Greetings & Salutations. I am Richard Edward Ward, a Spiritual Explorer, Intuitive Counsellor, Consultant, and Noodler as well as a Digital Bard who has been exploring many of life’s spiritual dimensions since the late 1960s.
My basic philosophy of life is: I am practical and expect miracles, when I just take the first step forward every day.
My goal here on richardedwardward.com is to share my experience, strength, and hope with you from the spiritual experiences and adventures that I have been having throughout my life, in the hope that they will be of help to you in Reconnecting With Spirit.
And my goal on this page is to tell you about myself.
This is me. Here’s where I’ve wandered and what I have learned along the way.
If you’d like to come along, that would be delightful.
Greetings and Salutations! – the origin.
My Latin teacher in high school used to often begin class by saying “Ave. Greetings and Salutations.” I have always enjoyed the greeting.
He was a fascinating teacher but I often ended up enjoying Operation Sunrise or Operation Sunset – detention classes before and after school.
I also still remember the name of my Grade 4 principal as I constantly sat outside his office.
Over the years I have spent a fair amount of time getting into trouble. But, I am curious, very curious and that has been one of the more consistent themes throughout my life.
Bridging Ancient Traditions with Modern Media
As a Digital Bard and Recording Artist, I seek to bridge ancient tradition with modern media, transforming poems, Psalms, and timeless writings into living experiences.
Through my work I enjoy uniting sacred exploration with professional publishing, offering guidance, resonance, and artistry for those seeking depth and inspiration.
Publications
For the works of James Tackaberry McCay I wrote a new Introduction and Appreciation to his THE MANAGEMENT OF TIME (republished by Prentice-Hall in 1995) and I republished BEYOND MOTIVATION as an ebook and Kindle through my publishing imprint Tydbyte Media. I was the Executive Assistant to McCay in the 1970s.
- The Management of Time: delivers proven techniques for individuals for coping with rapid change, stimulating creative thinking, developing a value system, and empowering yourself as an individual.
- Beyond Motivation: delivers usable techniques for group development based on McCay’s best selling productivity classic The Management of Time.
Why a Digital Bard?
Why do I say I am a Digital Bard?
One day I was talking with a few people about my life and what I am doing.
One of the guys said:Hey man, you’re a digital bard.
I liked that comment – a Digital Bard – and I have adopted it.
As a Digital Bard I enjoy bringing timeless wisdom into modern forms.
Through my blog posts, articles, podcasts, voice-only Spoken Word Recordings, and books I am making, in my own way, ancient teachings accessible for today’s world.
Who Am I?
So, who am I? In this page I’ll give you a look at where I’ve been and some insights into what has brought me to where I am at 78.
Where I have lived and travelled.
Where and what I have studied.
What kind of work I have been doing.
1948 – My Life Begins in Montreal
My life here on Earth in this incarnation started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 20, 1948. My Dad was back at McGill University after leaving the Royal Canadian Navy. My Mother was from Pictou, Nova Scotia where they met during the war.
A few months after my birth I went to live with my maternal grandmother in Pictou, Nova Scotia until I was a year old. Then it was back to Montreal. Dad got promoted and we moved to Ontario. We moved a lot, growing up in many cities, and ending up in Brockville – City of the Thousand Islands.
I am the eldest of 3 kids with a younger brother and sister.
For those of you who have an interest in astrology, as I do: I am a Pisces with Moon in Cancer and Gemini Ascendant. According to Vedic astrology I am an Aquarian. I’m a Rat in Chinese Astrology as I was born in February 1948 in the Year of the Rat.
1968 – Education
I have three partial university degrees: B. Commerce., B. Theology., and a B.A. (Comm Arts).
In 1968 after graduating from St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario, Canada I began studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at McGill University. One of my professors was the legendary Henry Mintzberg.
In 1969 when classes finished I went to work in a small lumber mill in northern B.C. on McBride Lake. It was a beautiful location. The mill was forced to close due to nearby forest fires so I went to Vancouver.
I decided to hitchhike to Alaska but ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. This began a series of travel adventures to California, in train boxcars, iron ore freighters to Cardiff, Wales; assistant tour bus guide from London to Algeciras, Spain, them on to Tangier, Morocco.
Arriving back in Montreal my spiritual explorations led me to begin studying Theology in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University in Montreal in 1971, with the thought of becoming an Anglican priest. I did not pursue that.
In 1973 I began studying in the Department of Communication Arts at Loyola College (Concordia University) in Montreal.
Sobriety
The program and philosophy of A.A., Alcoholics Anonymous, have played a major role in my life since 1992. On the morning of December 18, 1991 I entered a rehab in Toronto for a one month stay. When the one month program finished I entered the aftercare program.
One night after six months of aftercare meetings, as I walked past my favourite bar on Bloor Street. I saw my old friend the bartender through the doors, I had the thought “Man, I could just go in, sit at my seat at the bar, and have a Perrier.”
I didn’t.
When I got home, at 11PM, I picked up the phone and called a guy who I knew casually. He was a close friend of one of my close friends. I had had lunch with him twice. I knew that he went to A.A., Alcoholics Anonymous.
“Ric, I really like you but why are you calling me at this time of the night?”
I told him exactly what had just gone through my mind as I walked past the bar, and that I had been in a recovery program.
“Where do you live?”
I told him.
“I’ll pick you up at 8:00am and we’re going to a meeting.”
I went to my first A.A. meeting that Saturday morning. I was 6 months sober.
He became my first A.A. Sponsor.
His response to me that night provided me with my first lesson about how to be of service to others as a responsible member of A.A. by actually applying one of the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous:
“I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. and for that: I am responsible.”
Now, more than thirty-four years later I remain deeply grateful that I made that phone call. I took the first step forward.
My Spiritual Paths – Exploring Diverse Disciplines
I received my first initiation as a Reiki Practitioner in 1992 from Reiki Master Dee Millard in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have since received initiations from other Reiki Masters for Level Two.
I come from an Anglican Church of Canada Christian background.
Over the years my explorations have included Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Judaism, Kabbalah, Pure Land Buddhism, New Thought, Science of Mind, Shamanism, Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Twelve Step programs, and many other traditions. Explore My Spiritual Paths.
Teachers, Guides, and Mentors
While exploring these spiritual paths I have been blessed with receiving training and initiations from a wealth of wonderful teachers, guides, and mentors. Learn more about My Teachers, Guides, and Mentors.
Shamanism
Shamanism has played a major role in my spiritual development since 2004.
Shamanism is the intentional effort to develop intimate and lasting relationships with personal helping spirits by consciously leaving ordinary reality and journeying into the non-ordinary realms of the spirit world.
Although shamans had been holding workshops in my store, The Reiki Store, I didn’t really connect with Shamanism until after the heart attack in 2004. Learn more about shamanism.
I highly recommend the book Medicine for the Earth by Sandra Ingerman. This work is foundational to the practices of Jeannette McCullough. I doubt that I would be alive today without the healing work that I have done with them.
Places Lived and Travel
I have lived in various cities and towns across Canada including Pictou, Burlington, Grimsby Beach, Oakville, Willowdale, Brockville, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, and Toronto.
I have also lived outside of Canada in London and Newcastle Upon Tyne, England; Tangier, Morocco; and Beijing, China.
Travel
I have travelled extensively throughout Canada, visiting many cities and towns and every province, and territory with the exception of Nunavut.
Foreign travel has included visiting the United States (and visiting many states), Mexico, England, Wales, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, and China.
China
I first visited China in 2009. I lived in Beijing during 2011-2012 and have visited the cities of Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Urumqi, Wuhan, and Yantai.
Work Experience
As a kid I was always interested in earning some pocket money apart from any allowance I received from my parents.
My first job was as a Milk Boy helping our Donlands Dairy Milkman to deliver milk on Saturdays. I was in Grade 4. We lived in the Yorkminster area just south of Willowdale, Ontario.
As a kid I also delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, shovelled snow, taught swimming, served as a lifeguard, worked on factory production lines, worked in a lumber mill on the green-chain, rode in a boxcar from Winnipeg to Montreal babysitting horses going to Blue Bonnets Raceway, worked as a bouncer, waiter and then bartender in a Montreal bar on Crescent Street.
Politics
I started working as Summer Student for a Montreal area MP who was a federal cabinet minister. I then became a full time Special Assistant.
I worked as an election campaign advisor in various ridings across Canada both federal and provincial. Over the years I was active in local politics in residents associations as a vice-president and president.
Public & Government Relations
As a public and government relations consultant in Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax my clients included mutual fund and investment companies, an international shipping group, a dance company, an international nightclub chain, real estate developers, manufacturing companies, an art gallery, government agencies and others.
SofTel Incorporated
The software development and consulting company – SofTel Incorporated – that I co-founded in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was partnered with Scientific Atlanta and US West Communications working on bleeding-edge VSAT and mobile communications projects, as well as complete accounting systems including inventory management.
The Reiki Store
In 1993 I co-founded The Reiki Store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We offered Reiki and teaching Reiki, workshops in yoga, tai chi, shamanism, mediumship, and other subjects as well as selling books, CDs, crystals, and jewellery.
IT Headhunter
IT Headhunter provided headhunting and recruiting services in the Information Technology vertical.
2000 – TBI
I was stopped at a Red Light and was rear-ended in March 2000.
I was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
My world changed. I couldn’t remember people that I had known for 10 years. As an IT Headhunter I couldn’t remember what many information technology terms were.
It was a living nightmare.
It has taken a lot of work, a lot of support, and a lot prayers to rebuild my life.
2004 – Heart Attack
I had a Heart attack on September 24, 2004. An angioplasty gave me a stent.
An ambulance rushed me to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
It was quite an adventure at the hospital.
A team rushed me out of Emergency to go to the Cath Lab (catheterization laboratory).
Looking at the ceiling the lights flashed by just like in the movies.
Oh no, the movie HOSPITAL with George C. Scott flashed through my mind. He is the chief of surgery and contemplating suicide and there have been many inexplicable deaths.
We got on an elevator.
Exiting the elevator they raced the gurney down the hall, turned a corner and came to an abrupt stop.
“Oh no, wrong floor!” One of the doctors exclaimed.
Back to the elevator and up to the right floor.
It was interesting to watch, on a monitor, the stent being guided up my artery to the blockage. As soon as the stent was pushed through all the pain disappeared and I felt so much better.
Next morning in ICU my medical team approached my bed.
They saw me smiling.
“You remember, don’t you?”
“Oh ya. You guys are the Wrong Way Corrigan crew. hahaha.”
“ok. Here’s a script for 6 months of Plavix medication. Free.”
One of the doctors said to me:
“You are the weirdest patient I have every had.
In emergency when I handed you the Consent Form so we could take you to the Cath Lab, you said ‘why would I sign this and have to leave all this excitement here in Emergency?'”
There were two other heart attack patients in Emergency. None of equipment that they were trying to hook me up to were working. It was chaos!
Quite the adventure.
2020 – Prostate Cancer
In 2020 I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer with a PSA level of 40 plus.
I was treated with four weeks of daily weekday radiotherapy and 18 months of Firmagon injects.
I am cancer controlled with a PSA of 0. However the Firmagon did its job too well and my testosterone level is very, very low.
Firmagon causes cognitive issues. Oh man, more things to deal with.
However, I crafted a prayer that I used often every day that drew on shamanism and Science of Mind Spiritual Mind Treatment. I did suffer some side effects but not the list of more than 50 possibilities.
Healing is not for the faint of heart. hahaha.
2023 – TAVR – Heart Stopped
On October 2023 I went into the hospital for a planned TAVR surgery to replace a leaky aortic heart valve.
It was quite the adventure.
During the procedure I thought I was enjoying a wild and delightful LSD trip.
At one point I opened my eyes and many people were staring down at me as I looked at the anesthetist and said:
“Hey man, give me some more juice.”
In the afternoon after the TAVR procedure the surgeon who operated on my came to my room.
He was a lovely man.
“Mr Ward, the surgery went very well.
The valve travelled up your artery without any problems.
It blossomed above your heart like a beautiful flower.
It settled on your heart perfectly.
Then – your heart stopped!
Did you notice us trying to bring you back for more than 5 minutes?”
I was clinically dead for some 5 minutes.
They installed a temporary pace maker via the artery on the left side of my body.
But here I am.
The next day when I was home, and resting, my Guardian Angel asked me:
“So Ric, how did you enjoy your journey home to God the Creator?”
So my LSD trip was a visit Home to be with God the Creator, Great Mystery, and Source of All.
Being dead was quite wonderful.
Some weeks later my Cardiologist said:
“If you hadn’t had Dr. Ali as your surgeon I doubt that we would be talking today. You are a very fortunate man.”
Here I am.
Arthritis
I have arthritis in my knees, lower back, shoulders, and hands.
Lots of daily pain even with pain meds. Because of my heart issues I can’t take NSAIDs.
Worst is the knee pain and lack of easy mobility walking up and down stairs.
Knee replacement surgery is out due my heart issues. Surgeons are reluctant it turns out to cut into people whose hearts have stopped. 🙂
Working at losing weight as I am too fat.
The adventures continue.
2024 – My Daughter Dies
On June 21, 2024 my daughter died unexpectantly 6 days before her 41st birthday.
While we are Spiritual Beings having an Earthly Experience when the Soul leaves this Earthly experience the sense of loss is profound. No more conversations or hugs.
And while I know that my daughter’s Soul is safely on its journey the grieve has been profound.
Life Goes On
Life goes on.
I feel grateful and blessed when I wake up every morning, and I begin my day with two prayers that I have written.
When I wake up I say A Prayer Upon Awakening, thanking God the Creator, Great Mystery, and Source of all for another day.
And when I start to get active I say My Prayer to Start the Day.
I find prayer to be a powerful and helpful tool to help me daily.
New Beginnings
I am 78 years old now and find myself creatively engaged in a whole new chapter of life every day. Every day brings another new beginning.
I have embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a co-creator partner.
I have begun creating voice-only Spoken Word Recordings that can be found on my recently launched Reconnecting With Spirit Digital Store.
I have created the Reconnecting With Spirit Bookstore to provide easy access to the authors and books that have inspired my own journey and that I have been writing about over the years.
I am reorganizing my YouTube Channel around my focus on Reconnecting With Spirit and have recently soft launched a podcast on Substack.
It seems that life still has new adventures waiting for me.
Looking forward to sharing my next adventures with you,
Richard Edward Ward
-“I am practical and expect miracles, when I just take the first step forward every day.”
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"I am practical and expect miracles, when I just take the first step forward every day."
-Richard Edward Ward