Read an Excerpt
Nature Spirits, Spirit Guides, and Ghosts
How to Talk with and Photograph Beings of Other Realms
By Atala Dorothy Toy Theosophical Publishing House
Copyright © 2012 Atala Dorothy Toy
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8356-3042-9
CHAPTER 1
Ghosts and Spirits
A VISIT FROM THE ANGEL OF DEATH
Nana had died a few days ago. She'd had a tough life, her husband dying at a young age, leaving her with young boys to rear at a time when it was not respectable in some circles for women to work outside the home. But she had done so. In her old age, she became cantankerous, domineering, and demanding, eventually dying in a nursing home because none of her children wanted to have her stay with them.
As the only girl grandchild, I had been a favorite of Nana's, and that evening, as my husband and I were peacefully reading, I felt a sudden swoop of energy into the room. Just as suddenly I felt compelled to speak out. "It's a shame no one will miss my grandmother," I said to my husband. "She was such a crotchety old woman, no one liked to be around her." He looked up, nodded, and returned to reading.
But as these words hit the air, the room filled with a profound, grey sadness; it was clear Nana's spirit was present and had heard. I felt a rush of guilt for saying something so unkind, but an angelic presence whispered to me that he had compelled me to speak the truth, and from that uttered truth a new level of communication between Nana and the angel was now occurring. There was a sudden shift of energy as Nana accepted that the way she had been treated by her relatives had been directly caused by her own behavior. That permitted her to let go of her weighty anchor of bitterness. Peace descended. Then there was a swoosh of angel wings as the Angel of Death and the now-at-peace Nana continued their journey, unimpeded, to the other side.
LESSONS
Very often the Angel of Death will help people to understand their life better by bringing them to where loved ones are and surrounding the situation with a truth light. The light causes the loved ones to state their real feelings about the person who just crossed over. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it is to help spirits move through a state of illusion in which they feel unjustly treated—to reveal the reality of the situation. In other cases, it is to reassure the living that life is indeed eternal and their loved ones still exist, just not in the same way as before.
EXERCISE
People experience death in so many ways—described by so many books. In my work, I have seen a variety of scenarios, including lost and bewildered spirits hanging out at the site where they died and in "picnic groves" where the dead congregate, angry spirits seeking revenge and spirits who are being held in the earth plane by their attachment to another person or a place. I have not seen any ghosts of people who were loved and whose loved ones prayed for them to transition to the light/God/Jesus/Buddha/source—however source is perceived. The love of those close to the transitioning person—whether of this world or of their team in other worlds—surrounds spirits and helps them move on into the next room that spirit is meant to inhabit.
If, from false understanding, loved ones attempt to hold the departed in contact, they can actually prevent spirits from transitioning to the light. In this case spirits exist in a blue-grey intermediate zone, a place that is not particularly happy and where the spirits do not get fed the food of light. It is always better to pray for the departed to safely transition to the light. Once they have passed through those gates, they will return as light, if they wish to and if the situation warrants it. As light, they can be of significant help to their loved ones still on earth, protecting, inspiring, and offering wisdom that now is more profound than ever for it is coming from pure spirit.
Once souls have transitioned to the light, their human shortcomings are left behind, and they exist once again as pure souls who had high aspirations to do well on earth. Having experienced human form, they are especially able to appreciate the problems of earth and can work to significantly alleviate these problems for their loved ones. Before loved ones transition, their human frailties are still very much present and issues such as jealousy, control, and possessiveness can be present in their interactions with their loved ones. When they have fully crossed over, good but imperfect humans leave these issues behind, and they come back to visit or assist as pure soul-light.
Sit quietly, center yourself. Then look back over your own life and those of loved ones who have passed over. Say a prayer of positive intent for them, requesting that they be fully and happily transitioned to the light (they may have long ago transitioned, but just in case ...). If you discover loved ones are still on the earth plane and have not transitioned to the light, seek the reason and help them to complete unfinished business so that they can leave, or help them work through an alternate solution to their unfinished business. If they have transitioned, focus on the loved ones and the happy times of the past. Send them love, and request that they bless you with their own love. If you need help, tell them what it is and ask if they can assist you.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My company, Crystal Life Technology, has an annual spirit photography contest at its store. One year we received photographic submissions from a mother whose two grown children had died within a few months of each other. Each of her children had young children of their own. She sent us photographs of the uniquely identifiable energy orbs that she at first unexpectedly captured on camera and in subsequent gatherings looked to photograph. At each holiday gathering, a specific unique orb was seen next to each of her grandchildren. The grandmother believes these are the spirits of each child's dead parent, coming to be present with their children at the family gatherings. In this woman's case, we concluded she was able to capture the shapes of the spirit orbs because her children had transitioned and then returned as complete energy forms.
Very often, when people are just starting to understand interdimensional life energy, they think it is fun to go to known haunted sites and take photographs of the spirits. While this is indeed "fun," there are serious considerations involved: What are you capable of doing in such a situation? Can you protect yourself if this is needed? Do you have the capacity to deal with any ramifications, or do you need to go in the company of a true energy expert? Are you observing a ghost, guardian of place, or perhaps even a hostile entity who might cause problems?
To date, photographing ghost manifestation has not been an area I have chosen to focus on. However, there are many photographs on the Internet and in esoteric books of ghosts and spirits. My interest in approaching ghosts is for the purpose of correcting a situation. With clients, I first ascertain that they really want the situation to be corrected. If they are just curious and want to confirm their feeling but don't want the ghost transitioned, I do not accept the consultation. If they want help, I am focused on providing that; I seek to immediately connect with the ghost and, through the surprise of that, negotiate more easily for a successful transition. Recording photographically would entail detaching, calling the ghost in, photographing it—and by that time, the ghost has settled into the ways that have prevented transition, hence making it very difficult to achieve.
MANY DOORS LEAD TO THE BEYOND
Fran and Jim work with energetic sound technology and exhibit at various shows around the country. When our shows coincide, we go out for dinner and catch up. Many years ago, when I was new to this work, we went out for a Chinese meal.
As we settled in at the restaurant booth, Fran was clearly distracted. Finally she said to the air, "I know, I know, you want to go with the angels. We told you, your cousin Edith is waiting to take you to the other side. Please go with her."
"It's my mother, Marion," Jim explained. "She transitioned several months ago but is stuck just on this side of the opening. We've been arguing the point for weeks. She won't go with Edith; she wants to go with the angels!"
He sighed in exasperation. "Mom was always bossy in this life, and she's still doing it in the other! It's upsetting my wife. Mom won't stop nagging her about it. We've gotten as far as determining Mom is looking for a special door to go through," he said. "And that it is on a parallel plane to the one we keep showing her. Mom doesn't want to go the way we are showing."
As he spoke, he unconsciously drew his hand along a horizontal line in front of him, describing the situation.
I was casually looking at what he was doing and something about the sweep didn't feel quite right. "Oh," I said, "You mean she wants to go here." I drew my hand along a horizontal line, making an energetic correction in how he was moving.
This changed direction created a sudden eagerness in the air. Fran, Jim, and I all felt it, and looked at each other in surprise.
The mother's spirit was very excited. "Do it again," the mother spirit prodded me.
I obliged, repeating the sweeping movement. This time, when that same point was reached, it became clear what was occurring, and I moved my hand upward, following the energy. "The angelic door she's looking for is here."
The three of us felt a rush of energy as the spirit of the mother eagerly flew through the newly located door. The force of her exit physically pulled us up with a soft jump.
We three humans looked at each other in surprise, vividly aware that Marion's intense presence was no longer with us.
That night, when I was asleep, the mother returned to thank me. She had crossed over into the light and was exactly where she knew she should be. She requested a favor. "Please," she said, "Tell my son and his wife this. When you go into the other world, beyond death, there are many rooms to enter. You don't have to choose one you don't want, and there is not just one route. Tell them to offer a choice of doors to those they are helping."
LESSONS
Dead people are supposed to cross over into the light seamlessly. If they don't, what went wrong? Doors (portals) are supposed to open to let the dead pass through; if they don't open or the dead don't pass through, what has occurred and why?
The universe is a huge light grid—like the earth seen at night from the sky, with its multiple points of electric lights. The wiring of this universal light field descends in frequency from source to solid form, source being the main power plant feeding out to successive layers of subsidiary stations, all the way down to our own bodies.
In my work with energy, I function like an electrician—checking lines, adjusting circuits as needed, putting in new transformers, and rewiring lines to properly connect and avoid overloading.
Each situation has its own problems inherent to its field. Thus, the questions to be addressed are: What is happening to the field in the area we are observing? Where has the wiring gone wrong? Proper functioning is the desired state; faulty functioning needs to be corrected.
EXERCISE
Practice looking into the light, seeing what is at the end of the tunnel. Or sit in a room and pretend you are looking at doors that lead to the beyond. What do you think lies behind each door? What are your options? What, then, are your options for how you are going to live your life now, so that when you die you can easily go through the door you wish to experience.
THE GHOST WHO WASHED DISHES
Three energy workers—Jody, Cynthia, and I—gathered in Kevin and Corey MacFarland's family room to listen to their story. The couple was opening a meditation center in northern Illinois. They were especially sensitive to subtle energies and complained about "things" moving through rooms and through their property—things they could not identify—and they wanted energetic assistance.
This is a wonderful aspect of working with energy practitioners. We are aware that consciousness is infinite, and while we may have mastered some aspects of it, there is much yet to know. Therefore, when there is a situation we cannot work out, we will seek out practitioners who may have chosen to specialize in that area. We then will learn from them and incorporate the new knowledge into our own practice!
This was some years ago, near the start of my practice, and our little practitioner group was experimenting with what could be seen in the same area when different energy workers observed it, using different modalities. Jody and I would be leading workshops at the couple's center, and Cynthia was a budding energy worker in training. We decided to split up, look around, then come back together and see what the different overall results were. Jody and Cynthia went upstairs—a newer part of the house where the owners were having some issues, and I focused on the first floor and basement—part of which was the original historic prairie farmhouse.
Practitioners can turn interdimensional perception on and off at will—otherwise they would go into overload from so many different voices and life forms occupying the same space. I turned on my internal scanning mode, adjusting it to perceive the issues the family wanted assistance with, and started looking around. I left Kevin and Corey in the living room and walked into the kitchen, which was part of the original farmhouse. In a sudden energy shift, where there was now a third-dimension stove and stove hood, a prairie woman in a faded plaid dress was washing dishes at a phantom sink and stacking them above her in a phantom cupboard. This was becoming interesting!
Moving on, I entered the dining room where I saw a group of very frightened nature spirits huddled in the corner like disheveled refugees.
The living room and foyer were very peaceful; this is where the couple currently held their meditation sessions, and meditative energy had washed the rooms clean.
Then it was down to the basement where more of the nature spirits were pathetically positioned near a sealed portal that had once been the gateway between their world and ours. The portal had been in the stonework above the fireplace, which had deteriorated to such an extent that Kevin had recently redone and recemented the wall. Alas, this had also destroyed the gateway to the nature spirits' world. The original deterioration had been due in part to all the activity through that area!
These nature spirits reminded me of someone ... and I suddenly realized it was Kevin; he even had the same slightly pointed ears as these beings! Kevin had an energetic tie to these faeries. It appeared he had unconsciously been attracted to the property because of its "familiar" energy; but because he did not know about subtle land energies, he had no awareness of the deep reasons for the distressed energies he and his wife could sense.
I returned to the living room and, while waiting for my two colleagues to return, chatted with the couple. "How old is this section of the house?" I asked them, pointing to their modern-looking kitchen.
The woman looked surprised. "It dates back to the original structure, which we think was from the 1800s," she said.
"Are you aware of anything moving around in the kitchen?" I asked.
Corey hesitated and looked at her husband, seeking his agreement for her to continue. He nodded.
"Yes ... we are," Corey said slowly.
I described the spirit, and the couple nodded. "We have seen her for some time now, dressed exactly like that," Corey said. "And she is beginning to materialize more strongly."
My two colleagues returned then from their trip upstairs, and the five of us discussed the energies of the house.
It was decided that for the short time remaining before we had to go to other appointments, we would work on the most immediate concerns; we would return later to work on the other issues.
The first task was to work with the upstairs ley lines that were affecting the family's sleep. We cleared several vortexes and worked to clear a ley line that passed through the couple's bedroom. However, this ley line was anchored outside the dwelling in some small stands of trees that were growing on either side of the house. For the time being, we could only temporarily clear the bedroom. The source needed to be cleared as well. We placed some meditation statues on either side of the ley line as it passed through the room and recommended the couple focus on the statues from time to time to keep their protective energies active.
We then moved to the basement and opened the portal so the frightened nature beings could go back home. We suggested Kevin might enjoy sitting by the portal from time to time, to converse with the faeries. They considered him their protector in this world, and their energy would help elevate and lighten his own, when work issues troubled him.
This was all we had time to work with on this visit.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Nature Spirits, Spirit Guides, and Ghosts by Atala Dorothy Toy. Copyright © 2012 Atala Dorothy Toy. Excerpted by permission of Theosophical Publishing House.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
