Exploring Ancient Mysteries, Mental Health, and Holistic Wellness in Fiction and Nonfiction
Dr. Victor Acquista discusses themes of ancient conflicts, mental illness, and holistic wellness in his award-winning novels and guidebook.
Dr. Victor Acquista, an internationally acclaimed author, delves into realms where fiction meets reality, weaving narratives that challenge perception and ignite introspection. With a portfolio spanning across genres and topics, Dr. Acquista stands as a beacon in the literary world, captivating audiences with his thought-provoking storytelling.
His acclaimed work “Serpent Rising” garnered the prestigious Best New Age Fiction accolade in the 2021 International Book Awards, followed by another win with “Revelation” in 2023. These novels delve deep into the intricacies of ancient conflicts and conspiracy theories, reflecting upon humanity’s struggle to discern truth from deception. Through the lens of the great War of the Two Serpents, Dr. Acquista illuminates the timeless battle between the dissemination of knowledge and its suppression by the powerful.
Central to his narrative tapestry is the character of Serena Mendez, a flawed yet compelling protagonist whose journey unfolds against the backdrop of the ongoing struggle for truth. With intricate layers of trauma and resilience, Serena emerges as a beacon of hope in the face of darkness, navigating a path fraught with doubt and self-discovery.
In “Sentient,” Dr. Acquista ventures into the realm of science fiction, exploring themes of competition versus cooperation amidst telepathic civilizations. Through the eyes of a protagonist labeled as schizophrenic, the novel delves into societal perceptions of mental illness while unraveling the clash of ideologies on a cosmic scale.
Beyond the realm of fiction, Dr. Acquista offers readers a holistic approach to wellness in “Pathways to Health: An Integral Guidebook.” Drawing upon his background in medicine and extensive research, he presents an integrative perspective that empowers individuals to chart their own course toward well-being.
Through his diverse body of work, Dr. Victor Acquista invites readers to embark on a journey of exploration and enlightenment. With each tale, he challenges assumptions, sparks dialogue, and leaves a lasting imprint on the collective consciousness.
What inspired you to explore themes of ancient conflicts and conspiracy theories in “Serpent Rising?”
In “Serpent Rising,” the first of a two-book adventure-thriller series, the underlying theme is that humanity has difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood. This makes us vulnerable to lies, falsehoods, and misrepresentations of the truth, often promulgated by powerful people and organizations with an agenda that is served by withholding the truth.
I fictionalized this conflict as the great War of the Two Serpents, ongoing since the dawn of civilization. One faction wants knowledge to be made available to everyone. The other faction wants knowledge restricted to a select few who manipulate and control the unknowing masses.
I drew on myths and stories from many different cultures and showed how this conflict between truth and falsehood plays out today. There are many current conspiracy theories about hidden agendas, controlling elites, fake news, mind control, establishment of a New World Order, etc. that makes the story relevant.
Both Serpent Rising and “Revelation” feature Serena Mendez as a central character. What inspired you to create her character, and how does her journey evolve?
I think flawed characters are interesting and relatable. I wanted a female protagonist to be the champion for truth in the ongoing War of the Two Serpents. In Serena’s case, she has an unknown destiny as a truth warrior in the Candelaria Sect. As a young child, an initiation ceremony into the Candelaria Sect went horribly wrong, causing her great emotional trauma. When the book opens, Serena is a highly dysfunctional 21-year-old who suffers from PTSD.
The source of her dysfunction is not the childhood trauma, it’s that she is living out of sync with her true destiny. After much prodding, she returns to the Navajo Reservation where her initiation took place and begins a hero’s journey to uncover the truth of who she is. Serena travels to India, Australia, Greece, Egypt, and Peru. In each place she undergoes mystical chakra openings that bring her closer to realizing her potential.
In “Revelation,” Serena learns to unleash her power to combat Illuminati-orchestrated worldwide catastrophic events. Their goal is to cull humanity and establish a New World Order.
As is true for many heroines who are chosen to fulfill some great destiny, Serena struggles with accepting who she is. She has doubts, resists continuing, and nearly succumbs to dark forces.
Is there an overarching theme In Sentient? What motivated you to have a protagonist with a major mental illness?
Sentient explores opposing ideologies of competition vs. cooperation. I conceived of two highly advanced telepathic species. One is extremely cooperative and lives telepathically connected as a peaceful collective consciousness. The other species is highly competitive. They weaponize telepathy for conquest to become the supreme sentient race in the galaxy. When they encounter the peaceful collective, near complete genocide results.
The defeated race established a hidden colony (earth 168,000 years ago) and genetically blocked telepathic ability to evade detection. The genetic block is programmed to end after many generations. The protagonist, mislabeled as schizophrenic, has a partially undone telepathic block; he can receive other people’s thoughts but not telepathically respond. This is misinterpreted as hearing voices. A secondary theme beyond the clash of opposing ideologies has to do with our treatment of individuals with mental illness.
Pathways to Health: An Integral Guidebook offers readers a holistic approach to wellness. How does your book goes beyond traditional and integrative methods?
I realized that my training in internal medicine had many limitations in teaching me how to approach health and healing. I did extensive research on many different healing modalities and saw the value of these different approaches, many of which are holistic. Western medicine takes a set of signs and symptoms and reduces them to diagnoses. It then uses scientific studies to inform how to treat these diagnoses. I didn’t reject this training; I expanded my understanding to incorporate both reductionistic and holistic principles. I used Integral Theory which is much more comprehensive than integrative methods.
I wrote the book to provide an expanded way to understand health and wellness. I included a workbook for readers to use for comprehensive self-assessment from an integral perspective, and to develop insights into their health. Readers then complete an action plan to chart a course to better health. It’s very empowering.
Your books tackle complex subjects ranging from conspiracy theories to holistic wellness. What message or takeaway do you hope readers derive from your work as a whole?
I write to entertain, educate, and engage readers in thought-provoking ways. I try to create memorable plots and characters. Both my fiction and nonfiction are written with a goal of “Writing to Raise Consciousness.” As a takeaway, I hope readers will think in new and expanded ways about the subject matter and themes in my books.
