The Wind of Salvation :
Crossing the Desert of Despair
1. A Trial That Began at the Edge of a Cliff
It was just over a year after our family had settled in the United States. We had temporarily returned to South Korea and were traveling toward Sorok Island in Goheung to get a prescription for our young daughter, May, who had suffered from severe eczema since childhood. That was when we found ourselves standing at the crossroads of life and death in the middle of the Namhae Expressway.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, a 1-ton truck slammed into the back of our sedan with such force that our trunk was obliterated beyond recognition. Fortunately, there were no visible injuries at the moment, so we breathed a sigh of relief. But that was merely the deceptive calm before a far greater storm. Pressed by our flight schedule, we hurriedly boarded an aircraft back to Los Angeles, and it was high above the clouds that the true tragedy unfolded.
Our daughter, May, collapsed in the aisle of the plane, crying out in unbearable pain from the delayed trauma of the accident. Master Kim was also in agony, unable to even sit upright in the seat. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the flight attendants thoughtfully accommodated them in available first-class seats, allowing us to barely make it back to the United States.
While our young daughter recovered quickly, Master Kim’s body and spirit began to wither away from that day on. Days turned into weeks spent confined to bed. Whenever I gathered my energy to perform energy healing (Ki-healing), Master Kim would briefly regain vitality, only to sink back into bed like someone plunging into deep water.
"Every experience we go through in life leaves an imprint on our soul after we pass, becoming either a heaven or a hell. Therefore, living a healthy and happy life is a fundamental duty entrusted to all of us."
This was the core message we had always shared with visitors at our center. Yet, facing the harsh reality of being unable to even lift one's own body from bed, we were consumed by deep despair and a haunting crisis of faith:
"Is the path we have walked truly the right one?"
Master Kim’s weight plummeted from 143 lbs (65 kg) to just 119 lbs (54 kg) within six months. Consuming food—or even swallowing a single sip of water—became a painful struggle, and the shadow of death hung heavily over Master Kim's face. To make matters worse, living in America without health insurance meant that even a single diagnostic fee was a daunting burden. We had no choice but to rely solely on energy healing and endure those agonizing times.
Just as we were contemplating giving up on our center and the path of Ki-Sun training class and energy healing,
A Korean-American acquaintance living in Santa Monica introduced a Jewish couple to us. The husband was a schoolteacher, and his wife was a neonatal nurse caring for newborns.
The wife was exceptionally sensitive to touch, she requested a session of non-touch energy healing—one where no physical pressure or contact was involved.
I performed energy healing for the husband, while Master Kim—despite barely being able to stand—mustered the strength to heal the wife.
After the session, the wife shared something truly astonishing:
"I’ve had a deep, painful tension in my shoulders for years from holding infants, but the moment I received the energy healing, I felt a dark shadow-like energy swiftly leave my body, completely curing me. Thank you so much."
Starting from their second visit, she requested paper and began recording her experiences and sensations after each session.
She noted that while resting her eyes during the sessions, some days she felt energy rushing in like a swirling vortex, while on other days it felt like light radiating outward in all directions. She even drew sketches showing golden light following the movement of Master Kim’s hands, enveloping her body.
It was a profound reminder: even when our physical bodies are weak and suffering, the healing energy of the universe remains unchanging. It felt like a warm, reassuring message from above, encouraging us to hold on and keep our center alive.
2. A Miraculous Reunion and an Unexpected Diagnosis
Around that time, someone living in Mount Jirisan in Korea heard of our difficult situation and graciously gifted Master Kim a plane ticket to Korea. Master Kim flew back alone to focus on rest and recovery.
One day, while taking a gentle walk in Korea, Master Kim unexpectedly ran into an old friend from past marathon-running days.
Shocked by Master Kim’s frail, gaunt appearance, the friend immediately insisted on bringing Master Kim to the hospital where she worked. Upon examining Master Kim’s condition, the physician’s face turned pale, and Master Kim was immediately transferred to the emergency room at Hanlim Medical Center, a major tertiary hospital.
The results of the re-examination were shocking: Hyperthyroidism.
The physical shock of the car accident had triggered an overproduction of thyroid hormones, severely disrupting the body’s metabolic functions. The doctor spoke with gravity:
"If you had arrived even a little later, your organs could have failed from a life-threatening 'thyroid storm.' You must start taking the highest dosage of medication—two pills a day—immediately. You may need to rely on this medication for the rest of your life."
After two weeks of emergency treatment, Master Kim returned to Los Angeles with a six-month supply of medication. But now that we understood the root cause, there was no longer any room to retreat.
Master Kim combined the pharmaceutical treatment with rigorous Ki-Sun practice and Cheon-su (energy healing). Even when stumbling from sheer exhaustion, Master Kim walked the streets of Koreatown in LA for hours every day and never skipped the daily exercises designed to unblock the body's energy pathways.
3. A Pure Soul and the Liberation of Ancestral Karma
While continuing these energy-unblocking exercises, we met a lady named Mrs. Choi, who introduced us to her older sister, Mrs. Song—a woman extraordinarily sensitive to subtle energies who could actually perceive energy flows visually.
Sitting in our living room, Mrs. Song could hear the whistling sound (swik) of energy movement as energy healing was being performed in the inner practice room, feeling waves of healing energy reaching all the way to her. When she received energy healing directly, she was deeply moved as she experienced a vast cosmic energy flowing into her body, bringing profound healing.
She soon enrolled in Ki-Sun training, feeling her energy attune through the Cheon-mun sacred chanting. She even shared that she visually witnessed our center's Il-Won-Sang (Oneness Symbol) radiating vibrant, living energy as if it were a sentient being.
One day, we shared with her the concept of ancestral karma and spiritual liberation:
"The unfulfilled grievances, illnesses, and karma of our ancestors often exert a deep influence on the lives of their descendants. Through 24 days of sincere prayer, when we release the pain of our ancestors, the gates of heaven open, and their souls can finally ascend to their true spiritual home in paradise."
Reflecting on the biblical themes of ancestral legacy and redemption, Mrs. Song willingly began a 24-day ancestral liberation ceremony. As the days of prayer progressed, the once dark and weary expressions of her ancestors gradually transformed into bright, clear light. On the 24th day, she confessed through tears:
"A magnificent, radiant gate of light opened right above the Il-Won-Sang symbol! I saw my ancestors entering that gate with bright, joyful smiles."
4. Journey to the High Desert: Phelan
At that time, our daily life was still a hardship. The U.S. economy had hit rock bottom due to the subprime mortgage crisis, and with Master Kim’s prolonged illness, running the center became financially unsustainable. To support our family, I worked night shifts driving a taxi.
One morning, exhausted after an all-night shift, Mrs. Song visited us and offered to show us a property in Phelan, a quiet area near Victorville about an hour and a half away from Koreatown.
"If you move there and manage the property for me, I won't charge you rent, and I'll make sure to bring you groceries every week. Plus, one of the top high schools in Southern California is just a mile away. Why don't you consider moving there?"
By then, Master Kim's health was recovering miraculously. Within six months, the thyroid medication had been reduced to a minimal dose, and after a year, Master Kim was completely off all medication while maintaining vibrant health. Our daughter May’s eczema had also fully healed—whether due to the treatment or the dry California climate.
Although people around us urged us not to go, asking, "What will you do for a living out in the desolate High Desert?" Master Kim decided to make the move, believing that if moving meant I could stop driving taxi at night and provide our daughter with a great educational environment, it was a step worth taking even if it meant going into the desert.
We rented the largest moving truck we could find and set off for Phelan.
5. A Center Built in the Desert and the Soul's Response
Phelan proved to be an unexpected land of opportunity for us.
The peace and spaciousness of the desert gave us the time and clarity to launch a website, allowing us to bring our online practice and ancestral liberation ceremonies to a global audience. We also gained opportunities to connect with many people by offering off-site energy healing sessions at the WorldBeat Cultural Center in San Diego.
Furthermore, we personally renovated a structure made of two large connected shipping containers left on the Phelan property. We laid hardwood flooring and handcrafted doors featuring traditional Korean wooden lattice patterns, creating a beautiful and serene practice room.
It was here that we filmed Ki-Sun instructional videos featuring Master Kim and May as models to help share our practice with the world.
Around that time, Mrs. Song’s mother passed away after a long stay in a nursing home. Since Mrs. Song had willingly conducted ceremonies for her other ancestors, we gently suggested a liberation ceremony for her mother. However, Mrs. Song was resolute:
"Unlike our other ancestors, my mother was a devout Christian all her life. I am certain she has gone straight to Heaven. A ceremony is not necessary."
Soon after, however, strange occurrences began to unfold within the family.
In a dream, her youngest sister, Mrs. Choi, saw their late mother holding bracken (gosari) and bellflower root (doraji)—traditional Korean ceremonial foods that their mother had never even enjoyed in life.
The husband of the third sister also dreamed of the mother sitting in silence with a sorrowful gaze.
To make matters worse, the second sister, Mrs. Seo, who had worked as a dedicated employee at a bank for decades, suddenly received an unexpected termination notice out of nowhere: "Do not come to work starting next week."
As these spiritual warning signs accumulated, a spiritually sensitive lady named Miss Choi visited our center. After completing a 30-minute meditation in the practice room, she walked over to the living room and asked:
"Who is the elderly woman sitting outside the practice room? She looks so much like Mrs. Song... She's just sitting there outside the door, waiting."
Her mother’s soul had been wandering outside the sanctuary, unable to find her way.
Hearing this, the second sister, Mrs. Seo, had a profound awakening and burst into tears:
"Master Seo, if it doesn't have to be the eldest daughter, may I—as her second daughter—conduct the liberation ceremony for my mother instead?"
6. The Gates of Blessing Reopen
Mrs. Seo commuted over an hour and a half each way between Koreatown and Phelan every week, dedicating her time away from work entirely to prayer. Day and night, through live daily prayer sessions on YouTube, she offered heartfelt devotions so that her mother's soul could shed its karma and move toward the light.
On the 24th day, as the final prayer concluded, a warm and tranquil peace filled the room. Her mother had finally released her earthly burdens and ascended into the realm of light.
Exactly one week after the ceremony ended, a miraculous phone call arrived.
The bank that had abruptly fired her called back out of the blue:
"Mrs. Seo, an unexpected change has come up... Would it be possible for you to return to work?"
Without any clear explanation for her initial termination, she was miraculously reinstated. She went on to work peacefully for another five years until her honorable retirement.
The sincere devotion that released an ancestor’s pain and guided her spirit into the light had, in turn, lovingly reopened the blocked pathway for her child left behind—a quiet yet extraordinary miracle.
