Thursday, July 31, 2008

Synchronicities Abound -- through essential oils, of all things!

Last week, I had a delightful synchronicity take place related to the Soul Baskets that I sell in conjunction with my book. I got a call from a woman who was looking for a Young Living essential oils distributor. Her elderly cat named Gandalf was getting weak and close to dying, and Andrea had heard of a YL blend called "Release" that can help at the end of life. She had called to see if she might purchase a bottle of this oil through me.

Well, we got to talking, and in the process, I couldn't help but share about my book and the Soul Baskets (naturally :). She was most interested, and eventually decided to purchase a Soul Basket for herself and Gandalf. I didn't have a whole bottle of Release on hand, but I was happy to include the small amount of Release oil that I happened to have remaining in a bottle with the Soul Basket that I sent her. She was delighted; and I got the Basket off to her in a timely manner.

After a few days (the weekend) had passed, I gave her a call, wondering what had happened. Well, it turned out that things had gone amazingly well for dear Gandalf's crossing over; and Andrea was just thinking about being in touch with me, she said. We talked for quite awhile, and Andrea let me know how grateful she was for the Soul Basket and the customized ingredients I had sent her. Thanks to Andrea's inner wisdom and guidance, and a little help from Gandalf and the oils and music, Andrea said that she had had one of the most powerful experiences of her life! Her very special and close companion -- practically soulmate of a cat -- Gandolf, taught her how peaceful and graceful the passage into death can be. One of the key things she shared was that she let Gandalf guide her, because she didn't really know what to do. (She didn't consider herself an expert on death.) The other key piece she shared was how peaceful and even joy-filled about the whole experience she felt. There have been some moments of grief, she explained, but very little sadness and sorrow around the whole experience, and even now, a couple of days afterward.

I feel deeply honored and grateful to have been a part of the process of this dear woman and her wise old cat's bidding their final farewells to one another. What an amazing, mystical experience death and life are! And how gifted we are to be blessed by one another, animals and humans, too. Enjoy your life, and keep shining!

Love and Blessings to you each, Dancing Heart~~~

p.s. Andrea promised to write the first testimonial for my Soul Baskets website, so do keep your eye out for that.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Inter-dependence Day!

Dear Friends, I have never quite been able to fully appreciate the name of today's holiday, Independence Day. Perhaps this has something to do with growing up in Japan and knowing on some level that we cannot live independently from one another? The challenge of our modern lives seems to be about maintaining some sense of self and independence from others, but also being aware that we very much need one another to live happy and fulfilled lives.

Recently I have been a Book Study facilitator at a retirement facility. We have been having some lively discussions around my book and related topics. One day we were talking about the sections of the retirement home and how there was an Independent Living section and an Assisted Living section. As we talked, we came upon the reality that no one there really lives "independently". In fact, the truth is that the longer a person lives in such a place, the more dependent they become on others. So, why not coin the term "Inter-dependent Living" for that section of the facility, rather than Independent Living? And perhaps something similar could be said for this day in our country: Perhaps it's time to call this day Inter-dependence Day, acknowledging that our country cannot live completely independently from any other country in the world? After all, we are all inter-connected through the One Spirit, the One Source of All!