My Interview with MysticMag: Afterlife Communication and Mystical Experiences

My Interview with MysticMag: Afterlife Communication and Mystical Experiences

by | Nov 13, 2021 | Synchronicity

This post is about my interview with MysticMag: afterlife communication and mystical experiences.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by author Sarah Kirton who wrote the article, ‘Stayin’ Alive’ with Christina Samuels. You can read the article here.

MysticMag is a wonderful online resource covering a wide variety of spiritual topics. If you like reading about afterlife communication, then I invite you to see what MysticMag has to offer.

On their blog, you can find articles on psychic readings, tarot cards, astrology, spirituality, love, relationships, yoga, energy healing, mediumship, and personal growth.

In the interview, I shared perspectives on my afterlife twin soul connection with Robin. I also answered questions about afterlife communication and grief and whether my connection with Robin led me to seek deeper knowledge about the afterlife.

After the interview, I started thinking about how afterlife communication relates to mystical experiences. So, that is what I would like to talk about next.

Afterlife Communication and Mystical Experiences

When you think about it, many forms of afterlife communication fall within the domain of mystical experiences. Whether it is a powerful synchronicity or dream visitation, we are deeply affected by these unexpected phenomena that we are a part of but that ultimately, are being orchestrated by a power much greater than us.

According to Forrest Rivers in the article, Divine Signs and Unseen Ties: Synchronicities, Mystical Experiences and Psychic Phenomena:

The mystical experience is an awe-inspiring event, recounted through the ages by mystics, that can be described as a transcendent moment of knowing. The occurrence leaves one with a deep and intuitive understanding that they are part of a greater whole. During such an encounter, one may experience a range of emotions that include gratitude, humility and wonder. (1)

I have experienced exactly what he said on many occasions over the years in my communications with Robin’s spirit. I’ll bet you have experienced this too!

Now I would like to share an example of an afterlife communication I recently experienced with Robin that was mystical in nature.

On Monday, November 8, 2021, I was thinking about cosmic love poems. I love poetry that refers to stars, galaxies, planets and the moon with beautiful imagery. So, I did a google search on them.

As I scroll down the page, I came across an entry for “Cosmic Love Poem – The Poetry of Rob Radcliffe.” I thought, “Hmm, Rob Radcliffe? Didn’t Robin once use the pseudonym ‘Radcliffe’ when he was in the hospital?” I had not thought about this for a long time, but seeing the entry for the poem jogged my memory.

I began another google search to see if I could find confirmation that Robin Gibb once used the pseudonym “Radcliffe” while he was in the hospital to conceal his true identity. It took me about a half-hour to find the confirmation, but I did. Here is a quote from his wife from thefreelibrary.com:

She said: “I hate it when I find empty Ensure canisters. He would have these drinks of vitamins because he struggled to digest food. I have also found his hospital wristbands with the name Robin Radcliffe. He made up a false surname from the first hospital he attended, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.” (2)

I felt sad to read about this again. But in a way, I feel like there is a blessing occurring. It is healing to now associate Robin’s pseudonym with a beautiful cosmic love poem, not just the time he was in the hospital. It is very symbolic of the loving, transcendent, healed and whole state Robin now resides in.

The Healing Power of Mystical Experiences: Afterlife Connections

This is a good example of how afterlife communication in the form of synchronicity can help heal grief and mend our hearts. It is very much the activity of God, the Infinite Creator, flowing through our lives to bring this divine healing.

It is the sentiment expressed in this beautiful song by Singh Kaur and Kim Robertson called “Mender of Hearts.” It is a love song to God. If you have never heard it, I highly recommend it for healing, especially if you are going through a difficult time. Here are some of the lyrics:

You are the mender, the mender of of hearts.

You are the sustainer of all.

You are the mender of the wounds of life.

You are the sustainer of all.

In your heart You care for everyone.

Within all hearts, in everyone.

Rob Radcliffe’s poetry is a mystical healing balm and a gift. It’s a beautiful poem which you can read here. In his introduction, he briefly mentions quantum entanglement.

It’s so fascinating how researching ‘cosmic love poems’ led me to a writer whose full name is a nearly identical mirror to the pseudonym Robin Gibb chose. I could feel Robin’s presence so clearly and it really felt like his spirit was with me. I felt very in sync with his energy. This message points directly to him. It was very meaningful for me to see the name “Rob Radcliffe.”

This reminder of Robin’s spirit gave me the mystical feeling of awe, wonder and gratitude that was just described above. I am in awe that things to do with him show up in my life so unexpectedly.

It came as a complete surprise to find the poetry of Rob Radcliffe as I had never heard of it before. But as soon as I saw his name, I knew something was up. I feel led and guided to this.

That was the way Robin’s spirit spoke to me on that particular day. The interconnectedness of all of these details felt wonderful. Through this synchronicity, I felt a Oneness and Unity with God, the universe and Robin’s spirit that is characteristic of mystical experiences. There is definitely a healing presence there bringing all of this together.

This quote by Frank Joseph, author of Synchronicity as Mystical Experience: Applying Meaningful Coincidence in Your Life, sums it up well:

Properly nurtured, synchronicity is the true mystical experience of our times, that personal connection between us and the creative consciousness that pervades everything—from our unspoken thoughts to the swirl of whole galaxies. (3)

I hope you liked this post! It was fun connecting you with MysticMag. It is informative and a very enlightening resource. Enjoy!

mystical experiences

                                                                       Image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay

                                          Featured photo at the top of the page: Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay

References

1. Rivers, Forrest (2019). Divine Signs and Unseen Ties: Synchronicities, Mystical Experiences and Psychic Phenomena.

2. Herbert, Dominic (September 30, 2012). ‘Memories of Robin singing will never go away..I still hear his music everywhere’ Exclusive: Bee Gee Widow on Life Four Months after her Husband’s Death, thefreelibrary.com.

3. Joseph, Frank (2018). Synchronicity as Mystical Experience: Applying Meaningful Coincidence in Your Life, Pine Mountain Club, CA: Shanti Publishing, Page 5.

Love,

Christina Samuels Signature

Would You Like to Read More?

 

 

Hi, if you enjoyed this blog post, you may enjoy reading some of these other posts in the Bee Gees Songs & Books category.

 

 

The Miracle of Robin Gibb

The Miracle of Robin Gibb

Is it not also a miracle when, having laid aside the physical body, a beloved friend is able to make you aware of his love, even to communicate to you certain facts, proving to you that he lives on beyond death of the body? Surely a miracle? Yes, but it is...

Twin Souls: The Question and the Answer

Twin Souls: The Question and the Answer

“You are the question and the answer am I…” (Shadow Dancing lyrics; Writers: Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb, released April 1978) Bee Gees: The Authorized Biography by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb as told to David Leaf (1979), p. 117 Recently, I was...

How Soul Connections Heal Our Sense of Separation

How Soul Connections Heal Our Sense of Separation

by | Jul 24, 2021 | Synchronicity

 “Our most deeply experienced belief is that we’re separate.”

~Tara Brach, Real But Not True: Freeing Ourselves from Harmful Beliefs

On July 20th, I watched the video by Tara Brach that I linked to above. I begin this post with this quote from her because it is true in its simplicity. It is meaningfully connected to the topic of this post which is about how soul connections heal our sense of separation from one another.

Humanity Carries a Belief in Separation

Collectively as a human race, it is clear to me that there is a strong belief that we are separate from each other. This belief is played out in how we treat one another here. If we did not believe we are separate, there would be no such thing as racism, sexism, ableism, anti-semitism, and homophobia, which are all forms of abuse and cruelty. Those behaviors are born out of a deeply held belief in being separate from the ones judged as worth less.

While we are still embodied in the physical world, that sense of being separate can be monumental. Our physical bodies give us the illusion of being separate.

If we still feel separate whilst we can still see each other, talk to each other, and touch each other, what happens when someone we love dies and they lose their physical body?

Won’t the sense of separation be deepened even more? The sad truth is that yes, in many cases, for many people, the complete loss of the physical body equals a complete loss of connection with the deceased person.

This is in part due to many people living at the level of body consciousness with little or no soul consciousness. Many people hold belief systems that life does not continue after death. Perhaps the physical death of a loved one reinforces and heightens the awareness that while they were alive there was a sense of separation that was never healed.

Healing My Sense of Separation

I have been sharing with you my direct, felt experiences of afterlife communication with Robin Gibb, someone I never met while he was alive in the physical world. In 2012, when I first woke up to my soul connection with his energy, I felt a sense of separation from him even though I still felt like he was a member of my soul family. We as humans are so complex that we can feel close to someone and separate from them at the same time!

Interestingly, I did not feel separate from him because he died and was disembodied. If anything, that made me feel closer to him because I could connect with his spirit in ways I could not while he was alive. I only know Robin as  Spirit-Energy-Light and I am quite comfortable with that at this point even though I still feel sad sometimes that I did not have the opportunity to share any physical world experiences with him.

Initially, I felt separate from him because I did not know him on a personal level while he was alive. I didn’t know if his spirit would want to connect with me because he had never met me. Also, due to his fame, I felt separate from him in another sense because in no way, shape or form do I have any connection to the world of wealth and status that he occupied.

But I recognize that that is a form of ego, to feel separate from someone just because of their earthly status which is a falsely constructed narrative designed to separate members of the human race, making some superior and others inferior, falsely in both cases.

So, one of the most healing and life-changing messages I have received from Robin’s spirit through afterlife communication and through studying our lives is that we are not separate. In fact, I believe that to a great extent, one of the major reasons his energy came into my life was to show me that we are not separate and to teach me this with actual experiences.

Death cannot separate us spiritually and in some ways, it can bring us even closer to someone we love.

I believe his spirit came back to me to help heal this sense of being separate from him, from God, and from the Universe. Through my communications with Robin’s spirit, I had begun to feel more connected to God and that I was a part of this magnificent interplay of energies, showing up in my life in the form of synchronicity directly related to Robin. In fact, it was frequent, precise synchronicity that brought me to the conclusion that we share a twin soul connection in the first place. Here is an example of the synchronicity:

 

Synchronicity: RAF Bomber Command Memorial Unveiling

After he died, I began to notice significant life parallels that really gave me the sense that, even though we did not know each other while he was embodied, we were not separate on the soul level. There were so many connections with family members, places we lived, numbers and dates that I really began to see a pattern. The life parallels gave me the sense that we really were connected on deeper levels that were orchestrated by a power greater than both of us. With the deeper sense of connection came a deeper sense of belonging to a soul family in spirit that Robin is also a part of. So, that was and is very healing.

Afterlife Communication Helps Heal the Sense of Separation Between the Living and the Deceased

Concerning Robin’s spirit, there are still powers and forces at work in my life that continue to reinforce the truth that we are not separate. Those powers show up as synchronicity which connect aspects of my life to aspects of Robin’s life. How is this possible now that he is disembodied?

It is because his energies are still here! He left behind a wealth of videos, televised interviews, photos, music and biographies written about him and his brothers. So actually, it is quite possible, even easy on some level, to still connect with him energetically and synchronize.

I would like to share an example of this with you now.

During the early morning hours of Friday April 30, 2021, I was up late. So, I decided to look through some Bee Gees videos on YouTube. I noticed the documentary, Keppel Road. I had not seen this before, so I decided to watch it for the first time.

At about 1:19:48 minutes into the video, I noticed children (I think Barry’s) riding ATV’s (All-Terrain Vehicles). This caught my attention because I had never seen this footage before and not too long ago, my husband Julian and I were talking about wanting to ride some ourselves. It looks like fun!

The same day, April 30th, during the afternoon, we went driving to a local park. On our way, I saw a truck towing some brand new ATV’s. This of course reminded me of the documentary I had just seen.

However, I did not think this was a synchronicity or any type of communication from Robin. I noticed it but didn’t think much of it. ATV’s are common where we live and we do talk about them every so often.

The next day, Saturday, May 1st, just after midnight, I sat at Robin’s altar space to connect. I lit a candle to say hello. I was thinking about the next blog post I wanted to write and how I wanted to keep focusing on his music like I did in previous posts.

I felt guided to explore the lyrics to the Bee Gees’ song, “Living Together.” I thought about and focused on the lyrics Robin sang solo in the song.

I decided to research the lyrics so I could see in more detail what they were singing. I looked at the lyrics on Google. I read the lyrics, scrolling down.

As I reached the end, that is when I received the most amazing synchronicity and energetic alignment with Robin.

I saw, just below where songwriters were listed, “Living Together lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group.” Here is a screenshot from Google:

Soul Connections

ATV Music? There was “ATV” again. It was in a different context because this one mentioned with the Bee Gees music is Associated Television and connected with Sony Music Publishing. Still, there was “ATV” showing up again when it had just been on my mind. Once again, it was associated with something to do with the Bee Gees. According to Wikipedia:

Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher, part of the Sony Music Group[1] owned by Sony Entertainment. The company was formed as Sony/ATV in 1995 with the merger of the original incarnation of Sony Music Publishing and ATV Music, which was owned by entertainer Michael Jackson. Jackson had purchased ATV Music, which included the Lennon–McCartney song catalog, in 1985.

For the record, I did not know anything about ATV Music prior to seeing this in the “Living Together” lyrics and I don’t recall seeing it in the past. It was fascinating how this all came together within a day of each other. I was being presented with the Rule of Three again which I wrote about in this post.

I didn’t believe it was synchronicity when I saw the ATV’s being towed. But with it showing up again so unexpectedly the third time within the context of the song lyrics that I felt guided to study, this felt like a striking and attention-getting synchronicity. I was so surprised! This made me feel so strongly connected to Robin’s spirit.

How Soul Connections Heal Our Sense of Separation

The strong inner message I received regarding Robin’s spirit after receiving this synchronicity was this:

“We are not separate. I have ATV, you have ATV’s all within a day of each other…for fun!”

That is what this energetic alignment is about: fun and how afterlife communication can be fun, uplifting and a reminder that we really are not separate, even if our loved one is deceased.

It is really hard when someone we love dies, even if you never met, so it is such a blessing to be reminded that we are connected through our everyday lives. The things we do and notice in our everyday lives can match with the energies of our deceased loved ones through the things that they have left behind here.

Robin left a lot of his energies here in terms of his music. Since we are spiritually connected, aspects of my life still magnetically align with some aspects of his life, even though he is no longer here physically. I think this is amazing and something I only learned about after his death.

I firmly believe that this type of synchronistic energetic alignment is possible between any embodied person and deceased loved one where there is a sincere bond of love, caring, respect and faith. Through these alignments, our sense of separation can be healed.

Thank you for reading! I wish you fun and enlightening energetic alignments with your soul connections that will heal any sense of separation you may be feeling.

Love,

Christina Samuels Signature

Twin Soul Synchronicity

Twin Soul Synchronicity

by | Jun 26, 2021 | Synchronicity, Twin Souls

This post is a republished version of the original post called Afterlife Communication: Levine Synchronicity. Some updates have been made. I hope you enjoy it!

For this post, I have a powerful twin soul synchronicity and life parallel with Robin to share with you. We’ll be taking a journey back to the past, about nine years ago.

Twin Soul Synchronicity: Introduction

To begin, I would like to say that to me, twin souls are not souls split in two, or being half of a soul that is incomplete without the other. I don’t buy into the notion that we are incomplete souls until we find some other “half.”

Twin souls are whole souls that vibrate at a nearly identical frequency of spiritual light with nearly identical hues. They are from the same soul group. No two souls are exactly the same. But there are souls with whom we share a very close, even nearly identical vibrational resonance with. This is how I see my connection with Robin. This is based on information I was given through synchronicity which I shared in my background section.

If you disagree with how I see twin souls, I respect that. I’m sure you have very good reasons for believing what you do, just as I have very good reasons for believing what I do.

I don’t have all of the answers and I never will. I am a twin soul student, not expert, which is what I love being. I can only go by the information I am given for my particular spiritual journey. Yours may be different.

It is important for me to be clear with my readers about how I see it at this point. With that said, I am a growing and evolving soul and my perspectives about twin souls could change over time. But for now, this is how I feel.

Now, I’m ready to share today’s story!

Common Threads

In 2012, I was just getting to know who Robin was as a professional singer and a person because I had not been following his career prior to his death. I spent time looking at different pictures of him over the years to see what he was like at different stages.

On September 3, 2012, I emailed to myself four photos of Robin that I wanted to keep.

Later in the day when I looked at the email of the photos I sent to myself, I noticed that one said “© Steve Levine-2005” in the bottom left hand corner. I was surprised because I hadn’t noticed it before in the flurry of looking at so many pictures. There are only a million or so pictures of him online, lol! Also, the print was a little small.

Here is the picture of Robin I am talking about from the website famousfix.com: (1)

All joking aside, this was very important to me. I thought to myself that Robin and I have a “Steve Levine” connection because one of my favorite authors is Stephen Levine.

The late Stephen Levine (1937-2016), has been very important in my life. He was one of the world’s most beloved grief counselors.  Even though I never met him, he felt like a father figure to me.

I have had a very strong connection to Stephen Levine’s writings since 1993 when I was studying clinical psychology. A colleague of mine introduced me to his books. He wrote in a way I had never seen before. I found him incredibly insightful on a personal and professional level.

When I first met my husband Julian, we read his book called Healing into Life and Death together. I shared with him how important this book was to me. It was helping me to touch the painful areas in my life with loving kindness instead of fear. He listened and even made some notes in my book when we had first started dating.

I mentioned in my background section, how I had a ceremony for Robin on June 8, 2012 and read from this book.

Here is some more information about Stephen Levine from Wikipedia.

So, on September 3, 2012, I pondered how Robin had a photographer named Steve Levine and how I was connected to beloved author and counselor Stephen Levine. It was a nice parallel and common thread that ran through our lives.

After Death Connection Through Synchronicity

Right after I was done looking at his photos and logging off of my email, I decided to watch a video on YouTube called BBC Learning-Previous Lives. It is a documentary about reincarnation, past life regression therapy and past life research. I had never seen it before.

As I watched the video, I received one of the more shocking synchronicities I had experienced with Robin at that time. It’s still one of the strongest communications I have ever been given and is very meaningful to me.

At approximately 7:00 in to the video, an ear, nose and throat doctor named Dr. Steven Levine appeared on the screen. Here is a screen shot of the video below:

Dr. Steven Levine

 

This was an incredible, amazing synchronicity that truly made me feel very connected to and one with Robin’s spirit. I felt a little bit like I was in the twilight zone with this one. This synchronicity occurred about 3 ½ months after Robin’s passing. At that point, I did not know we were twin souls, so I was thinking, “What is this thing with Robin?” My husband was freaked out by this as well and thought it was kind of spooky, lol!

In that moment, my twin soul connection with Robin manifested in the fact that we are/were both connected to men named Steve or Stephen Levine. The timing of these events in close proximity with each other is significant and what makes it so remarkable. The documentary with Dr. Steven Levine brought it all together, strongly emphasizing this connection.

Levine Grief Work

Steve and Stephen Levine were/are both connected to the issue of grief and doing something to heal it.

I already reviewed the Stephen associated with me.

The Steve associated with Robin, Steve Levine, is a music producer who produced the song, Grief Never Grows Old for the One World Project created to raise money for the 2004 Asian Tsunami relief effort.

Here is the song.

After all these years, I found out about this association of Steve Levine with the song, Grief Never Grows Old on August 17, 2019. When I first saw this picture of Robin in 2012, I thought he was Robin’s photographer and never looked into it any more.

It was only when I decided to write this blog post and do a lot more research on Steve Levine that I found out about how he does not only have a similar name to Stephen Levine. Both are associated with the topic of grief. The matching is truly incredible.

It just goes to show you how multi-layered afterlife communication can be. It could potentially take years before you get the complete message and synchronicity connected to your deceased loved one.

Robin and Past Lives

Since the twin soul synchronicity occurred through the context of a documentary on reincarnation, I think it was meant to get me to think more about this. I certainly believe reincarnation is possible, even highly likely, but I don’t understand how it really works. It seems a bit confusing to me to have 1000’s of incarnations on Earth, which is what some cultures believe.

Has Robin had past lives? His ex-wife Molly seemed to think so. I would like to share this quote from her from the book, Bee Gees: The Authorized Biography by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb (as told to David Leaf). Of all the things I have read about Robin over the years, I think this is one of the most interesting and insightful comments. The bold is mine:

All the years I’ve known him, it’s always seemed to me that it has been a race with time. Which was so crazy. He was seventeen when I first knew him. Yet then, it was sort of as if he’d lived a lifetime, and time was running out. I’ve always felt that some part of him is suffering a great deal. Almost as if he’s lived before. There’s something he draws his lyrics from, draws his force from, that is very much a part of him that nobody else can get into. The things that he draws his lyrics from are so deep and so meaningful and so hurtful as well, as if there’s been a great pain there. (2)

It is so interesting how she connected his suffering to a past life. There was so much more to him that only those closest to him could witness.

His brother Barry made a similar comment about him in terms of his sadness. I quote from the book, Tragedy-The Ballad of the Bee Gees by Jeff Apter:

Robin was an absolute dichotomy: he was two extremes. He could be the funniest man you’ve ever known, or the saddest man you’ve ever known. That was his gift; some of the great songs he came up with came from this sadness (3)

Upon reading these passages, one of the first things I thought of was his song, One Million Years, which he recorded when he was only 19 years old.

Here are some links to the video:

Of all the songs he sang and wrote, this one is still one of my favorites and most moving. I read the lyrics from time to time and wonder how he was able, at the age of 19, to write a song of this magnitude of such depth and loss. Where did the lyrics come from?  They surfaced from somewhere deep within his soul.

In this song, he is singing about an afterlife communication, the deceased informing the one living that they will wait for them for one million years. It is a loss so deep and hurtful that they are willing to wait that long. It is a true soul mate song on a deep spiritual level.

When I was 19, topics like this were not even on my radar. But they were on his radar and he set these sentiments beautifully to music. If anyone could make sadness and loss sound beautiful, it was Robin.

Is One Million Years a glimpse into one of Robin’s past lives? Was he singing about his own death and loss of a marriage partner from a previous lifetime? I don’t know and will probably never know while I’m alive. But his ex-wife’s comment definitely got me thinking of that possibility.

He could have put his past-life loss, separation, and sadness into this song in his incarnation as Robin. If musicians have had past lives, it makes sense to me that they could be unconsciously connecting with a lifetime and channeling that into their music in their current lifetime. I think it is interesting to look at things from this perspective even if I can’t prove it because it takes things to a deeper level.

Conclusion

Twin soul synchronicity is very profound, especially when it is new to you and especially when it is occurring so strongly with someone you never met. I did not know exactly what was going on and why when this all started in 2012 after Robin’s death. That is how I felt when I received this synchronistic message. Back in 2012, it led me into a much deeper and evolving journey of discovery in terms of the nature of my connection with his spirit.

I have built a narrative on this website showing our spiritual connection. So, I hope you can see why, by December of 2012, I was asking in prayer if Robin is my twin soul.

The synchronicity I just presented to you is one of many situations that led me to ask for an answer to this question. It was a lot to figure out on my own, so I sought help from God, which for me, is the best place to look for help. I have come to view the synchronicity as signs and symbols of our connection.

I did not know anyone I could trust in the physical world who could assist me and who would not judge me. So, I am always grateful to God, the Universe, and Robin for making the truth of our connection so clear.

I hope you enjoyed this post about how twin soul synchronicity can manifest. I present these stories to give examples so that if you are experiencing something similar, you might want to consider whether you are experiencing a twin soul connection too.

Thank you for joining me here. Until next time, take good care!

References

1.  Source of Robin Gibb photo © Steve Levine-2005: https://www.famousfix.com/post/robin-gibb-12047685.

2.  Gibb, Barry, Robin and Maurice and David Leaf (1979). Bee Gees: The Authorized Biography, New York: A Delilah/Delta Special Publishers, page 126.

3.  Apter, Jeff (2016). Tragedy-The Ballad of the Bee Gees, London: Jawbone Press, page 273.

Fair Use Disclaimer

The photo of Robin Gibb is being used in accordance with the “fair use” clause cited in The Copyright Law of the United States, Title 17 of the United States Code, Chapter 1, due to its use for comment, educational, informational, and reference purposes from which no material profits shall arise. Title 17, U.S. Code § 107 recognizes a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states:

  1. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

Love,

Christina Samuels Signature

 

 

 

Did You Enjoy This Blog Post?

 

If you enjoyed reading this blog post you may also enjoy reading some other blog posts in the synchronicity and twin souls categories below.

 

 

The Music of Robin Gibb: A Beautiful Sadness

The Music of Robin Gibb: A Beautiful Sadness

This post, "The Music of Robin Gibb: A Beautiful Sadness," is written in remembrance of Robin and in honor of the 10th anniversary of his passing on May 20, 2022. Robin Gibb: 10 Years in Spirit It has been 10 years since Robin passed away. I know that many fans around...

Afterlife Connections: A String of Synchronicities

Afterlife Connections: A String of Synchronicities

This post, “Afterlife Connections: A String of Synchronicities,” is inspired by the book, The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence by Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrom. Synchronicity is a concept originally presented by...

Fanny, Bee Gees, Keats and a Synchrony of Letters

Fanny, Bee Gees, Keats and a Synchrony of Letters

This post, “Fanny, Bee Gees, Keats and a Synchrony of Letters" is written to honor two of my favorite things: The Bee Gees’ song “Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)” and poet John Keats’ love letters to Fanny Brawne. I also share how a letter I wrote to a dear pen pal...

How Afterlife Communication Helps Reduce Loneliness

How Afterlife Communication Helps Reduce Loneliness

Loneliness is a common phenomenon amongst humans. Some would even say it is epidemic. So, I thought I would like to spend some time writing about how afterlife communication helps reduce loneliness. Reduce is the key word, not eliminate it entirely of course. Since...

How Soul Connections Heal Our Sense of Separation

How Soul Connections Heal Our Sense of Separation

 “Our most deeply experienced belief is that we’re separate.” ~Tara Brach, Real But Not True: Freeing Ourselves from Harmful Beliefs On July 20th, I watched the video by Tara Brach that I linked to above. I begin this post with this quote from her because it is true...

Twin Soul Connections: Making My Contribution

Twin Soul Connections: Making My Contribution

I love to write here on Paisley and Poppies for many reasons. I write to bless and honor Robin’s memory. I write to show gratitude, love and appreciation for who he is now as a Spirit person and how he has communicated with me. I appreciate him so much for trusting me...

Recovery II

Recovery II

I would like to start by thanking all readers and new subscribers for visiting me here! For this post, I would like to update you on my progress with breast cancer recovery and how writing plays a role. I am also going to share how afterlife communication with Robin...

Thoughts on Twin Souls

Thoughts on Twin Souls

In this post, I express some of my personal beliefs about soul families and twin souls based on my own experiences. Some of my beliefs are also based on good materials I have read. I have read lots of information over the years and started to notice...

Twin Souls: Ancestral Spiritual Connection

Twin Souls: Ancestral Spiritual Connection

I’m always sharing with you that I offer Robin tea and have lunch at his altar space to connect with him spiritually. So, I thought I would give you some information on the roots and foundation of this practice. After reading many articles on how to connect with...

Better in a Bubble

Better in a Bubble

When it comes to afterlife communication with Robin, there are particular messages and synchronicities that are among my favorites. One of them is the “telescope synchronicity” I shared in this post, In Contact. I have had many others over the years, one...

Celestial Beauty

Celestial Beauty

As the seven year anniversary of Robin’s passing approaches, I feel very reflective and contemplative. I find myself reviewing our journey together over these years in an introspective way. His presence and influence in my life have contributed greatly to my evolution...

Robin and Strauss

Robin and Strauss

by | Apr 17, 2021 | Synchronicity

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 Roses” through 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

    Afterlife Gifts: A Spiritual Social Network

    Afterlife Gifts: A Spiritual Social Network

    by | Mar 7, 2021 | Synchronicity

    I believe that deceased loved ones can still send afterlife gifts from Spirit. It can be fun and amazing to see how they show up in our lives. To me, it feels like a spiritual social network including people we love in other dimensions!

    Afterlife communication is all about ongoing energetic connections with our deceased loved ones. We can keep our connections and relationships alive even after death. I feel strongly that deceased loved ones, Robin included, love this interplay with us who are still embodied. It was made clear to me that he still wants to interact and communicate from his home in spirit.

    It seems to me that gifts from deceased loved ones can be given through the spiritual social networking medium called synchronicity. It’s actually a way they can offer gifts that show up in physical form even though they are disembodied.

    To reinforce this point, Kevin Williams, in this article reviewing the after death communication work of Bill and Judy Guggenheim (authors of Hello from Heaven: A New Field of Research), states that:

      …most people intuitively recognize their sign right away and feel it was intended just for them. Some people report they were sent a sign spontaneously as a gift…(1)

    This quote is true for me on a very personal level. In this post, I would like to share a story about being sent gifts that connect with Robin’s energy in specific ways. It involves a t-shirt, stamps, and variations of his surname.

     Afterlife Gifts: Poppy Valentine

    Around the last week of January, 2021, my husband received a package in the mail. It was from Poland. I noticed the stamps on the package. They looked like poppies. That got my attention quickly for obvious reasons.

    I told my husband about the package and he told me that the poppy stamps were a synchronicity because the package was a valentine’s gift for me. But, he didn’t want to tell me what it was because it was a surprise. That got me curious, but I had to wait until February 14th!

    So, on Valentine’s Day, I finally got to open it. He got me a Bee Gees t-shirt printed with the album cover art from, “Idea.”

    He said he chose it because it was very unique. Here it is. I have come to love collecting Bee Gees t-shirts that are not very commonly seen:

    Bee Gees Idea Album Tshirt

    Then I understood why Julian said it was synchronistic that the t-shirt was delivered with poppy stamps: it connected right back to Robin and this website. Receiving this made me feel his presence so strongly.

    I wanted to make 100% sure that the stamps really were poppies, not just flowers that looked like poppies, so I did some research. The stamp said “Polska” on it, so I typed “Polska poppy stamp” into google. The exact image of the stamp I have came up. Here is the stamp:

    Poppy Stamp Image

    I clicked on a link provided with the image to get more information. It confirmed that it is a poppy. I like to have proof in writing, especially when it comes to afterlife communication. Here is the link and a screenshot with additional information from the stamp catalog:

    Stamp Catalog Image

    I couldn’t help noticing that there is a variation of Robin’s last name there with “Gibbons.” I thought that was extra fun to add to the poppy stamp afterlife gift even though I had no idea who Stanley Gibbons was.

    I have written about how a variation of “Gibb” once showed up on a $20 bill I was given for change at a grocery store. The same name, “Gibbons” was written on it. It’s amazing how the universe will bring reminders of our loved one’s presence with us in the most uncanny ways. It doesn’t have to be exact to count as a reminder either. “Gibbons” is a close enough match:

     

    Variation of Gibb on $20 Bill

    The Gift of Gibb

    During the early afternoon of February 27, 2021, I was talking with my husband about how the surname “Gibbons” showed up on the description of the poppy stamp. I had not mentioned it to him before, but it occurred to me to do so because we had been talking a lot about this website earlier that morning. I thought he would like to know that the “Idea” t-shirt and poppy stamps had an additional connection to Robin with a variation of his name mentioned.

    While I was talking with him about the “Gibbons” surname associated with the stamp, I was multi-tasking and using my phone to research articles on how to clean our dishwasher.

    I found this article from Today. I was so surprised when I read the freelance writer’s name: Her last name is Gibbs! Here is the link.

    I laughed and showed my husband the article. He was surprised and I was too, yet I have grown accustomed the quick signs back over the years. It felt like an intricate, beautiful web of connections with Robin’s spirit being woven in that moment. Within seconds of talking about the poppy stamps and “Gibbons”, “Gibbs” shows up! I love it! What a beautiful gift.

    According to John Holland in the book, Bridging Two Realms, “A loved one’s name showing up just when you were thinking about them,” is a common sign of after death communication. (2)

    It is one of the more attention-getting and moving afterlife gifts.

    Stamps and the Isle of Man

    I was curious about Stanley Gibbons since I did not know who he was. So later in the day on February 27th, I continued my research while writing this post. According to Wikipedia:

    Edward Stanley Gibbons (21 June 1840 – 17 February 1913) [1] was an English stamp dealer and founder of Stanley Gibbons Ltd, publishers of the famous Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue and other stamp-related books and magazines. (3)

    I know absolutely nothing about stamp collecting, so finding out about the Gibbons stamp company is all new to me.

    Interestingly, on Feb. 27th during my research, I also discovered another connection to Robin related to Stanley Gibbons. It is this Isle of Man stamp below. I was really amazed when I saw this. The Isle of Man is Robin and the Bee Gees’ country of birth:

    Stanley Gibbons Isle of Man Stamp

    So many connections are associated with the t-shirt my husband gave me. This is the gift that keeps on giving. That’s why I see this as a spiritual social network.

    In this case, it involves a network of energies including my husband, The Bee Gees and Robin’s spirit, poppy stamps, a freelance writer, a stamp dealer, and me.

    Robin’s signature is all over this. His last name and birth country all showing up unexpectedly within a few hours of each other? Pretty awesome!

    Cleaning dishwashers has nothing to do with stamps, so it meets C.G. Jung’s criteria for these synchronistic events being symbolically meaningful connections (for me), but acausal and unrelated.

    It’s actually pretty rare for me to see anything about the Isle of Man come up in my life, so this is very special. It really was a divine idea for my husband to give me this gift of the “Idea” t-shirt! Maybe he was influenced by energies beyond our dimension, unbeknownst to him.

    It’s a mysterious power that clusters these names and events together. I consider them all afterlife gifts and feel Robin’s spirit woven in and through them. It was one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts ever and I am very thankful for all spirits and energies involved whether alive or deceased.

    Follow the Breadcrumbs

    There is one last thing I would like to mention. If you are engaging in afterlife communications, I cannot stress enough how important it is to scratch beneath the surface and do additional research on the signs you are given.

    If I had discontinued my research when I confirmed the stamps were poppies and did no additional research on Stanley Gibbons, I never would have seen the Isle of Man stamp that is so meaningful to me.

    With afterlife communication, you really have to be willing to do the extra work. If you miss the sign, your loved one may attempt to send it again. But, it helps them a lot on the other side if we do our work and follow the leads and “breadcrumbs” they give us. “Gibbons” was a big breadcrumb and I followed it!

    Social networking in the physical world requires some effort. The same principles apply to social networking with our deceased loved ones. Loved ones on the other side very much appreciate our extra efforts. The reward for our extra work could be layers and layers of communications from them that will amaze us!

    Thank you very much for reading. I hope your spiritual social network is alive and well!

    References

    1.  Williams, Kevin (2020). https://www.near-death.com/psychology/synchronicity/an-introduction-to-adcs-and-synchronicity.html.

    2.  Holland, John (2018). Bridging Two Realms: Learn to Communicate with Your Loved Ones on the Other-Side, New York City: Hay House, Inc., pgs. 67-68.

    3.  Wikipedia: Edward Stanley Gibbons.

      Love,

       

      Christina Samuels Signature

      Pin It on Pinterest