I recently had a newsletter subscriber email me that he finally couldn’t take it and he had to unsub.  He said I’d been getting stranger and stranger, but when I went with crystals, that was the straw that broke the camels back.  You know, that New Age shit.  

Say what?!

So I immediately responded back and told him I haven’t gotten stranger, I’ve ALWAYS been this way.  And it’s true. 

I was a very shy and introverted child.  I had a hard time even socializing with other children.  I used to sit with the grown-ups instead of playing.  I was also born with congenital toxoplasmosis which guaranteed I would never have a ‘normal” life as I would never be able to drive due to nerve damage in my eyes. 

Instead, I read.  I was very fortunate to grow up in a family that loved reading.  About every other Saturday, off to the public library we went to hunt down new treasures to absorb.  I’m not sure how old I was when my interest  in subject matter turned to the ‘strange.’  I know I collected a lot of books by J. Allen Hyneck.  He’s the guy who was hired by the government to debunk UFO’s.  He didn’t believe in them himself, until he started to collect the indisputable evidence that, yeah, they exist. 

So, I had lots of books about UFO’s and alien abductions.  You know?  Betty and Barney Hill . And you can’t read about UFO’s without getting into the Bermuda Triangle and other areas in the world where people have just disappeared.  In fact, We Journey No More , is kinda based on a hot-spot like that. 

I should also mention that the house we grew up in was haunted.  Though I’m the only one in the family who every talked about it.  And, yeah, I got those ‘looks.’  To this day, my siblings think I’m a bit odd.  Still, my ghostly adventures led me to also expand my reading to books about the paranormal.  I even read Phone Calls From The Dead.  A very interesting book with some eerie encounters.  Myself, I’ve heard my name yelled at me when there was no one around.  Strange, indeed. 

So, to say I lived outside the mainstream of life is putting it mildly.  I used to talk about my beliefs all the time.  Until one day I understood ‘normal’ people didn’t want to hear it. 

It happened at work.  I was in my early 20’s, and sitting in a bathroom stall, when two of my co-workers came in and stared talking about ME.  How strange I was, yada, yada, yada.  I thought they were my friends and it broke my heart.  But, I learned from that day I  had to hide my candle.  It was hard, but I did.  Which made my relationship with my late husband so special because we believed the same shit.  Though, I think at times he rolled his eyes at me, too.  🤣😂 

(In case you didn’t know, that GIF at the top with the dude with the foil cap is Art Bell.  We used to listen to him and I loved his shows.  Though, he ended up being a flake as he lied to his fan base.)

Then Bob and I got into herbs.  Again, more eye rolls from everyone we knew.  Suddenly, herbology and homeopathy became Alternative Medicine.  You know who gave herbal medicine that name?  The pharmaceutical companies.  They had to debunk herbs as natural grown plants couldn’t be patented.  So, they extracted the ingredients they needed for their man-made pills and charged an arm and leg for them.  And it’s still going on today.  They are horrible and truly evil.  

Then, within the past several months, I got hooked on crystals.  And now I’m told I’ve gone New Age.  Whoa.  Back up a step, shall we. 

“New Age: a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.”

The concept of Western Culture started with the Greeks and Romans but Modern Western Culture started in the 1500’s.  In my opinion, Western Culture is what’s killing our world.  But let’s put that aside.  

Herbs and crystals were used by ancient civilizations, including shamans, Native American tribes, Kings and Queens of old, Asian cultures, and even Cleopatra used crystals for her make-up.  There were many crystals that were sought after by royalty, and I’m not just talking diamonds or gold.  They all knew there was something special about these amazing stones they either mined or found as the earth pushed them to the surface.  

So, you think I’ve too strange?  Too bad.  I’m old and I don’t care if you get triggered.  No more hiding my candle under a bush.  🤣😂❤️❤️