Butterfly’s Apprentice, The (Audiobook)

AN INTERVIEW with RUBEN PEREZ

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Ruben Perez. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California. I moved out of L.A. county to San Bernardino County when I was 19 years old. A few years later, I went back to school part-time, while I worked full-time. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in 2002, when I was 29 years old. At 33, I moved to Kingman, AZ which is near the tri-state area and lived there for sixteen years. I got married for the first time in 2017. In 2021, I moved to northwest Arkansas, where I now live.

What is the story about?

The Butterfly’s Apprentice: A Power Spell is a metaphysical fiction story I wrote in my early 30s. It is a story about a special education teacher named Gabrielle. She works with students that have physical and mental disabilities at the elementary school level. She is a spiritual person, who lives an almost monastic lifestyle. She likes to meditate. Gabrielle has a new neighbor move in next door. Chris Herman winds up being a spiritually advanced man who has lived for 400 years. Chris takes Gabrielle under his wing.

How did this story come about?

This story came about from an actual experience I had a little over twenty years ago, where I came into contact with a very spiritually advanced man who has been alive about twice as long as Chris Herman has. He is part of a group of others like him. These people have attained spiritual enlightenment. Through their enlightenment, they have been able to get off the karmic wheel of incarnation and re-incarnation. They are humanity’s custodians. They help guide humanity’s spiritual evolution back into the “oneness” with the creator.

What does “oneness” with the creator mean?

Many people believe that God is a separate entity from themselves. There are other people who believe that we are connected to God — in other words, there is no separation: “the Father and I are one” (John 10:30). The teachers not only know that they are connected to God, but live the experience of being one with God. These teachers are trying to assist all people, especially those who are open to their teachings, towards the experience of being one with God, not just “knowing” it conceptually.

Why are they coming to you?

Jesus is considered to be Son of God and He recruited the help of twelve other men — His Disciples. The teachers are not going to work out in the open because they know that people would worship the divine in them. They want people to worship the divine within themselves. They use many means to do this. One of those means is working with people — people at all levels. I consider myself as “boots on the ground,” so to speak.

Did you volunteer?

In a way, yes, I did volunteer. I felt humans were capable of doing more than what we are currently displaying. Currently, the majority of us wake up, go to work, spend some time with our family and friends, and then we die. I felt that there had to be more of a point to life than that. I came across some books about this group of men. I spoke into the silence, “If you guys really exist, I want to help.” Six months later, I met with one of the teachers.

Is that all it takes?

I think they take a look at the sincerity of your heart and your intentions. I was told that my past life encounters with them was taken into consideration when they allowed me to work with them.

So, what is their end game? What is it that they want?

I think I should first say that I don’t speak for the teachers, nor am I a representative for them. I just simply talk about them because I have had some encounters with them. I have had some experiences with them. But, I am not an expert when it comes to this group and I would be skeptical of anyone who states that they are. That being said, I’m not sure what their end game is, but, right now, I believe that they would like all people on this planet to have their basic needs met, like food, clean drinking water, education, shelter. That kind of stuff.

And The Butterfly’s Apprentice is going to help with that?

Have you ever heard of the Buddha’s “Wordless Sermon,” also known as the “Flower Sermon”? The Buddha’s disciples had gathered to hear him speak. But, on that day, he didn’t speak. He didn’t say anything. He only showed them a lotus flower. And only one of his disciples, out of the whole group, understood what the Buddha was saying with that flower. That disciple went off and began a branch of Buddhism, known as Zen Buddhism. So, if Zen Buddhism can be started by a man being shown a flower, my hopes are The Butterfly’s Apprentice will plant some seeds of thought. My wish is that it will inspire hope. I think the world needs more of that, right now. I call it “A Power Spell” for good reason.

Are you sure you’re not just making all of this up to sell some books?

I am sure that some people will think that. I am not asking for people to believe me. I just want people to consider the possibilities and think about some of the concepts being put forth in the book. No, I am not making it up. And yes, I am selling a book. Money represents energy and I put a lot of time and energy in to my writing, so I feel like it’s a fair trade.

Is there anything you would like to say in closing?

Some people may think that life may be easier when associated with these teachers. I don’t know if that is true or not, but their teachings have helped me through some of the challenges I’ve faced in life. Some teachings take time to grasp. I’ve taken what I’ve learned from them and put it into The Butterfly’s Apprentice.