Musings and Reviews of Metaphysical, New Age and Meaningful Writings

Posts tagged ‘Communicating with the Dead’

NEW INSIGHTS INTO LIFE AFTER DEATH: The Dreaming Road #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


The Dreaming Road cover (1)We all want to know what happens after we die and what has happened to loved ones who have gone before us.

Well, The Dreaming Road provides answers. 

What started as Elizabeth Moore’s diary to express her grief after the suicide of her teenage daughter, turned into The Dreaming Road, a beautifully written novel with parallel stories of the daughter’s experience in the afterlife and her mother’s spiritual epiphanies.

The novel is extraordinary — a heart-wrenching yet uplifting exploration of the theme that love never dies.

Elizabeth Moore writes of the mother contacting her daughter’s spirit through mediums, angel guides, lucid dreaming, and automatic writing of her daughter’s voice in her head. Her daughter Cassie, called Callie in the novel, shares her experiences in a part of heaven called Summer Wind and her training by the Angel Seraphiel, all told with the same voice and wise-cracking personality she had in life. Her description of the afterlife gels with some of what we’ve heard before, but there are also many surprises.

We learn from Callie that life is not the end, but part of an eternal journey. She finds that her death was just a transition; it did not end her “life” or what she still needed to learn…

“You are not imprisoned by your history. You can own it and then let all of it go and move forward with faith and courage. You have the power to forgive everything and everyone, even yourself, and this will truly set you free. Believe me, things on Earth are not what they appear…. Everything happens for a reason — to help you know you’re love.”

Seraphiel explains how Callie’s life on Earth (thus everyone’s life) is just a dream:

“In the beginning, nothing existed except oneness and wholeness, but in your desire to know yourself, you dreamed yourself into existence as separate beings…. You are all love, but often you express yourselves as fear and judgment. Remember, nothing exists that you have not created…. Your true power is in remembering that you have created your experience.”

The mother also interacts with Seraphiel, channeled during Angel Awakening Classes, and learns the secret to feeling joy in life again. In her Acknowledgements, Moore says that she wrote this book to share the understanding she gained that “life and love go on forever, the dawn will break and the sorrow will be washed away.”

Elizabeth Moore explores profound concepts for those seeking spiritual awareness, from parallel lifetimes to insights into the angelic realm. I found it a good reminder, something I have heard before, when the Angel Seraphiel says, “We can’t help you unless you ask.”

Remember to ask for help when you need it. And I believe The Dreaming Road will provide help and solace, to those who have lost a loved one to suicide, and actually to ALL of us in this human experience who need to find understanding in the midst of inevitable loss, sorrow and pain.

Author Elizabeth Moore, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at a university in the south-central U.S. Her nursing research has focused on strengthening the bond between mother and baby immediately after birth by skin-to-skin contact, while her novel explores the eternal bonds between mother and child that continue even when one of them has passed on. Here, she answers my questions about The Dreaming Road:

What message would you like readers to take away from reading The Dreaming Road?

The message in my novel is that our connections with those who have passed on are eternal and can remain vibrant, ongoing and continuous even though they are no longer with us on earth. They’re not gone forever when they’re buried or lost to us until we too cross over. But to reestablish our relationship with them, we need to let go of the need to have their physical presence with us and focus instead on communicating with their eternal soul.

Your daughter’s suicide was certainly a tragic occurrence in your life. But, in the book, many important spiritual gifts are received. What was the most important thing you learned?

I think the most important thing I learned was how to let go of my guilt and despair over my daughter’s death by suicide. I learned that if I clung to all the pain from my past, I robbed myself of joy in the present moment. I forgave myself by understanding that I wasn’t responsible for my daughter’s death. Everyone is on their own individual path of destiny. We are all passing through this physical reality, traveling on a winding and sometimes difficult road home. Life on this side of the veil, by its very nature, is fragile and transient. And Cassie’s not gone, she just exists in another dimension.

As your book is described as a novel rather than a memoir, how much of the communication with Callie in the afterlife and with angels actually match the experiences in your real life?

The communications through dreams with my daughter were written exactly as they occurred. When I woke up I wrote everything down, so I wouldn’t forget anything. The information I received about Cassie’s experiences on the other side of the veil were written exactly as they were communicated to me. I heard what I felt was her voice in my mind and wrote down what she told me. I also talked with her through a medium and these conversations were edited to capture the essence of our communication. I did attend a class that was taught by a woman who was a physical channel for what we believed was an angel. The spiritual truths communicated by the angel were edited slightly to make them more understandable for readers. The characteristics of the setting and the individuals were modified to protect the anonymity of those involved.

So many people want to communicate with those who have passed. What would you recommend as the best way to proceed?

My communications with Cassie began in dreams and they just happened. But later, in a waking state, I found if I went into my flower garden, lay down, and let myself be at peace, I could ask her questions in my mind and she would answer them. As we continued our conversations, words became images and vivid scenes unfolded behind my closed eyelids.

So, I would recommend to first start some type of meditation practice, whatever resonates with you. I found that communication was easier if I was in a state of calm receptivity and if the love connection was strong, and more difficult if I was immersed in grief. You must also believe that this type of communication is possible. Light a candle, have a photo of your loved one, paper and pen nearby, say a prayer and ask the angels for guidance. When your mind is calm and open, ask them a question and wait for an answer. Don’t get hung up on whether it’s real or your imagination, just write down what you hear. Once you open the door and continue to set aside time for a conversation with your loved one, you’ll find that communication gets easier.

Your character is taught that she can create her own reality. Can you share more on this subject?

I believe we create our own reality by how we experience the external events that are happening in our lives. I believe we set up certain challenges that we will face before we cross over to this side of the veil. But our reality becomes how we meet these challenges, for example, with courage, faith and hope for a better day or through bitterness and despair.

I also think we can learn to manifest a more positive dream by the steps I mention in The Dreaming Road: visualizing it in in our mind, smelling it, tasting it, hearing it and imagining that it has already occurred.

But we can’t circumvent our destiny. So from my perspective, our experiences evolve from both free will and destiny. Cassie contends that manifesting is much easier on the other side of the veil because we are no longer in that time-space reality and when we imagine things there, they happen in an instant.

It was certainly a long process to work through the grief caused by your daughter’s suicide, but was there one thing that helped you the most?

It took me quite a while to find the joy in life again and I started taking small steps by just appreciating the small things in life, the scent of new mown grass or a rose from my gardens, wall-to-wall sunshine on a beautiful day, how happy my dogs were when I walked in the door. Then I moved to remembering the good times I shared with Cassie, climbing daffodil hill in spring, drawing colorful pictures with sidewalk chalk by the pool, dressing her in a mermaid costume for Halloween, hanging bubble lights on the Christmas tree or baking gingerbread cookies. These images began to replace the horrifying picture I had in my mind of finding her lying dead on the floor of her bedroom.

Now I actively try to seize the moment by doing things that bring me joy, like swimming in the ocean with the dolphins or snorkeling along a tropical coral reef and watching the fish swim in beautiful, intricate patterns.

How did the writing of this book benefit you personally, and how can reading it benefit anyone — whether or not they have experienced the type of loss you did?

I think The Dreaming Road serves as a gentle reminder for everyone that life can change on a dime and to cherish our loved ones who are still with us on this side of the veil. It reminds us not to take anything for granted and to focus on the things that bring us joy and make our lives meaningful before it’s too late. Because I began my novel as a diary, I was able to write my heart out without censoring myself. I found it difficult to be authentic in my grief around other people as there’s such a taboo around death by suicide and many are uncomfortable talking about it. Looking back, I now know how I survived and am hoping that by sharing my road map with others who have suffered similar losses, it will help ease their pain.

For resources on teenage suicide, grief and loss, as well as after-death communication, see Elizabeth Moore’s website, www.TheDreamingRoad.com.

The Dreaming Road is available today on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Review and Interview on Dying is Weird: A Journey of Enlightenment


dying is weirdIn sharing her memoir, Dying is Weird: A Journey of Enlightenment, Kathleen Westberg brings us into her life as she loses loved ones and then begins searching for meaning in life and death. Her story resonated with me as my own mother is now under hospice care and shows dementia symptoms very close to what Westberg’s mother experienced. And my mother also feels my grandmother’s presence in her room now – weird, as Westberg says.

How can we feel more of a connection to our loved ones during and after their lives? Well, Westberg shares some answers she found through the work of Edgar Cayce, which stirred her soul and led her to continue her studies of metaphysics and spirituality. His ability to communicate with his friends and relatives that had died, she explained, helped her to broaden her views on keeping in touch with loved ones after they have passed on.

While she always showed some heightened psychic abilities, once Westberg begins studying and attending holistic healing conferences, there is no stopping her in sharing her Healing Touch, interpretation of dreams and precognition of events.

This book is a sweet, quick read that makes us feel we are not alone, but all connected. After finishing it, you feel like you are part of Westberg’s family, and you are. Her experiences help one believe that life isn’t as “random and chaotic as previously thought,” and makes death seem “more like an adventure to look forward to than something to fear.”

Kathleen Westberg is a life member of the Cayce group, A.R.E., The Association of Research and Enlightenment. Here, she answers my questions about her book…

Becca: Why is dying “weird?”

Kathleen: My experiences with the death of loved ones has been at times so perplexing, befuddling and fascinating, that I knew I wanted to write a book about what I experienced. The title of my book, Dying Is Weird, comes from a personal experience in which I witnessed the transition of a family member and her words to me.  The word “weird” according to Webster’s Dictionary has several definitions: supernatural, odd, strange, uncanny and magical just to name a few.  So with the definitions and my personal story it all fit into what I thought was the perfect book title. Death to me was weird also, because of the experience I had when I was eleven.  It touched me in a deep way and awakened me to some of my own perceptions that would stay with me throughout my entire life.  In that sense, dying is weird because it is something that has been a part of me from a young age, and it transcends time and space.

Becca: Why do you think people in our culture are unprepared for death?

Kathleen: Years ago, death was looked at much differently.  I’m not saying that the grief was any less, but before the age of medicine, the mortality rate was very high and everyone suffered the loss of loved ones, sometimes at relatively young ages.  Children were apt to die from illnesses that are now preventable.  Multiple families lived together and relatives lived in close proximity always lending support and comfort.  I feel they had a different understanding about life and death.  Births as well as deaths were witnessed in the home which made both a more natural experience. Society has changed dramatically.  The natural cycle of birth and death is no longer witnessed at home.  Families don’t have the commitment to care for the elderly so the aging population becomes more compartmentalized and the elderly die sometimes distances from their loved ones.  We have also become more materialistic, with more of a focus on money and material possessions.  Also, people have a harder time accepting something if they can’t measure it or quantify it.  I feel by learning to cultivate or develop our clairvoyant perceptions we can become more aware of that dimension of existence, called death, and our experiences might not seem so out-of-the-ordinary.  Working at being more loving and learning to forgive and reconcile relationships and maintaining that loving awareness, I think would help us all be better prepared for death.

Becca: What was the biggest lesson you learned in your metaphysical studies?

Kathleen: Maybe the most important thing I’ve learned is that my intuition and spiritual understanding has grown in direct relationship to my studies.  I have learned so much from making the effort to take different classes and study with a variety of teachers. There have been so many teachers in my life that have shared their talents and spiritual abilities and it seems I always take something very worthwhile from each one.  I am fascinated by energy work and the energy of the world, be it in a house of worship, someone’s home, out in nature and of course the energy of others.  The more I put effort into those areas, the more aware I become of these spiritual dimensions and the more I am able to help others heal and grow. When we make a conscious effort to develop our metaphysical awareness, the creator can work through us and it then becomes a natural attunement to use at will.

Becca: What do you hope readers take away from your book?

Kathleen: I want people to understand that death is not the end of life – that we are transformed by death, and somehow our consciousness or awareness carries on in a spiritual dimension or existence.  By opening our minds to receiving messages through our dreams, and through our inner senses, we can change and minimize our fear of death. For me, one of the most important life lessons that has helped me deal with death is a sense of humor.  Smiles and laughter help me to temper the grief that I experience.  When we love more and laugh more, that connection never ceases to exist. I can feel it coming back to me through the ethers.

Becca: Would you say you have the answers to “What happens after death?”

Kathleen: It’s my vivid imagination that has helped me to picture what happens after death.  Sometimes I can feel the warmth and the laughter coming from my loved ones.  Even when writing my book, I could sense the love and encouragement that was being sent my way.  I also get a sense when someone has moved beyond the first plane of existence after death; it’s a little harder and takes a little longer to get their attention.  In one moving dream, long after my mother had died, she finally answered my pleadings to contact or connect with me.  In my dream she walked into a room where I was and looked like she had just awoken from a long nap.  The message I got was I had disturbed, or awakened her on her sojourn to the next level, but if I really needed her she would take that time to let me know she was always available for me. I just started reading Deepak Chopra’s Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, and I’m excited about what I can continue to learn about the process and experience of death.  His book is more of a synthesis of medical, scientific and spiritual perspectives, whereas my book is written from my personal experience with spirituality.

Becca: What advice to you have for other first-time authors who feel they have inspiration to share?

Kathleen: My advice for first-time authors would be to believe in themselves.  Since I have always been a better listener than a talker, I hear the stories from others and I see how by sharing their stories, as I did, the author can uplift, educate, and just simply entertain readers.  Writing helps bring your inspiration into focus; it puts your inspiration into a form where you can look at it, reflect on it and work on it.  We get so busy with our lives and our obligations that we can get distracted from a deeper sense of purpose in our lives and work, and so it’s very important to make sure to set aside time to write.  It may not always come out in perfect form, but you can always go back and edit or rewrite your material.  It’s important to just keep writing.

Namaste! Becca Chopra, author TheChakraDiaries-coverThe Chakra Diaries (inspirational stories of achieving chakra balance), Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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