I should warn you that this picture doesn't do my mood justice...
Just recently I have been hearing stories about people who have been ripped off by psychics, even some of them asking for ridiculous amounts of money, or they will lose contact with their loved ones in Spirit.
I have also heard stories (and been one of the people who experienced this in my early grief days) about terrible things being said to those wanting to hear from their loved ones.
I get really angry when I hear that these psychics are charging ridiculous amounts of money for their 'messages', and because we live in a world where we believe that the more we pay, the better the message will be, or the more powerful the psychic. I just want to say, and I know Brian (my guide) will back me up here...What a crock of shit!
The reason why some people will charge more is because they have huge egos, they believe they are powerful and the best reason of all, they know they can make a killing out of the customer who is on a grieving expedition.
Sure, in any type of work, we all deserve to be paid a reasonable sum of money for our services and our time. That is only fair, but really, is $300.00 for an hours work, what your loved one expects or wants you to pay to 'connect'?
I am not dissing anyone for what they do or how much they charge. I accept that some people will charge more and if thats what their clients want, then fine and good. But, I do get angry beyond belief, when I hear that that their customers are told that unless they pay lots more, they will lose contact with their loved ones in Spirit.
We are all born psychic, we all have the gift, even if most of us don't believe we do. Even a child can (and will) connect with our loved ones to tell us what they want us to know. We don't have to be all powerful, we don't even have to look any different or stand out in the crowd. Those that can connect are everywhere and anywhere we look.
AND.....but wait there's more!
Our loved ones in Spirit have no hidden agenda. They hold no grudges. They don't seek to hurt or harm us in any way...not even a teeny tiny bit. They might give us a heads up about something that is coming e.g. remember to be careful with your purse, so we can, hopefully, avoid losing it. BUT, they will NEVER NEVER EVER tell us bad shit! They will not give us really bad news. They will not tell us someone is going to die. They will not tell us if someone is cheating on us. They will not tell us how we upset them while they were alive.
They have absolutely no need to do any of that crap! (sorry, I am still angry...)
Where they are it is love. Love is the question. Love is the answer and there is nothing else.
They know the whats, whys, whos and any other answers that they didn't have while they were on this physical plane. They know why things happened the way they did. They know all the answers, while we are still struggling with the questions. They can't tell us all the answers, because that is part of our life journey and life purpose. Why would they cheat us out of a full and wonderful physical experience?
So, if you feel like you are being charged too much, the chances you are!
If you feel the messages you are receiving aren't for your highest good, then its time to find a new psychic, or just walk away from the one you have.
Don't be pressured, guilted or blackmailed into handing over all of your money. You just know that your loved one would not want to be a part of that, now would they? ....so, doesn't that make you ponder the question: 'Well, who is it that they are talking to?!' Trust in your intuition, instinct or gut.
with love, respect and integrity, but no more rage!
Cherie xx

As some of you may know, I do house-sitting. I love it because I get to experience many different places and areas I wouldn't normally get to see. I also get to meet some wonderful animals that teach me about being still or loving life out loud. I also 'meet' various spirits who are guardians of the homes I stay in, or welcome guests.
The last one I was on had an older African man, complete with long dark pointy mask, who wasn't impressed that I was there on my first night. I wasn't in the mood to ask if he was friendly or otherwise, so instead I cleared the energy in  my share of the house with my pendulum. This didn't mean he had to leave, because it is not my right to tell him whether he should stay or go. This was a way of setting boundaries between us. He was allowed a certain area of the house and I would have the best part with the lounge, my bedroom and kitchen attached! He went quietly and didn't cause any fuss. For a week we lived in harmony. He would give me little surprises every now and then by dropping or rattling things, or letting out a deep noise, that wasn't so much a moan as just reminding me he was there.
As I was cleaning and preparing to leave, I had a CD on quite loud, and I could hear he wasn't happy, as the voice I heard at one stage wasn't compatible with the song playing. It sounded like a 'Noooooo-oo!' My music obviously didn't appeal. I just smiled and carried on singing at the top of my voice. And then the fun began.... He started jumping the CD back and forth, between songs and repeating some of the lines. Each time I would get 'into' the song, dancing or singing, and the music would change or repeat. I told him that I can't do housework without loud music (because then its more like dancing than working) and he was just going to have to deal with it. He still messed around with it for a while, but he must have eventually got bored, because the rest of the CD played without incident.
This week has been a difficult week for me, I have been pondering on my life before Butch passed and how different things could have been. Despite what other people think, I don't always have it together and I certainly don't have all the answers. I wallow in self pity and wishful thinking, just like the next person.
So, the next CD I played was one that Butch and I loved. As I sang along, I could feel Butch around me...and then the CD started to do strange things. It paused and skipped to the very last track. The song was extremely relevant to my week. It spoke of things happening within our lives, and sure, we could have avoided them, but, how, if we had done that, we wouldn't have had some of the great experiences we had had. I had tears in my eyes as I sang along. The CD stopped, so I pressed play, hoping to hear the rest of the CD....but it would only play #17 (the same song). I gave in, saying 'Okay, I get the message.' The CD stopped and then went to track #7, which was a song about learning to live again. (coincidentally, that is what my grief website is called!)
I finished my cleaning and sat outside to enjoy my cup of tea.....and realised after a while that the same song had been playing over and over again. I laughed a little to myself and knew I was being told to pay attention. The song playing was our song. The one we had played at our wedding, whenever we were feeling mooshy and at Butch's funeral... *sigh* Love that man! ♥
So I encourage you to listen to the music that is around you. Be aware of the messages you are being given....and always listen to loud music when you do housework! It makes a huge difference to your attitude!
with love, respect and integrity
Cherie xx

I want to talk to you about my friend Mary. A couple of weeks ago Mary asked me to help her join Facebook. As we set it up, she told me she didn't want to use a real picture for her profile. She didn't want any contact or personal details to be entered. The idea of letting anyone know what movies, books or music she preferred.
I asked her if she wanted to search for her friends, or add anyone that she knew was already on Facebook. No, she just wanted interested in that. She just wanted to use it to 'see' what was happening in the world of facebook, without being involved, or updating her status.
A couple of days ago, I received a call from Mary. She was extremely upset, so I went around to see if I could help in any way.
When I got there, Mary was sitting in front of her computer, tapping furiously, with a huge black cloud of anger hovering over her.
Mary explained that she had forgotten her password to access her facebook account. She knew she had written it somewhere, but she couldn't find it and had absolutely no idea what it might be.
We tried using the email address and various other options to try and log in to her account with no success.
As a last resort, we tried a different way, and facebook asked us to type in a current friend's full name attached to  instead.
Unfortunately Mary didn't have any friends, as she had chosen not to add any to her facebook account. Needless to say, Mary's account is no longer accessible and she is deciding whether she wants to bother having facebook after all.
As I was driving home, I was thinking how Mary's story is one that can be related to life in general.
Life is not a spectator sport. We aren't meant to be here on our own. We are meant to connect with others, on as many levels as we are able to. We are meant to learn not just about others, their way of thinking, be-ing and do-ing, we are also meant to share, to give of ourselves as well.
For, without friends; without 'sharing' our life with others, we are actually locking ourselves out of the most amazing and fulsome experience.
There are lessons to be learned everywhere within our life - all we need to do is to be open to them and aware that we are here to learn, to share and to connect.
with love, respect and integrity
Cherie xx

I'd like to share a story with you. The plant in the bottom left hand corner of this picture has a special significance to me. When Butch and I got married, it appeared in the background of all of our ceremony photos. After Butch passed away, I took this plant with me wherever I lived. Not all these homes had the same airy semi shade area as it was used to, but I needed it to be around me, so there it was.
It was an amazing plant. It didn't matter what happened to it, it still survived. As I walked past it, I would pat or stroke its leaves. I would thank it almost daily for being there whenever I returned home, as I am well known for my 'plant cemetery' full of good intentions and dusty plant pots of years gone by. I know it sounds strange, but there were even times when I would brush against it and I could feel a dampness and see droplets, as if it grieved alongside me.
I have recently moved and couldn't take it with me, but whenever I went to stay with my daughter and her family, I would be able to visit it, so it wasn't too bad.
One day my daughter rang me, most upset and worried. She told me that the plant had snapped off the day before and they hadn't known whether to tell me, because they knew how much it meant to me.
I reassured her that it was okay, that what is meant to be is meant to be. A week later I was visiting and noticed they had stuck the broken part of it into the pot as well. I didn't hold out much hope for either piece and said so.
Each time I visited I could see the top part had deteriorated more, the leaves were collapsing and dying. Yesterday, I decided that I needed to accept the inevitable, that this plant was beyond help.
As I went to empty it out of the pot, I noticed some new growth under the original stem. How exciting!
I looked at the other section of it and resolved to throw it away later. As I was preparing to do so, I mused that the plant was teaching me a lesson - that from old and broken parts of our life, there will always be new beginnings.
Imagine my surprise when I pulled the broken stalk out and found there was a whole new root system on the end of it!
The other part of my lesson is that although something may appear broken and will never be the same again, it can still be a part of my life, it will just be altered and different.
And thats how it is with life. We hold onto some things because of how they make us feel or the emotions they invoke. We want them to stay the same because thats how we remember them and need them to be. But nothing ever stays the same, change is an integral part of our lives. And sometimes things have to break to remind us that life is worth living, that there is more to look forward to and that change isn't all bad, it's just different!
with love, respect and integrity
Cherie. xx

The other day as I was driving I saw a sign outside a church, saying 'You must be Reborn'. As I drove by, I pondered about the bible and how we all have our own perspective on what is happening around us, what we say and what it means when we do.
I started thinking about when the bible was written and how the person who wrote it wasn't the person who did the talking. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not bible bashing, I am merely pointing out a truth of life.
We could have an event happen in a room full of people and not one person will tell the story the same, because we all have our own unique view of the world. The emotions and energy around us dictates what we have to say and why. It also decides how we interpret something, whether it is a thought, a word or an event.
I also struggle with the idea that I must be 'born again' to live the 'right kind of life' that makes me a good person.
Having had a large taste of religion as I grew up, I cannot believe in a God that is vengeful, angry and thinks I am bad. The God I believe in knows that I am always thinking of others, I am almost always kind, compassionate and caring, that I will put others before me sometimes, that I never intentionally do harm of any kind and that I am doing the best with what I have, what I know and the resources I have at my disposal in this lifetime. He understands that I don't believe I should go to church to be this good. He knows that 'his church' is everywhere - in nature, in others, in situations, wherever I am standing/sitting/be-ing, right here, right now.
...anyway, back to my car musings....
As I was considering the possibility that someone may have interpreted the words in a different way to which they were intended. I pondered on the fact that I have my own beliefs on the whole 'reborn' issue, and what could possibly have been an alternate definition....and then I had an Aha! moment!
We chose to come here on the physical plane. We chose to have a human existence, to learn various lessons, but most of us 'forgot' what we had come here to achieve, thanks to natal amnesia*.
We have various ways of 'remembering', whether it is snippets of deja vu, synchronistic meetings and signs, dreams, readings, the 11:11 shout out to the lightworker and many other variations on a theme. Even books and movies can help to jog our memory about what we need to look at in this lifetime, or what we need to remember from past lifetimes.
What if the message wasn't about being 'reborn? What if it was a wake up call? What if it was a reminder to remember? What if we are meant to awaken our senses, all of them? What if we are meant to rise from our earthly slumber of constantly 'do-ing', so we could awaken and begin 'be-ing'? What if we were meant to remember the strong and powerful person we all truly are?
Wouldn't that be amazing? And wouldn't it make a lot more sense than being reborn? When you think about it, wouldn't living be more about being totally us, immersing ourselves in the total experience of our existence, not just on a physical level, but also on a spiritual level, embracing all of who we are, knowing that we are magnificent?
We don't need to be reborn...but we do need to wake up, to 'awaken' and be who we are meant to be and be sure to love the person that is us, totally and unconditionally.
Quick! Stretch! Yawn! Be Awake!
with love, respect and integrity
Cherie xx

*We each have a life plan that we created on the etheric plane. However, until more recent times, most of us 'forgot' as we came into the world. This is known as Natal Amnesia.
**If you would like to more about our Life Plans, or The Story of our Life, contact me to purchase my mini ebook 'Life Plans', or to ask about others in the series.**