So what’s in the book? Did you know duck dander is hallucinogenic? Or that Katherine Hepburn had a phobia of dirty hair? Have you ever wondered about the Magickal Skull of Doom or contemplated the mysterious Transylvanian Tablets? Varla has gathered a veritable treasure trove of startling and stranger-than-fiction trivia that spans history, continents, even worlds.

We also got into some of the weird stories and I was particularly interested in a chapter called “Coincidences or Synchronicity?” Then we launched into a discussion about psychic awareness and children. Varla was introduced to the strange and unusual at a young age. Her first game was a Ouija board, and family picnics in cemeteries were common outings. She spent most of her formative years exploring graveyards, underground tunnels, and abandoned mansions in, around, and under Nevada City, California. She is the author of Sheroes and Wild Women Talk About Love. Varla currently lives in the attic of an 1890’s Victorian in the hills of San Francisco, with her cat Midnight. Of course, Halloween is her favorite holiday.

Liz’ first book One With the Herd won five Independent Publishing awards at Book Expo America in 2008. She is also the author of Truth According to Horses, Life Unbridled and Sabbatical.

She has enjoyed an illustrious art career and worked with conservation groups throughout the world raising awareness and money for animals in need. At her ranch in British Columbia, a small group of visitors are allowed to participate in workshops each year which illuminate the interconnectedness of the environment, the animals and the people who live there. Mitten writes, “It is in nature that I find life’s answers. It is there, that one can interface with the wisdom and truth behind all creation; a vast ocean of information that nourishes all who bathe in it.”

JHR: How did you first begin communicating with animals and why?

LMR: I was a bit dazed and confused and half way through writing One With the Herd I began to realize it was all about the animals and their message. I then began to ask them questions about their involvement and message.

JHR: For many years you’ve committed to lead a life without the influence of modern culture in order to connect more deeply with the environment and the animals who share it with you. How has this decision transformed your life?

LMR: Magically! I have come to understand that when we leave the confines of Human Mass Mind Consciousness and the mind shaping mass media we begin to resonate with the All as my animals describe God and connect and communicate with a higher perspective that is the one consciousness in all life.

JHR: In your book One with the Herd you write: “I now send and receive messages telepathically,and I’m beginning to know a whole new reality through the eyes of my herd.” Can you describe what this process is like for you and what sorts of messages come through from the animals who live there?

LMR: The new reality that I now live in is one of wholeness, oneness, allness and interconnection with all life. My animals are in a sense like contemplatives whose path and message is about higher consciousness and one consciousness, no matter what our physical form. Animals are no different than people and share the same diverse interests from sports to mysticism -my animals are mystics.

JHR: What can we learn from animals on a spiritual level?

LMR: I believe animals have some important things to teach us. First of all to be in our truth -you will never find an animal in a lie -they are always absolutely honest. Secondly to listen to our intuition. Animals always listen to their instinct, which is the same as intuition for humans. How many times do we get important nudges and then refuse to listen to our detriment.

JHR: How similar or different are humans and animals?

LMR: We are all one consciousness in myriad form in matter. In that way we all are made of the same substance and have the same possibility to allow that substance to flow through us and contribute individual gifts through our unique attributes. We are different in that humans have drifted off to their own special island, apart from and disconnected from the rest of life. Animals are one with that life.

JHR: You conduct retreats at Gateway 2 Ranch to help people experience a new way of being with animals and themselves. What can visitors expect when they visit the ranch for a week-long workshop?

LMR: The life changing workshops on Gateway 2 Ranch are designed to be just that. An experience of connection and oneness like you have never experienced before. The energy and vibration here in the land and the animals will tune and elevate individuals to a place where they will resonate once again as higher spiritual beings -co-creators with the ALL. When we reach that level of connection all is given and we remember who we are, our path and our place in the cosmos.

JHR: What books have influenced your work and life that you would like to share with readers?

LMR: I absorb books -anything spiritual, about animal communication, horses, quantum theory. One for everybody that will change lives and help people discover their true path is Your Heart’s Desire by Sonia Choquette. The others are on my site, co-authored by my animals at LizMittenRyan.com. If you click on the orange titles you can read most of their message. Together the four books have won eight independent publishing awards and are guaranteed to change your understanding of life forever!

Ainslie McLeod, http://www.soul-world.com

I first discovered Ainslie MacLeod when he was interviewed on Oprah’s Soul Series last fall regarding his 2007 book, The Instruction. The interview series itself was relatively new, and I felt encouraged and excited that Oprah would extend her already expansive content repertoire of self-help, spirtuality and personal development into the realm of psychic awareness.

Certainly, many of us believe in intuitive abilities and connecting with guides (angels, higher self, universal intelligence, etc.). But to have Ainslie MacLeod sit front and center talking about how the text for The Instruction came into being as a result of direct communication from an army of guides– well, it felt like a turning point in how mass consciousness was softening to the idea that we all have access to small, still voices that are designed to guide us daily– if we choose– to our life’s purpose. Ask most people, and they’ll say there is something to it all– that personal experience directs us to find out more… carefully.

So it was no surprise that MacLeod came clean to his readers from the get go. He was a reluctant psychic. So deep was his reluctance to accept the mantle of “psychic” that he actually ignored the tell-tale signs of his advanced gifts for many years.

But through intensive work and his eventual and total transition from commercial illustrator to psychic, his own life purpose came into crytsal clear focus: help others understand themselves. And he does this through his powerful and evolving work with his guides. Oh, and we all have them– and he helps the rest of us find them.

I recently asked Ainslie about how he helps people realize their life’s purpose.

JHR: Initially you were sort of a self-described reluctant psychic who felt compelled by personal experiences to explore new spiritual territories. How did you make that transition, and how has it changed your life?

AM: I was definitely reluctant when I first started doing psychic readings. I was conscious that there were a lot of charlatans around and I didn’t want anyone thinking I was one of them. I felt like I was telling the world I was a freak.

What initially helped was going through the process I take my clients through now. It wasn’t called the Instruction back then and my spirit guides were not the same as the ones I currently use, but they steered me through the same steps to self-acceptance. They helped me to see that this really was going to be my life, and convinced me that since I’d eventually embrace my calling, I might as well start right away.

Being a psychic has certainly changed my life. I feel like a round peg in a round hole. That old reluctance has gone. I keep learning new things about the soul and how the spiritual world operates, and I get to meet great people through my sessions. I often say that once you step through the spiritual door, there’s no going back. That was very much how it felt to me when I accepted my own destiny.

JHR: The Instruction describes ten doorways that readers pass through to understand their life’s purpose. Is it always important for people to identify their soul age and their soul type in order to get a firm grasp on what his/her life purpose is?

AM: I believe that if you’re going to understand your life, you need to start with the basics. Your soul age describes the source of your beliefs, and your soul types are how you can understand the core of your personality. Everything else follows from that. Knowing these two elements of who you are helps to do everything from finding the right relationship or job, to creating genuine self-acceptance.

JHR: Some people might find that their soul purpose is in stark contrast to what they are currently doing as an occupation. What are some recommendations on how to make a successful transition to living your soul’s purpose?

AM: First of all, let me say that your life’s purpose may not be all about your day job. There are often many activities that can be considered your purpose. Raising kids can be as significant as anything you do during those eight hours in the middle of the day.

When it comes to careers, however, I’ve met many people who ended up in unfulfilling jobs because of other peoples’ expectations. It’s essential to consider your own desires, not those of your parents or teachers, for example. By taking the time to meditate, call in your spirit guides, and ask them for clarity about your life plan, you’ll be doing more than most people ever do. Sometimes spiritual acts, volunteer work for example, can be a great way of creating a stronger sense of purpose in your life, and can help the transition.

JHR: In writing The Instruction you received information from your guides. Can anyone access information from their own guides? If so, how?

AM: Spirit guides are like opinions and certain body parts – we’ve all got them. The problem is most of us don’t actually use them. Asking a simple question is a good way to start working with your guides. Find a quiet spot, ask your spirit guides to be with you, meditate for a good ten minutes, then ask them a yes/no question. Pay attention to your gut feeling. Even if you don’t get words or pictures, you’ll get that simple intuitive feeling that something is right or not. It may be subtle, but practice will help you recognize the signs.

JHR: Why do you think so many people have such a difficult time in understanding and living their life’s purpose?

AM: There are many reasons, but one common problem is that our lives are so noisy it’s hard to hear the small, still voice of our own soul. I’ve heard people say to me that they can’t hear their guides or their soul’s direction. It’s sometimes simply a matter of switching off the TV and getting some real tranquility.

Your soul is continually nudging and urging you to follow your life plan. To live the life your soul intended it’s essential to slow down, and pay attention. And if there’s one thing I hear from my guides over and over again it’s this: “Meditate, meditate, meditate!”

JHR: Are you working on another book? If so, can you tell us about it?

AM: I’ve just begun working on my next book. In it, I describe my spirit guides’ view of why the world is the way it is, and how you can develop your spirituality to help you be part of the coming shift in consciousness that’s going to change our world. The publication date is sometime early next year. As with The Instruction, the publisher is Sounds True who have been terrific to work with.

JHR: Are there any books that you particularly love that would like to recommend to our readers?

AM: I read all the time, so it’s really hard to choose. I love Dr. Ian Stevenson’s fascinating book, Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation. He was a scientific researcher who traveled around India examining the stories of children who offered amazing evidence of their past lives.

In the introduction to The InstructionI tell how, many years ago, a psychic in Atlanta gave me a booklist that really helped to open me to the spiritual world. The list included The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which jump-started my flagging creativity; Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss, which is an intriguing insight into past lives, as well as Life After Life by Raymond Moody and Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss.
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