The In-Between Spaces

Portals Of Presence

A view of the encroaching smoke from my deck: January 10, 2026 @ 4,40pm

We have experienced a polarity in weather in my patch of South West Victoria. After a week of uncontrolled blazes running rampant in pockets of the Great Otway NP, a rare downpour of 180mm in 6 hours inundated some seaside towns that are adjacent to the park; those along the iconic Great Ocean Road.

Being mid-January, it was over populated with holiday makers. For many the last hurrah of the annual Summer break before going back to the grind this week. It is a miracle no one was swept into the ocean with the dozens of cars, tents and caravans that were washed away from those beachside camping grounds — those nestled amongst the rivers of the rainforest that is the Otway Ranges.

That Friday, one of the two fire trucks from my town sped past, lights and sirens screaming. My thoughts went to John. Part of the pull for moving to a small town was community. He had plans to volunteer with the Country Fire Authority and might very well been part of the crew heading out to serve others. I felt a rise of sadness for what might have been, and though fleeting, I imagined him in Birregurra 1 fire truck.

Later, I woke aglow from what began as a mid-afternoon meditation. There was a weighty-lightness about my body and being. The blind was swinging gently; a poke to pick up the pen:

With surrender, what you are really attesting to is trust in your own expansiveness, belief in the benevolent guidance of your soul. There is a peace that comes with the receiving energy of not needing to know what might unfold. There is however, a knowing that this energy will manifest as healing. This may require challenge, for the soul only knows Truths — delivered how you need them; determined by your choices. Feel into listening — we can poke, though with your invitation, we can clarify what are soul led aspirations. Everything is grounded in love.

I have written before about the team’s advice re choices and free will. When vibrationally aligned to the aspirations of soul’s purpose, the human exercise of choice liberates and unifies as One — thus reflecting free will. However, not all choices are free-ing will. John reiterated in that August 2025 post: Your soul is not your higher self, it is the rest of self ... Remember, healing is a private, not solitary pursuit. As I write, this drops in:

A sovereign soul serves you to see the all of it — this opens portals to feel into the knowing; the getting of wisdom.

The synchronicities are validation of alignment. Soul holds space for her human aspect to process and shift — she patiently waits and nudges, and waits — and pokes. This encompassing love translates as compassion. Her human expression adds to her library of wisdom — that’s the gift of human choices that may not necessarily reflect soul’s will. The gift for the human aspect is the peace that comes with the release of resistance in the navigation of the emotional field of human existence — our lives; our stories. In re-membering our eternal expansiveness, in relation-ship; in service to self and other. The soul does not seek to bypass its kin; our ancestors. It’s energy work.

And with this understanding — death becomes a portal home to self; where collaboration continues in the spaces in-between — for whatever next time we choose. This does not diminish the gravity of losing those we love through death — grief is an aspect of being, she knows every emotion of the heart for that is where she resides. She holds open the door for healing. She is present — and she requires presence because that is how she transmutes pain to gratitude.

Viewed from a soul perspective, our human fear of death is abated as we understand its function as another portal for healing — the bridge to eternity; to knowing. As expressed in a previous post: John’s illness was an initiation in unconditional love ... I better understand this mysticism; the sacred and continuing soul connection.

In February 2024, around the same time I started writing on this platform, I undertook certification as an End Of Life Doula. While I have not and do not intend to work formally in this role, the course offered new insights and confirmed my lived experiences of observing death and dying — it is an intimate, personal and sacred passage home. Being comfortable to hold silent space is paramount.

To hold space is presence. And really — what does that mean? How do we enact presence in the complex dynamics of fluctuating emotions — when communicating with those who are dying, and with their kin? How does our relationship with the person dying and people around them impact how we navigate the complications that are implicit?

To be present for someone means you are emotionally available — to self, to serve other. Ultimately, it is our relationship with self that determines as much.

It is in the continuum of birth to death — and the spaces in-between, where there is opportunity to continue relationships with ancestors. This can offer scope for clarity and an authentic presence in the now of human experience. For healing.

I don’t aspire to tame emotional tides — I feel into them, listen to the body for those rooted in fear. Revealed are attachments to beliefs that need to be released — shifts in perspective. Each exposure requires attention and intention — courage to sit with the in-between. When we understand our own emotional states, we have the capacity to hold the space they need and take appropriate, soul led action. I continue to be touched by death, to bear witness to self and other.

In a November (2025) post, The Illusion Of The Afterlife, John confirmed that we create our reality across the veil, as with any other plane of existence:

Death offers renewal for the soul ... being in the after-life doesn’t mean that souls know all the answers ...

The afterlife is about checking-in with the wisdom of the soul and team. How that manifests is for the choosing ... those experiences we observe and those possibilities still beyond our awareness. They all exist in the universal field of shifting and expanding realities.

So, what does that look like? Having known about the afterlife since childhood — first through belief imparted by my mother and backed with experiences, such as with The Black Lady, The White Lady, and my grandmother Betty Rita (see October 2024 posts), meant I have always had an open curiosity about our eternal existence. Naturally, my library of books grew over the years; some of which resonated, while a good deal didn’t — particularly the projections around fear and punishment.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am practising using the rods with John — to seek further clarity. When I was reviewing the last two year’s writing, the November post stood out — for the core message above and its link to the purposes of past life recall, an empowering mode of interdimensional soul communication. It has me wonder that the afterlife may possibly be one of countless portals of in-between spaces.

So, I asked John about his reality; to see what he is manifesting. I am honing my questioning skills and I am keeping it light — for curiosity, entertainment purposes only, he laughingly drops as I type. My questions were framed around the messages in that November post. I asked the question, paraphrased his drop in, and repeated for validation — she of little faith, he smiles.

The following is what I have been able to confirm about the afterlife and the in-between spaces, from pre this life, to this ongoing collaboration. While it might not seem much, I am keen to keep it as I received it, to not extrapolate. Of course, the context of everything else that has come forth in these last two years of writing gives it deeper meaning.

Many people who work in the field, such as mediums, mention that souls choose to continue their learning. John confirms that this is part of his reality and that he participates in opportunities to extend his knowing. Service, through collaboration and guidance is the impetus.

Frequency determines what levels of learning are accessible. Souls can access others at alternating levels. It is formless, there is no physical reality. Yes, we knew pre this life that he was going home first — the exit point. Our current soul connection across realms was not planned; it is a result of the circumstances — one of many possibilities that became probable due to our human choices. The terminal diagnosis opened that portal of potentiality and the manner of how it played out set this current trajectory. Everybody has access to their teams. Everything is a choice.

And of past lives as an in-between space? In that same November post, I offered this perspective — and there presented over the Summer break a poke; an opportunity to learn and practice another modality of service to soul.

A psychic medium offers a bridge to your soul — a past life regressionist facilitates a resting intellect, so you access your own self — wisdom keeper. That’s powerful for human agency — soul sovereignty.

Until then … next time.

With love and gratitude, my learning continues.

John and team, thank you for the guidance. I love you.

And so it is.

Are you taking notice? The feather moved from the crown of his hat: Sunday, January 18, 2026