Jon Almada

When parents are sick...

2012-02-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today was an instructive day for me. Spending the day taking care of a sick mother and getting my father, who has been seriously ill and is facing end-of-life issues into a temporary facility to handle his many health-care needs while we address my mother's illness was a lot of work, but we persevered and got through it.

The other night, I did say a prayer and asked for God to help with the situation. Things were looking dire and I asked for the powers-that-be to weigh in and help the situation go the way that it needed to. As you know from my website, I am an on-air medium and thus am very familiar with the Other Side and thus these issues, while weighty, are what I deal with in my shows for so many others who are dealing with grief, dying and the death of those close to them. When it these situations directly involve the family of the medium, it does bring it home what we really do to help others come to terms with the events that are transpiring.

My Mother has taken beautiful care of my father in nearly five years of extremely taxing and increasingly difficult circumstances, ranging from the devastating effects of the initial stroke, subsequent bouts with seizures and thousands of miles of trips to doctors and endless red-tape from an increasingly hostile medical establishment caught in the grip of a governmental rationing mentality for medical care. We've watched as Medicare rationed the oxygen tank coverage and limited Mom in her ability to take Dad to the various doctors needed for his care. It is striking that the very system which claimed it would help so many who needed care is now complicating the lives of seniors with rules that are nothing more than unvarnished rationing of care that we were told would never happen. And yet, here it is.

Through it all, Mom has patiently handled Dad's care in an act of total love and devotion that can only be described as one of the most loving and giving examples of a true partner and serious marital commitment I've ever seen. It has been my privilege to assist and help her and him where I could, but my assistance has only been to buttress their living situation and insure that the help was there when it was needed.

Tonight, we got Mom home and are readying her for a potential surgery. And we spent the day getting Dad dealt with and set up for a couple of weeks while Mom gets taken care of. What seems simple takes an entire day.

Late in the day, a phone call came in from someone who has never been part of the situation, has never helped with the care or devoted time and money to assist Mom and Dad through one of the most trying tests of life. I will not say what happened, but the time has come to recognize that some people can never be satisfied. The challenge for us is to accept that we here, who are doing the real work and facing the life and death decisions, cannot accommodate the reactions of those whose perceptions and biases prevent them from understanding the final act of beauty that is taking place. My father will pass soon. He will go to the Other Side and he will be joined by those family members who love him for the amazing man he is. Mom's gift has never been more poignant now that she is stumbling a little as a caregiver and now we, who are close to her, step in to help her and Dad in the remaining scenes of this act of love. We have no time for those who have never helped and have only presented pain as the payment when they are informed in a reasonable time of hospital visits, events and issues that arise in these circumstances.

I ask those of you, who may be remote from a parent who is passing, to look at the needs of the caregiver and to look past normal bias or reactions that would only serve to complicate the passing of one loved one and create pain for the caregivers. Stop and wear the shoes of those who care for the loved one. If you are the one who has caused pain and dare to recognize that you may of erred in how you presented yourself, then the time is now to fix things. There is no time like the present to help someone who is about to pass and to ease the pain of those who are on the scene helping with the situation. It does not do to see things from a selfish perspective when it comes to death and dying.

I found some interesting resources about these issues on the web and share these in the hope that families avoid these sorts of unfortunate situations like what we ran into today. Family should come together to ease the transition of parents and loved ones. Death should not rip us apart, it should be a beautiful transition with the family coming together to support the one who is passing.

Justice...

2011-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

The times, they are are a calling for those who walk in the light to look carefully where they tread...

"Soon, we must all face the choice between what is right... and what is easy" - Professor Dumbledore - Harry Potter.

An old Bibical saying has much truth:

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
(Psalm 37:8,9)

A recent family matter brought this home to our little family. I've come to realize that those who steal, those who covet the property of others and those who do not honor the wishes of the Dead are doomed to their own prisons that they make for themselves. It takes effort to remember not to react in anger, but the silence the soul and then act accordingly when the mind is clear.

Remember, the Dead see all. As a Medium, I've come to realize the value of knowing that we never walk alone and that these tests we experience are to better our characters and to push us to rise above the mere matter we find ourselves living in. Those who covet matter and energy above their own kin or friends are doomed to repeat these lessons until these see that Love is the answer and not possession of things and taking pleasure in the pain of others.

Love, forgiveness and patience are the tools of the Light. Remember to walk in the light and the way, though cloudy at times, will be clear...

I'll talk more about all of this later... For now, it is a nice Sunday night and a time to meditate and look inward...

Mediumship and Study...

2011-11-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

One of the things my guides on the Other Side are very keen on is to have me meditate daily. It is a constant thing with them to have me meditate and also to continually read and absorb knowledge about the Other Side and about what it is to be human and aware of the many levels and functions of our physical, mental and spiritual bodies.

For example, I was very surprised to learn recently, in reading "The Projection of the Astral Body" by Sylvan Muldoon, that human beings are not simply a chemical process with a spirit just happening to reside in the body, but that the "ghost" within us is the very life force by which the body organizes and maintains itself. It is not so much a case of the spirit simply taking up residence in the body that could maintain itself without the spirit, but the spirit itself IS the life force of the body.

I suppose I had the knowledge already summed up in already having learned about the various levels of the body, from physical to mental to astral and beyond, but to see it in such an old book with such clear and well-written material really brought the concept home to me.

If the spirit energy form (or soul) leaves the house of the body, the organic form cannot hope to last long without the underlying processes of the spirit managing and maintaining the crucial bodily functions. It is striking to me that this is the case in humans for this also means that other life forms must have similar arrangements and therefore, logically, must have a form of Spirit within their makeup.

Think about it... All life is animated by "ghosts" if you will. From a bacteria to a blade of grass, a whale or a human. And if this is the case here on Earth, it is logical to assume that, given the assumption of the rules of physics being the same all across the Universe, it is likely this arrangement plays out in other alien species of life that must surely exists out there.

I highly recommend constant learning and reading for those who study mediumship. It is not simply enough to learn a system and apply only it's tenants and to forget that there are many other worthy views and means of accessing knowledge and different levels of the Spirit world, but also to understand the why and how of the application of these systems in our own seemingly "mundane" world which is certainly anything but mundane.

It is tempting to look at the more recent publications of metaphysical literature and yes, you should look for the best of the most recent and critical original documentation that is coming in from Spirit, but do not forget that the 19th century and early 20th century authors, who came to observe the Spirit world from a viewpoint free of the constant interruptions of television, radio and the Internet, wrote powerful and very enlightened works that are classics to this day.

I suggest you read Dion Fortune's books. These are excellent factual and fiction writings that will prepare your mind well to be aware of just how complex things were back in the day when she wrote these in the 1920s through the 1940s. Take a look at Leadbetter's writings and also read Muldoon as well as many of the great writings on astral travel, mediumship and spirituality from the Spiritualist viewpoints that are now freely available for download.

In my classes I'm conducting, we're studying these books to insure that the students are grounded with a clear and wide-ranging view of the field of metaphysics over and above simply learning mediumship or psychic skills. It pays to understand the "lay of the land" so to speak. An understanding of classical views of the phenomena of paranormal and supernormal phenomena as well as the peculiar ethics and history surrounding the various kingdoms of existence around us is not only helpful, but essential to develop the proper skill sets and mental attitude to be successful in growing a proper awareness.

I am leading a small group of students who will be going through these learned writings to gain these appreciations of the how and why of things. One of the only requirements is that the assignments of reading be completed on-time and then each student will communicate their understanding of the writing to the group during our review sessions. We've begun our sessions already, but have room for two more in our local settings here in my local area and will accept others on a periodic basis for Internet learning when the students complete their coursework.

It is time for my meditation... See you soon!

Readings

2011-11-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

I generally read for people on Saturday evenings on my radio show and went through a period of alternating decisions about reading for people as a side business or to do it as a gift.

A very good friend of mine pointed out that the fact that so many psychic-mediums do this work successfully and for the *right* reasons indicates that this ability can and should be used to not only help the sitter who reads with a medium or psychic, but for the benefit of the person doing the reading.

This is a Spiritual calling, this deciding to read a person off-air and personally, whether this be a phone reading or an in-person meeting. I will ask certain of the people I've read if their story might be, with modifications, used as a lesson to be written about for the benefit of others. Some will answer to the affirmative and others in the negative with the wishes of the Sitter being respected at all times.

Mediumship is a sacred gift, both for the Sitter and the Medium. I have recently become aware of just how sacred this trust and bond is. I've come to a point where I realize that, to advance, one must embrace the community and to read with people who wish to be read privately.

I will, however, donate readings to those who cannot afford it and also will give of my time accordingly and generously to help others. This is part of the calling and it shall be embraced.

Thus, for readings with me, one can visit my radio show to share in a chance to work with myself and those wonderful Mediums who visit my show and, on occasion with the right influences or to visit my readings link to schedule time with me for a private reading.

I trust in the Grand Design of the Universe and the Great Architect to direct these individuals to me and for the Work to be done in the name of all that is Good.

The road less traveled...

2011-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

When I was a young child, I remember reading a poem that has always stuck with me. And I find it has practical advice and utility, even in these strange and interesting times. So I thought to myself, why not post it for the blog and hopefully inspire a few others to see as I have from the eyes of Robert Frost ;>)

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Believe in yourself...

2011-10-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

It struck me today, while at work, that there are those who spend a lot of time trying to make you feel bad about yourself. And they try to pull you down, to make you doubt yourself and to use bluster and threats to push you to a direction you may not wish to go willingly.

You yourself may have experienced such events. In these difficult times, realize that the problems of the times and the symptoms like those mentioned above are just that... symptoms. They do NOT define YOU.

Important realization to truly internalize. What someone else says and thinks about you, or even does to you is THEIR problem. Not yours (almost). When it does involve your life and energy, then you must choose a valid and profitable response.

The Other Side has weighed in on this little topic in forceful ways recently and I find myself realizing that important spiritual lessons are to be learned from such interactions with seemingly important figures who "appear" to wield power but often only imagine they do.

The real power is within you... the individual. Never forget that and Never give up on yourself and your dreams. Be the dreamer, the fool and the one who thinks outside the box and you will prosper and eventually be rewarded ;>)

Until next time...

The passing of a legend...

2011-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

On the Passing of a Legend...

Steve Jobs human form died yesterday. On the face of it, he was a human being and had all of the normal trappings and failings that 7 billion of us now have and of the many 56 billion people who have EVER lived.

But from there, the differences emerge. I believe that each human soul can reach it's potential by just living their dream and going for it. However, precious few of us ever do. Of these, a certain number have a certain "something" in our makeup that provides the right balance of personality, stamina and talent factors to make that person truly unique and different.

Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Socrates, Edison and so many more had this special "something" in abundance. And I believe that humans of any age can wake up that special talent and discover their capacity to excel, if they would only believe!

Steve Jobs is the modern example of this special quality of these amazing human beings who have walked this planet as inventors, scientists and free-thinkers who march to the beat of a different drum. He is a shining beacon of how it is to be spiritual (he is a Buddhist) and a technological and marketing genius whose likes will be hard to see coming for awhile.

You can tell when you are in the presence of one of these highly evolved humans. There is a *feel* that one gets. Almost a magnetic presence and charisma that cannot be denied. Steve exudes this energy in great abundance in his presentations, his messages and even text. It cannot help but come to the surface. He, like the other greats I mentioned in this article, is an original.

You'll notice I speak in the present tense about Steve. My belief is that his soul is just fine, that he continues to exist and that he will likely make his presence felt, whether it be in the halls of Apple or with those he cared for in his circle of close family and friends.

Apple will go on and I hope that they understand that while Steve's mortal self may be no more, the spirit of the man will push one of their number to be his or her own unique self and lead in a similar way. It does no good to be a carbon copy of the man, but perhaps to listen to his wise counsel from messages from the past, or the Other Side as the case may be. I suspect, that within Apple, such a person may reside and whose inner spirit and originality will carry the company forward with bold new visions that excite and create anticipation.

What else to expect but excellence and to expect others to be their best. Steve did it his way and now the next leaders of America and it's industries should learn from that example...

Well done Steve... You inspired us all and showed us how to dream and how to succeed. I, for one, intend to use that example wisely. God Bless and Namaste to you my friend...

Jon

October thoughts

2011-10-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Life has a funny way of shifting your priorities through the year. Our family had the good fortune of having my cousin out to help us with our property and I learned a great deal about how to do critical things on our ranch just by seeing how he did things. Seven weeks of having him here opened my mind to new skills and I'm all the more prepared now that I've seen his way of doing things.

So... plans I had made were put on hold for a bit, but plans they are and now some new gears are shifting. That is how it is when the seasons shift and when life's lessons come to you. Roll with the changes, flex and shift, feel the feelings and then have the courage to change your approach and be willing to shift your position, even cherished views if they no longer serve you.

Part of the plan has already been achieved. I worked hard, studied and become a certified medium. It has improved my confidence in my reads, given me a basis and framework from which to read and has opened doors that otherwise wouldn't might never have opened. I give my thanks to the Other Side for their help and continued support. I never would have made it without them and it is because of their continual presence and love that one can walk this path.

And now... they've been rather insistent that I continue to evolve down that path. So... they had to take a baseball bat to my mind per se', but I eventually got the message!

I'm about to open my mediumship practice as an evening side venture and will soon be making changes here on the site. I decided to continue with the show as it has been going forward, but I'm NOT going to advertise to start, save to mention on occasion that I do read privately and let it ease in to what will be. This first year will be about learning how to do this in this new venue. Where-ever it goes from there, I will place my trust in the process and my team and go from there.

Brenda Orr has been joining us as a regular medium on the show every other week and we've had a great time working together and reading people on-air - I want to thank her for her belief in what we do on the show and for her gracious time and talent in being a regular on the show. She is following a very similar path to mine and she has become an extraordinary medium and I've seen her develop and grow a lot over the course of the past few months of working together on-air.

As for me, some other sidelines and life dreams are also being pursued and I feel change in the air, not only for me, but for all the people I love and care for. One can live in fear of change, or embrace it and plow forward headlong into the next big thing. Best to be driving the boat, don't you think? Despite this economy, it is possible to succeed and I feel great and positive changes in the world in the coming year. Best to be well placed and ready to take advantage of these shifts by being ready.

So... my friends... a grand journey is underway.

We'll be having a full schedule with radio shows this October. Scott Wise and GASP will be on the show on October 2'nd to share their cases with us, I'll be making an appearance on my friend Chris's show on BlogTalkRadio on October 8th and will be hosting a whole range of special guests and mediums who are very talented on the show. On October 30th, we'll do a Halloween special and have a lot of fun as we wind down into the end of the year.

Watch for more paranormal activity as the veil thins... This is the time of year that things will become extremely busy in our business and I suspect we've got some extraordinary events occurring this month. So... watch those corners, look around and you yourself may see a spirit or two as they pierce the veil ;>) They might just have a message for you ;>)

Until next time!

Jon

Patience and gifts

2011-08-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, Spirit will do things that truly mystify you at the time and then you begin to see the larger pattern at work and understand why things are as they are.

Readings are like that too. Some nights on SoulStream, the readings come through easy and we have amazing contacts and others are... well... challenging. It depends on a wide range of factors, but the biggest and most important factors are accepting that things are outside our control, to have fun, practice our breathing and meditation and to remain passionate about what we do as Mediums.

I suppose that the real issue revolves around trusting the process. The other night, I had one of those nights with the show being somewhat 'off' and was hard on myself about it, but then realized that it was *me* that was off and not the situation itself. I'd been working hard on the ranch and not resting enough and it caught up with me. Lesson learned.

What is truly hard is to remember to meditate daily. I struggle with that sometimes and I'm sticking with the goals of good habits and to improve on what I do. No one said this would be simple to change one's self, but it can be done if you just stick with it. I'm working hard to establish a reliable level of mediumship to read regularly on demand and it is paying off. The big thing is to relax and just let things happen and play. It will come ;>)

I'm glad to see the Mercury Retrograde coming to an end. A lot happened in that time frame and I think a lot of dies were set and directions put in motion that may seem to be bad at first, but which create good opportunities later. The trick is to see these for what they are and then profit from these seemingly bad events.

That is real optimism ;>) Learn to see the good in all things and love the world no matter what. Difficult and tall order and we often fail in our high standards, but one can always reach and keep trying...

Until later - see you all

Jon

The Spiritual side of money and friendships...

2011-08-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

I recently saw an MSNBC blog posting on Facebook about toxic friends and remembered a number of friendships of mine that had ended over time and I had to stop and really shake my head because the article missed the largest cause of broken friendships...

Money.

I live within my means and would find it extremely difficult to ask for money from a friend, but, over the years, many whom I have spent time getting to know have come to me for a handout. And when I did give the money, it almost never came back to me.

It took some hard knocks, but I realized that Spirit was teaching me a lesson about money. Money is at the root of many issues in human dynamics and people are very touchy about it. It comes down to our sense of what money is and how we approach it as individuals. I find that many people fear money and demonize it as if the mere existence of the dollar is somehow at fault. The truth of the matter is that the attitude towards money is the root of the problem. And in an even more basic misunderstanding, the money itself is misunderstood as to it's true origin and meaning.

Ask a friend or two what money is. Really make them think about it. I'd wager that few will describe it in the same way. And that truth in mind of that person is how they see it. It is often an emotional connection and often the lack of money is brought up in the same breadth as the money itself while the person tries to define what money is!

My own personal definition of money comes from a man who I never would have thought would have a good view of the subject, but which did turn out to be more correct than many other explanations of what it is.

Money, my grandfather explained, is life energy. It is as simple as that. Crystallized life energy. And that energy is then exchanged with others for goods and services. Nothing more.

So when we speak of money, we speak of trading our life energy for these symbols which then house our life energy. In reality, the energy doesn't *really* live there in those bits of paper and computer accounts, but in our minds, it symbolically resides there due to the sheer power of our vision of what money means to us.

Returning to the toxic friends arena. The MSNBC article, missed one of the largest root causes of broken friendships as I mentioned in the start of this article. Yes, there are the range of character behaviors that contribute to "toxic" relationships outside of the fiscal component, but I also feel that a large percentage of problems can arise from stepping into the unholy territory of people's personal finances. Could some of the other behaviors in the article have, at their root, a fiscal component? I would dare say yes to this theory.

Some time back, I was approached by a friend and asked to give a very large sum of money to this person who never cut back on expenditures, never sold off goods and who continually bought items and services they could not afford. I watched as trips were taken, expensive electronics were purchased and all manner of expenses and outgo of income which was better put to other more prudent uses was frittered away. I witnessed windfalls of money that would have paid down debt going to unneeded items instead of the more pressing obligations. And I took note of these behaviors as they occurred. I slowly became aware that a problem was on the horizon and it might one day land at my doorstep.

Lo and behold; At a moment where my own rainy day savings were pressed into use due to a legitimate medical emergency, I was approached by said friend to give this huge sum to solve their own self-created problem and I found myself having to say no.

Spiritual dynamics at work? I suspect so. This was the single largest request I'd ever had in my camp. And I thought it out for a day and had to respond with a no to the request. Do I feel bad for having said no? I had some regrets for a time, but over the months since then, I feel proud I held to my values. My rainy day umbrella held firm and protected me in time of need. But I couldn't extend it out to someone who refused to build their own umbrella, but felt perfectly enabled to take mine from me.

That person had to learn the lesson of managing their own finances and to live within their means.

And this lesson reverberates with extreme clarity in their lives while the sting delivered from my "no" transmuted into something else entirely, painting me as the cause of the breakdown of the friendship. It was truly painful and yet a sobering lesson about careful selection of friends. I suppose one is lucky to get a friend who does not place conditions on the relationship and can take the good with the bad. Countless wisdoms have been written of such valued relationships and I value the true friends who accept me as I am and I do my best to understand them too. One can never be perfect, but one can do their best.

What was striking to me was that the very actions that the U.S. government is doing and being criticized about were being mirrored at myriad individual levels. The sins of the individual and those of the large whole seemed to be fused. And some folks never made the connection while they themselves acted out the same behaviors that they criticized in the actions of their government!

It is stunning to see such behaviors from individuals AND governments. Each acting in much the same way. And expecting others who do put away for their own care and larders to cough up the energy while imperiling the lives of both lender and recipient.

The criticisms are even matched up in intensity and ferocity. If one examines the rhetoric being heaped upon the taxpaying public, one sees the notion of individual responsibility and living within one's means ridiculed as outdated foolishness. Those who promote such values are called all manner of names and then spoken of harshly. And, as I mentioned earlier, when I lived true to my values, a personal friendship dissolved and then the very same behaviors that occurred at the macro-governmental level found expression in the personal level! It was uncanny!

Spirit is teaching us that the lesson of "As Above, So Below" is 100% truth! If you don't believe me, ask around about friendships and money. See for yourself how the small mirrors the large and then realize that if we, as a people, do not change our day-to-day behaviors to live within our means, then how can we expect a government to do so? Luckily for us, many are doing so now and this can be expected to become a deafening roar as things progress in this country.

As for the damage to friendships from such personal matters, this has been with humanity from the dawn of time and will be so into the future. But I do feel that if schools and home teaching of what money is and what economics truly mean were to be more emphasized as well as to encourage true understanding of what wealth is, then we would see less desperation and self-destructive patterns around the subject of personal finances.

Until next time...

Hard work and mediumship

2011-08-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Readings

News Flash! I will be opening my calendar for personal readings by telephone as of September 17th. Watch the site for information about contacting me at my studio to read for you!

Happenings

It strikes me how Spirit works with we humans in such a "ready" way at all times. I was working in my main studio yesterday and decided to do an impromptu session of testing the new audio setup I'm using and was surprised to see that the EVPs I got in a test set before my show were right on the mark and indicated a readiness to test and read right there with me. And I finally heard from Anna, the spirit we crossed over in July. She popped in with a personal message for me and it was very heartfelt to hear from her!

Scheduling and the stated intent to work with Spirit at specific times seems to be the key to some of these successes. That and meditation just before the shows. I have been rather lax on some of the daily meditation and am getting myself back into that since it does seem to affect my reading more than I had imagined.

September is arriving quickly and with it, the listeners to my shows will increase as more folks stay home. I'm gearing up to do phone readings privately and to continue to grow our mediumship group and to develop our mediums into the best they can be. We need two more who live in and around the Placerville area to get the group running well. If you do live nearby and want to join up, let me know. We meet every two weeks to coordinate readings with Spirit for one another and to test and develop our skills in a supportive and kind environment.

We received the Psyleron Mind Lamp (tm) in the mail about two weeks ago and it is a fascinating instrument! We've been using it during readings on-air and it seems to react to various states of mental activity during a read, both from the Sitter and from the Medium. We will continue to use it during the show and also have installed a video feed for folks to check out the lamp during the shows!

Until next time, God Bless!

We are BACK! LOL - We're just getting wound up ;>)

2011-07-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

Best to lead, have fun and broadcast only two days a week with FRESH content and smiles ;>) We're loving it - No Busybodies here - 100% laughter and light ;>)

It is HAMMERTIME!

Back in the saddle

2011-07-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Broken Tree Ranch is my name for result of the many storms our azalea and rhododendron ranch has endured over the course of 35 years. We love this place, built in the 1970s out of our own hard work and endless toil. She has treated us well and we love our home.

This old and tired ranch is getting a major refit through my work and that of family members coming over the help get her back to prime condition. And many of the trees are being trimmed and brought back to health. So much of life is mirrored by the things that can happen to an old house, or an old ranch that needs energy and renewal.

On my radio show, I mention it quite a bit and I take no small dose of humor in the fact that this name seems to wrankle some folks, enough to talk about it on their shows and use ridicule for their own ends. In many ways, I find laughter in poking fun at myself, but also, a tinge of sadness for those whose lives are spent in downgrading and causing pain for others. Their lessons will be difficult as life has a way of returning that which is dished out.

I've toughened up a lot as a result of life's challenges and now, I find such behavior as the ridicule I've seen directed at myself and others as a tragic sign of a misguided soul with a difficult path ahead of them. The usual cause of such misdirected anger is deep inner pain that acts out against others in a vain attempt to shift the focus outside of themselves. I can smile at some of the taunts leveled my way and yet, feel compassion for the poor souls who act out in this fashion because I can now see what drives this.

In Mediumship, one sees the human condition in all its many forms. People come in with all sorts of hopes, desires, needs and pain. They seek answers and it is the job of the Medium to step aside and be only a channel for higher Spirit to give the person what they need, not the answer they want. One can fool themselves, but they can never fool God and High Spirit whose interest lies in the development of the individual.

The nicest thing a Medium can do is to be honest, call it like they see it and then to put the ego away and go off and dig in the earth or do things that ground their energies and make them see that there is another side to life other than the glamor which humans attach to Spirit. Spirit wants us to live life and not be lost in the Other World which we certainly endeavor to communicate with, but from a sense of balance and responsibility, not only for the client, but ourselves as Mediums.

I had to take time off to heal this past year. And I learned a lot about humility, being real and accepting help from other people. And my show went through many false starts and sufferings. People I cared for came and went and yet...Life went on. There is a lesson in acceptance and in finding that you can still get up, take on the same challenges as before and also meet new ones head-on.

So.... this said, I'm shifting the shows to Saturday nights and Sunday nights from now on. And make no mistake... We are back and are here to stay. ;>)

The magic of renewal...

2011-06-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Broken pipes. Endless fields of waving weeds and too much stuff...

One could rail on about the problems of life or find some good things to think about in the endless array of projects and problems that can beset a property and home.

For awhile, I felt that each problem was an affront to my sensibilities. An unwelcome intruder whose appearance heralded an unwelcome force of chaos. The trouble is, the real culprit was time, wear and tear and lack of attention or worse yet, inexperience with yet another technological device or labor-saving tool going on the fritz.

I decided, over the past few months to just take things in stages and to not take the problems on en-masse, especially after a difficult year with medical issues dominating all of our lives. This afforded me time to prioritize and, although slow and painfully crawling with progress due to all sorts of things stopping a rapid advance, I see progress beginning to take shape and our property is beginning to get some level of organization and clarity once again.

Spiritual advancement is like that. I'm currently learning about the Chakra energy centers of the human body and am amazed at the terrific organization, architectural design and high-technology of the human body (bodies that is!) and how the physical and lighter bodies interrelate and correlate with the Chakras.

Chakras need to be free to open and close and to be cared for. Otherwise, disease and behavioral abnormalities can take place. Left for too long in a particular state, it takes a lot of work to get them back to optimal condition. I'm fresh from reading a little about it and find myself struck by how the current book I am reading, "Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System", has illuminated my thinking on the issue. Chakras, it seems, are "an organizational center for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life energy" as stated by the author, Anodea Judith.

I never had given the subject of what chakras are much thought before and this book, at 453 pages, is a case study in the sheer enormity of the topic. Chakras can become non-functional or stuck open or closed, causing energies from other planes of existence to manifest in ways that are dysfunctional to the human being who is unlucky enough to suffer from such maladies.

I'm only part-way through my Kindle copy of this book, but I am very glad to have purchased it. It is a very well written and easily understandable book with no need for the layman to worry about esoteric language. The author has made the subject approachable and easy to work with and I feel it will benefit me in my understanding of what these energy centers actually do and, more importantly, what I can do in assessing my own chakras and how to influence them to be more harmonious and well-functioning parts of my being.

I'll keep posting as I learn more. Until next time!

News and what is happening...

2011-06-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

I am set to return to airing my radio show on Friday, June 17th and will be doing mediumship and EVP work on air for this show and then will be on my good friend, Elizabeth Rose's Ztalkradio show "Our Worlds" on Saturday, June 18th at 3:00PM Pacific / 6:00 Eastern to talk mediumship and more with her audience.

Ghost-Rider-Investigations has had a late start getting into investigation work and we're going to be doing a local investigation in the coming two weeks (June) and then to begin doing about one more significant investigation monthly at more remote locations. We will post more information here and also on the GRI web site as the dates firm up.

And finally, I'm in the process of completing a formal class in Mediumship to help bolster my knowledge of theory, ethics, meditation work and related topics. The idea has been to fill in the blanks of what I thought I knew versus what I knew down deep the studies would do to improve on my knowledge and growth. To this end, I am already seeing a difference in my approach and techniques and I am thankful for having taken the ImagineSpirit course that has taught me so much. Three to four more weeks to get certification. I realize one thing... certification is not an "end", but only a beginning, indicating that one is serious about this work. It is a lifetime endeavor and I will be learning for the rest of my time here....

Until next time!

Smiles and Hello!

2011-06-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more amazing that to do readings and work with people on the subject of the Other Side. I've spent a lifetime around people who freely explore and look at the evidence for and against life after death and I am now, more than ever, firmly convinced that the Other Side is indeed real and is part of our everyday lives.

This blog is designed to share my thoughts as I learn the science and art of Mediumship and move into a new phase of my life doing this work and helping people with these gifts.

While I've done readings off and on for twenty years, I've recently begun a serious scientific study and practice of Mediumship. It is a controversial subject and some folks I've run into do not understand it or do not wish to expand their views beyond that which they wish to believe. No matter. I'm still doing this and smiling the whole way!

In fact, we are starting a small mediumship study group in my local area to further our work in this area and to build up our skills so that we can move forward with our spiritual progression and help others with these skills

I've been doing this a long time with a family of Scottish Highlanders who all had various Mediumistic and psychic gifts. The earliest ancestor of mine that we know of who had the Sight was my great-Aunt Mary who did her work professionally in the mid-West in the 1930s on into the 1950s or so. Many of the other men and women in the family all displayed various levels of psychic skills and it was "no big deal" in our household to work with this subject. We never considered it particularly odd and only later in life did it become clear that we were just a tad different.

In 2007, my father experienced a major medical event that called into sharp focus everything I ever had learned about the family history with these strange subjects and I confronted the topic of death with curiosity and experimentation. I started a paranormal team and began exploring the amazing world of the paranormal in, what I see now, was a beginner's eyes. Years later, I'm still just as curious, but with far more experience.

Dad's illness brought forth a series of events that showed me how lucky we are to have the Other Side with us. In countless ways, they have repeatedly shown us courtesy and partnered with us to help him during his time of need. These kindnesses have never been forgotten and the lessons they shared and experiences of their direct interaction with we, the living, show me that the Other Side is an active partner in all of our lives, if only we would listen and be aware of their influences. Anyone can develop a greater awareness of them and appreciate what they have to say.

I now see the Other Side interested in our lives and also Earthbound spirits who need help. To this end, I've shifted direction and am heading straight into direct contact with those who have passed on via mediumship, electronic voice phenomena and instrumental trans-communication. I have found each subject to be an exacting science and art form unto itself and each appeals to my sense of scientific exploration, the unknown and dealing with controversial subjects head-on rather than worrying about what others think.

I live a rich life and have enjoyed an amazing career and have traveled the country seeing wonderful things and meeting great people. My life now is dedicated to expanding the light in people's lives and using the gifts I have to good effect.

So, I'll be posting here with news, thoughts and gatherings so those who are interested can share in this journey! Feel free to contact me or comment on the blogs with your insights or questions to this blog and we'll do our best to respond!