I am pleased to share this interview with Barbara DeLong. Known as a spiritual empath, author and teacher, she shares many gifts and resonates a powerful uplifting energy. Notice what resonates inside as you journey through this discussion.
Thanks for being open to this opportunity to share with us. For the benefit of any visitors here unfamiliar with you or your work, please share a bit about yourself. You have carte blanche to share what stands out:)
I came to this field, spiritual enlightenment, rather reluctantly. What I do now is not at all what my focus was as I was growing up.
In my early years I was a special education teacher and a single mother. About forty years ago, when I was going through my second divorce, I had what can only be called a spiritual turning point when I just knew there had to be more to life than just surviving and providing the physical needs to my family. I had two masters degrees in teaching and that just didn't seem to be enough to fill what can only be called a void in my life ... and so the spiritual journey began in earnest. I attended a spiritual development class for seven years, and that is where my gifts started to really evolve and become tools for myself and others. This is a pathway that I feel you are called to rather than one that you can take classes for.
Since that time I have developed a deck of cards used for divination called The Cosmic Deck of Initiation, I painted the cards and wrote the book that accompanies them, they were published in 1991 by U.S. Games. Along the way I became a Reiki Master, an ordained minister, a radio host, appeared in conventions all over the country, did t.v., wrote/ narrated a documentary, as well as published a book, Whispers of Spiritual Wisdom. None of this was done with the intent of creating a nice bio but it seems that for some reason, I have been cosmically manipulated or spiritually guided because here I am ... wondering what the universe has in store for me around the next bend.
It is indeed remarkable to be aware of how the fabric of life weaves itself. At what point did you sense a shift within that brings you to 'the here and now'?
This may seem a bit unusual, but there have really been two turning points in my life that have been rather profound for me;
In the 60's, I was in college in Michigan and one spring evening after 11 pm at night, a UFO landed on my campus. The place was swarming with police and they turned the stadium lights on at which point it took off and streaked into the night sky. In doing so it swooped right over my dorm window and I got a closer look at it than most people ever do. To say the least I and everyone else who saw it took extended ribbing and teasing about the whole incident. The disbelief continued for over forty years until last year a book was published that documented authenticated sightings in the US was published and the one on my campus was listed. At the moment that I saw the UFO my whole view of the universe and our place in it shifted. The fact that we are not alone and that there are mysteries out there that are literally above and beyond our comprehension expanded my consciousness and pulled me into a more spiritually focused view. And so an amazing journey of discovery of other realms and possibly dimensions began. It wasn't an immediate crusade but it was subtly there from that moment on.
After my second divorce, I had what you might call a time of spiritual awakening. I knew there was more to life than I was experiencing and was finally led to a class for spiritual development which I remained in for seven years. The class provided me with a safe and nurturing environment in which I was able to draw forth and polish many of the gifts that had rested so long within me. It gave me the opportunity to discover and develop spiritual gifts like channeling, psychic awareness, and creative expression that expanded my spiritual understanding and how to use it within my mundane reality.
The universe does have a way of inviting each of us to recognize and focus on the best-feeling direction. As your life path implies, we choose to listen or not. Tell us, how do you see life in relation to the soul and spiritual pathways?
I believe that with each incarnation we peel away a layer of ignorance and that we are evolving towards a more enlightened time upon this planet. Each lifetime we take on a new form, a new perspective and a new personality. Always remembering, " we are not really humans on a spiritual pathway, we are spirits on a human journey," (would love to say that was my quote but I really can't take credit for it). I believe that each lifetime we are here to learn and to gather and that each lifetime we become more aware of the role spirit plays within that lifetime. It is through our successive human experiences that the soul is able to gather light and to increase the inner purity the is carried. It is the soul's choice as to how many life experiences it has, not the human consciousness.
Many have declared that they are on their last incarnation, it is my feeling that they are the ones who have many more to gather for the true understanding of the journey we are all on. Life here is a gift for development and spiritual awakening, it is through these many lifetimes that the spirit within truly understands the meaning of unconditional love. The more lifetimes the greater the clarity of the light within. Those who truly understand the purpose of our journeys return to shed light and become beacons for others. Not so much to teach by words, but rather by example, so others may get hints as to where their own personal gifts and talents are hidden within.
What a beautiful perspective! I also love seeing everything as a teacher and a reflection of one. It all invites one to recognize the soul is free to expand itself. Now, which gifts or lessons do you associate with deepening awareness?
I have found that those who are on a spiritual journey eventually come to the understanding that the element of love is profoundly important and that love must first be found and then developed within the self. Our first obligation is to the self and then others. Those who do not work upon themselves first have nothing of value to share with others. Teachers who have not experienced a lesson cannot teach the wisdom with any validity. The more one knows themselves the greater the gift they have to share with others. With self awareness comes empathic awareness and the ability to resonate with another's energy. Creativity for me is the key.
That is, when we open the creative channels within ourselves, we clear the way for the spiritual energies to flow through us and energize the forward motion of our journeys through this lifetime. That creativity need not be profound, just an expression of inner joy and it is always of a very personal nature. When we allow the creative channels to be open we add a greater dimension of light to infiltrate every aspect of our lives and that in turn enlightens the spirit within as well.
You make such great points. Giving conscious attention to creative outlets is so empowering and revealing! Listening to creative intuition, I see immeasurable blessings in my life and also reflected back in the lives of others. Amazing what unfolds for those ready and willing to listen to the heart.
On this note, what advice do you offer people experiencing intense energy shifts, synesthesia and expanding perception on different levels?
All of us are experiencing energy shifts and expansion of perception, it is up to the individual as to the level of impact it will have within their realities. Many individuals are so caught up in the mundane reality that change in perception will not be considered. For those individuals life will most probably slow and they won't understand why. For others the new awareness opens new vistas and potentialities, a new way to perceive and experience life as we know it.
This is indeed a time in which there are greater opportunities for all of us to learn and expand our individual awareness's. I think the most important thing for everyone to understand is that the times are really changing and that how we once viewed reality has shifted greatly. If we flow with the changes and the awareness that they bring we open ourselves to expanded understanding to the literal meaning of life as we know it. This is a time when gifts of the creative nature will be emerging within all of us. As we flow with it and allow it to be expressed through our lives we leave a greater imprint of light energy upon this time frame. If we do not evolve with the energies as they touch and enhance our consciousness' we will not experience the visions that they are capable of evoking within us .
Exactly. Choices exist to be more open and loving toward the unknown, to go with the flow every moment. That which reveals itself though us offers inner confirmation that speaks for itself.
Among your diverse spiritual revelations and endeavours, what prompts you to write, Whispers of Spiritual Wisdom?
Actually, this wasn't the book that I thought that I would publish first, but going with the flow is something I do these days so here it is. I had thought that I would write a book that was philosophy for the times. In retrospect Whispers was really the way to go. With the times that are upon us no one has the time to wade through heavy duty spiritual philosophy but they do have the time to read short spiritual vignette's and short (hopefully) thought provoking poetry.
Now that you hold this finished book in print, how do you see it as a source of and also a trigger for wisdom? Anything prompt you to listen more to the flow here?
I look upon Whispers as a sort of seed catalog of spiritual philosophies, I hope it plants seeds within the consciousness of those who read it so that they can nurture the wisdoms into manifesting within their own personal realities guides by the inner spirit we all carry. Nothing really prompted me so much as it just happened and I flowed with it. I have found that when I go with the flow the ride is less bumpy and far more enjoyable. That it just happened to be meant ... it was time for it to be manifested.
And everything always has perfect (divine) timing. Love that universal lesson! That said, how do you come to compile these poems and writings? Is it a kind of stepping stone to the unforeseen events or already designated projects?
Actually nothing was written expressly for this book. Rather it is a collection of work that I have done over the years and it just seemed to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle, so in a way it created itself. It did however, cause me to look at a lot of what I have done in a far different light and so it opened the portal to publication for me. It is the first in a series of Whisper books as well as other books that are in the works as we speak.
In essence, writing is for me a way of channeling wisdom from the higher consciousness and it is always a great learning experience ... one I enjoy sharing with anyone who can get anything out of it as well. At this time there are three or four new books in the process and I'm sure as time goes on there will be more. There are also a series of documentaries in production ...on those I'll keep you posted.
Great! We love to hear about unfolding developments. As you so clearly trust your inner vibes, why is this the perfect moment to bring this particular book into being? How does it speak through you?
I feel this is the perfect moment for Whispers to come out because in a way it almost did itself. Also , with the changes in our reality that are manifesting every day, everyone is looking for answers for the changes hat logic and reason just don't supply. We need to all realize that we are at a time of change, a time when the spiritual and the scientific are becoming more greatly entwined. The spiritual has usually been something that was quietly kept in the background and of a very personal nature. Today it is more and more something that is not only talked about openly but shared on levels that twenty years ago would have been unheard of. What better time to plant seeds of wisdom and hope?
Those seeds of wisdom and hope you underscore are silently guiding everyone back to innate infinite trust. This said, who is this book intended to serve? What could a person take away from reading it?
The book is a product of spiritual manifestation and isn't really directed at anyone.
A-ha! What a blessing in disguise. Invite readers to expect the unexpected and this is what they get. You go upstream in opposition to the current or downstream and feel the nature of the flow...
It has an element of magnetism about it just as The Cosmic Deck of Initiation has. Those who it is appropriate for will be drawn to it. I have just sort of released it to the universe and it will find where it is meant to be, as do all creative works of a spiritual nature. I hope that these seeds of wisdom bring to those who read them an understanding that we all have within us beauty, love and spiritual awareness that when manifested brings to us a cosmic understanding of the fellowship of mankind and that we are all one family and when we embrace that concept we will be ready for taking our place within the cosmos and all it holds for us.
Its apparent, even in this brief interview, that your life experience is broad and spiritual perspective growing rapidly. It is a joy to connect on many levels. To this point, which would you say are the most profound lessons that guide your focus and present Earthly experiences?
Every lesson is another opportunity to come to greater understanding of our place in the universe. Every lesson is a gift from the universe to discover talents , gifts, abilities and wisdom that are all carried within. Lessons are the way the universe gives us the opportunities for self discovery. Every lesson that comes your way is uniquely crafted to give you the opportunity to find a quality within yourself that will ease the development of your spirit. Sometimes the challenge is greater that others but always they are gifts for our enlightenment.
On the top of the list of challenges we are given, patience seems to be the biggest for all of us. Having the patience to watch things unfold so that we can gain the wisdom held within. There are times when patience fails us and so the lesson is presented in a new and more greatly challenging way ... Eventually the light dawns and the lesson is able to pass and yet another comes our way. For me the greatest lesson is that the lessons are gifts from the universe to help be evolve into greater understanding.
Can you identify anything you feel you exist now to accomplish? What is already done (and what also remains)?
I'm not sure we ever know everything we were meant to accomplish in a singular lifetime until we have passed over and do the evaluation of the totality of that lifetime. I'm still here so I know I'm not yet finished. My entire life I have been a teacher of one form or another so I believe that was one of the directions I was intended to go in. I believe we were meant to be the best we are able and to love our fellow man as we would want to be loved ourselves. At the very foundation of every major religion is the Golden Rule, and it isn't a coincidence.
I now say, no such thing as coincidence, only Cosmic Synchronicity (even titled a book as that:)
Regardless of what form of worship or not that you chose to subscribe to , The Golden Rule is the foundation upon which they are developed. As far as I can tell, the pathway to enlightenment and evolution depends upon how closely you apply the concept of the golden rule to your life. How you walk it and talk it, how you become a living expression of it is a direct correlation of how evolved you really are.
As far as what is left for me to do ... I hope a whole bunch ...this is an amazing experience and enlightening too.
What you offer here is certainly soul food for everyone. This existence is what you choose, just like your mission. In which direction of evolution do you sense the human species as a whole is heading?
I believe that the human species as a whole is at the brink of the dawning of awareness ... an opening of consciousness that comes closer to touching the divine than ever before. As a race we have certainly gone through stages of development, but I believe that we still have a long way to go. So long as there are wars, famine, cultures that are persecuted and people who are trying to hold power over others we will never achieve the enlighten state that so many are striving for now.
It will take everyone, working together, sharing unconditionally to create the kind of energy that qualifies us for membership in a cosmic family. I believe that those who created us are watching and guiding when it is appropriate, but I fear we are very much like adolescence flexing muscles just developing and not knowing how to use the power we possess. When peace, love and light are totally a part of all of us and there is no want anywhere, within anyone , then and only then will those that created us welcome us into the ranks of whatever the next step or dimension is.
From your vantage point in that serene forest setting, is there anything else you would like to share?
You must be joking! I learned a lot from doing these questions ... Thanks for the experience.
Your response prompts readers to connect with peace within, wherever they are. It is a powerful message to remind people they always do enough, say enough and are enough in this moment. Where can people obtain the book, learn more about where they can contact you?
The book is available on Amazon.com (US and UK), my website, http://www.Barbaradelong.com , and at any book store (it can be ordered). My website has a ton of information about me on it and I happily would answer any questions anyone has , Barbaradelong@gmail.com
Liara ...This has been a very enlightening experience for me, your questions were amazing and a joy to answer. Love and Light
I and the Dreambuilders Australia Blog audience appreciate very much you devote attention to this dialogue. As more and more people grow aware of the great love that exists and the nature of who they are, any limiting or fearful thoughts can only disappear. Spiritual whispers point to formless presence and that which cannot be named. Namaste. OM Shanti.