Archive for August, 2009

I adore dreams. Dreams take us places, help us with problems, can point to some areas in our lives that need changing, humor us, and sometimes give us a scare. Our dreams serve us so many different ways.

We have problem solving dreams, stress relief dreams, fun dreams and nightmares. We can have past life dreams, astral travel ‘dreams’ (which we sometimes remember in dream form) or learning dreams.

Since learning dreams and astral dreams were addressed in a three part article, starting with ‘Coming and Going’,  I would like to share my thoughts here on the other (not all inclusive) types of dreams.

Nightmares
Can be (usually) one of two types – stress or fear dreams, and/or past life memories of an unpleasant experience.

Stress or fear dreams are normally triggered by a current situation or circumstance, and in some cases, be tied to a past life experience.

Past life traumas can show up in dreams as well.

As I mentioned in other articles, I always recommend a board certified counselor to help, especially with nightmares (preferably one with metaphysical and/or past life regression experience).

Problem Solving
When someone says, “Let me sleep on it” – guess why? Once our ego-self is quieted for the night, we can often problem solve and may awaken in the morning with a “Eureka!” feeling, or perhaps with the beginning of a solution.

Fun Dreams
Frankly, I feel that I don’t have enough of these. How often have you awaken in the morning, chuckling from a dream? Or, better yet…your own laughter woke you up in the middle of the night?

These are my favorite dreams – they can be comical, light hearted nonsense dreams. These types of dreams remind us that we need to balance work with play. Laughter is very important to us – and raises our energy so much!

Insightful Dreams
Sometimes we become flustered with a person, situation or circumstance. When this happens to me, I often feel like something is missing…I don’t have all of the information.

Insightful dreams can present to you a different perspective, perhaps a dream of you seeing through the eyes of another.

Some insightful dreams can show you a ‘bigger picture’ than what you are currently seeing – such as showing you that more is going on, or involved, than you initially realized, and perhaps providing you additional information so that you can better understand.

I work hard to keep in mind that for every one story involving at least two people, there are two different perspectives; and those individual perspectives are colored by the life experiences of each individual, hence the saying, “There are two sides to every story”.

Premonitions
Some dreams show a possible future event, incident or occurrence. Sometimes we don’t remember the dream until the event, etc., begins to unfold – then we are smacked with a déjà vu’ feeling, or we may recall the dream.

I often recommend that everyone keep a dream journal. Each morning, stop and write down as much of the dream as you can remember (dreams often fade as the day progresses). Date each entry.  For premonition dreams, you can go back to when the dream occurred and add the date and information on the manifestation of that dream. This will also give you a possible time frame for how far in the future you are dreaming.

The same goes for dream interpretation; I once again recommend the dream journal. As time progresses, you can learn your own symbology and begin to unravel your symbolic dreams.

Sweet Dreams!

‘The Secret of the Soul’ by William Buhlman. © 2001, HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-251671-X.

After Buhlman wrote ‘Adventures Beyond the Body’, he did an international survey on others out-of-body experiences. This book is the result of those surveys.

Buhlman used some of those survey results in this book, and have divided them into two parts: “The Testimonials” and “The Techniques”.

In the first part, some of what Buhlman addressed was childhood out of body experiences, and experiences brought on by trauma. He also touched on alien abduction symptoms and compared them to OBE symptoms.

The second part, he went to OBE’s in history; death; kundalini and more. He also provided different techniques for getting one’s self out of body.

Though information-wise, I was more excited with ‘Adventures Beyond the Body: How To Experience Out-of-Body Travel’, I believe that this is an excellent follow-up book.

Recommended for all.

There seems to be a lot of confusion between the terms ‘Paranormal’, ‘Parapsychology’, and ‘Metaphysical’. I have included very loose definitions; for convenience, I am including Wikipedia links within the paragraphs that follow. (Please remember, Wikipedia can be altered by the public).

I also added a section on what appears to be the common usage of the terms (at least in the US).

Loosely Defined

Metaphysics – (meta = beyond, after, with, etc.) – often defined as a philosophy of the realm, or realms, beyond the physical; and/or the connectedness we all share. Metaphysics can have many sub-categories or branches, such as: religion, perception, cosmology, ontology, etc.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

Metaphysical – pertaining to that which is beyond the physical.

Paranormal – (para = beyond, above, below, near, etc.) – generally speaking, defined along the lines of: that which is beyond the normal that is possibly lacking scientific explanation, to include ESP, telepathy, precognition, ‘ghosts’, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal

Parapsychology – generally defined as the scientific study of ESP, psychic, precognitive, etc. abilities or experiences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parapsychology


More Common Usage

Metaphysical – pertaining to that which is beyond the physical ‘norm’ and can include (but is not limited to): ESP, psychic abilities, telepathy; communication with ‘ghosts’, other world beings (UFO’s), etc.

Paranormal – possibly due to the increase of ghost hunting TV shows, ‘paranormal’ is most commonly used in reference to ghosts, poltergeists, demons, etc. and proving or disproving their existence through a more technological approach, such as: cameras (various types); EMF (electromagnetic field) detectors; and EVP (electronic voice phenomenon), etc.

Parapsychology – Institutes, establishments, researchers that apply controlled scientific tests to prove or disprove that which is beyond the physical – such as psychic abilities, ‘ghosts’, etc.

‘Sunrise, Day One!’ by Dorothy Kendall Slemmer. © 2009, BookSurge Publishing. ISBN 1-4392-3425-6.

The story begins immediately following the major earth shift. The main character, Susan O’Neal, awakens in the barn which is surrounded by water. Initially, she doesn’t know how she got there or what has happened.

She does know that she can now see light around herself and her cat, Jack.

Susan meets her guide, Stephen, who begins teaching her how to use her now heightened abilities.

This is Susan’s story of her experiences with the newly created higher dimensional Earth, as well as the stories of the survivors she meets on her journey.

Though this book is presented as a novel, I have included it – with good reason – in these book reviews.

From the first chapter on, it was filled with details and descriptions that I have been receiving for a few years now, from my guides – and was pleasantly surprised to see this information in written form.

Dorothy did a great job presenting, in story form, information needed for our upcoming dimensional shift.

To me, this is not just a novel; it is a written guide on how we all should be practicing our abilities and our connection to the Source.

I cannot confirm the land mass and water changes presented in ‘Sunrise, Day One!’. I do not have that information, nor do I want that information. (I do ask that no one get hung up, or obsess, on the Earth changes…I really believe we will each be where we need to be, when we need to be there.)

I can confirm the information (from my experiences) on the future ways of thinking, healing and creating.

I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed ‘Sunrise, Day One!’ and highly recommend this book for everyone; and suggest that we each practice the focus, connecting and the healing how-to examples presented within the story.

You can visit Dorothy’s blog for book excerpts and more information – http://sunrisedayone.blogspot.com/

Something Extra:

What inspired you to write this story?

I had felt for some time that so many people just did not understand their relationship to their Creator and the purpose of this life.  I had written a book called “The Door is Open,” in which I wrote the answers to the questions that I often heard asked as a Hypnotherapist.  These answers were given to me by my own guides, and I presented them as such.  But the book didn’t get a good reception.  Most people felt it was not what they were taught in their church or just couldn’t accept the concepts presented.  So, I put it aside.

Then, my guides said, “Write it as a fiction.  You will reach more people with that format and the concepts will be more acceptable when people don’t feel like you are telling them how to believe.”  One day in December, 1997, as I was driving home from a college class that I was taking, the guides gave me the first chapter and the title and ending of the book.  I could see the whole first chapter happening in my head!  I started writing immediately.  I took the next semester off so that I could work on the book and it was finished July 4th of 1998.  Again, I was unable to get it published.  I suppose that the timing was just not quite right, because here it is, published in 2009!

Is there a possibility for a sequel?

I asked my guides that very question this morning!  I, myself, do not have plans to write a sequel. But I left it open to them, and if they present one to me, I will write it.

Do you have any insights or words of wisdom to share with your readers?

Only to say, be kind to one another. You lose nothing by being kind and gain so much more than you realize!  Stop and consider what YOUR cost will be (karma, you know) in hurting another.  And how much time do you really have to make it up??  Peace, always peace….

More Author Info Please:

Dorothy K. Slemmer, or Dottie as her friends call her, has always had an interest in metaphysics and the many aspects of E.S.P., and she headed an E.S.P. study group in the late 1960’s.  While working full-time, she studied Psychology at I.U.P.U.I. and later took courses, getting her certificate from the Hypnosis Institute of Indianapolis.  For many years, Dottie did hypnotherapy as a vocation and eventually limited her practice to age regression research.

After retiring, Dottie returned to college and got a Master’s degree in History with a collateral field of Archaeology.

Dottie felt drawn to write ‘Sunrise, Day One!’, her first novel, so that she could share with others the insights and truths that she has discovered in her many years of study.

She is the mother of 7, grandmother of 12, and lives on Kentucky Lake with her husband of 33 years and their four cats.  She is an artist, a vegetarian, loves to travel, and has an avid love of nature.

Thank you Dorothy!

Last week’s article (‘Pardon Me…Your Past is Showing’) talked about taking care of unfinished business. This week continues that vein and is about boundaries.

Many of us (my hand is raised) have difficulty in setting personal boundaries; and, if we do set them, we often have troubles sticking to them.

We each have the right, and responsibility, to set boundaries in our life; it would be better if we set them up (and kept them) before we allow ourselves to get to the point of feeling hopelessness, frustrated, angry, resentful or completely stressed out.

I suggest you sit quietly, with pen and paper, and investigate…within. Write down that which makes you feel ‘used’, like a doormat; dumped on; or something you really detest. What kind of energy do you NOT want in your life anymore? What kind of boundary, or boundaries, can you set up to keep the unwanted, unhealthy energies out of your field/life?

“What if I am stuck with having to deal with so-and-so because s/he is my boss/parent/sibling, etc?”

You can still set boundaries, and you needn’t get stressed about it; nor do you need to get aggressive about it; you just need to re-empower yourself in a constructive manner.

One light example: Every week I wash clothes. I always wash the whites last. In the past, after dinner, I would sit on the couch with my basket and sort everyone’s socks and fold whites.

When each child was old enough, they would be instructed on how to wash their own clothes; their whites were welcomed to be washed with mine.

When the empty nest came, I would wash and dry the whites, put them in a basket…and there they sat. I detested matching socks and folding whites. I quit; I just forgot to mention it to my husband.

After about a year, he asked me something along the lines of, “Why do the whites just sit in the basket?” (He is so very patient with me!) It was asked without anger or frustration.

I smiled up at him and told him, “I’ve matched socks and folded whites since I was a teen – I am sick of them and don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t mind washing them, I just don’t like folding them.”

He shrugged and said, “Okay, I’ll do them. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Yes, why didn’t I?

Though this is not an extreme example – it really is okay to say “No”, and if that’s too direct, there are numerous constructive ways to enforce boundaries.

I encourage those who feel they are not able to constructively (not destructively or harmfully) set boundaries, please see a board certified counselor; they usually can help you to help yourself.

If no boundaries are set, and maintained, we are bound to repeat that unhealthy energy over and over again – and we really don’t need that anymore.

Setting boundaries is part of taking care of unfinished business – it is something that has been put off and it’s now time to take care of it.

I know I have touched on this previously, but it is now becoming ‘in-your-face’.

Many are facing something – or someone – from their past. It’s time to take care of unfinished business.

Some are having the feeling that they may have forgotten something, but can’t remember…all that remains is that slight nagging feeling in the back of the brain. This may be the unfinished past is attempting to resurface.

Some are being confronted with a scenario similar (or in some cases, identical, including the same person/people) to one you experienced when you were younger.

It may be any unresolved issue. Below are just a few examples:

Learning to set boundaries in your life. For example: you may have left a friendship/relationship that was unhealthy for you, or you were taken advantage of…now it’s time to face that circumstance again and create your boundary or boundaries – (“I no longer accept that drama / an unhealthy relationship in my life.”) – and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be in anger; just decide what kind of energies you want in your life.

An illness or imbalance that you previously applied a ‘band-aid fix’. Example: I recently had some dental work done (deteriorating/damaged metal fillings were removed) that I have put off for two years.

An unresolved anger or fear towards a person and/or circumstance. (I am in no way suggesting you put yourself in physical or mental danger!) Example: My mother and I had unresolved issues from the past (touched on in a previous post) – and we were unable to physically work it out, so I went to the non-physical and we worked on it there.

Metaphysically-speaking (and chances are you are not going to want to ‘hear’ what I am getting ready to ‘say’) – you set up those experiences from your past to help you grow; learn to forgive others and yourself; and take something positive from the experiences. Yes, there are horrific incidents/experiences out there. I am not downplaying or reducing your experiences. I am saying that we have a choice on how we respond to those incidents. Each individual has the ability to take something positive from each incident – or not.

We are coming full circle – the past meets the present, and must heal those rifts now.

“So just how are we supposed to do that Jan?”

Take care of your physical body.

Begin on healing your past. Counseling and/or getting together with the person/people to work it out amicably. I do, however, highly recommend seeing a board certified counselor/therapist though. It is very easy to slip back into the old energy patterns associated with the incident and/or people.

For those issues revolving around someone else who is deceased, incapacitated, or whereabouts unknown, you can do the following:

Counseling. It really is good to have an objective, trained counselor to help guide you.  I am partial to certified counselors who also have acceptance of the metaphysical.

After shielding, ask your guide how you can accomplish the healing.

An energy healing technique, such as Ho’oponopono (brief article here).

It really is time to have closure on the past – we cannot be lugging that around anymore.

I wish you each a healing of your past.