Welcome to My Life's Garden!

Maureen Whitaker Clifton
You are about to embark on an exciting adventure that I call my life! My life is multifaceted and has been quite an adventure thus far! My life has been like a garden: it grows and I water it more and it grows some more. It is colorful, fun, exciting and there is always something new happening.

When you get to be in your mid-50's, you realize that your life has made many turns, you have learned a lot and experienced many things, so where does one begin explaining who you are, without starting at the beginning!

Because of the excitement that life brings, I wish to share some experiences, insights and knowledge with those who are interested. Please read on and discover what I have to offer in Service to Humanity, to God and to Spirituality and Enlightenment.

Having a strong faith and believing in God has pulled me thorough many events in this life. I believe in miracles and Angelic Beings and I believe in Past Lives - or that we incarnate again and again. Please see my Akashic Records page for more information on my Metaphysical aspects, Light Work and what I write. Combining Body, Mind, Spirit and Soul has become my way of life. My strong belief in God has sustained me in the weakest hours of my life and shed much light on realities and truths. I have had Near-Death Experiences, not once, but three times. Those experience changed me forever!

I have always loved rocks, crystals, minerals and gemstones . . .all of my life. This love of stones and my personal collection led me on a quest to understanding more about using crystals, gemstones and minerals for healing, spiritual connection, celestial connections and to clear the Aura. Please see information about the book that I have written on use of Crystals for Healing.

I have an excellent outlook toward this thing we call life in the physical. I remain strong and happy about living, no matter what happens. Life has challenged me often and I meet its challenges and continue on living. I am a nineteen year Brain Tumor Survivor of my first brain surgery and a two year survivor of my second. I also live everyday with a Meningioma Brain Tumor in the Falx region of my head. Please see http://virtualtrials.com/survivemaureen.cfm for my story about that. I have appreciated all the contacts I have had on Virtual Trials and being able to help others through e-mails and/or phone calls and letters. It is good to see people reaching out and finding answers to their medical conditions. If you would like to contact me regarding brain tumors - plese feel free to email me at Maureen_BT@worldnet.att.net.

Knowing myself well has been a lifelong quest. I never shy away from learning something new, either. As I learn, so I grow and become more aware. My Father once said that when you stop learning, you may as well be dead. Keeping that in mind, I must learn something nearly every day.

I have studied the ways of Medieval Life and learned more in the past twenty-five years about medieval history, arts and sciences than I did in school, because I have played in a medieval group called The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. Visit the SCA Website at http://www.sca.org. On this site, please read my SCA her-story introduction and another longer story that I call, "The Dream" . . . That Is The SCA. When I lived in California, I was an active member of House Bellatrix. Visit them at: http://www.bellatrix.org.

I am a Baby Boomer, born in 1947 in Tucson, Arizona. After my Father got a teaching job in Riverside, California, I grew up there attended Monroe, Chemawa Junior High and Ramona High School. Riverside's Website: http://www.ci.riverside.ca.us/. My Father was a Music Teacher for both the Riverside Unified and Alvord School Districts.(see information about my parents and their talents). It seemed everyone who was in band, knew my Father, because he was one of the roving music teachers in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.

Our family was very active for many years at The First Congregational Church in downtown Riverside. My parents were members for over forty-four years. I believe that one of my Mother's pastels of that church is in the church's parlor. Both of my parents have passed away.

I graduated from Ramona High School in 1965 with about 925 others. In high school, I played oboe in Band and Orchestra and Flute for Marching Band. I was the Uniform Manager one year and the Band Secretary another. I took Modern Dance classes and danced to my heart's content. You can see Ramona High School's Website: http://www.rusd.k12.ca.us/ourschools/rhs. That school was very modern and new when I went there! As I drove past it the last time in Riverside, I realized how modern that building still looks.

I attended Riverside City College which is now Riverside Community College - Website: http://www.rccd.cc.ca.us/ for two and a half years. I took Modern Dance, Home Economics, Art and general academics. I wanted to be a teacher - or so I thought. I did teach. I taught Modern Dance to young ladies at the YWCA during the Summers. I enjoyed many activities and diversity during my college days and I became an adult!

I was an excellent dancer and assured of myself with a little help from some friends who cared. I was one a few gals who danced with a male partner, as not everyone could {or would}. Our Modern Dance class performed many concerts and danced at some very interesting places along the way, including a boys reform school (and I now wonder, "what were they thinking?").

I was lead dancer in My Fair Lady and assisted my instructor with much of the choreography. I even took speech classes and an Oral Interpretation in which we had some drama training which helped with my stage performances. I was asked to do many things. I was asked to be a Photography Model for folks in journalism and one did an article about me in the school's paper. I danced many solos for various functions and learned how to present myself in public. I was asked to work as a Model for the Sculpture Class {wearing in my black leotards and tights - see photo). Fortunately, I already knew the teacher as I was taking ceramics and learned how to throw pots on a wheel - which can be a lot of fun.

In 1966, I was nominated for and received the position of Orchesis President - the Modern Dance Club - and directed some of our annual concerts. Dance, it seemed, was my life! I loved nothing more than to dance! I did some jazzy songs, such as Walk on the Wild Side and wore a very cute pink costume and danced to The Pink Panther. Christmas concerts were things like Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies from the Nutcracker and other fun songs. I was asked to run for Mardi Gras Queen and danced for that program to the theme from Dr. Kildare. I did a duet with all those difficult lifts to the Carousel Waltz and even made a gingham pink dress somewhat like in the movie.

Because of my work with the Modern Dance Club and other activities, I was also a Woman of Distinction, which was a great honor.

Dancing to themes from the movie Laurence of Arabia, I wore about the skimpy outfit ever. In those days, you were still rather covered - see photo. I danced to Tonight from West Side Story one time and many other songs of that era. It seemed we danced to everything during that time. There was a Jazz group on campus and myself and another gal danced to their live music. That was sure fun! If you were alive in the late 1960's, you will remember all the songs I have mentioned. There were many other songs! One of my final concerts in college was to Barbara Streisand's Free Again - to which I sure related!

In 1968, I got married to my high school sweetheart and moved to Sacramento. He was in the United States Air Force, serving the country as a Radar Operator on those old Super Connie's. There is now one parked at the Museum at McClellan Air Force Base. I made a huge embroidery-appliqué project for the squadron in 1969. Last Summer, I spoke with the folks at the museum and we are trying to track it down to put on display at the museum.

In Sacramento, I taught Nutrition, Modern Dance and Exercise classes at the YWCA and then at an Elaine Powers Salon. One day at Elaine Powers, a lady approached me and asked me to have an interview for a job with her husband, a local Orthodontist. I then worked as a Chairside Assistant for a time.

That type of work led to filing clerk, appointment clerk and then general clerical positions, Eventually, I became an Executive Secretary and an Administrative Assistant as I increased my skills. So much for teaching dance! Then, I worked as a Customer Service Rep for two different large sign companies, one in Colorado and one in Phoenix, realizing that as a secretary, I had been in Customer Service all along. However, my teacher's training paid off as I became a "trainer" and supervisor for new Customer Service Reps.

During the Viet Nam War, I had two children - boys. Here are cute photos of Mike at just over one year old and Scott at three and a half. They were a huge part of my life. They are both adults with lovely wives and each has given me a granddaughter. Being a Grandma has been fun, rewarding and reminds me of when my own were little. I will not have any photos of them here until I speak with them and make sure that they are all right with that!

As the war began to weigh heavy on our hearts and I was alone or a single Mother while my husband was overseas, I began learning more aspects of Spirituality, Metaphysics and learned Transcendental Meditation (TM), like many others did in the 1970's.

I also began studying various religions more than I had prior to that. I learned more about my grandparents and that they had studied Metaphysical and Spiritual aspects of Edgar Cayce. One Grandfather was a Naturopathic Physician. I began studying alternative healing methods and about Mr. Cayce. As I became more adept in TM, I realized that what I did was the same as Cayce and so felt very drawn to his life and studied about him, his readings and prophecies.

My son's Father and I divorced in 1977 and I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area while their Dad kept custody of them. I visited them as often as I could, but it never seemed like enough. Then, they moved to Texas and we only had twice yearly visits, if that. At best, if was difficult on them and on me. However, they grew up to be very fine young men, successful and very well balanced.

In 1983, I had brain surgery to remove a benign Meningioma (see previous reference to Virtual Trials for my story). I recovered well and quickly. Life went on and I played in the SCA, took Scottish Country Dancing and Belly Dancing, worked out at a gym and kept in shape. I felt good.

In 1988, I married a wonderful man, my Soul Mate, Scott. We have had a very adventurous life since then. In 1989, we made the decision to leave Northern California for Colorado - which we loved! Although Western Colorado is a wonderful place to live, it is difficult to make a decent living there. We managed to get by for almost seven years and lived in a 1909 brick house - an old farm house. We got involved in many things, Planning Commission, City Council, judging parades, local fund-raisers for the SCA, Youth Days in Montrose, Hosted Christmas Feasts for the Valley Symphony and I served on the North Fork Council for the Arts and Humanities.

Then, the company my husband works for moved us to Phoenix, Arizona, only to move us three and a half years later to Ohio. So, here we are in Ohio!

I am devoted to my Metaphysical work and write to serve God in the Light. As a result of my Near Death Experiences, I see people's Auras and receive insights into what is going on in their lives and Auras. I provide Akashic Aura Readings - see examples of Auras. To spread the information that I received and to share in the Light, I participate in the ULE or Universal Light Expo - Blessings of Light in Columbus. It is a large event, diverse with many aspects of various beliefs and religions, spirituality and alternative care. Website: http://www.universeexpo.com. I will be there in October 2002, again, preparing Akashic Aura Readings for folks to use as a Meditation tool.

I hope you enjoy my Website and thank you for visiting!
Come back again!

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