Sunday, May 29, 2011

TOUGH CHICKS-LOL - RUSTY DENNIS & ME

                   “I have been inspired by June’s ability to awaken the awareness of many people and to train them to use their metaphysical gifts productively. Her readings and classes allowed me to recognize my own gifts and taught me how to utilize them effectively. Now I successfully do reading and healing for others. June is a loving and knowledgeable person.  We could all benefit through the information she shares with us. 
- Rusty Dennis -

Rusty_reader
Rusty Dennis. Wholelife Expo SF with June Ahern
                                       

NOTE: All photos of Rusty and me are subject to permission of me to copy in any form.

When I was scheduled to read at SF The Whole Life Expo 1991, I encouraged Rusty to do tarot readings with me. There she sat in her “colors” reading the cards and loving it!   Like many Gemini’s, she was a bit of a ham. 

 On the morning of October 14, 2006, Rusty was driving her three-wheel motorcycle - one which had been in the process of being built for quite a few years -  when she lost control and was thrown from the motorcycle after it struck a curb and hit a telephone pole.Tullis suffered serious injuries - both legs broken and a punctured lung. My friend died of an infection on November 11. She was 70.

Rusty Dennis will always remain a powerful influence on my life’s work.

RUSTY WITH JUNE AHERN
You might remember her from the movie Mask, which was based on life as a mother of her son, Rocky. Cher played Rusty in the movie and did quite a good job, but wasn’t quite tough enough, I learned after meeting Rusty.


Today would have been my friend, Rusty Dennis’ 75th birthday. I first met Rusty in 1984 while she was living in San Francisco.  A mutual friend invited me to Rusty’s flat to be part of a study group of Louise Hay’s book, “You Can Heal Your Life” – and indeed Ms. Hay’s book was an inspiration and a connection to a most vivacious unique woman who would become a good friend – 

Rusty was a complex personality with many roles to play; onne of which was a mother whose two children were to die before her.  I never met Rocky in person although I did meet Joshua, her eldest son, before he died. When Joshua’s illness progressed and he was hospitalized, Rusty asked if I’d spend time with him at the hospital to help him transition, which I did. She bravely accepted his death with her usual, I must go on, attitude.  

When people would offer Rusty  condolences for the loss of her sons, she’d reply,they’re not lost. I know exactly where they are. They’re dead

She knew her boys’ spirits stayed around her. One time she showed me a small studio portrait of her and Joshua. Behind them appeared a whitish "ghostly" image of Rocky who had been dead for some time. Was it the photographer's addition -that she denied - or was it truly the spirit of Rocky? Strange and unusual story, but that’s what I saw. 

In addition to being a bodacious chick, Rusty was very funny – a quick to laugh out loud!  She was an original LOL gal. She would puff up and challenge people and when doing so with me – testing my toughness -- I met her it squarely.  She laughed heartily declaring, "You’re okay."

And darn if she didn’t test my toughness more than once. With her, you had to be on your toes, and shake off her puffing with a  laugh. I could dig it and we got along just fine.

Besides a desire to heal our spirits, she and I quickly learned that we had more things in common  –– we liked motorcycles (in 1975 bought my own motorcycle, a Honda 550 Super Sport
– big enough for me) - both  of us were Gemini’s, and had a great thirst for adventure. And then the glue of the friendship - both had a keen interest in the psyche.

After Joshua’s death Rusty’s interest in spiritual and psychic realm deepened. When she learned that I was a psychic reader and ESP and tarot card teacher, she was eager to learn about her own abilities. It wasn’t long before she became one of my star students.

When she moved back to Los Angeles, I visited her a few times driving down with my young son/ We'd had fun with psychic experiences. Once I encouraged to accept an offer to teach a psychic workshop at a fair and to my surprise, she was shy and uncertain  – bold and shy.

End of story, she rocked.  

Another time we stopped by her father’s house and she asked me to show him and her sister an ESP game – open two coat hangers, hold in both hands held together and then point at a person to measure energy.  I don’t think he or her sister was all that impressed with me, but Rusty and I had fun. 

We tripped around LA in her old beat-up VW bug going to metaphysical bookstores, and meeting up with other psychics. We were wild psychic girls!

I think if I had been out of broom closet with my witchcraft back then, she would have declared she was one too just to enjoy spicing up conversation that challenged the image of “society’s norm”.

In time, distance and my growing family eventually caused us to we loss touch. 

I know I inspired Rusty to trust her ESP and psychic abilities but in return, she also inspired me to “show” myself more to the world because she had faith in me. Thank you, girlfriend.

Rusty’s review of my book, The Timeless Counselor: The Best Guide to a Successful Psychic Reading. I know she'd love my latest book, "How to Talk With Spirits: Seances, Mediums, Ghost Hunts". 

Find out more about my books and myself at www.juneahern.com

All photos of Rusty and me are subject to permission of me to copy in any form.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Priests Paved my Witch Path

After years of avoiding inquiries about my spiritual path I became forthcoming to disapproving faces of those chastising my spiritual practice.

I’ve been asked how could a nice Catholic woman forsake God for a heathen practice? What demon seduced you to prance around under the moon naked to the world? What evil spirit took control of your soul calling you to cast spells?

“Honestly,” say I, “it was a progression rather than a possession.”

It wasn't the spirituality of Catholicism that started my soul’s exodus and detachment from it, but rather the "old boy" attitude.

I began to view my religion as stuck in outdated dogmas. I questioned such things as, why women
weren’t involved with electing a new pope?

For centuries Catholic women have accepted backseat roles to male members, proving to me that they, my sisters, bought into men as superior to lead. As I looked around the church at a majority of women, girls and boys with a sprinkling of, mostly, senior men, I wondered why I supported a religion that didn’t allow for powerful decision-making roles for females.

But it was these incidents at Mass that finalized my decision to leave the Church. During a sermon a priest addressed the role of women as mothers and daughters. He said they were to serve their husbands and fathers’ needs (cook, clean) and not question his decisions for he was the head of the family as the priest is the father of his flock. Later at another sermon on Mother’s Day the congregation was told to condemn abortionist. Done deal for me, said I, a pro-choicer. At the age of 44 I left my family’s religion forever.

It was a most difficult and sad choice because religion was a large connection to, and part of, my family. But my spirit sought, amongst other needs, a spiritual group that contained equality of sexes in power roles.

Some former Catholics hold a grudge against the religion. I do not. There is no reason to be stuck in what didn’t fulfill me. I am thankful for my religious upbringing and continue to appreciate some reasonable philosophical and spiritual concepts from it. Through the faith I learned to have a deep caring for, and practice in, spirituality and ritual.

Attending parochial school my memories are mainly cherished ones of my teachers, the nuns. Most were good women and very interesting teachers who taught me to enjoy literature, geography, history and theology.

I’ve created a satisfying spiritual practice through mixing and matching philosophical and spiritual teachings from Buddhism, Rosy Croix, Native American spirituality, paganism, Wicca and witchcraft. I am open to learning about religions that support women in strong decision-making roles in regards to making laws and dogmas for I am a devoted student of living with spirit, spirituality and  theology.

My books - An excellent consumer's guide: “The Timeless Counselor: The Best Guide to a Successful Psychic Reading” and novel:  "The Skye in June” & "City of Redemption.
juneahern dot com

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