Would Somebody Please Turn on the Light?

By Jennifer Anderson

My dad was one of those dads who taught me the difference between a Philips head and a flathead screwdriver somewhere between potty training and my First Holy Communion. Early on I learned, "You gotta have the right tools for the right job." My father instilled that sensibility, along with the Boy Scout motto; Be prepared. So it came as no surprise that when I got my first apartment, Santa brought me a toolbox filled with tools.

Although unglamorous, I grew to appreciate my tools and used all of them - even the saw, which I carried periodically outside my apartment as a part of my ongoing personal self-defense program. My friends laughed when they first saw my tools, but quickly grew quiet as they watched me wield my hammer and level to hang pictures, and my screwdriver to replace light switch plates. Their silence seemed to imply the laugh was on them; having some basic tools was handy.

One night in that same apartment, I found myself in a heap on the floor, crying hysterically and screaming to no one in particular, "I want to go home!" I was sad, mad, and felt 'done,' unable to continue playing the game of life. Problem was, I was home. What could be wrong? I had a great apartment, high-paying job, good health, and loving friends and family. Despite my father's best efforts, I wasn't prepared for what I was experiencing. Worse, I looked around and didn't see anything that could help. I needed new tools.

That was my dark night of the soul. It came from a place deep inside me, arrived unannounced and out of nowhere, and brought me to my knees. So I surrendered, and came to find that I was 'awakening'--ready to face myself, to find myself. I began to look for answers and healing and did what any respectable ex-Catholic girl would do; I prayed, for the first time in a long time, to be led to the highest and best healer or healing for me. Quite shockingly, I received an instantaneous answer. I heard in my head, clear as day, the word "British."

One day later, I almost collided with a woman on the street. She was British. We got to talking and she told me she was a practitioner of a modality called the Rising Star Healing System. That was all I needed to hear. And with that, I had my first Rising Star Healing session. In short, AMAZING! I could actually feel a Divine presence, and felt 'stuff' being pulled out of me. It was beyond anything I had ever experienced. I immediately felt lighter and more joyful, with many noticeable issues clearing. The Rising Star led me to my teacher Derek O'Neill, who actually channeled the Rising Star Healing System; and to SQ Wellness. I quickly became a member.

SQ Wellness ('SQ' stands for Spiritual Quotient), is an organization of people dedicated to personal development and service to humanity. Co-founded by Derek O'Neill and his late wife Linda, SQ has served me as a portal to higher consciousness, quickly becoming what is now my favorite one-stop shop for total healing and wellness. Through SQ Wellness, I have been given a treasure trove of life-changing new tools that have helped me heal in EVERY area of my life, and cultivate more peace and joy. With each healing, workshop, or discourse, I come closer to who I AM. I even found a loving, supportive community of like-minded friends going through the same challenges, all of us using the same spiritual toolbox.

My old friends stopped laughing at me years ago, inspired by how I've transformed. They, along with my dad, borrow tools from my new set from time to time.

It's been a long time since that dark night, and I can now fully appreciate it for the beauty, grace, and gifts that it brought. It is only through darkness, that we are able to recognize and experience the Light. Or as Derek O'Neill puts it, "Kiss the dark and finish the game."

I have not used a hammer, screwdriver, or carried a saw in years.

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