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May 26, 2005
Whaley House
A few years ago my husband and I visited the Whaley House in San Diego, California. The house was built by Thomas Whaley in 1857 and was later the site of the San Diego County Courthouse. And it is one of the most haunted buildings in America!
There are three main ghosts that haunt the house. The first one is thought to be Mr. Whaley himself. He is sometimes seen wearing a frock coat on the stairway landing. Visitors have commented that they feel a pressure while on the stairs as well. The second one is that of Mrs. Whaley. She appears on the settee in one of the bedrooms or on the couch in the living room. Sometimes you can smell her lavender perfume as you walk through the house. The third ghost is that of a little girl who was killed in an accident in the back yard. It is said that she usually appears only to children.
Visitors over the years have taken pictures of the rooms in the house only to have blurred images and lights appear when the photographs are developed. Many of these guests have sent copies of their photos to the house and they are on display in the old courtroom. We took a few pictures ourselves while we were there and had similar results. (See below...)
We had toured the house, taken our pictures, and, except for the feeling that spirits were there, had had no ghostly encounters. It was just before the building closed for the day that my husband and I were standing alone in the courtroom. A low barrier divides the courtroom, separating the judge's area from the spectator's area just like in a courtroom today and visitors to the house are not allowed into the judge's area. Just beyond the barrier is a large wooden table covered with those visitor's photographs that I mentioned earlier. The pictures are covered by a thick, heavy piece of glass. I was standing in front of the barrier looking at the pictures when I turned to point them out to my husband. And when I turned back the whole piece of glass had shifted, messing up all of the pictures beneath it. So much for not having any ghostly encounters!
A few months later some friends of ours also visited the Whaley House. They didn’t know that the house was supposed to be haunted, but Jenny told us later that she kept smelling lavender wherever she went in the house!
Posted by Linda Dalton at 06:21 PM | Comments (3)
May 19, 2005
Love, Love, Love
Finding the right personal relationship is one of the most confusing, yet potentially fulfilling, quests any of us can undertake. We all yearn for love and the quest to find the right partner is one that is hardwired into our psyches. The problem many of us have is that while we are looking for that perfect love, we are working with incomplete data. How can we learn to understand the complexities of another person if we don’t understand ourselves first?
Love is more than just a chemical reaction in our primitive brains. It is the bringing together of souls, the opportunity to be more than just the sum of our parts. It is the ultimate connection that we can make on the physical, emotional and spiritual planes. With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that we often make mistakes in the process.
One of the advantages, or perhaps disadvantages, of pursuing spiritual development is that you must learn to see yourself in a real, true light if you want to make any progress. It isn’t easy to look yourself in the mirror and see the aspects of your personality that are not shiny and pretty. All of us have moments of pettiness, greed, envy, etc. but to advance on a spiritual level we must recognize these not-so-nice traits, acknowledge that they are interfering with our spiritual growth, and attempt to overcome those tendencies. The Death card in the Tarot deck represents a good example of this process. This card refers to accepting the death of a trait or personal habit that no longer serves your development. You must let go of this ingrained response pattern if you want to advance to the next level of development. This can be very hard, especially when you are emotionally attached to the trait, i.e. redheads are supposed to be feisty and stubborn, not calm and cool. Try toning that down after a lifetime of ginger hair!
As we learn more about who we are, our priorities shift and our values change. Suddenly dating someone who wants to bar hop all night, every night loses some of its appeal. We seek out those who mirror our own values and are following a similar spiritual path. The better we know ourselves, the greater our chances of finding a true love. And, in many ways, love is indeed all you need.
Posted by Linda Dalton at 11:55 PM | Comments (1)
May 12, 2005
Am I Cursed!?!
I was recently asked if I thought it was possible for someone to put a curse on someone else.
When someone attempts to put a curse on another they are, in essence, trying to draw up energy to perform a negative action. Energy is neither positive nor negative, it just is. Using energy for any purpose comes with strings attached, there is always a karmic debt involved. If someone uses energy selflessly, or for good, i.e. healing, counseling, meditation, etc. then they will receive good in return. If someone uses energy selfishly, or for evil, i.e. curses, hate, anger, etc. then they will receive evil in return. You get back what you put out. Wiccans believe in the three-fold rule; what you put out comes back to you three times over.
So can someone put a curse on you? They can try. And the negative energy they put out will come back on them and bite them on the butt. By using energy in a negative way, they are creating negative energy in their own fields. Negative energy draws more negative energy back to itself, so they are, in effect, cursing themselves.
Can you be cursed? Usually the only way a curse will work is if the person being cursed knows about the curse and allows that lower negative energy to affect them. If you believe in the energy of the curse you start seeing negative things everywhere around you, a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. By keeping your energy positive (focusing on what is good in your life, keeping a positive attitude) and realizing that the person doing the curse is actually bringing negative energy back on him or herself, it shouldn’t have any effect on you.
As a note, you might want to beware of psychics who tell you that you are cursed and will remove the curse for a fee!
Posted by Linda Dalton at 10:48 PM | Comments (57)
May 05, 2005
The Psychic Parent
There are times in our lives as parents when we have to deal with unexpected situations and difficulties. These things can take the form of illness, problems at school, peer pressure, college expectations, you name it. Being psychic doesn’t alleviate the worry and concern you feel for your children. If I stop and listen to my inner voice, I can usually see the pattern through to its conclusion, but the emotional being within me still raises its head to be heard.
Embracing and understanding our emotions is a part of being human and as a parent it is necessary to be aware of our own emotions so we can help our kids as they grow and develop. I have lost a mother and a child, and have dealt with that kind of grief. I feel it is our responsibility to teach our children the techniques for coming to grips with their emotions by coming to grip with our own. Even a psychic parent has to learn to balance the fear you have for your children with the ability to let them choose their own paths.
There is a big difference between emotional concerns and obsessive worry. Some psychics feel that emotional detachment is the best way to stay in the stream of spirit, but where does that leave those around us? Although emotional detachment may be less painful, it robs us of the wholeness of our human experience. What is our spiritual quest if not to embrace the richness of humanity and attempt to raise that experience to a higher level? We do the best we can to prepare our children for lives of their own. Then we have to have faith.
Posted by Linda Dalton at 07:48 PM | Comments (0)