My Spiritual Pilgrimage, Part 3: Blenheim Palace

My Spiritual Pilgrimage, Part 3: Blenheim Palace

In this post, “My Spiritual Pilgrimage, Part 3: Blenheim Palace, I share my personal photo gallery of the Icons of British Fashion exhibition I attended in May 2024.

Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, was formally registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. English expert gardener, Lancelot “Capability” Brown designed the landscape of the beautiful, sprawling, 2,100-acre (850-hectare) estate.

The fashions of designers such as Stella McCartney, Temperley, Lulu Guinness, and Dame Zandra Rhodes were artistically displayed amongst the beautiful interior of the palace. It was transformed into a fashion museum. If you like art in the form of fashion, I hope you will take a break from your busy life and enjoy the photos I share at the end of this post.

In addition to the photo gallery, I share a synchronicity story that occurred during our last night in Oxfordshire. By way of clairaudience (psychic hearing), the message brought several elements of my vacation activities together into oneness, including the fashion exhibition. It felt like a larger presence had been with me, guiding me throughout my pilgrimage. It was a lovely mirroring back of what I had experienced. Through this, I felt Robin’s energy as we wrapped up our time in England.

My Spiritual Pilgrimage, Part 3: Music and Clairaudience

May 29, 2024, was our last night in Oxfordshire, the last night of our pilgrimage. I had spent the day packing up our souvenirs and belongings. We were preparing for our flight back to Portugal, which was where my husband and I were living at the time. I felt sad that the trip was over. But I had so many wonderful experiences, it felt great to know I would be carrying so many heart-touching memories back home.

While packing and organizing our trip home, I started to notice a song playing in my mind. “Pop, pop, pop music…pop, pop, pop music…pop music talk about…” I had not heard it in years, this “Pop Music” song. I recalled hearing it in the 80’s when I was a teenager, but did not remember hearing it much over the years. I did not remember hearing it at all in recent memory.

The song played in my mind almost all day like background noise. I didn’t even know who sang it. I figured something got stirred up by being in England.

Well, bedtime came, and I knew we had a flight to catch the next day. I wanted to be sharp to manage all the bureaucracy at Heathrow Airport and wanted to get some sleep.

Still, “Pop Music” was playing in my mind. I realized that I needed to research this song if I was going to get any sleep. It was already 10:30pm (according to my journal notes). So, while lying in bed, I reached for my phone and typed into YouTube, “Pop Music.”

I noticed a video and realized that it was the song playing in my head.

This is the official video for the song, correctly spelled “Pop Muzik,” by M. M is an English new-wave band created by a singer named Robin Scott. The song, “Pop Muzik,” was released on March 16, 1979.

Pop Muzik by Robin Scott

I thought to myself, “That’s why this song is playing…another Robin.” It seemed like Spirit was reminding me of Robin Gibb before I left. Not like I needed to be reminded since I had just been immersed in his energy for 2 weeks. I was surprised because as I mentioned, I didn’t know who sang the song.

When I receive a message through what feels like clairaudience, or when I notice synchronicity, I usually follow-up with additional research. This excellent video on synchronicity stresses the importance of taking action when it comes to this phenomenon.

Synchronicity often contains a deeper message, and in order to receive the messages, we must participate and do our part to decode it. Obviously, when we take action, we can do so using our common-sense, intuition, and discernment to participate wisely in the process.

Other than keeping a synchronicity journal, this is one of the most important things to do when you receive synchronicity because you could uncover key additional information that a guide, guardian angel, or deceased loved one is trying to convey to you. When you encounter synchronicity, those moments of life reflecting itself back to you, it is an invitation to look deeper.

In this case, I did exactly that.

Robin Scott: A Connection to an Icon of British Fashion

To follow the breadcrumbs, I decided to do a quick web search on Robin Scott. A Wikipedia article came up revealing that he is British, born in England in April 1947. I thought about how that made him slightly younger than Barry Gibb. I made note of the name and nationality connection with Robin Gibb.

I went on to read about his early life and noticed he had a friendship and business relationship with the late designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. This really got my attention because a few days earlier at the Icons for British Fashion exhibit at Blenheim Palace, her designs were presented.

Here are some photos I took.

Please click on each image to enlarge it fully.

It was busy and crowded that day, so I was not able to take many photos. Her exhibit was right at the beginning, and I had to move along faster than I wanted to. That is why I only have two photos. I’m so happy I have at least those to show you the synchronization.

As a result of additional research, I learned that Robin Scott and Vivienne Westwood collaborated on a song and video together called “The Bride of Fortune.” Here is the video which shows the Robin Scott filming of Vivienne Westwood’s 1985 Spring/Summer collection in the video.

This really moved me because this exhibit was very special to me. It meant a lot to me to be able to go. Going to Blenheim Palace had not originally been on our itinerary of activities. An Oxford taxi driver recommended it to us, and so, we decided to go. I didn’t know what exhibits were going on at the time. I just wanted to see the palace and the gardens. So, it was a surprise and gift that our trip corresponded with the Icons of British Fashion exhibition going on at that time.

Before this clairaudient and synchronistic experience, I knew nothing about Robin Scott and Dame Vivienne Westwood except that Dame Vivienne designed a wedding dress worn in a Sex in the City episode. I enjoyed learning about them and feel like this is part of the fun and magic of synchronicity: the experience of learning and growing as a person.

Echoes from the Past: Additional “Pop Muzik” Synchronistic Connections

Getting back to the Wikipedia article on Robin Scott, I noticed another meaningful synchronicity as I read. In the “Breakthrough” section, a Canadian programmer named John Lewis is mentioned. The late John Lewis was the musician responsible for the opening organ music for the “Pop Muzik” song.

This gave me another special moment because a few days earlier that week, on May 25th, my husband and I went shopping at a John Lewis department store near Oxford University. John Lewis reminded me of how Robin Gibb played the organ during his music career.

Here is the photo I took of the John Lewis store.

Please remember to click on every image to enlarge it.

John Lewis Department Store Oxford

My association with the name “John Lewis” is very meaningful to me because I have had other synchronicities connected to it. This is why I made it a point to shop at John Lewis while we were there.

In this blog post below, I wrote about a dream connection I had to how The Bee Gees used to like singing in the bathrooms of John Lewis department stores early in their careers to get the echo effect on their voices:

Will You Wait for Me?

In another post about how afterlife communication can help reduce loneliness, I wrote about another “John Lewis-themed” synchronicity. If you like calves, I invite you to check it out:

How Afterlife Communication Helps Reduce Loneliness

My Spiritual Pilgrimage, Part 3: Closing Thoughts on Synchronicity

It has been very sentimental to share all of the connections I learned about as a result of the clairaudient surfacing of “Pop Muzik.” The article about Robin Scott helped to highlight two key activities from my pilgrimage: seeing the fashions of Dame Vivienne and shopping at John Lewis. This, along with the name synchronicity with Robin Gibb and the identical British nationality led me to feel that Spirit was speaking to me during my last night in Oxfordshire.

It felt like Robin Gibb’s way of letting me know he was with me, not only reminding me of him, but of the wonderful time I had just had in his home county. It seemed like a parting gift. It was amazing to have these aspects of my trip mirrored back to me while they were still fresh in my mind. One article about a person that I had known nothing about a few hours earlier revealed so much.

I write a lot about synchronicity mostly because that is the primary form of communication I receive from Robin’s spirit currently. As energy beings, synchronicity is one of the most practical ways for our deceased loved ones to communicate with us.

I also sense that part of the purpose of these essays is to encourage others to take their synchronicity experiences more seriously. It is easy to brush them off in a world that invalidates them. Sometimes, it seems that the harsh energies of the physical world are determined to try and cut us off from all that is magical and mysterious.

But, if we pay attention and accept the invitation to learn more and dig deeper in a common-sense, discerning manner, these malevolent forces cannot win. We can choose to accept the invitation for allowing more of the magic and wonder of synchronicity into our lives.

I am convinced that Spirit speaks through synchronicity. Soul connections that are already established in the inner planes of the Spirit world manifest in the outer planes of the physical world through synchronicity. These planes of existence are not really separate; they are intertwined in a way that makes communication not only possible, but probable. This is what my intuition and experience tell me.

At the end of the song, “Pop Muzik,” Robin Scott sings, “Do you read me? Loud and clear?

Absolutely, I do! Thank you, with deep gratitude to Spirit, which includes lovely Robin Gibb!

Photo Gallery: Icons of British Fashion

I would like to thank you as well for reading the stories I just shared. I hope you enjoyed them.

Below is the gallery of photos I took from the Icons of British Fashion Exhibition. I really do hope you like them! 😊I feel that everyone can use a little extra beauty and interesting art in their lives. It is with this intention that I share this gallery with you.

All photos in this post are Copyright 2025 by Christina Samuels, except for the “Pop Muzik” screenshot.

Please remember to click on every image to enlarge it.

For additional views of the fashion exhibition, I invite you to watch this YouTube video.

Icons of British Fashion Signs

Stella McCartney

Zandra Rhodes

Jean Muir

Lulu Guinness

Temperley

Stephen Jones

Turnbull & Asser

Terry De Haviland

Love,

Christina Samuels Signature

Deep Listening and Music: Synchronicity with Gibb Brothers in Spirit

Deep Listening and Music: Synchronicity with Gibb Brothers in Spirit

In this post, “Deep Listening and Music: Synchronicity with Gibb Brothers in Spirit,” I describe a series of mysterious interconnected synchronicities that occurred as the result of reading to Robin’s spirit and practicing deep listening. Deep listening led to a clairaudient experience with music, and synchronicity followed.

In my previous post, “Afterlife Communication: The Joy of Reading to the Deceased,” I shared how reading to Robin led to meaningful synchronicity and revelations about his name. This time, when I recently read to Robin, what came back to me was not about Robin directly. It was about his brothers in spirit with him: Maurice and Andy. It feels like they wanted their names included too!

Introduction: Embracing Storytelling

Afterlife communication with Robin takes me on a journey of learning and discovery that I enjoy sharing through writing. One thing I have learned about myself is that I love to share stories. I never knew that I had a storyteller within me before Robin died. But I feel it is a part of my evolution to become a storyteller. You never know who benefits from what you share, and this belief keeps me motivated to continue writing.

Personal evolution is one of the main purposes for a spiritual connection in my opinion. It is good practice to ask oneself, “What am I learning and how am I growing and evolving as a result of my spiritual connection?” I have learned a lot about the importance of embracing storytelling on my journey with Robin.

In the book, Soul Communication: Opening Your Spiritual Channels for Success and Fulfillment, by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha, the spiritual value of sharing our stories is discussed. This applies to those of us who share our stories, whether privately, publicly, or both:

Stories are powerful teachers. They carry a message. They also carry the particular gifts, abilities, and wisdom of the soul sharing the story. It is not enough to have one or two people share their stories. Hundreds, thousands, even more must share their stories. This is important because no two people connect in exactly the same way with any one story. The more stories there are, the more people will feel that they are included, important, and valued… (pg. 14)

 

When I talk about sharing your story, I am speaking specifically of sharing about your soul journey. Sharing other aspects of your story can also be helpful and healing. However, it is the story of your soul journey that is truly significant. It is this story that is transforming… (pg. 14)

I have personally been healed and supported by those sharing their soul stories, especially stories about spiritually transformative experiences. Other people sharing their stories gave me the courage to share mine on this website. By sharing my soul journey, I hope I can give others the same support that I have found through dozens of authors over the years.

Sometimes I feel like my blog posts are like sending out a message in a bottle into the big sea of the world wide web. Most people won’t notice it, and many will walk by it, not seeing any value in it. But occasionally, someone will pick up the bottle and read the message inside. And hopefully, that message will be something that supports them in their journey through life. That’s the value of sharing stories.

Are you ready to open the message in the bottle? If yes, then let’s begin. I will now share with you this next chapter of my soul journey with Robin and his brothers.

Sorry Business and Deep Listening: Learning About Australian Aboriginal Practices

On March 20, 2024, I felt drawn to research how indigenous people communicate with their deceased loved ones. Since I like to read to Robin, I was wondering whether there was any tradition of doing this or something similar within different indigenous families.

I googled “indigenous people after death communication,” and came across an article by Jens Korff called “Sorry Business: Mourning an Aboriginal Death.” It is on a wonderful website about Australian Aboriginal culture called Creative Spirits. Jens Korff is the owner and author of Creative Spirits and shares what he has learned about Aboriginal culture in Australia. It is an inspiring example of giving due respect, support, and honor to Aboriginal people through healing enterprises and educational opportunities.

Through this article, I learned that “sorry business” is what the Australian Aboriginal people call their time of mourning, including ceremonies, after a loved one has died. Ceremonies and mourning can last from days to months depending on different factors. This allows the grief to heal slowly. I admire this practice and feel that this is an important lesson.

I also learned that it was an old tradition amongst Australian Aboriginal people to not say the names of the dead because it was thought to disturb their spirit. In more recent years, it has become more acceptable for Aboriginal families and communities to allow the names of the deceased to be spoken. Still, I concluded from this that they would most likely not be reading to a deceased loved one as I do.

As I read the article, I noticed a link to another article for the practice of deep listening. The article is called, “Deep Listening (Dadirri),” by Jens Korff. Deep listening is something I am drawn to because I love meditation and stillness practices and wondered whether there was any connection with this. I learned that there is.

According to the article, the wise Australian Aboriginal people of the Daly River region in the Northern Territory call deep listening, “dadirri.” According to Aboriginal writer and senior elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann:

“Dadirri is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call ‘contemplation’. (2)

 

“Our Aboriginal culture has taught us to be still and to wait. We do not try to hurry things up. We let them follow their natural course – like the seasons.” (2)

We could all use more dadirri in our lives. You are welcome to click here to view the most beautiful, official Dr. Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann video where dadirri is described in the most soul-soothing way.

In the article, the importance of deep listening was also described in terms of storytelling. Stories important to the Aboriginal culture were passed on orally, not through writing. Therefore, it was very important for Aboriginal people to be very skilled at deep listening, so that the story could be passed on correctly to the next generation. This is a very impressive skill.

As I continued to read the article, I was very moved by the following quote. I thought about its application to afterlife communication. The bold is mine:

Jennifer Thompson, founder of the Jenwakka Indigenous Counselling Service, describes deep listening as “tapping into her ancestors, constantly listening to spirits.” “[Dadirri is] what non-Aboriginal people would call contemplation. It’s the way we sit and take time and go in deep… The Dadirri is a way to take advantage of this [healing] knowledge. It requires people to stop, look, listen and learn.” (3)

After I read this wonderful information, I felt very inspired by the concept of dadirri. It felt familiar to me as I have engaged in similar practices on a personal level and professional level as a yoga teacher. While I was absorbing this new information, I was thinking about Robin and how he would like this. He was someone who loved to meditate. I also thought he would appreciate this information that came from one of his home countries close to his heart: Australia.

Reading to Robin: Deep Listening and the Presence of his Brothers in Spirit

Approximately 4 days after reading the article, during the early morning hours of March 24, 2024, I sat at Robin’s altar and quietly connected with his spirit through prayer. I lit a candle for him and stated his name. This helps to connect with his energy. I shared with him that I wanted to read to him this amazing article on deep listening and dadirri that I thought he’d enjoy.

I read the entire article to his spirit while looking at his picture and thinking about his connection to Australia.

After I was done reading, I said that I would like to practice some deep listening with him. I felt surrounded by the energy of dadirri. So, I put the phone down that I was reading from. I sat in my chair beside his altar and became still and quiet.

Within less than a minute, a song started playing in my mind. The words were, “I want to thank you for being a friend.” I said to myself, “Hmm, that’s interesting.” I’ve heard this song before and it sounded familiar, but I did not know who sang it or remember where I knew it from.

This song continued to play in my head, so I decided to research it. It seemed like clairaudience was at work. I picked up my phone and googled the words I heard, “I want to thank you for being a friend.”

A video and a lot of information for this song came up. It was sung by Andrew Gold. I did not know he sang this song and had never heard of him. I had a feeling that Robin knew who he was. Right away, I thought of Robin’s late brother Andy Gibb and how he and Andrew Gold shared the same initials: A.G. I made a mental note of that and continued to see what breadcrumbs I could follow.

I read that Andrew Gold passed away on June 3, 2011, in Los Angeles, CA. The song was released in 1978. 1978 was a huge year for the Bee Gees and Andy Gibb in terms of the success of their hit songs.

I continued to scroll through the selections about the song on Google. Then, I came to a Billboard article that looked interesting. It is usually a good source of information about the music industry, so I clicked on it.

In the article called, “‘Andrew Gold’s ‘Thank You for Being a Friend’ Is the Best Song Ever About Giving Thanks,” by Andrew Unterberger, I noticed that this song was the theme song for the television show, “The Golden Girls.” I thought, “Oh, that’s where I know this song from.”

I also noticed that another song sung by Andrew Gold was mentioned called, “Lonely Boy.” I remembered this song from the 70’s when I was a child.

I remembered that I really liked it. The first video in the article was for this song, so I clicked on it to listen. I realized that I had not heard this song in probably over 40 years.

Loneliness is such a common theme in music. In this post, I wrote about the epidemic of loneliness and how the theme of loneliness is quite common in many Bee Gees’ songs:

How Afterlife Communication Helps Reduce Loneliness

When I started listening to “Lonely Boy,” I remembered it right away, even after all these years. What a blast from the past! Then, as the video played, about a minute into the song, I noticed a caption that really got my attention. It said:

“Andrew Maurice Gold was born in 1951 in California…”

Here is a screenshot:

Andrew Maurice Gold Image

I paused the video so I could talk with Robin. Seeing the names of Robin’s brothers side-by-side like this strongly stood out to me. I said something along the lines of, “Are you being serious right now? This guy’s name was Andrew Maurice?” Then I read the rest of the caption which mentioned Andrew Gold’s father Ernest. Then I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Robin’s’ twin brother, Maurice Gibb, had the middle name Ernest!

Here is a screenshot:

Maurice Ernest Gibb IMAGE

At this point, I felt that a clear message was coming through. This is what reading and deep listening with Robin brought to me: a connection with Andy and Maurice and the strong presence of their energy. Can you see the power of these practices? It felt like they were crashing my meditation time with Robin! 😊It was truly amazing and a blessing. Of course, they are more than welcome.

There is no way I could not notice this. I said “hello” to them in Spirit, feeling joy in my heart. I feel like they wanted their names mentioned because my previous blog post was all about “Robben and Robin”, a little Andy and no mention of Maurice. So, it’s like they were saying, “Hey Christina, it’s our turn now!!”

I had a feeling that by reading to Robin about the after-death practices of the Australian Aboriginal people, I also connected with Maurice and Andy’s energy. All three had a close connection with Australia and I could see why the articles I read would be important to or of interest to them in spirit.

I felt the presence of these three brothers very strongly. Now I ask you to consider this: How are your deceased loved ones showing up for you?  Are their names presenting themselves in unexpected ways? Once you are on the path of afterlife communication and open to the ways spirit presents itself, this type of thing can happen.

It was so wonderful to be guided to Andy and Maurice’s names through the song. Still, there is even more to share in terms of powerful synchronicity. This is about Andy, and it brought a strong sense of mystery.

Reincarnation Video Synchronicity: Andy Gibb’s Deep Connection to California

On April 11, 2024, I was looking at Andrew Gold’s YouTube caption again on the “Lonely Boy” video and how he was born in California. Then I had the thought that Andy Gibb was laid to rest in California. I decided to do some research on his resting place to refresh my memory.

I googled, “Andy Gibb buried in California.” I started looking at the different articles and a video that came up. Here is the video about Andy from The Graveyard Channel. The purpose of this channel is to pay tribute to famous people in terms of how they died and where they are laid to rest.

In the description of the video is a link for Forest Lawn Memorial Park– Hollywood Hills, CA which is where Andy is buried.

In case you are interested, here is a link from a Facebook page that explains why Andy was laid to rest in California.

I clicked on the link for the Forest Lawn website, searched for Andy in the search box, and found his entry. I looked at the map on the page. I noticed the Hollywood Sign and other Hollywood-related places mentioned.

Here is a screenshot:

Andrew Roy Gibb Forest Lawn Page

I was doing this research between 8:20pm and 8:30pm.

At approximately 9pm, my husband asked if he could show me a video on reincarnation. It was about a woman named Dorothy Eady who has an interesting story about a past life as an Egyptian princess. She reported having childhood memories of that lifetime. That day, he had listened to a podcast about her. Here is the video.

Now here is where it gets mysterious.

At about 5:05 minutes into the video, the narrator discusses the case of 4-year-old Ryan Hammons. He reported having past-life memories of being a man who lived in Hollywood named Marty Martyn who knew Rita Hayworth. At 5:34 into the video, the narrator spoke about how when Ryan saw the Hollywood Sign on television, he would state that that was his home and he wanted to return.

Here is a screenshot:

Hollywood Sign the Why Files

This was around 9:15pm. So, approximately 45 minutes after I saw the map with the Hollywood sign on Andy’s Forest Lawn entry, I saw this mention of the Hollywood sign in this reincarnation video. The video also had a few other references to Hollywood and the life of Marty Martyn, so the message really stood out in a powerful way.

I felt like I had really touched on something with Andy.

I wondered, “Andy, what are you trying to tell me?” I have not had that much synchronicity with Andy over the years, so this was a big moment and truly meaningful connection.

Reincarnation Video Synchronicity: Significance and Interpretation

I felt that by doing research on his resting place and looking at several different websites and videos, I strongly tuned into Andy’s energy. Then God decided to include my husband who is an amazing messenger and partner when it comes to synchronicity. He had no knowledge that I was researching Andy’s resting place. If he had not shown me the video, there would be no synchronicity, so I am very grateful for him.

This soul communication felt so much like being in the energy field of Indra’s Net, an unseen interconnected web between Andy in spirit and my husband and I in the physical world. Synchronicity is a mysterious force that links the living and the dead because we remain interconnected whether in our physical or non-physical state. Through afterlife communications such as this, I am continuously being taught about our oneness and interconnectedness, whether we knew each other or not and whether we are famous or non-famous.

I also feel like the YouTube video about Ryan Hammons was emphasizing the importance of the Hollywood area for Andy. It is noteworthy that Andy also lived in Los Angeles, California where Hollywood is. He moved there in 1980, escaping the influence of his family in Miami who were trying to intervene because of his cocaine abuse (4).

This synchronicity with Andy is particularly impactful because this is the second time that a reincarnation video synchronicity happened with a Gibb brother. I had a reincarnation video synchronicity with Robin in 2012 which I wrote about here:

Twin Soul Synchronicity

In this post, I wrote about how a photo of Robin that included the name of the photographer matched exactly with the name of a doctor in a video I watched about reincarnation. I had seen the photo and watched the video within minutes of each other, similar to this current synchronicity with Andy.

Through these reincarnation YouTube video synchronicities, I intuit that both Robin and Andy are pointing to the importance and reality of reincarnation. The message is to take reincarnation seriously, to study it, and consider how past lives are affecting this current life.

Through synchronicity, I have confirmation that I have shared past lives with Robin. And even though I don’t know exactly what they were or when, I feel that what I write about here on Paisley and Poppies is a direct reflection of those past lives we shared. The love and devotion I once had for Robin, when we were both other people, is still here and shows up on these pages.

In closing, I am grateful to be able to share the string of synchronicities that occurred as a result of spending time with Robin in deep listening. This was quite a soul journey of learning.

By reading this, you opened my “message in a bottle,” and I hope you found something enriching for your journey.

Until next time, take care!

References

1.  Sha, Dr. Zhi Gang (2008). Soul Communication: Opening Your Spiritual Channels for Success and Fulfillment, page 14.

2.  Korff, J 2023, Deep listening (dadirri), Creative Spirits, <https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/deep-listening-dadirri>, retrieved 14 April 2024.

3.  Korff, J 2023, Deep listening (dadirri), Creative Spirits, <https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/deep-listening-dadirri>, retrieved 14 April 2024.

4.  Hild, Matthew (2022). Arrow Through the Heart: The Biography of Andy Gibb, Kindle Edition, Page 103.

Photo Credits:

Featured and Closing Images by Pilbara from Pixabay

Love,

Christina Samuels Signature

Aboriginal Art Appreciation Image
Robin and Strauss

Robin and Strauss

Robin Gibb Inspired by Strauss

For this post, I have the pleasure of writing about a music education journey I have been on. It involves Robin and Strauss, or more specifically, classical composer Johann Strauss II and how his musical compositions likely inspired Robin and the Bee Gees to write their famous song, ‘I Started a Joke.’

This journey involves mysterious synchronicity which kept pointing to Strauss, so I felt the guidance to follow this connection to see where it was going to take me. Robin really took me to school on this one, so I hope you enjoy it! He doesn’t let me rest on my laurels, but it is really fun and I enjoy it so much.

Robin and Strauss

During the early morning hours of Feb. 22, 2021, I read the book Tragedy-The Ballad of the Bee Gees by Jeff Apter. I was reading it to connect with Robin’s spirit. Due to the fact that I have already read two books about the Bee Gees cover to cover, this book is one I just skim through periodically because a lot of the information are things I’m already familiar with.

So, as I flipped through the pages, I came across a story about an interview with Don Pietro, an American radio DJ at the time,  who asked the Bee Gees about the meaning behind, ‘I Started a Joke.’ According to the book:

Robin recalled how he was on a Viscount plane and the roar of the engines reminded him of a Strauss composition, ‘and the tune came to me.’ After a nervous pause, Barry added, ‘With a lot of our songs, you need to make your own personal meaning, read into them what you want.’ (1)

This story about Robin being inspired by a Strauss composition was news to me. I found it fascinating that he heard this composition in the roaring of an airplane engine. That’s how the minds of musical geniuses work.

I started my own joke with Robin and asked if he had heard music in the whirring of a fan or  swooshing of a clothes washing machine too! The Bee Gees created ‘Jive Talkin’ from inspiration from the sound of driving over a bridge in Miami, so why not! 🙂

Anyway, I folded the page over so I would come back to it later. I wanted to look more into Strauss’ music because I was not familiar with it.

Pottery Leads to Strauss

The next day, on Tuesday, Feb 23rd, my husband informed me that there was a second season to the pottery show I like on HBO MAX called “The Great Pottery Throw Down.”  I finished the first season and loved it because I used to throw pottery as a hobby. If he had not told me there was a second season, I would not have known…and I would have missed the sign I’m about to write about.

On the first episode of the second season, one of the contestants mentioned that the inspiration for a 16-piece dinner set he was going to make was Richard III’s Yorkist rose which was a ‘white rose’ and Harry Tudor who was a ‘red rose.’ One of the judges mentioned that the contestant was representing “The War of the Rosesthrough his pottery.

The narrator said this contestant had a passion for history. This reminded me of Robin and his passion for British history which he talks about in this video:

When I heard The War of the Roses mentioned, it immediately jogged my memory about a book I bought and read years ago in 2016 called, All You Need is Love, by Jewelle St. James. I remembered that The War of the Roses was mentioned in this book.

This book has been very important in my journey of discovery with Robin. It is about her past life and spiritual connection with John Lennon of the Beatles. I could see many similarities between her story and mine because for both of us, our spiritual connections were triggered when they died.

She found herself having deep feelings of grief after John Lennon died even though she had not been following him at all. I found myself having a similar sort of grief even though I had not been following Robin’s career. I share this quote about how she felt after she found out he was shot in New York to illuminate this point:

My thoughts were erratic. New York … why didn’t I find that out … before it was too late? Why haven’t I been paying attention to where he has been? Inexplicable feelings of grief, desperation, and loss washed over me, leaving me drained and confused. (2)

I felt exactly the same way after Robin had died. I had thoughts like, “Why did I lose track of them (The Bee Gees)? Why wasn’t I paying attention? Why didn’t I go to a concert while I had the chance?”

It was the grief of missing his entire life. This made no logical sense at the time, but since then, I have come to understand this grief more fully.

So, after I heard The War of the Roses mentioned on the pottery show, I paused it and got up right away to see if I could find the passage in this book about The War of the Roses. My recollection was correct and I found the exact passage.

After I read this, I began to think of something else I read in this book years ago. It was about how Jewelle’s daughter, who has psychic abilities, told her that it was her job to help people remember John Lennon and his music. I decided to look for this quote as well, which I found easily through my tablet search function.

I read this passage first which was at the bottom of this page. After I finished, my eyes traveled to the beginning of the page.

To my surprise, there was a mention of Johann Strauss!

This was not something I had remembered because as I mentioned, I had not read this book since 2016. I thought to myself, “I’m syncing up with Robin again.” It felt like a beautiful connection because I absolutely love connecting with him around subjects that have to do with his music.

Here is the quote about how John Lennon had been spiritually assisted by Johann Strauss during his career. It is Jewelle’s daughter that is giving her the information because according to the story, John Lennon’s spirit contacted her:

“John had a teacher who had always helped him with his music. Through this teacher he has grown to love waltzes.” “Does this teacher have a name?” “Johann.” My mind raced. Waltzes … Johann … “Is this Johann Strauss?” I asked.

 

Joanne paused for a minute, then said, “Yes, Johann says that’s how people knew him.” The girl looked puzzled. “Mom, who is this Strauss guy?” “A man who wrote beautiful music …” I trailed off, not knowing what to think, yet feeling a sense of overwhelming awe. (3)

Well, I felt awe too after just reading about Robin’s connection with Strauss the night before in the Bee Gees’ book. So, this whole thing with the British pottery show and British history took me right back to Strauss…and Robin. It was nice to see this connection between some of the things he loved.

Strauss for the Third Time

A couple of days after the synchronicity I mentioned above, I was reading a book I had just purchased called, Twelve Steps to Heaven: Introducing Twin Flames, Angels and Soul Wisdom by Jayne Chilkes.  Her writing on twin flames is very beautiful and I strongly resonate with it. If you are interested, you can read it beginning on page 111 in the Afterword in the link I provided above.

I have a habit of flipping through books when I first get them. As a result, I came across a mention of Strauss again, for the third time within a handful of days. Mind you, I never hear about Strauss in my day to day life.

I usually listen to Mozart if I’m going to listen to classical music, so seeing Strauss come up this often within such a short period of time was noteworthy.

Here is the brief quote where Jayne Chilkes’ spirit guide is telling her about the music he likes:

 “…Classics, mind you, I do not like this modern stuff, no, but the music where there is the melody from the heart. I am very fond of this. I was not quite so struck by the Strauss Brothers-very good-, but they did not move me like the Russian Rachmaninoff….” (4)

Well, to each his own. The main point I noticed was Strauss showing up three times and how his sentiments matched Robin in terms of singing from his heart.

Signs and the Rule of Three

This appearance in this book was the last time ‘Strauss’ showed up in my life spontaneously. But, this really got my attention because I have read over the years to pay attention when signs show up in threes.

According to a website called Psychic Elements, there are reasons “3” is important when it comes to signs and messages:

Its simplest and most obvious reason is that one time is random, twice could be coincidental, but three becomes a pattern. So, for example, if you heard a certain book mentioned on TV, then read a reference to it on Face Book, and then someone you knew casually dropped it into a conversation, maybe you should take a look at it – it may contain important information for you.

 

When something appears on your radar three times in a short space of time, then it will have significance for you. If you can’t quite work out what that meaning is, just wait a little. In the meantime, journal about it, mull over it and let it percolate through your consciousness. Writing about the signs, and allowing your thoughts to land on the paper is a wonderful way to open up your intuition to possibilities. (5)

I did what she said in terms of mulling over the synchronicity with Strauss because I did not quite understand why he was showing up so much all of a sudden. I did some additional research to see if I could come up with some answers. This led me to deeper insights about the song, ‘I Started a Joke.’

Which Strauss is It?

In the quote I mentioned above, Robin said that the airplane engine sounded like a Strauss composition which inspired the tune for ‘I Started a Joke.’ But during my writing and research for this project, I discovered that there are several classical composers named ‘Strauss,’ including Johann Strauss I, Johann Strauss II and his brothers Josef and Eduard Strauss. There is also another composer named Richard Strauss who is unrelated to the others.

So, even though I thought he was talking about Johann Strauss II at first, I thought to dig a little deeper to see which composer he was most likely talking about.

I did a little more research on ‘I Started a Joke,’ this time on Wikipedia. I found this noteworthy quote of Robin’s about this song:

According to Robin Gibb, the melancholic melody of the song was inspired by the sounds on board an aeroplane:

The melody to this one was heard aboard a British Airways Vickers Viscount about a hundred miles from Essen. It was one of those old four engine “prop” jobs, that seemed to drone the passenger into a sort of hypnotic trance, only with this it was different. The droning, after a while, appeared to take the form of a tune, which mysteriously sounded like a church choir. (6)

In the first quote from the Tragedy book, he said the airplane engine sounded like a Strauss composition. In this Wikipedia quote, he said it sounded like a church choir.

So, now I’m confused. What happened to Strauss?

I decided to look into Richard Strauss a little more. His work with symphonic poems sounded beautiful, and something Robin would have liked, but there was no mention of church choirs associated with him.

So, I went back to studying Johann Strauss II and saw that he did have a connection to church music as you can see in the quote below from naxos.com:

The report in the Allgemeine Wiener Musik-Zeitung confirms beyond doubt that a piece of church music by the younger Johann Strauss was played on 4 August 1844 in Vienna’s Kirche Am Hof (known also as “The Church of the Nine Choirs of the Holy Angels”).

 

…Strauss’s composition was given in an a cappella (i.e. unaccompanied) choral performance – or, at most, with organ continuo – and that the version for wind ensemble was first heard at another event, perhaps in the open air….  (7)

I put two and two together and hypothesize that ‘I Started a Joke’ was inspired by the airplane engine that sounded like the church choir music of “the younger Johann” who is Johann Strauss II.

On August 4, 1844, Johann Strauss II was 18 years old. Robin was 18 years old when ‘I Started a Joke’ was recorded on June 20, 1968. Both of them showed genius level musical talent at a very young age. It seems that 18-year-old Robin was inspired by 18-year-old Johann Strauss!

The Whole World

Another thing I noticed from the naxos.com article was the text of Strauss’ church music/choral work- Graduale: Tu qui regis totum orbem. This means “Thou who rulest the whole world.”(8)

  

I see the lyrics for ‘I Started a Joke’ here:

I started a joke
Which started the whole world crying
But I didn’t see, oh no
That the joke was on me, oh no

I started to cry
Which started the whole world laughing
Oh, if I’d only seen
That the joke was on me

In writing this song, did Barry, Robin and Maurice gather inspiration from the text of Strauss’s choral work, including the words, “the whole world?” I may never know, but I can’t help noticing the glaringly obvious exact match.

Since Robin heard the church choir music of a Strauss composition in the airplane engine, maybe he knew about this text and it helped inform the lyrics to the song.

The graduale Tu qui regis totum orbem (1844) was the only sacred work Johann Strauss II ever composed and perhaps Robin knew of it for this reason.

Conclusion

After this close examination, I surmise that the answer to “Which Strauss is it?” is Johann Strauss II. As for why I got Strauss in threes, I feel like Robin wanted me to learn more about the inspirations for his songs, which is in essence learning more about him.

And if I can help remind people of how truly gifted he was in terms of how his mind worked musically, then all the better. He doesn’t need my help in any way in this regard. I know millions of people remember and love him and his gift. It’s just nice to give a shout of praise on his behalf when I can because I love him too.

I hope you enjoyed this journey with Robin, Strauss and me. Until next time, take care.

References

1.  Apter, Jeff (2016). Tragedy-The Ballad of the Bee Gees, London: Jawbone Press, page 140.

2.  St. James, Jewelle. All You Need Is Love, St. James Publishing. Kindle Edition, Location 136.

3.  Ibid., Location 587-593.

4.  Chilkes, Jayne (2001). Twelve Steps to Heaven: Introducing Twin Flames, Angels and Soul Wisdom, Lincoln, Nebraska: Writers Club Press, Page 51.

5.  Psychic Elements (July 25, 2017). Symbols, Signs, and Messages: The Rule of Three.

6.   Wikipedia, ‘I Started a Joke,’ by The Bee Gees.

7.  Naxos.com, The Johann Strauss Edition; Volume 46, Section 10: Gradule

8.  Ibid., Section 10 Gradule: “Tu qui regis totum orbem”

     Love,

    Christina Samuels Signature

    Hurricane Aftermath

    Hurricane Aftermath

    I hope all of my readers around the world are well. If any of you are affected by Hurricane Dorian or any other typhoon or hurricane during this active tropical season, I hope you make it through well. My heart goes out to you.

    I was in the “cone” for awhile, but Hurricane Dorian did not hit my area. I am heartbroken for the people of the Bahamas and the devastation they endured.

    I had the good fortune to vacation in Freeport many years ago. I want to acknowledge all that the beautiful people there are going through and will be going through for a long time to come.

    Our love and compassion is greatly needed. Lots of support will be needed there for relief and recovery. This is the time for brotherly and sisterly love and to help if we can.

    I have been through many hurricanes including Fran, Frances, Jeanne, Wilma, and Irma. I evacuated for Frances and Irma, so I am well seasoned with this situation. As I am writing this on September 3rd, Hurricane Dorian is still churning off the east coast of Florida, hopefully sparing residents any sort of damage.

    But, I have never experienced what our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas just experienced from Dorian. It brings tears to my eyes to see what has happened. The trauma hits on every level.

    Given the current situation, I thought I would briefly honor how the Bee Gees supported relief and recovery efforts for another powerful hurricane, Hurricane Andrew. Robin was very familiar with the destruction hurricanes can bring.

    As you know, the Bee Gees had homes in Miami Beach at the time Hurricane Andrew went through. For this short post, I wanted to share how they had kind, loving hearts and participated in Hurricane Andrew relief efforts including concerts.

    In this book preview, you can read more about how Robin and his family assisted after this hurricane here.

    This is all I feel like writing for this week. I’ll get back to writing about afterlife communication with Robin soon.

    May you be loved, blessed, protected, safe and healed wherever you are. May loving kindness be yours.

    Love,

    A Note to My Readers

    A Note to My Readers

    This post was originally written in August, 2018 and updated in December, 2018.

    I want to thank each and every person, with love, for taking the time to visit me here and read my blog posts. I hope it has been interesting, educational and that they have added some mystical beauty to your lives.

    You may have noticed that I have not been writing as much lately and there is a good reason for that. In June, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. I had surgery on August 6th (partial mastectomy) and I will have radiation treatment all during the month of September.

    In February, March and April of this year (2018), I felt a strong push to finally create this blog and go public with this information about Robin’s ongoing life and our twin soul connection. I was finally able to push past all of the internal resistance to sharing my experiences. I felt like Robin and others in Spirit really wanted this work done, so with some fear, I agreed to write and publish my posts.

    afterlife communicationThen, on May 2nd, during my monthly breast exam, I felt a lump in my left breast. I was quite alarmed as you can image. I immediately scheduled a mammogram the day I found the lump.  From there, I went through a series of ultrasounds, MRI’s and biopsy, which determined I had breast cancer. Due to my self-exam, I caught it early at stage 1 and my prognosis is very good. I am expected to be fine, for which I am very grateful. Still, it’s been a scary time for me and Julian as you can imagine. I continued to write as many posts as I could during this period because it was very therapeutic for me. It made me feel like I was still me.

    I have greatly loved writing my blog posts about and for Robin, but sometimes I don’t have the mental energy and concentration. I’m so glad I followed my guidance to get this blog up and going while I had the energy to focus.

    In my Background section, I wrote about how important it is to follow a path with heart because we don’t know how much time we have here. I’m so glad that I communicated those feelings to you from the outset. When I received my cancer diagnosis, I can honestly say that I felt so glad that I have been living a path with heart by writing this blog and writing my truth about Robin.

    afterlife communicationIf there is something you really want to do, I encourage you to do it to the best of your ability and not put it off. Even if you know you are going to be ok, a lot of time and energy is spent at the doctors when you have cancer (or other illnesses) and you may not feel like doing that project you wanted to do for so long. If you can, do the project when you have the energy and when you feel well. If I had wanted to start Paisley and Poppies now, I would not have been able to do it. I’m so grateful that I can now build on the foundation I already created, not build the foundation itself.

    Do twin souls often have the same illnesses? Perhaps. Robin had a different kind of cancer than I have. I am very blessed to have a twin that knows what I’m going through. I have shared this experience with Robin every step of the way and his presence with me has given me great comfort. I have felt his love with me, encouraging me not to worry. I pray and chant at his altar, for him and with him, for Julian, for my healing and his ongoing healing. Now I understand much better what he went through, because all cancer patients have similar fears and worries as we face our mortality in our own way. Even if you are going to be ok like I expect to be, you still face your mortality.

    afterlife communication

    Going through this experience also makes me love and respect Robin even more as I see the spiritual strength that he had while ill and deteriorating. He was still interviewing and singing while he was ill. Many people have no idea how much strength that took Robin to carry on being himself, singing and interviewing, when he had only months left to live in the physical world. I ask you to acknowledge Robin’s great inner strength if you feel so inclined. Let him know that you can see that in him, as I’m sure he would greatly appreciate that. He has a beautiful voice and smile, but as great as that is, he is much more than that. Thank you!

    I wanted to communicate openly with you so you know what’s going on and that my not writing has to do with my health status. I will keep writing as often as I can. I have several blog posts in the queue right now. I appreciate your patience with me and I invite you to check back when you can. If you subscribe, you will receive the post in your email when I have a new one.

    afterlife communicationThanks once again for taking time out of your day to visit with me here. Robin appreciates it too and we both consider it a blessing.

    With Love,

    Christina

    Update 12/17/2018:

    Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I am doing very well with my recovery. I finished radiation treatment in September. It took me all of October to recover from the side effects. I did not need chemotherapy.

    Finally in November, I started feeling better. I’m still not back to my pre-cancer strength completely and I need a lot of rest. But, I’m still physically active, ride my bike, and can manage to walk 2 miles without strain. Before I had cancer, I was walking 3.5 miles several times a week. That was important to me and I would like to get back to walking like that.

    I take medication now to prevent the cancer from coming back. I have only a 3% chance of recurrence which means I have a 97% chance of not getting breast cancer again. I will focus on the 97% with joy!

    I will have a mammogram and ultrasound done early in 2019. I’m expecting good results!

    I love writing posts for this website as it continues to be very therapeutic for me. When I write, I am reminded that my connection to Love, to God, and to Robin is very strong. I do my best to write as often as I can.

    Afterlife Communications, After Death CommunicationsI find it spiritually interesting that I had cancer around the same time I started this blog. Maybe they were meant to coincide. There is something about having cancer that gives you an edge that you did not have before. In a way, having this illness gave me the strength and courage to write from my heart what I had been reluctant to share for so long. There’s always a silver lining!

    If any of my readers are dealing with cancer, please know that my heart goes out to you and I wish you the greatest love, strength and recovery.

    Happy Holidays and a very blessed New Year in 2019!

    Love,

    Christina

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