Follow the Signs

Mirror Synchronicity: 91 is the Age of Fun

2012-01-31T09:59:00.005-05:00

My first exposure to the age of 91 being a time of adventure was when we took a hospice patient, Joan skiing. It was featured in The Columbus Dispatch

Then today I saw a (sad) article about a 91 year old who plowed into a cafe (not fun)

But then in looking for that article by the age (because I thought it would be easy to narrow down), I kept finding articles about women living it up at the age of 91.

First I found the 91 year old skydiver, and then the 91 year old actor, and then the 91 year old yoga instructor.

And that is when I recognized the synchronicity and thought...

Is 91 the magic age for adventure?

On the Radio: Shared Death Experience

2012-01-16T18:13:00.004-05:00

Well, folks... it's time to trust the universe that I am meant to tell this story. I am scheduled to do a live radio interview regarding the shared death experience. This is the first time I will be publicly telling the story "off the cuff." (I first presented the story at the International Conference on Grief and Bereavement, but that was a prepared presentation). If you would like to tune in, it will be broadcast worldwide on BITEradio on Friday - February 17th, 8:00-9:00pm Eastern. Here's the link

Aside from me, though if you are interested in the metaphysical, you might enjoy some of the other radio broadcasts which are archived on the website.

Directional Synchronicity: Trust Your Journey

2012-01-16T17:29:00.004-05:00

My friend D. came across an inspirational website that happened to have a store with items that she liked. She and I have been exploring the metaphysical world together and have had many wonderful discussions. On the website there is a set of bracelets that is meant for two people - the giver keeps one for herself and gives one to a friend. She was drawn to a set of bracelets that said, Trust Your Journey, and almost bought them, but then decided against it because we don't usually exchange gifts, she had never ordered from that website, etc.

But then not long after that, we were at a party and both received psychic readings from the same person. We took notes for each other and the tarot reader said to me, "Trust Your Journey." D knows how much I love synchronicities, and she took this to be a directional synchronicity for her to go back and buy the bracelets. She did, and I love mine! As she expected, the gift was even more special because it had a synchronicity attached to it.

Directional Synchronicity: Dying in the Digital Age

2012-01-13T12:34:00.002-05:00

My cousin JL and I are close, and I blog about her frequently. Last year she completed her PhD in Digital Psychology. I study Thanatology (death and dying) and hope to return to school for my PhD as well.

A few days ago, JL and I were talking about our mutual interests and I lamented that it would be so nice for us to find a way to work together.

Not long after I was catching up on my journal reading when I came across a conference called, "Dying in the Digital Age" that perfectly blends our two disciplines. Neither of us knew that a "blending" existed. Not only does it blend our interests, but the conference had issued a "call for papers" due in March. It is almost as if the universe has not only blessed the idea of us working together, but is now nudging us to do so.

The conference is in England and we would both be paying out of pocket. Because it never hurts, we have asked the universe to provide the financial means for us both to go. We'll see what happens.

As a side note, my interest is in studying the blogs of people who say that they created they blog because they are dying, and they want to document their final months. It seems to be a trend lately. If you come across any of these blogs, please send them my way.

Psychic Reading: Mixed Messages

2012-01-13T12:14:00.005-05:00

My cousin JL and I share an interest in the metaphysical. We are third-generation believers. Neither one of us frequents psychics extensively, but we both have been known to have conversations with friends who are psychic. Multiple times we have had messages that only made sense once we talked to each other.

The first one was her reading about the cross, which I told in my blog post penny cross (I love this story too)

The second time was the reading I received about scarves

The third reading I did not blog but was a conversation I had with a medium friend. JL's grandmother (from her dad) came through, and some of the messages were clarified and validated when I spoke with JL.

While we were talking, she mentioned she was about to have a reading the coming Friday. I told her to pay attention because I knew she would get something that was intended for me.

The week following her reading, I asked her if she had any messages for me. She said no at first, but then said, "Did you have a long-haired cat that you were close to?" JL has never had a cat but apparently this cat was quite assertive and the psychic kept saying, "Are you sure?" JL said the cat was not lovey-dovey, but rather persistent in its attempts. Although purists would say that my cat wasn't long-haired, most people described her that way. Immediately when JL told me that, I knew it was my cat that had come through to her. I was expecting to hear from someone and it is no surprise to me that it would be my cat. My cat was my very first contact with the other side. I was so surprised and excited that I wrote about her coming through after she died here and here.

I'm so amused by the universe's subtle ways of encouraging my cousin and I to keep in touch.

Synchronicity in the News: Tim Tebow and John 3:16

2012-01-11T14:05:00.004-05:00

I love it when mainstream media sees a synchronicity so significant that they cannot help but splash it all over the headlines. If you are a fan of synchronicities, you probably have already heard about Tim Tebow and John 3:16 but in case not...

Tim Tebow is a quarterback for the Denver Broncos football team. He has always been known for his Christian faith and can be seen attributing his success to God with a grand gesture of prayer every time he makes a big play. This gesture has been referenced as "Tebowing." Along with the gesture, he has repeatedly made references over the years to his favorite bible verse John 3:16.

In the playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, last week, Tim Tebow had a career high of 316 yards. In addition, his final quarter-hour rating (whatever the heck that is) was 31.6. The synchronicity was noticed by many and Twitter went crazy with people talking about it.

I don't know much about football, so if you want to know more about Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos or that particular game, please Google it.

I just wanted to shout it from the rooftops that a synchronicity made the news. Woo hoo!

Mirror Synchronicity: Metal Mouth

2012-01-11T13:37:00.004-05:00

Again, for those who may not be familiar with my blog, I have always said that I record all synchronicities, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

My husband was watching a television show about the radium girls - women who inadvertently ingested radium while working in factories in the early 20th century. They used their mouths to moisten paintbrushes and then used the painbrushes to apply a coating on watches. (If you are curious about it, you can read about it here.)

The next morning, I went to a local IANDS meeting and we had a guest speaker named Mark Pitstick, author of Radiant Wellness. He has a background in nutrition and talked extensively about the mind-body connection, but also how many of our ailments can be attributed to inadvertently digesting metals from processed foods.

Whoa. So hearing this twice in 12 hours made me think that I need to reevaluate my diet. Was this simply a mirror synchronicity or was there a deeper directional synchronicity nudge?

But honestly, I didn't think too hard about it. That day I had Cheetos and a Diet Coke for lunch.

Synchronicity in the News: Mama and Baby

2011-12-09T14:17:00.005-05:00

Just came across an interesting news article that said that mothers and babies can synchronize their heartbeats just by looking at one another. This reminds me of the turtle post from earlier this week.

Two stories in one week about ways in which seemingly separate beings are in sync is almost a synchro in itself.

So, now researchers are "proving" that people are "connected."

But you and I already knew that, didn't we?

Mirror Synchronicity: Yoda

2011-12-09T12:04:00.006-05:00

For some strange reason, Yoda keeps coming up for me this week. It started when I was in an online discussion and I asked if there were any movie depictions of a "good" death. One of my colleagues suggested Yoda's death.

Then the very next day in my news feed, an article "Scientists are about to find the Force". Illustrating the article was a picture of Yoda:

Now for those of us who believe in synchronicities, that might have been enough to 'count' but I wasn't sure that it was blogworthy... so I noted it and then moved on.

Today, I went to wish a friend happy birthday on his Facebook page, and in the third picture was a little picture of Yoda. Apparently he had posted it at Thanksgiving. And since there was a built in message, I paid attention.

Thankful I am.

Synchronicity in the News: Turtles

2011-12-03T15:49:00.002-05:00

This is the ultimate in synchronicity - turtles synchronize their births. Now, before you say that they were all conceived at the same time, the article mentions that due to environmental conditions the eggs actually develop at different rates but somehow they all come together and hatch in unison. This is just one more example that demonstrates the universe is much more complex and connected than we can even fathom.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/02/143063453/study-finds-turtle-embryos-communicate-to-synchronize-hatching?sc=fb&cc=fp

Directional Synchronicity: Highly Recommended

2011-11-22T17:21:00.004-05:00

Recently I moved into a house that needed some roof repairs. I remembered last year when we almost bought a different house I had a conversation with a roofer that I had found on Angie's List (A recommendation website for services). I was so impressed with my conversation with Bradley from Bradley Builders that I decided that I wanted to call him again, a year later.

Because he is highly recommended, it did take a few weeks before he could get out to our house, which was okay because it was not an emergency. He was outside working when I heard a knock at the door. I went to the front door and saw him pounding so I assumed that was what I had heard. Then I heard another knock. He was still out the front door and did not look like he was trying to get my attention so I went and looked at the back door. No one was there. I remembered that my garage door was open so I went to the door to the garage and my dad was standing there.

I was surprised to see him. Since I moved to this house in May, my dad has not ever "dropped by." My dad immediately said, "What's Brad doing here?" I said, "You know him?" and he said, "Yes, he was my next door neighbor 15 years ago." Now here is the synchronicity. I had just seen my dad the day before but he decided for some reason that he needed to come over and bring me some magazines that he had for me. Were it not for his random drop-in on the same day at the same time the roofer was there, I would not have known that they were neighbors. I had already received excellent care from the roofer, but when he found out my dad was his former neighbor, I think that was the icing on the cake!

We're going to need a new roof in a couple of years and even though it's not the type of roof that Bradley would do, he still spent a significant amount of time walking me around and showing me what I will need to tell the roofers that come.

Mirror Synchronicity: The Four Winds

2011-11-18T10:47:00.006-05:00

This is my friend Ross's powerful synchronicity - in his own words:

Tribe of the Four Winds:

Ever since I was in outdoor drama back in 1982, I have regarded the arrowhead as a good luck piece. I have a keychain with a fob in the shape of an arrowhead which I have used for close to 30 years. The morning I bought a car after years of riding a bicycle, I found an arrowhead in a field where I was working. I have worn an arrowhead pendant on a necklace for years

Within the past two years, I have become more aware of my spirituality, and my interest in all things metaphysical has grown. In a dream, I was told by one of my spirit guides that I needed to start praying again, and my guide gave me a prayer to use, “As the Eagle spreads its wings to protect its nest from the storm, so protect this house from evil.” I was to say this prayer using the pendant around my neck. In my dream, the pendant was silver and in the shape of an eagle, and it was inlaid with turquoise chips. So the next day I started searching online for an eagle pendant with inlaid turquoise.

After much searching, I found an eagle motif with inlaid turquoise chips, and as an extra bonus, it was in the shape of an arrowhead!

So I bought it! [I have since learned, too, that my Power Animal is the Goose, and a representation of the Goose is the Arrowhead because geese fly in chevron patterns.]

When my best friend Michael saw it, he wanted one, too, but he wanted one with a wolf design. I remembered seeing one with a wolf design when I was searching for the eagle. So I bought him one with a wolf. He loved it!

Months later, one of Michael’s army buddies, Brian, came to Ohio for a visit, and he noticed our matching necklaces. He really liked them, but he wanted one with a bear. So I got online, and sure enough, there was one with a bear!

Michael paid for it and sent it to him, and Brian loved it.

Last summer, Michael and I took a trip to North Carolina to move his teenage daughter to Ohio. While down there, we met up with some of Michael’s other friends. One guy, Steve, really liked the arrowhead pendants, but he wanted one with a monkey (that’s a story for another time!). So the search was on for an arrowhead with a monkey on it.

Knowing that the chances of find one were very slim, I thought the best course of action was to take a generic arrowhead and have a jeweler fasten a monkey it. I remembered seeing a generic arrowhead that was similar to ours, so I bought it, and then found a pair of handmade silver monkeys from Peru that were shaped like the Nazca monkey.

So I bought them and took them to a jeweler, and even though the picture doesn’t do it justice, the result was fabulous!

I sent it to Steve, and he loved it!

Steve made the comment that he was now part of our Tribe. And I got thinking about it, and he was right. We had inadvertently started our own little tribe. I mused about this a while when suddenly I was struck with the realization that the first names of everyone in the Tribe had the same first names as me and my brothers! Obviously, we were meant to know each other!

So now came the hard part: coming up with a name for the Tribe. All kinds of crazy things came to mind, but nothing that rolled off the tongue well or evoked a profound image of what we were trying to represent. I asked my guides in meditation, and the only word that was given to me was “gift.” So all kinds of “gift” names came to mind. However, in the Native American culture, the number four brings with it the symbolism of the Medicine Wheel and the Four Directions which are sometimes referred to as the Four Winds. The Eagle represents the East; the Bear represents the West; although the Buffalo and Hummingbird typically represent the North, I figure the Wolf had to be North because that monkey is definitely South American!

After many days of pondering potential names, I was on an outing with my friends Tom and Lizzy, and Lizzy had me play a synchronicity game: walk into a library, pull a random book off the shelf, open it to a random page, and read a random sentence, and see if the sentence is relevant to something happening in my life right now. The book I pulled was called “The Four Winds.” The passage I read meant nothing to me; it was the title of the book itself that held relevance.

And that’s how we became the Tribe of the Four Winds.

Directional Synchronicity: Twitter Post

2011-11-14T21:48:00.003-05:00

I promised I would blog all synchronicities, no matter how small.

For those of you familiar with Twitter, you know that the messages that others post are fleeting. I had just decided that I couldn't hold it any longer and had to go upstairs to the bathroom. I was flipping through to close the tabs on my computer and I came across this tweet:

writethewords Lydia

Are you ever too comfortable wherever you are to get up and take a leak?

I am going to chalk this up to a directional synchronicity, telling me it's time to sign off.

Mirror Synchronicity: Lottery Mistakes

2011-11-14T20:33:00.003-05:00

On November 10th there was a lottery story about how a man did not ask for the powerball but got it anyways, which made him win a million dollars instead of $200,000. Here is a link to one of the stories:

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20111110/HURBLOG/111119912/1211/news01?Title=-1-million-prize-rooted-in-cashier-s-mistake&tc=ar

What amuses me is that in trying to find the article, I actually came across another article about a lottery mistake which happened in October. The person had asked for a MegaMillions but the clerk issued a PowerBall ticket instead. She paid for it and good thing she did - she won $25 million dollars.

http://news.yahoo.com/ga-lottery-woman-gets-25m-store-mistake-015834399.html

Both stories are each directional synchronicities (mistake=win) and together they make a mirror synchronicity. Wow. For the regular readers of my blog, I'm still seeing lottery synchronicities. Does that mean I should start playing again?

Directional Synchronicity: Right Time, Right Place

2011-11-14T19:50:00.006-05:00

My friends Tom and Ross are from the metaphysical group I belong to. They wanted to go on an excursion and a bit of a ghost hunt to Granville, OH. The plan was to have dinner at the Buxton Inn, which touts itself as "America's most ghostly country inn." I cancelled the first trip we had planned because I was not feeling well, so we went the following week.

After dinner we were exploring the basement of the Granville Inn, which is across the street and also known to be haunted. We ran into D., an employee, who just happened to be drawn downstairs at the same time we were there. I was sitting across the room from him and I could see in my mind's eye a spirit attached to him. It felt loving and very fond of him and interested in him. I assumed it was one of the Inn's ghosts but when I told him, he said he had felt that his grandfather was with him. He was having some personal challenges and so it was a comfort to him for me to validate what he had already felt on his own. He expressed delight in meeting us and within minutes we all bonded and exchanged information and D is planning on coming to our next group gathering. When we left the Inn, we remarked at the timing of it all with my having cancelled the prior week and D's decision to walk downstairs just when we were there.

So now, you might be asking yourself if we saw or felt anything, and the answer is yes. I saw movement several times, and felt the energies. But unfortunately (like the first time I had experienced spirit activity when my aunt was dying) I was unsettled. Even though the spirits were benevolent, I really did not enjoy the experience. I will not be attending any other ghost hunts.

Mirror Synchronicity: Very Punny!

2011-11-14T19:24:00.005-05:00

My Uncle Paul is known for his puns - you know - the jokes that make you groan. The other day I was on Twitter and I randomly found a Twitter poster (@omgthatspunny) who posts a incredible supply of puns. I saw one that made me think of my uncle because he has always been into computers. I emailed him a short note with the pun.

Talking to her about computer hardware I make my mother board.

Now here's the synchronicity. His response to my email:

The pun really fit the moment. I spent part of yesterday researching the mother board that I wanted for a computer that I am building. (This will make you board (;>) ) I decided on an Asus P8P67 Pro (Rev 3.1) with an Intel i7-2600K processor. Today Kemper House is having a memorial Service for my mom.

I love synchronicities with humor.

Psychic Reading: Scarves

2011-11-03T14:55:00.008-04:00

Before I tell the story, I do need to say that I do not generally go to psychics anymore. Sometime last year, something clicked for me and I realized that I need to look internally rather than externally for answers. I am not against psychics, in fact I know there are some very good ones out there, but ultimately I believe the answers lie within.

That being said, I do enjoy keeping company with people who have a similar belief system. There is a group of paranormal believers that has monthly parties and some of the attendees offer their psychic services for free. I won't generally turn down a free psychic reading!

Last week at the party a psychic named Mazie, who is also a medium (talks to spirits), told me that my aunt came through and mentioned that my aunt and I both were desperately trying to connect but somehow weren't getting through to each other. If you are a longtime reader of my blog, or have seen my book, this is the aunt that I had the Shared Death Experience with last year.

The final part of the reading was that Mazie mentioned a connection to lots and lots of scarves. This meant absolutely nothing to me. I don't wear scarves and I don't particularly connect scarves with my aunt either. Still, I know that Mazie is a good reader so I knew there was something to what she told me.

So last night, my cousin calls me and I mentioned the reading to her. There was a stunned silence on the other end. She told me that her mom had lots of scarves. Not only that, but a couple of months ago when my cousin's grandmother died, she went through her mom's old scarf drawer and carefully picked out a scarf of her mom's to wear at the funeral. Then just this month, while planning a trip overseas, she decided to take several scarves with her to mix up her wardrobe. The whole time she was deciding what scarves to take, she said she was thinking of her mother.

So while scarves meant nothing to me, the symbolism of them associated with my aunt meant everything to my cousin!

On top of all that, now here is a mirror synchronicity. This reading was not 'meaningful' for me until I talked to my cousin, and she found the significance. In a blog post last year, I wrote about a psychic reading that my cousin had (related to my aunt) that was not meaningful until she talked to me and I talked to my dad. It seems that even from the other side, my aunt is encouraging us to talk to one another to put the puzzle pieces together.

Mirror Synchronicity: Koi (Japan Part II)

2011-11-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

A little over a month ago, I wrote a post about my multiple synchronicities with Koi fish. I just had another Koi reference that surprised me. I was having dinner with my long lost friend JR who has some psychic abilities. She and I hadn't seen each other for over 6 months and so we had a lot of catching up to do.

Towards the end of dinner, I asked her to 'read' me just for fun. One of the things that she did was ask me if I had a fish tank and I said, "No, why?" She said, "Well I see fish." I asked what kind and without a beat, she said, "Koi." She had no idea that the Koi symbolism had come up in my life several times over the past year.

Directional Synchronicity: Lucky Penny

2011-11-03T14:39:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was in Las Vegas. For some reason I kept finding pennies on the floor. Perhaps they have so little value anymore that people don't bother to stoop to pick them up. Being slightly superstitious, I always stop to pick coins up, even if my hands are full.

On my last night in Vegas I had to switch hotels. The new hotel had a players card that offered 'free play' if you signed up and gave your email address. I was pretty much gambled out, but I decided it was worthwhile to at least play the $10 in free play that I had. I walked around the slot area looking for a machine that called to me. Finally, I came across a machine called 'Lucky Penny' which was a penny slot. It reminded me of the pennies that I had just found on the ground so I figured this was the one.

Sure enough, in less than 2 minutes, I won $62 on this penny slot. I guess those pennies were lucky!

Mirror Synchronicity: Paul

2011-10-03T14:02:00.003-04:00

Another writing project that I have been working on for a long time is The Downside of Dream Jobs. It is a series of interviews with people who have dream jobs and asking for them to talk about the realistic parts of their jobs that the public might not have imagined. I had been working on the book for 5 years and had collected a lot of really cool interviews but could never get myself to finish it because I kept wanting to collect more interviews. Thanks to a friend's suggestion, I decided to release the individual interviews as ebook singles.

There is a synchronicity in here, I swear!

The first ebook is The Downside of Dream Jobs: Video Game Tester

The second ebook is The Downside of Dream Jobs: Sportscaster

The third ebook that I am finalizing right now is The Downside of Dream Jobs: Upset Recovery Flight Instructor.

So I noticed as I was working on them that the interviewee of my second book (Sportscaster) and the interviewee of the third one (Flight Instructor) were both named Paul.

Coincidence.

Alex, the interviewee of the first ebook (Video Game Tester), contacted me and asked me to change the name of one of his coworkers in the interview, because it might be embarrassing for that person. It doesn't change the value of the story, so I was fine with that. I asked him to pick the pseudonym because I did not want to inadvertently choose the name of another co-worker.

He wrote me back and asked for me to use the name "Paul"! So now the first three singles that I've released all have a "Paul" in them. Funny little synchro.

Directional Synchronicity: The Lottery!

2011-09-29T21:13:00.005-04:00

Ok, I know what you're thinking so first let me just say that I fully acknowledge this might just be wishful thinking...but read the whole post first and then tell me if you think there might be a synchronicity somewhere.

It all started on September 24th when I found a used lottery ticket on the ground by my mailbox. When one finds a lottery ticket one needs to verify that it isn't a winner, right? I did check and discovered that no, it was not a winner. BUT the ticket reminded me that I had a coupon for a Buy $5 Lottery Ticket and get a $2 one free.

So I dig around in my mail pile to find the coupon and discover that it expires THAT DAY.

Of course, I go to buy a $5 ticket and get my free $2 lottery ticket.

The $2 one is not a winner, but the $5 ticket is. I win $5. I keep the winning $5 ticket in my purse for the next time I happen to go to the gas station.

The following day, I am watching Family Guy and the episode is entitled, "Lottery Fever" . I am surprised and excited to see another lottery reference so soon. I tell my husband about the lottery synchronicity and that perhaps this is a 'sign'. My husband says, "Forget the scratch offs - if we win the lottery, I want it to be the big one."

Before you scoff, I need to tell you that you will never win the lottery if you don't play. And maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not going to ignore a potential synchronicity that tells me to play the lottery. I don't normally play... but the last time I had a dream about the lottery I bought a ticket and won $75. Small wins, people, small wins.

So anyways, I don't know much about the lottery but I tell my husband to stop at the gas station so I can buy a ticket. I cash in my winning $5 scratch off and tell him I want the megamillions. Before I can ask any questions, the guy punches it in and gives me 5 single entries. BUT I notice that I didn't get the Megaplier number. I was disappointed but not so disappointed as to get another ticket. This is just for fun anyways.

So, the night of the drawing, I creep down to the computer after 11 to check my ticket. I am kicking myself for not getting the Megaplier. I don't understand the whole megaplier thing but it seems like you need it to really win big. I have a number here and a number there but I can't really tell if I won.

Today I stopped in to the gas station and asked the attendent to check the ticket. Sure enough, I won again - $2!!! (small wins, people, small wins). So what do I do with my $2? Well, I am going to ride the rush. I bought one ticket WITH the Megaplier this time. The drawing is tomorrow night. Maybe I will win.

If this ticket doesn't win, I'm done for now until I get another inkling of a sign. I will keep you posted.

BUT JUST FOR FUN... here's my promise. IF I win the FULL megamillions jackpot ($113 million), I will believe that it was your positive energy that helped and I will give $1,000 each (one thousand dollars!) to the first 20 people who comment on this post (one comment per person please - don't be greedy).

Mirror Synchronicity: My Sympathies

2011-09-28T16:30:00.004-04:00

This morning a friend of mine sent me an article from The Globe and Mail about the Hallmark cards targeted towards people who had experienced job loss.

This afternoon, my grad school advisor emailed me and asked me if I would be interested in co-authoring a research study about the evolution of the language in sympathy cards.

He had not read the first article. Weird that both were sent to me via email.

On TV: A Gifted Man - Review

2011-09-25T14:18:00.003-04:00

So, as you may remember from a previous post, I was looking forward to the pilot episode of A Gifted Man, a show about a surgeon who sees the spirit of his ex-wife. I have not read any other reviews about the show because I wanted to share my impressions first without the bias of others ideas.

I thought it was just okay. Alright, I admit I was a little disappointed. But to be fair, I will start with what I liked:

I like the overall premise of the show (that a character sees spirits) because I was very disappointed to see the end of Medium and Ghost Whisperer.
Margo Martindale is one of my favorite character actresses
Jennifer Ehle looks like a young Meryl Streep and has the appropriate presence of an angel

Here is what I did not like:

The Shaman character makes a comparison of the ghost to a "tumor."
The main character's 'bad' attitude is over-acted and over the top. He is suddenly a kind and gentle person around his ex which is so much of a contrast so as to be unrealistic.
The general plot seems contrived.
The previous television shows about spirits have different spirits in every episode. I can't see where this show is going.
There is too much of his medical practice closeups on inner organs.

So the grand conclusion for me is that I will watch another episode with hopes that they figure it out, but I do not see this show lasting very long. I welcome commentary from anyone who has seen the show to add what they liked/did not like.

Mirror Synchronicity: Japan

2011-09-25T13:57:00.004-04:00

So last night at a party I had a past-life reading for the first time. I found it to be... interesting. I have been curious about my 'past lives' for as long as I remember but never had a reading before. This was a freebie, so it was quick. She told me that in the 1500s I had been a teenage boy training to be a Samurai in Japan. There were a lot more details to the reading, primarily around positive traits and attributes carried forward into this lifetime such as integrity, loyalty and pride.

I had never met the psychic before and I found the story to be intriguing. She could not know that I lived in Japan as an infant and actually spoke Japanese as my first language (my nanny spoke little English). I have always lamented that I had the potential to be fluent in Japanese had my parents pursued my language education. Additionally, I am strongly interested in Buddhist and Zen cultures.

SO, here's where it gets kind of weird for me. A year ago I had magical sort of dream about flying koi fish when I was in Las Vegas at a casino. The following day, I saw a slot machine with a Koi on it, played it, and won like $80 and then continued to win for an hour on the slots that I was draw to. [Regrettably, I did not blog that directional synchronicity when I returned from my trip].

So LAST night I had a dream that involved a classroom environment and I remembered distinctly that I needed to go to room 226. Because I woke up with that number in my head I was curious about the symbolism. I typed +226 number symbolism into Google and the first hit that comes up is this Wikipedia story about Koi fish which are from Japan. Apparently the oldest Koi lived to the age of 226. What is strange to me is that there is no way I would have consciously made the connection with that number to Koi or to Japan.

So last night's dream tied both back to the dream last year about the Koi and also to my past life reading. Does it mean anything? Maybe, maybe not, but it was still pretty trippy!

Directional Synchronicity: Kismet meeting #2 of 2

2011-09-15T11:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I drove to Cleveland for the day to spend time with my uncle who had lost his wife (my aunt) last year and just recently lost his mom. We had a wonderful day visiting, but given that Cleveland is a two hour drive, I was tired on the drive home. About half an hour before I would have arrived home, I received multiple pleas from the volunteer coordinator at the hospice. There was a patient who was actively dying and alone. His family lived out of town and the facility did not have the staff to stay with him. They were looking for eleventh hour volunteers. Was anyone available?

I thought about it. I was exhausted. It was 8:00 at night and I had not yet eaten dinner. I had been away from home all day, and had things I had planned to do.

Yet I felt compelled to go volunteer. Why? I kept asking myself... why are you doing this to yourself? Are you trying to be a martyr? I really wasn't, but I just knew that I should go.

Funny enough, it wasn't for the patient - he was fine. There was an on-call nurse, Mary, who had been sitting with him until they could round up the volunteers. I had never met her before, but like my other post that I mentioned, there are some people who you instantly click with. We started talking about the patient, which transitioned to how I knew everyone at the hospice (I used to work there) which transitioned to metaphysical stuff. Amazingly, Mary and I have a LOT in common. She started to talk about synchronicities. I laughed. I said, "You don't know who you're talking to! I have been writing about synchros for seven years!" We bonded at the bedside of a dying patient. After she left, I thanked the patient. I told him he was a great party host for introducing us. I stayed with him for hours and we just sat and held hands.

Later when I did the shift change, someone who worked at the facility told me a bit more about the patient in life. He definitely was the life of the party and would've been the type to have introduced Mary and I. Funny. I hope that Mary and I become friends.

Directional Synchronicity: Kismet meeting #1 of 2

2011-09-15T11:21:00.002-04:00

It is amazing to me how people can give off strong energies in such a short time period of knowing them. I had an experience yesterday where I met two kinds of people at the same time (strangely enough, they were talking to each other). One I could not get away from fast enough, and one with whom I felt an instant connection.

For the first time in a year and a half, I went back to the metaphysical store that I had visited during the time my aunt was dying last year. I wrote about this particular store in my book because I had a series of synchronicities there. I wanted to go back and visit again, perhaps buy some things and tell them that I wrote about them in the book I just published.

Long story short, the owner was not really interested in my story. I am high energy sometimes and perhaps he was annoyed by my babble. He did mention that he was on the verge of selling the store, so perhaps he had already checked out. To make matters worse, when we determined it was his wife who had been working last year, I said something stupid.

"She was kind of cranky."

Ooops. Blank stare from him. Then a bit of a clenched jaw.

Oh no I insulted his wife. I really didn't mean to insult her, it was just an observation. Actually, it was an understatement. She was not just cranky, she was disinterested... and not what you might typically assume that the store owner of a metaphysical store would be like.

So I had put my foot in my mouth. I tried to back out. I apologized profusely, but he was not letting me off the hook. Clenched jaw, fake smile. Wow. I am so sorry. I am sooooooooooooo sorry. Nothing. No concession that perhaps she might have been that way at that time. I was very uncomfortable and he just let me squirm. We left quickly.

The woman who had been standing next to him was the owner of another store. She had gone to visit him to make an offer for his store but he was already in negotiations. This woman, Carol, owns a store called Crystal Era in Elyria. She was so pleasant and light and she came up to me in the parking lot and said, "Don't worry - they're both unfriendly. You did not say anything bad."

We then ended up talking for fifteen minutes about metaphysical things, after death communication and of course synchronicities. This woman had the most unbelievable positive rainbow lighthearted energy about her. She was someone who I would want to sit next to on a bus, someone I would want to share tea with, someone I would want to be friends with. She said she had a lot of synchronicity stories. I asked her to email me so I could share them with you. I hope she does.

Navigating Without a Compass

2011-09-07T12:33:00.002-04:00

My new neighbors Michelle and Dan are very much like my husband and I in one respect. She and I believe in spirit communication, and the men do not. In an extended coversation after I witnessed an orb, we expressed frustration with their inability to believe in what we know to be true. Because I had just seen an orb, I wanted to pull out my camera and see if I could capture anything on film. My husband touched my arm and said, "please don't." It occurred to me then that not only did he not believe in signs and messages from the other side, but that he really wasn't interested in becoming a believer either.

We (them women) were feeling sorry for them (our men), but then I realized that perhaps they have a different life lesson. Perhaps it is their lesson in this lifetime to go without signs or proof. Perhaps they are meant to navigate without a compass. And then it struck me...perhaps they are more evolved souls than we are? It has been said that God gives us the tools that we need to make our way in this world. Maybe my search for signs has stemmed from a lack of confidence. Maybe my search has been saying, "God, I don't feel strong enough to handle this world on my own, I need to know that you're there to hold my hand." In thinking about the compass metaphor, I started researching orienteering. Sure enough, it takes skill to read a map and a compass. But the truely advanced orienteers find their way without either. The Bushwalker's Guide to the Galaxy suggests that "someone who can navigate without them [Map and Compass] is less likely to feel stranded or lost." Wow. So, I guess this means that less reliance on "signs" and more reliance on inner self will better help us find our way.

Besides, it does not surprise me that these men don't want to stop and ask for directions.

As an aside, I found a really interesting article on another site about intention and our inner ability to navigate here.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from Heaven!

2011-09-07T11:35:00.004-04:00

Well, if you have come across this blog by happenstance or purposefully, you probably have an interest in after death communication and may have even experienced it yourself. It was just brought to my attention that the Chicken Soup series has a call for essays about the topic:

Messages from Heaven
When our loved ones leave this world, our connection with them does not end. Death takes away their physical presence, but not their spirit, and we often sense them after they have gone. Sometimes we see or hear from them after they've passed, giving us signs and messages from beyond. We want to hear from you if you have experienced the other side or received a sign or signal from a loved one who has passed. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is October 3, 2011

I find this very exciting because it means that the topic of spirit communication is going more mainstream! Another friend recently sent me some statistics about afterdeath communication which stated that 1/3 of the people surveyed had experienced some kind of communication in their lifetime. I personally feel this number is low, as I know a few people who have admitted to me that they have experienced "something" but they still don't believe in the afterlife. They are the type who might say "no" on a survey, just because they don't understand what happened.

The orb in the corner

2011-09-07T11:25:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I was visiting with my neighbors in their outdoor porch area. My neighbor was telling me about the loss of her sister nearly twenty years ago. She was describing to me how she could feel her sister's presence, but then she would end with, "Am I crazy?" As she was talking, I noticed a big ball in the corner of the porch. I was trying to pay attention to her but the ball kept growing and growing and it started to light up. Although I see orbs frequently now, I am still not used to seeing them so I am always perplexed. I felt bad because my neighbor was sitting in a position where I had to turn my head away from her to look in the corner but I was just so drawn to it. Then as soon as I acknowledged it, it flared and disappeared. It seems like every time I see an orb, it bounces around or does something to get my attention but once I acknowledge it, it is gone. Anyone else experience this? Why won't they stay when I admit that I see them?

Mirror Synchronicity: Immortality

2011-08-29T17:41:00.003-04:00

Perhaps it was because I sat bedside this week with a dying patient who was 98 years old. It seemed that the concept of living to 100 and immortality kept throwing itself in front of me.

Firstly there was this article about an upcoming book about immortality:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/torchwood-gives-glimpse-of-eternal-life.html

Then, without looking for it, suddenly this WSJ article about living to 100 and beyond pops up in my newsfeed:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904875404576528841080315246.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Then yesterday I was at the movies and the trailer before Cowboys and Aliens was for a movie called In Time where the rich can buy more time. http://www.intimemovie.com/

I am hoping these are all just mirror synchronicities and not directional synchronicities telling me that I need to be saving more for retirement!

Mirror Synchronicity: Resurrection

2011-08-29T11:37:00.002-04:00

So, I do not want to read too much into this, but I had to post that twice in 24 hours, I was spontaneously told a story about a person who was declared dead, and then not.

The first story came from a relative who told me that her mother in law had been on hospice and was declared dead by the hospice nurse. The family all was called, but then she started breathing again a short while later. She lived for another two hours and died again.

The second story came from a hospice nurse while I was sitting bedside for a different hospice patient. We were talking about shared death experiences and she told me about a previous patient who had died but then came back to life when the minister walked in the room and everyone in the room saw a golden light.

I do not claim that any of these synchronicities have meaning, and I certainly hope I am not the one who is going to have a near death experience, but I thought it was weird that two different people told me these stories within such a short time frame.

On TV: A Gifted Man

2011-08-18T16:55:00.002-04:00

Occasionally, I will veer off from my synchronicity posts if something else catches my eye. Lately I have been seeing previews for a Fall CBS Show, A Gifted Man. I could not help but notice the previews when they used the phrase, "Follow the Signs." Of course, since my blog has the same name, it certainly caught my attention! The initial preview clip looks promising. I do love the idea that it is a skeptic who gets these abilities to communicate with the other side, although there is the expected stereotypical exploration of mental disorders, etc. It will be interesting to see how this one turns out. I needed something to fill the gap that Medium and Ghost Whisperer left behind. I will be watching! If you check out the clip, let me know what you think.

Here is the description of the show from the CBS website:

A GIFTED MAN is a drama about a brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the "hereafter." Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is an exceptional doctor who lives a materialistic life of luxury thanks to his work-obsessed career and powerful and wealthy patients; however, Michael's ordered world is rocked when his ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle), an idealistic free-clinic doctor and the love of his life, mysteriously appears to him. Michael's off-beat sister, Christina (Julie Benz), a single mom to her teenaged son, Milo (Liam Aiken), is thrilled that Anna's back in her brother's life, even as an "illusion," because Michael was always a better person with her. Curious about Michael's sudden change in behavior is his efficient assistant, Rita (Margo Martindale). When Anna asks Michael to go to her clinic to help keep it running, he meets Autumn (Afton Williamson), a volunteer carrying on Anna's work with the underprivileged. Touched by those in need and accepting of Anna's compassionate "presence," Michael's attitude toward serving the rich and poor is turned upside down, and he begins to see that there's room in his life for everyone. Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich"), Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs"), Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Neal Baer ("ER") are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Directional Synchronicity: Cows on the Run

2011-08-15T17:25:00.003-04:00

So I was surprised that no one in the media has made this connection, but last Thursday August 11, there was an article about a Bull that escaped from a slaughterhouse and went running down Freedom street in Queens. There are quite a few articles about it, here is one with video.

[Call out on street name being a mirror synchronicity too!]

Then today NPR had an article about a cow named Yvonne who escaped from her farm in Germany right before she was due to go the slaughterhouse. Apparently all last week, a German tabloid called Bild has been running articles about this cow that has been on the lam for three months.

Both stories have brought animal issues to the forefront of the news again. In the case of the Queens cow, activists wanted to save it but they were too late. In Germany, there is a fear that once Yvonne is found she will be shot.

Perhaps both of these bovines are telling us that we need to be eating less meat? (For the record, I am having hamburgers for dinner tonight. I would love to be a vegetarian but I do not like vegetables. It poses a problem.)

Mirror Synchronicity: Somewhere In Between

2011-08-09T14:02:00.006-04:00

Just recently I finished writing my first ebook about my Shared Death Experience with my aunt. She died last year and because the majority of the book is about her, I thought it would be a nice homage to her to publish the book on her birthday, August 6th. Well, due to delays with the graphic design, I missed the date. Amazon allows you to arbitrarily set a publication date for ebooks and I had intended on putting the date in anyways when I uploaded it, but I was so excited to get it uploaded that I forgot. I figured that at least it would be published on the anniversary of my mom's death on August 8.

Well, the upload processed sooner than I expected, and I ended 'publishing' on August 7th. I was disappointed that I had missed the second date until I realized that the 7th was the date between two significant dates in my life- August 6th and August 8th, and quite fitting for a book titled, "Somewhere In Between"

If you would like to read my ebook for the quite reasonable price of $0.99 you can find it on Amazon.

I have a strong feeling that this is just the beginning of the synchronicities for this book.

Directional Synchronicity: Do it yourself

2011-08-09T13:52:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been working towards publishing my first ebook based upon my Shared Death Experience with my aunt last year. I have done some design work and I was originally going to design the cover myself. However, when I kept coming up with drafts and asking people for their opinion, my head was filled with too much 'advice.' Discouraged, I decided that I wasn't a designer and gave up and contacted a professional designer. He said he could do it and then while I was waiting for his design, I had second thoughts. I had told him I wanted a piece of chocolate cake on the cover but then I had changed my mind. I also realized that I probably won't make a lot of money from publishing the book and it would be quite a while before I would even break even.

Well, my desired deadline came and went and despite multiple emails, the "professional" designer was not responding. I realized then that I was back where I started. I had a book but no cover. Yet, I felt that the universe was telling me that I was supposed to it myself, and so I did. I actually am happy with the results. Now, you might not see this as a synchronicity, but I have learned that sometimes when things do not work out the way I planned, they actually turn out better.

I heard a joke the other day, "If you want to see God laugh, tell him your plans."

Oh, and if you're interested in reading the book, it's available on Amazon for $0.99. What a steal!

Afterlife Communication: The Macy's Receipt

2011-08-07T14:39:00.005-04:00

This story was posted in a discussion group I belong to and I asked the storyteller, Mel, if I could retell his story. I consider this to be an example of afterlife communication.

I was 19 years old, living in the basement apartment of my parents home one semester while I commuted to college. I awaken one morning and go to my desk where I see a very old, yellowed sales receipt from Macy's Herald Square in NYC. It strikes me as odd, given it wasn't there the night before. I look further and see the date on the receipt is 9.9.55, 15 years earlier.

After a moment's reflection a chill comes over me. On 9.9.55 my parents received a phone call very early in the am alerting them that my grandmother had dies suddenly that night, at the age of 62.

If the receipt had not been as aged as it was I might have written this off as a peculiar coincidence. But it was clearly 15 years old. On that morning, a Sunday morning no one went shopping to Macy's. Firstly, we were in shock and my mother was traumatized. Furthermore, this was a Sunday and in those years department stores weren't open on Sundays.

Mirror Synchronicity: The number 42

2011-08-07T09:27:00.005-04:00

Years ago when I filled out a subscription form for Rolling Stone magazine, I scribbled my first name, Liz. Imagine my surprise when I received my first subscription in the mail addressed to '42 miles' . (Miles is my last name.) I didn't bother to correct it because it always amused me. Yesterday I was thinking about that 42 and contemplating whether I would incorporate the number into the logo for my company. It would be my little secret.

Later when I was in my car, my odometer was set on 'trip' and I switched it over to the mileage. The mileage surprised me because it was 42, 142 and I was going 42 miles an hour. Perhaps that was a directional synchronicity... Regardless, it made me smile.

Directional Synchronicity: Distracted Driving

2011-08-05T11:19:00.003-04:00

I was talking on the phone to a friend while driving. Completely engaged in my conversation I was stumped when I arrived home and found that my garage door opener was not working. I tried several times and then realized that I had driven to my old house that I had moved out of two months ago. We still own the house, and I still have a garage door opener for that house that works, but I was attempting to use the garage door opener to the new house on the old one.

I continued to talk on the phone as I backed out of the driveway and as I was passing the front of the house, my phone completely shut off mid-conversation. I assumed that my battery had died, but when I turned it back on, I still had 50% power and a strong connection. I could only assume then that the universe wanted me to get off the phone. I asked myself, "What am I supposed to pay attention to?" and I looked up at the house and saw that there was a newspaper by the mailbox and a phone book on the front porch. Both items I would not want to be sitting in front of my house. I also think that the disconnection was a stronger message from the universe to get off the phone and pay attention to my driving.

Synchronicity in the news: Article about Carl Jung

2011-07-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Here is an interesting article just published in the Guardian about Carl Jung.

Carl Jung, part 6: Synchronicity
With physicist Wolfgang Pauli, Jung explored the link between the disparate realities of matter and mind

The literary agent and author Diane Athill describes the genesis of one of her short stories. It occurred about nine one morning, when she was walking her dog. Crossing the road, a car approached and slowed down. She presumed someone needed directions. A man leaned out and brazenly asked her whether she would like to join him for coffee.

[click on the link above to read the rest of the article]

Mirror Synchronicity: Breakfast wish

2011-06-25T01:41:00.002-04:00

I was sitting on a plane during a stopover flipping through a magazine and chatting with the flight attendent. I came across an ad for some new kind of Fig Newton crispy thing and I remarked to her that it looked good and asked if she had tried them. A little embarrassed that I was making small talk about food ads, I explained that I hadnt eaten breakfast. Then an hour later when they were walking down the aisles passing out the snacks, the flight attendent said, "here is your breakfast" as a joke as she put the snack down. She did not make the connection that she put in front of me the very item I was admiring from the magazine!

Directional Synchronicity: Special Day

2011-06-25T01:21:00.001-04:00

This happened at the beginning of this month so I am little delayed in posting. Today I presented a personal story about my Shared Death experience from last year (which i blogged about when it happened) at the Association for Death Education conference in Miami. Because the story was about my aunt who died I needed to have pictures of her to illustrate the presentation. i sent my uncle an email and asked him for the pictures and he said he would look for them but it might take a while before he could get to it as he was preparing for an international trip. Well, a week went by and he hadnt sent them and I was anxious to get everything together so I emailed him and asked if i could drive up to his house (2 hours away) and look through them myself. He said that was fine and gave me several dates to chose from.

The day I chose was a monday because I thought the sooner the better. He had the stacks of albums out waiting when I got there and we had a great time looking through the pictures and reminiscing. Several hours into it he said, "do you realize today would have been our 52nd wedding anniversary?". I really hadn't known that. He said that my being there was helpful so he didnt have to be alone with his thoughts of loss. Was it coincidence? Synchronicity? Or was I guided? I'd like to think my aunt had nudged me to contact him and pick that date.

Directional Synchronicity: Dear Diary

2011-05-07T13:10:00.003-04:00

On Thursday of this week I drove up to Cleveland to visit my uncle and attend the Cleveland area Alzheimer's Association fundraising dinner. My uncle said that he might be in the shower when I arrived so he left the door unlocked and told me to let myself in. I walked over to the wall of books (9 bookcases 12 feet high) and looked at exactly two books. Inside the second book I picked up, I found a 'Dear Diary' letter written by my late aunt in 1969 regarding a significant conversation she had with my uncle about whether they would try for a fourth child. My aunt died a year ago this week and we were attending the dinner in her honor, so I was uncertain whether to tell my uncle about the letter. I didn't want to upset him. I put it back in the book and left it on the shelf.

After the dinner we were sitting at the dining room table and he started reminiscing, so I decided to tell my uncle what I had found. I was afraid that if I never told him, he might never find it with the thousands of books he owns. He was fascinated by the letter and it revealed to him private thoughts he never knew that my aunt had. He enjoyed contemplating the mystery of it all. If you read my blog last year at this time, you will remember that I had a very special connection with my aunt. I believe that she directed me to that book and that letter.

Directional Synchronicity: I am a writer

2011-04-29T14:58:00.004-04:00

Recently I quit my job as a hospice social worker. I had only worked for the company for 3 months, but it was long enough to know that it was not the right place for me. I still love hospice and will definitely continue as a volunteer if not a social worker again somewhere else.

Over the past few months, I have felt drawn back to writing. I have a MA in Journalism and Communication because I love writing, but I never really pursued writing as a way to make a living. Writing is not something that I necessarily want to do, but I seem to NEED to write.

I had lunch with my friend Kristi and told her that I felt I am really meant to be a writer. A week later, she had lunch with a friend of a friend who is an entrepreneur. He said to her, "I really need a writer. Do you know of anyone?" She gave him my name, he called me and when we met, we realized it was a good fit. So, I am now "officially" a paid writer.

We all have marveled at the synchronicity of it all.

Synchronicity in the news: Lady Gaga on Alexander McQueen for Bazaar US

2011-04-14T15:50:00.001-04:00

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Lady Gaga stated that she felt that she channeled Alexander McQueen (Fashion designer who had committed suicide) when she wrote the song, "Born this Way." This is a HIT song that she wrote and she is not even taking credit for it. A lot of news articles are making fun of her saying that she received creative inspiration from beyond. But how else do you explain the synchronicity that her record label decided to release the song on the anniversary of his death?! I believe you Gaga!

Here's the article:

Lady Gaga on Alexander McQueen for Bazaar US

Mirror Synchronicity: Lost a twin

2011-03-26T06:24:00.002-04:00

I had come across an article in the Los Angeles Times about a California man's quest for the truth about the accident that killed his twin when they were eight. The accident happened in 1959 and fifty years later he was still trying to make sense of his loss. I was so move by the article that I posted liks to it on several social media sites.

The next day i went to see The Adjustment Bureau. I was fascinated by the story and wanted to learn more about how it was conceived. I noted that the story was based upon a short story by Philip K. Dick, a mid-century science fiction writer. curious about the author's background, i found his biography, which indicated that the author never emotionally recovered from the childhood loss of his twin.

One lost twin story is tragic, two lost twin stories is a synchronicity!

Mirror Synchronicity: A musical answer

2011-03-03T15:59:00.003-05:00

This morning I decided I didn't like the song I was waking up to so I went to set up the alarm to play a different song. I had the CD If I were a Carpenter in the player and I was fast forwarding just the beginning parts of every song to find one that wouldn't be too jarring in the a.m. When I got to the song Yesterday Once More, I stopped fast forwarding and leaned back to listen to the song. As I was sitting there I started to think of a major decision I was trying to make about whether to to go back to school. I asked the universe for a sign to tell me which direction I should go. Nothing happened...immediately... but then a few seconds later, the next song on the CD came on and the lyrics caught me by surprise:

In your mind you have capacities you know
To telepath messages through the vast unknown
Please close your eyes and concentrate
With every thought you think...

It was the song "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" a song I don't think I had ever listened to before. This time I took heed... while the song is talking about speaking with aliens, I did have to laugh at how the lyrics reflected my thoughts:

Oh won't you give us a sign
Give us a sign that we've reached you

After-Death Communication - scholarly view

2011-03-01T13:06:00.001-05:00

I love that the scholars are also looking at synchronicities and signs from the other side. Here is a video interview with a book author who had done research on the topic. She gives many examples of synchronicities.

Open to Hope Foundation > Dr. Annette Childs and Dr. Heidi: After-Death Communication

Mirror Synchronicity: "Direct" mail message

2011-02-23T19:24:00.002-05:00

Today my friend Chris posted on Facebook that he was really irritated that Facebook ads kept popping up to tell him to "suggest friends" for a friend of his who had actually died last summer. I posted a sympathetic response and lamented that although my mom died 7 years ago, every now and then I will get a random catalog in the mail that is addressed to her. A couple hours later I checked my mail and Lo and Behold there was an Eddie Bauer catalog with her name on it. Normally I am pretty irritated by this because I have complained every time I get one and they still don't have a clue. Today, though, I smiled. I felt it was a nod from the universe and a wink from my mom.

Afterlife Communication: Hot enough for you?

2011-02-19T12:11:00.004-05:00

My friend "Gary" died this week. As I mentioned in other posts, he had always said that he would continue to stay in touch. The night he died my friend K was sitting in front of her fireplace when her furnace went on. The furnace, while only set at 74 went all the way up to 79, which was strange for her since it should've been able to read the heat from the fireplace. As K sat there sweating she laughed because she knew it was Gary's way of saying hello. In the months before he died they had a running joke about the temperature of his house. He always tried to get her to take her coat off and she said she was always cold. When the heat wouldn't go off, she knew it was him! After she acknowledged him, the furnace went off.

Gary always had a sense of humor...we anticipate many more crazy messages to follow.

Afterlife Communication: Pocket call without the pocket

2011-02-19T12:06:00.002-05:00

My friend "Gary" who died this week had always said that he would continue the contact with his friends after he died. On my way home from the facility where he died I recevied a call from his nurse, D., who had also been very close to him. When I picked up the phone, I didn't hear her and so I yelled into the phone. She said she hadn't called me but also that her phone was next to her and not even in her pocket. We laughed about it and figured that it was Gary's way of keeping us talking.

Directional Synchronicity: The moment he died

2011-02-19T11:44:00.003-05:00

Back in 2005 when I first started this blog I commented on two personal experiences with the moment of death that led me to believe that there is meaning in the timing of when someone dies. From my personal and professional hospice experiences, I've learned that the person who dies sometimes waits for people to leave, and sometimes waits for people to come. What can be frustrating for surviving family members, there is no way to know which way it is supposed to be until afterwards. Families can drive themselves nuts trying to 'create' the right conditions.

This week that idea of timing was confirmed again.

I had been sitting bedside for my friend "Gary" at an inpatient hospice for 4 days. I didn't do a vigil, but I just stayed long enough each day for him to know that I cared and that he wasn't facing his transition alone. On Thursday I noted he was starting to change and that it probably wouldn't be long. He was really close to his nurse and she was already on her way. He wanted to take a shower so I decided to go and get something out of the vending machine. I came back to the room but the nurse and the aide said they were still helping him and it would be just a few more minutes. I had heard it was a nice day outside and so I went out to the front of the facility to sit down and enjoy the weather. I was there less than 5 minutes when the nurse came rushing out in a panic to tell me that he had passed. She told me it was peaceful and that both she and the aide were with him. She felt so bad that I wasn't there at the time and I reassured her that I understood and that I wasn't supposed to be there.

Well, less than 5 minutes later, a friend, K, came walking up from the parking lot and I had to tell her that he had passed. She missed him by 5 minutes. She felt bad that she missed him and I reassured her that it was intentional on his part.

His nurse, D. had been on her way from another patient's house when she had a strong message in her head that she needed to pick up small memento of his from his house for him. Then she got stuck in traffic. So when SHE found out she also missed being there for him, she was really sad. I told her about timing and how he waited until I was gone and died before K got there. In hindsight, we figured out that the message to get the memento came right around his time of death.

The synchronicities of all three of us 'missing' the event are too much to chalk up to coincidence.

Mirror Synchronicity: The travel metaphor

2011-02-19T11:01:00.005-05:00

Recently I had the privilege of sitting bedside with a friend "Gary" during the last week of his life. He had cancer and the disease had progressed enough to require care in an inpatient hospice unit. He slept often and his dreams were very active. He would talk and make hand gestures while he was sleeping. Hospice professionals refer to his condition as 'terminal restlessness'. I had always heard that people at the end of life start to experience and express the situation as a travel metaphor and Gary was no exception. One time when he was sleeping he said 4 times, "Get up, get up, get up, get up." His hand gesture was so broad he woke himself up. He smiled and told me he was trying to get his motorcycle on the back of a truck. Another time he said he had a dream about a 102 foot boat. Yet another time he lifted his hand up and turned his wrist. That gesture, too, woke him up. He told me he was trying to start a car. I asked him him about the boat, motorcycle and car transportation metaphors and said, "are you going somewhere?" and he said, "you think?" and grinned. What would turn out to be the day before he died, he wanted to stay in his street clothes and refused to take off his shoes. He would ask, "when are we leaving?" He was so restless that he and I actually took a walk around the facility, wandering aimlessly. During that walk he told me about a scene from the movie Mission to Mars. He said, "I feel like Gary Sinese - about to get in the capsule."

Directional Synchronicity: A gathering that was meant to be

2011-02-07T17:37:00.002-05:00

I meet with a small group of people who casually get together on Sunday afternoons to discuss the book "The Disappearance of the Universe." Last weekend I had pretty much decided that I wasn't going to go because I would rather go to a movie with my dad. On Saturday night, however, my dad called me and told me he wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to go to the movie on Sunday. So I decided to go to the meeting after all.

During the meeting one of the members had a breakthrough and a revelation about needing to face her grief over the loss of her father several years ago. It was potentially a pivotal life moment for her, right there in that meeting, with tears streaming down her face. Several others were moved to tears as well and it was a cathartic experience for all.. It was then, during discussion, that we discovered that NONE of us had planned to attend the meeting and we all had similar things happen that redirected us together.

Directional Synchronicity: "Energy"

2011-02-07T17:33:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine went to look at apartments on Sunday. He had seen brochures but he decided that he wanted to see them in person so he could see what the "energy" was like. The first place we arrived the power was out and the "energy" at the apartment place was literally and figuratively not good. It was under construction and it smelled. We got a laugh at the literal energy problems which reflected the overall energy as well. Needless to say, he won't be choosing to live there.

Mirror Synchronicity: The Five Elizabeths

2011-02-07T17:23:00.002-05:00

One of my hospice patients, Mark* was a veteran. So, in order to help him with some veterans stuff I had to coordinate with a social worker at the VA named Liz. I go by the name Lizzy and our patient would frequently get us confused. We would have to say not only our first and last name but also our organizations. Because I was the first to work with him, I always joked that I was #1. Well, as I began to set up more services for the patient, the strangest thing kept happening... I would end up connecting to people named Elizabeth. The woman who offered private pay aide services went by the name Liz. Then there was the local Senior Options caseworker who called me and said her name was Elizabeth. Finally, when he was talking about moving to an Assisted Living, the marketing person was Elizabeth. By the 5th Elizabeth I was in complete shock. I've always had a common name, but this was quite unusual and a little freaky.

*(not his real name for anyone who is worried about health privacy)

Directional Synchronicity: God opens a window - Part II

2011-02-07T16:56:00.003-05:00

A couple of months ago I posted a synchronicity about a friend who found a potential job offer waiting for her in her email after she quit her hospice job without having another job lined up.

Well, mid January, I too decided to quit MY hospice social worker position after only 2 1/2 months in and without having another job lined up. It was not a spontaneous decision and I gave two weeks so as to wrap everything up and leave on a positive note. My co-workers couldn't believe that I didn't have something else arranged and were stressed on my behalf. Strangely, I wasn't worried and I knew that everything would turn out ok. I trusted the universe.

Still, it came as a complete surprise when a week after I gave notice, I received an email offer for a consulting position from someone who found me on LinkedIn. Here's where the synchronicities occurred to me. The opportunity for me is a very good one but not one I would be able to pursue if I were working full time. Because the company won't have full time work right away, the timing also would not have worked if I had been out of work for a while. My online profile did not yet indicate I was unemployed.

So basically out of the blue I got an offer for a job I would really like to do, at JUST the RIGHT TIME.

Synchronicity #2
Our first conversation on a Wednesday evening went well and then I got nervous. I referenced this blog and some other writing that I do that all has a metaphysical bent to it. I sent an email in the morning to my contact telling her that I knew I wouldn't be referencing spirits and and psychic messages in my work for her.

My contact had told her husband about our conversation and the next morning he expressed a slight concern of my references to psychics, etc. She told him to go read the email. He didn't know what she was saying and reiterated his concern. She said, "GO READ MY EMAIL" and sure enough, I had sent the email to them with my recognition of the separateness of the psychic stuff right before he mentioned it. He was so surprised by the coincidence of it all, HE sent ME an email telling me about the synchronicity.

Synchronicity #3
The way that the company found me on LinkedIn was through a group to which we both belong. The group did not have an online presence on LinkedIn until I created it, 2 months ago.

This may not be quite a succinct synchronicity to others, but the whole thing feels very magical to me.

Mirror Synchronicity: A musical message

2011-01-06T20:40:00.008-05:00

I am a hospice social worker, so it is expected that all of my patients will die eventually. Yesterday, however, a 31-year old patient of mine died suddenly and without much warning. I was supposed to visit him yesterday and the last two times I saw him he reminded me of his 32nd birthday coming up in less than a week and that I better not forget it. He had been sick for a long time and was so excited to make it to 32.
I was scheduled to see him on the day he happened to die and so it was a bit of a shock that I've been processing over the past 24 hours. I have been thinking about him a lot. On my way home from work, I said his name out loud and asked him for a sign that he was ok. I don't know what I expected, but I was looking for something... a license plate...something. I turned on the radio and strangely enough, it was a classical music piano piece. (My alternative rock station had apparently converted to classical the day before). He had sung hymns for me 2 weeks ago and I thought maybe it would be a hymn, but it wasn't. If it was a sign, I thought, it wasn't a strong enough one for me to feel the connection. I don't listen to classical and I was confused, but the piece was calming and so I left it on.

Then I felt cold air and I could not seem to get the heater high enough. Still, I was thinking that would be silly to think that it was his presence. I thought about him the whole time I while I was listening to the piano music and I chided myself for expecting him to respond to my request for a sign. He's new to heaven, I told myself. He wouldn't even know how to send a sign. I'm just his social worker... if he is watching from heaven he would be looking after his family, not me. Then the song ended. The DJ said something along the lines of:

"We were just listening to Klavierstucke No. 2 in E-flat, D. 946 by Franz Schubert. Franz wrote that song when he was 31 about 6 months before he died. He never did make it to his 32nd birthday."

wow. I got my sign.

RIP and Happy Birthday buddy.

I didn't know much about Schubert before but I've been reading about him and apparently this piece is often described as haunting as it was written after Schubert knew he was ill.

Not the same performer, but you can still get a sense of the intensity of the emotions of the piece here

Proof of ESP and thoughts about skeptics

2011-01-06T06:53:00.004-05:00

Here is a NYT article about an upcoming journal article which seeks to scientifically proof ESP. What makes me laugh is the gist of the Times article that there is an uproar over the publication. Despite the repitition of experiments and the credibility of the author, the journal article is still getting shredded.

Here is what i think: for the skeptics, there is no amount of 'proof' that will ever be enough for them, even if they experience the phenomenon themselves. What I am realizing is that for some reason they must strongly need to hold on to the tangible, because the intangible is too frightening for them. I used to try to convince skeptics to have an open mind but now I see the closed mind is a form of self protection. They are like frightened children who must believe that "belief" means a lack of control... the funny thing is that I believe that the more I acknowledge the power of the universe, the more Power I have to make change, make a difference, etc. That is my hope anyways...

Required Surfing: Spirituality and Practice

2010-12-31T06:57:00.002-05:00

A friend just recently brought this website to my attention and i liked it so much that I wanted to write about it. while it is not directly about synchronicities, it is about creating spritual practices in everyday living.

I especially like the quotations and the mantras for different spiritual practices like silence, transformation, presence, hope....

Additionally the website is easy to navigate and not ad intrusive. It is my new daily favorite (yes.... I like it THAT much).

and If you like my blog you will love this website.
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com

Mirror synchronicity: i was just thinking of you!

2010-12-31T06:35:00.002-05:00

A type of mirror synchronicity that happens frequently to many people is to call someone and hear them exclaim "I was just going to call you!" or "I was just thinking about you." For the caller the synchronicity is not easily seen....we have to take their word that they were in fact just thinking of us. Last May when i had heightened sense of awareness and sensitivity to the universe and its Power, i saw every interaction as an intentional Communication in the right time at the right place with the right people. Somewhere along the way i had lost that assured feeling that things are the way they are supposed to be. Now, in the last several days I have returned to my belief in the purposive nature of the small coincidences. I have been attempting meditation more frequently which may have led to my feelings of connectedness. In the past two days i have heard 3 times the declaration that i called at just that time when the other was thinking of me. I don't think of it as any special skill on my part but rather maybe a small sign that I am now realigning with the universe. I hope.

Directional Synchronicity: God opens a window

2010-11-27T10:03:00.002-05:00

I started a new job 4 weeks ago at a hospice. It is fast paced and somewhat intense but I love it. Another social worker started the same day I did and then just gave notice last Monday, just three weeks into the job. She first called off sick and then came in and dropped off all of her stuff. I was disappointed and surprised that she didn't stick it out longer, but she had to do what was right for her.

When I talked to her the next day, she told me that when she had gotten back home from dropping off her badge she checked her email and there was an interview request waiting for her in her inbox! This was a job she had applied for over 6 weeks before... and now they called her! We laughed at that old adage - "God never closes a door without opening a window." I bet she got the job.

Mirror Coincidence: Dream On

2010-11-27T09:58:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning - I'm Christmas shopping on the internet and my husband is playing with his new speakers. I found a pajama set for my niece that had the lyrics to "Dream On" printed on them. Since she really likes classic rock, I thought I would buy them for her but I wanted to make sure I wasn't sending her inappropriate lyrics. I looked up the words to the song and then was asking my husband if he owned it so I could hear it because I couldn't remember the song (Aerosmith, if you're curious). Well, I was satisfied with what I saw on the printed lyrics and I was checking out of the website when the "Dream On" song came on over the speakers. I asked my husband if he had downloaded it for me and he said no - he was listening to Pandora and it just came on!

Directional Synchronicity: Timing is everything

2010-11-09T19:04:00.002-05:00

I graduated with my MSW in June and had been looking all summer for a full time job. It seemed as if I was never going to find one. I knew God had a reason but I wasn't sure what it was...

Then I found my dream house which would require a lot of contractors and an architect (the dream house had a big hole in the roof). I told myself that I wasn't able to find a full time job because I needed to be part time to work with the vendors.

Well, the strangest thing happened. Two days before we were supposed to close on the house, the financing fell through (because of the hole). That is the SAME day that I got a job offer for a full time job.

Had I gotten the job and the house, I would've been a wreck. I wouldn't have had time to work on the house and also the job was on the other side of town from where the house was.

Had I lost both the house and the job, I would've been a wreck. I would still be wondering why, when I finally found my life's purpose, I wasn't able to fulfill my promise.

But now I have the job and not the house and in hindsight, I think that's they way it was supposed to play out all along.

Mirror Synchronicity: Merged families

2010-09-18T04:29:00.003-04:00

My friend Lisa's daughter has 2 Aunt Amys, 2 Uncle Marks and 2 Uncle Brads. In addition, Lisa has a sister-in-law named Lisa as well.

Now it's not unusual to have some name repetition within families that marry but this seems beyond coincidence.

I told Lisa about this post and she replied:

"You could add that both Mark's and both Lisa's have the same middle names (Mark Alan and Lisa Ann), plus that one Amy's maiden last name is the same as the other Amy's married last name. It really is creepy!"

Mirror Coincidence: Phone calls

2010-09-18T04:26:00.003-04:00

Last May when I had all sorts of metaphysical phenomenon happen to me, I realized that interruptions are sometimes not coincidences and it's the universe's way of changing direction. I was on the phone with my friend Janice and at the same time I had another call beep in on that phone and my work cell phone started ringing. I took that as a sign that Janice and I had to wrap up our conversation so that she could focus on the things that she needed to get done that day.

Mirror Synchronicity: Due Amici

2010-09-18T04:14:00.003-04:00

Janice is a friend of mine who I've known for fifteen years. She and I have drifted in and out of each others lives over the years as we've changed jobs, residences and spouses. I saw her on my birthday in May and we were so excited to reconnect that we vowed to see each other again soon. Summer came and went and somehow it just never seemed to work. She invited me to her husband's 50th birthday party at a restaurant. Unfortunately, I had to decline because I had a rehearsal dinner for a wedding that evening. I was so disappointed in the timing of it all.

Well, if you read my blog, you know where this is going. Since I had declined the invitation to the birthday party, I had forgotten about where it was to be hosted. The day before the dinner, Janice left me a Facebook message about getting back in touch. I called her immediately to see if she could get together but she was busy planning the party at Due Amici. Suddenly I made the connection that the rehearsal dinner was at the same place. Both events were at the same restaurant on the same day at the same time! While I wasn't able to be fully present at the party, I was able to visit some with Janice after all.

What is even better is that the translation of the restaurant name is "Two friends"!

Channeling Erik

2010-07-01T16:33:00.002-04:00

Recently this blog was brought to my attention. I found it so interesting and so insightful, I thought I would blog about it myself rather than just put it up in the links. The blogger has taken the awful awful experience of losing her son to suicide and turned the experience into a healing exploration of the afterlife.

http://www.channelingerik.com/about/

Mirror Coincidence: 22:22

2010-07-01T16:12:00.003-04:00

So this is really weird, but two nights in a row I happened to look at the clock (military time) at 10:22. Is 22:22 double the 11:11? It's a new number combo for me.

Mirror Synchronicity: Lois Lane

2010-06-29T17:09:00.003-04:00

We were visiting Long Island near BethPage and driving back to our hotel after lunch via a new route when we passed Frankie Lane. My husband thought it was hilarious to have a street name with that name but I didn't know who Frankie Lane was, so it wasn't significant to me.

Then I said I thought it would be cool if there was a Lois Lane - the fictional character from the Superman comics/movies...and sure enough about a second later, we passed Lois Lane.

Mirror Synchronicity: Stayin Alive

2010-06-29T17:04:00.004-04:00

My husband and I were having lunch at the Silver Dinner in the Baltimore airport for the first time. I was looking at the jukebox on the table with a collection of 180 'oldies' from the past four decades that anyone could select from their table and it would play over the speakers in the restaurant. Of course since anyone could select a song, the likelihood of the queue working through while you were still eating was slip. I said I would really like to hear 'Stayin Alive' by the Bee Gees. Not 5 seconds later, that was the very next song that started playing.

Mirror Synchronicity: Cemetery

2010-06-24T23:54:00.002-04:00

This is really two synchronicities in one, which I love!

My friend Janna flew in tonight from Chicago to attend the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) conference. I had met Janna at the death education conference and had kept in touch but I do not know her well. I mention this because when Janna decided to attend this conference in my hometown, I offered to pick her up from the airport and it was important to me to not be late. Her flight got in at 9:50 p.m.

I had a really long day so I decided to lay down for a nap at 7:00 p.m. thinking I would sleep for about an hour. I woke up when my phone rang at 9:35. It was the exact amount of time I needed to get to the airport. In a panic, I answered the phone call from my dad and quickly told him I didn't have time to talk and I would call him back in a little while.

Thanks to my dad's phone call which woke me up, I managed to make it to the airport in a reasonable amount of time. While I was driving Janna to the conference location, my dad called again. Not wanting to be rude to Janna, I didn't pick up the phone.

Once I dropped off Janna, I saw that my dad had called after 11:00, which is quite late for him. I realized he must really want to talk to me. When I called him back the urgent question was:

I'm at the family reunion and I need to know tonight, do you want to be buried in the family plot?

He apologized for such an on-the-spot morbid question, but I had to laugh, since I had just had a long conversation during the drive with Janna about death and dying and memorials before I dropped her off at a conference about cemetery inscriptions!

So really, there were two synchronicities here - the timing of the phone call (Directional synchronicity telling me to get up and get going) and also the subject of the phone call coinciding with the purpose for me ignoring the phone call (Mirror synchronicity about cemeteries and memorializing the dead).

Communicating without saying a word

2010-06-24T09:02:00.004-04:00

Last week a new friend of mine, K., mentioned that she has had multiple psychics tell her that they were receiving contact from K.'s grandmother. What disturbed K. was that her grandmother had not yet died. She has dementia. Three days later K. and I were both at a séance where the person sitting next to K. told her that her grandmother was right there and had a message for K. but would only give it to K. directly. This is very frustrating for K. because while she is a healer, and she can also sense spirit, she has not previously had success with receiving auditory messages.

After the séance, I mentioned to K. that my aunt who had Alzheimer's was sending me messages before she had passed. I suggested perhaps there was unfinished business that her grandmother needed to resolve. K. acknowledged that there was and she said that her mother and her aunt were not getting along. I asked if K. was in the position to help mend that relationship, and she confirmed that she was.

In thinking about this experience and about signs in general, I realized that not all messages need to be auditory. I have had a strong desire to receive auditory messages, but when I review my blog history, I know I have been receiving the love and guidance loud and clear without anyone ever saying a word.

Directional Synchronicity: Dragonfly

2010-06-24T08:27:00.006-04:00

Ok first of all, I have to say, I hate bugs. Almost to the point where I possibly have a phobia. So to see a HUGE dragonfly on my porch step brought a range of emotions in a very short time period. I was repulsed at first because it was HUGE and it's a BUG, but then, it didn't move when I approached it and I thought it was kind of peaceful. Hmmm... maybe it's good luck? Or maybe it's just a bug that landed on my porch. I thought about it for a bit and then went about my day.

I went out for another errand and when I came back, either the same dragonfly or a different one was on my porch again in a slightly different spot. OK, this cannot be a coincidence, I thought. You might say it was a coincidence, but considering that I am now over 40 and cannot recall ever seeing a dragonfly close-up before and suddenly twice in one day? On my porch where I can't miss it? Enough to blog for sure. So what does it mean? Well a quick Google search indicates that different cultures ascribe different meanings to the symbol of the dragonfly. The comment that I found on dragonfly-site.com to resonate the most for me was this:

"And as a dragonfly lives a short life, it knows it must live its life to the fullest with the short time it has – which is a lesson for all of us. "

This is especially meaningful for me because of my work in hospice. It was a good reminder for me right now.

So once I discovered that dragonflies are positive symbols, I liked them a little more. Then I found out that they eat mosquitoes!!! Woo hoo!! Bring on the dragonflies!!

Mirror Coincidence: Millennium Wheel

2010-06-15T14:21:00.003-04:00

Two of my 319 Facebook friends who don't know each other and live on opposite sides of the country both posted pictures of the Millenium Wheel in London on June 12. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a synchronicity, but maybe it is...maybe it's a sign I should be headed to London!

The Rosicrucians

2010-06-15T08:54:00.002-04:00

I'm going off the map here a little bit to share my experience last night with a local Rosicrucian meeting. First of all, my knowledge of the Rosicrucians is limited. My grandmother was a very active member in the 1940s and later, but she died when I was 11 so I didn't get to hear much about it from her. My recent personal awakening has been quite life-changing and it has been difficult for me to share my experiences with people who are still swimming at the surface... So I felt I needed to develop more local relationships with like-minded people. The library down the street from me was the location for the meeting, it worked with my schedule and it was free... how could I not go? There was an awkward moment in the beginning for me when I man I just met wanted to hug me hello and I blocked him. I worried that I hadn't been there 5 minutes and had already offended someone! He was understanding and the group was amazing. How pleasant to be around others who are so full of love and joy! And how wonderful to be in a room with like-minded people. I am now beginning to understand that although each journey is a personal one, it doesn't hurt to have companions along the way.

Anyways, if you're not familiar with the Rosicrucians, you can learn more about them here: http://www.rosicrucian.org/home.html

Mirror Synchronicity: God is watching (part II)

2010-06-12T08:46:00.003-04:00

After the whole penny cross incident where I learned that God IS watching... I asked my dad for a penny cross so that I could write about it in my blog. My dad didn't have any more so I went online. Immediately, I came across crosspennyministries which sells the penny crosses. On the website, when you click on the link to learn how much it will cost, you will find this pop up, which, if you read it, reminds us that God is watching...

Walking in Circles: Labyrinth Style

2010-06-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been fascinated with labyrinths. I want to build one in my backyard. This is an article I found on the blogosphere about the therapeutic value of Labyrinths.

Walking in Circles: Labyrinth Style

God is watching

2010-05-22T07:54:00.004-04:00

As you may see from previous posts, my aunt just passed away. My cousin, her oldest daughter, received a condolescences from a friend in England who also happens to be psychic. The friend mentioned that my aunt was buried with a cross. My cousin, JL said no - there was no cross. The psychic friend felt pretty strongly about it, so my cousin and the friend brainstormed and came to the conclusion that one of her nephews might have been praying the rosary.

My cousin told me the story about the conversation with the psychic and I relayed it to my dad. As I was telling him the story he suddenly he had a very guilty look on his face. DAD what did you do? I asked. He sheepishly admitted that he had put a tiny penny cross in the casket when no one was looking. I told him that he was BUSTED, and that GOD is always watching.

We all got a kick out of the idea that he got 'caught' slipping a cross into his baby sister's casket.

Required Reading: 7 Secrets of Synchronicity

2010-05-18T08:29:00.003-04:00

Well, if you're reading this website it's because you have some kind of interest in synchronicities. I would be remiss if I did not shout from the rooftops in joy that Trish and Rob MacGregor's new book on synchronicities just came out:

The 7 Secrets of Synchronicity: Your Guide to Finding Meaning in Signs Big and Small

I just got it in the mail yesterday and I can't wait to read it!

Mirror Synchronicity: Honor thy family

2010-05-17T08:31:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of May birthdays in my family. My mother in law's birthday is May 2. My father in law's birthday is May 13 and my husband and I both have birthdays on May 15. My husband's sister was pregnant and due on May 13, which would be an honor for the grandchild to share a birthday with his grandfather. However, since my husband and I both have May 15 birthdays, we were hoping the baby would be a little 'late'. He sure was. May 13 came and went.

An inducement was scheduled for May 16. Why couldn't the doctor have made it May 15, I asked? (a bit selfishly). Well, no matter. We got the call on the morning of our birthday that my husband's sister was in labor. We send lots of positive 'push' energy.

Now here's the cute part... the baby was born on OUR birthday, but at 5:13 p.m... still honoring the grandfather after all!!

A new soul learns about time

2010-05-07T10:06:00.002-04:00

This isn't really a synchronicity but rather an observation from the past two weeks. I did not know if it was day or night, what time it was or what day of the week it was. I have heard that is what heaven is like. I never understood how that could be possible to not have any sense of time until now.

And yes, as a social work grad student studying mental health issues, I do realize that some of these things I am saying might categorically put me into the DSM...but I can assure you, I have a grasp of time now. :)

A new soul experiences the other side

2010-05-07T09:56:00.003-04:00

From the time my aunt was in the hospital I started sensing presence. I never could see shapes, but I would see movement and sparks and just KNOW that others were there. Several times, I would see something and not comment and then my cousin would comment and then my aunt also was looking in the same direction.

When my aunt was out of the hospital and back in an Alzheimer's facility, I sensed a very strong spirit in one place. My cousin sensed it too and we decided to close our eyes and meditate on it to see if we could tell who it was. Not more than 10 seconds later, my cousin laughs out loud. I hushed her and told her it takes me a little longer than that to check in and I continued to meditate. Well if you read my other post about the colors, you'll understand how I knew who it was. I opened my eyes and asked my cousin why she was laughing. She had experienced her first auditory message ever and it was our grandmother telling her to let me figure it out for myself. I did figure it out and it was my uncle's brother who passed several years ago. It made sense in hindsight and also was later confirmed because he was on a lot of people's thoughts.

One time I was trying to go to sleep and I heard like 5 people whispering to my aunt from the other side. Interestingly, one of them had a voice similar to one of my cousin's.

Another time when my cousin and I were trying to go to sleep we started getting freaked out by all of the movement. Even though we knew we were surrounded by loved ones, it was still startling. The door rattled a lot, among other things.

Ultimately, I acknowledge that one needs to be careful what one wishes for, because I did wish for this. It's comforting and unsettling at the same time. When people say you are never alone, they're right. You are NEVER alone.

A new soul experiences someone else's life review

2010-05-07T09:48:00.003-04:00

The life review took place over two evenings that I was included in. The first night as I was trying to go to sleep, I saw the colors and then I saw an image of an amusement park ride that went in circles. It had vibrant colors. The following day, I asked my cousin if they ever went to amusement parks and she said yes, but that her mom did not like the roller coasters but rather the twirly rides. My cousin told me my aunt liked to giggle on the twirly rides.

I approached my uncle and mentioned the amusement park memory and it sparked for him a whole series of memories that he might not have recalled at that time on his own. They were happy memories and I think it was a gift for him to know she was reminiscing too.

The following night I saw a bunch of buildings, including the vision of the one house I recognized.

The saddest vision for me was my aunt and uncle's wedding day because I felt such sorrow that she had to go. It was as if I could feel her emotions and her love for him and her regret that she had to leave. I was bawling. She also showed me a picture of them with my mom and dad and mentioned that 'we're all here right now' which REALLY made me cry because my mom is on the other side.

On a lighter note, I also had a very vivid picture of guys and girls riding in a red convertible with the top down having quite a bit of fun... "up to no good" as I felt like describing it. Now remember, I have never had 'visions' before, so I wasn't quite sure if it was real or a dream, but I described it to my uncle. He got a big smile on his face and remembered a double date with his brother where they were all riding around in a red convertible, just like I had described. It was weird for me to report to him everything I saw, and I sensed it was unsettling a little bit to him as well, so we agreed that I would save any other memories for after my aunt passed.

A new soul takes a trip to the other side

2010-05-07T09:42:00.004-04:00

This actually makes me laugh a little bit. When my aunt was in the hospital and I was meditating, I saw a doorway. In my head I got the message that The door is open, but there is no rush, take your time. What a pleasant vision!

Another time, I had my eyes closed and we went through all the colors and we went through the light and ended up in the room. We left the body and hung out at the ceiling for a bit and then returned to the body. Then we left the body and hung out a bit looking at the room down below. Then the room faded to white and I saw all of the people again. I felt her panic like No I'm not ready! and then I was immediately awakened.

A few days later, when my aunt was doing her life review (more on that later), I saw about 30-40 people in the backyard of her childhood home. They were patiently waiting on her. How peaceful and comforting that she was going to have such a big reception party!

Then a few hours or days later (time is really distorted over the past 2 weeks), I saw the same crowd in the backyard and they were all pulling up chairs. I heard the message and perhaps a soft sigh that said, This is going to take a while. I had no idea at that time how long "a while" would be.

A new soul experiences physical pain

2010-05-07T09:36:00.002-04:00

This is the coolest and scariest ability I think. While my aunt was still in the hospital, I started to feel physically what she felt. Because she was late-stage Alzheimer's disease, she was unable to articulate when she was in pain. I felt all her symptoms. I didn't have to be in the room but could be down the hallway or in another city and I would know when she was hurting. I felt shortness of breath, lightheadnesses, heart pain, shoulder pain, numbness and tingling, choking... Very weird. My cousin and I worked out a system where if I wasn't present, I would text her with my physical pains and she would see if she could validate it. She was the only one who believed me, so telling anyone else was pointless. I remember lying in bed at my home two hours away and feeling a shoulder pain. Because this is new for me, I don't know sometimes whether it is me or whether it is her, but it was so random, I assumed it was her. I found out the next day that was the time where she was positioned uncomfortably on that side and my cousin was not surprised that she had been in pain.

This is where I began to worry what it would feel like when she died. As I write this, two weeks later, she has not passed yet.

A new soul experiences the colors

2010-05-07T09:31:00.002-04:00

Praying by my aunt's bedside, I started to see swirling circles of color in my head. The colors were more vibrant than anything I have ever seen on this earth... I can't even explain them. I started to notice that as different people in the room talked to my aunt, the colors would change. I then noticed that the colors were relatively consistent with the people. My uncle was navy blue, my cousin Lynn, turquoise. Every time the grandchildren came in the room I saw little red hearts. The colors were so consistent that I could tell who was walking in the room even with my eyes closed. My cousin C. had green, but for her, I sensed it wasn't her color but rather her mother (who was dying) was trying to send her healing energy.

So now what? It still feels like a parlor trick. What do I do with this newfound knowledge?

A new soul has a new experience

2010-05-07T09:13:00.003-04:00

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that I have not ever claimed to have any psychic abilities. At best, I would have described myself as empathetic. Well, something happened 2 weeks ago today and my crown chakra must have exploded open or something because I am now sensing and feeling things I have never felt before. I believe the catalyst was when a very dear aunt with end-stage Alzheimer's went to the E.R. in Cleveland. Almost from the first night I was there, this new sense of the world opened up.

The very first thing that happened was when I was sitting by her bedside with my eyes closed, I felt swaying as if I was on a boat. I found myself swaying back and forth, back and forth. I then felt drawn upward as if someone was pulling me up out of my body but then I would always come back down. The rocking continued. It was a rather strong feeling of not being in control, which was unsettling, but it was peaceful.

Mirror Synchronicity: Beyond the Sunset - Part II

2010-05-07T08:55:00.003-04:00

When I was preparing for the conference I was talking about my research to a co-worker who was practicing hymns that she was going to play for a patient. I told her that "Beyond the Sunset" was the most common epitaph that I had found and that I discovered it was a hymn. She said she had never heard of it and went to her book to look it up. The page opened up to the Beyond the Sunset hymn.

If you would like to hear the tune, I've selected a Pat Boone version especially for you here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqVLrPMXbaA

Mirror Coincidence: Beyond the Sunset - Part 1

2010-05-07T08:47:00.005-04:00

Last summer I sent a proposal to a conference for cemetery research that I was conducting. My research team collect epitaphs from local cemeteries to look for changes in attitudes towards death.

I had to submit my conference proposal before we had collected the data. I wanted a catchy title, so I called it "Beyond the Sunset: What the epitaphs Tell Us about Changing Attitudes Towards Death in the 20th Century."

Later when we finished our research, I learned that Beyond the Sunset was the most popular epitaph for all of the epitaphs we collected!

Death education is a happy place

2010-04-11T06:38:00.007-04:00

I recently had the great pleasure to attend the 32nd annual conference for the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC.org) in Kansas City, MO. Having never attended this conference, I was not sure what to expect. I thought some people might be a bit 'goth' and perhaps morose with a lot of black. (I didn't think too hard on the matter). What I actually found was an amazing gathering of people willing to open their hearts and talk about the big stuff. To be clear, it wasn't all "serious" conversations - there was a lot of laughter too. Not surprisingly, there were quite a few synchronicities and serendipitous moments. But before I get into those, I wanted to talk about the general feeling of openness and try to share the experience.

Robert Neimeyer, for those of you who are not into Thanatology (the study of dying, death and bereavement) is one of the significant researchers in the field. As a graduate student, I recognized his name as one that I saw a lot in my studies. When I saw him at the opening reception, I asked him if he would take a picture with me for me to send to my advisor to goad my advisor about who I was "hanging out with" at the conference.

Because I did not know Professor Neimeyer personally, it was a big risk to walk right up to a top scholar and ask for a moment of his time. Well, he was so gracious and so polite and when we took the picture, he had a genuine smile - not a forced pose like most people do when asked to take a picture with someone they don't know. The person who was trying to use my phone to take the picture struggled a bit with the design of the camera phone (Google, please fix this!) and the moment extended into several as we had to keep trying...and then the lighting was bad, so we tried a different angle. Still, every picture had that genuine smile. (I would love to share, but when I took the picture I did not mention the internet, so in respect to him I shall leave it out...). Later on that evening and early the next day, we kept passing each other. Each time he smiled, genuinely. I felt special to be acknowledged by someone as important as him.

For the keynote address the following day, the main room filled up quickly and I was told there were open seats up in front. (Most like to sit in the back so they can get out of the room quickly). I ended up sitting in the very front row. There was one empty seat next to me in a very full conference room, and who should walk up and inquire, but Professor Neimeyer. Now, I had already randomly run into him 3 or 4 times in the past day in a conference of 600 people, so it was quite amusing to me. I told him, "I swear, I'm not stalking you!"

The keynote was amazing - one of the best I have ever seen. He made us laugh, he made us cry. His name is Thomas Lynch and he is a former funeral director, essayist and poet. I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I had not heard of him prior to this event, so it was even more surprising and delightful to have been so thoroughly entertained. But here's what also struck me. Sitting next to me, Professor Neimeyer laughed heartily. Several times when he laughed, he looked around to watch other people laughing too. It was like he took great pleasure in other people's laughter as well. Now you may have seen studies about how we laugh more in a group, yada, yada, yada, but this was different. He actively looked around and took in the laughter of others. He turned to me while he was laughing to see if I was laughing too. It was very unique to me and I pondered it for several days. What does it mean? Why does he do that? What does it say about him?

Over the course of several days in having additional connections with a wide variety of attendees, I talked about my experience and observations and I found out that others had similar stories -the feeling of connectedness. Granted, Professor Neimeyer has been going to this conference for years and is a former president, but so many people had the same type of experience - a meaningful (if brief) interaction with this man who is one of the TOP of his field. I even heard a story about him in a Conga line at a conference in the early '90s. Let me remind you, he is a top scholar on DEATH and DYING and he is this super friendly, open, warm person who laughs heartily.

And in thinking about this man, I realized that he personified for me the experience from the whole event. Those who study death and dying are, in the words of Thomas Lynch, "in the deep end of the pool." We were all connected. No one there has had an easy life. One doesn't just "happen" into the field of death and dying and grief and loss... we're there because we know loss. Intimately. But once one knows loss, you process it, you think about it, you accept it, you are free. You are light. It's there. You understand that you could lose your husband or your wife or your mother or your father, your child or your best friend tomorrow. You could even die yourself. So today is an opportunity, a gift. What do we do with this gift? Do we treasure it? Do we open it, share it, devour it, dance with it? Absolutely.

Thank you God for giving me today.

Transitions: A child's question

2010-03-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

Though I originally created this blog to talk about synchronicities, I have decided that I cannot pass up also sharing the stories I encounter related to my new position as a hospice social worker. It's touchy because my code of ethics requires complete confidentiality, therefore, I will have to limit the identities to only vague references. Still, these stories need to be told. Some will be death bed visions and others will be messages from beyond. I'm calling this new section "Transitions".

As told to me by an eyewitness:

Grandpa had a peaceful death. The whole family was there and just a day before he was able to give the thumbs up as if to say, "don't worry about me." The day after "grandpa" died, his 4 year old grandson asked, "So grandpa's in heaven now?" and his aunt said, "yes, grandpa is in heaven." The child then pointed to the corner and replied, "So why is he standing over there?"

Mirror Synchronicity: Inspiring woman...

2010-02-14T22:42:00.006-05:00

This past Friday I had an amazing day helping to make a 91 year old hospice patient's wish come true. She wanted to ski one last time. It was nothing short of a miracle how everything and everyone came together to make it happen and it couldn't have gone smoother.

Today, I was at Costco picking up my pictures and I was so excited about them and the clerk couldn't care less.

I turned to the couple next to me and showed them the picture and said, "Can you believe this woman is 91 years old?!" The woman replied, "Wait, what's her name? There can't be two 91 year old women that went skiing."

I told her the woman's name was Joan and she told me that her son is married to the daughter of Joan's cousin Cher who had gone on the trip with us. They had heard the whole story last night at dinner!

Directional Synchronicity: A Time to Grieve

2010-01-03T08:00:00.007-05:00

I am an intern at a hospice. When I was going through orientation, my boss gave me a copy of this book, telling me that they give it to any staff who have lost a family member. I looked through the book and thought that it would be very helpful for someone experiencing loss. I decided to order an extra one on Amazon just to have it as a gift for anyone who had lost someone. I ordered it used because it was described to be in good condition. It was sent via media mail and took weeks to arrive. The day it arrived, I was opening the package when my husband received a phone call that his grandmother died. It arrived at just the right time and I ended up giving it to my husband's aunt who was grieving the loss of her mother.

Mirror Synchronicity: It's a twin thing

2010-01-03T07:57:00.003-05:00

My husband has sisters who are identical twins. Last fall, one of the twins moved to Okinawa. The other twin lives in North Carolina. They miss each other terribly and video chat almost every day. When I received Christmas cards from both of them, it turned out they had sent the exact same card. I had assumed that the one living in the U.S. had purchased extra cards for her sister. It turned out that was not the case. Out of the thousands of Christmas cards available, both sisters had picked out the exact same one individually.

Mirror Synchronicity: Reincarnation in Pop Culture, Part II

2009-11-18T16:21:00.003-05:00

So back in August, I commented in my blog that reincarnation seemed to be popping up in popular culture. There's more! Last week's Medium (click here to watch episode) seemed to imply that a young man was a reincarnation of his father. (Although it ended up not to be the case).

Today I discovered a Fox show that is supposed to come out in mid-2010 called Past Lives about Past Life detectives. I think it's going to be either really good or really bad. The initial video preview...well, I think it looks kind of cheesy, but I'll probably still watch it. Judge for yourself and let me know what you think. You can find out more here:

http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/?sh=pastlife

Mirror Synchronicity: Tune Out Distractions

2009-11-15T15:18:00.004-05:00

So...I'm really trying to be a good person and grow and learn and improve. The last thing I would want to do is hurt someone or make them angry, but it happens, unintentionally. More frequently than I would like, recently. I just asked my soul cards for guidance... (I love you Sonja Choquette!) and here's the card that came up:

Tune Out Distractions

It said in part, "Is your head filled with the voices, choices and opinions of others? Have you lost contact with your inner guidance in the midst of listening to these people? Are you constantly wrestling with doing the right thing, fearful that you'll make a mistake..."

Yes yes yes!!

There's more...

"Your soul's purpose right now is to recognize the voice of your higher self... Only this inner guidance can lead you to what is true for you, so all other voices must go."

It goes on to say

"Be selective about what you take in from outside yourself; only then will you find the answers you're seeking."

Wow. Good stuff. I really needed to hear that. Sometimes I internalize negativity from others and get low self esteem from it. It's good to take in feedback, but I should not let it define me. We are all growing, learning and evolving.

Mirror Synchrocity: Nuture Yourself

2009-11-10T15:00:00.002-05:00

I had a rough day today and for consolation was looking at Sonia Choquette's Soul Cards for inspiration. The card that I pulled said "Nurture Yourself". The book said in part:

"Stop sustaining others out of the misguided notion that it's better to give than receive, and recognize that only when giving and receiving are in balance will you truly begin to understand love. Self-care is the only way to advance your life at this time."

That advice couldn't be more true!

Coincidence in the news: It's YOUR house!

2009-10-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

If you haven't heard about this already - a 911 operator got a call about a house fire and the address turned out to be his own. The first firefighter who had responded to the scene was actually the operator's cousin. WOW.

Read all about it here:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33118905/ns/today-today_people/

Directional Synchronicity: Busted!

2009-09-11T12:55:00.004-04:00

I LOVE this story about the victim meeting the identity thief in this case of coincidence...

As Michelle (hardly a "victim") said on the Today show, it had to be fate that the identity thief ended up at her register...

Way to go Michelle McCambridge! The universe is behind you!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009818847_idtheft07m.html

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