Among the Ghosts of Avenel

Saturday was an interesting day in many ways. Most interesting to me was "Rainbow Rising's" first public appearance, which was as much fun as baby Prince William's first peek at the world, but much more intriguing. My new baby made its debut amid the tall oaks, magnolias and broad green lawns of Avenel which is an old antebellum home,(circa 1838)in Bedford, Virginia. Before and during the Civil War it was the hub of social gatherings, hunts, and a stopping off place for guests like General Lee on his trips around he Commonwealth. On Saturday, it was the occasion of the Seven Hills Paranormal Society's Annual Conference. And sitting there surrounded by new books, old fireplaces and tall ceilings, I wondered if the legendary ghosts of Avenel would show themselves. The tales of "The White Lady" who wanders the main hall, glimpses of her through windows when no one's there, and sightings of a young girl in a high collar, had my senses on high alert. Once, many years ago, having lunch at Avenel on a Thursday afternoon, I had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a woman wandering through the dining room. At first I felt her standing close to the table I shared with six other people. It felt like a flow of almost tangible energy at the back of my neck, and when I turned around, I had the distinct impression of a woman in period dress, charming, elegant and mingling with her guests. "That would be Miss Lettie," one of the caretakers of Avenel told us. How absolutely fabulous! On Saturday though, as I opened all channels and invited their spirits in for a chat, I knew it was a long shot; and although I hoped that they would come in, I wouldn't have blamed them if they'd stayed hidden for the day. The place was teeming with Ghost Busters, audio and camera equipment and tables full of wires and switches. I think if I had been one of them I would have been watching from the eaves, wondering when all these people would go home. I didn't see any sign of them. No wispy drifts of organdie, no veils, no drifts of rose water anywhere. Perhaps someone else did, but nobody I asked had seen anything either. What I did notice was that the energy in the house felt 'scattered'. Nervous almost. And it made me wonder if ghost hunters, with good intentions for all I know, disturb the unseen residents as they track them down looking for sightings. What do you think. What must the Ghosts of Avenel think about all the sophisticated machinery plugged into their home? Perhaps they're fascinated. Perhaps they're pushing buttons seeing how things work. I heard one of the hunters getting more and more frustrated trying to get his Power Point presentation to work. . . helllloooo . . . is their a ghost I the house? Happy Spring everyone :)

Resurrection, New Life, New hope - New World.

Today, I published RAINBOW RISING. The True Story of Life Before Life, Life on Earth and the Afterlife. All through the chaos of living on Earth, I have been aware that there's so much more to our human existence that we can possibly imagine, and much more to our humanity than DNA. I knew it best when I was a child; and I knew it through the growing years, through the school years and the years of raising a family. There was little time to stop and think deeply about all of this then, but throughout those years I kept catching glimpses of a time and place I knew before I was born. "It was New Year's Eve. There was a party that night and Mama's dress was covered in sequins. Some of the party hats were black and glittery with silver ribbons; some were pink and green and, red and blue, and they all sparkled with that silvery light. The glittery stuff made me yearn for something, but I didn't know what . . .It seemed to me that in that other time and place I could sometimes remember, the very air shimmered and glittered. It made a singing sound too. Sometimes even the thought of all that shiny stuff made me lonely..." How strange it is that we never really snap that bond with a timeless place we can almost never remember. The other Side. But how do you snap that bond with the spirit that is you? A spirit that was you yesterday, is you today and will be you tomorrow and forever, existing throughout time and many dimensions. Eventually, I began to think hard about 'awareness' and became acutely aware that I am an immortal being. Seriously. A being here for all time. An eternal spirit. Rainbow Rising follows in the footsteps of that Awareness, when things in the ESP department really started to POP! I hope you'll love the book. It's written for you, my friends and family and for everyone who ever wondered, "Where did we come from? (Forget the stork) what are we doing here, and where are we going?" I've taken you on a fun trip with spirits I've met over the years, to places they've lived in with me, and without me, and through the doorways my own spirit held open for me and encouraged me to explore way beyond the bonds of earth. Tomorrow, in the Christian tradition, it is Easter Day: a time of the resurrection of the spirit in all of us. A time of renewal, even as the earth renews its promise of new life and sunny days ahead. Whatever your faith may be, I wish for you a time of renewal, new hope, peace on earth, and love for one another. Oh yes! And Happy Reading! I hope this is a beautiful weekend wherever you are. In the Christian tradition, this is Easter

Spirit Horse

Dreams are interesting, aren't they? What are they ... figments of imagination picked up by vagrant winds that drift through our unconsciousness late at night or early morning? Golden moments that light unknown crevices of our brains? Projections of our thoughts? Or do they foretell and sometimes forewarn us of upcoming events? I think they may be all of the above and much more besides. Two or three nights ago I had one of those short, but very clear dreams. I appeared to be nothing more than an observer - I couldn't see myself in the dream but I knew I was there watching the scene unfold. Just the spirit me was there; taking a little trip outside of my sleeping body. The dream scene was rural and I seemed to be standing in the entranceway of a horse barn I had never seen before. I could see a shaft of light pouring through the opening, lighting the hay scraps on the earthen floor, beaming off the wood beams of a stall. And standing in front of the stall was a white horse. He was unbridled, unshod and free. Soft light, like misty early morning sunshine, surrounded the animal giving it an almost luminous quality. It's mane was long and untangled, it's tail swished the air, its head was lowered, its ears twitching. Light bathed the strong flanks. Peace filled the space around it. And then the dream was gone. I've been wondering about this dream. It didn't come from any experience I've ever had. I haven't been around that many horses in my life, and I've never seen one like this. But I'm not totally ignorant of them. Over the course of my like I've had friends who have horse farms or maybe just one or two horses, and I've enjoyed visiting them. I've stroked horses, put my cheek beside theirs and listened to them speak, maybe even rode one of them once, but never formed any particular relationship with any of them. So who was this beautiful horse in my dream? I couldn't tell if it was male or female. Maybe it was neither. My instincts tell me it was a Spirit Horse. In Native American lore they are very often healers, prophets and animals that come into our lives for some reason. A reason we can't fathom at the time. All I know is that it was magnificent, a light being filled with peace. It was totally free of constraint, unbridled, vibrantly strong and full of energy. Ready to run free ... from here to eternity. How incredibly lovely. Whoever it is, I'm glad it came into my dream.