Author Archives: Baja Rock Pat

I’m Still Here: Tara Darlene Smith’s Incredible Comeback from the Edge

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It is my intention with this website, to provide hope and encouragement to others, primarily through the power of music. Before I share the article Tara composed for us, there is no better introduction to this remarkable woman and the things she accomplished than this short video and song written and produced for her by Songwriting with Soldiers:

Sunflowers in Iraq

By Tara Darlene Smith

Sunflowers grew in Iraq, too.

In Ireland, my chosen home, I drive past a bright cluster, and remember. 

Sunflowers were the perkiest part of any convoy I drove on. Sometimes they were a blur of yellow, other times, I luxuriated in a longer glance. In Iraq, I could have gotten someone killed for tracking beauty instead of potential danger. Behind ballistic-grade sunglasses, I’d glimpse their sunshine petals and deep brown flesh. When their faces turned towards light and danced on the wind, my grin was tough to conceal. I did my best.

Smiling was frowned upon. As was joy. And those were the only two things I was ever any good at. 

I pretended to be proficient at soldiering. My fear was that no one, especially not me, bought my act. I came from a land of greens and blues, golden light and malls that sprawled. Desert air wasn’t so different from the feel of summer in the suburbs. And without all of those Targets and Starbucks in the way, in Iraq, I had a better view of the horizon. Pinks, oranges, and purples stirred parts of me I had to re-stifle daily. 

I hadn’t expected anything beyond desolation. How could the enemy live beneath such lush skies? Parched earth was the neutral backdrop of my musings. Or rather, a stage that showcased every violent contrast. I was told we were there to help. I was also trained to kill. Protectors or predators? At war, there was never time to reconcile such conflicts.

We remained coiled springs, tense and ready for release. But whenever mortar rounds were launched at our base, we did not fire back. We hunkered in bunkers, down, down, down, like ants. More like contained cockroaches, never free to scurry from the light of explosions. Why were we taught to fight if retaliation was unauthorized? And how could peace grow from such unstable soil? 

No answers came from questions I dared not ask. Instead, I fixated on micro-battles within. I supressed a lilt in my heart whenever desert rain washed over us. Or when those defiant sunflowers brightened the beige landscape. My smile bloomed through the cracks in my Kevlar. You could send the California girl to war, but you couldn’t (fully) remove the song in her soul. I held on to the rhythm that sunrises, sunsets, and starry nights provided. 

Cranes delivered more stacks of cement, placed around our sagging, mustard yellow tents. Unless their dusty roofs took a direct hit, we were “safe” because of those thick gray walls. Smooth on the sides and flat up top, we waited until the sky blackened, scaled them, then perched. The cool night air felt closer atop the barricades. A constant threat of death inspired the stars to twinkle with greater intensity. Or maybe, war had permanently altered my vision.

When I believed the enemy was everywhere, I was constantly rewarded with evidence. Blasts of bombs and color intermingled in my mind’s eye. A fiery sunrise as we started the day’s convoy foreshadowed the abandoned vehicle we drove past that afternoon. The scent of burning tire flesh clung to my clothes. How that green overturned truck came to be engulfed in flames was a mystery. Explanations were not handed down to low-level soldiers; confusion was part of the collateral damage. 

The underbelly of patriotism was ignorance. I was blinded by mine. But I started asking myself silently, secretly, What am I doing here? Question marks in my heart twisted and rotated, then morphed into anchors. 

And what about that roadside bomb, perfectly designed to harm from a distance? A few seconds delay in detonation meant that I was not converted into mist. Everything rattled as I drove through, but my HMMWV was only dusted with fine blue powder. Beyond the immediate gift of more time to exist, I craved clarity. Why did they want to kill me? Decades later, part of me still can’t help but take that IED personally. 

Sometimes, I have reimagined the attack. Like the blast happened near a golden expanse of fields. No sunflowers were about that day. But in my reclamation, seconds before impact, their petaled faces have appeared. In slow motion. The explosion. Then, catapulted leafy green bodies. They rose. They hovered above the tan armor of my truck. They fell. Left to wilt on hot pavement after I drove away. Forever released from joyful wind dances.

No matter how far my mind wanders, fresh Irish fields, and the air they sweeten, bring me back. On Ireland’s rugged soil, I am grounded. 

My California roots flourish in this soft rain, and the longer I’m here, the brighter I bloom. What has faded between war and now is my desperation for certainty. I could fill a thousand pages with all that I don’t understand. As unanswered questions remain in the ether, what matters most is that here, I am safe to ask them.

Then the greens, blues, and gentle light remind me to focus on what I can feel. Like warmth in my core that spreads to my limbs when I rest near an open turf fire. Or a grin that lingers on my lips long after I drive past a vibrant garden. Because I am free to savor this simple truth—sunflowers grow in Ireland, too. 

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TARA DARLENE SMITH feeds her soul by writing and reading creative nonfiction. She hopes to move ever closer to her truth one word at a time. She has studied creative writing in California and Colorado, earning her B.A. and M.A. Tara believes that where she writes is as important as what she writes about, and most recently has moved to the captivating west coast of Ireland to work. Tara’s love of the sea, traditional Irish music, and building community through storytelling have collided in the most fantastic ways in County Clare. As she continues to craft her memoir, Tara is fueled by caffeine and fierce optimism. Please visit her website at www.taradarlenesmith.com

***If you, or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones,  24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simply call 988.

For more information on Songwriting with Soldiers: https://songwritingwithsoldiers.org

Sunflowers photo credit: Susanne Jutzeler, Schweiz from Pixabay

How To Change the World One Fire Department at a Time

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Photo Credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

I can’t sit back and do nothing. Especially when I have something to offer that could possibly help those who so unselfishly risk their lives on a daily basis to help the rest of us. The unsung heroes.

My most recent post described the incredible devastation to mountain communities, national parks, and wilderness areas from the current wildfires here in Northern Colorado–the Cameron Peak Fire, the CalWood Fire, East Troublesome Fire, Lefthand Canyon Fire, and smaller spot fires that have ignited as well. Dry conditions, high winds, and beetle-kill pine trees have contributed to two of the largest wildfires in Colorado history; as of this writing, and according to an article in The Coloradoan, an astounding 401,223 acres.

While these fires are temporarily subdued due to recent snowfall in the area, they are expected to resume as the temperature rises and the snow melts.

Small town fire departments struggle to keep up with the increasing demand on their already-depleted resources

Photo Credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

I reached out to the Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, to find out what I could do to help their firefighters during this harrowing time, and was told by the Fire Chief there, that the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department was sorely in need of help. GHAVFD’s resources have already been depleted. They’ve spent more than $3,000 in fuel alone for which they will not be reimbursed, and anticipate at least another $10,000 in expenses to cover volunteer costs and other unexpected expenses. The person with whom I was in contact, also mentioned that since GHAVFD is such a small fire department, they are often overlooked when it comes to donations.

Photo Credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

An offer too good to refuse – everybody wins!

I have several boxes of copies of my book, Dance of the Electric Hummingbird (personally endorsed by rock legend Sammy Hagar, former lead singer of Van Halen) in my office right now, books I’ve purchased personally from my publisher, (yes, I had to buy my own books) so from now until November 30, 2020, (I may extend that timeframe depending on need and interest), I’m donating 100% of the money (minus shipping & sales tax for CO residents) from the sale of my book to the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department, but my offer only applies to books purchased here, through my website; I have no control over Amazon.com or other outlets. In selling these books, it provides me with the means to donate much more money than I’ve been able to donate on my own.

And… don’t forget–the holidays are coming and books make great holiday gifts! I will even personalize your book for you–make sure you provide me with a name.

Photo Credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

If you buy a book from my website, you’ll have to pay for shipping, & sales tax for CO residents, but 100% of what you pay for the book will go directly to the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department.

Dance of the Electric Hummingbird

Thank you for your kind generosity. We are all in this together.

To purchase Dance of the Electric Hummingbird, please click here: http://www.bajarockpat.net/my-book/ordering-information/

(Important: ONLY books purchased through bajarockpat.net are eligible for the GHAVFD donation fund. Offer does not apply to books purchased through other outlets.)

Colorado Burning

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Photo credit: Dee Walker

An apocalyptic dark-orange sky shrouds the deep-pink sun as if it’s 7:00 at night while, in reality, it’s only noon. Ash rains down like snowflakes and collects into black piles on cars, in cracks in the cement, and against buildings. You can’t go outside for long because the air is toxic. We live less than 15 miles from the fires and are staying informed through local updates. This has been our lifestyle for more than two months now.

About 1:00 in the afternoon. Normally you can see the mountains in the background, but not now; there’s too much smoke.
Photo credit: Dee Walker

Many have had to evacuate and many have lost their homes. 

Ignited on August 13, 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire is the largest forest fire in Colorado history, and, as of this writing, according to https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/cameronpeakfire, with the assistance of unrelenting 40 mile-per-hour winds, a tremendous of amount of fuel, such as beetle-kill pine, very little precipitation, and steep terrain, the fire has consumed nearly 207,000 acres thus far and is currently only 55% contained. The ravenous monster grows daily, creating new spot fires like the East Troublesome Fire, which grew in a matter of hours from 1,000 acres to an astounding 100,000 acres, burning into the majestic Rocky Mountain National Park, and threatening the picturesque towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake, and could join forces with the Cameron Peak Fire. And the CalWood Fire is threatening the cities of Boulder, Lyons, and others.

Confluence Spruce and Forest Canyon, photo credit: Rocky Mountain National Park Service

Firefighters like those from Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department, joined by firefighters from all over our state, have come together to subdue the beast, risking their lives in severe and unpredictable conditions. 

Photo credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

Per an email I received from Fire Chief Kris Kazian with Windsor Severance Fire Rescue:

[The] Glen Haven Fire Dept. is a very small fire dept. that has exceeded their budget. They have over $3,000 in fuel costs that they do not have funds for and will not be reimbursed.

Photo Credit: Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department

And

The impacts of these fires are not even being felt yet. We have the impacts to people losing their homes but the subsequent potential flooding and water contamination concerns, I think we are sadly just getting started!

Photo credit: enriquelopezgarre, Pixabay

Also, in an email from a representative at GHAVD, I was told,

Right now they (GHAVD) are $3,000 out of pocket expense for fuel and anticipate approximately a total of $10,000 for [their] volunteer crew. [They] have reached out to all for help… many times they get left behind when it comes to help.

2020 has been a year of constant turmoil and fear for many, and in the face of so much adversity, I believe that the best thing we can do as human beings, is to be of service to others. I most humbly request that you join me in supporting those who put their lives on the line each time they go to work to unselfishly help save our families and friends, our homes, our wilderness, our pets and our wildlife–our world. We cannot begin to know the tremendous amount of mental, emotional, and physical stress they must be dealing with as they work through all of this. They are truly our unsung heroes and we are forever in their debt.

Please direct your donations here: Glen Haven Volunteer Fire Department

Thank you and God bless. Together, we will get through this.

Interview with Tracy Farquhar, Part II

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Tracy Farquhar

Last week, Tracy talked about how she first realized she had extraordinary gifts and gave advice on how to get started if you, too, are in interested in cultivating your psychic abilities. Please enjoy the final segment of our interview.

Pat: How would you say that can we grow, as human beings, by listening to our intuition and trusting in otherworldly phenomena that we can’t see with our eyes or can’t always “prove”? In other words, how do experiences like these enhance our lives if we allow them to?

Tracy: Our brains are amazing processors of information. They can be compared to computers, which make sense of the information we receive through our physical senses so that we can function as humans. And like a computer, our brains require programming to determine the way we process those bits of information. The brain is programmed by our learned beliefs, our culture and our personal experiences, and as such, they are not always the best guidance system. Our higher senses are more connected to our higher wisdom, so we will often feel an “urge” or intuitive sense that we should follow a certain path or investigate a certain opportunity, even if it doesn’t make logical sense to our brain. If we ignore those signals, we may be missing out on some amazing life experiences and we may keep ourselves stuck in situations that aren’t in our highest good. We all tune in to those higher senses at various times without even realizing it, like when we can feel the energy in a room or when we sense the way something or someone feels beyond what our five senses tell us. Our intuition can also help us avoid dangerous and harmful experiences. A couple years ago, I was driving on a highway when I “got” a voice in my head that said, “Stay away from the trucks.” So I passed a line of tractor trailers ahead of me and continued on. A little while later, I heard it again and realized I was behind another huge truck so I eased off the gas to leave a lot of room between us when suddenly the tread completely unraveled from the gigantic back tire of the truck and came flying at my car. Because I had listened to that voice and backed off, the tread hit the road in front of my car instead of my windshield, and I was so grateful that I knew enough to pay attention to what I was receiving. I don’t know where that voice came from; it could have been my Higher Self, my guides, a loved one in spirit or even Source itself, but all I need to know is that it helped me avoid a potentially deadly outcome.

P: Yes. I’ve had similar experiences, for sure, but didn’t always know why I got the idea to take a different turn or something. I’m learning to trust these kinds of moments, though, because we don’t always know what could happen if we ignore the messages. Ok; on to my next question–without mentioning names, can you share one of your favorite psychic connection moments?

T: Once, fairly early in my career as a psychic medium, I was doing a spirit gallery, which is a group mediumship event, and I was connecting with a spirit (I don’t remember who it was) for a woman in the audience. I saw a white car, which felt important, but the woman said she didn’t have a white car. I then saw child safety seats in the car, but the woman said she didn’t have any children. I got a strong sense that the safety seats needed to be adjusted and tightened, but again the woman shrugged and didn’t seem to connect with the information. I urged her to take note of it, though, because it felt important. About a week later, the woman emailed me and said that the day after the reading, she went to her job at a daycare and realized that the van they used to transport the children was white, and that it had child safety seats in it, so she went into the van and tightened all the straps holding the seats down. A few days later, the van full of children was broadsided by a speeding car. She came out of it with cracked ribs, but all the children were safe. 

P: Wow! That was right on! Glad everyone survived. And now, we are going through some difficult times in our world. Do you have any advice for us on how to cope?

T: First of all, know that your reactions and responses to this unique situation are personal to you, and it will be in your best interest to allow any fluctuating emotional responses to flow without trying to suppress them. If the tears come, allow them. If you feel frustrated or angry, sit with those emotions and consider healthy ways to work through them, like doing some physical activity or writing them down. If you’re feeling fear, ask what action that fear is motivating. Healthy actions include limiting public activity, washing your hands, wearing a mask, and doing everything you can to stay safe. Beyond that, fear is not helping you, so it’s time to turn your attention to what feels better. If you have more time on your hands, this is a perfect opportunity to get back in touch with your creative nature in any way you like. Try some creative expression or creative thinking that’s different from what you normally allow yourself to do or think. We are experiencing a tremendous global shift, the likes of which no one alive today has ever experienced, and you can participate by deciding what to do with it in your own life. Be aware of what’s going on, but understand that you don’t need to immerse yourself in it 24/7. Turn off the news. Make choices based on how you want to feel, and how you want to come out of the other side of this experience. How do you want this to affect your life? You get to decide whether this will inspire you toward something better, or crush you under the weight of fear and despair. Know that your choices and actions not only affect your own personal life, they affect the energetic trajectory of our planet, so make compassionate, kind and loving choices wherever possible. And most of all, be compassionate, kind and loving to yourself, since that’s where it all begins.

P: Has Frank any advice on dealing with our current world situation and feelings of anxiety and fear?

T: Frank, the collective I channel, has been encouraging us for several years as we move through this shift. Much of what they channeled in both of my books, Frank Talk and Channeled Messages from Deep Space, is very relevant to the world situation at this time. They continue to urge us to stay focused on the desired result in all aspects of our own life and the world at large. As I mentioned above, they suggest that we engage in creative acts and to embrace the possibilities for change and expansion. Creative thinking is needed now to come up with new systems that will better serve our world, as this has been a period of revealing the truths around the systems that no longer work. They would like us to continue to appreciate and care for our world and understand how precious it is, and how all of our actions are interconnected, which is something we can certainly see during this crisis. 

P: That’s great advice, for sure. In closing, is there a question you wish someone would ask you, but you’ve never been asked?

T: How does being a professional psychic medium affect your everyday life? In all aspects of my life apart from my career, I live a pretty quiet and low-key life, which is by choice. As an extreme introvert, I prefer being at home and I have a small circle of close friends. While my career puts me in the public eye, I’m not sure I’d want the degree of fame that some of the big-name psychic mediums have. The mainstream views on people in my profession can be pretty harsh and I’ve occasionally been the target of ridicule, fear and scathing criticism. Some of the reviews of my books have been hard to read, but I’m less and less affected by criticism as I get older. One of the things I learned from Frank as I was writing my books was that if anyone criticizes or ridicules my work, that just means it’s not for them, so I don’t have to be concerned with what they say. This has helped me a lot through the years, and now I’m not too concerned with the skeptics. I’m proud of the work I do and I know I’ve done some good in the world with my gifts, and I’m pleased that I’ve been able to support myself and my two kids with it. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road and I certainly haven’t become wealthy from it, but it’s been incredibly enlightening and fulfilling, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

P: A huge thank you, Tracy, for doing this interview with me. I’ll bet there are a lot of people who have questions for you now that they’ve been introduced to you. Are you offering any specials or discounts to people who may be reading this post?

T: I’m offering a special discount to anyone reading this interview! You can get 25% off any 30- or 60-minute psychic, mediumship or spirit guide reading by phone or online via Zoom. Just click this link to schedule and enter the coupon code HUMMINGBIRD (all caps) to get the discount: https://tracyfarquharpsychic.as.me/.

P: Is there anything you’d like to add?

T: Please take good care of yourselves through this difficult time. Treat yourself gently and amp up your self-care routine. And don’t be afraid to reach out when you need support. We all need to take care of each other. Wishing you good health and peace.

P: I second that. For more information on Tracy, and for details on the different types of readings she offers plus current classes and workshops, please visit: www.TracyFarquhar.com.

Interview with Psychic Medium, Channel, Teacher, & Hay House Author–the Incredible Tracy Farquhar

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Tracy Farquhar

I’ve known Tracy Farquhar for quite a few years now. Not only do I know from personal experience that she is an extraordinary human being, I also know that she is an extraordinary psychic medium, teacher and author. Tracy is the real deal–truly gifted–like nothing I have ever seen.

Years ago, she helped me find a friend I’d lost contact with for years. Unfortunately this dear friend had passed away several years before I enlisted Tracy’s help, but because of her help, I was able to “connect” with this old friend and find some much-needed peace and closure.

Tracy has authored two books. The first is titled, Frank Talk: A Book of Channeled Wisdom. According to her website, www.tracyfarquhar.com:

“Frank is a spirit collective from another world channeled by Tracy. They have been sharing inspirational and uplifting messages since 2009.”

Also from www.tracyfarquhar.com: 

“Tracy’s second book is titled, From Deep Space with Love: A Conversation about Consciousness, the Universe and Building a Better World, co-authored with NY Times Best-Selling Author, star of The Secret and celebrated speaker Mike Dooley, was released by Hay House on May 9, 2017, and the paperback version, Channeled Messages from Deep Space: Wisdom for a Changing World, was released on September 18, 2018.”

Tracy also teaches psychic development training classes and workshops and provides personal mediumship services, spirit galleries, and coaching for clients. And she does all of this in her kind, caring, and warm manner. I am truly honored to know this remarkable and gifted woman.

Following is my interview with her:

Pat: Thanks so very much for doing this interview with me, Tracy. To begin, will you please tell us about when you first realized that you had spiritual abilities? How old were you?

Tracy: I’ve always been extremely sensitive and was easily overwhelmed by crowds, noise and high-energy situations. I was a loner as a child and never had a lot of friends, so in sixth grade I was sent to the school psychologist for some tests to see what was “wrong” with me. I spent most of my life believing these sensitivities were a fault until my 40s when I started taking a continuing education course in psychic development at a local community college. I had always been interested in metaphysical and paranormal topics but never thought that I had any talents in this area until I started doing some practice readings in those classes which showed me that not only was I pretty good at it, I also had a real passion for this work. My life changed in so many ways when I discovered that my lifelong sensitivities were actually gifts, rather than faults, and I took this course over and over again to continue practicing and experimenting with my abilities.

P: Did your parents or grandparents have these gifts? Your siblings?

T: I have one sister who has psychic abilities, and I have a recently-discovered half-brother who seems to be sensitive and spiritually-inclined.

P: Tell us how you began to develop your gifts in the beginning.

T: I was working as a secretary at an arts college while I was taking the psychic development classes, and the art students loved getting free readings, so that’s how I practiced in the beginning. Fortunately, the faculty were very understanding and supportive, and even incorporated my readings into some of the students’ assignments. After a while, when I felt ready, I started offering group and individual sessions as a side business, and when my psychic development teacher had a heart attack and couldn’t teach anymore, I started a weekly group that met in my home for about two years for further practice and sharing.

P: What were some of the hardest lessons you learned along the way?

T: I learned early on that I had to avoid trying to interpret everything I was receiving and instead, just convey it. The first time I did a reading outside of the classroom for a student in the college, I picked up on a spirit who showed himself to me with dark hair and a slim build, wearing a white apron and holding a knife. I thought the knife seemed creepy so I left that out of the description I gave the girl I was reading, but it turned out that it was her grandfather who was a butcher! The knife wasn’t creepy at all; it was a way for him to identify himself, so I had to learn that it was my job to describe what I was receiving rather than interpret it though my own filters. I also used to feel bad if someone cried in a reading, but I learned that tears can be healing and can express more than just sadness. And as my confidence in my abilities grew, I learned that just because someone isn’t relating to something I’m telling them in the context of a reading, it doesn’t mean that I’m necessarily wrong. I’ve had many clients who didn’t understand something during the reading but who contacted me later to tell me they thought about it later, or asked other family members about it and found it the information was actually accurate. So I don’t doubt myself as much as I used to.

P: That’s a lesson I think most of us need to learn to apply to other aspects of our lives as well–not to doubt ourselves so much and to have more confidence in who we are. I also believe that we all have psychic abilities to some degree, don’t you?

T: I absolutely believe that we all have higher senses in addition to our five physical senses that help us process reality, but our culture doesn’t support those senses so we tend to consciously block them. Many children exhibit tendencies to interact with spirit, or sense energy in a way that seems natural to them, but because it’s not encouraged and, in fact, it’s often ridiculed or feared in our culture, they will learn to block those abilities. But we all receive intuitive and psychic information on a subconscious level; we just think it’s coming from our own thoughts and ideas. Learning to bring that awareness into our conscious daily lives can greatly enhance our life experience by making us more confident in our ability to make decisions, helping us to feel more connected to each other and the natural world, and raising our awareness about the spirit world and the guidance we regularly receive. That’s why I teach intuitive and psychic development, because I know how life-changing it can be to accept these innate and powerful forms of awareness.

P: Some people might say that connecting with spirits and/or using Tarot cards is dark and evil and that if we choose to go there, we might be entering a world from which there is no turning back, so we shouldn’t mess with these things…

T: Your experience is going to be guided by your intention in all areas of your life. So if your intention in doing this work is to connect with the dark or evil side, then your experience will reflect that intention (even if it is not what is actually happening, your brain will interpret it that way). If you believe, either by learning from religious training or just from our fearful culture that these things are dark and evil, then that means that these experiences are not for you and you should probably steer clear of them. But also understand that it’s a learned belief, and not the truth. My intention in all the work I do is to uplift, inspire, guide and motivate my clients to live their best life, and as such, there is never anything remotely dark, evil or threatening about any of the connections I make or the tools that I use. I have helped thousands of people to get a higher perspective on their life’s path, learn to trust themselves more, know that their loved ones in spirit are in a peaceful and happy place, and understand their challenges as opportunities for growth and higher wisdom. What could possibly be evil about that?

P: Indeed. To expound on this a bit more, I’ve heard people say that they’re concerned about evil entities attaching to them or attacking them or those around them–especially when they are just attempting to learn mediumship. Is that something a beginner might need to be careful of?

T: Mediumship is the ability to connect with the non-physical world, and for most people, this evokes a lot of fear. That’s because it seems to be the great unknown, and because we have such a fear of death. The media always depicts spirit entities as evil or negative, and the paranormal programs on TV always seem to focus on demonic energy, so it’s not surprising that there would be so much fear around connecting with spirit. It’s unfortunate, because that fear acts as the lens through which we interpret any kind of spirit communication. If you have an unusual experience, which may be a loved one simply letting you know that they’re still with you, your fear may cause you to interpret it as a negative experience. Consider what it’s like to walk down a dark street in an unfamiliar place; you’re on high alert because you’re nervous and fearful. If a cat suddenly darted in front of you, you’d probably jump and maybe scream, because your mind is interpreting the experience through fear. So the first thing to do is to deal with your fear. If you are nervous about evil entities attaching to you, you should probably not be practicing mediumship. Set clear intentions that you’re only connecting with higher beings and the spirits of loved ones. Your intentions are the guiding force of your experience, so always make sure you have clear intentions for what you want out of your connections. In all the years I’ve been practicing, I’ve never connected with anything remotely negative. Set your intentions, call in protection from your guides, angels and Higher Self, and proceed with confidence. If you’re working with a teacher, make sure their teaching resonates with you and isn’t creating unnecessary fear, and realize that if there were so many evil entities wanting to attach to you, there would be a whole lot of mediums (and other people) being hurt and “possessed” by them.

P: Sounds like good advice to me. Whenever I’ve witnessed you doing readings for myself or others, you always exude gentleness, respect, warmth and kindness and because of this, I think your whole presence is comforting to people. And it also brings goosebumps. And sometimes tears because of the profound connections that you make when you do readings. So when you do connect with those on the “other side,” how do you perceive them? Do you see them? Hear them? Or just simply sense that they’re there?

T: The two ways that I receive the most information from spirit are clairvoyance and clairsentience. Clairvoyance is “clear seeing” so this is where I receive images in my inner vision. Spirit will often show themselves to me in a physical way so that I can describe them, and I’ll sometimes see scenes from their life or images of things that are important to them. Clairsentience is “clear feeling” and that’s when I receive feelings and emotions that I then have to translate into language. This will happen when spirit wants to describe how they felt about certain things and when they want to convey emotion to their loved ones. Clairaudience is “clear hearing,” and this is more of an internal hearing of words rather than hearing something externally with the ears, which also sometimes happens for me, as well as clairallience, which is “clear smelling” and clairgustance, or “clear tasting” since smell and taste are such strong memory triggers. 

**End of Part I**

Intrigued? Check back here next week, for Part II of my interview with Tracy–and a special offer from Tracy just for YOU! In the meantime, for more information on Tracy and for details on the different types of readings she offers plus current classes and workshops, please visit: www.TracyFarquhar.com.

Finding Peace amid Chaos

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If we stop long enough to appreciate the small things, they can greatly enhance our lives.

Like snow. 

Last weekend, it was so warm out, I was certain that spring was here at last so I put fertilizer down on the lawn. It snowed the next day. And the next. Then it warmed up a bit, melted the snow, then dumped on us again. We got at least fourteen inches or more. Heavy, wet stuff.

It was hard work shoveling that heavy snow, so with our bodies aching, my husband and I decided to get take-out food from a nearby Mexican restaurant. As we drove home, we noticed how the trees on both sides of the road, some as tall as four-story buildings, were covered with a thick frosting and glitter of snow. And silence. Everything that had been outside for the past few days was covered in intricate patterns—houses, mailboxes, wire fences, electric boxes, meadows, shrubs, cars, lawns. Evergreen trees’ branches were bent to the ground as if bowing to the splendor (and weight) of the world. It was truly a magical sight.

Before the snow fell, my daffodils and hyacinths were in bloom, so I cut several of them and brought them inside since I knew they probably wouldn’t survive the predicted snowfall. I set them in a glass of water on the kitchen table and marveled at how their perfume filled the entire room and at the complexity of their beautiful faces—bright yellow frills and petals and stamens on the daffodils and little purple drops of sunshine in the hyacinths. Pure brilliance. Pure joy.

The weekend before the snowfall, my husband and I went for a drive to a popular nearby lake. Because of the social-distancing orders in place due to coronavirus, there were no boats on the lake, something I have never seen on this lake. The water was calm, making its expanse seem even larger than before and I felt a sense of peace come over me as I gazed at its grandeur and inhaled deeply of the fresh mountain air.

I’ve also been missing my family something fierce lately, so our son emailed me a photo of our granddaughter, which I promptly saved as my desktop background on my computer so I can see her shining face everyday. And he sent me a video of her laughing. I think the sound of a baby laughing is the most beautiful sound in all the world.

And those eyes. So innocent and full of hope. I can’t stop looking at those eyes. There comes a time in a child’s life, when the innocence goes from those eyes, and to me, that’s a rather sad time because I think if we could all practice some of that innocence and lack of prejudice as we grow older, our world would be a better place.

Then there’s my dog. I let her out first thing in the morning after all that snow had fallen and the first thing she did was find her ball, that looked like a giant marshmallow in the yard because it was covered with snow. She pushed it around with her nose, romping and playing in drifts there were up to her chest, and she’s not a small dog. My dog didn’t complain that it was cold outside. She simply enjoyed the moment.

As I watched her pounce and spring with the exuberance of a deer, I thought about how I need to be more like that.

I need to appreciate the small things and live in the moment. I need to stop worrying about things over which I have no control—will I lose my job due to this virus? When will I be able to hug my family and friends? I pray with all my soul that none of my family or friends die from this and that people all over the world continue to recover and that no more will die… When will this be over? What’s going to happen to us? To our world? What about those on the front lines who are putting their lives in danger on a daily basis? And the grocery store workers and those with small businesses that have had to close their doors for good? What will happen to the homeless people and the elderly who are like sitting ducks in nursing homes?

My dog doesn’t worry about these things. She lives to chase squirrels and bunnies from the yard and surrounds herself with getting pets and whether or not I’m going to share a bite of my dinner with her.

My granddaughter doesn’t worry about stuff either. Her parents take care of her every need.

My flowers and trees don’t worry. They bloom every year in spite of the fact that they may get covered with snow before they have a chance to truly shine. 

The robins and the finches, the hawks and the eagles that visit my yard don’t worry either. They continue to sing their cheerful songs in spite of the global pandemic that’s happening all around them.

All of these have enriched my life, and perhaps, if coronavirus hadn’t forced me to slow down, I may not even have noticed them, much less appreciated the gifts they have to offer—peace within chaos. Peace and healing within grace…

…my prayer for the world.

What I Learned About Panic from Nearly Drowning

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I was about 14 years old on that hot and humid summer afternoon in Connecticut. Several of my friends and I were planning on going to a local lake to spend the afternoon swimming and basking in the sun. My friend’s parents dropped us off, then left us to enjoy the day together.

We positioned our beach towels on the shore, then my friends all ran excitedly into the lake and swam out to a platform that was floating in the water. Don’t ask me how far the platform was from the shore; I have no idea.

Now I’m not the greatest swimmer, but I’d had a few lessons, so I was a bit unsure that day, of whether I should try to swim to the floating platform, but, as teenagers tend to do, it was important that I follow the crowd, be part of the cool people, so I pushed my apprehension aside and proceeded to swim toward the platform.

Well, I got halfway there and suddenly my body just sort of gave up and since I had stopped moving, I sank beneath the surface of the water.

I managed to kick my legs and get my head above water, but I quickly sank a second time, and this time, I started to swallow lake water. Again, I somehow managed to get myself to the surface, but then I sank a third time.

Everything in my field of vision was green because the lake water was green with little bits of debris drifting past. I could see the surface about five feet above me. I couldn’t see the bottom.

As I sank, the surface of the water was rapidly growing higher and higher above me. I was exhausted and inhaled even more lake water.

Something inside of me said, “If you panic now, you’re going to drown.”

I began to move my feet and arms to propel myself to the surface. It took every bit of strength I had, but I did it.

When I got to the surface, I turned myself over onto my back and floated. Gasping. Heart pounding.

Then I thought, “Should I swim out to where everyone else is on that floating platform or should I go back to shore?” I was almost exactly halfway between them. Then I realized that if I were to get to the floating platform, sooner or later I’d have to swim back to shore, and the next time, I just might not make it, so I decided to move toward the shore instead.

Good thinking. Slowly swishing my hands and arms and feet, I kept moving toward the shore, floating on my back, until I could feel the bottom of the lake beneath my very tip-toes at last. It seemed like it took me a very long time to get to where I was. I was still pretty far from the shore, but now that  I could barely touch the bottom, I stopped there and rested, throwing my head back and gasping and gasping and gasping for air. And spitting out that gross water. Safe at last.

After several minutes, I was finally strong enough to propel myself back to the shore. I didn’t go back into the water that day.

You know what the amazing thing was? No one noticed that I was in trouble. My friends were too busy playing in the water, diving off the platform, laughing and having a good time to notice that I was struggling.

The other amazing thing was that I learned a valuable life-lesson that day: that if I had panicked, I would certainly have drowned.

This applies to our present-day situation as well, with this coronavirus pandemic sweeping across our world.

I went to Walmart a few weeks ago. A woman in the checkout lane ahead of me had a whole cart full of toilet paper. I said, “I’m not buying into that bullshit,” and she replied, “Oh, me neither; I was just out of toilet paper.” I thought, “Uh huh. When I’m out of toilet paper, I buy a whole cartload of it too…”

One week ago, I was in the grocery store and the shelves were picked bare of toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap, dry rice and beans, and canned vegetables; and the frozen food bins were completely void of chicken! It freaking looked like a zombie-apocalypse. I have never experienced anything like this in my whole life.

Like my near-drowning experience, I see here again, that panic can lead to even worse things.

I’ve heard horror stories from all over the United States, where physical fights are breaking out between grocery-store patrons over freaking toilet paper! Come on, people! How about we consider the thought that we are all in this together? Yes, people are going to die, but people die from the flu and other things every single day. A few years ago, we had the SARS virus scare and the swine flu and the bird flu and the ebola scare and people didn’t panic like this! Maybe those diseases weren’t as contagious; I don’t know. All I know is that trampling one another like stampeding cattle causes more people to get hurt than if we were to simply slow down and think about what it is we truly need (without hoarding) and what we can do to help others. Everyone matters—from the elderly person in a nursing home to the homeless person on the street, to the pregnant woman or the families with and without children or those who are single or incarcerated, to the privileged to the underprivileged and everyone in between.

Amid all the doom and gloom, several of my neighbors have posted online that they are available to help anyone who might need food or medical supplies or that they are willing and able to help in any way possible. That’s how it should be.

I do not claim to know any of the true statistics or facts about this virus—anyway, “the facts” change daily and depending on to whom you listen. All I’m saying is that mass hysteria doesn’t help matters; it only makes things worse. Let us think clearly here. If I hadn’t done that that day, I would have certainly drowned. Let us help one another to keep our heads above water so that we don’t drown in this mass hysteria.

We will get through this TOGETHER!

 

*All photos courtesy of Pixabay

Bursts of Brilliance

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By Teresa R. Funke

For most of my life, I fell into the trap of letting my mind lead my body, and my body lead my spirit. As someone who has been a deep and incessant thinker since a very young age, it’s always been easy to let my mind be the boss. I thought it was important to be smart. I thought it was important to able to think your way through a problem. I thought the more I learned, the better off I’d be. I never believed for a minute I could learn to meditate, because everyone told me meditation required you to turn off your thoughts, and I believed that would be impossible for me. 

Five and a half years ago, I started writing a blog called, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life. I did so because I had three kids in college or going off to college, so I was working nights and days and weekends to save up money. There was no longer time to write my novels (I’d written and published six at that point, each based on true stories from World War II) so the blog became my weekly creative outlet. Because I was so busy, I gave myself permission to write about whatever I felt like writing, not what I thought I should write. Not what I thought people wanted to read. Not what I thought might be trendy. Just what I felt like writing. And because time was lacking, and I considered the blog my escape, I never rewrote or questioned any of the posts I put out there (although I did edit them, of course). 

Teresa’s previous books

Then something interesting happened. People started reading the blog, and not just artists, who were my intended audience, but teachers and health care professionals and businesspeople. It seemed that everyone could relate to my musings on finding time to create, battling my inner critic, wondering if my work mattered, and learning to trust my intuition. People started sending me e-mails to tell me how much they liked a particular post and how much it touched them. Why? Because it tapped into their feelings too. So, I kept writing one new post every week, with no self-censorship. In putting my feelings on the page, I also came to some stunning realizations about myself, about the importance of art, about how this blog was helping me tap into my Higher Self. 

The blog gave me permission to just feel my journey, rather than trying to explain it. The words came effortlessly once I stopped trying to “think” about how to say things just right. And when I decided to edit the blog into a book, I knew that through the expression of my own doubts, insecurities, and fears, but also passions, revelations, and triumphs, I would find like-hearted souls who could relate. 

My new book, also called Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life, is an edited compilation of the best blog posts from the first five years. My biggest lesson in creating this book has been that when we let our hearts lead, when we lean into our passion and trust the guidance of our Higher Selves, we will make real connections. We will raise the vibration of this worried and wonderful world. We will see ourselves in others and see new parts of ourselves. 

If you haven’t given yourself permission to create lately, please do. We need your creative energy to lift us all up. Try a new recipe, plant something different in your garden, assemble the perfect outfit, or pick up your pencil, paintbrush, or instrument again. Tell your mind to take a break. Tell it that for the time it takes to make your creation, your soul is now the boss!

PS–I finally did learn to meditate, once I accepted that you can’t shut off your thoughts, but you can choose not to focus on them.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Bio: Teresa Funke believes there’s an artist in everyone. Her newest book, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life, helps readers ignite their creative spirit and rediscover their passion, their purpose, and their power. Today’s chaotic world requires an army of innovative thinkers—and you are one of them!

Teresa is the embodiment of the modern artist/entrepreneur. She’s the owner of Teresa Funke & Company and Bursts of Brilliance™ and has authored seven award-winning novels for adults and children set in World War II, including Dancing in Combat Boots and War on a Sunday Morning. She is a sought-after instructional and motivational speaker, a writing consultant, and a community catalyst. She created the Self-Publishing Blueprint, the only tool you’ll need to self-publish successfully.

Visit www.teresafunke.com to access writing resources or learn more about Teresa’s books or visit www.burstsofbrilliance.com to find evolving ways to boost your artistic energy and increase your fun factor!

Teresa’s grace, intelligence, writing, coaching, and publishing expertise, along with her soft spoken-manner and fiery spirit is sure to inspire you as much as is it has me and many others. I highly recommend checking out her blog and her books for yourself. You won’t regret it. –Baja Rock Pat

Guest Bloggers Coming Soon!

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As you may be aware, I haven’t posted much over the past few years. It is due to a lot of personal issues. However, I’m working on getting up and running again. I just published my first post recently, and, as I mentioned in my post, there is something magical about Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas. Once more, I am inspired to pick up where I left off, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I have several guest bloggers who will be adding their words to this website very soon, so stay tuned! You’re gonna love them!

Thanks for your support.

~Baja Rock Pat

Once Again, I Have Grown As A Human Being

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I am grateful for so many things, one of which was the recent privilege of experiencing an incredible opportunity that most will never know—a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where, once again, I have grown as a human being.

I’m grateful for getting to witness a severe rainstorm in Cabo; the loudest thunder and lightning I think I have ever heard; the force of the water creating raging rivers out of ordinary streets and washing away entire cars. I’m grateful for the humility this taught me.

I’m grateful for getting to witness the ocean—her majesty, her beauty and her insistence of respect for the sheer power and magnitude of the giant waves crashing on the beach like twenty locomotives roaring along on the tracks. This reinforced in me, my smallness, yet my attachment to something that is so much greater than I.

I’m grateful for bearing witness to the splendor of the rocks of Land’s End. After not having seen it for several years, I was awestruck all over again, at her magical and mystical beauty that seems surreal—like a human-made sculpture or a painting rising proudly out of the sea and overwhelming me, encouraging me like a loving mother, to pick up my pen and write again because that is respite and freedom for my soul.

Land’s End

I am grateful for our friends who invited us to spend an entire day at their home in Cabo—a home with an entire wall of windows that slid open across the whole room—to a patio with overstuffed outdoor furniture, a fire pit, hot tub, infinity pool with its own swim-up bar, and an outdoor gas grille, overlooking the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. The interior of the house was like nothing I have ever seen—heavy wooden furniture, a large kitchen with an island made of more dark wood and granite countertops—three huge bedrooms, two of which had sliding doors to the backyard overlooking the ocean. And all of it in traditional Mexican style, summoning images in my mind of long-forgotten conquistadores and beautiful dark-skinned señoritas with flaming red lips and brightly-colored flowing skirts. I felt like a celebrity there.

Our friends’ house–like nothing I had ever seen before

I’m grateful for the chance to lounge in the hot, hot sun by the pool at our hotel, to float in “my” lagoon, to enjoy too many gloriously yummy chocolate pan dulces (sweet breads), too many plates of delicious thick tortilla chips and creamy guacamole, sweet Miami Vices (half strawberry daiquiri and half piña colada) and wonderful bananas, pineapples and grapefruits.

To have gotten what, to me, was one of the best rooms the small hotel has to offer—not because it really is the best room, but because, to me, it is—with a large patio for sunbathing each morning, my body soaking in the healing golden sun of Mexico, while enjoying an unobstructed view of Land’s End (if there are no cruise ships blocking the view).

I’m grateful for the friends I have, most of whom I was unable to hook up with or was only able to see for a few moments because I arrived there much later than most of them and they already had plans in place. Still—seeing their beautiful faces, looking into their beautiful eyes, and getting long-overdue hugs, meant everything to me. These are people for whom I would do anything and vice versa. And people I would never have met if it hadn’t been for Sammy Hagar.

I am grateful to Sammy and his music, and for the opportunity to attend one of his shows while I was there because he changed my life years ago; he encouraged me to pursue my dream of being a writer and to never give up.

Sammy Hagar and Jerry Cantrell

I am grateful to those who purchased a copy of my book “Dance of the Electric Hummingbird” because it has been a labor of love, one that Sammy once called, “your baby,” because he gets it. The book is now out of print, except for a few remaining copies,* so the ones I have in boxes in my basement, are all that I have left of the dream that I wanted so badly to share with others. There is a piece of one’s soul that goes into creating art—all the time, energy, personal pain and joy, money, etc. Most artists don’t make enough money to support themselves on the sale of their art—we do it because we must; there is no conscious choice in the matter, so when someone purchases your art, it connects creator and observer together on a soul level, and that has value far beyond monetary.

My visit to Cabo went by much too fast, just as my life is going by much too fast. But the older I get, the more I appreciate all that I have and know–and each day, I strive even harder, to be at least a tiny speck of love and light to others.

As I returned home the other day, I attended a memorial service for a friend who was killed in a motorcycle accident a month ago. She was much too young—had everything to live for, and was one of the kindest, gentlest, most loving and giving people I have ever known.

And I realize that what I am most grateful for, is to have awoken this morning so that I may live another day, to hopefully get to experience another Thanksgiving and another Christmas with my family and friends, or even just to hang out on ordinary days, simply being with them and taking in all the beauty that surrounds me, in the small things, in places I’ve been and in the people I love because one thing I know for sure–love is all that matters. 

For these and for each new day, I am most grateful.

*ebook version still available here: Dance of the Electric Hummingbird

or signed by the author copies here: Author Signed Copy DEH