On the 5th anniversary of Maia's passing we gathered 15 of our favorite Maiaspirit teachings and paired each with a personal photo. The stories behind how these ideas came to us are described below. We share them with the hope that they will help & inspire others as much as they have helped & inspired us.
Additionally we created a four-minute "Maia Tribute" music video which features these inspirations, posting the result on YouTube which you can view through the link added to the bottom of this page.
Additionally we created a four-minute "Maia Tribute" music video which features these inspirations, posting the result on YouTube which you can view through the link added to the bottom of this page.
15 Death is beginning and end
Like countless other people throughout recorded history, we believe that humans are both spiritual and physical beings, and that the non-physical part (call it consciousness, spirit, soul or whatever) survives physical death. While the nature of this survival may have infinite expressions making it impossible to completely comprehend, we now know through numerous irrefutable first-hand experiences that Maia does indeed live on in some form.
Understanding death as a transformation of the self to some other state of being has become the most important truth we embrace. In addition, accepting that death is a beginning for both the soul, newly departed from its flesh and blood vessel, and those of us left behind, has encouraged us to live our lives anew, awakening our hearts and minds to expanded possibilities and realities.
14 Things are only impossible until they are not
We escaped to New Hampshire for our first Father's Day after Maia's crash and quite unexpectedly came upon the Maia Papaya Cafe in the little town of Bethlehem. As we were taking a photo of the sign, Brian noticed that if you cut off the "ya" in "Papaya" you get "Papa" which is what both Maia and Sean used to call him when they were little. This was definitely the most amazing, love-filled Father's Day present ever. Although we used to think it was impossible to be unknowingly guided by an invisible force, we don't anymore.
13 When things are out of balance practice patience and perseverance
We have sought and received inspiration and guidance in many ways. "Practice patience and perseverance" came to us two months after Maia’s crash during a tarot card reading. Using a simple four card spread representing “What is At Hand,” “What is Past,” “Ponder This,” and “What to Do,” the Ace of Swords reversed came up in the fourth position (What to Do). Using the internet, we learned that this indicates that things are out of balance and to practice patience and perseverance. Timely advice that we refer back to often.
12 Animals speak
Our first encounter with animal messengers occurred the morning of Maia's cremation ... arriving home after this most solemn of ceremonies, we were momentarily uplifted by the sight of 20 or more blue jays gathered in one of our maple trees. We did not know how they had come to us in this manner or the exact message they were to share, but we knew they were there for Maia. Researching the significance of Blue Jays gave us tremendous hope and insight, and helped reinforce our growing awareness of life's fullness and mystery.
We have had many uncanny animal encounters since then and, without fail, they have brought us just the right insight for just that moment.
11 Coincidence matters
Synchronicities, events which are causally unrelated but occur together in a meaningful fashion, have provided us with many opportunities to grow, laugh, and wonder. Songs that come on the radio or CD “shuffle” program with uncanny timing, noticing 11:11 on a digital clock just when something significant to Maia was happening, or encountering one of the many symbols we associate with Maia at a most meaningful moment are all examples of synchronicities.
One our all-time favorites is when we unexpectedly came across a Lucky Star charter bus, with its Dragon and Pleiades logo (two symbols we always associate with Maia) within a short time after a “Meet Your Guardian Angel” workshop. At the workshop’s conclusion, we were prompted to ask our guardian angel for something that would materialize within 24 hours to prove that this being was real. Even though neither of us felt any angelic presence, we both made wishes. My wish was to see Maia. Passing a bus with a dragon and Pleiades logo wasn’t what I had in mind, but it definitely was a creative & humorous synchronicity by which we experienced her presence.
10 Perspective is a choice
Opening books at random can often provide timely advice. This reminder, that even in very tough circumstances we can choose to see the rose garden and not a thicket of thorns, came to us through "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought" just when I needed it most.
For the first few months after Maia’s crash, I found myself getting very depressed on a weekly basis. As I marked the passage of time reliving our final Friday night conversations with Maia and imagining how her last few hours may have unfolded, I would feel myself plunging into the depths of depression. One time, in an effort to derail the oncoming despair, I grabbed the nearest book, Opening it at random, I came upon two messages about roses (another important Maia symbol) which was just what I needed to stall the tailspin and focus on the rose garden rather than the bed of thorns.
9 Life can be hard … keep moving forward
Music often offers great inspiration, especially when encountered through unexpected channels. The following advice came to us through Ride On, a song we heard only once during a ten day tour of Ireland, a 25th wedding anniversary gift from our son and a few other family members. Ride On, acknowledging that life can be hard, laments the pain of parting (whatever the cause), and counsels the need to keep riding on. A somewhat somber song, it delivered a practical message that we definitely needed to hear.
8 Trust in your dreams
In addition to the strangely bizarre or anxiety ridden dreams many people have, we are occasionally treated to dreams with inspiring symbolism, prophetic elements, and/or tangible connections to those who have passed. Not sure how they happen but they do, and for this we are continually awe-struck, grateful, and frequently amused.
One time I had an early morning dream about Henry, a little pug owned by one of Maia's good friends, running around with a dripping white paint brush in his mouth. Later that day I was raking leaves and had an impulse to rake near the hose and faucet. What I found buried beneath the leaves made both me and Brian laugh out loud - an old paint brush covered with white paint!
7 You have inexhaustible power and wisdom
We have learned that signs and synchronicities are languages of spiritual/ metaphysical communication, that they are mostly symbolic, and that they can manifest in myriad ways. We have also learned to stop worrying that what speaks to us might seem crazy to others.
Nine months after Maia's crash I had a strange urge to sweep behind one of her bedroom dressers. What I found among the dust and cobwebs continues to make me smile: a slightly tattered fortune stating that I have inexhaustible power and wisdom, and one small star-shaped earring. The star, a very consistent Maiaspirit symbol, left me no doubt from whom this message had come and I wear the earring every day as a reminder of the power and wisdom that lies within all of us.
6 Be open to messages
Two months after Maia's crash Brian pulled the rune Ansuz in a reading. Ansuz is the Messenger Rune, the first of thirteen Runes that focus directly on self-change and is connected to the ancient trickster Loki. When drawn in a reading, Ansuz signifies the unfolding of new life and the likelihood of messages being received from surprising connections and linkages. We had no idea at the time what was to come, but we now realize that learning to expect the unexpected was one of the best messages we could have ever received.
5 Ordinary objects can become extraordinary
On the second anniversary of Maia's crash we planned a special "Get Your Country On" music celebration. It was held at a local bar and featured a great country band to play Maia's favorite kind of music. The event was attended by many friends who helped fill the night with dancing, laughter, crazy stories, and lots of love. Although there were a few tears, everyone seemed fairly upbeat and enjoyed coming together in this way to celebrate Maia's life and enduring spirit.
After the last song was played and the band was packing up, one of Maia's good friends noticed a grungy penny lying on the floor and picked it up. A second friend asked her to check the date, since, in her experience, pennies discovered at unusual times often carried spiritual significance. Those of us within earshot were practically blown over when Amanda, the friend who found the penny, read the date out loud: 1988 - Maia's birth year!
4 Love and openness can transform pain into peace and light
A few weeks after a very special friend of Maia's experienced the premature birth and death of her first child, she and I spent an hour together walking the pathways of the cemetery in which his little body had been buried. Although she was struggling to adjust and make sense of this very sorrowful happening, she was also feeling very certain that her son lived on in spirit. As if to offer her proof and a reason to smile, we came upon two deer grazing quietly among the headstones. They watched us intently as we approached, then slowly disappeared into the nearby woods.
Later that night I had a dream in which someone asked me how this friend was doing. Before I could respond, I heard a voice, soft, deep, and strong, speak to me: "Tell them it is hard but she is beginning to transform her pain into peace and light."
With love, openness, patience, and perseverance, times of deep despair and pain can be healed and lives can be renewed. The promise of spring lies within even the harshest and coldest of winters.
3 When life gives you a storm, dance in the rain
A few weeks before Maia’s crash, she was dealing with some challenges at school and posted this quote beneath her profile picture on Facebook. It remains to this day, an uncanny portent of the storm to come and a message to all about how we should respond.
It’s taken awhile but now we understand that life’s storms can bring rains which will nourish our personal and spiritual growth in ways that might not happen otherwise. To dance in this rain is to become receptive to the storm’s offerings: unseen gifts that will awaken you to life’s amazing possibilities.
2 Lighten Up! (everything will be ok)
In the opening segment of Maia’s Memorial Service, our good friend and service M.C., recounted a story in which Maia responded to my getting all uptight about something by counseling me to “Lighten up!” and assuring me that everything would be ok. This advice has reemerged numerous times over the past few years and though it's not always easy, the more we remember to "Lighten up," the more we heal, grow, and open ourselves to life's extraordinary meanings and possibilities.
1 Celebrate my time, my joy … I am still living!
Some of the most amazing experiences we have had over the past few years have been with people who demonstrate extraordinary psychic sensitivities. The absolute validation of life beyond death and the messages received have healed our hearts and blown open our minds.
Our first session with a psychic medium occurred on Maia's 22nd birthday, a little over six months after her crash. We were not sure what to expect and were understandably a little skeptical. Our concerns quickly faded as Rev. Shari Johnson explained her abilities in scientific terms we could easily relate to and shared information which she could not have known without tapping into some real, though invisible to us, metaphysical realm.
In addition, Shari relayed messages from various spiritual/energetic beings that closely resembled beloved family members, including Maia, and it was clear that the traditional gloom and doom response to death was not to be tolerated by any of them. "She doesn't want you to be sad. She wants you to celebrate her time, her joy," Shari told us. "She's saying to me, 'Tell them I am still living'."
Like countless other people throughout recorded history, we believe that humans are both spiritual and physical beings, and that the non-physical part (call it consciousness, spirit, soul or whatever) survives physical death. While the nature of this survival may have infinite expressions making it impossible to completely comprehend, we now know through numerous irrefutable first-hand experiences that Maia does indeed live on in some form.
Understanding death as a transformation of the self to some other state of being has become the most important truth we embrace. In addition, accepting that death is a beginning for both the soul, newly departed from its flesh and blood vessel, and those of us left behind, has encouraged us to live our lives anew, awakening our hearts and minds to expanded possibilities and realities.
14 Things are only impossible until they are not
We escaped to New Hampshire for our first Father's Day after Maia's crash and quite unexpectedly came upon the Maia Papaya Cafe in the little town of Bethlehem. As we were taking a photo of the sign, Brian noticed that if you cut off the "ya" in "Papaya" you get "Papa" which is what both Maia and Sean used to call him when they were little. This was definitely the most amazing, love-filled Father's Day present ever. Although we used to think it was impossible to be unknowingly guided by an invisible force, we don't anymore.
13 When things are out of balance practice patience and perseverance
We have sought and received inspiration and guidance in many ways. "Practice patience and perseverance" came to us two months after Maia’s crash during a tarot card reading. Using a simple four card spread representing “What is At Hand,” “What is Past,” “Ponder This,” and “What to Do,” the Ace of Swords reversed came up in the fourth position (What to Do). Using the internet, we learned that this indicates that things are out of balance and to practice patience and perseverance. Timely advice that we refer back to often.
12 Animals speak
Our first encounter with animal messengers occurred the morning of Maia's cremation ... arriving home after this most solemn of ceremonies, we were momentarily uplifted by the sight of 20 or more blue jays gathered in one of our maple trees. We did not know how they had come to us in this manner or the exact message they were to share, but we knew they were there for Maia. Researching the significance of Blue Jays gave us tremendous hope and insight, and helped reinforce our growing awareness of life's fullness and mystery.
We have had many uncanny animal encounters since then and, without fail, they have brought us just the right insight for just that moment.
11 Coincidence matters
Synchronicities, events which are causally unrelated but occur together in a meaningful fashion, have provided us with many opportunities to grow, laugh, and wonder. Songs that come on the radio or CD “shuffle” program with uncanny timing, noticing 11:11 on a digital clock just when something significant to Maia was happening, or encountering one of the many symbols we associate with Maia at a most meaningful moment are all examples of synchronicities.
One our all-time favorites is when we unexpectedly came across a Lucky Star charter bus, with its Dragon and Pleiades logo (two symbols we always associate with Maia) within a short time after a “Meet Your Guardian Angel” workshop. At the workshop’s conclusion, we were prompted to ask our guardian angel for something that would materialize within 24 hours to prove that this being was real. Even though neither of us felt any angelic presence, we both made wishes. My wish was to see Maia. Passing a bus with a dragon and Pleiades logo wasn’t what I had in mind, but it definitely was a creative & humorous synchronicity by which we experienced her presence.
10 Perspective is a choice
Opening books at random can often provide timely advice. This reminder, that even in very tough circumstances we can choose to see the rose garden and not a thicket of thorns, came to us through "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought" just when I needed it most.
For the first few months after Maia’s crash, I found myself getting very depressed on a weekly basis. As I marked the passage of time reliving our final Friday night conversations with Maia and imagining how her last few hours may have unfolded, I would feel myself plunging into the depths of depression. One time, in an effort to derail the oncoming despair, I grabbed the nearest book, Opening it at random, I came upon two messages about roses (another important Maia symbol) which was just what I needed to stall the tailspin and focus on the rose garden rather than the bed of thorns.
9 Life can be hard … keep moving forward
Music often offers great inspiration, especially when encountered through unexpected channels. The following advice came to us through Ride On, a song we heard only once during a ten day tour of Ireland, a 25th wedding anniversary gift from our son and a few other family members. Ride On, acknowledging that life can be hard, laments the pain of parting (whatever the cause), and counsels the need to keep riding on. A somewhat somber song, it delivered a practical message that we definitely needed to hear.
8 Trust in your dreams
In addition to the strangely bizarre or anxiety ridden dreams many people have, we are occasionally treated to dreams with inspiring symbolism, prophetic elements, and/or tangible connections to those who have passed. Not sure how they happen but they do, and for this we are continually awe-struck, grateful, and frequently amused.
One time I had an early morning dream about Henry, a little pug owned by one of Maia's good friends, running around with a dripping white paint brush in his mouth. Later that day I was raking leaves and had an impulse to rake near the hose and faucet. What I found buried beneath the leaves made both me and Brian laugh out loud - an old paint brush covered with white paint!
7 You have inexhaustible power and wisdom
We have learned that signs and synchronicities are languages of spiritual/ metaphysical communication, that they are mostly symbolic, and that they can manifest in myriad ways. We have also learned to stop worrying that what speaks to us might seem crazy to others.
Nine months after Maia's crash I had a strange urge to sweep behind one of her bedroom dressers. What I found among the dust and cobwebs continues to make me smile: a slightly tattered fortune stating that I have inexhaustible power and wisdom, and one small star-shaped earring. The star, a very consistent Maiaspirit symbol, left me no doubt from whom this message had come and I wear the earring every day as a reminder of the power and wisdom that lies within all of us.
6 Be open to messages
Two months after Maia's crash Brian pulled the rune Ansuz in a reading. Ansuz is the Messenger Rune, the first of thirteen Runes that focus directly on self-change and is connected to the ancient trickster Loki. When drawn in a reading, Ansuz signifies the unfolding of new life and the likelihood of messages being received from surprising connections and linkages. We had no idea at the time what was to come, but we now realize that learning to expect the unexpected was one of the best messages we could have ever received.
5 Ordinary objects can become extraordinary
On the second anniversary of Maia's crash we planned a special "Get Your Country On" music celebration. It was held at a local bar and featured a great country band to play Maia's favorite kind of music. The event was attended by many friends who helped fill the night with dancing, laughter, crazy stories, and lots of love. Although there were a few tears, everyone seemed fairly upbeat and enjoyed coming together in this way to celebrate Maia's life and enduring spirit.
After the last song was played and the band was packing up, one of Maia's good friends noticed a grungy penny lying on the floor and picked it up. A second friend asked her to check the date, since, in her experience, pennies discovered at unusual times often carried spiritual significance. Those of us within earshot were practically blown over when Amanda, the friend who found the penny, read the date out loud: 1988 - Maia's birth year!
4 Love and openness can transform pain into peace and light
A few weeks after a very special friend of Maia's experienced the premature birth and death of her first child, she and I spent an hour together walking the pathways of the cemetery in which his little body had been buried. Although she was struggling to adjust and make sense of this very sorrowful happening, she was also feeling very certain that her son lived on in spirit. As if to offer her proof and a reason to smile, we came upon two deer grazing quietly among the headstones. They watched us intently as we approached, then slowly disappeared into the nearby woods.
Later that night I had a dream in which someone asked me how this friend was doing. Before I could respond, I heard a voice, soft, deep, and strong, speak to me: "Tell them it is hard but she is beginning to transform her pain into peace and light."
With love, openness, patience, and perseverance, times of deep despair and pain can be healed and lives can be renewed. The promise of spring lies within even the harshest and coldest of winters.
3 When life gives you a storm, dance in the rain
A few weeks before Maia’s crash, she was dealing with some challenges at school and posted this quote beneath her profile picture on Facebook. It remains to this day, an uncanny portent of the storm to come and a message to all about how we should respond.
It’s taken awhile but now we understand that life’s storms can bring rains which will nourish our personal and spiritual growth in ways that might not happen otherwise. To dance in this rain is to become receptive to the storm’s offerings: unseen gifts that will awaken you to life’s amazing possibilities.
2 Lighten Up! (everything will be ok)
In the opening segment of Maia’s Memorial Service, our good friend and service M.C., recounted a story in which Maia responded to my getting all uptight about something by counseling me to “Lighten up!” and assuring me that everything would be ok. This advice has reemerged numerous times over the past few years and though it's not always easy, the more we remember to "Lighten up," the more we heal, grow, and open ourselves to life's extraordinary meanings and possibilities.
1 Celebrate my time, my joy … I am still living!
Some of the most amazing experiences we have had over the past few years have been with people who demonstrate extraordinary psychic sensitivities. The absolute validation of life beyond death and the messages received have healed our hearts and blown open our minds.
Our first session with a psychic medium occurred on Maia's 22nd birthday, a little over six months after her crash. We were not sure what to expect and were understandably a little skeptical. Our concerns quickly faded as Rev. Shari Johnson explained her abilities in scientific terms we could easily relate to and shared information which she could not have known without tapping into some real, though invisible to us, metaphysical realm.
In addition, Shari relayed messages from various spiritual/energetic beings that closely resembled beloved family members, including Maia, and it was clear that the traditional gloom and doom response to death was not to be tolerated by any of them. "She doesn't want you to be sad. She wants you to celebrate her time, her joy," Shari told us. "She's saying to me, 'Tell them I am still living'."
