Ghosts are People Too Part 4 – What Can We Learn?

October 28th, 2010 by admin

Accidental Medium PostTo Our Readers:
This is the continuing email conversation about Ghosts between my old friend McFly and I to help him with his Ghost Tours of New Orleans.  Here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you haven’t read them yet.

Dearest Mcfly,
Here is some more fertile fodder for your ghost tours…
BTW Just so happens I am doing a ghost busting tomorrow morning in the Village. Possibly, a crusty old man who may not be too keen on kids. There are now two young kids in “his” house.  We shall get to the bottom of it!  : )  Now on to your questions…

4. What can we, the living, learn from the existence of ghosts?

Well, just off the top of my head…

  • Life is much bigger than what we can see in 3D.
  • There is life after death.
  • We are all Spirit.
  • Ghosts are people too.
  • There is no such thing as coincidence.
  • When we die, unfinished business in this life can keep us bound to earth.
  • Ghosts give us a first-hand view of history.
  • What you resist persists.
  • We create our own reality.
  • The paranormal is actually normal…

A bit about ghosts…
Unlike our higher Spirit form, ghosts can only be in one place at a time – so ghosts have another similarity to us here on earth. Spirits, on the other hand, can be in several (who knows how many) places at once. Another characteristic we talked about that separates higher Spirits from ghosts, is that ghosts still have their egos very much intact – if they were bullies on this side, well, once a bully always a bully. When we move to our higher Spirit form, our ego falls away.

But here’s the underlying message about ghostly egos:
If you stay in the astral planes as a ghost, you still create your reality just as we do here in the physical world:  Those who had a particular ego on earth will still “be” as they were in the astral planes (nice, happy, sad, disgruntled, victim etc). In Spirit, we only see love.  There are no problems. There is only joy.

Like attracts like, or two sides of the same coin unite.
From what I’ve learned, ghosts with similar energies or co-dependencies will hang out together, just as we do here on earth.  For instance, if you were a drug dealer, thief and/or pimp, you’ll probably be hanging out with other drug dealers, thieves and pimp ghosts.  If you were not able to stand up for yourself on this side and you get stuck in the astral planes, you could be bullied by the bully ghosts, or alternatively find a ghost in shining armor to watch over you.

Ghosts enjoy the freedom after a succumbing to a long illness.
I met a ghost at an old resort we stayed at on a family vacation. This man had been a longtime visitor to the resort – he and his wife rented a cottage for their family to visit every year. But he became seriously ill in his final few years, making those visits very difficult on him and his wife.  He’d died a few weeks before our arrival.

I saw him now hanging out with his family, enjoying his time with them – and the freedom and feeling of ‘wellness” that he had in his current form that he didn’t have while alive and still attached to his disintegrating body.  His wife was very pleased to know she wasn’t going crazy and knew why she was not missing him – since he was right there beside her. (That’s a story I need to post!)

Ghosts attach onto energy that they recognize or died in.
Ghosts tend to stay tied to one place – in a space with energy they are comfortable with.  Places that tend to be haunted are bars (a hot spot for ghosts who had alcohol addictions in life), theaters (oh, the DRAMA), old hotels, old homes, old churches, old cemeteries, old schools, battlefields, antique stores…

Anywhere there has been trauma, drama, a place of past rituals, or places that have been touched by layer upon layer of history, you have the opportunity for ghosts.  Even new buildings can be haunted because of previous incidences that happened on the land the building sits on.

That’s not to say ghosts won’t travel.
They do!  (You won’t read that in most books). Hotels are common places for ghosts  – where people will bring in ghosts that are attached to them, then the ghost may break off because they like the feeling of the new space they are in, or they may attach on to another person they feel more comfortable with. Even airplanes will have their share of ghosts that are attached to people who are traveling.  Anywhere you have a confluence of people you have the opportunity for ghosts.  You could bring one home with you if you are not aware.

If a ghost likes your energy, they can glom onto you and travel with you significant distances. We had a ghost travel with us from the big city, to a friend’s farm to our home in the country – a distance of some 1200 km and 4 days of travel time.  (Yet another story I must post.)

A sailor, a convict or a pirate?
I had a friend who lived in that quirky little group of little Caribbean cottages on the beach. Remember Duppy Walk?  I’d always wondered why they called it Duppy Walk (Duppy is the Jamaican term for ghost. )  My friend’s boyfriend, an electrical engineer, filled me in about the Duppy component:  He’d been walking along that stretch of beach one morning and a jovial black man showed up beside him, smiled at him, and then disappeared.

I was walking along the same stretch of beach one afternoon a year later, and a black man appeared under a nearby grape tree, smiled at me with a big toothy grin, winked at me, and by the time I’d blinked he’d vanished. What stayed with me was his black and white striped shirt.

I thought about this for months, trying to figure out who he was.  And then it dawned on me: Located underwater and about ¼ mile off shore in front of Duppy Walk, are the unmarked remains of those ten tall ships that ran aground on the outside of the reef.  Apparently, it’s also the site of numerous other unknown shipwrecks.

Could this man have been one of the sailors – and from which wreck?  Or maybe he was a former occupant of the local jail that used to be situated in the nearby town at about the same time period?  Or maybe he was just a pirate – it was a hotbed for piracy back then too.  Or maybe he was a merchant sailor off a wreck who later ended up in jail for piracy?  It was one of my earlier encounters with ghosts so I had lots of questions.

Ghosts tend to show themselves to intuitive people.
Some people have developed their psychic abilities and are open to the presence of ghosts, so tend to see them. Other people are just naturally tapped in to the other side whether they want to or not:  These people often aren’t aware that they have open psychic pathways within themselves – like clairvoyance (seeing), clairaudience (hearing), clairsentience (sensing), – so they may attract and interact with ghosts and not even know why this is happening “to them”. They don’t realize that it “is them” – their energetic frequency is a magnet for ghosts.

This is why ghost encounters can force us to open us up to our own spiritual selves and intuitive abilities.  Alternatively, we can let these encounters freak us out so much we try to block off our psychic pathways whether we are aware of them or not.  Blocking these experiences of is not a good idea since one of the natural spiritual laws states “What you resist persists.”

A bit about Ghost Tours
It’s been noted that people who set up ghost tours tend to be more intuitive and have had experiences that they want to share. The other thing is, large ghost tours may cancel out the energy of the ghost. Remember what I said about too many people in a haunted space? It can be difficult to feel the energy of the ghost.

When I went on the ghost tour at the Queen Mary (several years after I’d been having these ghostly experienced during my stays there) I felt NOTHING. but there were 20 people on the tour.  The 1 ½ hour tour produced zero ghostly encounters.  I mentioned to a few of the obviously disappointed tour goers,  “If you really want a guaranteed ghost encounter you should book my room next time!”

McFly, I’ll answer your ghostly question #5 in the next email… (Part 5 What do they want from us?)

Hugs,

Tida (a.k.a The Accidental Medium)

— With thanks to Spirit for infinite return.
(c) 2010, 2011, 2012 The Accidental Medium. UltraMarine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ghosts are People Too Part 3 – Manifestations 2.0

October 28th, 2010 by admin

Accidental Medium Post
To Our Readers:
This is the continuing email conversation about Ghosts between my old friend McFly and I to help him with his Ghost Tours of New Orleans. Here are Part 1 and Part 2.

Dear McFly,
I trust that you’ve consumed and integrated Manifestations 101.  Now I can explain some of the more unsettling stuff, some of which happens to people with a bit more developed sixth sense.   So let’s continue on with this question:

#3.  How do ghosts manifest themselves?

Ghosts can make things go bump (scrape, rattle, creak) in the night.
There are many noises that ghosts typically make. Footsteps are common, as are doors slamming, floorboards groaning, dishes rattling, pictures falling off walls, chairs creaking like someone is sitting in them.  Then there are the items they actually move to make a noise – like window blinds flying up (thwwwappp!), rockers rocking.  Those are just some of the more classic experiences. To make a noise a ghost has to learn how to manipulate energy but it’s not easy, so each ghost seems to stick to a small bag of “tricks” they do well to grab your attention.  Often it’s something they’ve always done when they were alive.

A new trick.
Just the other night I was lying awake at 3 a.m. looking at the full moon streaming in and suddenly heard a loud grating sound of something scraping along the kitchen floor.  I jumped out of bed and zipped into the kitchen to see if the dog was into something. Freddie was sleeping peacefully on his pillow. The cats were sequestered and snoozing outside on the porch.  But the metal cover on the air vent by the dining room table had been pulled out of its hole in the floor and had been dragged two feet away – hence the grating sound on the tile floor.  Hubby was snoring. Kids were asleep. Pets accounted for. We don’t have mice or other rodents in the house.  My Mom was in the guest bedroom and she too heard the racket.  This is a new trick for our house – Maybe a new ghost? I’ll keep you posted.

Ghosts like knocking.
My first visit to the Queen Mary, I was in my cabin, standing right in front of the cabin door when somebody knocked. I was close enough to look immediately out through the peephole. Nobody. I opened the door and walked down the short corridor to the main passageway and there was nobody.  This has happened a few times while staying on the Queen Mary. It’s an old ship so knocking sounds can be chalked up to a creaky old ocean liner. But considering the ship’s haunted reputation, and combined with all the other incidences that I experienced, it was probably a ghost.

Some Ghosts can Speak.
Ghosts can speak audibly so that an average person can physically hear them – and I believe this feat is accomplished by those who have been a ghost for quite some time, certainly long enough to develop this advanced skill.  When Kate was a baby, I heard the grandmotherly patter of a woman talking to Kate in Kate’s room.  Since I am clairaudient, I thought I was the only one who could hear this.  But my darling hubby, supposedly fast asleep, whipped the covers over his head and whispered loudly. “DID YOU HEAR THAAAATTT?????”  It turned out to be his Mom – she had not crossed over.

Lost Ghosts.
Beatrice, the little girl attached to the antique carousel horse we’d acquired, would cry out “Mommy!!!” in the middle of the night, right in front of me, in the dark. It was a little unnerving, but I realized she was a lost and lonely child who was just looking for her Mom.  (I really must post this story of Beatrice and the carousel horse).

Party Ghosts.
I have also heard ghosts partying – people laughing, glasses clinking, orchestra music playing and people talking. These “scenes” can be ghosts OR they can be imprints from the past and not ghosts… but that’s another story for another email.

If you are somewhat sensitive to the energy of others…
You may feel a ghost’s presence in a room – just like when you walk into your house and you get the feeling you are not alone, that another family member is present somewhere.  Ghosts still have their egos so it’s much easier to feel their energy – it’s not too different from our pwn.

The air feels different.
You may feel a change in air pressure. The room might feel heavy.  You might feel like you need air: It reminds me of some people I know, who walk into a room and suck the air out of it: They take up way more space than their actual size.  Ghosts can have this effect too. There may be a change in temperature – the room gets colder. Or you may feel a cool breeze, yet no window is open, no fan is on.

The hair on the back of you neck may stand up.
Ghosts tend to stand in your personal energy field – your aura – so you feel crowded but nobody is there, at least nobody you can see.  You may get strange tingles, not warm fuzzies, but more like a very mild electric shock.  Not to be confused with paranoia, but you may get an unnerving feeling that someone is watching you.  You may feel slightly or very claustrophobic.

You may get a sense of unease or one of peace.

  • Unease is typical if you don’t know the person or they are indeed trying to scare you.  But what’s more likely is your being scared of the unknown while playing with the possibility that you are imagining things or going a little bonkers.
  • Peaceful feelings are typical if you are open to the whole aspect of life being much bigger than what you can physically see and are excited about the adventure,  and more so if you are getting the distinct feeling that it’s someone you know who you love.
  • If you are sensitive to the energy of emotion, you may even feel the waves of love if someone who loves you is standing by you.

Let’s Talk About Clairsentience.
What we’ve been talking about above – this sensitivity to the emotionally charged energy from others and in the environment – is part of clairsentience. Clairsentience is the ability to feel the emotions and/or physical pain of others.  I read somewhere that about 70% of the population has some clairsentient abilities.  I don’t know how that number was arrived at, but it’s probably fairly accurate. Case in point: I bet you’ve walked into what sounded like a calm room but immediately sensed that all was not well  – that an altercation is taking place.  Most of us can sense emotional discord charging a space.  It feels uncomfortable – it doesn’t match our own energy.

If your clairsentient abilities have developed more significantly you may not only feel the presence of a ghost, and gauge their emotion but you may also feel the way in which they died in your own body.  When I first met Lady Camille, a ghost who was a repeat visitor to the side of Matilda’s crib, her presence made my throat go dry and I felt like gagging, and then I got racing heart palpitations.  I found out later Lady Camille had stopped eating and died 10 days later of heart failure.  (Another story to share on AM.)

You may also feel them touch you.
This was my ultimate worst fear, but when it finally happened, it was not a big deal at all.  I had just finished up presenting a daylong seminar onboard the Queen Mary and was ready to decompress.  I joined friends at a table at the patio bar on the bow of the Queen Mary.

While chatting and waiting to place my drink order, I felt a strong TAP TAP TAP  on the shoulder.  At first I thought it was the server trying to get my attention, or perhaps one of my tablemates. I turned and seeing nobody, turned to the side. Nobody. Was someone playing a trick on me?  You know the one where someone sneaks up beside you but taps your opposite shoulder so when you turn to that side and see nobody, it freaks you out??

Well. nobody was there on either shoulder, and there was nobody close enough that could have tapped me on the shoulder either.  My table mates were seated too far away, and there was nobody seated or walking anywhere near the vicinity of my table.  I sat there with a stunned look on my face. Eventually the ghost revealed himself. A young man dressed in a sailor’s uniform circa WWII stood to one side and waved at me.  Harmless stuff. He was just happy I could see him.

There are ghosts who try to scare or threaten.
These are the lowlifes who just enjoy hanging out with fellow lowlifes.  They scared and threatened people during their lifetime and they keep doing it as a ghost. They get a charge out of it, just as they did in life.  To really stir things up in the physical world, these ghosts need a lot of energy. Where do they get it? Primarily by feeding off the energy you give off in the form of fear. So. The more afraid you are, the more energy you are potentially supplying the ghost who’ll give it right back at ya. You actually create a vicious circle where your own fear will create more fear in you. Therefore, it is essential to NOT be scared when you are in the presence of ghosts.

I know what you’re saying…
“grrrrreaaaat. And how do I do that?”  The key thing to remember – and hardwire this next sentence into your brain circuitry: “WE have control on this side, not ghosts.” Got that? We are in the driver’s seat. Ghosts can cause disturbances but in my experience they can’t actually “do” anything – especially if we aren’t fanning the flames with our own fear.  I’ll talk more about this when we get into psychic protection.

What about those stories of people being killed by ghosts?
Fictional murderous ghost stories aside, I’ve heard stories of real people who’ve had heart attacks or committed suicide from encounters with ghosts.  In my view, that is really their own inability to handle their fear.  The ghost didn’t “do” them in. The person went into fight or flight mode, a knee-jerk reaction into fear.  No thinking 0r choice was involved.  Their reptilian brain took control and they literally scared themselves to death.  Those that differ with my view, believing that ghosts can inflict physical harm of their own accord, may have had bad things happen so their perspective is very different than mine.

I believe perspective is everything.
We really do create our own reality.  People who have a positive outlook about themselves and other people, and view the world as an essentially good place will likely find the good in an unsettling ghost encounter.  These people may generally attract more upbeat ghosts because of their positive energy.  Other people who see the world as a battle between good and evil, who feel under siege in an inherently dangerous place will probably have a very different reaction to a bully ghost.  Their fearful energy may play a part in attracting the nasty ghost encounters.  Key take-away here: Try to remain calm – Be aware that we have control if we choose to exercise it.

Let’s think happy thoughts.
On the upside, encounters with ghosts can force people to come to grips with their own eternal souls. Many people open up spiritually. A ghost encounter is actually a gift…

But how do the “happy” ghosts keep their energy fed?  I’ve felt ghosts seemingly feed off the energy of nature – trees, water and sun.  For others, it’s their innate energy field feeding off the energy of love and connection.

Hubby’s Mom was in ghost form for years-
She is a loving soul, not a tormented one. Adeline knew where she was, and made it clear she was not going to the light. A very sweet lady, she remained insistent that she had to get through to her son. Adeline had died of a stroke – and when she made concerted attempts to get her son’s attention, (I could feel the energy build – like air pressure being pumped up the room and knew she was coming in) Hubby was usually trying to fall asleep. But he would pick up on her energy and get a splitting migraine. Near the end, I had a very stern chat with her about giving her son a crazy headache.  She apologized – but she still wouldn’t tell me what it was about – this was obviously a private mother-son talk.  Maybe she was trying to tell him to take better care of himself?  Quite possibly but there seemed more to it than that.

Adeline has finally gone to the light.
And while Hubby gets headaches they are nowhere near the intensity they were when she was around.  His best friend Sharon has taken Adeline’s place, now watching over her “baby brother” as Sharon used to call him.  I believe Sharon negotiated the passing of the baton and got Adeline to cross over.  I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation! As on earth, Sharon’s straightforward nature comes out with wise and entertaining messages. But as she is Spirit, she’s very calm, patient, doesn’t insist on anything (although she might nudge), and only weighs in when Hubby asks.  Hubby feels her around him regularly.  While Adeline and Sharon are both loving supporters, their energies played out very differently, since one was a ghost, and one was in Spirit from a higher plane.

Sometimes a ghost will choose to reveal himself.
They can choose to be in “human” form or an orb (as I mentioned in the last post).  But first they need to know how to handle their energy to show themselves physically in our lower vibrating world.  It takes a little bit of doing. You don’t need to be clairvoyant to see a ghost. You just need to be sensitive enough to pick up on their energy – and they have to be open to revealing their existence. Ghosts can hide if they want to – or choose to reveal their physical existence.

Energy, baby. It’s all about the energy. (Next up Part 4 – What We Can Learn)

Hugs,
Tida

— With thanks to Spirit for infinite return.
(c) 2010, 2011, 2012 The Accidental Medium. UltraMarine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ghosts are People Too Part 2 – Manifestations 101

October 26th, 2010 by admin

Accidental Medium Post

To Our Readers:
This is the continuing email conversation about Ghosts between my old friend McFly and I to help him with his Ghost Tours of New Orleans.  Here is Part 1, if you haven’t read it yet.

Okay McFly.
Moving on with your next question about ghosts…This is a biggie, so we’ll have to do it in two parts.

#3.  How do ghosts manifest themselves?
There are many ways ghosts make themselves known, from the subtle to the blatant, and a few that are downright scary.  Let’s start with the some of the calmer classics, and milder forms of manifestation.

Ghosts seem pesky.

But most ghosts we encounter are our own dearly departed who just want to make sure we loved ones are okay.  They don’t want to freak anyone out, but they can do just that because sadly, most of us are not that accepting of a bigger reality than the physicality of our three dimensional world.

It usually boils down to us freaking out, and not about ghosts trying to scare us.  As I go through some of the manifestations, be aware that true Spirits (i.e. those who have gone to the light) can do much of this manifestation too. It’s just much harder for true Spirits to operate in our lower vibrational field.

Orbs & Mists.
A ghost can appear to the naked eye as a ball or sphere of light – the orb can be in mid air or can be hovering up near the ceiling. The orb can be a dark or light color – the color doesn’t seem to correlate to an evil energy or a beneficent energy.

Ghosts can appear as a mist. Again it can be a white, gray or dark mist – color doesn’t seem to mean anything although other people may weigh in differently on this detail.  Why do ghosts tend to hang out in misty moors a la Wuthering Heights? Water is an excellent amplifier and transmitter of energy.  A ghost can really come through on a misty moor, or any place with high humidity.

Ghostly Images.
I’m sure you’ve seen photos provided as “evidence” that Ghosts were present in some haunted space: An orb of light has been “caught” on video or a photographic image.  Are the floating balls really a ghost or just a speck on the lens? I don’t discount the former, but recognize that there are other explanations for unusual shapes appearing in an image. Then there are the outlines of faces appearing on an image.  Are the faces real, or a trick of the light?  It’s hard to say.  No doubt there are opportunities for an image to be “adjusted” to make it look like a paranormal experience.

But I also believe that if someone has experienced something with the naked eye their camera will pick it up too.  And let’s say we’re looking through a camera lens, setting up a shot of a beautiful landscape – most of us don’t notice there are hydro wires running through the image until after the photo is taken.  Same things applies to a ghost sighting – if we’re not looking for it we may not see it until we’ve had a chance to review it after the fact.  Keep an open mind, I say. I’ve learned that fact can be far more mind-boggling than any fiction we dream up.

Ghosts are known to move things.
On one of the occasions I was staying on the Queen Mary, during the night everything that I’d brought into the cabin that was sitting on a flat surface moved just about 1 inch to the side – And I mean EVERYTHING – weight didn’t matter.  It wasn’t the maid. It was a little spooky to think a ghost was rearranging my room while I slept.

Beatrice, the little girl ghost attached to the antique carousel horse we were gifted, used to flip my empty incense burners on the floor to let me know she was there. (BTW: Nothing was burnt  – just ashes on the floor).

Ghosts have a penchant for rattling or breaking glass – Pushing a glass so that it falls off a shelf or table onto the floor seems to be a favorite.  It makes a lovely crashing sound and it’s an easy attention-getter because it’s lightweight.

A ghost can leave “gifts” for a loved one to find.
When we were clearing out my grandparents’ house (after my grandmother had died) I found two lovely tobacco boxes. I wanted them. But something told me they really belonged to my brothers: My grandfather had died a long time ago and he and my brothers had spent much time together.  They got them.

My brothers flew home and my Mom and I stayed to finish emptying the house. I’d been working by myself in the basement. It had been a huge job, but the downstairs area was now completely cleared of stuff.  Before we locked up the house, Mom did a final sweep of the main floor to see if we’d left anything behind, and I took a final look of the basement.

There on the empty floor in the basement was a metal tobacco canister of my grandfather’s. It was in perfect condition, although it was obviously quite old.  It still contained some of his tobacco.  I had been the only one in the past week clearing out the vestiges in the basement – not even my Mom had been down there – and I’d never seen this canister before.  The space had been completely cleared out but here was this bright yellow canister. The antique dealer wanted to know if I was going to sell it because it was a collector’s item.  I declined.  It was a gift from my grandfather. Later I discovered my grandfather is one of my main Spirit Guides.

Ghosts can also leave a scent.
I have many examples of this but what first comes to mind is my grandmother. When I went back to get something I’d forgotten from my grandmother’s empty house after we’d just shown it to prospective buyers, my grandmother’s distinct scent of “White Shoulders” perfume was at the front entrance.  I have a very keen sense of smell.  There had been no smell of perfume in the house when we’d cleaned it out.  There was no scent at the front door when I’d locked the door just a few minutes earlier.  My grandmother knew I would know it was her.  I think she approved of the buyers.  We sold the house.

Ghosts love electronics.
Ghosts and their Spirit brethren are energy aficionados. Ghosts especially are always developing their abilities to manipulate energy so they tend to go to town: Lights can flash, computers can crash, printers will jam or go haywire, alarms will go off for no apparent reason, telephones ring with nobody on the other end. Even messages are left and the person leaving them has been dead for some time. You get the picture.

There’s a reason why mirrors were covered during wakes.
On a surprisingly consistent basis, I’ve found mirrors to be the culprits in homes where there have been paranormal disturbances.  There is a theory that suggests ghosts get mixed up and go to a mirror instead of the light.  In my grandparents day, you always covered the mirrors when the home was being used for wakes and visitations (from this side) where the departed one was laid out for viewing on the dining room table.  My advice. Smudge any antique mirrors you might have with sage before you bring them into your house.  (I’ll cover protection in an upcoming post.)

Some mirrors cannot be cleared of other energy and I may advise people to throw those mirrors away.  It depends. If the ghost is a loved one, they aren’t leaving, mirror or no mirror, until their needs are met.

I have a friend who had been disturbed nightly by sounds in her bedroom. One night she woke up, turned on the light and inadvertently looked into an old mirror she’d acquired that was hanging by her bedside.  She saw an old woman’s face that she didn’t recognize staring back at her. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough for me to throw a mirror out, no matter how rare and exotic.

Well, McFly. Before we get into more nitty gritty about things that go bump in the night, I will sign off.  This is enough for you to process for now. More to come… (Part 3 – Manifestations 2.0)

Big hugs,
Tida. (aka The Accidental Medium)

— With thanks to Spirit for infinite return.
(c) 2010, 2011, 2012 The Accidental Medium. UltraMarine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ghosts are People Too Part 1 – A Timely FAQ

October 25th, 2010 by admin

Accidental Medium PostIt’s Trick or Treat Time Again.
The leaves are falling and the pumpkins are being carved. My kids have already sorted out their costumes:  Halloween is a big deal around in the Village so the girls are with the program.  Kate is going for the unicorn look. Matilda has eschewed the ubiquitous fairy costume, and chosen her favorite avian, the penguin.  In the midst of our Halloween planning my friend McFly has emailed me for some timely advice.

Mcfly and I go back 20 years, to our salad days in the Caribbean.
We’ve known each other long enough that we never use our real names – He’s McFly because he’s always disliked the stupidity of Biff the bully in “Back to the Future.”  It was Biff’s goal to make Michael J. Fox’s character “McFly” look stupid and inferior at every turn with the now classic put down: “Helloo?? McFly??” In fact it was Biff who didn’t get it and had to learn that there are consequences to one’s selfishness, narrowness and lack of sensitivity.  My friend McFly relishes the fairness in the world when the McFly’s triumph over the Biff’s.

McFly calls me “Tida” after our mutual friend’s so-named cockatiel since, left untamed, my hair has it’s own perverse tendency to stick up like the crest of the aforementioned bird.

We both worked at a dive resort. McFly was honing his craft as a horror fiction writer at the time, paying the bills as a Scuba instructor and boat captain. I worked in resort sales & marketing. McFly often dropped off his stories to the “gals” in the office for us to read between answering calls on the resort’s 800#. Well-written, McFly’s work was not easy-going fare. It really was horror.

Did I mention I am not a huge fan of horror?
I always try to avoid anything having to do with evil, violence, gore, chainsaws, wigged out mental patients, and demented beings along with witches, vampires and ghosts that are gonna get you… McFly and I are close friends so I would faithfully read his material, even though the bloodied-psychopath-to-page ratio was very high.

So this email from McFly is about ghost tours in New Orleans.
Now McFly is a professional photographer who’s made Nawlins his stomping grounds since Katrina.  He manages to make a descent living and supplement it as an official New Orleans Tour Guide.  With Halloween almost upon us, I read that McFly is going to be conducting ghost tours of the most haunted places in N.O.

My response: “Waycool! I want to go!” I’d been to New Orleans many times before Katrina – and pretty much the whole French Quarter felt haunted. Not a clear building in the place in my view.  It would be interesting to see what it’s like now.

The email, however, is not an invite to visit haunted New Orleans.
It is a request for information to make McFly’s own upcoming ghost tours more juicy, more personalized, more informative, and add value. What better way then to ask his buddy ole ghost busting pal for advice? Having Certified Management Consultant AND Ghostbuster on my curriculum vitae may be a bit over the top to some, but to my buddy McFly, it’s coming in handy right about now.

Did I mention that in my earlier years, I was not a fan of ghosts?
Before I embraced my intuitive abilities, I was unsettled by the general concept of ghosts. And then there was my fear of actually seeing ghosts. And then I was afraid of telling people I saw ghosts.  It wasn’t until I had some very up close and personal one-on-one experiences with ghosts that I realized that ghosts are people too. It was the ghosts that helped me to drop the fear.  They are a gift.

I’m sure I’ve met more than my share of ghosts.
I’ve helped a few go to the light. I’ve done some “ghost busting” for clients – yet no vacuums are involved, nobody gets slimed and, contrary to popular belief, nobody gets busted. I promise.  I have never heard a ghost say” BOO.” Not ever.

McFly had some very specific questions in his email that are probably of interest to you, dear AM Reader.  So read on as I share with you my responses to McFly’s questions about the ghostly realms. I will be posting new ghost-related entries every day this week up until Halloween. Here is McFly’s first question:

#1. What are ‘Ghosts’?
Oh, the much maligned Ghost. Here’s my take. “Ghosts are people too”.  But first, we are all Spirit and we are all vibrating energy.  We who are here on this earthly plane happen to be in physical bodies. When we die, it’s our body that dies. Our Spirit goes to another plane of consciousness – a non-physical realm.

If we don’t “go to the light” as they say on the “Ghost Whisperer”, we actually go to the planes of consciousness closest to the physical plane (a.k.a. earth) called the astral planes.  Those who reside in the astral planes are in a higher energy vibration than earth, but not as high in vibration as those true Spirits who reside in the higher realms.

What’s ego got to do with it?
While residing in the astral planes we are, for lack of a better term, a “Ghost”. Our ego is still pretty much intact.  We retain much of the predominant personality traits and foibles we had on earth. If we die and “go to the light” we go to higher realms of consciousness (and there are many higher realms) where our egos start to dissipate and eventually fall away.  We become our true “Spirit”.

Which realm we go to when we die depends on how far we are on our path – how enlightened we are so to speak. Our personal energy vibration determines where we go. Jesus is in a very high realm. He’s got a high vibration. He’s no ghost. When we go to the higher realms we are still us, along with any outstanding lessons to be learned but we are not weighed down by the baggage created by our earth-bound ego. Note that our ego doesn’t come back into being until after we incarnate back on earth.  Childhood educators estimate our ego begins forming around ages two to three and is fully formed by about age seven – ready to be shaped and twisted more by life’s experiences.

Of course, in reality , we never die. We are very much alive whether we are here in the physical, a ghost in the astral plane or have gone to the light in true spirit form.   We are just energy vibrating at different speeds.

Not all ghosts are ghosts.
Here’s the thing – Spirits who have gone to the light, crossed over, past on, whatever you want to call it, can come back and visit us. They are not ghosts. They are true Spirits. It takes a tremendous amount of energy for a Spirit to come down to our earthly, low vibrating plane of consciousness.  My Dad likens coming into our physical plane like swimming through mud. It’s not such a big dive to come in from the astral planes to here if you are in ghost form. There is less of a difference in energetic frequencies between our physical plane and the astral planes where ghosts hang out. But the veil between realms is getting very thin these days so there are more direct encounters with Spirits, not just ghosts.

Soul tripping on the astral planes.
When alive we regularly visit the astral planes. It’s called astral projection.  We go to this same lower plane (or planes) of consciousness to hang out with loved ones, and those from past lives, and learn more about ourselves.  We usually are not aware of such trips. But sometimes we are:  When you wake up with a dream in your head that is so vivid you remember every detail, you’ve probably been traveling the astral planes. BTW  During sleep, we all astrally-project – but probably not every night.  Our soul leaves our body during these trips,  but we are still tied to our bodies by a chord so we can’t get lost and miss finding our body lying back in bed.  It’s a good thing.

#2.  Why do some people not leave after the body dies?
Many people who die don’t go straight to the light. They hang around to make sure everything is okay with their loved ones. They may hang out a few hours, a day, a week, a month or a couple of months. They are essentially ghosts but they will go to the light. It is pulling them. When they get the big pull towards bliss, or another loved one encouraging them to go, they go to the light. When a person who dies hangs around with no intention of going to the light, or not knowing what the light is, they stay in the lower energetic “ghostly” form.

The “Unfinished Business” factor.
Ghosts don’t leave for a number of reasons, but usually it’s “Unfinished Business”.

  • It could be guilt, or shame about something or concern about someone living that keeps them close to the physical plane.
  • Sometimes people have died in a traumatic way, and don’t know they have died so they don’t know to go to the light. (But other times a traumatic death, a surprise death, an accident as it were, can actually take them away to the higher realms instantly).
  • People who are high on drugs or alcohol have a greater tendency to stay in the ghostly (astral) realms because they are totally confused.
  • Some people stay because they aren’t ready to go – they have a message for a loved one and need to see it through.
  • Others stay because they were just plain nasty in life – the lower astral planes are full of low lifes – and they are comfortable in that vibration.  They want to keep wreaking a bit of emotional havoc on this side.

A bit more about ghost busting.
As I mentioned, some ghosts don’t leave because they have unfinished business   while others are merely lost and confused.  But the astral planes can be an unhappy place for people who are stuck.  Our higher self – our Spirit – is meant for the higher realms.  “Life” looks  very different at higher vibrations where we can finally experience our true pure nature. So those who “ghost bust” are really just encouraging ghosts to move on to these higher planes of consciousness.

There are ways to show wayward ghosts that they can come back and visit after they cross over, and that seems to clinch the deal for some. If a ghost is still unwilling to go to the light, ghost busters can do things to calm the environment, and if they are Mediums they can act as message bearers to the living and this often will calm the ghost, and possibly encourage them to move on.  And if that doesn’t work, and the ghost is still causing a ruckus in the physical environment, we can often make the environment incompatible with the ghost’s energy and they will often leave.  Not all ghosts will leave.  And not all are ghosts.  More on that later… (Part 2 – Manifestations 101).

Tida (aka The Accidental Medium)

— With thanks to Spirit for infinite return.
(c) 2010, 2011, 2012 The Accidental Medium. UltraMarine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Man at the Lake.

September 2nd, 2010 by admin

I’m overtired.
It’s unseasonably hot and muggy. Not good sleeping weather. It’s Mercury in Retrograde again. And it’s full moon. An old friend of mine – now in spirit – wakes me up. It’s Sunday night and he’s brought a young adult male with him. They are standing at the side of my bed. His young friend just died in an accident. I cannot see this person’s face – I find out later his face was lost in the accident. I’m not meant to see these kinds of details. It’s part of “the deal” I have with my guides. I’ve asked to stay in the higher realms. So no blood, gore, low lifes or threatening entities whenever possible, and I will do my part. There are other intuitives more designed and able to handle this other side of life.

My friend tells me his young friend hasn’t crossed over yet. I realize that’s why I cannot hear the young man talk: If he’d crossed over I would be able to hear him. This fact would be obvious if I were somewhat coherent at 3 a.m. What is apparent is that my services are needed. So for two nights I’m awakened at 3 a.m. to tell this young man I can see him, he’s dead, and he needs to go to the light. He will be fine once he goes to the light. He can come back and visit. But right now, he needs to go to the light. I’m trying to sound convincing while blessed sleep pulls me back under.

It’s in this frame of mind that I’m feeling compelled.
I need to go over to the farm of my daughter’s soon-to-be teacher. Brie has been wanting me to walk through her farm house and environs for months now, to see what spirits are around, to see if I can tap into her guides, and to find out if there’s any ghosts or other energy that need to be removed. But I’ve been so busy, and pulled in many directions. It’s now Mercury in Retrograde. I’ve been doing my best to conserve energy, stay grounded, stay centered. Take care of old business.

So when I get a call from Brie this morning, I’m not surprised. But Brie is shaken. She has a friend who has gone missing – I think this may be another reason why I’ve been so unsettled. In addition to my nightly bedside visits, I’m probably picking up on this situation too. Her friend’s family used to own a farm and Peter was instrumental in getting his Dad to sell the farm to Brie when he retired. Peter has been missing for 4 nights. I’ve never met him and don’t know anything about him – until now.

Peter has been depressed lately. Last Saturday he came to visit Brie and her husband at their farm. They all went down to their lake and enjoyed a swim. Peter was very “up”. He had dinner with them at the farm house, and left their place about 11 p.m. The next day, Brie found his car parked at their lake property, his wallet in the car. A cottage neighbor told her he’d towed their floating dock back to Brie’s lake property that morning. It had gotten loose during the night and had floated over to his side of the lake. It had been a flat calm night so the wind hadn’t torn it loose.

Brie called Peter’s family to tell them about the abandoned car.
They told her their news: Peter had not turned up after his visit to Brie’s. The family had since called the police. So first thing Monday morning, police showed up at the lake with two teams of divers, boats, sonar equipment and surface teams. Now, the police are starting their third day of searching the lake, and still no luck.

Brie wants to know if I can tell if Peter’s lost in the woods and if so, did I think he was still alive, or if he’d fallen in the lake? There’s concern he may have committed suicide. I blurt out, “He’s gone. He decided to leave”. I can feel Brie’s shudder over the phone.

I say, “You did a very good thing, Brie. To give Peter this time with you on the lake, and at the farm where he grew up. This was a gift to him. He was off his meds. I can feel his spirit trying to pop out of the top of his head. He was joyful when he saw you. He was barely holding on to the physical. He was bi-polar. He couldn’t take it any longer. Not feeling. He wanted to be joyful”.

Brie confirms what I’ve said: Peter is indeed bi-polar and known to go off his meds.

I am now seeing a marshy area at the far side of a lake.
Then I see a man fill his pockets with rocks and walk into the lake. I cannot tell where he is on the lake. It’s a close-up. Then there’s an inhale of water. Silence. That’s it. At this moment, I don’t tell Brie what I am seeing or hearing. She asks me if I can come over and see if I might be able to locate him. I agree to come over in the afternoon. I remind her this is not my normal work. But Brie’s just relieved I can come.

When I get to the farm, Brie and her husband are there to greet me. They say that they’ve been thinking Peter may be in a marshy area where the police haven’t yet explored the water. A man appears between them – squat, about 75 with greyish white hair. I asked them what Peter looks like: Peter is tall blond and 40ish.

“Well there’s this older gentleman with whitish hair standing between the two of you with a big smile. Maybe he’s going to help us find Peter.” Whoever he is, he joins Brie and I as we hop in the car for the ride over to their lake.

The lake is small, partially populated, much of it wild.
There are about 25 cottages on the north and west sides. The remainder is natural – and much of that undeveloped part is Brie’s – it’s part of the farm. The police are out in their boats, and there is a cottage cordoned off, being used as the police encampment and staging area.

We park the car at the end of the road and walk to the south side of the lake – an absolutely beautiful hike – near the crest of a hill, in mixed forest. The trail takes us down a steep ravine towards the marshy area of the lake where the police have not searched yet. As I am walking on the hiking trail, I’m picking up that Peter wants his body to be found.

We follow along a stream, the lake’s inlet, down towards a small point of land by the water. At this point, Brie asks to stay behind – she doesn’t want to go to the shoreline. I think she may be worried about encountering a body. The thought doesn’t bother me in the least. The white haired man is still with me.

My view focuses on an outcropping of rocks in the water by the far shore and I get the strong impression Peter had been there. But is his body there? I don’t feel it’s so.The police boats are past the rocks. Then my attention is drawn to a boulder sticking out of the water opposite from the rock outcrop, the boulder surrounded by reeds and fish are jumping around it. These rock formations are all visible from the other side of the lake where the police are searching.

A tall younger man appears.
I don’t know if it’s Peter but I surmise it is. He’s with me for only a moment. The white-haired man is telling me to touch the huge log that’s lying on the shoreline and juts out into the water in that lush marsh. I touch the green mossy log. I feel as though I am meant to stay here. Then I get the feeling I am supposed to act like a beacon to call the police boat over.

As I am thinking that and then start sending messages for the police boat to come this way, the police boat makes a sharp turn and heads towards our end of the lake. Brie comes up behind me – she has watched the boat make the abrupt turn and head towards us. She says,”I was wondering if you willed that boat over”. I tell her it felt that way and added, “There’s something about this log, although I’m not sure what. This man is telling me to touch the log. There was another younger man here but he’s vanished.”

I remind Brie that finding dead bodies is not my forte. Helping people communicate with Spirit is – so this new endeavor feels strange to me. The signs are not clear.

The police boat floats in close to us – as close as it can get in shallow marsh – and the policeman asks me if everything is okay. I ask him if he’s checked this part of the lake and he says no, there’s protocol in searching for a body. They are going through the search grid. I say I understand and wave him off.

I am not sure if the body is where we are.
The fuzzy information I’m picking up is throwing me off.  Maybe I’m being shown that Peter could see these rocks from where he stood at Brie’s dock.  I have to stay open to guidance.  There’s more information but I’m not getting it here.   I look behind me.

This boggy point of land is like a garden. It’s wild but there is symmetry, organization, to the placement of jewel weed, wild snap dragon, irises, jack-in-the-pulpits, ferns, moss and some very unusual plants that I’ve never seen before. I can feel that the police have been here on the land, and then Brie finds foot prints. There are also clean rocks thrown in the water – no moss or algae on them.  Grass on it’s side in places. People have  been here recently and have left a subtle disruption.

I tell Brie this older man is still with us.
She’s trying to place him. Maybe he’s the neighbor who died in December? He loved the lake. If he were alive, he would be helping out right now. Maybe he IS helping now. My description of him makes Brie think it’s probably him.

As we hike back to the car, Brie recalls how Peter was talking to her daughter about University last weekend. Her daughter told Peter she’s a really good writer and wants to be a journalist. Peter said “Wow! That’s so great that you know what you are good at. I think I am good at one thing – seeing beauty.”

I begin to understand a bit more why Peter wanted to go off the medication: It makes everything dull and flat. Hard to see beauty when it’s being intentionally suppressed – and if that’s your gift and you can’t use it, what’s life for?

Brie’s cottage neighbor George is waiting for us back at the car. He tells us he’s been watching us from his deck. What were we doing? What was I pointing at? What did the police say? I don’t know this man but he’s acting a bit on the “untethered” side.

George says he was at his cottage the night of Peter’s disappearance.
George had arrived at his cottage on Saturday night at midnight.  He sat on his deck overlooking the lake until 4 am. He’s an insomniac. He heard nothing. Saw nothing. He also talks about how he had to get rid of his home-grown when the police showed up on Monday. He had it in pots soaking up the sun by the lake and had to ditch them when the police boats started searching the lake perimeter.

George tells us how he told the police that they were going about the search all wrong. How they weren’t in the mind of Peter: Peter would be detaching the floating dock, lying down on it, paddling furiously away from shore; he’d go out to the deepest part of the lake, swearing at all the people who’d done him wrong, and offloading all his anger at the world in general. And then he’d tie something heavy onto himself and jump into the deepest part of the lake. George seems to know a lot about the frame of mind of someone who is about to kill him self.

But this is not at all what I’m picking up about Peter.
Peter’s in a shallow area, close to shore. He’s at peace when he does the deed. He’s not swearing – he’s very calm. He’s ready. He’s happy to let go. As Brie and I leave, Brie says, “George has his own problems with depression. I think he’s made some attempts on himself.”

I reassure Brie that what George is saying is not at all what I am picking up about Peter. Maybe that’s the difference between being bi-polar and being manic depressive?

As George disappears in the rear view mirror, Brie wants to know if we should stop by the police camp and tell them to search in the marshy area. I say “No.  I don’t think so. It’s not clear to me that Peter’s there. I think Peter’s enjoying watching the police try to find him. Let’s just let them do their thing and let Peter have some fun. They’ll find him. Just not now.”

We drive back to Brie’s farm but before we get down the driveway I have a thought. “Brie, would it be possible to go to the area where the dock is? The police have cordoned it off, but can we get in there anyway?” “Of course”, she says, “I own the land.”

So back we go, this time headed in the opposite direction.
We park outside the police cordon at her property lane way, duck under the yellow police tape, and walk the path down to the lake. It’s overgrown, wild, and beautiful. I see the water sparkling through the trees and I hear voices. Brie is ahead of me and starts talking to some people at the water. At first I think it’s police, but no, it’s two of Peter’s family members along with a family friend. They are standing by the side of the lake watching a police boat go back and forth, dragging the sonar behind it.

Brie introduces me and tells them why I’m here. The brother and sister nod. They are in their mid to late twenties. Serious. Articulate. The brother says,”We know about intuitives in our family – I’m not, but my mom sees auras, my sister sees spirits.” His sister nods. They are both smoking heavily: This is stress and they need to ground themselves.

The brother asks me if I think Peter is in the lake.
I say quietly, “Yes. He’s gone. I have no rational explanation for this – there’s no evidence. But I know he’s gone.” The brother nods. The sister takes a deep drag from her cigarette.

I tell them I think Peter’s likes the wild goose chase, watching the police try to find him. He wants to be found, but not just yet. The brother nods, “That sounds exactly like my brother.”

I ask Peter’s sister if she feels him around.
She says – “I’ve been seeing double shadows around me. Mine and someone else’s. Last night I couldn’t sleep and felt a spirit press up against me by my bed. I am open to Peter but I am also concerned about what else I’m open to right now.” I think Peter’s sister is shut down, partially from shock and stress, partially hoping he’s still alive, and then there’s her fear that, in the midst of this crisis, she’s now a target for wayward souls.

I point to the outcropping of rocks across the lake from where we are standing; I tell Peter’s brother and sister I feel the impression of Peter out at those rocks.  The brother says, “Peter goes there. That’s the swimming rocks. That’s his favorite swimming spot.”

I see a tall middle aged man standing in the trees by the water.
I walk over there. The man doesn’t speak. At least I cannot hear him. He’s not crossed over. I am getting impressions from him though. I feel like I am supposed to touch the tree closest to the man. It vibrates under my fingertips. Tingly energy shoots down my arm, through my body, and into the ground.

The afternoon sun is sifting through the forest canopy, its beams touch the foliage, the tree trunk, the ground. The man is Peter. It’s the same energy I’ve been picking up on the hike. He’s now appearing to me, tall, blond, thin, early forties. I am getting an impression that he’s using the energy of the trees, the water, and the sun, to stay present, and be clearly visible. He’s obviously here to hang out with his siblings.  There are no specific messages. A great sense of peace is emanating from this quiet spot, even with the police boat going back and forth, trolling the sonar off to the left of us.

I tell the siblings their brother is here. I say, almost to myself, “That makes sense. He would want to be with you.”  The pair nod. The brother steps down the embankment to the water’s edge. He sits on a rock near the family friend who’s not speaking, just lying on the floating dock. The sister sits quietly in an old chair and closes her eyes. We are all silent. I walk over and sit on an old stump, close my eyes to clear, ground and center. I make a space and wait for more impressions – subtle telepathic information – to drop in.  It’s the state of “no mind” where intuition flows. I hear the wind in the boughs of the fir trees, bird calls, September crickets, and the low drone of the Zodiac’s motor.

Peter’s brother starts talking –
“My brother told my Mom that if he went missing he was with a cinder block in a body of water some where. Peter had bought a cinder block. But when we checked his house on Sunday, the cinder block was there. I was relieved, but now I’m thinking he went the natural route. He used stones from here to weigh himself down.”

I tell him that’s what I saw in my vision this morning. Stuffing stones into his pocket, lying down in the water, inhaling. Very peaceful. “He’s in a much better place. This world was too hard for him.”   The brother nods.

I hear the words ‘not today, not today, not today’. I tell the small group I’m picking up that the police probably won’t find Peter today. I tell Peter’s brother and sister, “Your brother is standing by that tree. Peter’s enjoying being here in this beautiful place with you.  Just peace here. ”

The police boat abandons the search area close to the shore where we are sitting. The boat heads to a completely different area further out in the lake. As we all sit there in the softness of the forest, a piece of the puzzle slots into place:  Peter really does want the police to keep searching – I feel his intention – to spend these moments with his siblings here in this quiet refuge. And it’s happening.  He’s very much present and available to be with them. He couldn’t do this before – when he was alive.

Quietly, I mention this impression to Brie.
And how Peter had chosen, what has turned out to be the most beautiful period this summer has offered, to take his physical leave and be with his family. If he’d checked out earlier or later in the year, his siblings would be bundled up and standing out here in the cold or rain. But no. They have been sitting under the tree canopy by the lake in a peaceful spot for three glorious summer days that we didn’t think we’d get. A gift.

The brother thinks out loud, “The last time we saw Peter was at the end of May. For his 40th birthday. He was happier then. And he let us give him a hug. It was really hard for him to be touched. But that day, he was fine with it. He seemed to like it. Then we didn’t see him at all. Not since then. He just retreats, doesn’t want people around him. Won’t leave his house. This is normal for him.”

Peter’s sister steps down to the water’s edge to sit beside her brother.
They put their arms around each other. They quietly discuss whether or not they should leave now. They’ve been here all day. But they don’t move. I whisper to Brie, “They know they are meant to stay here with their brother.”

I make another connection and whisper to Brie – “The last time they saw Peter was the last Mercury in Retrograde.” She nods. Brie knows about Mercury in Retrograde. People act out, blow up or act on things they wouldn’t normally do. Life can look as though it’s quickly unraveling, where life’s forward motion has stopped and may feel like life’s slipping backwards, losing ground, regressing.  But this is actually a time where great progress can be made, if used wisely.

I am now feeling the need to leave, to let the siblings spend time together by themselves. Brie and I get up. Brie gives them all big hugs. They come over to shake my hand.

I don’t tell them I am sorry for their loss.
I give them each big hugs. I tell them “I think you are meant to enjoy this time together now. Your brother is now able to spend time with  you.  Please enjoy this quiet moment – all of you finally together.”

As we walk away, I tell Brie, “I’m hearing the word “Friday”. Maybe that’s when Peter’s body will be found. But time doesn’t mean much on the other side, and we have free will on this side. The police could decide all of a sudden to change tactics, and Peter could be found much sooner.”

As we hike back to the car, Brie says “You told them to enjoy this time. I felt that too.”

I reflect, “It’s an odd thing to say if you’re totally immersed in the ways and thinking of our physical world: Here they are, watching the police searching for their brother’s body, and I’m telling them to enjoy this time. It’s counter-intuitive to our left brain to think this way. But from a spiritual perspective, from the intuitive right brain, that’s what makes the most sense. ‘Peter is here for you now. Enjoy this beautiful place of your childhood, and the peace it brings, communing with your brother,” and I add in my head ‘before Peter’s body is found.’

I get home and end up down at my own dock by our lake for a late afternoon swim and “poopoos” (my Mom’s term for our happy hour appetizers). My Mom, brother and sister-in-law are down at the dock. My wee girls are in the shallow water playing with my teenage nephew.

My husband eventually comes down to the lake to join us. He starts quizzing me about my afternoon adventure. I answer my husband’s questions. He’s listening intently.  He knows this is new for me. How did it go?

My Mom is used to the daily doses of spirit I receive.
She’s accepting of my experiences, and trusts my instincts. She doesn’t question me anymore, but she has questions about the messages. This reflects her own spiritual shifts this year.

Mom says – “You’re talking about that man who’s missing? I’ve been hearing about it on the radio. It’s in the newspaper today. So sad. You were asked to go see if he was dead? This is amazing!?” My brother appears to tune out. My sister-in-law has no comment.

I rarely talk of these things in front of my brother or sister-in-law.  They are not “receptive”, shall we say. But it’s not my job to teach them, shield them, defend myself or prove anything. It just is. My world includes these outer dimensions, other planes of consciousness. Better me then my brother, I tell him. He agrees with that.

My husband is a force, not to be trifled with.
With my husband there asking serious questions about my experience, my brother the lawyer doesn’t dare to question my frame of mind or argue what ‘really’ could have happened this day: That there’s another  “logical” explanation for this.  Yes, I think to myself: Spirit is everywhere; Logic and intuition work together to receive and decipher these messages.

Later, we’re all sitting at the dinner table. I get a call from Brie. “I wanted you to know that they found Peter’s body just a little while ago. At sunset.”  I blurt out, “So it’s NOT today he was to be found, it was TONIGHT.”  I love the words of Spirit. True but tricky. This is a reminder to always listen deeply to the words.

Brie is amused by the interpretation. “That’s right. They found him off a big log that juts out into the water, just to the left of where we were all sitting.”  Where they’d stopped searching earlier, I’m thinking. The police must have gone back to that same spot after we left.

I say, “The log. Brie, remember that older man told me to touch the log by the shore in the marsh? That’s when Peter first appeared.  I guess I was being shown Peter was near a log that juts out into the water. Not THAT log but A log. Peter wasn’t in the marshy area, but that was his view from where he last stood.

I tell Brie about the messages from Spirit –
They are sometimes literal but are more likely signs, symbols and metaphors for what’s really going on. We have to learn the language to understand what’s being said and not said. At the table, my brother is throwing his eyes heavenward, and shaking his head as he listens to my “Spirit talk” – but he says nothing. At least during earlier dinner conversation tonight, I’ve learned my bro has moved from atheist to agnostic and tonight is claiming he’s “spiritual”. That’s a shift.  He just needs to figure out what “spiritual” means to him. That will be his journey.

Brie tells me that Peter’s siblings have just left her house – They’d come over to tell her that Peter had been found and to thank her for being there, for bringing me, and for us staying with them. They’d had hope, and in this case, hope had been a very painful emotion to manage. They needed to know what happened to Peter:  Our being there helped them to prepare for the moment when Peter’s body was found.  They’d stayed at the lake until sunset, when the Police found the body. When his body was found, they said Peter’s face had a lovely peaceful expression on it. It made them feel so much better to see he really was at peace.

I look back, and I realize my job today was just what I normally do -
I help people to connect with Spirit. It wasn’t about finding a body. It was to help the people here come to terms with the death of a loved one, to hear their messages, to face life lessons, to come to accept difficult realities, to move forward. In this particular situation, the siblings wanted to know not just Peter’s whereabouts.  They wanted to know that he was finally at peace.  The impressions I picked up helped them to feel that.  And then they saw it for themselves.  It revealed their own knowing that Peter was moving to a  better place, finally released from the trials of this world, and is now experiencing the beauty found in peace.

Tonight it started to rain, a heavy subtropical downpour. It’s still raining. Colder weather to follow. You’ve got to admit – Peter’s timing was perfect.

— With thanks to Spirit for infinite return.
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