and vibrant. I certainly couldn't write that way. The image that's sticking in my mind so far is that of the burly eighteenth-century Scotsman with his barley and his black leather Bible.

Thanks, Shasha and Derek. You're both very kind.

I have an interest in shamanic flying...

You dropped this line in your book. To borrow a phrase from Popster, my reaction is: "a tad funky...makes me fret."

Seriously, Stephen, are you into that stuff? You don't have to answer that question to earn my warning. Just because you can leave your body, doesn't mean you should. It's a bad idea.

Paul left his body. Many saints did. Sometimes it happens in dreams where there is no control. I certainly didn't try it or seek it out. The whole culture of warning and fear bothers me in Christianity, especially when there is no understanding. In fact, that is why fear exists and perpetuates. The fact that a little line like that would worry you so, Shasha, given the content of the book, bothers me. Everything, everything is in Christ's hands. We should discuss these things openly if need be, try to gain a little understanding of how one might come to these things, without dropping worry bombs everywhere. That said, I appreciate your concern may be from love, and a little caution in one's spiritual adventures is always advisable. The line was just a throwaway line. So please, don't worry, just trust.

Hi Stephen,
I didn't mean to come across as over-reacting. That was my artless way of opening up a conversation.

It's true, I don't have a lot of understanding about shamanic flying, except some personal experiences. You guessed it: those experiences were dangerous. That's why my 'worry bomb.' In my experience, I didn't 'mean' for it to happen either. It happened outside my control. Lack of control is precisely one of the main problems, Stephen, with shamanic flying. I don't think that Paul and the Saints experiences of leaving their body involved the same motivations as what happened to me and others who engage in it deliberately. But since you've thought about this and trust that all is in Christ's hands, that's all from me. Peace to you, Stephen.

Ok, Shasha, no problem.

Funny thing, when I said no control, I really meant it happens spontaneously, without my inducing it. When I'm there, there is control, like lucid dreaming, and the presence of a guide, whom I've mentioned before, and who seems very benevolent. Perhaps we can open up a discussion about this when the purpose becomes more apparent.

Again, dinnae wurry, lassie .