Shine On: Visions of Life. Betty Shine

That I can’t hide behind.

       It should never have been like this,

       I must have been out of my mind.

       There’s been no belonging, no owning,

       I thought I was being smart,

       I can’t believe how wrong I have been

       Right from the start.

       Half of my life has been wasted,

       But the other half won’t be

       Because I’m picking up the pieces

       And starting all over again.

       7 Eternity

      During Betty’s career as a medium, healer and clairvoyant she would speak to countless clients who visited her about their near-death experiences. They all spoke of being in a dark tunnel and being propelled through this tunnel out into a brilliant white light. They spoke of being bemused, not knowing where they were or what was happening to them. Suddenly all fear disappeared and eternity had been found. It was such a consistent story from wildly different people that Betty knew it must be true.

       I couldn’t understand

       The place I was in.

       There was no space

       I couldn’t breathe.

       Then I was on my feet,

       Strange thoughts crossed my mind.

       The heavens laid bare

       By a golden light

       I had just reached.

       I have no fears,

       For, if this is eternity,

       I can now sleep

       As I have never slept before.

       I have found the door

       I have been looking for.

       8 Music Is My Life

      Music was certainly a huge part of Betty’s life. In her twenties she studied opera and performed in many different operatic roles, one being ‘Queen of the Night’ by Mozart. Her idol was the great Maria Callas, for Betty’s voice was identical – crisp, clear, enchanting and mystical. Betty’s choice of music went from opera right through to pop. She would often go to musicals in the West End and talk for hours afterwards about the performance and how much she had enjoyed the evening. Betty knew many celebrities in showbusiness and the stage was a familiar place for her to be. She would always support up-and-coming young artists new on the scene, as she knew how terribly hard it was to make it in the music business. Frank Sinatra was her favourite artist and I often heard her singing at the top of her voice, ‘I Did It My Way’! And so she did!

      Betty could command an audience in a split second with her smooth, silky, hypnotic voice. In an instant you felt relaxed and at peace. Betty’s healing tapes have sold for over 20 years and continue to be a great success. The lyrics that Betty wrote are in the process of being recorded and published, and as the last verse of this poem says, ‘Then one day, I heard the music playing. And I realised that it was mine’!

       I’ve had music in my life

       From the day that I was born,

       Everyday in every way

       I listened and I learned.

       Jazz, the classics, rock and pop,

       Always cast a spell,

       And never failed to take me

       Into a fantasy world

       Then one day, I had a mind

       To show the world what I could do

       But I was taught a lesson I’ll not forget,

       And the secret of success.

       I was told, that without hard work,

       You can never be the best

       So I played and played

       Until I dropped. I couldn’t stop.

       Then one day, I heard music

       Playing from a corner shop,

       And I realised that it was mine

       And that I’d made it to the top.

       9 I

      We use the word ‘I’ roughly 200 times per day. It is used in almost every sentence. At least once a day we need to detach ourself from ‘I’ and become ‘we’. Giving ourselves to others is to find ultimate joy.

       If we could rid ourselves

       of ‘I’ we would understand

       the reason why we are here

       at all. It is not to ask

       all the time for obedience

       and love, to make others

       thought forms of our imagination

       but to accept they must be free

       to develop their own personality

       to perhaps, just ‘be’.

       If we could rid ourselves of

       ‘I’ we would be releasing

       ourselves, living our own lives

       without fear and expectancy

       of reward. Individuality and

       freedom can be attained if we

       could rid ourselves of ‘I’ and

       in the giving find the ultimate

       reason for living.

       10 My Perfect Place

      Having insight into the world beyond provided Betty with one of her greatest comforts. Starting from a very early age she had glimpses throughout her life of this unbelievable dimension. She would describe walking through a cloud or haze to see what was on the other side. Colours were always vivid, the landscapes had a deep mystery about them. She called it her ‘Perfect Place’ where she could be peaceful and rest her mind. This was one of her routes of escape from the physical body, and in times of stress she would travel there. We all need our own ‘Perfect Place’!

       Skies of violet and blue

       and silver streams

       lined with gem-like stones of every hue.

       A trail of gold from passing wings

       which leaves a mist of dust

       that for one second blots out

       the cloak of mauve

       that hovers over distant hills.

       Close encounters with creatures

       whose peaceful countenance

       sums up the life they never had,

       and fills me with pity and with shame

       of their past suffering.

       The