A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. May's Theme: "Appreciation"
Volume 5 Issue 4 ISSN# 1708-3265

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I was recently on an airplane flight en route to Alaska, returning home from a vacation in the south western United States, when something very surprising happened. The time was about 11:00 pm and I was sporting a pair of noise-cancelling earphones, an eye mask, and a memory-foam neck cushion. Wedged comfortably into my window seat, I had been sleeping peacefully for about two hours. Suddenly, out of that calm, tranquil sleep, I awoke feeling incredibly nauseous. Not just typically nauseous but alarmingly, crazily, wildly nauseous.

Pulling off the eye mask, I told my daughter, who was watching a film in the seat next to me, that I didn't feel well. She woke my husband, who asked if I was okay. The last thing I said was, "No, not really."

When I next opened my eyes, it was to a crowd of worried-looking faces. Someone was pushing on my chest and calling to me, as if from far away. For a moment, I saw a veil of black, then the faces, then another veil of black and then the faces once again.

A few seconds later I felt a rubber oxygen mask around my mouth and heard instructions to breathe deeply. Doing so, I felt more alert. The woman compressing my chest was a Nurse Practitioner who had been sitting nearby. She had the stewardess bring me some water and, a few minutes later, some caffeinated cola. Less than 30 minutes later, oxygen mask removed, I felt perfectly fine, as if the event had never happened at all.

The ever-anxious glances from my daughter and husband, however, reminded me that this did happen. They reported that soon after I had awoken and complained of nausea, my face went blank and became very white. My eyes were open wide, staring off into space as if "no one was home," and I was unresponsive to their questions.

What I really wanted to do was sleep for the remainder of the flight, but my husband kept me awake. Two hours later, on landing, a group of Anchorage paramedics met us at the plane door. Though I felt fine, I understood that we'd be going through the emergency ritual. In truth, I felt a welling of deep appreciation for the dedication of these young men being present at such an hour to help others in distress.

In the ambulance on the runway, two polite medics did a 12-line heart test and reported that my heart rate looked "textbook normal." Even though I looked fine and there was no other indication of any distress, they recommended a trip to the Emergency Room. But at 1:30 in the morning, having spent the past eight nights in hotel beds, the last thing I wanted was a hospital bed or a battery of tests. All I really wanted was to see my dogs and crawl into my own comfy bed.

It's an interesting situation to observe the dome of fear around others in the wake of an emergency situation. This is not to imply I was without fear, though throughout the incident I had the instinctive sense that I would be fine. I have had this same sense on other occasions in my life when events on the surface appeared to be life-threatening.

On returning home, I slept soundly for 8 hours and felt refreshed on waking. Later that day I called various medical people to get opinions, insights and suggestions. I scheduled an appointment with a highly recommended physician and, in preparation for that, wrote up the details of the entire event along with anything that I thought might be remotely related.

Symptoms are our body's way of inviting us into deeper communication and conversation. The responsibility on our part is to listen—a simple yet powerful recommendation, though how many of us really take the time? I knew I didn't always. Thus, another priority was to spend some quality quiet time inviting my body and spirit guides to comment about what had happened on the airplane.

In the end, I received a lot of good advice—not only from my doctor and via blood tests, but from my inner guides as well. Some of what these guides related was personal information, but much applies to humanity at large. At this time in earth's evolution we are all undergoing massive shifts in consciousness. And this affects us on all levels of our being—from the soul all the way to the cellular, and beyond. Everything is affected—our thoughts, our emotions, our physical bodies, our personalities, our relationships—everything.

As my guides described it to me, "Imagine a number of forces of energy exerting movement or pressure upon a central axis of You. The desired outcome is a kind of balance, though at times smaller 'individual' aspects of energy confront one another. Where there are knots or holds of energy there is confrontation of the energetic sort. So, a twist occurs that may pull on the whole of the overall energy, creating a kind of drag or conspired twirl of energy. This may 'shut down' part of your physical body for a brief period of time.

"Our suggestions are to check in more often than you are used to in allowing all aspects of you to share input and offer a quick 'who's where' in consciousness. The more you do this, the more seamless is your transition and the better focused the circuitry of communication throughout your being. In short, the more simple, elegant and shining the presence of You in the world.

"This is a key and crucial time for many in the world. Remember to release the old and unneeded, the toxic waste from your body and being. Human growth is an ongoing mystery in the making. The mystery grows not by shadow or obscurity or 'not' knowing, but by following your own clues, by being open to new awareness within and without, and by sharing your discoveries with others, just as others share with you. More and more the world is permeable—inner and outer, me and you, us and them… Borders are dissolving even as we speak."

Personally, I found this input to be very helpful—and to coincide with the doctor's medical diagnosis. Throughout all my talks about the incident with a wide range of individuals—nurses, doctors, specialists and family—I felt myself led by an ever deepening sense of intuition awakening throughout my body. I felt the lessening of fear and the increased joy of trust—for myself, the events in my life, the interconnected web of all beings, and our communal evolution.

As my guides noted, "Fear is a great and awesome teacher, though there is no need to go into fears that do not affect you. Indeed, all are well advised to release the mass fears which keep one stuck in the group hold of dementia and limited visions/versions of consciousness and presence in the world.

"Allow yourself some time each day to follow your inner guides and feel your body more fully and wholly. It is one of your greatest teachers and has all the clues necessary to help you on your way. Thank and praise the body for its extreme intelligence as it helps you to become more of who you fully and truly are."

Of course, this is wonderful advice for us all. Our body is incredibly intelligent. It offers us constant feedback, though it is up to us to listen. The more consciously aware we are of our body, the more quickly and clearly we can hear its messages. I was amazed at the power of my body, not only as it awoke me to indicate danger, but as it worked overtime to regain balance.

In addition to renewing my appreciation for the intrinsic wisdom and support of my body, this incident refreshed my admiration for the remarkable ways in which we are all connected. I was deeply touched by my daughter's caring, watchful eye and my husband's fast-acting concern. I felt immense gratitude for the kind Nurse Practitioner and the young paramedics, all of who so desperately wanted to help. I felt the genuine caring of the assistants at the doctor's office who listened to my story over the phone and made room for me in their already busy schedule.

So, too, did I feel profound appreciation for the quiet, clever doctor who read my report and asked me so many detailed questions, thoughtfully looking into my eyes and truly listening to my responses before offering feedback. I was thankful for the sympathetic phlebotomist who sensed my nervousness and talked with me as she drew vials of blood. I was also grateful for all those people I didn't see—those who ran the tests and printed up the results.

And, as always, I am sincerely appreciative for my guides and the wonderful ways in which they communicate. Of course, we all have access to this—a vast bounty of inner knowledge which transcends the small, surface thoughts of what we think we know. Let us appreciate the precious sensitivity of our body and the innate intelligence that exists in all bodies, in all minds and souls. Let us share in heartfelt appreciation, in celebration of who we all really are: a deeply unified wave of love and light that shines through the marvellous myriad of diversity in this world—in this lifetime and beyond.

Dawn Baumann Brunke is the author of Animal Voices, Awakening to Animal Voices and the upcoming Shapeshifting with our Animal Companions, due out in August 2008. Her books explore the deeper nature of our relationship with animals, nature, each other and ourselves. For more, see Dawn's website.

Be sure to read the reviews of her book "Awakening to Animal Voices" in our May 2005 Issue and her book "Animal Voices" January 2006 Issue.

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