Praise for The Fourth Awakening, from people just like you! WOW!! What a page turner! I received the manuscript for Th e Fourth Awakening via email late in the evening. I printed the fi rst fi ft y pages, fi guring that was all I could read before I fell asleep. But the 50th page ended with them in the car and Walker saying “We really have to go.” and Spence asking “Why?” I tossed and turned for 20 minutes making up all sorts of scenarios of why they needed to go right now. Th en I decided to heck with it and got up and to read the rest. I was glued to the screen until I fi nished the very last word at 9AM. You CANNOT release this book to an unsuspecting public without two things: A) A warning sign such as: CAUTION, once opened, this book cannot be closed until the last word is read. Reading this book will bring about great change in your life, whether you are ready or not. … And…MOST IMPORTANT B) A list of resources where people can get help to get back on track when knocked off by what they read, because there’s no way not to be aff ected by this information! For the past several years, I have had moments of intense clarity when the fog cleared away and I could see clearly, then the fog moved back in. I continue to search for ways to have that clarity for longer periods of time. Are you teaching the methods that Michael Walker would use to have that level of awareness? I want in! – Sybil Temple, Louisville, KY A very unusual concept... thought provoking and a fantastic read from beginning to end. I seriously could not put it down. Usually books bog down somewhere but this one never did. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed it. My mother-in-law started to read my copy before she could get her own, and I was chomping at the bit to get it back. Th ank goodness she reads fast. I can’t wait for the sequel! – Sylvia McCarthy, Charleston, South Carolina Loved the book. Really, really loved it. Th e cat and mouse game of it was superb in execution. And this comes from an avid reader of Ludlum, Follet, Uris, Grisham and Archer. For the uninitiated into the weightiness of the subject matter, it was perfect. And what a great read to initiate them. – Deb Meyer, Oelwein, Iowa What a great read! Th e story kept my attention and was entertaining. It had a great pace, and enough twists and turns that it kept me wanting to read more to fi nd out what happened next. Th e most remarkable thing about this book is that it has the potential to reach a wide audience. As a general reader but also someone who strongly believes in the power of thought, I couldn’t believe how well it hit the mark in both cases and always left me wanting more. I kept thinking of Th e Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown’s brilliance is in his ability to use history not only to support a very controversial theory, but to make many readers wholeheartedly believe in its truth. Th is book does the same. It uses historical references to illuminate changes in human development that are not a result of independent thoughts or actions, but of a collective consciousness. Th e way the authors explain this history doesn’t leave me questioning if “enlightenment” is a possibility. It leaves me questioning how anyone could deny that humans and the world developed in this very way. Many congrats to the authors who have accomplished all of this with such craft . It is an important message to be shared, and moreover, a brilliant idea to write a fi ction book about a very real concept everyone wants to share. I look at so many “self-improvement” books, and shut down. Th is has the ability to speak to so many diff erent readers and change so many lives, including mine, that I am truly impressed. – Anne Owens, Nashua, New Hampshire I was riveted from the fi rst page and knew right there I wasn’t going to get much else done until I read the entire book; and, frankly, that’s really odd for me because, while I’m avid reader, I’m always reading several books at the same time and they’re always “practical, how-to” non-fi ction type works that I almost never read cover-to-cover. Th e Fourth Awakening was a totally diff erent experience for me because I was so caught up in the story that it wasn’t until I was a couple chapters in that I realized the authors were actually sneaking in some vital spiritual lessons at the same time. Not to get too esoteric, but as I continued to read, I found a sense of calm and connectedness wash over me where I realized it was time to return home to my true passion: inner exploration of universal Source. So, if you’re looking for TRUE inspiration (not warm bath motivation which quickly fades) that feels like a hug from God, stop whatever you’re doing, buy this book, clear your decks for the next 12 hours, read the fi rst 5 pages and prepare to embark on the most enjoyable journey you’ve ever taken. It can change your life. To YOUR joy! – Joshua Shafran, Cape Coral, Florida The Fourth Awakening • Rod Pennington & Jeff ery A. Martin Integration Press, LLC Charleston, SC THE FOURTH AWAKENING Copyright © 2009 by Rod Pennington and Jeff ery A. Martin All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Integration Press 2245 C Ashley Crossing Drive - Suite 102 Charleston, South Carolina 29414 ISBN: 1-57242-000-6 EAN: 978-1-57242-000-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2009926636 Th is book is a work of fi ction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fi ctitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Cover Designed by Cathi Stevenson Interior Designed by Gwen Gades The Fourth Awakening • Rod Pennington & Jeff ery A. Martin PART ONE Th e Choice “Life is like a game of cards. Th e hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is fr ee will.” Jawaharlal Nehru CHAPTER ONE “Th e road to enlightenment is long and diffi cult. Bring snacks and a book to read.” Anonymous “ ellie! Why do you even bother to carry a cell phone when you Nnever answer the darn thing?” As usual, with the phone buried in her purse, Penelope Spence hadn’t heard it ringing. Th e familiar baritone on her voice mail brought a smile to her face. Mark Hatchet, Managing Editor of Th e Washington Post, was the only person on the planet who still called her by her old college nickname of Nellie; to everyone else she was, and always had been, Penelope. It was ironic that he should call. She had been thinking about him recently, hoping he would have another assignment for her; maybe this time he had one with a bit more meat on it. “Call me. It’s important. Don’t go through the switchboard, use my cell.” Penelope frowned. It was an odd request. She dialed his number and he answered on the second ring. “Mark Hatchet.” “Penelope Spence.” When they were journalism majors at Columbia, they had worked on the school newspaper and been less than friendly rivals for the best stories and the editorship of the paper. Aft er college, as their careers moved in diff erent directions and real life settled in, they became the kind of old friends who stay in touch and talk a few times a year. 1 The Fourth Awakening “Th anks for returning my call so quickly,” he said, a bit stiffl y. “So, what’s the big story this time? Problems with the strawberry crop in Georgia?” “No, a little better than that.” Mark’s voice was strained and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. She could hear other voices in the background. “Want me to call you back?” “No,” he said. “Hold on one second.” Th e background noise faded and Penelope heard a door click shut. “I can’t really talk right now, but I have a potential story for you.” “Potential? What does that mean?” “Th e story is big enough that it can’t go to print without multiple confi rmations. So far, no one has been able to get even a single person to go on the record.” “What’s the story?” “Not on this line.” “What do you mean, not on this line?” Normally their conversations were light and breezy, but not today; he was deadly serious. “Someone may be tapping my phone,” he said. “What have you been smoking? No one in their right mind would tap the phone of a senior editor of a major newspaper.” “Don’t be so sure.” “Okay,” Penelope said as she sat up straighter. “You’ve got my full and undivided attention.” “I sent you a package by courier. Inside are an envelope and a cell phone. Do not open the envelope or show the contents to anyone under any circumstances until we’ve talked.