The first time I remember experiencing this gift is when I lived in an apartment building owned by my Dad’s parents. I had a habit, from a very early age, of escaping the battle ground of my parent’s marriage and their exacting standards of living, by going downstairs to my Grandparent’s apartment. I remember so vividly the warm, enveloping hug of my Grandma, the smell of her talcum powder. The sights, smells, and sounds in her kitchen were heavenly. Always something cooking; interesting people sitting around her table, waiting to be fed. I can hear the buzz of conversation and all the laughter to this day. To think, she did all this while working sixty or more hours a week in the Motorola factory. I am sitting here eating her egg and bacon special, which she made for me whenever I was hungry because it was my favorite thing to eat.

The memories are pungent. But, even more important to me is the fact that I knew she loved me unconditionally. In her eyes, I was perfect, just as I was. I didn’t have to do anything to merit her love; it was freely given. Too, she supported her children’s and grandchildren’s hopes and dreams, attending our recitals, celebrations, graduations, beaming with pride. This was quite an accomplishment, since she lived in the city, and she never owned a car to make the more than hour drive to where we lived. More telling than that is that she accepted where we were at on our journey — never expected us to be the best or the worst at anything we explored, being unattached to our results.

When Grandma died, I never thought I’d ever experience that kind of selfless love again. Little did I know that Great Spirit was going to gift me with another experience of allowance, acceptance, and unconditional love. In 1988, I met my current teacher, Moon Woman Miss Genni Pearlsong McCoury. I don’t know if she remembers this or not, but I met her at a spiritual expo in Nashville Tennessee, before her son’s car accident. She was still traveling around the country teaching in those days. I never knew at the time how very important a role she was going to play in my life or that over 20 years later she would remain the pivotal figure in my life. But, I thank Great Spirit every day for her presence in my life, because going to Aunt Genni nourishes my spirit and gives me motivation to keep going, even when I want to quit.

The remarkable thing is that Aunt Genni and I come from two different backgrounds — she was raised traditionally as a Native American Moon Woman, and I was city bred. I saw why she lived her spirituality when I started working with her family when I was electrocuted, fighting for my life and sanity. The specialists had said that they felt the electrocution had caused multiple personality disorder — thousands of little slivers instead of one whole person. Auntie checked in with the Grandmothers; they didn’t understand such a diagnosis as being correct. But, because they loved me and felt I would worry about the diagnosis, they designed a ceremony of healing my psyche. The ladies of our family made thousands of little cradle boards, each one finely decorated. They floated them along the river to a point where they all met, symbolizing the healing of my mind. Unconditional love in action. Exquisite blessing!

Another one of the things I notice about these very healing relationships in my life is that Grandma and Aunt Genni want to know where I’m at on things. They ask what I call, “kind questions.” They listen very carefully to what I have to share. They don’t try to correct me by telling me that I am mistaken. They ask questions that may or may not lead me to a different point of view. Our conversations always end with an affirmation of my worth and an “I love you, Melody.”

So, in closing, I would like to acknowledge these great ladies and give you the gift of unconditional love. I’m sending this energy to you, all wrapped up in a shiny pink ribbon. You are God’s child; God’s creation. No one can be you; no one can fulfill your unique purpose for being but you. This makes you valuable by right of birth. If you never do anything ever again, you are lovable and valuable. I acknowledge you, my brothers and sisters on the journey. Who you are indeed does make a difference.

Blessings and love to you all,

Melody-Rose

Today, I just want to share some thoughts I have about being a spiritual teacher and coach. Since my guidance is to strengthen “my inner observer,” I’ve had the opportunity to watch people interact with the information that comes through me, without emotions getting in my way. I thought I’d share my observations, as it might help someone out there choose between content and marketing/appearance/perception.

Even though I implicitly have followed my guidance to make the teachings I share accessible to as many people as possible, I have never hid the facts that I am a transchannel first and have received over 20 years of training from a Native American Moon Woman. Even though I rarely present myself in either context, I am fully capable of pulling in messages from the highest guides on the Spiritual Planes and have done for many, many years, and continue to do in my private spiritual practices, high ceremony. Just because I neither overtly nor covertly advertise these gifts doesn’t mean I don’t own them. Just because I rarely don my feathers and turquoise jewelry doesn’t mean I don’t have ceremonial garb. What it does mean is that I am very conscious that in order to broaden my outreach, I have to appeal to the most people. That means I spend a great deal of time just talking to people, listening to their dreams for themselves and their families, and translating what I know and the information that flows through me into something that people can hear.

Several weeks ago I had a great discussion with my friends on my regularly scheduled Friday night program, The Exchange on ACIM Gather (http://www.acimgather.org) on this very topic. We used the example of James Arthur Ray who marketed himself as a water pourer for Native American Sweat Lodges, using words like “Sacred” “Secret” “Ceremony” “Hidden” “Deep in the Jungles of South America.” His marketing piece on his website made it seem that he had both knowledge and standing in the Native American world as a ceremonial/lodge leader. This indeed was not the case, and several people died and were injured in Sedona, AZ as a result of Mr. Ray’s attempts to lead a ceremony he was unqualified to supervise.

How do I know this? First, in the Indigenous world no one markets their work. Someone’s knowledge base and abilities are confirmed by others and shared by word of mouth. For example, no one ever says, “I am a Medicine Woman.” Others might call someone a Medicine Woman, because she helped them in some way. It is in fact the community that gives credence to the notion that someone connects to Creator in a good way and is helpful. What a bona fide Native American teacher/ceremonial leader will do is share with you who their Elders are and what lineage supports them. That is the acceptable credential in that world.

Second, I have written Mr. Ray several emails and contacted his supporters on Facebook asking them for information about Mr. Ray’s lineage and Elders so that my Elders can connect with his and help correct Mr. Ray’s behavior. No one has ever responded, and it is my contention that they don’t respond because they can’t respond. It is my belief, unless Mr. Ray and/or his supporters give appropriate information to me, that Mr. Ray does not have a lineage in the Indigenous world and that no Elders take responsibility for his behavior. He, therefore, is not in fact a water pourer, has never gone through extensive training and supervision as a water pourer, and had no business taking anyone, let alone dozens of people, through a sweat lodge ceremony.

The sad thing to me is that somewhere along the line Mr. Ray seems to have started to believe his own marketing hype. I really feel that he saw himself as a ceremonial leader, even though he patently was not. Also, if his many emails are any sign of where he is at, he does not take personal responsibility for what happened in the Sweat Lodge in Sedona. Taking responsibility is key to good Medicine work. In the Indigenous world until Mr. Ray makes right, he will never have any good connections, either in the Spirit World or with the People.

So, please be aware, when you are looking for a teacher, that in many spiritual disciplines there are mentors and lineages. The teacher is only as good as the lineage that stands for him or her. So, do due diligence and find out what is standard practice for a teacher in the discipline you are thinking of studying, and only study with someone who has a great lineage and the fruit from that tree.

The second part of my talk with you today is more personal. I have had the opportunity to share teachings on several fronts over the last six months and watch what people do with them. It’s been quite enlightening.

One of the first things I noticed is that who starts applying the teachings will often surprise you. I’ve been watching two young gentlemen who are around 23 years of age, for example. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on chat with the youngster who is heavily attracted to Indigenous teachings and wants to be a healer. Although he’s had some Ah Ha! moments over the course of the last year with me, he continues to walk into karmic lessons (lessons learned through suffering). This last set of lessons I’m watching him in has to do with how he chooses teachers. I’d like to share my observations of his walk with you.

On the one hand, I have been sharing foundational teachings and healing work with this young man all along. I have even put him in touch with my “Auntie” (my Native American teacher), as a first connection to my lineage. I drove over three hours to Alabama to attune him to Reiki, when his teacher of choice fell through. On the other hand, he went to a few sweat lodges with water pourers I know in Alabama and eventually decided to present his Medicine gifts to the couple and request to be taught by them. He even moved to their property and works full time on the property for a barely habitable, poorly-heated room and very little board. After being there since November, the couple has not responded in an appropriate, timely manner to his request for teachings. I doubt that they ever will.

Then, I watched the other young man. I met him because he was a friend of my roommate of 20 plus years, and they went into business together. By profession, this young man is a hairdresser, and he loves to help people. On its face, I would have never thought that this man would connect with my teachings. But, he has. He’s hungry for the teachings, applies what I’m sharing with him, accepts me as is, and shares the teachings and opportunities to work with me with his friends. He has made so much progress in the last few months that I can’t wait to see what he manifests next.

Another person I was observing is the only person I ever apprenticed in over 20 years. I really like this lady and connect strongly with her vision of helping animals. I know that she is new to the spiritual path, and often that means that the bells and whistles being marketed are attractive. But, I was totally flabbergasted when she emailed me to say that she was not going to participate in the teachings at this point. I know for a fact that she spent considerable money, that she did not have, to attend a weekly workshop on creating abundance. Since she told me that she is processing negative emotions and suffering while doing this, I know that she either isn’t applying good abundance teachings, or appropriate truth teachings aren’t being passed along. What is even more on point is that the process I offered to share with her, for free, has a huge track record of effectiveness in helping one manifest what delights, without processing negativity or suffering in any way.

Where I went in my thinking is that people are attached to how they receive the teachings. They want to be in control of how the teachings manifest for them. I knew this, as my Reiki Master told me this over 20 years ago when we discussed the attunement process. My Reiki Master did a traditional style attunement because people who researched Reiki usually had some idea of what that process was like. My contention was that the attunement was sealing an energy transfer that had already occurred, so it didn’t matter how one attuned a student but that one did enough for the student to believe something happened. Even though my Reiki Master agreed with me, he contended that appearing to do the attunement in the “right way” perhaps was a part of building that belief.

In the instances above, I have been guided to offer a life line to three people. Let’s say metaphorically that I offered a white life line. One of these folk didn’t care what color the life line was, so he took it and pulled himself up. One of the people said, “I want a red life line. If it isn’t red, it’s not Native. So, I don’t even see the white life line, even though it’s laying right in front of me.” Unfortunately, unless the Universe intervenes, this guy is in a vibrational morass that could be very challenging to overcome. In the case of the apprentice, she said, “I see the white life line. I’ve seen others pick it up. I’ve even picked it up every once in awhile and then put it down. But, pulling myself up with the white life line means I’m going to have to give up suffering and change some things in my life. I think I’ll try this other life line. They are in a healing center. The way they market their work sounds good. Their terminology sounds really spiritual. They have techniques.”

To round off this discussion, I would just like to say that my training as a healer tells me to be unattached to people’s process and results. I was trained to hold the space for miracles to occur but not to put my details on what someone else’s miracle would look like. As my Elders say, “Healing for some people is a miracle cure. Healing for some people will be happiness in spite of disease or disability. Healing for others might be a good death.” So, even though some part of me feels emotional as I watch people move in and out of the teachings, I work on being as detached as I can.

When it comes down to it, I can only give you one good piece of guidance on this topic. It’s not original to me. In fact, it’s something I picked up by studying Jesus’s words in The Bible. “Look at the fruit on the tree.” Do your research. Find out not only how a person acts in class but how they treat family members and business associates. If his/her fruit uniformly is tasty all of the time in every season, you might want to try it. If it’s not, there are other trees out there. Finally, if you do try the fruit of someone’s tree and see that it is seasonal or not to your taste, you can always find another tree. Ultimately, all paths go one place — they uncover our complete awareness that we are always connected to All That Is. That is God’s promise and our salvation.

If you came here through one of the social media sites, then you probably already know that my Jackie had to be rushed to the emergency vet this evening. He was vibrantly alive this morning, full of spunk. Then, all of a sudden around 4:30 p.m., he started having the most peculiar symptoms I have ever seen. He couldn’t be still. He was running and jumping around. He was crying pitifully, and he wouldn’t let me touch him or pick him up. The third eye lids that cats have were covering part of his eyes. He was vomiting and coughing violently.

Tolen was out of pocket, and his cell phone was out of order. I called everyone I know to drive us to the vet, and no one answered their phone. I went over to the next door neighbor, and he wasn’t in good shape to drive (He just lost his wife a couple of months ago.). So, I went to the other neighbor. He was at home and said he would take us to the vet.

Jack was totally miserable in the car, struggling to get out of my lap, his little body trying to throw itself around. He finally jumped on the floor boards of the car, and I held him there so that he was safe. We carried him into the vet’s office, and he started turning sommersaults, jumping from one surface to the other, and projectile vomiting. Even my neighbor who is usually a stoic kind of guy was upset for Jack.

The vet’s assistant looked to be a kind lady. But, when she gave me the estimate for Jack’s emergency treatment, I almost fainted. The vet wanted between $725 and $925 up front, before she would treat Jack. Since she is the only game in this part of town, I guess she can charge whatever she wants to. I had no idea if Tolen had this kind of money or not, so I tried to work out a payment plan, as Jack’s condition continued to deteriorate. The vet’s assistant told me the vet had strict rules, that they wouldn’t treat Jack without an upfront payment. I explained that I had no way to contact Tolen, didn’t know where he was. I asked them if they could just stabilize Jack without doing the expensive blood work immediately. They said that would cost $450. I told them to stabilize Jackie, and I would find a way to get them that. I also offered to talk to Tolen when he arrived home and call them back about the other approximately $300 so that Jack could get the total care he needed.

The vet then came in and told me that Jackie had been poisoned. She was wondering whether I had any poisonous plants in the house, whether Jackie went out. I told her that he did go outside, but that since it rained today all day, I thought  saw him use the cat box instead. I told her that Jackie doesn’t like to have wet feet, but that it was possible that he went out through the cat door downstairs, during a break in the rain. With the water so high up on the property and all the snakes and frogs around, he could have been in contact with anything. The vet said that it was unlikely to be a snake bite because Jackie’s symptoms didn’t seem to coincide with snake venom poisoning. Then, the vet left, and I looked at Doug, our neighbor, and we both commiserated that the vet seemed to care less about saving Jackie’s life than getting paid up front.

They were about to run Tolen’s debit card for the $450, and the electricity went out. So, they had us wait for quite a long while, and eventually told us that they would give Jackie the entire treatment, without running the debit card, based on my willingness to go home and find a way to pay the vet bill. I thought we were complete and started to leave. But, I was wrong. The vet’s assistant had me sign paper work and asked me whether I wanted Jackie resuscitated, if they had problems keeping him alive. I took a deep breath, checked in with Holy Spirit, and told them, “No.” That was the single hardest decision I have ever had to make, bar none. When Cleo and Marcus were ready to cross over, they were both very ill for several days. I had had time to prepare myself for that last vet visit. With the stroke of the pen, I put a DNR on Jack’s chart, knowing that Jackie was in God’s hands if it came to that point. Then, I looked down at his prognosis, and the chart said, “Guarded.”

I came home and connected with my Aunt Genni Pearl and my friend, Suzanne Deakins. We all joined together and did healing work on Jack. I could hear Jack in my mind. He said he was scared. I told him I loved him so, that everything was going to be okay. I kept focused on the healing work and contacted my Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers and asked them to pray for us.

Now, you might say to me, Melody-Rose, Jack’s only a cat. You might wonder why I was willing to commit funds that I personally did not have to Jack’s care, in the belief that somehow we would make the situation right. I think my friends who have pets understand where I’m coming from. I will literally do whatever it takes to insure Jack’s welfare, because he is family to me.

When Abraham-Hicks guided me to pet my cat, I realize in retrospect that this was the only way they could strengthen my awareness of my connection to something greater than me, that I call, “God.” In petting my cats, I became more joined with my highest good. In these relationships, I have found my greatest healing, because my cats love me totally, unconditionally, whether I am happy or sad, whether I am in a good or bad mood, whether I am joyful or desolate.  My cats are mirrors for the Holy Spirit; I can see  unconditional love, acceptance, and allowance in them. For me, this has been a huge blessing in my life. They are my evidence of God’s continued loving commitment to me, his child. They lay their and soak up my love, as I pet them, and return it to me multiplied and stretched.

Since I started writing this evening, the vet’s assistant phoned. Jackie turned the corner. Since they never regained electricity, they were not able to give him intravenous feedings. They had to give him hydration injections under the skin. They also gave him medicines which stabilized his condition. I am truly grateful for the work the vet  did to give Jack’s body a chance to fight the poison. When I mentioned that I still hadn’t been able to talk to Tolen about the money, she said, “It’s okay. We can’t run the card anyway. I’m really sorry that the vet made me do that to you, but she wants to stick to the rules.”

Tolen also arrived home, since I started to write. He started contacting family and friends to raise more funds to pay for Jackie’s vet bill.  It is my heartfelt prayer that we are able to reward the vet for saving Jackie’s life, that we can bring Jackie home.

You know this whole incident brought home to me the reason why I so desire to create financial distinctions in my life. It just doesn’t feel very good to know that a family member needs my financial support, and I am not currently able to help, given that the bulk of my income is my disability stipend. This, too, shall pass, as my Mother was fond of saying, and I assure you that it will. I am more determined than ever to breakthrough the financial barriers of disability to a new life where I have all the resources I desire.

Suzanne so gently reminded me tonight that the 15-20 hours of work I do a day is worth it, that I am moving toward my dream, that it is happening for me, as we speak. I thank God for her, Aunt Genni, and Tolen. Having them step up to the plate tonight helped me immensely More importantly, I thank God for the grace of having a true holy companion like Jumping Jack Flash. I value very moment I share with him and look forward to petting him again.

• For example, viruses, microbes, germs and harmful
  bacteria do NOT cause disease.  They do “seek their natural
  habitat — diseased tissue — rather than being the cause
  of the diseased tissue; e.g., mosquitoes seek the stagnant
  water, but do not cause the pool to become stagnant.”
  This is according to the famed “Father of Pathology,”
  Dr. Rudolf Virchow.  Likewise, germs, bacteria, viruses and
  pathogens do not cause disease, but rather seek out
  environments where they can thrive best – and that is in
  oxygen-deprived bodies.

(They have a great video on Youtube which I felt was too lengthy to share here. So, if you want more information on their method and the research they have accumulated, I suggest you start there.)

I have had chronic health challenges since I was a small child. For example, I was plagued for years with septic arthritis which was caused by a virus. I was off school more than in school because of chronic ear, nose, and throat infections.  Since my parents were fairly traditional people, they relied upon my pediatrician who prescribed antibiotics every time I was ill. We didn’t know anything about alternative healing.

Then, when I left home for the last time when I was 33, and became a Reiki master, I opened up to different possibilities. My Sannyasin friends (devotees of  Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), for example, only ate fruit before noon, and only drank water and herbal teas. I met vegetarians for the first time in my life. The Universe connected me with some of the top people in the field of alternative healing. Of note, is my longstanding relationships with Katharine Clark, RN and whole raw food expert, and Viktoras Kulvinskas, author of  Survival in the 21st Century and creator of the cancer treatment program at the Hippocrates Health Institute.  Katharine and Viktoras shared with me several things I could do to improve my wellness profile. I continue to implement these changes and share these keys to wellness with you so that you can try them yourself. When you put these  suggestions into play, you will increase your body’s ability to heal. Of all the things I am sure of regarding health, I know that our bodies naturally seek wellness and have an enormous capacity to heal, given the right fuel and environment.

1. Drink 6-8 8 oz glasses of water a day. Hydration is very important, as your body is predominately made up of water.
2. Eat the best quality food you can afford. This is the fuel that brings energy/light into your system. What you spend on food, you will save on medicines.
3. Add whole foods to your nutritional program. Eat the stems, the seeds, the skins, and so on. There are important phytonutrients in the parts of fruits and vegetables that we normally throw away. Making raw food smoothies is a good way to include whole foods in your eating program.
4. Eat wild foods when you can. These are foods found in their natural state. There are wonderful wild-crafted blue green algae and sea  weeds and vegetables that you can include.
5. Eat raw fruits and vegetables every day. These foods are rich in enzymes and good bacteria. Not only that, but a eating program abundant  in raw fruits and vegetables is very alkalyzing. There is a tremendous amount of information available on the benefits of an alkaline diet. Conversely, many cancers and other diseases thrive in an acid environment.
6. Soft, porous fruits and vegetables should be organic, if you are going to eat them. Tough skinned fruits and vegetables can be eaten after cleaning with Veggie Wash.
7. If you are going to eat meat and dairy, buy organic whenever you can. If you can’t get organic, buy meat and dairy products that are hormone and additive free.
8. When you go out to dinner, find a good vegetarian restaurant, whenever possible. The chances of getting a nutritious meal will be much higher if you eat at a vegetarian restaurant.
9. Keep moving. There are many different opinions about which type of exercise is most effective. I personally favor QiGong which has aerobic benefits without the downside (I don’t like being sweaty, and my feet and legs hurt when I run.).

I will be sharing indepth information on each of these points in the future. In the meantime, if you want to increase your wellness, I heartily encourage you to implement at least some of these suggestions.

Tomorrow I will be writing about how to pick teachers, mentors, and peers. Since I have had many experiences over the course of time in this regard, both positive and negative, I have developed sound criteria for choosing those people who have the greatest influence in my life.