Spirit Courage, Body Bravery
We all know someone who clearly walks to the beat of their own drum. These people typically have a robust inner strength, and refuse to accept at will any pertinent information handed to them by anyone in a position of authority. The one such character that stands out in my life is my maternal grandfather.
We came from a small town of 8,000 souls. Although our neighbors enjoyed the comforts of electricity, running water and all the modern conveniences of that time, my grandfather instead chose a code of living that suited him best.
The farmers in the area also had the use of tractors and other types of modern farming equipment that enabled them to work in a more worldly fashion, but my grandfather stubbornly refused to adhere to these modern trends. He had reliable horses to pull his plow and haul the hay, used kerosene lanterns when electric lighting was easily available to him, and firmly kept to his agenda with a tedious water pump that was needed for the normal household chores.
He was a very dedicated and diligent employee, working in the shipyard. He helped to load cargo ships from all corners of the globe, which came for the mighty salmon our region was extremely well-known for. Papa, as he was known to one and all, married at a very young age, which was a normal occurrence in those days, and managed to sire 15 children. He was also very well-versed and totally immersed in politics. The entire neighborhood would first ask his advice before casting their ballot, or not, for any politician brave enough to run for local office.
Extraordinary Events That Defy Explanation
Over the past number of years my husband and I have experienced many unexplained events, and we have been trying to understand the deeper meaning of it all. I will attempt to relay some of them to you in order that you may draw your own conclusions.
The first that comes to mind is when we were living on an acre of property in a somewhat rural area. There were no trees or protuberances near the house. We were sitting quietly watching television, when suddenly we heard the most horrific boom sound coming from the roof. We jumped up from our chairs. It sounded as if a log had fell on the house!
We ran outside to see what could have caused this thunderous commotion, but much to our surprise there was absolutely nothing to be seen… not a tree or bird – although it would have been an enormous bird to have caused that clamorous noise and deep vibration which we had so clearly felt. We never did find the meaning or cause of that event.
The next situation I recall vividly is when we were traveling along a well-used stretch of road, on our way to the local supermarket. Much to our shock and dismay we encountered a huge flock of dead birds, at least a hundred or so, spread all along the main part of the road. We stared at this strange scene for an inordinate amount of time, as we simply could not believe our eyes.
Empath Recovery From A Relationship With A Narcissist
I wrote a previous article about the phenomenon of empaths having a dangerous attraction to, and engaging in toxic relationships with narcissists. I have since been asked how the empath can more easily break away from such a relationship with a narcissist.
I am sorry to have to say, in my experience there is no surefire way to effortlessly sever such a connection. At least none that I am aware of. The connection between these two seemingly opposing forces is indeed a complicated one, since each of them serves the other with complimentary personality traits. Ending the connection is usually traumatic and detrimental to the empath.
Empaths seem to dive head first into ‘soul sucking.’ They are instinctively drawn to emotionally and mentally toxic relationships with narcissistic partners. It is the nature of the empath to try and heal those who are emotionally, mentally and even physically wounded. And too often the empath will commit almost unconditionally to this task.
The narcissist, however, lacks the ability to empathize with others and acts on their own selfish feelings of grandiosity and self-inflated ego. They serve only themselves and their need for attention and adoration. Their loyalty only lies where it is most beneficial to them. They are therefore capable of tremendous levels of deceit and manipulation. They will abuse the empath both mentally or physically to gain control over nearly every aspect of the empath’s life. They make the entire relationship solely about themselves and their needs.
Through The Looking Glass
We tend to not see ourselves accurately. We too often choose to focus on our shortcomings and weaknesses, such as we perceive them to be. And I believe we are all guilty of this. I have not in all my years met anyone who was truly satisfied with themselves – until it was sometimes too late.
I was just as guilty of this as anyone else. My childhood was one that I wouldn’t have wished on my worst enemy. I was abandoned by both parents when I was very young. I was raised by an aunt and uncle, who took pleasure in reminding me that my parents did not love me. My aunt also took every opportunity to beat the daylights out of me, while my uncle did nothing.
When I hit puberty, several older males in my ‘family’ began to stalk and harass me. I’d go into the kitchen and soon find myself backed up against a wall. Nobody believed me. Nobody did anything to stop it – not even when I was raped at 16 by a family friend’s son, who was deemed to be a “good boy” and “would never do anything like that.”
I could go on and on about all the horrible things that happened to me, but once I turned that momentous age of 16, and having had the experiences that I have had, I left my aunt and uncle’s home. I went to live with my boyfriend, his sister and their mom. When I left, my uncle dumped all my clothes on the front lawn.
The Challenge To Remain In The Light
What is the one area of your life that you would prefer to improve or change entirely? Mine without question would be to remain in the Light.
We live in a digital age, where we have instant access to information of all varieties… some truthful, others not so accurate. Once in a while this leads to something of value, but for the most part it is just a bombardment of noise, which is mostly designed to make us purchase and consume more products and services than we really need.
Scare tactics, for example, encourage us to buy more medication and nutritional supplements than any reputable doctor would recommend. Fearmongering convinces us to install excessive additional security for our homes. And airbrushed models tempt us into buying an endless assortment of goods that seldom add much value to our daily lives.
Meanwhile many of us have the tendency to complain about the government, the exorbitant rates charged for our monthly utility services, and the escalating cost of food and basic necessities.
The personal challenge for me is to allow myself the guilty pleasure of discussing any of these topics without vibrating into a negative state of mind. I can physically feel, in my body, the moment my energy starts to get into that negative energy frequency.
Spirit Just Passing Through
Almost 19 years ago, spirit picked us up and deposited us into our new home – an old Victorian house built in 1909. It is usually not easy to restart your life in an old house. The plumbing, electricity, furnace, and fittings had to be worked on, repaired, or replaced entirely. Although it seemed to be a daunting task we were willing to it on, because we were led here by benign beings and absolutely loved the place the moment we first saw it.
When we decided to purchase the home, we also accepted the possibility of there certainly being some sort of haunting or ghostly presence in a house of this caliber. But sadly, when we moved in, there were no signs of paranormal activity to be found.
However, before moving in, I did have a dream that we would find something of significance in the house. Later, when we were removing the old kitchen cupboards, papers that were stuck behind them fell out. We soon discovered these papers belonged to a William Bradley who had moved to this area of Canada from California. His ancestors had come to the United States from Australia.
Mr. Williams was a chauffeur in his day and we found his papers to prove it. Eventually, we were able to track down his great nephew, who coincidentally has the same name as his great uncle. He was extremely pleased to be gifted this particular family document and we felt very gratified that we had done the right thing.
Why Do Only Some Return In Spirit?
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my usual chair, quietly reading a book, when I felt a soft pat on my hand. It did not feel in any way threatening or frightening. I could sense from the softness of the touch sensation, as well as the physical shape that was in my peripheral vision, that this certainly was a female presence. However, I could not decipher who it was at that time.
The next day, I received a message that it had been a visitation from my sister, Theresa, whom had recently passed on. I was so moved and honored that she came to me like this. How sweet and precious that moment was for me!
This experience led me to think about others that I had known in my lifetime. Some I loved deeply, while others I did not always care for as much… despite some of them being extremely prominent in my life.
My brother, Venard, who died a tragic death from drowning at the tender age of 12, had never left any of the remaining siblings for a moment… not until much, much later on in our lives. We all felt he had given us his solemn warmth and devotion, until he felt we were ready, even as middle-aged adults, to finally continue with life on our own.