Ghosts Among Us - James Van Praagh [66]
I looked at Carol with a blank stare. I didn’t have the slightest idea what she was talking about. “What board? The only board I know is the ironing board!”
“No, silly, the Ouija Board. I used to use it every weekend with my Aunt Vinnie so we could find out what was going to happen in the upcoming months. It was like listening to a weather forecast.”
At first, I was skeptical, but I knew Carol was a good person and not a nut, so I agreed. Carol gave me a quick tutorial in doing the board:
Purify the space by lighting incense to keep unwanted and lower energies, or stragglers, as she called them, far away from the area.
Put out a bowl of water, which acts as a conductor of energy to spirits and helps them transmit messages. (A side note: Have you ever noticed how often you receive insightful information in the shower or bathtub? Water is a great conductor of energy.)
Light a candle to draw a light of protection around everyone participating.
Play pleasant music in the background. Light music can also raise the vibration to a very high level.
The next and most important part of the ritual is to take several minutes to meditate and center yourselves.
Carol told me to focus on love and to visualize a white light all around us. We did this for about ten minutes.
Having grown up Catholic, I was very comfortable with the formality of a ritual, and I realized that this one had all the elements of a Catholic Mass. I began to feel wonderful and light. When we opened our eyes, we placed our fingers on the planchette. Carol explained that the spirit people would meld themselves into our auras and impress us to move the indicator from letter to letter.
“You will probably feel their emotional state and their personality,” she said.
Well, I was ready. Immediately, I felt an incredible tingling sensation in my hands. I looked at Carol.
She asked, “Do you feel that?”
“Ah, yes, it feels like pins and needles.”
Suddenly the planchette began to make circles at a record speed. It was almost impossible to hold on.
I looked over at Carol in amazement. “Are you doing that?”
“No, James, that is spirit. They do that to bring up the energy before they can speak.”
I felt a surge of delightful electricity run through me. I also felt an amazing amount of love.
Carol and I looked at the board as it began to spell out words.
JAMES I AM ANGEL LOVE. I AM YOUR SOUL GUIDE. I WILL WORK WITH YOU IN BRINGING OTHER SOULS TO THE LIGHT OF UNDERSTANDING AND TRUTH.
I felt like I had had amnesia and this was a remembrance from my spiritual life. It felt so real and right.
The session continued for a few more hours. Other souls, like Carol’s father, her Aunt Vinnie, and my grandmother, showed up and gave us a “weather forecast” for our futures. Many of the prophecies have come to pass.
I thanked Carol. I felt as though I had discovered a whole new part of my being. We did the board a few times a month for many years, and it certainly aided in my spiritual development.
A few days after that first session I was checking out a New Age bookstore. When I turned to the sale table next to the register, I spotted a cassette tape of spiritual music entitled Angel Love. So I bought it.
DREAMS
Whenever I do a workshop, one of the first questions I ask the audience is, “How many of you have had dreams of a loved one who has passed over?” A good 90 percent of them usually raise their hands. They all agree that when they have a dream of their loved one, it feels extremely real and seems to be much more than a dream. Some admit that they don’t even want to return to the waking state. This is very understandable. I do believe the experience feels so real because at night when we sleep our spirit bodies leave our physical bodies and go to the other side. We visit our loved ones, guides, pets, and soul mates from ages past.
You know the expression “If you have a problem,