“FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE WHAT IS THAT SMELL, HORATIO?”
“Look I am telling you for the last time, the smell is driving me crazy,” whimpered Camille over the phone. “I can’t take it anymore. For days now, everywhere I go I can smell this bloody dreadful, heavy cigarette smoke in my face. It seems to go right up my nose and makes me want to dry retch and cough.”
She paused, as if caught up in her own thoughts. “And after a while, if you can even believe it, it makes its way down my throat and into my stomach, which makes me feel sick and uncomfortable, like I want to throw up or something. It is driving me totally crazy, I tell you! It’s vile!’ she cried, choking back tears and spluttering noisily as she spoke. Camille was a good friend of mine. We had both been on the spiritual path for many years and often worked together in healing centres and spiritual groups. We had similar interests and she was one of the kindest and most compassionate people I ever knew. She never gossiped about anyone, though she was headstrong on some occasions but, like all good Samaritans, she was always helping people with her counselling skills and unique spiritual healing abilities.
Because of her understanding of metaphysics, psychic phenomena and the extra-ordinary, so to speak, Camille was used to things of a spiritual nature. These topics were not unknown to her as she had a keen interest in the spirit world and was quite psychic in her own right. Whenever things went wrong in her life, she always turned to me and I was happy to help. This time was different, though, as I had never seen her so uptight and upset. She usually went with the flow but now she was well out of her comfort zone with no idea of what was going on. After about a week of deliberation and wondering whether she was going mad, she rang me in desperation, begging for help, because as a close friend she knew I would be there for her.
Without taking a breath, she went on. “Err,’’ she coughed in my ear yet again. “Yuck! And let me tell you, I have been screaming at the girls and my husband for days now and they all swear none of them are smoking. But if it’s not them, what the hell is going on? And you know what? I know this sounds kind of crazy, but it is as if the damned smoke has a life of its own because it is now following me everywhere I go. In the car and even at work! It is starting to really freak me out. As soon as I go to sit down and rest, it creeps back into my face again. I am so sick of washing my face with cold running water. Everybody thinks I have a fever or something as I am always washing my face. If they knew what was really going on I’d hate to think what they’d say then. This is totally mad,” Camille groaned and she paused.
As I stood with the phone pressed to my ear, Camille’s voice began to change and her tone became more serious. “What the hell is going on? I am starting to feel I’m really losing it. You have to help me, Kerrie. I am at my wits’ end, as this has been going on for weeks and its all l can think about as the smell never lets up!” She began to sob uncontrollably.
Listening patiently, I asked the usual questions when clients would tell me about something of a paranormal nature going on in their lives. “Have you cleared and smoked your home with grandfather sage, like you know you’re meant to?” I asked, thinking that if the smell was being caused by an earth-bound spirit it would usually go away as the smoke would make it sick and it would lose all its energy.
“I did and it made no difference in the world,” Camille whined, unable to hold back her irritation. “It was the first thing I remembered to do because I know you always say to. I did it a couple of times and then for a whole week but it still didn’t stop the stink or make it go away!”
“But did you use the right stuff?” I asked, trying to get my thoughts in order. “This is usually the only thing that works,” I explained, thinking perhaps it was a visiting spirit as it seemed so persistent and probably just trying to get a message across.
“Yes, yes,” Camille replied in a huff. “I did what you said but nothing happened. “
Camille sounded really angry now and the stress seemed to be taking its toll. “Look, I have done everything. I am lost!”
“Yes I hear you,” I said. “Just give me a minute while I try to get some information into what is going on.” I opened up my awareness and called in my guides to help. Quickly tuning into Camille’s energy, I began to feel my main guide, White Feather, stepping into my energy field. As soon as this happened he told me the ‘smell’ was what I had suspected from the beginning—a visiting spirit just wanting to get a message across. By feeling the energy around Camille, I sensed it was a male spirit. Listening quietly, I heard the words in my ear that the male spirit was desperate for contact with someone she may have perhaps known.
My next task was to try to discover what the spirit wanted and just who he was trying to contact. This would take time but I needed to try and calm Camille down.
“Remember, Camille, that nothing in the spirit world can harm you,” I said in a soothing tone. “It is only your own fear that does the damage. I understand it has been difficult for you these last weeks but doesn’t worry because I am here to help you sort this out so just give me a little time.”
“Yes, I’ll be quiet,” she answered, sniffing loudly as she stopped crying, took some deep breaths and started to relax.
“Good, that makes it easier for me. I’m getting it now. There is definitely a male spirit who wants to give you a message. What it is I can’t tell you now, but I can feel his energy coming in.”
After hearing this, Camille raised her voice again. “You’re joking, aren’t you? Great, why me? What does it want to tell me? Do I know the spirit you are talking about?” she demanded, starting to sound nervous again though with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
“Shush, will you? I just have to tune into its energy and see what I can hear, so try to be quiet for a while,” I responded, trying my best to calm her. “What the spirit wants will take a bit longer, though, so you have to be a bit patient with me,” I replied, tuning psychically into her energy over the phone.
Without taking any notice, she continued to chatter on as if in a world of her own. “It is funny, you know, my mother smoked for years and at first I thought it was her, as she lives with us now. I really gave it to her, as she now has really bad lungs. I worry about her all the time because she is not well and I have seen what the smoking has done to her over the years. I feel bad because I have not stopped nagging her all week. No wonder she wants to stay in her room all the time. The girls keep telling me to shut up and even called me a nosy bully the other day. I will have to make it up to them.”
Not paying much attention to her constant chattering, I continued to bring my guide closer into my energy field. “Where have you been lately?” I asked Camille, starting to become more intrigued and wanting to get to the bottom of the problem, once and for all. “Have you been to any spiritual groups lately by any chance?” I asked, knowing she did a lot of voluntary work around the place with her healing work.
“Funny you should mention that. I was at another group about the same time this all started,” Camille replied, starting to clear her mind and get her thoughts in order.
“When you were there, did you speak to a woman called Wendy?” I asked. “I have a male spirit with me who wants to talk about his daughter Wendy.” I was starting to get more information now from the spirit man who was now standing right next to I now and I became aware of the smell of smoke.
“I was chatting with my friend Wendy on my way home after the healing group,” explained Camille. “She mentioned she was having a bit of trouble with her health and personal life. I have to laugh because that is not unusual for her to say, as her health is never good and she is always having problems. But this time I could see it was it bit more serious, now that you mention it.”
“The message must be urgent because he is really in your face and wants to be heard,” I said. “If anything, he is persistent,” I laughed, unable to hold back my amusement. “Camille, if you are not busy, why you don’t just hop in your car and come over after you have finished dinner and we’ll clear this all up. I need to speak to your ghostly visitor right away. He has come to my notice now and we need to find out what he wants because I feel he is not going to go away otherwise.”
“I am not being a burden, am I?” Camille asked meekly, but sounding relieved and grateful for my help.
“Of course not,” I replied putting the phone down and making my way to my healing room.
I had planned to watch a movie that night and have a long soak in the bath. But my life is always full of surprises, so something like this happening was not out of the ordinary. Lucky for me, my family is used to people just popping in and it doesn’t bother them in the least. It’s my three cats that find the action so intriguing. Whenever we get a visitor, the three of them always want to know what’s going on. They are quite territorial in their own way and like to check out just what is going on in their home. My cats like most animals, are also very psychic and will often let me know by their behaviour if there is a stray spirit hanging around in my home. It is common knowledge that our beloved pets are very sensitive and can sense spirit around them. My mother is always telling me that my cats run the place, and this always makes me laugh. Every time she comes she is always complaining about the fur around my place and is forever brushing herself down before she leaves.
Soon, I could hear footsteps running up to the door of my healing room. When I opened the door, Camille looked sheepish and embarrassed but also relieved to see me. At first, her face was pale and strained but when I welcomed her warmly she became more relaxed. Outside, it was raining heavily and it must have taken her a good hour to get to my place as the weather was so bad and the roads were choked with traffic.
Presenting her with a steaming hot cup of tea, I sat her down and opened myself up psychically to see what was going on. No sooner had I done this, I sensed the same spirit energy I’d felt during the phone call come rushing in the room, and begin to build up at an incredible rate. The air became electric and my ears started to buzz. Then I heard a distinct male voice speaking to me clearly in my ear. As I looked up, I could just sense what looked to be the vague outline of a spirit man who was now standing next to Camille, quietly sipping her tea in her chair.
As we sat there, the spirit man told me that his name was Bob. He said he had died of a heart attack and was here to give a message to his daughter, someone Camille knew quite well.
As soon as I relayed this message to Camille, she said she knew the man was the father of her friend Wendy. When I asked him what he wanted and why he was bothering Camille, he kept repeating he was worried about his daughter. They had been very close when he was alive and he wanted to give her a message urgently. He said he had been trying for ages to get through to his daughter but was not having any success, so he decided to use Camille instead. He said he was sorry for scaring her, but just wanted to get his message across.
Apparently, the spirit man had been a heavy smoker in his days on earth, hence the smell. He went on to tell me that he knew Camille was close to his daughter and wanted her pass on a warning on his behalf. He said that when he had died, he left his daughter a substantial amount of money. Now, people she considered to be friends were actually trying to take advantage of her good nature and take this money away from her.
After I relayed the message to Camille, she said it was true and she had also been worried about her friend. She had wanted to say something too but had felt it was not her place to do so. In the past, she had stood by and seen Wendy’s violent relationships and felt it best not to get involved. She worried about her friend and could understand what her dead father was talking about as she had noticed certain people trying to take her friend for a ride. As far as Camille was concerned, her friend Wendy was a romantic fool who let people take advantage of her. She knew now that she should act, as her father in spirit must have used a lot of energy to get a message of love across.
The spirit man then talked very briefly how he had worked very hard for the money he had bestowed on his only daughter and there was no way in heaven or earth that anyone was going to take his little nest egg away from her. His daughter, according to him, had always been a gentle girl. He said she was a soft touch and liable to trust the wrong sorts of people who would take advantage of her good nature.
Camille confirmed this, nodding her head in agreement as I relayed the messages from the spirit man. She mentioned a certain woman who had befriended Wendy and was already asking for a loan. It was obvious by the way she spoke, that Camille did not like the woman or what was going on as she felt Wendy was being conned. After Camille promised to talk to his daughter and give her the message, the spirit man quickly moved away and another male spirit, who must have been standing behind him, moved forward and took his place.
The second spirit, I felt must have had a big personality when he was alive. He introduced himself as Ron and I could sense he felt like a ‘boss’ type of personality. He confirmed this when he went on to tell me that he had worked with his son Bob, the other spirit who had just visited. He said that when they were alive, they had both worked on boats that sailed all over the world. Both spirits must have had an amazing life because I could sense from their down-to-earth personalities that they were both strong-minded, colourful individuals.
Ron said he was Wendy’s grandfather and was also concerned about her money and the welfare of his beloved granddaughter. The spirit world must have been working overtime, as more information was given to me to pass on to Camille, who sat up wide-eyed in her chair.
When the session came to a close, I was beginning to feel exhausted, as I was not used to working so late at night. Starting to yawn, I could feel myself starting to turn off, so to speak, as my energy began to wind down. Just as the link to the spirit world was beginning to get weaker and weaker, I heard spirit names being called and a loud thank you.
“Look, before we go on, there is someone else now here in spirit who wants to say something as well,” I said, feeling myself open up again. “I am getting the names William and Margaret. Does that make any sense to you, Camille?” I asked.
She was beginning to get tired too and struggled to remember all the family. Sometimes when I am coming to the end of a session, spirit people will just give me names or call them out in confirmation that the information they are giving is correct. Camille would have to ask Wendy when she saw her.
Once I closed down, I looked over at Camille who was sitting on the edge of her seat, staring at me. “That was incredible, Kerrie,” she gushed, looking as if she was hardly able to believe what had just happened. “Thank you so much. I feel so much better,” she laughed. “I knew I was right about that damned woman that Wendy likes. I knew she could not be trusted. Some people! What a con. How dare she? Wait until I tell Wendy,” she muttered, barely able to contain her anger.
She sat deep in thought, going over the session in her head and what had happened in the room. “You know, I can totally understand where her father is coming from,” she said, a look of disgust on her face.
“Everything her father was talking about is right,” she sighed, nodding her head, pleased with her for trusting her own judgment.
I just looked at her. One thing I have always known about Camille is her good judgment about people, as she is never wrong. I wish I had her ability because I sometimes think that people are genuine when they’re not.
Grabbing her phone out of her bag, Camille scrolled down the screen, looking for a number. “I feel like ringing Wendy now,” she smiled, knowing that she had been correct in her initial thoughts on the saga.
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” I said. “It is a bit late. Why don’t you wait till it all settles down and ring her in the morning? Then you will have had a big think about what went on, so you will know what to say. Anyway, you don’t want to freak her out, and let’s face it, nothing is going to happen tonight.”
Laughing, Camille agreed. “I am always telling her to be careful and not to be so trusting. People are always taking advantage of her generosity. It’s as if they can smell her stupidity from miles away and they crawl out from under their rocks. I just warned her the other day about the same thing. I can’t believe it! And I noticed this awful woman hanging around her all the time. I just knew it,” she said excitedly, jumping up and down in her seat. “Tell him I will get onto it straight away.”
“So when you speak to Wendy, tell her that you have seen a medium and her father came through. And you can you tell her the names, just so it gives her proof of survival that he was here. Oh, and don’t forget to tell her that the health results she is waiting for will be fine.” I had tuned into Wendy’s energy and had scanned her body in my mind’s eye.
“I don’t see any cancer in her body. I could be wrong but she is going for check-up, isn’t she?” I asked, finishing my remote viewing of her body.
Camille stared at me.
“I thought I would just add that one in because I am picking up she is worried about her health when you mentioned it before,” I continued, yawning and desperate for a cup of tea. It was getting late and I had had enough for the day. I was now ready for some ‘me time’.
“Thanks for that,” said Camille, looking at me knowingly. “Yes, Wendy is a bit of a hypochondriac and is always going to the doctor for things.” Camille laughed loudly, “She was convinced last year that she was going to die from bowel cancer and there was nothing wrong with her. I could have told her that. Gee, she makes me laugh! The silly thing will feel like she has had an enormous weight lifted from her shoulders!”
“Tell her to stop worrying,” I replied, scratching my head and rubbing my eyes. “Come on, let’s go. I’ve had enough for one night.”
Spirit work can often be draining so after a long day all I wanted to do was sit down and not think. “I need to watch some television, have a cup of tea and relax. I have had enough drama for one day,” I said, wrapping my arms around Camille’s shoulders as we trudged into the house.
As we made our way inside, I made a mental note to remember to give myself a good stretch next time I did a workout at the gym, as my body was feeling so tight. I was usually so busy trying to get home and get ready for work that I never really gave myself the time to give the old body a good stretch.
“You can say that again,” Camille giggled as she followed me out.
I was glad to see she was back to her chirpy self. She must have felt so relieved and happy to finally have the annoying smell of smoke lifted off her face once the spirit man had left.
“Don’t forget to ring Wendy and tell her what happened first thing tomorrow morning,” I said. “That way, you can make sure the smoke will never come back. That spirit man must have smoked a lot of cigarettes in his day,” I laughed, trying to be funny. And I will give him full marks for being persistent.”
“That’s for sure!” Camille agreed, starting to loosen up. “Hang on, I want to give you a hug for helping me,” she laughed, grabbing me tightly. “Thank you so much for everything,” she smiled, unable to hold back her joy of getting rid of the burden she had been carrying for the past week. “I feel on top of the world now!” she giggled happily. “And you can make sure I am going straight home to ring her when I wake up in the morning.”
“That’s good, love,” I replied tiredly.
“You know what?” she continued, thinking deeply about the evening we had spent together. “It all makes so much sense to me now. I feel so much better already and isn’t it nice to know that her father appreciates me being friends with her?”
Smiling, I nodded in agreement. I knew how she felt about being appreciated by her friends, but to extend it to the spirit world was another matter. That was incredible. It just goes to show that we all stay the same when we cross over and do our healing, and our friends and loved ones in spirit are still looking out for us. It proves to me time and time again that love is eternal.
The next day, Camille rang me from the airport. She was on her way to Queensland for her annual holiday that she looked forward to every year. She sounded happy and excited and it was obvious she was glad to be taking a break from her busy work life. “I just wanted you to know that I rang Wendy and told her everything that happened last night, word for word. She was really grateful and asked me to thank you.”
“That’s nice,” I said.
“She did say, however, that she was also starting to feel the same about the woman who is always hanging around and borrowing money. In fact she had already made her mind up before I rang that she will wipe her, as she knows she is a user. And, by the way, her father’s name was Bill and the other name you mentioned, Margaret, was her mother’s name. So she knew it had to be her father.”
“That’s good confirmation,” I laughed happily, relieved to hear my good friend was back to her happy self.
“And, thanks to you, the smoke has finally gone,” Camille laughed, sounding pleased with herself.
“Have a wonderful holiday, Camille. Put your feet up and chill, girl” I said fondly.
As we said our goodbyes, I smiled to myself. The spirit world is always full of new things to learn. Who would have known that a pesky smell was actually a spirit man trying to get a message of love across to his daughter? To this day, it never ceases to amaze me how the spirit world will get such messages through to a loved one they want to contact. A song, a perfume, a gentle touch on the body, a strange feeling that you are not alone, and a dream—the list goes on. Nothing ever ceases to amaze me anymore because when you work for spirit, it is an incredible privilege and an amazing journey.