Jul 14 2021

What A Medium Wants You To Know

I was driving my friend, Helen, around the North Shore of Oahu to see the tropical sights a couple of years ago. As I maneuvered the twisty roads, she casually said, “Oh, your grandfather on your mother’s side just popped in.”

That might sound quite startling, but Helen is an energy healer and a trained medium. Her healing skills have had a profound impact on my life, chronicled in my book, Ever-Flowing Streams: Christ, Reiki, Reincarnation and Me. In a recent Skype call, we primarily discussed her work as a medium and what she would like people to understand about spirit communication. I asked her why she developed her mediumship skills.

She said, “I’ve found it is a way for me to use my gifts to offer people peace. A woman told me, I can get a good night’s sleep. Often people get stuck in their grief, guilt or unforgiveness. A session of spirit communication can offer a release and path to healing.”

Helen has encountered spirits who have passed over in many ways–including, illness, accidents, abortion, and suicide. Departed loved ones often convey similar messages–they are doing well. They’re not holding grudges. Aborted children might present themselves as a young person, usually to say they are fine and still a part of the family. Most abortions are not done lightly. Circumstances can seem impossible to a pregnant woman facing the responsibility of raising a child. Women often carry abortion guilt for the rest of their lives. Communication from that child’s spirit can bring immense healing.

One thing Helen emphasizes on her website, Ripples of Light, is not to give her information about potential spirits who may come through. She likes to have a clean mental slate.

“Clients are very vulnerable and often nervous when they come for a reading. They begin spouting information just as I am tuning into the situation. I always advise, hold on for a few minutes and see what messages come through first! It is a stronger validation if I can tell them their father died in bed with a heart condition, than if they tell me and I agree!

Spirit communication is not like talking on the phone. It is a language of images, symbols, and impressions. A medium may sense the person in spirit’s feelings, rather than getting a verbal communication. Mediums rely on a variety of senses, and it can vary depending on the medium’s strengths and the person in spirit. A medium can hear, see, smell/taste, know, or feel the message. If your Dad wasn’t a chatty soul in life, chances are that he will give his messages through a sense of knowing, or by sending pictures. I encourage people to be patient in a mediumship session, and let it unfold.

It’s also best not to come with with specific expectations. There’s no guarantee that your grandmother will show up and tell you where she hid the family jewels. Spirit communication, like energy healing, is free flowing and often unexpected. Usually, it is just what the clients need to hear, whether they understand it or not at the time.”

Helen is also an animal communicator, both with the living and the dead. Here is one testimonial from Ripples of Light:

“One of our cats went missing and we were all devastated, we put up posters all over the town and we searched everywhere… But no Mr. Tibs… Helen called me and broke the news that he would not be coming home as he had contacted her spiritually to ask her to tell me he was in cat heaven and was okay. After lots of tears, I asked Helen where his body was and even though she said that where his body was wasn’t as important as where his soul was, I needed to know, as I needed closure. Helen described to me where to find him (we live in England!) so off my hubby went and within 10 minutes he called me to say he had found him exactly where Helen has said he was. We were then able to bring him home and make him a grave. Helen has an amazing gift.” AT, Lincolnshire, England

To hone her craft, Helen has taken courses from from several of the most renowned spirit communication teachers in the world, including James Van Praagh. She is a Reiki master and offers energy healing through her website, Ripples of Light. Though she was born in Leicester, England, she is an American citizen and has lived in Oklahoma for two decades. Her accent and demeanor still resonate her English roots. Through the years, I’ve come to think of her as my magical Mary Poppins.

Dana and Helen at the Chinese Cemetery in Manoa Valley, Oahu

On that ride along the North Shore, my grandfather shared information about my mother that was very healing to me. The greatest gift is knowing my family is still with me. I am never alone.

Helen offers in-person sessions in Moore, Oklahoma and is trained in platform mediumship readings for groups. She is reaching beyond the Oklahoma borders through Ripples of Light website. Her healing sessions are available via Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. Treat yourself to a session for healing of the mind, body and spirit. Book your appointment today.

Find Helen at Ripples of Light at https://ripplesoflightok.com/

Follow Helen on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/ripplesoflight

Read how I met Helen and the many ways she changed my life in Ever-Flowing Streams: Christ, Reiki, Reincarnation & Me

Jul 1 2021

Wisdom of the Big Trees: Journey Through the Ancient Sequoias

I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but apparently, I have turned into a Matriarch. I went from having a couple of adorable grandchildren to suddenly having SIX! (Daughter #2 was a late bloomer). With the restraints of lockdown lifted, my daughters and I celebrated a week together with all six grands, ages 6 months to 13 years, in Northern California. The highlight of the visit was a trip to the Big Trees near Arnold, CA.

Dana Taylor with four youngest grandchildren

Though Native Americans, bears, deer and other creatures surely knew of the majestic sequoia (aka redwood) groves, the first European descendants discovered them in 1850 and the trees soon became a tourist attraction. Of course with typical marauder disregard for the sanctity for natural life, the largest tree was felled in 1853. Over 1,200 years of life was displayed as a traveling trophy; the stump turned into a dance floor. I danced on it with my grand kids last week, 168 years since its demise.

Fortunately for the trees and future generations of humans, naturalists like John Muir, Senator John Conness and others, banded together to protect the groves from lumber companies. In 1931, 6,498 acres were designated as Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Easy walking trails meander among the mixed conifers and stands of ancient sequoias. Rising to heights over 300 feet tall and living over 3,000 years, the giant redwoods inspire speechless awe in the beholder. Literally, no words can adequately describe and express their splendor or emotional impact. Many of the trees have been given names–Palace Hotel Tree, Empire State (so tall), Pioneer Cabin, and Mother of the Forest, which sadly stands today as a testament to man’s destruction of nature. In 1854 it was skinned alive of its bark so it could be shipped East and reconstructed to show people a Big Tree. It subsequently died, losing its canopy in 1861. Today it stands as a fire scarred snag. The Mother of the Forest induces feelings of grief and loss. Yet, it is also a symbol of resilience. For despite the worst man could do to her, she still stands.

The sequoias are indeed resilient against drought and fire. Their reproduction is actually reliant on cycles of fire to release seed from pine cones. After the flames have died and the spring rains return, new generations of trees will sprout.

Walking among the Big Trees, the wind stirs the high branches, creating a symphony of swishing crescendos and pianissimos. The community of trees seem to form family groups, whispering over the human visitors roaming their domain. Hopefully, they’ve come to appreciate us, feeling our sense of wonder as we gaze upon them. My crew loved wandering the paths, exploring tree tunnels, and absorbing the sights of nature’s unending creativity.

The trip inspired me to create a new meditation, Wisdom of the Big Trees. Join me for a spiritual, healing journey into the heart of the ancient sequoias.

Jun 14 2021

A Bot with a Heart

Book Review by Dana Taylor

SET MY HEART TO FIVE is a book that pretty much defies description. It isn’t like any other book you’ve ever read. Author Simon Stephenson creates a bright futuristic tale starring a “bot” named Jared. In the year 2054, after the great Internet crash, when too many people could not remember the name of their first pet passwords, the world changed irrevocably. Jared is a bot dentist, living in Michigan. He is made from human DNA, but he is not human. He is a bot, akin to a glorified toaster or microwave. A feelingless machine to cheerfully do the work that humans don’t like to do, like root canals.

Bots are designed to perform functions with a smile on their soulless faces. The fact that modern entertainment has created an industry devoted to portraying “killer bots” has turned them into a perceived necessary evil. People are suspicious of bots. A malfunctioning bot is reported and immediately “wiped” or even incinerated.

Of course, our hero bot, Jared, isn’t your run-of-the-mill AI. Through watching pre-crash films, he has developed FEELINGS. Bots are logical machines, they don’t have feelings. But Jared evolves beyond his programing into the specter of emotions. His logical mind struggles to analyze and understand the human experience of feelings and emotions.

While the AI-becoming-human isn’t a fresh story line, the satirical observations on human behavior is what sets this book apart from the rest. Seen through the eyes Jared, humans are the most illogical and bizarre of creatures. Jared embarks on a journey from Michigan to LA with the dream of writing a screenplay that will change the minds of humans about bots. Story line tension is provided by an inept inspector from the Bureau of Robotics is in pursuit of the wayward bot. Through Jared’s Everyman adventures, we see ourselves and the society we have created. Through the laugh out loud excellent narration of Christopher Ragland in the audio version, the absurdity of human behavior is revealed again and again, usually punctuated with Jared’s exclamation, “I cannot!”

By the end, Jared has experienced all the highs and lows of human experience– fear, joy, love , loss and compassion. In fact, he may be an improvement on the human race. Author Simon Stephenson has penned an insightful satirical gem.

I picked up the audio version at Chirpbooks.com for $4.99, which will be at that price through June 2021.

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Jun 5 2021

Delight in the Divine with Chelan Harkin

Book Review by Dana Taylor

Poetry rarely has spoken to my soul, thrilled me with insights, or caused me to sigh. While Rumi and Hafiz have inspired generations of mystics, I’ve sadly been excluded from the club. The last book of poetry I purchased was by Rod McKuen, circa 1970. So it was highly unusual for a poem on my Facebook timeline to grab my attention enough to make me order the book. And I’m so glad I did.

The book is entitled SUSCEPTIBLE TO LIGHT and the poet is CHELAN HARKIN. A sparkling delight in the Divine chimes through the pages, filled with awareness of how much we are missing. Here’s an example:

YOUR OWN DAMN JOY

The price of admission

into heaven

is your own damn joy.

Please stop denying yourself this

and please stop telling yourself

you’ll only (maybe) get there when you die—-

go there now!

What kind of damn fool

puts off heaven?

Child, it lives in the center of your heart

that endless meadow of happiness and praise.

This world needs you to go there now

to do your part in turning it

into a paradise.

Harkin celebrates the natural world designed by a loving Mother/Father Creator who is shouting at us to look around and revel in the marvelous Universe. She wiggles heavenly hips, serves up buttery potatoes, opens petals to the light. She sees the tragedy of an obtuse humanity and reveals the simple solution.

THE WORST THING

The worst thing we ever did

was put God in the sky

out of reach,

pulling the divinity

from the leaf,

sifting out the holy from our bones,

insisting God isn’t bursting dazzlement through everything

we’ve made

a hard commitment to see as ordinary,

stripping the sacred from everywhere

to put in a cloud man elsewhere,

prying closeness from your heart.

The worst thing we ever did

was take the dance and the song

out of prayer

made it sit up straight

and cross its legs

removed it of rejoicing

wiped clean its hip sway,

its questions,

its ecstatic yowl,

its tears.

The worst thing we ever did is pretend God isn’t the easiest thing

in this universe

available to every soul

in every breath

Who is this Chelan Harkin? An Internet search pops up her Inner Spirit Hypnotherapy website, where she offers her healing services as a hypnotherapist. Her Facebook pages place her in Washington state and show precious photos of her year old daughter. Her popularity as a poet is obviously on the rise, I suspect largely through WOM (word-of-mouth), which is the very best kind of publicity. She’s maxed out her personal page at 5,000 friends and has migrated to her Chelan Harkin Poetry page.

At a time when the world is coming out of darkness and gloom, Harkin offers an exuberant clarion call to celebrate life, love, and all creation. Enjoy more Harkin poetry in this 12 minute collection I recorded of selections from Susceptible to Light ~

Purchase Susceptible to Light at Amazon

art by Sokal Selmani, Image shared from The Cosmic Dancer

May 29 2021

The Healing Light Meditation

Middle of the night stillness made me feel alone in the universe that night of 1982. I sat in my Oklahoma City living room rocking my fretful five-month-old baby, Cary, through another night of ear infection restlessness. We were caught in a cycle, rounds of antibiotic pink medicine. Seemingly better, then flared up infection again. Cary and I were both very weary of her illness.

I’d recently joined a healing prayer group at my church, a whole new concept to someone pretty much attending church to make friends rather than following religious fervor. Agnes Sanford’s classic book, The Healing Light, had been on the recommended reading list. Dealing with a chronically sick baby is incentive for reading about healing and anything to solve the problem. So, I dove into The Healing Light.

Agnes Sanford was a major figure of the Christian Charismatic movement of the middle 20th century. Raised in China by missionary parents, she picked up Eastern ideas of spiritual forces. Later, as the wife of an Episcopal minister, she witnessed the power of healing prayer. Her blended ideas, observations, and experiences became the basis of The Healing Light.

Sanford contended that healing energy is available to everyone. People simply have to learn how to turn it on. She likened it to a light bulb. If the bulb is in its socket, a power source needs to be flipped on to make it shine. Begging and wishing doesn’t turn it on. You can plead, “Please, bulb, please turn on.” Nothing will happen. But, connected to its energy source, the light beams.

She described the Healing Light and how to “turn it on.” It was on that dark night, long ago, I first connected with the Healing Light. As I rocked Cary in the dim living room, I imagined a shaft of divine energy opening up over my head. I prayed for help. I prayed for connection. My hands cupped over her ears and I imagined light rippling from the heavens, into my head and down my arms. The chair rocked and rocked and rocked. My head warmed and buzzed. Energy traveled through my body. That night only my right hand warmed and pulsed. Waves of energy rose in a crescendo and slowly faded. The baby fell limp in my arms and finally surrendered to sleep. I continued rocking a while, knowing something profound had just happened.

Indeed, the next visit to the pediatrician revealed her right ear was completely healed, the left improved. The cycle of infections was over.

That was the beginning of life-long supernal adventures in healing energy. Many modalities have followed, including Reiki and The Reconnection. But, it was Agnes Sanford and The Healing Light that formed the foundation of my life in healing.

The Healing Light Meditation is available on YouTube and also now ad-free on the HEALING MEDITATIONS page at Supernal Living.

Bright Blessings,

Dana

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Ever-Flowing Streams: Christ, Reiki, Reincarnation & Me

May 5 2021

Meditate with The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a cross-cultural ancient symbol. From the Mayans to the Celts, Buddhism to Christianity, sacred trees have symbolized life itself. Old trees are so respected in Japan, authorities will go to great expense and effort to transplant them away them from encroaching highways.

WHAT DOES THE TREE OF LIFE SYMBOLIZE?

Fertility and Family–forests are made up of generations of trees. Saplings grow beneath the protection and provision of their surrounding family. Science is learning more and more about the communication between trees through their root systems. Stands of trees are communities. Every tree provides food or shelter for a multitude of animals and insects.

Beauty, Protection, Clean Air–Trees offer protection from the scorching sun, give us oxygen for each breath. Their beauty inspires us and lifts our spirits.

Ancient Wisdom–Each ring of a tree represents a global orbit around the sun, another year on planet earth. Some trees are known to be 5,000 years old. Oh, if those trees could talk–or if we could understand them. What have they seen and learned?

Visit my YouTube channel to Meditate on the ancient symbol of the Tree of Life. Lean back on the cool ground under the gentle branches and take a few minutes to renew your soul.

Bright blessings—

Dana Taylor