Messages of Hope:

the Metaphysical Memoir of a Most Unexpected Medium, by Suzanne Giesmann (a summary by Pat Evert)

Yes, prepare, But speak with confidence if you dare.
Ours is to leave you without care. Such a gift is very rare.
From love we come, it’s in your genes. You have the talent, we the means.
Rest in peace, assured of light. With us beside you, you’ll soar in flight.
The world is ready for these your words. They wait and listen with wings like birds.
For ours is yours and yours is ours. Such is the greatness of the Great Spirit’s powers.
Blessed are all who know these truths. Shout it, blast it, from the roofs.
Be our voice, we work with you. We come to speak of beauty true.
Divine is the light of which we speak. Beauty lies in the watch we keep.
Speak of love, speak of beauty … This, my dear, is your great duty.
We love you and hold you in our keep. Go forth and trust that you can speak.
With this we leave you this blessed day. Come back to us and together we’ll pray.
For we are here; at your side we wait. It’s with great hope we anticipate
The truths you’ll carry to those who listen. The truths of God on your words will glisten.
Go now and rest, for there’s work to do. We have great love and trust in you.
You have our blessing. In you we’re proud. Take our wisdom and shout it loud.
We love you all. For this we’ve come. There is no rest ‘til the Spirit’s work is done.

The poems came to me every day for just over a year, in periods of meditation. I always wrote with eyes closed, except for the one time the voice told me to open them and look. When I did, I saw that my pen had run out of ink. But do we all have access to inspiration and guidance beyond our present consciousness? I say yes. My story begins with the unanticipated journey that took me from Commander in the Navy, commanding officer, and aide-de-camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to my current experiences as a psychic-medium and channel for the spirit world. We come to this earth for one important reason: to develop our divinity—to kindle that loving spark of the Divine that lies within each of us. This earth is a great place of learning for us spirit-beings, and there is no shortage of lessons. But the Universe has a way of making sure we learn the lessons we came here to learn. The same gifts await all who respond to the call of their spirit.

Searching for answers You need not look far.
The answers you seek Are as close as you are.
For your Higher Self—That which “spirit” you call
Is connected supremely With the Source of it All.

9/11—Up Close and Personal – Working in a building where 189 colleagues had been killed was hard to come to grips with. These were people just like me, men and women I had worked with. Some of them I’d known. I prayed that I would never know the kind of pain I’d been witness to that day.

Think back today, but don’t despair. Those long gone, they still are there—
Urging all to trust and pray That more will see the light some day.
For now, do what small part you can To carry out your role in God’s plan—
Growing always in love and light, Striving ever to do what’s right,
Forgiving others who strike out in pain … This kind of thought is never in vain.
For love’s the only thing that’s real, The only way to truly heal.

Our Susan – My husband and I had long shared the dream of selling our house and cars and sailing off into the sunset on our sailboat. I took the lessons of 9/11 to heart and put in my Navy retirement papers. I wasn’t eligible to retire until June of 2003, but within 24 hours after my retirement ceremony, we set sail on our 46-foot sloop, Liberty, and left Washington in our wake. For three years we led an idyllic life of travel and adventure on the sea. We were cruising along the coast of Croatia, anchored off a deserted island, when I had a strange dream. It was remarkable in that the images were so clear. Unlike most dreams that slip away like misty memories when you try to recall them, these images stayed with me. In the dream I was at a party with people I didn’t know, when my stepdaughter Susan stepped out of the crowd. She walked right up to me and said with a beautiful smile, “We’re fine. The baby and I are very happy.” A jagged streak of lightning reached down from the clouds, striking Susan to the ground in a literal bolt out of the blue. Warren was the first one at her side, but there was nothing he could do for her or the baby. The image lingered as clear as ever, as did Susan’s pronouncement that she and the baby were fine and happy.

Lie down here beside me. Rest your weary head.
Do not cry in mourning, For I’m not really dead.
I always step beside you When my name you call.
I’m here to dry your tears. I will not let you fall.

Coincidence – My overriding interest was to find out all I could about life after death, I stood rooted in place, awestruck, and reviewed the unusual events of the past week: the self-starting television set, the butterfly that accompanied us for two days at sea, the special swarm around our boat, and now a butterfly that flew a specific and meaningful path, as if being guided. My next step was to find a good medium.

We can move mountains if we wish, But there’s no real point in this.
A tiny insect we can ask To do our task.
It’s all one Spirit But you cannot hear it
As we whisper to the butterfly To do our bidding, and it does comply.
We can move them with our thought. Free will, have they not.
All cooperating as a whole, For it is all just one great soul.

Evidence – Whoever I chose had to get past the skeptical minds of two career naval officers. Little did I know that bit by bit, the time I spent sitting in the silence had been training my brain to be still. I didn’t know until I attended Anne’s class that the spirit world is a realm of pure energy. Vibrations from the spirit dimension are so fine, so subtle, that unless one learns to quiet the mind, it’s nearly impossible to detect them. “And it’s a woman—well, really, it’s more like a young girl, a young girl in her twenties. She was a relative . . . and died unexpectedly. Do you have someone who died young and unexpectedly?” The headache, the electrical impulses, the lightning bolt reference, and now the presence of a young woman in her twenties, who had died suddenly. What Penny said next turned my tears into sobs. “And now there’s a second person who is a younger child. She’s holding this child by the hand. It’s somebody from the other side that she’s taking care of and she wants to present this child to you. Um, they’re fine!” she looks in now and again . . . at night, particularly . . . at night when you’re sleeping, because that’s a time when it’s possible to come through, in a dream or in that hypnogogic state. So she tries sometimes then, but, there’s a lot going on on the other side. She has a lot of stuff she’s doing and is very happy.”

When two hearts are joined as one They always will be linked.
The bonds that do connect you Can never be extinct.
For love’s a potent energy. Its resonance is great.
And when you share that power, The greatest link do you create.
Death cannot divide you. No distance is too far.
No matter if you’re here or there, Joined by love’s bond you are.

On a Mission – I felt the message that this life is not all there is was far too important to be relegated to a few esoteric books in the New Age section of a bookstore. It seemed unfair that the comforting message of mediumship should be tainted by a few unscrupulous frauds.

Just call me Bill – My changing concept of the nature of reality had caused my concept of God to change as well. I now looked at the world with a new sense of wonder, and increasingly better understood my relationship with God in that world. I realized now how appropriate the butterfly was as a symbol for those dealing with loss, for just as the caterpillar makes a transition to a more beautiful existence, so, too, does the human spirit after the transition we call death. The spirit world often lets people know they are around by recreating a familiar scent. Grief is a necessary process, but Ty’s words reminded me that we grieve for ourselves, not for those who have passed. Once I dried my tears, I focused my thoughts on happier times that we had shared and the experience my father was having now, free of his aged body. I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d thought when he discovered that there was no final curtain after all. He says it was like an ‘aha’ moment, so I don’t know that I would say ‘surprised.’ She paused again, then added, “It’s almost like he feels contentment.” “I feel more at peace than I have since your father died,” Mom told me. My mother was now convinced beyond a doubt that she hadn’t lost her husband forever, “This young girl?” Maria said, “This Susan? Well, she’s telling me that she’s filling your life with butterflies.”

Heaven is your self-same world. We live right here beside you.
The difference lies in the love we feel. Its presence ever does abide you.
In this world of thought, Where no matter does exist,
Surrounded are we all by Love, Whose great force we can’t resist.
Because of all the energy, Of which we are a part,
We feel the love more strongly here, Like a pulsing, beating heart.

Attunement – Janet Nohavec, medium and pastor of her own Spiritualist church, had spent four years as a Roman Catholic nun. The daughter of an abusive, alcoholic father, Janet had battled her own share of demons growing up. Janet was tough, street-smart, and sassy—the least likely nun, medium, or minister I could imagine. Until now a mere consumer of what I had previously considered a gift and not a skill, I was anxious to find out how to develop the abilities of a medium. It seemed too good to be true. Cancer, I might have guessed. A seventy-year-old man could have been a coincidence and plenty of men were engineers, but Twinkletoes? That was no product of my imagination.

How to know which way is right? You simply need relax.
Follow your intuition—Your brain you need not tax.
That subtle inner guidance Will tell you when and where to turn.
You’ll find such peace and freedom When to follow it you learn.

Answered prayers – After being exposed to direct evidence of the continuity of life, he became so convinced that the spirit world was real, that he dedicated the rest of his life to spreading the word. He surrounded himself by people who not only believed in spirits, but saw them with their own eyes, people who didn’t fear what others called ghosts, but who understood and respected the spirit world. Being a medium was a calling, “Go for the joy of communication from the spirit world. You are here for the people there.” We can’t prove life after death; the spirit world does it. First build the belief and faith in your soul’s ability. When the conscious mind says, ‘I can’t do this,’ you have negated your soul’s ability to give you faith. When working with the spirit world, anything was possible. I told her about the repeated swirliness in my head. The thought of having a dedicated helper thrilled me. I felt immense gratitude and love for both of these spirit beings who had made their presence known through me for the sole purpose of helping with my development. The spirit world simply blends with our spirit, she said, just as they had on the platform. It was special for the camaraderie we’d shared, and for the new things we had learned. It was special for the communion we’d enjoyed with the spirit world, but it was special for yet another reason. This week, he reminded us, we had celebrated the anniversary of the birthday of Spiritualism. I was a different person. I had come to this school to learn to trust those in the spirit world, to feel their presence and to deepen my connection with them. I had accomplished all of these goals,

Going for “Wow!” – I could not deny what I had experienced and demonstrated in England. Those events were part of the “new me.” I no longer believed that the spirit world was real, I knew it was. Part of that adjustment would mean dealing with skeptics, but I wouldn’t fall into the trap of arguing. Being a skeptic myself, I understood that only personal experience could shift a person from doubt to certainty. Then I reminded myself that the spirit world had no intention of letting me down. The first few poems applied specifically to me and my personal development. As the days went on, I noticed that the words had taken on more universal themes. I shared the first few by email with a handful of friends who I felt would appreciate that the poems were coming from the spirit world. We all seemed to enjoy the daily exchange of comments and the spiritual discussions the poetry engendered.

Clear the slate. Clean the plate.
Use these words before it’s too late.
And thanking you for all you did.
Your selfless action
Brought her satisfaction.
You don’t know how much
Your loving touch Meant to her.

First hand – Word of mouth is the best way to find a good medium. Along those same lines, a medium should never have to advertise. That’s what they taught me at medium school, anyway. I took this to mean that if I wanted people to sit with me, I had to give them something to talk about. “We have to remember the whole purpose of mediumship,” I said. It’s all about proving the continuity of life. The evidence these two women gave us today shows that like everyone else, they survived the transition we call death, and that the spirit is eternal. The way they came through also shows that we don’t automatically become ‘angelic’ just because we cross over. Life was all about the evolution of the soul. We come to this life to learn lessons that help our soul to grow far more rapidly than it could as pure spirit, but even after we cross over we continue learning and growing. It’s as if this life is nursery school, and everything we do is preparation for the next level of our soul’s education.

Forgiveness—the greatest gift When used to heal a painful rift.
Those who harbor pain and anger, Who hold for others hardened rancor,
Hold within their chest a stone Leaving them to feel alone.
Yet when you find it in your heart To heal that which does set you apart,
Then you know the inner peace That enters with a great release.
It comes when you can finally say, “I do forgive you on this day.”
Forgiveness doesn’t say, “You’re right.” It doesn’t carry power and might.
It’s nothing but a touch of grace That brushes softly ’cross the face
And without judgment says, “I know That all of us are here to grow,
And if I send you love, not hate Then easier will be your fate.
For all must pay for what they do. You face your actions, this is true.
But seeing that we all do err And showing that the love’s still there
Then in this way you show to all That even those who take a fall
Can walk the straight and narrow path When met with love instead of wrath.

A medium served the spirit world as much as the client, if not more so. I went through my ever-growing list of things for which I was grateful, then let my mind grow silent.

One mind – There is a dimension of thought and energy where time and space don’t exist. I only had to ask those in spirit to blend with my energy, and they could do so instantaneously. The phone, I learned, was a link only between my client and me. There was never any distance between me and their loved ones in spirit. Through my reading I learned what most mediums already knew: that everything is energy. Everything vibrates, including us humans, and each of us has a unique frequency. That frequency stays with us after we shed the physical body, and it was that energetic “signature” that I had learned to tune into when I gave a reading. By allowing my energy field to blend with that of the spirits, I could sense their personality as if it were my own.

They hear you

Look upon the window. See the shiny glass
Just like that through which you go When to our world you pass.
It’s like a one-way mirror—That which you look through.
You look but cannot see us But we certainly see you.
We’re with you when you call us. We gaze upon your face.
But know that while we like this, Your touch it can’t replace.
We miss your hugs and kisses, The feel of your soft skin.
But all else remains the same for us, Most of all the love within.
Call us when you want us ‘round. We’re with you in a flash—
Brushing by your shoulder Like the flutter of a lash.
One day you’ll know our world up close. For now you see it not,
Yet you go there in your dreams at night And by morn you have forgot.

Clear channel – “What happens to people who’ve done bad things after they die?” Jan asked. “They are with like souls. They know immediately they have done wrong in the face of God. It is so apparent in the remorse they feel. It is remorse such as you never have on your earth. This for them is Hell, but they are always surrounded by love. There is nothing but love on the other side, but they do not feel the full force of it until they grow. Do you understand?”
The information they gave me that night and in the coming months helped to chisel away at my doubt. Just as with the poetry, their words flowed with grace, beauty, and wisdom beyond my own. And just as with the poetry, they spoke of one topic above all others: love.
You need only open your mind, as this one is doing, to the possibility that you are a pure channel of the light of God. Recognize the beliefs that are holding you back. Recognize the beliefs that darken your light, that disallow the full shining of the light of God within you. Never forget why you are here. The purpose of all humans is to develop that aspect of yourselves which is divine. For this you have come.
I reminded them that they were there to help raise the energy in the room. They see their mistakes. They know what they have done wrong. This is the lowest of the low… the lowest vibration that we have on the other side. They remain submerged, you might say, unable to mix with those who have understood love while on your earth plane. They feel nothing of the love that is available to all others. They feel nothing but tremendous remorse. Suffocating remorse. Just try to imagine the most repulsive emotion—regret beyond anything you can imagine—when their eyes are opened to the effect that they had on others. They do slowly learn to understand this. At first it is like a lost cause, for they come to our side not understanding injustice, not understanding the pain they caused to others until they feel the pain themselves—the full pain of what they did to others. The full pain. Imagine such a pain. A long, long period of recovery. Some will stay there beyond what you imagine as a lifetime. A very long recovery. It saddens us greatly that there are some who never felt the love of God in their hearts, Boris added, for if they did, it would be impossible to harm another. So completely blinded are some to the God within, to their own soul, their own spirit essence, which is pure love. You cannot give love unless you recognize that this love is your source. As it comes alive, the more you give love, the more you are able to receive love. We ask you tonight to think with your heart. Feel with your heart. If the mind truly lies in the heart, and you close your mind, you cannot feel with the heart. You are shutting off your own opportunities to be who you are—to be love. So we ask you to be open-minded, walking with your hearts fully open. Yes, it does make you vulnerable, does it not?

Relax and sit in silence. You need not think at all.
Just trust that we will speak to you. Then you will hear our call.
There is no need for effort. Quite passive must you be.
As in all of life, it works the same: Just trust and be set free.

Back-to-back – I could only trust in the knowledge that the spirit world would never set me up for failure.

So many sit and worry That they have not enough
That what they want won’t come to them, That life is always tough.
It’s those who set aside the worry, Those who banish all the doubt,
Who find that resting in the Truth Does bring their dreams about.
What’s the Source of this perfection? What’s this Truth of which we speak?
It’s the Oneness of the Universe, Of both the mighty and the meek.

Choices – The paranormal was becoming perfectly normal.

The Ten Commandments—ways to live. Guidance to your life they give.
Thou shall not kill; Thou shall not steal. Truths they hold, in your heart you can feel.
But you do not need written rules. You have your own internal tools
To tell you how to live your life With greater love and far less strife.
It’s called your conscience—this your guide, The compass that you have inside.
And always it will truly steer A course for you that’s plainly clear.
When you wish to clearly know In which direction you should go,
Just tune in to your heart and make The choice it tells you, you should take.
This skill’s quite easy for man to hone. No need for commandments etched in stone.
Just guidance that is always there That can be trusted to never err.

Lesson Number One from Arthur Findlay College was that mediums served the spirit world first. The more sensitive I became to people’s energy, the easier it was for me to sense when it was “safe” to talk about my work. Fear has a specific vibration. When you think about them, it’s as if a little light goes on for them. There’s no time or space in the spirit world, so when you call on them, they can be at your side in an instant. God isn’t a person like so many people are raised to believe, but God is very real. God doesn’t have a body to express love, but we do. That’s the way God becomes present through us – when people are hurting. That was God there in that hospital room, acting through you, and me, and everyone else who comes to visit. That’s God when the neighbors knock on Bert’s door with dinner, and when they show their concern in so many other ways. One of our greatest gifts from God was the gift of free will.

So many different paths Along the road to understanding.
Which one is the right one? Why, the one on which you’re standing.
No matter which you choose, All lead to the same place.
If indeed your searching takes you To that special inner space.
It matters not the words Nor the concepts that you use.
That is the beauty of this life—You all are free to choose.

Voice of an Angel – Of the so-called archangels, this would refer in our reference to a being of sorts, yet with no form—an energy of a much higher order, an energy of pure consciousness that can be in many places at the same time, able to impress thoughts upon those in need of assistance. It is the light that surrounds them when at times they do assume a form, which has resulted in this image of wings—so bright that you would want to shield your eyes. This is the light of love, for the more refined the energy, the closer one comes to the Source of all Love, which is, of course, God.

Angels may have wings or not. Just know that they are there,
Watching every step you take, Of your mind and spirit taking care.
Some of you may call them guides. It is the self-same thing.
For we do guide you through your life. Great wisdom do we bring.
“Spirit guides” or “guardian angels”—What you call us matters not.
What’s most important is you know we’re there, For we’re the best friend you have got.

Epilogue – Sanaya, I learned, was a female Sanskrit name meaning, “eminent, distinguished, and ‘of the gods.’” All of the Universe exists for your enjoyment. You are here to play and create, for who are you, but a focus of the consciousness of the Great Creator. It is through your experiences that God experiences God’s creations. How else would God be able to play? Go forth each day with an attitude of playfulness and joy, knowing that all is in perfect order always. Let this be a mantra that falls from your lips at every moment. As you see things you question, say this important phrase again: “All is in perfect order always.” As this phrase becomes part of your creative consciousness, sit back and watch the perfection unfold.

A fellow human being Who walks upon the Earth
Feels the same emotions Which you have felt from birth.
You think that you’re alone As you struggle and you toil,
But all do face the same great tests As they walk upon the soil.
No human is exempt from pain. No one does go without
The sorrows and the loss you feel—Of this there is no doubt.
So when you face a challenge great, Just know you’re not alone.
Help is there awaiting you By those who also pain have known.
Pull not inside and hide your fears When worries come apace.
Turn instead to others, Then your troubles you can face.
Your world is filled with loving souls Who walk the self-same path as you.
God’s gift to man in human form—Love that comes to see you through.

It is a collaborative effort. Do you see how it heals? Oh God in the heavens, may I know that heaven is where I sit. May I feel your presence in all that I do. May I see you in every face and every flower. May I know you in every second and every hour. May not a moment pass that I do not know that I am guided . . . never alone, but held safe in your arms, rocked like a baby, fully loved. In that knowingness, in the full security of your love and protection, may I go forth this day and create with you heaven on earth.