team of light
Recently, I was at the Omega Institute in New York, a 200-acre retreat space that hosts spiritual teachers from all over the world. It reminded me of my college dorm, Butterfield, at UMASS, not because of the spiritual teachers but because of the tie dyes and the guy doing Qigong on the grass. However, the kind of grass at Butterfield was not for Qigong.
At Omega, I went with two dear friends and sat with hundreds of others to hear psychic medium, Laura Lynn Jackson, talk about energy and how to stay connected with our loved ones on the other side. We don’t need a medium to do this, she says.
I concur!
Something that keeps me going is knowing I can connect to my people no matter where they are. And my animals. Yesterday, we said goodbye to our almost 14-year-old Great Pyrenees, Poppy. We knew it was coming and that did absolutely nothing to prepare us for the uproarious sadness we’re feeling. Today is better than yesterday but there’s a gaping hole where our big hairy angel has been for all these years. I swear I could have heard her pawing the back door to go out and her chain against her bowl as she ate which sounded like sailboat masts in a harbor.
Last night when in the shower looking out the window, I saw an angel cloud in the sky and behind it was an angel dog running with wings. By the time Izzy came up with her camera, the clouds had moved. I have no doubt that she’s with my parents now.
Something else that made me cry and feel crazy hopeful at the retreat was that even though there was so much heavy grief in the room, there was also, more than anything else, an abundance of warmth, joy, beauty, peace, connection, and hope above all else.
These brave souls were choosing to show up and embrace joy in the face of unimaginable loss.
Not because it’s easier.
But because they’re choosing to stay open. And not because they’re ignoring their pain, but because they’re feeling it all and using it as fuel to connect with others, with their angels, and to be of service. Turning pain - in honor of their loved ones - into something that might help others.
This kind of kindness is pure magic.
It’s okay of course to rest too, it’s imperative. And to not do anything productive with grief. We can sit with it as long as we need to maybe just believing in the possibility that there is a tiny sliver of okay-ness somewhere deep within.
There is nothing toxic about this kind of positivity.
When I saw the podcaster and author, Dan Harris, post a similar sentiment from a Wendall Berry poem that read, “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts”, it reminded me of my experience at Omega.
If you’re skeptical about any or all of it, I get it. I’m skeptical too sometimes.
Laura Lynn asked us the first day if we all knew what love feels like. It’s something we can’t see and can’t prove, but we all know is real. And if talking to our loved ones who have died sounds crazy, maybe we can simply be open to the possibility of it. Possibility is enough.
Below are some of the things she suggested for connecting with our people (and animals) on the other side…
- Talk out loud to them. I do this in the car. Mom, Dad, Gd, angels and guides, I could really use your help today. I love you. Thank you.
- Look for the signs from loved ones and when you see them, thank them, and share the stories with others. Believe in them.
- Protect your energy, avoid things that drain you like consuming loads of depressing news on screens for hours. Do things that give you energy like putting bare feet on the grass, being in nature, listening to uplifting music, being with people that make us smile and laugh.
And if you’re having a tough day, dreading some stuff you have to deal with, you can say to yourself (repeatedly) we’ve got this, it’s going to be great! And utilize your team of light to help guide and lift you and get you through the bad days.
I have a strong sense that this is real. And that our people, angels, and animals are excited and ready to help.