Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Lane.
Hi Craig, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born more aware than I should have been.
And I overcame many life threatening accidents to become who I am.
I sit and review my life now at 61 and it seems hard to believe how much I have lived. Feels like nine lives…
I have a memory in the crib (which seemed like a prison looking out from those wooden “bars”).
The memory is about 1-2 months old, was using my fingers – wiggling them in wonder.
And a preverbal “voice” said frustratingly, “Did I sign up for this? I feel so limited!”
The feeling was panic and uh oh, this is more “real” than I thought going in.
With this backdrop, much of my childhood was spent in wonderful bliss (if in nature, or playing alone, or playing soccer or sports but never in public places or big crowds.
My family had a big house in suburban America, Santa Clara Valley, California. There were cherry orchards for miles. I felt an immeasurable immenseness at how large these man made forests were. I could not see beyond the trees when I stood at the edge of the orchard. When the fruits were ripe, the smell of ripe and rotting cherries would announce itself to my nostrils. Those trees had a life all their own, yet I felt a kinship with them, more than any human.
My room had a closet with a small secret room adjacent, where I met with an invisible friend. Formless, yet real to me, I used to get advice on parent’s behavior and on aspects of my emerging life.
I loved to play with these beings, sit quietly with what I thought of as real. Think of questions, then have them answered immediately with an image, or with thoughts in the form of words. One day mom heard me talking out loud, and she asked about it. I told her the truth, then she began lecturing me about what “crazy” was, and I would appear this way.
A few hours later, I met with my “Invisible” friends for the last time. I told him/her what my mom had said. The only response was silence. I sat with that feeling, the feeling the silence generated in me. There was a presence in that also, I noted. There was an intelligence, accepting, and it felt it was giving me its blessing. So I left the closet, yet received a horrible feeling of grief in my chest. My parents boarded up the “secret” room, and I never went in again. Although I did linger sometimes in front of the boarded door, wondering where my friend had gone, and if he/she was lonely.
My fourth birthday came a few months later. It felt empty, knowing that this presence was there, yet I could not talk openly about it. There were about ten neighborhood kids and family at my party, snapping pictures like crazy. I blew out the candles on my cake with gusto, but everything else felt flat and lifeless. I missed my friend.
Another milestone that shaped my teenage years up until my early 40’s was awakening in US History class to the propaganda term “Manifest Destiny.”
Sitting in class one day, something in me “woke up.’ What was this? I became sad and angry that the “great country” I thought I was in had raped, pillaged, took over, stolen, lied to these Natives ALREADY HERE ON THIS CONTINTENT.
Treaties were broken only by the White man. Too many to name. No one would answer my questions as to why our “leaders” did this so long ago. I knew then my life would never be the same. I shaved my head out of rebellion and turned to punk rock, slam dancing, stage dives, and even made a fanzine called Disregarded. I interviewed punk bands, got backstage passes, and learned of the Decline of Western Civilization. I learned we had better claim our power or the forces of the USA would claim it for us.
These next years, about six of them drove me until another monumental event that turned the course of my life forever.
I broke my neck in a car accident.
1986 – broken neck – saw the need: healing is my responsibility.
Got angry at the doctor’s projection statement, “you’ll never surf again.” Learned boundaries and helpful righteous anger
The Break
In late July,, Chris, another friend Rob, and myself got up early to go surfing north of town, near Davenport. The waves up there were always bigger in the summer then in Santa Cruz. I was proud of my Audi 4000, and drove at opt speed on our early morning adventure. The surfers called it a “Dawn Patrol.”
My friends followed me heading south on route 1. We loved to race each other and show off. Since I was in the lead, I sped over 80 mph on a long downhill by Scott’s creek. I had recently been watching the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. It had great fast car chases and outlandish car stunts. I had these images of going sideways in my car at top speed as I flew down the hill. At the bottom, my friends surprised me by trying to pass on my left on the tw0-lane highway. I sped up even more as I knew Robby’s old VW diesel truck would bog down up the next hill. And they did. I watched them fade in my rear view mirror as I headed up the hill towards the Davenport Landing exit, where we would be surfing.
As a grand gesture of my victory, I began driving off the side of the road where some dirt and gravel made traction very tenuous. I knew this would be perfect for turning sideways at high speed and spewing dirt clouds at my friends following. A spectacular cloud formed behind me. I was going sideways faster than I ever had before, at 55mph. Watching from my rear view mirror, I saw rob shake his fist out the window. I felt exulted and fearless.
At this point, the tail of the car was to my right, heading dangerously close to spinning completely around. The strange lack of equilibrium got my full attention. I had gotten my car into a very dangerous situation. I tried to counter-steer the wheel to the right, clockwise.
The car suddenly grabbed traction in the soft dirt and gravel. At the speed of light, the car slingshot across the highway, heading into the oncoming traffic lane, somehow sliding on the pavement.
I felt panic now. All my focus was on the view in front and my hands on the wheel. I do not think I had ever been so focused in my life. I turned the wheel even more to the right, then the car grabbed again, then shot to my right, heading for the embankment. At this point, my life was flashing before my eyes. I knew I was out of control, and in a complete mystery’s hands. Images came at the speed of two or three a second, coupled with the horrifying realization I was going to crash.
My car struck the embankment, and the last thing I remember was shooting forward in my seat (I was not wearing a seat belt) and hit the windshield. My friends following got to see the car hit the embankment, fly up into the air, do an end over end, then roll on its side a few times before coming to rest wheels down.
Emerging from a deep trance, I woke into a nightmare so profound that I wished it actually was a dream. My first sensation was a pounding headache. Then, blood was dripping into my eyes. I felt disoriented and confused. How could blood be so wet and sticky? My vision blurred temporarily, then I realized my body was jammed between the passenger seat and the dashboard. My right knee was shoved into the glove box, bloodied and in searing pain. At this point, all I knew was to get out of that car. The realization of what had occurred struck me like lightning.
I knew I was in danger. The car could explode! I braced my body with my hands and tried to push off the floor of the car. In my shocked state, I did not realize how badly injured I was. A numbing pain shot through my left arm, and my spine suddenly seized up. Every muscle that supported my body refused to move. Something was seriously wrong. I assessed my situation. My head was hurting in the back and front. The car speakers had been jarred free from the rear area and had shot forward, hitting me in the back of the head. The front windshield was broken outwards. There was a deep gash in my cheek from an unknown assailant. I dislodged my knee from the dashboard, which only increased the pain in the leg. I noticed if I moved my head too much, my left hand would go numb, like it was asleep. Yet my neck hurt also. Then, a gratitude overcame me that my friends were following me, and I knew they must be running over to get me.
Paradoxically, time seemed to be moving very quickly. I felt relieved to see them. And I also felt excited as they told me they were getting the “jaws of life” to pry open the car door. I had always been curious about that tool, and had never seen one.
My curiosity faded as another wave of grogginess overcame me. I saw them begin prying the door open, but it all seemed like a hazy dream. I would flash into “this” reality, then dream of being somewhere else, a place warm and comfortable. I felt loved there. I saw many old friends, people long gone, and some who were dead.
A moment of being in this reality brought a tense drama to my awareness. The jaws of life were not working very fast, as the car had been so badly disfigured. The paramedics told me how lucky I was to be alive. I barely heard them. And I really did not care is what was weird. I turned my head a little to see what my friends were doing. Oh, oh, pain again. I made a mental note not to turn my head at all.
In my reverie, I had lost track of the door being broken open. I heard a voice say, this might hurt a little Craig, but try and stay as still as possible.” They pulled me from the car by both arms, then onto a long flat board. It took the two paramedics and my two friends to get me out. I felt immediate relief of seeing the open sky, yet my hazy thinking blocked the full sensory appreciation. My whole body felt numb and tingly, yet achy and painful also.
Once I was situated on the plywood board, they fastened my arms down and put sandbag things next to my head to keep it immobile. My situation was worse than I thought. I was hoping to go surfing later in the day or tomorrow, after this inconvenience.
They walked me into the ambulance, where a nurse was waiting. She put an oxygen mask over my face, then all went blank.
A dream beyond all dreams began. My mind conjured images so fast it was difficult to focus on just one. Something in me was enjoying this show. I seemed to be in many place at once. I was already at the hospital, was already lying in bed, was under a strange machine, and was lying in the ambulance, hearing the urgent siren, whew, whew, whew! We had to travel 15 miles to the hospital. Technically the drive should have taken 15 minutes, yet it seemed to pass in a few seconds to me.
They took the oxygen off my face, then the “high” ended. It was very strange. I felt like this would be a great party favor, pure oxygen! Six men hauled me into intensive care, where I was put into a small curtained room with a bed. They laid the board onto the bed, then a great looking nurse walked over and looked down on me. I asked her how long I would have to lie like this, as my back was going into spasms. She was honest and said she did not know. She said they had to be very careful with me as I may have a broken neck. She left me staring at the ceiling, lying in the same position on my back. I felt like a million knots.
As I laid there, helpless and terrified of the repercussions, my mind began compromising. I closed my eyes and let it run wild. “Oh, its only a sprain, and a lot of cuts.” “This can’t be happening. I’ll wake up and realize this was all a dream.” I actually prayed that this was actually a dream. Then, a pain in my back sent me into spasm, and I could hardly feel my left hand. It felt numb and tingly. I knew enough about my body to know the nerves were impinged. This was my answer to the prayer.
A voice took me back into my head, and I looked out through frustrated eyes at a doctor.
Finally!
“How do you feel,” he asked. It was almost conversational. Very matter of fact. This soothed my nerves, and I answered that I felt horrible. I told him I had back pains, scrapes and cuts, and a headache. He said something next that surprised me by its tone. He carefully said, “you must not move your head too much. We are going to take you to x-ray because we believe you have broken your neck.” He said the cuts were all superficial and did not require stitches. I valued that consolation.
Winter 1987 started doing yoga – sonya glassmeyer
Seeing we can be happy, she was an embodiment of happiness, joy, and sharing her gifts, forever changed my life.
Sonya had to be one of the best people in the world at helping me to relax. Her melodic voice, the musical choices of soft rain and gentle winds, the cushioned rubber gymnastic mats, and the rhythm of following breathing: in, out, in, out, while following the rise and fall of the belly all make for an other-worldly experience. The dim lights helped calm my tattered nerves. The sense of community is the first unconditional love I had ever felt
1990 – back to school for second BS degree in Nutrition – age 25
Had a dream of “being a dolphin.”
“God” let Itself be known in many manifestations. Sometimes during dreams, sometimes while using pot or mushrooms, and other times by acts of grace. The unveiling began in 1992 at age 27. My friend Jeff’s death in March, and my “vision” of being a “gatekeeper” for him to pass into another realm. Another calling card came in June of that year. It was the most beautiful, experiential, real seeming dream I had ever had. It was a beginning to deep questioning of what reality is.
The dream began with me standing on the shore of a tropical island. All I could see and feel was blue. The water, the ocean laid before me. I looked down upon it at my feet with wonder because it seemed to be inviting me in! I followed a reflection of light out to the horizon, noticing golden footsteps shallowly embedded in the surface of the great blue bloodstream of Earth.
Someone was calling.
I could feel it in awareness. Like that word on the tip of the tongue that is there, but remains unspoken. It also felt like a door opening and closing. But I was smarter than letting the invitation pass. As I followed the footsteps out to the horizon, my introspection dissolved into a figure miles away on the horizon. There was a huge land mass across that sea! And I could see someone waving at me.
A shadow figure, lonely, solitary, standing erect and waving a single arm overhead. It beckoned. Looking back now, I see this figure had appeared in many other dreams, leading me on. Beckoning. Many times I could not follow. I would wake suddenly, not knowing what I had dreamt, but a feeling of disappointment, a feeling of not remembering something important, clung to my heart upon waking. I sensed a great commitment coming.
A sudden scene change, I found myself in the great blue ocean, many feet beneath the surface. I had become a dolphin!
I swam in my new universe with joy and freedom. Crystal light came from the surface of the water, and waves could be seen from back-view. This was quite unnerving as my sense of balance and equilibrium was always associated with riding waves from the top.
As the swells passed by me (before having broken as I was in deep water) there was a bodily sense of perceiving water/wind energy with my skin. It was as if every skin cell (as a dolphin) could be felt individually and as a whole. Suddenly, I found myself in danger.
A huge wall of ocean was approaching, and in my reverie, had forgotten to keep an eye on where I was. I had drifted underwater to the shallows by the reef. I was going to be too late getting under the monster wave. The beauty, the power, the objectivity of the wave, which I felt as an enormous judgement, threatened to pull me into its wake. Turbulent water mixed with air and pieces of reef tumbled above me. Instead of resisting, which can be fatal with the ocean, I relaxed and stayed very close to the bottom, looking up, feeling the majesty of this force generated by wind, water, distance, and time. I had seen this phenomena of a breaking wave from underwater cameras during films, but nothing could compare with the experience of it. Nothing could have prepared me for the experience. I stayed on the lower edge of the passing wave, feeling its pull, and slowly, it pulled me up into its grasp and tossed me over its curl onto the frothing whitewater. I tumbled and twisted, lost and helpless, yet still calm and confident. My whole universe became nothing but the tumbling, the white foam, the vertigo. I awoke as I often did, wide awake and electric in my human body. I made a mental note to remember this dream. It seemed important. The memory has never diminished, nor left.
Little did I know my dream would become reality only three days later. My two best friends and I were sitting in my room, getting high and drinking a little, talking about life and our future plans. Suddenly Chris told us that we could get plane tickets to Costa Rica for $350 round trip! We all looked at each other. My dream popped in my head. My soul cried out. I had to do this at any cost.
1990 to present, 1990-1999 intensive permaculture and sustainable living labs in home, school, and business
Another thing that set my life tone was friends in college studying Soil Science, Permaculture, and going to “men’s groups.”
The gardening and soil science made sense for someone studying nutrition. As well as Cal Poly offered cooking classes required for the BS degree. From the soil to the mouth, every step food goes through is important – I found out.
1995 opened vegan restaurant natural flavors got BS degree in Nutrition
As the climax of my second BS degree, in Nutrition, I planned and opened a vegan restaurant called Natural Flavors in San Luis Obispo CA USA in 1995-96. I was doing this with two other men getting their degrees also and this was our “senior project.” This helped me see how to interview farmers on food growing, and the whole operation of food service became a reality to learn and embody. It is not easy work.
1996 finished three years intensive herbal medicine studies
As part of my nutrition studies, I was drawn to plants and herbs, especially after a mushroom experience with my friends where a plant and myself “merged” for a few moments. This changed my life.
I get into an Herbal Medicine program with Michael Tierra and got certified in 1996.
1996 7 months Kushi Institute macrobiotics and drove across the country
Wanted to learn how others view health, as my nutrition program was a joke and shallow and kissing up to the medical out of scope of practice of recommending foods with no experience.
I found the therapies via learning processes like heating, cooling, drying, moistening, etc….and started to learn my path was to be a bridge of the hard sciences to the subtle.
1996 Sat in first Men’s group – HopeDance fanzine founder, Bob Banner leader, SLO CA USA
Learned humility and honor. Learned the value of reflection from mature men.
2000 CMT certification
I was asked by a Macrobiotic teacher to do bodywork as I had “the hands of a healer he said.”
So I pursued this for 5 plus years then got certified in California. I learned the hidden secrets of energy flows, unconscious body reflexes, and how to read the signs of someone relaxing.
1990-2004 – years of sitting in silent meditations, thousands of experiences could not explain with the conscious mind
After my “final enlightenment” experience in 2004, I spent a number of years recovering my sense of the 3D world. I had developed a belief that once the “moment came” effort would not be necessary. I was wrong.
Many people on the path of seeking the Divine fall into this trap. Some teachers call it “bait and switch of the divine.” I was drawn in by levitation promises, control over others (think Luke Skywalker – “use the force Luke!”), control over nature possibly, wild tantric enlightened sex, and more. Ease. Flow and joy I sought. I sought to quench this “yearning” that never seemed to go away.
I had such an intense revelation in 2004 at a silent meditation retreat it took three days of nurturing, silence, and my girlfriends attention and care was the magic I needed, the alchemy of care. My world had literally been turned inside out. I thought I was seeking the Divine, but as I saw, it was seeking me. What I thought were my yearnings, were in fact, the very thing I avoided looking at. My own Divinity. It was always and already here!
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Despite the high realizations and bliss, and seductive disassociated states of being, I began to see that coming into my body was as important as ascending into spirit. I seemed to know this already, a few times I was dead, out of my body looking at it, and given a choice to leave this realm or stay.
So I inherently knew this 3D Craig was gonna need some work and overhaul. After 15 years of intense inner and outer work, I was a different person, but the old wounds, unprocessed trauma, bypassed experiences, hidden regrets and beliefs were running my behaviors. The years following this event at age 39 (in 2004) led to the deeper study of transformation, and “mining the gold from within our hearts.” This was when my older identification with ShivaWarrior transformed to a journey of self love and uncovering the veils keeping me divided. The Alchemy of Health was simmering inside me.
Health Alkemy with a “k” was born out of making fun of the inversion the dark forces have made of this world. Nothing is as it seems. The k means to be self sufficient and use one’s inner resources to navigate this soul theater called life. To co-create, to be a creator, producer, and director of our own stage.
Further Insights that helped shape Health Alkemy into existence:
2004-2006 first community dinner on a ping pong table with tablecloth! I knew my chef/cooking skills and talents were needed in this world so I began teaching cooking, opening restaurants (2), catering businesses (2 small ones), and more.
These community dinners showed me I could teach, engage in community and offer a place to dialogue and explore health topics mainstream Rockefeller medicine and health would not.
2010 began iridology, sclerology, endocrinology, and study of lab work, gynecology, heart conditions
2010 Standard Process opened account – largest sustainable farm in north america for organic supplements
2011 voted to receive Impact Award as strong contribution to positive impact in my community – standard process inc. award
2012 started Apprenticeship program, had 10 students and curriculum which becomes Personal Alkemy
2012 Did the New Warrior Training Adventure – of The Mankind Project = initiated as a man…
2014 TBI – Concussion almost died – brought back from the dead by a girlfriend = orgone/orgasm
2015 to present opened my own office space and growing my reach to more people in need of a Health Detective.
Added in Rife therapy, Aquacure AC150 Electrically expanded structured frequency water, and blood work and hair mineral analysis as excellent tools to add to my iris, sclera, and tongue study.
2021 started my Pilot program 220 hour Health education program – two graduates and the new version starting 2027 with previews end of September 2026.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No but the difficult road leads to growth, the easy leads to stagnancy.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What began with nutrition eventually grew into decades of studying herbal medicine, massage therapy, Shiatsu, meditation, permaculture, and holistic health. Along the way, I worked in hospice care, continued my education, and spent years learning not just from books and teachers, but through personal experience and working with people from all walks of life.
Today, I bring together my background as a nutrition professional, certified herbalist, massage therapist, and holistic health practitioner to help people find practical answers that fit their individual lives. I don’t believe in rigid dogma or one-size-fits-all solutions. I believe lasting health comes from understanding your body, asking thoughtful questions, and creating habits that are both realistic and sustainable.
My work in the world is unique in that I am bridging the worlds of form and formless, integrating both into a better deeper model of health and healing
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Many believe AI will change healthcare.
I say NOT!
But AI is a great tool for research and saving time – so I see it helping us get better results.
Health as we know it was already well studied over 100 years ago, and the money interests have held us back over a century. What I see is this model with return with the people running models of health based on Nature’s laws, not contrived manmade fictions and lies.
Pricing:
- One hour appointrment $150
- Health Education program 200 hours $2000
- One hour Shiatsu $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://healthalkemy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthalkemy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HASUPPORT/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanecraig/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Craiglane123
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OriginalHealthAlkemy
- Other: https://substack.com/@craiglane and https://rumble.com/user/HealthAlkemy?e9s=src_v1_clr
