Life, Beyond Compare
Well, I declare!!
Iisn’t that a phrase of Scarlett O’Hara in her Gone With the Wind life? (made to Rhett Butler, and from others to her)
So, what what you say about YOU? What would you “declare”?—about you?
Declare that you will never be hungry again?
Declare that you’re a good man, Charlie Brown?
Declare war?
Declare peace?
Declare independence?
Declare your freedom?
How easy is it to compare ourselves to another? How easy is it to compare our lives and feel entitled, or slighted, or mawkishly inadequate?
Aside from ‘schnitzel with noodles,’ as the song lyrics go, a peek into my life explores—
Some of My Favorite and a Couple of Not So Favorite Things
At age ten, I began writing a book about a girl who traveled the world. Encyclopedias from the library were wonderful resources, and my imagination and spiritual senses began to awaken through my reading about fishing villages in Norway and the carpets of emerald-shaded grasses of Ireland. I saw, heard, sensed, and nearly smelled, touched, and almost tasted the things I wrote about. Perhaps my book inspiration was a self-fulfilling prophecy, as I have visited 32 countries. I have loved the world, and do love the world—learning about her peoples and cultures, yet I felt there was more. I just wasn’t clear on what it was. Now, I am fascinated by the spirit world, as well.
A lover of words, I have been an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. I particularly liked many of James Michener's novels. But Shogun, Gone with the Wind, Dr. Zhivago, Da Vinci Code, Mutant Message Down Under, and Far Pavilions are also beloved stories to me. As a kid, I liked both the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy series but was most captivated by the book The Secret Garden. At an even younger age, I read a book entitled Loretta Mason Potts, in which the main character (of the same name) found a secret door in her closet that led to new worlds that, as a pre-teen, kept my imagination sizzling and active.
While It has often been much easier to channel than to write, I also love writing. And word-smithing. I believe the voices that come through me use this passion of mine!
A bona fide Baby Boomer, I love much of the music of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I wrote poetry and danced as I lip-synced to songs I played (45s to LPs—stands for “long playing” records) nearly every night during my high school years. From “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “Up on the Roof,” I loved songs that soothed my soul. Still do. But also songs that were fun to dance to. Music seems to be the greatest appeaser in life, able to catch and match our moods and bring us into new dimensions. And is something I listened to daily.
I hated high school. And yes, with that proverbial passion! A semi-avowed bookworm and indeed neither mathematician nor scientist, I honed secretarial skills and happily read required classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, Native Son, and Catcher in the Rye in my high school English courses. To me, middle school was a thing I had to get through. But I loved and shone when our curriculums included oral Interpretation and speech class. James Clavel’s fiction piece “The Children’s Story” was something I read in front of several classes because my English teacher asked me. I was intrigued by the writing and reveled in reading it to others. And I came alive when working as an assistant director on school plays and developed a love for theater, whether dramatic or musical. I was fascinated by ESP and UFOs. And I found a pen pal from Japan in a teen magazine. Konnichwa!
I was excited about college but unprepared and disillusioned by how alien my university days were. University life was so different from what I anticipated. The impersonality of it, for me, was overwhelming. Attending lectures in an indoor amphitheater of sorts did not make my heart sing. I couldn’t focus well, with echoes rebounding from the high-pitched ceilings and a large fan creaking in accompaniment to the professor’s attempt to engage us.
Adoring the theater came early. I remember seeing enactments of Cinderella and Princess and the Pea as a young girl. This developed into a love for live (grown-up) theater, especially musicals. (And, truth be told, sometimes, as I lip-synced to the soundtracks, well, I might just have acted out a part or two.) Among my favorites are Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Les Miserables, and The Lion King.
As an adult, Feng Shui captured my attention almost instantly. I still use some cures and have self-constructed Bagua maps made of felt that I place in various parts of our house.
To my great surprise and delight, working on my side of the family tree, learning my ancestral roots, and visiting some countries from which they came or immigrated has been captivating: Canada, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Czechoslovakia/Eastern Europe.
I have had quite serious illnesses. My first occurred when I was a baby, and then at age 6, but at age 12 I developed chronic sinusitis and bronchitis. At age 21, my appendix ruptured, and thus my appendix (and the toxins that spread throughout as a result) were life-threatening experiences. (Refer to the Memoir section for an account of this.). At age 30, it was discovered I had a tumor on my uterus the size of two grapefruit. When I was nearly 67, I had a bowel obstruction and double hernia. When I was 72, I broke my femur. At 73, I had what my doctor termed a cancerous parathyroid gland removed and my body began healing in a whole new way.
The Wise Whys (PHRASE USED ELSEWHERE!_)
Through physical, emotional, and mental challenges, I have had setbacks like every human being. They are far from easy. It is my prayer, my hope, to live long enough to prepare the messages from Spirit that I have been entrusted to bring through. And, if it isn’t too much to ask, I would hope for more time to pen other writings, from poetry to essays to memoirs, to teach about living on earth while walking with those in Spirit. I am no pious person. I am not highly educated. I may have some Emotional Intelligence and an opening of my heart to Spirit, but at my age, it is not motivated by building entrepreneurship. I still have the dream of lifting people up and adding to their life force. I am an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), which I do not feel is a character flaw. On my work resumes, my “mission statement” began with a simple statement that was my goal wherever I worked: “To make a difference.” It is still my motto—through this capsule version of me; it is my “resume” that I send out to you. Not me alone. But with all of the words that accompany the goals of the Souls who have shone a light with their experiences and their desires. With all my heart and will, I can muster to bring forth some new information or solidify information readers may have already understood.
I have come to understand my purpose: to love myself—whether anybody else does or not! For a Highly Sensitive Person, it is not something that necessarily comes easy. In the last 15 to 20 years, I have found my quest is to know myself—not just my belief system (religious and otherwise). But to experience life—partially to serve others, but also is the sole journey of my soul to find me within. As The WisdomTeachers and My Friend say, to find the divine in oneself. That divine-ing oneself is an essential, if not noble, pursuit. (Have to say—it’s not for the fainthearted.)
Things I Have Loved Learning (and still do) and Astrological Connections!
Some might consider some of these distractions. I do agree, especially if one focuses on them too much. But I also feel they can validate and help us define some things that we like or love (or even things we dislike) as clues to understanding and finding our Authentic Self.
For astrology lovers or those curious to explore astrology a bit more: I have Jupiter in my 1st house, which is in the position of Aries. Also, my North Node (the work I have to do in this life) is characterized by finding my Self. To declare “I AM!” and be less of a people-pleaser and dependent on relationships of dependency and always wanting to be regarded and liked. To stand on my own two feet now and walk through life. (At 72, I broke my left femur and now, two years later, still cannot walk without assistance.
Brian Weiss, a traditional psychotherapist, uncovered that past life regression therapy was an incredibly effective tool in healing patients. I attended a five-day training session held by Dr. Weiss and his wife at the Omega Institute in upstate New York.
Michael Newton’s book Destiny of Souls literally fell off the shelf into my shopping basket one rainy Saturday afternoon in a bookstore. (Every copy, except the one that landed in my cart, was full price. That one was marked down to $5.00.) It, among other texts, changed me tremendously.
Robert Schwartz’s books Soul’s Purpose and Soul’s Destiny delve into past lives and explain why we chose life circumstances for our growth and highest good.
Birth and Destiny Card Systems by Robert Lee Camp. Revived from ancient teachings, these systems use the 52 playing cards in a deck based on our birthday (month and year). https://www.7thunders.com
Numerology! Both Dan Millman’s book Live the Life You Were Born to Live and the book The Secret Path to Numerology assisted in leveling into more of me.
30 Years Among the Dead by Carl and Anna Worrell was revelatory; The Unquiet Dead by Edith Fiore was riveting.
Astrology—Western and Vedic: Birth charts are in both. Yet information on The Great Year—Studying how the earth is currently leaving the age of Pisces and moving into the Age of Aquarius and a perspective of the ramifications of these transitions affect everyday life—thought-provoking and something I would like to study more about.
The Michael Teachings: https://www.michaelteachings.com
Specifically studying my roles: Artisan and Sage. From the 1970s. A group of friends began to use an Ouija board and were shocked that messages came from a group that called itself “Michael”—1,050 souls working together from the causal plane of the spirit world.
StrengthFinders: http://www.strengthsfinder.com. Mine are (in this order) Input, Strategic, Intellection, Empathy, and Connectedness).
When I read these results, I felt angry! I determined the test was wrong. Really, I thought “empathy” and “connectedness” were fourth and fifth? But when I thought about it deeply, I realized it was quite accurate.
Quizzes on: What Color Are We? What are our Holland Codes? Our Archetypes?
The Gene Keys (Richard Rudd) https://genekeys.com
Myers-Briggs test (or The 16 Personalities). www. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types (I am an INFJ ).
The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). https://hsperson.com. have discovered I am one!
Instrumental, “The City” from New York: A Documentary by Richard Burns
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*Refers to a 1978 novel by C.J. Koch and the 1982 movie, “The Year of Living Dangerously, a film starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, and Bill Kerr about the foreign correspondent community in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno.