Archive for August, 2010

Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Ócháni Lele, author of seven books, including the topic of our discussion here – Teachings of the Santeria Gods: The Spirit of the Odu.

Kala: Ócháni, many people are not aware of Santeria and what its philosophy and teachings share. Can you briefly explain to our readers the origin and core principles of Santeria?

Ócháni: While the Lucumí faith is a modern religion flourishing on American soil, it is heavily rooted in the past, a surviving, spiritual evolution of ancient Yoruba beliefs. The Yoruba were a proud nation of warriors who occupied southwestern Nigeria, an area in which their modern day descendants still thrive. These Africans developed a religious city-state system whose brilliance in some ways exceeded the systems of classical Greek and Roman empires, for while those ancient European civilizations are no more, the Yoruba culture lives on. History tells us that they were founded by one holy man, Odúduwa, the ancestor who established the first holy city at Ilé Ifé.

From his work they grew; the tribes flourished and a religious nation formed. As the ethnic group spread, entire city-states sprang around the worship of various orishas, the gods of the tribes. Ilé Ifé belonged to Obatalá, Oyó was governed by Shangó, Ilobu was Inle’s, Ketu to the orisha Ochosi, Inisa to the orisha Otín, and Ilesa (Ijesa region, Iwo and Edo) to the orisha Logun Ede. Each city-state had its own priesthood. To whom a priest served depended on the spirit protecting the city. Thus, initiates in Ilé Ifé were brought into the mysteries of Obatalá, while those who entered the priesthood in Oyó received Shangó. Ketu priests were bound to Ochosi. Overlapping of priesthoods did occur for political reasons when ties between sub-tribes needed strengthening. Uniting all these city-states no matter the god served were three concepts: that of Odúduwa, the common ancestor, Olódumare, the supreme God, and Elegguá, the orisha who opens the doors from our world to that of the divine. While each individual province had its own orisha to worship, with Odúduwa in their blood, Elegguá at their feet, and Olódumare in their heaven, all were one nation.

The religion, whether one speaks of the ancient Yoruba , the modern Yoruba, or the Cuban-American Lucumí (Santería), is a faith teaching that the ultimate creative force, Olódumare (“owner of the womb”), divided itself into innumerable aspects – the orishas. Each force is a living, spiritual personification of limited ashé (a word translating loosely into power, grace, and life). The ashé of an orisha depends on the aspect of Olódumare from which it spawned. Obatalá, a deity who can be either male or female, comes from the vastest and wisest aspects of God; he was known as the “King of White Cloth,” the cloth itself being the pure, white light from which all things coalesced.

Yemayá is the sweet, life-giving, mothering principle of unknowable deity; and like a mother, she is swift to protect and defend her children. Ochosi is the hunter, the one who not only hunts to feed God, but also to feed his people; he taught humans how to hunt for food, thus representing the aspect of Olódumare who created the concept that to live, life must feed on life.

Olokun, the hermaphroditic deity ruling the depths of the ocean, draws her ashé from the part of Olódumare that is secret, mysterious, and unknown; hence her home is in the depths of the ocean where none may descend while living in the flesh. Ainá, mistress of flame and constant companion to Shangó, is the limitless fire of Olódumare’s existence. Too vast to be known as a whole, Olódumare is made knowable through the religion’s myriad deities. We believe that it is only by worshiping and studying each force that one slowly acquires greater knowledge of the divine.

Kala: The ancient stories are called “patakís” and are connected to the 16 odu (principal creative forces of Santeria). They were originally shared by the Yoruba people of ancient Africa in an oral tradition. How are the patakís shared today, has the process evolved from ancient times?

Ócháni: Even today, the patakís’ main mode of transmission is oral; however, Santería is experiencing a geometric growth best described as explosive. My own godfather, for example, has 25 crowned heads (godchildren who are initiated as priests), and he cares for an ilé ocha that has about 200 uncrowned heads (aborishas – worshippers). In Orlando we have an incredible priestess with Oyá done, Nina, who has dozens and dozens of crowned heads, and probably hundreds of religious godchildren who are not crowned. It is impossible for any one person to instruct all these godchildren orally – there are not enough hours in the day. Faced with such explosive growth, oral training is strained at best.

Over the years there has been a gradual transition from oral teaching to written teaching. One can see it on the internet primarily; in various newsgroups, priests and priestesses are instructing others about the orishas in written, electronic medium. This is a huge diversion from what has been, traditionally, an oral medium. A lot of my instruction for my own godchildren is done in a private newsgroup. And now we have books . . . well . . . a book (mine) that has moved from private online instruction into a more expansive form. I think this will be a future trend. As the years go by, more priests and priestesses will pen books of patakís and other teachings that have been primarily oral for centuries.

Kala: Your book is the first to chronicle these stories in English and shares over 100 of the ancient parables. What led you to the decision that it was the time to write about Santeria and the Odu?

Ócháni: Throughout my private studies I’ve been an avid note taker; and, as I took notes I catalogued everything I learned according to the odu of the diloggún. It was a process that took years. Before I knew it I was writing a book – it was a process that just snuck up on me! My first manuscript, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination, almost got shelved. When it was done I read it and thought, “I can’t publish this!” It was a huge change from tradition. So I put it away.

Not long after I went to a tambour (sacred drum and dance party) for the orishas, and the orisha Oyá came down. To make a long story short, she demanded that I continue my work and she gave me a pen name to use. She promised that as long as I wrote to educate, she would protect me and bless my work. After that tambour I had a renewed sense of purpose, and since then I’ve been writing fearlessly and unashamedly about the orishas and our religion.

Kala: How has the spiritual practice of Lucumí graced you in this lifetime and what have you learned the most during this time?

Ócháni: The orishas gave me a life when I had none, to be honest. I was born into this tiny rural town, a “hick” by anyone’s standards. The religion opened my eyes to a greater world, one filled with light, love, magic, and infinite possibilities. It brought me wisdom and grace; and it led me to some wonderful people who I consider my spiritual family. It’s amazing the people the orishas bring together – writers, artists, teachers, doctors, lawyers, musicians, actors, and singers – people from all walks of life come together to work and worship and pray. That in itself is very magical, and very humbling.

Kala: Of all the stories you shared in the book, which is your favorite and why?

Ócháni: It’s very hard to pick a single story that I consider my “favorite.” As I brought the volume together, I picked stories that were my favorites, tales that moved me or inspired me in some way. Right now, however, I’m really into The Story of Iré and Osogbo found in chapter 10. I have a god-brother in L.A. named Andreas who has been having “Story Time with Uncle Stewie” nights with his godchildren (it happens right after Sunday dinner and the Sunday night airing of ‘True Blood’) and they’ve had hours and hours of discussions from just that one patakí. It teaches an essential truth of this religion, or any religion, really – we are not defined by how we act in the good times. Instead, we are defined by our actions in bad times; and those misfortunes we face force us to evolve, to become something greater than we once were. It’s a simple story, but one that has dozens of interpretations and practical applications in our lives.

Kala: Ócháni, thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Ócháni and the Teachings of the Santeria Gods book can be found at Destiny Books.

Ócháni: Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure! And, please, check out my latest book Teachings of the Santería Gods. It’s a wonderful collection of short stories based on the patakís of Santería.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom.

Kala’s new book Ghost Hunting North Carolina will be available in 2011.
More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com
Information on Intuitive readings and consultations with Kala available at:
http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

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Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main column page as the National Haunted History Examiner.

Yes, that’s right, for all you astrology followers out there, I said it, Embrace the upcoming Mercury Retrograde, which goes into effect on Friday, August 20th and ends on Sunday, September 12th, 2010.

We’ve always been alerted to the dangers and mishaps that occur when Mercury goes retrograde, including problems with electronics and communication. I’m not doubting that information, I’ve seen it occur first hand and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched businesses attempt upgrades and buy equipment during these periods where I thought to myself, if only they had consulted an astrologer, how much easier this would have gone for them.

What I am saying though, is while good old Merc causes his share of trouble when he goes retro, he also brings a wealth of opportunities and if you understand how the retrograde works, you can use this information to your advantage.

When a retrograde occurs, the effects begin a week before the actual date, so in this case, you’ve already been affected by this cycle since August 13th. Retrogrades bring opportunities to reconnect, revisit, revise, review, reveal, and renew. If there’s someone you’ve been trying to connect with and have been unable to do so, you may find that they appear in your life at this time. If you have an unresolved issue, it may come to an end during this time. It’s a powerful time to review your life and reconsider some of the decisions you’ve made in the past and resolve to change your life in the future. Just wait till the retrograde is over to take the actual actions and make clear decisions and for heaven’s sake, don’t sign any contracts. For now, it’s time to reflect upon your life in a creative, free-flowing, brain storming type of direction.

It’s also a powerful time to relax and renew, a great time to take a break this coming weekend and do something fun and get away. Just make sure to double check those reservations and have your car checked before you travel far and the rest should be smooth sailing.

So the next time you hear about a retrograde coming, mark your calendar so you avoid buying electronics during that period and double check all communications, including taking a deep breath and thinking twice before you blurt your feelings out loud and say something you might regret later. Use this time wisely to relax, unwind and enjoy some quiet time to review the path you’re on and where you’re heading next.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom. More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com and readings and consultations with available at: www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing!
Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Heather Mendel, born in South Africa, she now resides in the US, where she teaches classes in Kabbalah with a feminine approach to Judaism. Her book is: Dancing in the Footsteps of Eve: Retrieving the healing gift of the Sacred Feminine for the human family through myth and mysticism.

Kala: Heather, you write about the mystical Four Worlds of Kabbalah— Intuition, Thought, Emotion and Action, accessed by the archetypal Mystic, Student, Dreamer and Humanitarian within. Can you give us a brief explanation about the four words and the archetypes?

Heather: There are many ways we engage and experience reality. We think, we feel and we act— for too many raised in western traditions, we have diminished the riches of the intuitive realm. Mysticism not only reinstates the validity of the intuitive but also acknowledges the interrelationship of intuition, thought, feeling and action as of equal importance. On the stages of our inner worlds, archetypal characters play their parts as we live out our lives. I imagine the interplay of four of them in our inner worlds. The Mystic seeks and integrates images and feelings from the intuitive realm— processing and connecting dreams, hunches, and gut-feelings. She invites us to note the synchronicities and ‘co-incidences’ that, if we attend to them, fill our days. Co-incidence we are told, is God’s way of remaining anonymous:-)

The Student dwells in the realm of language and logic and thrives through learning about the physical world, past and future, that we access through the five senses. The nostalgic and romantic Dreamer remembers times past and longs for a better future. She projects her visualizations of how the world could be. The Humanitarian understands that what we do is more important than what we think or believe. As a sacred activist she knows that alone, she cannot correct all that is wrong in the world. With the input from the Mystic, the Student and the Dreamer, she wisely chooses the areas about which she feels passionate about and tries to make a difference in those spheres by appreciating diversity, celebrating commonalities and practicing an inclusive, non-judgmental love for life that causes harm to none.

Kala: I’ve studied comparative religions my entire life, beginning in my childhood. I’ve always felt/known/believed that the story of Eve is wrong. Many of the Jewish teachings are parables, to teach and explain and not meant to be taken as completely literal. Over the centuries, the story of Eve appears to have been used to cast a shadow over the Divine Feminine, as Patriarchal rule began to arise. That’s my thoughts on the matter. Please share with our readers what your research and writings have uncovered….

Heather: A Buddhist teaching reminds us that the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon— the stories we tell, sacred and secular are all parables that invite us to delve below the surface as we seek the full meaning of the metaphors used. The story of the Garden of Eden is an ancient answer to the perennial questions of who are we and why we are here. Written thousands of years after the patriarchy was established in the Ancient Near East, the literal version of the story that we all know so well describes ‘Eve’ as the disobedient temptress and describes an earlier stage of human development that was hierarchical. God was envisaged as the authoritarian parent who needed obedience above all else. As we evolve out of our spiritual childhood as a human species, we are ready for a new story. Judaism teaches that biblical text was never meant to be read only on a literal level and offers at least four deepening levels of understanding for these ancient tales.

We are co-creators with Divinity. Delving beneath the surface of the literal story of the Garden of Eden, the metaphoric Eve, resident within each of us, emerges as humanity’s hero— the intuitive aspect of all human beings that leads our story forward. At the start, the human journey begins because of Eve’s blessed curiosity and courage. With Eve recognized and reinstated in the present, our human connection to the Sacred Feminine is reaffirmed. We honor our God-given gifts of courage and intuitive curiosity that God intends us to use— when we are ready for all that life in the physical world brings including the pain, suffering and separation as well as the joys, delights and successes that are part of every human experience. As we dance in Eve’s footsteps we reawaken the Divine Feminine whom we welcome back into our midst.

Kala: What about Lilith? Did you look deeper into the story and parables about her life?

Heather: Lilith was not a biblical character but appears in the Talmud— ancient Jewish wisdom literature that interprets biblical text. In the story of feminine energy that predates the patriarchy, she represents ‘the wild woman within.’ The legend of Lilith describes the first ‘wife of Adam’ —women’s potential prior to the patriarchy. She is the archetypal shadow of Eve, feared by men who believe that subjugation of the feminine is necessary for male empowerment. Lilith refused to be dominated and flies away. Adam asks for Divine help to bring her back, to no avail.

As women and men, we all have the power to reinvest Lilith energy into our lives and honor our independence, our intuitive wisdom and our willingness to step forward into life and its challenges with courage and fortitude.

Kala: What do you believe that the Divine Feminine presence is bringing to humanity at this time?

Heather: The feminine face of God offers balance, harmony and healing. Represented by the human capacity for true intimacy and respectful relationship with one another and the natural world, She knows that the unseen aspects of lives need to be honored. Through storytelling and deep listening she offers a pathway to sharing our and intuitive wisdom. She reminds us to laugh and not take ourselves so seriously, to still the busyness of our clock-and-calendar-driven world of past and future (Chronos) and take time to live in the present moment that is Kairos. All of these possibilities bring balance and healing to a fractured existence.

Kala: Many patriarchal religions have eliminated the Goddess/Divine Feminine from their belief systems. Do you feel that there will be a return to understanding and embracing the Goddess?

Heather: During the thousands of years of the patriarchy, She may have been dethroned, demoted and diminished but never destroyed. She is rising from the depths and we feel the transformation in consciousness that is underway. We see it in the breakdown of patriarchal institutions, the breakthrough of the blindness that separated us from nature and the natural setting which the Garden of Eden symbolizes. She is helping us to break away from hierarchical discrimination based on the outdated paradigm. As we move away from the exclusionary rituals of organized religious traditions that separate us, we reclaim the spiritual underpinnings of all faiths in which our commonality lies. In so doing, we are able to reinvest religion with spiritual sanctity. The Divine Feminine will not overpower the Divine Masculine as both are needed for the maximizing the full potential of the human journey of spiritual beings. As She takes back her power, She brings alignment, balance, healing and harmony as our consciousness continues to evolve. In Judaism there is a perfect name and image for God that fits this new evolution in consciousness— neither female nor male, God is intuited as “I shall be that I shall be” – Divinity that is constantly present and continually changing as we evolve and grow into knowing the right questions to ask.

Kala: Heather, thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Heather and her book can be found at her website: www.dancinginthefootstepsofeve.com

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More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom. More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com and readings and consultations with available at: http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing!
Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! 

‘Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be…Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you’ll live as you’ve never lived before’. - Erich Fromm

Did you know that Tony Bennett, Ernest Hemingway and Carl Jung all had near death experiences?

In the 21st century, many have heard about secret military programs obtaining information using psychics and remote viewing, but have you heard about the evidence which supports that Abraham Lincoln used spiritualism during the Civil War to obtain military information?

Embark on a journey into the spiritual realms in an A-Z format, the Encyclopedia of the Unseen World: The Ultimate Guide to Apparitions, Death- Bed VIsions, Mediums, Shadow People, Wandering Spirits and Much, Much More by Constance Victoria Briggs, published by Red Wheel/Weiser.

In over 288 pages, Briggs catalogs and defines the activities of the supernatural world. You’ll read about historical figures and contemporary celebrities who have reported contact with the other side. The book covers the history of prophets, mystics and mediums and explores spiritualist communities including Lily Dale and Findhorn.

A wonderful addition for the aspiring meta-physician who appreciates a handy reference guide filled with definitions and descriptions of the supernatural world including religions, spiritual practices, ghosts, psychics, fairies, and many other enchanted realms.

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More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom. More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com and readings and consultations with available at: http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing!
Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

They’re back! For many years, I’ve made “Inspiration Bags”, dedicated to Love, Prosperity, Dreams, Passion and Joyful Living! These magical bags are part of my divine heritage and ancestral roots growing up in Louisiana, surrounded by wise women who made gris gris bags filled with powerful magical affirmations. Inspiration Bags are my way of carrying this tradition forward using the magic of the Divine Feminine to spread love and light in each one.

Inspiration Bags by Kala are filled with the blessings and magic of the universe. Inside each bag is a diverse mixture of herbs, crystals, seashells, oils, feathers, plants and nutshells carefully blended to create the energy desired. Each bag has been energized and sealed to stimulate the universal energy created. Place your bag in an area where you can see it at least once a day to attract good energy into your life.

The Divine Feminine has spoken and I’ve answered the call and will be traveling  this Fall, delivering a variety of Inspiration Bags in many cities. My journey begins with the Southern Women’s Show, in Charlotte, NC where I’ll be partnering with Serene Bath & Body. In our booth, I’ll share my magically inspired Inspiration Bags with women who desire to be empowered, inspired and revitalized with the spirit and essence of the Goddess within!

Come visit me at our booth! There with Serene, we’ll be the best smelling and tantalizing booth in the place. Serene Bath & Body offers an all natural metaphysically inspired bath product line to nourish the body, inspire the mind, and soothe the soul. They use all natural essential oils and add charged crystals and gemstones into all of the products.

My first Southern Women’s Show is scheduled for September 16-19 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over 30,000 women attend this show and enjoy makeovers, wine tastings, and shopping.
I hope to see you there! The rest of my fall schedule will be posted soon and if you can’t make it to one of the cities that I’ll be in, information on the Explore Your Spirit website will be posted soon as to how you can special order your very own Inspiration Bag.

Much love and joy,

*~Kala~*

A new website, Mass Most Haunted will be launched on August 15th by Phillip Brunelle. The focus of the website will be to present video and photo evidence of real ghosts captured on camera. Mass Most Haunted will upload videos and photos to showcase paranormal evidence that they capture during future investigations.

According to Brunelle, he has been contacted by producers of the SYFY network’s television show, Paranormal Files with a request that he share some of the paranormal footage he has captured, or may capture in the future to use on the television show Paranormal Files: Fact or Fiction. Phillip Brunelle is not yet sure if he will release any of his paranormal evidence or work with the production company just yet as he is still in the process of creating his website Mass Most Haunted and preparing for its launch.

Mass Most Haunted is currently seeking requests for paranormal investigations in Massachusetts and New England. In addition, they will also display the most genuine paranormal videos & photos sent to the site by the public. If you have a video or photo with evidence of a ghost or paranormal activity and would like to have Mass Most Haunted review the paranormal evidence and consider it to be featured on their website, they invite you to submit the information to them, by following the instructions on their website.

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new Haunted History article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read other articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her column as the National Metaphysical Spirituality Writer for the Examiner.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom.

Kala’s new book Ghost Hunting North Carolina will be available in 2011.
More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com
Information on Intuitive readings and consultations with Kala available at:
http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

The Beekman Arms Inn located in Rhinebeck, New York, was established in 1766 and is recognized as the oldest operating Inn in the country. A gentile piece of history, the Inn allowed the 4th Regiment of the Continental Army to practice on its front lawn in preparation for the American Revolution. Over the years, the Inn has seen its share of action and honored guests, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, William Jennings Bryan, and Franklin Roosevelt have all slept here and all of the above have enjoyed a drink at the Inn’s Tavern, including most recently Bill Clinton.

Located in the center of the Village of Rhinebeck, the Inn is charming and inviting and as an added treat, has been updated to accommodate modern amenities. The result is pleasing and comfortable and welcoming to any traveler and the Inn continues to provide hospitality with the grace and allure of the old traditions.

During my recent journey to Rhinebeck, I stayed at the Beekman, in the Townsend House. The room was spacious, comfortable and to my surprise, included a fireplace, a writing desk, two wing back chairs and a decanter of sherry waiting to warm me from the evening air. The room also had an enormous walk in closet, so large that it included a sink, a mini fridge and enough room to store 10 to 12 suitcases or trunks.

Settling in to sleep that evening, I woke at 3:30 am to the sounds of hearing heavy boots stomping across the floor in the room. Alarmed, I sat up and turned on the light next to the bed, as I assumed that the sound was coming from my husband, who must be up and moving something around in the closet. As I turned the light on and sat up in bed, the noise stopped. Calling out to my husband, I heard a snorting next to me and turned to see that he was deeply asleep next to me in bed. Fully awake at this time, I sat up for a few minutes, thinking that I must have been dreaming and that the sound I had heard had come from a dream.

This further perplexed me, as I am a person who has been able to remember at least three dreams every night of my life since I was a young girl and I teach about dreams and dream interpretations. I wake each morning and review my dreams and categorize them into dreams that are teaching me something, dreams from the other side communicating with me, and dreams from my subconscious that help me to work out what is going on in my life. There are also dreams that mean nothing, that occur when one is not feeling well or ate something too heavy before going to bed.

As I sat in bed thinking about how I woke up, what troubled me was that I remembered the dream that I had been having, and it had nothing to do with a man stomping around and walking. That noise, had actually entered into my consciousness and interrupted my dream and woke me up, with the feeling that someone was in the room. Taking a sip of water, I looked at the clock which now read 3:45am and I resigned myself to going back to bed, as tomorrow was an early day. As I turned off the lights and prepared myself for bed, the stomping of the boots began again! This time, I knew it wasn’t a dream.

I could clearly hear the stomping of the boots and the sound was coming from the enormous closet room. Instead of turning the big light back on, I grabbed my little flashlight that I carry with me everywhere and walked into the closet room to investigate. As I entered the room, I ran straight into the full body apparition of a male ghost, dressed in 18th century period clothing and pacing back and forth across the room, his heavy boots making a loud sound on a floor, that looked nothing like the carpet there today.

As I continued to watch him, he was frantic in his movements. He would walk to the desk and look at a letter there on the desk and each time he would read it, he would become upset. In his hands, he held another letter and as he opened it and read the contents of that letter, it appeared that the information in the letter on the desk, was in complete opposition to the letter he held in his hand. This was causing him a great deal of conflict as he was uncertain as to what his final decision would be. As he paced back and forth in the room, he stopped midway, looking to his right. During that time, another presence appeared near him, a woman with brown hair and he appeared to be very fond of her. The mood changed in the room as he interacted with her and I could feel the love between them. This was the only time that his angry energy melted away as he reached out to stroke her cheek. This lasted only a brief moment and then she disappeared and he went back to the desk. From what I could discern, the decision he had to make between the letter on the desk and the one in his hand, would decide the fate of many people, including himself and his female companion and he was deeply torn as to which decision he would make.

At this point, I attempted to make contact with him, to determine whether or not he could see me and communicate, but he could not. What I was experiencing is called an “imprint haunting”. Basically in this type of haunted activity, something happens that is very emotional and stressful and the energy is so strong that it leaves an imprint behind in the space. The imprint creates an energy recording that is similar to a tape being recorded and it plays over and over, repeating the incident. LIke watching a video, you can not interact with the people on the tape, it is just an imprint of that moment that was captured and can be viewed and felt, a little piece of history captured in that moment.

Because of this, I was not able to speak with gentleman to find out his name or what the letter contained or his connection to his female companion. I was only able to observe. As a psychic and paranormal researcher with the Rowan Society, I’ve seen a wide variety of haunted and paranormal activity over the years. The ghost of Beekman Arms is a friendly sort and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Inn and hope to return there again. I’m sure that given a longer length of time to explore both the Beekman Inn and the village of Rhinebeck, I would find many more ghosts with tales to share.

Did you miss part one of this story? If so, go here to read: http://www.examiner.com/x-18975-Metaphysical-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m8d3-A-splendid-choice-for-Chelsea-Clinton-and-for-the-body-mind-and-spirit This is part one from my column as the National Metaphysical Spirituality Writer for the Examiner. While you’re here, subscribe to my Haunted History column here, up at the right hand corner. It’s free and you’ll receive an email every time I write a new article. Explore the paranormal with me and don’t miss any haunted mysteries. *~Kala~*