Does it Bother You?

I’ve received more than a few emails in the last couple of days from people who saw Billy Graham’s latest column in our local paper with the title:  “Bible forbids attempts to communicate with the dead.”  They want to know what I thought about it.  My initial reaction was,  “Here we go … another chance for people to either think with their hearts or to allow others to tell them what to believe.”

The argument about communicating with the dead has been around as long as people have been interpreting the Bible.  As with most things, if one is looking for a particular point of view, one can find it.  Those who disagree with mediumship will find verses to support their view in the Bible.  They will not discuss the verses that speak of the “gifts of the Spirit” and others which support personal communication with higher consciousness.   I am not a Bible scholar, but I do believe that there are contradictions within its pages on a multitude of subjects.   For this reason, I simply don’t “go there.” 

In the article, the reader is told that if we turn our backs on the living God and reject his son, we have no hope of heaven.  Instead, “our destiny will be that place of absolute loneliness and despair the Bible calls hell, separated from God forever.”   Words like these remind me of a billboard I saw along the highway recently posted by a traditional church.  In six-foot high letters surrounded by frightening flames was a single word: “OBEY!”  

This is where I sit back and from a place of non-judgment say, “Isn’t that interesting!”  From this neutral perspective I can remain centered in love, feel at peace, and respect and appreciate the vast diversity of opinions that comprise the human experience.  I am so grateful that I do not live in fear.  I am so grateful that I regularly feel enveloped by divine love and can devote my life to sharing that love freely with all others.

I would ask those who have found healing from the evidence I have brought forth from communicating with their deceased loved ones if they experienced anything that was “not of God.”  If the work I do ever results in anything less than bringing more light into our world, then I will stop doing it.  It’s that simple. 

The article reflects fundamentalist Christian beliefs.   My beliefs are not religious, but spiritual.  Each represents different positions along a line of possible perspectives.  My beliefs come not from what is written in a book or taught by another, but from contemplation, personal experience, and tuning in to my heart.  Having spent much time in the expanded consciousness offered by meditation, I have come to know that we are all one with our Source and therefore cannot be separated from that Love, no matter what we believe or do.  Everything is “of God.”  Yes, we personally reap what we sow by our own actions, but we are always surrounded by divine love as we learn and grow.  I do not expect or request that anyone reading these words agree with my beliefs.  We are all at different places along that spectrum of perspectives.  I hope that you form your own beliefs that feel just right for you. 

I served our great country for twenty years so that we may continue to live in a nation where we are free to publish our beliefs in a newspaper and to practice whatever religion fits our beliefs.  Being a woman in the U.S. military was a non-traditional career choice in a traditionally male world.  Today I adhere to modern spiritual beliefs and the non-traditional practice of evidential mediumship in a world still dominated by traditional religious beliefs and practices.  Some may respect me for that.  Others may not.  I can’t remember who said it, but I would have to agree that “What others think about me is none of my business!”

I feel so thoroughly supported by God and so fully confident that the greater reality is ruled by Love, that truthfully, the article did not bother me.  What did you think about it, my friends?  Did you feel fear?  If so, this is an opportunity for growth.  May you find that place of peace inside where Love rules.  Go there, and ask what you should believe. 

Can You Hear a Pin Drop?

How clear are the voices I hear in a reading?  Sometimes the auditory evidence from those who have passed comes through like a phone call, and other times it’s as if the spirit is talking under water.  Sometimes it’s so fleeting that I wonder, “Did I really hear that?”  I have learned to pass along 100% of what I hear, see, and feel in a reading, even if I may not be 100% sure of what I sense.  If the information strikes a chord with the person having the reading (the “sitter”), I know I sensed correctly.  If not, I first ask the sitter to check the information with another family member later.  Once verified, that is one of my favorite kinds of evidence, because it shows that I wasn’t reading the sitter’s mind; I was hearing it directly from their loved one on the other side.  If the information can’t be verified, then it most likely got garbled passing through my human filter (aka:  my brain).

Last night Ty and I attended a lecture at Badlands National Park with one of the park rangers.  The ranger asked the audience, “What are the three things you should take when you hike here?”  Several people shouted out the correct answers:  a hat, sunscreen, and water.  Then someone behind us added, “And food!”  The ranger laughed and replied, “You're right.  Boots are a good idea.”

No one bothered to tell the ranger that he had misheard the answer.  Both food and boots are helpful on a hike.  And both have the same “oo” sound, which is what caused the ranger’s brain to interpret “food” as “boots.”  The two men were no more than forty feet apart.  There were no outside distractions.  If it’s that easy for the human brain to misinterpret the frequency of sound, it’s no wonder that the accuracy during communication with those no longer in physical form can waver a bit.

I’m reminded of that Sprint commercial that showed a pin falling onto a hard surface.  That’s the kind of auditory clarity I strive to achieve when I attune to those on the other side.  But last night’s lecture with the ranger taught me more than the subject of the ranger’s presentation.  It taught me that even though some of us are blessed to be able to hear, see, and sense those no longer in a body, mediums are human too.

Moving Forward on Purpose

I recently had the opportunity to become a “human on a stick.”  At least, that’s what the operators of the “Magical History Tour of Minneapolis” called those of us on our rented Segway machines as we rolled along single file like a line of ducklings.  Ever since Segways were introduced years ago I’ve wanted to try one, so it was loads of fun to finally experience the ride with Ty, thanks to our good friend, Terri.  I must admit that it took some getting used to.  Segways operate by responding to minute shifts in body position, so you merely need to lean slightly forward or press down on your heels to move forward and backward.  They can zip out at 12.5 MPH, which seems pretty darned fast when the only thing stopping you is backward pressure on your heels.

I felt a bit out of my element for the first half of the 3-hour tour, but after a while, I was able to relax and enjoy the experience.  As I grew even more comfortable, I noticed an interesting phenomenon.  I was following along without even thinking about what I was doing.  Once the instructions on how to ride were firmly imprinted on my conscious mind, the subconscious took over, and the mere INTENTION to move forward resulted in my body automatically doing what it needed to do for the intended result.

There’s a lot of information available these days on the power of intention, but that Segway ride showed me how critical intention is to our outcomes.  So much of what we do automatically is the result of conscious programming that has become unconscious.  Are you unhappy with the way things are going in your life?  The first step is to visualize a better outcome.  Once you have that image in mind, set a clear intention to make it so.  Hold that intention firmly in your mind, shift your weight forward instead of resting on your heels, and your subconscious mind will keep you pointed in the right direction to support your efforts. 

Keep in mind that we are always perfect souls.  For now, though, while you’re here on this magical tour of the physical world, stand tall like a human on a stick and make sure your intentions clearly match your desired outcomes.

A Mother's Day Greeting from Wolf

For those of you who have seen my "Heart Gifts" presentation, you know that Mike "Wolf" Pasakarnis is one powerful soul.  It seems that he's still hard at work on the other side letting us know he's still around.  Wolf's step-mother, Beth sent me an email yesterday with the photo you see here.  The picture shows a tribute to Wolf that his father Mike put in the paper in September 2012 on the second anniversary of Wolf's passing.

Fast forward to this past Mother's Day (Sunday, May 11, 2014).   A good friend of Beth's was walking along the Cape Cod Canal with her son when they looked down.  There on the path was this perfectly cut-out tribute from the 2012 newspaper.  It had rained the night before, yet the article was dry and readable.  The Cape Cod Canal is 15 miles from Plymouth, where the newspaper is published.

How this tribute ended up on the path and later in Beth's hands on Mother's Day is a mystery ... unless you're familiar with the many "miracles" Wolf has pulled off since he passed.  The bad news is that this latest story is too late to make it into "Wolf's Message" the book I recently finished about the incredible lessons Wolf has to share with all of us.  The good news is that I just found out yesterday that the book will be published far sooner than expected.  Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the expected release date.

Moving Up

Those of you who attended my last session with Sanaya in The Villages may remember Frank Pfeifenroth.  He came to the front of the room at that session (wearing his signature black cowboy hat) as a testament to the power of love.  You see, Frank surprised his family and friends by being kicked out of hospice.  Even though riddled with cancer, he rallied long enough to reunite with his sons and to say everything they needed to say. 

I just learned from his son that Frank passed yesterday.  I know that the past month shared with his family was a very special time for all of them. 

Frank had no fear of death.  In fact, he was looking forward to it.  His beloved wife Lisa preceded him across the veil two years ago.  She had a lot to say to him in a reading we shared a year ago, and again just last month.  She told me a lot of things I couldn't know, like the fact that Frank had a watch with Mickey Mouse on the face, just so we would both know it was her.  And then she gave him a lot to look forward to when he joined her in the next chapter of his life.

Throughout his sickness, Frank maintained an amazing and admirable attitude.  He told me he considered his death a promotion.  I know he's right, and I know that he earned that promotion by sharing his love with others.  Enjoy yourself, Frank.  Say "Hi" to Lisa for me.  And remember what we talked about ... I'll be watching for you!

An Eventful Arrival in Chicago Land

Our arrival in Chicago Land today was not without a bit of tension.  One minute we were skirting the city on the highway, and the next moment we found ourselves on Lake Shore Drive.  This would not normally be so bad, except that we were in a 42-foot coach towing a Honda CRV.  That would not be a problem, except that the only apparent exits led to bridges lower than our 13' height.  I began to have visions of getting stuck and completely blocking city traffic during rush hour.  (Did I mention that with our tow vehicle behind us we cannot back up AT ALL?)  Picture crowded city streets.  Now picture trying to turn left or right with a 60' rig.  All this resulted from listening to our GPS!

Feeling more agitated by the second, I tuned in to my guides and mentally said, "We're going to be fine, right?" The response was not what I expected.  A feeling of doom descended upon me.  Had  the feeling been accompanied by words, they would have gone something like, "You ... are ... hosed."  One minute later, we came face to face with a 12'6" bridge and Captain Ty calmly said, "Call the police." I learned once again that my guides know what they're talking about.  I decided to call in the big guns first and sent a special request to some of the heavy hitters up above before dialing 911.  To read how this one came out, check out Ty's blog:  http://lifeastyseesitblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/gm-tour-armadillo-sushi-911-in-downtown.html

An update from the tour route:  We are now in the Central Time Zone.  For those of you who visit www.SanayaSays.com daily, the posts may start showing up an hour later.

We're now happily camped only 50 feet from Lake Michigan at the campground onboard the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes.  We are looking forward to our two events at Unity on the North Shore this Saturday.  For more reasons than one, I am so grateful to be here!

With Impeccable Timing

It’s incredible what happens when we trust our unseen helpers in spirit.  I was invited to give the message (aka the “sermon”) at the Sunday service at Unity of Mills River yesterday.  In the past, when asked to give a talk, the former Navy officer in me would write out much of what I planned to say.  Then I would practice it aloud for several days leading up to the event.  I would time each trial run to make sure I came within a few minutes of the allotted limit.

Last December as I prepared to speak at Unity of St. Petersburg, my guides (Sanaya) asked me to trust them.  They told me it was okay to plan a bit, but to let them guide me during the service.  With utmost trust I did just that.  The result was the message I gave about Christ Consciousness that many of you have viewed online:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5jnnwOpfhY

This week the old programming kicked in and I planned to prepare and practice as thoroughly as I used to.  I chose the topic of “Faith, Hope, and Love,” focusing on the evidence from a couple of select readings I have given that took people from faith and hope in life after death to full knowing that love is eternal.  I had been asked to speak for 20 minutes.  I wrote out a few ideas, and then I clearly heard my guides say, “What did we tell you in Poem #1?”  What they told me was:  “Yes, prepare, but speak with confidence if you dare.  Ours is to leave you without care.”  I laughed, relaxed, and thanked them.  Instead of timing my message, I simply passed along to my guides that I needed 20 minutes of inspiring words.  With that, I surrendered any concerns and didn’t practice the talk a single time.

Sunday morning came and I stepped to the platform in front of a full sanctuary with no notes in hand.  There was no clock on the wall.  The words flowed effortlessly, and I knew I was not standing there alone.  When I returned to my seat I asked Ty, “Was that about 20 minutes?”  I had no idea, because time had seemed to stop while I was sharing.  He replied, “I think so.” 

As I left the church, one of the staff members handed me a copy of a DVD with the entire church service on it.  This afternoon I had a chance to view the recording.  My greatest curiosity involved the timing of my talk.  The little voice inside said, “Trust us,” and I pressed the play button.  As I watched the video and saw myself step onto the platform, I noticed the elapsed time when I said my first word.  It read 46:16.  With a feeling of knowing something magical had happened, I fast forwarded to the last word in my talk and looked at the ending time.  The timer read 1:06:16.   

I had asked Spirit to help me share a message of faith, hope, and love that lasted twenty minutes.  They asked me to have faith in them as I shared my messages of hope.  I did so, and they lovingly guided me to speak exactly 20 minutes and 00 seconds.  This is yet another of those ever-increasing moments when I am simply awed and overcome with delight at how Love manifests in our lives when we trust.  May you also come to know that we never face our challenges alone.

A Sacred Journey

This is our most unique “campsite” yet – parked directly alongside a labyrinth on the peaceful property of Unity of Mills River in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.  I love labyrinths – a meditative tool used for introspection and transformation.  Walking slowly toward the center is a time of letting go.  The center is a place to experience the presence of Spirit and receive insights about life situations.  Returning from the center is a time of renewal and integration.

We arrived here today after almost 8 hours on the highway.  What a treat to walk the labyrinth after dinner.  I was almost to the center when I spotted a small token on the path before me.  It was heart-shaped, and someone had written the word “Love” on it.  I picked up the heart and held it as I contemplated all the ways love continues to show up in my life.  For a brief instant I entertained the thought of keeping the heart as a reminder of the moment, but I knew the heart was meant for others to find.  I also knew that I was meant to “carry the love forward,” so I carried it the rest of the way to the epicenter of the labyrinth.

As I knelt to leave the heart-token on the small white stones, I experienced a flashback that left me flooded with emotion.  I had knelt just like that, with my fingers touching the ground, eight years earlier at another location in North Carolina.  It was 400 miles to the east, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.  I was kneeling at the exact place on the flight line where our Susan was struck and killed by lightning.  By touching that sacred spot, I somehow felt closer to her.
  
At that time, I didn’t know if the spirit survives death.  All I could do was hope and have faith.  Today I am known as a “messenger of hope,” speaking and writing about the evidence that Susan and so many others on the other side have shared to let us know that love is eternal and that love is the true center of each of us.  It has truly been a transformational journey.

Thanks for the gift, Susan.  I’m here in North Carolina tonight because of you.

Lesson Learned

I must admit to waking up this morning feeling pretty depleted after two evening presentations in a row and several hundred miles on the road.  My morning meditation helped, but by lunch time I was actually feeling worse than when I awoke.  I felt nauseous and scattered.  I am usually upbeat and healthy, but today I felt BAD.  Ty and I were in the car on our way to a scheduled luncheon date, and I was thinking perhaps I should have cancelled and gone to bed.  Then I clearly heard the words, "Take a dose of your own medicine."  I knew that my guides were telling me to do the Ten Minute Transformation energy balancing exercise that I provide as a free download on my website.

Ty was driving, so I told him I was going to close my eyes and do the meditation.  I have the recording on my iPhone, so I popped in a pair of headphones and closed my eyes.  With the intention of being "re-energized and rejuvenated" as the words state, I started to feel a tiny bit better after clearing the first and second chakras.  When I got to the third chakra, big surprise:  it wasn't blocked.  It was wide open ... as in WAY TOO FAR open.  I used not just my mind but both hands to bring the energy back in, and the change was immediate.  The nausea instantly disappeared.  I finished the meditation, feeling progressively more peaceful as I went through each of the remaining chakras.

At the end of the ten minutes, I was still tired, but I felt completely grounded and emotionally well.  I recalled the same thing happening in the past after an event, but I had forgotten what I learned at that time:  chakras don't just get blocked and slow down.  They can also become over-stimulated.  In either case, they are not balanced, and the result manifests as physical and emotional imbalance.

What a lesson in how important it is to be aware of what we are feeling.  It is amazing how much of what ails us we can control and even cure by working with our own energy.  Here's to conscious living and taking loving care of ourselves and each other!  And with that, I'm going to bed and set the intention of getting a good night's sleep. 

Awakening ...

More eyes opened to a greater reality last night at Unity of Wilmington, NC!  It's so awesome when people come up to me and say, "I was SUPPOSED to hear this!"  What a wonderful crowd.  Just like in Greenville, thanks for all the love.  Social events for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today, then on to Asheville, NC tomorrow after an early morning reading.  If you're in the area, come join me at Unity of Mills River, NC, for the Sunday message and "Making the Connection."