The sudden passing of Whitney Houston left an indelible mark on millions of people who adored and cherished her vocal prowess, gleaming good looks and super iconic image. The timing could not have been more poignant – on the eve of music’s biggest night – The Grammy Awards. The news soared through the airwaves - seemingly faster than the speed of light. One of those moments where many will never forget where they were when they heard of the tragedy. As for me, I happened to be on a plane en route to Los Angeles to celebrate the 75th birthday of my own Grammy award winning cousin, jazz legend Nancy Wilson. My husband and I were so looking forward to spending a couple days in L.A. and then a drive to my family's 2,000 acre ranch near Palm Springs and a relaxing few days celebrating Nancy’s birthday. Nonetheless the news which conveniently carried on the TV screens of our jet heading west quickly eclipsed any chance of settling in comfortably for a long flight across the country. We virtually spent the entire 6 hour flight watching as the news unfolded with all its layers of so called “information” about what happened to Whitney.
Just one week later however what I, and many others at this point, have now read – a moving and frankly stunning letter to Whitney from her Mom which splashed the back page of her memorial program, amazed me even more – Cissy Houston’s revelation that she had been told by the Holy Spirit at Whitney’s birth that her daughter would not be with her long. Further Cissy recounted in the letter how she had been depressed, sad and crying for the last two months although she did not understand why this was so. In what was perhaps the most stunning of the confessions, she tells of the day Whitney would die, although not aware of it at the time, how the doorbell of her residence kept ringing, but when she went to answer it – no one was there. In hindsight Cissy believed this to be the spirit of her daughter coming to see her.
These are absolutely amazing scenarios that Cissy felt she needed to share with Whitney and ultimately, the world. Amazing at first glance, but the themes articulated in this poignant letter are not unfamiliar to many - both personally and in the field of “psi” and “survival of consciousness” research.
The data about such phenomena as premonitions or “presentiment,” a term used by psi researcher Dean Radin of which he defines as “a vague, non cognitive sense that something good or bad will occur,” suggests that our central nervous system has the capacity to respond to events and activities that have not yet played out in linear time. Cissy’s sense of foreboding, expressed by an insistent depression and sadness some two months prior to her daughter’s passing seems to indicate some aspect of presentiment taking place.
We’ve no doubt heard these sorts of accounts before. The literature is replete with instances, in particular of a loving parent receiving a nudge – a dream, a sense of something serious that is about to or has already happened to their child. This was no exception.
In Dr. Larry Dossey’s book The Power of Premonitions, he discusses research that was produced by the Institute of HeartMath, out of Boulder Creek, California, in which there is evidence showing “that the heart may register future events before the brain does,” thereby suggesting that the heart is a stronger conduit for events that may happen outside of our space-time continuum, and moreover that it is our link to receiving this information into conscious awareness. Given the emotional bond that can exist between a parent and child, incidents of premonition or presentiment occurring with the parent lend due credence to this theory, and that the heart’s emotional resonance may act as a doorway to be able to see, hear and moreover feel “future” events.
But what about the incident where Cissy laments about how the doorbell continuously rang, but no one was at the door? She even goes farther to say that she checked with her building’s concierge to find out whether they had seen anyone enter the building and go toward Cissy’s residence. They saw no one!
It is ironic that this month at Higher Journeys we are covering such issues as life after death and the evidence for such a phenomenon. After Death Communication or ADC’s of which I covered at some length in my review of the book Hello from Heaven discusses the myriad ways a person can be contacted by their deceased loved one. Although you could roughly put the “doorbell” experience in one of several categories, including: auditory ADC’s (which is typically hearing a voice), ADC’s of physical phenomena or material ADC’s seem to be quite a common occurrence among experiencers. Material ADC’s cover a range of physical phenomena that can occur either at or just after the death of someone, often a loved one. Accounts of lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing and even objects moving and levitating have been reported. I personally have experienced such phenomena of which I would put in this category. On the day my father-in-law passed away, we had just left the hospital and returned to the family home in New Jersey. After a short while, we began to witness one of the living room lamps turn on and off at least three times by itself. The lamp did not have a short and never displayed such behavior prior to. On another occasion, another family member recounted an incident on the day of his mother’s funeral. Mourners had gathered at the home of the loved one for a reception. While sitting at the dining room table, several witnessed a glass inexplicably lift slightly and sweep across to the other end of the table. This family member is convinced that it was the spirit of his deceased mother.
These phenomena are thousands, perhaps millions in number and have occurred throughout human history. Cissy Houston apparently witnessed first-hand the miracle of her daughter’s spirit coming to signal her transition. Although the data alone could make a plausible case for life after death, I think what will carry as absolute validation of such a phenomenon is the anecdotes that persist in our own experience both individually and universally. For as Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”
On another sad and ironic note, on the day of Whitney’s service, my husband and I - still out in California amid the quiet mountains of the high desert, received a call that our cat Paws, who had been ill, was dying. Invariably, while we both sat on the phone with the doctor in tears, Paws took his last breath lying in the arms of a loving caretaker at the hospital. The night before he passed, I dreamt that we were at home and I kept hearing his meowing, loud and distinct but I could not find him. Fate it is said is not without a sense of irony – My love for this angelic animal triggered what I will call a presentiment that I shall never forget.
Rest in peace, Whitney and Paws. Much love and eternal life to you both!
Footnote: The author has decided to not quote directly from the “letter” described herein due to the nebulous nature of whether its dissemination was intended by the family of Whitney Houston. If you are interested in seeing the program and the letter, you will find many copies of it available online, although I urge you to use constraint in its further dissemination out of respect for the family and the fact that legally, this may not be public domain.
Further Reading:
The Power of Premonitions – How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives, Larry Dossey, M.D.
(Click on the book image below to purchase from Amazon)
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