March 28, 2024

By NICOLE JOBES

I take a pensive seat on the desk, trying to seem relaxed and less anxious than I truly am.
The pale sea foam green carelessly splattered on the walls reflects the fluorescent light from the ceiling fixtures into my eyes, causing me to squint and struggle to make eye contact with Dan Valkos. His lemon-coloured polo complements his newly blond coiffure and he assures me, “You don’t want to know what bet I lost to have to dye my hair this colour.”
We begin our conversation with a few of my more general questions pertaining to birthplace, current affairs — the usual stuff.
As he begins to tell me about his radio career in Windsor, he suddenly stops. Valkos raises his head to the left and his eyebrows madly scrunch together, as if he is listening in on someone’s conversation from afar.
 His right hand rises off the desk slightly, and then he crosses his arms, as if he was making a decision.
Nearby, maybe 10 or 11 feet outside the door, I can hear some faint giggling from a group of women.
They’re walking toward us, down the hallway.
“We’re in here ladies,” he says with a smirk.
The women stop. One very surprised, very pregnant woman shuffles up to the door and looks at Valkos curiously.
“Are you talking to us?” she asks.
“Well, you’re the only ones out there looking for this room, are you not?”
“But you didn’t see us, did you?,” she asks.
“Bring those pillows and blankets in here and sit down already,” Valkos replies.
Astonished, she leaves the doorway to retrieve her friends. They funnel into the room and sit down in the far corner, whispering in confusion to each other.
I was in disbelief. I was flabbergasted. What exactly had I just witnessed? There was absolutely no explanation, other than sheer luck, at least that’s what I thought.
Valkos could sense my confusion and turned back to me.
“OK princess, what’s the matter?,” he asked, unfolding his arms.
“Mr. Valkos, how did you do that? How did you know they were coming … how did you know they were looking for this class?,” I inquired, leaning in to hear his answer.
“I’m a psychic, cookie. Quit asking me that.”
By now Conestoga College students know who Dan Valkos, the psychic, is. In addition to 21 years teaching at the college, Valkos has been doing readings in the Sanctuary.
One of the classes he teaches deals with the aspect of reincarnation. With his huge personality and his chillingly accurate clairvoyant abilities, Valkos is the perfect person to lead the reincarnation workshop.
If you are curious to learn about reincarnation and a few of your past lives, and you have an extra $87, I strongly suggest you enrol.
Reincarnation is generally an area of confusion for many.
 If you are like me, the first thing that pops into your head when you think of reincarnation is the stories of young James Leininger, as reported by ABC news back in 2005. 
At the age of three, the boy could sit in the cockpit of a plane and do a pre-flight check without any prior teaching; it was if he had done it before.

He remembered the name of 21-year-old James Hutson Jr., a Navy fighter pilot who was shot down by Japanese artillery over the Pacific in the Second World War.  The boy had nightmares; he knew the names of specific parts of the planes, and even stranger, James was able to tell his father the name of the ship he took off from in his past life— Natoma — and the name of someone he flew with — “Jack Larson.” After some research, his parents discovered both the Natoma and Jack Larson were real.
Reincarnation has many skeptics, including me.
In the first hour of the class a lot of bases are covered.  Valkos introduces himself, which is a lecture in itself. He will tell you he’s been involved in the psychic world for 40 years and he’s done over 1,500 radio shows and has lectured or performed at over 1,000 colleges. Then he will tell you about the two books he has written. But aside from his impressive accomplishments, the best part in his introduction is when he announces a few psychic forthcomings he has come to know as true.
“The good news: the world is not going to come to an end in 2012. The bad news: if you were hoping for the world to come to an end in 2012 so you would not have to pay off your credit card bills, too bad!” Valkos says with a devilish smile.
Also in the first hour, Valkos will give his views on what reincarnation is all about. Then it’s an all-out frenzy as the question and answer period begins. Everyone in the room seemed to have something to ask when I attended the lecture.
A woman, who is not a Conestoga College student regularly but who made sure she attended this particular class, raised her hand eagerly as Valkos finally called upon her to voice her question. She asked I not name her, as her question was quite sensitive, but she did allow me to retell her experiences.
As it turned out, her mother had passed away recently and then shortly after her daughter became pregnant. The daughter had gone to see a different psychic and was told that her unborn child was the reincarnation of her grandmother. After learning this information, the woman in the class was not sure what to make of it all … which is where Valkos piped in.
“It is very possible,” Valkos answered. Elaborating, he went on to say that if a spirit has unfinished business, or has debts to repay, that he or she may immediately return to serve out the rest of their time.
What students learn in the first half of the class is trumped by what they experience in the last 60 minutes. Valkos hypnotizes the class, hence why blankets and pillows are a requirement, and sends everyone back to a positive past life. I appreciated that he made the stipulation of “happy” past life, as I’m sure it would be beyond traumatic to relive something horrifying.
To end the experience, Valkos gives one last vital piece of advice: “Always remember that the best psychic in the world you can rely on is yourself. “
“Trust your own instincts. Go see a psychic for advice and insight, but make the choices yourself.”
On that note, the students slowly dispersed, some visibly shocked, others looking enlightened.
The next classes will be held in March 2012, and enrolment is already open through the student portal.
If you’ve got an interest in reincarnation, or you’re just curious, the class is entertaining and incredibly fascinating.  Who knows, maybe you too were a Navy pilot, or a shoemaker!
Spoiler alert: you probably were not King Arthur or Marie Antoinette in any of your past lives, Valkos sends his apologies.

 

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