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Overview
Have you ever wondered if someone's trying to communicate with you on the other side? Are you looking for proof that there is life after death? Or do you miss your relationship with a loved one who's passed?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, angel communicator and psychic medium Sunny Dawn Johnston is here to help. In The Love Never Ends: Messages from the Other Side, Sunny shares a selection of true and amazing stories from her experience helping thousands overcome their fear of death or losing a loved one. A gifted psychic and intuitive, she brings a real and tangible connection between this world and the afterlife—and she says that no matter the client or the circumstances, each person's story has one thing in common: The love never ends, and fear exists only in this world.
In this collection of stories and teachings, Sunny shows you how to:
- Release fear and tap into your own psychic skills (everyone's a little bit psychic)
- Spot the signs that your loved ones are trying to connect with you
- Discover the messages from Spirit that are all around you
- Cultivate a spiritual connection with your deceased loved ones
Death in this life does not have to mean goodbye forever; we are all eternally connected to those we deeply care for, and we can continue to love, learn from, and grow with our loved ones. This book shows you how.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781938289354 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hierophant Publishing |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2014 |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Love Never Ends
Messages from the Other Side
By Sunny Dawn Johnston
Hierophant Publishing
Copyright © 2014 Sunny Dawn JohnstonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-938289-35-4
CHAPTER 1
Our Fear of Death
Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.
—Inuit saying
For a lot of us, the word "death" conjures up one idea pretty consistently: fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing all of our loved ones. Fear of dying and leaving our loved ones behind. Fear of what happens when we die. There are so many fears around death that they actually have a term for it: death anxiety.
Instinctually, we are afraid of anything that is unknown. As we are growing up, this instinct is affirmed by our family, friends, religious groups, schools, and communities, to name a few. Fear of the unknown, and a general tendency to distrust anything outside the norm, in many ways helps mold societies. This isn't necessarily healthy, and it can actually strengthen the fear beyond its natural scope.
Death, I think it's safe to say, is the greatest unknown in our physical world. While there are near-death experiences (NDEs) and mediumship experiences that tell us some of the story, we're still left with a good bit of uncertainty and wanting real proof of what happens after we die.
Death is a seemingly permanent thing to many. Life, on the other hand, is something we experience every day; it is constant, and yet also always evolving. Life is also fragile: We're here one moment and gone the next. So we grasp the fragile, familiar thing and avoid the permanent, unknown one.
For most people, the absolute answer to releasing the fear of death comes when there is complete conviction that life never ends, that it is eternal: no beginning called birth or ending called death. This is the only reason I no longer fear death, and I have to tell you, you must have an experience that proves it to you beyond a shadow of a doubt. I have had these experiences over and over and over again. While I cannot recreate these experiences for you, I can share my stories in hopes that they will help.
They say a smart person learns from their mistakes; but a wise person learns from the mistakes (or experiences) of others. It is my intention that as I share my own personal stories and encounters with spirits on the other side, they will help you heal the fears you have about death. In doing so, this will allow you the opportunity to live a fear-free life. When we release the fear and heal, what we are left with is love ... and in my experience, love never ends. Join me on this journey, and see for yourself.
Fear of Life
I think it's pretty well established that we live in a fear-ridden world. And while death is a very scary thing for many people, I want to begin with an even more dangerous type of fear: the fear of life.
The summer of my seventh grade year, my family and I went on vacation to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The park was beautiful. We saw Old Faithful, the world's most recognizable geyser. It was one of the most captivating things my thirteen-year-old eyes had ever seen. It was gigantic, and I was in awe of its power. As I stood there and watched this force of nature erupt, I was amazed by its beauty—and at the same time disgusted by its rotten egg smell. I remember being shocked that something so beautiful could smell so terrible. I was experiencing complete contrast.
I had never really thought about my place in the world or my size in comparison to other things. But on this day, life changed for me. As I watched through my adolescent eyes, I felt as though I was a tiny, insignificant part of a massive world. I was haunted almost by the bigness of Old Faithful and the smallness of me. It was unsettling, and I tried to push the thoughts away. And I did a pretty good job ... for a while.
That night, as I lay in my bunk in the camper, I couldn't keep my fearful thoughts away. We were camping at a small, isolated campground: no lights anywhere and pitch-black except for the stars and moonlight shining through the curtains right above my head. As I looked up into the night sky, thoughts of life and death overtook my mind. I imagined all kinds of stories about what could happen. A bear might come into the park and eat us. A murderer might be on the loose. I'd heard that mountain lions had attacked someone there recently. If it could happen to them, it could happen to me. All of these thoughts just brought more fear into my body as I lay there thinking. What happens when we die? What is God? Where is He? Why does almost everyone refer to God as a He? Why does God allow terrible things to happen to people? And why am I here? How on earth could I, little old me, be of any significance in this great big world?
I began thinking about all the things that happen in life and how scary it all was. As I looked at the stars, I was frozen in fear. I was trying to be quiet as my family was nearby, all sleeping in the camper as well. My tears turned into sobs as the questions of life and the possibilities of never having any answers sunk in, and I muffled my cries with my pillow. I was afraid. Of what exactly, I wasn't sure yet. What I do know is the fear was palpable.
I hadn't been raised with a particular religion, but I had been exposed to Mormonism, having grown up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Most of my exposure to religion was fear-based. In my experience there was judgment, condemnation, and a lot of rules that made it hard for me to feel good about myself. I grew up in a time and place where you weren't supposed to drink caffeine or alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or have sex before marriage. And if you did do any of these things, you were not worthy of God's love. In my thirteen-year-old mind and heart, I didn't understand. It seemed like the complete opposite of what I felt and believed in. I had an innate feeling that God (Spirit/Universe/Source/the Divine) was love. But most of what I'd learned about religion did not feel loving to me. When I thought about all the rules and the rights and wrongs, I felt like I could never live up to all of that. And those feelings had been validated throughout my life experiences. In truth, this life seemed much scarier than the afterlife.
After pondering my thoughts a bit, a feeling of knowing came over me, a deep knowing from within, that I was love. It moved through me like a chill, from one end of my body to the other. I felt calm enough then to finally fall asleep. I had found some peace, if only for a few hours. It had blown in like a gentle midnight breeze. I now know that the love I felt move through me that night was that of my angels, reminding me of who I really am.
Upon awaking the next day, although calm, I felt crazy. I was feeling complete contrast. I had this intense fear of not being good enough or worthy of love; and then I had this innate knowing that I was love. It made no sense. I was so confused and afraid. It wasn't the first time in my life that I had felt this contrast, for of course we all have contrast throughout life. But it may have been the first time I was truly conscious of it. I did not like it. I never wanted to feel the way I had felt that night. Ever again. I remember thinking, If there is a God, please don't ever let me feel this way again. I also asked myself, If God is a loving God, then why did all of these rules matter? If I am love, then how could there be anything wrong with me?
It was these questions and the varying answers from so many different people that would later call me to my life's work. The contrast between light and dark, fear and love, hope and pain, sadness and joy lived within me. Acknowledging that I carried these questions within myself, and then searching for the answers that felt true for me, would be my challenge over the next fifteen years.
Fear of Dying and the Unknown
I was raised in an environment that depicted death as scary, sad, and difficult. This view of death is common in our culture. While many people have an unsettling early memory of death, mine was extremely unusual.
When I was three years old we lived in the Philippines. It was Easter weekend, and I was sitting on my dad's 6?4? shoulders, towering over the entire crowd and unknowingly witnessing the sacred ritual of crucifixion that is part of their traditional Easter celebration. My father told me that the crucifixion was done to honor Christ and was a display of love, but I was too young to understand religion consciously and his explanation did nothing to calm me down. I watched in fear, terrified that they might do the same thing to me. Trembling, I climbed down my dad as quickly as I could and buried my face in his arms so that I did not have to watch it.
From that point, I never wanted to witness or experience anything associated with religion or death again. That's why I was initially what you might call a reluctant medium. As an adult, I was intrigued by the spirit world, and I loved being of service to others and helping them along their journey, but I was also scared. Not of the spirit world, though. It was the grief and mourning of death that was overwhelming and scary to me. The physical pain I felt in connection with how people died was overpowering, and the heaviness of it all was just too much for my sensitive soul. I was happy to do readings, happy to connect with the angels and teach people how to connect with theirs, but I drew the line at death. I didn't want any part of it, to the point of if I was doing a psychic reading and I saw or felt deceased energies around someone, I'd just ignore them. I did not want to do that part of it—and I didn't—until a little boy named Carl walked into my heart.
My First Experience Communicating with the Dead
Many years ago, I was doing readings at the Arizona State Fair. I had seen a lot of people over the week, and I still had ten days to go. It was late afternoon and the 100-degree heat was wearing on my sunny disposition. The other reader at my booth had just gone for the afternoon, leaving me there alone. I was secretly hoping no one else would come because I was tired and hot and hungry. So when the man wandering by asked me what I did, I answered him without even looking up. I told him I was doing readings. With my head still down, I stayed focused on my book and hoped he'd go away.
He grabbed the chair, however, turned it around backward so the back of it was up against my table, and sat down. I looked up, realizing that I wasn't being very present, and asked him his name. In a gruff voice that matched his weathered exterior the man introduced himself as Mike. I couldn't help but have compassion for him. He was a guy who looked like his life had been a long, hard road. I could tell he had suffered from addiction, although he felt pretty clear now. As I was just observing his energy, he asked me if we were going to get started, which kind of brought me out of my daze.
I asked him if he was open to saying a prayer together, which is something that at that point I didn't normally do. I thought it was odd, but Spirit knew what I was going to need, obviously. Mike agreed, and after a short prayer I went into the reading.
As I answered Mike's questions through my guidance, I kept feeling the presence of a little boy, about four years old. He had beautiful eyes and the sweetest little face, and he kept appearing over Mike's shoulder. I tried to ignore him and just forge on, because I really didn't want to do mediumship. But the little boy was persistent. Eventually, growing impatient, the little boy blurted out in a high-pitched voice, "Tell my dad I'm OK!"
Oh boy, here we go, I thought. I really didn't want to do this, but the little boy was so demanding and such a strong presence that I couldn't deny him anymore. So I took a breath and began to share.
"Mike, I have a little boy here. He stands over your left shoulder. He seems to be the age of four. He has dark eyes, straight sandy brown hair, and a beautiful smile. He tells me to tell you he is OK." As I said these words, which I could barely get out, this tough motorcycle man melted into tears. He put his head down and just cried. Then I cried too, as I could feel his sadness and absolute heartbreak.
As we both sat there in silence, the little boy, Carl (he shared his name with me nonverbally), began showing me what appeared to be a movie. I watched and listened with my whole body, tuning out the crowded fair and focusing only on him—a boy no one else could see. I saw this little boy with two men, walking in the desert. I watched in horror as this beautiful little boy, so full of life, was shot. I winced as I felt the pain in my own head and watched him fall to the dusty, cold desert ground. I was stunned. As I took a breath and tried to regain my composure, tears fell down my face and my body responded as if I had just witnessed this boy's murder firsthand.
I began shaking, and it was Carl's words again that called me back to the present moment. "It's not my dad's fault. Please tell him it is not his fault. I know he loves me. I see it every day. Please tell him to stop punishing himself." I sat there, stunned and unable to speak, hoping this was just my imagination. But as I looked up and into Mike's eyes, I knew the truth. This was his demon, the heaviness in his heart, the thing that haunted him night after night, day after day. He thought there was something that he could have done to prevent this.
As I took a breath, I realized that Mike knew what I was seeing. It was like he had tapped into my vision and watched it anew. He looked at me with that nod of "Ya, I know, it's hard to believe, isn't it?" He then waited for me to say something.
I didn't know where to start. What do you say? I had just witnessed the murder of a four-year-old ... and the four-year-old is standing right in front of me with a smile on his face, happy as can be, just wanting to be seen and heard. I was totally unprepared.
Once my initial shock wore off, I shared these messages with Mike that Carl so desperately wanted him to hear: "There wasn't anything you could have done. It was all planned out. Nobody could have saved me. Thank you for getting sober. Let go of the anger toward her, it is making you sick. Love me enough to forgive yourself." And, most importantly, "I love you always and forever, and I am with you."
There were other things shared, but as of this writing the legal case is on appeal after twenty-three years. In the interest of the case I cannot discuss any more, but suffice it to say Carl shared graphic details of the days preceding his death and the death itself. He validated many of his father's beliefs but counseled him to let go of his rage. (I know, it sounds strange that a four-year-old can be a counselor; but remember, Carl isn't four anymore ... he's in spirit and wiser than many.) Carl told us that he was with the angels, and as he began to drift away, I was left with the vision of that beautiful little smile, and a reminder from him: "I am good!"
When Mike finally got up to leave an hour later, I was still shaking and we were both crying. As he walked away, I couldn't stop thinking about my own four-year-old son at home. All I wanted to do was go home and hug my kids. The thought of what had happened to Carl nauseated me. I needed to throw up to get that feeling out of my body, which I did several times before leaving the fairgrounds.
As soon as I was alone in my car, I lost it. I called my mom on my drive home to have her help ground me, as I felt like I would just drift away. My head was fuzzy, and I wanted to check out of my body for a little while. Once I got home, I hugged my sons so tightly it hurt.
As I settled down a bit, I tried to imagine what my life would be like if I did mediumship like this every day. All I could hear was my head saying, No way—this is exactly why you don't want to do this. It's just too intense and too painful. That night I fell into a fitful sleep thinking about Carl and Mike.
I didn't sleep much for the next few weeks. I couldn't get Mike and Carl out of my head. It was so unfair. Why must an innocent child suffer such a tragic and painful death? But I understand now that things may seem unfair in this human realm because we don't see the bigger picture. It is hard to understand with our limited human perception, as we base things on good and bad, right and wrong. From all of my experiences with the spirit world, this one thing is true: Carl left in the perfect way for him and his legacy. Meaning, it was purposeful for his journey—and for Mike's journey and the others who loved him as well.
What I learned that day at the fair was that mediumship is not about fun and games. It is hard. It is painful. It is heartbreaking. And it is life-changing for everyone involved. I had both given and received a gift that day. Carl gave me a gift by coming to me and through me. This was just one of several deep spiritual experiences I'd had in my life.
The profound love and peace that he came to me with, such tremendous mercy and benevolence, were a gift I have never forgotten. Carl taught me that love is always the answer. Always. This kid scared the hell out of me and inspired me at the same time. His message of forgiveness to his dad touched me as well. What perceived wrongdoings in my life did I need to forgive and let go of to let love in? My challenges paled in comparison to Mike's. I had it easy.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Love Never Ends by Sunny Dawn Johnston. Copyright © 2014 Sunny Dawn Johnston. Excerpted by permission of Hierophant Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Preface: The Spirit World Speaks xi
Introduction xv
1 Our Fear of Death 1
2 Understanding Your Support System: Unconditional Love and Our Spiritual Helpers 27
3 Owning Your Gifts 41
4 Helping Someone Transition without Fear 63
5 Coping with a Traumatic Death 71
6 Things That Go Bump in the Night 87
7 Help from Beyond the Grave 95
8 Is Reincarnation Real? 103
9 What About Pets? 111
10 Setting Boundaries and Holding Your Energy 119
11 Mastering the Language of Love 127
12 You Are Not Alone in Your Grief 135
13 Being a Messenger of Love 147
Epilogue: The Love Never Ends 157
Acknowledgments 161
Appendix: Common Questions about Death and the Afterlife 163