
My Spiritual Pilgrimage Part Two: The Thame Museum
In this post, “My Spiritual Pilgrimage to Oxfordshire, England, Part 2: The Thame Museum,” I share personal photos of The Robin Gibb Gallery that I took during my visit to the museum in May 2024. It was an honor and blessing to visit there. I also share powerful afterlife communication and synchronicity related to Robin’s Scottish heritage that occurred while writing this post. It was a large download of information which gave me a lot more work to do when I thought I was almost done with this entry. Robin’s spirit seemed to say, “Not so fast, you’re not done yet!”
Content warning: This blog post briefly mentions genocide, colonization, and war, as well as other topics that may be distressing to read about. I write about this in the “Poetry as a Vehicle for Synchronicity: Family Tartan” section and the “Pondering Difficult Past Life Connections” section. Please read at your own discretion.
Belongings of Deceased Loved Ones: Robin Gibb
Words cannot describe how meaningful it was for me to see some of Robin’s personal items. This gave me the opportunity to peer a little more into his life, someone I never met, but connected with spiritually only after his death.
Imagine that you were unexpectedly contacted by a soul beloved all around the world after their death, someone that you didn’t know. Further imagine that you have spiritual confirmation that they are a member of your soul family and now you have an opportunity to see some of their favorite belongings. How would you feel? I ask these questions to encourage you to put yourself in my shoes and feel the excitement, anticipation, even longing and wistfulness of that moment.
The museum also has a wonderful gift shop offering t-shirts and mugs with Robin’s image, Robin-bird shaped silver earrings, ornaments, postcards of his wife’s artwork and many other items. I don’t consider myself to be a very materialistic person, but I will purchase items when they have significant meaning to me. So, I was able to buy some of these items to carry the energy of Robin’s exhibition with me. There is a place for meaningful souvenirs in one’s life. When I wear or see them now, it transports me back to one of the most notable events of my life, which was the time I spent in Robin’s hometown.
During October 4-6, 2024, the museum hosted a weekend event to honor Robin’s legacy. Attractions included a Bee Gees’ themed wine tasting, poetry readings, and a harp music concert. I was not there to attend this, but if you are interested in learning what transpired during the event, please click here.
Many additional items were added to the museum collection that were not there when I visited in May, such as his bicycle and family tartan armchair. You can see these items in this BBC article.
While Robin’s museum event was occurring, I had my 58th birthday while living in Portugal. We were in the process of packing up our rental home and moving back to the United States. Unfortunately, our plans to retire in Portugal long term did not work out. I am grateful for what I learned and the good experiences I had.
I am now settled in The Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. I was unable to write during this 6-month period of making this international move which included purchasing a new home in Virginia and going back and forth between countries. If you’ve ever moved internationally, you understand how taxing it is physically, mentally, and emotionally. I need to be quiet within myself and grounded in order to write and it just was not possible during this major life transition. I’m happy to be writing again and appreciate you joining me here.
Poetry as a Vehicle for Synchronicity: Family Tartan
While I am in the process of writing a blog post, I am moved by how often synchronicity intricately connected to Robin occurs. It is as if writing sets in motion spiritual energies just waiting for the opportunity to be woven together. They lay in waiting until I’m ready to put fingers to keyboard.
I now invite you on this short journey to see how a poetic story about fabric revealed one of my most favorite and meaningful afterlife communications to date. It is the type of synchronicity that is exhilarating and life-enhancing, which is ultimately why I believe our loved ones in spirit still communicate with us.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, I began writing a rough draft this post. I also did some research by reading The Thame Museum website. The links and text I included above about the event in October were written on the 30th.
On the 30th, I also read the BBC article linked above about the additional items added to Robin’s gallery, such as the tartan armchair. I made this brief mention of it, provided the link, and was planning to leave it at that.
I soon found out that God and Robin had other plans!
The very next evening, January 31st, my husband invited me to watch an episode of Poetry in America, Season 1 on Amazon. He recently discovered the show and since he’s a writer and lover of poetry, as am I, he thought we’d both enjoy it.
At first, he selected Episode 6, “Harlem,” but quickly changed his mind and did not think the show would be best for us for that evening So, he skipped ahead and chose Episode 8, “Shirt.” If you are interested, the full episode can be viewed here for free.
In this episode, host Elisa New discussed the poem called “Shirt” written by former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. She analyzes and discusses the poem with designers participating in New York fashion week.
The episode is educationally brilliant in its review of the poem which I would describe as a condensed tragic history of fabric and shirt-making across diverse cultures including Korean, Malaysian, Bangladeshi, Scottish, and African American.
In the poem “Shirt,” the reader is confronted with the history of brutal, inhumane treatment of garment workers in sweatshops who died in factory fires. The poem addresses the history of colonization in the US and its intersection with garment making. It compels us to think about the history of the clothing we wear down to the very stitch…and who made that stitch.
At 14:28 minutes into the video, the viewers are presented with an image of plaid fabric. I didn’t make anything of it at first because plaids are common. This did briefly make me think of Robin’s family tartan chair, but I just continued to tune into the discussion.
Next, some text from the poem appeared on the screen, and this is the moment my eyes widen. I see a sentence beginning with, “The clan tartans…” Here is a screenshot from the video:
I knew something was happening because I personally never hear the word “tartan” in my daily life and was not even sure what it meant exactly. All I knew is that I just saw the photo of Robin’s armchair made of family tartan fabric the day before, and then, the word presented itself again.
Here is a screenshot of Robin’s armchair from the BBC article, “Bee Gees Fever at Robin Gibb Fan Event,” 5 October 2024 by Katherine Da Costa and Dave Gilyeat:
I asked my husband if we could pause the video. I said to him, “You wouldn’t believe the synchronicity I just got.” I shared with him my discovery of the picture of Robin’s tartan chair the day before and how the word “tartan” showing up in this video was major synchronicity and message. I gave him a hug and thanked him for once again being a major spiritual partner in how Robin’s spirit communicates with me.
He said, “I’m so happy for you. See…you still have your connection.” I would not have received this communication if it were not for him. Spouses, when open, can serve as a loving bridge facilitating communication between twin souls residing in different planes of existence, even when they don’t know it. Different planes, but not separate, which is what makes communication possible.
Close to You
He said he’s open to Robin working with him to communicate anytime, which is a blessing I am very grateful for.
At 18:05 minutes into the video came additional information that added to the synchronicity and brought back memories of Robin’s Scottish ancestry.
A woman with the last name of Philips mentioned that plaids come from Scotland and England. Elisa New articulated that certain plaids were associated with different regions in the Scottish Highlands and people wore the plaids as declarations of cultural identity. This helped me realize that Robin’s armchair upholstered with his particular family tartan, is part of his personal Scottish cultural heritage.
The video continued to show images of different plaid fabric and Scottish men in kilts made of “clan plaids.” Apparently, mill owners in Scotland used to make up clan or family names. Here is an excerpt from the poem “Shirt” from Poetry Foundation to elucidate this point:
Prints, plaids, checks,
Houndstooth, Tattersall, Madras. The clan tartans
Invented by mill-owners inspired by the hoax of Ossian,
To control their savage Scottish workers, tamed
By a fabricated heraldry: MacGregor,
Bailey, MacMartin. The kilt, devised for workers
To wear among the dusty clattering looms.
Weavers, carders, spinners.
When I read this, I could not help but think of Robin’s ancestral history in Paisley, Scotland that I learned about in his episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
Some of his ancestors were hand loom weavers, just as described in this poem.
This poetry video has certainly led me down a winding road of understanding Robin’s ancestral history better. I feel like his spirit guided my husband to choose this video at this particular time which correlated with my blog post writings and learning about his tartan armchair.
I strongly sense that he wanted me to learn much more about his Gibb clan tartan chair which was so important to him. It is clear to me that it was not enough for him for me to just touch on it so briefly. I did additional research after watching this video, so in terms of learning more, I did just that to honor the message I was given.
According to Dr. Nick Fiddes, in the article, “Tartans, plaids, or checks-what’s the difference?” tartans are different from plaids and checks in one especially important way. He states that tartans are:
…a pattern with a recognized name, associated with a clan, family, or other community. So plaid is useful as a term to identify all the other tartan-like patterns that have no such association or heritage…
It seems like all tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans! If you are interested Scottish tartans and the differences between these patterns, I highly recommend the article I linked to above. You can browse tartan patterns by last names here. If you have Scottish ancestry, maybe you’ll find something of interest, like your family tartan!
I genuinely enjoyed this synchronicity. Since I missed the event in October 2024, this communication made me feel included and closer to his spirit. When I initially saw the photos of the event, I felt sad and left out that I was not able to be there. I am sure Robin knew that. This message brought healing to me and a deeper sense of connection. I know for many people in the world, their deceased loved ones are doing the same types of things for them.
Pondering Difficult Past Life Connections
Considering all that has transpired since Robin’s death in 2012, I could not help feeling like I was being guided by soul memories from other lifetimes with him while on my trip to Oxfordshire. What they are specifically, I still don’t know. But I was getting whispers from my soul.
During this pilgrimage, I pondered how I was born in and grew up in Massachusetts, which is considered part of New England, USA, how I have ancestral roots in Barbados, which was an English colony, and how all of this could tie in with Robin’s ancestral bonds with England and the UK.
I want to take a moment to speak about colonization since my African ancestral bloodline was directly harmed by it. Sometimes, you just have to get some things off your chest. I know Robin would support what I need to say. I think reading the poem, “Shirt” inspired me to say this.
What is colonization? It is a swirling mass of evil human energy that includes genocide, holocaust energy, torture, fascism, authoritarianism, brutality, land, human, and natural resource theft, slavery, caste systems based on false superiority lies, racism, and misogyny, all wrapped up in a selfish, soulless, ugly ball of cultural narcissism and sociopathy.
I cannot talk about sharing other lifetimes with Robin without addressing the truth of this world history. It’s time to get real. If we want to talk about other lifetimes on earth together with people we love now, then we have to consider the fact that they were not always a romantic fairy tale, if they ever were at all.
European colonization took over close to the entire world at one point. If Robin and I shared past or other lifetimes together, this dynamic of colonization would have affected our lives in one way or another if we were here at that time. Humans are a warring and destructive species. We would have been influenced by this at some point and I think it is important to acknowledge this.
Perhaps seeds of other-lifetime connections abide in this vast multi-generational ancestry. I recall how my biological father, born in Barbados, used many British expressions when he spoke. Through him, I was immersed in a lot of British energy while I was growing up. It was like a foreshadowing of my adulthood connection to Robin, a man with strong British roots.
I know in my heart that something more than mere curiosity prompted me to make this pilgrimage. The truth is still buried in my soul somewhere. By sharing what I just wrote, I feel somehow like I’m getting a little closer. I don’t know anything definitive; I don’t know who we were, but along with the sweet moments in any lifetime are the shadows. The shadows must be acknowledged along with the sweet, if we really want to heal these wounds.
Now, I would like to move on to talk about my walk to The Thame Museum.
My Walk to The Robin Gibb Gallery at The Thame Museum
The Thame Museum is a short walking distance from St. Mary’s Church where Robin is laid to rest. One afternoon after offering flowers and paying my respects at his grave, I slowly strolled over to the museum.
My Spiritual Pilgrimage to Oxfordshire, England, Part 1: Robin Gibb’s Resting Place
I walked up a short, quiet road leading away from the church and turned left onto High Street. As I did so, memories of mirror-soul synchronized signs filled my mind as a sign for Rycote Chapel caught my eye. (To learn more about the importance of Rycote Chapel to Robin, and to me in terms of synchronicity, please see the blog post below):
Afterlife Communication: Starry Ceiling
I then walked for a couple more solitary minutes on a sunny, cool day towards the museum.
Immersed in my thoughts, I then saw the museum on the left.
Noticing a photo of Robin outside in the display case, I walked into the front gate. Visitors are greeted by a quirky and charming cow statue which you can see below. This photo was taken by me:
When you walk inside the museum, you are again greeted with even more quirkiness in the form of a life-like statue of a front-desk security officer. This photo is from Trip Advisor:
Yes, I did think the security officer was real at first and felt a little startled by his presence. 😊
After an additional greeting by 2 friendly volunteers at the front cashier’s table, and briefly browsing through the gift shop, I made my way over to Robin’s gallery.
While walking towards the exhibition, you can hear the faint lyrics of the Bee Gees’ song, Rings Around the Moon softly saturating the museum. In the gallery, a video of Robin’s life with this song playing is shown on a continuous loop. It set the mood for an enjoyable and peaceful, albeit somewhat solemn and contemplative experience.
My Spiritual Pilgrimage to Oxfordshire, England, Part 2: Thame Museum Personal Photo Album
*Copyright © 2025: All photos in this section are by Christina Samuels
Below are the photos I would like to share with you. If you are a fan of Robin’s, you will probably recognize some of the items he used to wear that he was often photographed in.
Compiling the photos for this blog post actually had a very strong effect on me. Selecting them one by one gave me a keen sense of Robin’s energy.
When I saw one photo in particular, the one of Robin’s Akubra Stockman’s hat, I slowly began to tear up. The energy had been building at that point. It was just something about seeing his hat hanging on the wall, the one I believe he wore in the photographs for the Still Waters CD liner notes and CD back cover. The hat was missing the body it once belonged to, and I could acutely feel Robin’s physical absence. You never know how something is going to touch you. I’m pretty sure that the hat Robin is wearing in the photos here is the Akubra Stockman hat hanging in the museum.
Here on Pinterest is another picture of him wearing this hat.
Thank you so much for reading! I sincerely hope you enjoy the photos! Please click on each image to enlarge the photo.
Love,