History of Engaging Transforming Topics

1988

Copy of first article on ET and humanity’s perspective published in Krystal Lighten, a local metaphysical newspaper in August of 1988. Adjacent is image of Inner Awareness workshop in Phoenix, March of 1989. Divorce final on 11.22.88 In process of finishing BSBA, Elder in Mormon Church, worked for Allied Signal Aerospace, had four children 2 to 9 years.

My day job was a production control coordinator, responsible for millions of dollars in monthly shipments of aerospace hardware, such as leading and trailing edge flap drives, helicopter starters for various military craft, environmental control valves and missile guidance systems. My first ‘desk job’ was a $7 million a month commercial spares desk with over 800 different parts and overhaul kits.

I was an Elder in the Mormon Church, performing all the duties expected, as well as teaching adult Sunday school classes. I didn’t see any conflict in the search for truth and the church doctrine for doing so, including putting the leadership to the test with referencing Mormon doctrine when they visited my home to inquire of my activity.

My wife didn’t work and had begun having extra-marital affairs while accusing me of doing so to the Church leadership. I was going to school two nights a week, working 60-80 hours a week, taking the family for weekend excursions whenever possible and performing Church duties on top of that. Yep, I had a lot of time to have an affair.

Was nearly expelled from the Church by an over-zealous Bishop, but managed to retain my composure, go through their ‘process’ and restore my ‘position,’ then walked out a year later. People are only as good as they are willing to listen and observe the reality of situations, not take someone’s word however syrupy and sweet it may be.

1988-89

It was a struggle to get through the transition from my marriage, living in a guest house on the property while my ex and children resided in the home. It was nice having my kids come to visit unannounced, though their mother didn’t encourage it.

Left Allied Signal Aerospace in February of 1989, ex and children had moved to Indiana. Self-employed at the time. Also facilitated several discussion groups across the metro area during this period, with guest speakers as well. Ran an advertisement on the back cover of a local mag called the New Times that read, “New Age Discussion Group – Any Topic, Any Question,” with a phone number. I didn’t appreciate the wee-hours of the morning nuisance calls, but most of them were genuinely looking for someplace just to explore their experiences and notions about them.

Second article published in another local metaphysical paper in 1989. Didn’t have time or notion to be a regular contributor, but I did deliver the paper to a couple dozen locations across Arizona for most of the year, in spite of a cracked head on my vehicle that summer.

I had several visits to what seemed to be a ship, though it was much more conscious that my childhood visits to the orange cigar-shaped cloud. I’d met a woman on board. A few months later I met her in person on Earth. She came with a friend to visit me, at the recommendation of her mother (discussion group member) and was delivered by one of her mother’s ranch hands.

The story of what else happened during that time is in Stubbing My T.O.E. on Purpose.

1989

Inner Awareness workshops with multiple speakers presented in Phoenix and Prescott in the spring of 1989. Approximately 150+ (Scottsdale) and 100+ (Prescott) in attendance. Visits to groups and efforts to publicize the event (we didn’t have the Internet) meant a lot of personal networking and travel.

While promoting the event in Prescott, I met Derek Brownlee, who introduced me to Michael Valentine Zomorrow (RIP). He was responsible for the water bed explosion, was written up in Time magazine’s March ’71 issue as a ‘prophet of his own time’ for doing so. Meeting him a decade or so later was intriguing, his interests spanned consciousness, science and the esoteric arts.

Shortly after these events, the Inner Awareness Seminars in Prescott and Scottsdale,  I moved to a house in mid-north Phoenix that was a center for the activity of a local ‘chapter’ of the Association for the Unfoldment in Man, originally founded by Ray Stanford. There, I learned about and participated in techniques developed by William Swygard called Multi-Level Awareness and Multi-plane Awareness.

I also participated in a weekend spiritual retreat at Woods Canyon Lake with members of this group. I’d been to many ‘channeling’ sessions and had mixed feelings about them. On this trip, though, I had my own experience of the ability, being asked permission by the ‘speaker’ and granting it. It was overwhelming as well as transforming, just to have the experience let alone the presence that requested access. These are explained in more detail in Stubbing My T.O.E. on Purpose.

1990 – 2002

From 1990 to 2000, my life was a dynamic period of exploration, foundation-building, and skill development that shaped much of what followed. Between 1990 and 1992, the concept of One World first emerged—an intuitive recognition of our shared humanity and the potential for greater global unity.

During this decade, I was actively engaged in coordinating Tempe Arts Festivals twice a year (350 vendors/20 food vendors in my area alone) and large-scale community events in the Phoenix Valley, including Tostito’s New Year’s Eve Fiesta Bowl Block Party—each drawing crowds of approximately a quarter million people, with the Block Party reaching that scale in a single night. These experiences gave me hands-on expertise in event production, logistics, and managing high-impact public gatherings. I also worked with Fitness Planet, further expanding my understanding of business operations and personal development.

At the same time, I invested deeply in my own growth—earning my MBA, along with certifications in Secondary Education and Hypnotherapy. This blend of practical experience and personal development reflected a dual path of external achievement and inner exploration.

Looking back, the 1990s were a formative era—where real-world execution, education, and expanding awareness came together to lay the groundwork for the initiatives and perspectives that would emerge more fully in the years ahead.

1990 – 1992

Initial episode to set the tone – 200+ interviews from 90-92. Only 18 have been translated to digital and are on YouTube.

Rodger (RIP) stepped in for Andy Olson at the last minute. A dear friend, he got married the following year and recorded a yearly review of our interviews when he returned to Phoenix. The following week, after returning to Kentucky with his new bride, Rodger collided head-on with a school bus on his way to work and was killed instantly. Annie returned the following year and did our second-year review.

1991 – 94

While contemplating my own desire for rising from the ashes of events past driving down the Indian School Road one day, the flash came to create a live metaphor for transformation. The video is of the second performance in front of about 200 people at the Mystic Moments event in an old renovated church in Phoenix, just south of Indian School on 7th Street.

It certainly was intimidating to risk making a fool out myself, yet the first presentation, in front of about 40, seemed to go well. Ariel Wolfe (founder of Mishka Events – Celebrate Your Life) rolled pennies up from the rear of the room during the musical interludes. It was one of those things that I thought about, said ‘why not?’ and just did it.

1991-1994

While in production of One World, one of my guests, Jean Chaudhuri, invited me to a meeting of the Phoenix Indian School Preservation Coalition, made up of members of 18 of the 21 tribes in Arizona. The school had been traded to the City through a land swap between the Barron Collier Corporation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The discussion was about how the land could be developed to honor Indian traditional ways and philosophies toward Mother Earth. We had several meetings and, eventually, Jean asked me if I’d be willing to write everything down and prepare it to present to the Mayor of Phoenix and his staff… the next morning.

I didn’t have a computer at the time, so I wrote it up, printed it and made copies, knew it needed to be on light blue, but didn’t know why. I arrived at the Mayor’s office, showed the finished copy to Jean and was pleased with her response. She asked me to present it, ‘when it felt the time was right.’

The president of the Intertribal Council, American Indian Viet-Nam Veterans and the Native American Historical Society were present along with Jean, the co-chair of the Phoenix Indian School Preservation Coalition. I heard so many references to, ‘that’s good, do you have anything in writing’ and ‘that’s great, do you have anything in black and white.

“With respect to all my relations, Jean has asked me to present this document to you. I apologize it is not in black and white, it’s black and blue, but maybe it can heal the situation.” I had no idea where the words came from and immediately knew why the blue paper. The following day at the coalition meeting the piece was adopted as a working document.

The park, named Steele Indian School Park because of one of the major benefactors, opened in November of 2001. Unfortunately, Jean wasn’t around to witness it. She had passed in 1998.

1991-1993

Somehow a door to high strangeness opened during that time. I had multiple visitations, including Rodger, shortly after his death after doing the one-year anniversary show for One World, and a variety of beings that most would refer to as extraterrestrials, though it was hard for me to label them as such because they appeared in ‘dreams’ that weren’t really dreams, as holograms in some instances and telepathically in others.

I remained quiet and yet the conversations seemed to bleed over into the ‘real world’ as I networked with others to find guests for the show. Some years later I made up my mind that I didn’t care what others thought and the understanding I’d garnered was worth sharing. It was contrary to all the conspiracy theories I was hearing about and yet it felt much more real and true than anything being discussed at UFO expos at the time. I titled the book to be a little confrontational, yet direct in communicating the essence of the book.

1992

I attended the first International UFO Congress in Tucson in 1991 and began relationships with many ‘experts’ in Ufology at that time. Tim Beckley’s New Age and Alien Agenda expos in Phoenix the following two years provided more.

Helga Morrow put together a conference in Sedona and invited me up to do some interviews, featured at the left, which allowed me to ask questions that seemed to be important yet weren’t being covered at the time. The interviews were archived for over a decade and a half until being posted on the UfologyPRSS YouTube channel in 2013.

1997

I had finished a Master of Business Administration and decided I wanted to teach high school and was in the Secondary Teacher Education program at the University of Phoenix. I got a phone call from Jim Dilettoso, inviting me to Village Labs (a regular hang out) to talk to the promoters of the Prophets Conference. He’d recommended me for their event logistics and coordination manager.

I put all the logistics together in the three days I had and deliveries began on Thursday, setting up 120 vendor tents and 3 outdoor speakers tents with ventilation. We had 2 1500kw generators, 3,000 extra chairs (event drew over 5,000), a 12-man security team, off-duty county police for traffic and 50 volunteers.

The event went off without a hitch and all the volunteers had a lot of fun. What wasn’t fun was being at Frances Barwood’s (then City Councilwoman) home for an after event party and getting a phone call letting us know the promoters had taken the cash receipts, hopped in a limo and were off to Sedona, leaving me with over $1500 in unpaid receipts.

I would have done it regardless. I’d met José and Lloydine Arguelles, so much fun to be around even with deep conversations. I had a several short deep conversations with Dr. Edgar Mitchell where he revealed some ‘secrets’ and had me promise not to say anything as long as he was alive. I kept my promise. Two guys and a gal felt inauthentic and untrustworthy, Dr. Greer, David Icke and Linda Molten-Howe.

1998 – 2002

My secondary teaching experience began as a fourth-quarter substitute in English, including involvement with the school newspaper. Recognizing my ability to connect with students, the assistant principal encouraged me to pursue emergency certification to work with learning disabled and emotionally handicapped students, leading me into special education.

I went on to serve more than 120 students at one school, later teaching in a self-contained classroom of 35 students at another. Over time, I assumed full responsibility for curriculum development at two different charter schools, including designing and implementing multiple intelligence learning centers to support diverse learning styles.

I also worked in a youth residential treatment center, supporting approximately 30 students with more intensive needs. These experiences deepened my capacity for adaptability, individualized instruction, and creating structured yet compassionate learning environments.

Building on this work, I pursued a second Master’s degree—an MA in Organizational Management—where my final project was the development of a comprehensive business plan for a model holistic school for at-risk youth, Spectrum Academy. This concept integrated my experience in education, human development, and systems thinking into a scalable vision for transformative learning environments.

2000 – 2001

Invited to speak at the Gathering of Souls event in Campe Verde at the end of September, 2000. I did an updated version of the video above, the live metaphor for transformation, and included situations that contactees/experiencers often found challenging. It was a 3-day event that brought some very interesting folks together from around the world, specifically built around the theme of the Ashtar Command.

Met Diana Pey (left) who invited me to visit her for a month in Chile, SA the following summer, where I gave a presentation on community project planning to about 50 business owners and metaphysicians in Valparaiso. My Spanish wasn’t all that great and several were gracious to help with translation.

Brought my drums to the Gathering of Souls as requested, too. A couple other musicians were bringing their gear and a we all played for a dance party on Saturday evening. There was no rehearsal and the flow was exquisite, one tune to another with very little ‘uh, what do we do next’ moments. The photo was and interesting one with Orbs all around us.

Closing ceremony was quite interesting, as I was brought up on stage and asked to commit to a role and ‘baptised’ in the pool outdoors (brrr) afterward. The full story is in Stubbing My T.O.E. on Purpose.

2001

After the event I built my first website, which grew to over 25,000 visits per month in the following year. I also hosted dozens of chats on Spirit Web and after one of them I had a week-long engagement ‘on board’ in February of 2001. After hundreds of hours and posting thousands of pages, I took it down after experiencing a lack of consideration and respect from supposed ‘members’ of the AC and the folks who put the conference together. Continued efforts offline and with local events, though.

I was invited to LA to work on some project in late spring of 2001. I lived in downtown Hollywood with friends for a couple of months, then went to Chile for the month of July. Prior to leaving we had started work on producing an event called Gaia Fest in a canyon called Las Pulgas, just across the Pacific Coast Highway from the beach and about a quarter mile south of Sunset Boulevard.

I worked remotely from Chile in acquiring sponsors, including Whole Foods, vendors and musical acts. The property was an old highway depot that had been renovated and had a really neat house with a glass room that overlooked the driveway and from where you could see the ocean. There were three tiers to the property, all paved with cement and perfect for an event. About 2,000 showed up and we found ourselves on the front page of the Pacific Palisades paper the following day.

I didn’t sleep for nearly two days, helping with all the on-site prep work and trouble-shooting during the event. Special thanks to Stephen Fantl, Matthew Schlueter and Carl Brentweisen, our host.

2001

Before moving to LA, then Chile and then back to Pacific Palisades in 2001, Outcast and Social Misfits recorded a para-celestial logic syndrome over a few months. I played drums and percussion. We played for the Gaia-Fest after party in a more intimate environment just outside the house.

Upon my return, it became a sound track for group meditations that allowed experiencers direct contact with non-human intelligences, with up to 35 participants each having an experience they could barely describe afterwards. Some were able to describe exacting details of interactions with technology and various races of ‘extraterrestrials.’

The story is also in Stubbing My T.O.E. on Purpose and here on the web.

2008-2010

My involvement with ASTD (now Association for Talent Development) began in 2008 as a board member with responsibility for the chapter’s web presence, helping enhance communication and member engagement.

In 2010, I stepped into the role of President-Elect, where I also led the production of the Arizona chapter’s annual conference, The Shift: Challenge to Change – Removing Liabilities, Limitations, and Excuses in the Workplace. This role brought together strategic leadership and hands-on execution, as I coordinated speakers, programming, and overall event design.

Through this progression—from digital support to executive leadership—I contributed to strengthening the chapter’s impact while developing my own capabilities in organizational leadership, event production, and transformational learning experiences.

2010

While researching Near-Death Experiences online, the website for the American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences had particular appeal. Yolaine Stout had created the website and I reached out via email initially and developed a personal relationship over the telephone.

After a number of emails and conversations, there was an opportunity to submit a presentation for an annual International Association for Near-Death Studies conference. I had no idea if I would be accepted, and a few weeks later got the notice that I was and would be included in the 2010 conference in Denver, CO. I was told I’d have an hour initially, which turned into 20 minutes.

2008 – 2013

I took a number of years off to tend to business, developing a coaching and partnering clientele. In 2008 I was asked to take over an existing Meetup group for experiencers, which had about 250 members and grew to over 350 in the following few years. I also created Mothership Cafe and Planetary Citizens early in this period with Independence Arizona launching in 2012.

In 2010 several of the Meetup members and I got a vendor table at the International UFO Congress which had just moved to Phoenix. After several years, even knowing the owner and staff well, I was never selected as a presenter. I still wanted to contribute somehow and in early 2013 the opportunity arrived through some very synchronistic events.

The previous year in May there was another ‘visitation’ that was both exciting and perplexing. The short story is that my handlers (three Arcturians – greys) installed something in the back of my had as an ‘upgrade’ and I was acutely aware of the sensation as they were doing it. I only told my girlfriend about it, though I did write it all down immediately afterward.

At the IUFOC, mid-way through the event I had gone to listen to Rich Dolan. I’d met him at a MUFON meeting previously. After I returned to the table one of our members approached me and said she was shown this device in the back of my head, that I was effectively ‘plugged in’ to the cosmic computer. I found that extremely odd as I had said nothing about my experience.

2013

At the 2013 IUFOC we launched UfologyPRSS, a  multi-device personalized RSS (PRSS) reader focused on Ufology and the Paranormal, connecting folks to the best UFO news sites, books, blogs, podcasts, videos and more. Within a few months at least a half-dozen other Ufology and Paranormal websites got major upgrades. Did we effectively raise the bar?

The whole concept of the website was to present a collaborative, potentially unified, front as a virtual demonstration of people learning how to work together. Even with the hundreds of sources and some initial support by bloggers, the results were dismal. Even with a number of personal requests to potential contributors (and there agreement) little happened as hoped.

The website lasted for about a decade, and become too much to manage with the little financial support it got. However, the ancillary blog I maintained throughout is published as a compilation on Amazon.

2018

Twenty-eight years after the start of One World, a dream came true. I’d hoped someday to be worthy of those I wanted to emulate in my interviewing style – Bill Moyers and Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove. It started with a web-delivered voice mail from the UfologyPress.com website. It was Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove. My heart lept when I recognized his voice immediately. He thought his interview with Jason Jorjani on the Greys would be of interest to our audience. I posted it and sent an email, along with a copy of Stubbing My T.O.E on Purpose. A few days later I got a request to come talk about the book.

Jeffrey offered this blurb regarding the book:

Zen Benefiel, literally, takes us with him on his journey from drums to conundrums. His mind is facile as he weaves a narrative ranging from deep within the esoteric/ufology subculture to lessons of marriage, family, and business life. He draws upon archetypal psychology with a particular appreciation for the creative godhead archetype. If you read this book with an open heart, you may find yourself discovering new vistas of your own.

Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD
Host, New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel

We had three conversations; The New World Order, On Hearing Voices and the one to the right, The Sociology of Ufology.

2016-2019+

My time with Ray Silverstein, the PRO Peer Advisory Board(a site I built),  and 2 Small Biz Guys podcast (co-hosted) with nearly 100 episodes and 200,000 listens, reflects a meaningful chapter of growth in both my business and leadership journey. Through Ray’s PRO model, I experienced firsthand the value of peer advisory—engaging with a trusted circle of business leaders who openly shared challenges, insights, and accountability.

Being part of the PRO Peer Advisory Board allowed me to both contribute to and benefit from a collaborative environment grounded in strategic thinking, clarity, and authentic connection. It wasn’t just about solving business problems—it was about evolving as a leader through shared experience and collective wisdom.

My involvement with 2 Small Biz Guys extended that learning into broader conversations, helping bring practical business insights to a wider audience. Altogether, these experiences strengthened my ability to guide others, foster meaningful dialogue, and support purpose-driven entrepreneurship rooted in both results and human connection.

2012 – 2025

My involvement with the Arizona Independent Party has unfolded over time as both a practical effort and a deeper exploration of conscious citizenship. It began in 2012 when I secured the domain—an early signal, perhaps, of something wanting to emerge before it fully had form.

That potential took shape through the dedicated efforts of Paul Johnson, whose work helped bring the party into tangible reality. Watching that evolution reinforced for me how vision, when paired with committed action, can move from idea into living structure.

In the fall of 2025, I formally joined the Arizona Independent Party, contributing my LLC, stepping more directly into participation as a Founding Board Member. This wasn’t just a business alignment—it was a continuation of my interest in fostering collaborative governance, elevating independent voices, and supporting solutions beyond traditional partisan divides.

Through this journey and my 30+ year association with the Honorable Paul Johnson, ex-Phoenix Mayor (did the heavy lifting to get ‘No Labels’ Party on the AZ Ballot and currently in litigation over the name change), I’ve come to see the party not simply as a political entity, but as part of a broader movement toward engagement, responsibility, and the co-creation of a more inclusive and responsive civic landscape. It’s challenging the status-quo in putting country over party.

2021 – ?

The evolution from One World to One World in a New World reflects a journey spanning decades. The original vision of One World began between 1990 and 1992, rooted in an early recognition of our shared humanity and the potential for greater global unity. I had imagined doing a TV show as part of recovery from a trifecta of perfect storms with church, job, and marriage, fitting of living in the Phoenix energy. A series of serendipitous events dropped it in my lap.

After that initial period of exploration and a really intense learning curve, the idea entered a 30-year hiatus—remaining more as a quiet undercurrent than an active initiative. I was busy with other prudent paths, preparing to meet and marry my twin-flame, unbeknowst at the time, and what was to be a native of the USSR – the perfect partner for my mission and the bridging of worlds. In 2021, at her behest and encouragement, the concept was revived and reimagined for a new era.

What emerged was One World in a New World—an expanded vision that moves beyond the idea of unity into the active co-creation of a new paradigm. Through conversations, collaborations, and creative engagement, the initiative has invited diverse voices to explore how we can consciously shape a more connected, innovative, and harmonious world. We’re often bereft of having those weird conversations about perception of things beyond the norm until now, with every guest we dive into the inner experience and reflect on congruence with the external reality and practical wisdom learned.

It represents both a return and a renewal—where an early seed of awareness has grown into an evolving platform for dialogue, transformation, and collective possibility. At this writing, its got over 200 episodes, 1,000+ shorts, 30k+ subscribers, and 2.2 million channel views.

2022 – 2025

Having met the founder, Marc J. Victor, through One World in a New World, in March of 2022 I was invited to co-direct a budding global peace movement. I worked alongside Jennifer Hunt as co-directors of the Live and Let Live Foundation—Jennifer serving as CEO and myself as COO. Our collaboration was grounded in a shared commitment to advancing a global peace movement centered on common-sense ethics, individual freedom, and mutual respect.

Together, we blended vision and execution—Jennifer leading outward-facing initiatives and mission expansion, while I focused on operations, strategy, and organizational flow. At one point, our efforts included working with 31 chapter leaders across 19 countries, coordinating with more than 60 volunteers internationally, and supporting a 6-member volunteer operational staff.

Through our partnership, we helped foster the growth of an international community dedicated to peaceful coexistence and practical pathways toward harmony. A restructuring precipitated the elimination of our positions in June 2025, which gave me freedom, albeit minus the nominal stipend we were receiving, to pursue my work with Planetary Citizens and writing about conscious leadership and the new world emerging after Covid.

2010 – ?

Planetary Citizens has been a long-evolving expression of my commitment to global awareness, unity, and conscious co-creation. It began in 2010 with an inner prompting that led me to acquire the domain—one of those subtle nudges that later reveals its deeper purpose. One World in a New World has been a deeply enriching experience and resource for sharing what experientially edifies the mission as well. A 3-volume compilation of the first three years is an example.

The vision has been influenced in part by the pioneering work of Donald Keys, whose early articulation of planetary citizenship helped seed a broader understanding of humanity’s shared responsibility on a global scale.

In 2023, that vision took a more formal step forward with the establishment of a nonprofit, followed by a full website rebuild in 2024 to better reflect the mission and expand its reach. Since then, the initiative has continued to gain traction, attracting a growing number of people who resonate with the call to move beyond division and step into a shared responsibility for humanity and the planet.

At its core, Planetary Citizens represents both an invitation and a movement—encouraging individuals to engage, connect, and co-create a more harmonious and sustainable world. My 43rd book, coming after the recrafting of the website, Planetary Citizens – Awakening the Heart of Humanity, continues to garner stellar reviews on Amazon, including one from Dr. Jeffery Mishlove, who knew Donald. Jeff just ‘happened’ to have a copy of Donald’s unpublished memoirs and graciously sent me a copy as well. It is a gift I cherish deeply, given the breadcrumbs and connections that continue to emerge.