Group Think Re-Thunk

Earlier this evening as I pondered what to wear to my weekly flute choir practice, I questioned the decision to reach for my khaki slacks.  I hadn't worn them in at least a year, but for some reason, the choice felt right.  When perusing my selection of tops, I decided on a solid black long-sleeved polo shirt with khaki trim around the collar and cuffs.  It had been at least two years since I'd worn that particular top.  After twenty years of wearing a khaki uniform with collared shirt, in recent years I've leaned towards collarless tops and more stylish slacks.  I checked the outfit in the mirror and liked the look, but I was subtly aware that the choice was not what I normally wore to the rehearsals.

Half an hour later when I walked into our practice room, the women already seated started laughing.  It didn't take long to notice why.  Four others in addition to me--nearly half of our small choir-- were wearing light or khaki colored slacks and a solid black or navy top with contrasting trim.  Not for the first time, my fellow bass flute player and I were dressed like twins.

Halfway through the rehearsal, out of the blue our director stated, "I remember going to an orchestra rehearsal once where half of the players showed up in pink.  It was bizarre."

One of our members asked why she mentioned this at that particular moment, having already commented on our look-alike outfits at the beginning of rehearsal.  Our director replied, "I don't know.  It just came off the top of my head."

Sitting there hearing her words, I received an unexpected "hit" from Sanaya.  Their message came in a burst of awareness as their concepts often do.  As I let the download "unfold" mentally, word by word, I knew that the thought our director had just blurted out was actually part of their message: 

"Thoughts are not owned by the individual thinker.  All thoughts belong to the universal Mind.  The thought just spoken by your director was put there by us as evidence of this teaching.  Groups such as this one take on a group consciousness.   Each individual has what they consider their own thoughts, but as the  so-called individual consciousness prepares to gather with a particular group, the thoughts begin to coalesce.  As the individual members of this choir prepared for the rehearsal, their thoughts came into alignment in such a way that those sensitive to vibrations began to think coherently--as one with the others.  The result is that as each member made a clothing choice, the others picked up on this and thus made a similar choice, with each one thinking the thought was their own. 

We prepared this lesson for you to show how group consciousness works.  Can you see how entire organizations and even nations take on a belief system and these beliefs are quite often followed blindly by members of the group?  Only when you pay attention to your thoughts and keep in mind that you always have a choice as to whether or not you act on them can you rise above a group consciousness that may be detrimental to the growth of the whole.  Certainly there is no damage to be done by a choice in clothing, but we ask you to be aware of going along with the crowd when choices are made which are not of the highest order--when they are not based on love, kindness, and compassion.  If you question your thoughts and actions, perhaps there is reason to question.

That is all."

Wow.  And I thought I was just getting dressed for a rehearsal. 

Love at the Center

In my work as an evidential medium, I talk to many fathers who have passed to the other side.  Many times my clients are happy and relieved to hear from their dad, but that’s not always the case.  More often than one would hope, a man comes through with an apology to his child.  What can at first be an awkward or painful reunion ends up being an opportunity for healing to take place on both sides of the veil.

My dad has visited me several times since his passing in 2008 at age 92, and I have welcomed each visit with joy.  I love my dad dearly, and that love has always been reciprocated.  Each time that I have sensed his  spirit's presence, I’ve asked him to tell me something that is going on with my mother that I don’t know about.  With this validation, she and the rest of my family know for sure that he really visited me.  He has always provided excellent verifiable evidence, like the time he told me to talk to my mother about her electric curlers, telling me that something was wrong with them.  I called Mom immediately, and she told me that she had cleaned her closet the day before and found her old electric curlers, but they didn’t work anymore.  Way to go, Dad!

If you’ve read my memoir, Messages of Hope, you’ll recall the reading I had in which my Dad came through quite clearly.  I knew for sure he was there when he said to the medium, “Just call me Bill.”  It was the first thing my father would say whenever anyone learned that his real name was Oliver.  Dad was named after his father, Oliver L. Smeltzer, but everyone in his family had always called him “Bill.”  Dad thought this was better than being called “Junior.”

The origin of Dad’s name is actually quite interesting:  O.L. Smeltzer Senior’s father lived close to the family of a Mr. Oliver Love.  Supposedly, somebody in Oliver Love’s family saved somebody in our great grandfather’s family from drowning, and Great Granddaddy named his sixth son after Oliver Love.   

When I sat to meditate this morning, my gaze fell on the desk across the room.  On it sits a foot-long wooden carving of the word “Love.”  It is always the last thing I see before I close my eyes to enter the silence, and for some reason, today I thought of Dad.  I recalled that his father died of tuberculosis when he was 8.  When the depression hit, at age 14 he was sent to live and work at the Milton Hershey School for Boys (yes, THE Milton Hershey of Hershey’s Chocolate fame, for whom Dad later served as personal assistant). 

It could not have been an easy childhood, yet Dad never let on about it. I have no memories of my dad ever uttering a critical word to me.  They say women often marry men like their fathers, and I can be rightly accused of that.  Like my husband, Ty, my dad was never anything less than fully supportive of anything I wanted to do, and he never hid his love for me. 

This morning, when looking at that wooden carving of the word “Love,” for the first time ever I realized “his middle name was Love.”  I had always known this in a literal sense, but I never thought of it in the metaphorical sense.  It wasn’t something we talked about.  For some reason, Dad was ashamed of that middle name.  We know this because he always insisted that the “L” was just an initial.  It was only after my brother started doing genealogy as an adult that he discovered my father had a middle name.   

Perhaps it was his difficult childhood that left my dad uncomfortable with overt displays of affection around anyone other than his immediate family.  Perhaps that is why he disliked his middle name.  I may never know the real reason for his discomfort.  What I do know is that he and my mother—who also had a challenging childhood—found a deep and enduring love with each other, and they passed that love on to their children.  It is a gift for which I am eternally grateful.

As I’ve learned from reuniting so many adult children with their fathers, the gift of love is transformational.  Receiving that love from across the veil, whether it comes from the wispy gesture of a hug, a kiss, or a head bowed in apology, can reignite the love within.  That love lives in each of us, but for some reason—perhaps from grief, from guilt, or from some other human emotion—it burns less brightly in some than in others. 

My father’s middle name was Love.  It is my hope that these words ignite in your soul the remembrance that Love is your middle name, too.  No matter what kind of childhood you had, no matter if those around you failed to realize that their middle name was also Love, may you leave a legacy of love for all those whose lives you touch.

You Asked For It: - The Heart Meditation

Many of you have asked if you can get a recording of the Heart Meditation from my new book, Wolf's Message. Guess what? I've teamed up with my new musical partner, the amazingly gifted transformational music composer Jim Oliver, (www.JimO...liverMusic.com) to provide you the meditation as a gift from our heart to yours! I visited a Dallas recording studio and Jim and I selected just the right music for this project. I unveiled the meditation at the Celebration of Wolf's Message on October 19th in Oxford, FL, and the free MP3 is now available on my website as a free gift.

Angel Rays

For those of you who enjoy the signs that show us we are not alone, you will appreciate how Spirit works to get our attention... If you are reading this on Twitter or Facebook, see all of the photos in the original blog entry at http://suzannegiesemannwhatsnew.blogspot.com/2014/09/angel-rays.html


When I posted this morning's message from Sanaya (September 2nd)
I searched for an appropriate photo to accompany their words about darkness and light.  I was drawn to choose the one shown here on the left, even though I hesitated because it seemed a bit too dark.  The post was forwarded to my Facebook page.  One follower called what you see "angel rays."  Another follower, Marla Grant, wrote, "Suzanne, I am absolutely stunned to see this picture. It is the exact image from a deeply seminal dream I had a few years ago - so strong and profound that I wrote the dream down and have gone back to it repeatedly over the years. (I'm) Just amazed."


A short while later Marla sent me a message with the screenshot shown on the right, taken this morning by the webcam at the Chateau Lake Louise where Ty and I stood not two weeks ago.  We were both stunned by the similarity in the two photos.  Marla included the description of her dream, which occurred at a time in her life when she was struggling to understand what real love is. 

 Marla wrote, “In my dream, I was standing in a very wide open space, like a field or a deserted beach, looking up towards the sky. I was gazing in utter terror at an elliptical portal in the sky through which I understood I was meant to pass on my own. Though unseen, I sensed two benevolent spirits, one on each side of the portal, more or less making it accessible to me. A strong, forceful voice was communicating silently with me explaining that the veil of darkness was very thin, with nothing but light on the other side. I was filled with terror at the thought of having to pass through unaccompanied and the entity urging me on was aware of these strong thoughts and feelings. He continued to explain that only on my own, in finding the strength and the wisdom to approach the unknowable, would I be able to pass through. Like a child, I objected and insisted that I needed to be taken through but he was steadfast yet compassionate in his urging, trying to help me find the means within myself to make the journey….the one journey I knew in my waking hours could only be made alone. The dream ended there.”

Marla explained that she has always felt that she has two spirit guides with her.  (Sanaya has assured me that each of us has at least one guide assigned to us for life.)  Marla wrote, "While many challenges remain, I am no longer in terror and have much more light and peace in my life.  Isn’t it interesting that just last night, before seeing your picture and this one at Lake Louise, I ran across this transcript of my dream, tucked away for some 15 years with some poetry and very old communications related to that period. I had determined to shred them all, that part of my life being over, and I’ve put it in its proper place of love and forgiveness for having brought me to where I am now. So glad I saw your post before shredding."

 

Not only do I appreciate the meaning of these photos for Marla, they are very significant in light of the reading I gave this morning.  With thanks to my client for giving me permission to share these details, I sensed her mother with us in spirit, but I found it quite unusual that she did not speak or communicate with me other than to show herself.  Instead, I began breathing rapidly as I do when I bring through the higher energy of Sanaya.  Suddenly I was aware of the presence of two very powerful angels.  Were it not for the astounding energy I felt and the accurate evidence they gave me about my client's life, my left-brain might have dismissed the experience as sheer imagination. 

Instead, one of these angels proceeded to explain that the woman in spirit (my client's mother) had taken her own life.  Once my client confirmed this, the angels then told us that they had accompanied and carried her mother through every step of her journey.  Indeed, they showed themselves holding her up under each arm.  What followed was an intense and intensely healing session for all concerned as they spoke for my client's mother, explaining why she made the choices she did and the regrets she was working to overcome.  At the end of the reading, after a profound lesson in forgiveness, the angels stepped to the side, and my client's mother smiled and appeared to float upward.

I'm so grateful to Marla for sharing the significance of the two portal photos.  Is the timing of Sanaya's message and the photos merely coincidence, or simply a beautiful reminder to all of us that we never walk alone, whether here or beyond the veil?  I believe there are no coincidences.  Our guides know that life here is difficult.  As Sanaya reminded us in this morning's post, our challenges serve such great purpose in helping us to find the Light within ourselves.  Many blessings to you as you move moment by moment closer to the Light through your loving choices.

Some LIGHT Reading

My work affords me the great honor of meeting some truly fascinating people.  I was recently introduced by our mutual friend, John Audette, to Dr. Kenneth Ring, one of the world's foremost experts on Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and the co-founder with John of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS).  I'm grateful to Ken for providing a wonderful endorsement for my new book, Wolf's Message, but an even greater gift has been getting to know him through a lively and stimulating exchange of emails.  One of those emails led to an unexpected transmission from Sanaya about what life is like after death.  This transmission was previously posted, but here's the link in case you missed it:  http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103596296368-331/Sanaya+Describes+Life+on+the+Other+Side.pdf

Dr. Ring is the author of quite a few excellent books.  Having read several of them, I feel confident in recommending all of them.  For a starter, however, I encourage anyone interested in learning what lies beyond this reality to grab a copy of Lessons from the Light:  What We Can Learn from the Near-Death Experience.  Recently released in Kindle version as well as print, I have been devouring the extensive collection of fascinating accounts of those who have experienced the Light of which we are a part.  This book validates all that I have come to know as Truth through my work as an evidential medium.  Far more than a compilation of NDE accounts, Dr. Ring shows how to take each personal story and use it to change you, inspire you, and change your world.  It is not a book to be read quickly, but to be savored for its many morsels.  Here's the link for Lessons from the Light:  http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Light-Learn-Near-Death-Experience-ebook/dp/B00L8F9PD4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409512481&sr=1-1&keywords=kenneth+ring

Responding to my enthusiasm about his book, Dr. Ring referred me to another book he thought I might enjoy.  He must be psychic!  As predicted, I devoured every word of Through Heaven's Gate and Back by Lee Thornton, a woman who has led an incredibly fascinating life.  At Dr. Ring's request, I provided Lee the following endorsement of her book:

“The Light that Lee Thornton encountered during a Near-Death Experience shines brightly from the first pages of Through Heaven’s Gate and Back, illuminating and carrying the reader through the darker periods of Lee’s life to the deep lessons revealed in the book’s highly satisfying conclusion.  For those who have never known prolonged depression, the author’s painful struggles, expressed with exquisite literary artistry, elicit empathy and compassion.  Those who have experienced the dark nights of the soul she so deftly describes in this compelling memoir will find hope, healing, and comfort from the wisdom she gained on her path to alignment with her true Self.” 

Here's the link:  http://www.amazon.com/Through-Heavens-Gate-Back-Forgiveness-ebook/dp/B00N15RK6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409513449&sr=1-1&keywords=lee+thornton

Labor Day is upon us, marking the end of summer and "summer reading."  If you're like me, however, any day with a few extra minutes is a good day to read a good book.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed by either of these great reads.

 

A Gift on the Trail

Is the body really solid?  Of course not.  Everything is vibrating energy.  (If you disagree, find an electron microscope and take a look at your hand).  Is this experience we’re having in physical form real?  Yes, of course it is, but only because this physical dimension is where we place our focus.  But what happens when we move our focus away from the body as one does in meditation?  Then we can experience a different reality.  Yesterday, while hiking far above the town of Banff in Alberta, Canada, I had a mind-expanding experience of what is “real.”


Ty and I chose one of the most popular (and also one of the most difficult) hikes in the area:  the Sulphur Mountain Trail.  The summit offers incomparable views of the jagged peaks of the impressive Canadian Rockies.  To get to the observation tower one can pay $40 each for a round-trip ride on the Banff Gondola or truss up a pair of hiking boots and hit the trail.  We chose the latter option, not to save money (although I’m sure I can find something nice on which to spend that $80 at a gift shop in town), but because we were in the mood for a beautiful, challenging hike.  In the process, I received an unanticipated gift.

From the very start, the steepness of the trail was attention-getting, climbing upwards at a 10.8% grade.  To put this in perspective, highway signs warn truckers when the grade ahead is only 6%!  Right away I noticed something unusual:  my vision was playing tricks on me.  If I gazed far ahead, everything appeared normal, but if I lowered my gaze 45 degrees, the ground beneath me appeared wavy. 

At first it was a bit disconcerting to see the ground flowing like water, but I realized that I wasn’t dizzy and I was walking just fine.  When the unusual illusion persisted, I harkened back to the moment I describe in my new book, “Wolf’s Message,” when Spirit manipulated my field of vision to give me the illusion of a book on a store shelf moving.  They did so to call my attention to that particular book for a reason.  With this memory came the realization that the ground appeared to be flowing under my feet for a reason as well.

I tuned in and asked what I was to learn from this optical illusion.  I immediately sensed that if I would move my focus away from the physical world, I would see just how un-real this so-called reality truly is.  I mentally replied, “Okay then, I surrender all operation of this physical body to higher consciousness and I will focus on Spirit.”  I shifted my awareness higher, just as I do when giving a reading, and I began repeating the Moola Mantra, a set of phrases in Sanskrit which allow one to enter into a space of reverence for the Divine.

Ty and I enjoy hiking mostly in silence, and this silence allowed me to focus on the words of the mantra and to simply be present.  The trail crisscrossed ever higher, ascending through thirty-two switchbacks beneath the direct route of the gondola’s wires overhead.  I could hear myself breathing heavily and rhythmically, but it was as if I were listening to someone else’s breath.  I observed with wonder the feeling of my body being breathed for me. 

Time stopped, as did all discomfort as I focused on the sensations in my mind instead of my body.  Waves of bliss passed through my awareness, causing me to fight the urge to cry tears of joy as I focused on the meaning of the Moola Mantra’s words.  Several times I enjoyed the perception that I would physically float above the dirt and rocks if I could surrender just a bit more.  Instead, I remained grounded, yet oblivious to all physical discomfort. 

Both of us were breathing so heavily that several times Ty turned back and asked, “Are you doing okay?”  Each time I smiled and replied, “Never better.”  At one point, after an hour of steady hiking, we passed directly beneath the gondola.   I followed its trajectory to the top and was astounded at how far and how steep the remaining portion of the trail appeared to be.  Instead of experiencing dread, I remained detached and thought, “Oh, really?  Isn’t that interesting!” as I maintained the unusual state of consciousness that had carried me painlessly to that point.  In response, I heard, “This is coherence … the state of perfect alignment between body and spirit.” 

I knew then that if I were able to focus completely on the spirit side of me, I would indeed enjoy a complete out-of-body experience and possibly drift away.  If I were to focus completely on the body, I would experience the physical discomfort of fatigue, muscle aches, and breathlessness.  Instead, having received this special gift of expanded awareness, I remained aware of both worlds.  This balanced state allowed me to enjoy the physical beauty of the trail, the mountains, and the presence of my soulmate and all of Nature around me, along with a far deeper appreciation for the non-physical nature of All That Is.

 

We arrived at the summit after an hour and a half of uphill climbing, which to me felt no more than ten minutes.  Instead of being tired, I felt energized and bounded up the stairs from the gondola platform to an observation tower a quarter-mile beyond the trail’s end.  From there we enjoyed the fruits of our climb:  360-degree views of God’s glory, but the gift to me went far beyond what we could see with our physical eyes.  I had been gifted with a new way of seeing reality, and the tangible experience that where we place our focus is what we experience.  It is true that our physical aches become greater when we focus upon them, as do our emotional pains.  If we remember that we are far more than our physical and emotional bodies and shift our awareness to our higher selves, our experience changes.

The Moola Mantra is a celebration of the Divine, containing within its words the repetition of the powerful words sat-chit-ananda:  truth-consciousness-bliss.  The truth is that All That Is is Consciousness that flows like water.  When we can internalize this Truth and realize that we are all aspects of the Love that is our Source—one with all of Nature—the result is the bliss of pure Being. 

*  * *

The Moola Mantra*:

Om Sat Chit Ananda Parabrahma
Purushothama Paramatma
Sri Bhagavathi Sametha
Sri Bhagavathe Namaha

Translation (credited to Felicity Barrington of Canada):

- We call on the highest energy of all that is, the formless Consciousness of the Universe, pure love, bliss and joy
- Who has incarnated in human form to help guide mankind; who comes to me in my heart and becomes my inner voice whenever I ask;
- The divine mother, the power aspect of creation, together with
- The Father of creation which is unchangeable and permanent; I thank you and acknowledge this Presence in my life.

*For a beautiful musical rendition of this mantra, listen to Deva Premal's version online.

 

Honored by Special Visitors from Across the Veil

 

A stunning tribute to our fallen heroes on 9/11 occurred at my most recent session with Sanaya.  If you benefit from hearing beautiful evidence of the existence of a greater reality beyond our physical world, please read on ...

 

Last week I took a break from our five-month US & Canada road tour to fly home to central Florida.  While there I met with a couple hundred kindred spirits to tune in to my team of Unseen Helpers who call themselves "Sanaya" and to share their messages with all of us.  (To those who were turned away after we exceeded the fire code's maximum capacity, please know that we are working on finding a larger venue for the next gathering in the Fall).  In the photo to the left you will see the happy crowd sending a cheery "Hi, Ty!" to my husband who had to remain behind with our coach and two puppies in Idaho.

 

After sharing a few stories of the wonderful verifiable evidence I have received in recent encounters with those on the other side, I invited in the presence of Sanaya and allowed them to convey their message for the evening.  A transcript of the loving words and wisdom they shared for the next half hour are posted on the page of "Special Sessions with Sanaya" on my website, www.LoveAtTheCenter.com.

 

As I always do after returning to full waking consciousness, I asked anyone who cared to talk about what they had experienced during the session to do so.  Several people confirmed feeling the increased heat that always accompanies Sanaya's presence and the immediate return of the temperature to normal after they bid us goodnight.  I then called on a woman sitting in the back right corner of the room who had raised her hand.  I recognized her as a guest named Carolene who had traveled two hours from Tampa with friends to experience the session.

 

Carolene stood and described a very large and beautiful light that appeared high up in the room when I had begun to bring through Sanaya.  Then, after explaining that like me, she also works as a medium, she described seeing the spirit forms of a group of police officers and fire fighters parade into the room in a solemn manner while Sanaya was speaking.  They lined up with their arms crossed over their hearts and their heads bowed.  She said that she sensed something to do with the events of 9/11 in their presence, a date she had not thought about in some time.  

 

I thanked Carolene for sharing this most unusual vision but did not sense why such a group of spirits would have visited us during this gathering.  I'm sure that many of you who were there wondered the same thing, so it is my immense pleasure to share with you now that I soon learned exactly why those very special first-responders-in-spirit honored us with their visit ...

 

When the evening concluded, a young woman named Ty Gayton came up to greet and thank me.  (We always share a laugh that she and my husband have the same name).  Ty is a beautiful messenger of Spirit, channeling for small groups (including for these lovely ladies in the photo), doing readings, teaching meditation, performing energetic healings, and serving as a prayer chaplain at Unity of Citrus County where we first met.  To my great surprise, Ty told me that she felt sure that the visiting police officers and fire fighters from the spirit world had come there for her and the two guests she brought with her that evening. 

 

As she explained, this was her first time to attend one of my sessions with Sanaya in my home town.  She and her friends also traveled long distance to be there.  One of the women she brought with her is her partner, Kim, an active duty firefighter and the other, Lee, is a police woman. The two of them, shown here, have taken part in an annual ceremonial activity called "The Stair Climb" where each participant wears the printed biography and the photo of a fallen hero from 9/11 as they climb the equivalent of 107 flights of stairs. Take note:  Kim came wearing her FDNY t-shirt in honor of the 343 lives that were lost on 9/11.   All three of them intend to wear the same shirt as together they do the "Stair Climb" on September 14 this year. 

 

 

Ty and Kim are planning a firefighter wedding when their type of marriage becomes legal.  They plan to have a ceremonial table set aside to honor the fire fighters each of them has personally lost, to include Ty's grandmother, the first female firefighter in her local area in Ohio, Ty's uncle, a retired fireman who lost his battle with cancer last month, and her partner's dear friend and training buddy.  Clearly, firefighting is a passionate area of service for them and their families.

 

As you will read in the transcript of the session, Sanaya spoke that evening about each of us being here in physical form on a deliberate mission.  They asked us to see our lives here as a temporary "tour of duty" with great meaning, and with each being's life having an important purpose, which is actualized through service to others.  That we would be visited by a delegation of spirits who truly understood the meaning of "service" during their tours of duty on Earth is a stunning validation of Sanaya's message as well as a beautiful personal message of gratitude to Ty, her two friends, and first-responders everywhere.

As you may know, when a firefighter or police officer dies in the line of duty, first-responders travel from far and wide to attend the memorial service and honor their service.  I give my immense gratitude to those first-responders in spirit who made the trip across the veil to honor us with their presence last Sunday evening while Sanaya was speaking.  (Perhaps two of them were the men pictured in these badges that Lee wore  on her 9/11 "Stair Climb.")  I also give my love and gratitude to Carolene, who had the courage to stand up and share what she witnessed, and to Ty Gayton for stepping forward to help us appreciate what a blessing we all experienced.

 

Ty said it best in an email she sent me the next day as we relived the magic. "I love God, she said, "and I love the miracles." 

 

So do I Ty, so do I.

 

 

 

 

Those Unmistakable Signs

I unwittingly became part of a wonderful in-your-face synchronicity yesterday when I gave my “Heart Gifts” presentation in Vancouver, BC, to a large and loving audience.  The organizers at Unity of Vancouver had printed tickets for the event and asked me if I would do a drawing for a door prize.  I told them I would be pleased to do two:  one for a copy of the “Heart Gifts” DVD and one for a copy of my book, “Messages of Hope.”   

At the end of the presentation, the ushers brought me the basket of ticket stubs.  We had not announced that there would be a drawing, so the audience was delighted when they learned there would be a couple of prizes.  I closed my eyes and randomly drew the first stub for the DVD winner.  (Reality hit me in the face when I couldn’t read the number without my glasses!)  I asked someone in the front row to read the number for me, and a young woman in the middle of the auditorium raised her hand.  I recognized her from having attended my talk in Vancouver last summer.  She and I had exchanged several emails over the ensuing months as she wandered a bumpy spiritual path.  I smiled at her across the many heads and thought, “How perfect is that?”  I would soon find out it was even more perfect than I thought at the time.

The young prize-winner stayed around until the last person had left the venue, waiting patiently for a full hour while I shared hugs and signed books. I sat to chat with her for a moment in the lobby.  She pulled out her smart phone and showed me several pictures of wolves on her camera roll, including the exact same image of a wolf’s face that I had shown in my talk.  “The wolf comes to me, too,” she said.

I learned that she arrived at the presentation hoping to receive answers to some questions.  For the main answer she sought, she had sent out a message to the Universe:  “I want you to send me a sign, and the sign will be that the “Heart Gifts” DVD is mine.”

When I heard this, I was momentarily stunned, and then instantly delighted.  I am rarely asked to give door prizes, and this was the first time that I had given a DVD in such a manner.  The basket had been filled with stubs, and hers was the one I chose at random.   She could have won the book, instead, but someone up above knew:  the DVD was hers. 

I share a similar stunning synchronicity at the end of the “Heart Gifts” presentation about a time when I asked for a specific sign regarding writing my new book “Wolf’s Message.” I received an unmistakable sign shortly thereafter.  I tell my audiences that this is evidence of the One Mind at work.  Those in spirit know how things will unfold for us on this earthly plane.  From their perspective in the dimension of “no-time and no space,” perhaps they have even happened already.  This kind of thinking makes my head spin, but for some of these really big synchronicities, there is no other explanation.  At the very least they show us how intricately spun is this wonderful web in which we live.

Thank you, Spirit, for showing us your loving Presence in such delightful ways.  May the adventure continue!

Life Lessons on the Trail

Three days ago I knew when I let out a long, primal, rage-filled roar that I had lost it, with “it” being any connection with my Higher Self.  Upon hearing my uncharacteristic outburst, Ty turned around in shock. I immediately felt ashamed, but I was too upset to care.  We had chosen to ride “the #1 mountain biking trail in the United States,” and certain rocky sections turned out to be well beyond my skill level.  Awash in a cascade of negative emotions arising mostly from fatigue and fear, I was acutely aware that I had allowed myself to become “unbalanced” in every respect:  mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.

Several times as I tottered on the narrow trail I fought the urge to throw my new, high-end bike down the steep mountainside and walk the remaining miles back to our campsite in Rainbow, Oregon.  The fear of falling was at times paralyzing, the tension exhausting.  I tried repeatedly to check in with my Team above for help, but with my attention so completely focused on the physical, I had effectively severed all conscious communication with Spirit.  Twice I stopped to relieve the constriction by mentally clearing the self-inflicted blocks in my chakras.  These mini “time-outs” allowed me to finish the ride with body and bicycle intact but with my spirit badly bruised.

The next day I pampered myself.  I did no exercise and I meditated three times.  I also did a lot of self-reflection, resulting in a bit of mental self-flagellation.  I had put myself in a situation on a trail for which I was unprepared, and I paid the price of experiencing very human emotions.  Luckily, a friend reminded me that I am human, and it is okay to experience the fullness of what that entails, however unpleasant. 

Yesterday Ty and I decided to ride the last section of the trail which we had bypassed when we ran out of time.  The lower part promised to be more benign as it was relatively flat and less technical than at the higher altitudes.  Within minutes of starting out I realized we were in for a more enjoyable experience.  Still, the first few times we encountered the ubiquitous rocks and roots that one finds on a typical wooded trail, I found myself tensing.

I quickly sent out a mental request to Sanaya:  “Help me out here, please, before I lose touch with you!”  Instantly the thought was given to me to repeat a mantra that had helped me in previous challenging situations:  “I am safe and protected.  I relax and breathe.” 

I silently repeated the mantra and did as directed.  I relaxed, I breathed, and I discovered something amazing:  the more I relaxed my body and mind, the more the bike did what it was designed to do.  I tensed my arms on purpose and felt an immediate loss of control as the handlebars whipped left and right.  I deliberately held my breath and my entire body went rigid.  When I turned my arms into limp noodles and exhaled in a long “haaaah,” I and my bike flowed effortlessly over those pesky rocks and roots and I felt no fear.

After a few minutes I ceased repeating the mantra but continued focusing on relaxing and breathing.  I pedaled along effortlessly, flooded with insights from my Team.  The connection that had been so painfully cut off two days earlier was now wide open and Sanaya was chatting up a storm.

“It is in the pauses between the breaths where tension is generated,” Sanaya said.  “In that space between the breaths you make your choices from the sea of possibilities.  You can choose to experience fear or you can choose to surrender.  Do not think.  Relax and we will do the driving.  Focus only on the ever repeating cycle of the in breath and the out breath and you will experience only peace.”

What followed was an exhilarating experience that turned a mountain bike ride into a metaphor for life.  It was all about surrendering and finding the balance.  For me, finding the balance between being human and following the guidance of Spirit resulted in the balance I needed to remain upright on my bike.

By the time we reached the end of the trail I was grinning from ear to ear.  I felt like a kid and wanted to say, “Can we do it again, Ty?” but it was time to head back to the coach for dinner.  We did pause for a few minutes to sit in silence on the banks of the river that flowed alongside the path.  At first I sat with my eyes closed, grateful for the lessons learned.  Then I opened my eyes and contemplated the swift, crystal clear mountain water rushing by.  It flowed effortlessly over the rocks, doing what came naturally.

When I found myself in emotional pain three days earlier, I knew there was a lesson to be learned.  The next day in meditation I asked for that lesson to be revealed and released.   My prayers were answered when I faced my fears and returned to the trail in an area that was more suitable to my skill level.  There I learned that we enjoy our earthly experience far more when we remember to relax and breathe.  Life flows when we allow the Intelligence that divides our cells, heals our wounds, digests our food, and keeps the earth rotating around the sun to guide our every move.  In that surrendered state of non-resistance we find the balance that allows us to ride over the obstacles in our path with ease. 

Celebrating Wedded Bliss

I may embarrass my husband today.  It won’t be the first time, and he’s pretty thick-skinned.  He can take it.  I'm going to share some pictures that perhaps should remain private, but on this special date, I'm pulling out the stops.  (To see the incriminating photos, you'll have to visit my actual blog)  

Eighteen years ago today we committed to spending the rest of our lives together.  To this day neither  of us can figure out how we got so lucky.  It’s one of those, “I can’t believe you love me as much as I love you” things.  So that’s the part where I embarrass him with all of this gushy, lovey-dovey stuff.  Now for the part where I embarrass myself:

For those of you who read Ty’s blog (www.LifeAsTySeesIt.com), you know that he regularly refers to me as “My Lovely Bride.”   This nickname came later on in our relationship; most certainly not on our wedding night …

We were married in the U.S. Naval Academy chapel—not in the big one upstairs followed by a mad dash under an arch of crossed swords.  Ours was a more intimate ceremony with family in a smaller chapel downstairs near John Paul Jones’ crypt.   

The flight for our Caribbean honeymoon didn’t leave until the next day, but we wanted to get away by ourselves, so we reserved the VIP suite at the Naval Academy’s visiting officers’ quarters.  We checked into our room late in the day.  I noticed a certain twinkle in my new husband’s eyes as his gaze fell on the Victoria’s Secret bag in my hand.  “Is there something in there that I’ll like?” he asked.  I smiled mischievously and replied, “You’ll find out later.”

As the sun was setting I pulled out the Victoria's Secret bag and told him that I needed a few minutes to get ready for bed.  I asked him to run down to the car and retrieve something that I had left there.  Ty had an extra spring in his step as he headed out the door.  The reaction when he returned is one I will never forget.  He took one look at his new wife lying on the bed and his legs literally went out from under him.  He dropped to his knees in a fit of laughter that left him unable to speak for several minutes.

The photo here shows  you the transformation that I underwent in the few minutes he was gone.  Perhaps he had envisioned something other than his new bride enjoying Readers’ Digest in a pair of Navy sweats with her hair in curlers and cold cream on her face.   I don’t know. 

When he finally regained his senses, I took his hands in mine and said, “Sweetheart, today I promise you one thing:  Life with me will never be boring.”  (Could I have been psychic way back then?) 

That day set the tone for the next 18 years, with Ty doing his part to bring laughter and joy into our marriage on a daily basis.  The photo here is not of his reaction that night, but some time later when the roles were reversed and he was making me laugh with his crazy, wind-blown hair on a sailboat, acting as if he'd been electrocuted.  You can see how little he has  changed over the years -- at least personality-wise. 

Life is full of changes, and ours have certainly changed in ways we never imagined back in 1996.  Ty married an active duty naval officer, not a medium, yet he has been my greatest supporter and my source of strength throughout all of these unexpected twists and turns in our lives.  Even our love for each other has changed:  it has grown stronger and deeper with time.  Sure, like all couples, we each have our little “things” that cause the other to stretch and grow, but that’s one of the reasons God draws us to our partners.  They are our greatest teachers. 

So today we are spending our anniversary in Oregon.  We’ve lost track of how many states we’ve traveled across on this summer’s tour.  Some days I don’t know where I am, until I take my husband’s hands like I did eighteen years ago today, look into his eyes, and I find myself once again in the state of “Cherishdom.” 

Sorry about embarrassing you, Ty, but sometimes I can’t help myself.   Thank you for the best 18 years of my life.  There's no one with whom I would rather share this wonderful journey.