Who is Joel Walzer?

The short version

Joel is a University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism (formerly the Jaffe Institute) trained healer and teacher, a Pathwork® Helper and teacher, and a channel (bringing through the wisdom of a spirit entity to help people on their journeys). Before 1990 he was an agnostic! In 1990, he discovered, and began studying, Pathwork®. In 1995, his channel opened and he has been a spiritual counselor since then. Because he was an agnostic for many years, one of his gifts in doing this work is being able to understand and help those who have doubts about God or their religious beliefs. Prior to 1995 he had been an attorney and a computer network manager.

The longer version

From agnostic to channel & Pathwork® Helper

Walking home from school one day as a freshman in high school, I became an agnostic; I couldn’t explain the universe without using God, but if I did that, I couldn’t explain God. So I became agnostic; but I was certain that there was no life after death or reincarnation or spirits. I figured if there is a God, what he/she/it cares about is whether I live my life ethically, but not whether I go to church or synagogue, etc.

Many years later, in the summer of 1990, feeling very stuck, I took a workshop through a new age adult education center. Though the workshop was not in Pathwork®, the leader was a Pathwork® Helper (spiritual counselor) who assigned a Pathwork® lecture to read. It was amazing. It explained in a few pages why my life wasn't working anywhere nearly as well as I longed for.

At this point, I was still agnostic and had serious doubts that the material was channeled; but got involved anyway because I knew in my heart the truth and wisdom of the material. Over the next couple of years I came to accept that the material was channeled and to believe in God; after all, if I could feel the truth of the material, why disbelieve its source?

The next major transition point came In the spring of 1995, when I was doing written meditation (aka automatic writing) during a class and I began writing about stuff that my "self" had absolutely no way to know anything about! I was channeling!

Over the course of the following weeks, I asked all sorts of questions, still not believing that my experience was real. How could a recent agnostic who didn’t believe in spirits be channeling?

Once I got over the shock and disbelief that I could, and should, channel, I realized I was really excited about the idea of contributing to others' spiritual growth and God's Plan in this way. So, over the next couple of months, I worked very hard to resolve the issues that kept me from accepting that the channeling was indeed real. And I finally started channeling for others and not just asking questions myself.

As I began channeling for others I found I really enjoyed it and that my clients felt very positive about the experience and some have been profoundly affected. Being a channel requires a very strong commitment to your own purification process and is, in fact, part of that process, because the wisdom I receive for others is also relevant to me.

I continued studying the Pathwork® (see Modalities) and became a Helper. A Helper is the Pathwork® equivalent of a priest, rabbi or minister in that we are the spiritual leaders who do the teaching and counseling. But it’s not exactly like those clergy because any Pathworker can lead a Pathwork® service—you don’t have to be a Helper. Helpers primarily help people on their spiritual journey back to God. For me, it is very much like channeling; the difference is that when I’m channeling, I try to get my personality out of the way and allow the spirit guide to speak through me while as a Helper I am also channeling but my personality is in relationship with the worker.

Becoming a healer

In 1993, while a resident at the Phoenicia Pathwork Center, I met and took a workshop with Dr. Robert Jaffe (now known as Ibrahim). I was totally amazed by his healing skills and thought on and off for years about studying healing with him. Finally, in 2002, I began his program which had changed dramatically from the 1993 program. Now his work is based on Sufi teachings and works directly with God and is even more amazing than it was back then. When you get out of the way and allow God to be the healer incredible things can happen! I love giving healings and teaching the work.

What it means to be a spiritual counselor

Spiritual counselors and teachers (with the possible exception of--literally--a handful of masters) are human beings like everyone else, with strengths and weaknesses, gifts and foibles. Everyone’s role on earth, whether they are aware of it or not, is to learn lessons so that we can become more of who we truly are; inhabit our greatness and come closer to God. We humans learn by making mistakes. By putting my time, money and energy into my personal and spiritual growth, I have developed skills which enable me to help others on their journeys, just like someone who has learned to ride a bike can teach someone else to do it. But I am still human; much wiser, less defended and more in my heart than I was when I started this journey, a little more conscious about the things I do, a little more aware of the effect my actions have, etc., but still human. I make mistakes, I get angry, I get afraid, I laugh, I feel pain, I avoid pain, I have fun, etc., just like everyone else.

Finding out whether this work can help you

If you resonate with what I have said, please call 845.679.8989 or send e-mail for a free, no obligation consultation to find out whether this work will serve your journey.