Despite patriarchal push back, it’s exciting to see the rise of feminine influences. In my neck of the woods of Northern California we have emerging priestesses, earth mothers, clergy, and yes, political leaders. Female artists abound in all disciplines. To which I say, “hooray!” One of my favorite poets is Chelan Harkin of Washington, whose book, Susceptible to Light, I reviewed in 2021 (Delight in the Divine with Chelan Harkin). When I was asked to create a meditation for the Curious Soulwebinar sponsored by Helen Nibs of Ripples of Light, I included a fun poem from Chelan’s latest collection, Wild Grace.
The verses of Wild Grace veer between passionate, playful, and painful. Harkin takes iconoclastic swings at male dominated images of Deity. She shakes her fists at patriarchal authority, encourages women to release their pent-up Divinity, and kicks chauvinists to the curb. Here’s an intriguing example ~
THE HOLY WORD “SHE”
I don’t think God has a vagina or has ever had a penis.
But to use that holy word, “She” to describe the divine is the sweetest shorthand to overturn everything.
She is gloriously subversive She is radical— Meaning essential, of the roots.
Rather than up and out, She brings us down and in.
She brings us into the fertile lands of our bodies, into the intersection of ancient wounds and wisdoms.
She is what motivates our untold stories into their telling.
She is what germinates truth.
She speaks of a God that understands Mothers.
She undoes a power-over paradigm and describes power that comes from a cracked open heart.
She knows feeling is essential to reverence.
She restores tears to worship.
She honors pain as much as purity, the sullied as much as the sanctified.
She is the vastness of the oceans, She is the soft fire of the moon.
She is the revolution birthing in our hearts.
My meditation, Beautifully Bold, is offered here for your enjoyment. It begins with opening the Chakras and then unfolds with imagery to inspire the listener to become their best Beautifully Bold self. Included is a playful selection from Chelan Harkin’s Wild Grace. Listen and enjoy!
One morning in 2018 on the day of a lunar eclipse, I was standing in my lovely Manoa Valley apartment in Hawaii when the strangest thing happened. A small optical illusion appeared before me of a round bubble that suddenly popped and disappeared. Immediately after that, the vision in my right eye blurred. No pain, no eye redness. But my vision resembled looking through a shower curtain.
Of course, I immediately began an Internet search and discovered it was a fairly common occurrence, a tearing of a delicate membrane. Later in the day, I happened to gaze into the setting sun, which actually showed me the jagged opening behind my eye. Now, a normal person would have gone to an eye doctor. Instead, I sat down in meditation to get intuitive direction. The message I received was surprisingly straightforward:
This is unfortunate. The strong energy from the lunar eclipse triggered a weakness in your eye and caused the break. It will get better and heal, but it will take time. We will guide you along the way.
Originally published in 1990, the MAP protocol was developed by Machaelle Wright of the Perelandra Center for Nature Research in Jeffersonton, Virginia. It is very simple, yet profound. Wright offers a concise how-to instruction to connect with two specific nature spirits, The Great White Brotherhood, Masters of Ancient Wisdom, and your higher self. References to The Great White Brotherhood are traced back to the rise of New Thought in the mid-1880’s and the founder of the Theosophical Society, Helena P. Blavatsky. They’ve threaded their way through the New Age movement and are seemingly more in touch than ever with human beings, if a simple Amazon search for them in books is any indication. Personally, I think of them as spiritual physicians who are helping us from the Otherside, but I suspect that’s an extremely simplistic viewpoint.
I’m not going to detail the protocol, as I think it would be unethical to lift that from Ms. Wright’s book. However, the process is easy and requires nothing more than time and intention. Back in 2018, I unfurled my yoga mat, laid down, and went through the mental protocol for the healing sessions. My memory of those sessions has gotten vague from the passage of time, but I was faithful in following the protocol on quiet tropical evenings over several weeks as time allowed. One night stands out in my memory. Lying on my mat, I felt a small, buzzing on my right temple, like an invisible drill or laser performing a psychic surgery on my eye. It seemed like I was surrounded by a spiritual medical operation team. A vivid imagination, you say? Perhaps, but my eye got better in the ensuing months. In fact, today my vision is better than it was before the incident. Back then both eyes were so near-sighted, I’d worn glasses since middle school. Now, my right eye sees distance so much better, I rarely wear glasses except to drive. My left eye is still as near-sighted as ever.
Okay, fast forward to 2024. What with the pandemic, moving to California, crazy politics, and, well, life, I hadn’t thought about MAP in years. Then this spring, I acquired a bothersome virus going around that went on and on. Just when I thought I was getting better, a family crisis further lowered my immunity. On April 11, I got up from a nap and my left ear was totally clogged, my hearing very impaired. Though I had no pain, having my head filled with fluid was tiring and annoying in the extreme. Not to mention being half deaf. I tried all my holistic tricks, but nothing seemed to help. Then dizziness set in, which made me actually go to a doctor. The diagnosis was good news/bad news. No infection (good news). Diagnosis: dysfunctional eustachian tube, for which there isn’t simple medical treatment (bad news). Back to the Internet. People shared their experiences with dysfunctional eustachian tube. Many talked about having it for YEARS! What?….No.
So, back to the energy medicine drawing board. I went to a pricey Reiki healer. We had a great time and my general health improved, but not my ear. I discovered the Enhanced Energy System I so loved in Hawaii, is now available nationwide. I went for a two-hour session in San Jose. My ear seemed a little better, but far from healed. Finally, I remembered the Medical Assistance Program, MAP.
I got out the little blue book, rolled out the yoga mat, and went into the protocol. The first session lasts an hour, a time for the spiritual physicians to assess, diagnose and designate the right medical team. That sounds so strange, I know. But, I had nothing to lose. Plus, my sensitivity to energy has enhanced through the years. Whereas before I mainly had faith that “something is happening.” Now when I open a MAP session, I know something is happening.
As I call in the connection prescribed in the protocol, I can feel the energy. I literally jump and jerk with it. Physical healing energy manifestation is nothing new at this point. It happens all the time when I am in Reiki sessions. There can also be changes in the air, like waves of coolness, which I call “angel energy.” Once I began the MAP sessions, the ear got incrementally better. Instead of being clogged all the time, it varied in intensity. Then, it was much better after lying down but filled up if I bent over too much. Then, over the course of two days, it completely healed. No clog, hearing restored. Yea!
I’ve decided to keep the MAP sessions as a regular part of my health regime. For one thing, they are restful and enjoyable, lulling in the healing energy. A dose of healing energy is rejuvenating. Plus, there are always things to work on–physical, mental, and emotional. I highly suggest reading the book to discover all the ways working with a spiritual medical team can enhance your daily life. You, too, for under $20, can work with your personal wise and wonderful spiritual medical assistance team! 😊
Isn’t synchronicity fun? In 2018 I attended a casual church meeting and found myself chatting with a stranger named David. He said, “I’m reading the most fascinating book. It’s written by a Catholic priest who helps departed souls cross into heaven.” That was how I found my way to Father Nathan Castle’s book,Afterlife Interrupted: Helping Stuck Souls Cross Over, which I found fascinating and reviewed. (SeeConversations from the Afterlife.) Father Castle has spent most of his career in college campus ministry. But about once a week, he receives dreams, often of violent or sudden deaths of various people who are now “stuck” in a purgatory level of the afterlife. He later meets with prayer partners and opens himself up to lend his voice to the departed person who is ready to move onto another heavenly realm. The prayer team assists in that process. The book remained in my mind, and I often recommended it to friends.
Fast forward to 2024. I am now working as Assistant to the President, Dr. Yvonne Kason, at Spiritual Awakenings International (SAI) and we are getting ready for the big SAI Conference 2024. Father Castle is on the roster of scheduled speakers. Yvonne assigns me to host Father Castle’s session, which I find very exciting.
I immediately purchase Afterlife Interrupted, Book Two, which I find as thought-provoking as the first book. The plan is I am simply to introduce Father Castle and let him make a presentation. But it turns out, that isn’t really his style. A few minutes in, he asks if Yvonne or I would ask him some questions and turn it into more of conversation. Well, my excitement level skyrockets. This is like asking a 12-year-old girl if she would like to have a conversation with Taylor Swift. Father Nathan exudes a rare combination of joyful spirituality, humility, and wisdom. An impromptu interview ensues between Father Castle and me–which I think went well, but I’ll have to wait for the video to see.
We explored some of the material of Book Two. Through the years, Father Nathan has helped some 500 souls cross over, so curating the stories to include in a book, requires prayerful consideration. The criteria seems to be, what can the living learn from the dead? There’s certainly comfort in discovering that no one dies alone. Everyone has a guardian angel who helps them along, often quickly leaving a violent scene. There are teams of helpers providing aid and care as people adjust to the afterlife. Free will is respected. Everyone is at their own stage of soul development.
One of the stories we discussed concerned, Nadi, an Iraqi man, who died in a sectarian massacre of Muslim against Muslim. Nadi’s lesson seemed be that dogmatic beliefs are small-minded illusions of separation. He comes to see the Oneness of beliefs across the earth. When he is ready to move on, a beautiful flotilla celebration appears for him on a river. His father welcomes him aboard a boat, and they sail away.
All of the stories are moving and relay significant life lessons worth pondering. The final two are tales of suicide, one of a band singer, Bea, from the 1930’s who was sexually exploited by the men in power. Once she becomes pregnant, she “takes matters into her own hands” and ends her life. Rather than being condemned for her decision, she is met by the ineffable Margaret Hamilton, forever-famous as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. Hamilton is a sympathetic guide who knew the dark realities of male domination of the entertainment industry. Bea moves to a better reality than she left behind.
We get another glimpse of suicide through the experience of Bob, who leapt to his death during the Depression when life just seemed too difficult. However, Bob’s difficulties didn’t disappear. He brings foggy despair with him to the afterlife and must deal with that before he can move on. He receives patient spiritual and emotional counseling until he is ready for another level. Ultimately, his advice to the living is to not lose hope. It was hopelessness that drove him to suicide, the proverbial “permanent solution to a temporary problem.” He urges people to seek help and rediscover hope.
Afterlife Interrupted, Book Two is a compelling peek into the heavenly realms, offering valuable lessons to the living. Father Nathan Castle continues his work with college students and is often a guest at spiritual conferences and podcasts. He also hostsThe Joyful Friar podcast which “explores the soulful, the meaningful, and the mystical.”
I’m so grateful for that casual conversation in 2018 that led me to meeting Father Nathan Castle in 2024. Ah, sweet synchronicity.
A book review by Dana Taylor of UFO of God by Chris Bledsoe
Chris Bledsoe has called North Carolina home his whole life, a man deeply embedded in the culture, the land, the opportunities, and the challenges. On January 8, 2007, on a fishing outing with his teenage son and four friends, his life was forever changed by bright orbs appearing in the night sky. Though Chris thought he’d only watched the three bright orbs for twenty minutes before finding his friends, he’d gone missing for hours. That’s how it began.
Chris Bledsoe’s memoir, intriguingly titled, UFO of God, leaves more questions than answers as to what Chris and his family have experienced in the intervening years. Unlike other modern UFO experiencers that seem to relate visitors from other planets, Chris’ story is more reminiscent of Biblical characters like Moses (Chris has his own burning bush) and Job. Or the tales of Marian visitations like Bernadette at Lourdes or the children’s encounters with Our Lady of Fatima.
In fact, Chris seems to be a modern Job. A man who acquired considerable wealth in the building business, enjoyed a happy marriage with a houseful of healthy children only to see the good life disappear with economic downturn. Then illness through severe irritable bowel syndrome, followed by rheumatoid arthritis, impeded his ability provide for his family. Add to that intense ridicule and shunning after word got out of his otherworldly encounter, Chris Bledsoe’s life hardly seemed worth living.
By Easter of 2012, despite on-going visitations by the mysterious orbs and other phenomena, he tells the heavens he is done. He’s going to ignore all paranormal activity, never speak of it again, no matter how amazing something might be. It isn’t worth the abuse his children endure at school and in the community.
And that is when The Lady makes her first appearance. Awakened from sleep by the command, “Arise!” Chris is escorted to another realm to meet a beautiful lady of shining white light who tells him he must continue in the mission. She promises to help open the way. He has to tell the world of changes to come.
Within a couple of weeks, Chris is invited to speak at a Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) meeting. One thing leads to another, and soon Chris is networking with experts from NASA, the CIA, scientific researchers, top brass military and more. Beyond that, he is now able to capture footage of various orbs and phenomena on devices that had previously been elusive.
What becomes clear in UFO of God, despite a policy of discrediting UFO experiencers publicly, is that the US government has been deeply involved in studying encounters for decades. Men employed by the government who devoted their lives to the investigation of UFOs reach out to Chris, offering validation and insights from their overview of vast data collected since the 1940’s. They allow Chris to name them in the manuscript. Jim Semivan, Former CIA Clandestine Directorate of Operations and Col. John B. Alexander, Ph.D, Retired US Army, both wrote forwards for the book.
UFO of God is Chris Bledsoe’s spiritual memoir; it conveys much of his angst and wonder. In many ways, at the end it feels like the story may just be beginning. An investigative reporter may come along some day and write a book that answers more of the readers’ questions like – What happened during the missing hours of the first 2007 encounter? What all did The Lady say? What were the scientific findings from Chris’s brain scans? What have family members experienced? Who else is experiencing similar phenomena? Is there a big picture to these encounters? Indeed, UFO of God feels like the starting place for a much bigger story.
It’s impossible to read Chris’ memoir without feeling compassion for a man and his family who suffered through so many physical and emotional hardships as the supernatural took over their lives. I hope for Chris that he is granted the ending of Job with a restored family and fortune to happier days.
For me the most tantalizing takeaway from UFO of God comes from Chris’ second meeting with The Lady. From Chapter 16:
“When the red star of Regulus aligns just before dawn in the gaze of the Sphinx, a new knowledge shall come into the world.” I was not sure what that meant. I have come to understand that around Easter 2026 there will be the end of an old way and the beginning of a new.
Hmmm. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
For more information watch this interview with Chris Bledsoe by Regina Meredith
As he points out, the pandemic brought the reality of death into heightened awareness for a society that had learned to take longevity for granted and consigned dying to hospitals and nursing homes, far away from daily life. Mike has been exploring Out-of-Body Experiences (OBE) since 1987. He’s come to understand that consciousness goes on beyond human body habitation. One of his life purposes is to be work with Retrievals, which helps souls lost or “stuck” in lower dimensions, aka the bardo in Buddhism, purgatory in Catholicism, or simply “limbo” in secular terms.
A large section of the book relates many of Mike’s Out-of-Body Experiences as he might have written them in a personal journey. They reveal a much more complex Afterlife than simply heaven or hell. Some spirits stay earth bound, while others reside for a while in other lower frequency dimensions, often in “Consensus Realities,” not so different from earthly societies. Mike’s astral body travels these lower realms as an explorer and also as a helper for the lost souls needing assistance going to the Light.
Other sections of the book offer insights into the value of having a “good death” for a soul to go directly to higher realms. He also declares reincarnation is as real as gravity on Planet Earth. It’s the way life works.
How to Have a Good Life After You’re Dead is a very interesting addition to the growing lexicon of books on other dimensions beyond the human 3-D reality. The phrase we are spirits having a human experience seems to be gaining more credibility all the time. Mike Marable shows us that death is merely a transition into another existence and that life goes on and on and on.
As the weather gets colder and the holidays fast approach, it’s nice to turn to some seasonal reading. Here are my offerings to bring a smile to your heart.
My first novel has autobiographical overtones. Following the sage advice “write what you know,” the personalities of the H/H are basically me and my husband, David. The story is fictional, but the Oklahoma setting and culture reflects where I was living at that time. This year marks the 10th anniversary of David’s passing. This story is close to my heart.
The Healer vs. the Lawyer. Energy healer, Persephone Jones, has a new neighbor in Peeler, Oklahoma—hot shot lawyer, Jason Brooks. They meet in June; it would take a miracle to bring these two together by Christmas. She bans white sugar; he’s a chocolate cookie connoisseur. She’s about saving Mother Earth while he protects the interests of Big Business. Their attraction is mutual, but disturbing. And life gets even more complicated when the whole town is caught in a conflict that pits these two on opposite sides of a political fence….Foreword Magazine says AIN’T LOVE GRAND? is “written with a fresh voice, an impeccable sense of comedic timing, vivid narrative, and fascinating characters.” Available in the Kindle Store at Amazon.
Aloha Santa began as a performance piece for a Christmas show of the Na Leo Lani Chorus of Sweet Adelines in Honolulu. The chorus became ohana (family) for me in the six years I lived in there. The fun poem was so well received, I turned it into a children’s book with the wonderful illustrations by Jaana Baker. It’s a fun read-aloud book for the whole family. Available as e-book or print atAmazon.
Do you believe in angels? Here are three short stories featuring angels in various guises.
“Shiny Green Shoes”— Life was hard on old Route 66 in 1935 in Luther, Oklahoma. The unlikely friendship between Mazie McDonald, a poor black child, and Peach Knight, an aging white actress, brings hope to a town down on its luck and proves dreams do come true!
“Refiner’s Fire”— Inspired by an incident from the 2008 San Diego firestorms. Flamboyant California real estate agent, Dina Stein, doesn’t care that she’s spending Hanukah alone with her dog, Angel. Better than spending it with her ungrateful daughter and son-in-law. Funny how Mother Nature can change your perspective.
“Patty’s Angels”—Los Angeles, 1960. California is becoming a state of great contrasts. Downtown LA and the suburbs are only minutes, yet worlds, apart. A little girl named Patty brings people together, with the help of her celestial best friends. Available in the Kindle Store at Amazon.
