Juliet Nightingale
Juliet Nightingale was nearly blind. She experienced several near-death states in her lifetime; in each, her sight was more than perfect and her experiences life-changing. With rare courage she moved around a lot, searching for the right place to live, always starting up Friends of IANDS groups wherever she was, reaching out to others through the media and any opportunity she could find; counseling, teaching, helping. Her radio show, "Towards the Light," became a beacon to untold thousands. It's archives, her legacy to the world. Her website address was www.TowardTheLight.org, and her blog was http://towardthelightorg.blogspot.com. What will become of her archives has yet to be decided. For now, I believe they can still be accessed. During the final weeks and months of her life, she shared with her audience what it was like for her to be dying and what she was going through. DJamil, her daughter, stayed with her and took care of her during the final months. This time together was rich and deep. Last I heard DJamil was thinking of writing a book about her mother's death, and the gift of conscious dying. I'll let you know if this happens.
Juliet died at 1:30 pm on February 28th, my Mother's birthdate. My Mother died the last day of 2007; had she lived, she would have been 92. The next morning, while in prayer, Juliet came to visit me. I heard her first - "Hi Lovey" - her British brogue pronounced and healthy. I turned and saw the upper part of her body, mostly her face, and was struck at how innocent and free she looked, fleshed out and full, light-filled and glowing. She thanked me for praying for her, her words almost playful and musical. Her hair floated about her head as if it were threads of yellow-gold-white, each individual hair alive and glowing. Juliet is free now, and all of us who loved her will miss her. She is in a good place. Yet I know that if DJamil writes that book, it will be a collaboration, a two-some project, a mother/daughter effort to heal themselves, their relationship with each other, and a mighty statement about consciousness and the path of the sacred and holy. I know it will be wonderful.
God bless you Juliet, and DJamil, and all of us, who choose the path of love. PMH
Labels: Juliet Nightingale, Memorial
posted by PMH @ 10:12 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
DJamil's Blog: "She's gone, bless her..."
http://lightonthewater.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-quiet-moment
I was sad to hear of Juliet's passing. My husband and I met Juliet when she heard us perform at a local shop and wanted to sing with us. For the next 2 1/2 years Juliet was part of our group, Higher Choir. She added a beautiful dimension to our usual duo with her high harmony; Juliet loved music and could sing with anyone.
Though she was blind, Juliet had a remarkable capacity to take care of herself and to find work so that she supported herself, as well as running her own business.
Juliet felt led to move to Nashville at one point, and Higher Choir came to an end. We stayed in touch for awhile, but lost touch due to a misunderstanding. Regardless, we loved Juliet and missed her very much after she left.
However, Juliet did leave a part of herself behind. At one point my husband took some cassette tapes we had used to record our performances live (not through a sound system, but through the air) and had the best ones digitized and made into a CD that we called "The Best of Higher Choir." Juliet's voice will live on forever on that CD.
Before Juliet left, I suggested to her that she use "Nightengale" as a stage name when she got to Nashville, reminiscent of her sweet high voice. She did this, changing the spelling so that it was more unique. I noticed within a couple of years that she no longer used her surname, going by "Nightingale" exclusively.
God Bless Juliet. She enriched our lives and touched the lives of many people. I am sure that she is out there, looking down on us all with clear vision and deep wisdom.
Juliet's daughter, DJamil, meant everything to her. I am so glad to know that they were together during Juliet's final months. My deepest condolences to her.
Thank you so much, Holly, for sharing your memories of Juliet with all of us. PMH
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