DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 57 From Opera to Awakening: Jim Alstott's Journey of Spiritual Discovery

Summary

The Drop the Needle Podcast – Episode 57: From Opera to Awakening: Jim Alstott’s Journey of Spiritual Discovery

Release Date: April 9, 2026
Guest/Featured Host: Jim Alstott (interviewed by Nate Scripture)
Main Theme: Exploring Jim Alstott’s personal journey from his musical roots in opera through a profound spiritual awakening, culminating in the creation of his new book “Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening or Was It Something I Ate?”.

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Episode Overview

This landmark episode flips the familiar script: regular host Jim Alstott becomes the interview subject, with friend and collaborator Nate Scripture stepping in as guest host. They dive deep into Jim's transformation—from small-town opera singer, through personal crises and supernatural experiences, to spiritual mentor and author. The conversation is candid, humorous, and vulnerable, blending stories of music, awakening, and the healing power of community. Jim’s new book serves as both memoir and guide for others on spiritual journeys.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jim’s Early Life and Musical Journey

Plainfield Roots & Family Traditions

• Grew up in small-town Plainfield, IL, rooted in a tight-knit farming community before development and disaster changed its character.
• Recalls a time "when you didn't have to worry about locking your doors" ([03:08]).

Discovering Opera

• Initially studied music while at Illinois State and later DePaul; discovered his vocal gift through a perceptive teacher (“You have a voice, you have a presence, and I think you can do something with it…” [05:42]).
• Early opera roles, including The Count in "Marriage of Figaro" at the storied Blackstone (now Merle Reskin) Theater in Chicago.
• “Here’s the thing about a blossoming career in opera: You don’t make any money… you do it for the love of what you’re doing.” ([07:48])

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2. Jim’s Book: “Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening or Was It Something I Ate?”

Genesis & Tone of the Book

• The quirky title arises from Jim’s irreverent humor—linking spiritual breakthroughs to more earthly upsets. “It could have been 'something I drank'. If you've ever been so sick… you start praying, please God, I'll never do this again…” ([09:38])
• Humor is essential: “I love to laugh. Humor's a coping mechanism for me…” ([09:59])
• Distinct from typical “serious, lofty” spiritual books: “A lot of people… have this very stoic, very serious, lofty… type of vocabulary… what the hell does that mean? …I guess I could have called it 'Spiritual Awakening for Dummies'…” ([11:02])

Motivation and Process

• The drive to write was “compulsive, almost led and pushed,” providing therapy and requiring deep vulnerability ([12:52]).
• The book is crafted as a “guide or a manual, instruction manual for awakening,” not just a memoir ([13:59]).

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3. Unpacking Spiritual Awakening

What Constitutes an Awakening?

• “Each person’s awakening is unique and specific to them… most people start at the awakening stage, which is really when it just—you're at a point where it can't get any worse…” ([14:48])
• But it isn’t always about hitting rock bottom—can be catalyzed by positive, life-changing experiences or epiphanies ([15:36]).

Jim’s Own Awakening

• Not a Himalayan mountaintop epiphany, but a despairing moment on a Marco Island beach—“contemplating suicide as a way out” ([16:36]).
• Jim stresses the seriousness of such moments: “Don’t take it lightly. If anybody [is feeling that], do not take it lightly. It’s serious business.” ([17:14])

Gradual Realization

• Jim didn’t label it an awakening until years later—“I didn’t know probably until maybe two or three years ago that that’s exactly what had happened.” ([20:48])
• Only discovered the language for his experience after joining Jennifer Weigel’s Spiritual Social Club ([21:31]).

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4. The Importance of Spiritual Mentors & Community

Critical Mentors

• Profound gratitude for his first spiritual mentor, Kelly Schweigel: “She was my first spiritual mentor… everything just took off” ([23:59]).
• Pandemic-era context: Many others experienced awakenings in 2019–2020 ([24:15]).
• “I can say without hesitation that Kelly Schweigel was a huge part in all of this for me…” ([23:59])

Shared Experiences

• Nate reflects on the importance of guides: “You talk about the importance of having… spiritual guides, people who can… anchor you…” ([23:41])
• Shared journeys often strengthen individual transformation.

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5. Early Signs of Spiritual Gifts

A Childhood Visitation

• At four, Jim saw his great-grandfather’s spirit after his passing: “I was just drawn to my closet… and there sat my great grandfather on my clothes hamper… he gave me the little kid wave…” ([31:46])
• Family dismissed it. “Never talked about it again, ever.” ([34:25])

Repression & Later Acceptance

• “That kind of crazy talk or fanciful, you know, stuff… it just didn’t fly” in his upbringing ([35:36])
• Discussion about how today’s parents have more openness to children’s spiritual sensitivity ([36:55]).

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6. Family Gifts & Telepathic Games

Discovering Inherited Abilities

• Through developmental editing, Nate helped Jim realize his mom’s psychic gifts:
  • Childhood memory: “We played a game, I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 10…” ([41:15])
  • Details reveal direct telepathic communication and psychic training—“that’s telepathy” ([42:48]).
• Reflection: “My mom was gifted in that way… I only realized recently” ([43:28]).

Generational Interest

• Jim’s mom also visited mediums, showing intergenerational curiosity about the supernatural ([43:55]).

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7. Stepping Into the Role of Healer

Becoming a Reiki Master & More

• “I’m a certified Reiki master as well. Reiki and Chios was a recent one as well…”
• Originally pursued it out of curiosity; mostly practiced on son and dog, both of whom had palpable physical responses ([47:06], [49:27]).
  • “My dog… she freaked out the very first time… she came back for more…” ([50:41])
• Discusses the authenticity of animals’ responses compared to humans ([51:26]).

Benefits of Energy Healing Practice

• Even without pursuing a practitioner career, having energy healing knowledge is a powerful tool for self-regulation and helping others ([52:25]).

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8. The Structure & Musical Influence of the Book

Use of Music & Sound

• Every section/chapter starts with a referenced song and personal interpretation (“music is the tie that binds us all together…” [53:52]).
• The book is accompanied by a custom song Jim wrote, “Under the Pale Moon Glow.” Readers can access it directly via QR code in the book ([58:18]).
• Meditative soundscapes provided by Carrie Muller are also included ([59:46]).

Resources & Reader Experience

• Book includes a spiritual summary and question prompts at each section to guide readers’ reflection ([59:46]).
• Additional online resources: meditations, soundscapes, and more available to readers ([60:59]).

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9. The Role of Meditation in Awakening & Transformation

• “Meditation was the linchpin for me… it was the linchpin as it relates to my weight loss…” ([61:35])
• Moving from a sympathetic ‘fight, flight, freeze’ state to parasympathetic rest/repair allowed true transformation.
• “It wasn’t until I started meditation that the pounds started to drop… my meditation practice amped up.” ([63:04])
• Shared stories of animal encounters and energetic shifts as results of a regular meditation practice ([64:12], [65:21]).

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10. The Power of Music in Personal and Collective Awakening

Signature Segment: The Musical Questions – [66:56] onward

Memory Lane & Musical Touchstones

• First song you loved on the radio:
  “Stop and Smell the Roses” by Mac Davis; “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast” by Wayne Newton ([67:26]).
• Family song on vacations/car trips:
  Del Amitri’s “Stone Cold Sober” during roadtrips; “anything from The Cure” as well ([68:46]).
• High school/college anthems:
  Van Halen’s “Jump,” Judas Priest’s “Another Thing Coming,” and Sammy Hagar’s “Three Lock Box” ([69:56]).
• Evolving tastes:
  Shift from classic rock/metal to INXS, R.E.M., Depeche Mode in college ([71:07]).
• Songs to “crush your day” to:
  “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & the Waves ([73:11]).
• Guilty pleasures:
  “Shape of My Heart” by Backstreet Boys; Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” ([73:32]).

Music That Heals & Uplifts

• Songs with transformative potential:
  “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke; “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. ([74:28]).
• Songs that feel personal:
  “Save the Roses” by Lee Brice (“I got a much better view than any of you…”) ([75:55]);
  “Go the Distance” from Disney’s Hercules, a special father-son touchstone ([76:41]).

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11. Book Release Information

• Release Date: May 5, 2026 (Cinco de Mayo; significant as the anniversary of Jim’s grandmother’s passing—[77:22])
• Where to Order:
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • JimAllstot.com (for signed/personalized copies)
  • PenAndPublish.com
  • 10+ additional book retailers ([78:31])
• Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook (simultaneous release)
• Special Features: Website tie-in with downloadable resources, original music, and bonus guided meditations.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On humor and awakening:
  “I love to laugh. Humor’s a coping mechanism for me… In spiritual circles, we get so serious… Sometimes you just have to laugh at it.” ([10:59], [12:11])
• On the isolation of awakening:
  “I felt very alone in what I was dealing with… What the hell is going on and why is this happening to me?” ([18:21])
• On spiritual crisis moments:
  “Don’t take it lightly. If anybody (is contemplating suicide), do not take it lightly. It’s serious business.” ([17:14])
• About meditation:
  “Meditation was the linchpin for me… the linchpin as it relates to my weight loss, believe it or not.” ([61:35])
• Musical mantra:
  “Music is the tie that binds us all together… on this side and the other.” ([53:52])
• On integration and ongoing process:
  “You could go through all 12 of those stages… and go back again to number four, number five, number seven… always in that continuous improvement mode.” ([19:34])
• Revelation about inherited gifts:
  “That’s telepathy… It wasn’t until recently that I realized my mom and I shared these things.” ([42:48], [43:28])
• On being a healer:
  “Even though I have a master certification in Reiki…I don’t…do it professionally. That wasn’t really why I decided I would take the courses. I had a natural curiosity…” ([47:06])
• On publishing and gratitude:
  “I’m just so excited and thankful and grateful for the opportunity to do this and to share it with everybody. I just, just, I’m very, very lucky.” ([78:31])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jim’s early life, small-town Plainfield: [03:10]
• Opera studies and career: [05:42]
• Book genesis & humor: [09:38]
• Awakening explained, personal crisis: [14:48]
• Describing the low point, considering suicide: [16:36]
• First recognizing it as an “awakening”: [20:48], [22:42]
• On the importance of mentors: [23:59]
• Childhood visitation experience: [31:44]
• Mother’s psychic gifts and games: [41:15]
• First experiences practicing Reiki: [47:06]
• Music as the soul of the book: [53:45]
• Original song and musical tie-ins: [58:18]
• The role of meditation: [61:35]
• The Musical Questions lightning round: [66:56]
• Book release, how to order: [77:22], [78:31]

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Final Thoughts

This episode is rich with personal storytelling, practical insights, and actionable inspiration for anyone curious about the intersection of music, spirituality, and personal rebirth. Jim’s authenticity and approachable humor make the topic of spiritual awakening accessible and real, while Nate’s thoughtful, gently probing questions add clarity and structure.

Whether you’re in crisis or simply curious, this podcast (and Jim’s new book) can serve as a guide, a comfort, and a companion on your own journey of awakening—one sound, story, and soulful insight at a time.

Transcript

[Jim Alstatt]

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[Nate Scripture]

your stay, through the moments in between

[Jim Alstatt]

and after your trip. Because a great trip starts with peace of mind and maybe a good playlist. But we've got the peace of mind part covered. Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now? Really? At a playground? Yeah, really. Look at these listings from dealers. Wow, your search can really get that specific. Really? And you just put in your info and boom, Cars in your budget. Mom needs a second. Honey, you can really have it delivered. Really? Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car.

[Nate Scripture]

Mommy, look.

[Jim Alstatt]

I think your kid is walking up the slide.

[Nate Scripture]

Kyle. Again? Really? Autotrader, Buy your car online?

[Jim Alstatt]

Really?

[Nate Scripture]

Welcome to the Drop the Needle podcast, your backstage pass to the mystical realm. I'm your host, Jim Alstatt. And here, gifted souls step up to the mic, sharing their spiritual journey. We're hitting the high notes and the low notes of their awakening, creating a symphony of enlightenment. This isn't just another interview show. This is where divine insights are channeled and universal truths are revealed. So crank up your stereo and sit back, because who knows? This just might help you compose the next transformative chapter of your soul's purpose. Are you ready? Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back. This is the Drop the Needle podcast, and I'm Jim Alstatt, your host. Well, guess what? Today is going to be a little bit different than the norm. I'm not going to be your host today. Even though I just said that I'm not going to be your host today. We have a special guest that will be our host today, and it is Mr. Nate scripture. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to give the controls over to Nate right now. So welcome, Nate.

[Jim Alstatt]

Hi, Jim. How are you doing?

[Nate Scripture]

I'm doing great. Good.

[Jim Alstatt]

I'm excited for today because I feel like you've helped other people tell their stories, and finally we get to kind of flip the script. And now you're in the crosshairs. You're in the chat chair.

[Nate Scripture]

Great.

[Jim Alstatt]

And I get to pay back's a. I get to poke you and find out what's going on in your life. And. And, you know, today's topic being about spiritual awakenings and. And Your new. Your new book coming out about spiritual awakenings. And so there's a lot to talk about. I'm really excited about this topic, but maybe before we begin and dive in, maybe you can just. You know, I think your audience probably knows you fairly well, but I don't know if you've ever really told your story about, you know, how you grew up, where you grew up, what, to earn a living, those types of things.

[Nate Scripture]

A living. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. Well, I was born a poor but honest dirt farmer. No, starting off with the jerk reference there.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, right. I know it.

[Nate Scripture]

I was a poor but honest dirt farmer. No, I grew up in a little town called Plainfield. Plainfield, Illinois. And when I grew up there, if anybody's around this area, they'll know Plainfield as it is today, which is a pretty sizable southwest suburb of Chicago. But when I grew up, there was about 2,000 people, plus or minus, in that town. And actually in the downtown area, there was about 1100, 1200 people. So very small. And it was a farming community. And I would say. I say was because a lot of the farmland has been sold off to developers and everything over the years. And Plainfield, for those old enough, would know that it was hit by a devastating tornado in 1991. It was the only F5 tornado recorded at that time that went through Plainfield and just utterly destroyed us. But. So I grew up there. Small town where everybody knew everyone. This is back in the day when you didn't have to worry about locking your doors or anything like that. Times have changed, you know. But I was an only child, and the house that I grew up in was actually built by my. My dad and my grandfather and my dad's brothers and lived there until it was time to go off to. To school, which I went to Illinois State University and then transferred to DePaul University, where I studied music. I studied vocal performance, specifically opera. I sang for. For a while.

[Jim Alstatt]

That's incredible. So you actually have a. You have a voice. Well, you have a great voice for podcasting.

[Nate Scripture]

Well, thank you.

[Jim Alstatt]

But so you can see I have

[Nate Scripture]

a face for radio.

[Jim Alstatt]

I always say face for radio. You do have that. Yeah. No, but you know what, you know, it's funny, too, is also I just. Before we dive forward in that, I was thinking about how crazy is it that our ancestors, like, even our parents and grandparents used to build their own homes, right? Like my. My grandfather did as well. You know, it's like we. That was what we used to do, right? Like, my family grew up on A. On a tree farm. So it's kind of. And they built their own home there. So it's kind of funny that you have that sort of history, similar roots. Yeah, yeah. But the opera thing is really amazing. So where. Where did that go? Where did that lead you?

[Nate Scripture]

Well, so interestingly enough, when I was at Illinois State University, my voice teacher said, well, it. First of all, it started out by him asking me if I'd ever considered singing opera. And I said, no, I would be happy just singing at a bar singing Billy Joel music. And he said, but I wanted you to do me a favor. Why don't you sing this song? I was like, okay. And he goes, well, that was really quite good. And I was like, okay, sure. So it progressed. And he said to me one, after one of my lessons, he just said, you know, I really think you need to transfer out of here and go to Chicago. And I said, why is that? And he said, you have a voice, you have a presence, and I think you can do something with it. And you won't do anything with it here. You need to go. At first I thought he was kidding, and then he was. I found out rather quickly he was serious. So he actually helped me do some research, and I went to DePaul University audition. And from there I was. You know, you always hear people say, right place, right time. And I think that I was certainly a product of that, where we had a fledgling opera program. Even though the opera program had been in existence for some time, it wasn't until a gentleman by the name of Harry Silverstein came in and really revamped the entire program. And we came in and we did full scale operas. So the first opera I ever did was the Marriage of Figaro, where I was the count. And that's where it started. And we performed the Marriage of Figaro at the Blackstone Theater, which is now the Merle Reskin Theater, but right on Balbo in downtown Chicago. Nice, beautiful, classic theater. And it took off from there. I started to audition, saying, in Chautauqua, New York, Boulder, boy, where else in Florida? Gulf Coast Opera and Greater Miami, and so on, so on and so on. So, yeah, and it was. It started to. Here's the thing. Here's the thing about a. A blossoming career in opera. You don't make any money. You just. You just don't make any money. And you do it for the love of what you're doing. And that, that was a lesson for me, because it was hard to be called a professional, because when you consider the Word professional. There's an assumption that you get paid for. For things. And there was a. There was a lot of gratis work in that for. For quite a while until I started to. To get paid. And even then it wasn't. Wasn't great, but it was a wonderful experience. I met so many fantastic people that I'm still friends with today and.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, well, we can come back to this because I know how influential music has been in your life, obviously as an opera singer, but also beyond. And of course, I know your show incorporates music into it. And also your book, I think. Can we circle back to the book, actually? Is that. Yeah, yeah. Can you show us the book? Because I understand it. The title is Did I Just have a Spiritual Awakening or Something I Ate.

[Nate Scripture]

It's a little bit out of focus

[Jim Alstatt]

there, but it looks, it looks cool. Maybe pull it back a little bit there. We're getting a little clearer shot. So did I just have a spiritual awakening Awakening, or was it something I ate? Which.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love that photo. That's a photo of you on there.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes. Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

And how did that come to fruition?

[Nate Scripture]

Well, so the title itself. Did I Just have a Spiritual Awakening or was it Something I Ate? It could have easily been, Was it Something I ate or was it Something I drank? Right. Because I don't know about you, but if you've ever been so sick before that you start praying, please, God, I'll never do this again. I'll clean up my. Change my ways. One of those things. And it was kind of like that. And that's where I kind of equated the whole spiritual awakening piece too. Because when you have an unraveling, whether it be intestinal, gastrointestinal, or other ones. Nice. There's a. You're, you're reaching for some lifelines right. At times. And that's really what, what sparked this and, you know, humor's. I, I would say that humor is a coping mechanism for me for sure. But it's been a, A friend for a long time. I just, I love to laugh. So I figure it. It. You know, here's the other thing.

[Jim Alstatt]

That theme runs through your book, by the way. Like I, you know, whenever.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow. That. The humor is so. It's great, but it's kind of a dark humor. But I, I enjoy it, you know.

[Nate Scripture]

Thank you.

[Jim Alstatt]

And it's a natural part of who you are.

[Nate Scripture]

It really is. And that's the thing about it, as far as the, the humor is concerned. Okay, so what I was going to say in Nate you're much more educated, especially in this area, than I am. So I can. What I've seen is that a lot of people that write books and I have published books and things of that nature in the spiritual community have this very stoic, very serious, lofty, you know, type of vocabulary that you have to Google that after you're reading something, you go, well, what the hell does that mean? What the hell does that mean? And I'd like to say one of. One of our mutual friends, Gail Alexander, I said, well, you know what? I guess I could have called it Spiritual Awakening. Awakening for Dummies. And she goes, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't dilute that. That is. That is not the truth. And she said, you're not dumb and yada, yada, yada.

[Jim Alstatt]

I'm agree with her on that. I'm glad he didn't go with that title. I like the one you picked.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

You know, I think. I think humor is also levity and humility. It's a couple different things. You know what I mean? And, you know, in spiritual circles, you know, we get so serious and caught up with every, you know, nuanced detail and. And sometimes you just have to laugh at it.

[Nate Scripture]

Right? You're just like, no, yeah, yeah. Not to mention the frequency itself. You know, joy, laughter is. Is a much higher vibrational frequency to. To resonate at.

[Jim Alstatt]

So you. You came up with this title, and, you know, what. What compelled you to write the book? Was it something you felt was divine to you? What was calling you towards it?

[Nate Scripture]

So that's a great question, and it's one that my wife had asked me repeatedly, and I'll be honest with you, I still don't have the answer to that question. All I can say is. And what I told her, obviously, too, is that I just felt compelled to do this. Almost led and pushed to the point where it was just like. Wouldn't stop rolling or rattling around in my head until I started. And then when I started, it was just like, okay, there, go, and just go. And that was really it. And then as I went along, it became very therapeutic for me, too, because the one thing I can say about this book, which makes me a little nervous, and I won't lie about it, is that I'm pretty vulnerable in this. I don't hold back anything. I'm fully exposed in a lot of different facets of life that are pretty uncomfortable at times.

[Jim Alstatt]

I guess I thought it was brave. And I like that you did that. I think you were authentic about that. And you know, what are you going to do? I think that's a wonderful thing. I think that's why that book is great. And you know, we're calling it a book, but the way I read it and you know, I've had some involvement in it with you, the way I've seen it, it's more like a guide or a manual, instruction manual for awakening. And I think we should talk about that. But before we maybe dive into that, that side of it, maybe just on a very basic level for your audience. And I'm sure most of them are fairly tapped in. But how do you, how do you define an awakening? Because I think, you know, that is a relevant component. Right. What are we really talking about?

[Nate Scripture]

Well, here's the thing. I can say that each person's awakening is unique and specific to them. Right. It happens in different times, it shows up in different ways. And those incidences that occur, happen that are unique to them. However, most people start at the awakening stage, which is really when it just. You're at a point where it can't get any worse than this type of thing. You know, when just when you think the worst thing happened to you, there's another thing right behind it. But here's the thing.

[Jim Alstatt]

But does it always have to be bad? Because I think no, you know, it doesn't.

[Nate Scripture]

No. And that's what makes it unique. It could be something that is. Oh gosh, it could. Well, let's. Well, do you call the near death experience bad?

[Jim Alstatt]

I would probably not yet. It's got to be a component.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, well, yeah, if you go the other way, yeah, it's definitely bad. No, but I hear what you're saying about it doesn't always have to be bad and I don't think that it does. But there is something that is life changing in that moment. Whether that be like this epiphany that something is. There's more to this than I have come to realize up until now. Is really. And for me it was really. I'm sure it wasn't unique in a lot of respects. Maybe the location was because, as you know, my awakening didn't happen on a mountaintop in Nepal or you know, in the Himalayas or anything like that. Mine happened on the beach in Marco Island, Florida. And it was at a very low point in my life as far as, you know, emotionally, spiritually. You got, if you've got all of the major boxes in your life. Mine were all checked in, in the in shambles type of stage. And for me and this, this is A very serious thing. But this is where I was contemplating suicide as my way out.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

And. And I'm going to tell you right now, anybody out there do, you know, don't take it lightly. And if anybody. Anybody like that, do not take it lightly. It's serious business. And treat it as such. And mine was. And yeah, it was. That is very serious.

[Jim Alstatt]

The nature of the awakening, it's turbulent, right. It's shaking, it kicks you, you know, you're off kilter. You're not really sure what is happening. You're trying to. Me, in my perspective, you're starting to see the. The veil or whatever world you've been in is not really that world, in a way. You know, I know it can be different things for different people. It's almost like you can. You can pierce through into a different reality in a way and start to see things around you, people around you. Right. All of that.

[Nate Scripture]

And differently.

[Jim Alstatt]

That comes out really beautifully in your book.

[Nate Scripture]

Well, thank you.

[Jim Alstatt]

And yeah, so I, I'm. I'm grateful that you wrote that book. I think it's going to be very helpful for a lot of people, even people who've been on the path for a long time or just people coming in. I think you're really going to be able to help guide them.

[Nate Scripture]

I hope so. I hope so. And I even mentioned in the book at some point, I think it was very early on that I wish there was something like this when I started, you know, because I think also one of the things that at least I experienced was I felt very alone in what I was dealing with. You know, it's like, what the hell is going on and why is this happening to me? And why is it happening now?

[Jim Alstatt]

Right, right, right, right.

[Nate Scripture]

So many questions. And that's one of the other things that came out of this. And it's still there, by the way. I don't know that anybody. Here's. Here's the thing. Even though you can go through. In Dolores Cannon, God rest her soul, was one person that came up with 12 stages. And that happened to be what I used for the outline of the book, was her 12 stages of awakening now,

[Jim Alstatt]

which I thought was great, by the way, that you.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, thank you.

[Jim Alstatt]

You use that format to write your book, to kind of follow. I mean, it's not like we're following every step. Right. Because as you admit, they don't necessarily happen in order for everybody in the same way.

[Nate Scripture]

Right. They really. They really don't. At least. At least it's what I have researched and Found out and what I've experienced. But the. The whole thing is you could go through all 12 of those. Those stages and go back again to number four, number five, number seven, number. You know, whatever. It's. Whatever. You're needing a little bit more of that. You start to gravitate toward or you get pulled to. So it's. It's really interesting that there's not like, aha, I've reached the mountaintop. It's all done. It's not all done.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, no, it doesn't seem that way. You know, it's not like we. Nirvana. And then it's like, we're done. It's like, okay, wow, I really need to integrate this better. I learned a new thing, you know.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's kind of going back and like, tweaking experience.

[Nate Scripture]

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly right.

[Jim Alstatt]

And how did you know that you were actually having an awakening? Right, because, you know, like you said, you're very alone and you're. You're really alone. And, you know, are you having a midlife crisis or is it a crisis of consciousness? What. What. What is happening? How did you know?

[Nate Scripture]

Truth be told, I didn't for a long time. All I kept doing was holding on. You know, I just kept holding on and holding on to whatever this new reality was. You know, the new reality. It wasn't like I was transported someplace, but what I was doing, I was able to look at things a little differently than the status quo or which, you know, we've always done it that way type of thing. And I started to question. But the answer to your question is I didn't know probably until maybe two or three years ago that that's exactly what had happened.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

You know, because I. Well, let's put it this way. My circle. My social circle consisted of business professionals, families that I was involved with from a coaching perspective, you know, that. That sort of thing in my. My friends that were, you know, from college or neighbors or what have you. And none of them were outwardly saying, hey, I had a spiritual awakening, you know. Right, right, right. It wasn't. It wasn't like that. So I didn't. I didn't know until one day it was. I was listening to books on tape, which is one of my favorite things to do, especially as I'm cutting grass and I heard a book written by Jennifer Weigel. And, you know, long and short of it is I sought Jen out, got in touch with her, became friends, and joined her spiritual social club. And that's really when I found Out. I was just like, oh. When somebody said, oh, yeah, you had. That. You had your awakening. It was like, what. What are you talking about?

[Jim Alstatt]

Right, right, right.

[Nate Scripture]

And then it was just like, in my book, I refer to it as gts. Google that. So I Googled that. What is. What does that mean? And I was like, holy shit, it's got a name. And that's really when I found out.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah. Yeah. That. That is amazing, too. I don't know if I knew either. When I. When I had mine, I think I knew within six months, but I was googling.

[Nate Scripture]

You're much smarter than I am.

[Jim Alstatt]

No, well, I. I was. I was Googling stuff. I'm like, is my mind broken? What has happened to me?

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, yeah, but I did.

[Jim Alstatt]

I did. You know, one of the things for me, you know, I happen to be developing TV shows around mediums and psychics and stuff like that.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

I had some people already, like, in my kind of arena that I could like, talk to about this stuff. So it. That. That helped me along. And I think. I think this is something valuable in your book now, and maybe we should say gear, because you talk about the importance of having, you know, kind of spiritual guides, people who can, you know, all the different things that are. That keep you from killing yourself. You know what I mean? Those people who are there to anchor you and give you a little clue into what's going on. And I know you mentioned a lot of really great people in your book. How vital were those people ultimately for you? And.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, my goodness. Well, I can say without hesitation that Kelly Schweigel was a huge part in all of this for me. She was my first spiritual mentor. She was the person who introduced. Well, she wasn't the person who introduced meditation to me. My friend Barb introduced meditation to me, but they were Kelly's meditations. So I got introduced to Kelly. We had some conversations, and everything just took off. And it was. Here's the other thing, too. This was at the time of the pandemic, right around that time, because my spiritual awakening took place on December 3, 2019. So I. I do know from a lot of the conversations I've had with people in the interviews and in the different circles and things of that nature, that. That was. That 2019. 2020 time frame was a real serious time for a lot of people in having awakenings. So I wasn't alone.

[Jim Alstatt]

Can I. Can I share something real quick with you?

[Nate Scripture]

Well, please.

[Jim Alstatt]

On 2019. Sorry, the last day of the year 2019, I painted this same day that you said you had your awakening.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jim Alstatt]

I literally painted this phoenix rising from the flames. Because I had asked spirit, I said, what does this here have in store for me? Well, little did I know. And you know, this is my, my painting for my, you know, sort of a version of my awakening. But the funny thing that you're talking about it and I'm going, wow, that, that really, that's really a thing, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

That's very cool.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

Well, I think you showed me that before, which I, I thought, I like that I hadn't seen it in a while, though.

[Jim Alstatt]

I like that you mentioned that date. And I go, that, that, that just boom. Because literally on New Year's Eve I painted it and I was like, all right. But I think you're right. Like, a lot of people came online and we were all like, you know, a lot of people.

[Nate Scripture]

What's going on? What the hell is this?

[Jim Alstatt]

And more people now, right? More and more.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. And so it's interesting. I had a guest on and actually she's. I recorded the show with her. Her name's Michelle Blood and she is of the mind that it's not really much different than it's always been. What is different than it's always been is our access to information. So when people are. Let's say that they're. In 2017, 2015, 2009, we're having these Awaken. You didn't have this instant access or people that were. What do you call those, the influencers on Instagram. Oh, so. And so had an awakening. Let's. Let's check in, you know. Right. It wasn't, it wasn't that you didn't have a tick tock channel for awakening.

[Jim Alstatt]

That's a really good point. I forget about that. That, that there wasn't that, you know.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was a great guest too, by the way. So everybody's going to be really excited to see her. Michelle Blood. Yeah, she's. She's great. So. But, but that being said, I think what I've been seeing more and more is at least an openness. I'm not going to say acceptance to it, but at least having the ability to open your mind enough to consider something like this is going on. I mean, for crying out loud, how many shows are there on different networks about Spirit, about, you know, how many? There's dozens, right?

[Jim Alstatt]

Oh, yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

So there's something about that. Where there's smoke, there's fire type of thing, you know, and, and I think that this year I really, truly believe is a pivotal year for so many people. And I think it's going to be a pivotal year as it relates to that, that understanding and acceptance and openness to something different. Not that everything else has been broken up until now, but if we're always in that continuous improvement model or mode, well, this is a continuous improvement process or method for sure in how to treat people, how to act around people, how to be open and mindful and be present and all of those, those wonderful, wonderful things that just increase the happiness and joy in, in people's lives. So,

[Jim Alstatt]

yeah, yeah, it feels like we're going through that collectively. You know what I mean? As far as, you know, when the pandemic hit, we, you know, we, we all had to pause for a minute.

[Nate Scripture]

Right.

[Jim Alstatt]

And take stock of everything that happened. Right. And maybe now with the wars that these are all sort of like, to me, when I see this stuff out here in this wider collective, I'm thinking, hate to call them opportunities, but they're chances for people to really have more deeper self reflection about, you know, the world at large. And I think it is causing people to have awakenings now in a different way than maybe when we were having ours, you know?

[Nate Scripture]

Well, and I, I would say that opportunity is a wonderful way to phrase it it because it is an opportunity for people to take, because you can either take advantage of that or not. I mean, the choice is really up to everyone else as it relates to. Okay, should I just go along with societal convention or am I, okay, maybe questioning some things and maybe going on my own path for a little while and finding things out? And the choice is ultimately yours to make.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right. And you, and you detail that really well in your book, which I'd actually like to bounce back to because one of the passages you wrote about was as a, as a child, you, you already had some spiritual gifts growing up. Maybe you weren't aware of what that was, but maybe you can walk us through.

[Nate Scripture]

Sure.

[Jim Alstatt]

You know what I'm talking about?

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, yeah, my great grandpa. Yeah, yeah, my great grandpa. So my great grandfather. So I guess I can bring this back. I was about 4 years old. It was in April 1970 that, you know, 4 years old, your regular bedtime is 8, 8:30 maybe, you know, if you're a night owl at 4 and regular routine, you know, that my, my mom and my dad and my grandmother and grandfather were at our house and it was time for bed. So upstairs and you know, prayers story, you know, hug, kiss good night and out. And I was asleep and all of a sudden I got this, I don't know, there was a voice, it wasn't an external voice, it was a voice that was calling my name to the point. It was over and over, very gentle voice till I woke up. And so you imagine this four year old me wearing the onesie pajamas that you zip up in the front with a little vinyl feet and everything. It was really cool back then, very comfortable. Your feet don't sweat and stink in those things.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, right, right, awful.

[Nate Scripture]

But I was just drawn to my closet like, like there was something there and I could see a glow in there and it was a, like a yellowish green. It was, it was, it was a soft glow. Almost like one of the, if you're outside, you know, the, the yellowish bug light type of things out in the backyard type of deal or on the corner of a, of a storage shed. So I, I see this light, don't think anything of it. And I start creeping and creeping like little steps. And I pushed the slide the door because of the wooden doors that slide and I slide the door and there sat my great grandfather on my clothes hamper. And he had this greenish yellow glow about him. Dressed as he normally did. He had his glasses on and he always wore a little sport coat and it could been a short sleeve shirt underneath there and his trousers. And he was just sitting there and he just gave me the little, the little kid wave where you're, you hold your palm still and you just wave your four fingers up and down. And so he gave me that and then he did the, my grandfather's, my great grandfather's thing that he would do to always make me smile. And it was our greeting. He'd pop his lips like, like that. So he did that. There was no sound with that when he did that. And then he waved goodbye shortly after that. And then there was no talking, there was no anything other than that gesture.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

And so it didn't four years freak me out. Yeah, four years old. It didn't, it wasn't scared. It was just like my grandfather, my great grandfather, right. And so I closed the, the, the door, the, the, the closet door, right. Go hauling ass downstairs to talk to my mom, say hey, guess who was in my closet. Great grandpa was in there. And it was like stop that. You know the, the, the first response, stop talking like that. And I got the stink eye probably from my dad and my grandfather and grandmother. And up the stairs I went. And my mom gave me the old sign of the cross. Four kisses on the forehead and good Night brought me back, and then went back to sleep. And it's. You know, the funny thing about it, Nate, we never talked about it again, ever.

[Jim Alstatt]

Which is so weird. Right? Like, I just saw a ghost or I saw something.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, well, she thought I was making it up or I heard them talking. Right, right. That was what she really thought.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

Is that I was, like, hanging out on the stairs and I heard them talking about my great grandfather, who, by the way, had gone in to the hospital because he had some bladder or kidney issue and ended up passing away. My guess, I think he had, like, bladder cancer or something like that. And he passed away that night, actually, before I went downstairs. Oh. So he got a call.

[Jim Alstatt]

He had passed away.

[Nate Scripture]

And that night. Yeah, that night. Wow.

[Jim Alstatt]

So you literally saw his spirit, like, right after. That's probably what freaked them out. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. Well, you know, is. Is open as I am to all that stuff, you know, I'd like to think that I wouldn't respond that way, and I probably wouldn't now, but you

[Jim Alstatt]

grew up in a different era, a different time, too.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, God. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That. Let me tell you something. That was not tolerated. That kind of crazy talk or fanciful, you know, stuff, it just. It just didn't fly. Right.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

At all.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's amazing that you. That you had that. And. And, you know, it's funny, because when I was little, I would see spirits in my room, too, and they would be up in the corners of the ceiling. I didn't really like them. I didn't know what they were, but I knew they were. They were not. You know, they were not. There was something else. And I would pull my blanket over my head and kind of wait for them to go away and hopefully wake up the next morning. And, you know, that. That was enough for me. And then. Then I ended up at college, Gettysburg College, where there were a lot of ghosts, and I started seeing more of that. And I was like, no, no, no. And, you know, I was like, I shut off the pipe. I was like, I do not want anything to do with it. So for you, maybe, I think we do that. Do we do that naturally? I think we do it naturally. I think fear a protective measure.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. Yeah. Especially if you don't have an adult or parental or, you know, familial group or support system that is familiar with that or open to that and can discuss that, you know. Right. You're gonna cram it down there and not talk about it is what you're. What you're gonna do.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right. You have no. You know, but now all these kids coming online more and more, and I think the parents are no way more open to. To this. You know, some medicate their children, but, you know, a lot of their kids are. Are gifted and they just don't know how to interact with them.

[Nate Scripture]

That's right.

[Jim Alstatt]

But thank God, like, now things are evolving a little bit where we don't have to shove it all down and make it unnatural, you know, well, that

[Nate Scripture]

was the thing that was, you know, timely as far as our. Our friend. And certainly you had the. The benefit of. Of being mentored by her much longer than I did. But Pat Longo in her book and talking about those things specifically as it relates to anxieties and oftentimes children, teens being misdiagnosed as being bipolar or schizophrenic, when really they were just hypersensitive human beings that were picking up on these things and medicated. You know, good thing that their lobotomies weren't. Aren't going around these days. You can have a lobotomy and you can have a lobotomy. Yeah, that's frightening to think.

[Jim Alstatt]

I know. Can you imagine being in those?

[Nate Scripture]

Or electroshock?

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, yeah. They did all that, didn't they?

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. So screwy.

[Jim Alstatt]

But you know what? Okay, so back to the book. I'm just remembering. So you're interesting that your mother takes you, tucks you back into bed. Right. And kisses you goodnight and moves on and you never talk about it again. But, you know, during. During the creation of your book, during writing your book, we sort of had some collective or. Well, you and I had some epiphanies about your mom. Certainly you did. And actually how this whole time she played a bigger role in your spiritual growth and maybe you were even aware of.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, my God. Yeah. So. So I can set the stage a little bit for you on this, that Nate helped me out with the developmental edit of the book. And I have to say that, well, given Nate kind of glossed over his experience working for History, Discovery Channel and all of being an executive producer in these markets really lend themselves very well to book writing. To his experience is like hand in glove.

[Jim Alstatt]

I appreciate it because I'm not a book writer.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, no, but you are extremely talented and you. You understand flow. And so what had happened is Nate was asking me. He's like, you know, generally speaking, this is supposed to be something that is hereditary or some. Somebody in the family has some of these gifts and are you sure nobody in your family's like, no, no. Nobody in your mom, Nothing? No, no, no. And he's just like, wow, that's weird. And he just kept poking at that with my mom. And I was like, really? There's nothing at all? And he goes, you mean to tell me that you. You never had any. You played any games or anything like that that were. And I said, like a Ouija board? No, not a Ouija board. Like some sort of games as like. Yeah, we played some game where you pick a number between 1 and 10. And he goes, tell me about that.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right?

[Nate Scripture]

And then it was. It was a nothing. So I was growing up, I had severe allergies. I mean, like, severe severe, that I had to get allergy shots like three to four times a week for a period of time, like a couple of years. And then it. It slowly weans down. But. But. And that went on from, I don't know, like six or seven years old till the time I was in eighth grade. It was like my birthday. So it would have been in February of 1980 that this. This happened. So years of allergy shots. Well, what had happened is we. We used to play all the. The standard games, right? The tic Tac toe, the Hangman, you know, see how many ceiling tiles had water stains on them, different stuff like that, and count them. And then one day my mom says, I've got a new game. I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10. What's that number? And I guessed. And she said, that's right. And see, it wasn't me just guessing. And my mom being kind. My mom would go with her. My mom was a nurse, so she always had a pen and paper with her, one of those little notepads. So she would take out her pen and she'd say, I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10. What's that number? She'd write it down. She'd think about it for a couple of seconds, close her eyes, and repeat the number in her mind. Seven. And she'd go. Did she hold up the notepad? Yep. Seven. Okay. I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. Three. Three. And sometimes, you know, full disclosure, I wasn't right all the time, but I'm going to tell you right now, I was right a lot more than I was wrong. So she started to expand it to, you know, between one and 21 and 50, one in a hundred, you know, one in a thousand. I don't even know if one in a thousand was true or not, but I'M just teasing. But it was a lot, right? And then what she did, we started doing words. I'm thinking of. Of a color. I'm thinking of a clothing article. I'm thinking of a. And then it went to sentences. Like. Like short sentences.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

Thinking of an ostrich wearing a ski hat. You know, something like that. And so we. We did that. And. And thanks to Nate, it was so. He's like, hey, that's telepathy. And I was like, son of a. He was right. And I think I even put in the book. It wasn't until recently that I realized that my mom and I shared these things. And I said embarrassingly so, because it wasn't until we were doing the edit on it.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

That. That came out. And it was just like, holy cow. So my mom. Yeah, my mom was. Was gifted in that way.

[Jim Alstatt]

She was already doing psychic development with her child, which is awesome. What an amazing thing. And she. She was quiet about it. She never really said much about that. But there was more layers to that because we started to peel that onion and we got to. Your. Your mom would. Would go to mediums, right?

[Nate Scripture]

And.

[Jim Alstatt]

And yes, that nature. Right, right.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, she did. She. She had gone to a few of them. And the. One of the sections in the. The book. The Chain Smoking Coffee Psychic. Yeah, yeah, she. That was. And that was a legit story. That was not made up. That was. That was not BS That My. My buddy Nooney and I went to see this chain smoking coffee psychic in Morris, Illinois, and he and Nate thought that I was teasing because he had asked me. He's like, you know what would be really great? If we could get Nunies commentary on this. And I forgot what he said, but I quoted it in the. In the book. Right. And essentially he said, tell your editor to f off. Shut up. Leave me alone. Exactly. I'm not going to talk about it. Yeah, yeah, something like that. As I forwarded the text messages to Nate, and it was just like, this is what he said. So probably because it was pretty accurate, he doesn't want to be reminded the medium was legit. Yeah. Yeah, she really was. So that was. That's another thing that. One of the blessings that I've had in all of this and, you know, doing the podcast and everything else has really been the people that I get to meet. And some I become friends with, like yourself, and some I. I maintain contact with. And we're friendly, you know, and it's really been nice from the standpoint that in not seeing any. Nothing against the, the 3am mediums that you see on the. The commercials on TV, I'm sure some of them are probably okay. But what I've been blessed by and with is seeing what somebody that is truly in their. Working in their gifts to help people, what that looks like and what that feels like. And it doesn't feel bad. It doesn't feel negative. It isn't like. Because you can tell when somebody's fishing for information to take advantage of a situation. And again, the people that I've been fortunate enough to become friends with and get to be introduced to are just incredible, incredible, incredible people and so talented that I feel blessed, really.

[Jim Alstatt]

It is amazing, and it's amazing to think that you come out of an awakening experience and potentially you end up being a practitioner or somebody who can actually help people because of your newfound spiritual knowledge and your gift. So it's great to, you know, there are silver linings and everything, but coming out of that and then being able to help others is really a huge part. And you mentioned it in the book, which, which I love. It's that stage of the awakening where you finally go, aha, you know, I want to help people. You know, I want to help people get to the next level. And I know you've taken courses you mentioned, you told me you're a certified Reiki master as well.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes. Reiki and Chios was a recent as well, which is an Auric energy healing. And I will say this full disclosure, that even though I have a master certification in Reiki and am able to teach people, I don't. I don't. And that wasn't really why I decided I would take the courses. I had a natural curiosity about it. I wanted to find out what this Reiki thing was, because Reiki was a new word to me, not to mention healing practice. And there were really only two people who benefited. I shouldn't even say two people. There was one person and a dog that benefited from my pariki education and training and practice. And it was. It was really neat to see that, especially with my middle son. When I did that, the first time he had a shoulder injury, he actually tore his labrum. And it was when he was a junior in high school. First. First football game, tore his labrum. Played the entire season. Tough as nails. Tough as nails. But when he was doing stretches and things like that, we were out in the garage. I have a gym in my. My garage. It's really not a garage. It's a man cave, as I'm told. But as he was Sitting on the bench, he was saying, gosh, dad, my, my, my shoulder's really hurting today. And I took that opportunity. I said, okay, do me a, do me a favor. Go ahead and lay down on the bench and just relax. And so he did, and I started to work with Reiki and the energy around his shoulder. And he goes, that's hot. What did you put on me? And I said, nothing. He goes, dad, that's hot.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

And I said, hey, bud, I'm not touching you. Just relax. He goes, okay, okay. He goes, okay, that's better now. Now that's better. Thanks for taking it off.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right? That's what, that's crazy, right? When you're like, I can't explain that.

[Nate Scripture]

No. And I swear, I, I, I didn't even touch him right. And he was like, oh, that's hot. My dog. Holy. She freaked out the very first time because she was expecting, like, a belly rub. And she had, she had bad knees. She had two torn ACLs, and it was hard for her, and she was painful, you know, in pain, and just getting up and walking around was painful for her. So I thought, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna try it. So I did. And she was laying down, had the one on her left side, had her right leg up, and I was around her, the ACL in her right rear leg, and just hands over it and just focusing in on it. And the next thing I know, she jerks her head around from laying flat on the ground and has a startled expression on her face and took off. And it was just like, I didn't even touch her. I don't know what the hell just happened. I didn't touch her. And then she came back and, and it wasn't that day, mind you. It was the next day. And she came by me, leaned up against my leg, slid down my leg, rolled over, and wanted it again. And see, it was really cool. And the thing that I even write about it in the book is because dogs can't fake that, you know, they're not going to be like, he's really fixing me now. You know, they can't do that. And the fact that she came back for more and it wasn't me, I wasn't touching her. I wasn't doing any of those things. And she did that for a while, and it was really cool.

[Jim Alstatt]

No, that's amazing. And I think that Reiki is a great tool to learn about energy, how to work with energy. And certainly, I think during my earlier stages, I got into Reiki I did a couple classes and I had some really profound things. Like, it opened up my third eye and I started to kind of see other stuff. But I noticed after that, like, my hands would get really hot if I started to do any type of work, whether it was on a pet or a family member or even our dear friend Pat, Pat Longo. When I go see her, if I gave her a hug and she. She would go, oh, my God, your hands are burning up. Because she knew we were going to do, like, healing energy work on it, and she'd say, oh, my God, your hands are, like, burning up. I'm like, I don't know. They just feel normal to me, I guess. But, you know, to others, I really did feel that. So, yeah, even if you don't end up using Reiki in some sort of professional capacity, it's great to have it, I think, as something you can just share with others at any given moment, even yourself, because self Reiki.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's a good way to regulate your energy.

[Nate Scripture]

And that's something that I don't do, quite honestly. But you know what? And again, I really, truly didn't have any desire to do anything with it other than to learn about it. It.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

It was just a curiosity. And maybe I'm. I'm drawn to the Asian culture and the mysticism and gifts that come from that culture. And I'm not just talking about Japanese, you know, Asian is also Indian and so on and so forth. So it's, It's. It's really kind of. It's interesting to me.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah. And all those things have been so helpful for many centuries, you know, and used. But yeah. You know, in your book, you do write a. A lot about, you know, working with different energy healers and how you're still close with them. And I think that will be beneficial to your audience members who are going through things and they need help in certain areas. I think the people you mentioned are really wonderful people. And, you know, I'm trying to think of anything in the book that we. That we've missed. I don't want to. I mean, I know we got your mom, but I was thinking about the format of the book itself, because the way that you have it, beyond the Dolores Cannon, you know, as sort of the foundation for the stages, you also have a lot of. Of musical influence in there. Like every.

[Nate Scripture]

Right. Like every chapter, every section. Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

Starts with a musical quotation or, or.

[Nate Scripture]

Or lyrics.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

The lyric. Yeah. And it. So what it really does is. And I understand why there's copyright rules that you have to follow that you can't list the lyrics of the songs. But what I've done is essentially given the title of the song, the synopsis of what it meant to me in a particular line a ly as a matter of fact, it's usually that rather than the entire song, because who cares about my interpretation of what that song means to me? Yeah. And I see the thing that I say in the podcast often is I believe that music is the tie that binds us all together. And I do believe that. And the interesting thing about that, it goes a step further in that the music that ties us together is the tie that binds us together here. But I think on the other side too, there's. There's a lot of discussions, articles and even experiments that are. Are drawn utilizing those frequencies. You know, in some of the. The meters for the. The. What is it? EVPs. Electro voice phenomenon. They use frequency in that to pick up voices. They use music, you know, spirit and guides and otherwise use music quite often to communicate. And it could be through electronics. It could be just a song hits you differently in a particular day. And that did it for me. And each one of the sections does have a song that accompanies with it. As a matter of fact, in the section it's called in the Air Tonight is where I chronicle the night of my awakening. And of course, naturally, I'm going to have some humor in there, too, because the thing keep in mind, for those of you who can see me, you see a different person. For those of you who can't see me, I want you to think about this. I'd like you to think about somebody who's about 6162 and weighs 400 pounds, and I will say probably over 400 pounds for a while and then picture that person trying to squat down and sit on a beach without falling over and looking like a turtle on their back. And that was me. I was that turtle flailing around and trying to get up really quick and looking around and saying, who's looking at me? And nobody was looking at me because it was the middle of the night and I was by myself. But that was me. But where I'm going with this is that I'm a. I'm a different person than I was then because I was about £400 and I lost over £150 and I've kept it off since then. And I did it relatively quickly, too. So I was.

[Jim Alstatt]

Which is amazing that you did that. I mean, that's not any small thing. To accomplish. But I also know that your awakening was in degree centered around losing weight. Because almost God was saying to you, look, Jim, it's time to lose the weight or we're not going to have more time here on earth kind of thing. Right? Wasn't that.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, I, I, I think so. And I, I think what I was hearing was open ended, which allowed, allowed the option for my choice in it. So I could make the choice. Because the one I had heard was, you will not see another birthday as you are

[Jim Alstatt]

now.

[Nate Scripture]

You could say, boy, that's ominous. I'm going to die. That voice is telling me, get your shit together or you're dead. Or it could be saying, hey, you're not going to be like this anymore. You're going to be like, you're supposed to be like who you really are. And I think I went with a ladder. I think that's the right attitude. Yeah, I didn't, I didn't double down on the oh, I'm gonna die, so may as well have some fun. Because there was nothing fun about that at all.

[Jim Alstatt]

But that's the music. So, yeah, in, in the book, when people get it, they'll see in the air tonight. Right?

[Nate Scripture]

With yes. So what, what I wanted to say as I started to get lost in my own thoughts, was it. Which is typical, by the way, sorry, is I actually wrote a song, song for the book under the Pale Moon Glow, which is my song and set to music of what was happening then. So for anyone who purchases the book, and this was Nate's idea, by the way, because my idea was to try to do it, much like the podcast where I had a playlist for this, my awakening in the journey, so people could come along with me and they could listen along and all these other things. And I couldn't figure out how to do it. And Nate said, well, I think you can do a QR code. I was like, huh, Son of a bitch. He's right. And so we did. And for those who purchase the book, whether that be an ebook or audiobook or the published hard copy, you're going to have the ability to go to my website where you're going to have the song. There'll be a link to the song so you get to hear, hear me singing the song on there. And I love that.

[Jim Alstatt]

That's amazing that you did that, that you sang that song, that you made it, that you wrote it. Yeah, yeah, it's incredible. It really is. Along with everything else you included, you know, because it's not just the Songs through the QR code. I mean, I think you actually have, you have a website.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

As well, right?

[Nate Scripture]

Yep. So the, the website for anyone. And it's a thank you, by the way. It's a thank you for spending the time with me. It's a thank you for purchasing the book that I wanted to give you something else, which at the end of each section, there's a spiritual summary. And then what we decided to do instead of stopping the flow of consciousness or thought by asking questions, I did have spiritual questions that accompanied each section. And that was, it's not homework, mind you, but what it is, is it's designed to maybe spark something else to help you, the reader, the listener, get a little bit further that, that path to understand things a little more and maybe even make things a little clearer for you. So that's in there. The other thing that's there, there are some meditations. I mentioned meditation before. I never in a million years would have thought that I would have been someone who meditated. So you'll have those in there. You'll have some soundscapes from my very, very close and talented friend Carrie Muller. She'll have some soundscapes in there for you as well.

[Jim Alstatt]

Can I, can I cut in real quick? Just because the meditation part, you know, we've, we've talked a lot about, you know, Reiki and these other practices. For me, meditation is like number one during an awakening because you really do have to get quiet. And, you know, I still have that practice today. I do my meditations, I do my energy clearing. So I think it's amazing that you've done these guided meditations, included them, which I really enjoy, by the way. But I think people really benefit from, from, from that. And I, I just wanted to ask how big were was the role of meditation in your, has it been in your journey?

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, my God. I think meditation was the linchpin for me. And as a matter of fact, I, I, I will go so far as to say that meditation was the linchpin as it relates to my weight loss, believe it or not, because most of the time we're walking around in a sympathetic state. And I don't mean sympathetic is, I'm, I'm talking about your nervous system, where your nervous system is in that fight, flight or freeze state so much that it becomes the norm. And it doesn't matter what diet you're on, doesn't matter what you do when you're in that. The cortisol level and everything else that's going on will not allow for weight loss. It just won't. And stress is the number one killer of people in the United States. Stress is so that's that stress hormone, cortisol, rolling. And it's rolling like you're an addict and it'll kill you. It will straight up kill you. When I say that meditation was the linchpin for everything, that's. That's not a flippant response. That. That is really what I do owe. Because I had changed my eating habits, I changed my approach to food. I was exercising. But it wasn't until I started meditation that the pounds started to drop. I mean, it was went from 1 or 2 pounds to 5 to 7 to, you know, a week that they were just boom. And nothing was changing.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

But my meditation practice amped up.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's that, you know, it cannot be understated, how. How vital it is. And for me, too, I did similar to what you did. I stopped drinking, I stopped up to eating meat. Worked out more. I need to get back a little bit more into that, but I've been doing that. And I lost a ton of weight very quickly, like you mentioned.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

But the meditation part was almost like I need to get my body in a state so I can just be okay with everything that's happening. And yes, maybe within a month, or maybe not even of doing that, I'd be sitting next to my bedroom window, and as I'm meditating, I'd have like, red tail hawk fly into my window window, like, bounce off it, make me wait, you know, come out of state, look out the window and see there's a red tail hawk on the ground. Or there'd be like three of those, like, giant piley woodpeckers, like, pecking on the windows. I would open my eyes and there'd be a deer looking into the window. It's amazing, just all this, you know, coons, foxes, everything. I was like, what is happening? Why are all these. But I think it's just you get into a state and your energy becomes a certain way, and it's almost magnetic, maybe towards nature or something different happens.

[Nate Scripture]

I think so, you know? You think so? Well, I. I think it's also a. A frequency or an energy that doesn't have these layers on top of it that are blocking it. Right. Because you don't have a lot of, you know, nature's animals going, do I look fat today? You know, one of those things, you know, they're just being. And when you said that, it reminded me me of when this past summer, my I go out. There was. The neighbors behind us were having some work done, so it eliminated my. My normal morning meditation space, which was in the backyard. So I was going up in front in the garage, and then I would open the. The garage door up, and I just sit there. I'd like my. My incense, and I'd start my meditation, and. And I was meditating, and I felt this presence, right? It was just like, don't open your eyes. I know there's something there. Don't open your eyes. Don't open your eyes. So what do I do? I open my eyes, and there's a hummingbird just floating just up and down right by me and, like, right in front of me. And I went, how cool is that? And the hummingbird went away. And shortly thereafter, my neighbor came over, and he. He goes, hey, I saw you earlier, but I didn't want to interrupt you. What were you doing? And I said, meditating. He goes, I thought, so what is that? What does it do for you? And I was like, interesting. And so I started to talk to him about what meditation means to me. Not necessarily what it does for me, but what it means to me. And he's like, I should. I really need to start doing that. Is that something that. That I could look up online? I said, oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Easy. Easy to do that. And now I'll be able to say, hey, Chuck, buy my book. And you can have three meditations right now.

[Jim Alstatt]

You have a free hummingbird comes with it.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Your hunting hummingbird ornament. But, yeah, it's amazing. Really cool.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah. So whatever that is. Is. That enters me. It's fascinating. But not to go too far off on the detour, I know we were talking about the website and all the things that you offer there and. And the. And I don't know if there's more. You want to talk about that? Otherwise, I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I think we should take to the. To the musical. The musical questions of your show, which I agree. You know, I'm ready.

[Nate Scripture]

I've never been asked.

[Jim Alstatt]

I know, and I love it. So, you know, forgive me, because I have to. Reference paper here, here, because I'm not as familiar, but I remember being tested. I remember the questions were not as easy as I thought they were. So.

[Nate Scripture]

No.

[Jim Alstatt]

Here we go. The musical questions for Jim Alstead. Do you recall what was the first song on the radio that you heard that you just fell in love with? Or you can remember saying, I can't wait to hear that one again.

[Nate Scripture]

There are a couple of them. Them. And I would say the first one was Stop and smell the roses by Mac Davis.

[Jim Alstatt]

Oh, I like it.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. And then another one from Wayne Newton called not Donkeshan but daddy, don't you walk so fast. Oh, wow.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's been a minute since I heard that. I got to.

[Nate Scripture]

Daddy, don't you walk so fast.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah, yeah, I love that. That. Yeah, yeah. You're the daddy. You gotta slow down.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

Is that from a childhood memory or is that.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, no, no, that. That. That is. It was. Well, because we used to listen to WMAQ AM radio and wls. So it was. WMAQ was the country station in my dad's vehicle. WLS was the more contemporary or pop station in my mom's. So you get the Karen Carpenters and Age of Aquarius and all that other stuff with my mom. And. And my dad was a country guy. I love that.

[Jim Alstatt]

All right, well, those are two. Two good ones. I wasn't expecting Wayne to show up, but I'm glad that that's in there.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

Did you have a family song that people would sing on car trips or vacation, Something that you all would get into?

[Nate Scripture]

So when I was growing up, my grandfather was notorious. My grandpa Reinhardt was notorious for making up songs. And he was. Would like me, they would become what did Weird Al. What was what. What were those songs that he makes? Parodies. Right. So my grandfather would make those. But I'm going to go with one that wasn't as a. A child, but one that was when I was in college. My fraternity brothers and I. I'll give you their. Their nicknames. Nooney, Noid and Stutz drove down to Florida and we were listening to Delametri. Dellamitri Delametri. And there was a song called Stone Cold Sober that we listened to, and we were screaming that or anything from the Cure when Tada was driving. But when I was driving, it was Deletri love. Dellamitri love that.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love that. Stone Cold. But were you guys sober? I hope you were sober.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes, yes, yes. Stone Cold sober. Yeah. Great song.

[Jim Alstatt]

Okay, well, then on next. What was your favorite song you and your friends would belt out in high school?

[Nate Scripture]

Is that one holy? Yeah. So think in 1980s, 1984 graduated. So of course you had 1984 jump. You know, Van Halen. Right. You had also at that time, Judas Priest, another thing coming that although that was off of British steel, but it would be pain and pleasure was the one that was When I was a senior. And then of course, oh, Shout at the Devil. So that was with all my jock friends, right? Or actually, so if it were just me and a couple of my. My buddies from band, and I mean band like marching bands or jazz band, we would listen to some Duke Elliot. We would listen to. Well, El Jaro Spain. We would listen to. To that. But I'm a big Sammy Hagar guy.

[Jim Alstatt]

Oh, yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

And it was three Lock Box was. Was my go to then. I love that.

[Jim Alstatt]

Senior year. Okay. Sammy Hagar. I was thinking that that might show up in here. Do you think your. Your musical tastes have evolved since you were in high school or even college?

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, God, yeah. So from. From high school to college is when I got introduced to, like, INXS, REM U2, the Smiths House Martins. Depeche Mode. I had when I lived in the fraternity house. I got introduced to Cure, introduced to all those fantastic alternative bands that were out there. And it wasn't just metal even.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right. I love that era. That era was so.

[Nate Scripture]

I mean, you know, echoing the Bunny Man. Lips like Sugar.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

My God. Depeche Mode. Oh, my God.

[Jim Alstatt]

Banger after banger, they. They had. There was so many good things. You could just keep going, right? There's just no shortage.

[Nate Scripture]

So none.

[Jim Alstatt]

I like that you picked those. I like. I wasn't expecting Depeche Mode from you. I'm glad that you threw that in there.

[Nate Scripture]

Can I'll tell you something really quickly when. So I auditioned for the radio station at Illinois State University, and they said in my. My. My fraternity was one of the managers there, and he's like, oh, you should come. And he said, great. It'd be great for you. And I said, oh, okay. So I go there. And he goes, do me a favor, whatever you do, don't come in there all wasted or anything. I said, ah, you never do that. So what do I do? I come in there all wasted, and they give you a script to read. And it says, okay, we want you to do this lead in. It's I N X S I Touch the Roses or I Touch the Roses by inxs. So I get this, Hi, this is Jim Alstatt. And that was I Touched the Roses by Inks. And he goes in Excess. And I went. I just started laughing. I Touched the Roses by Inks.

[Jim Alstatt]

Unusual name to name your band, but they were great. They were great. So what. What are the songs that really get your juices flow, that make you want to go crush your day?

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, my gosh. Walking on Sunshine. By Katrina and the Waves is always a go to. I love that freaking song. It's ridiculous, but I love it.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love it too. That's great. I like that one. What, what is the name of song? That's your guilty pleasure song right now. Maybe something you don't want other people to, to know about, but you have to tell me.

[Nate Scripture]

Shape of My Heart by Backstreet.

[Jim Alstatt]

No.

[Nate Scripture]

Yes.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love it. Okay, so the Backstreet boys arrive. I didn't think they would ever end up on your podcast, but here they are.

[Nate Scripture]

Here they are. It's true.

[Jim Alstatt]

God. And do you have another one? Would you say shake it off? You said shake it off.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh, shake it off. I, I, yeah. Taylor Swift. So my, well, she's going to be my daughter in law. My, my son is now engaged to a lovely, lovely girl. Alexis Able to love and just absolutely love her to death. And she's a swifty.

[Jim Alstatt]

Okay.

[Nate Scripture]

And she is a swifty. Swifty. She knows them all.

[Jim Alstatt]

So you're in the club, you're gonna end up hanging out with her more.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

So what is a song you believe could change the way people feel about the world around them? Positively, if they just listen to the song's lyrics?

[Nate Scripture]

There are a couple. Sam Koch. Look, a change is gonna come. That's, that's a good one. And R.E.M. everybody Hurts. Everybody hurts sometimes. Wow.

[Jim Alstatt]

They pulled out a old oldie but goodie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That is.

[Nate Scripture]

Well, you know, everybody does the Wonderful World, which is by, by the way, I love that song. Wonderful World. Yeah. You know, it's. I, but here's the thing, and you and I talked about it beforehand, that changes for me. It could be, I could have said, I go, I go, I go all day, you know, because there are some songs that just hit me and it's like, holy shit. I love it, love it, love it.

[Jim Alstatt]

And I think that's the beauty of music too. It's like, you know, depending on where we are in our life and at any given moment, where we, how we feel about something is, that song can change for you. You know what I mean? Like, the mean, the meaning of that song can really be different. It's funny. I have a bird trying to peck on my window.

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[Jim Alstatt]

Like, wrap up the song. No, I'm just kidding. But something's going on out here. What do you. Okay. Sometimes there are songs you hear that ring so true that they kind of stop you in your tracks. The lyrics of the song sound like they were written specifically for you or by you. You. What's that song and why does it hit home?

[Nate Scripture]

Okay, so there are two, and one is a country song. It's Save the Roses by Lee Bryce. And he talks about when he dies. You know, don't waste your time because I'm not in that box. I got a much better view than any of you because I'm hanging out with my grandpa and everybody that left before me. Right. Go. Remember me doing something that we did together.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah.

[Nate Scripture]

That we loved together. Bring me there with you.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love that. I love that. That's awesome.

[Nate Scripture]

That's beautiful.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah. That's really amazing. You kind of shocked me on this list, especially with that last one, too.

[Nate Scripture]

But I got one more of that, though. I got one more that. And this is really important because this is a song that meant a lot, lot for my son Jonathan and I growing up. It was called Go the Distance. And the Go the distance is from the animated movie from Disney, Hercules.

[Jim Alstatt]

Oh, right. Okay.

[Nate Scripture]

I know every mile will be worth my while I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong. I love that.

[Jim Alstatt]

That's a cool one. I like that. That relates back to your son, too. I think. That's amazing. You know what I mean?

[Nate Scripture]

Yeah. Big 4.

[Jim Alstatt]

0.

[Nate Scripture]

Big 4.0.

[Jim Alstatt]

Which you'll find out in Jim's new book. So when will the book be available? What's going on with that?

[Nate Scripture]

Right now we're going to push it out because of the audiobook, because what we're doing is we're going to have the ebook and the printed version and the audiobook all going being released at the same time. Oh, perfect. If we didn't, it would have. We were originally going to do 411, which is a very. A very significant day in my life because it happened to be the day that my mom passed away. And that was very significant. But what we're doing is we're going to push it to May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. And the immediate would be I've got a sombrero on and the poncho on in the book cover. Yeah. Yes. But it was also the day that my grandmother passed. And my grandmother was very important to me.

[Jim Alstatt]

Wow.

[Nate Scripture]

My grandma Reinhardt. Yeah. Because when my mom died, I didn't get to say goodbye. Right. Because she died in a car accident.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

My. My grandmother gave me the opportunity to say goodbye to her.

[Jim Alstatt]

Right.

[Nate Scripture]

Because I was there when she passed. So, yeah, it was. It was.

[Jim Alstatt]

I love that.

[Nate Scripture]

It's kind of cool. Yeah.

[Jim Alstatt]

So, okay, so may 5th, Cinco de Mayo. Fifth people, where are we going to be able to find the book? It'll be like on Amazon.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh my gosh. It'll be on Amazon on. It'll be on Barnes and Noble. You can go to my website, which is jim allstot.com you can go to penandpublish.com it's going to be in about 10, 10 or 12 other places and the pre orders going up this week. So along with the website. So we'll have all the details. I think there's 11 or 12 different locations you can buy, but certainly from Amazon is one. And what we're going to do is we're going to have an opportunity for people to. If they want a signed copy of the book, they can order it from the website and I'll sign it. I can personalize it, whatever somebody wants. Happy to do that. And I'm just so excited and thankful and grateful for the opportunity to do this and to share it with everybody. I just, just, I'm very, very lucky.

[Jim Alstatt]

It's a great book and thank you for letting me play a very small role in it. But it was, it was great.

[Nate Scripture]

Oh my goodness. Thank you.

[Jim Alstatt]

Watch you bring it to life and I know all the different things that happen behind the scenes to make it that way. So anyway, congratulations on your.

[Nate Scripture]

Thank you. Thank you, thank you. And I appreciate you and everything you've done for me. My pleasure. And I just can't wait, wait to see what happens for this year. I think 26 is just going to be an amazing year for all of us.

[Jim Alstatt]

Yeah. Good, good. And I hope I get a free taco when I order my book from

[Nate Scripture]

your website because I feel like, hey, you just drag your ass to Illinois and because here where I live, just down the street we have authentic Mexican restaurants that are so kick ass. I mean they're so good. So good. Good.

[Jim Alstatt]

Maybe you need a launch party at 1.

[Nate Scripture]

Wouldn't that be something? I think I'm going to. So stay tuned for that because I have a. He's now a friend that owns McCarty Mills, which is in downtown Aurora. It's a tap house, but I think we may do something like that there.

[Jim Alstatt]

Good. Yeah, that'd be good for your local. Local listeners would probably love to.

[Nate Scripture]

Absolutely.

[Jim Alstatt]

Great.

[Nate Scripture]

Absolutely. This is where we say a Jew. From the highs to the lows to the end of the show. This is the end of the show. This is Jim Alstott and Nate Scripture thanking you for being the best part of us. Catch you next time.