My Animal Totems...

I am going to go over the different types of animal totems that go in and out of my life and why.

SHADOW ANIMAL TOTEM:  It tests me. I have been attracted to this animal at some point.  It gives me a very vivid test to see if I am ready to accept the power of the animal totem.  Until I face the fears of the animal totem, its powers will work against me.  When I overcome the fear of the shadow animal totem, I bring it into the light world as a spirit animal totem, and it becomes one of my most powerful animal totems.  My goal with a shadow animal totem is to learn the lessons and incorporate them into my life.   If I am scared by something over and over then I still have not accepted the lesson that totem animal has for me.

       Cat/Leopard:  It has strong intuitive abilities.    Learning to trust and respond to their inner instinct is part of my life lesson.   It is highly sensitive.  I need to pay attention to what it feels and respond accordingly.  It has difficulty confronting conflict head on. Although it has a strong body it needs to learn how to release pent up anger.  Frustrations and other emotions, or physical health issues related to its limbs or skeleton occur.  When leopard energy is kept in and not let out, arthritic type symptoms incur.   I should do cat-like movement like dance or tai-chi. It is associated with myth, lore, magic, mystery, nine lives, curiosity, independence, cleverness, unpredictability, and healing.  It is at home in the dark, and an ally to the supernatural.  Since I have this totem, I should move through my fears efficiently.  The energy field of a cat rotates counterclockwise, the opposite of human energy.  It has the ability to absorb and neutralize energy that affects humans in a negative way, x-ray vision, acute hearing, and high intelligence. It is a guardian and protector and can ward off evil.  If a cat appears in my life, there is a blending of magic and mystery.  It is a trustworthy teacher and guides in self-discovery and transformation.

This totem tends to come in and out of my life when I am in need of self-discovery and change.

JOURNEY ANIMAL TOTEM:  It reflects a period of time, the time it takes to walk the path the journey animal totem is reminding or guiding me on.  During this journey I will find out that this animal is always showing up in my life (or several animals) all to guide me on the path.  When I find 1, 2 or 3 animals all of a sudden making an appearance, and their nature all has the same basis, then I have found the basis of my path.  Journey animal will slip in and out of my life over the course of a period. 

     Chipmunk:  It shows trust, is very curious, explores, is inquisitive, fearless, playful, does what it wants in its own time frame, is quite vocal, draws attention, will not tolerate being told what to do and when to do it, and is a good leader and spokesperson. When it is 12 wks old it can be on its own. As a person with this totem, my cycles occur every 12 wks or mos, I am always in a hurry, and I have no detail that goes unnoticed. This totem teaches art of observation, independence, certainty, leads me to unexplored territory, and a detailed mind leaves no stone unturned.  This totem is a messenger of many realms and of self-discovery.

      Squirrels: They are busy, with endless energy, focused on one task, agile, quick, constantly preparing for the future, having the tendency to forget where they store things. This totem is a reminder to slow down, pay attention, be more sociable, more communicative, more vocal in work and play, to disturb the silence, and to have an air of distraction and chaos.  Since I am disturbed by their chatter, then I need to speak clearly and effectively or to go within and be still, reserve my energy, ready myself for change, trust myself, let down my defenses, trust in God, and remember that I will be taken care of.  There should be a balance within the circle of gathering and giving out.

These totems tends to enter my life when I need guidance on a journey or path that I am taking in my life.

LIFE LONG ANIMAL TOTEM:  This animal totem works with me throughout my entire life.  It is always there when I need its powers, always reminding me of my powers and connectivity, and it is always there for me.  It reflects my inner spiritual nature.  It is also called my spiritual totem.

    Wolverine/Wolf:  It is fierce, strong, and a link between our world and the spirit world. Its energy is linked to the underworld and myth. It is born very small and blind.  Smell, feeling and inner sight awakens at a very early age.  It is  insightful and intuitive since birth. It responds to challenges with clarity, focus and persistence, with a deep understanding of personal power. Since it is my animal totem, I ask myself, is personal power serving me appropriately?  It balances personal power. It has a crafty cunning nature with perseverance and focus that keeps it aligned with energies of creation, knows when to act, when to retreat, how to respond and when to become invisible. These are also inherent in myself, the person who holds the animal totem.  A shape-shifter, a scavenger, a not-so-good hunter, can make do with whatever is available, a symbol of the wilderness, a survivor of the elements, a provider of fur for parka and hoods because it is very durable, a solitary creature, with tremendous physical endurance, that rarely attacks any predator larger than itself and only when food is needed. Because I have that animal totem, I go the distance and acquire that which I seek.  When this is fully developed, I can survive any situation.  Because of shape-shifting, it does not just involve the physical realm.  It involves challenges associated with mental clarity, emotional balance and spiritual understanding.  A master teacher with a great variety of skills would tell me that to take a serious look at my life and change anything that does not utilize my personal power for the good of myself and others.

Although this totem is always present, I will notice it in my life when I need focus, clarity, and to know that I'm using my personal power for the good of others and myself.

MESSAGE ANIMAL TOTEM: This is usually bringing me a self-growth spiritual message or a cautionary message, a wake-up call or a slap in the face.  It is usually a very unusual experience, very powerful and impartial, a brief period of time or immediate, causing a delay in my life.  When trying to leave, it is in assistance to go somewhere, or to assure I am not in a place at a certain time so as to be somewhere else or to miss something that would be of harm.

  

   Cardinal: This is a power-packed bird. It transforms and awakens me. Its eggs are laid by the female which hatch in 12 days.  It is a year round resident. Since it is my animal totem, I expect rhythmic change to occur every 12 d, 12wks, 12 mos, etc.  I use its medicine when needed.  When I hear its sharp loud whistle that penetrates the air demanding my attention, both male and female, this whistle is urging me to blend my male and female characteristics.  The feminine energy is intuition, and the male energy is perseverance.   With both balanced, I can reach my dreams and goals. The cardinal eats decaying plants and dying insects, so I pay attention to my diet; past life ties to overindulgence or poisonings.  Red is symbolic of the blood or life force of Jesus Christ, or kundalini; it lies dormant until activated by a disciplined spiritual practice.  The cardinal offers safe passage into the world of personal power if I ask for its help.  When I step onto this spiritual path, there is no turning back.  There is either a deep love or hatred toward religion and churches amongst this animal totem people, indicating a past life connection with one.   I must express my truth, develop confidence and walk my talk; it will lead me Home if I respect its teachings.

    Ladybug:  There are several generations produced each summer.  They hold energies of renewal and regeneration.  They are a family oriented with strong moral and social values.  They are beetles dedicated to the Virgin Mary, spiritual idealism and religious devotion.   Past lives are associated with religion or the church with this totem.  Daily prayer or meditation is recommended to release my worry and enjoy my life to the fullest; let go and let God. Ladybugs often have parasites, so with this totem, I often have digestive problems.  The ladybug stirs a feeling of joy. They have a delicate and loving nature, an energy of harmlessness, are protected from predators, feel vibrations, are fearless messengers of promise, and joys of living.  As my animal totem, I should release my fears and return to love, restore my faith and trust in God, initiate change where needed most, and get out of my own way and allow God to enter.

These totems come in and out of my life when I need spiritual self-growth, to restore my faith and trust in God and make the necessary changes.  Sometimes I need to redevelop my confidence in myself.  Also, I sometimes need to get out of my own way to allow God to enter. This is the time to let go and let God. 

Opening Ourselves to The Animals of The World...

"If you talk to the animals

they will talk with you

and you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them,

you will not know them, 

And what you do not know 

you will fear.

What one fears one destroys.

~Chief Dan George

It is essential to study Nature and Animal Totems to understand the spirit's manifestation in our natural life. A totem is a natural object, being or animal whose energy we tend to feel a close association to during our lifetime.  We can learn more about ourselves and the world that is unseen by studying and learning about animal/nature totems.  These totems have qualities and characteristics of those behaviors and activities of animals and other natural expressions. We begin to pay attention to and acknowledge a nature totem by honoring the essence that is hidden behind it.  We then use it to understand our own life's purpose better.  So, basically, nature totems are symbolic of specific types of energy that we align with in our lives.  This is especially true with the animal totem.  The characteristics of the animal totems will reveal a lot about our own hidden powers and abilities. When we study the totem, and then learn to merge with it, we can then call upon its energy whenever we feel we need it.

Land animals have represented the emotionals side of life, which reflects the qualities of life that must be overcome and controlled.  They tend to be symbols of power related to the unseen world that we learn to bring to reality.  Birds are often symbols of the soul.  Flying reflects our ability to rise to new awarenes, connecting heaven and earth.  As totems, they stimulate flights of hope and inspiration.  Aquatic life as a totem symbolizes the creative element of life.  It reflects guidance and to expressions of intuition and creative imagination. They are reflective of the feminine side of our essence.  

Spiritual beings and how they assist us in our physical world have been a part of all major religions.  The Greeks spoke to their many gods through oracles.  Africans had rituals and myths with movement and dance based on that of animals. The Native Americans imitated animals in ritual and dance to link them to the spirit world.  There is a common belief that spiritual guides often use animals or the animal's imagery to communicate a purpose to people.


Spiritual beings, or beings in spiritual form, can take on many forms, such as; ghosts, angels, saints, or ancestors or relatives that have passed. They help to give us strength as well as to protect us.  They use energy to heal, inspire, and even help us to grow.  One of the most common forms that our spirit guides take on are in the form of animals.  And as I talked about before, totems are natural objects or animals whose energy we feel associated with in our lives on earth. 

The reason I am talking about this is that I have been faced in the last 5 years head on with several of my own animal totems. Before that, I did not know they even existed or what they were. And when I spoke of it with others, they did not know what I was talking about.  Lately, I have learned what they are and why they have appeared at different points in my life.  I have also discovered that others are noticing them too, while others are open to learning about them more.

Start out with a very broad question--do you know your animal totems?

When you examine the animals you have been interested in and the times in your life that your interest was piqued, this is the beginning of the process of discovering your animal totem.

Do you have an animal that has always fascinated you?  It seems that we are drawn to what has the most to teach us.

At the zoo, is there an animal that you always want to see first?  This was especially important when you were a child.  Children are more open by nature, and therefore can more easily be aware of what animal is most important to them.

Are there animals that we frequently encounter in the nature or in the wild?  These animals have something important to teach us even if it is only about survival.
 
What animal are you most interested in now?  Our interests do change over time. We will have one or two lifetime animal totems that are for a lifetime.  Others become important to us only during times that we need teaching.

Is there an animal that frightens you the most?  Often, this is the one we must learn to come to terms with.  This is when it becomes our power totem.  These totems that we fear, when we can finally confront them without fear,they become our shadow totem. 

How about an animal that has bitten or attacked you?  Has that ever happened to you?  In this case, if you survive, it is a test to see if you have the ability to handle the power of the spirit totem.

Do you dream of animals or dreams of animals that have never left your memory?  It is very important if the dream or the animal is recurring. This is often true in children's dreams--they are very specific animal spirits.



*Every animal has a spirit.
*The spirit may be its own or an image of another being to communicate a specific message to people.
*Every animal has its own specialty--medicine, magic, or power--to help you develop in your own life.
*Lifelong power animals are usually wild and not domestic animals ( with some exceptions). Even the exceptions are a link to the true power animal. For example: a domesticated cat is a link to a wild panther or leopard.  If you start with the domesticated form first, it will allow you to someday be able to handle and work more effectively with the true power form.
*Remember that the animal will choose you. You will be much more successful with the animal that comes to you.
*You have to develop a working relationship with your totem. Respect and trust them so they can respect and trust you. Like any relationship, this will take time, patience and much practice.
*Honor them by hanging pictures of them, drawing pictures of them, reading and learning about them, buying figurines and statues, and purchasing small tokens and images of your totem and giving them as gifts to those you care about. You can donate to a wildlife organization, or dancing and using the movement of the animal to keep the animal alive. Using your imagination is a wonderful link to your totem.
*Once you learn to work with the power of your totem, you are able to call upon any animal that you need for the strength that you are in need of.  Through your power totem, you align and shapeshift the energies of the other animals; you can connect with and draw upon whatever energy you need--speed, strength, etc.
*The key is to stay connected to at least one animal totem. You have the ability then to connect to as many as you may need. They may come to you daily--a different one per day, during changes in your life, during struggles, but the rule is that there is no limit to the totems you can work with.
*It is possible for more than one person to have the same totem at the same time.  A common animal totem is the wolf.  The energies and the spirit that the wolf reflects will be manifested differently and uniquely in each person because each person is different and unique.  The role that the totem plays for each person will be specific to the individual.

Here is an exercise to help you meet your power animal totem:

1.) First, you need to find a place to relax with no outside distractions.
2.) Close your eyes and imagine yourself entering a cave or a tree ( your choice). You could try it both ways and see which way feels better.
3.) Now after you have been in the dark cave or the tree for sometime, you will imagine yourself leaving.  Now see yourself entering a meadow.
4.) You will stay there a while and just experience the peacefulness and quietness of nature.  Listen to everything around you.
5.) You should see the animal totem/spirit enter the space that you are in now.
6.) Allow the animals around you to speak to you.  Listen to the movement of nature and the sounds that surround you.  What do you see--the form, the color,etc.?  It will all give you a message about its power.  You could even hear its thoughts in your mind.  Let the animal totem/spirit show you or tell you how it has helped you in the past and how it will help you in the future.
7.) Make sure to thank your power totem for making itself known to you, and ask it to please give some tangible evidence in the next couple of weeks for confirmation that it is your animal totem.  You will know because you will see it on the T.V., in figurines at the store, on pictures, and it may even appear in your dreams.
8.) Now you may step back to the cave or tree and go through to its other entrance point.  You may now exit.
9.) You may now take four or five deep cleansing breaths and make sure that you are grounded and connected.
10.) Now it is time to learn everything you can about your power totem.  Research and study the totem and its power. Meditate and contemplate on its power and how it applies to you and your life.

Thanks to Ted Andrews and his book, Animal Speak The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small.  As I go over this important information about animal totems/spirits, I will be using information from his book. I will only be quoting every once in a while. I have already read the book, and I remember it almost word for word because it was so helpful to me and for me. Obviously, when I number or bullet point things, those are taken from his book, but not directly. I really hope this helps you on your spiritual quest to understand yourself more. It really helped me a lot!  Thank you, Ted Andrews for all your wonderful words. I found the bood so inspiring. I love how he brought in, not just Native Americans, but Africans and Greeks, and many other cultures and ethnicities and religions. It is a wonderful book!

My power totem is the leopard/panther. I started out with the ordinary house cat. I always feared cats, so I had to face my fears. This one cat followed me everywhere and would even try to turn our doorknob from the outside. It would jump into my car and ride with me to the grocery store, etc., and lastly would leave me presents at my doorstep (dead chipmunks and squirrels). As I said, I always feared cats, never liked them, and was always a dog person. I always wore leopard clothing and purses and shoes. I loved leopard decor and such. Yet, I still feared them none the less. I always wanted to go to the big cat house at the zoo. I would dream about wild cats. I would even think that I saw leopards or panthers in public places in the corner of my eye, when in reality, you know they damn well could not be there.  And still, I would turn my head quickly to see.  Tomorrow, I'll go into what my power totem means to me....stay tuned...

  

Is It Possible to Stay Well And Avoid Sickness?

First I'd like to briefly talk about diet. Now I'm not a dietition, and I'm not gonna tell ya what to eat.  What I am going to tell you is to listen to your body.  If your body doesn't like a certain food, then don't eat it.  It's that simple really.  There are many times when we eat something and tell others that we love that certain food, but we we will surely regret it tomorrow...NO! Stop now!  If you eat something that always bothers your stomach, or gives you some type of physical problem the next day, don't eat it.  Your body will thank you later.  Also, when I was working as a nurse, I was a diabetes educator, and if I had to tell one thing that I learned from my days as an educator, it would be to avoid too many carbohydrates and always eat some protein with your meals.  All carbs break down to simple sugar in your body, and a small amount of protein (lean protein) with every meal helps your insulin levels to stay stable longer.  Good sources of protein are: chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, legumes, and beans.  Peanut butter is a good source of protein with an apple for a snack too!  I love animals, but I do not believe in being a vegetarian.  I think we are meant to eat meat; afterall, we have canine teeth!  We are organisms made up of protein ourselves, so we need protein to survive.  The diabetic diet is the perfect diet to follow really. A diabetic cannott eat a ton of sugar and not affect his or her health.  And the same is true for everyone else:  If you keep your carbs low, you'll not only feel better, but your immune system will pick up as well.  I also believe, personally, that imitation sweeteners are not good.  The body tastes something sweet, but doesn't get the calories.  In a sense, the body ends up craving even more carbs.  Also, sweeteners are not good for the kidneys and bladder.  And diet soft drinks are often high in caffeine, which isn't good either.  I think as long as you eat your regular food groups, you shouldn't need supplements. Talk to your doctor though, because many people being tested for certain auto-immune diseases and fibromyalgia have extremely low levels of vitamin D and B-12.  You may need to take supplements of those.  Prenatal vitamins may be a good source of both of those.  It's important to get your Omega fatty acids, so if you are not getting those with your diet, look into getting supplements for those, such as flax seed oil or fish oil.  Ask your doctor what is right for you.  It will help with inflammation, high cholesterol, and even constipation.  Also, I will add to this that you shouldn't abuse alcohol or drugs. You are killing thousands of brain cells as well as harming your liver and pancreas.

Another aspect to staying healthy or not is stress.  It is important to have a hobby or something to busy yourself with when a part of your life becomes stressful.  Instead of just becoming incapacitated in response to a stressful situation, I write in my journal, blog, walk or play with my dogs, meditate, play on facebook, pray,or do research.  I have to give a part of my brain some relief from the stress. If you have a routine that is the same day in and day out, your mind will go numb from lack of stimulation.  To prevent this, you should try different jobs or rotating your normal routine periodically.  You can try meditation to change your focus. It also sharpens the mind. Meditation is pretty powerful in that it can be active, rewarding, and relaxing all at the same time.  It is very good for affirmation of your goals too.  The mind will visualize, so that the body will follow suit.  Sometimes when people get sick, and they change their lifestyle, job , or other stress-related factors, they will often actually get better. Well, even if that is not the case for you, if you follow this advice, at the very least, you will be healthier and happier.

Sometimes it isn't just the stress of this life, but the cell memories over the past lives into this one that affects our health.  If you drowned in a past life, you could have a fear of water, because your cells, whether you remember it or not, can carry these memories from a past life to this life.  Sometimes these fears and phobias don't appear until we reach the age we were when the trauma occurred in our past life.  Birthmarks, too, can be scars of our past lives.  Sylvia Browne had mentioned a woman with a brown birthmark on her back was shot with an arrow when she was a Cherokee in a past life. Now she is afraid of people sneaking up behind her and experiences severe pain in that area.  If it is from cell memories of our past lives, we can release the fears we have left over and be safe today.  We can then eliminate the physical and mental symptoms that these memories cause.  ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS see your doctor to get everything checked out to make sure first.  Holistic an alternative therapies are nice adjuct therapies, I believe.  I follow medical doctors advice first, though. 

Lastly, I want you to be aware of your interactions with other people.  Make a point of being aware of how other people affect us.  You may have to be a bit of a detective, but you can do it.  Many people that are excessively draining of your energy are so, not because they are bad people, but because they are just self-centered.  You may find yourself constantly having to give out your energy to make them feel better.  The answer may simply be a little bit of honest.  First impressions are more accurate than most people may think.  Listen to your first impressions--the more you listen, the more powerful your psychic ability becomes.  Try trusting your instincts more.  If you really enjoy being around someone, then this means that you are on the same wavelength.  Chances are you rejuvenate each other.  If you have an immediate bad vibe, they could be dark inside, or off your energy wave.  Move on. If you feel neutral, a friendship would not be beneficial to either of you, and it could be quite boring.  Even if it is a family member that is draining your energy, you must distance yourself from them. It can be done quietly without upsetting them.  Children can be draining even though they are so pure, but it isn't their fault.  We become zapped of our energy around them because we are over doing it.  If you are feeling sick, look around you.  Make sure you are following your doctor's advice first of all.  But also see who you are with. Be completely honest with yourself and move on. If you are putting out a spiritual and giving vibe, the right people will be attracted to you.

"I am the master of my life and my chart, and no one can take this away from me. I succeed and stay on track."  Sylvia Browne

Life's Most Difficult Challenge--Death And Dying...

Death and dying is something that everyone will experience at some point in their life at some time in your life. It is also something that without a doubt will return from time to time again in your life. One thing is for sure, you can remember that you can and will survive it, and be proud to know it is one of life's most difficult challenges, if not THE MOST DIFFICULT challenge.

It is important to know that every one's grief is different. It is all relative. To each person, that special someone that is close to them that they lose is a life-changing experience. To many, the death of a child, is by far the hardest of all. Although death is a very natural part of our life-cycle, and the beginning our a new life on the Other Side, or whatever you may choose to call it, it is extremely hard for the living that are left behind to deal with the loss and the grief. I strongly believe that we are here on earth, our own hell, to learn the hardest lessons that we will ever learn. Learning to live through the death of those who have died, is quite possibly the hardest lesson of all! You see, they are happy on the Other Side. The are not sad for us or missing us, but it is terribly hard for us to get through each and every stage of grief to get through missing them and accepting that they are going to be OK, and that we are going to be OK, and to know that we will be with them someday and just as happy as they are when we are finally Home where we are supposed to be--when it is our time of course...

So you see, funerals and wakes and memorials are for the living not for the dead. They help us to move on, to accept our new life on earth, in our hell without these certain people that have moved on to another life on the Other Side, our true Home. We just need this extra time to say our good-byes, to pray, to cry, and to see family and friends for comfort and strength. We will understand this when we die, or perhaps as we are dying. Right now as we live and breathe, it is just too hard to grasp that there is no pain and suffering on the Other Side, there is no waiting because there is no time, and there are no struggles or testing because we learn that stuff here in our own hell on earth...In a way, we could look at our life on earth like one big dream, and when we wake from it, we will wake at Home on the Other Side, safe and sound with family and friends.

Why is it that when we lose the ones we love, we are left with such an empty, hollow ache in our guts? It's an actual physical symptom, like coming down the hill on a roller coaster. Well, that person is physically ripped from our existence physically, but we still have the memories, the love, the thoughts, the words that were spoken, and the spirit remains alive on the Other Side. Yet, we still ask the age-old question, "why him?" It seems like the good people are always taken away from us so suddenly or too soon. But there are still so many dark, evil entities living here blatantly hurting others and making other people's lives miserable!

I have read from several of Sylvia Browne's books that each person gets 5 exit points that we can take to go Home to the Other Side. It may seem hard to comprehend, but good people tend to take their exit point fairly early to cross over to the Other Side. They do so many times because they are tired of life here on earth, these kindhearted people feel they have completed their mission from God here on earth, and they are just simply ready to go.

I believe in the afterlife. I don't know if it is called Heaven, but I believe all our loved ones are there, that time is not a factor, that it is the most beautiful place you can imagine, that all of God's creation goes there, so my fur kids will join me too, and that knowledge is a priority, so there are many books and halls and temples of this and that to expand the mind even on the Other Side. People have visited this afterlife in dreams, astral travels, near-death experiences, and hypnosis regressions, and all have described the same features. We are talking about people from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religious groups, who are believers and skeptics alike, and they all have seen the same thing. If you were a researcher studying these accounts, you would not only believe, but you would have confirmation!

Some make it to the Other Side and some don't. So we see ghosts and experience hauntings. These ghosts are the restless souls of all the people who have ever died, who had unfinished business or unresolved conflict on earth or suffered a traumatic death and do not know they have died, and they make up a very small percentage.

All loved ones that have died can come to us in our dreams, but that doesn't mean they are ghosts. They can communicate through scents like the cigar they used to smoke; dropping coins like pennies; ringing phones; and making electrical devices turn on and off. Animals and children can usually see loved ones who have passed over, and it is very likely to be because of their innocence--no one has told them yet not to believe or that what they see isn't there.

I'm not going to go into past lives because if you've read this blog before, you know how I stand on that. I believe in it. I believe that we will come back again and again until we have all the knowledge we feel we need to have on the Other Side. I would like to keep coming back until I know all I want to know about myself and about the human condition. I know I won't know that in this life, so I will at least come back once more. But because this is a very hard life for me, of which I put into my blueprints, I believe that I won't come back many more times because I'm trying to learn a lot in a single trip to earth. There are people that hypnotize for past life regressions, and the most traumatic seems to be the birthing process from heaven to earth, or our hell. When a person remembers this, it is too painful and traumatic, that it must be observed by the person and not experienced in the regression. That is amazing! It only shows that when we die and go back there, that it truly is a peaceful and wonderful place that we were pulled from in the beginning of this life on earth, only to rejoin our true Home again when we leave this one in the end--the new beginning.

It truly is amazing, but we see this as our home right now because it's all we really know. We have moved around a lot because my husband is a professor. We have lived in St. Louis, MO; Lexington, KY; North Providence, RI; and now Decatur, GA. Except for my birth city (and now the current city, but I'll get to that later on), every place that I knew as home, I didn't want to leave. You develop friends and relationships, and you have a house and pets, a life. It is comfortable. You think nothing could be better, until you move somewhere else. Now for me, it was a little different with St. Louis; although I had the relationships, the place never felt like home. Sure I cried when I couldn't see my friends and family everyday, but welcomed Lexington. I LOVED KY! I felt I had been there before, and the same for RI. When we left both of those places, I thought I could never find another place to love and meet people again, a home. Well, you always do, but as humans, we always miss our loved ones when we leave them for an hour, a day, a month, years, or forever--or at least until we go Home to see them again for a new forever.

I can touch on divorce, but not with any experience of my own. Many people have said that it is worse than death. They don't get near as much sympathy as when the other person dies...This is probably true. You also may compound this with any feelings of failure or isolation that may have gone along with the marriage/divorce. There may be guilt, rejection, and no one really wins, especially when children are involved. There is a learning curve with divorce. You are forced to throw yourself back into the world--to work, family, friends, life...

Grief can be seen as selfish. There is definitely a void, and I feel that it is your right to feel sorry for yourself for as long as you need to for that time to mourn the loss. You never will "get over it" as some people might tell you to do. Everything for the rest of your life will remind you of that person, a song, a smell, a taste, a place, pictures, etc.

What can we do about it? Well we never know when the death of a loved one or a memory will turn our lives upside down. So in the meantime, make the most out of every moment with your loved one. Remember to tell them--family and friends--as often as possible how much you love them and how important they are to you, how much they mean to you. Hold your loved one a little closer each day...

A good thing to do is to write in a journal the things that you loved most about that person, and then on the other side of the paper write what you wish you could have said to them if they were still alive. It is very therapeutic. In case of divorce, write what you could have done differently, and on the other side of the paper write what you did bring to the relationship that was positive.

For me, I lost an uncle, an aunt, an energy healer teacher and friend, and now my 13 year old dog, companion, friend, and fur kid is slowly passing on to the Other Side. It has been a rough 2009 to 2010. I lost my grandma in 2006, who had many of the abilities that I have, so I have no one to talk to about what I deal with from day to day. She always just "knew" things. Now I understand that part of her, and she isn't here for me to talk about it with her. That is really sad for me. I have only one grandma left, but her mind is gone to Alzheimer's, she has begun her journey to the Other Side.

It isn't supposed to be easy. Pray, pray, pray. Talk to others about it. Write about your feelings. Talk to those who have passed, and you will get signs from them that they are still somehow among us. The Other Side is not so far away, it is just another space and time, but they walk among us, and know what we are doing here on earth. Stay in tuned to the signs that your loved ones may be sending you. Right now is hard for me because, my grandma that I spoke of that had abilities like me, always wanted to see our baby, so I know that we will have a baby. She never gave away what the sex would be, she knitted a yellow blanket, not pink or blue. Sadly, when she died, all of her personal belongings were thrown away in a family dispute. I lost the blanket. I hope that somehow she will get that blanket to me. The adoption is a tough waiting game to begin with, but I always thought she would be here to see the baby. So I know when we finally adopt, she will be here. I hope I will know she's here, and I hope the baby will see her and know just how special she is!!! Also, my dog, Max, was just diagnosed with diabetes. He is not doing very well. I have not prepared myself for the day that he would leave. He is not the type of dog that expresses himself like other dogs, and he keeps his distance normally. Now he is very close to me, losing his sight, and giving me feelings of no fear, no sadness, only peacefulness. He has clarity even though he is nearly blind. He feels safe. I am a mess. I know that I will see him again. But I think, for me, the love of a dog, is by far different from the love of a person. They love you unconditionally. There is no judgement. They know who you are truly, and that is that. Also, they are who they are, and that is that. They don't want you to change for them, and they are not going to change for you. They go Home peacefully, without any worry of what happened here. We should be more like our dogs...

Sylvia Browne suggests saying to yourself everyday this week: "I do not push against life; instead, I let God and my chart guide me. I measure my life by my motives when I fear that I have done wrong things, and I realize that I did not mean to hurt anyone."

Let's Talk Relationships--Why Is It Better to Love and Know Yourself First?

"You complete me." Everyone loved that line from Jerry McGuire. When he told her this, our hearts melted. Yes this makes great reading and wonderful movie writing for romance, but it isn't what love is when it comes to real relationships. We should never be looking for our other half or someone to complete us. We should be whole before we decide to join that other person's world. Otherwise, we are just asking for trouble. I'm not saying that we aren't constantly growing and learning as a person because we are. But what I am saying is that you shouldn't expect that the other person will help you to become who you want to be or that you will be able to change the other person. You cannot change anyone! Let me say it again. YOU CANNOT CHANGE ANYONE! Did ya get that?

I was lucky. I met my husband in college. We had the same values and beliefs. We had the same religion. Our families grew up in the same area. We both wanted the same things out of life. We both wanted to have good jobs and a family. These were not negotiable. Also, we could both stand on our own two feet. We were individual people who happened to love other individual people. We were not 2 halves, but rather 2 wholes that came together. As we have grown together, we have both changed a bit, but ultimately we have not changed for the other person, but for ourselves. We have changed because we have grown as individual people within a relationship.

That is a really wonderful thing! Now that I see it in writing I realize how special our relationship truly is.

We have had some really big issues that we have had to face, that we faced together. We did it together, as a couple made up of 2 very whole, very full individuals, very true-to-oneself and true-to-one's beliefs, not of two half persons. We have moved three times to three different states. We have gone through my many chronic illnesses, which has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. I have had a hip replacement, and 7 other surgeries. And now I am awaiting surgery for a right total shoulder replacement. We have also been trying to adopt a child for about 6 years with a lot of let-downs. But we continue to remain strong, and I owe that to our strength as individuals, as whole persons.

Sure, I lean on him in times of need, as he does to me, but we are a couple. It is a relationship, and a relationship is a give and take. We help each other. We are each other's best friend. Thank God for that, otherwise every time we move to a new state, I would not know anyone. Now I can say I have a best friend in every state that we move to! How great is that!

So my advice to you is to make sure you know yourself. Now I mean know who you are. You have so much time to go through spiritual self-discovery to realize you ultimate God-given reason for your being here, your human purpose. But be able to live without another person holding your hand, so that you are not having to rely on another half. Don't seek another half or a soul mate. Actually, you may have many soul mates--friends, family members, a husband, your pets, etc. Or you may not even have a soul mate at all. The verdict is still out on that if there really is such a thing. Don't rely on physical attraction alone or on someone that will help your career or fame. That relationship won't last. Look for someone who has similar beliefs and values as you do. A relationship based on similarities always works best. Now there are people who are opposites, who swear that opposites attract. I just always think that they are focusing on the opposite things and not on the things that they have in common. I would bet they have a lot more things in common than not.

So good luck in finding Love for this Valentine's Day! Maybe Cupid will hit you with his arrow!

Can I Prevent Materials from Dominating My Life...If So, Can I Live Spiritually Rich and Happy?

Yes it's true that you can have too much of a good thing. Take money for instance. Although, for me this has never been an issue. We basically live paycheck to paycheck. We don't own a home. We have one new car and one '93 pick up truck with over 180,000 miles on it and the only reason we have gotten new cars for me is that we have had 2 car accident and just found the best cars for me both times to be a new car. This last car is a 2008 Honda CRV. Now we hadn't been looking for a new car or for a crossover SUV for that matter, but my 2000 Ford Focus was totalled in a head-on collision, and we began to search for a new vehicle. I have several severe joint diseases, and to be honest, the Focus was getting difficult for me to climb in and out of. Sometimes I'd get in and wasn't sure I'd be able to get out without the jaws of life...

So I continue...we have been trying to adopt for about 6 years of our almost 10 years of marriage, and have invested some money into that, but that is for a child, and who can put a monetary value on that? I do not wear or a have anything that I have bought for myself that is name-brand except a few pair of shoes, because, let's face it after years and years of wearing cheap department store shoes, your feet do cry out for "good" shoes that help your feet when they are aching with arthritis. But mostly, we do not buy ourselves much at all. So money, except to pay for our rent, medication (which is more than one can even imagine!), our car payment and upkeep, our dogs health, our own general health, food, some beauty products and self care products and cooking products, to us just doesn't dominate us!

The problem for me comes with materials in general. Stuff. I have so much stuff. Where did it come from? How did I get so much? How did it get to be so cluttered? First of all, they are materials, items, nick-knacks, things that others very close to me have given to me for some reason or another. These people love me. I love them. They gave me these things because they meant something to them, and therefore thought that it was a meaningful gift to give to me. Even my fine china was my grandmother's. We didn't purchase our china or put it on a registry. Why when we could have Gammie's? The thing is that holding onto all this stuff is just too much mentally. My husband once told me that when you hold on to all the physical stuff, you also clutter the mind. That is so true. So it doesn't have to be just about being materialistic and having money. All the stuff I have can probably be sold at the dollar store or the 99 cents store. It has no monetary value whatsoever. But for me, it has a strong hold on my heart.

Slowly, I have been packing up the stuff and either giving it away, throwing it away or putting it in storage (if it was from someone that I may never see again in this life, which is also foolish so I will get to this in a bit also). It's as though a heaviness is lifted from me. I feel lighter. The clutter in my home is less, and the clutter in my brain is less. What I am trying to learn is that I will always have the memory of that person and that gift; I don't have to keep the physical item. Surprisingly, removing the physical, lightens the load on your mind, even though it increases the memory load. Imagine that! It is going to take time for me, but I will get there a little at a time. Again, my brilliant husband told me, that it is better to do it slowly because it isn't just throwing a bunch of stuff away, it is decluttering the brain, and you can't do that too quickly or you will end up going backward. So yes it is a slow process.

I believe that it is OK to ask God for what you think you need and want out of this life. Just remember that he will only give you what you actually need. I also believe that when you do good deeds and volunteer in the community and help others, without even asking for what you need, it will be given to you. You may not get it right away, but it will come. And sometimes you really have to work for what you want, because what you want may not necessarily be what you need. So while working for what you want, you may end up with something altogether different or something even better than what you thought you wanted to begin with.

If your life isn't going the way you thought it would, don't hide from it and bury your head in the sand. That is the worst thing that you could possibly do. Life will be passing you by, opportunities will come and go and you will miss them. This is not just with money. For me, it has occurred with my chronic illness. No one thinks when they are going through life that their chronic illness will hold them back. I went to Nursing School, worked as a nurse for 6 years and then had to quit. I could have become depressed and hid from the world and cried because I couldn't be a nurse anymore. But I didn't. Instead, I began to use my illness to help others, started to understand myself more than when I wasn't sick, and became stronger than when I wasn't this weak physically. I have done more to help people now than I believe I ever did working as a paid nurse. Now I help people and don't get paid!!! Imagine that!

Finally, I want to touch on a fact I briefly mentioned earlier. All the stuff that we have whether it be money, expensive things, or my things that have cluttered my home, we cannot take with us to the Other Side when we die. It will be of no use to us over there. So why be so worried about holding on to it so tightly here? Even if we bury it with us, when we open the coffin, it will still be there along with our bones because only our spirit or our soul goes over there. Nothing physical will survive on the Other Side. It is just not needed. So just don't clutter your mind and your space with stuff and worry. Keep only what you absolutely need for survival, and a little extra for some added joy, or to maybe buy your kids something special as a treat, or to eat out or see a movie every once in a while. That is fine. Just don't overindulge!

Say to yourself daily as Sylvia Browne suggests: "I go forward and leave the past as only a memory of what I have learned."

Can I Become Even More Psychic Than I Already Am?...How?

Spirituality in and of itself differs from ones religion. One can be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or any other faith, but separate from that one's own spirit is searching for the truth. So it doesn't really matter about the faith because it goes beyond the dogma or the teachings of the particular church. We can be any faith, religion, denomination--these are human-made decrees, doctrines, and rules. We choose to follow, or believe in these. Therefore, they are just pathways, and anyone we choose will lead to God. Each religion has a messenger or prophet, tells us to love our God, love others, and you will go to your "heaven."

To grow spiritually, we must learn to know ourselves. To learn this, the best way to do this is to spend time with others helping them. Giving of ourselves, opens ourselves up to others thereby opening ourselves up to our own self. We learn to be less self centered by helping others. We see prejudices, and learn not to have them toward others just by being open to people--see others as equals. We use this life on earth as a workshop learning to love others, so that when we go home to God, it will be that much easier to love Him. We will learn how impatient people are on this planet, so we will learn patience. We will learn honesty, justice, righteousness, and tolerance. We learn this because we are subjected to it and must learn to grow.

As we take care of God's creations and God's creatures, He takes care of us. And all though life will not always be all joy and happiness all the time, we will have the ability to cope with disappointments and sadness or being let down. This is because we have been subjected to it all. Had we not allowed ourselves to be subjected to this all, and only selfishly cared for ourselves, never interacting with others and helping anyone else, how could we learn from that?

When we think about worry, sometimes it can be futile. What I mean is, worry without action is nothing but damaging. We certainly don't want to waste our time agonizing over scenarios that may never occur. Of course, if we take action when we are faced with actual challenges that can be tackled, that is productive. Can you see the difference here? I hope so. It is so important that you understand this because this will decide how your spirituality is developed, and from there, your psychic abilities.

Today, I had an issue with my lip being numb. Now I already have my date scheduled for my shoulder replacement surgery, but today was a specifically painful day, and my lip was numb. I kept talking about it, but never did anything about it. What I should have done was make an appointment with my doctor to make sure that it was indeed related to the nerves in my shoulder, etc., and if it wasn't at least the doctor could do a full work up. Instead, I carried on about the pain and numbness all day and did nothing about it. Some people claim that what they don't know can't hurt them. Well, if that really is true, why say so in the first place. Of course, because you are stewing over it, rather than facing it head-on...

Sylvia Browne believes that once you know you, all your psychic channels open up. "Psychic" according to the dictionary is "the power of discernment." It is the ability to see, hear, sense, feel or know without any tangible clues. Other words that may be used are intuition, hunch, or remembering. Whatever you call it, it is a gift from God. A person becomes more helpful and more giving and more outgoing. Therefore, they are more spiritual. With that increased spirituality, the ability to sense and know comes with it naturally.

Not everyone is good at being a "people person" or outgoing. So if you are shy or introverted, then start out by connecting with one kind person. It is usually good to start with an older person or a child. Then, start asking yourself questions. If you don't feel comfortable asking questions out loud, then put them in a journal. Trust your first impressions. Try these categories: Career, Family, Finances, Health, Loved Ones Who Have Passed Over, Negative People, Relationships, Social Life, Spirituality. When you feel that sense of brightness, this means your psychic sense has been activated. Try to take it further by asking, "who does this message pertain to?" Make sure you write down your answers. Is the person short, tall; from the past, present; does it feel immediate or further away?

This is an easy way to start by exercising the muscles in the limbic brain. Some believe this is the actual location of the third eye. It is located on the right side of our head just above our ear. It is also called the dead zone. Although technically it is not dead, it lies dormant until we stimulate it, or open the door if you will. We use it all the time when we ask someone, "what's on your mind? You're not yourself today." We may have noticed at that very moment we say her that she was down or depressed. She then tells you that she has a terrible headache or had a fight with her spouse. Some may say that it is just picking up on body language, but why are some of us able to do this over the phone with just the word "hello"?

What prevents people from using their psychic senses more often? Well, there is the fear of being wrong. Remember that what someone says no to now might turn out to be true later on. If you get a "hit" stick with it. You can always run the risk of being mistaken. Only God is always right. Follow your instincts. Practice makes perfect.

Also, when you are doing a reading, if you get a negative feeling, try to help the person concerned--don't just let your intuition lie dormant because of fear. Don't read for people who are close to you because you'll become too emotionally involved and won't won't be able to be objective. Look at the person neutrally. And a note of caution--whenever you take, you must also give back in comparable measure.

"I am the Divine source, a unique spark from the Divine sparkler."

Unlocking Past Negative Memories

This is a tough thing for me to talk about. I consider myself a good Catholic Christian person. But, I believe that there are more to our memories than what has occurred in this life. And of course, in order for this to be true, we would have had to live previous lives. The Catholic Doctrine does not teach us anything about living more than our one life on Earth and then our life in Heaven after we die. We are not taught that we can come back to live and die again, and perhaps if need be again and again...

Have you ever had an anxiety or panic attack? Everyone at some point has felt anxiety about something in their life. It usually comes out of nowhere. Your palms sweat, your heart races, you can't breathe, and sometimes you feel like you are having a heart attack. I've been there! My brother started having panic attacks a year ago out of the blue. They began when he approached bridges. As he would get closer and closer to the bridge, he would panic more and more. He said he could almost imagine himself blacking out and driving into the water or traffic below--depending on what the bridge was over. He got to the point where he could not drive over bridges anymore. He couldn't explain it. Nothing ever happened to him on or near a bridge, and nothing ever happened to anyone he knew on or near a bridge. So why is he so fearful of bridges? Why the panic attacks? Was it just a phobia? Is there such a thing as "just" a phobia?

As I have talked about before, negative thoughts tend to stick over the positive thoughts--or negative words last over positive words. Well if these negative thoughts, words, and even experiences are so pronounced in our memories, then many of them cause our fears, phobias, and anxieties of today from what happened in our past. Well, what about stuff that we know did not happen in our past, at least not in this lifetime? Obviously, it seems likely that some of those memories could remain imprints in our mind from previous lifetimes. Some experiences that caused negative memories in a past life, may emerge in this lifetime because of an event that triggers the memory. My brother, for example, may have been pushed off a bridge in a former life, or he may have had a seizure and drove off a bridge and died in one of his former lives. Perhaps he died in a former life driving off a bridge at age 28 or 29. He turned 29 last August, but began having these panic attacks at bridges just before he turned 29 years old. Maybe his age triggered it. Who knows?!? The thing is that it isn't relevant to his life now. It is a negative fear from a past life that is no longer relevant to this life now. What has to be done to keep the soul safe is to release the negative fear from a past life.

I believe you can and should explore these past memories--from this life and past lives. You can investigate by analyzing your memories to see what you have learned from them. But you also have to neutralize any negative memories and release them. This turns negative events into opportunities for positive growth. By embracing the very thing that haunts you from this life as well as from past lives, you stop the soul from growing. We are expected to make mistakes, but it's how you fix your mistakes that really matters. It is not easy to pine over painful memories from your life. Next time you find yourself focusing too much on these painful negative memories, ask yourself this question: Do you want to see yourself trapped by these negative memories, or do you want to see each memory as one moment in your life, no matter how painful, that you were able to grow as a person from and become stronger--to become who you are today?

It is true that the difference between a negative memory and negative thought is that you cannot just swap it for a positive one. You cannot replace that memory. It will always be there. A thought can be changed from a negative one to a positive one though. What we have to realize is that a memory is just that, a memory of an event or a time. When you take a balanced look at the positive and the negative events in your life, take pride in what you've overcome and what you've become because of the sum of the total of all your experiences. In Sylvia Browne's book Lessons for Life, she says to ask God to help you to replace any negative feelings that are attached to bad memories and pray: "It was only a learning process. I have been loved, and I can love." She also says to do an exercise by writing your painful memories on one side of a paper and your positive memories on the opposite side of the paper. At the bottom of the paper, write down your conclusions. What did you learn from these experiences? Ask your soul and God to give you insight into why you suffered. "When life gives you pits, I'll plant them and grow cherry trees."

Getting Past The Guilt

What makes us so focused on the negative instead of the positive? If someone were to point out how smart you are and how attractive your sibling is, why do we automatically assume that they think we are unattractive? That is what we do. But why? For whatever the reason, so much lies on the outcome. You see, we put so much into these comments that people make about us. And even if we know that it is unreasonable, we still do it. Again, I say, but why? Why do we do this to ourselves? It is a horrible thing to do. We begin to forget who we really are based on what others determine us to be. Basically, we are allowing others to decide our identities, and that is just not healthy! This can affect us on a physical, emotional or a soul level--none being healthy at all!!!

So going back to the negative stuff that seems to stick. Why does it stick? Why does it hurt so badly? Well first of all, the negative stuff is the stuff that we pay attention to. When someone is criticising you, you listen. It tends to occur in the most unguarded of moments, so it really hurts like someone punched you in the gut. Then you accept it as your own identity. Sadly, we do this, because each time we get a negative blow thrown our way, a piece of us is peeled away. We lose a sense of our real identity in the process. The negative stuff then stays--that is just the way it is. Our environment is negative, therefore, negative energy thrives here. Our human body is vulnerable here in this negative environment.

If all of this seems to be so horrible that we will never get over it, don't fret. We can get past it. Whatever is eating away at you that is causing you to feel negative about your self, your own identity, you can get past it. You can move on. There is hope. Reflect on the positive. There have been positive ideas in your life that others have told you, that you know you own, etc. Reflect on positive ideas that you have absorbed from your life, your environment, from others about you. These positive ideas determine who you are not the negative words or ideas that people have put into your mind throughout your life. Replace the hurtful words, phrases, ideas, etc. with positive mesages in your mind. When we are positive, we can then be in a state of loving. It is only then when people will like you/love you for who you really are. Remember also to always to be in a state of loving and not in a state of hoping in order to be loved. Then and only then is when love will come to you. (Thank you Sylvia Browne, Lessons for Life.)

As I still work through my first step with Sylvia Browne and her book, Lessons for Life, I am still working on realizing my own essence. I am realizing that I still have a lot of guilt. I still have to work out a lot of negative thoughts that people have told me through the years. But I am able to get past the guilt and move on. I can replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. I will be able to realize my own essence!!!

Guilt, Can You Move On?

For me, I have already had a hard time getting through the first step on my journey of self-discovery. I find it extremely hard to overcome doing things for other people, and not doing them for myself. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to make others happy, whether it be for my mom or for my teachers. I wanted them to be proud of me. I was so worried about other peers' opinions of me. What were they saying behind my back? Were they telling me the truth to my face? I took criticism as though it were the last judgment day. Perfection to me was not to find my essence. I needed to get rid of all this guilt that I had. I felt guilty for not being the best. When my mom told me to just be good enough, that I don't have to be the best. I took that as though she already saw me as a failure. In my mind, my mom already saw me as an underachiever.

Sylvia Browne mentions in her book, Lessons for Life, the first step to developing your essence, or finding your self, is to realize that good people often have a bad opinion of themselves. Good people seem to be more subject to worry and guilt because they monitor themselves to keep on the right path. They have a built- in alarm system, Sylvia Browne calls guilt. This guilt, or conscience, keeps us from harming other living things and people. When my mom was pregnant with me, she had placenta previa, meaning that the placenta was on the bottom. The placenta is the afterbirth, so it should be on top to come out after the baby is born, hence the name "afterbirth." There were no ultrasounds back then, so no one knew that the placenta was misplaced. When I was ready to come into the world, the placenta ruptured--I'll not go into graphics, but it had to go somewhere, and it went all over the bedsheets in pieces. This is called placenta abruptio. My mom had no labor, I came out as soon as my mom reached the hospital. They told her, do not cough, sneeze or even breathe, because you are already crowning.

I made quite an entrance. With the way I came into the world, would you believe, I actually feel guilty about it? How can you feel guilty about how you are born? Can you get past this? How? Obviously, if you can trace your guilt back to the day you were born, you are in trouble. But can it be fixed? Can you move on? Yes, you can. You have to get past it to find your self, your essence.....

My Path of Self-Discovery

Sylvia Browne has a book entitled Lessons for Life. I will be quoting this book a lot during this journey that I am taking to discover who I really am. For many years, I tried to hide so that people wouldn't know the real Me. I was scared how they would take it. I felt like I would be judged very hard. When I was younger, I had a very hard time dealing with how other people felt about what I did. I always did things to make others happy. I never tried to make myself happy. I'm sure that I probably had a pretty good idea what would bring me joy, but I fought it. I knew what other people wanted me to do, so I chose that path.

I was always a very different child. I was never like the other kids. I couldn't quite fit in anywhere. I could make friends from any group, and I would jump around from one group to the next because I had many abilities, but it was not really what I wanted. I think the other kids knew that I didn't want to be popular, that I didn't want to be noticed, that I wanted to blend in, and that I was hiding something. I always had a way of "knowing" things. This made it harder and harder to hide my true self the older I became.

As I entered my 30's, I began to realize that I would be OK if people knew the real Me. So I began peeling away at the layers that I had built up to hide what existed underneath. And slowly but surely, the real "Me" is appearing to all those who come in contact with me, even my own self.

It has been and continues to be an amazing journey of self-discovery, and I think now is a great time to invite you all in to join me to see what happens next. You see, I think now it is beginning to get really exciting. Everyday I discover something new and wonderful about not only myself, but how the world around me is connected to me in a way that I would have never imagined. So please follow me down this path of many twists and turns to find out who I really am. We will leave no stone unturned on the path toward Me!