Shine On: Visions of Life. Betty Shine

I travelled the world seeking success

       But nothing great was ever achieved

       Because the missing link

       Was common sense

       It gives us time to find happiness

       And time to make amends,

       But most of all, it fills the heart

       With something we all seek,

       The peace that comes

       With common sense

       We are always wise after the event

       So the wisdom you taught

       Was heaven sent,

       And I am now content

       But where would I be now

       Without common sense!

       15 My World

       Man does not come

       To know the world

       By that which he extorts

       From it

       But rather by that

       Which he adds to it himself.

      PAUL CLAUDEL

      1868–1955

      Betty’s world was all consuming. Her talents with healing, mediumship, clairvoyance, survival evidence and being a good listener took up literally all of her time – time she gave to others unselfishly. She would answer numerous phone calls from patients in desperate need of help, and no one was ever turned away. She would answer more than a thousand letters per week from equally needy people, and on top of all that would write her best-selling books. How did she do it? With great difficulty! There were just not enough hours in the day. The unbelievable events that happened in Betty’s world of spiritual work will never be forgotten, especially by her patients who visited her for a span of over 17 years. Her readers will continue to learn new abilities for themselves, for it was Betty’s dream that each one of us could become our own healer.

       My hands touch the earth,

       I look into the distance

       No structure disturbs

       The natural panoramic scenes,

       I look up and watch

       The swallows in flight

       And the buzzard hovering

       against the sky.

       This is my world,

       This is the way I want to live

       In an environment

       Where nature calls the tune

       And humans adapt

       To the song.

       Where flowers re-seed themselves

       And grow in erratic confusion

       And trees lean with the prevailing wind

       Which caresses the cheek.

       Here in this place

       I will remain

       And spend the rest of my life

       Observing

       The nature of things.

       16 A Spiritual Bystander

      The horrific news relayed by radio and scenes shown on television on September 11th 2001 were the forces behind this poem being written. Millions of people all over the world were simultaneously confronted with destruction, tragedy and huge loss of life. How could such a terrible event ever be justified? A question we are still asking ourselves today. We try to make sense of grief so that we may have a little peace of mind. Friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers gathered together that fateful day seeking comfort and security. A little bit of each of our souls went out to all those who lost their lives and their loved ones in such a meaningless way.

      Betty wrote on this poem, ‘I think this piece is unique and so comforting for those who suffered loss.’

       I saw them

       In the passing clouds

       As they were whisked away

       On that September day.

       The light that shone upon them

       Could only come from God,

       The trailing light behind them

       Showed where they had come from.

       From darkness into light they came

       To circumvent the heavens

       Until they realised, like me,

       They’d reached Eternity.

       17 I Met a Ghost

      Ghosts do exist! But what are they? Simply, they are souls that have left the earthly body and moved into spirit to take on an etheric form, becoming energy beings who can appear and disappear at will. We on earth tend to think that these souls are a hallucination, an illusion, until one day we see one with our very own eyes! We often perceive ghosts as sinister, frightening or spooky, but they are merely our shadowy friends who only want to help and reassure us that there is a world beyond our own. The mind cannot die, only the physical body does, so our spirit friends continue to help us from above.

      Those of us who are privileged to encounter a ghost first-hand usually have all their doubts answered. I came up with a saying for this: ‘He who sees a ghost sees all that is.’

       I met a ghost

       Not eerie like,

       But a host

       That I quite liked;

       Not mean of thought

       Just thought he ought

       To keep me company:

       And when he left

       I was bereft

       For someone kind

       Is hard to find.

       18 Time

       ‘Next to grace, time is the most precious gift of God. Yet how much of both we waste. We say that time does many things. It teaches us many lessons, weans us from many follies, strengthens us in good resolves, and heals many wounds. And yet it does none of these things. Time does nothing. But time is the condition of all these things. Time is full of eternity. As we use it so shall we be. Every day has its opportunities, every hour its offer of grace.’