On this call, I will share my personal story of how Chanda and I met, how we fell in love, and how we’ve kept it together for 15 years, twelve of it married, with two children and one on the way! Let me tell you it hasn’t always been rosy New Age B.S. either. Marriage is tough, and then it’s not, and then it is, and then its…but I digress.

Join me for a humorous and insightful call about life, love and soul mates.

DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
DETAILS: 8 p.m. CST call in number is
(308) 344-6400
Participant Access Code: 877786#
Heads up: no need to RSVP, just join in…we’ll meet for an hour

Have a Happy Valentines day!

BRIEF HISTORY OF RESOLUTIONS (http://www.arcamax.com)

• Beginning in 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

• With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

• The New Year has not always begun on January 1. and it doesn’t begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar.

•January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

•In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year’s Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

SO WHAT DOES THIS SHOW US?

Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

The holidays can be a difficult time for many on a grief journey. Many have asked how they can build a stronger link to those in spirit. During this time of year I offer an excerpt from my book Bridge to the Afterlife: A Medium’s Message of Hope and Healing.May this technique help you feel your loved ones this holiday season.

From Chapter 12: “More Than Just a Message”

“As a medium, but more importantly as a human being, it is my mission to be a bridge for people, whether they are here in the physical or on the other side, the calling to continue this work comes from the space of service. Being in service to others is where miracles occur, where ego falls away and the pure natural instinct to help and support your fellow neighbor comes through.

So what does all of this mean? I believe spirit communication provides us an opportunity to recognize how precious every moment of communication is with our loved ones. People often tell me how much they savor those moments of communication with their loved ones who come forward through my work. They comment on how the thing they long for the most is just the opportunity to talk with their loved one again, even if just for a moment. The power of this work is to remind people that the precious moment to connect is also occurring right now with their loved ones and friends who are alive.

What would you say to your mom or your best friend if you knew you wouldn’t see them again tomorrow? To be conscious, to be aware, to live in the present moment with everyone is an incredible experience to strive for. Now, sure it may be difficult to be present in every moment, but the joy of being there makes the effort worthwhile. If you really want to experience the beauty and the joy of the present moment with friends and family I encourage you to try this exercise:

Next time you are together at a birthday party or a holiday, imagine your loved ones who have passed away at that party. Feel that sense of longing and desire to be connected with their energy. Once you’ve recognized that desire to re-experience those moments with a lost loved one, realize that years down the road, you will have this feeling for the people you are with right now and they will have this desire for you. This subtle awareness can shift your experience in that moment and provide an enhanced sense of gratitude and joy.

In that moment, all five senses will be energized; your food will taste more flavorful, you’ll smell all the delicious fragrances, the sounds around you will be fine tuned, your sense of touch will be intensified and you will see the experience through a new set of eyes. With your five senses enhanced, you’ll also open up to your sixth sense, where you’ll discover the loved ones you were wishing were there, who are in spirit, ARE THERE in spirit because you will sense them, hear them or smell them.

Nature has shown us there are seasons to everything and cycles, what blossoms in the spring, grows and dies and returns again the next year. On a quantum level, we are energy and you cannot destroy or kill energy, it will just transform into another form of itself. What this work of spirit communication means is that our souls live on and our connection to our loved ones never dies.”

Every now and then I’ll be sharing something I found online or through an email that inspired me. I love how the power of video, graphics and music can create a powerful experience of joy and possibility. I hope you enjoy this video and I encourage you to visit their site as well.

For more on the Holstee Manifesto visit http://shop.holstee.com/

Today, was Picture Day at school and after waking up late this morning, we all hurried to and fro to get ready for the day.  Upon returning Addi and I took our walk to the downtown St. Paul Public Library.  It’s a beautiful building full of history and the history I’m most proud of is knowing my daughters energetic imprint will exist in that building for years and years to come.

Her smile, her laugh, the little pitter-patter of feet…and after today, her screaming as she got her fingers pinched in the elevator. Damn! You turn away for one minute and life happens doesn’t it.

Personally, I love the library, I always have. From my own childhood memories at the Fargo Public Library to my college days in the metaphysical section of the Boston Public Library to my life as a parent at the Central Library in St. Paul. I find in some ways my reading habits have been the same throughout my life. My passion is studying about this world and the possibilities of the next world. But as I get older and my children grow, I realize the only world worth giving a shit about is the one that is right in front of my face.

It’s so easy to forget the “important things in life” even for a medium that talks to the dead all the time.

So as Addi sleeps today, I take solace in knowing she is creating her own magical memories. And I feel blessed and overwhelmed with joy knowing that on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. We were able to spend the day together.

Now as she sleeps, I read one of the books I’ve checked out LIFE LESSONS by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler.  I guess if I really want to know what life’s about, I ought to read something by those who have been researching how to live.

Adam Van't Hof

Throughout my journey I’ve had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary people, not only those who are in spirit but those who are in the physical as well. One extraordinary person I’ve met is Gene Van’t Hof. He is the father of Adam, a young man I write about in Chapter 7 of my book BRIDGE TO THE AFTERLIFE. Adam died on a canoe trip when he was 18 years old. His father and mother came to experience a reading with me where Adam connected and over the last 8 years I’ve been blessed in getting to know Gene and his wife Becky more. (When I published the book they chose to use the pseudonyms of Barry and Laura.)

Recently I had the chance to have lunch with Gene and talk about his grief journey. He informed me that he came up with 10 “learnings” about grief that he shared at his church back in November 2006. When I read them I knew it was something that could help many parents in grief. He was gracious enough to share those notes on this blog.

Our Grief Learnings by Gene Van’t Hof
November 2006

1. One doesn’t ‘get over’ grief- it doesn’t go away. Grief is like a hole in your life that can’t be filled, no matter how hard you try. Early in a grief period, well-meaning people may try to ‘take your mind off it’, while other people don’t dare mention the ‘elephant in the room’ for fear it will bring pain.
2. On the other hand, time is a healer. One learns to live with their loss. It’s an up & down cycle, but gradually it gets less emotional & less painful.
3. The most important point in the healing process is accepting the loss. It happened, we can’t turn back time. Live in the present tense, not in the past. There is no peace in ‘should have been, could have been’ thinking.
4. There is no right or wrong way to handle grief- everyone’s situation & grief are different. Furthermore, one can’t say a person’s grief is better or worse than another’s. People need to handle grief in their own way.
5. Those who have gone before us want us to be happy & to live again. The last thing they want to see is their loved ones bogged down in pain & living in the past.
6. Our loved ones ARE ok & in a better place. The survivors left here on earth are in the greatest pain.
7. We should never forget our loved ones. In fact, commemorating them may help our healing. The memories that brought tears early on are the same ones that eventually bring back beautiful memories.
8. As a bone heals stronger where it was broken, so we can GROW from life’s challenges. The greater the challenge, the greater the chance to grow. Surviving the loss of a loved one is an incredible opportunity to grow.
9. We are specks in the universe & things happen for a reason. There is a master plan & no such thing as a coincidence. Usually, things that appear to be bad turn out to be blessings in disguise.
10. We get guidance & direction from God, Angels & our loved ones. God is light & love & everywhere. We’re all connected. Prayer works.

For more information about Adam and a foundation created in his memory visit http://www.truckinwithadam.com/

This all started because we had forecasted the numbers for our Portland experience. We determined what our expenses would be, what we projected our numbers to be, basically we prepped a P&L sheet for the trip. When it became clear that the numbers we had projected were NOT going to be the numbers that would show up we PANICKED. (Some psychics we are, huh?) We started running the shoulda, woulda, coulda on the trip, the fear kicked in and we started making each other and ourselves wrong…

Chanda had actually coached me on it early in the day, at that point she was speaking the channeled insight but not necessarily hearing it herself. Because it wasn’t until we were driving on I-84 that it hit us both and it sunk in.

We got clear that it wasn’t about how much money we “had” to make. And if it was then we’d lose the whole reason for being there…which was to serve. Now of course as business people we understand that we still have to pay the bills, etc. But it became so clear that the money IS THERE, IS COMING AND WILL CONTINUE TO COME.

It just may not look like how we thought it would and as a result we had to let go of our attachment to the outcome and just allow the experience to be what it is. That clarity provided such a wonderful sense of peace. That I believe for the first time we really got how this works and why when we just allow it truly does manifest.

So next time you’re in a rut and concerned about how something is going to play out, remember to catch the I-84 of allowing and that is when the real abundance flows.

I’ve had the privilege and honor of sitting with some truly amazing people over the last number of years. Good, honest people whose lives have been completely turned upside down because of the death of a loved one. Whether it’s a Grandparent, Parent, or child, the experience can be overwhelming. What have those experiences taught me? They’ve taught me that all any of them want is one more moment to be with their loved ones. They just hug and hold their children.

My wife Chanda and I have taken these experiences to heart and so we juggle it all, so that we CAN be with our children. We juggle it all, so we CAN be with our family and friends. We juggle it all so we CAN be filmmakers and artists. We juggle it all so we CAN be of service to you on your spiritual journey.

So on Tuesday’s blog entries I’ll be writing about what I observe being a filmmaking medium who’s a father of two. Some days I will write, take photos or videotape my adventures with Addi, some days they’ll be my adventures with Jake. And sometimes they’ll be my adventures with both.

What did I learn before naptime today?  – I learned that the best father I can be for my child is a father who is present…but I can only be present when I’m truly me. I never thought of myself as a “stay-at-home” dad, but I guess I am. Except for me, I’m more interested in mastering the art of being a “Be At Home Dad”.

Tuesdays, I dedicate my day to being Dad. And my children feel it. But of course they would…they are children of Married Mediums.

So, what did you learn from your child today before naptime?

Some may say that it’s not that easy, that you can’t just declare something that broad because things are bound to show up that will prevent you from having the greatest summer of your life. It’s always perplexing to me that people immediate respond with a list of reasons why it won’t be the greatest summer, rather than all the reasons why it will. Look, I’ve fallen into the why nots just as much as the next person. But I also have found a technique that allows me to let go of the why nots and embrace the why it will. The technique is strengthening your intuition.

Albert Einstein once said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” If one of the greatest minds of our time felt intuition was valuable, maybe there is something to it. We all have intuition. It’s something we are born with and it’s something that helps us make choices in life. Being able to strengthen your intuition allows you to be a clear channel for inspiration. If you do one, the other will flow. So if you want this to be the greatest month of your life, try these four simple steps and see what happens.

1. Take Moments to be in Silence. – In the silence you can hear the inner voice. This voice will direct and guide you to moments, places, and faces that will help you on your journey.
2. See the Miracles Around You. – When you stop to smell the roses or see morning dew on blades of grass, you truly see how incredible every moment is.
3. Be in Gratitude – Is one of the most powerful expressions of creation. When you are thankful for all around you the universe will create more of it.
4. Declare it to the World – The act of declaring sets things into motion. If you want this to be the best summer of your life, SAY IT! The act of sharing your vision with the world begins to attract people to your life who will help.