Gordon Phinn was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in October 1952, and educated at Glasgow Academy. He moved to Toronto, Canada, after the death of his father in March 1968.

About 1970, his discovery of popular spiritualist books such as Life In The World Unseen by Anthony Borgia helped him put into perspective certain haunting dreams in which his father would say, " Try to imagine I've gone on a long holiday." Further readings in spiritualism, theosophy, and the Western esoteric tradition slowly expanded his understanding of the Mysteries, leading to such modern teachers as Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, Seth, and David Spangler.

His interest in the mystic and esoteric bred a fascination with entire range of paranormal phenomena. He studied the world of researchers, psychics, healers, and channels without ever imagining he might become one himself.

In the late 1990s, his lifetime of sporadic lucid dreams exploded into a four-month extravaganza, of near-nightly adventures throughout the planes with a variety of guides, of whom "Henry" seemed to be the ringleader. After the usual anxieties of the "what will people think?" variety, he plunged into the narrative which became Eternal Life And How To Enjoy It.