John of God

INTRODUCTION

To all my family and friends who have been bugging me to write about my experience with John of God in Abadiana, Goias, Brazil - here it is. Many of you loved the John of God story that I wrote when I went to see him three years ago. I remember putting my heart and soul into scribing it, but it was much shorter because I was there only four days.

In that writing you read about how Marlene, One of my best friends in Brazil, and I went to John of God's sanctuary for four days, and messed up the whole experience. We did absolutely everything wrong such as not keeping the surgery protocol, by gossiping and laughing for the entire 24 hours that I (the only one who received spiritual surgery) was supposed to keep quiet so that the Entities (John of God's spirit doctors) could work on whatever they did to me during surgery. 

But, in spite of all the errors due to innocent ignorance, I was healed of a heart condition that was growing in me, and to prove that they did something, the Entities made sure that my titanium knees didn't set off the alarms, like they always did, when I passed the security gates of two airports; the one in Goias, and the International Airport in Sao Paulo when I left Brazil. That was quite an eye opener!
 
What topped the experience was on the 8th night after the surgery, when I was in my apartment in New York City, and an Entity was supposed to visit me, during the night, to take off the stitches of my spiritual surgery. 

I remember thinking it was absurd that something like that could happen when there were no physical stitches to take off. We were told at La Casa (The name for The John of God sanctuary) that the Entity who would be coming would be Dom Ignatius of Loyola. 

I had no idea that he was such a big shot at La Casa, and a very powerful Entity, otherwise I would have had some incense burning in my bedroom to greet him. Entities love incense like we mortals love ice cream. Well, what was about to happen was quite unforgettable! 

At exactly 3 AM, on the 8th night, while I was trying to sleep with a white T-shirt and white underwear on (we were told to wear all white to bed on that night), I felt a tremendous energy come into my bedroom. 

My roommate, who sleeps on a loft bed above my bed, was awakened by the force of the energy. She wanted to look down to see what was happening to me, but something told her not to, so she kept her eyes closed. I kept my eyes closed too because I was terrified to look. I felt the energy rush into my body, and suddenly I was floating in the sky. I could actually see the stars with my eyes closed. I also felt like a wind around me. Then after what must've been no more than 10 seconds, it was over. I was again on my bed, and I opened my eyes. 

The room felt, for want of a better word, holy! I called to my roommate to come down from her loft bed and tell me exactly what she saw and felt. She told me that she had never before felt such an energy in her life, and it amazed her.  To celebrate, or to calm my nerves, we went to the living room and made some hot chocolate and talked the night away. We would have opened a bottle of excellent wine from Chile, but I wanted to keep my vow of not drinking any alcohol for forty days after receiving surgery at La Casa.

This writing is much longer because I stayed two weeks at La Casa, and a lot happened - some things I still have to figure out why they occurred. The Entities, this time, were really pushing me and, somehow, they made sure that all the right circumstance and coincidences happened, such as meeting the right people at La Casa, and the right therapy group when I got back to NYC.

This narrative is written in my personal style of writing, which is very informal and a little irreverent at times with a few shots of humor. I'm very 'open' in my life, and that's how I write.

 AnitaMoorjani, my mentor and the author of the book, Dying To Be Me, wrote that when she had her NDE or near death experience, God spoke to her very clearly and told her that all of us, his creation, were created as unique beings - that there will never be anyone exactly like us again - and that, just like every snow flake falling on a winter's night is unique, we must never ever be anything but our unrepeatable selves, otherwise we will destroy the great plan of the universe for our planet.

 So, not wanting to ruin the great plan of the universe for Mother Earth, I present to you my unique story of what I experienced during those two wonderful weeks at La Casa.


Betina

MY JOURNEY TO JOHN OF GOD - THE AMAZING HEALER

   
On May 26th I flew on Tam Airline from JFK to Brasilia to meet the group that I had chosen to be the conduit to my two week adventure with the great healer John of God (JOG) of Abadiana, Brazil.


Months before I had carefully looked on the Internet for the person who would be my JOG guide to this very important venture in my life. It was so strange, but the more I typed in "John of God guides" or "Guides/John of God," the only page that would pop up was that of Adrienne Grierson - John of God guide. I figured that either all the other guides had quit, or been fired, or some supernatural force up above was choosing Adrienne as the perfect guide for me. And how right I was in thinking the latter.

I later found out while at La Casa (another name for the JOG healing center) that the JOG's Entities frequently start their healing the moment that the person decides to take the first step to go to La Casa. My first step was when I clicked on the button on Adrienne's webpage that would send in my deposit. My index finger was trembling while deciding what to do. The moment that I clicked the button I had a glass of wine or two to celebrate my courage. That button represented one of the greatest healing adventures that I was getting myself into.
 
To those who have not heard of John of God, the world renowned trance medium healer of Abidiana Brazil, his Entities are those spirit doctors who heal through him while he is in a deep trance, and he doesn't remember a thing after the healing session is over.
 
What the Entities had set up for me on this trip was that, out of our group of twenty-three people, they had picked six people who would be instrumental in my healing. Of course none of those beautiful souls that had been selected, and whom I dubbed my angels, knew that they had been chosen, much less what they were getting themselves into. If they had, they might have 'run for the hills'. I certainly would have.
 
There were two reasons why I wanted the two week experience. The first one was to ask the JOG Entities to heal my 93 year old mom of her one year onset of blindness, something that was taking away her quality of life, and had her feeling sad most of the time. Her greatest joy was reading. 
 
The second reason was to heal me of a severe anxiety condition and its consequences that had been plaguing me ever since I started teaching in the NYC public schools back in the '70's. The terrible stress of teaching in the South Bronx for so many years, and experiencing the violence that I had witnessed there, had been its main cause. I had tried every avenue of cure possible, including attempting to heal myself with the best wines that the earth's vineyards could offer, to no avail. 
 
I had gone to see John of God three years before in 2010 where his Entity told me that I had to stay another week in order to begin to be cured of the chronic anxiety that was paralyzing my life. I could not because I had come for four days only with a Brazilian friend who had to go back home to Sao Paulo, and I with her. I should have stayed another week. 

This time would be different. I was staying two weeks, and I intended to do the work no matter what it required. I never imagined that the JOG entities had planned a cure for my mom and for me that would be unbelievably beautiful, but incredibly painful at the same time.

Our group spent the first night in Brasilia at the four star hotel, The Royal Tulip. It is really a five star hotel, but I took a star away because nothing worked in my hotel room. We were all going to have dinner together at the hotel, and the next day take a tour of the capital, and in the late afternoon be transported, by a small bus, to Abadiana after a meal at a churrascaria meat restaurant in Brasilia.
 
The dinner at The Royal Tulip would be my first real encounter with my group. I had planned to be mostly by myself during the two weeks, and avoid socializing much, so I hadn't brought any make-up. I observed my tired, pale face in the mirror, and asked God to make me into a Cinderella so that no one in my group would notice how awful I thought I looked.

Before leaving the room I also whispered a favorite prayer of mine that Father Mychal Judge made up. He was the fireman's chaplain who had perished on 9ll at the WTC. I said his prayer with all the fervor of my soul:

 

Lord, take me where you want me to go,
let me meet who you want me to meet,
tell me what you want me to say,
and keep me out of your way!

I finally found the dining room and saw the long table where my group was seated. I was the last one to arrive with terrible butterflies in my stomach. 

What a lovely time I had! I sat next to one of the 'angels' that the Entities had chosen for me, a guy from Down Under whom I found so charming and who seemed to have the same metaphysical and UFO interests that I had. 
 
Seated in front of me was a couple from Israel who would inspire me tremendously with their life story. The wife was blind and an inspiration because she didn't let that keep her from living her life to the fullest. 

She was studying to be a lawyer, and received her law degree soon after she left Brazil. She spoke some English, but enough for me to understand what a lovely soul she was.

On our first day in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, our group visited some revered sites of the city, and I was very impressed at how futuristic the city is. I had always wanted to visit Brasilia because I had read that it was built on the site of high spiritual energy, and that it would one day be involved in very sacred events happening to our planet.

 
One site that I would like to visit again is the National Cathedral that had magical rooms. In one of those rooms I got stuck on a couch that was built for very skinny and low-weight people because, when I sat down, my rear end went all the way down to the floor. I was "floored" to say the least when that happened, and at the same time amused at what could only happen to me as my mother would probably tell me. 
 
Someone in our group, a very lovely young woman, who appeared like an angel to me, came and helped me get up. Neither she nor I knew it then, but she would be another one of the angels picked by the Entities.
 
On our last week of our visit this angel gave me a hexagon pendant with six edges to seal our friendship. It hit me - at the end of my stay at La Casa, while I was studying its beauty, that the six edges represented the six angels who had been assigned to me. "My God!" I thought, "there were hidden signs all over the place of the Entities efforts to help me. This pendant was a symbol of the six beautiful souls selected to be a part of my healing.

 
The pendant seems to have magical powers because, when I'm feeling down from the healing work that I'm going through here in NYC, I only have to close my eyes as I'm grasping it, take a deep breath, and feel a soothing calmness come over me.

OUR GROUP

 
 There was something very special about our group that workers at our Hotel Brazil in Abadiana seemed to notice. I was told by one of the ladies at the registration desk that they had never seen a group so lively in all of the time that they worked there. The lady said that our group enlivened the place and made every body there feel happy. 

 
I found myself falling in love with each and every one in my group including Adrienne and the other guide Kathy. There were two that I thought I would have problems with, but found that they were very nice after I really got to know them.

As a matter of fact, the whole John of God area projected a strong, mystical, love-energy that made one fall in love with every creature there, human and non. 

Even the dogs were so strangely sweet. They were in abundance in the village, especially in the Casa grounds. I even wondered, at one time, if maybe the pooches were on pot, or something similar, because they all had that dreamy I-love-you-baby look in their eyes. I'm sorry that I lost all the pictures of the dogs that I took when I lost my I-Phone camera in Barcelona, Spain after a cruise ended that I took a week after leaving La Casa. But, I have posted one photo that I found on the internet that could be a facial representative of all those adorable Casa dogst

John of God did his trance healing work only on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. That's when everybody dressed in white. The reason for this is because the Entities found it easier to see inside of the body being treated when the person was wearing white. We were even advised to wear white undergarments. I really disliked wearing white because it made me look so pale, and gave me that blah and chubby look. Therefore, as soon as I was through sitting current or going in front of John of God, I would run to my room at the hotel, and put on my normal civilian clothing, and feel better. But two of my angels, to my surprise, told me that I looked beautiful wearing white, go figure!
 
Our first day of JOG's healing was a national holiday in Brazil, and the big hall waiting room was filled with more than the normal amount of people. It took our group an inordinate amount of time to go into the Entity room where John of God was in a trance healing people. Our guide told us that ever since Oprah came to visit La Casa in March, an avalanche of people, from all over the States and the world, were coming to La Casa. Because of this fact, that day was very stressful for our group.
 

                                                    THE CURRENT ROOM

The first room that one enters in the line to see JOG is called the Current Room. The room here is filled with people, sitting with their eyes closed and meditating, sending currents of supporting energy to JOG while the healing session is going on. They stay there in prayer and meditation until the last person is seen by JOG and the healing Entity. That could take as much as five hours . I read that if these people sitting in current weren't there to support JOG with their meditations and prayers, he might fall ill. His body is sustaining the spirit of a powerful Entity for many hours, and this could cause physical harm to him. When he first started healing, there were no current rooms, and jOG got a stroke that he himself cured, with the help of the entities who showed him how to operate on himself while in trance.
 
I did my first current sitting - on Wednesday morning the second day of being with JOG - for about five long hours because of the huge amount of people that were on line to see JOG. We could not leave until the last person was seen. Many in my group brought pillows to sit on, but I have not felt such pain and numbness in my rear end since I was in the Fordham University library, back in the early '80's, studying for hours for my Masters comprehensive exams. My tail bone pained me for months, and I had to go see a doctor who recommended that I sit on a donut pillow that, incidentally, I still have, and am bringing with me next year when I go back to La Casa. I have decided to go every year to La Casa for two weeks as a retreat. It will be like bathing in love for two weeks. I will also choose different Casa guides so that I can see which one fits the style and personality of those friends whom I might recommend to go to JOG.

 
I found it very difficult to meditate in current. I kept opening my eyes to peek to see who was passing by, and I could not stop thinking and worrying about Maggy, my cat, who according to my roommate, hadn't eaten nor pooped since I left New York City because she missed me so much. I finally thought of asking the Entities for help, and lo and behold, that was the first miracle that the Entities performed for me. Maggy, all of a sudden, started eating and pooping.
 
                                                KELSIE MCKINNEY'S BOOK           
 
 The reason for sitting in current had not really been explained to our group clearly, and I didn't take it seriously until, about the end of the first week, I read a book bought at the Casa bookstore called, John Of God by Kelsie McKinney. That book explained very clearly the why of all the protocols practiced at La Casa, and made me realize the tremendous value of sitting in current. I didn't know that the Entities could also be healing us there.
 
Kelsey McKinney says in her book that she came to John of God to be healed of something that was not physical, but a psychical situation that could have killed her. This showed me the powers of John of God's Entities. They can heal any dis-ease whether physical or not. I felt better after reading her fascinating book, and knew that the Entities had attracted me to it to show me that my condition, a non-physical one, could be healed by them.
 
I bought three more of Ms McKinney's book, and gave them to three in my group. One was to the angel who gave me the hexagon pendant when Panchito, my guardian angel, directed me to do so. The Entities also must have directed me to give it to this angel because, after she read it, she discovered that Ms. McKinney was there at La Casa directing groups as a guide, and now, thanks to the PR efforts of this angel, Ms. McKinney might be one of my therapists here in the U.S.

As an aside: Ms. McKinney called me today, and we both took to each other like cats do to catnip. We start working together next week. Thank you my 'hexagon angel' for all your efforts in making this happen. 


When one crosses the current room, one goes into the healing room, where JOG receives the Entities and prescribes the treatment given by them. Many mediums are also seated there nearest to JOG, some with their eyes closed, others sound asleep, sending powerful energy to JOG. In this area only the mediums, and the people whom JOG chooses, may sit. The healing energy that one receives here is very powerful. I was told that the Israeli couple were asked to sit in this area by JOG.

As an aside I will mention that I heard that one bro' in our group, a rebellious Latino beloved by many in our group,  who refused to follow protocol from day one, sat himself at the medium's section without permission, and was not struck dead by JOG nor by the entity who was healing at the time. They probably got a big kick out of him. I admired his gumption, and wished that I had the nerve to do scary stuff like that.

 
Nearing the chair where John of God was seated I felt a beautiful, gentle, sacred kind of energy as I walked past the mediums, and I had to control a strong urge not to burst into tears. The room seemed to be filled with so much love that it overcame me emotionally.

Soon I was standing in front of John of God and was surprised that, the Entity who was healing at the time, seemed impatient, and was cranky in his response. When the translator told him why I was there and what I wanted healed, he dismissed me curtly and blurted out in Portuguese, "Surgery!" giving me a piece of paper where JOG had scrawled a prescription for me. Others were told to do current room, crystal bed, or sacred waterfall.
 
As an aside: crystal bed and sacred waterfall are other powerful avenues of healing that have worked miracles at La Casa. I will tell you of a miracle that happened to a crippled Swedish lady who was taken to the waterfall on her wheel chair. I was told by her friend that the lady could not go into the waterfall because of the wheel chair, but was placed close enough so that she could feel the mist of the falling water. Well, that was early in the morning. That evening while waiting in the lounge of her hotel for her group to go to dinner, she suddenly yelled out that she could walk, and raised herself slowly out of her wheel chair. Everybody ran to hold her in case she fell, but she told them to not touch her, and she started walking a few feet away from her chair and back.

 The next day I saw her in the Casa garden, where they have exercise poles for those who were given the miracle of walking. Too bad I lost the picture that I took of her and her pretty face when I lost my I-Phone with its camera, but I saw her there with a friend walking back and forth holding on to the poles. Her friend was telling people that she had been paralyzed since she was in her late thirties. She was now in her late sixties. This miracle convinced me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, of the authenticity of the heaings at La Casa.


I too had a waterfall miracle when I went there early one morning, and felt the mist of the waters. I didn't go into the waterfall because I hadn't brought a swim suit, and was afraid to fall. That afternoon I went for a walk with one of my angels using my cane, but soon realized that I felt no pain and didn't need the cane. I was incredibly happy about this miracle, until my last day at La Casa when, for some inexplicable reason, the pain came back really badly. I didn't tell my group because they were so happy of the miracle that had happened to my legs. 

While saying goodbye to the group that was staying behind, I gingerly limped to the waiting combo that was to take us to the airport, hoping that no one would notice that one of my legs hurt so much. But, about a month ago, as I was walking on my block here in NYC, the pain went suddenly and completely away, and has not returned since. I strongly suspect the Entities had something to do with it. But, I'm still wondering why they brought back the pain on my last day at La Casa?

I remember being so angry at the Entities, that I bad mouthed them to one of the angels who quickly scolded me (with love) for being so ungrateful for all the other miracles that they performed - like Maggy eating and pooping again - and would do so in the future.
 
Going back to my encounter with JOG's Entity who was curt to me, I must note that not all the Entities are rude. Some are very sweet. It just depends on the personality of the Entity, probably as it was exhibited when he was alive on earth. 
 
I wondered, while I was there, why no women Entities? I could well see Theresa of Avila as one. She would make a fascinating interdenominational Entity as she was half Jewish. Because of her very Spanish temperament, she would probably be a grumpy one. Remember how she lashed out at God for throwing her off her donkey, to the ground that was covered with mud, when she was on her way to her convent. Some history books say that she yelled at God, "Why did you do that God!!!" and that God answered her, "That's the way I treat all my friends!" and that she lashed back, "No wonder you have so few!" What a gutsy lady she was! She would make a perfect Entity.

There was no place to sit after I left the Entity and went into the room set up for surgery healing. I was directed to an empty rocking chair, probably reserved for the handicapped, since I was using my cane. Others in my group were told to stand against a wall. I heard that one in our group fainted. 

  
Instead of closing my eyes, like I was supposed to, I waited to be told what to do. The last time I received surgery, three years ago, I had my eyes closed while the mediums in front gave instructions and recited some prayers to aid the Entities in their surgeries, but none of this happened this time. Finally, after about a short three to four minutes, the man in front started dismissing the surgery groups. I refused to go because I felt that I had not been given any surgery. The man practically got down on his knees begging me to leave, and I finally did, feeling sorry for the guy, and cheated out of my surgery. 
 
In spite of how disappointed I felt about my so-called first surgery, unbeknownst to me at the time, the Entities were aware of me, and already had the six angels working on my healing.
 
After leaving the room, I was directed to a porch outside where Adrienne gave us the capsules prescribed by the entity, after we gave her our prescription. Soon after, even though it was only about a five minute walk from La Casa to our hotel, I shared a taxi to our hotel with two other people in my group The cost was ten Reals or four dollars. People are advised to take a taxi because some people have fainted walking to their hotels after surgery. People forget that an invisible surgery is like a real surgery with all its complications.
 
I went into my room for the twenty-four hour rest, or sleeping period, that one is supposed to take after receiving surgery. Those were the most boring twenty-four hours that I have ever spent in my life. I tried to fall asleep, but could not, so I read a spiritual book for an hour, did a puzzle, memorized the numbers of my Visa card, and finally welcomed the pretty face of Adrienne who brought me the sacred soup, blessed by the Entities, served at lunch time, and food.

Even though my post-surgery resting time was boring, others, who were physically ill, received treatment from the entities, during that 24 hour period of rest time, and felt healing energy coming into their bodies. I later heard great stories of how certain members of my group actually felt the Entities working on them. My 'angel' from Down Under was one of them.

 THE PHYSICAL SURGERIES OF JOHN OF GOD THAT I WITNESSED

One morning I decided that I wasn't going to sit in current because I wanted to witness live physical surgical procedures by JOG that he performs in the great hall outside the current rooms. I arrived there early, and got a second row seat. JOG came out of the healing room around 9:30 AM and already two selected people were waiting for him for an operation. An American doctor was also there who would witness the two surgeries and give his opinion to the audience afterwards.

JOG had a helper with a metal dish holding a knife, scissors, cotton and thread. He was in full trance when he performed the surgeries. A young woman stood against the wall, and JOG took the knife from the dish and started scraping her eye. The woman did not even flinch. I was sitting there in disbelief with my mouth wide open. Then he took some cotton and cleaned her eyes, and she was taken by two helpers to the recovery room. 
 
The next 'patient' was a woman who seemed to be in her forties. JOG took the same knife he had used on the younger woman and started cutting into her abdomen. I saw that very little blood came out where he had cut. Then he, with a gloveless hand, stuck it inside the abdomen, and out came a big glob of something that he placed on the same dish. He then started sewing up the cut and let the American doctor finish it. The woman was removed in a wheel chair to the recovery room. The doctor then explained to the audience what he had seen in a most amazed tone of voice. I don't remember his exact words, but paraphrasing, he told us that never, in his years as a surgeon, had he seen what he witnessed this miracle man do.

 MY MOM'S HEALING

I took my mom's photo with me to give to Adrienne so that she could present it to one of John of God's Entities, but before I gave it to her on one of my last days there, I took it every day to the Sacred Triangle located in the big hall of La Casa. I would put the picture in the middle of the Triangle, holding it with my forehead, and pray to God and the Entities, with all the fervor of my soul, to heal her of her blindness. I remember telling them to please not consider her age (93), but to think of the joy that she would receive being able to read again, and watch the setting sun settle over the mountains surrounding her city of El Paso, Texas something that she loved to do. This was my daily prayer for her at the Sacred Triangle.

 
One day, as I was saying my triangle prayer for my mom, I distinctly felt a strong, unearthly energy going into my head, and settling into my heart. It felt like a ton of love had gone in there, and then I suddenly felt all my body glowing. I actually opened my eyes for a moment to see if light was coming out of my body. I then clearly received, in my mind the message, that my precious mom would soon be healed of her blindness. The message was so powerful that I let out a suppressed yelp of "Ay!!!"
 
That night I could not sleep from the prayers of gratitude that I was throwing to heaven. I wanted to shout the prayers, but because my neighbors were sleeping, I whispered to God and to the Entities every prayer, in Spanish and in English, that I could remember since I was a child. I think that I even threw in the Pledge of Allegiance by mistake. I'm almost sure I did!

                                  
                                  THE YOUNG MAN FROM DALLAS


I want to add here that, before I came to Brazil, a friend from Dallas asked me if I could take a picture to JOG of this young man who was in his last stages of cancer. The picture arrived about two weeks before I left for Brazil. I placed the photo of this young man, with the most beautiful face, by my computer and asked God every day to heal him.
 
When I was at the sacred triangle at La Casa, after I prayed for my mom, I would place his picture in the middle of the triangle and, with all the ardor in my heart, talk to the Entities and to God about him. I did that until my last day there when I left his picture in an opening, that was located at the bottom of the triangle, for photos of people to be healed. All the photos were picked up in the evening and an Entity would later see each one of them through the eyes of JOG. 
 
Tears ran down my cheeks when I left the young man's picture among the other photos. After saying a long goodbye, I kissed his forehead, and the tip his nose, and gently left his picture there. He had become my friend, and it was hard to let him go and say goodbye.
 
I wonder what happened to him. I am positive that all my prayers and love for him must have had some effect, especially those said at the sacred triangle. Please God, maybe my prayers helped him die peacefully and without pain, or maybe they were instrumental in healing him. I must ask my friend from Dallas.
 
At the end of this writing endeavor I will tell how my mom was healed of her blindness, and how I knew that I also was on the road to recovery thanks to the love, prayers, and efforts of my six angels.

                                       
                                          WHO WERE MY SIX ANGELS

 Of course I cannot give the name of the six angels because I do not have their permission. Another question is, how did I know that I had been assigned these six angels?

It was during my last time of sitting in current, when I was seated next to one lovely angel, that the Entities revealed in my mind, loud and clear, how the angels were working on me. They were healing me through the unconditional love and support that I was receiving from each one of them, and was told that I would recognize them by the tremendous love that I felt for each one of them individually.

 

 ANGEL NUMBER ONE

The angel sitting next to me, in my last sitting of current, was very special because of her inner and outer beauty. The outer beauty was like that of a beautiful delicate flower or like that of a puppy, and she was also extremely kind and gentle. I called her my puppy because of her puppy energy that was always out there, all over the place, helping people. She moved my heart, first, with the courage that she showed in her own life experience in dealing with her illness that was so awe inspiring to me, and her uplifting and caring emails, when I was in the States, that came at a time when I needed them the most.
 
She was there at JOG because she had battled a very serious disease that had agonized her for six years with unbearable pain and suffering. Whenever I would be walking and my legs would start to hurt a lot, which sometimes forced me to lean against a wall or a car if I was on the street, I would think of the pain that this angel had to endure, and I would quickly depict my suffering as nothing compared to hers. Believe it or not, that would relieve the pain in my legs.

 

I found a beautiful photo on the Internet that reminded me of her. It was a picture of   a little green plant that was growing in the midst of what seemed to be black soot and darkness all around it. I adored that little plant because it showed so much courage and resilience in the midst of all the 'pain' that surrounded it and that could have killed it. By refusing to give in to the 'blackness' that, ominously, was so near it, the baby plant was slowly growing in beauty and in strength.

I visualize this angel every day as that brave little plant. That is now my daily visualization-prayer for her, asking God and the Entities to guide her spiritual growth of body, mind and spirit to its fullness. I feel so good after that because I know that my prayer, and my deep love for this angel is reaching her in a healing way, wherever she might be on this earth.
 

 ANGEL NUMBER TWO

 My other angel comes from my home state of Arizona. This angel 'oodles' in charm because that's what she did to everybody. I noticed that, just like angel number one, she seemed to know the story of everyone in our group, young and a-little-bit-older, and every one wanted to tell her their story. She was at La Casa because of grief - of the loss of loved ones.

 

One day, as she and I were strolling La Casa grounds, we met up with the youngest member of our group, who was in his early twenties, and she asked him if the pills that he had been given for chronic constipation had helped him. He, matter-of-fact, and without blushing, told her that, because he took two instead of the prescribed one, a loud explosion had occurred that was probably heard by all his neighbors in his hotel area, and possibly out on the street, and that did the trick. He now felt wonderful! I, suppressing an explosive Ha Ha Ha, could not believe the intimate stories that everybody shared with this charming angel from Arizona.
  
I felt so cared for and loved by angel two when she would, almost daily, save a chair for me at the lunch and dinner table, and, during our free times, we would take long walks out on the Abadiana streets and talk about our lives. I found that I could reveal very personal things about my life to her that I found hard to talk about to others, even to myself.

During one of our free days, when our group went for an excursion out to the country, she, and my other angel from Down Under, would walk besides me and behind me, in some dangerous terrain found there, making sure that I didn't fall.
 
What meant a lot to me were her weekly phone calls after I got back from the two week cruise that I took after I left La Casa. She would call me in El Paso and in New York to see how I was doing and feeling, and it would never bother her when I would leave a message on her phone machine, or cell phone, telling her that I was feeling emotionally down and needed to talk to her. She would always call me back and leave me laughing at funny stuff that she told me to cheer me up. 

She also wrote me a beautiful letter, before I left for my cruise, that lifted my spirits up when a very sad event happened in the middle of the cruise. I still carry that letter in my purse, and I consider it part of my healing.

This angel firmly believes that all of us in our group were together in a past life. The attachments or special friendships that each of us formed in our group were just a "hello, we meet again!" type of thing from our souls. I definitely feel that this was my case with my six angels.


I will forever be grateful to this 'sister' angel for all the "light" that I received from her. I am really looking forward to touching base with her when I go to Arizona to visit my family and friends this September.

ANGEL NUMBER THREE

 Before I left for Abadiana my mother told me that she would ask her favorite Archangel, Michael, to take good care of me while I was in Brazil, and I definitely felt him there in the spirit, and even physical looks of my angel from Down Under. It was almost an instant attraction of a unique friendship that we both felt for each other when we first met.

 What I most liked about this angel was his 'wicked' sense of humor, and how he loved to discuss the spiritual and metaphysical - my favorite subjects. He also became instantly protective of me, almost like he was following orders from Archangel Michael and from my mom. He also had some amazing NDE's (near death experiences) during three heart attacks that he had in Australia. I noticed that he displayed a certain ethereal gentleness and outer-world demeanor to him that I observed in all near death experiencers whom I had met. What a jewel of a man he is!
 
 I loved it when, so many times, after coming out of current or the big hall, and I was outside on the Casa grounds, someone would hug me tight from behind and plant a big kiss on my cheek. I always retorted with, "That had better be whom I think it is, or I'm calling the cops!" And of course, it was always my 'Archangel Michael' teasing me like he would a sister.
 
I took several pictures of him during my two weeks at La Casa to show to my mom, whom I planned to see in El Paso after my cruise. There is one photo of the Archangel Michael that my mom had in her bedroom that looks exactly like one lovely photo that I took of my Aussie Angel.
 
On my last day at La Casa he took me aside and gave me a big brotherly lecture. He told me how much he cared for me, and handed me a note where he clearly gave me great advise of what he felt I should do in order to heal. I will treasure that note forever. Thank you God! Thank you Entities for picking this particular angel, with the endearing Aussie accent, as one of my healing angels.

ANGEL NUMBER FOUR

Have any of you ever looked into a strangers eyes and seen God? That's exactly what happened to me when, during the meal with our group at the churrascaria restaurant in Brasilia, I looked into my next angels eyes and saw such incredible beauty of soul that I was taken aback. Her eyes were like an open window emanating tremendous kindness, compassion and wisdom. I once experienced this beauty of soul when I met the Dalai Lama face to face, a few years ago, in New York City.
 
She was sitting next to me in the restaurant, and I liked her instantly; first, because she had a terrific sense of humor, and second, because she laughed at all my silly jokes. 


I'll never forget an event where she demonstrated incredible unconditional love for me, that I needed at the time, because I was feeling somewhat down.
 
This angel found out that I could sing, after I sang a few bars for her - under the wonderful influence of two glasses of wine - of one of my favorite Latino songs at the churrascaria restaurant in Brasilia. Well, a few nights after that, on one balmy evening in Abadiana, when many in our group were having a good time singing and playing the guitar at a popular restaurant named Fruitties, she and her daughter asked me to sing various times, and I had to say no because of a chronic case of shyness that has been my cross ever since I was a child. And I felt so bad that I had refused.
 
I was just barely recovering from a heart breaking incident that I had in Sydney, Australia where I had gone, a month before, to the birthday bash of a friend's 88 year old mother. I was asked to sing for the mom there, and when I said that I couldn't, some asked me, in a disappointed way, why I had refused. It hurt so much to realize that I had let down some people, whom I loved, and who knew that I could sing well. 

The memory of that night was still lingering in my heart when this incident happened where, again, I thought I had been a disappointment.
 
Well, the next morning when I didn't show up for breakfast, some of the angels thought it was because I felt bad about not singing the night before, and there was much truth to that. This angel number 4 came to me, in private afterwards, and told me something that left an unforgettable dent in my heart. She told me that it didn't matter if I sang or not, what mattered most to her was that I know that I am a beautiful person, no matter what I do, and that she was sure even the Entities felt that way about me. I will never forget the relief and immense love that I felt in my heart for this compassionate sister angel!
 
I pray for each angel individually during a meditation of twenty minutes that I do every night before going to bed, and when it's time to pray for this angel, a smile always comes to my face, I don't know why. It could be because pure souls like her always produce smiles in ones heart.

ANGEL NUMBER FIVE

Then there was the angel that I call my shining light because, everywhere that she was in Abadiana, the lights seemed to shine brighter. and I'm not talking about the light bulbs.

She was the main cause of all the joy that the workers at the hotel Brazil saw in the lobby every night. I met her when she sat next to me in the group bus after we left the National Cathedral in Brasilia, and I was taken by her charming, easy-going nature, and oh so pretty face.

She became the 'laughing' healer of our group because she had the art of making people laugh and forget, even if temporary, any pain or sorrow that had brought them there. Whenever I was feeling down I would always look for this angel to cheer me up.
 

I adore her for the joy that she projects when she sees that a person or place needs fun and laughter, and because she took away a lot of my shyness, with her sisterly teasing and advise, those two weeks in Abadiana.

 

She now writes me such encouraging emails regarding my healing where she also shares her spiritual wisdom with me. I know that I will learn much from her and heal faster because of it.
 
The letters of love and encouragement, the pendent and crystal that both this angel and her mom gave me at the end of our two weeks, I will treasure for the rest of my life.

ANGEL NUMBER SIX

 
This angel I will name because she is a guide there at La Casa, and not only do I want everyone reading this to know about her, in case you ever want her as a guide,

but I want her to know how her sound advise, and the love that she gave me helped me tremendously.  

When I told Adrienne Grierson the reason why I was there, she took a long look at me and gave me the longest hug.

In taking me under her wing she scheduled a private meeting with me to give me guidelines as to how to proceed in NYC to heal, and she strongly advised that I find a private therapist, that I now have, thanks to the intervention of angel number one.

 I had been looking for a person like her for years to give me that push that I needed, and here she was, in the little village of Abadiana Brazil, guiding me onto the path that would eventually lead me to 'the light at the end of the tunnel.'
Thank you Adrienne!



                              THE ENTITIES AND THE CINDERELLA EFFECT

Before I went to my two week adventure at La Casa, I had decided to go 'au naturel', which meant that I took absolutely nothing to make me look gorgeous, except for maybe a comb. That was the extent of the beauty stuff that was in my suitcase. 

I had planned to not socialize at all, and just be by myself in silent prayer and contemplation...HA!!! Well, I could not believe it when I started to hear from all my angels at La Casa, one by one,  how beautiful I looked. I asked them in a you-must-be-kidding tone of voice, "you must certainly mean, errr, possibly, inner beauty?" Yes, they all said, but more than that, you are really outwardly beautiful. 

I was shocked, and in disbelief when I would look at myself in the mirror every morning and night, and always, an exhausted, pale, leave-me-alone-already Betina would stare back at me. 
 
When I told one of my sisters, who lives in California, about this phenomenon, via my frequent calls to my family, she, with a suppressed laugh, told me, "Beti, why don't you show the angels your passport picture, that should wake them up fast!"

But in a sense, I didn't want them to 'wake up' because it was getting to be a lot of fun pretending to be as beautiful as Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and yes, Miss Piggy. 

Then one day it hit me, while pondering in the Casa gardens, that it was those rascal Entities who had produced this phenomena in order to point out to me who my angels were, because no one else in our group of twenty-three ever told me that I was that cute. 

But, interestingly, I also noticed that I was seeing my six angels, more and more each day, filled with an awesome, magical beauty of mind and body that had to come, not only from their natural physical beauty, but from their souls, and the love-filled atmosphere of La Casa. That was the same phenomenon that they were observing in me!

 

HOW MY MOM AND I WERE HEALED

When I left Abadiana I thought of maybe canceling my European cruise, scheduled for a week after I left La Casa, to go and be with my mom as her kidneys had been failing her, but then I remembered the 'mystical' experience that I had at the sacred triangle, when I was so clearly told that my mom would be healed of her blindness very soon. That's what convinced me to get on that Norwegian Cruise Line ship that sailed from Venice.

 
It was, on June 20th, when the cruise ship was to land in Ephesus Turkey, a tour stop,  that I suddenly got very sick with a stomach problem. The tour would take those who had signed up for it to Mary's house--the mother of Jesus. She had been taken there by John, the apostle, after Jesus was crucified.

My roommate, Grace, who was my cruise companion, took the Ephesus tour by herself. At the end of the house tour she noticed that there was a sign-out book inside the house where one wrote down a request to Mary. 
 
Grace's request, written in my name, at exactly 11 AM (one was asked to write down the time), was that my mom be given back her sight. Well, on that day, June 20th, exactly at 11 AM in El Paso, Texas, my mom died suddenly - She passed the veil of this life into heaven. 
 
That was the cure promised by the Entities!!! I realized that there were different time lines between Ephesus Turkey and El Paso Texas, but it was 11 AM that said it all. 
 
Mom didn't suffer. She just closed her eyes and was gone. We, her children, when we opened her eyes at a private room in the funeral home, were astonished that the one eye that had been cloudy due to her blindness, was now crystal clear. My brother, who is a physician and had been taking care of her, couldn't believe it! My roommate, Grace, also a physician, said that both eyes should have been cloudy because they no longer had life. 

  Since we, her family, believe in an after life, we can just see her now in heaven finally able to see, enjoying the sight of her family, friends and beloved pets who are there. And, by God! She is also seeing the El Paso mountains with their beautiful setting sun behind them.  We do grieve her, and miss her, but Mom is free now!!!

 
As far as my healing goes, I have taken the advise of Adrienne and have joined an excellent therapy group near my apartment that meets twice a week, and that consists of the most loving and compassionate group of people that I could only compare to my six angels, my group of twenty three, and the people that I met at John of God's Casa.

The therapy group, of all ages, is composed of gallery owners and artists who live in Chelsea (my neighborhood), of writers, an off-Broadway actor, two dancers, and of folk like myself. 

When I hear their stories, I especially identify with the great anxieties and fears that brought them there to seek help. I have shared my story with them individually, and have been relieved to know that they too have been there where I am now.  Yes, now I know for certain that I am on my way to a full recovery!!!
 
Thank you God, Thank you John of God and his Entities, and especially, Thank you my six angels!

 

PHOTOS THAT BRING "SAUDADE" TO THE HEART

This is the last page where I place photos that bring what only the Brazilian Portuguese word, saudade, can describe - a deep nostalgia that moves the heart with memories of the love that was experienced for two glorious weeks at La Casa.

This shows the meditation area that displayed grand vistas, and where people went to contemplate.

 Orb night on the sacred grounds of La Casa where many in our group discovered them, and one tiny UFO, moving in the night sky, made its appearance.  The bottom one shows an orb experience that I had a few years ago.

     

 

 This is Kate, assistant to our guide Adrienne, who did a great job!

 

Group and me at our last supper at Fruittis.

Celebrating happiness!

 

Exciting group trip to the forest.

 

Almost ladies night at Fruitties!

 

Testing the country food!

With all our hearts - Ate Logo, Hasta La Vista, Farewell Abadiana!

Till we meet again!