Here’s the latest….

In the Other News mktdaf

Intuitives: Jane Kennard

Jane Kennard
Jane Kennard

What’s it like to talk to people who have passed away? And….when they talk to you?

Last night, we went attended a session in Victoria, BC which featured a woman who does just that. About 125 folks showed up to hear what Jane Kennard would offer as she channeled four different guides.

Over the course of nearly an hour & a half, she answered the questions of people in attendance – sometimes very specific, sometimes general – which was greeted by the questioners with appreciative nods, that the responses were in touch.

How does all this work? Jane explains in her website:

When I channel, I begin by tuning in to the energies around the people that I am with. If the session is for an individual, I will see a few beings and hear their words. If it’s for a group, I’ll see a huge crowd of beings and feel their support and love. I take a deep breath, bringing light into every part of my body. I say my own little prayer and ask my guide to take care of me. Then it’s like flying away. I have no knowledge of the words that come through, but trust that they would be acceptable to me. When I return I feel calm and peaceful.

Sometimes I’m asked why I can do this when others are not able to. I believe it’s a talent-like having an artistic ability or perfect pitch. It comes more easily to some people, however we all have the capability to learn. If you would like to develop this ability, I would suggest searching out classes and reading books. Speak openly of your desire and you will be led in the direction that is right for you. How do you know if it’s right? Let your heart lead you. Listen within yourself for what resonates and feels true for you. We all have different ways of connecting with spirit.

Here’s a little video that will give you a taste of what experiencing Jane’s channeling felt like/looked like. You can also take a look at her website, here.

Last night’s event was sponsored by the Meetup Group called the Victoria Metaphysical and Intuitive Development Group, with Dawn & Sarah organizing the evening. Their next presentation will be October 11th….check it out!

Funnier mktdaf

Meanwhile, in the fog….

Lotta fog here. We’re a 1/2 mile from the strait here in Victoria, BC, but can hear the boats’ foghorns. Passed a mum & her two year old on the street.

Mum: Hear that?
Kid: Is that a big duck?

We hear you...that's a couple on the Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor, one foggy day....photo by Ian Byington
We hear you…that’s a couple on the Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor, one foggy day….photo by Ian Byington
Funnier mktdaf

So, chug it….

So...chug it....
So…chug it….

When we were visiting a coffeehouse (that serves alcohol, obviously) in Tofino, BC, on the west side of Vancouver Island, we saw this little warning….

Thoughts mktdaf

Thoughts: The bags & baggage handling

The trick isn't the baggage - it's how you handle it.
The trick isn’t the baggage – it’s how you handle it.

It was just a year ago I was visiting with a friend of mine.

She was telling me about all the problems she was having with her boyfriend: He was terribly attached to his mother; he couldn’t finish certain tasks, ever; he always forgot the clothes in the dryer; he hasn’t gotten over his first girlfriend. “Damn,” she said, “he sure has a lot of baggage. I don’t know if we can make it. I just can’t handle it.”

She’s seventeen. Now.

Fast forward a week, and I’m having the same conversation with a head-shaking, confidence-shaken buddy of mine, who tells the same story. Substitute a father for a mother, clothes in a drawer, forgetfulness for mild disrespect…same plotline.

He’s forty-five.

Seems to me that there’s a key to managing this story. Because we all share this story, no matter how young/old, wise/inexperienced, smart/clueless, brave/scared, and the great range in between. And it begins with ditching the notion that life will finally be OK when we meet someone perfect, who doesn’t have any baggage.

Seems to me that’s not where the problem lies. But there is a two step map to happier days.

First, do what you have to do to be accepting of the baggage. Maybe he IS still anchored in memories from three relationships back, but is that balanced by other things? Maybe she picks her nose, but also picks up the kids after school. Maybe he forgets to feed the dog but remembers what you like after a long day at the office. Maybe she complains a bit more than you like, but don’t let that drown out the appreciation, when it comes.

The second step is that successful baggage-handling has to be a two-person team project. Finding the words & the time & the love & the togetherness to visit about the “baggage”… it gives you a chance to handle it together. Treat it like baggage, with agreements about where it goes. Like any old bag: Leave it at the thrift shop. Put it in the storage locker. Agree to talk about it in private but not in public. Maybe even agree to  let the other carry it every day, after you both sort out that it’s not gonna just disappear. Agreeing that there’s something that’s bugging you is tons better than wishing it would all go away.

And it’s a chance to show the world that your love & ability to love & the confidence you place in your love is bigger than some random bit of baggage.

So do it.

Funnier Wordplay mktdaf

Another angle: Worldview, with Steven Wright, from the second mouse

Steven Wright
Steven Wright

If you haven’t met Canadian comic & philosopher Steven Wright, it’s about time you did. To make it easy, here’s a primer on the way he sees things, in his words:

All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

OK, so what’s the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Support bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have.

When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. Read more “Another angle: Worldview, with Steven Wright, from the second mouse”

Whale News mktdaf

Still endangered? NOAA reviews what’s next for humpbacks…

Numbers of humpbacks may have increased enough to pull them from the US federal protections....photo off western Maui in February by Ian Byington.
Numbers of humpbacks may have increased enough to pull them from the US federal protections….photo off western Maui in February by Ian Byington.

My friends at Whale Trust in Maui tell me that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to review whether humpbacks will remain protected as an endangered species, or whether their status would be downgraded to “threatened.”

The issue includes checking to see if the North Pacific humpback should be considered as a separate species, as well.

Here’s more from  Alaska Public Media.

Thoughts mktdaf

East meets west: Which is the best set of expectations with which to surround our kids?

What role does culture play in school performance?
What role does culture play in school performance?

As we get the school year gets underway in Canada & in the USA, we’ll look at school supplies, books, curriculum, and more as the kids get ready to get back to their classrooms, as well as the great questions: Who did my child get for math? What’s for lunch today? And…you’re wearing that?

Perhaps even deeper is the underlying set of assumptions each kid carries with her, suitcased into her brain from the culture that packs her off to school – the one that leads some kids to drop a math problem after 30 seconds & others to attack the same problem for over an hour.

What’s at play here? Here’s a good nine-minute place to start.

For the most part in American culture, intellectual struggle in school children is seen as an indicator of weakness, while in Eastern cultures it is not only tolerated, it is often used to measure emotional strength.

Let me know what you think after you get a chance to check this out:

(Listen here – This piece initially aired on Nov. 12, 2012 on Morning Edition.)

Thought for the day…


"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."
-- Buddha

About Brother Ian

brother ian in actionOver the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.

In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.

Recent Posts

Thanks for visiting!

©2013-2025 • Ian Byington • Friday Harbor, WA USA & Victoria, BC Canada