Monthly Archives: November 2021
The Life Calling Of The Death Doula
The first time I heard of a doula, I had no idea what it meant. I soon discovered that it is a person trained to provide guidance, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and after childbirth.
But little did I know at the time that a doula can also be someone who is of service to dying. So, a doula may assist us coming into the physical world, as well as leave the physical world. What a wonderful profession to be called to assist in the miracles of birth and death.
As a psychic medium, talking to loved ones who have crossed over, I have come to understand that some people definitely prefer to be alone at the time of death. My own dad was such a person. He made it clear to us this was his dying wish.
Several people kept vigil at his bedside for three weeks, but the moment we all were away to change clothes or eat, was his opportunity to ‘check out.’ As in life so be it in death, my dad was a very private person.
His hospice room was right across from the elevator. When my mother and I stepped off the elevator, I heard my dad take his last breath and I sensed and felt his spirit exit the building. But I also know he was not ‘alone,’ because his loved ones, guides and angels came to greet him.
So, how does an end-of-life doula help with this process? A doula is there to help the family as much as the person passing. It is my belief that it is a deep honor to be present at a birth or a death. I have had the privilege to be present at all three of my granddaughter’s births. I have also been present at several deaths.
Both are times when emotions are running very high. At a birth everyone is anxious until they hear baby’s first cry. They are on edge waiting to hear baby and mother are both fine. A doula can help explain what is going on and answer questions about the birth process.
Becoming Aware Of Psychic Signs
We often get so caught up in the technical aspects of divination, in the textbook definitions of our methods and tools, and in the intellectual pursuit of spiritual wisdom and esoteric knowledge gleaned from scholars, teachers and gurus, that we forget to employ the most basic of all techniques: our own awareness and observation of signs and synchronities in our environment.
Now, I’m not questioning book-learning, and the like. Studying our metaphysical craft is a necessary scaffolding on which to build a solid practice. It takes many years for the apprentice to become an expert. And after much practice, the diviner finds a comfortable stride, with their unique voice and style of practicing being sought after by clients who resonate with their unique skills.
The more we practice the esoteric arts, the more intuitive and attuned we become, and a wonderful blending occurs between right-brain and left-brain awareness. This is how we increasingly deliver powerful messages and truths to our clients. This is why it is indeed important to have the foundational training, and the necessary skills and life experience, to offer solid advice and guidance.
But, it also extremely important to be mindful and pay attention to our environment at all times. Not every moment in a reading can always be a profound channeled truth for the client. Sometimes the messages come in much subtler tones that we must tune into in order to appreciate their significance.
Something as simple as the sunlight bursting through a cloud at the moment a question is asked, or the sudden twinkling laughter of a neighbor, can deliver increased awareness to the diviner from her environment.
Balancing Sun And Moon Energies
The Sun and Moon have very different metaphysical energies and we are strongly affected by both. For example, a circumstance or event that might make you sad during the day, may completely wipe you out emotionally at night. This is because our hormones shift at night.
I worked for many years teaching prenatal Yoga and helping expectant moms. Their emotions typically ran very high at night. Their concerns about labor was latent in their thoughts during the day, but at night they would sometimes become terrified. Most women also go into labor at night and give birth during the day.
Things become surreal at night. I believe our hormones, the Moon’s energy, and a lessened ability to see in the darkness all greatly affect us.
At night, the right side of the brain is dominant. This is our spiritual, intuitive, subconscious, feminine side. During the day, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant. This is our practical, thinking, productive physical, masculine side.
The left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain and is Sun-based, while the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere and is Moon based. The Moon exudes feminine energy. The feminine rules the right side of the brain, which is the maternal, emotional, creative, dreamy side. The Sun rules the left side of the brain, which is the paternal side which rules logic, production, protection, and work.
When you are having difficulty sleeping it is usually because the left hemisphere of the brain has kicked in when it should be inactive. This is when you start thinking about all the things you need to do the next day, or the stressful challenges you faced the day prior.
Astrology Forecast November 15 – 21, 2021
This week should unfold in a pretty steady manner until Friday when we discover that change is in the air! A Taurus Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse on Friday will be the first of two major astrological events to mark this change that will create a major shift in focus and direction for the next six months. Eclipses come in twos, about two weeks apart, approximately every six months.
The Taurus Full Moon this week, also called the ‘Beaver Moon,’ speaks to the idea of a physical change. As an earth sign, its purpose is to direct our attention to the tangible things in our lives; money, health, and security. New awareness and change will be a theme until the next eclipse on December 4th, particularly in these areas.
But tread carefully under the Taurus Moon as it does have a tendency to make us irritable, short-tempered, restless and moody. It is known to create a climate for disputes and family drama. Focus on keeping your cool and staying centered and grounded, especially towards the end of this week.
Then on Sunday, the Sun will move into the sign of Sagittarius, setting us on a four-week course in search of balance, fairness, and resolution. The combination of these two events in one week should generate more determination as well as faith in our movements well into the new year.
Note that both of these events occur under a Gemini Moon, so you’ll notice a lot of buzz in the air as people become more vocal about the changes they are preparing to make, as well as how they plan to go about it. The Moon in Gemini also stimulates our appetite for adventure and novel experiences and it is a good time for communication and learning.
The New Earth Children
A phone reading with a long-standing client just a few days ago made me particularly aware the special souls incarnating in recent years.
The client used to be a regular at my home office years ago, until I relocated. Now we consult by phone. In those days she was approaching forty and in a high-powered job. She had been told by specialists that she had little hope of becoming pregnant.
However, about 12 years ago, the possibility of a pregnancy came up particularly strongly in her reading – more insistently than ever before. She dismissed the possibility after years of disappointment. Her sister came to me for a reading two weeks later and told me my client was still in shock after finding out that she was actually pregnant!
It was no easy pregnancy and at various stages she would come to visit me for readings, because she was curious about the little soul who seemed so determined to join her and her husband in this life. The readings revealed the old soul personality of her child and how he would be wise beyond his years. Her boy is now eleven years old and indeed wise beyond his years. He also has a master number 11 as his life path number.
Her reading recently reminded me of so many similar readings I´ve done for other parents who were to be parents of New Earth Children.
Over the years, I have encountered many spiritual teachings suggesting these ‘special children’ are playing an important role in the current global shift in consciousness and New Earth awakening. These new children have been arriving on the planet for several decades now.
In the late 80´s, a colleague of mine complained about the love-hate relationship she had with her husband. She also mentioned her eight-year-old son who was such a “wise little man” and how he would counsel them with profoundly sage remarks. “I cannot begin to imagine how this child was made by the two of us with all of our baggage,” she confessed.
Transitioning With Grace
Autumn always awakens my awareness of transitions. Not only does the entire scenery change color, but each individual leaf on every tree is in a constant shift of shades of greens, golds, yellows, oranges, and reds. With every shifting shade and combination of them, the pattern of the palette continuously alters too.
Then, of course, there is the falling of the leaves – the gradual transition from tree to ground, from full foliage to bareness in various new measures day by day. The rise and set of the sun, and the length of the night and light incrementally inch through their own thresholds as well.
Like the changing season, life is full of transitions. From the moment the soul enters the womb, an endless sequence of them begins. The body develops in a rapid succession of changes, then carries the soul from womb to world.
In the world, the embodied soul then undergoes transition through various ages and stages, growing from infant to toddler to child to adolescent to adult, until gradually winding down to leave the body behind and proceed to the next one or world.
In between, you and I – the embodied souls – may face a multitude of additional transitions in relationships, careers, residences, levels of consciousness, and more. Such transitions – even the best of them – are not easy. They naturally incorporate intervals of instability in the liminal spaces between here and there. Transitions entail shedding, releasing, letting go of the old that was, and then birthing and rebirthing the next and new phase that will be. They empty us out and fill us up, again and again. Transitions are not easy; they may even make us feel queasy!
So, how can we move through the endless array of life’s transitions gracefully? As with all things, there are probably as many ways as there is individuality among people. What I share are simply some of the ones I have found especially helpful.