Rev. Bill McDonald is a man whose life reads like a profound spiritual epic, spanning over seven transformative decades. From the battlefields of Vietnam to the sacred ashrams of India, Rev. Bill’s quest has been one of relentless pursuit of truth, love, and forgiveness. A decorated Vietnam War veteran and an acclaimed author, his experiences defy common understanding, encompassing near-death experiences, paranormal encounters, and mystical revelations. In his autobiography, “Warrior: A Spiritual Odyssey,” Rev. Bill invites us into his world of spiritual awakenings and supernatural events, sharing his remarkable journey toward enlightenment. His follow-up book, “Alchemy of a Warrior’s Heart,” delves even deeper, recounting his pilgrimages to India and encounters with holy men, miracles, and the Divine. Available in multiple languages, his works underscore a universal truth: that the only reality is love. In this Mystic Mag‘s exclusive interview, Rev. Bill McDonald takes us along on his spiritual journey, revealing how his near-death experiences and divine encounters have shaped his understanding of love and service. From working with PTSD veterans to volunteering as a chaplain and answering calls for the National Suicide Hotline, his life is a testament to the transformative power of service.
Your autobiography, “Warrior: A Spiritual Odyssey,” details your incredible journey in search of love, understanding, and enlightenment. Can you share a pivotal moment from your Vietnam War experience that significantly influenced your spiritual path?
My first book, which is my autobiography, detailing the first 56 years of my life. It begins with my childhood and ends with me dealing with a life threatening heart attack at Machu Picchu, where I thought I was going to die. The book has been out for about 20 years in different editions and has been well-received. It has been a good introduction to the world of what I’m trying to do.
My follow-up books have focused more on spiritual aspects. I wanted people to realize that not everyone who is a spiritual seeker is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Life isn’t always smooth and easy; there are many rough spots. I’ve found that true spiritual seekers often have terrible beginnings involving disease, even abuse, or wars. These experiences seem to have served to focus and shape their own spiritual journey, making them more attuned to finding the deeper meanings of life.
My life started in a rather unusual way. My mother, already a mother of two, went into the hospital to deliver me. She told the nurse she was ready to deliver, but the nurse insisted she had plenty of time and gave her an enema. In the process, I was born headfirst into a bedpan filled with human waste. So, I started my life not with a silver spoon in my mouth but literally with a mouthful of human waste. It has been uphill since then. No matter what happens, I don’t complain. I see all that happens as a gift. I always ask, “Why is this happening? What value can I get from this experience?” I believe everything we go through is for our own spiritual evolution.
I’ve faced numerous challenges, including three near-death experiences, war injuries, helicopter crashes, and being shot at. I see all these events as things that were meant to happen, with no mistakes in life. These experiences were part of my journey for my benefit. So, I always look for the benefit in every situation instead of complaining. I don’t see myself as a victim. I believe I attracted and manifested these events for a reason. I accept them and deal with them, making the most of each situation.
In Vietnam, I had unique experiences. I knew who in my unit would get shot, wounded, or killed, and which helicopters would crash. When I warned people, it upset many, and I was investigated by military authorities and the CIA. Decades later, the CIA contacted me with questions from my file, which I didn’t know existed. They had been following my exploits, trying to understand them.
Vietnam was both a good and bad experience. It taught me compassion, empathy, and strengthened my faith in God. People often ask how I could be a spiritual warrior in combat. It’s not about being in combat; it’s about your attitude and intentions while you’re there. My intention was always to do the right thing, the godly thing.
One story illustrates this. I was flying near the Cambodian border with a new pilot who ordered me to fire at what appeared to be enemy soldiers. I refused because it didn’t feel right. Another crew member also refused. The pilot threatened us with court-martial, a firing squad, or life imprisonment. We stood our ground. When we flew closer, we saw it was a group of children with garden tools, led by a Catholic priest. Had we fired, we would have killed them all, with devastating consequences for many people. This decision, based on following my intuition and heart, shows what it means to be a true spiritual warrior. You obey the highest order of all: the divine spirit.
My book emphasizes listening to your heart. I think with my heart, feel with my heart, and speak with my heart. This isn’t just poetic; science now confirms that the heart contains brain tissue, making it possible to think with your heart. So, when you put your heart into something, follow through and listen to it.
In “Alchemy of a Warrior’s Heart,” you describe your trips to India and encounters with holy men. Can you tell us about a specific encounter that profoundly impacted your spiritual journey?
I’ve looked forward to going to India since I was 8 1/2 years old. I had a near-death experience then, and during that experience, I saw 50 years ahead into my life. One of the things I wanted to do was to go to India. Interestingly, I didn’t do the math until about a decade ago, but my second near-death experience happened exactly 50 years later in India, where my visions of the future had ended.
When I finally went to India after waiting 50 years, I was searching for that stereotypical yogi sitting on a mountaintop who could reveal the meaning of life. However, my experience turned out to be quite the opposite. Instead of me finding spiritual teachers, people were coming to me, touching my feet, and asking me for guidance. I was just an American in Levis and a shirt, wearing an Indiana Jones hat, not looking spiritual at all. Yet, every time I visited a temple or a town, the holy men would turn things around and ask me to teach them what I knew.
I spent my first several months in India working with many people, but there was one memorable individual. I went to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha sat for 40 days and nights and attained enlightenment. This sacred site attracts Buddhists from around the world. While there with a friend, I noticed a Tibetan monk performing prostrations—a series of movements where one places their hands in a prayer position, raises them over the head, then lies down on the ground and repeats.
I was fascinated and mentally wished to understand what he was doing. Without saying a word, and despite not speaking Tibetan, the monk suddenly stopped, looked at me, and gestured for me to come over. He grabbed my hands, showed me the positions, and explained by gesture and movement. He then taught me a meditation technique that, incredibly, I had independently devised when I was 8 1/2 years old while in the hospital for a year. I used to imagine energy and love entering through my navel, traveling up my spine, and coming back down. It turned out this was an actual Tibetan technique.
I spent three days with this monk. His age was indeterminate—he could have been anywhere from 60 to 80 years old. He wore old but clean and mended clothing and was respected by everyone around. No matter where I went in the city, every time I thought of him, he would appear. Over those three days, he imparted more knowledge and techniques to me than any other teacher, guru, or holy man I had ever met. Remarkably, this was all done in silence; he never spoke a word to me, nor I to him.
What type of services do you offer?
I am the founder of Spiritual Warrior Ministries, and I have been doing this for about 50 years. I started by helping Vietnam veterans because nobody was assisting them. America was ignoring their veterans, and many people in the 60s unfairly judged them as baby killers. I have shared a story demonstrating they are not, and these judgments were misguided. The returning warriors were not well received in America. They were spat on, called names, and many veterans became depressed, turned to alcoholism or drugs, or just drifted off quietly.
I started a program to work with them, providing assistance with my own money and time, while also holding a full-time job. At the end of the Vietnam War, when the North Vietnamese defeated the South, many refugees, known as “boat people,” fled Vietnam and came to California. I was part of a group that helped families relocate in the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically in San Jose. We provided clothing, toys for children, and taught them how to use the phone, access services, and get assistance.
This work expanded from helping veterans and suicide prevention to aiding all spiritual seekers. I consider people spiritual warriors regardless of whether they have worn a uniform or not. It’s about the inner strength to do what is right, think right, act right, and speak right, regardless of what others think. Spiritual warriors honor these principles even if they are alone in their opinion.
I travel around the world conducting free self-healing workshops. Recently, I visited five countries in about 40 days and conducted 25 workshops. I rent facilities, pay for my travel and expenses, and provide hours of free training. I teach people how to deal with physical, mental, and spiritual pain and how to self-heal. My workshops have witnessed miraculous events with people experiencing instantaneous healing. Even if I don’t hear about it during the event, I often receive feedback days or weeks later.
People who see what I’m doing, including some members of the royal family in England, have supported me. Around the world, people have donated money to help cover my expenses, even when I forget to mention donation opportunities. My goal is to break even. If I don’t, that’s okay; it’s not a business, and they are not clients.
During my third near-death experience, I had a vision of countless faces. I was told I didn’t owe them anything but needed to return because these people were waiting for the gift I could give, whether it’s healing, inspiration, a story, upliftment, a smile, or friendship. Now, when I travel the world, I see those faces in the crowds and work with them.
I am working on more books but plan to travel for only another year and a half, until I am about 80. Traveling is not easy, and I hope to invite people to come to me in California, to places like Mount Shasta or Lake Tahoe. This way, I can do more and have more energy. Next year, I will visit India again, as well as the Middle East, Singapore, Japan, and a few other places. I have more invitations than I can handle, so I need to focus on creating more effective and focused YouTube videos to provide consistent advice to many people at once.
You have had numerous near-death experiences and encounters with the supernatural. How have these experiences shaped your understanding of life, death, and the afterlife?
I think if you talk to anybody, they’ll all say their lives were changed. And I feel like I should have the same answer. But in truth, I’ve always been inclined this way. I’ve always been on this path. Near-death experiences were interesting, beautiful, and inspiring, but did they change me? I could say no, but I think that’s not entirely accurate. They must have changed me in some way. However, I’ve had some spiritual experiences even greater than near-death experiences from which I experienced significant growth.
I believe I came into this world already equipped with the tools and focus I have now. These experiences have only added to my repertoire, the array of things I can share with people. But it’s always been me. It’s always been about finding love. When I talk about love, people often say that seeking God is seeking love. To me, they are the same. God is love to me, and the greatest creative force in the world is love. It truly is the foundation, the building block of everything. If everything is made in God’s image, then everything is made of love.
When you love yourself, you can see the love of God, and you realize there’s no separation. There’s only one. When you have that realization, you understand that even your enemy is God, your family is God, everyone is God. There’s no difference. Even the mountain, the dog—everything. There’s nothing you can see, touch, or taste with any sense that isn’t made of God. Therefore, everything is made of love.
When you reach that point, you understand that the labels of religion and beliefs are just boxes. If you’re comfortable with that box, that’s great. It’s okay to follow your family, your values, your holidays. I have no problem with that. God has no religion. God doesn’t care what religion you are. There are no people more special than others. It’s all about love. If your religion is about love and forgiveness, then great. It’s just a matter of what you’re practicing, and that’s okay. Whatever brings your heart closer to God, is all right.
You’ve had a lifelong quest involving gurus, the paranormal, and self-discovery. What advice would you give to someone starting their own spiritual journey?
First off, everyone is already on a spiritual journey. If you’re at the point where you’re saying, “I’m starting my spiritual journey,” that means you’re consciously waking up and realizing you need to create a special path. But in truth, everything you’ve ever done, thought, wanted, or desired is all part of manifesting your spiritual journey. It’s all there.
So, I tell people, you need to come to the realization that everything that happens to you is supposed to happen. You’ve manifested it all. You’re not a victim. No one is a victim. You must take responsibility for everything, even if you got cancer, went through a divorce, or faced other challenges. You’ve manifested these at some level, and they are there as gifts, not as punishments. They are gifts.
So, my advice is to love yourself, forgive yourself, and have gratitude for everything that happens to you. There is no good or bad—just be grateful for all that happens. Even if you were abused, injured, or got cancer, it doesn’t matter. It was all there to help you evolve and advance. Eventually, you will wake up and discover there has never been any separation. It’s your ego that separates you from the divine. When you drop the ego, you and God are one, as you always were.
What will happen in the future? The future is now. The past is now. Now is now. It doesn’t matter. There’s no race. When you wake up, you wake up, and it’s always going to be now. That’s the good news.
So, don’t overthink life. Be more childlike. Love. Just love. You have a purpose: you’re here to love and serve. But you must start with yourself. If you don’t love yourself, you can’t love anybody else. If you don’t forgive yourself, how can you forgive others? You can’t give what you don’t have, so fill up your own cup with love. Fill up your own cup with forgiveness. No shame, no guilt. Move on. Live in the now.
