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MADELYNN LIVES IN THE FASHIONABLE WEST HILLS; THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE VIEW OF the west side and the east side of downtown from the east facing windows of her home. She is married with no children. She tends to draw an interesting crowd of people to her monthly, or sometimes bimonthly, soirees. The crowd, at one of Madelynn soirees, is a varied assortment of academia; teachers, administrators, and grad student/doctorate candidates; usually a fascinating mix of people from the many local colleges and universities.

 

Jannet is meet at the front door by the trio of Madelynn, Terri, and Jocelyn. After the obligatory hugs and greetings, Jannet immediately goes in search of Madelynn’ husband, Jackson, who is prone to hiding in the den, or library, or TV room during these events. She finds him in the library, with a few other quiet individuals, and she purposely hangs out for several minutes to discuss local politics. Jackson works for the Portland City Hall.

 

            Jannet does not prefer crowds but conversely she has grown increasing communal because of her associations with the PAG. Jannet’s typical routine at one of Madelynn’s very crowded parties is make one complete slow circuit of the various rooms and to comfortably chat with anyone she recognizes, for at least a few minutes each, and to move on. Normally she can work an entire party within an hour to 90 minutes and then she politely issues her lamentations to Madelynn, citing that she needs to leave early.

 

            Madelynn’s soiree is tastefully catered and there are two portable self-serve lengthy rolling coat racks in the foyer of home, for coats and bags, especially provided for guests. As Jannet walks towards the foyer, to leave, she notices a woman and man approaching one of the coat racks. They are in their early 20s and they casually obtain their coats and begin to put them on. The woman’s coat is identical to the one that Jannet was wearing, a long wool navy blue trench coat.

 

            “Excuse, I believe you may have my coat?” Jannet questions the woman.

 

“No, I think that this is my coat. Perhaps, you have an identical coat to my coat. I think I saw another trench coat on the second rack. They probably moved the racks around from their original positioning.” The woman responds with a lyrical voice.

 

            Jannet looks through the second rack and indeed she finds her own coat. The two coats are exact duplicates.

 

            “I am so sorry! Please accept my apologies?” Jannet says, who is now slightly embarrassed by the turn of events.

 

“No problem. I am Harriet and this is my brother, Alexander. Harriett and Alexander Decker. Everyone calls me Harri for short and we are normally just Harri and Alex. We are postgrad students at PSU. Alex was just accepted into a Doctorate program and I am finishing my Masters and hope to start a Doctorate program, as well, very soon.” Harri pauses. “Ok, was that too much information?” She laughs as she seems to respire a comfortable brightness.

 

“Not at all, it is pleasure to meet you. I am Jannet, Jannet Russman.”

 

“We know. We have seen you at various PAG gatherings during the last two and a half years. Everyone says you have powers. What powers do you have?” This is Harri speaking again which causes Jannet to wonder if Alex ever speaks.

 

“No more powers than anyone else might have. However, I do have access.” Jannet replies with caution.

 

“Access?” Harri and Alex both now strongly concentrating their youthful faces on Jannet.

 

“It is a long complex story.” Jannet continues. “Perhaps we could meet for coffee or something one day soon?”

 

“How about today? I know where there is great party in the West Hills.” Harri suggests in a half-joking manner.

 

            With that suggestion, the three remove their coats, for a second time, to the coat racks, Jannet strategically and conspicuously places a wool scarf around the neck of her trench coat. Then she leads the little group to a quiet semi-secluded alcove of cozy chairs and love seats where immediately the three individuals launch into a nearly two-hour long lively verbal interchange about metaphysics, comparative religions, and natural psychic abilities.

 

            The three agree to meet occasionally in order to explore various metaphysical concepts and practices. Jannet agrees to be, unofficially and temporarily, a mentor to this brother and sister team, the Deckers.

°

            In the latter part of December, Jannet engages in a familiar and reaffirming routine of attending various events during the PAG solstice week of events. She had attended a PAG board committee and PAG community meeting in early December and, as always, she signed up for volunteering during the third week of December. She normally divides her time, in these particular weeks, between volunteering and attending these events.

 

During the period of time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve she retreats from her Portland life. She nonchalantly disappears to a lodging in the coastal town of Cannon Beach, due west of the city of Portland, for a quiet retreat.

 

In the meanwhile, in Madrid Spain, the three cold case investigators, who were the recipients of Jannet’s mysterious letters, are juggling a schedule of both official police duties and an unofficial glut of personal holiday obligations. They have gathered some amount of background information on the American author of the five cold case letters. Because of the background research on Ms. Russman, it has been unofficially determined that the American woman must be some form of a psychic or must have some amount of psychic capabilities.

°

As the first two and half months of the new year of 2014 glide by quickly, Jannet has a slowly increasing tension about her eventual return to Madrid. Nevertheless, she is mostly content and occupied with her daily routines; that is, teaching Mathematics part-time, her private solitary pursuits, seeing friends, and spending more time than she wants to with the Decker siblings.

 

            The now weekly get-togethers do quickly evolve into a type of mentoring session with the two siblings. Each session usually begins with a suggestion from Harri, it is usually Harri, initiating a discussion on a particular topic and Jannet would then recommend a variety of methods that they could experiment with to explore the question or questions. Jannet’s recommendations, over the weeks, as regards to very specific questions, are not especially ground-breaking. Jannet actually improvises her approach. She might suggest the reading of certain books, or viewing a particular movie, or listening to a certain piece of music. In addition, most often, she suggests an activity, exercise, and/or practice as a method of exploring a question or questions. The Deckers initially regard the process are too free-form, or too obscure, or too spontaneous to be effective but they later change their minds after they begin to experience many intriguing outcomes.

 

There is an emphasis on ritual and ceremony as well. Jannet does invite other experienced practitioners to join the little group and those practitioners then provide specific instructions on the proper protocols for entering, executing, and exiting a particular ritualistic process. The experienced practitioners do also stress the necessity for invoking consent and protection from spirit guides as an essential part of these processes.

 

            The Decker siblings, much to Jannet’s surprise are generally enthusiastic about the oft-weekly sessions and, in general, they do faithfully follow the suggested activities and exercises. Jannet has a strong sense that the two siblings do seem to have an authentic drive to create something of significance in the world of the future. However, she is not sure what that might be, but she is cautiously happy, for the short-term, to support their personal growth process.

 

            One day a unique activity or exercise is tried. The tree exercise happened during their third weekly meeting. The trio did meet at the zoological park, in the West Hills, but immediately Jannet lead Harri and Alex to a far trailhead for a long hike. They engaged in an animated discussion and eventually Jannet stopped and walked briskly off the trail for a minute or two, with the Deckers in pursuit. She stopped next to a hefty fir tree.

 

            “To further illustrate some of the points that we were just discussing, let’s conduct a recognition rite with this tree.” She instructed carefully.

 

“We will each position ourselves around the tree, clear ourselves, intone a simple greeting, wait, and afterwards intone an expression of thanks. Remember one way, of many ways to clear yourself, could be to imagine a complete blank sheet of paper in your mind. Any questions?”

 

            The other two nodded to indicate that there were no questions. The process proceeded nearly in a synchronized fashion on the part of the three attendees. After a silent waiting period, which seemed to last for several minutes, the three perceived a modest burst of an energetic wave emanating from the tree, this was shortly followed by a massive blast of energy from the tree which proceeded to push the three off their feet and on to the ground. The three quickly recovered and returned to a standing position around the tree. They concluded by offering thanks and by intoning a closing.

 

Later and several weeks into the process, the Deckers express an interest in sharing these ideas and experiences with others and they inform Jannet that they want to start a blog. Jannet favorably agrees and she additionally suggest that the two initiate monthly round-tables as a method of sharing and interchanging ideas and values with others. The Deckers also ask Jannet to offer a formal or official name for her mentoring methodology; and Jannet declines while citing that there was no particular method or process involved except for her natural intuitive approaches.

 

About one week later the two siblings do start a blog, with weekly journal entries and a chat module; and they book a seminar room for free. The seminars and round-tables would be every third Thursday evening each month during the next several months, at the Main public library, on west side of downtown Portland.

°

            In Jannet’s mind her goal, in regards to the Deckers’ sessions, is to encourage the development of natural abilities through a series of exercises and discussions. The discussions center on New Age themes but they also include many pertinent and varied secular themes. She wants to expand their awareness of these natural abilities and she hopes that the Deckers would develop an appreciation and a respect for these abilities. Additionally, and more importantly, Jannet wants the Deckers to develop an appreciation and respect for the world around them, including people worldwide and including various non-human species and including the phenomena of the natural world. She has gone so far as to suggest the critical importance of acknowledging the inherent rights of non-human species and of the natural world, as well as the human world.

 

            Jannet inundates the Deckers with suggested reading materials including some of the recent well-respected classical New Age literature of Ken Wilber, Jane Roberts, Shakti Gawain, and Deepak Chopra. And she recommends some seminal secular materials on a range of topics including game theory, systems theory, organization behavior theory, 20^th century educational psychology, and more. Finally, she suggests that the siblings get involved in a local charity, as a method of connecting with people and the environment in a direct and personal manner. Jannet provides an extensive listing of worthy organizations in need of volunteers: volunteering at an animal shelter, volunteering at a homeless shelter or battered family shelter, volunteering with the habitat for humanity, volunteering for a local park system or the national park system, or numerous others. However, she is uncertain if the Deckers will or will not take advantage of any of these empathetic endeavors.

 

            Jannet has a private concern about the Deckers’ attitude and motivations. They seem to be genuinely motivated but perhaps a little too driven. She additionally has a sensual hit that there is some form of a blind spot inherent within the possible unfolding of their future visions and plans. Nevertheless, in general, she has a sense, that their future work will be quite significant to a great many people. Despite the Deckers’ enthusing participation in the sessions, Jannet can only hope that the Deckers’ ambitions will not outstrip their humility.

°

In the meanwhile, Tess occupies herself with visits to members of the family who are enamored in physical reality. She projects into various places in the present, in the past, and in the future to visit incarnated members of her wide-ranging community. Jannet is a member of this family, as well, although her other earthly counterparts are securely unknown to her. Tess primarily focuses her activities with family members; activities of listening, offering occasional suggestions, offering her reassuring presence, and exploring an additional special initiative; and these activities usually occur within this particular space/time stream only. Although she does and can fluidly cross parallel space/time streams at will.

 

But now, at present moment, she is triangulating Jannet’s specific space/time location.

 

And at the present, it is the day before Jannet’s return flight to Madrid, it is early March. Jannet has somehow commandeered an entire park bench in the South Park blocks. She is near the entry to PSU and reading the newspaper, she has popped for the New York Times, and she is drinking coffee and munching on a large scone. It is a mild mid-morning and it is actually dry and not too chilly; she begins to sense that Tess is nearby. She has not seen Tess in weeks but there has been some brief contact through cellphone texts. She has noticed evidence of Tess’ ongoing presence in her apartment which has comforted and reassured Jannet. And she recalls an odd recent dream in which Tess and others were moving about her apartment late at night.

 

“By the way, the dream that you were thinking about, was not a dream.” A voice says, forcing Jannet to look up. Tess is standing in front of her. The two women embrace and Jannet suddenly and sadly realizes that she has actually spent very little time with Tess since her unusual incarnation.

 

“You were half-asleep and half-awake one night recently; you wandered into the kitchen. It was myself and several other guides moving about your apartment. But you only saw me, although you did sense the others.” Tess waits for Jannet to absorb this new information before she proceeds to a new topic.

 

            “Ready for Madrid, little cousin?” Tess mentally speaks, as she brushes her hand maternally against Jannet’s cheek.

 

“Yes, I am. Any wisdom?” Jannet returns mentally.

 

“Yes. Cooperate with the police.” Tess smiles.

 

            Tess points casually to Jannet’s various sundry items languishing on the park bench. There is a weak sun in the blue/gray sky but it is not cold. Jannet gathers everything and she neatly refolds the newspaper and she offers it to nearby transient who seems appreciative. She straps on a backpack and the two women walk silently south into the bustling campus of PSU.