Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary
Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves
traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single
father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old
perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds
of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world.
Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given
him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or
being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left
him with some food for thoughts in life…. or a fodder to justify his own
mistakes in the past.
Episode #89. My love Demi from Elsewhere
Thomas showed some kind of annoyance in his face as if he’d
had a sudden twinge in his back when I touched his holy tools in his
room. On the table were dowsing rods, astrological dice, oracle cards,
obsidian crystal ball, some heliotropic plants by the window, and
a weird mirror. As soon as I sensed that he wasn’t quite thrilled to see me spying
on his precious belongings, I said “Sorry for touching your items, Tom, but….I
didn’t mean to offend you. I was just taking a close look at ‘em..just out of
curiosity.” Well, actually I was lying
to Thomas. Maybe I was secretly making fun of his spiritual stuff like second-hand
toys in the Salvation Army. For all the years of our friendship, I had not ever
been sold on or seriously believed what he said about his faith in summoning
ghosts and communicating with spirits from elsewhere. That night, I wanted
to test his capability as a medium for fun and fully ready to mock him
inside, seeing him pontificate about connecting with my late wife Demi.
Thomas said “So, are you ready and willing to reunite with your loved one now?
Have a seat right over there across me. Before we get underway, close your eyes,
place your palms on this crystal ball, and think about your loving wife Demi. Give
me a few minutes to reconnect with her.” I knew that it was too late for me to
step back from it all and leave the place with a smirk. Thomas might have known
that I was quite begrudgingly getting ready for what was going to
happen, but still looked very serious.
In about ten to fifteen or so minutes, I started to feel
my hands on the crystal ball gradually warming up. With my eyes still kept
closed, I felt somewhat nervous. Tom’s voice changed into some familiar tone,
which had me keep on my toes. I found myself mumbling my wife’s name that
moment. Then I heard Demi saying “I am with you. Don’t be sad anymore for me.” I
could feel and taste warm teardrops streaming down my cheeks. Since I did not
believe this would happen in Thomas’ séance,
I was lost for words and kept silent through it all. Thomas got back his own
voice and gave a long prayer for me and Demi for another 5 minutes before the séance
was over. I opened my eyes, but still could not admit and accept what I had
gone through for the past thirty minutes in the room. Thomas said “Well, it
doesn’t matter if you believe or not, but I must say that I have never tried or
intended to put words in your late wife’s mouth.”
Both Thomas and I were quietly sipping the warm cup of
tea made from rose petals, thyme, and yarrow roots. The tea made me calm and
clear in my head. I felt as if I were able to hear Demi’s voice without Thomas.
If there had been a Spirit Box that could detect ghosts’ presence in the
room, I might have turned it on and shared a few more words with my late wife. As
I was taking off, I thanked Thomas for his precious time to let me have this
painful but beautiful rendez-vous with Demi. However, I was still skeptical
about this whole thing, saying to myself ‘maybe I was hypnotized quite against
my own will.’ When I turned around to see Thomas once again before I stepped
out the door, I became frozen to find Demi’s convivial smile in Thomas’
eyes and there was nobody to be seen but myself in the weird mirror behind
Thomas. The sun flowers placed by the window were turned towards Thomas as well.
Expressions
1. twinge: a person claiming to
be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead
and the living
2. Dowsing
rods: Some hold that the action of the pendulum or dowsing rod
is driven by spirits
3. Oracle
cards: a collection of cards that provide guidance and
perspective on our lived experience
4. Obsidian:
a
dark natural glass formed by the cooling of molten lava
5. heliotropic
plants: turning or growing toward the light
6. to spy
on…: to watch something/ someone secretly
7. to summon…:
to
call on somebody to be present
8. a medium:
a
person reputedly able to make contact with the world of spirits, especially
while in a state of trance.
9. to pontificate
about something: to express one's opinions in a way considered
annoyingly pompous and dogmatic
10. begrudgingly: reluctantly
11. to keep on one’s toes: to
cause someone to be alert and prepared to deal with problems
12. séance: a
meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the dead, especially
through the agency of a medium
13. to put words in/into someone’s mouth:
to
suggest that someone said or meant something that he or she did not actually
say or mean
14. Spirit Box: also
called spirit voice box, which is a brand new tool for ghost hunting and
paranormal investigations
15. Convivial: friendly,
lively, and enjoyable
