Leaving The Mountain: Information Conflicting with Perceived Consensus Beliefs Engenders Expectation of Disapproval

In 1995 I was working as a movie publicity writer when I traveled to Oklahoma to investigate "America's Talking Poltergeist", a case where a recurring unseen communicator was nicknamed 'Michael.'  An early article about my bizarre yet metaphysically revealing experiences may be read at the website presenting the Internet edition of the case study Testament (1997): "Feature Story About Testament Submitted to 1998 Publicists Guild Directory".

I'd previously written an article for the 1991 Publicists Guild Directory when the recipient of the Motion Picture Showmanship Award was Howard W. Koch, whom I interviewed for a Directory article.  The article is shown below and offers an example of my writing prior to my Oklahoma trip and the publication of Testament.

In 1995 and 1996, movies I'd helped publicize won the annual Publicists Guild award for motion picture publicity: "Forrest Gump" and "Braveheart."  During the summer of 1995, I ended my corporate entertainment industry career to devote myself to readying Testament for publication.  I reached this goal in January 1997 and there was an advertisement for the book in Daily Variety.

Eventually I received a Publicists Guild newsletter where President Ed Crane announced that he would be Directory Features Editor, working in close association with Executive Editor Mike McClay.  Ed commented that "The subject of a feature is wide open.  Our only criteria is that the story be informative, of interest to fellow publicists — and entertainingly written . . . After all, as Hollywood publicists, we've endured experiences — with talent, with product, with 'the biz' — to which no one else in America can lay claim!  We want to record these for posterity before they become forever lost."  Ed's telephone number was provided so I gave him a call and we discussed what I had in mind.

The Publicists Guild Directory is updated each year prior to the annual guild awards luncheon.  The following is my feature story submitted for the 1998 edition.  There was a 750-1000 word length stipulation.  I edited the article from a transcript of the recording of my telephone conversation with Ed Crane. 

 
 

LEAVING THE MOUNTAIN

Q&A With Mark Russell Bell

 

MRB: Hello, Ed Crane.  This is Mark Russell.  I have a great feature for the 1998 Directory about my book Testament, which I transcribed after landing the biggest public relations account imaginable and experiencing a leap in consciousness.  This is a true story that could only have happened in Los Angeles.

EC: Did you recently become born again or something?

MRB: When you hear that, you sort of think in fundamentalist terms and I'm probably the opposite of anything fundamentalist.  The book does deal with Hollywood, the world's dream factory, and Paramount, where I worked.  As you may be aware, I left my publicity writing career in August, 1995.  This was after I experienced what people usually describe as 'paranormal phenomena.'  In fact, I could contribute a photo to accompany the article showing bushes that mysteriously went up in flames back in the summer of 1994.  This happened in the vicinity of the Angelus Temple outside the condo where I used to live.

EC: It sounds sort of far out.

MRB: One of the surprising things that happened was when my friend Marie was crossing Sunset Boulevard.  I'd been talking to her about possibly having a pseudonym and she heard a voice say, "MARK RUSSELL BELL."  Since completing Testament, I've been adding interviews to a New Testament section of the web site at http://testament.org/ — the books are sort of tell-all books not only on Hollywood but all aspects of society.

EC: I think what would be most interesting is all the trials and tribulations you must have gone through in marketing it.

MRB: Like going on radio talkshows where everyone wants Hollywood gossip?

EC: Or maybe the hardest sell in town because it's viewed as something supernatural.

MRB: I had a Mormon couple do some research on my ancestry and it turns out that I'm related to film directors Alfred Hitchcock and Ken Russell.  It's ironic because some days I feel like Joan Fontaine and other days I feel like Roger Daltrey.  What happened basically is I went to Oklahoma to investigate a contemporary talking poltergeist haunting.  This was right after I completed a non-fiction manuscript looking at similar cases throughout history such as the nineteenth century Bell Witch case.  I also researched the Isle of Man case from the 1930s.  What especially intrigued me about those two cases was the Entity in each case had called someone by the nickname 'Pots' and claimed to be an inter-dimensional being.  I was astonished to discover that this contemporary Oklahoma family also had Bell family ties.  Their Spirit was an amassing of different spirits who manifested in a variety of ways.  The family nicknamed Him Michael and thought he seemed more like an alien than a ghost; however, an ABC special entitled "Ghosts, Mediums, Psychics: Put To The Test" focused on the poltergeist angle.  When I came back home from Oklahoma, the phenomena around me continued and I realized the Entity is Angelic and had always been participating in my life.  The timing of that John Travolta movie "Michael" was more than coincidental.  It seems I was an Egyptian named Bel-Marduk in a previous incarnation.  Apparently, he was also known as Ra the priest or Amun-Ra.  I found an Egyptian medallion with my likeness on it at a local antique store.

EC: Wow.

MRB: Bel-Marduk is the name of the individual credited with the first resurrection story.  There are these stories in every culture's history and mythology, including such legendary figures as King Arthur and Frederick II.  I'm certain this Spiritual Force in my life is the same "angelical spirit" that Nostradamus mentioned in his March 1555 letter to his son, Caesar.  Edgar Cayce was also an Angelic channel and predicted four decades ago that Ra could return in 1998.  Madame Blavatsky referred to this same Spiritual Force as "the Mahatmas."  God has always selected individuals to manifest around, such as India's Sai Baba, to create metaphors for others.  So this time He selected someone who apprenticed as a carpenter in the Hollywood dream factory.  I've channeled three new commandments for the world: "Love is the only true religion.  Give back to the world as much as you take.  Thou shalt not participate in cover-ups."

EC: I know I was asking for off-the-wall stuff but what we have here is something so outlandish that — I don't know.  I'm certainly not opposed to it.

MRB: Before I even went to Oklahoma, my attorney was Jonathan Handel.

EC: That's wild.

MRB: So I think this article will provide an interesting thinkpiece for my fellow Hollywood dream factory carpenters.  It's almost like God wants publicists to be messengers and help save the world.  There's so much unshared wealth in Hollywood and it's all the result of God sharing His divine creativity.  The money should be used on environmental concerns and helping others less fortunate than ourselves.  Doesn't that sound like a familiar message?

EC: I thought it was really bizarre that John Denver died in a plane crash recently.  He was working towards what interests me — for us to quit screwing up the ecology of the world and starving people to death politically.

MRB: Public relations is a very spiritually advanced job.  I think the truly enlightened ones work in public relations.

EC: We work in the world of dreams and toward improving relationships.  What do you think, Mark — are we in the end times right now?

MRB: I think there will eventually be a new time where the whole regime changes.

EC: That would be a marvelous time to be alive.  I don't know whether you and I are going to get a chance to share that age but who knows?

MRB: Maybe we can even help bring it about.  We can each give back as much as we can and hope it motivates others to do the same.

 

Previous blog articles include 12 articles about Madame Blavatsky including "Phenomena and Madame H. P. Blavatsky" and "A. P. Sinnett's Occult World"; along with 10 articles about Edgar Cayce including "The Second Coming" and "Explaining The Second Coming".

The following is the book announcement that I found included in the Publicists Guild 1998 Directory.  The announcement was an amalgamation of the author photo from the back cover of the book along with the Daily Variety ad.