"Oh, great spirits give us a sign..."

In the pitch-black of the guest bathroom, illuminated only by a Scooby Doo night light, I raised my hands above my head like an Amazonian priestess. My captive audience – Eli, my six-year-old brother, and Janice, the wild-haired neighbor girl – joined me, standing in silence, ready to witness my first-ever spiritual incantation.

Although my theatrics showed otherwise, I wasn’t in it for the magic. I didn’t believe that stuff. I was there because nothing delighted me more than leaning into my big sister authority. I loved the pageantry of it all.

Using the deepest, most booming voice that my 9-year-old vocal cords could muster, I fixed my eyes on our reflections in the mirror. I spoke with earnest intention: “Oh, great spirits, if you are here, give us a sign.”

The moment I spoke, everything went dark.

The Scooby Doo night light turned off on its own! It then flickered twice…then off completely again.

Even in this moment, as I type these words forty-five years later, I feel the same rush of adrenaline I experienced as the three of us ran out of that bathroom, screaming at the top of our lungs.

“MOM! MOM!” I cried out, almost in tears. I was terrified.

At first, the bright, sunny bedroom where Mom was playing with my baby brother showed no evidence of spirits. I told her what happened, and she just laughed. But Mom went to the light switch, flicked it on and off twice. No lights went on.

It turns out that the moment I had spoken that playful incantation, the entire Parkwood Hills subdivision in Madison, Wisconsin, experienced a mid-morning blackout.

My family later joked about this strange event as a funny coincidence, but looking back, I don't know.

I now lovingly refer to the "Scooby-Doo Night Light Encounter" as my first “Holy Cow” moment.

In my own vernacular, “Holy Cow” events are the strange, unexplainable, magical times in our lives that actively call to us. The Holy Cows are the moments when everything shifts, when this material reality melts away temporarily, and life speaks to you with a vibrance, an intensity, or a weirdness that is often hard to talk about. For me, when the Holy Cow hits, the divine, the angels, or what I lovingly refer to as our “cosmic friends” shout out to us from beyond the veil, saying loudly, “Hey kiddo, listen up! There’s more to this world than you know. And we have a message for YOU.”

With my pragmatic psychiatrist father setting the tone for my entire family, we were taught to be skeptical of all things mystical. But me? I’ve changed my tune. It’s gotten to the point that I can no longer deny the magic in my life. The stories I share in upcoming episodes will hopefully have you scratching your head as well. It’s been a weird trip, for sure.

As this guided journey progresses, I’ll also be sharing my excitement behind the title of my ever-growing story: The OWs, the WOWs, and, of course, the HOLY COWs of life. As silly as these words sound, developing, building, and understanding these three concepts has led me to a deeper connection with myself, increased self-compassion, and a newfound delight for being on planet earth.

I can't wait to share more with you soon!

Your First Mini Soul Quest

Tell me about one of your personal Holy Cow moments! Feel into it. Honor it. Did it change your perspective on life?

I'd love to hear what you come up with.

Let’s celebrate the Holy Cow together!