Are You an Empath?

An empath is someone who is able to sense the thoughts, feelings, and energy (positive or negative) of others. Many times, empaths are able to see or hear in the spirit realm. Here is a quiz to see what type of empath you are: http://quizfarm.com/what-empathic-type-are-you/

Everyone has empathic ability. Some are just super sensitive and don't realize they are picking up and carrying the energetic burdens of others. It can manifest in harmful ways for them if they don't know how to protect themselves and set boundaries. It helps to know what to look for. I hope to write a book to help others gain insight.

Let me know your test results and if you would like to share your story with me for a book I am writing to help empaths understand this gift and how it operates. Contact me: http://writersinthesky.com/contact.php


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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Blog and Podcast on Spiritual Topics

If you are interested in more spiritual topics, you might enjoy my blog and podcast We Are One in Spirit.This week's podcast guest shares his experience in seeing and touching ectoplasm (the essence of ghosts) as it streamed from a full-manifestation trance medium!

Learn more or listen to my interview with Dr. Jan Vandersande at We Are One in Spirit.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading my book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.

Purchase on Amazon.com

Precognizant, Clairaudient, and Clairsentient Abilities

My friend Iris wrote me again this week with another significant story that I want to share with my readers. Even though Iris is a Christian, she has some very obvious psychic gifts in operation. These are referred to by Pentacostal Christians as the gifts of the Spirit (I Corinthians 12: 4-8).


Here is Iris' story:

One day when I was 13, my dad planned a fishing trip with the family. As much as I love fishing, that sunny July morning was quite frightening. The previous night I had been twisting and turning unable to sleep. That day as everyone happily approached the van for our trip, I felt a magnetic force pulling me away along with discomfort and nausea. I begged my dad to please reschedule the trip. I told him that I felt sick and scared and that we shouldn't go. Confused by my sudden behavior, he commanded me to get in the van.

When we arrived at the lake we did the usual "spread out no more than 12 ft rule." I was still freaked and disturbed but spoke to no one about anything. I took my fishing pole and sat on a rock. Two minutes later my little sister came to sit next to me. I tried to kick her out of my spot but she begged me to let her stay. She asked me what was wrong and why I didn't want to come on the trip.

Out of nowhere I heard a distant, shattered voice yelling, " Help me!"

I immediately said, "Shhhh! Listen. Did you hear that?"

My sister said she didn't hear zip and looked at me like I was crazy.

As I kept hearing the same words, I noticed it was coming from the other side of the lake. The voice sounded like a flute, not like a human voice.Then I realized it was coming out of the actual water. I ran to my dad and told him that I heard voices from the other side of the lake. He said that there was no one at the other side because it was closed to the public and that I should take a nap. He kicked me out of his fishing spot.

At this point I thought I was going crazy! Anyway, I went back to my spot and thought no further on it. I just started drawing. A half hour later I heard family members crying and yelling, "We lost him!" Apparently, one of my 16-year-old cousins decided to sneak off to catch the larger fish where the boats go. My cousin Danny had won awards for being the best swimmer and fisher, yet he drowned that day.

When my dad was alive, he warned me to never tell these stories to anyone because it might lead them astray from the Christian faith. Now that my dad is gone I feel free to tell all of my stories. Boy there are many.

Ms. Yvonne, what was the magnetic force that kept me from getting in the van and made me nauseated. What about the voice? Was it his before he died or after?

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Iris, you have precognizant, clairaudient, and clairsentient gifts at work in your life, and I'm willing to bet you have had many "sensings" or feelings similar to the one in your story.


The magnetic pull was spirit's way of getting your attention in order to get your dad to cancel the trip.  You were spiritually aware that something bad was going to happen that day. This is precognizance.

You could have heard the voice crying for help before or during the time the drowning was occurring--while there was still time to help. Had his voice come to you after the drowning, your cousin might have given you a "good-bye" message for the rest of the family.

The feeling of nausea is a clairsentient gift. Many healers use this gift to ascertain where in the body their patients need a healing flow of energy directed.

It's not typical for Christian families to discuss experiences that either do not align with their Biblical doctrine or are frowned upon by the church. Such may be the case with your dad telling you not to speak of your paranormal experiences. However, had your dad listened to you that day, your cousin would still be alive. We do our children a great injustice when we "hush" them like your dad did.

Sometimes, as Dr. Caron Goode's book (Kids Who See Ghosts) explains, parents don't know what to do with kids who see or hear spirits or predict future events. In some cases, the "hushing" parent also has some unexplainable paranormal gifts in operation that he or she is not comfortable talking about—maybe they were "hushed" by their parents and are simply passing down the advice they were given. I can't prove it, but I suspect by intuition this is the case with your dad. He knew better than to go to church on Sunday and admit that he saw ghosts, and he didn't want his kids doing it either.

Many times people remain in a dogmatic religion even when they know it doesn't align with their true-to-life experiences. Rather than doubt the church or research the validity of its teachings, folks shut down their spiritual gifts rather than using them to benefit others.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, Iris. I encourage you to click on the links in this post and read or listen to obtain more information to help you understand and use your gifts.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Brother's Spirit Visits Sister at His Time of Death

A reader named Iris sent me the following story about her brother visiting her in a dream at the moment of his death. He was in the hospital and she was at home. At the end of her story she asks a question that I would like to address. "Did he just sneak to my house before the angels got a hold of him and dressed him in white?" Read on . . . Here's Iris:

My older brother Hector had cirrhosis in the liver. He was a strong Christian. He was admitted to the hospital the night of November 20 1999. It was five days before my birthday. November 25th he called my house complaining about the hospital food and wanted me to bring him some rice and beans. I spoke to his nurse and she warned me not to bring him anything because his liver wasn't filtering and any wrong food can be a toxin to him.

I visited my brother that same night and he surprised me with a piece of cake and a candle. That was so sweet of him. I explained to him about the rice and beans. We spent lots of time giggling and talking about Thanksgiving dinner.

On November 27th I had a dream that Hector came to my room and kissed my hand. He was dressed in his hospital gown. He said, " I just came to say goodbye, Sis."

That morning I woke up and my room was freezing cold and it stunk like hospital. It was 6 a.m. Everything felt so weird and off key but I got up, took a shower, and did my normal routine. That afternoon I called the hospital to see how my brother was doing. The nurse told me to come in immediately. When I got there they told me my brother was dead. "HUH?" I asked how come no one had called me. They had called while I was in the shower. I asked what time he died. They said that at 5:45 am he went into coma and his heart stopped. They tried to resuscitate him but they couldn't.

As long as I live I will never forget the fact that my brother came to me in my dream to say goodbye. I don't get it though. Did he just sneak to my house before the angels got a hold of him and dressed him in white?

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To answer Iris' question, I must first of all note that this is a Christian family. Nothing wrong with that, but the western Christian faith interprets the Bible with some inaccurate things regarding the afterlife. Since there is no literal place known as heaven or hell (other than what we create in our minds; and that is done more here on earth than in the afterlife), some souls choose to hang around their loved ones—especially near the time of death and several days or week after the spirit departs from the body. Just like the soul who comes here from the Other Side and takes residence in the body of a baby, there may be some disorientation to begin with. (This doesn't seem to be the case with Iris' brother. He knew he was leaving and seemed glad to venture on.) Once the soul acclimates to being bodiless, it may move on to other realms. However, some stay around indefinitely. We might call them earth-bound spirits.

Just as in this earth life where we have freedom to choose, so it is in the afterlife. We may travel (as we do many times in our dreams) to visit other people, places, and even explore new experiences. Having a loved one's spirit visit is a very common occurrence and truly a blessing as in this case where the brother loving said goodbye to his dear sister. Isn't that a joy to know that he cared so much to do that?

The fact that he didn't return again probably means that he felt she was able to handle his departure, or that he visits in her dream state and she doesn't consciously remember it. Or, he may be giving Iris signs that she's not recognizing.

My grandfather's spirit visited me late one evening this week. He passed in 1988 and visited me quite often in the years following, but it had been probably six or more years since I last felt his presence near me. When I used to cut his hair I could smell the "old man" pheromones coming from his scalp. It was this same smell that let me know it was him when I sensed his presence in my bedroom as I was falling asleep.

Spirits communicate with us through all senses and they give us signs such as leaving an object in your path about which you might say, "Oh, my brother loved [name the item]." The fact that you are being reminded of him, is a good indication that he is popping in to check on you. You may want to read Denise Linn's book, the Secret Language of Signs to learn more about the signs God, angels, and loved one use to communicate with us.

It's so good to know that we are able to communicate our love from the Other Side to those on this earth plane. The soul of never dies.

Thank you, Iris, for sharing your beautiful story with us. I wish you and your brother many more pleasant and endearing encounters as you learn to look for his presence.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading my book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.

Purchase on Amazon.com

Kids Who See Ghosts, Guide Them Through Their Fear

Kids Who See Ghosts, Guide Them Through Their Fear
Dr. Caron Goode
Weiser Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-57863-472-9
Reviewed by Yvonne Perry
http://kidswhoseeghosts.com/partners/



This book was a very enlightening read. I learned a lot—not only about kids who see ghosts, but about how and why it is possible to see spirits in another dimension. The electromagnetic spectrum of wavelengths of radiation is huge, but the narrow band (between 380 and 760 nanometers) that we call light and that most humans can see is a very small fraction of what actually exists. Typically, what we humans can’t see with our naked eye or what our brains can’t understand is thought to be nonexistent, but other species can see these wavelengths. For example, a rattlesnake can see the whole infrared spectrum and ultraviolet ranges. A microscope reveals a world within our world. A telescope shows us things in space that 100 years ago we would never thought existed. You can’t see radio waves, gamma rays, X-rays, or microwaves, but they are very real. Just because you can’t see something, does not mean it doesn’t exist. It is possible that the eyes of a child have the ability to see in more ranges and spectrums than an adult.

The fact that children see things adults don’t is also explained by brain development and whether or not the culture in which the child lives accepts seeing spirit walkers as the norm. Children have not been conditioned like adults have and therefore do not know that they are not “supposed” to see spirit walkers.

Through reading this book I also learned that many things can trigger a ghostly experience by activating the temporal lobe, the part of the brain associated with psychic activity. When in a meditative, altered, or dissociated state of awareness, it is possible to see into these “hidden” spectrums even if only momentarily. Any person under stress or trauma can phase in and out of the brain states that are open to seeing apparitions. Younger children’s brain waves tend to linger in the dreamy states. Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that ghosts and hauntings were universal occurrences. I believe that as society begins to accept paranormal experiences as scientifically and physically possible and more people are free to talk about their psychic vision, these gifts will be used in a positive and productive manner.

Caron affirms that children (and adults) who see ghosts are not crazy. Children should be allowed to talk about seeing spirit walkers without fear of being judged or reprimanded. Therefore, traditional parenting and teaching styles do not work with intuitive kids who see ghosts. Regardless of whether they believe in ghosts, parents of these psychic kids can learn to integrate spirit communication as a matter-of-fact part of life. When a child speaks about seeing a ghost, casually remind the child that he or she can set boundaries and is in control. Since the intention of some ghosts is not the best or of the light, it is wise for a parent to be discerning about whether to allow a ghost to remain. Kids can exert their power over spirits in much the same way they would if a bully was bothering them. It is fine to tell a spirit to “Go to the light” or “Leave me alone.” Teach the child to call upon his or her guardian angels for protection.

My next paragraph is excerpted from the book because I feel it is important for readers to know that you or your child are not at the mercy of intruding ghosts. Children can defend themselves spiritually.

“Any child can insist on and demand to experience only that which is for his or her highest good and the highest good of all concerned. And learning how to tell the difference in the voices is very easy to do. Learning those differences puts you on the high road to work with, study from, and expose yourself to only those beings, voices, and energies that are truly for your highest good. You don’t have to put up with the other stuff.”

In Section 6, Dr. Goode gives useful tips for parents with various thinking styles to help children according to their individual temperaments cope with fear and incorporate an empowered approach to life—not just for managing their fear of ghosts, but for dealing with anything they may be afraid of. This chapter is worth the read even if your child doesn’t report seeing ghosts. Healthy interaction with the invisible worlds can give us the information, support, and caring we need to become healthy human beings.

The only thing I did not like about the book was the section in which Joe Nickell suggested telling children that ghosts do not exist except in our minds. This entire chapter seems to contradict and undo the comfort and encouragement provided by the other experts in the book.

As the author states, it’s much easier to give a child a pill than to educate yourself and adopt a new parenting method. It takes courage to teach or raise intuitive children. I’m thankful for Dr. Goode’s book because it gives parents the information they need to feel more confident in helping a child overcome fear and put any event into perspective. I think it is about time we begin to let go of our preconceived ideas about what is “normal” and begin to use the wisdom and principles in this book to help guide kids who see ghosts through their fear. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this topic--especially those who work with children in any capacity.

Today is the launch for this book on Amazon. Get your copy at http://kidswhoseeghosts.com/buy-now/ and collect some terrific bonus gifts!

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

On Joy and Sorrow

An excerpt from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

A woman said, “Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.”

And he answered, “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and other say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’ But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.”

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Is That You, Jerry?

Jerry McEwen was a regular columnist for Writers in the Sky Newsletter. And, as the designer of WITS Web site in 2006, he was also a personal friend of mine. Jerry was fatally stabbed at a Kroger store parking lot in Nashville on December 18, 2007 while trying to stop a man who had just stolen a purse from a 60-year-old woman.

When Jerry died, I was catapulted into an empathetic episode like I had not experienced since I was serving as an intercessory prayer warrior for unity in the city of Muncie in the mid 1990s. This energy  I was carrying for Jerry's friends and family was so severe I had to call on a trusted friend to clear me of the grief. After that, I put up some really strong protective barriers to keep from taking on other people's energy. I really hadn't been affected much as an empath until the flood in Nashville May 2, 2010. The flood has brought many changes to our city and to the consciousness of those who live here. My business and I have been called to a new level of spiritual service.

Jerry contacted me after he died, but at the time, I really didn't have much confidence in my ability to communicate with ghosts. I was pretty sure I was hearing from him and that he was hanging around me during the weeks following his death, but I didn't want to do what he was urging me to do--contact his mom and sister (Dianne) and give them a message. The message was simple: "Tell them I am with Mason." The message didn't mean anything to me. I wasn't sure if Mason was a person, pet, bricklayer, or lodge member.

I hesitated giving them the message because I didn't know how open they were to having a stranger give them a psychic message; What if I was wrong and the message had no relevance to them? I didn't want to add to their grief. However, Jerry was insistent and at the time, I didn't know how to make ghosts go away. The only way I'd see peace from Jerry was for me to give his message to his family. So, I found their address and wrote a letter giving them my phone number and return address. I didn't hear anything from the family . . . until today.

Today, I got a letter from Dianne, stating that she now knew what the message about Mason meant. She asked me to phone her. When I did, she apologized for taking two and a half years to respond to my letter to her. Her letter to me came at the perfect time because of the message Spirit gave me about the blue jay earlier this week.

You see, my business endeavors had been taking all my time and attention over the past few years and I had not been focusing on developing my psychic skills. I did an interview with Lynn Serafinn May 5 in which I recounted some ghost activity I had encountered in the past. Like I said before, I had erected some strong barriers to keep ghosts away ever since Jerry's passing. After the interview, I marveled at how effective the protection really was. When I got the jay bird message this week, I acknowledged that I was ready to stop dabbling and get serious about developing my intuition and spiritual gifts.

Oh, and the message about Mason? She was a friend of Jerry's, who worked at the Kroger where Jerry died. He had visited with her just minutes before he walked outside and was killed in the parking lot. More than likely Jerry's spirit was hanging out around her after his death.

Yvonne Perry

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For more information about spirit communication, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes

We come from dust; we return to dust.

We all come from the Goddess and to Her we shall return like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.

The 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer indicated the manner and text of the burial service:
While the earth shall be cast upon the body (indicating green burial without formaldehyde, concrete vaults, and metal caskets) by some standing by, the Priest shall say,

"Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life . . . "

Ashes to ashes derives from the English Burial Service. The text of that service is adapted from the Biblical text, Genesis 3:19 (King James Version): "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

The Ghost Whisperer Compared to Real Mediumship

I remember the first time I saw the Ghost Whisperer on CBS, I cried through most of the show. Why? Because I finally had a clue as to why spirits were coming to me. They wanted my help. They weren't trying to harm me or make me think I was crazy! I had ran out of explanations for why I would either see, hear, sense, smell, or just "know" that a spirit was near me. I concluded that I should not have prayed for the gift of discerning spirits—one of the nine gifts of the spirit outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-11.

Ghost Whisperer is not an accurate portrayal of what it's really like to be a medium—the show is for entertainment purposes but it does have some truth. While I have seen spirits, this is not the usual or only way I receive messages from them. The messages are much more subtle than portrayed on the Friday night hit show. Usually I get short messages or clues that I have to interpret using my own brain and intuition. These messages are mainly to give guidance and comfort to those who have been left behind.

I'm especially concerned for children who see ghosts because Jennifer Love-Hewitt's son Aiden on the Ghost Whisperer is being taunted by evil or dark spirits known as Shadows and these spirits are threatening Melinda. Death is frightening to most people. The TV series has the potential to create more fear of death through the mention of the Shadows. People and spirits are searching for comfort and closure.  Mediums are here to reduce the fear of death and help people to accept the passing of a loved one.  I did like the way Aiden saved Melinda in the final 2010 episode by making the Shadows let go of Melinda.

At times, the show suggests that boundaries cannot be set to keep malevolent entities from harassing and interrupting our lives. This is simply not true. You can work with higher beings of light who have the ability to prevent lower entities from coming into your field or influencing your life. I learned this the hard way after being beat up by what I thought were demons (thank you, Sunday School teachers and pastors of doom). There was even suggestions that I might be possessed, which was really scary! I now know that's not the case.

Whatever you think about and believe becomes your experienced reality. When I saw myself as a helpless victim of these "shadow" beings, it empowered my imagination to experience more of the same attacks. I have asked Archangels Michael and Chamuel to stand guard around me and screen the spirits who come to me for help. I've asked them to assist these spirits in finding the light so they are not allowed to influence or interfere with my own soul's spiritual progress or have my work day interrupted. I still have a"knowing" or sensing, but I because I have this angelic filter in place, I can trust that when I do have a spirit around me, my guides have allowed it entrance because it is mutually beneficial for the spirit and me to interact with one another.

What do you think about The Ghost Whisperer? Have you had an experience with or as a medium? Please share a comment on this post.

Being an Empath When Catastrophe Occurs - Part Two

Yesterday I talked about the flood in Nashville and how it was affecting me as a Light Worker and empath. I was feeling depressed, confused, and frustrated. I thought it had something to do with being an empath and connecting with the collective consciousness of humanity—Nashville in particular— but I had resigned from that role (so I thought) many years ago and was no longer in the business of carrying other people's negative energy as my own.

To make matters worse, my writing business was taking a hit. The business had been flourishing all year and I actually had leads "flooding" in so fast and heavy that I was pushing to train and bring on new team members to help carry the load. After the Nashville flood, all leads instantly stopped. For three weeks not a single person requested my writing or editing services. I was shocked because this had not happened in years.

Trying to figure out why I was so down, only made the symptoms worse and I had no desire to get out of bed in the morning. I didn't want to go into my office and scramble for a lead. I sensed it was time for me to just rest, relax, and meditate to get clarity, but I had no desire to do anything but simultaneously eat, watch TV, and play games on my laptop. I had to be doing something to keep my mind from worrying about my finances, business, emotional and physical health. By then, I was completely off my healthy eating regime and was drinking a lot of alcohol trying to soothe my soul. I know those things never work to fill the void or revive the spirit, but depression like this causes one to lose track of reality or to just not care.

I'll pick up with my story where I left off as my husband, Randall Hawk, was about to perform Hands of Light (a technique taught by Barbara Ann Brennan) energy work on me.

Using a pendulum, Randall Hawk found that my second and sixth chakras were nearly closed. The second chakra is the center responsible for lower emotions, creativity, and the function of the reproductive organs. The sixth chakra is the center of celestial emotions, and houses the ability to carry out ideas. After he opened and restored balance to these energy centers, my emotions returned to normal by the end of the day. By Monday, I was cheerful, hopeful, joyful, and renewed. It's great to have a husband who is spiritually awake and aligned with my divine journey.

Today, I have clarity that my business is taking a shift similar to that of Nashville. It is running parallel to what is occurring in the spiritual realm. Old things are washed away, all things are becoming new. I have a renewed sense of purpose knowing that my business is moving toward me having more time and energy to pursue my spiritual path and incorporate that into my business endeavors. Tomorrow, I'll talk about two confirmations that I've received regarding this insight.



It could be more than a year before everything in Nashville is restored, but once complete, it will be better, newer, fresher, and more alive than it was before the flood. This catastrophe gave us a reason to appreciate one another more than ever, do our part for the environment, and get rid of clutter in our lives, homes, businesses, and to better pursue our spiritual journey. I find it amusing that I was working with a Nashville author, Tisha Morris, on her book launch for 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home.  I had already thrown out, given away, rearranged, rebuilt, and reworked everything in our home and office by the time the flood came. I'm positioned for renewal.

Being an Empath When Catastrophe Occurs

The first weekend in May 2010 brought an event to Nashville that those who live here will never forget. We knew we were in for some heavy storms, but we had no idea we were about to be flooded by a deluge of water that would swell rivers, lakes, and creeks to the point that more than 9,600 homes in addition to hundreds of businesses, vehicles, livestock, and human lives were destroyed. 
As twenty inches of rain fell in about twelve hours, the rivers rose and kept rising for two days until they crested at about fifty feet above average.

People were evacuated, some were rescued by boat, and others were without electricity and stuck on their side of the road where bridges and roadways had been washed out. Business and tourism was called to a halt as people tried to take in the shock of what had happened. Only when the waters receded enough for residents to return home, did they realized how bad the situation really was. One of the city's two water treatment plants was damaged and unable to operate for more than ten days, so all of Davidson County was put on a mandatory 50% reduction of water usage. Schools were flooded so bad in Cheatham County that the 2009-2010 school year was brought to an end. Music City was declared a state of emergency and FEMA was called in to assist. There were billions of dollars worth of damage, twenty-seven lives lost, and homes completely swept off their foundation and pushed by the raging current down the street (see the video: http://www.youtube.com/ ) like something you might see in a horror movie. But the horror was real.

Yet, many of you (including my parents, who live in Atlanta) didn't even know about it. Why? Because the media was covering the terrorist attempt in New York and the oil spill in the Gulf.

You can imagine how this affected those who are spiritually sensitive to the suffering of others or of Mother Gaia herself. For several weeks prior to the flood, my daughter-in-law felt angry but was puzzled as to why. Once the flood came, she felt a release and calm again. She was taking on the feelings of the Mother planet as she responded to our blatant misuse of her resources.

My emotional empathy began the day after the storm. I began feeling depressed and sad—almost to the point of tears, but physically, I had not been affected. Our property was safe; our children didn't have any damage to their homes or cars—in fact, my daughter and her husband were vacationing in Florida and I was watching their 10-month-old son. It wasn't until Tuesday that I learned that one of my team mates lost everything (even her hybrid car) when her home on the Harpeth River flooded. Another team mate's brother lived near the same area, and his home was also destroyed.

Yet the spirit of Nashville people was not angry, nor sad, nor depressed. They were pulling together to help one another gut their homes, and offering encouragement that even though the insurance companies would not pay for replacement or repair, they would get through it because they would work together to make sure everyone's needs were met. Being a celebrity city, several Nashville stars came together to produce benefit concerts and donated their own money to charities to help others rebuild.

The strong feelings of sorrow and helplessness continued to increase until I found a way to release it by becoming a clearing house for posting information online to help people know about community meetings, donation stations, and other events to help victims and volunteers find one another. Having that outlet helped a lot but I still continued to have underlying feelings of depression. That's when the phone calls and emails started.

People I had not heard from in a while started sending encouraging emails saying they were thinking about me; One left uplifting voice messages (I had retreated so much that I was not even answering my phone) to say she was sending me love and light. That made a huge difference. Their prayers and sending positive energy helped clear me of most of the despair I was feeling, but I was still not back to my usual jovial self and the hot flashes were still raging.

Last Saturday morning, my husband had watched me mope about long enough. He knew there was a spiritual cause for my emotional despair, so he insisted that I allow him to perform Hands of Light (a technique taught by Barbara Ann Brennan) energy work on me.  I'll speak more about this in a second part tomorrow.

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You might enjoy reading my book, More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife, which is  available on Amazon.com

 

Getting Clarity After Loss

As you may or may not know, Nashville, Tennessee was flooded and many houses and businesses were destroyed when a record-breaking 13+ inches of rain fell in one weekend. The rapidly-rising muddy water from the Cumberland and Harpeth Rivers forced thousands to frantically flee their homes and hotels. Rescuers had to use boats and Jet Skis to reach stranded residents at their flooded homes. Gov. Phil Bredesen declared 52 of Tennessee's 95 counties as disaster areas. President Obama approved plans for FEMA to help victims in hard hit areas. The death toll from the weekend storms was 28 people in three states; 17 in Tennessee alone, including 10 in Nashville.



As a retired (ha ha) empath, I try not to get bogged down with the energy of the collective consciousness of humanity. I attempt to live in a vibratory frequency above the fearful "what ifs" and drama of Earth life. I know that I am spirit residing in a human body, but the recent flood in Nashville was so close to heart and affected my friend's homes and lives in such a way that it was hard not to "feel" the loss in our community. But was it really a loss? I suppose it's how you look at it. Yes, you lose things but they can be replaced. You may lose a loved one, but they are not gone. They are spirits without a body.

What I now understand (isn't 20/20 retro vision wonderful?), is that the deluge of dirty flood water not only tore down a lot of physical structures, but a lot of contaminated ideas and beliefs in our collective consciousness as well. The Nashville flood has caused a lot of people to let go of physically old things and embrace the new things. The things of our past will not serve us in this time of renewal. They must be removed to bring a new wave of enlightenment.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.

Purchase on Amazon.com

Welcome to Blog Jog Day and This Blog on Death, Dying, & Afterlife

Today is blog jog day, and I would like to thank Carol Denbow for inviting hundreds of bloggers to unite in an effort to bring more visitors to the participants' blogs! In preparation for the hundreds of visitors who will be stopping by to check us out and explore this blog's content, I am offering a gift to those who leave a comment below any post.

The e-book, More Than Meets the Eye, True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife, is sent as an automated delivery when you subscribe to the free monthly newsletter published by Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.

Start receiving the writing newsletter and get your free e-book designed to bring comfort and information to those who are facing challenges presented by bereavement, hospice care, and after-death communication.

The next stop on the blog jog is http://thewildcatsvictory.wordpress.com/


Follow me on Twitter: @writersinthesky

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

 

Take a Blog Jog With Me This Sunday

Blog Jog Day is tomorrow, Sunday (May 9). If you would like to take a jog around to read a few interesting blogs with me, just come back here and click on the link in tomorrow's post to get started. Each blog will have a link to the next blog on the route.

Subscribe to this blog so you don't forget. Just put your email address in the box in the right sidebar and you will get a reminder email. Thanks!

Death, Dying and Afterlife: More Than Meets the Eye

The review below was written by Karen Pierce Gonzalez and first posted on her blog http://folkheartpressblog.blogspot.com.

In More Than Meets the Eye, True Stories about Death, Dying and Afterlife published by Write On! Publishing, author Yvonne Perry explores one of life’s greatest mysteries: death.

She takes on the topic in an easy to follow format. In a little more than 150 pages she explores our cultural ideas about death and the dying process in order to bring us to some understandings about life here and in the hereafter.

Basically she suggests that life and death are on the same continuum. That death is as inevitable as birth and the choices we make between those two points will touch us in the afterlife which she refers to as part of the cycle.

“As it is in heaven so it is on earth and vice-versa. Birth, death and rebirth are simply part of a cycle similar to the seasons of our earth. There are seasons for planting, growing, waiting, harvesting, fading and resurrection,” she writes in the book’s Conclusion.

Her thinking is similar to that exhibited in Einstein’s famous E=MC2. Namely that energy can never be created or destroyed. It is always in a state of becoming. She writes: "Energy replaces energy whether we see it or not. Death may seem like a dormant season, but it is far from it.”

The goal of the book is to celebrate the choices we have in life AND in death. Neither, she suggests, is to be feared.

“I can remember sitting in the back of the church and listening to the preacher talk about Heaven. If Heaven is so wonderful, I reasoned in my young mind, why are people so sad when someone dies and goes there?” Perry writes.

Why indeed?

Perry, a graduate of American Institute of Holistic Theology has spent a great deal of time and thought on how death can be embraced as a natural process that leads to other realms of reality. Utilizing the stories of those who have either had near-death experiences and/or have had interactions with loved ones who have passed on, she shows the many facets of experiences that are possible for the living.

These true story interviews are, in a way, folktales about death. Personalized accounts they each reflect back to the reader someone’s unique experience of death and each of those experiences share similar elements. For example, in near death stories each person returns to the living to continue working on this level of existence for the greater good of all. Those who do not return, move through the veils between life and death and experience spiritual opportunities that the living can only dream about.

More Than Meets the Eye offers hope and guidance (including a sample Health Care Directive) for those who are preparing for a transition to the Afterlife, and the caregivers and/or family members who know them. It also provides insights into the life/death cycle that motivate us to take advantage of the opportunities we have to know and experience more than meets the eye.

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To read More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife, please purchase on Amazon.com

Listen to the Author Tell of Her Near-death Experiences

The author of More Than Meets the Eye, True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife and The Sid Series ~ A Collection of Holistic Stories for Children, Yvonne Perry, was the Blog Talk Radio guest of Lynn Serafinn on The Garden of the Soul. Learn how Yvonne repressed her spiritual gifts all her life until her grandson, Sidney, started manifesting spiritual gifts similar to hers.

Click this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn to hear a discussion about near death, afterlilfe, seeing ghosts, and being true self.


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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com

Tune into The Garden of the Soul Radio Show to Hear Yvonne's Interview Today!

Wednesday 5 May 2010 at 12 PM CDT
Author, Transformation Coach and book promotion coach Lynn Serafinn hosts author of the book More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife, Yvonne Perry. After having two near-death experiences, Yvonne Perry, found that her ability to see, hear, and sense the spirit world became more sensitive. Battling unseen forces and trying to understand why the deceased were coming to her, she took up a personal mission to research and explore this psychic gift that she and her grandmother (who also had a near-death experience) share. In 1999, Yvonne’s life took another dramatic shift and brought the spirit world even closer as she experienced a walk-in or soul exchange in which the soul inhabiting her body left for the afterlife and a new soul took up residence. In her book, she shares openly about this common, but little-understood phenomenon in the book she wrote about death, dying, afterlife, and spirit communication.

In tonight’s show, Lynn and Yvonne will discuss why some people are afraid to talk about death, dying, afterlife, spirit communication, near-death experience, and other end-of-life issues, as well as the common phenomenon of being visited by the spirit of a deceased loved one, and how we are still connected even after we leave the body behind. Yvonne’s book More Than Meets the Eye was written to comfort and bring peace about the mysterious process of transitioning back to God/Source. It is a welcome blend of intrigue, courage, and adventure that will open your mind, calm your spirit, alleviate your fear of death, and lighten your heart.

Tune in tonight to be fascinated, and to find hope and peace of heart.

Your host Lynn Serafinn is in the running for the title of "Next Top Spiritual Author". To view her compelling entry video, and cast your vote of support, go to http://www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=2016

Listeners can listen LIVE or "on demand" any time after broadcast at

***NOTE: You can also Tweet or post this show to

Facebook directly from this link***

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn/2010/05/05/ep63-what-does-the-afterlife-hold

Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number). An online chat room is available during the show for people to ask questions/make comments.

ABOUT THE SHOW "LYNN SERAFINN'S GARDEN OF THE SOUL"

www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Weekly show exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being. Lynn hosts a line up of distinguished guests including authors, coaches, artists, motivational speakers, social reformers, community leaders and others who are actively making a positive and inspirational impact upon the world.

SOCIAL NETWORKS
TWITTER http://twitter.com/GardenOfTheSoul
FACEBOOK http://facebook.com/SpiritAuthors

What Does the Afterlife Hold?

Find out on Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul Radio Show May 5!

Author, Transformation Coach and book promotion coach Lynn Serafinn hosts author of the book More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife, Yvonne Perry.

After having two near-death experiences, Yvonne Perry, found that her ability to see, hear, and sense the spirit world became more sensitive. Battling unseen forces and trying to understand why the deceased were coming to her, she took up a personal mission to research and explore this psychic gift that she and her grandmother (who also had a near-death experience) share.

In 1999, Yvonne’s life took another dramatic shift and brought the spirit world even closer as she experienced a walk-in or soul exchange in which the soul inhabiting her body left for the afterlife and a new soul took up residence. In her book, she shares openly about this common, but little-understood phenomenon in the book she wrote about death, dying, afterlife, and spirit communication.

On May 5, 2010, Lynn and Yvonne will discuss why some people are reluctant to talk about death, dying, afterlife, spirit communication, near-death experience, and other end-of-life issues, as well as the common phenomenon of being visited by the spirit of a deceased loved one, and how we are still connected even after we leave the body behind.

Yvonne’s book More Than Meets the Eye was written to comfort and bring peace about the mysterious process of transitioning back to God/Source. It is a welcome blend of intrigue, courage, and adventure that will open your mind, calm your spirit, alleviate your fear of death, and lighten your heart.

Tune in May 5 to be fascinated, and to find hope and peace of heart.

Listeners can tune in LIVE or "on demand" any time after broadcast at http://www.blogtalkradio.com Listener questions: call 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number). An online chat room is available during the show for people to ask questions/make comments.

ABOUT the host: Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC, is a transformation coach, and book promotion coach living in Bedford England, dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people through her companies Create-a-Life and Spirit Authors. Lynn is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller The Garden of the Soul: Lessons From Four Flowers That Unearth the Self, that has been hailed by readers to be "as spiritual as Deepak Chopra and as magical as Paulo Coelho."

LYNN’S WEB PORTAL www.lynnserafinn.com. Sign up for Lynn's blog and receive weekly inspirational articles, coaching tips and information, calendar of Garden of the Soul Radio Show and other events, special offers, and news.

SPIRIT AUTHORS www.spiritauthors.com A virtual coaching and learning experience offering training, business building and support for mind-body-spirit authors, both established and aspiring.

THE GARDEN OF THE SOUL BOOK BLOG www.give-receive-become-be.com For info, articles, events and media kit on Lynn’s book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife.
Purchase on Amazon.com

The Legacy of Love We Leave Behind

Today we welcome Marilyn L. Geary and Jacqueline Janssen, authors of the new book LeaveLight, to our writing blog. They share a discussion about their book with Sarah Moore with Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.

SARAH: Please share the premise of LeaveLight so that we will know something about the genre and content of your book.

MARILYN: LeaveLight is a spiritual and practical guide to advance planning and leaving a legacy for your loved ones. It offers tools that motivate you to provide directions for your loved ones in the difficult time after your death. LeaveLight makes this easy by helping you organize your life’s planning into a Legacy Binder that contains your personal data and information on your health, your possessions and your final wishes for you and your family.

JACQUELINE: LeaveLight provides exercises and visualizations that help you focus on the qualities of forgiveness, compassion, gratitude and surrender. By reviewing your life and its relationships, you are able to move forward with fewer regrets. LeaveLight does not offer legal, financial, or therapeutic advice. It does offer motivation and resources to assist with advance planning.

SARAH: How is the book formatted? What kind of layout and content can readers expect to find inside?

MARILYN: We have divided LeaveLight into chapters that help readers complete their planning. After an introduction and a chapter on “Getting Started,” LeaveLight leads the reader through six chapters. The first chapter focuses readers on motivation and purpose. The next four chapters are based on the four natural elements, four seasons and four human qualities:

Air—Your Spring of Forgiveness, which addresses your personal data

Water—Your Summer of Compassion, which includes health topics, such as advance directives

Earth—Your Autumn of Gratitude, which concerns decisions regarding both material and intangible assets

Fire—Your Winter of Surrender, a chapter on planning final arrangements.

In the last chapter, Coming Full Circle, the reader creates a legacy letter spelling out wishes, decisions and values for loved ones left behind.

We have included forms for documenting useful information and a list of resources in the appendix.

SARAH: What inspired you to write this book?

MARILYN: One evening over a meal at Café Gratitude in San Rafael, California, Jacqueline and I were talking about things we had not finished, including putting plans together for our family members should something happen to us.

We found that we both had experienced unnecessary trauma after family members had died. My husband died unexpectedly at age 52. Although he had been ill with emphysema for a very long time, I did not admit the severity of his illness. We continued on with life as if it would continue forever. When my husband abruptly died, I had no plans in place. I had to search for a burial plot while my husband was on life support in the hospital intensive care unit. Although I knew he had very strong feelings about the subject, I could not remember whether my husband wished to be cremated.

JACQUELINE: My parents also died without plans in place when I was young. My siblings and I had very different ideas about what our parents wanted, and even different religious beliefs about their funerals. We were each so sure we knew their wishes. It meant so much to us to treat our parents with love and respect that we argued when we could have been there to comfort each other. It took us a long, long time to heal and finally grieve and become a family again.

So both Marilyn and I realized we were not alone. So many people don’t plan, don’t let their families know what they want, and family members undergo added stress and trauma at a time when they need to grieve. Hard decisions shouldn’t have to be made when people are suffering. We realized we could help people by finding ways to motivate them to do what had been so hard for us.

SARAH: Why do you believe there is such a hesitancy to discuss some of the end-of-life issues that you cover in LeaveLight? How does this lack of conversation serve as a detriment both to the person whose death is being discussed and those who will be left behind?

MARILYN:The reluctance to plan is largely due to the tremendous fear of death in western culture. Death is the enemy, a mistake. We don’t want to talk about it. Most people are simply afraid to face it. They prefer to think that it’s not going to happen to them. Consequently, seven out of ten people in the United States have not created a will, and polls show that 90 percent of people say they want to die at home, but only 20 percent do. Fewer than 10 percent of people actually use an advanced directive that specifies their wishes for health care should they become incapable of communicating them.

JACQUELINE: In some cultures people intentionally prepare for death throughout their lives with forgiveness and compassion so that by the time death occurs they are free from guilt and feelings of incompletion. LeaveLight helps readers consider what does stop them from planning, not only for themselves but to help the ones they love. We give readers a way to look at what will motivate them to plan by focusing on reasons they do want to do it. It could be that they want to establish care for people who depend on them, or leave life without regrets. Or they may have a deep wish to forgive and be forgiven. A free list of these possible reasons is available on our website. LeaveLight offers readers a way to bring their fears to light and work through them to complete their planning, especially in small, supportive LeaveLight Circles.

SARAH: Do you both bring a writing background to LeaveLight? Are you coming from the perspective of professionals in the field? Or, are there other aspects of your personal backgrounds that contribute to the content of the book?

MARILYN: I am a media artist, writer, instructional designer and personal historian. As a personal historian, I understand the value that recording life stories can bring to families. Many of the narrators I have interviewed over the years have since died. Their stories live on for generations to come and bring comfort to their family members still living.
My background in media and instructional technologies has helped form the design of LeaveLight into manageable steps that make it easy for readers to complete their planning.

JACQUELINE: I’ve been working with people throughout my career in the field of human resources. I am the Director of Transition Services at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin, providing professional executive recruiting for nonprofits. I enjoy helping people reach their full potential, and I think this is best done through good communication and healthy families. Marilyn and Wendy Dunne and I worked with the County of Marin to create and implement a Family Partnership Policy. With LeaveLight, people not only communicate their wishes to their families, but they reflect on their own lives. By putting plans in place in advance, people lessen their stress and worry about what will happen to their families and others they love. Then they can enjoy life, each other and each day as perfect and sacred.

Marilyn and I both share a belief in the power of gratitude, forgiveness, compassion and surrender to enliven and free our lives from regret and unhappiness.

SARAH: How long did it take to write this book? Is there information you can share with us concerning your writing method or how the book developed?

JACQUELINE: We spent over three and a half years writing LeaveLight. At first we planned only a practical guide with forms, but as we progressed, we realized the importance of addressing the emotional aspects of end-of-life planning.

SARAH: How did you publish your book? Tell me about your publishing experience with LeaveLight and what you learned from it.

MARILYN: We very quickly came to the conclusion that we would independently publish LeaveLight. We were aware of the difficulties of getting an agent and a publisher and the long lead times in sending a book through the traditional publishing channels. We did not want to spend our energies in that direction when we would end up marketing LeaveLight ourselves in any case, We had the technical expertise to independently publish, and in so doing, we retained creative control over our book and over its sales.

SARAH: Where is your book available? Do you have a Web site or blog where we can learn more about you or your book?

JACQUELINE: LeaveLight is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and other online outlets, as well as through our website and blog.

SARAH: As far as marketing, do you do more online publicity or print/radio/TV promotion? Tell me some ways you have promoted your book.

JACQUELINE: Our marketing program is just getting started. If we could do anything differently, we would have started marketing earlier. We designed our marketing plan to include a website and blog. We write articles and make comments on other blogs about advance planning topics. Our certified facilitators reach out in their communities to sell the books and deliver the six-session circles. We enjoy being guest speakers, and we deliver short programs on LeaveLight.

SARAH: Do you have any future writing projects in the works, or any other work you will be doing associated with end-of-life issues?

JACQUELINE: We plan to add video testimonials to our LeaveLight website. Participants tell what they have experienced with their families and in their lives as a result of reading LeaveLight, participating in the Circles and completing their planning. These stories are very moving. We continue to update our blog with stories and video interviews of experts in end-of-life concerns and of ways that people relate to and celebrate their loved ones and life in general.

SARAH: Any other comments you would like to share about your book LeaveLight?

JACQUELINE: We encourage people to plan for their loved ones and live life to the fullest, every day. Please don’t miss a minute to forgive yourself and others, offer compassion, be grateful and surrender to the beauty all around us.

MARILYN: LeaveLight is not about dying—it’s about how we live and the legacy of love we leave behind for others.

SARAH: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your book. I wish you both well in your journey with LeaveLight.

Near-death and Walk-in/Soul Exchange Experience Opens Psychic Abilities

After having two near-death experiences, Yvonne Perry, found that her ability to see, hear, and sense the spirit world became more sensitive. Battling unseen forces and trying to understand why the deceased were coming to her, she took up a personal mission to research and explore this psychic gift that she and her grandmother (who also had a near-death experience) share.

In 1999, Yvonne’s life took another dramatic shift and brought the spirit world even closer when she experienced a walk-in or soul exchange in which the soul that was inhabiting her body left for the afterlife and a new soul took up residence. Her religion could not explain it, her church friends abandoned her, and the world (even her family members) seemed unfamiliar as the adjustment took place. She shares openly about this common, but little-understood phenomenon in the book she wrote about death, dying, afterlife, and spirit communication.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com