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Dr. Lauren has published her newsletter since 2000. Here's a back issue.

Dr. Lauren's eNews 7
Leading you toward Knowing your way in the world
©2000-2004

IN THIS ISSUE
1. Welcome
2. Wise Words & Sage Sayings
3. In Search of Your Soul
4. A Poetic Message from the Other Side
5. Intuition News You Can Use - (articles, classes, and web sites)

1. WELCOME

As we approach Groundhog Day next week in the U.S., you may find that the winter doldrums have set in. Take advantage of your urge to hibernate a bit. Follow the rhythms of your inner wisdom. Just as trees and animals need to rest at times to allow for new growth spurts, realize that the same process happens to us, too. This is the ideal time, then, to plan what shape you want that growth to take.

Create an opportunity to sit quietly, where you will be undisturbed, with pen and paper. Add a bit of soothing music in the background or light some candles if you like. Write down your dreams, goals, and plans for this year, the next, and the one after that. Let your imagination and inner wisdom freely roam. Don't edit this Dream Sheet for at least a week. This allows the ideas you've let flow time to "gel." When you do sit down to go over your Dream Sheet, you'll sense which ideas are more meaningful to you.

Organize the dreams and goals you generated in a way that makes sense to you. Numbering them in terms of importance to you can be helpful. Then take this edited Dream Sheet and copy the top 3 or 5 dreams you have onto a card you can post. Make a copy to carry with you. Make these portable Dream Sheet meaningful by adding whatever symbols or artistic treatments you like.

Create a way to make your dreams a daily part of your life. Place copies of your portable Dream Sheet on a mirror, your refrigerator, in your office or workplace, or anywhere you're likely to see them regularly.

You might choose to give a copy of your Dream Sheet to a trusted friend who will periodically ask you how you're doing in achieving your dreams. If you can, get a group of friends together who'll support and encourage each others' dreams. By keeping your dreams alive and energized through daily appreciation of what your soul is calling you to create in your life, you're much more likely to move your life in that direction.

So, when are you going to get started?

Wishing you well on this spiritual journey,

Dr. Lauren Thibodeau

2. WISE WORDS & SAGE SAYINGS

As most of you know by now, I'm a huge fan of quotations, and own at least 30 books of quotes. One of my dreams this year is to find room for all my books! For this newsletter, I found some intriguing quotes for your reflection from a treasured book of Islamic mystical reflections I've owned for over 20 years.

On faith:
The wise men and the sages are idle and carefree; they reap the harvest without ploughing. God does their work for them. People don't see God's work, so they sweat and fret, hustle and beg from morning to night.  -Jalal al-Din Rumi

On material possessions:
If a person goes after more worldly possessions than he needs, he will find out that each engagement engenders another one, on and on, and here and there, indefinitely.  --Mohammad Ghazali

On love:
The religion of love is apart from all religions. The lovers of God have no religion but God alone.  --Jalal al-Din Rumi

3. IN SEARCH OF YOUR SOUL

Lately I've noticed an increase in the number of people I meet through my work who are in search of something deeper, a deeper connection to self and others. Maybe it's midlife setting in for some, I thought, yet I'm seeing this desire for a relationship with one's higher Self, or Soul, in folks of all ages. I have many clients and friends who share with me their desire to add meditation or the reading of inspirational material to their daily existence. Even the heating system repairman who works for the building in Princeton where I have my office shared with me (while his head was stuck up inside the ceiling in my office) that he meditates regularly with his 7-year-old son. Of course, he was wondering, as many people do, if such a practice is "normal" or "OK."

It's more than OK, I believe. It's necessary for your highest development to take time to connect with that part of yourself that extends beyond you--your higher Self, your Soul, your inner divinity. Whatever term you assign this aspect of Who You Are, connecting with this critical piece of yourself is what brings you that inner peace and serenity we all instinctively seek. It's part of human nature, thankfully, to want to see beyond the boundaries of our bodies, to feel a connectedness that has deeper meaning. It all starts with connecting to your Self, then you'll find you can connect more deeply, powerfully, and meaningfully with others.

But you'll need to create opportunities to get to know your Self. It's like any other relationship--if you don't reach out at times, the sense of connection to another person falters. We've all let friendships drift away. Please don't let your Self drift away--that's the most important connection you can create, ever, in your life. I say that both as a spiritual psychic medium and a professionally credentialed counselor. Those of us, often women, who nurture by nature have an extra issue when we seek to get to know our Selves. We often feel we're neglecting others. Far from it--it's that deep well of serenity and inner peace that you'll gain which you can draw on to sustain and support you in your connections to others. Give your Self a chance to know you. Start today. Even just 5 minutes of closed-eyes time during which you focus only on YOU can lead you to new insights. Soon you'll find this process almost addictive!

4. A POETIC MESSAGE FROM THE OTHER SIDE

I love hearing from folks on the Other Side. Of course, that's part of my work as a psychic medium, but on a personal note, it's so much fun for me to see what my own deceased loved ones will do next to make sure I know that they're there. After-death communication can take many forms, and it's often very subtle, symbolic, and comes through others--even for a professional medium.

My sister died in September, and her birthday was January 23rd. She would have been 41. Of course I thought of her often that day. While I was in New York City on the 23rd, after seeing clients I went to visit my friend Stacey Wolf, author of 3 books and an accomplished psychic.

As we were saying our goodbyes, she suddenly said she had a gift for me and went to her bookshelf to pull out her last copy of her self-published book of inspirational prayers, Alleluja, Hear My Soul (she shared with me that traditional publishers didn't want it, so she prepared it for friends, family and clients).

That night as I read through it, I was touched to the point of tears by one of the many dozens of prayers, a prayer to a sibling. But my sister knows me. I am a bit of a slow learner, I guess, or perhaps I just need lots of evidence.

So the next day, as I conducted consultations prior to a class on mediumship development, I received a message for a woman who'd also lost a sister. As I explained I was seeing an engraved or calligraphed written piece that her sister wanted to thank her for, she reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of a poem she'd "received" from her sister one day, when she was journaling about her sadness at her sister's death at a relatively young age. It, too was touching, and I had to blink away tears for the second time in less than 24 hours, aware that my sister was sending me a "hi there!" from the Other Side, just in time for her birthday.

You, too, may be getting signs through others that your deceased loved ones are around. While it would be nice to have them "just show up" in dreams or some other direct way, often our loved ones come to us through others. The point is, they come to us. Please allow yourself to see the synchronicities in your life that may be messages. A side note: Stacey Wolf's channeled prayers are stunningly profound. If you'd like to let her know you're interested in her work, please visit her website at http://www.staceywolf.com Tell her Lauren sent you!

5. INTUITION NEWS YOU CAN USE
NOTE: THIS LINK MAY BE INACTIVE AS THIS NEWSLETTER WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN SOME TIME AGO.

Here's a great site to take a quick break at. You can also pose a mental question and see what prayer you receive in answer to your request. http://www.interluderetreat.com/index.html.

--Dr. Lauren Thibodeau
Leading you toward Knowing your way in the world