Stuck in Customs – Trey Ratcliff's Travel Photography blog with daily inspiration to motivate you!

Stuck In Customs

My daily travel blog to inspire and get you motivated!

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Some New Presets?

I’ll release some new presets soon! Do you get my newsletter? It’s pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, and I do! Usually that’s where I release stuff first and sometimes exclusively. Anyway, if you want added just email [email protected] with the subject Presets and we’ll sort you out with news… In the last newsletter I asked if people wanted more presets and for which applications. It was actually a 50/50 split of Lightroom and Luminar! I haven’t released any in over two years, so I’m going through the process now of re-organizing and packaging them. Luminar is a little clumsy for installing them. Anyhoo… we’re on the case talking to Skylum to solve that! Here’s one I just finished editing with one of the new presets!

A NDE and Astral Projection are not the same

TRAI

A little change from the book content… Some of my favorite recent AI images. I post more over at @TraiRatcliff – my alt AI account. I hope you enjoy!

More on Karma and the importance of Forgiveness and Letting Go

Discussing My Experience

The Introduction

Here I am, reading you a section of my new book. Enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget to join up for my new FB discussion group too…

Discussing the New Book

Oh, and it’s hit #1 on a bunch of categories over on Amazon. Pretty cool! Thanks all who bought it so far.

Guess what? I kinda died and left the Earth to go to the Spirit World for a while. And now I wrote a book about it!

Bet you didn’t guess that, right?

I have a new book! This is a very personal book about an unexpected adventure in spirituality. You all know how I’ve been to all 7 continents? Well, now I left all of them behind, basically died, and left my body, flying into space with my light-body and arriving in the Spirit World for a stint. Yep. You won’t believe it, but it’s all true. Obviously “they” sent me back into my body. I don’t think you can send newsletters from the Spirit World. Anyway, in all seriousness, my time on the Other Side was BY FAR the most transcendent experience of my life.

It happened exactly a year ago, on July 7, my birthday. So, for the past year, I have been researching to figure out what the hell happened to me. Spoiler alert: There is no hell. Thank God. Little afterlife joke there for you. So, I’ve taken all my adventures and learnings and put them together in this book.

I’ve always been fascinated by the nature of reality. I mean, what the f_ck is going on? Anyway, I think I figured it out, or as much as the monkey mind can understand, and it’s all so beautiful and full of love. No, I’m not some born-again Christian or anything. No religious stuff in here… simply a blending of a lifetime of scientific skepticism fused with spirituality… what happens after we die? What’s goin’ on with our souls? What’s the point of it all? All that good stuff is in this whopper of a book, along with my adventurous and hilarious tale which you will not believe. But you should. Cuz it’s true.

We made this one available for Kindle, Black and White Paperback, and Color Paperback. (You’ll probably want to change to your local Amazon site before clicking “buy”.)



Trey Ratcliff's Soul's Compass Book Cover | Trey Ratcliff on Amazon

Below is the official blurb on Amazon.

“In Soul’s Compass: An Awakening Odyssey Beyond Earth, the author’s transformative experience in Scotland catalyzes a profound spiritual and existential journey. Transitioning from staunch atheism to embracing spiritual mysteries, this journey begins with the involuntary phrase of twenty-four enigmatic words, leading to an immediate collapse on the bed, and then his soul leaves his body and visits the spirit realm for a transcendent experience. The narrative vividly charts this dramatic shift, offering a candid look at the path to reconcile scientific evidence with mystical experiences, sparking deep introspection into the nature of existence, consciousness, love, and reality itself.

The account delves into extraordinary and harrowing circumstances, including multiple stays in mental hospitals across continents and profound understandings about reality. Despite these tumultuous events and moments of profound isolation, the journey leads to transcendent and revelatory states. Moments of incredible insight and beauty illuminate the true nature of the soul and our purpose, highlighting the interconnectedness of the universe in a fresh, enlightening light.

Soul’s Compass navigates this extraordinary transformation with openness and humor, along with ample references from the ancient to the modern. This blend of sincerity, curiosity, and levity renders the book a compelling testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. It stands as an illuminating beacon for those navigating their own existential inquiries, offering both laughter and profound insights for readers daring to confront the vastness of their beliefs and the cosmos with an open heart and mind.”

Head over to Amazon now to grab it or read the preview/introduction.

Join my New Reading Nook on Facebook!

This is a very friendly group I started where we can talk about the book and you can ask questions or just hang out! We’ll talk about other books too, especially since I’ve recently swallowed dozens of books in my deep dives on this subject-matter. Join Trey’s Reading Nook now.

Autumn Walks

Daily Photo – Autumn Walks

Another crisp autumn day invites another exploratory walk to a new destination. I’m incredibly fortunate to have so many diverse landscapes within easy walking distance of home. One of the things I treasure most about New Zealand is the sheer variety of trees, each species transforming into its unique autumn hues at slightly different times.

Autumn Walks

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2020-04-10 16:20:26
  • CameraPixel 4
  • Camera MakeGoogle
  • Exposure Time1/1800
  • Aperture1.7
  • ISO48
  • Focal Length4.4 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramProgram AE
  • Exposure Bias

Sunset on Koh Samui

Daily Photo – Sunset on Koh Samui

This sunset was captured on Koh Samui. We ventured to the other side from where we were staying to see the fishermen, initially planning to stay by the docks. However, the calm shallow waters just ten minutes away caught my eye, and I spent the next half hour wading knee-deep, observing the boats, fishermen, and oyster-pickers in their element.

Sunset on Koh Samui

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-03-23 00:33:12
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/160
  • Aperture4
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length36.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias