My guest today is a woman of many talents. Author, artist, mother, spouse, founder of The Women’s Nest. So what fuels Melissa Foster, you may ask. What motivates her to reach out to others, creating a supportive community of women?
When you visit The Women’s Nest you’ll see a site banner that reads: Real Women, Real Issues, Real Friendship. A community of women helping women.
“Connecting women world-wide, we strive to create a sharing and caring community with a sense of humor.”
But what is Melissa Foster all about … behind the scenes?
How does one accomplish so much with such passion and joy?
- What, after all, is her secret?
I’m curious, aren’t you?
After all, it isn’t every day that we meet someone like her — a woman with an impressive bio, a positive spirit, a kind and artistic touch.
So you’d like to know more? Of course you would!
- Melissa is the award winning author of two novels, Megan’s Way and Chasing Amanda.
- She is currently collaborating in the film production of Megan’s Way.
- The same book has won the following awards: 2011 Beach Book Award Winner (spirituality); 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist (spirituality); 2011 Readers Favorite Awards Finalist in 2 categories (Fiction/Drama, Women’s Fiction).
- Chasing Amanda has also won awards. 2011 Readers Favorite Awards Finalist in 3 categories. Nominated Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Award 2011
- Coming September 2011 the Women’s Literary Cafe, an extension of The Women’s Nest. The Cafe will promote the writing community, bridging the gap between readers and authors.
Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your thoughts in this
sunny space for kindred spirits. It’s my pleasure to have you here!
ENERGY and LIGHT — The Spiritual Connections We Carry
by Melissa Foster
Have you ever encountered someone and felt an uncomfortable shiver run up your spine? Perhaps you’ve met someone who makes your skin crawl. Or have you felt a distinct uplifting of energy when a particular person entered the room (I love that!). These changes that you’ve felt are very real, even if invisible.
I’m often asked if I believe in the spiritual or paranormal elements that I write about in my books. The short answer is simply, yes. I believe that people are surrounded by whatever energy they carry. Some lucky people can actually see the light that surrounds us, while others can feel it, and still others completely disbelieve. I’m not going to dispute beliefs, because the lovely thing about being human is that we are blessed with the ability to form our own opinions, and choosing what we believe is something to be treasured. Instead, I’ll speak to what I have learned, and I’ll feel honored if you find it interesting, and if not, please feel free to print out this article and use it as wallpaper. My feelings will not be hurt.
As an author, I’m lucky enough to have a new playground to explore everyday. Some of my playgrounds carry with them spiritual bonds, while others, as in my next release, Come Back to Me, carry no spiritual relationships. Through my books, I’m able to play on the other side of the fence, allowing my characters, and readers, to experience aspects of the paranormal that may be difficult to achieve in real life.
Megan’s Way carries with it themes of friendship, love, forgiveness, and spirituality—quite separate from religion. There is a bond between Megan and her daughter, Olivia, that moves past the tangible, even beyond the grave. Spirituality, in this sense, is simply being in tune with a love so great, that one is able to tap into the energy of the other person, and feel their presence even when they are not physically there. The energy given off is welcomed, not feared. Megan’s light shined long after she had passed, and her friends felt that light because they were open to it.
In Chasing Amanda, the paranormal connection was one of clairvoyance, quite different than the connection between Megan and Olivia in Megan’s Way. Clairvoyance, in my opinion, requires an even greater level of openness, a deeper connection with many, not just those close to you.
These spiritual connections are difficult to define, and yet, they can be as real as the person standing next to you. For some, moving from one venue to the next, buying tangible items, and meeting new colleagues, fills their heads with chaos and clutter, leaving no room to reach beyond the tangible, while others find purity in these same outlets, by seeing without judgment, leaving their minds a bit more clear, and open.
Can one learn to be open to these spiritual connections? That’s a question I’m also often asked, and in my opinion, I think we can all tap into the energy of others. It requires great introspection and a moving aside of the excess, or what I call clutter, of our minds.
Remaining in the light.
You might be wondering how you can increase your own positive energy. I like the saying, positivity breeds positivity. When I’m around positive people, it makes me even more positive, just as when I’m around negativity, it makes me feel as though I’m standing within a dark cloud. When I’m around a happy, positive person, I try to glean what I can from that person—what makes them so dang cheerful? I want some of whatever that is. Talk to them, ask them! You might be surprised at what you learn. I love to spin things positively, which means that even if there’s a negative side (to a decision, an event, something tangible), I spin it positive. Let’s say, for example, I have eight hours of answering interview questions ahead of me, and many of them are repetitive. That’s not the most fun thing to do, so instead of mulling over the boredom of it, I challenge myself to come up with interesting angles and catchy answers. Yes, it might be more taxing on my brain, but it’s enlightening and exciting at the same time. No more am I dreading the hours before me. Instead, I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Finding your way out of the darkness.
Negative energy is like a leach; the longer you let it hang on, the more blood/energy it will suck. It drains you emotionally and physically. We begin each day with one bucket of emotional energy, and we pull from that bucket throughout the day. If we’re overloaded with negativity, we’ll run out of emotional energy before the day’s end, and have nothing left to give—everyone around us will lose out.
How can we avoid or diffuse negative energy? I try to use positive energy to diffuse negative energy. When someone is unkind, they often times have overwhelmingly negative things happening around them, and they lash out, bringing others down into the muck and mire with them. Injecting your positive energy, or your light, into their darkness, just might give them a lifeline from which they can pull themselves up. Helping others see the brighter side of life will make you feel happier and more fulfilled.
Life is a blank canvas that we are able to paint in any way we desire. I like to paint my canvas with positivity and spread happiness to others. When I developed The Women’s Nest, it was to bring women together, in a supportive community where everyone was accepted, one where women could discuss their good days as well as their bad. Through the Nest, I’ve enjoyed meeting many women who are now very close friends, and their support has guided me through some of my most difficult days, just us my support has done for them. Drawing energy from friends is important. Helping others also offers perspective for your toughest days.
We live in an interesting world, and understanding the things we can’t see is often a difficult process, but it’s also one of the aspects that make our world such an interesting place. If the next person you meet seems to have an aura of positivity about them, something that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you are drawn to, ask yourself, “Why”, then ask them. You might find a new friend…and a new path to enlightenment.
I hope you find a new friend in Melissa Foster. She’s on Facebook, Twitter, and has created several websites.
Blog by SunnyRoomStudio: all rights reserved.
