Lisa Jones is a Ridgefield, CT-based author, spiritual medium and former corporate accountant whose life changed dramatically after the death of her first husband. At the moment of his death, Jones was sleeping in a different room. However, she witnessed her husband entering heaven. This “shared death” experience challenged her beliefs about life and spirituality, and radically altered the course of her life. She spoke with Natural Awakenings about her spiritual awakening and offers readers suggestions for what she calls connecting to clarity.

 

Your book recounts the intimate details of your spiritual awakening during an intensely sad and chaotic time of your life. What advice can you give to a reader who is experiencing crisis and may be approaching or experiencing their own awakening? 

dI would advise anyone experiencing crisis to first and foremost start looking for signs and coincidences that are unexplainable. These are clues that you are not alone and there is a bigger purpose for you here on this planet. Then consciously and purposefully start connecting to the greater good and energy that is available to each one of us day or night. Many times when crisis arises we get thrown out of our element and begin to panic, rather than relying on the one thing that can really help guide us and grant us love and support. Connecting to this greater good is how I believe you can experience an awakening. If I had not followed the bread crumbs that were left for me along the way, I would have never woken up and most likely would still be working in the accounting arena and not only be miserable but perhaps physically sick as well. If you aren’t happy, it’s a sign that you are not on your path. Wake up and start living your life with purpose and passion. 

 

You discuss in the book some very personal but also universal themes such as feeling like you didn’t have a “place” even in your own family or fearing you might be unmasked as an imposter as you tried new things. Has this changed for you over the past several years?

Many people have shared with me similar thoughts about feeling like they don’t have a place in their family or even in this world. I believe this stems from the fact that, as small children, we were all told to “get along,” “don’t show off” or “stop that!” No wonder many of us feel that way; we’re discouraged from being ourselves. This has changed for me over the past several years, and that’s because, step by step, I’ve had the courage to step up and step out onto my true authentic path. It started with friends believing in me, then invitations to work with small groups. Next came a request to be on stage in front of over 120 people, then the following year nearly 400 people. I love how once again, by following the breadcrumbs, the exposure just kept getting bigger and bigger. Now I’ve been on CBS and FOX sharing my story as well as dozens of newspapers, radio interviews and blogs. My greatest joy is sharing the “psychic secrets” from behind the curtain. I’m teaching people how to give and receive divine messages from the Universe to help them move forward and to help others. 

 

Your experience and your message are striking a chord with many people as you travel and speak about your experiences. Why do you think your deeply personal story is relevant to so many others at this time? Is this a function of the world changing, people becoming more open/accepting, or a combination of both?

Being an ordinary person, an accountant who worked at two of the largest accounting firms in our country, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Ernst & Young, lends credibility to my story. I believe most people have had at least one, if not several, “super-natural” experiences during their life and why wouldn’t they, given that we are spiritual beings in physical bodies! So when they see me as a “normal” person coming out of the spiritual closet, they can relate to that and want to be able to talk to me about it. I readily admit in my book that I thought I was losing my mind at times. I was my biggest skeptic and still am at times, as the events that unfolded for me are so spectacular, it’s truly hard to take in. And yet, these events are miracles, and I love having that a part of my life every day! So when people read or see that I’m not doing this for any other reason than to share my story, they can see themselves. I think it helps them make sense of what they may have experienced in their life. What’s also really exciting is that as I use my gifts to help people in their personal lives, their business lives are taking off as well. I’m now working with many small and large entrepreneurs who have seen huge shifts within their sales and profits. As people see and hear about these results they do become more open minded, as all business people are looking for that competitive edge, which is what I can offer them.

 

You emphasize that your ability to connect with spirit and channel messages is something you believe most, if not all, people can do themselves. Can you provide tips for readers who are interested to pursue this path?

Yes, I believe that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, so therefore we are all able to connect directly to spirit in order to give and receive messages. I also believe that, just like playing the piano or some other type of talent, some of us have more of an innate gift than others, and that some of us need to practice more than others. I have had a lot of practice, nearly twelve years – yes, I am one of those people who needed a lot of active practice. I also had a huge interest in learning more and wanting to improve my ability, so I kept at it and didn’t give up. I’ve now developed a 3-step Connection to Clarity process, where I teach others as to how to connect and channel written messages from the Universe. The three steps are:

1. Prepare – Find a quiet place and time to focus on connecting to these messages.

 

2. Ask – Ask your __________ (place the term that makes you feel most comfortable, guides, angels, higher self, ancestors, etc.) to provide you with a message. Take a deep breath.

 

3. Listen – Listen and write down what you hear. This is the hard part, as you’ll think it’s you. You need to be patient and gentle with yourself, and it’s easier than you think. 

 

How do you feel about where you are in your own personal journey? 

I feel as though I went from living a life of black and white, defined by others, to now living a life in high definition, 3D, full color, with surround sound where I get to decide what I do everyday and loving every minute of it. Truly it’s the Art of Living Happy.

 

Lisa Jones lives with her family in Ridgefield, CT. She teaches a four-hour class on how to connect to your individual clarity. Her next class in CT is December 7, 2013 at 1pm at the Oneida Center in Marlborough, CT. For more information about that workshop or to find out where else you can see her, visit ArtOfLivingHappy.com.

 

Natasha Michaels is a contributing writer to Natural Awakenings.