Ever Onward ...

I have moved this blog to make it an integral part of my website.  All posts here are included in the new version.  To make sure you see the most up-to-date posts, please visit www.SuzanneGiesemann.com/blog.

You Married Your Sister?

While standing at the counter of our local bank today, I saw a woman I hadn't seen in four months.  She said, "Suzanne, you're home!"  I replied, "Yes, just for five days."  She said, "You're all dressed up," and I replied, "Yes, I just married my sister."  In perfect unison the four bank tellers turned their heads in surprise as I quickly added, "That is ... I performed the ceremony!"






What an honor to preside over the marriage of
my sister Janice as today she became Mrs. Steve Gray.  Such happiness to share this special occasion with our mother, Ruthie, my brother, Brent, sister-in-law, Cheryl, and friends Don and Jude.  Alas, Ty was sadly missed as he stayed with the pups in New Hampshire, but he was certainly with us in spirit.


The other member of our family who was not with us physically was our father, Bill.  Dad passed to
the other side in 2008 at Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages.  The building lies within sight of the beautiful lakeside park where we held our ceremony today.  After Dad passed, my mentor Janet Nohavec told us that he would make his presence known through cardinals (She had no way of knowing that Dad loved birds).  Later, when Brent and Cheryl returned to the hospice to show my niece Michelle the brick in Dad's honor, a cardinal landed on the roof of the very room where Dad made his transition.  That beautiful red bird stood and watched them to make sure they noticed.  Today, Janice brought a ceramic cardinal to the ceremony as a stand-in for Dad.  It seems he wanted to make his presence known in a more obvious way earlier, however, when Janice, Mom, and I left the house to drive to the ceremony ...


The car was parked in our driveway with the doors open.  As we approached it, a giant Monarch butterfly flew towards the car and began to hover over it.  I stopped in my tracks, noting the strange motions of the butterfly as it began to circle the car.  My step-daughter Susan had  sent us little yellow butterflies after she passed, but this wasn't a sign from Susan.  No, when that big old butterfly this morning flew right inside the car and made itself at home, I knew it was a message from our dad that he wouldn't miss this special day for anything.  After making sure the car was good to go, the butterfly exited the back seat, gave a final circle around the vehicle, did a touch-and-go on the hood, and fluttered off. 


When I stopped by our photographer Paula's house later to thank her, she was in the middle of telling her husband about the amazing butterfly.  I want to note for the record that the photos here are screen shots of a video, quickly grabbed to post this story.  The professional photos will come later to remind us of this memorable, love-filled day.  Janice and Steve, we are so happy for you and wish you good health and joy in the years ahead.

Gratitude is one of the best ways to open one's heart, which explains why mine is overflowing right now.  I am grateful for so many things, especially that we were able to share this day with my mother, who turns 88 tomorrow.  And I am grateful that we can share our mutual birthday in person yet again.  She says I was her birthday gift on the day I was born, but her love is a gift I treasure every day.

Love abounds.

Love at the Center

Some of you may not know that I have an alternate website address.  I use it for those who hear me on radio interviews and find it much easier to remember www.LoveAtTheCenter.com vs. www.SuzanneGiesemann.com.  I decided to direct the "LoveAtTheCenter" URL to a unique landing page vs. my home page so that new visitors would immediately discover what I consider to be the most important thing in our lives:  Love.  The page gets straight to the point of our purpose in this life and how to live life on purpose.  I hope it speaks straight to your heart.  xxoo

Decisions, Decisions.

Need a psychic?  You may think you do, but I just had the opportunity to share a valuable tool with a woman looking for answers.  She emailed me because she is facing one of those big, life-changing decisions we all face from time to time.  Not so long ago I gave her a reading and connected her with a loved one on the other side.  She was hoping I could give her another reading and ask that loved one for his guidance on the issue she's facing.  She didn't know where else to turn because her meditations haven't given her clear answers.

I replied, "I'm going to be honest with you ... Spirit has made it very, very clear to me that we all learn by the choices we make.  Your destiny truly is your own, and a question as important as this needs to come from your heart, not a psychic-medium, not a loved one on the other side, not a counselor, not a friend.  You get the picture.  If you haven't gotten answers yet, it's because your guides are also withholding the answer so you can find it in your heart.

"Getting this kind of guidance is actually quite simple.  Your soul already knows the answer.  Imagine yourself in the situation you described, having made one decision.  Then tune in very, very carefully to your body, especially your heart and your gut.  How do they feel? Are they completely relaxed or tensed at all?  Then imagine yourself in the same situation having made the opposite decision.  Check again:  tensed or relaxed?  There's your answer.  And if your heart/gut are tense or even the slightest bit uncomfortable in both situations, it's not time to make a decision.  In that case, you just keep living in the moment, allowing life to unfold, until you can make a clear decision based upon what your soul is telling you via your body."

The woman replied immediately, thrilled and relieved with this answer.  I'm so glad that I've learned  I don't need to say yes to every request for a reading.  I just need to practice what I teach and tune in to higher consciousness or my own body for the right answer.  I felt nudged to share this in my blog, because many times we forget that the answers we seek are right there, within.  May these words empower you to make the highest possible choices for yourself from moment to moment. 

My Heart Runneth Over

I had a lesson in balance today that has left me in awe.  I just completed an unforgettable, love-filled weekend of sharing with 82 beautiful souls at Unity Village.  Normally, after giving one 3 hour workshop, I am drained the next day.  This weekend I gave a 3 hour workshop Friday evening, a 3 hour and then a 2 hour workshop Saturday, followed by a channeling session with Sanaya Saturday evening, and a 3 hour workshop this morning.  I had planned to go into seclusion this afternoon and tomorrow to recharge, yet I feel astoundingly good.  Yes, I'm tired, but not wiped out or emotionally fragile as I usually am after a workshop.  What made the difference?  I took the advice that Sanaya gave me this morning.  I had planned to conclude the retreat with a special labyrinth ceremony in which each of us symbolically left a dead twig (representing a part of us we no longer chose to carry around) in a fire pit at the center.  I was looking forward to hugging each participant, but Sanaya said, "No. It is too draining. There is a better way." 

Before the ceremony began, I passed along Sanaya's recommendation:  I asked the participants that as they departed the labyrinth, they would join hands one by one with me.  I told them that I would look each one in the eye, connect with their soul, and send them love.  Most important, I asked that they do the same and send love flowing back to me.  In last night's channeling session, Sanaya explained how energy goes back and forth.  It flows round and round.  This giving and receiving of love is all about balance. 

The way I feel now is a huge "Aha!" moment for me.  After workshops I am usually frazzled.  There's a reason we call such a state "unbalanced."  We concluded this weekend with a give-and-take of pure, divine love.  It came straight from the heart, as you can see below in this sampling of beautiful, "love-sharing" photos taken by Ty that I will treasure forever.  Yes, my heart runneth over, but what goes around comes around, and so I am filled ... filled with love, yes, and most certainly with gratitude.  Lessons abound.

Speaking Up

How much should a sitter say in a reading with a medium?  Hard-core skeptics might be tempted to give no feedback at all.  This, I have learned, will lessen the experience for all concerned.  Mediumship is all about energy.  A reading is a three-way connection between those on the other side, the medium, and the sitter.  If the sitter decides to block that flow by not saying anything, their silence is akin to erecting an energetic wall to what can be very subtle communication.

As an evidence-based medium, I want those on the other side to tell me as much about themselves as they can.   That evidence provides validation that consciousness continues beyond the transition we call death.   “Evidence” consist of any information the spirit can convey through words, sensations, feelings, and images about their life or others in their life that the medium could not have known.  The challenge is that the connection is not always as clear as a phone call or a Skype video session.  The information received may be sketchy and it can be either literal or symbolic.  This is where clarification from the sitter adds greatly to a reading.

This week I did an unscheduled session for Carol, a woman who had emailed me about the recent loss of her husband, the love of her life.  She admitted to being somewhat skeptical about mediumship, but she was aching for validation that her husband, John, was still with her in spirit.  I am well familiar with that ache and agreed to do the reading right away.  Thank goodness this sitter decided to keep the flow going with her helpful comments.

I immediately sensed a male presence standing where I normally feel a husband or partner.  The first thing he did was show me himself dancing with his wife.  Carol told me that dancing was significant.  It turned out to be so significant that John ended the session by bringing up dancing again.  Why do so twice?  I learned later that of the many affirmative prayers John had written in his life, his most popular one is entitled, “I Dance in the Miracle.”  Carol had it printed on cards and gave it out each year on his birthday.  At his Celebration of Life service, pale blue ribbons were given to each person with the title inscribed.  Yes, dancing was more than meaningful to John and his wife.

John was able to show me a major illness from which he suffered, but that didn’t jibe with the repeated twitching I felt just above my left ankle.  I had never before experienced such an odd sensation, which told me that someone on the other side was intentionally sending my brain a signal.  Sure enough, Carol confirmed that the site of this unusual twitch was the exact location of the only pain that John endured throughout his physical ordeal.  She told me that John’s pain in that spot was excruciating, but was in no way connected to or caused by the illness that took his life.  Had she sat silently and not confirmed these important details, the three of us would have missed out on that joyous moment of knowing that John’s spirit was fully present—enough for me to objectively feel a remnant of his physical symptoms.

“We didn’t quite make it to 40” John said, and Carol confirmed that I heard him correctly.  They would have celebrated their 40^th anniversary this Fall.  

He then showed me a large yellow flower.  The image was so fleeting that I wasn’t sure if it was a sunflower, a daisy, or some other unusually large specimen, but he made it clear that the flower was some kind of sign from him.  Carol knew that flower.  It was a large hibiscus, shown here, that bloomed outside the location of John’s Celebration of Life for the first time ever on that particular morning.  That was a month ago.  Hibiscus blooms only last one day. This past Sunday, the day before her reading, Carol noticed a fresh yellow bloom and took the photo you see here.   There was only one large bloom on each occasion. How appropriate that John would mention it during this oh-so-special reunion with his wife.

There were many more pieces of evidence that Carol claims were “spot on,” including the fact that John had served in the Navy.  His specialty as a “yeoman” came through loud and clear.  One detail of the many he shared with us stands out to me.  It was one of those images that I see from time to time in a reading that is so ordinary I almost hesitate to mention it.  In this case, John showed me a hot dog.  You can’t get much more commonplace than that, so why bring it up?  Perhaps, I reasoned, he was trying to show me something about the difference in his and Carol’s eating habits, because immediately after showing me the hot dog, I saw two hands brushing through the air accompanied by the thought, “No way!” as the hands then pointed at Carol.

Happily, Carol didn’t sit there silently.  No longer the skeptic, she informed me that John was indeed a big hot dog fan—so much so that he had considered buying a hot dog stand.  Carol confirmed that she is not an avid hot dog consumer, but the hot dog and the “No way!” gesture turned out to be far more significant than alluding to their dietary preferences.  It seems that the first time Carol spoke with John on the phone, he had called to make arrangements for their (blind) date.  Her initial reaction upon hearing his voice was that he sounded “like a New Jersey hot dog,” and there was “NO WAY” she was going out with him.  Carol loved to tell that story, and had told it in exactly that way countless times over the ensuing forty years.  John loved the story because it turned out so well after all.

How grateful I am that Carol spoke up and confirmed this beautiful validation of John’s presence.  I am also grateful that Carol agreed to share these details publicly.  I have changed this dear couple’s names at Carol’s request.  Her grief is still raw as she adjusts to her new “normal,” but she was willing to pass along this gift to others in hopes of providing the healing that evidence from across the veil brings.

I know that John is grateful.  A few hours after the reading I sat to meditate to the new “Making the Connection” meditation that I recorded last month with Jim Oliver.  As the waves of ethereal music washed over me, suddenly a man’s face appeared before my mind’s eye.  He stepped close and gave me a hug.  I was stunned.  I regularly see gestures such as John’s “No way!” but never until now had I seen a spirit’s face.  “Who are you?” I asked the man silently.  “I’m the one you just brought through in your reading today,” he answered as he gave me a hug of thanks.  I gazed at that same face half an hour later on my computer screen when Carol responded to my urgent request to send me a photo of John for verification.  Thank you, John, for the gift that is you.  Thank you, Spirit.  

I know now why I was nudged so clearly to do this reading as soon as possible.  I learned that in the past two or three weeks of his life John was adamant about sharing with everyone around him—nurses, aides, doctors, friends, family—the three messages that he, Carol, and I find of utmost importance to understand and apply in this life:  (1)  We are all ONE, regardless of any apparent differences, (2) It’s important to think with your head, but far, far more important to think with your heart, and (3) All that matters is LOVE. 
May we all follow John and Carol’s lead and Dance in the Miracle of love everlasting.    

A Spunky Interview

It was great fun being interviewed this week by one of those hip radio personalities you hear on the morning commute ... you know, one who is often part of a duo like "Mike and Kacey in the morning ..."  Kacey hosts her own "Health and Happiness" show on Sunday mornings, and we packed 40 minutes worth of good chit-chat into a 20 minute show.  She asked some really great questions, so have a listen and enjoy the energy and a smile:  http://kaceyontheradio.com/?p=4444

Making the Connection ... Through Music and Meditation

If you've listened to my Radiant Heart Meditation (a free download on my website), you will know the ethereal sounds of musical genius and Emmy award winning composer Jim Oliver.  Ty and I had the great pleasure of spending the last two days with Jim and his lovely, spirit-filled wife, Jann, at their beautiful pueblo-style home in Santa Fe.  Ty will provide more photos and details about our time together in his blog within a few days.

Trained as a classical organist, Jim has the amazing ability to "multi-task," using both hands and feet to play multiple keyboards and pedals simultaneously.  Add to that his clear connection with higher consciousness, and the result is a divine experience that goes beyond listening to total sensory immersion in higher vibrations.

While together, Jim blessed me and all future listeners with the honor of co-creating a new
meditation in his recording studio.   I received the content of the meditation from Sanaya while flying back to Ty from a conference this past week.  The guidance provides a simple method of connecting with higher consciousness to receive answers to one's personal questions.  It concludes by setting the intention of having a personal experience of knowing oneself as Love during the meditation. 

Jim read through the words I planned to use to know what our intention was for the session.  We then joined hands and affirmed that our work would serve the highest good and reach those it was meant to assist on their journey. 

Unlike the "old me" who would have simply read through a script, as Jim began playing his Spirit-guided tones, I entered the same expanded state and allowed my words to flow in harmony with the music.  The result left me covered with "Truth shivers" as the notes and words blended seamlessly.  When the spoken portion of the meditation finished, Jim continued to play, allowing his hands to be guided for another ten minutes.  This free-flow will allow listeners to remain in their own special place until ready to return to waking consciousness. 

When the last note faded away, we both bowed to each other with our hands in prayer position in acknowledgment of the sacredness of the moment.  We had only needed one "take" for our intention to be met.

I will be sharing our new "Making the Connection" meditation for the first time at my "Making the Connection" weekend retreat at Unity Village" (Unity world headquarters) in Kansas City July 10-13.  If you can join me there, I know it will be a special time.  If you're unable to be there, I will make the meditation available as a free download on my website after that weekend.  Until then, be well, and be guided always.  You are never alone.

Set Up

Perhaps you remember what happened in my memoir, Messages of Hope, after I connected a woman named Connie with her mother and father who had passed.  She then sent two of her sisters to me for a reading on separate occasions without telling me that they were her sisters.  I was confused as to why I sensed such similar evidence from a mother and father in three different readings.  Only when the sisters identified themselves did I realize that I had been set up as a way of testing if the connection with the other side was genuine.  I actually thought their subterfuge was great.  It allowed the three sisters’ parents to clearly show that they had survived the transition called death.

Fast forward to present day.  Several months ago I received an email from a woman who provided only two first names.  She had seen by the calendar of events on my website that I would be speaking at a conference in Chapel Hill, NC, this past weekend.  She inquired if it would be possible to have a reading in person at that time and I agreed.  Normally I give priority to those on my waiting list, but because I am traveling for six months most of my readings are by phone.  While the connection with those on the other side is just as good as in person, I miss the more personal interaction with the sitter that a face-to-face reading affords. 

I greeted my sitter, who appeared to be about thirty years old.  I asked her if she had a long drive to get to my hotel.  When we had confirmed the appointment by phone, I noticed a South Carolina phone number.  She replied that the drive was three hours, and that she had stayed in another hotel the night before.  I mentally sent up a prayer that her time and expense would be well rewarded with a strong connection with the loved one she hoped to connect with.

As soon as the session began I sensed a male presence and heard “Daddy dearest.”  When I reported that this fatherly figure felt very happy to see her and was giving her a big hug, she laughed with delight.  Next I reported that he was indicating a connection with North Carolina’s “research triangle” and was talking about a professor.  My sitter stated that she was a professor and had graduated from one of the research triangle universities.  We were off and running!

Then Dad said as clear as day, “Mom is here.”  I reported this verbatim to my sitter and asked, “Is your mother on the other side?” I couldn’t help but think that she was awfully young to have lost both parents.  When she claimed that her mother was alive, I responded, “So maybe your father is talking about his mother.  Is she on the other side?”  Again, the answer was no.  Puzzled because his words had been so clear, I said, “Then why would he say, “Mom is here?” 

“Well, my mom is here.” 

Even more confused, I said, “You mean in the hotel?”

"Well, she’s actually sitting in the car outside.”

Thrilled that the father in spirit knew his wife had come with his daughter, I asked if my sitter would like her mother to join us.  The young woman then informed me that her mother had already had a reading with me.  Surprised, I realized it would be much more fun to ask the father who his wife was than to ask my sitter who her mother was.   I have given approximately 1000 readings, so the woman could have been one of many grieving widows anywhere in the country.  As soon as I asked the father in spirit, he showed me his wife sitting across from me with her other daughter in a reading I conducted two years earlier.  When I stated what I was seeing with particular details of that occasion to my sitter, she confirmed that I had correctly placed her with her family. 

I had been set up again.

“Get your mother up here!” I said with excitement, adding, “but only if you want her here.” 

I could feel Dad's energy hanging around as my sitter placed a call and we dragged in another chair from the hallway.  I hugged Mom when she walked in the door, and gently teased both of them about not telling me what they were up to.

“She’s a scientist,” Mom stated.  “She needed proof.”  And minutes later when we resumed the conversation with Dad, he showed me several insects under a magnifying glass, prompting me to talk about biology, which turned out to be his daughter’s specialty.

Having given the proof they needed to know that he was present, Dad proceeded to give a tremendously wise and comforting series of messages that focused on how to move forward in the grieving process.   Little did I know that Mom had reached a low point in spite of her previous reading.  It seems that Dad knew his wife needed the reading more than his daughter the scientist.  After every few loving suggestions for healing he threw in verifiable pieces of evidence that I could not know to show that he was still very much present in his family’s life and that his healing messages were not merely platitudes from me.

At the end of a teary, love-filled session, we laughed again at how mother and daughter had set me up.  They assured me that it hadn't really been a test.  If not, then the set-up came from the other side.  This actually happens quite often.  I receive more requests for readings than I can handle.  I have learned to ask my Team above which unanticipated requests I most need to honor.  I never know until I give the reading why I say yes to some and “I’m sorry, but not at this time” to others.  Clearly, this family reunion was meant to happen exactly as it had. 

The two worlds are so very connected.  What joy it brings to show this to a family and help to assuage their grief.  I so wish I could do this personally for all who desire this experience.  For now, it is my fervent wish that in sharing this story these words bring hope to others who have endured a loss , helping them and you to know that our loved ones who have passed are as close as our breath.

Nowhere to Hide

Fear.  We run from it … do anything not to feel it, yet it’s hard-wired into our bodies.  But after the initial, unavoidable rush of adrenaline, do we have to be a prisoner to fear?  I say no.  This I learned quite personally in the past 24 hours.

Not yet half-way through my speaking tour around the U.S., we are taking a break in Sequoia National Park.  Ty’s daughter Elisabeth joined us last week so that she and her dad could do a couple of overnight backpacking trips into the deep wilderness.  My role was to care for Rudy and Gretchen, our two long-haired dachshunds, back at the campground in our RV.  It was a tough job, but somebody had to keep them warm in the king-sized bed while Ty and Liz slept on the cold, hard ground.

I hiked with them for the first hour of their trek.  My complaints about their slow pace did not seem to be appreciated.  Perhaps it was the fact that I was only carrying an eight-pound day-pack compared to their heavy overnighters.  Whatever the case, after sharing lunch along the trail, we said our farewells, and I hiked back to the campground.


Completely off the grid (with no cell phone or Internet signal) for the first time in over a year, I decided to do no work at all and simply relax.  I spent two delightful hours in a hammock, enjoying “Angels in the Wilderness,” a fabulous book I picked up at the visitor center about author Amy Racina’s harrowing brush with death after a 60-foot fall in the very park where we are.  My emotional reaction to Amy’s rescue surprised me as I openly wept, tears running down my face as I swung in my hammock.  I realized that my emotions came from my soul’s recognition of the Divine at work in her rescue.  The accumulation of miracles that made up Amy’s story could only be explained by the fact that it was not yet Amy’s time to go.

After dinner I drove the short distance to a grove of giant sequoia trees I had visited the day before with Ty and Liz.  I found the forest magical, the trees very much alive and wise.  One stand of trees in particular had called to me, and I savored the thought of meditating in their midst.  My plan to wait until dusk to be able to sit in solitude paid off.   I did not encounter a single other hiker on the two mile trail.  I used my camera’s self-timer to capture what to me was a sacred half-hour spent soaking up the tangible energy of these gentle giants.














Perhaps because I slept alone that night I had a bad dream that left me shaken when I awoke.  In the nightmare I found myself lost in city streets.  I had wandered into a gang’s territory, and men carrying giant machine guns came at me from every corner.  I could hear gunshots, and my fear was palpable as one after another pointed his gun directly at me and threatened my life.  I was so disturbed that I had to clear my chakras as part of my morning meditation.  Little did I know that fear would be the theme of the day.

I love the outdoors as much as Ty does, so after lunch I decided to go for a three hour hike on a trail that started at our campground.  The pine bed path led uphill alongside a rushing river through lush forest.  Still early in the season, I passed few other hikers.  Halfway to the destination of a waterfall at the top of the trail, a young couple stopped to warn me of a bear ahead.  They said I would know where it was by the small crowd of hikers snapping photos. 

Sure enough, less than a hundred yards ahead I saw the photographers and followed the direction their lenses were pointing.  The large cinnamon colored bear’s motion through the woods immediately caught my attention.  Seconds later I saw another flash of movement ahead of the larger bear.  When I saw two small cubs scurrying along a log I sucked in my breath.  I know to respect a bear in the wild, but I also know they will not usually bother a human.  A mama bear protecting her cubs, however, is a different story.

Suddenly, the bear turned to her left and began walking directly towards me.  Adrenaline rushed to my heart and I cursed.  Having read many advisories about bear encounters, I knew not to run.  With Mama Bear no more than thirty feet from me now, I pulled my canister of bear repellant spray from the side pocket of my daypack.  Just the day before I had received an email from friends Mike and Beth Pasakarnis with a cartoon about bears eating humans and a warning to “be careful out there.”  I raised my arms over my head to make myself look bigger as I thought about the ironic timing of their prophetic email.  This was the closest I had ever come to a bear in the wild.

Happily, Mama seemed more interested in the termites in a nearby downed tree than in me, and she veered off the trail with her cubs scampering closely behind.  I speed-walked past her and joined the perceived safety of the half dozen other hikers eagerly snapping photos.  From my vantage point now fifty feet on the other side of the bears I relaxed a bit and enjoyed the antics of the cubs.  They put on a great show, climbing nimbly up and back down a tree trunk, then wrestling with each other on the trail.  One of them stood on his back legs then practiced dancing as if putting on a show for us.

When the bears finally sauntered off, I continued on the trail.  Along with the giant sequoias, waterfalls are my favorite thing in nature.  Just as I snapped a photo of a marmot enjoying the cascade with me, the rumble of thunder interrupted the peace.  I looked behind me and saw that the sky had filled with ominous gray clouds headed my way.  As the grumbling continued, it became clear that the thunderheads were going to pass directly overhead.

Just like Mike and Beth’s email, the timing of being caught in a thunderstorm struck me as ironic.  It was nine years ago this weekend that my step-daughter Susan was killed by a bolt of lightning.  Ever since her death, the sound of thunder causes the same rush of adrenaline as I had experienced upon seeing the bear.  It’s not that I am afraid of dying.  Knowing what I know from my work as a medium (an ability that I discovered only after Susan’s passing), I look forward to the next chapter in my existence.  What I do not savor is the thought of Ty going through the intense pain of loss a second time.

I recalled passing a small cave a few yards back, and scurried downhill to its entrance.  I crouched in the opening, listening to the thunder and watching the clouds hover ominously.   I was determined to stay in place until at least five minutes after the last grumble of thunder, no matter how long it took.  I took a few breaths and checked in with my Team above.  “It is not your time,” came the familiar message I had recently been pondering.  “You still have work to do.”  I found the words comforting, but I didn’t know if I could trust them.  Thoughts heard when in a state of fear can be falsely perceived.

A family of five clambered by my hidey-hole.  I had passed them earlier and noted with respect that the young father was hiking on an artificial leg.  He paused, and I used the opportunity to ask him how he had lost his leg.  As I suspected, he had served in the Iraq war.  I thanked him for his sacrifice, and he thanked me for caring enough to thank him.  When I learned that he had been a Marine, I became unexpectedly emotional for the second time in two days.  I choked up as I shared that our daughter had been a Marine when she was killed.  When I told him how Susan had passed, I gave a gentle warning to take the grumbling thunder seriously.  At this, the wounded warrior politely confirmed a thought I had entertained when I sought refuge under the rocks:   The mouth of a cave is a dangerous place to be in an electrical storm.

I considered my predicament.  To stay under the rocks was risky.  Standing out in the open was no better.  Susan had been struck crossing the exposed flight line on her way to the hangar where she was stationed.  Hiding under a tree also offered no safety.  I had written a book about Mike and Beth’s son, Wolf, who was struck and killed by lightning while sitting under a tree.  I shook my head.  There was nowhere to hide.

I climbed out from under the rocks and began my descent down the trail.  The grumbles of thunder grew into loud cracks and I tensed, filled with the same fear I had experienced during every thunderstorm since Susan passed.  It was the same fear I had felt in the nightmare when the guns were pointed at my head.  Suddenly, my head filled with the words I had heard when communicating with the soul of a woman in a coma.  “They can pull the plug,” she told me.  “If it’s my time, I’ll go; if it’s not, I’ll stay.”  These sentiments confirmed the messages I have heard in hundreds of readings from many of the souls of those who died young:  Their deaths may have seemed untimely to those left behind, but for reasons we may only learn when we pass, it was their time.

I realized then that I had a choice.  I could run down the trail propelled by fear, or trust the wisdom my guides Sanaya had shared with me repeatedly over the past four years:  that all is in perfect order … always.  It was Sanaya who gave me the mantra, “I AM free.”  I could remain a prisoner to the human fears that had plagued me since Susan’s death, or choose differently and find freedom.  Certainly, if there had been a shelter on the trail, I would have stepped inside.  With nowhere to hide, I saw the futility in being afraid, and I chose peace. 

I walked two miles through the rain back to the trailhead.  Mama Bear and her cubs must have found a place to stay dry, for they were nowhere in sight.  Like the gunshots in my dream, the thunder cracked for the duration of the hike, and I felt nothing but gratitude.  I had started out alone with baggage I’d been carrying around for nine years.  I finished with a lighter step and peace as my companion.

 

Finding Balance

 After a busy couple of weeks sharing the messages of hope at presentations in Marin County, San Jose, and San Francisco, Ty and I are recharging at Yosemite National Park.  That doesn't mean that I've stopped serving Spirit altogether ... in spite of having no cell phone signal, I do have WIFI in the campground and am able to use Skype to do readings. 

This morning I didn't need a phone to get a five-bar signal with Spirit, resulting in the kind of connection with the other side I pray for.  I was able to show a deeply grieving mother that her child is still very much with her.  As healing as it was to bring through clear and verifiable evidence from her deceased daughter, the session was so emotional that afterwards I had to ask Ty to just hold me.  His arms around me helped to ground me and connect physically, heart to heart -- something that is missing in phone or Skype readings.  Sometimes I wonder if he has any idea how important he is to this Work.







Another way in which Ty contributes is by helping me to find balance.  Immediately after wrapping up the reading, we headed for Yosemite Valley and struck out on Mist Trail.  It was just what the doctor ordered to walk in such natural splendor.

My favorite natural wonders are waterfalls, and Yosemite has no shortage of them.  This up-close and personal exchange with Vernal Falls filled me to overflowing.

When at our campground we had enjoyed a fun petting zoo with miniature donkeys, goats, and alpacas.  As much as I enjoyed interacting with the animals there, the experience couldn't hold a candle to encountering a young coyote during our afternoon hike in the national park.  In the photo on the left, look above me on the rocks and you can see him and how close we came to his den.  (If you are viewing this blog from my Facebook page and want to see all of the photos, visit:  http://suzannegiesemannwhatsnew.blogspot.com/  The photo below shows why this encounter took my breath away.  As always, Ty has done a wonderful job of chronicling our recent California adventures and will include more on Yosemite in his next post to his blog, Life As Ty Sees It.


Tomorrow looks to be surprisingly similar to today.  I'll start with a reading for yet another mother who has lost a daughter, and then we'll head back to Yosemite to see more waterfalls, do some hiking, and hope for some more National Geographic moments.  I've set the intention of a five-bar signal with Spirit for the reading and a five-star experience in the park. 


I truly enjoy exercising and spending time outdoors to balance my work as a medium.  These activities provide the perfect blending of body, mind, and spirit, but you know what?  There's nowhere that God is not.  Love, beauty, and Presence have been my companions today, just as they promise to be tomorrow.  As I close my eyes tonight to recharge my body with blessed sleep, it will be with the deepest reverence and gratitude to Spirit ... the All That Is. 

A Sign from Above

Is it true that we are the co-creators of our lives?  I know that we are.  When we come into alignment with our higher self, set a clear vision that will serve the greater good, and share that vision with our unseen helpers, the Universe conspires to work with us.  Some years ago, each morning as I began my meditation I repeated my vision statement:  “I am a Hay House author.”  I wanted this goal not for personal gain, but because I knew that a Hay House published book would allow me to share the existence of a greater reality with many more readers than a smaller publishing house.  Within two weeks of submitting the manuscript for my book The Priest and the Medium to Hay House in 2008 I had a contract.  Book publishing just doesn’t work like that.  Spirit does.

With my vision fulfilled, I needed a new and even bigger one.  I believe in limitless thinking, so I began regularly repeating the phrase, “I am touching millions with the messages of hope.”  I knew the comfort and hope I had gained from being reunited with my step-daughter, after she passed, through a medium.  I could think of no greater vision than to share that same comfort and hope with millions of others through my writing and speaking.

That audacious vision began manifesting in unexpected ways when Chris Lavelle of North lsland Media approached me about making a movie based on my unexpected transition from U.S. Navy Commander to evidential medium.  The skillfully produced documentary that resulted from Chris’ hard work opened many doors and allowed me to share the messages on a larger scale than before.  I was not yet touching millions with the messages, but sharing them via a film called “Messages of Hope” continues to open minds and hearts. 

Knowing that things unfold perfectly, but not always as quickly as we humans would like, I continued to share my vision with the Universe each morning in meditation … “I am touching millions with the messages of hope …”  I didn’t know how this would happen, so I left the details to my Team above.  With their greater perspective, They would come up with far more clever ways to manifest my vision than I could imagine. 

Fast forward to 2015.  Ty and I are on a six-month speaking tour.  A few weeks ago I gave a workshop out west about making the connection with higher consciousness.  A high-school friend was in the audience, and she later told me that looking around the audience, she noted that everyone sat on the edge of their seats throughout the evening.  The next day I couldn’t help but feel a bit of frustration.  People are hungry for the messages those on the other side have to share with us and the love those messages embody.  My talk had been well attended, but how was I going to reach millions?

My guides must have felt my angst.  The next morning in meditation They told me that I need not worry or strive and that I would not achieve my goals in the normal way.  Then I had the strangest thought.  I imagined my messages on a billboard.  It was a silly idea, seemingly popping into my head from nowhere.  And it certainly fit their prediction:  to have my work on a billboard would not be the normal way for an author and medium to spread her messages.

Ten minutes after completing my meditation, I sat at my computer to check my email.  There I found an email from a man for whom I had conducted a reading nine months earlier.  (For anonymity’s sake, let’s call him “Mr. D.”)  At the end of that session he asked if I could give him another reading in six months.   Because of the depth of his grief over the recent loss of both parents, I agreed to do so.  In the email he thanked me for helping him through one of the darkest periods of his life.  He asked if I could fit him in anytime soon.  He was going through a rough patch as the result of recent news related to his father’s passing.  Was it sheer coincidence that I had a cancellation the next morning?  In hindsight, I see that it was not.

Several hours after agreeing to a session for the next day, Ty and I went out to explore the local area.  We commented to each other about a silly billboard we drove past.  At the mention of the billboard, I recalled the thought given to me earlier about having my work on a billboard.  Suddenly, I remembered one of several big “wows” from Mr. D’s reading six months earlier.  His father in spirit had clearly shown me a large billboard.  “This is an electronic billboard,” I said, “like the ones in Times Square.”  Mr. D. reported that outdoor advertising was one of his father’s businesses, and that they specialized in electronic billboards.

The moment I put the evidence from the reading and the morning’s meditation experience together, I saw the future playing out in my mind’s eye as if it had already happened.  I saw myself giving the reading the next day to Mr. D, who had taken over his father’s business.  I envisioned his father providing clear and compelling evidence that he was still very much with his son, just as he had during the first session.  And I saw my work featured on a billboard afterward … perfectly orchestrated by Mr. D. Senior from the other side, who knew that his son had been planning to email me that morning.

I said nothing to Mr. D. about my premonition when we began our session the next day.  I simply set the intention of hearing from his father with as much clarity as possible.  We were not disappointed.  Only when the session was over did I share what had happened to me in meditation before receiving his request for a second reading.  I shared with Mr. D. why I consider this work so sacred.  I could feel that he had been deeply touched by both sessions, and he listened silently until I finished.  I did not ask for anything.  I simply laid out my audacious vision and shared my trust in Spirit to make dreams come true when they serve the greater good.

“I’m going to put you on a billboard,” he replied.

I didn’t dare to breathe, especially not later when he asked me to send him some ideas for what I would want to put on such a billboard.  And I held my breath again when Mr. D. sent me his graphic artist’s final concept for approval.  Looking at the images, I shook my head in wonder.  In bold letters that would catch the eye of any passerby, the sign posed the perfect message:  “Lost a loved one?  Talk to them … They hear you.”  This is the advice I share with every audience and every sitter who comes to me for a reading.  It is the essence of the messages of hope.

I sent Mr. D. an email telling him I loved the design.  In addition to the attention-getting words, it clearly displayed my two latest books, Messages of Hope and Wolf’s Message.   Readers tell me almost daily how the stories and evidence I wrote about have changed their lives.  The desire to get those messages into the hands of even more who have lost hope after the death of a loved one is my constant companion.  I didn’t dare to ask where the billboard would be or when it might appear.

I have learned to surrender everything to Spirit, so I didn’t give the billboard (too) much thought over the following weekend.  It was Sunday night when my phone tweeted.  I was surprised to see a text from Janis Murphy, my friend and fellow medium.  “We just saw your ad for Messages of Hope on a digital billboard on Route 3 in NJ!” she wrote.  I gasped and blurted aloud, “What?!” I re-read the text, delighted to be learning of this delicious surprise in this way, and dialed Janis.  It was then that I saw even more clearly the hand of Spirit at work.

Janis lives near me in Florida.  What was she doing in New Jersey, I wondered?  I learned that she was there for a class in mediumship with our mentor, Janet Nohavec.  She and Janet were in the car with fellow mediums Joe Shiel and internationally acclaimed British medium Tony Stockwell.   That my mentor and fellow classmate—both of whom are mentioned in Messages of Hope—the book on the billboard, were the first to see the sign was a God-wink of the highest order.  I was delighted to be able to share with Janis and the other mediums in the car the beautiful way the billboard gift had come about.

I immediately emailed Mr. D. to thank him.  I expressed my gratitude that he had chosen a major commuter route near the Lincoln tunnel leading into New York City.  I silently wondered how many people would pass by the sign each day.  Perhaps not millions, but easily hundreds of thousands.  My dream was coming true, and all I had done was to serve a fellow human being in need.

Were this the end of the story, I would be grateful beyond words.  But it’s not.  The next morning I emailed Mr. D. to ask him exactly where the sign was in hopes that I could find someone living nearby to send me a photograph of it.  He replied, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you photos.”  And then he brought me to tears with an unexpected email minutes later.  “If we are going to get the word out,” he wrote, “we need to get the word out.”  He invited me to open the attachment, an Excel spreadsheet showing the locations of the fourteen billboards where “my” sign is currently running for the next four to six weeks.

One of the pieces of evidence that Mr. D's father shared with me from the other side to show his son that he was still very much with him was that he had been a philanthropist.  I physically felt the care and concern he displayed for his fellow man.  Clearly, his son walks in his father’s shoes.

I was blown away at the thought of sharing the message of the continuity of consciousness on one billboard, but fourteen?  Yes.  And each of them is on a major commuter route in and around Philadelphia, Trenton, and New York City, to include I-95 and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes.  I grew up in that area.  I know how heavy the traffic can be: bumper to bumper, two times a day.  We’re not talking hundreds of thousands.  Now we’re talking millions.

I feel like Cinderella.  Do things like this really happen?  Yes, they do.  They happen when we trust in Goodness and Love.  They happen thanks to the generosity and compassion of caring souls like Mr. D. and his father.  I know from losing our Susan that the death of a loved one is the hardest challenge each of us will face in this lifetime.  But I also know from the gift of spirit communication that has been bestowed upon me that the physical separation is only temporary.   Our loved ones are only as far away as our thoughts, and they are held in our hearts until we see them again.

And now, thanks to the efforts of two wonderful angels—one in Heaven and one on Earth—millions will look up from their highway commute and see a sign … a sign with one very important message of hope:  Talk to them … They hear you.