111. Spirituality & Metaphysics with Ray Catania

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Electric acids hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is Claudia Monticelli. I'm your host for this podcast, let's Talk Soul, where we talk about spirituality, the soul related topics, paranormal, things that fly, ghosts and things like that. So it's a wide ranging set of topics. Today I have a special guest and I love to talk to people like. My guest today is Ray Catania. Ray, say hello to our audience.

Hi, everyone. And Dr. Monticelli, may I say thank you for having me here today. It's an honor.

I was. Oh, it's a pleasure for me. It's a pleasure for me. Why? Because it's very rare that I. And he's speaking to us from the greater New York area. It's very rare for me to come across people who have a doctorate in. Or you're getting it or you have it? No, hang on.

I have to complete my dissertation.

Dissertation.

And I'm done.

You're done. So he's an acclaimed author already and metaphysical teacher. A theorist. Now that's not a bad word when we say theorist. We'll talk about that. And he's a coach. He's the visionary behind what is called Limitless Publications. Limit Limitless Coaching and Scientific Spirituality for the Modern Human. We'll talk about that. Ray has written two. Well, before I go on, you know that Catania, where Catania is in Italy.

Yes, I do.

Have you ever been? Have you ever been?

No. But, you know, ironically, my wife has just informed me that because my entire family is from there, I'm allowed to have dual citizenship. And now she won't stop texting me and saying, would you get to the courthouse and get this?

Well, you know, there's a lot to be said to have dual citizenship. I have dual citizen, but I was born in Rome. We went to the United States right away. I was only five months old. Yeah, so I have to talk about that later. Across the ocean, back and forth. Now, Ray has written two very captivating books in His Awakening series. Now, one is the Atheist and the afterlife, and the other is you're still alive now act like it, which is a great title. I love it. His profound insights and intuitive abilities have made him a sought after practitioner in scientific spiritualism. Those two words rarely go together. I love to put them and hear them, read them together. And the practical applications of metaphysics. Now remember I said he's a theorist, but that's not a bad word. We'll talk about his definition of theorists because if he has practical applications of metaphysics, then there's sort of. It's not an oxymoron. Let's see what he has to say. He has a thriving private practice. He guides individuals on their transformative journeys. Now what's interesting also is that he is a survivor of a near death experience. He's also an ordained minister with master certifications in life coaching, Uzui Reiki and meditation, currently pursuing, as I mentioned, his doctorate degree in metaphysical parapsychology, which is a huge thing. It is huge. He combines his extensive formal education with wisdom gained from studying under some of the most brilliant minds in the world, including intuitives, mediums, shamans and energy healers. Now, you said you were starting to write your dissertation. May we ask you what it's on?

Yes.

Good.

Of course.

Good.

The approved topic was, is the NDE proof of an afterlife.

Proof of an afterlife. Okay. How are you going to go about it? What is the rationale here? I'm going to talk.

So the rationale is basically I first thing, when I had my nde, I was young, so I didn't have a computer where I could go to and learn about NDEs. So all I know is what I saw, what I felt.

Right.

But I like my first book's titled it's the Atheist in the Afterlife. Because I chose atheism. I rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church because that's what my parents wanted me to be. And I disagreed. So I had this experience, but I held on to atheism. So I chalked it up in a way that I could disregard it. I did not want that to be real.

Okay, okay.

So years later, when I was able to meet others.

So we're Talking about say 20, 30 years later, how many.

Yeah, well, we're talking, yeah. Quite a long time later at, yeah, 23rd, probably 25 years later, I started to speak to other people who had the same experience. And the similarities.

Yeah.

Is so amazing. I mean, yes. Some people say they see this one. They see that. Yes. But I understand that's an interpretation from what they perceive because it's what they want to perceive.

Yes.

We all have these select commonalities. That's undeniable, of course. So, yes, I understand all the, what do you call them, endorphins are released at the same time, and that could explain the euphoria. But the white light, we all see it. We're all hovering over our bodies. There's just too many things that are common to disregard it as not being real.

Are you going to take an, what is called an ethnographic approach by, say, perhaps interviewing people or what is your approach?

I think that, you know, the books that. And online sources. I like that idea. I actually never thought of it.

Well, you know, it's, you can do. You can use a mixed approach, actually. Of course, there's a whole literature part that you can start out with. And then it would. Even if you only had three people, you know, the number of people you interview is, you know, everybody. It's not a quantitative analysis. It could be, but it is interest because of course, as a writer and a researcher, it's always, as you know, not kosher to study ourselves. But you talk about your experiences and then branch out and talk to Mr. I like that. I see.

I like that.

Yeah, it's interesting. Now, there's a lot of meat on the fire, as they say here in Italy. So let's say you do have these two books, so you're used to putting things on paper. But there's a lot here that talks about your being a coach and this. Limitless publications. Limitless limits. I can have it. Litmus test. Limitless coaching and scientific spirituality for the modern human. Now what is that or what are they?

I was the biggest skeptic you could imagine, right. Coming from atheism. I rejected everything I saw, rejected everything I felt chalked it up to. Literally at one point I just thought I was insane. I really was. And that's when things really got, you know, out of control, so to speak.

Well, no, you have to keep a little bit. We have to keep about. We have to.

Yeah, I'll hold that sanity. I'll hold that in my back pocket for now. But yeah, so being this big skeptic that I am, in order for me to accept these spiritual techniques and aspects and things to be real.

Yeah.

I had to find a plausible theory in science that's already been proven to connect it to that spiritual aspect of living.

Yeah. So this is the theorist side now. So that is something you've already done, is that correct? Yes, Now a theory is something that you devise. You put, you give names to things. Now have you put this in writing somewhere?

Oh, yes. The whole second book is dedicated to this. So the second book reads like this. You still have the stories that people like, you know, about my life. In the beginning it was very traumatic and I think that that's an important aspect because I did overcome those things and a lot of people relate to that. But then it goes into a path of. I will tell you a story of how I used to a particular spiritual technique and my results. And then I will explain the scientific, reasonable what I, what I consider to be a plausible theory that enhances that or allows that to be. And then I explain how to repeat it so that you can do it. Because if I can do it, I'm not special. And of course I am not chosen special or anything else. I'm just a regular guy. And I was, you know, kind of pushed in this direction and I started to find success. And I, I'm just a voracious reader and I love to learn and I can't stop learning. So when I dive into something, I go 1000% into it way.

But there's something else to be said about Rekha, Tanya and I have to, you know, unfortunately, we don't have the benefit of video. But I tell you, this man has such a freshly ironed shirt.

And he's.

Just so ready for a video. And I'm so sorry that we don't have the benefit of video. He has a very, very familiar face, very familiar face. Someone that you have known forever, you know, since your childhood. And it's. And you can hear the voice and the voice is very warm and it's credible. That's. There's a lot to be said about that. So let's. Just before we go on, there are key words that keep coming up. We mentioned insights, intuitive abilities, metaphysical. So everything around spirituality and you're bringing in the science to it. And of course, anyone who goes and gets a doctoral degree in this field is rare. You do know, I'm sure, because we sit on the, on the shoulders of giants. But, you know, others. But they are rare. They are rare. And can I jump ahead before we jump back?

Yeah, please.

Where are you going to be in the future with your doctoral degree in your pocket? What are we going to see you do? You know, we're all going to say, I know that man. I met that man.

Well, hopefully, you know, my goal and my mission is to help 1 million people have their own spiritual Awakening and whether that's done one person at a time or whether that's done in large quantities, you know, if you want to come for coaching, that's one on one. And then I have classes that's several people. And the books are a great way to get started because it's like kind of a do it yourself guide. At least the second book I should say.

Yeah.

And so I think that I just wrote a blog. Is metaphysics replacing clinical Psychology? And I believe that this is the period and this is not to diminish psychology. My wife is a doctor of psychology and neuropsychology, but we noticed and she works specifically with children with autism and that's her specialty. And the adults come to me and I get them places in three months. That would have taken years in cognitive therapy.

Yes. This is because I define myself as a soul therapist. And the soul therapy is, let's say a name, a qualification that came up from therapists who realized it's not enough, I'm not giving them enough, I'm not doing enough. There's something more here. Let's go under the surface. Okay, so I actually have.

Oh, I'm sorry, go on. I actually have several psychologists that are my clients.

Good. Now this is what I wanted to get to. I imagine like happens the world over that people come to you by word of mouth. They hear someone who knows somebody or. And through of course, the way you talk about yourself and your work, people hear about you. And so let's say that I heard about you and I'm very curious because I'm not having a bad day or a bad time. I'm doing very well, I'm successful, let's say. But there's something that I'm missing. Not all days are the same. Okay, So I come to you, I write to you, I go to your website, rekatania.com or limit slit Limous. I can't stay that limous limitless publications.com and I write to you. Hello Ray. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Now what is the first approach? What do you, I mean do you have an intake form or you do we see each other on, you know, somewhere or how does it work?

So the first thing you do, fill out the contact form and there's a few questions in there that I leave very open ended. Just tell us something about yourself, I say. And this way I like to get a little bit of insight into the person. And I of course have my own intuitive side that helps me to really tune in to the energy of the words. That are on the paper, not the words, but the person who wrote them. You understand that? So that comes through first. And then I set up a free consultation to meet with the person to make sure we're a good fit. Fit. And then assuming we are, we move to the next step, which is the actual weekly sessions.

Oh, so it is a weekly session. Do you.

I think weekly is best because I always give homework and then I follow up on that homework the following week. Because you got to do the work.

You got to do the work. Yes, it's.

You have to do the work. And it's uncomfortable.

Yes, it is uncomfortable.

I probably shouldn't say it's not good for business, right?

No. But I remember a therapist said to a colleague of mine, she works with energy, she said to me, well, there's a lot of work to do. And I thought, oh my God, I've been working on more. What more do I have to do? And I didn't realize. Right. Okay. That was many moons ago, thank God.

Right. I mean, it is fun to get to know yourself in the universe and how you're all one. It's really a lot of fun.

A set number of sessions. I don't know. Do you sell a package of 10 meetings or do you suggest let's start and then we'll see when we stop. How does that work?

Yeah, so I. It depends on what they come with and what they're trying to accomplish. Yeah, we can make groundbreaking change in 10 sessions.

Good.

However, if it's something that's more complex, I do recommend a 20 section package. And yes, I do have packages. They are discounted. I have financing available, so I try to make it as affordable and I also accept benefactors. And sometimes I have folks that not only can they afford it, but they want to help other people and they can sponsor someone and it pays for their treatments.

Interesting.

So I have that set up on my page. I do everything I can. I can only take so many pro bonos and my wife takes pro bono's. We always do that.

I know, so do I.

But we can only do so many as you.

Right. How interesting is this? Okay, now you mentioned including intuitives, meaning mediums, shamans and energy healings, healers. Now this word, shamans. Every time I talk to a shaman, every time I talk about shaman, it always shifts the. This, you know, the actual vision of this individual and what they do. And from this I get the impression, and I know from my knowledge that it has changed over the years. And there is on the one hand A sort of stigma attached to that word, that figure. And on the other hand, there is the fascination because of the very word. What is your experience with this? Because you mentioned them under the umbrella of the most brilliant minds in the world.

Yeah. So my, I had a mentor and still have him as a mentor who was a well traveled shaman. He has been to probably every part of the globe and had eight teachers of his own. And I wanted, I was hearing about psychedelic therapy and how it was really helping people and I wanted to know more about that. And that's what got my foot in the door, was if this is a modality that is in fact helping people, then it's something I could potentially add when it becomes legal in the United States. So I wanted to learn about it.

Yeah.

So I studied under him for I would say maybe two years, year and a half to two years. And then I traveled to Peru and I met with like interviewed.

Yeah.

Oh, Peru is amazing. It's such, it's like, it's like walking on energetic land. That's just. I know you feel the difference. But anyway, I'll tell you a quick story about that. We. I went to Peru and when I was a little kid, my mother once said I was listening to my parents talk and my mother said I'm deathly afraid of heights. Right. Because the conversation was about fears and phobias.

Yeah.

And I'm like six years old, playing with my trucks underneath the table and the adults are just having this conversation. So my whole life immediately, when anybody says, what are you afraid of? Heights? Oh my God. I'm definitely afraid. I would say it exactly the way my mother said.

I know, I know.

I just adopted it and made it my own. I don't even know what heights. I knew nothing at that point, so. But I say this throughout my entire life now when in order to receive my healing rights. And I received this right here, the necklace that unfortunately people can't see. I had to climb to the top of Machu Picchu and meet with the elders of the tribe, the Caro tribe, indigenous to Peru, where the ceremony was to take place. And I was so excited. I mean, I am just, I'm pumped. I'm going to climb this mountain and I'm going to have this ceremony and it's, it's for me and just a couple of people because we, we, we did what we had to do and it's such an honor to achieve it. I went right up that mountain and they drive you most of the way, so it's not you know, but it's treacherous. I mean, you slip and fall and, you know, they just wake you up and, you know, move on. So we, I climbed. Right. I didn't even think about it. I'm up. We had the ceremony. I came down with my wife and I turned to her and I said, I'm not afraid of heights. My mother is. Yeah, that was, you know, such a huge. I tell. That we don't realize how much of our ego, you know, that little narrator in our head is not us.

Yeah, sure.

And I've, you know, that's just one of the many things as I've gone through my own process that I've learned and shared with other people. You are not your ego.

Yeah.

Of course, I got a little off the topic of shamanism, but.

No, but, but I think we got, we got what we came for here. Now, there's one of the many topics that you talk about is also psychology. And you mentioned your wife is a psychologist. Now, how much of her work rubs off on you?

Well, a lot of the ethics and a lot of the legal aspects, I adopt them. Whether or not I have to everyone, you know, the strictest confidentiality. I abide by hipaa, you know, so those types of things and the structure of the, the structure of the session, which I always try to maintain a certain structure. Yeah. We go off and in different directions a little bit, but there is that structure. So I'd say I learned quite a bit.

So you do confide in each other in terms of. Well, you know, I had a client today that troubled me or you do, without going into details. Okay, now that's interesting.

Without mentioning names. Yeah. We have, we have the wall that we don't cross everything. But she is like a colleague that I could go to and say dealing with this and. Yeah. Together we can really make a tremendous difference in someone's life. Yeah.

Well, this is fascinating. And what's. What's still not an enigma, but so exciting is that you went and you are getting a PhD, you know, in this field. And I think it is so. So after I got my PhD and I started seeing that there were places that gave metaphysical, you know, studies, I thought, well, a little too late.

Do you know one of them is Stanford?

Yes, I know.

Certainly did not go there. Too far away they would even have me or entertain the idea of having me. It's too far away. I was, you know, when I saw that, I was like, this is so good that the legitimacy.

Yes.

Is, is, it's, it's moving forward. And people are really accepting it. And I really think I, I'm. This is, I'm not saying anything negative about cognitive therapy, but I've done it myself for 15 years.

I know, I know, I know.

Never ends.

And today still, every time I work with my clients, I am so fascinated how quickly, you know, the light bulb goes off over their head. And yes, I, you know, reborn again and awakened and oh my God, that's wonderful because in, in many ways it is, it works right back to us, you know, it is so satisfying that it is. And it always, always, always surprises me, always. Because I think to myself, my God, it works. It works. It keeps on working and keeps on working. Yeah, because you, you sort of are list and I guess you do. I mean it's, it's like we can say have you ever been under hypnosis, right?

I haven't. Well, no, I shouldn't say that. Once I was. Yes, once.

It's an extremely interesting yes for past life regression. I do that as well. And it's the same idea where it's a very delicate position for a therapist to be in, in terms of what the client is going through and you have to be very careful. And I love that dance, that, that delicate dance between going forward, coming back, you know, taking go, you know, helping but not too much. And, and at the same time, I guess this happens to you as well. You are a researcher, you study the reactions, you study your actions, what tools you used that worked, what tools did not work. And it's. People don't realize how difficult it is to be in that situation and be the therapist and have the responsibility for a person's development, awakening. It's fascinating. It's fascinating. So it's such a pleasure to meet you, Ray. Truly, I'm not, I'm just not mentioning it because of that. I myself have never had a near death experience, but I have. Being a psychic medium, I have worked with souls that have gone through that and the information is very, very clear. And I enjoy being on this part and that part of the veil, let's say. Yeah, but boy, I really want you to come back when you. I don't know how long is it going to take is it will take more than a year to write that dissertation.

Well. Oh my gosh, if you would have told me how long it was going to take for me to do this in the beginning I really thought somehow I was going to get this done in two years. What a joke.

Well, you mean the whole PhD? No.

Well, the whole thing, yeah.

It takes time. You know why? Because you start, it's a long, a long time. You, you start and then inevitably you change what you initially plan to do. Because. Because that's the way things happen. And it's a, it's the process that's fascinating. I know you want to get it over with, but it's fascinating. It's fascinating.

That's what keeps me engaged and keeps me wanting to learn more. Because you really have to have such a clear understanding by the time you get to that.

Yeah.

Level.

Yeah.

And the fact that I had my own life experiences really enabled me to put those two together.

Yeah.

And. And it just enlightened me. And I'm not saying I'm. I am enlightened by any work in progress, everyone. Right. Yeah.

That's what's so nice about.

Gave me, I guess a little bit of a competitive edge, if you will. Yeah.

Well, it's a unique edge, let's say.

And I was able to become aware of myself and the things that I had done and even in the present and that enabled me to change, you know, the direction.

Isn't it funny? You know, listening to you say that it made me become aware of and, and I thought to myself, yes, we, we sound silly even saying that. What do you mean you weren't aware of that? I'll tell you a funny story.

I was my own first client.

Techn.

I practiced on myself.

I do a lot of hands on work. Structural. I'm a Feldenkrais practitioner so I have clients that I do realignment, structural realignment. One of the one, one of my colleagues who's an expert in sleep therapy and teaches using this method for teaching how to fall asleep. Actually he said to us, you know, I have so many friends that live in other parts of the world and they ask me what I do and tell them I teach people how to sleep. They laugh.

Because they don't have that problem.

No, they don't have that problem. It made me think of that when you were aware, you know, it's an.

American thing for sure.

Western.

Anyway, that's why I need my dual citizenship so I can get some rest.

Going to see you in Catania.

Yeah.

Well, look, if you, if and when you decide to start a process of, you know, interviewing and things, contact me because I have all of my records. I'll go through the, the clients. Okay. But also guests on this show who have had near death experiences and maybe I can make contact. Have them contact you. Yeah, that would be interesting. And you can start get some kind of a protocol set up for that before you start. Well, I hate to say that time goes so fast, but we will have you back after, you know, when you become even more aware.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your patience playing verbally with me. We'll see you again.

You know, I, I love, I love. I learn from you, you know, and that's, that's.

Well, I learned from you.

Yeah, of course. These conversations, like, they're so enriching. That's wonderful. So thank you.

So we'll be, we'll be back in touch. Bye. Bye, Ray. Thank you for listening. Don't forget to follow let's Talk Soul Podcast on Instagram. Let's Talk Soul Podcast is a production of Electrocast Media. Our executive producers are Mark Netter and Peter Raifelson. If you like our show and like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating wherever you enjoy podcasts and remember, stay curious, stay inspired, and never stop exploring the depths of your soul.

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