Blurbs, Articles and Blogs

Tuesday, March, 24, 2009

A Time For Renewal
by Colleen West

Grief comes in many forms. Whether it stems from the loss of a loved one, job or relationship, sometimes grief can consume us.

Making the commitment to ones own self in overcoming grief is the first step in harnessing it’s grip on us.

And while grief, or as some might call it, depression, may seem like a never
ending everyday cycle ask yourself, “Is this (grief) really what I want or need in my life?” Also know that there are those who have struggled with depression for many years, if not most of their lives.

As an intuitive-medium part of my job is to educate people in knowing how to move on or rather past the death of a loved one. And while some still consider death as the end of (this) life, try convincing me for a change that I’m not crazy in communicating with those who have crossed over, as they do come back to visit.

Take for instance my own mother, who expired late one morning shortly after her 72nd birthday. Not only does she come and speak to me in my dreams, she also likes to pay me visits while I’m usually cleaning the house, as she is more of a neat-freak then I am. And, on more then one occasion, she has also brought along with her, Mr. Show Business himself, Bob Hope.

You see in this life, my mom could belt out a tune like nobody’s business, and was even offered to go on tour with one of the Big Bands, but sadly had to turn them down as not only was she newly married, but pregnant with my oldest sister.

Once our loved ones leave this realm, they (obviously) are allowed to frolic and play in the after life. It would also seem that they’re allowed to do what they might not have had time for during their stay with us, once they’ve crossed over. Seriously speaking, I’ve had the privilege to meet and chat with dozens of interesting folks (spirits) from the
other side.

During a recent session with one client, their dad kept showing me the same
image over and over. That being that my client had recently taken a fall just
outside of their house. When I asked my client about such an incident they were all to happy to explain exactly what had happened to them, and that “yes” they had in deed recently taken a spill before venturing into their home.

Those who have crossed over enjoy showing me images / visions of what is going on in their loved ones lives in the here and now. Yet, they do like to also show me things from their past as well. For instance, back to the same client who took a fall outside their home, this clients dad kept showing me yellow rubber ducks. And while even I wasn’t assured as to what he was showing me, my client knew the meaning behind that image. As a child, my clients dad called them his “duck.”

Speaking of such, I have seen numerous pets (mostly dogs) which clearly let’s me know that they too are soul bearing creatures worthy of a place called Heaven. They come through wishing to let their owners know that they are still a part of their lives, although they can no longer be with them.

My job involves reuniting loved ones, along with any messages that might come from the other side. And while there will always be the doubting Thomas,’ that’s OK as I’m not here to impress anyone. I’m just doing what God has called me to do.

"People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind."  -- W. B. Yeats

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The Great Harry Houdini - Magician

1874-1926

In the 1920s, after the death of his beloved mother, Cecilia, Harry Houdini turned his energies toward debunking self-proclaimed psychics and mediums, a pursuit that would inspire and be followed by later-day conjurers. Houdini's training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He was a member of a Scientific American committee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities. Thanks to the contributions and skepticism of Houdini and four other committee members, the prize was never collected. The first to be tested was medium George Valentine of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. As his fame as a "ghostbuster" grew, Houdini took to attending seances in disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer. Possibly the most famous medium whom he debunked was the Boston medium Mina Crandon, also known as "Margery". Houdini chronicled his debunking exploits in his book, A Magician Among the Spirits.

These activities cost Houdini the friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle, a firm believer in Spiritulism during his later years, refused to believe any of Houdini's exposés. Conan Doyle actually came to believe that Houdini was a powerful spiritualist medium, had performed many of his stunts by means of paranormal abilities and was using these abilities to block those of other mediums that he was 'debunking' (see Conan Doyle's The Edge of The Unknown, published in 1931, after Houdini's death). This disagreement led to the two men becoming public antagonists. Gabriel Brownstein has written a fictionalized account of the meetings of Houdini, Conan Doyle, and "Margery" in The Man from Beyond: A Novel (2005).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini