Spiritual Experience: Channeling a Friend

In this post I'm going to try to explain an experience I had with channeling a spirit.  And it was accidental.  And it's hard to explain non-physical and spiritual experiences with any clarity into words meant for typical experiences.  This was anything but typical.

Several years ago, I met a woman for the first time.  I won't go into the reasons or situation, but we met and had a long chat.  We hit it off quite nicely, and it turned out to be a long conversation.

Shortly before we parted, she gave me the strangest look.  I asked her if something was wrong.  She said "No.  But for just a split second there I saw someone else come through you, someone familiar."  This seemed very odd to me.  Now, sure, I've had people say "Gee, when your smile like that, or just now when you turned your head, you reminded me of, or looked exactly like....", but not "...someone else came through you."

Anyway, being that I'm used to spiritually diverse conversations, I didn't think much more about it.  We parted, and I went on my merry way.  Not long after, I began to not feel well.  I felt drained and drained so suddenly.  I got a headache, and I had to go home and go to bed where I fell deeply asleep.  Later in the evening, I contacted this woman by email and asked her how she felt after our meeting.  She reported that she felt strangely elated.  She felt so good and so happy that it seemed odd.  I shared that I had had an opposite experience.  Then I asked her about her statement.  I said it seemed an interesting and unusual choice of words to say she saw "someone" familiar "come through me", vs saying I reminded her of someone she knew.  I asked her to spend some more time thinking about it and see if anything came up for her.  I recieved the following email (this was July of 2007):

"It is pretty clear to me now who was trying to come through that first day we talked in my office. A dear friend whom I loved with all my heart died of cancer 5 1/2 years ago, she was diagnosed about this time of year. She was a stunning woman, quite beautiful, more so, of course, because I loved her and valued her friendship so much. Guess that has to do with seeing a persons inner beauty as well. 

If I had to zero in on one feature of hers that stood out over the rest it would be her smile! 

At this point I am surprised I didn't realize it before.............about a week before she passed I told her that if she could come back and visit me I would be watching for her.  Because of all of the medication I wasn't sure the message got through. I do feel I can contact her and feel her presence near, even ask her for advise once in awhile and usually get an answer in her humorous, bold style. 

Something you said at one point in our conversation was almost word for word what she would have said about men. Because I have felt her near quite often it didn't come to mind that she might try to connect in a different way - instead on coming through on "my channel" she came through on yours."

Interesting?

Spirit Attachment, "Demon Possession", and Channeling...what's the difference?

We've all heard about demon possession right?  We've probably even seen movies about it that are freaky-scary.  But what's spirit attachment, and what's the difference?

The size of the teeth?  Red eyes?  A mean snarl?  Actually, I think the difference is in perspective, belief system, and largely, semantics.  But people will differ on this score, so this is MY take and only that.

In the Christian tradition, we have a choice of polar opposites:  angels and demons.  And when someone dies, their spirit goes to Heaven or Hell, and stays there forever; separate from the living.  That's simplistic, but that's the basics.

In more "new age" (which tends to be a negative label given to anything but Christian, or anything but a specific sect of Christianity) circles, those polarities may be broken down, or dismantled altogether.  Religions aside, I'll just tell you what I think.

I believe in angels, yet think of them more as guides and divine helping spirits.  I don't really believe in demons, or the devil, or hell.  And not so sure I believe in Heaven or in a singular Biblical interpretation of God either.  I believe that when we die, our spirits continue to live on as a field of energy, as a personality without a body and that we have choices about where we go, and what we do in that "afterlife" of our choosing.  So, are there negative spirits and positive spirits?  I believe there are.  Yet I also believe that even the negative ones have the same potential for transformation that a negative or annoying formed being has.

That's the general run-down of how I view it.  Now, back to possession vs attachment vs channeling.  I believe that IF possession exists, it is rare.  Possession would entail that a spiritual being has entered our body and is calling all the shots, using us as it's physical host to do whatever it wishes, regardless of our own wishes.  I honestly believe this exists more in Hollywood movies and in the minds of some of the more charismatic churches than it does in reality.  I'm not saying it's not possible, but I'm not giving it a whole lot of attention, until and unless I need to.  Keep in mind that many who are extremely mentally ill have and are accused and treated as though they are demon possessed.  Are they?  I can't say for certain, but I think our chemical structures are capable of producing some pretty intense experiences that our bodies display.

As for spirit attachments, this may be a new term for some of you.  The way I view it, a spirit attachment can almost be thought of like a parasite.  Most of the time, they have absolutely no ill intent, but can have ill consequences to the host.  A spirit attachment can be viewed as a being who has crossed over or a being that was never in physical form, who attaches themselves to a physical being to extract energy.  Much as I might reach for a cup of coffee, a spirit may reach for a human body to gain some energy.  They don't typically know they are draining energy or influencing the host...they just know they like or need or want what that person has.

Spirit attachments are more often than not, a bit of a hinderance rather than a positive thing.  They can make the host feel the emotions of the spirit being, they can feel physically and emotionally drained, or they make develop physical symptoms or illnesses.  Think of a tick...it may cause you no harm, it could carry disease, it could create a wound, some swelling...it's variable.  But in general, you would want to remove it.  Most people don't know when they have one.  In fact, the most typical way to know is if a person who can sense or see spirits notices it and assist you with removal.

I've had a lot of spirit attachments and continue to be quite yummy for them.  I have no idea why but I'm learning.  Part of it has to do with a strong maternal energy I possess, and part of it is my "give at all costs" nature that is attractive.  I have a hard time saying no to physical beings, and spirit beings just hitch on...like ticks.  I've at least begun to notice when I feel particularly out of sorts, tired, or have emotions pass through me that don't feel like mine or don't fit the situation.  Yes, this could also be mental instability.  I'll admit, it can be hard to be sure.  And so I go see healers to help me with it.  And I've assisted people with removing theirs.  It's far more common than you think.

Are you aware of people who you avoid because they drain your energy?  You feel worse when you're around them?  You feel tired after spending only a short bit of time with them?  Those people are similar.  Often called "energy vampires".  They mean you no harm, they just haven't figured out how to tap into universal source energy, so they seek it in the wrong places.  They are not even aware they do it.  Same with spirits.

On to channeling.  You may have seen the epically popular movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze in which Whoopie Goldberg channels his spirit to communicate with Demi Moore's character.  The difference between standard spirit communication and channeling is that in spirit communication, you sense messages that feel like your own thoughts, you see mental images.  In channeling, the spirit actually enters your physical body for a short time in order to communicate more directly.  The channeler's voice may change, their physical appearance may subtly shift, or their mannerisms suddenly take on those of the spirit entity.  There are a lot of controversies about if this is a good thing or a bad thing to "allow" to happen.  Those who do it routinely have a gift for it.  I have had it happen accidentally.  In my next post, I'll explain one such experience.

Accidental channeling I don't understand, but like I say, I'm learning.  I have experienced on a couple of occasions the sense that someone else's emotions were flowing through me.  I might sob hysterically, but I feel no emotional attachment to it...no real sadness.  I've also been conducting healing sessions with people and suddenly I have this overwhelming love for the client flow through me...like a mother or a grandmother's love and I sense that my touching them has become something more intense (not sexual, just emotionally intense).  When I realize this is happening, I usually ask the client if they have a close relative who has passed.  Sometimes I get a sense of if it is male or female and perhaps I may also have a sense of which relative or friend it is.  And always, when this has happened, there has been a passing of a close relative to whom the client was very very close.  Then I explain what I think just happened.  I'm not out of control, I'm not unaware of myself, I just notice that something else has entered.  It feels during those times as if the loved one channeled through me to try on my hands much like putting on a pair of kitchen gloves, in order to touch with physical hands, the person they love.  It can be amazingly powerful.  Even the client will recognize the energy of that person flowing to them through me.  But it just happened.  I didn't ask for it, expect it or even think about it.  And it can be physically draining for me.  So unless I learned a lot more about it, I would not be sad if it didn't ever happen.

Next post, I'll tell you of another one.

Product Review: Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel

Recently I had the opportunity to try a new product as part of an online survey group I participate in via My Survey.

I received the product in the mail with the instructions to use it in place of my normal moisturizer for a period of two weeks.  At the end of that time, I completed a survey about my evaluation of the product.

My usual moisturizer is a locally made, all-natural product that consists of:  raw Shea, Mango and Illipe butters, oils of: Virgin Olive, Borage Seed, Sunflower, Rosehip & Evening Primrose.  Green tea and Rosemary extracts.  Essential oil blend.  Pretty straight forward.  I know what everything is.  It comes in a small (perhaps 1-2 oz jar) for about $5-7 (I honestly don't remember because it lasts so long).  I use literally, an application amount about the size of 1/4 to 1/2 of a pea each morning.

The new Garnier Moisture Rescue comes in a 1.7 oz jar for the price of $6.99.  So far, that's, give or take, about the same as mine.  Here's where the differences start to appear.  Garnier Moisture Rescue contains:

GARNIER NUTRITIONISTE MOISTURE RESCUE REFRESHING GEL-CREAM

INGREDIENTS AQUA / WATER GLYCERIN ALCOHOL DENAT. DIMETHICONE ISONONYL ISONONANOATE CARBOMER DIMETHICONOL CHLORPHENESIN CAPRYLYL GLYCOL SODIUM HYDROXIDE VITIS VINIFERA EXTRACT / GRAPE FRUIT EXTRACT XANTHAN GUM TETRASODIUM EDTA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE MENTHOXYPROPANEDIOL MAGNESIUM GLUCONATE SODIUM CITRATE BENZYL SALICYLATE LINALOOL CALCIUM GLUCONATE BIOSACCHARIDE GUM-1 HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDEHYDE BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 CI 42090 / BLUE 1 PARFUM / FRAGRANCE PHENOXYETHANOL

I recognize a couple of the ingredients...like water, glycerine, alcohol (in a moisturizer?), the two extracts and Xanathan Gum.  The ingredients on a label list in order of amount, so the primary ingredient I am being asked to pay for is water.  The alcohol is presumably added to make the gel absorb quickly.  But I don't want that on my face.  The other stuff?  Who knows?  I'm not going to take the time, but the easiest thing to do when in doubt is to do a Google search "toxic" or "harmful effects of..." and then enter each ingredient separately.

I agreed to this evaluation process so I used it.  These are the pros and cons of my assessment:

Pros:

• Light, pleasant scent

• not sticky or greasy

• Absorbs quickly

• glides on

• feels cool on the skin
• skin felt moisturized in a light manner

Cons:

• The ingredients are primarily chemical.  This is a deal breaker for me.  I would never purchase this product.
• The reason it absorbs quickly and feels cool to the skin is no doubt related to the alcohol.  Not worth it.
• The price is too high for the ingredients it contains.
• Within the first couple of days I noticed light skin break out, like it is actually clogging my pores.  While this didn't worsen over the course of the two weeks, I still had some breakout around the hairline and jawline.
• My current product is all natural, local, priced reasonably, I can even go watch her make it if I want to, and it makes my skin feel much more moisturized, smoother, and healthier with no skin break outs at all.  So why would I switch?

I would encourage people to look into Face Butters that are often available by local crafts people.  And always...read ingredients.  If you don't know what's in it...don't eat it or put it on your skin (which is like a giant sponge).  Actually, you could save yourself a pot of money by purchasing any natural oil...even a good quality cooking oil...a scant drop on the tips of four fingers (put it in a dropper bottle), touch your other four fingertips to it (not thumbs), then gently tap it over the surface of your face and neck, like little typing fingers...then gently hold the warmth of your hands to your face and spread it around.  The women of Greece have great skin...they wash and moisturize with olive oil.  I prefer lighter oils like sunflower, safflower, sweet almond oil, or sesame oil (untoasted...not the cooking kind).

Read your favorite moisturizer and report back to us the ingredients listed on the label and anything you Googled about the potential harmful effects of those ingredients.   It's all about the education and learning to make more informed, better educated decisions with each passing day.  We don't know what we don't know until we know.

Client Testimony: Headache from an Energy Smack

The following is from an exchange between a distance client and myself.  This client lives in another state.  She got in touch with me when something odd happened:  She was interacting with someone on Facebook, and through something this other person posted, she felt like she had been slapped.  She was really upset, lost some sleep and had a horrible headache the following day.

After discussing the situation, what we jointly determined was that this person had, indeed, delivered the equivalent to a "bitch slap".  She had reached through the computer and with very few words, and without even saying anything truly mean, had sent energy to my client that was a defensive smack.  My client felt the full impact of it, as she is also highly empathic.  A bad mix...empath, and an energetic bitch slap.

Given that we are not in the same state, I told her I would send her some energy healing via distance healing (which can, although it initially defies traditional logic, be as effective, if not more effective than in-person sessions).  The following was our email exchange:

You may or may not have felt it or feel it now, but I did some energy work.  Does it make sense that it felt like it came from your neck, and two spots at the base of your skull in the back...those knobby places?  And a vision of you doing a turtle response.  Pulled your head/neck in.  If you can gently lay on the edge of your bed and let your head (just slightly) hang over the edge to get the neck to release and "pull your head out" so to speak.

That might not be it at all, but that's what I saw for whatever it's worth.

Just did this and my neck popped really loudly! I think I was all tensed up. I also gently rubbed the base of my skull and it gave me goosebumps, it felt so good. The headache is nearly gone. Whatever you did energy-wise, it helped. I feel completely different now than just 45 minutes ago. Many thanks from the heart!

Yes, it certainly is possible that there was an expectation and a "placebo" effect.  The client may have felt supported and thus, her headache lifted of it's own accord.  But we would be splitting hairs to try to determine if what I sent was what helped, or if it was emotional support, or if she just got over the headache on her own.  To me it doesn't matter, and I'll let others argue about that.  She got relief.  Good enough for me.

Book Review: One Good Dog by Susan WIlson

Earlier, I reviewed two books where the perspective is from the dog's point of view.  In this, third such book, One Good Dog by Susan Wilson, an abused, fighter pit-bull, ends up paired with a ruined corporate executive.

In the two aforementioned books, the entire book is "written" by the dog.  In this book, the dog and the human have almost equal billing.  They alternate chapters.  For a good portion of the book, they are leading separate lives, telling their woeful stories.  You know they will intersect, you just don't know when, or how.  You know that transformation for both will occur, but again, you are hanging in suspense wondering how it will all play out.

Adam, the human, had it all and then he lost it.  Big time, and in multiple ways.  "Chance", the pit-bull has been raised for illegal fighting and kept in deplorable conditions.  They clearly need each other.

I read this book almost in a single sitting.  By far, of the three books mentioned (The Art of Racing in the Rain, and A Dog's Purpose), One Good Dog, is, in my opinion, far superior.  There just really aren't any dry places.  It is touching, and although, like I said, you just know this is going to all work out, you have no idea how, and you really WANT to know.

I'm not a huge animal lover.  Oh, I don't dislike them, I'm just not an avid pet owner.   For many reasons.  All three of these books came to me through someone else.  They are all worthwhile, but his one is my favorite.

Client Testimony: Energy Healing Session: Relief!

"I went from our session to a walk with a friend and then to the library.  I went through e-mails that I have been hanging on to forever and deleted them all.  My attitude and mood are 100% better after seeing you. I wish I had the skill to articulate how I feel in our sessions, maybe it would help you out with other people (more paying customers).

When we were doing the visualization process of being by the river, there was so much clarity, I was really there and when you said "a horse walks up", my mom's mare (mother deceased) walked right into the picture as if she was waiting for the right time. The was no hesitation, I didn't have to think about it, it just unfolded, like a tape playing.

I find as I continue my spiritual growth, my attachment to things is less and less. 

Thank You for sharing your unique gifts, ability to heal and your time , there is so much love that comes with it."

Book Review: Cook Book: The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen

The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen is a cook book of completely vegan recipes.  I'm heading in that directions as a dietary choice so the more I can learn and the more recipes that are tasty in my arsenal, the better I'll fair.

The book is BEAUTIFUL.  I love that a photo of the recipe is on the same page with the recipe.  Many of the cook books I've purchased lately don't have photos with the recipes; they may have a photo section in the middle of the book with not all, but some of the recipes in glossy color.  That's sort of useless.

The sad thing is, while I would EAT almost every recipe in this book if it was served to me, I wouldn't make a single one of them.  I looked through the entire book and will now be finding someone to donate this pretty book to.

The recipes are gourmet or fru-fru, or she-she.  They have a lot of steps, a lot of labor (well, at least for this minimalistic cook), and to top it off, each recipe has at least one ingredient not available in my area.  Some of the ingredients are things I've never heard of.  I don't typically enjoy purchasing an entire pkg (even if I COULD find it) of some odd-ball ingredient that I may never use again.  I have to work with staples.  I live in a home of 550 square feet.  My entire kitchen cabinetry covers less than 10 feet.  Storage is at a premium and I'm already pushing the limits.

If Tal lived in my house (if he could find a roomy corner to bunk in), I would eat whatever he made me.  It looks beautiful and healthy and tasty.  But this style of cooking just isn't for me.

Book Review: Veganist by Kathy Freston

Veganist by Kathy Freston is, as you might imagine, a book encouraging you to become vegan.  In recent weeks, I've seen Kathy on a number of talk shows promoting her book and the vegan lifestyle.  In the presentations, what attracted me was her low-key, low on judgment approach that didn't involve looking down her nose at meat eaters as some form of appalling knuckle-draggers.  It was her gentle style that attracted me to the book.

I have to say, the book was not at all what I was expecting.  I should have been more diligent about researching the book before diving in.  I should have, at the very least, looked at the table of contents available on Amazon.  *I* thought the book would be a gentle approach into the how-to of becoming a vegan.  *I* thought it would be more of her same, gentle approach "As Seen On TV".

What I found was 10 Chapters of statistics, questionable statistics.  I saw scare tactics and I saw some of those knuckle-dragging insinuations, along with inflammatory words that left nothing to the imagination about what Kathy thinks of meat eating.  The impact, for me, was to turn me off of her overall message.  Only in the "Afterward" section does she return to her gentle encouragement, and suggestions on how to approach "leaning into" this lifestyle when ready.  The afterward is the part I should have purchased.

I've been "leaning into" vegetarianism for a little over a year.  I've been toying with and am now "leaning into" veganism (which simply means I have to get a little more diligent about eggs and dairy and any strays left in the ingredient lists I might be overlooking).  And I need a gentle approach.  A year ago, my favorite food was the largest New York Steak, medium rare, that I could lay my hands on...a pound and above preferably.  A little more than a year ago, I would have laughed at the very thought of me becoming a vegetarian.  But something in me began to shift.  That's about the only way I can explain it.  Stars lined up, information was put in my path, and a growing readiness in me to receive this information all merged.

I'm a doubting Thomas, and a Wendy Whiner.  I've learned, over the years to doubt statistics and to read them critically.  Many statistics in this book, I've seen exact opposites of by equally credentialed folks.  And statistics that are arbitrarily figured to create some fanciful conclusion just piss me off.  I've learned not to trust "experts" and doctors and researchers.  They are paid by and funded by a body or group with a vested interest in an outcome that supports their hypothesis.  I've done research in college.  I know how it works.  So I always take statistics with a grain of salt.  I don't discard them outright, but sometimes, it's pretty close.  So 10 chapters of statistics was a turn off.  When I knew I could pick up another book by a a different set of medicalized authors and read 10 chapters of statistics arguing the exact opposite.

Here are a few examples:

"When you eat meat, it's like you are taking food right out of the mouths of the poor." and "...if you choose to eat chicken, you are (in a very real way) a part of a macroeconimic system that causes a billion people to go hungry for want of any food at all..." 

OK, that's offensive and a bit histrionic.  Statements like that I would expect from someone from PETA throwing paint on people wearing fur, thinking it will convince them of their evil ways.  Yes, assault usually has a positive impact...not.  It smacks of elitism.  It certainly doesn't endear meat-eaters to consider your way of eating.  If you raise defenses through these tactics, you sort of miss your teaching opportunity.  Not everyone is so keen on fear and blame as an effective route to transformation.

"...a quantity of grain that could feed fifty people creates just one 8 ounce steak, a small steak by some standards." 

Again, these are extrapolations of statistics to make an everyday example more accessible, but there truly is no way to come to that conclusion.  It's guesswork.  And there are many such examples of things such as "if one person becomes a vegan, it will reduce this and that by X amount"...there just isn't a way to calculate this.

Chapter 8, You Will Reduce Animal Suffering is truly hard to take.  And yet, this is one place where I would agree, that the story does need to be told.  Even in-so-doing, one could refrain from such agitated words like "crammed", "piled" and "horns ripped out"; "carcasses" and "distribute their flesh".  The truth is grizzly enough without going all postal with the most graphic jargon you can think of.  I think, that the stats presented here would be rather hard to come up with a polar opposite for. 

Factory farming, even for the animals we get our eggs and dairy from, is deplorable, with very few exceptions.  When I watched Food Inc, I just got a tip of the iceberg.  Supposedly, (and personally, I don't have the stomach for it), if you Goggle "Factory Farm Videos", you'll see all you ever need to see.  Even on small, local farms where animals are treated well, the act of killing an animal (or many animals on butchering day) isn't pretty. 

It begins to be very hard to argue that it's necessary, healthy, humane or a good option.  I know in my heart without a shadow of a doubt, that if it were up to me to kill my protein, there is no way it would happen.  So that begs the obvious question:  If it feels wrong for me to do it, is it right for me to look the other way and have someone else do it and present me with a sanitized pkg of something no longer resembling an animal?" For me, increasingly, that answer is no.  While Chapter 8 is tough, it is an eye opener.  Sure, some will argue, they took the most extreme cases for presentation.  Probably so.  My guess is, it happens with far more regularity than any of us wants to see.  And if it happens anywhere, and is permitted by law, it's truly sad and frightening.

If you have yet to be exposed to stats from vegans, and want to be, this book is for you.  If you're looking for a gentle guide, stand in the book store and just read the afterward.  I also copied down about 4 websites listed in the back of the book to websites that offer free vegan recipes.

Kathy suggests giving up one animal at a time.  Honestly, for me, the process is one of hunting down and creating an ever increasing number of really good vegan meals.  If I have enough of those in my arsenal, why would I need to buy meat?  Oh yeah, cuz my husband eats it.  But sometimes I can simply cook him a portion of meat to go along with whatever else we are having and sometimes he doesn't even miss that it wasn't there.  Increasingly, we are eating differently from each other and it will take a process of adjustment to figure out how to work that out.  I'm making changes he is probably not interested in, and I need to be respectful of that, lest I become one of those vegans that slings around words like "flesh".

Client Testimony: About DOING Healing Work on ME

Going through old emails, I found this from a fellow healer from 2007.  Healers will often trade sessions with each other, both to assist and to have an opportunity to practice their skill building.  In this case, this healer is talking about how she felt during a healing session where I was the client:

It is interesting how our sessions have progressed. To me one of the most significant things to come out of them has been as you mentioned, to trust the information that I pick up. 

It is amazing how much is there, it is on such subtle levels (and to me it does feel like layers that just keep going) and I have to learn to fine tune my "radar" - and accept that - yes - it is valid info. We are opening new doors and I am discovering things I didn't even know existed.

When our session was over my take on it was that you were so much better but just didn't know it yet. It was like PsychK - when you get past the objections and feel that release, at one point in our session I felt the release of whatever it was going on, made me smile cause it suddenly felt like we were in a whole different place. I wanted to wait and see how you would feel, I still need that input. Then when my intuition turns out to be right it validates the process and gives me more confidence. Anyway, I has been an amazing journey. Thank you for traveling with me.

I am glad I could be of help today but the gift you give me is just as valuable or more so, a safe place to allow me to open to new levels and providing me with feedback. There is no way this would be happening without you.

Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, is the third and final book in this series and the final book for this author, Stieg Larsson.  Stieg died before any of these books were published.

In an earlier post, I reviewed the first two books:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl who Played with Fire.

In this final book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the case from the second book is continued.  In fact, it is almost at though the second and third book had originally been a 700 or 800 page book that necessarily had to be cut into two books.

The first book follows the saga of Michael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander through uncovering a mystery of a missing person, some murders, and financial fraud in the world of high finance.  The second book begins a new saga, where a government conspiracy is uncovered having to do with sex slave trafficking among other things.  And the third book concludes the second book.  At the end of the second book, Lisbeth is being transported by air to a hospital, and at the beginning of the third books, she arrives at the hospital.

In the same way that I had a love/hate relationship with the first two books, I felt the same with this final book.  The author puts in a lot of factual, research-based information to support that his fiction has some basis in fact, but he fails to weave it into the storyline as other similar novels have more successfully done.  There are large, boring, dead wood places in the book where he suspends the story-telling in order to interject his research.  Because the story and the characters are so compelling, I stayed with all three books, but I learned by the second book to begin to skim and gloss over the boring bits and get back to the story.  He probably could have easily cut at least a hundred pages out of each book had he edited the dead material out, or woven it into the story with greater brevity.

That being said, I loved the characters, especially Lisbeth Salander, our unlikely heroine.  And the court trial toward the end of the book where the bad guys get theirs is a total joy.  I love seeing creeps ensnared in their own nets.  Such fun.  You just want to stand up and cheer.

So...if you make it through book one, you'll know if you want to go on.  I'm glad I did, but was still frustrated with wanting to pare the books down to just the relevant material.  They might even make good movies...because they will necessarily have to stick to the action for time sake.

Energy Session: Smoker's Symptoms

In going through some more emails, I came across this email exchange between a client and myself from June of 2008.

I had seen this client for an energy healing session, in which we discussed some personal issues she was having, and we did an energy healing session.

The unexpected side effect I experienced follows:

Me:  Wondering....have you ever had any issues with your lungs? (illness, smoking, asthma, allergies)?

Client: 

well, I smoked for about 10 years, well, more, honestly.  And when I'm treated, my lung pulse is low, but I haven't had issues, like asthma or anything.  I think it's more heart stuff, but they are in the same area.  I think part of the problem, on my end, is that I don't speak my heart's truth...it all gets caught in my throat. 

Me: The funny part of this is, later in the day...I WANTED to smoke, and I've never smoked, and don't even know HOW to smoke.  This morning I woke up with junk in my lungs and what felt/sounded like a smoker's cough.  It is clearing as the day unfolds.  Maybe that translates into some improved lung function for you...I have no idea really how this works, but it made me wonder.

This stuff never ceases to amaze me.  What a miracle life and our interconnected is.  

It was the strangest experience.  I've had it happen before that during or following an energy session, I take on symptoms of the client...even if I didn't know what they were, and even if that wasn't what we were working on.  The only way I can explain it is that the connection becomes so close during those sessions, that there ceases, for a short while, to be a dividing mark on where I end and they begin...like our energy fields merge for a brief time.  Also, I have had the experience of feeling like a dializer or filter, like for a short while, I take out the toxins, or impurities from another's body, filter them, and return health.  Right or wrong, it sometimes works that way...and can be to my detriment.  It can sometimes take me a few days of feeling ill to recover following a healing session.  That's one reason I limit my human contact.  I can feel what others are feeling, and somehow sponge some of it up.  One day I hope to be a better channel of it all.  But for now, I just can't work on very many people.

Legacy of Suicide in Winthrop, Maine

I found the following e-mail saved in my "spirit" file on the computer.  I've been going through them, sorting, dumping, and blogging about the interesting ones.

In January of 2006, my husband handed me an issue of Sport's Illustrated.  One of the articles, about a legacy of suicides among athletes in Winthrop, Maine.  I was able to locate that article if you wish to read it.  Here's the link to the article What Went Wrong in Winthrop?

After reading it, I felt moved to write to the (then) coach, Norm Thombs.  I just felt strongly that I needed to write to him.  I don't know if the letter ever reached him.  I didn't get it back as undeliverable, but neither did I get a response.  I can only imagine what he must have thought.

Here is what I sent to him (pretty ballsy of me, don't ya think?):

Dear Norm,

I recently read the January 9, 2006 Sport's Illustrated article on the suicides in Winthrop (and other deaths).

I know you might think I'm a whack-job, but I'm a fledgling psychic.  A few things about the article and the situation stuck out for me. It is very limited information but I'm wondering if you might not consider finding a GOOD psychic to come to Winthrop and see what is going on.  I e-mailed Allison Dubois of "Medium" TV fame, but understandably, she is pretty darn busy.  I'm hoping the message finds her anyway because she was who came to mind after reading the article.

Beyond sports pressure, dark Maine winters, statistics and copy-cat stuff, this stuck out in the article: 

"...Winthrop was, at its core, a football town.  Its fiercest ravalries - with Jay, Lisbon, Livermore Falls and Boothbay - dated to before World War II.  Grandfathers, fathers and sons had all played against the same schools on the same fields..."

I'm feeling like there is something that connects history of rivalries, earthbound spirits and perhaps just a lot of lingering negative thought forms that may be contributing.  What is going on there is bigger than can be explained through usual ways.  I'm wondering what a gifted person could gain from reading the energy field of Winthrop, or of trying to make contact with the deceased boys to find out what influenced them or who.  The most famous psychics I know are John Edwards and Allison Dubois but I'm sure there are others...maybe one of them can suggest somebody who THEY vouch for in terms of accuracy and skill.  The tidbits I'm picking up are just leads...messages to seek more.

I chose to find you because I felt your heart the most.  I felt your need to understand might be great enough to overcome whatever mind blocks you might have over the idea of using a psychic to seek answers.  I wish I could help more.

May you find peace.  You did EVERYTHING you knew to do and did your best.  Put aside any guilt.  Anger is natural as you try to make sense of the senseless. 

I know enough to know that the spirits of those boys may be your greatest resources in solving this.  Often in sudden or violent deaths, the spirit may not know it is dead, and may be earthbound until it works things out.  Maybe there are many such spirits in Winthrop and with the help of people who know more than I do, could be helped to move on, maybe the energy of Winthrop can be turned around.  

As much as I imagine Winthrop would hate more publicity or being made into more of a circus than it is, if you can't find a psychic through more traditional means, you could always go public with a request again.  I suspect, however, that there are many with those gifts within your community.  Most of us don't hang out a shingle or ask for money or even tell people the things we "see" because it is hard to live normally with those types of judgements around you.

Take the time to heal.  Keep looking for answers.  They are there, somewhere.
All my best,

Book Review: The Laws of Spirit; A Tale of Transformation

The Laws of Spirit; A Tale of Transformation, by Dan Millman, is a little book of profound wisdom written in a style of a fictitious story or parable.  It's an older book, published in 1995, but new to me, and that's what counts, right?  A friend of mine lent it to me and now I think I must purchase it.

It's a small paperback of just over 100 pages (without much print on each page), so it's a quick read in one way, but one that I want to have to write in, underline in, ponder and return to, and sit with certain statements while meditating.  It seems like most of the sage wisdom in the universe can be found in this little book.

Twelve "Laws of Spirit" are discussed while the main character is on a spiritual journey in the woods.  He comes across a "Sage" and they spend time together in nature discussing the spiritual journey we are all on in one way or another.  The 12 laws are:

• The Law of Balance
• The Law of Choices
• The Law of Process
• The Law of Presence
• The law of Compassion
• The Law of Faith
• The Law of Expectation
• The Law of Integrity
• The Law of Action
• The Law of Cycles
• The Law of Surrender
• The Law of Unity

"Faith means living with uncertainty, Traveler - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.  There is no absolute security except in absolute faith.  This doesn't mean that all circumstances will go your way or that divine justice is operating every time you injure or heal yourself.  All sorts of events, both beautiful and terrible, can happen in this world.  Or small mind cannot always see the bigger picture or know what is for our highest good.  So despite the confusion and insecurity of life, when you can learn t live on faith, like the flower, trusting Spirit working according to a higher will beyond the reach of your mind, you'll see Spirit operating everywhere, in everyone and everything."

 

Medicine Cards: Review and Author Interpretation

I'm continuing the process of going through some old emails in a folder I've marked "Spirit".  They are emails that at the time seemed important in my awakening spiritual journey.  In this email, I have an exchange with author David Carson about a Medicine Card layout I did with the divination cards they created.


I used to have about two baskets full of cards of various types: Tarot, angels, mermaids, and the like, along with this set of Medicine Cards.  The general principle behind all such decks is to gain insight.  I've never really seen them as definitive fortune telling tools.  And I don't think they contain any good or evil powers.  They're just tools for exploration of the self or to assist another in their self exploration.


All such decks either come with a book, booklet or instruction card telling you various ways you may use them.  Their are certain layouts that may give you guidance about past, present and future.  Or you can simply choose one single card while asking a question for divine guidance and then see what the message or explanation of that card is.  I enjoyed these for a while and then, on a whim, passed all of my decks on to a friend.


On March 23, 2005 (as the email is dated), after having performed a card layout in accordance with the book, I was not making sense of it, and I searched out, and wrote to one of the authors, David Carson.  I do this from time to time, and as long as the author isn't somebody like J.K. Rawling (who I'm sure is plenty nice but probably so over-run with fans that answering individual queries is far from possible), authors are often super nice about answering some questions, and are glad that you are utilizing their product or reading their materials.  So I contacted David, and told him what my card layout was and asked for his assistance.  He was very kind and detailed in his response and I'm grateful.  Hey, many years later, it gave me a blog post topic, right??  Here then, without further ado, is that email exchange:

Hi David,

I recently purchased the medicine card deck and did a reading of my 9 animal totems.  It wasn't clear from the book if this one-time-only drawing incorporates animals drawn in the contrary.  What I find curious is that of my 9, all but one were drawn upside down.  What the heck does that mean, I'm a big loser? :-)

My cards were/are as follows:

East:
Spider (contrary)

South:
Whale (contrary)

West:
Lynx (contrary)

North:
Horse (contrary)

Above:
Butterfly (contrary)

Below:
Prairie Dog (the only card drawn right side up)

Within:
Wolf (contrary)

Right Side:
Dolphin (contrary)

Left Side:
Frog (contrary)

This is definately a time of spiritual growth, awareness, turmoil and has been really churning for the last couple of years.  Also, I am aware of deep sense of retreat and a place of waiting.

Thanks for any insight,
Cherrie~ Visualize this thing you want.  See it, feel it, believe in it. 
Make your mental blueprint and begin.~ 
~ Robert Collier ~

Dear Cherrie,

It doesn't matter about contrary cards for this reading and you certainly are not a loser.  In fact, these are contrary times and your cards are very powerful.  The cards probably fell that way to help you realize the plight we are all in and be a part of the solution to humanity's problems.  

East spider is the light weaver and contrary doesn't matter with spider anyway.  Construct your spiritual web as per your Robert Collier quote.  

South contrary whale is telling you to listen to the depth of your soul to find your personal path.  Some people call whale card the akashic record player.  If you are going around and around with a dilemma, use whale to blast out of your rut and find the higher groove.  Remember it is not just a circle and with the right whale medicine you spiral upward and out of your patterns.  

Use west lynx to see through darkness.  Are there things you don't want to look at?  Use lynx to examine your secrets and the secrets of others.  Use lynx to face your truth.  

Horse north means to realize your spiritual power and let the medicine teach you so you begin to use your own power.  Don't give this responsibility to others.  It's yours.  Use it to help others and power through spiritual problems.  By realizing and utilizing horse medicine you will then see through to the spirit of the situation.  

Butterfly above means that your ideas and spiritual milieu need to transform.  Wearing black and gray make for depression.  Bring more color into your life and don't be afraid to be colorful.  In the old days the great warriors would hold butterfly to their heart and ask it for power to transform, for quick movement and darting power--the elusive and beautiful butterfly.  Ask butterfly for these powers of mind and spirit.  

Prairie dog tells you to be more playful and keep inner knowing of the world and powers below.  That is where all great shaman get their medicine and this tells me that you can too.  

Wolf contrary within tells you to take your power to teach and help others find their path.  You may be resisting this by claiming confusion rather than clarity.  

Right dolphin is telling you to use your power of breath to connect with your male active side.  Try breathing techniques and pranayama.  Are you doing shallow breathing.  Let elemental air go through your whole body and not just the surface of your lungs.  Try to find harmonious movement with the cosmos.  

Left side frog means to clean up your feminine image and you have probably let others pollute the beautiful spirit you were given by Creator.  Be proud and happy with who you are and be receptive to the powers that can detoxify and cleanse you of harmful self criticism or criticism from others.  

Take care of the physical body and keep your mind at a high spiritual plateau.  And remember, Cherrrie, you are the one you have been waiting for.

Respects,
David Carson with a whole bunch of help from my friend Rhonda.

Book Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire is book two in a three-book series published posthumously for author Sieg Larsson.

The primary players in this series are Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist whose primary goal it is to uncover and report corruption, and Lisbeth Salander, a social misfit, genius, computer-hacker, who enjoys interesting challenges.

In book one, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Lisbeth Salander), the storyline follows a missing person's case linked to fraud in the financial world...which turns into murder and then some.

In this "episode" the topic is the sex trade and young girls as prostitution slaves.  Lisbeth is framed for three murders and is on the run to both escape capture and find the real killers.  Blomkvist is assisting.  Interestingly, in this book, they do not speak or meet in person, and only communicate through cryptic computer files.  Lisbeth and Blomkvist had an affair in book one and unbeknown to Blomkvist, Lisbeth fell in love for the first time in her life.  But she's a loner who doesn't trust anyone, so when she saw Blomkvist with another woman, she cut off all contact with him without ever explaining why.  And when Lisbeth doesn't want to be found, she won't be.  The book is full of twists and close calls and questions about who can be trusted in positions of power.

Right away, I started the third and final book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's nest.  I have no idea yet what it's about.

The setting for all books is Sweden.  The topics of financial corruption and sex slavery appear to be relevant topics of social concern to the author in this country.  There is quite a wealth of background research and history of these social issues presented in the book.  Sometimes to the detriment of the flow.

My mother made it into the first book 50 pages and gave up.  That's her policy.  If a book doesn't hook her in the first 50 pages, she's done.  I stuck with it and at times have had a love/hate relationship with the writing.  It made me wonder if perhaps since the author died before these were published that their may be some editorial rule about what can be altered before publication.  I have this thought that had the author lived there would have been a long process of cutting out the dead weight in the books.  Because I think that much of the background info is too long and leads to dry spells in the book.  I found myself skimming over these and then walking away from the book for a while.  But when it got to the nitty-gritty, I was in for the ride.  I imagine that will be the same with this third book.  I fully intend to just skim those bits and move on to the juicy bits.

I also find that at times, since the names and places are foreign, I'm unable to fully follow the flow of peripheral characters.  I get confused about who's who except for Blomkvist and Salander.  So I sort of have to flow with that too.  And it wasn't until the final chapter that I even made sense out of the books prologue.  I'll save you some trouble there because it won't ruin the book, I don't think.  The prologue is a look backwards when Lisbeth was held in a mental institution when she was around 12.  I kept trying to tie it into a sex slave abduction and it didn't fit...until the final chapter and then I wondered why it was structured that way since it really didn't help the story.

Structural issues aside and dry spells be damned, I think the series is worth reading.  They are long books (and would have been way better without the dead wood...cuz they would have been much shorter).  In the end, the books are really about the activities and lives of Blomkvist and Salander and how they move in their world of dangerous discoveries.  Lisbeth Salander IS the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I love her character, and her intelligence, her courage and her will to survive.  She's an independent and capable woman.  Her flaw is in never trusting and never bonding to anyone.  It's possible she has attachment disorder, or just severe untreated PTSD.

Book Review: Buddhism For Dummies

Buddhism For Dummies by Jonathan Landaw and Stephan Bodain is a comprehensive guide on Buddhism.

I've always been curious about religions that I don't know anything about.  And I learned that the worst place to learn about different religions is in your own church.  Sorry, but usually the instruction focuses on how it is bad and yours is good, vs just giving you the ideas about what that religion is really all about.

This book is written by historians in religious studies and is about as unbiased as I could find.  I even had a Buddhist monk friend of mine read it and she thought it was balanced and accurate.

Buddhism dates back over 2,500 years.  I'll give you some basic info about Buddhism and you can look up the terms you find below for more information if you wish.

3 Jewels of Refuge
Buddha
Dharma (the teachings)
Sangha (the Buddhist Community)

3 Higher Trainings
Morality
Concentration
Wisdom

4 Noble Truths
Suffering
Cause of suffering
Cessation of suffering
Eight-Fold Path to the cessation of suffering

4 Marks of Buddha's Teachings
Compounded phenomena are impermanent
Ordinary phenomena are unsatisfactory
All phenomena are unsubstantial (selfless)
Nirvana is peace

5 Aggregates (Skandhas)
Form
Feeling
Recognition
Karmic formations
Consciousness

6 Mahayana perfections
Generosity (giving)
Moral discipline (ethics)
Patience
Effort, Energy
Meditative Concentration
Wisdom

10 Theravada Perfections
Generosity
Moral Discipline
Patience
Effort
Meditative Concentration
Wisdom
Renunciation
Truthfulness
Loving-kindness
Equanimity

8-Fold Path
Right view
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration

10 Non-Virtuous Actions
Body
Killing
Stealing
Sexual Misconduct
Speech
Lying Divisive Speech
Harsh Speech
Idle Gossip
Mind
Covetousness
Ill Will
Wrong Views

12 Links of Dependent Arising
Ignorance
Karmic Formations
Consciousness
Name and Form
Six Senses
Contact
Feeling
Craving
Grasping
Becoming
Birth
Aging and Death

Yes, Buddhist believe in reincarnation.  They believe that we live many lives.

No, To Buddhists, Buddha is not God and they don't worship idols.  This is a misconception based on our using our lense of Christianity to view Buddhism through.  Buddhists do not actually believe in a God or Deity Christians have. Buddha was a wise, elder, a man who went through a lot on his spiritual journey.  Buddha was a prince who left the comforts of his home to live in poverty and to learn about the spiritual path.  Buddhists have great respect for him as a teacher and leader, not as a god.  They do not worship him.  The statuary is a cultural norm.  It is a way of paying respect.  Bowing is a cultural norm that shows respect.  So what looks to us like praying to statues or making Buddha God is our lack of understanding showing.

Buddhists, are not ALL vegetarians, although many are.  This comes from a respect for all life and to not harm other beings.  Buddhism tends to be one of the most tolerant religions of OTHER religions.  They aren't knocking on doors to turn you into one of them.  They just peacefully do their thing.

What I always find fascinating is to look for all of the ways that religions are similar.  Do you notice that the 10 Non-Virtuous Actions, rather resemble the Christian 10 Commandments?  And Buddhism predates Christianity.  And another similarity I find is that every religions I've read about has similar codes of personal conduct, and the idea of loving each other and of doing the best that you can to be the best person you can.

I'm not an expert by any means on Buddhism, and I'm not a Buddhist.  If you want to know and learn more, I encourage you to read this book, read other books, visit Buddhist temples, talk to monks.  Educate yourself.  We have a vast and wonderful world.  We are more alike than we are different.

Self-Talk Tips from Robin Rose

Check out these self-talk tips from my friend Robin Rose.  Love her!

Product Review: Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Lip Stick

Recently, when I was at my local health food store picking up this and that, on a whim, I bought two tubes of Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Lipstick. I'm not sure why...I love make-up I guess, even though it usually sits in a drawer.  My all-time favorite lipsticks have become Burts' Bees Lip Shimmers.  But you can find that in an earlier post by searching those key words...I'm too lazy at the moment to go find it and put the link in for you...that's me..that's how I roll.

Back to Honeybee Garden's lip sticks.  I purchased two colors:  Karma and Deep Roots.  Karma is a very light, peachy color that might be a little too light.  I like it, but it sort of is that new look that makes you look a little pale and washed out.  Deep Roots is a little more orange than my standard go-to Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer shade of Nutmeg.

I read the ingredient list (as best as this nearly 50 year old broad could do with that fine print) and determined that the ingredient list was good.  I don't take their word for it anymore...I read labels.  The lipsticks are about $10 which is fairly standard but still high in my mind.  But I bit.  Got them home and gave them a whirl.

I'm sadly disappointed.  If they had a moneyback guarantee, I would pursue it toot-sweet. On their website, they use words like "lip quenching" and "goes on smooth".  Uh...no.  I beg to differ.  I found them to be very dry, and to go on hard and waxy.  They drug.  They drug so much, in fact that the first one I tried, BROKE.  I never roll my sticks up all the way, only just the littlest amount needed to get some on and it BROKE.  OK, there is nothing worse than a brand new tube of lipstick that breaks at the base.  That's gonna be nothing but a pain in the butt for the duration of the tube.  And my lips felt parched while I was wearing it...like I needed chapstick.  How sad is that?

They do offer .50 cent sample sizes in many of their products online.  I would start there if I were you.  To see what you think before buying the larger sizes (our local store did not have samples).  I think...Honeybee Gardens...you should compensate me if you read this.  Send me a sample of each of your products for me to try and review, and offer a giveaway on my blog to redeem yourselves.  I love natural products.  I'm not encouraged enough by what I have here to try again with your brand.  What say you?

Here is an update I received from Honeybee Gardens regarding my post (which I forwarded to them):

Hello Cherrie-

You recently contacted us about our Truly Natural Lipsticks. We've 
read your blog review, and are, quite frankly, surprised. Our 
lipsticks are made with moisturizing and nourishing ingredients like 
Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E, and have 
superior hydrating qualities compared to other non-natural brands. I 
have a suggestion based on my personal experience not only in the 
Natural Products industry, but with lipstick as well. You mention in 
your blog that you are a fan of Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers. While 
natural in their own right, they are quite a different product than a 
true lipstick. Lipsticks require much, much more pigmentation than a 
tinted lip gloss/balm  would. Because of that, and especially if you 
are not used to wearing lipstick (which it would appear that you may 
not be,) lipstick can sometimes have a drier feel on your lips. Also, 
take in to account where the lipstick was purchased. Some stores do 
not have high volume turnover, and therefore retain inventory longer. 
This means the product you purchased could have been old, and dried out.

We are truly sorry that you had a less than desirable experience with 
our Truly Natural Lipsticks. If you would like, we would be more than 
happy to send you another Truly Natural Lipstick to try.


Paula Hunter
Sales Manager
Honeybee Gardens, Inc.
200 Penn Ave.
West Reading, PA 19611
610-396-9225 phone
610-396-9226 fax
www.honeybeegardens.com

So, I've offered to return the product for replacement.  We'll see where it goes from here.  As to if the product was old on the shelf, it would seem that if indeed this is possible, they would have expiration dates on the product.  My local natural foods store is not the most accommodating on a return of this nature.   I've also asked the company if they would consider sponsoring a give-away on the blog so that other users would have a chance to sample the product and debunk my claim.  We'll see if they are interested in that.

I will also update, that since the weather has warmed and it is not as chilly in the house, the product is a bit softer.  I still have a stick that broke immediately, and to me, the product feels drying and not hydrating.  I can't explain that given the listed ingredients, but my lips feel a tad like when alcohol is present in a product. and it leaves me with the feeling that I want to add chap stick to it because my lips burn.  I'm not known for having sensitive skin, and I don't typically react to any cosmetic.  I wanna be nice...I wanna love it...I'm not there yet.