We did not know one another before she came to me for Reiki, but we ended up becoming friends. She had a diagnosis of cancer. and had been told she had six months to live.

She was very proactive in her thought and willingness to try new things; like Reiki, traveling to new places, and focusing on others. In short, she lived every day as though it might be her last.

We went with her to the hospital where we did Reiki and visualization to help the chemo target only the cells that needed to be destroyed. The staff was fascinated by what we were doing.

Her body healed, and she lived many years beyond her original estimated life span given by the doctors.

Andrew is a “special” child. He was born with Down’s Syndrome. Andrew’s grandfather died when he was just a little guy, but several years later, while enjoying tacos for lunch, he looked outside in the yard then announced that his Papaw likes tacos, too.

Knowing Andrew was too young when his grandfather died to have known this food preference, Andrew’s mother asked him who told him that.

Andrew nodded toward the yard, and simply said, “Papaw told me.”

Watch the way young children and pets sometimes gaze at seemingly empty spaces. It is said they are often more tuned in. Andrew certainly is!

Full moon in daylight, taken 12/11/2011.

When my Dad died, I wanted to know where he was and if he was OK where he was. I was a Christian, and my dad had not gone to church. He said he believed in “God Almighty” but he did not understand what people got out of taking Holy Communion. The church taught that only someone who believed in Jesus could get to heaven, everyone else would go to hell.

Prayer was like breath to me; I mean to tell you that I prayed about everything. During that stage of my spiritual life, it was as though I was in constant communication with God—and that was just the way I liked it.

So after my dad died, I prayed to God, telling God I wanted to know if he was OK where he was, and I did not just want Him (God) to tell me what I wanted to hear. I wanted God to tell me what was REAL….

At first I did not know what it meant when I would hear a voice talking to me from inside my head as the moon slid behind a cloud or a tree or a building.

I would hear, “Where am I now? It looks like I am gone, but I am here….”

This went on for several days before I realized this was how I was being shown what is real. When someone dies, it looks as though he or she is gone, but my dad was still here.

Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler, by Rabbi Rami Shapiro

November/December 2008

What happens when I die?

Where does an ice cube go in a tub of warm water? You are the cube, God is the water. For a while you seem separate from the water, but eventually you melt – you die – and discover that you, too, are water. Have fun being a cube; just don’t forget that all cubes are water, and everything is God.

Hawk Visit

This photo of a red-tailed hawk, taken by Hart Rufe, is used with permission.

 Following the transition of his young wife, a husband writes:

Over the last few years, my wife and I were working on spirituality in our lives.  We participated in some drumming circles, shamanic journeys and other activities.  She liked the idea of people having “power” things, e.g. power places, power rocks, power animals, etc.  The idea is that these objects of nature can help you achieve enlightenment.  For example, if you’re stressed, they can help you achieve peace…if you’re worried about something, they can help you discover your own answers…if you’re not well, they can help you heal, etc., etc.  There’s a whole process involved with drawing out their power.  In the Native American spirit world these are called totems (remember the old totem pole when you were a kid?)

One of her totem animals was a hawk, specifically a red-tailed hawk.  We have a few where we live, but not an over abundance.

In her final days, we discussed the possibility of her communicating with me from the Afterlife.  You know she was always open to new and radical ideas.  I guess our thought was, with all the crap we’ve been though, we may as well try something that would be positive and soul-embracing, as well as a little “out there”.  She settled upon 3 things that would be a signal from her:  a Red-tail hawk flying in your direction (flying toward you), finding a pin oak leaf in your path and the smell of a fire without seeing smoke or flame.

Ten days after she left this earthly plane, and two days before our son and I were leaving the country on vacation, he and I were at home (just the two of us) and a red-tailed hawk flew up to our backyard fence and just sat there looking in house.  I was awestruck!  My heart pounded in my chest…I couldn’t believe it!  Our son and I scrambled to get my camera, we had to get a photograph! The hawk stayed there long enough for us to clumsily and panicky load a roll of film in and get the photo.  What makes it so incredible is that in living there for ten years, only one other time have we seen a hawk of any kind on that fence.  They just don’t come around our suburb, being so close to the city.

Red-tailed hawk sitting on the deck.

I asked him what he thought it meant and he said, “It means Mommy’s spirit is riding on the back of that hawk and that everything is OK in heaven and she can have ice cream everyday!”

I can’t think of a better explanation.