KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Carole Hyder

On one of our walks last week, my friend Julie and I were discussing big picture outcomes in many facets of our lives. It's good to have someone who doesn't confine you to parameters but lets you soar into near oblivion with ideas, what-ifs, why-nots, so-whats. She provides the net so I can do some daring trapeze leaps without getting hurt. I trust I do the same for her.

Along the way as we were reaching up pretty high with our dreams, she paraphrased a quote that Steve Jobs said at the Stanford Commencement address. I went home, looked it up, and found it to be at the basis of effective and powerful Feng Shui.

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path. - Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Adress, 2005

Feng Shui is not only about helping people thrive where they are and be fulfilled in their present situation, it's perhaps more importantly about helping people set up their space so that it pulls them into the future - into the life they've always wanted. The hard part here is to be able to access the dream about their ultimate life experience, not just concentrate on the next step out of context with the big picture.

Below are some ways to help you dream bigger so you can change your home into the life you've always wanted.

• • Don't plan on thinking about your ideal life; you have to create it. In other words, you need to dance it out, or paint it, or make a vision board. From these activities, you'll capture the feelings that will let you know where your heart wants you to go.
  • Don't ask how you're ever going to arrive at your dream life or start to second-guess the process. (This will never happen. What is wrong with me?) Truthfully, how it's going to unfold isn't any of your business. Your job is to create it.
  • Don't use friends or family as a sounding board unless, like my friend Julie, they provide you the net to do all the spins and twirls you're inclined to try, won't rain on your parade, burst your bubble, or laugh in disbelief.

• Don't let the dream stay in your heart - write it down! Anchor it into physical reality. This is important because
  you won't forget the details of your dream; you can tweak it from there; and you must make sure it's what you want.
• Don't forget to implement the dream in your Feng Shui adjustments. As you infuse the physical adjustments you make in your space with your ultimate dream, you will see how your home or your office will gently but steadily move you forward. Some steps will be huge, while others will be almost negligible. Either way, you're connecting the dots to the expansive and fulfilling life you are meant to experience.

I doubt Steve Jobs knew about Feng Shui. (On the other hand, who knows?) However, he did know about dreaming big. He started with the end in mind and worked backwards. So did Edison. So did Ford. Working backwards is different from going backwards. Get your dream out there, make it even bigger, and then work backwards as you move forward.

The above article is printed here with the author's permission. Carole J. Hyder has accomplished international success as a Feng Shui consultant, speaker, teacher, author, trainer and media personality. She has been a Feng Shui consultant since 1992. She is the author of numerous books, CDs, DVDs and courses. Carole is founder, president, and an instructor of the Wind and Water School of Feng Shui, licensed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The program is available both as a correspondence class or in a classroom setting. For more information on Carole's work, visit her website, carolehyder.com.

My mother-in-law passed away at home. She was only 41 when she died from cancer. At the exact moment she left us, the lights went out. They were only out for about a minute or two. We all believe she didn't want us to watch her go so she turned the lights out for us. Is this possible or are we just being sentimental? There weren't any power outages in our area at the time, and no one could have flipped any switch because it was the entire house that went dark.

Julia

Susyn:

When people transition from a physical form to a spiritual one, as happened when your mother-in-law passed away, they will often draw on electro-magnetic fields to help themselves cross over. This would explain why all the lights in the home went out for a few minutes upon her passing.

People have reported this type of phenomenon as well as clocks stopping at the time of death or being suddenly awakened at the exact moment of someoneís passing even if the person passing was miles away.

Most paranormal researchers agree that for spirits to manifest, they must draw upon energy sources nearby to make their presence known. Along with electrical power sources, batteries can be drained, devices can mysteriously turn off, and all the warmth in the atmosphere can disappear. These same things can happen when one is in the process of moving out of the physical body and on to the next plane of existence.

Because these synchronicities happen so often, it seems that people who are passing over often have a higher spiritual awareness of what is going on, and can either consciously or unconsciously send a special message to loved ones who are left behind. While it's possible that your mother-in-law did not want anyone to witness her cross over, it is more likely that she was simply using all the energy available to her to make this transition.

As we become more aware of the spiritual mysteries of life, certain patterns become evident. If you research this a bit more, you may also discover other signs or events that suggest your mother-in-law knew that her time was near. Statements that she made a few weeks prior to her passing or activities she engaged in could also give hints that she was preparing to pass over.

Now that your mother-in-law resides in the spirit world, she may use this same phenomenon to let you know when she is near. If lights flash or the power goes out for a short time for no apparent reason, she may be trying to get your attention.

You may also be able to contact her through a channeling session. When you would like to connect with her, begin a meditation session and after a few minutes, flash the lights off and on or blow out burning candles and then relight them. This will be a special way you can signal to her.

With some practice, you should be able to feel her presence near you. This may also open the door to a conversation with her so you can affirm that she is doing well and watching over you from a higher plane of existence.

*****

Mata:

If you research the term deathbed phenomena, you'll learn that all sorts of wonderful things can happen during the special moments when a person is in the process of leaving this world.

Perhaps the most common is for the dying to report visits from loved ones who have already died. They may suddenly become very alert and stare into what seems to be empty space. They may talk to people no one else can see or describe the presence and appearance of departed loved ones.

Usually they indicate that these spirits have come to comfort them and help them cross over to the other side. In many cases, at least some of the living people present have also seen these spirits or seen lights or other strange phenomena where the spirits are supposed to be.

Often the dying will suddenly become very conscious and alert even after being in a coma for an extended period of time. It is as though they come back to this world for those last few moments so that they can bid the living goodbye.

Electrical phenomena are very common surrounding the moment of death. Many families and hospice workers have reported clocks stopping at the exact moment of death or lights flickering and going out as the last breath is expelled. Some have even seen a misty shape leaving the body at that time. Often these electrical devices will begin working fine again some time later for no apparent reason.

There have been cases that involve cell phones, television, computers, cameras, and all sorts of other equipment that suddenly turn on or off or cease to function at the moment that someone dies, only to begin working again some time later. As the same phenomena can be seen with equipment when spirits are trying to communicate with us, it may be that the dying are drawing upon the electrical energy around them in order to transition or in an effort to give us some sign or message.

If you all feel that she purposefully knocked the power out so that you wouldn't witness her final transition, I think it's wise to trust that intuition. It may be that she was trying to distract you from that painful moment while at the same time giving you a fascinating sign to boost your faith in the afterlife.

I think it's wonderful that your whole family was able to witness the power going out. Too often amazing deathbed phenomena are only experienced by individuals who are alone with the dying, and are so subjective in nature that after some time, they begin to wonder if their minds were playing tricks on them.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.