On May 12th/16, my dear friend and mentor, Daverna, crossed over. My heart is filled with love and gratitude for the many learnings and blessings that she brought into my life and the lives of many others during her all too brief time here.
The Universe gifted me with Daverna's loving presence and guidance after my younger brother suddenly and tragically passed in December 1997 at 34 years old. In the time following his passing, I was admittedly struggling to make sense of the world and also found my 'psychic abilities' rising to the surface again after having 'squashed' and denied them in the loving busyness of raising my 3 young children. A close friend of mine who bore witness to my struggle (even as I believed that I was fully functioning and 'doing just fine' in carrying on with life) insisted one day that I join her to have lunch with a few of her friends who gathered every week. Little did I know the impact this 'little lunch gathering' would have on my life! It was at this luncheon that I had my very first 'angel card reading' done for me by Daverna and her close friend (and I am pleased to say, my close friend now too!) Carol. I didn't know that oracle card decks even existed, but as Daverna and Carol did a reading for me with some decks by Doreen Virtue, I was blown away with the accuracy of what they shared with me about my current life circumstances and the messages that were shared as guidance from the angels!!! I asked my friend later what she had told Daverna and Carol about me and my life prior to the reading and she affirmed for me, "I just told them that my friend Linda would be joining us for lunch." It was uncanny! Following that experience, I went out and bought my own deck of angel oracle cards, authored by Doreen Virtue---Messages From Your Angels---and I used that deck and others that I felt compelled to purchase over time, as an accurate divination tool for connecting to the angels and receiving guidance for myself. I was blessed with other readings given by Daverna and Carol, but none stand out in my mind as that first one does, having opened a door for me and validating what I had 'always' known---your angels are there for you.
That luncheon was only the beginning of a beautiful and inspiring friendship I had with Daverna. The 'list' of the blessings she brought to my life are too numerous to mention here completely. She introduced me to so many people and experiences that facilitated my spiritual growth and helped me to understand and develop my own psychic gifts:
~Taking me (very reluctantly) to visit a shaman, who so impacted me that I then went on to study with this shaman as her teachings validated my knowing that 'everything is energy'.
~Introducing me to the couple who facilitated drum making in the native tradition and who hosted sweat lodges that I was so fortunate to participate in.
~I loved attending the drum circles held in Daverna's teepee almost every summer Sunday for some years, and especially appreciated the one she held in my father's honour after his passing in 2008---it was so powerful and healing for me!
~Daverna was my first Reiki teacher, in 2004 as my Level 1 Usui Reiki teacher; and she helped me to understand how I had been experiencing 'energy' all my life.
~While I have always been drawn to 'rocks' and have actually been compelled ever since I can remember, to 'bring certain rocks home with me' when traveling; and had learned in my studies with the shaman that 'rocks' are energetic 'beings'; it was Daverna who introduced me to crystal energy as a means to support us vibrationally. On one visit to her place, she gifted me a little pocket piece of Snowflake Obsidian when I confided in her that I was scared and nervous about an upcoming meeting with my then sister-in-law. She told me that this rock would give me courage and help me to stand in my power and that I was to just reach into my pocket and hold the Snowflake Obsidian in my hand if I was feeling anxious. The meeting, which I had agonized about, was complacent and 'threat-free'. So began my passion for crystals, my learning of their metaphysical properties, and how we can utilize them to support us in our lives!
~Road trips to the Body, Soul, Spirit Expos and other spiritual adventures with my 'posse', as I affectionately called this beautiful group of like-minded women---of which Daverna was a key player---were filled with laughter and tears and a deep connection that cannot be defined, as we journeyed together in my mini-van, Tim Horton's coffee in hand! Times that I will always treasure!
~Daverna LOVED a good dirty joke, and she loved to have laugh and have fun! She taught me that being spiritual didn't mean that you couldn't enjoy what it means to be here in the physical and that true spirituality appreciates all aspects of being human.
As happens in the cycles of life, Daverna and I saw less of each other as the years passed.
I am so grateful to Carol for initiating my reconnection with Daverna in recent years, and for the opportunity I had to be in Daverna's compassionate, caring and fun-loving presence once again, even as her health was drastically declining due to MS. I was able to voice to Daverna my love for her and my gratitude for all the ways that her friendship had enhanced my life and impacted my spiritual journey.
Daverna's Light shone brightly while she was here on this Earth, and I know that it will continue to shine on through the influence she had on so many.
"There are some who bring a light so great to the world
that even after they have gone, the light remains."
Shine on, dear friend...we will continue to experience your Light...
With deep love and gratitude,
Linda
No comments:
Post a Comment