The Mysterious Ash Tree - Beware or Befriend?

​In my front garden stands a typically fast-growing Ash tree, one whose roots are perilously close to destroying the garage.

Which got me thinking about the Ash tree in folklore and in the paranormal world; my cultural touchstone being M.R. James’ disturbing tale The Ash Tree (1904); links to two BBC2 versions are linked below.

The Ash (or Fraxinus) is generally regarded as a positive member of a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, or Oleaceae. Indeed, in Norse mythology, the World Tree Yggdrasil is held to be a sacred Ash tree and was regarded across Northern Europe as a symbol of cosmic connection, healing, and strength.

The Old Ash Tree

​Symon Parsley / Old Ash Tree

In popular culture, the World Tree recently featured in season 2 of Marvel’s LOKI (2023).

For the Vikings, the first man, Askr, was formed from an Ash, whilst the first woman Embla was made from an elm. In the Norse poem Hávamál, Odin described hanging himself from a "wind-swept (Ash) tree" for nine nights, wounded by a spear, in a self-sacrifice to himself to gain wisdom and learn the secrets of the runes.

​In Celtic and British folklore, the Ash is one of the three sacred trees, along with Oak and Thorn; a healing tree, particularly used in rituals to cure poorly children.

For the ancient Greeks, the Meliae were nymphs associated with the Ash tree, born from the blood of Uranus falling onto Gaia.

​The Askafroa (wife of the Ash tree), or in Danish ‘Askefrue’ is the guardian of the Ash tree, a malicious creature. To appease her, it was necessary to make a sacrifice every Ash Wednesday by pouring water on her roots and declaring: "I am offering to you so that you do us no harm".

​Ash Wednesday, while nowadays of course, a Christian observance marking the start of Lent, has roots in pagan customs of purification, mourning, and the return of spring, including using ash for protection, fertility, and renewal. Ashes were used to mark the forehead for Odin’s protection often done on "Odin's Day" (Wednesday). In Celtic tradition, ashes were used to bless livestock and ensure fertility during the transition from winter to spring, frequently associated with Imbolc celebrations.

There are fictional takes on less than benevolent Ash trees, including in the 1990 3-part BBC television adaptation of Kingsley Amis’s novel, The Green Man (1969), where it puts in a truly terrifying appearance at the beginning of the first episode:

​Note: Green Man sculptures are often created from fallen Ash trees.

The Green Man in Lesnes Abbey Woods, London Borough of Bexley.

​Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The UK - in ‘real’ life?

1869’s Haunted Ash of Lampits (Scotland), part of The Ghosts of Carnwath series of supernatural reportage

An account in Scotland’s Hamilton Advertiser of 28th August 1869 detailed a melancholy apparition and haunted Ash tree near Lampits Farm, to the east of Carstairs Junction in South Lanarkshire:

“There long stood a solitary, melancholy-looking ash tree in a field on the Lampits Farm, in the vicinity of Cockysyetts, which was cut down to make way for the Queen’s branch of the Caledonian Railway, and which was still more melancholy, in my imagination, from its dismal associations; for here, on one of the branches of this dowie-looking tree, a poor heart-broken girl of Cockysyetts closed her earthly sorrows and her earthly pilgrimage. No mavis or blackbird was ever seen to nestle in it scanty foliage, no merry note of music was ever heard from its dull half-blasted branches; the raven might croak and the pyot chatter there by day, and the owl scream by night, but no other merriment, dear tree, was thine. Ghosts love the darkness and the shade, and the ghost of poor Jessie was often seen gliding at midnight among the shadows of the fearsome neuk.”

Today, few trees grow on the flat windswept carseland around Lampits. There remains, however, a solitary ancient ash tree that commands a view across the flat fields towards the Caledonian Railway. Many of its upper branches have been lost to past storms, and disease ravages others, however new growth continues to sprout from a gnarled and weathered old trunk.

With scanty foliage and half-blasted branches it has an uncanny resemblance to the melancholy old ash tree described in the newspaper article over 150 years ago. Ash trees can live for up to three hundred years, therefore it’s possible that the surviving tree could have witnessed Jessie’s melancholy end, early in the 19th century. It might even have sprung from a seed of the haunted ash.

The Hardy Tree (St Pancras Old Church, London)

​David Edgar, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Hardy tree was an Ash tree located in the very ancient, possibly Roman St Pancras Old Church's churchyard in London. Notable for the stacked gravestones embedded at its base in around 1860, when graves were moved by writer-then-architect Thomas Hardy to make way for the Midland Railway to run through the churchyard.

In 2014, the tree was infected with fungus, and with storms further weakening it, the tree fell in December 2022.

The Hell Tree

From: The Mysterious Hardy Tree | Graves that Circle a Tree….(2021)

It’s thought that during his time here, Hardy actually uncovered the body of a two-headed man during the excavations. Thomas never documented anything regarding and this and more recent photographs of the tree has encouraged speculation if he ever had anything to do creating the design at all. He did write a poem named Levell’d Churchyard. Thomas’s poem suggests that he didn’t have fond memories of the work he did here but its hardly surprising given the job he was expected to do.

In letters that were written by the St Pancras Old Church vicar John Tweed in 1859 to his wife Charlotte, he appeared to have witnessed a supernatural manifestation. The vicar detailed how his churchyard was home to a mass gathering of apparitions and how tombstones seem to appear at the Ash tree and that he had even seen them moving towards this tree by a unseen force.

In December 1859 he wrote to Charlotte: ”More missing headstones. Increasingly certain of connection with my guests. Today I traced strange lines of disturbed earth across the graveyard. Each lead to the Ash Tree. Are they being dragged there? And then where? The ash tree itself is looking increasingly unhealthy, possibly diseased. I don’t like to get too close to it.”

And then: “If I hadn’t seen such as I have seen these past months I may not have trusted my eyes, but trust them I must. I shall record it in as plain a manner as I know how: By the light of the moon last night I saw a gravestone, moving with some speed, and quite of its own accord, across the graveyard. It hurtled towards the ash tree, at the base of which it disappeared, as if plunging in to the very bowels of the tree.” Finally: “Good God. Hundreds of them, of all shapes, just pouring into the tree.” He later refers to the tree being a gateway and it’s believed by some that he felt it could have possibly been a hell gate.

​“Dearest Charlotte, I do so love hearing your news from the vale, it pains me to have to recount the horrors of my life here… At night I am plagued by nightmares so vivid and dreadful that I am afraid to sleep at all. I have been nailed to the cursed iron frontage of a flame-licked and hell-bound locomotive. I have walked through the dark miasma and fetid slime of a London choked by death. I have seen the flagstones of the church floor thrust violently upwards by a sudden eruption of uncertain origin. And these are only the visions I have the constitution to retell… I begin to suspect that it is not just the lost ones that are being dragged down to that place. For how to account for the sheer number I watch descend every night? Where will it end? Must every dead soul in the parish, every dead soul in London be reclaimed for damnation?! No Charlotte, I shall not see it happen.”

​Allegedly John Tweed closed the hell gate in 1860 by burying a Bible under the tree, and scans of the Ash tree show a large book buried within the roots… but nobody has ever been allowed to dig the area. No reports were made from Tweed after 1860, when he lost the ability to record his findings; his writing hand apparently useless.

​And...this from Exit Strategy for the Restless Dead: The Hell Tree of St Pancras (2017)

He wrote to Charlotte: “Every thief, vagabond and ne’er-do-well in London seems to have wound up buried at St P. Which would be all well and good, except that the digging up of late seems to have unearthed more than just bones. Judging by the number of lost souls drifting about the place in one spirit form or another, I would offer that many of my guests are far from welcome in Heaven. I can only assume that having been buried in consecrated ground further precludes them from the other place, which leaves them, it is my horror to say, stuck in the churchyard with me”.

Tweed was not entirely without sympathy for his ghostly companions, going on to tell his wife that they were: “Sad seeming things. I feel quite sorry for them. I don’t suppose I should mind at all if only they kept their mournful meanderings to the night-time hours. Last Sunday I was midway through service when a wraith came down the aisle – an infernal thing, it stalked among the shadows between the shafts of morning light, wailing and moaning like a baleful cat. There were already murmurings amongst the parishioners about the foul stench from the digging up. Dearest Charlotte, I am not sure how much longer I can pacify them.”

The Beatles at Old St Pancras (1968)

Although St Pancras Old Church is in central London, minutes away from the great Victorian Gothic pile of a station, the area can be quite a haunting, lonely place, perched on a hill overlooking the railway junctions of St Pancras and King’s Cross. I remember visiting in the snows and blizzards of Winter 2015, when the church grounds felt like something from one of Grimm’s tales.

The Lively Arts: Thomas Hardy - A Haunted Man (1978)

The Ash Tree - Vampire/Zombie Killer

​In folklore, an ash stake is traditionally used to kill vampires, especially in Slavic, Russian, and Baltic traditions. Ash wood represents protective, "life" energy in Norse mythology, where it can help destroy the Draugr (Undead), or at least weaken their supernatural powers. The Viking version of vampires/zombies are described as bloated “death-blue/black” revenants who ferociously protect their treasure, with the ability to grow to giant sizes and shapeshift.

Note: other words for the Undead or Vampires in Norse legend include:

Aptrgangr (Again-walker): One who walks again.

Haugbúi (Barrow-dweller): One that dwells within its burial mound (howe).

Gjenganger: A ghost or revenant.

​In Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897), Abraham Van Helsing utilizes wooden stakes associated with specific woods like ash or white oak to impale vampires by piercing their Undead hearts.

Three BBC adaptations of The Ash Tree by M.R James

The Ash-Tree (1986)

And a later telling from 2000; my idea but ripped off by a then senior BBC colleague:

​A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Ash Tree (1975) - The big reveal...

​Ash Wednesday (1973) full movie

LINKS

​The Haunted Ash of Lampits: https://clydesdalesheritage.org.uk/article/the-haunted-ash-of-lampits/

​Askafroa: https://www.stronghold-nation.com/history/myth/askafroa

​Ash Wednesday and its pagan origins: https://susannesanlier.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/ash-wednesday-and-its-pagan-origins/

​What is Imbolc? The Celtic fire festival that welcomes spring—in February: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/imbolc-celtic-celebration-brigid

​Draugr, Haugbui And Aptrgangr – The Undead of Norse Myths: https://vikingr.org/other-beings/undead-viking-age?srsltid=AfmBOooD9FPhdZ_fGZNJpou74mRFiwpS_qX8UmyR39HCDmJHrj0w4hDj

​Thomas Hardy: Gravestone-encircled tree falls in Camden: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64110086

​The Mysterious Hardy Tree | Graves that Circle a Tree….:https://paranormalhauntings.blog/2021/12/26/the-mysterious-hardy-tree-graves-that-circle-a-tree/

​Exit strategy for a restless dead: The Hell Tree of St Pancras: https://portalsoflondon.com/2017/01/20/the-hell-tree-of-st-pancras/

STEPHEN ARNELL’S HISTORICAL NOVEL THE GREAT ONE IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-One-Secret-Memoirs-Pompey-ebook/dp/B0BNLTB2G7

SAMPLE:

Medium Anthony Borgia & ‘Spirit Priest’ Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson

I have long been a fan of medium and author Anthony Borgia and have original copies of some of his books which I treasure. For me, they are up there with Testimony of Light written by Helen Greaves which has been in continuous print since 1969. This underrated book is deserving of much wider readership, as are Borgia’s, whose writings are such an honest pleasure to read. While some of the language may now be dated, the wealth and breadth of what he covered is magnificent.

​‘Knowledge is the best antidote for fear, especially if that fear could be of the possible or probable state of existence after we made the change from this life to the next.’ Anthony Borgia, Life in the World Unseen

Anthony Borgia (1896-1989) was a medium who transcribed the thoughts of a deceased Catholic priest and author Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) whom he had known in life. Benson was the son of a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson.

Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson

​Photograph by G. Jerrard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Benson was originally a priest in the Anglican tradition, but later changed allegiances and re-qualified as a Catholic priest. Borgia was a close friend of Benson’s for five years prior to his passing into the spirit world. Benson was appointed a supernumerary private chamberlain (now Chaplain of His Holiness) to the Pope in 1911 and consequently styled as Monsignor. He was a prolific author, both of fiction as well as religious tomes and died very young at age 42.

From the Spirit World, the Monsignor dictated a wealth of transcripts to his friend Anthony Borgia, and many of them were converted into books. He has a great deal to say, which he hopes will correct the teachings contained in his previous influential Christian books that were written when he was living on earth.

​Borgia’s books containing transcripts of Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson include Beyond this Life (1942) and The World Unseen (1944). They became the first and second part of the 1954 publication Life in the World Unseen. The sequel, More About Life In The World Unseen was published by Odhams Press/Citadel Press in 1958.

ABC of Life (1945) was later republished under the title Here and Hereafter, and the preface includes a reference to forming a trilogy with the two previous books. Facts (1946) and More Light (1947) are heavily laden with religious commentary and neither are particularly popular compared to the others, perhaps indicating it was wiser to stick to non-religious topics.

Heaven and Earth was published in 1948. Here is a timely excerpt:

Free copies of all of the aforementioned Anthony Borgia books can be downloaded on A Spiritual Journey - New Birth website.

​Anthony Borgia had a strong gift of clairaudience. It was through this particular aspect of his mediumship that he was able to assist Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson in realizing his dearest wish - that of putting into print the knowledge and facts of life after death, and helping to banish the fear of death which affects so many people.

The books for which Anthony acted as Monsignor’s transcriber are rightly regarded as among the ‘classics’ of Spiritualist literature. It was always a source of great happiness to him that he had helped, in this way, to spread the great truths of Spiritualist teachings.

Anthony Borgia: Life in the World Unseen

​The foreword of Life in the World Unseen (1954) was written by Sir John Anderson. His closing words are as relevant today as they were in 1954:

​’Civilization is at the parting of the ways, and it is to be hoped that more informative literature, such as this, will be forthcoming, to enable the Spiritual regeneration of the world to proceed, so that Peace and Harmony may reign supreme!’

Excerpts from Life in the World Unseen - Introduction by Anthony Borgia, regarding the passing of his friend Monsignor Benson:

​After he had passed from this life, I many times wondered as to his welfare. Through a spirit friend I was told that he was well and prospering, and that in time I should hear from him directly. Such eventually proved to be the case, and there commenced a series of scripts given by him, the first of which, Life in the World Unseen, gave an account in some detail of his actual passing.

He recounted how, at the close of his earthly life, he was met by a former colleague named Edwin, and taken by him to the spirit world, where his home awaited him, a counterpart of his house on earth. After a brief rest he commenced his explorations, under Edwin’s guidance, of the land of his new life. During the course of their rambles they met a young girl of great charm, named Ruth, also a newcomer to the spirit world, who joined them, and the three have been together ever since, closely associated in work and pleasure.

Anthony passed in 1989 at the age of 93, a man of profound intelligence allied to an enquiring mind. His interests were many and varied, although those which remained the strongest and lasted all his life were the study of music and of psychic science, in both of which he could be considered something of an expert.

A man of great kindness, warmth and generosity, he was a splendid example of true Spiritualism, never exhibiting this better than during the many years of near blindness in his old age when the grace, courage and humour with which he bore this affliction drew the admiration of all who knew him. His books remain as a testimony to Monsignor’s great desire to share his knowledge of the life to come, and to Borgia’s own homage to truths which sustained him throughout his long life.

Below are some insightful passages from Life in the World Unseen (mind the spelling errors):

Excerpt about Monsignor Benson’s transition into the spirit world:

Excerpt about communication with loved ones on earth and when they are likely to join you in the spirit world:

Monsignor speaks of an immense building which exercises the function of an office of records and inquiries where one can inquire about newly arrived souls and when a friend or family member is due to arrive:

The great halls of rest:

Why it is wise to cultivate your personal spiritual world whilst still on the earth plane:

Life in the World Unseen Contents

Life in the World Unseen Contents page

Light to all, always Leo.

Reference acknowledgments go to new-birth.net and spiritcommunications.net

Note: This updated article was originally published in the Afterlife Magazine by The Otherside Press which has since joined the PDN group.

​2022 communication excerpt from Monsignor Benson published on New Birth:

Who is to Blame For Suicide and Are They Punished?

My friend committed suicide many years ago and I was amazed to hear what many people thought about the subject, and how much fear and suffering this belief caused amongst families. My job as a medium is more than providing evidence of the life hereafter. Like many other mediums, I am privy to information that non-mediumistic people can’t normally perceive; information which reflects the reality of our lives here on earth and the interaction of spiritual forces within our lives.

I have also seen the other side and walked in the garden of the spirit and while it may be easier for me to deal with the process known as death, losing a loved one never becomes easier, no matter how much you know and understand.

I am often asked if I believe in the afterlife, to which I retort, “Of course I don’t believe in the afterlife, that’s absurd.” I smile enigmatically when I see the glee in their faces when they think they may have got one over on me. Then I clarify what I actually mean by that: “I don’t believe in it because belief suggests that it may not be real. I know it’s real, therefore I know it’s true.” And that’s when I see the smile wiped from their faces. The reality that I know allows me to interact on a level that creates a communion with the other side.

Suicide Reality

Now to the act of suicide, why it happens and whether it can be influenced. The turmoil that one must experience before they finally take their own life is tremendous. To reach the point of no return where it feels as though there is nothing left to live for, even though loved ones may be nearby, and being unable to express their sadness and hopelessness, or see the wood for the trees, ending one’s life feels like the only way out.

Personally, I feel there are many reasons for suicide, but two reasons are probably more fundamental than others. One problem is the financial status or indeed the financial pit they may have fallen into, and the other is the lack of love in their lives or the lack of forgiveness. This is a type of grief where an individual feels so alone and unloved that they may not realize that loved ones are near to them. It is a sad fact that men in particular often find themselves in a such a stressful financial pit that the inability to provide for themselves or their families drives them to attempt suicide which appears to be ‘an easy way out’.

Loneliness is yet another facet of a loveless life. No one can really understand why or what it takes to push a human being over the edge. Many who attempt suicide, or think they are doing it – are merely crying out for help. Obviously there are times when this cry for help can go wrong and the individual passes by accidental means. No matter what, we will never really understand the state of mind of someone who is suffering so badly that they wish to end their life, thinking it an easier way out.

Potential Suicide Influences

Another disturbing and sad aspect of taking one’s own life, is that it’s cause can actually be at the feet of a negative influence. I would like to break down this aspect into to hypothesis of thought. One school of thought is:

Peer and Group Influence

In this case, an individual can be influenced by a group or cult pressure such as the mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, South America:

“On this day in 1978, Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones leads hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their agricultural commune in a remote part of the South American nation of Guyana. Many of Jones’ followers willingly ingested a poison-laced punch while others were forced to do so at gunpoint. The final death toll at Jonestown that day was 909; a third of those who perished were children.” (history.com)

Order Of The Solar Temple

The Order of the Solar Temple was an attempted revival of the Knights Templar and is best known for the murder-suicide of 74 of its members in 1994–97. Established in 1984 in Geneva, and still inexistence today, the temple’s religious teachings incorporated a belief that the Earth would face a worldwide catastrophe in the mid-1990s and in anticipation of this apocalyptic event, members were led to believe that it was necessary to enter a higher spiritual plane. (Brittanica) These tragic events, of course, was clearly planned with the promise of a better life on the other side, as suggested by the farewell letters that were left behind.

The other school of thought is:

Malevolent Influence from Discarnate Beings

Information about malevolent influences has been gleaned from the other side of life with testimonies from esteemed pioneers such as Edgar Cayce, Carl Wickland, Red Cloud, Silver Birch and many more. There are also examples of evil influence in the Bible, Talmud, Quran and many other religious texts.

Evil influences, whether it be from a discarnate being or a malevolent intelligence, have the same parallel of the wanted outcome, that of the destruction of the human form and controlling the will of the individual under that influence. It can, therefore, be argued that many suicides could actually be at the hands of another being or intelligence and not the real will of the subjugated individual.

I know from two of my own cases in the past, that spirit influence was at the root of the desire to commit suicide. Both cases exhibited similar modus operandi from the discarnate intelligence, who I am glad to say, were rebuked and failed in their attempts.

Man-made doctrines Vs divinity

I am not going to discuss all aspects of the spirit world here, and for those of you that want to know more, it’s all in my book, “Deadly Departed – The Do’s, Donts and Dangers of Afterlife Communication.” But I do want to make a point so that you may feel a little comfort.

I mentioned before that many individuals who have sat with me privately or in groups have had a deep-rooted fear that the individual they love may not be in the place they call heaven or wherever else you believe exists. The turmoil and anguish they put themselves through are tremendous and I can’t help feeling that false doctrine is at the bottom of it all. After all – doctrine is of man and not divine in any way.

I have news for you; those who commit suicide are taken into the loving arms of spirit people in the spirit world who love and care for them until they reach their own awakening. Of course, those that are left behind often do not understand this and fear their loved one has gone to hell or a holding place, which can often cause great distress. You can be assured this does not happen, and if you can envision your loved one in the arms of a beautiful angel or your own loved ones who have passed over, you can rest peacefully, knowing that your loved ones are safe and well.

Ok, so now you are going to ask how I know this and I don’t blame you. There is a plethora of information that has come from beyond the grave time and time again – not only in readings but in trance séances where the evidence has been irrefutable. Scientists who investigate the afterlife have so much intelligence at their fingertips that skepticism in pseudo form is no longer valid. But where the divide exists is between the ignorance of science that has no idea about the mechanics of the afterlife and tries to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Probably the most satisfying evidence is the evidence that one witnesses in a private sitting when the loved one comes back and tells how it is from the horse’s mouth – along with the evidence required for the sitter. Often our loved ones will return to try to allay the fears of those they left behind by little telltale signs they are still around. Much of the time, these signs are missed or ignored because of the deep grief that one may be experiencing or indeed because of other perceptions based on doctrines or other man-made theories.

Loved ones will often visit in your dream state just to let you now that all is well but sadly, the individual receiving the message will often put this down to their grief and need to feel they are alive. Other small signs such as hearing them calling you or manipulating energy in your environment are also often missed or dismissed. If you could only know – not believe – what I know, you would take comfort in knowing that your loved ones are not in a terrible place if they took themselves over. They are in loving arms and will let you know they are well.

In closing, what you must know is that suicide is not the easy way out, as one still has to work through things in the spirit world. This will be featured in a further article.

I Don’t Believe In Life After Death

Ok, so it may shock you a little to hear a medium say that they don’t believe in life after death and the reason that I don’t believe is because I know there is life after death. You see, to believe in something implies following a pattern of someone else’s perception, but to know is divine.

In our society there are many perceptions and often when we grieve, the question of, “Is there life after death?” or “Where do they go when they die?” is often the mainstay of someone’s thought process, or a thought that occupies every second of every day. There’s an inherent fear that suffocates you and that is, “What if there’s nothing, what if my loved ones are gone and that’s it?” The very thought that you will not see or feel your loved ones again is unthinkable, a spiraling unending pain that is often too hard to face and deal with. The very point of life seems wasted and so we stop valuing ourselves. We retreat into our shells because that’s the place where we feel safe and, of course, no one really understands our grief. We believe that our grief will always exist, but in reality that is not the case.

Impermanence and Life After Death

There is a philosophy in Buddhism that suggests that life and everything within life is interconnected and at the same time – impermanent, meaning that everything is a conditioned existence, transient and in constant change. In reflection, this can also help us to understand that grief is also impermanent and will not always exist in its current form, but will of course change in continuous motion. This Buddhist perception is also called Anicca or Anitya, which is ancient sanskrit and asserts the idea of transience.

It is a fact that when we grieve, our emotions are in a state of transience, always changing and moving from one state to the other. No-one can say how long or how fast you should move through these states of being and how you should react. Nevertheless, understanding and having an awareness of the impermanence of grief can actually help you to understand how to move through it and how you can begin to experience a new energy that will allow you to reach into the state of harmony between yourself, your grief and your loved ones. It is time to learn the language of the soul.

Language Of The Soul

Soul Flight

You have language, you understand your language in your current form but you have forgotten your true language. This is the language of the soul, the reality of your existence and part of the divine essence that is you and animates you and has brought you into being by natural spiritual law. So how does this have anything to do with grief? The answer is very simple. Learning the language of the soul will help you not only move through the grieving process faster, but also help you touch the void of the spirit to cross the bridge between the material and the spiritual and meet your loved ones on the other side of life.

So this language is not one that anyone can teach you. It is already within you and is as simple as awakening to the spirit within. We have all heard of those signs that are around you that help you to understand or recognize the connection of your loved ones such as:

• Animal signs
• Dreams
• Smells
• Energy
• Music
• Synchronicities
• Visual Awareness
• Auditory Awareness

Of course, there is much more, but that’s a start. The truth is that in order to change anything in life, one must have an awareness. However, that awareness is only scratching the surface between the physical and the spiritual. One must learn to become aware of the awareness and though that may sound rather strange, it is easier to understand it from recognition of the divine authority and power that you hold. Becoming aware of the awareness is going beyond your breathing, which is actually one of the best techniques to learn how to deal with grief and connect with your loved ones – learn how to breathe.

There is a subtle change that happens when we awaken this awareness and one begins to find that knowing the reality of spirit and divinity becomes very real. You begin to notice those subtle nuances that are manifested from the world of spirit and in that recognition you get one stage further in becoming even more aware of spirit and the power you hold.

Breakthrough In Knowing

At this juncture, you have taken a massive leap forward and experienced that spiritual breakthrough and awakening of the soul. The signs that you now experience and the interconnectedness between you and spirit means that you now know the reality of life after death. How communication and language of your divine being is a right and a divine truth – even a purpose. You now do not believe in life after death, you know there is life after death because you understand the language of the soul.

Compelling Evidence of Spirit in a Time of Need

Introduction by Leo Bonomo

From time to time, we come across wonderful evidence of Spirit, most of which is familiar to us as mediums, psychics and those newly initiated to the great reality of life after death.

Mediums become accustomed to the fact that, “Yes, of course, this is real” and can, on occasion, miss the real and far-reaching impact, the total wonderment and huge effect this realization can have on a person’s life. In the sharing below, we experience the fantastic moment of the bliss that arrives when we KNOW that we do survive death and it comes with such impactful evidence that we cannot ever dispute it.

It is the wonderful gift of Spirit that takes away all fear, as in this case. The evidence cannot be contradicted, although sceptics have certainly tried in the past. If you have ‘an interest’ but feel that you have not had proper evidence, then take heart. This story is a wonderful recounting of an incident that has many values.

The evidence presented in the following story shows that when we pass over, we can see and understand the impact of our actions, their full repercussions, and how we are driven to try and fix them. In this case, the need for love and forgiveness was demonstrated (by the person in spirit) with good evidence.

This is, to my mind, as great a story as you would ever hear; a story of our times. My thanks go out to the wonderful soul who has shared this very personal account of events that are often played out with a very different ending.

Jane’s Story - Evidence of Spirit

(Image: Canva)

Has anybody experienced anything similar to this? In 2010, I experienced something that I’ll never understand; an experience I will never ever forget but also an experience that has taken away all of my previous fears and anxieties around death and dying.

Just a typical night and I took myself off to bed, got comfy and started to read my book. After around 10 minutes, I noticed a dim orb-like light to my right. I remember not really taking that much interest in it and just carried on reading. After around an hour, I turned my lamp off and lay down.

It was only around 2 minutes after turning the light off that I noticed the dim light again. So I peeked over my duvet and to my astonishment, my dad was at the bottom of my bed! I couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing my dad and remember questioning myself, was I dreaming this? But nope. I was 100% seeing him. I really wasn’t too worried by his presence, but the strange thing was that he appeared to me with no waist or legs, just him from his belly up.

I could see every pore on his face. It was so surreal. A brightness glowed around him and he looked so very young; he held his hand out to me and even though his lips never moved, I knew he wanted me to take his hand. He never smiled once whilst he was with me and I never leant forward to take his hand either. I can’t explain why I didn’t but I felt so guilty and upset when he left that I hadn’t.

Mum said there was no way Dad was dead

Eventually, I managed to fall sleep and the first thing I did the next morning was call my mum who lived in France at the time. I told her about my experience of seeing dad standing at the bottom of my bed and at the same time, I told her that my dad must be dead! My mum told me that there was no way my dad would be dead, the reason being, my mum and dad divorced when I was 11 years old. Poor mum found out he was having an affair with another woman and he would stay with this other woman till the day he died.

Dad was never a good dad; mum said they married too young and that he worked all day and spent all night in the local pub. This upset mum, as he often came home in a state, never took any interest in family life at all, never gave her a penny and my sister and I were almost non-existent to him.

Mum said he wouldn’t have died because she had always kept in touch with a member of his family and each year they sent each other a Christmas card and would write the occasional letter to each other too. She told me, “If your dad was very poorly or had even died then I’d have been contacted.” She said she had always asked about my dad and was always told he was well.

Dad’s new wife didn’t want me around

I tried for years to be in his life and thought that when he remarried, I’d be accepted more. The woman he married was Scottish and already had five girls from her previous marriage, so I thought I’d fit in fine. But I didn’t because dad’s new wife didn’t want me around for fear of dad returning to mum one day. Well, that’s what I believed the reason to be – fat chance of that ever happening. Dad’s new wife was an absolute bitch! I never received a birthday card, nor a Christmas card ever, and after years of trying, I decided it was time to let go. I eventually gave up, but thought about him often, with a tear in my eye.

Anyway, getting back to where I left off, after speaking with mum about my experience with dad, I thought she was more than likely going to be right, so I just brushed it off and tried to forget it ever happened. I went to bed the next night but nothing out of the ordinary occurred, although I actually whispered to him in my mind as I so wanted him to appear to me again. I missed him and wished I’d taken hold of his hand.

View from the Isle of Cumbrae

​dan kearney, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

My second visitation from dad

I had an invite to my sister’s place for tea, so went along with my hubby but never mentioned anything about seeing dad. My sister’s husband said he’d got something for me; turned out to be a brochure-like magazine relating to Scotland, not that I’d ever visited Scotland. I was a little intrigued as to why he’d be giving me this and when I asked why, he replied, “I thought you’d be interested as it mentions a few historical places.” And he knew I loved history.

I remember opening up the magazine somewhere towards the middle and for some odd reason I felt a really strong connection to the island that appeared on that page. It was Cumbrae, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. The feeling was so strong that I turned the mag around and told everyone to look at how beautiful it was. I even told them I felt a really uncanny connection to the place and that I needed to go! They just laughed.

Five days after dad’s visitation, it got to night time again so I retired to bed. Again, nothing unusual, just the same. Got cosy and read my book. I must have been reading for near on an hour when I suddenly felt I wasn’t alone, but I never experienced a bright light. I looked around but couldn’t see anything unusual. I just had this feeling of being watched. Then I put my book down and turned off my lamp.

As I lay there for about 15 or so minutes, I felt the need to look towards the bottom of my bed and omg! Dad was stood their again. I immediately sat up. He looked exactly the same as five nights previous and he held his hand out to me again, only this time, I leant forward and held his hand. I looked on as his hand grasped mine, but felt nothing. I looked at him and he was smiling, and within seconds he was gone! My heart was absolutely broken. I cried myself to sleep but I knew for sure my dad was telling me he had died.

The next morning, I got back on the phone straight away to mum and told her that my dad was dead and that he’d visited me again. I couldn’t stop crying and she said, “Let me go, Jane, as I’m going to ring your Auntie Pat.” She was my dad’s adopted sister and the family member mum had always kept in touch with.

The last time I saw my dad was 1992, when I was 26 and married with two children. He never bothered with either of them, yet in 1991, whilst living around 30 miles away from dad, my youngest child became very poorly and was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

Me and my hubby stayed at the hospital and one morning on arriving at my daughter’s ward, I was astonished to see my dad sat by her bedside. He saw us approach and left in the other direction. I shouted over to him but he never turned around. I’d never done anything to this man. I just wanted to be loved by him and to be part of his life but it wasn’t to be.

The uncanny Cumbrae connection

The telephone rang and I knew it would be mum calling, so I quickly grabbed it. I immediately asked if she’d managed to contact Auntie Pat and her reply was, “You were right Jane, your dad passed away on 18th February 2007”.

So I had for sure received a visit from my dad not once, but twice! Mum also told me that she had strong words with Auntie Pat over the phone and told her how utterly disgusted and upset she was that she had not contacted her over his death back in 2007. She also asked how she could have written back in past letters stating that he was well, when all along he’d been dead for the last 3 years!

Mum said that for the entire time she ranted down the phone to Auntie Pat, there was just silence, until she told her to at least tell her where he was buried, so then at least her girls could go and pay their respects to their dad. “The thing is, Linda,” came the reply, “he’s not buried, he’s cremated. But his body isn’t close enough for the girls to visit as his wishes were to have his ashes scattered on the Island of Cumbrae, Ayrshire in Scotland.”

Omg! Omg ! The magazine, the connection I felt with this Island of Cumbrae; an island I never knew existed but felt such tremendous connection with because it was my dad’s final resting place. He found a way to contact me to let me know of his passing, something his wife should have done, and Auntie Pat. But they chose not too and I cannot forgive them for that; even my mum cut ties with Auntie Pat because in her eyes, what she did was so unforgivable.

It’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack

Although he was never around for me, he’s still my dad and always will be. I love him very much and I’m happy he came to let me know he had passed, as that proves to me his love and I know wholeheartedly that he’s sorry for the past because I just get that feeling. I’ve never seen him since that second visit but know he’s around very often.

This experience wasn’t a dream. This experience was real and has taken all the fear out of dying. I know there is more to come after this life because since my two visitations from my dad, I’ve had a few more experiences that didn’t involve seeing him.

I’ve also since been up to Scotland and took a short ferry ride over to the island with my hubby. That in itself was very odd as I had no idea where dad was resting. Auntie Pat had only told mum he was on the island. Once I’d driven off the ferry, I turned left, which took us down to the beach.

It was so very quiet, not a soul to be seen and my hubby said there was no way I’d find my dads resting place. He got out of the car to ask someone in a local shop if they had any idea where most of the resting places were to be found, but they didn’t know. They just told my hubby, “It’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

(Image: Canva)

As we turned the car around to go the other way, a lone bagpiper came off the beach playing the bagpipes. It was so odd because nobody was around except for me and the hubby. We sat and listened as he played, and I just cried. Then we carried on and after travelling for around two miles, I abruptly said to my hubby, “STOP! He’s here.”

There were stone steps to my right and I felt he was at the top of those steps. My hubby said to me, “You’re mad, Jane”, but I got out and once I reached the top, there he was. I found him. The feeling was so overwhelming. There I was, finally with my dad and at peace with myself.

Leo Bonomo’s Response to Jane’s Story

This is a fantastic, beautiful story that mediums are very familiar with. Your Dad had given you clues to his passing at a time when you were open, and guided you to the very spot he was laid to rest. Not only that, he has acknowledged that he had wronged you and wanted your forgiveness which you had given him. He was aware of your regret and persistent enough to come back and try again, giving you the encouragement you needed. I think it is a wonderful thing. I, myself, have given evidence of a need to forgive someone who has passed but sometimes, such terrible things have been done, that people are still unwilling to forgive.

When we experience something like this, it is a forceful awakening to the ‘real life,’ that the personality survives death. Death is only of the body, the gross material we have created for our means, that is all. You have been blessed and your Dad has given you the greatest gift anyone could ever give.

Evidence that we are eternal

The realisation that we are eternal, the realisation that death is nothing to fear, that we do survive and that ‘we shall meet again’, I am so very sure that this story will encourage so many others who may not yet have found that comfort you have and are experiencing. While you have shared this, I do not think you have realised the full impact it will have on others.

There is a reason you have shared beyond what you know with great evidence, too. Thank you for sharing this light, love and experience for all to share. It is wonderfully touching.

Light, always,

Leo.

Divine Law Is Perfect In Operation

Many laws exist that govern us. We have man’s law, the laws of physics and scientific laws such as the law of gravity and laws of the state, laws of the organization, religious law and so forth. All laws have been developed as a method of control and to conduct behavior, and are, of course, designed to create structure from chaos. Laws are all about governing and there’s no greater quote that explains this concept than from the Swiss philosopher ‘Jean Jacques Rousseau’ who argued in 1762 that:

People are born free and must willingly give legitimate authority to the government through a “social contract” for mutual preservation.

At this moment in time, we as a people have never felt so incarcerated as man dictates what he feels is right and just – control based on perception.

A Divine Law That Supersedes All Of Man’s Laws That Are Governed By Perception

However, there’s one set of laws that governs all of humanity, nature and creation. It is known as our Divine Law. As an example, allow me to relay a story that might explain how Divine Law operates above and beyond all of man’s laws and to which man has no power to change.

She Confirmed Her Soul’s Path That Was Governed By Divine Law

Katherine* was a devoted wife and mother, until she was stricken by cancer that eventually caused her to pass to the world of spirit. Her husband, Michael*, who is now my closest friend, was guided to me by events that were outside the norm of operations governed by man. One of the greatest conundrums of Katherine’s journey through her illness and subsequent passing, was that if this journey was indeed chosen by her for a greater purpose, was it meant to be, and why did she suffer in the way that she did? Could anything have prevented that path that Laura went down?

For Michael, this was a question that needed some confirmation. He had always felt this was a course that Katherine had chosen, but confirmation would require substantial evidence in order to be accepted. Anyone can offer a judgment or perception based on one’s ego or own perceptions whether they are false or true to them, but only evidence from the person who chose their path would be sufficient enough to go some way to offering an explanation.

He Would Have Given Anything To Have Changed It!

Michael would have done anything he could at the time to change the outcome of the journey. His wife was suffering and if he could have changed places, he would. Prayer to change the outcome, prayer to heal, or anything that could have reversed the path she was on, he would have done, and given. The suffering for all members of the family was absolutely overwhelming.

At the time, Michael could not see the greater picture, and Katherine, confined to the consciousness of this earth plane, would not have seen that picture or known how it would impact things forever more. Anyone in Michael’s position would do anything they could to change what was transpiring at that moment. These situations are reminiscent of the story of Jesus in accordance with Divine Will and Divine Law as exemplified during the agony in the garden, when Jesus had to succumb to what was inevitably governed by will and Divine Law.

There Was No Change

No matter what Michael or Katherine wanted, it could not be changed. Why? Well, the soul is governed by Divine Law and also knows what it needs for growth, what it needs for service or what it has chosen as its path for whatever divine reasoning it has. Yet, we who exist on this plane may not have the knowledge or understanding of the different needs of the soul, which may not be in accordance with what we desire or want as human beings. Though the connection is there, the perception can be different.

Katherine Confirms Her Path

Katherine finally came through during a mediumship sitting with a complex yet important piece of evidence that confirmed her path was chosen at the soul level and that no man-made law or human desire could have prevented the inevitable. She had to convey to her husband that the words in a song he resonated with were understood, and why that song meant so much to Michael in terms of the love they had, the journey they went through together as one.

This was achieved by leading evidence in a pattern and, toward the end of the sitting, conveying her understanding of that song which had important words and meanings that were known only to Michael. In fact, she did not know of the song when she existed on this side of life. This demonstrated that she was aware of the wording, the music and why Michael made the connection to that particular song. Therefore, she confirmed that her path had a higher authority that was not able to be changed due to the service and the lessons it offered to foster growth and change in the lives of others.

This example shows that no matter what we desire, or what we want for our own gratification, no matter how we plead or demand change of outcomes or ask for the cup to be passed as in the case of the garden at Gethsemane, Divine Law is perfect in its operation and no perception or power of man can change these laws.

What Is Divine Law

Divine Law governs all of creation and comes from the mind of God or Source, no matter how you label your perception. We only exist because of Divine Law and without it, no life or nature would be possible. Consequently, Divine Law is often misunderstood. Man has created a perception of Divine Law that actually does not adhere to what real Divine Law is, or how it operates.

When one starts to talk about Divine Law, religion immediately comes to mind as if these laws are only understood by religious beliefs and practice. However, that could not be further from the truth. Religion is man-made and therefore not the source of Divine Law. However, certain laws will exist within the religious perception but only from the reality of hidden truths that exist within all religious beliefs, such as the Divine Law of Love that exists within the basis of all religious belief.

Misconception Of Law To Suit the Ego

Many individuals, spiritual teachers and organizations will almost color what they perceive as a Divine Law to suit them or to suit the need of the EGO. One such example would be the belief in Reincarnation as being a Divine Law. If we look deeply into this, and learn from the wisdom of those gone before us and from explanations we have received from the other side of life, we would see that Reincarnation is a choice and not a law. There is no necessity governed by any other need that says it is an inevitable law to which we all must adhere.

We have a choice whether to reincarnate or not. That choice is given to us by free will, which is another law that is perfect in its operation and allows us to make the choice to reincarnate or not – hence the Law of Free Will allows us to choose between the action of Reincarnation.

Image: NoDerog, Canva

A Divine Law Is Harmonious And Needs Other Laws To Operate

There is a grave misjudgement which perceives Divine Laws as being separate laws that operate only within their individual purpose or remit. But let’s consider something within two of these Divine Laws. Let’s look at the following;

• The Law of Karma
• The Law Of Responsibility

Each of these laws actually work in harmony with one another and therefore the Law of Harmonic Resonance comes into play with both of these laws. Nevertheless, to make it easier to understand, we will only use the example of these two laws to exemplify how one is reliant on the other.

I fully understand that we could sub-divide even more into other laws of the universe, but we must begin somewhere and sow that seed from which we can grow. Therefore, we now have a nice segway into understanding the Law of Karma, which can be thought of in terms of cause and effect – again comprising another Divine Law. Furthermore, we can understand the Law of Karma more simply in layman’s terms i.e. ‘What you give out you get back’ or you ‘Reap what you sow’. So how does this correspond with another law that is in harmonious resonance – the Law of Responsibility?

Responsibility

The Law of Responsibility is perceived as a law that makes you responsible for all that you are, all that you think, all that you perceive or believe, all that you act upon and all that you say. In essence, you are wholly responsible for every aspect of you, down to mind, body and soul. Therefore, what you choose under free will to think or act upon is your responsibility and no one else can be held responsible for the choices you make or express as a Divine Being.

As a consequence, if you choose unwisely and do something that perhaps goes against other laws, you will have to pay a karmic price for the choices you make. As you are responsible for your choices and how you act upon those choices, which are governed by free will, the consequences of those actions will actually have a karmic effect. The truth is that each law in this example is working in harmony with the other laws and one cannot exist without the other.

Destiny Is Not Purpose

Let’s go back to Katherine and Michael. Purpose is not destiny and your purpose changes in accordance with the choices you make that are based on the journey. But inevitably, each chosen purpose leads to the one destiny which is what you chose before you incarnated upon the earthplane.

The choices Katherine made, impacted upon her purpose at each stage in her life; her purpose as a wife and her purpose as a mother, yet her destiny was on the same path as her purposes which could not be changed, even though purposes change based on the choices you make. You can choose different paths which have different purposes, but your destiny remains that constant truth. Each law that governs our destiny is that which is in harmony with Divine Will and, therefore, Divine Law.

No matter what Michael wanted at the time when all the events were taking place, it could not change Katherine’s destiny and how those Divine Laws were operating. When Katherine came through during the mediumship sitting and confirmed her destiny was to be of greater service, it brought a level of comfort to understand how Divine Law and Divine Will operate and govern our lives from every moment.

Awareness Of Divine Law

Awareness of Divine Law goes beyond perception or theory. It is something that requires discernment to be able to understand the resonance within each governing law and how that law is in correspondence to another. This also means that one with awareness of this deeper level of understanding about not just the law, but its operation, relationship and mechanics, will have to be more aware of how it operates within one’s life. One who is ignorant of such laws or who has no understanding, will not experience the impact as much as the discerning individual who understands that law, for the impact of such laws will be meted out with more impact. Consequently, one who has spiritual awareness of Divine Laws can in fact suffer more because these laws govern this earth plane and impact the soul’s growth.

It is therefore important that one has awareness of Divine Law in operation within the universe and of course one’s life. By understanding the governance of Divine Law, we can learn to live in harmony with ourselves, with others and of course with nature. Divine Law supersedes all other laws made by man’s perception and of course ignorance and man’s perception cannot change the operation of Divine Law.

* Real names not used