Halloween, Death & the Thinning of the Veils
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Halloween is upon us, that wonderful time of dressing up our alter-egos and taking them out on the town, bedecking our houses with orange and black, carving ghoulish grins on pumpkins, and collecting—or handing out—Tricks and Treats. It is a remake of the ancient festival of Samhain, marking the end of the harvest, the beginning of the "dark" time of the year, when the veils between the living and the dead are said to be very thin.
The fascination with Halloween, especially the ghosties and ghoulies part is, in itself, fascinating, given the fear and denial of death that is so deeply embedded in our culture. In fact, in the U.S., the whole idea of death is practically taboo, and it seems the only approved discourse about it is in terms of ghosts on Halloween.
Of course, death really is the ultimate CHANGE, and we humans really hate change, don't we?! On top of that, it seems that many people believe that the life of/in the body is the sum total of our life and existence, and that death is the final end, with nothing beyond that except oblivion and obliteration—everything about us wiped out in an instant. Others fear that death leads to a final judgment (often by a very harsh God) and, as a result of their (perceived) hideous sins, eternal damnation. No wonder we live in fear and denial, if those are the only two options!
Those of us who have had Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) can offer an alternate view. Thousands upon thousands of NDE accounts relate amazingly similar experiences of realizing beyond doubt that our consciousness lives on outside the body; of going to a place/dimension/alternate reality of unconditional Love, rather than judgment and punishment; and of being met by relatives who had previously died, who appeared vibrant, alive, and happy.
In addition, hospice workers the world over relate accounts of their terminal patients seeing and conversing with relatives who had died years, if not decades, before, who apparently visit with the patients to assure them about where they are going and, when the time comes, collect them and escort them Home.
How is it that we can revel in the idea of ghoulish earth-bound spirits who haunt the living forever, yet we scoff at the idea that our loved ones do, indeed, live on after death and continue to communicate with us and surround us in love? Or that we, too, will live on, in joy? I can only guess that some people are so afraid of death that they will not believe anything but scientific "proof" that their worst fears won't happen. They would rather believe the worst outcome they can imagine, than listen to hundreds of thousands of people who have had amazing, wonderful experiences after being declared dead and have come back to report what happened. Those NDE reports may not constitute scientific proof, but they are as close to "eyewitness accounts" about what happens when we die as anyone is ever likely to get!
Other cultures embrace death as the natural part of life that it is, recognize it as a transition and transformation to another form and reality (rather like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly by shedding the chrysalis, perhaps?), and celebrate that their loved one is going Home. Why don't we?
Granted, there is nothing that can take the place of gazing into a loved one's eyes or sharing a physical embrace. And nothing can fill the palpable empty "hole" in the very atmosphere that is left when a loved one dies. But there can be great comfort in the knowledge and understanding that we are so much more than our human bodies; that we not only live on after death, but that we go Home to our true and natural state of Being; and that our "lost" loved ones are always nearby—only a thought away—and that they can communicate their presence to us, once we learn their new "language." That language can consist of their favorite expressions/ songs or their laughter floating into our heads, a sudden whiff of their favorite perfume, or even a certain type of bird showing up and chirping at us every time we think of that person. If we pay attention with an open mind, and don't dismiss the subtle evidence as imagination or nonsense, they will make their presence known.
The "veils" really are thinning, and perhaps it's time to open up the dialog about death, to look inside and reflect on what we really believe about it and why. What we believe about death has immense ramifications on how we live our lives, individually and collectively, and particularly how we treat the elderly and others who remind us of our mortality. It also has an enormous impact on how we deal with the losses that we all inevitably endure. Yet we must face it sooner or later: none of us will get through life without suffering the loss of loved ones and, in fact, none of us will get out of here alive... at least, not still in our human bodies!
So, as the merry-making of Halloween segues into the honoring and remembrance of what some observe as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, it might be a good time to ponder things of life and death, what our beliefs about it are, and whether our beliefs support us in living our most meaningful and joyful lives.
And while we're at it, if we think fondly of a lost loved one, we might just be surprised to get some indication that they aren't "lost" after all, but really are still with us, in a less tangible form!
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Mercury Retrograde—That Time We Love to Hate!
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It's that time again: Mercury is Retrograde October 21 through November 10. Three or four times each year, Mercury appears to be moving backwards, away from the sun, for approximately three weeks, and even hardened skeptics run for cover! Every planet goes retrograde periodically, but Mercury is a "personal" planet, ruling communications, machinery, and transportation, among other things, and when Mercury is not in fast-forward, we all tend to feel it, up-close and personal, directly or indirectly!
Mercury Retrograde has a bad reputation, because during these periods we can experience communications and mechanical breakdowns, misunderstandings, crossed wires, and all manner of aggravations and delays. As a result, everyone's levels of frustration and irritation can be high. Packages get delivered to the wrong address, and checks get lost in the mail. Computer glitches abound. We hit "Reply All" on the one email that absolutely, positively shouldn't be shared! The most important document on our computer disappears into the ethers. A virus eats the hard drive or an online banking typo wipes out our checking account. Or we spend all day writing a newsletter, only to find out later that none of the "Saves" worked, so we have to start again from scratch! (Yep, that's one of my two Mercury Retrograde stories this time!) We are well advised to keep our patience intact and our sense of humor at the ready! With Mercury Retrograde, "the dog ate my homework" excuse is probably true!
When Mercury is retrograde, it is not a good time to start something new, make large or important purchases (particularly anything electronic), sign contracts, or accept or start a new job. If we do, we are likely to find out—after Mercury goes direct again—that the project falls apart because we misread the instructions or someone else didn't do their part, the non-returnable sofa doesn't fit into the living room (or through the front door!), we misunderstood or missed something crucial in the fine print, the new job is not what we thought it would be, or we end up with a different supervisor who doesn't like us.
Under the Mercury Retrograde influence, we can also feel like we've entered the dementia zone, as our minds don't seem to function on all cylinders. Our thinking is fuzzy. We get appointment dates wrong, forget to pick up the kids, lose our keys, leave our plane tickets at home in our other purse, get lost on the way to the station, and miss our train.
What can we do? Be aware that Murphy's Law is likely to be in full effect ("Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong!") Double-check all important details, early and often. Allow extra time for everything and practice patience. Make sure that you keep track of your keys, your wallet, and other important items. Read the fine print... twice! Back-up your computer work often, and think twice before clicking "Send" or "Delete". Don't let yourself do things on auto-pilot, because it will malfunction! Take it slow, pay attention, don't try to multi-task, and by all means, don't text and drive! Mercury Retrograde is a time that exemplifies that old adage of home improvement: Measure twice, cut once!
But Mercury Retrograde has a good side, too! There are many activities that flourish under its influence. Mercury Retrograde can remind us that, in fact, for everything there really IS a season! If we let it, Mercury will teach us about the deep rhythm of Life. When Mercury ceases its fast-forward motion and goes back and retraces its steps, it is a time for us, too, to hit the "Pause" button, take a deep breath, and reassess what we've done and how far we've gotten in the past few months; and to decide whether we're going in the right direction and what needs to be tweaked.
Mercury Retrograde is the perfect time to review, reflect, rethink, reconsider, revise, rewrite, reorganize, regroup, reconfigure, reinvent, refinance, recommit or release, and research and plan our next moves. It's a time to go back over things, retrace our steps, pick up loose ends, complete those unfinished projects, and get everything ready for our next surge forward. Important ideas, information, opportunities, and even items that had been lost, overlooked, or forgotten in the dust may now float back into focus, just at the right time. This can be a time when we can actually let go of the illusion of control, get out of our own way, and let the Magic happen!
One of my absolute favorite things about Mercury Retrograde is its apparent fondness for reunion and reconciliation. People from our past can suddenly appear out of the blue, in the most unlikely places. It can be someone we've wondered about for years, like a long-lost love or a dear friend who moved away; it can be a former boss or colleague who offers us a new opportunity; or it can be someone with whom we had a falling-out that is now ready to be resolved, reconciled, or redressed.
And here's my wonderful Mercury Retrograde story: I was blessed by a wonderful reunion experience just last week, right on "schedule." The day that Mercury turned retrograde, a long-lost cousin literally showed up on my doorstep! I hadn't seen her since the late 70's and had often wondered about her. We were able to share a wonderful couple of hours catching up and getting reacquainted, and I am looking forward to many more opportunities to get to know her better and make up for lost time.
In typical Mercury Retrograde fashion, I learned something new about a past event that brought clarity and a new understanding. I know that this reunion is bringing healing and closure, and it is affecting me on many levels. It is probably doing the same for her, as well. What a wonderful thing it will be to have her back with us, celebrating the holidays again with the family, after so many years!
Despite its bad reputation, Mercury Retrograde can, indeed, bring us amazing blessings, if we slow down and allow it to do so!
Mercury Retrograde will be influencing us through November 10, with some residual effects for the following couple of weeks. Be sure to take additional precautions, pay attention to details, allow extra time for everything, and back-up your computer work. But do, also, take advantage of this amazing time for reflection, revision, reorganization, and reunion before Mercury starts us running full throttle again toward the holidays and the end of the year!
Mercury won't ask us to pause and reflect again until it goes Retrograde in February, the 6th through the 28th.
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We all get too much in our email inboxes as it is, and I want my newsletter to go to those who want to receive it and the information I share.
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Other Planetary Influences
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The planets are truly keeping us on our toes these days, offering us all kinds of energies and opportunities to transform ourselves (like it or not)! Remember that the planets do not make us do anything, but they do exert an influence on us, filtered by the extent to which they interact with each other and with our natal planets. They affect us individually, nationally, and globally.
Here are some of the transformational planetary aspects that will be affecting us in late October and November:
October 18—Full Moon (Aries) Lunar Eclipse. The first in a series of eclipses in Aries/Libra. Most of us know that eclipses usually signal change.
November 1—The fourth of seven exact squares of Uranus and Pluto between June 2012 and March 2015. Do note, though, that even when the square is not exact, we continue to feel the very strong influence of this configuration.
November 3—New Moon (Scorpio) Solar Eclipse. And don't forget: Daylight Savings Time Ends.
November 10—Mercury goes direct again.
If you are interested in finding out more, there are many wonderful astrological websites that provide a huge amount of free information.
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For Holiday Gift-Giving:
My 2014 Enlightened Landscapes Calendars are now available! Check out my new Enchanted Ireland calendar!
Downloadable mp3s are now available of my Journey Through the Tunnel presentation and guided meditation to go through the Tunnel of Light and feel the unconditional Love of Home.
My metaphysical fantasy novel, The Search for the Crystal Key, is an adventure for all ages about believing in yourself and the power of love, based on information I received during my NDE about how life works. Available now in paperback and EPub, it will soon be available for Kindle and as a downloadable Adobe pdf e-book.
Other Information:
The complete list of "What I Learned from Dying." See Upcoming Events, below, for information about my teleworkshop November 14.
The video of "Creating Heaven from Hell," my September 2012 presentation at the conference of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS), with details about the Great Shift and the astrological influences, what is happening, and what we can do to navigate through these times of radical and dramatic change.
Recordings of radio interviews, with discussions of my NDE, what I learned, and what's going on "out there."
New increased availability for my Intuitive Coaching services, now available with Skype as well as phone.
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Upcoming Events
and Things I Like
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Here are some upcoming events you might find interesting:
Thursday, November 14, 8-9:30 pm (EDT)—I'll be having a teleworkshop on "What I Learned from Dying." Find out more and sign up on my website!
Monday nights 8-11 pm ET (ongoing)—NDE Chat with host Rudi Rudenski on the online blogtalkradio Caribbean Radio Show. Listen to NDE stories, hear more about the Love of Home, and find out what people have learned about life from these extraordinary experiences. Listen and chat online or call in. |
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Future issues of Tunnel Vision will contain questions from readers and clients (with permission and without being identified) about what's happening in their lives or "out there," with answers about how we can make it easier on ourselves as we move through this amazing transformative process.
Please submit your questions, with "Newsletter Question" in the subject line, to LionMagic@msn.com. I also welcome your comments and suggestions for future topics. |
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I am an Intuitive 
Coach, Public Speaker, Author, Reconnective Healing® practitioner, and Practical Mystic.
A Near-Death Experience (NDE) in 1985 expanded my psychic abilities and created a link with some very loving—and humorous— Guardians of humanity and the ancient wisdom, who gave me a huge amount of information about life and the evolution of mankind. I bring this knowledge and connection to my clients and audiences, along with over 30 years’ accumulated wisdom and understanding of metaphysics, life on earth, and Who We Really Are.
I am the author of the metaphysical fantasy novel, The Search for the Crystal Key—an adventure about believing in yourself and the power of Love; and I am currently writing a new book, Creating Heaven on Earth... One Soul at a Time; A How-To Manual for Ushering In the Golden Age, from the Perspective of a Near-Death Experience.
I believe we are undergoing the Shift of the Ages and are in the process of removing the "veils" of illusion and rediscovering Who We Really Are: Divine, powerful Beings who were playing a game of pretending to be limited humans. We're going through this rediscovery process together, so the more we share information and help each other, the easier it will be for all of us! Sharing my Tunnel Vision—my ideas and understandings based on my study, experience, and guidance—is my way of doing that.
All content © 2013, E.B. Dye
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