Afterlife Awareness
I had a transcendent weekend of learning, sharing, magic, and wonder. I got to attend several workshops at the Afterlife Awareness Conference with masterful teachers,
sparking my curiosity and awakening my sixth sense.
The first workshop I enjoyed was an introduction to telepathic animal communication with Danielle MacKinnon, something I've long been interested in. I've dabbled with my own animals quite a bit, but knew that I needed specific techniques to flourish. What an amazing field to explore. We learned how to manage our energy and create a space to invite the animal spirit into, how to map our bodies before and after making the connection to see if the animal had any messages to communicate via physical sensations. Animals don't speak in words as much as we do; the challenge was to meet them within their language of images, feelings, sounds, knowing, and emotions. We were to take any impressions we got and write them down, without attempting to translate what we got. Translation and deeper meaning comes with time, and feels as exciting and overwhelming as learning a new language or how to read the Tarot (I've spent over a decade with that one). The philosophy the teacher presented was that animals are beings that have mastered unconditional love and harmony. They have chosen to enter our lives to teach us lessons, even (and often) to their own demise. I can't wait to learn more about this and find an outlet for my deep admiration and love of the animal kingdom.
The second workshop was with Linda Fitch, Shamanic practices for death and dying. I've taken another workshop with Linda about shamanic dreaming, which was profound, so I was very excited to learn more from her. We explored the idea of death as a continuation of the path that we are already on; that though we change realms we are still ourselves, with all of our beautiful imperfections, karmic baggage, and ancestral ties. We are infinite souls having the human experience so that we can learn what we must. We took a moment to unburden ourselves with a partner, honestly looking at the mistakes we've made, the regrets we have, and the burdens that we don't wish to carry with us as we move into the world of our death. We helped each other to energetically move those heavy marks on our auric fields, in preparation for the inevitable transformation. We talked about the importance of grieving, and different tools for doing so. We joined with others in a spontaneous and co-created ceremony to honor the process we'd just experienced. Linda is a wonderful, inspired teacher, and I was deeply honored when she invited me to assist her in the closing ceremony for the conference the following day.
At the last minute I decided to enroll in a workshop for advanced mediumship. I'd been instantly intrigued by it, but wasn't sure if I qualified for the "advanced" workshop, since I haven't technically done any psychic or medium work previously. However, the previous classes had elevated my confidence and I acknowledged that my own intuition and connection to other realms had prepared me adequately for this workshop, and I was right. Hollister Rand taught, and she was a flurry of wisdom, energy, and playfulness. She kept us moving, challenging us to step outside of our comfort zones and explore gifts we may not have yet cultivated. She talked to us about psychic versus medium- psychic is when we pick up on the person's own life/energy/experience and medium is when the spirits give us that information. We played with both so that we could tell the difference. She went through what she called "the Clairs" Claircognizance: clear knowing; Clairvoyance: clear seeing; Clairaudience: clear hearing; Clairsentience: clear feeling; Clairgustance: clear tasting; Clairalience: clear smelling. We identified which of those senses were strongest for us and how to enliven the others. We quickly changed partners to get the chance to both read and receive for several people and I was amazed at the information that came to me. Though I've never considered myself psychic or medium, I have spent many years working on the same "muscles" that those abilities use and I was delighted to find that I have a real and strong ability with both. There were many tears, some singing (we made a C chord with the words Love Hope and Heal, to change our auric energy, and it was exhilarating), and the room was so full of spirits that at one point the lights went out. I left feeling like I has seen the other side of the veil and couldn't wait to continue to explore the beings and wisdom that lies on the other side.
The closing ceremony was beautiful. I got to smudge the entire space (a huge room) and then each person as they walked in the door. I used my new owl tail feathers and felt transported as I met and cleared the energy of each soul as they entered the room. We meditated and sent love and healing out into the world, we created gorgeous prayer bundles with grain, sticks, leaves, and flowers, and we had a silent procession out to the river to scatter the bundles into the water. When I left I was walking on air.
If you'd like to engage with any of the above mentioned experiences with me, please let me know! I'm open to helping you communicate with your animals or loved ones on the other side, and am willing to explore whatever phase death you are in (your own or someone else's). I am so lucky to do this work!
