What began as a mildly curious journey of seeing and experiencing things differently, set me on an entirely new life course. I started having experiences I can only explain as mystical or miraculous. Over time, I began to see that although I thought I had been actively “present” in my life, there was a whole other part of me I had completely buried within myself. Like many women, I had been so busy striving and trying to be of service that, it took some real jolts for me to start waking up and living as my true authentic self.

Although I had begun doing energy healing and talking with guides (which was interesting and cool), I wasn’t discussing it with anyone. I had few friends I could share with and I was still hesitant. I was particularly guarded about the channeling and sharing things I was learning in that way. Later, when my guides told me about channeling and writing a book, my first thought was, “I am NOT writing a “metaphysical” book.” I had just earned a doctorate degree and had no intention of writing something like this…. Well, a few years down the road and here I am telling my story and sharing what I’ve learned to help others through this awakening process to look at various phenomena and life a little differently. My book, A Skeptic’s Guide to Connecting with Your Higher Self, will be published within this year, 2020. This book is a collaborative effort: some information is directly channeled from Archangel Michael, some sections contain dialogue with him or other guides, and other sections contain my related observations and commentary. 

Today, I have a very different view of the world. For one thing, I have come to understand that my work as a college Dean serving at-risk populations was draining and, undermining my precious life force and happiness far more than I understood. I remember sitting in some meetings thinking "I hate this; I could be doing something more meaningful." I was in a constant fight to get people to have compassion and value for the students I served. 

My health was suffering; the stress, the 3 hour daily commute, the mind games and politics were all taking a big toll on me. I had little time for my family and a daughter who was resentful. Challenges became so great, it became imperative that I find a work situation that was a better fit and more conducive to living a balanced lifestyle which included more time to rest and enjoy my family.

This new down time brought me far more than I ever imagined possible. With children at young adult ages, I began spending real quality time with my husband for the first time in many years. My daughter, who barely spoke to me, began coming out of her room for time together. Together, we were able to help her find new, healthy ways of treating her anxiety and depression which today is practically nonexistent. I now feel and sense others' energies; heal with crystals and sacred geometry grids; channel for myself and others; talk with trees and coax out the divine essence of foraged materials; and do all kinds of healing things… I discovered what being empathic really is in tangible ways: physically feeling what others feel and being surprised about how this phenomenon can alter your physical and emotional health. As a result, I’ve learned what can be done to minimize the negative effects of being an empath and maximize the positive ones. Physical ailments truly are the result of dis-ease and stored emotions in the physical body. 

I have come to see that although I believed I was good about processing my feelings with my Buddhist practice, I was actually, more often than not, reacting negatively, worrying or “stuffing” my feelings instead of really processing them in a healthy way. Our society places a great deal of emphasis on our ability to cope, to be resilient, and to be “fine” at the cost of our health. Today, more people are in therapy than ever before; more people are dying from diabetes and stress-related health problems. Busy-ness seems to take precedence over self-care. Now, more than ever before, I am listening to my heart and separating from people and things that I see no longer serve my happiness or fully explain and address life and the world in a caring, compassionate way.

The idea of writing a book has been terrifying because it entails coming completely out of the metaphysical/spiritual closet! We don’t live in the age of Mark Twain… write a book with a pseudonym and they’ll know who you are in 10 minutes. People thought I was crazy when I started practicing Buddhism which is a profound life philosophy. There are people in my family who will laugh and ridicule me for this work. I am NOT advocating that everyone come out of the spiritual closet. I AM advocating that we create ways and means for people to connect with others so they can learn about their experiences and receive necessary assistance to come out as they feel comfortable. 

Our world is changing and people are experiencing things they have never experienced before. My message to them is this: You are not crazy and this won’t simply go away. You can’t “stuff it” or hide it or pretend it isn’t happening. This isn’t woo woo, weird stuff. It is science. It is meta-physics. And, we are meant to use it to become lighthouses in this world; portals through which goodness flows.