Angel Blessings: Messages from Heaven

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Preface

I was guided by Spirit to write this book, and when Spirit gives me marching orders I always try to do what is asked. I was told that a book like this was needed because many people are suffering from the loss of loved ones and so many are in the process of making a transition from their physical bodies. I was told to create book that could help lift people’s spirits and assure them that death is not final and that we continue on, just in another form. The book would also include what I’ve experienced about the soul’s light and love and how it can connect us with the higher realms of Heaven.

I thought, no problem. I’ve been writing down messages from the other side for over forty years. I can just upload them to an eBook. LOL! It took ages to sort through the thousands of messages I have received to determine which ones to use. The book grew until there were two books and some 500 messages. And since I’m dyslexic, there were lots of typos!

I told a friend I was writing a book about preparing for death, and she said, How morbid! Her reaction is one of the reasons I knew I had to write this book. My friend is not alone. Many people fear death and don’t understand it as simply a transition into the world of spirit where our soul lives on.

This final book is divided into two parts: Part One expresses the glorious nature of your soul—that wise part of you where you know your purpose, are light and free, confident, strong and creative, and feel your connection with God. Your soul can carry you into higher spiritual realms where you can experience the glory of your soul’s unconditional love and light.

Part Two brings messages that offer assurance that life continues beyond the death of the physical body. It affirms that at the time of death our transition from the physical to the nonphysical world of spirit is filled with light. Yes, there is life after life. There is a forever.

I would like to tell you about my own soul’s journey, which began with early encounters with death. My first experience came at age six or seven when I was walking my dog. He got loose, ran into the street, and was hit by a car. It was shocking to see my favorite pet alive one moment and gone in the next. Somewhat later, my cat was attacked and killed by my neighbor’s dog. We are often able to encounter death at a young age if we are lucky enough to have pets. If a loved one passes away with the help of Hospice we can also begin to understand that death is a part of life.

Looking back, it seems to me that losing pets was preparing me for deaths in my family. My father left his body the day after Christmas when I was just twelve years old. I can still hear my mother calling out for help. I bounded up the stairs to find my father lying still and not looking anything like himself. I touched him. He was cool. I told my mother to hold a mirror under his nose to see if he was breathing. He wasn’t, and I said, He’s dead.

I left the room and ran outside, flying down the long stairs in front of our large house. My father had designed it to look like the castle in Prague that he grew up in. When I got to the street I ran as fast as I could to get away from the scene of death. Then I heard a voice say, What are you running from?

I stopped short in my tracks, realizing somehow that there was nowhere to run. I stood there for a minute, then turned and walked slowly back to the house and my family. As the drama began to unfold I wasn’t really scared, for I knew that my father was not there. He had left. His dead body was there, but I was certain that the corpse was not him anymore.

The neighbors for whom I babysat asked me to come to their house, but I didn’t want to go. They were feeling sorry for me, but I wasn’t feeling sad. I felt a bit guilty about that, and yet I didn’t want to pretend to feel sad just because they thought I was.

Many years later Mother told me that she had asked Father about what he thought happens to us after we die. He was a very pragmatic structural engineer who thought there was no life after death. However, she said that three days after he passed away, he came to her in spirit, kissed her on the forehead and softly whispered, There is a forever.

That blessed encounter began my mother’s search for knowledge about life after death.

It also began my journey into metaphysics. Mother and I attended classes together at the Institute of Parapsychology, founded by Dr. Paul Masters. There I learned how to meditate and find my higher self. I started meditating every day and wrote down messages that came to me as a result of meditation. I found the light of the soul to be my great new resource.

I had a voracious appetite for reading any book I could find on mysticism and metaphysics. I discovered wonderful insights from Manley Hall, Corinne Helene, Madame Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, Alan Watts and books about mystics. Every book led me to new clues and deeper understandings of what was beyond this physical world. A student at Beverly Hills High, I ran around preaching about how great God is to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t imagine why no one was interested!

Then when I was fifteen, a spiritual experience changed my life forever. I was in our garden at home and suddenly felt a rush of energy through my spine that drew me out of my body. I went through many levels of consciousness and arrived in a dimension far outside this world. I went through a mental plane where all questions I had were answered. I saw levels of geometric patterns and they made complete sense to me. They brought me to ultra dimensional levels of awareness.

I experienced the light of a million suns and my heart was opened with a love that was far beyond any I have felt since. I found everything in nothing and nothing in everything. I knew that I could stay in this ecstatic union with God or go back into my body and live my life. I can’t begin to describe in words the bliss beyond bliss of this union with God’s energy. It was a very difficult decision to choose to return. I knew then that to serve is the greatest gift we can offer in return for this love. I realized it would bring with it the clear awareness that I must try to let other people know that we are much more than our bodies. We have a soul that carries us through infinity and the energy of God is in everything in every moment of time. This was a serious mission for a teenager. So I returned back to my body.

When I returned things were different. I didn’t speak for three or four days. I saw auras of light around people, animals and plants. Colors were brighter and light was more clear. My spiritual earthquake was followed by aftershocks of bliss that lifted me to that same love-filled, blissed-out state with God. I wanted everyone to know how great God is.

After a while I began to realize that people are living their own life path and that each of us has our own learning experiences. I stopped trying to convince others about what I had discovered. When I did speak, I tried to express myself in ways that people could understand.

Since that time many other miraculous things have occurred, including four near-death experiences. As a result, I do not fear death. In fact, I welcome the time when I return to that light-filled and profound space of peace beyond this world.

My hope is that this book will in some way touch your soul and lift you to the light of spirit. May you feel God’s great gift of constant unconditional love.

Introduction

All of the poems and messages in this book came to me through spirit. Some were meant for this book and others came to me over the past 40 years. Many carry the message that life is a precious transitory gift. I suggest that you read the poems slowly, a few at a time.

I have included inspiring quotes at the end of each chapter. Philosophers, writers, musicians, world leaders and spiritual teachers share personal insights that can help us on our own journey. Spirit speaks to us in many ways, providing a collective wisdom.

Meditation

One of the differences between meditation and prayer is that meditation is not about asking, but listening and receiving. Most of this book was written from my reflections after I had been meditating.

When you meditate you take a journey to the core of who you are. You travel through layers of thoughts to find a clear and quiet place in your soul.

I have been meditating every day since I was thirteen years old and have found it to be a useful tool for reaching peace, finding clarity, and experiencing connection with the world of spirit. I suggest that you read a few poems slowly, then take some time to meditate. I’ve included guided meditations for you at the ends of chapters.

The process—

Sit quietly.

Focus on your breath. Breathe deeply in and out and relax.

Read some poems that resonate with you.

Focus on how an idea, phrase or theme could work for you.

Pause and reflect.

Meditate in silence.

Receive any message that might come to you.

If you have a journal, write it down.

Wonderful messages may come to you in these adventures within. Your time in meditation can reward you with light, love, peace and inner guidance. May you find great blessings on your inner journey.

Journal Writing

It is helpful to keep a journal handy to write down what may come to you in meditation. Sometimes you’ll hear an inner voice relaying messages to you. Sometimes you won’t feel as if anything has happened. When this occurs, have faith. Pick up the pen and begin writing anyway. The process of writing can trigger messages from your guides or higher self.

If you have important questions, write those down. Perhaps a word will come to you. The act of writing one word can open a pathway which leads you to write pages without knowing where the flood of information is coming from.

Journal writing is a wonderful tool for inner development. It helps you record your spiritual journey and reflects the time spent with your higher self and guides. Journaling can be a great gift from the light and a true blessing from God.

Chapter 1

Messages from the Other Side

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

- John 14:2

Look on every exit as being an entrance to somewhere else.

- Tom Stoppard

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

- Kahlil Gibran

Seed thoughts for this chapter

Meditation has always been an avenue for me to connect with the souls of others through spirit. In truth, we are all one in spirit and we can receive messages from loved ones who have passed on. Most of these messages have come from angels, guides, Masters and loved ones, and I wish to honor these gifts from Heaven. For this chapter I have selected a few of the many inspirational experiences that have touched my life.

My sister once told me that she and her husband had spoken about the possibility of life after death. They had agreed that if one passed over before the other, they would connect through the presence of a bird. Her husband did pass on shortly after our mother’s death, and my sister was devastated. She was having a hard time with a number of things, including deciding if she should have a memorial service for him. As she sat in her room debating this one day, a red cardinal came to the window and very distinctly tapped on the glass. This happened not once, but many times over the course of several days. She felt strongly that this bird was bringing her a message from her husband.

Red cardinals have always been messenger birds for me. One comes almost every morning and sings when I begin my meditation. Other birds also come as messengers of spirit. One day shortly before my mother made her transition an old and fragile pigeon came to my garden and would not leave. Mother passed away a few days later. Later she came to me in meditation and expressed her love for me. She said that she was in a very beautiful and peaceful place. Her message inspired me to write a song, Beside Still Waters. I have included the lyrics here as a poem.

I was blessed to receive many other messages that inspired me to write more songs and create a CD, There is a Forever. A while back I was guided to give the CD to a nun I met at Iao Park here on Maui. She emailed me a few months later and let me know how the songs had eased the pain of losing her mother. She asked for a few more copies to share with friends who had lost loved ones. Through connecting to her and being asked to write words for memorial services, I realized that these messages could comfort others in their time of loss. During times of grief, people consider their own life and death and often want to learn more.

I am open to those who have passed on and am a good listener. Many times someone I loved has appeared to me from the world of spirit with a wave goodbye or a poem. Natural events such as sunrises, sunsets and a sudden breeze may signify a soul moving into the beauty of Heaven.

My lovely friend Chrystal, who was in hospice care, was close to making her transition and I was saying prayers for her. I visited her shortly before her birthday. One morning after the visit I saw such a glorious sunrise that I had to go outside and bask in it. As I was standing there a spirit wind came up and embraced me. I was so moved that I went inside and wrote a poem. I heard later that Chrystal had passed on that very morning. I do believe that Chrystal came to me as that beautiful wind. I have included a message from her here.

My friend Gloria had colon cancer and I had been giving her Reiki treatments. She loved rainbows. I had been told that she was close to making her transition so I went to her apartment, only to find out that she had passed on a few minutes before I arrived. As I placed a lei over her head, kissed her forehead and said Aloha, a wind came through the room and blew the curtains up a few feet. I knew it was her spirit. Later that day I saw a double rainbow and when we took her ashes out to the ocean in a canoe, the wind became so strong that we all realized that Gloria’s spirit was there.

Many people experience the spirit of a loved one through a butterfly that makes its presence known. Dr. Wayne Dyer says that once, when a butterfly fluttered toward him he was certain that it was a spirit coming for a visit.

In Hawaii a ceremony is held on Memorial Day where prayers for loved ones who have died are placed on floating lanterns that are lit and sent out to sea. Tears are shed and loving thoughts and prayers are sent to those who have passed on. After watching this beautiful ceremony I wrote a poem, The Soul’s Journey, which is included here.

Dreams that make a lasting impression can also be messages from spirit. In one such dream I was in a crowded waiting room at an airport. I asked the person next to me where we were going. He said the people around us had died and were deciding where they would go. He said that I could go to a podium to see about myself. The podium held a very large book, which was open. I saw options of places where I could live and perhaps had lived in other lifetimes. I saw visions of India, Scotland, England and the Russian River, where I was living then. Somehow I knew that if I were to choose the place where I currently lived, I would not die at this time. I woke feeling joyous and glad to be alive. I knew that in that dream I had made a choice to live.

Not long after that I decided to go horseback riding. I drove to the stable, saddled up my big red thoroughbred, Lumiere, and headed out to a trail. Halfway through the ride my horse spooked, which was very unlike him, and I was thrown to the ground. I tried to stand up but everything was a laser-like yellow and I almost passed out. I felt a sharp, deep pain and realized that I had hurt my ribs. I crawled back to the stable holding on to the stirrup. I reached the owner of the stable and asked him to drive me to the hospital. The doctor told me I had made it just in time. My ribs were broken and liquid had filled my lungs. I had almost drowned in my own fluid.

After the liquid was drained and intensive tests were made, it was decided that I needed surgery. As I was waiting to go into the operating room, I saw three angels with hoods standing at the foot of my bed. I knew I was going to be okay because angels had also been in the dream when I decided to live.

When the surgeon opened me up he discovered a tumor the size of a fist in my lung. It was in the exact spot where my ribs had been broken. If my horse had not thrown me I would never have known about the tumor. I truly believe that at the point when I chose to live, a chain of events went into effect to get that tumor out. I was given a second lease on life.

I believe that we have many leases on life, and when the time for this life is done, another form of life appears. A dream within a dream, all leading to greater awakenings.

Love is the thread that leads us to loved ones on the other side. One story involves a musician friend, Ron Davies. I knew him from the music business in Los Angeles, where I was a DJ. I lost track of him when I moved to start a station in Northern California. I heard he had gotten into the drug scene, which is a downward spiral and terrible trap for many in the biz. I wrote him and said that if we should meet again it would be on higher ground. The only thing I had to remember him by was an African finger harp he gave me.

Fast-forward 35 years to Maui, my current home. I was interviewing a wonderful folk duo, Robin and Linda Williams and noticed that they had a song of Ron’s on their CD. In the live interview I asked about Ron. They told me he had passed on ten years ago and that his sister was releasing a tribute CD. When I went home I lit incense for him, went into meditation, and said a prayer for him. Then I ordered the CD. I went into the storage room at my house and, while looking for something else, found the rusted finger harp Ron had given me. It had somehow survived 14 moves over the years. I know that Ron had guided me to find it. When I received the tribute CD I was surprised to find a song called Higher Ground that he wrote. I am always amazed how spirit finds ways to reach us.

Another friend, Ron Perfetti, was a gifted Tai Chi master who taught me for years. He was in excellent shape, so when I heard he had a rare form of cancer I was stunned. I interviewed him on my radio show to support a fundraiser that would take him from Maui to Boston for further treatment. When he walked in the studio I was speechless, which is rare for me. He could not have weighed more than 115 pounds and was very frail. However, I was awed by his presence. When I said it seemed unfair that someone who prided himself for being in top shape should have cancer at such a young age, he was philosophical. He said he was being present in every moment and was doing okay. I lost track of him after that, but some time later I was wondering how he was doing, so I Googled his name and found a website dedicated to his memory. Our interview was posted at the top of the page. I listened to it and felt his presence speaking to me from spirit. I lit incense and meditated and was inspired to write the poem, Do Not Declare Me Dead.

Whenever I hear of someone’s passing I light a candle, pray for them and send them light and love. I tune in to their spirit, thank them for their presence here on Earth, and see if they want to convey a message. Often they do. When a small plane went down on the Island of Lanai, four people from Maui passed on. Others were severely burned. I received a universal message from them which I have included, If I Don’t Come Back. I wish to add that I have never received a message other than that people are in a wonderful place in a much higher realm.

A different kind of message came to me just before I interviewed Ray Manzerak, the keyboard player for The Doors. I had met Jim Morrison years before when I worked at his boutique, Themis, in Hollywood. He and his wife, Pam, owned the store, which carried lots of snakeskin clothes. I sat in meditation feeling that there was something to convey to Ray. I received a message that I have called Mystic Flame. I read the poem to Ray in my interview, unaware that he had cancer and would live only a few more months. I have included that poem in this chapter.

After I heard that Ray had transitioned, I posted the poem on the Grammy site I belong to. Another Grammy member asked me to submit other poems for a spoken word project, Action Moves People. Four of my poems were included on the CD. Spirit moves in mysterious ways!

One of my most memorable experiences was a trip to Tibet in 1997 with Dr. Tom Vendetti, the world-famous flautist Paul Horn, and a group from the Maui Dharma Center. Tom documented the life-changing experience in a video, Journey Inside Tibet. Paul passed away in June of 2014. I wrote the poem Mystic Traveler after hearing of his passing. It is included in this chapter and on the CD, Angel Blessings, along with his music. Paul was truly a mystical