Licauco, voice of reason on life’s mystery; 84

The former professor, author and well-known parapsychologist was born on July 25, 1940. He wrote over a dozen books including “Soul Mates: Karma & Reincarnation (1996), “Exploring the Powers of Your Inner Mind” (2005), and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Ghosts (2011).

In 1987, he began writing his column “Inner Mind” for the Inquirer’s Lifestyle section.

The nontraditional topics he tackled in his column polarized readers of the paper who described it as “heretical” although it also won over its share of followers.

In his New Year’s Day column in 2013, Licauco who had been writing it for 25 years by then, recalled the early days and noted how he changed the name from “Inner Mind” to “Inner Awareness.”

His last column for the paper came out on Jan. 25, 2022.

“[My] column tackled a wide variety of topics, including mental powers, alternative healing, psychic phenomena, spirituality, reincarnation, paranormal phenomena and everything else that mainstream or orthodox science and the Christian religion normally ignore or consider unreal and nonexistent,” he wrote then.

Viewing reality

Licauco recalled how in the beginning, there were individuals who ridiculed him and criticized the column, labeling it “a waste of space.” Despite this, he soldiered on, submitting his columns regularly, and gaining a loyal following who appreciated his take on topics few writers wrote about in mainstream media.

Through his column, he tried to show alternate ways of viewing reality and the universe at large—“that our view of what constitutes reality has been unnecessarily restricted by what science and religion consider to be real and true.”

In a bit of levity, Licauco wrote how his column “had survived the predicted end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012, and three editors of the Lifestyle section.”

‘Power of his mind’

In an announcement on his death posted on social media, Licauco was described as a devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend… who lived a long and meaningful life guided by wisdom, humility, and a deep love for research and explaining the unknown.”

It added that he would be remembered for “his strength of character, gentle spirit, and the quiet legacy he built through the generations he nurtured and inspired.”

His grandson, actor David Licauco, said his grandfather was “the wisest man he knew—always chasing greatness, always sharing his wisdom.”

In an interview he gave at the wake for his lolo held earlier this week, David recalled a childhood memory involving Jaime and a piece of cutlery.

“He held a fork in his hand and just stared at intently. Using just the power of his mind, he was able to bend the fork. As a kid, I found that truly amazing. I used to ask him, ‘Lolo, show me how you did it.’”

Jaime Licauco is survived by his four children and their families: Sophia L. Eggleston and husband Steve; Jolan Alexander C. Licauco and wife Eden, David’s parents; Jaime Raphael Licauco and wife Timmy; and Jason.

In his Facebook post, David wrote: “Thank you for the life talks, the lessons, the power of your mind. I’ll hold them close, always. Rest easy, Lolo.”