meeting michael

For the first time yesterday, I conducted a mini workshop called Meet Michael, a two-hour session where I help people forge a closer connection and bond with Archangel Michael.

As the world and humanity as a whole continue to move onto a higher level of consciousness and being, the angels and archangels are working hard to connect with more people so that they can help and work with them.

For a while now, I've been receiving messages to start conducting a series of simple Meet The Archangel sessions. This would help more people to get to know the archangels a little more, and to realise and learn that they can connect with them on a personal level and receive help, guidance and healing from them in their lives.

So several weeks ago, I took the plunge and let the word out that I would be conducting a Meet Michael session, which took place yesterday afternoon; and a Get To Know Gabriel session this coming Saturday.

I didn't have very much to go on as to how to conduct the sessions and what to say or do during them. All I knew was that the archangels wanted very much to reach out to more people so that they could make a difference in their lives.

For the past few weeks, I have been reading up on Archangel Michael and calling on him for help and guidance with coming up with the outline for the session.

As the day of the first session drew near, I could feel Michael's presence growing stronger by the day. Three days before the session, I found myself gravitating towards the colour blue in my wardrobe, and I automatically reached for my angel themed jewellery when I got dressed for work.

Blue and gold are the Archangel Michael's colours. And I realised that my soul was invoking him to come to my aid as I prepared to conduct the workshop on a spiritual as well as mental and emotional level.

Books on the archangels came my way as I began my reading and research work. I took notes of what nuggets of information I could incorporate into the sessions. Then early Friday morning, I sat out in the garden and, in an hour, finished the outline for the session that I would be conducting the following day.

The day arrived, and I wondered who would or would not make it to the workshop. I firmly believe that the angels and divinities lead and guide those who are ready to connect or work with them to the courses, readings or healings that they eventually turn up for. Nothing works by chance or coincidence.

Sometimes, there will be little "tests" -- perhaps a sudden cold or a little crisis at home or at work -- that will crop up unexpectedly just before the session.

I often get people texting me just before the course/reading/healing that they signed up for, to tell me that they suddenly feel under the weather, or that something happened at home, or that they had to work till late the night before and are now too tired to make it. They will either ask me if they should still come anyway, or send their regrets and say they won't be turning up after all.

Despite the disappointment, I've learned to let it go. For it is not for me to judge the whys and the wherefores.

Many times, it is simply a matter of divine timing. Perhaps the person involved wasn't quite ready for a reading or healing or workshop yet, but needed to come to the point where he or she consciously made the decision to attend it. That alone is a powerful healing, and a huge step forward on his or her spiritual path. I also know that the person will eventually turn up for the reading or healing or workshop when the time is right for him or her.

And when someone asks me to make a decision for him or her, or to ask the angels to tell them whether he or she should come anyway, I make it clear that I cannot tell them what to do. For when it comes to choices of the spirit, the decision has to be completely yours. I have no right to persuade or advise you either way. And the angels would already have given you clear signs. All you have to do is follow your heart.

So it was that only two of the four people who had confirmed their attendance made it to yesterday's session. A fifth person unexpectedly turned up just before we were about to begin. She ended up deciding not to attend the session but left her crystal on the altar to be cleansed, cleared and blessed by Michael anyway.

It was awkward, but I accepted it as something that was meant to be, and I knew that there probably was a lesson here for me.

The session went well, as I knew it would. From the moment I called his name and invited him to come into the room and clear the space, Michael made his presence known -- the fiery warmth of his energy made us all perspire despite having both the air-conditioning and fan on.

But the best part came at the end, when I asked the attendees to collect the crystals and crystal jewellery that they had placed on the altar for Michael to cleanse, clear and bless.

We noticed that one pendant -- the one belonging to the woman who had decided against attending -- had turned turtle. We had watched it being placed carefully on the altar, and no one had touched anything during the session.

Obviously, Michael wanted to give us some proof of his presence.

More importantly, I believe he left a personal message for me: That God and the angels can turn seemingly negative situations into miracles.

guinness my darling

We lost our beloved Guinness this afternoon. She was 13.

For the past couple of months, she had been having occasional bouts of a hacking cough. Visits to the vet didn't help, as the doctor couldn't detect anything wrong with her.

No matter how badly she coughed at home, when we brought her to see the vet, all coughing stopped and she always seemed fine.

One morning about a month ago, we found her upstairs gasping for breath. We rushed her to the vet's and again, the doctor on duty could not find anything wrong. She prescribed some antibiotics and some pills that would open her air passage to help her breathe.

Guinness was fine until over a week ago. Jordan came home from school and found her gasping for breath in the balcony. We rushed her to the vet and, yet again, came home with just more pills to help her breathe.

Basically, the other vet on duty that day said that given her age, nothing much could be done for her as she seemed generally okay except for the wheezing. It was probably her lungs, he said -- she's like an old person struggling to breathe.

So we spent this past week watching her carefully. It didn't help that Rex, who is 14, caught a cold over two weeks ago and got steadily worse. When we brought him to the vet's, he had to stay overnight for some tests and the vet discovered that he was very jaundiced -- meaning his kidney and liver were in trouble.

He ended up being hospitalised for eight days.

We went twice a day every day to visit him, but no matter what they tried at the clinic, blood tests showed that Rex's jaundice was getting worse. At his age, the vet did not think a biopsy would be a good idea, for even if he recovered from the surgery, there was no guarantee that he would recover from whatever it was that was causing the jaundice.

After eight days of hospitalisation, where he grew more depressed, the vet said we could bring him home. But because he still wasn't eating, we agreed to bring him into the clinic every morning, where they could give him medication and nutrients intravenously during the day, and we'd take him home in the evenings.

We did this for four days, but yet another blood test showed that it wasn't helping. In the end, we decided to bring him home last Thursday night, and take care of him as best as we can. The vet agreed that he would be happier.

Unfortunately, during this period, Guinness got worse.

She lost her appetite and the asthma-like attacks became more frequent. All we could do was watch her closely, give her the breathing pills and feed her water and food through a syringe.

For the past five nights, I have been sleeping on the floor, between Guinness and Rex, to talk to them, to let them know how much they are loved, and to make sure that I am on hand to render help and medication immediately should they get in distress.

Rex has been relatively steady since he came home, but Guinness steadily worsened.

On her worst day last week, we had to pop those breathing pills into her once every four hours (the vet had recommended giving it to her three times a day and reducing it to once a day when she got better). I honestly thought it was touch-and-go that day.

But somehow she made it through the day and night, and stabilised by late morning the next day.

I think she chose to stay on a little longer so she could let us know how much she loved us.

Despite struggling for breath, she made the effort to make eye contact and purr whenever we "talked". She hated having to take the pill, which sometimes distressed her so much that it would make her hyperventilate. But she always forgave us, and showed she understood by purring when she could breathe again.

She wasn't fond of being fed water and diluted food through a syringe, but she accepted it, and we were grateful for that.

Every morning, after giving them breakfast, we let the cats out to play in the garden, so they can get a couple of hours to exercise or nap in the sun and fresh air. Both Rex and Guinness have continued to go outdoors with the rest of the cats. They don't romp like the younger ones do, but they enjoy watching them or just dozing in the sun.

Usually when it rains, they all choose to stay in where it's warm and dry.

It rained just half an hour after they went out this morning. Both Guinness and Rex came in from the wet like the others. Yet Guinness asked to go out again when the rain stopped. Perhaps she knew that it would be her last time.

I let her out again and she was content to sit just outside the house. So I left her there and went to shower and get ready for work. When I was dressed, we went out to bring her in again, and we found her struggling for breath near the poolside.

We brought her home and gave her a pill. Even as she heaved, she looked at me and purred. When the pill began to work and her breathing steadied, I stroked her and told her we loved her. I explained that Brian would be home early this afternoon, and that I'd see her when I got home from work tonight. She just looked at me and purred.

She passed away at 3.02 this afternoon, after waiting patiently for Brian to come home. He said she was fine when he checked on her when he got in. But just a few minutes later, she made a sound and when he checked again, she was breathing very heavily.

She went quickly and peacefully, he said. Her heaving eased and she was gone within minutes, with Brian by her side, stroking her and telling her he loved her.

We are grateful for that. And we give special thanks to her guardian angel as well as to archangels Raphael and Michael.

Her guardian angel, for the constant love, care and protection unconditionally given.

Raphael, for being with her 24/7 since I asked him for help. He healed Guinness by removing much of her pain and discomfort so that she could continue to lead as normal and mobile a life as possible right to the end. He also granted my request to ensure that, when it was time for her to go home, she would go easily and painlessly, without suffering and fear.

Michael, for keeping his promise to come for her when it was time, and for taking her into his loving arms and carrying her into the light with him, so that she wouldn't be afraid, but would go in love and light and joy.

I may not have been with Guinness when she went, but I know it happened just the way I described. Because the angels have never let me down.

Tonight, and for as long as it takes, I will continue to sleep on the floor with Rex. For he too, is getting weaker by the day.

I have asked for the miracle of a turnaround for him, yet I have also asked for the same miraculous privileges for him -- as I had for Guinness -- if a turnaround isn't meant to be, and it is his time to go home.

For me, it is miracle enough to know that God's love is so great that the angels and archangels will love and come to the aid of our beloved pets when we ask. And to know that when it is time for Brian, Jordan or me to go, we will be going home to a house in heaven that will be filled with all our beloved pets who have gone before.

Oh, what a homecoming that will be.

change is in the air

Never have I seen so many Singaporeans so passionate about an election.

For a nation that rarely loses its cool during its own government elections, the recent American polls had so many Singaporeans avidly following its electoral campaign that I'm sure they would have voted too, if they had been able to.

And for someone who is usually pretty neutral about the American government, I found myself, for the first time, actually hoping that one particular person would win.

Like millions of others, I cast my lot, metaphorically speaking, with Barack Obama. And when he won, I too -- like so many Singaporeans and others around the world -- celebrated along with the American people who had voted him into power.

I have utmost respect for Hillary Clinton, and I know she would have done a lot of good as President of the United States. But she is of the Old Guard of politics and government.

Some political experts have sniffed at Mr Obama's lack of experience, but the world is ready for change. What Mr Obama lacks in experience, he makes up for in integrity, vision and a willingness to work towards peace.

I like the fact that he sees things differently. I love that he is no warmonger.

Those proud proclamations of not being afraid to "make history", and the refusal to back down from "wars almost won" no longer strike a chord with most people.

Mr Obama has changed the history of the world by being the first African-American president. He has brought pride and hope to the African-American community.

But more importantly, he represents hope for the rest of the world.

For the vibration of the world as a whole is being raised, and we are already moving up to a higher level of consciousness.

Our spirits yearn for peace, love and unity in the world. For we are all one. We share the same planet. It is our home. And who wants fighting at home?

There is also no such thing as a war "almost won". There are no winners in war.

So on Mr Obama's shoulders is the weight of the world's dreams and hope for change, for peace. That is a heavy load for one man to carry. More so when the economic situation that he has inherited ensures that the going will be uphill.

We can help by not being quick to judge or criticise, by sending him love and light, and trusting that God and the angels will help do the rest.