Sometime in 1998, a year after I had divorced my ex-wife of seventeen years, I was sitting in my livingroom having a one-sided conversation with the Universe. Not being satisfied with my situation at that time, I decided to ask the Universe for what I wanted and felt that I deserved.

My request was for my actual soulmate. I asked for a playful woman that would bring me joy, that I imagined as an easy to look at girl-next-door type, thinking of Sandra Bullock as a mental image. It was the 'actual soulmate' and the loving situation that would have to be part of that that was the important part.

I knew that one would need to leave the picture and nature of this request as 'pure' as possible. God needs plenty of room to do THE work properly and would certainly frown upon some specific detailed thing. For what could I possibly know about this Soulmate that I was requesting?

During the last week of that year, I got to thinking about the Millennium event that was now one year away. I felt a need to BE somewhere important and spiritually significant to experience the Millennium Moment. This would not happen again for a thousand years. What place would be spiritually significant?

There had been a 'pulling' from Matchu Pitchu, Peru for many years. It felt right. After several days of searching the internet for a way to be at Matchu Pitchu on THE moment, I found a new age spiritually oriented travel group offering exactly what I wanted and immediately signed up.

I spent 1999 preparing for this trip. Get a digital camera. Read up on South America and the Indian Shamanic practices indigenous to Peru. This would be a trip of spiritual discovery.

On the last night of 1999, we were camped in tents alongside the Uribamba river at the base of Matchu Pitchu. About half the group of about twenty people had come from Europe, mostly Germans. The travel group included it's own Shaman, who offered a special drink that he had prepared to those among us that wished to partake. Most of us did, during a wonderful Shamanic ritual.

It was a wild night with Peruvian soldiers shooting off firework rockets from the top of Matchu Pitchu. One of the Germans came over and asked the group I was with if we had seen the space ship? The whole night was spent walking among the little groups and talking around the many candles that had been placed around the grass area our camp was set up in. One joyful couple of American Indian beliefs kind of adopted me that night, believing that that was part of their reason for being on this trip. Amazing night!

The next three days were spent exploring Matchu Pitchu. Then, it was back to Cuzco and then on to Lake Titicaca. Many ruins and sacred sites were visited. 'Special people' were noticed among the travel group. Those that were here to learn from the Shaman. We were invited to small outings with the Shaman where a very special bonding occurred among us.

On the last day in Peru, at Lake Titicaca, we were given an opportunity to meet with a Quetchen Indian woman who would read coca leaves and answer any questions that we might have.

I asked her what would become of the relationship I was beginning to establish with an interesting spiritual woman I had met online? Her answer was that this would be short term. Then, without asking a question she said that I would be left with a bill. At the time, I thought that that must be my ex-wife who owed me some money.

When would my Soulmate appear? "Not long." I asked again, looking for a better answer. The answer was again "not long" but accompanied by information that this would be long term.

What is my kharma like? Good or bad? Her answer was "no kharma." It doesn't get any better than that!

When I returned home, the woman I had met online flew to California to visit. A few weeks later she moved in with me. She taught me how to use a crystal to ask questions from your higher self and the Universe. Many questions were asked. The most significant answer that I received was that my Soulmate was due to arrive in like April-May 2001. Several months later, she moved out without repaying me for a significant loan that I had given her to start a massage therapy business which failed. Hmm ... What had that Quetchen Indian woman said?

Then, I finally sold the motorhome that my ex-wife was required to share the monetary loss on. She stiffed me. What had that Quetchen Indian woman said?

In the first part of May, 2001, I met my Soulmate when she asked me if I would show her how to play pool. Later, when we had gotten into our relationship, she was playing around with numbers (numerology) when we were out playing pool and pointed out to me that guess what? If you read my birthdate (10-5-50) backwards it's 5-5-01, which is the day we met!

One day at my house, we were going through some old stuff of mine and I found a sketch of a woman's face in profile that I had done in Viet Nam. I had drawn what I thought the perfect woman would look like. We both looked at each other and she pointed out that I had drawn her. She matched the picture perfectly!

The Soulmate that I had asked the Universe for had certainly arrived! And she is way beyond anything I could or would have asked for on my own. She is seventeen years my junior, Barbie doll gorgeous, and makes me laugh frequently because she is so playful. Her parents are nobody knows how rich and way cool. They bought our current six acre wooded property with huge Victorian house, cash. I'm paying them back for half.

Boy, am I glad that I didn't ask for specifics!

To see photos of the dream house we have been restoring, go to:
http://members.oldhouseweb.com/jack_willard/Index.html

 I created this image in Photoshop. To me, it expresses several things: the universe, the soul's divine source, the lightning like electricity that I feel in the presence of my Soulmate, and the saffire blue color that we are both drawn to so strongly