Mikkel grew up next to the Livermore Laboratory, a major nuclear-weapons research facility in California where his father worked as a scientist. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, his family lived in a huge bomb shelter, which his father had built out of a Southern Pacific boxcar and buried 30-feet deep in the front yard.

Lori Houston interviewed Mikkel Aaland for Travelers' Tales.

Houston:

When did you realize that all your travels and your placing of the sword pieces could be woven into a book?

Aaland:

A few months after I placed the final Shinto god in the Amazon I sat down and began writing the book. I had kept detailed notes during the six years I was directly involved with the project and the first draft took only five months. When I was finished, however, I showed the work to a friend. After he read it he asked, "But where is Mikkel?" Unable to answer his simple question, I realized that I had traveled all over the world but I hadn't gone far enough. I hadn't delved deeply enough into myself. I hadn't figured out what had drawn me to the project in the first place and what exactly I had gotten out of it. This act of personal exploration took three more years. It wasn't until 1992 when I was living in Prague, far removed from the project and my past life, before the book as it is now took shape.

Houston:

In the book you encounter reluctance and outright opposition from within the Shinto leadership about publishing information on the project. Yet you ended up having their support and assistance. What brought about that transformation?

Aaland:

After I wrote an article about the Sword of Heaven project in California Living magazine, the Shinto group in Japan had two choices: not to communicate with me or to accept the idea that the publicity might actually help them finish the project. When they saw the overwhelmingly positive response by readers of the article, they decided publicity wasn't such a bad thing after all.

I recently sent a friend of mine in the group, Kazz Tagami, a copy of the book. He sent a fax back saying, "We feel the power of the book. I think the book makes new beginnings and it is very special." His response makes me very happy because I wanted to honor him, his teacher, and the project.

Houston:

How did you become associated with Travelers Tales?

Aaland:

Three years ago an old friend of mine, Lucy McCauley, editor of Traveler's Tales': Spain and Women in the Wild, told me that Traveler's Tales was soliciting spiritual stories for a book titled The Road Within. She knew I had finished The Sword of Heaven and that I was looking for a publisher. She thought if perhaps an excerpt from my book was included, another publisher who shared my vision might see it.

Then last year, Traveler's Tales' editors James O'Reilly and Larry Habegger contacted me and said they were starting a new imprint called Footsteps which would feature single-author works. They encouraged me to submit the Sword manuscript for consideration. I did and they liked what they read.

There is a footnote to this story. Recently Larry and James told me that back in 1983, when they were both freelance writers, they read the article I wrote about the project for California Living. The story had intrigued them. They had clipped it and filed it away for future reference. I like to tell people that The Sword of Heaven waited for them to start a publishing company.

Houston:

Sword of Heaven seems to be more intensely personal than your other books. Was this book harder for you to write?

Aaland:

Some things about this project and my other projects are similar. Sweat and County Fair Portraits also required extensive travel and years of research and hard work. However, for the Sword book, in order to explain my profound transformation, I had to reveal intimate details about myself. This was very difficult for me to do. It also meant exposing my relationship with Donna and making our failure public. I can't tell you how many drafts it took before I got it right. Still, some of my friends tell me I didn't reveal enough.

Houston:

At the beginning of each chapter, you highlight global events that were taking place at the same time. Have you always connected events in your life and the world?

Aaland:

Yes, I keep a journal that notes significant world events and my reaction to them. However, for Sword, I used history books and other sources to confirm and augment my recollections. I didn't catch everything, though. For example, in 1987, I placed one of the Shinto gods on Vieques, in Puerto Rico. I knew that there was a United States military base there, but that's not why I choose the island for a Shinto god. I had no idea how important the military base was. It turns out that the United States used Vieques to launch the attack on Granada, and later to assemble and prepare troops for the Gulf War. I only know this now because people on the island are finally fed up with the U.S. military and want them to leave.

Houston:

Have you ever encountered anyone else with memories of living near a nuclear weapons lab or living in a bomb shelter?

Aaland:

We recently celebrated my father's 75th birthday in Livermore. A lot of his Livermore Lab buddies showed up. At one point, we were sitting in the backyard and the subject of our family bomb shelter came up. At least three people said, "Oh yes, we had one too." Another person recalled the communal bomb shelter that housed 20 families. The conversation lasted a few minutes and then we moved on to something else. Rebecca, my wife, who grew up in Ojai, California, was amazed at how matter-of-fact we were. But that is the way it is in Livermore. I suspect that though my experience was extreme--actually growing up in a bomb shelter--others around the country will have similar memories of the fear of nuclear war. I'm really looking forward to hearing what others have to say after they read the book.

Houston:

Your story suggests strong connections between the Sword of Heaven project and the end of the Cold War. Yet the nuclear threat certainly has not gone away, nor is the world exactly at peace.

Aaland:

In a sense, very little has changed since the end of the Cold War. We still have the power to destroy ourselves and every living thing on the planet. Fear still grips the hearts of many of us, making the simplest choices difficult, tempting us to leave important decisions to others. We can prevent a catastrophe only when we have looked deep inside of ourselves for the telltale signs of fear--ambivalence, indecisiveness, and hopelessness--and then faced these with open hearts and minds. Only then can we make wise decisions. Only then can we, in a very real sense, protect ourselves. This is the message of my book and I think it is more relevant than ever.

Houston:

Since your own personal odyssey in this book occurred in tandem and became entwined with world events, do you continue to feel some kind of connection to larger forces at work in the world?

Aaland:

I was young and mostly single when I worked on the Sword of Heaven project and could devote myself to the "larger forces," as you call them. At this moment I am feeling a bit removed from the "larger world." My world consists of my three-year-old daughter and her pre-school, supporting my wife as she transitions from Foreign Service Officer to yoga teacher, and making a living to pay off the credit card debit I accrued from working on the book. If more Shinto gods arrived at my doorstep I don't know what I'd do.

Houston:

Are you still involved with Shintoism?

Aaland:

I never know for sure what Kazz and his Shinto group are up to. I'm just as curious as the next person. As for Shintoism, I am not a practicing Shintoist, but I share many of its beliefs and try to incorporate its sensibilities into my everyday life. I have a shrine to my ancestors, and I nurture a relationship with nature through simple prayer. Even though the Sword of Heaven project is complete, I remain as fascinated as ever with Shinto. I have a lot more to learn.

Houston:

Do you think Western readers will have difficulty reconciling the influence of Shintoism with Judeo-Christian beliefs and values? Do you think the two are in conflict?

Aaland:

I think many people in the West will be fascinated with Shinto. At its core is a respect for one's ancestors and a love of nature. How can that be at odds with any other belief? There will always be close-minded people who will find ways to be threatened by Shinto but they are the same people who are threatened by anything different.

Of course, there are some basic differences in the way Shinto and Judeo-Christian approach life. In the Judeo-Christian world, Adam and Eve were thrown permanently out of the Garden of Eden. In Shinto, the Garden is our backyard, and, though it may become polluted and require cleaning, it is always part of our lives. The idea of original sin is also absent in Shinto. Good and Evil exist, but Evil is a temporary state that can be corrected through prayer and purification rituals. Shintoism is so optimistic! That's another reason I am so attracted to it.

Houston:

What are some good resources for learning more about Shintoism?

Aaland:

I've included a comprehensive bibliography on my Web site.

Houston:

What lead you to use the sumi-e technique for the photographs in your book?

Aaland:

When I looked at the photographs I had taken to document the project, I realized something was missing. I wanted to include imagery that was evocative or poetic, images that reflected my transformation from an objective observer to a participant. That's when I came up with sumi-e photography. I was inspired by the ancient Japanese technique of using brush strokes to capture the essence of an object rather than superficial details. I waved my 35mm camera like a brush in front of trees, rocks, and water with a slow shutter speed and left the rest up to chance. I am very happy with the results although I wish I could have included more of the images in the book.

Houston:

Is there a message to the quotes you use in the book?

Aaland:

The words that accompany the sumi-e photos are from the I Ching, the ancient Chinese book of wisdom. I pulled phrases from the book I found to be appropriate to use as captions. I've been a fan of the I Ching since 1979, and I consulted the book regularly while working on the Sword project.

Houston:

Well, Mikkel. Thank you for your time, and I hope you have great success with your book.

Aaland:

Thanks Lori.