Soul Retreat – at Omega NYC with James Van Praagh

James Van Praagh will be leading a weekend Soul Retreat during the Omega NYC conference next weekend.

The details are as follows:

Start date/time: Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8pm ET
End date/time: Sunday, April 5, 2009 at noon ET

Location: The Sheraton New York Hotel, 811 7th Avenue (at West 53rd Street)

For registration info: (800) 944-1001 or
e-mail registration@eomega.org

From the workshop description:

From a very young age, James Van Praagh was aware of a dimension that most of us cannot see, and he has dedicated his life to explaining it to the rest of us. In this exclusive workshop, he takes us on a journey into the various aspects of our soul, offering us a unique opportunity to embrace our own powers of healing and insight.

With Van Praagh’s expert guidance, we learn to question our perception of our intuitive abilities and see how dismissal and apprehension can be turned into knowledge and inspiration. Through simple processes of meditation, individual and group exercises, discussion, movement, visualization techniques, and journaling for our soul, we learn how we can live more fully through understanding not only our own soul, but the world of spirits.

Specifically, we:

* Explore and remember our more insightful, abundant, and joyful self
* Discover how to use “intuition,” the language of the soul
* Discern soul patterns from former lifetimes
* Uncover the lessons in our soul’s blueprint
* Release old patterns of negative behavior and integrate the emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental selves
* Receive messages from teachers and family members in the spirit world and learn how to access them whenever we need guidance

As we become attuned to the spirit world and utilize the qualities of our “higher-self,” we are able to bring forth our soul’s innate gifts.

For more information and registration, visit:
http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/f7324bcb11e79590bc673c78fdaf69a3/

I’ve taken other weekend workshops with James Van Praagh and they are truly incredible and life-changing experiences! If you’re in the new York area, you should defnitely check it out!

If you’re not able to attend this workshop, you can find a schedule of James Van Praagh’s upcoming workshops and other events on his website at http://www.vanpraagh.com. The chat room has recently re-opened, and you will meet some truly wonderful folks there!

A Little Something Different for Lent

Typically, when people think of Lent, they think of giving something up that they either enjoy, or think is a bad habit. Some people quit smoking. Some quit drinking. Some give up nacho cheese Doritos and bacon cheeseburgers. I know this all has to do with the idea of Lent as a period of reflection on Christ’s sacrifice, but somehow, I don’t think going forty days without a single Dorito is a truly spiritual experience.

Many, many years ago (just how many I’m not saying) a very good priest friend of mine had a slightly different idea. Instead of giving something up for Lent, why not focus on adding something positive to your life that would improve your connection to the Divine and to your fellow human beings? Personally, I think that’s a much better idea than suffering through forty days sans nacho cheese chips.

What you do could be anything, really. You could attend religious services of your choice more regularly.  You could start a daily meditation and/or prayer practice. You could learn how to use a new tool or oracle card deck. You could read more spirituality-related books and magazines. You could work on improving yourself – trying to be less judgemental or more forgiving. You could start a journal. There are loads of possibilities! 

You don’t even have to be Catholic!

Meditation Music – The Good, The Bad, and The UGLY (Part 1)

Okay, first off, I’ll admit that I’m kind of picky when it comes to my meditation music. I don’t necessarily have a type per se, I just know what I like when I hear it. Likewise, I know what I don’t like when I hear it. So, for your listening pleasure, I’ve decided to do a short series on Meditation Music – The Good, The Bad, and the UGLY.

Right now, I’m going to focus on The Good – music I’ve come across that I personally find ideal for meditation. Some are entire CDs, and others are individual tracks I listen to when I need a quick relaxation break.

Chakra Suite by Steven Halpern

I was skeptical at first when I ordered this, because I’ve had bad luck with several meditation music CDs I’ve purchased. I’m happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. I’ve used it pretty regularly, and am very pleased with it. Its soothing tones enable me to meditate and focus on each chakra easily, without being distracted. You can hear sample tracks here.

Atlantis Rising by Michael Diamond & Steven Halpern

This is a fairly new one in my collection. It’s very relaxing, without being boring. Michael Diamond makes excellent use of the synthesizer. If you like the music of Isao Tomita, chances are pretty good that you’ll like this one. You can hear sample tracks here.

Snowflakes Are Dancing by Isao Tomita

I’ve had this one in my collection forever on cassette, and am finally going to get around to updating my copy. I love this one. Isao Tomita takes music of Debussy and creates something totally unique on the synthesizer. Some tracks are more suitable for meditation than others, but it’s still a phenomenal CD.

I See Dead People

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist! I’ve been dying to use that line from The Sixth Sense at least once!

I do see dead people, though. However, in case anyone’s wondering, it doesn’t work quite like what you see in movies or on television shows like Ghost Whisperer. In other words, I don’t physically see your Great Aunt Tillie standing next to you, sitting in a chair in a corner of the room, or anyplace else for that matter. Not with my two eyes, anyway. And, if I ever did, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’d be just a little freaked out by the experience – at least at first.

What I do see are very vivid mental images of people, places and things that I have no way of knowing about otherwise. Occasionally, I’ll see a glimpse of a moving shadow, but so far, no full-scale 3-D apparitions. Sometimes, they’re very brief, fleeting images that last about a second or less. Sometimes, they’re a lot more detailed, and last longer. Sometimes, they come as a series of images, all connected to the same person. For example, during a reading I did during my mediumship training weekend with James Van Praagh, I was shown a series of images related to a woman’s grandmother, which included a kitchen with sunny, curtained windows, the color green, kitchen counters with everything neat and organized, a brown refrigerator, and a dark-haired, smiling woman. During a psychometry exercise that same weekend, I saw a sunny place with trees like palm trees and black hiking boots. The woman had recently vacationed in Hawaii, and she wears black work boots when she goes out in the field on her job. Not having ever met her before, these were things I couldn’t possibly have known otherwise.

As far as my own personal group of “folks” go, sometimes the images go beyond the visual, and include physical sensations, like smell and touch. It’s similar to a memory, but a lot more intense, as if I’m actually right there experiencing it all right now. I’d chalk it up to really vivid memories, but unlike memories, these are things I haven’t done. It’s hard to describe in words, but it would be like having a flashback of something you never experienced in the first place.

I also hear a lot of stuff. One of the most popular means my “folks” have of getting my attention is through music and song lyrics. Usually, I’ll hear certain specific songs actually playing on real radios and stereos in places I’d never expect to hear them – like hearing Trini Lopez in the local Walgreens. Really, what are the odds of hearing Trini Lopez playing anywhere these days, much less in the local discount drugstore? (In case you’re wondering, my dad used to play Trini Lopez albums pretty regularly when I was a kid, many moons ago.)

My “folks” also LOVE playing around with the music on my iPod! Now, to understand this, you have to realize that I currently have well over 800 songs stored on my iPod. (Yes, I’m an addict!) A perfect example of this happened on the train ride from NYC to Rhinebeck for the October mediumship training weekend. I had my iPod set to randomly play every single song on it. The train happens to pass by Sing Sing Correctional Facility (aka Sing Sing), in Ossining, New York. To say that the place gave me a pretty creepy feeling would be an understatement. However, in an attempt to “lighten the mood” I suppose, someone thought it would be a good idea to make Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” the very next song to play on my iPod. Needless to say, the sense of humor and timing was not lost.

The other way I get the music “stuff” is in my head. Sometimes, an appropriate and meaningful tune, song name, or song lyrics will just pop into my head at just the right time – either connected to a person I’m talking with, a situation, or in answer to a question. Sometimes, I’ll get the name of a song I don’t even know. Other times, it’s like an earworm – I’ll hear the same two or three lines from a song over, and over and over and over… like the other day, when the same lines from “Bésame mucho” kept playing in my head, even though I’d only heard it once or twice before, and that was about 20 years ago. Imagine having this running through your head for a few hours! I know exactly who it came from, too. Sometimes, it’s just funny! My “folks” have a great sense of humor, and they seem to know when I need a good laugh.

It works differently for different mediums, but that’s a bit about how it all “works” for me, personally.

Coming Out of the Closet as a Medium

When I checked my e-mail last night after work, I found an invitation to join a professional networking site, sent to me by a former co-worker. I signed up, and was in the process of adding information to my profile, when I made a big decision. I decided to include a link to this site, and include the words “intuitive life coach and medium” in my profile info.

At first, I was waffling about including them, since there are several people on the site who I either worked with, or worked for, who might think I’ve gone off the deep end entirely. Then I thought, no, this is what I do, and this is part of who I am. I have a gift. I talk to dead people. They talk back. Somehow, I just know things. I’m multi-talented - what can I say?

Granted, it’s not a skill I’d be likely to include on a job application, but it’s not something I need to hide, either. Will some people, upon discovering my secret life as a medium, act like I’ve suddenly sprouted three heads, each wearing its own aluminum foil hat? Possibly. It’s equally possible that some will find the subject fascinating. At this point in my life, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Is it scary? Absolutely! Then again, so was getting up on “stage” with James Van Praagh and doing my first audience reading. But doing it was also one of the most incredibly validating experiences as far as my gift is concerned. Besides, most of my friends already know I’m a weirdo, anyway! One more little “idiosyncracy” isn’t going to hurt.

Call me for a reading now, and your first 3 minutes are free!