May 12: Bray Ghiglia’s yacht birthday party. L to R, Tara, Richard, Jason McKean, Bray.

As I prepare to write this column, I see that my notes go back to May, when Steven Sutphen had an art show at The Daily Grind in Hollywood. In addition to all his recording/producing, video and film projects, Steven still finds time to paint large canvases of his favorite subject: cats. The showing was well attended by the “young Hollywood” crowd of actors and actresses. And I’m happy to report that he sold 11 paintings. Also, on an upcoming episode of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” Alyson Hannigan, who plays “Willow,” will make a grand entrance into her TV bedroom and try to decide where to hang her new cat painting by Steven. See www.pussart.com

Also in May, we attended Bray Ghiglia’s birthday party on a yacht off the coast of Marina Del Rey. Bray is a friend and one of Valley of the Sun’s New Age musicians. Lavish food and live music highlighted the event. Bray played flute, sax and guitar with a rocking trio that was probably heard all the way to LAX. Bray’s album is Lunar Goddess -- CD118.

For Father’s Day, Richard wanted to attend the LA Irish Fair, which once again offered 16 stages of Irish music and dozens of activities and demonstrations, including sheep-dog trials (an inside joke understood by those who have read With Your Spirit Guide’s Help). Some of the children  (Scott, Jessi, Todd, Hunter and Cheyenne) also attended with us. We’ve often missed the fair in recent years, because we’ve been in London participating in the Mind Body Spirit Festival. But with Hunter graduating from 8th grade in June, we declined the sponsor’s kind invitation this year. Back to the fair -- even after eight hours of music, we had to drag Richard away from the grounds. Our favorite group: The Young Dubliners.

“Flight to Freedom Retreat” sessions were held in the large living room of a house located deep in the forest.

Jerry Schellenger and Mario Heer caught in the kitchen at the retreat.

The July “Flight-to-Freedom Retreat” in Lake Arrowhead was certainly one of the highlights of our summer. Richard and I spent seven days with 15 people attending from all over the world. The setting was a huge, rustic home, deep in the pine forest. Although we had a lot of fun, there was plenty of serious processing, group-focused energy work, and Richard and I both did one-hour individual sessions with each participant. He did a regression and I had prepared astrological progressions, which were part of my psychic readings.

Let me share a couple of responses from those attending. Kathy Watson is a flight attendant who had been troubled for years. After she successfully invoked some of Richard’s protectory suggestions prior to the retreat, and after the private sessions, we realized she was psychically connected to a close friend who was dying of liver cancer (and had been psychically linked for years). In an intense session, Kathy was cradled by the group, while Richard lead a process in which everyone went into trance and focused their energy as he directed a severing of the connection. Here is Kathy’s e-mail of Aug. 20:

“It has been a month since we were all at Lake Arrowhead together and a month since my life really began. Thank each and every one of you for the healing that you gave me. There have been so many differences in my life I don’t know if I can list them all. I feel free for the first time in my life! When you all cut those cords you also cut many of the cords that have been keeping me from being all that I can be. Life is so exciting. I never knew what people got so excited about, before now. Each day is a new adventure. I have ideas about what to do next. No more suicidal thoughts. I can barely remember what that was like. So far I am down 18 pounds. I have a long way to go and it doesn’t seem impossible anymore. I feel as though I have second chance at life because you were all willing to share your energy with me. Thank you so much. I hope you are well and happy. Love, Kathy.”

Saundra Edwards and Sumire Okuda listing to one side at the retreat.

Natalie Stamoulis, Aline Ball, Tara and Kathy Watson in the retreat house kitchen.

Aline Ball sent a letter about her experiences. While psychic Patrick Smith was visiting from Ireland, he saw Aline in Tucson, Arizona and performed a healing. We then supported that healing with a group-focus session at the retreat. The following is from her letter of August 28:

“Because of Patrick’s healing on my eyes and again at the healing session in Arrowhead, I no longer have Graves disease. It is a true miracle. Much of the pain left after Patrick’s touch in May and whatever was left, disappeared after you had the whole group do a healing on me. I saw the opthamologist last Friday, and he was astounded. He said he couldn’t understand how he’d made such a misdiagnosis. I didn’t enlighten him on the facts. Ha!”

I believe everyone attending the retreat experienced some kind of breakthrough, but these two cases are so satisfying because real suffering has been alleviated.

Lake Arrowhead retreat. Clockwise beginning at the top: Lindy, Nathalie, Jerry, Richard, Heather Gamble, Saundra, Tara, Tejal Parekh, and Aline (not pictured, Yvonne Rek and Mary Casey).

Click HERE for the continuation of
“Personal Notebook -- Sept. ‘00”