Sylvia Browne - Blessings from the Other Side: Wisdom and Comfort from the Afterlife for This Life

I am blessed, theres no doubt about it. Despite its inevitable bumps and bruises, I love my life. I love my career. And the best part of all is that there is no separation between the two. Every day is filled with my children and grandchildren; my ever-growing menagerie of pets; my staff and ministers, who are as much my family as if we were related by blood; my dear, close friends; clients who instantly feel like friends; trips throughout the world with people I love by my side; regular television appearances with my best friend, Montel Williams, and other brilliant, fascinating people; and certainly my writing, which has been one of my greatest passions since I was a child.

But as odd as this might sound, nothing satisfies my frequent need for a real intimacy fix quite like my lecture tour. At first glance, intimacy might not seem like an appropriate adjective for standing at a microphone in front of three or four thousand people. I assure you, though, intimate is exactly how it feels to me. Its not just the fact that on any given night I might be hopelessly upstaged by my seven-year-old granddaughter, Angelia, performing a spontaneous, unscheduled dance routine to the delight of the crowd before Ive even been introduced, so that nine times out of ten my entrance is almost beside the point. Or that I might be in the middle of answering a heartbreaking question from the audience about a missing loved one when, before anyone can stop him, my two-year-old grandson Willy could stroll casually onstage eating a bagel, just to say hi. Or that, because its all live and unrehearsed, whether it comes from me or from the audience its almost anyones guess what might happen next, the possibilities ranging literally from the utterly ridiculous to the utterly sublime.

No, for the most part, the intimacy comes from my knowing that every audience, no matter what city or state Im in, will create a unique, intensely personal atmosphere all its own, and because I naturally react to that atmosphere, each lecture is a whole new experience, for me and for the audience. It comes from looking out not at a crowd of strangers but at row after row after row of open, sincere, expressive individual faces that become very familiar to me by the time our hours together end. It comes from seeing the legion of Spirit Guides, Angels, and departed loved ones who invariably accompany every person in that room, eager for this opportunity to be acknowledged. It comes from the silence of a meditation, the laughter of an unguarded moment, the relieved tears of a long-awaited answer, and the fact that we all share every one of those surprises together. It comes from getting back every bit of love and energy I give and then some, so that by the end of a lecture Ive been presented with the gift of feeling stronger, healthier, and more empowered than I was before we started.

It comes from the sacred magic that happens whenever a roomful of people gather who, no matter what the marquee reads, are there because all of us in that room love God and want to feel even closer to Him than we already are.

And last but not least, it comes from the luxury of knowing that when its just us, without cameras and lights and FCC regulations and censors and sponsors and commercial breaks, I can talk about whatever I damn well please.

The chapters in this little book were chosen from among the topics I enjoy discussing on my lecture tour, along with some of my favorite exercises and affirmations. I frankly believe that offering you ideas to think about and talk to your friends and loved ones about is only half of what Im here for. If I dont offer you things to do with those ideas, Ive cheated you and myself. I believe that faith, love, hope, and spirituality are really verbs, not nouns. They dont mean anything if theyre not active, if they remain internal without ever affecting the way you treat the world in general, those spirits whose lives you touch every day, and most of all yourself and the sacred flame of God that burns inside you, your birthright from your divine Creator.

I hope these pages will give you something you need most right now, whether its comfort, or a smile, or a new approach to an old problem, or just a good excuse to disappear for a few minutes to a quiet place that has nothing to do with wrapping paper, shopping, presents, a lack of presents, piped-in carols, forced merriment, and arguments about the best way to cook yams.

Until our travels cause our paths to cross, I love you, I thank you for this rich life youve given me, and I wish you the constant awareness of how deeply and eternally God treasures you.

S YLVIA C. B ROWNE

Throughout this book youll find passages in italics, which designate exercises Ive found helpful on the issues each chapter deals with. Some of them are simple tips, but most of them can best be described as meditations.

Im a little hesitant to use the word meditations, actually. There are many people who are very skilled at traditional, classical meditation techniques and love the rituals involved, and I respect them for it. Sadly, though, a lot of well-publicized aspiring gurus and wanna-be spiritual leaders have made meditating sound like such a complicated, time-consuming process that its not even worth trying for those of us who work for a living. So let me dispel a few myths about meditation in case youre as skeptical about it as youve been given reason to be.

• Theres no shopping required. You dont need a special mat or rug. You dont need flowing robes, a leotard, or finger cymbals. You dont need a stack of CDs of flute, harp, or sitar music or Gregorian chants, unless you want them. You dont need incense or exotic herbs to burn. Candles are nice, and I love them for their calming atmosphere, but you dont need those either. All you need for a successful meditation is