Portrait of the Spirit as a Young Man (or Woman)

I read the obituaries every day to see if anyone I know has transitioned. Sometimes, there is someone with an interesting life story. Many of the accompanying pictures are of the people in a younger time. Today, for example, in the paper is the picture of a smiling fresh-faced woman in a nurse’s cap. She looks as though she is in her early 20s. The obituary indicates that she passed at age 87.

I wonder how her life was in the intervening years, between the promising future of her youth and the fulfilled past of her last days. Some people don’t like that the picture portrays the person in their younger days. Today, I realized for the first time how very appropriate it is to publish the youthful photo. When people transition to the other side, they tend to look as they did at their best.

When I give a reading, oftentimes a person who died in her later years appears as she did just prior to her passing so that sitters can more readily identify her. As the reading progresses, oftentimes the spirit starts to show her visage at a younger, more vibrant time in her earth-based life.

I once had a woman in spirit who at first appeared quite old, faced etched with lines. After being properly identified by the sitter, she giggled and said, “but I prefer this” and she appeared as a young girl with braids in a beautiful white dress covered in ruffles. The sitter seemed to recall having seen a picture of this younger version of the woman.

Some indigenous peoples around the world do not allow their photos to be taken, believing that the process would steal their spirits, capturing these forever in the photographic image. Sometime, though, a photo will be taken of you that will reflect the best physical you you can be. It will, indeed, capture the image of the spirit you you will become one day.

So, next time you see a youthful picture beside the obit of a very old person, remember: the photo may be indicative of how he or she actually looks at this very moment.

Namaste