Why should it be such a challenge for someone who had a regular column in New Frontiers magazine? "It's like translation. Because [the topic is] past lives, it's not like giving a recipe for Christmas cookies. I had to make the esoteric accessible."

Wojton has always had a gift for breaking down skeptical barriers. I'm living proof. We both hosted shows on XPN back in the day and would frequently bump into each other. To me, New Age stuff was dubious at best. A personal experience changed my mind.

One day during the fundraising marathon, Wojton, in her blond-curled sweetness, bubbled, "I'm going to do some Reiki" to help bring in the calls. Reiki is a system of focusing energy, most often used for healing. At the time I didn't know that, but standing across from her in that narrow hallway, I could feel the energy radiating. No lie. That's when I began to sniff around the edges of this stuff, wondering what else might be useful.

Fast-forward a few years to when a relationship started putting me through the fires of hell. The emotional anguish was causing me physical suffering. I called Wojton, searching for a nontraditional way to release the anger — and the relationship. Past-life regression wasn't what I was seeking, but hey, as long as I was there, why not?

Here's the word: If you don't like to give up control, it's hard to get into a trance, but once you do it, it's fun. Was I ever sure I'd had these past lives? Nope. But the subconscious is known to be a wonderful, mysterious teacher. If this is how it gets ideas to the surface, who's to complain? Had I had past relationships with the rascal in question? If the regressions are to be believed, yes. Were they always unsatisfactory? Depends on how you define the word.

The beauty of a session with Wojton is she has no agenda for how you should respond. In her book she assures readers that there is no one right way to sense this esoteric information. Hearing, seeing, feeling, touching, tasting or just plain "knowing" are all valid according to her. The book is so full of ideas and alternatives that you'll only be able to take on small bits at a time. One section is written as a script that you can record to make your own guided meditation, the essential entry to deep relaxation and trance.

Doing past-life regressions has been a big bite of Wojton's bread and butter over the years. Why make it available in a book for $17? "This is my legacy and my way of giving back. I started writing the book because people were having incredible experiences with past-life regressions. Their stories became its structure."

Wojton writes in the introduction that despite the hundreds of past lives she has heard about, she has yet to meet Napoleon or Cleopatra. Of course, she hasn't met you yet.

(m_armstrong@citypaper.net)