Uri Geller moves from bending spoons to healing mind

Uri Geller is the Energizer Bunny of paranormalists.

The Israeli-born master of the surreal has taken more than three decades of hits and has bounced back every time. From his stint as a paratrooper during the Six-Day War to the endless lashing of critics, Geller has always managed to survive. So, it's not surprising that the protean mystic is back again. Except this time, the man famous for bending spoons wants to talk about something serious. And he's coming soon to a town near you.

Walnut Creek, to be precise.

Geller will be speaking tomorrow evening at a preview event of the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center's 11th annual Jewish Book Festival. In keeping with the title of his new book, "Mind Medicine: The Secret of Powerful Healing," Geller will discuss the path to spiritual enlightenment. But first, the author would like to set the record straight.

The man who claims to have used his mental powers to bombard nuclear-arms negotiators with positive thought waves is not the Hebrew answer to P.T. Barnum. Or a new-age huckster. He is, by his own definition, a sabra.

"First and foremost, I'm a Jew," said Geller during a phone interview from Toronto last week. "And then, I'm Israeli," he continued in his silky baritone voice. "I will always be a public relations man for Israel. Wherever I go, I always mention that I'm a Jew and that I'm a sabra."

In fact, Geller believes that his repeated references to Judaism and Israel have landed him in hot water with biased critics. "One cartoonist drew a picture of me with a big wart on my nose. Now, when have I ever had a wart on my nose?" said Geller, whose handsome visage is a matter of record.

"Well, the answer is never. I have never had a wart on my nose. So, why do you think it was drawn that way?" he asked. After a few moments of silence, Geller answers his own question. "Because it was based on Nazi propaganda art. The work was tinged with anti-Semitism."

Before he could continue deconstructing his critics, Geller was interrupted by the sound of hotel fire alarms. "I wouldn't be surprised if I set off the alarms again," he said. "The eerie thing about my powers is that they are controlled from above."

Now in his early 50s, Geller says the spiritual powers that be are his raison d'être these days. A self-described recovering type-A personality, he ditched his former life of private jets, Gucci luggage and Rolex watches for a more prayerful existence.

The father of two children, Geller said parenthood and the search for meaning led him down the path to spiritual enlightenment. "I've always been a religious man. I believe that prayer can open up the blocked tunnels in people's lives," he said.

"The thing is, in order to be a paranormalist, you have to have a strong connection to higher universal forces. I think that's partially why the Orthodox community in Israel embraces me. They believe that my powers are a gift from God."

Spirituality and its connection to medicine is the central theme in Geller's new book. The author contends that the disconnection between healers of the body and healers of the mind impedes the treatment of illness. In his book, Geller writes that "MindPower," which he calls the "untapped powerhouse of energy," is the antidote.

Citing his own use of MindPower to cure himself of bulimia, Geller touts the practice as a guide for taking control over the fear and trauma of illness.

Geller also uses his new-found tranquility to avoid the pratfalls of fame. "I'm moving beyond trivial demonstrations," he said. Additionally, he said that he was being "held hostage by his past," and hoped his new book would keep the celebrity hounds at bay. "I'm tired of people shoving a spoon in my face and asking me to bend it."

Uri Geller will speak at 7:45 p.m. tomorrow at the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. Information: (925) 938-7800 He will also speak Sunday at the Learning Annex in San Francisco. Information: (415) 788-5500.

"Mind Medicine: The Secret of Powerful Healing" by Uri Geller (224 pages, Element Books, $24.95)