A Free Spirit. Betty Shine
The natural environment is my real home, and my spirit returns there whenever I need to replenish my energies. If I am not in a place where I can see the sky and the horizon, I feel trapped.
As a child, I spent hours sitting at the top of an old cedar tree, gazing between the branches into space. Even then, I was aware of a presence that filled my body with a sense of peace. Intuitively, I felt that I should be ‘out there’, and not living on this planet. I know now that the links between myself and other dimensions were created and woven into the tapestry of my life, even before my birth.
That is why the spirit world made itself known to me at an early age. From just two years old, I could see and hear spirits: figures walking through my bedroom at night forced me to spend more time hiding under the sheets than I did lying between them.
My love of nature came from the hours I spent lying on the grass during the summer months, listening to the mysterious sounds I could hear emanating from the centre of the earth. I remember the bewilderment on my mother’s face when I told her that I could hear the grass growing. When she questioned me further, I became excited, and told her that I could also hear the trees talking to each other. She just smiled, and patted me on the head. I am not sure why this particular incident should have had such an impact on me. Perhaps even at that young age I detected the disbelief I was later to accept as the norm whenever I spoke about these things to people who were ignorant of any other kind of world but the visible one – the world they could see and touch.
But communing with nature in all its forms – animal, vegetable and mineral – was a natural gift for me, and doubt in the reality of my own experiences, which can be a major factor in closing down a person’s senses, was absent from my mind. The invisible world played an important part in my development, and the love and knowledge that were passed on to me were more important than academic qualifications. I used my intuition as a tool, and as a result I have been able to open doors that remain closed to others.
I have always accepted the natural gifts I was born with as my birthright. But who am I? Where did it all begin?
My paternal grandmother was a talented medium and dedicated Spiritualist. She was certainly different from other grandparents I knew. Tiny, with black curly hair, piercing eyes and little gold earrings that she wore constantly, she was a formidable figure. Nobody ever questioned her decisions – they wouldn’t dare! I was always in awe of her, even though I was born under her roof and was part of her family.
Although she had given birth to thirteen children, only seven survived. But this was not unusual in the early 1900s. I think her suffering was eased by the fact that she was able to communicate with those she lost through her abilities as a medium.
I know nothing about my grandmother’s background. But it was obvious to me that, somewhere down the line, she had come from gypsy stock. It was from this source that I inherited my talents: first the music, and then the mediumship and healing.
If my grandmother had not been such a strict disciplinarian, it might have been a typical Bohemian household. Her children were all talented artists, musicians and singers, and nearly every room in her large Victorian house contained a piano. This early introduction into the world of music, and talented musicians, has never lost its magic for me. Throughout my life, music has been my inspiration and has empowered me when I needed it most. It is a constant companion, which has helped me to reach for the moon when all other avenues have seemed to be closed. It has been my lifeline.
From the time of my birth I have never lived a normal life. I grew up listening to my grandmother talking to her dead children, to relatives and friends. There was no ridicule, just an acceptance in the family of the afterlife.
My paternal grandfather had a book which proved that his lineage went right back to the Hebrews. I was too young to understand the significance of this book, but I remember that he guarded it with his life. None of us could touch it, but I did catch a glimpse of it once. The cover was old, and the pages were brown around the edges, but it had an aura about it, and even at that young age I could feel the power that emanated from its pages.
It is only during the last twenty years of my life that I have given this book, and its significance, any thought. This is because of the amazing affinity there has always been between me and my Jewish friends. I have also had the privilege of healing Jews who were incarcerated in concentration camps, and through their stories I know that the world lost not only the innocents, but also great and good men and women of wisdom whose words were lost for ever – wise and gifted people the world could not afford to lose. The impact of this loss is still with us today, while an ever-increasing circle of violence still threatens to destroy the planet on which we live.
My mother’s family were active members of the Church of England, and had very little to do with my Spiritualist paternal grandmother. Silent religious wars raged at the very core of our family life. This was very good training for a medium, because people are constantly trying to goad me into arguments of a religious nature. Many seem frustrated that I recommend that we all ‘live and let live’ rather than taking sides. If people are happy with the religion of their choice, that is all that matters. If for any reason their religion threatens to spoil their lives, they should leave it and seek a different path – one that gives them peace.
The local church played a major role in my mother’s life. Although I hated it, it was a place where I was allowed to sing, and I looked upon that as some kind of compensation. Although I didn’t know it at the time, it was to prepare me for my singing career later.
I know so little about my family because we lost contact with each other during the Second World War. I am obviously not a thoroughbred of noble stock, and I am truly grateful for this, because the road I was destined to walk has been long and hard. It also opened the doors of compassion and understanding and has enabled me to teach through the written word.
My ability to bypass the physical and link into the mind has also opened many other doors. My spiritual teachers taught me not to judge by appearance, because this life is only a coat that we wear for a short space of time, but to pay attention to the mind, which will continue to exist long after our physical presence is dead.
People who have communicated with me in order to give survival evidence have told me about their ‘life after death’ experiences and their surprise when they were asked by a ‘Being of Light’ what they had learned. Without exception, they have told me that this was the last question they’d expected to be asked, because they had thought that the afterlife was about the consequences of good and evil. As a result, they had all been afraid of the aftermath of things they had done that had had an undesirable effect upon those who were close to them. However, the question they were posed is proof indeed that life is about seeking knowledge if we wish to progress.
I hope that this account will have given you some insight into why I care so much for every living thing on this planet, and why we all have a part to play in resurrecting a healthy environment. This book will take you further along the road of understanding, and I hope that that it will be a valuable addition to your library of knowledge.
CHAPTER 1 Animal Cruelty and My First Patient
I live not in myself, but I becomePortion of that around me; and to meHigh mountains are a feeling, but the humOf human cities torture.
Childe Harold
Lord Byron 1788–1824
I visited the circus for the first time when I was four years old – and I hated it. When the animals performed, I felt physically sick, and my heart filled with sadness at the sight of elephants, bears, lions and tigers performing tricks to entertain the public. I remember crying all the way home.
It was the same when I visited London