On most days I take a mile walk down my country lane, a dusty gravel road with hardly a car that comes by. I am surrounded by trees lining the road and behind them, fields of corn and hay. Of course, in winter this is a different story when I have to trudge through snowdrifts but on this warm summer day I don’t think of winter.
As my feet crunch on the gravel, I listen to the many birds singing and try to view them or figure out what kind of bird they are. My dog happily leads the way pulling once in a while on her leash to sniff out some special smell. Wildflowers line the roadside, changing quickly from the whites to yellows to blues to golden colors. The scent of the air reveals blossoms of hidden trees and bushes that change each week as summer progresses and different blooms appear.
I look at my walk as a meditative time; a time of quieting my mind and looking inward. As I took walks last year after my brother died, I noticed voices speaking to me. No, I am not losing my mind, and I cannot really hear physical voices. It is hard to describe them other than telepathic voices with thoughts but no audible tones. I would ask questions and hear answers, knowing the truth in them because they had no emotion; they were not my emotion driven ego talking.
One day I realized the voices were probably my father and mother and my brother talking to me. It was frustrating to me because I had trouble tuning into them enough to carry on a conversation. In my frustration I finally asked who was with me. Was it you, Dale? In that instant I got a chill up my back and on my neck and arms like every hair was standing up electrified. Yes, it was my brother. I asked if more spirits were with me too and felt like I had been surrounded by a positive electric charge!
Spirits are with us as we want and need them, that I knew. Now I also knew that I could talk to my loved ones and even know which one I was talking to. Is it you, Mom? No electricity. Is it you Dale? No electricity. Is it you, Dad? Here comes the charge! Now I could tell them my thoughts about life, about what was happening to me at the moment, and ask for answers that might help me along in life.
Spirits are with us to comfort us, to advise us, to prod us, to open our minds to what is possible and so much more. Not only are my loved ones still with me, but yours are with you too. All you have to do is quiet your mind enough to hear them talk to you whether it is a voice or whisper. If you can’t hear them right away, they will find other ways to get your attention; a bird that your loved one enjoyed that might follow you around; a gift or call arriving at a time you most needed something; dreams when your loved one will appear to you and maybe even talk to you; things that might seem coincidental but are all really spirits trying to get your attention.
Listen with your mind. Listen with your ears. Listen with your eyes. Listen with your touch and taste. If your mind is open, they WILL speak to you. Learn to quiet your mind, to let it empty of thought. Your ego will tell you that you need to be thinking of tasks or not wasting your time, but don’t let that ego take you down that path. You can sit or walk or even chop wood, but breathe deeply, relax, and let your mind accept whatever comes to you. You won’t be disappointed!
