Willa White's Blog

I love stories like this one! I read it online here:  "Mom's memory lives on in sweet dad, daughter photos"  by Kirthana Ramisetti   *** The day before Ben and Ali married, they closed on their house so they did wedding photos in the empty house.  Ali's sister Melanie (a professional photographer) took the pictures. Then, in 2011 Ali passed away from cancer, leaving behind her husband Ben and a 1 year old daughter named Olivia.  Eventually, he and Olivia were ready to move out of the house they had shared with Ali.  He asked Melanie to once again take pictures in the house - this time of him and Olivia.  In a moving series of photos, Ben and 3 year old Olivia are captured in similar poses as a way of saying goodbye to the house he and Ali lived in. In her blog the Nunerys , Melanie describes feeling her sister Ali frequently and the signs she uses to communicate.  During the photo session, she received one of these special...

Every school day, I bundle my two children and walk/drive/run to the school bus stop in order to get my kindergartner to school.  Sometimes we are hurrying to the meet the bus.  Yesterday morning was such a morning... After some delay, we arrive - whew!  While I chat with another mother, my son is playing in the snow.  He didn't want to put his gloves on at home and now he hands are freezing.  We put he gloves on, but they are still cold.  He bursts into tears just as the bus pulls up.  "I don't want to gooooooo!" he wails and refuses to get on the bus. A very human part of me wants to yell, "get on the bus!  It took us a lot of effort to get ready and get here in time. The roads are snowy and icy, I need to nurse the baby, and I don't want to drive you to school."  But I refrain from such a speech of monster proportions, and instead I say "let's talk about it in the car", and bustle him back into the heated veh...

While driving to Fredonia on the back roads, I spotted a large bird flying down the middle of the road straight toward me.  When it was 100 feet in front of me, I recognized it as an Bald Eagle.  Although I haven't seen an Eagle in years, the white head and brown body were unmistakable.  And so was the spiritual message for me. Moments before, I had just been asking the Divine about an aspect of my spiritual journey.  And here was the answer! Those of you who are familiar with the Eagle as a symbol know already what I am about to write.  Eagle symbolizes connection with the Divine.  It is associated with the ability to live in the realm of Spirit, and yet remain connected and balanced on the Earth plane.  For many Native American tribes, the Eagle represents a state of Grace achieved thru hard work and a completion of spiritual tests.  The feather of the Eagle is considered to be the most sacred of healing tools.  When the...

One of the organizations I am involved with in Lily Dale is the Children's Committee.  I thought I would share what we have been doing... especially because I am the chairperson of the committee *smile* HISTORY Early on in Lily Dale's history, this community understood the importance of children. Even before the Auditorium was built in 1881, a Lyceum was formed for the children. They felt that training of the young was important. Then, in 1928, the Andrew Jackson Davis Lyceum Building was constructed and given to Lily Dale for the children's use by Mercy Cadwallader. The grounds of the "Children's Acre" featured the Lyceum Building and a beautiful garden with a playground adjacent to the building for the enjoyment of the children. Today, the Children's Acre also features a basketball court, playground areas, a ball field, and more. All of these areas are in need of continual maintenance, repair, and/or improvement. In autumn 2011, the Children...

I feel it is important to actively participate in my children's education. Once a week, I volunteer in my son's Kindergarten classroom for a couple hours.  For me and my son, there are many benefits.  Once a week, I have the valuable opportunity to: help the teacher by running learning centers and by being another helping hand in the classroom get to know the other children in my son's class understand the way the school functions see what my son is learning and how he is learning it, so that I can reinforce the methods at home Most of all, I get to be another positive presence in school.  I never thought of myself as a "kid magnet", but when the students sit on the rug for group learning I become the "human couch".  My son is usually on my lap and three or four other children are leaning on my legs and arms, eager to cuddle and learn.  The other children (even the shy ones) shift closer to me and smile big beautiful grins as they learn math, re...

While on a walk, I was admiring the beautiful autumn colors.  Splendid yellows, oranges, and reds are colors I associate with the bottom three chakras: Red - root chakra (at base of spine) - roots, family, survival issues Orange - sacral chakra (just below the navel) - sexual energy, identity as a mother/sister/daughter/wife or father/brother/son/husband Yellow - solar plexus chakra (few inches above the navel) - place of personal power Autumn is wonderful time to begin a "review and renewal" process internally.  Clearing those bottom three chakras is important for general energy housekeeping and also for a better spiritual understanding of our physical and emotional connections with ourselves and others.  As I was thinking about these things, I observed a small brown leaf floating on the wind toward me and into my path. No other leaves were flying, so it was very noticeable.  The wind blew it directly in front of me until...

I enjoy teaching classes with plenty of hands-on activities that encourage the student to discover the answers of their own soul.  For the past seven years, I have taught spiritual development classes at the local college. There is the prepwork of putting the curriculum together, preparing the handouts and class exercises, and of course doing the teaching.      On Wednesday October 9th, I will be teaching "Meditation" , a non-credit course, sponsored by Jamestown Community College. The course meets from 6-8 p.m. at the Jamestown JCC Campus.   Class description : Would you like to feel peace and transform your perception of yourself and the world?  Then this meditation class is for you!  Meditation has many benefits; it helps us regain our natural balance as well as it's simple and easy to do and the rewards are wonderful: relaxation, peace of mind, and insight into your inner self.  In this interactive seminar, you will lea...

For the past 5 months I have been in Mommy mode. My days have been so filled with taking care of our family, especially our new baby, that the summer has flown by in the blink of an eye. I am glad I chose to have a limited work schedule this summer.  Mostly, I am grateful I can devote time to the formative years of our children.  My clients this summer have been understanding about this and so excited for me. And as you've noticed, I haven't had time to write a blogpost in quite a while.  Now that our oldest child is in kindergarten I hope to have more time to compose blog posts. Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding while I am in Mommy mode! *smile*

Overheard at the playground A group of children are playing "soccer".  I use this term loosely because half of the kids are goalies standing inside the goal and a few are milling around and a few others are actually chasing the ball that rarely makes it near the goal. A 3 year-old girl  approached the kids guarding the goal and announces, "I want to be a goalie."  Another girl (a 4 year-old) rebukes her, "You are too small." "I can too," she defends, pointing one finger straight up into the air.  "I am THIS tall."  Perhaps she is referring to her aura?

Opening weekend in Lily Dale ... we had rain, rain, and more rain.  The outdoor events were moved inside and umbrellas were the accessory of choice. During a break in the rain on Saturday evening, I went out onto the porch with the baby in my arms.  Taking deep breaths of the fresh air sweetened by the rain, I observed the light sprinkle of raindrops along with a parting in the clouds and a burst of sunshine and said to the baby, "this is the perfect recipe for a Rainbow!"  So I gathered up the kids and took a stroll.  At the top of my street (North Street) we saw it - a fantastic Rainbow arcing across the sky above the tall trees of the Lily Dale woods behind the Picnic Pavilion and extending in a southerly direction.  As we followed the Rainbow, we walked along East Street.  Other people were also stopping to gaze at the beautiful phenomenon.  As we arrived at the Lily Dale Children's Acre, we saw the Rainbow'...

Are you familiar with the Indiana Jones' movie "Raider of the Lost Ark"?  In the opening scene, our hero/archaelogist Jones confronts hordes of deadly tarantulas, dodges poison darts and light-sensitive impaling spikes, and swings across a deep chasm (with the help of Jones' trademark bullwhip), in order to reach a small golden idol on a booby-trapped altar.  After carefully replacing the priceless artifact with a small sack of dirt of what he estimates to be the same weight, Jones soon realizes that he has miscalculated.  The switch triggers thundering tremors and the huge altar collapses.  Jones exit from the temple is even more dramatic as the scene climaxes with a huge boulder rolling down an overhead track on its way to seal the cave entrance, crushing all in its path.  Our hero narrowly escapes by leaping to safety outside the cave just ahead of the juggernaut. This action-packed sequence replays in my mind as I finish coaxing my newbo...

The baby has arrived and I am now on Maternity Leave.  We have a wonderful baby boy! Our family is "nesting in", so this means I am devoting my time exclusively to tending to my newborn and our family's needs. Therefore, I am not available for readings at this time, as I am on a few months of Maternity Leave. And I will not be available for Mediumship Readings until Lily Dale's summer season.  For the months of July and August, I will have a VERY limited work schedule for in-person readings only, as I ease into work after the maternity leave.  Phone readings will scheduled for September and beyond. During the months of May and June, I plan to check my phone messages and emails every few days, so please be patient as it may take up to a week (or even two) for me to get back to you .  Also, I will be taking a hiatus from by Blog until further notice, however I hope to have time to share a blogpost by late May. Thank y...

Throughout the long winter, my son (in his excitement about the impending arrival of the baby) would ask almost daily when the baby would be here.  It is difficult for a four year old to understand the concept of months when he is still learning the days of the week. Eventually, I hit upon a way for him to know when the baby would be here.  I said, "the baby will be here in the Springtime".  I further explained that we would look for signs of Spring, such as when the snow melts, the flowers start blooming, the birds return, and the weather is warmer.  So then it turned into "is it Spring yet, Mommy?"  And we would reviews the signs and my sweet boy would be say "I wish it was Spring now so the baby could come". Now, the signs of Spring are in full force.  And he is noticing them! While we are taking a walk: "Look, Mommy!  The flowers are blooming.  That is a sign of Spring and the baby is almost here!" While he is playing in the front ya...

Just in case any of my blog readers are interested in how I am preparing for Baby #2, I am (of course) reading birthing books, staying active, and getting the hodgepodge of baby items ready.  This time around I have been fortunate to find some great Prenatal Exercises resources.  Thought I would share them with you in case you (or someone you know) could benefit.  1) The New Method: Baby & Mom Prenatal Yoga DVD (with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa) - a Kundalini yoga workout excellent for birth preparation. I especially enjoy the stretches for "making space" for baby, birthing squats, and endurance exercises. The instructor also talks about intuitively birthing the baby and encourages you to do many of the exercises with your eyes closed so that you can internalize the experience and draw upon this strength in labor. I notice a big difference in how I feel after this workout - I feel lighter, looser, and freer.  2) You Having a Baby Workout DVD (with Tracy Hafen ...

One of the things I have always been fascinated with is Chinese Medicine's understanding of Energetic Anatomy as it pertains to growing a baby. The sequence of embryologicial development was first presented by the Chinese Medical Qigong expert Dr Chao Yuan Fang during the Sui Dynasty, around 610 A.D. I am amazed by the accuracy by which Chinese Medicine experts delinated the various monthly changes in the fetus physically, as they strongly correlate with what 'modern science' tells us today. In fact, when I look at the Chinese Medicine chapter on the prenatal months of Creation, I see a very strong resemblance to the well-known mainstream book that most pregnant woman read, "What to Expect when You are Expecting", with a whole lot more spiritual knowledge thrown in.  Chinese Medicine tells you from a spiritual-physical standpoint WHY and WHAT various fetal developments are happening.  The other book tells you WHAT but not why. In the Chinese Medicine book, y...

If you've visited my website recently, you will no doubt have noticed my Happy News - my husband and I are expecting another baby this spring!  Once the baby arrives (due in April), I will be on a couple months of maternity leave and will not be available until June (most likely late-June), just in time for the beginning of Lily Dale's summer season.  To balance work and family, my summer schedule will be VERY limited.  Motherhood is very important to me (and they are babies for such a short time!) so I will be slowly easing back into seeing clients in order to give my family (and our newborn) the attention each member deserves. My work as a Medium is also very important to me.  Those of you who have had readings with me know that I believe in creating 'sacred space' for the duration of the session where my focus is centered on the spirit(s) and information we are connecting with. This means that I will only be available for readings a few days...

My son is in PreK now, so I am a regular parent volunteer in his classroom.  Under the heading of "parent participation", I enjoy a morning among preschoolers reading books, singing songs, learning ABCs and letter sounds, reviewing geometric shapes, doing craft projects, putting together puzzles, playing, helping with coats and bookbags, and (of course) snacktime.  In my efforts to provide them with healthy snacks on the days I am visiting, I bring clementine oranges, baby carrots, and sugar snap peas.  Yesterday, with the approval and encouragement of the teacher, I brought my popcorn air popper and demonstrated this method of preparing popcorn. I took a survey among the children and none of them (except for my son) had seen a popcorn air popper before.  They thought popcorn came from a microwave bag.  They were very excited to see the popcorn suddenly burst over and funnel into the bowl.  Their giggles and enthusiasm were wonderful! ...

On a day when the snow was melting in the early February sun, my son and I were walking and enjoying the thaw.  We admired the rare blue of the sky and the sunshine on our faces (at least the parts not covered by hats and scarves).  Glancing up, I saw a group of clouds with a small opening where the sun was bursting through.  I immediately turned to my son, pointed to that part of the sky and said, "Look, the eye of God!"  I'm not quite sure why I have always considered that phenomenon in the sky His Eye, but I have.  On those rare days that I see it, I feel calm and joyful and protected.  God is watching over us through that heavenly aperture. He said, "The eye of God?"  "Yes, do you see that hole in the clouds with the sun beaming through?" I responded.  "When Daddy and I got married, we saw the Eye of God in the sky watching us at that very moment,"  I told him. As soon as he saw it, he gave a joyful greeting "H...

For those of you who were unable to attend my lecture on Sunday January 13th in Lily Dale, you can access an audio recording of the lecture here at the Church of the Living Spirit website. Click on my name, turn up the volume, and have a good listen! The subject of my lecture is "Living a Life of Faith thru Prayer" and I focus on the life experiences and journals of George Müller, a 19th century Christian evangelist from England.  His life of prayer is an inspiration and I recommend reading his autobiography. He opened 5 orphanage houses in England and he was well known for providing an education to the children under his care, to the point where he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station in life. He also established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of them being orphans. Through all this, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt, even though the five homes cost over £...

I am thrilled to say that the Lyceum program is up and running again in Lily Dale.  What is Lyceum?   Lyceum is the Spiritualist's version of Sunday school.  The formation of Lyceums in the United States and the United Kingdom was inspired by Andrew Jackson Davis, an American visionary and lecturer who, in 1863, spoke of the benefit of training youngsters in both worldly and spiritual matters.  Not long after his lecture, some inspired members of the audience established the first 'Children's Progressive Lyceum.' The word 'Lyceum' comes from the garden in ancient Athens where Aristotle taught philosophy to his followers. And in America, during the 1800's the word 'lyceum' meant a "literary institution, lecture hall or teaching place." Children's Lyceum classes are designed to create healthy-minded "free thinkers" and include lessons in Spiritual Natural Law, the Golden Rule as well as many others. The purpose of the ...

This Sunday, I will be the Featured Speaker and Medium at the Church of the Living Spirit. Church services are held at the Assembly Hall in Lily Dale, NY at 10:30 a.m. For those of you who are not familiar with a Spiritualist church service, here is a basic outline of events: •Lecture from the featured speaker (me, this Sunday) •Healing time - opportunity to receive beautiful, channeled energy from one of the healers •Messages from Spirit - demonstrations of mediumship are presented by the medium (me, again!) giving short messages to those in the audience •Music - songs with live music accompaniment So there you go - if you are coming to church, you will see me! For more info, visit http://www.willawhite.com/ and http://www.churchofthelivingspiritlilydale.com/ .

Recently, I attended a beautiful wedding in a Christian church.  During the service, the officiating minister stated, "Other people may think we are 'weird' for our beliefs, but we feel we are following the dictates of God." This particular comment got me thinking about how people of EVERY religion out there feel that others think they are 'weird' for their religious and/or spiritual beliefs.  Sometimes this is expressed in statements of victimhood or defensiveness by the religious group or individual.  Sometimes these perceived 'weirdnesses' are made the subject of jokes.  Misunderstandings and generalities abound.  Whole groups get assigned a catch-phrase or pigeon-hole category that may or may not fit. Other times, there can be a 'spiritual superiority' that emerges... almost like children showing off, my 'religion' is better than yours.  Cases of "I've got it all figured out and you are clueless" emerge.  Through...