Sunday, June 26, 2005

Mirror Coincidence: Playboy Mansion

Ok this is completely stupid, but I've made the pact to document all the coincidences I experience. I am NOT saying there is any meaning to this (and I would certainly hate to think that there was...). On HBO, the latest Entourage episode, "Aquamansion" featured the posse going to a party at the playboy mansion. A couple of days later, I was watching American Casino and the episode titled (go figure) "Playboy Mansion" features the 'character' Wayne attending a pajama party at the mansion and diving into the grotto. As an aside, if anyone knows David - my friends and I would like to visit JC1K when we come into town.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Mirror Coincidence: Montessori Schools

Reconnected with an old friend a couple of weeks ago and he told me that he had enrolled his 3 year old daughter in the local montessori school. I had never heard of montessori, but as he puts it, it teaches children to be self-directed. Today, I had lunch with a co-worker whom I hadn't seen in a while and he told me that they had just fired the nanny and enrolled their 8 month old in a montessori program. I had never heard of this before and now, twice in two weeks, people have brought up the educational philosophy with me. How strange. If you want to learn more about it yourself, this seems to be a good site: http://www.montessori.org/

Friday, June 10, 2005

The life of a cat: my next life?



My father and I saw a pet psychic speak at our local psychic fair. She wasn't 'the' pet psychic, but she did seem like she was legit. She spoke about animals and humans cross-reincarnating. It's an interesting thought. I read an story in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology about a woman who made eye contact with her cat and then they switched souls. Unfortunately for the cat, the woman had just killed her husband. It was very strange. I didn't look at my cats straight in the eye for a while after that.

Directional Synchronicity: Daisy the cat



It was a brisk fall evening. My husband and I were finishing up dinner and we started talking about my cat, Kitty. I'd had Kitty for 12 years and she really doesn't like anyone else but me. My husband was getting tired of being hissed at, so he conceeded that perhaps we could get another cat that would like him. We went outside for a smoke and just then a small calico came running across the street towards us. We had never seen her before, but she was quite friendly. She rubbed up against our legs and even let us pick her up. Because it was cold outside, we decided to take her in. The next week I asked around the neighborhood and found that she was a stray. She is the sweetest, cutest cat I've ever known. We named her Daisy.

The moment she died Part II

Four months after I lost my great aunt (who was essentially a grandmother), I had to admit my mom to hospice. She had been ill for a long time, and her health was declining rapidly. One day, I got the phone call. They said my mom was nearing the end. She lives in the same city, so it was a short trip to her facility. She looked horrible. If you have never seen a person who is dying, you can't imagine it. It's not as pretty as the movies. There is a definite physical change that takes place towards end of life. I'll spare you the details.

Anyways, this is hard to write about, so I'll be brief. I did bedside vigil for 3 full days. I even stayed overnight in an awful recliner and was awoken every two hours by the nurse who was checking on my mom. My mom was still hanging in there. I finally decided to go home and sleep in my own bed. The next day when I got back to the facility I knew something was wrong. The aids were sitting in the hallway looking at me mournfully. My mom had just passed.

Now here's the thing. The nurse told me that in the morning she was healthier than she had been the past few days, and then suddenly she took a turn for the worse and died. She died in the 15 minutes between the time I left my house and when I got there. I know in my heart that she chose to go at that time because she did not want me to be in the room when she passed. Still, it hurt. Bad. If you're lucky enough to still have your mom - please tell her you love her.

The moment she died

My great aunt Alice was a pretty healthy 87 years old. Then I got the call. She had a brain aneurysm and went into a coma. When I went to visit her, she wasn’t well. Her breathing was labored and we knew it was close to the end. Her brother, sister and a couple of cousins of mine were there. The hospital told us that there was nothing that we could do and they suggested hospice.

In hospice the nurse told us that we should still talk to her. My great uncle couldn’t believe it, but he tried. He told her he loved her and that he would miss her. Still, she was hanging on. Why? We asked. The hospice nurse said sometimes the patient is waiting for someone. Who could she be waiting on? We were all there. My one cousin determined it was his dog P.J. and he decided to go get the dog. I didn’t think that was it – I’m sure my great Aunt would be appalled at the thought of a dog in the hospital.

I was holding her hand and talking to my cousin while we watched her slowly breath in and out. Then we heard a voice. A woman came in the room and said in a soft voice, “Hi. I’m Norma. I’m Alice’s minister.” She then walked over to the bed to check on her. It was at that very moment that my great aunt stopped breathing. The minister said, “I think she is gone” and started praying for her. The rest of us all looked around at each other, for we realized that since none of us are religious, we had forgotten to call the minister. That’s whom she was waiting for.

Required Reading: The Power of Karma

I only say required reading for my very favorite books. I have no association with the author or the publisher. As you might have noticed from my blogging, I appreciate a straightforward communication style. In The Power of Karma, Mary T. Browne explains the concept of karma in a straightforward way. She's a little bossy at times - "write this down" but she means well and I actually enjoy the lecture. One point that hit home was that negative thoughts can be just as harmful as negative actions. She suggests that you repeat the word, "Harmony" over and over to try and get the negative thoughts out of your mind. I like that. Harmony. It seems to work. Read this book and tell me what you think.

Why am I a new soul?

Sure this blog is about coincidence, but it's also about a spiritual connection to the universe at large. I mean it's all connected. Here's a little about myself. I've been to more funerals than weddings. My grandmother read palms as a hobby and also practiced astrology. Unfortunately, she passed when I was 10. I thought for sure, if anyone would come to visit me from the other side it would be her. Nothing. No signs. In the past 20 years I have lost countless relatives that I was close to. I tried to count and it was something like 14 at last count. All my grandparents have passed on, as well as multiple aunts and uncles and most recently my mother. I meditate. I burn incense. I stay quiet for periods of time. I consider myself a pretty 'open' person. But for some reason, I have never even got a tap on the shoulder or the movement out of the corner of my eye. I believe that our guides are with us, and I've been told by sensitive people that it's sometimes subtle, but just once I would like that shout out to let me know that they're ok.
Unless... I am not supposed to have contact. Perhaps I am supposed to fend for myself. It would be nice, though, to know I wasn't alone.

Required Reading: There Are No Accidents

I love the concept of synchronicity. The premise is simple: it's a coincidence. Does it mean something? Not always. Sometimes it does. I like There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives by Richard Hopke because it's straightforward but still interesting. He gives many examples of coincidences and introduces the reader to Carl Jung, the psychologist, but it's not too complex. I found it at the library (wasn't looking for it...) but then I ended up buying it because I found that I wanted to read it again and again. Check it out and let me know what you think. It is the BEST book on synchronicity that I have found.

Welcome

You've found me. We were meant to connect. I believe that everything that happens to you and to me is part of our karma and part of our destiny. I'm still trying to figure it all out. This is my attempt to reach out to the big world and try to make sense of it all. Or at least live with it not making sense. My karmic destiny (according to the astrology.com website) is to learn to live with uncertainty. yikes. What's yours? Let's explore together.