I'm going to my 20-year high school reunion in August. I have no idea how I got old enough to warrant a 20-year reunion, but there it is. I honestly did not want to go, except my former stepfather (who still lives in my home town) heard about it and wanted to see me. He is treating me for the trip, so how could I say no?

I was one of the unpopular kids in high school, and like many, I had a miserable time as a teenager. I was quite unhappy, and as one of the "smart kids," my value to many of my fellow students was someone to try to cheat off of. It was continually annoying to have people who otherwise would not give you the time of day trying to get answers from you. (And the answer was always a polite "no.")

So I'm not really looking forward to going back and opening up wounds from that rotten teenager experience I had.

Even though I do healing work, I don't usually get all warm and fuzzy in my email. I don't sign my emails "blessings" or "love, light and laughter" and all that warm, huggy new age stuff. It's not that I am against it, but I have found, sadly too often, that some people who throw these things around without thinking are often hiding some deep resentment and anger.

Women in particular have been taught to put on a happy face even when we don't feel like it. So it never surprises me when women turn on each other online and get vicious in a completely unwarranted manner.

Happy Friday the 13th! I'd like to share my new photoblog with you - Orbs and Ghosts. It is a place to share creepy, fun photos of orbs (strange light anomalies found on digital photos), ghosts caught on camera, and other possible evidence of the paranormal. You can also submit your own photos to be shared.

http://www.orbsandghosts.com

Here's a hilarious clip from Andy Kaufman on Taxi, musing about what we really need in life:

Here's another follow up to my recent energy readings on the presidential candidates. I saw an article in the San Francisco Chronicle came out asking "Is Obama an enlightened being?" and I wanted to respond. From the article:

Here's where it gets gooey. Many spiritually advanced people I know (not coweringly religious, mind you, but deeply spiritual) identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet, of relating and connecting and engaging with this bizarre earthly experiment. These kinds of people actually help us evolve. They are philosophers and peacemakers of a very high order, and they speak not just to reason or emotion, but to the soul.

Since I was critical of Barack Obama's energy in my previous post, I thought it would be good to take a look at John McCain's energy. Now, let me preface this by saying that I have been a Democrat for a long time, and I have not been a fan of the recent Republican administration.

So what I actually got when I read John McCain's energy surprised me. In fact (at the time of this reading), John McCain has the best energy out of all three candidates (versus Obama and Clinton). His chakras are mostly open and healthy. His energy is even and stable, across the board. And what surprised me the most was to see John McCain's heart chakra wide open and brimming with positive energy.

Pardon the politics again...but this is worth speaking up about. I'm talking about the idea out there among some liberal spiritual people that Obama is somehow more "spiritually evolved" than other candidates. Well, as a spiritual person, I have to take exception to this. Let me tell you why.

I'm an intuitive person who also happens to be very practical. I don't buy into hype very easily. I'm not the kind of person who joins an organization or movement and gets all excited and thinks it's the answer to my prayers. This is why I don't do well at multi-level marketing, why I would never enthusiastically join the Landmark Education movement, and why I didn't get all jazzed up over The Secret.

Sharon Stone has been all over the news due to a comment she made that China's earthquake was karmic payback for Tibet.

It's hard not to want to sing (cue Boy George):

Karma karma karma karma karma confuuuuusion...
Oh Sharon Stone, Sharon Stoooooone...
Talking is easy when you're a celebrity
Celebrity...celebrityyyyyy...

OK, enough kidding around. Sharon's heart is in the right place, but she really doesn't get the concept of karma if she thinks peasants dying in China will somehow punish the people responsible for the mess in Tibet. Those people responsible (i.e., the people in power) are safe in Beijing (or wherever they live), probably ensconced in lavish homes with better building codes that won't easily crumble in an earthquake. They were not hurt by the earthquake, the poor people were.

I just saw Michael Moore's health care documentary Sicko on DVD. I, like 50 million other Americans, do not have health insurance. I was turned down due to my pre-existing condition, chronic fatigue syndrome. Never mind that I don't even go to Western doctors to treat that anymore and I'd only use the insurance for catastrophic problems; I'm uninsurable.

I do get concerned sometimes about something drastic happening, but judging from the film, even if you do have health insurance, the insurance companies will do everything they can to get out of paying. So what's the point? I get my care from alternative doctors and acupuncturists, and the insurance wouldn't cover that anyway. I just pay for it out of pocket.

We definitely need a better system. My suggestion would be to have free health care ala public schools and then private health care for those who want the deluxe version. Of course the free health care would not be the best, but it's better than nothing.