Silver Sparks

It's no secret that I am a third generation metaphysical believer. I started this blog eight years ago after my mother died and I started to note what I considered to be synchronicities and signs from the universe that those on the other side were trying to communicate with us.  The volume of experiences has taught me that the signs are more than just coincidences.

My own abilities to directly communicate with the other side have been slow to develop but they have been evolving.  When my cat, Kitty, died in July of 2009, I felt her presence via vibration (purring).  I blogged about it here.

Then in May of 2010 when my aunt died, I had a Shared Death Experience (SDE).  I blogged about some of it and eventually I ended up putting together a book about the experiences.

Since then, my abilities have subsided somewhat, but I do still frequently see spirit activity in the form of sparks.

This past weekend, I had a new experience.  I was at a metaphysical party. I started going to this gathering two years ago after my experiences with my aunt happened because it was the one place I could go where people wouldn't look at me like I was crazy when I shared what had happened to me.

Usually I will get a reading or two from one of the psychics or mediums who attend the party. This weekend, however, I was the one who gave the reading!  This is an entirely new experience to me.

There were six of us sitting in the basement. I was talking to a new guest who is 14 and an old soul. When I was focused on her, there were sparks to my left were quite active. Most of the time when I see sparks, I ignore them, assuming that it's just a bug or dust flying around. This time, however, the sparks were quite frequent and hard for me to miss.

I asked if anyone else noticed anything over in that side of the room and they said no.  I said, "someone is trying to get my attention."  After that I continued talking but the sparks became more intense and shifted to a bright silver color, like tinfoil. This is new for me.

Once again, I acknowledged the sparks and that they were silver now. The others in the group asked me if I knew gender or who it was. I closed my eyes, and nothing. I didn't have any idea. The only thing I could say for sure was that they were concentrated near one person. I will call her Fiona.

Fiona said it could be her grandfather or ... (I didn't hear the other person she said).  Then within a matter of a few minutes I had an extreme cold sensation as if I was standing in a walk-in freezer. I was wearing a wool sweater and there was no reason for my teeth to be chattering. I laughed at the sensation and told the group what I was experiencing. This spirit was NOT going to leave me alone.

The old soul handed me a device that works as a divining rod and I used it to ask the spirit questions. I asked who it was connected to and it pointed to Fiona. I asked if it was her grandfather and it said no. Every question I asked multiple times just to make sure. Then I confirmed with Fiona that she had not told me the other one who had died. She was about to tell me and I said, "don't." I asked, "Are you family?" and the rod stuck in the middle between yes and no. I asked two more times and the same thing happened.

I turned to Fiona and told her what I felt. This spirit was confused by the question because they felt like family but were not "technically" family.  That is when Fiona told me that she had lost her four year old step-daughter.  The little girl had died nine years ago in an accidental Jacuzzi drowning, while in the babysitters care.

For the next half hour, Fiona shared stories about the little girl, and I could feel the emotions the girl felt as she heard stories about herself. At one point Fiona talked about what a rascal she was and how she played pranks. I found myself giggling hysterically and feeling a deep sense of pride for "myself" on the craftiness of the prank. Embarrassed that I was laughing so hard, I covered my mouth with my left hand. Fiona looked at me and said, "she was left-handed too."

My lesson from this experience is that spirit likes to be acknowledged. Even though this little girl died nine years ago, she was still visiting with her loved one.  What a great feeling that our loved ones are still with us. I slept well that night.

Directional Synchronicity: I thought of you

A year or so ago a friend of mine named Jenn who lives in Massachusetts forwarded on a call for submissions for Chicken Soup for the Soul:  Messages from Heaven.

I did not have any stories that I had not already published so I forwarded the email to my friend Jan in Texas.

Jan wrote a story for the book and it was accepted and published.

Recently, Jan received an email from a woman in Saudi Arabia that described in great detail how comforting Jan's article was for her.

Jan is about to fly to Hong Kong to give a presentation about after death communication and she received permission from the Saudi Arabian woman to tell her story there.

Jan pointed out the connectedness to me and gives me credit starting it all, but I have to give Jenn credit.

Now here's the synchronicity... Jenn just recently sent me another email that said, "here's an opportunity and I thought of you."

The synchronicity of hearing back from Jan and getting another email from Jenn in a matter of two days leads me to believe that I should listen to Jenn!

The open heart and ADEC

Eight years ago, I started this blog as a way to explore evidence of the afterlife via synchroncities. My most recent losses at that time were my mother and great aunt who had just died within four months of each other. My heart had been ripped open. I hoped and prayed for some kind of "proof" that there was life beyond death. There was desperation in my search. I wanted to believe that they were just right there on the other side of the invisible curtain, and if I just listened hard enough, I would "hear" from them. Each synchroncity provided a wee bit of comfort, and the comfort expanded as more and more synchronicities happened.

I never expected to still be writing about synchroncities eight years later, but when I now look at the body of "evidence" of my own experiences, I am in awe. I am no longer searching for the "proof" of a connected universe, because I feel the connectedness every day.

I am now in my third year of membership in ADEC, the Association for Death Education and Counseling. My very first conference experience was overwhelmingly positive and I have been hooked ever since. Members of ADEC are all drawn to the field of death and dying from a profound personal death experience. Let's be honest here, kids generally don't aspire to be thanatologists when they grow up. We didn't choose the profession, it chose us.

One might think that gathering together with a massive room full of people who have profound loss experiences would be draining, like one big depressing funeral. After all, being around one grieving person is hard enough, why would you want to be around 600 people with sad stories? Wouldn't it be more fun to work on taxes? Or get a root canal! (poor dentists, this is always the comparison... but i have had a root canal and it is indeed quite awful ).

The truth is, being with ADEC people is unlike any other crowd experience I have ever had. Our losses have ripped our hearts wide open and left us exposed. Collectively, what this translates to is an invisible thread of connectedness that binds us to strangers. There is a sense of belonging, of knowing. You are still here and despite the pain you have endured; you survived. Me too. We were once alone, and now we know we are not ever alone.

Every time I come to an ADEC conference, the synchroncities go off like fireworks. I have over ten so far that have happened to me personally, and have heard countless others. First timers and veterans alike marvel at them. Almost all of the synchros are people related, and it is as if our guides and loved ones on the other side are arranging and rearranging us for serendipitious encounters.

The topic of after death communication comes up frequently at this conference. (that alone was proof for me that I was with the right crowd). The other night I had a delightful dinner with five other women and we shared our ADC experiences with each other. The question was asked as to why the "communication" takes so many forms. Why do "they" (our loved ones on the other side) have to send us a totem, a sign, a synchro? Why don't they just say hello? The answer to "why" is not ours to know. At least not now. But we do know with certainty that the messages are being sent. Those that have their radio on can receive. And I think that the receiver is inside the heart...only accessible to the hearts that are open.

On TV: A Gifted Man

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.

After-Death Communication - scholarly view

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