I have to admit that I’ve been a ‘closet’ believer in the existence of life after death for a number of years. I think the real turning point for me was probably in June 2004, but that’s a long story and one I will commit to paper at some point in the future. It’s ironic that I managed quite successfully to let any trace of belief slip quietly to the back of my mind in between ‘experiences’. A psychic experience is not something you can easily forget; but it’s very convenient to let the thought settle back there somewhere in the outer regions of the mind, undisturbed and hidden. It also means you don’t have to deal with the reality of what it implies.
I should explain that my husband Lawrence and I are ‘serial’ movers because some of my experiences have been linked to houses. For us the whole process is a ‘thrill’ – from the point we find something that we instantly ‘connect with’ and know we are going to end up living in for a while, through to the challenge of making it our own. This has often included renovating some very old and tired properties, but also revamping some newer, neglected or badly designed ones. I met up with a friend and Estate Agent (Realtor) the other day, and we started talking about the atmospheres we’d picked up on whilst walking around different properties. I spent a couple of years working part-time for an Estate Agent myself carrying out viewings whilst my husband and I were renovating an old cottage. Over lunch we started to swap stories, as if it was a very natural thing to do.
I’m finding that is quite a typical reaction. A lot of people feel uncomfortable raising the subject and are hesitant to admit they’ve had an experience. However, as soon as you touch upon it, it’s shocking how many people have a story of their own to tell. What never fails to surprise me, is the number of proclaimed sceptics who go on to share something that happened to them with the sincerity of someone who truly believed it happened! This doesn’t sound very logical, until you realise that as a sceptic you have nothing to justify or defend. I’m afraid ‘coming out’ is the really scary part – but for me, I seem to have a long queue of loved ones who aren’t content to let me sit back any longer.
I need to make it very clear that I am just an individual who has had personal experiences. I am not an expert, I am not a trained psychic or medium. I believe in God and yes, I have carried out some research to seek out answers on a personal level, but my purpose is only to share what has happened to me. Why? Because I draw comfort from what I now believe and realise there are other people out there who feel the same way.
When I started writing fiction in 2009, my first novel ‘Touched by The Light’ was set around a young woman who ‘follows the light’ and finds herself on another plane, but linked to two people this side of life. I can honestly say that I didn’t intend to sit down and write a novel about the afterlife. I genuinely believe that the inspiration came from my guiding spirit and over the coming months I will write much more about this.
So, loud and proud, I really do believe in life after death and I know there is no scientific proof. But I feel I have received all the proof I need from people who were very close to me in life. I just hadn’t realised they would be even closer to me in death and I appreciate that is quite a statement to make. It just happens to be true. I can now say that the people I love who have passed over are still around me and are influential in my life on a daily basis.
Not all of the incidents that have happened to me were linked to a particular house, some were definitely linked to me as a ‘person’ rather than a ‘place’.