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    • How Strengthening My Spirituality Helped Me with My Cancer Diagnosis

      by Alexandra Chauran

      (Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

      This October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can consider me very aware, because I was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic breast cancer after getting a swollen lymph node checked out at the end of September last year. The next few days were a whirlwind of undergoing medical tests, delivering bad and incomplete news to family and friends, and looking out into the gaping void of the unknown. As my two preschool-aged kids asked me over and over again, "Mom, why do you have cancer?" I reflected on my life. I am 34 years old, I eat very healthily, exercise regularly, and don't smoke. I visit my doctor regularly for preventative wellness exams and have had suspicious breast lumps checked out several times in years past. There was nothing yet in the known world of healthcare that I could have done to either prevent or prepare me for cancer.

      However, there is one thing that I believe is protective as I begin the next year of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments. I have a strong connection with my spirituality. As I trained to be an interfaith hospital chaplain, I learned something interesting from the Spiritual Care departments of local hospitals: I learned that one's comfort level with spirituality can be predictive of how well one does during a medical crisis. It's not that atheists do poorly. In fact, agnostics and atheists who are content with their lack of spirituality do as well as those who are full of faith and happy about it. Those who struggle both physically and spiritually are people who already have a shaky understanding of their own spirituality and are thrown into further confusion by trauma and tragedy.

      So, I'm not suggesting that you try to force your atheist grandma to find Jesus "for her health." However, if the person who is confused about spirituality sounds like you, I'd like to gently suggest that you explore your spirituality and fix that relationship with spirit before something unexpected and nasty challenges your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Think of it as a matter of personal housekeeping and dutiful preparation, just as you might have a savings plan for financial health during a crisis. I'd like to share a three personal ways that I believe my strengthening spirituality is helping me as I move forward.

      I have three super powers: Resilience, resourcefulness, and the ability to adapt in the face of adversity. My three super powers are related to each other so much that they overlap, but they each interact with my spirituality in different ways. I've also noticed that, at times in my life when I struggled with my faith, I also was unable to activate my super powers. Again, I'm not saying that atheists or agnostics can't display these strengths equally marvelously as I. However, spirituality and my super powers are inextricably bound in the own fabric of my personality. If you might be like me, read on.

      Resilience is the ability to bounce back after something awful knocks you down. Children are well-known for their resilience. Many people never seem to recover after something terrible in life happens, such as a divorce or a car accident, and it's not their fault. However, when resilience is possible, I believe that my strong spirituality aids its action. One way that spirituality can help is by giving a sense of purpose to life. Sure, I have cancer, but perhaps this challenge in life isn't even about me. Maybe the grand purpose of this cancer is so that I can help somebody else after I’m all done with treatment. Or maybe my cancer is an opportunity to overcome my fears. Or, maybe the absurdness of cancer is just to show what's truly important in life. I don't know for sure, but the habits of mind I've developed through my spiritualty keep me thinking about the future in a good way.

      Resourcefulness is the act of finding opportunities for help everywhere. I'll admit that I like being independent and that delegating and giving up control during treatment are going to be hard for me. However, my spirituality is one way that I've been able to forge a connection with a wider support community. As a Wiccan, I have a coven of fellow practitioners that are like family to me. The positive, healing energy that I receive from my spiritual peers as well as the practical help they've offered, such as babysitting my children and just keeping me company, are awesome. Spirituality is one way that I can connect even with people of other faiths. Complete strangers have become new friends by simply asking whether they can pray for me. My answer is always yes! It may seem strange to some, but I believe that prayer can also be a sort of internal resource when I'm feeling lonely or when I just have to talk through a problem with a divine counselor. My gods are available twenty-four hours a day and are happy to listen to anything that I have to say.

      My ability to adapt in the face of adversity is not quite the same as resilience. Resilience, to me, means being able to bounce back as strong or stronger than I was before the life challenge. Adapting to adversity means that I find a new normal. I know that my body will never quite be the same after cancer treatment begins, just as my body is not the same as it was before two pregnancies. Spirituality is a way for me to understand that I am more than just my body. This is not to say that one's physical body here on earth isn't an important part of spirituality. But, I feel better ready to celebrate and appreciate the amazing things my body can do because of my spirituality. For example, I know that I will be a beautiful Goddess even after my breasts and ovaries are removed.

      So, I know that I have a rough time ahead of me. I'm glad that I put my spiritual house in order before all of this began. If you're looking for your own way to strengthen your spirituality, I encourage you to work on it before you have any sort of major crisis. I know it's easy to put off self-development when you're busy with work, kids, and bills. Believe me, I know. But if you set aside a little time each day for the importance of your spiritual devotions, it's like banking for later when you can make a major withdrawal. I pray that you or a loved one never gets cancer, but I know that each of us will have time to face that gaping void of uncertainty in the future. Be prepared by strengthening your relationship with spirit, and you'll never have to walk that path truly alone.

      Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015. All rights reserved.

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    • Double Vision: Three Tiny, Lovable Spirits

      glitteringeyes

      About a year and a half ago, I was on my couch watching TV when out of the blue I felt something come toward me. It felt like a very small child, but even smaller. At this point, I thought I was losing my mind! I have since had this same experience a number of times. I don’t know if this is a spirit or what, but there are three of them. I can’t see them but I can feel them. They seem very lovable, and have never tried to hurt or scare me. When I go to bed at night, I can actually feel them walking around on my bed. Do you have any idea what is happening? Thank you!

       Martha

      Dreamchaser:

      I rarely talk about this in public, let alone this column, but in this case I feel obliged to do so.

      I wanted to tell you that these are the spirits of three sweet little children, or even the spirits of three sweet little animals. I even missed my deadline because I was struggling to come up with a different answer than the one I kept hearing over and over.

      In any case, here is my real answer. I must preface it by saying that a lot of readers may be put off, scared or even offended by my perspective. It’s not my intention to upset anyone. If you don’t believe, then don’t believe. You are free to choose.

      Now I’ll just come right out and say it: You have extraterrestrial friends visiting you. We have guides and watchers from other planets. Whether the world’s governments want to admit it or not, this is happening. There have been many documented cases of ex-government officials who spoke out about the government’s awareness of extraterrestrial beings.

      You might want to read about the Denver airport and the underground base that goes for 50 square miles that sits right under it. This one is very well-documented. If you spend just a few hours researching this on the internet, you’ll find out tons of information.

      These beings are making more and more contact with humans now. Don’t worry, it won’t be like the Hollywood movies often make it; they really will come in peace.

      As I have stated before, we all have human and animal spirit guides around us all the time. We also have alien guides as well. I personally have an alien guide named RJOZKJ, but he said I could call him Oz for short.

      When Oz first came into my life, I kept seeing these tiny little grayish shadows flying around out of the corner of my eye. They were maybe three feet tall at the most and moved very quickly. I saw them so frequently that I started to wonder if something was wrong with my vision. That is exactly what is happening to you.

      At night when you go to sleep, they watch over you and they study you. I know you’ve probably heard all sorts of scary stories about alien abductions and weird experiments, but that is not what you’re dealing with here.

      These friendly, kind little beings are just watching over you, studying you, and observing you. You have nothing to fear. If anything, you are actually much safer with them around. By the way, they will talk to you in the form of your own thoughts if you let them.

      I wish you more sightings!

      *****

      Astrea:

      These three little entities are sprites. They must have come into your home stowed away in an antique piece of furniture or some other artful wooden object.

      I see lots of green energy around them, which is the kind of energy associated with wood sprites. Humans can’t see them at all unless they have some wood sprite DNA in their makeup. We can hear and feel them, but they don’t manifest in physical form for us anymore.

      In the old days, people lived happily alongside all kinds of sprites, fairies, and sometimes even elves. Woodland creatures were a part of their lives, so seeing them wasn’t a problem. In fact, usually when they moved in with a person, that person’s luck changed for the better for as long as the sprites decided to stay.

      After the Middle Ages and the spread of different kinds of Christianity and other organized religions, the woodland creatures withdrew from human contact. I think we hurt their feelings by denying their existence. Many churches still teach that fantasy creatures are demons; this is one reason that many people turn their backs on our woodland friends.

      In order to keep them with you, you have to acknowledge that they are there and care for them. Set up a little altar in your yard or on your patio. (Whatever you do, don’t make it from wood!) It doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, three rocks can be an altar – it’s the thought that matters.

      Feed them regularly on eggs, milk, bread and cake. They’re very nearsighted, so be sure you use a bright colored plate to show off the food and drink. They can’t eat indoors, so don’t try to feed them anywhere inside your house. Food eaten under a human roof will make them very sick, and they could leave you or perhaps even die.

      With care and attention, you’ll be able to discern their forms better. Once they begin to appear to you, they’ll look sort of translucent. Sprites have genders, and yours are two boys and one girl.

      They enjoy attention and they love music made on all instruments except those made from wood. Rock and roll (the old stuff) seems to be a big hit with sprites, but they don’t care for the Beatles or Elvis.

      They love to play jokes on humans and each other. Their favorite thing to hide is a set of keys. Car keys go missing especially often because they won’t ride in a car and they hate to be alone in the house.

      The reason they’re with you is because you called them to you. Green energy is also healing energy, and sprites are experts with broken hearts. If you’ve had a big disappointment recently in your love life or career, they’ve come to help you feel better and move on, so welcome them into your home and your heart

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