Open to Receive

"In a recent poll sponsored by a cable TV station, 25,000 responded.  99% believed in life after death.  70% reported having experienced an after death communication"

~No Reason For Goodbyes: Messages From Beyond Life

Many of the stories in Chassie's book are spontaneous communications that took place directly between people here in the physical world and their loved ones on the other side, without the assistance of a medium.  Often, my own clients wonder why their loved ones "never" visit them or provide evidence of their existence in the afterlife, when in truth, they are likely being visited often and just not paying enough attention!  Because we remain connected by the bonds of love, no medium can possibly have a stronger connection to our loved ones than us.  Each of us, as soul-based beings, has the natural ability to continue a relationship with our loved ones even after physical death. However, because they are now free of the limitations of having a physical body, we need to learn how to communicate with them in a new way.  Following are some tips that may help you in keeping the lines of communication open:

• Pay attention.  Of course, not every dime on the sidewalk is going to be a sign from Aunt Lucy...but don't walk through life with blinders on.  Notice your surroundings, and be objectively observant.  If you find a dime on the bed you just made, the bathtub you just cleaned, the chair you were just sitting in...and were just thinking about Aunt Lucy as you did so, then that dime may be her way of saying "hello!" Also, be open-minded; many people miss the "post-it note" sized signs because they are too busy watching for the huge "billboard". 

• Journal your dreams.  As we sleep our conscious, logical mind takes a back seat to our receptive, intuitive senses.  Therefore, we are psychically "open" in this state and better able to receive messages.  For these reasons, many people find that their loved ones visit as they sleep.  It's a good idea to keep a journal next to your bed and make it a practice to write everything you can remember from each dream as soon as you wake, right down to the tiniest detail.  

• Meditate regularly.  Meditation need not be done sitting atop a mountain chanting "OM" while heavy incense wafts around your head.  Meditation simply means to "be"...be in the moment, in the thought, in the breath.  Make it a practice to take a few moments each day to breathe and allow the mind chatter of the day to drift away while you focus on the breath.  When you are in that state of zen-like calm, it is then that you are at your most "open" and able to receive clearer intuitive messages. 

• Ask.  Our loved ones want to communicate with us as much as we want to hear from them!  Ask (mentally or out loud) your loved one to show you a specific sign.  One author I know asked his deceased father to show him a specific rare mushroom (which had significant meaning to their relationship) to indicate his presence.  After many weeks had gone by, he had all but given up and as he trusted an intuitive message to walk out to his yard, there was the rare mushroom, growing in the soil where it had no logical business being.    

• Have patience. Know that time is an earthly concept.  Not receiving the sign you are asking for immediately does not mean that your loved one doesn't love you or doesn't want to make contact.  Be patient - it'll happen, and often when you least expect it!

A shared farewell

            In putting No Reason for Goodbye contributors' experiences into categories, there were a few I found difficult to peg, for instance, that of Lorraine Peck.  It was certainly an example of contact by the departed, yet very different than most others.  Wouldn't you know that among those I've heard as the result of the book was this one from someone very close to me.  In his words:

"While at work here at the hospital, I was painting a patient room wall. The patient room was adjoined to another patient room with a shared small walkway about 10 ft long. I was concerned that the paint smell would bother the patient in the other room, so asked the head nurse if it was ok to work in the area. She told me go ahead, that the patient was out of it and wouldn’t know anyway. As I walked past the room, I saw some people (about 4) standing around the patient’s bed. The patient from what I could see, was a man and somewhat elderly. I presumed that they were family members and thought little more of it. In being considerate of the patient and family, I resumed painting while trying to be as quiet as possible. A few moments later, the weirdest feeling came over me, one like I have never experienced. I almost dropped my paintbrush when I felt this overwhelming since of relief, as if an emotional weight had been lifted off me. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. The feeling wasn’t a good or bad feeling, but it did fill my spirit. Immediately after, I perceived a presence and a voice speaking to my mind, which said, “Finally I’m Free”. It momentarily took my breath away, because it was so weird, but I shook it off and resumed painting. I then could hear crying coming from the other room. I paused for a moment and felt the need to leave the room. It was about time for my morning break anyway. I stopped by the head nurse's office to let her know that I was leaving, and that I noticed someone crying in the patient room. She told me that it was the patient’s family, because the patient had just passed away. I immediately started to put two and two together.

I’ve carried this thing with me since then. When I hear people saying, “There are no such things as ghosts or the supernatural”, I shake my head. I used to be one of those people, until I was touched by what I perceived, was that man’s spirit or soul passing through me and speaking to me. It was as if, I had been captured by aliens from outer space. I’ll never forget the experience for the rest of my life."

            Whether A.W. had ever spoken of this with anyone else I don't know.  But for him No Reason for Goodbyes opened a door, made him feel free to relate this to me.  So for all the people who wonder why I would tackle a book of this nature, this is the answer.  Would he have ever mentioned it to me otherwise?  I seriously doubt it.  But he did, because of No Reason.  What more could I ask?

Chassie West