Chris Earnshaw speaks with so much passion -- such an enthusiasm for life -- that it is hard to believe that 12 years ago he was a quivering wreck. "I fell apart, losing my job (as general manager of a bank), my family and home, in rapid succession."

What saved Chris was his determination to heal himself. "I learned as much as I could medically about the acute form of stress-induced asthma that had made me ill, then in sheer desperation went to see a psychic visiting from Australia." He blew me away, knowing stuff about my family that was impossible to explain, and telling me to look at the underlying causes of my illness.

Soon after, Chris was in Yotsuya's Rising Sun pub, where back in 1992 there was a weekly book exchange. Drawn to the title "A Seer out of Season," about the famed American psychic Edgar Cayce (1887-1945), Chris was impressed with Cayce's words, "their depth of insight, the power and accuracy of his advice, called 'readings.' "