I have known of Kayla Finlay for many years and our paths intersected, weaving in and out of those ‘overlapping soul circles’ that I so love to celebrate. She is a dynamo with a gentle spirit and her radiant energy is a catalyst for healing. She celebrates life fully and freely. Kayla is celebrating something new these days as she is a contributing author to Bernie Siegel’s new book, entitled “A Book of Miracles”.
How do you live your bliss?
In its simplest form, I would say “I do what I love, and love what I do.” I celebrate life with my five adult children and my four beautiful grandchildren, as well as with my most beloved friends.
When you look in the ‘mirror of life’, what do you see reflected back to you?
What a thoughtful question… If I think of the reflection of the “mirror of life” in general terms, I see an out of balance world that is filled with evolving conscious beings who are seeking to create and maintain balance for the highest good for all concerned.
If the question is directed to the “mirror of my life”, I would have to actually respond with the same answer. I believe the key to a healthy, sound, peaceful joyful life for humans and for our planet is to constantly seek balance in a conscious manner.
Change is constant, so it would benefit us to be mindful and flexible in the ways we invite balance into our ever changing lives.
How did you grow into the person that you are? Any pivotal events or defining moments come to mind?
I was literally born in St. Michael’s Orphanage, Hopewell NJ and then placed for adoption after my young 17 year old birth mother gave birth to me in 1953. My sense is when you come into the world under such emotionally stressful circumstances, a higher power watches over you a bit more closely, perhaps offering you some protection and guidance in a manner similar to a loving family unit.
I always had a sense I was being watched over, guided and protected, and still feel so in this very moment,.
I do believe my defining or pivotal moment was an awakening to consciousness during the birth and subsequent death of my first daughter, Lynn Anne in May of 1972. I had a near death experience during her birth as my heart stopped beating while I was hemorrhaging. Fifty one weeks later, after the birth and subsequent death of my firstborn son Joseph John, in May of 1973, I would have to say my awakening to consciousness deepened. By the time I was diagnosed with cancerous ovarian tumors at age 20, I found myself looking at life much differently than I had for my first 19 years of life. I was guided to read Bernie Siegel, MD “Love, Medicine and Miracles” which I believe was the opening of a new path of understanding and consciousness for me.
What is the difference in your mind, between healing and curing?
I appreciate you asking this question because it is an integral point in my understanding.
When I think of the definition of “curing” in my mind I see the complete removal of a physical ailment, disability, symptom or illness.
When I ponder the definition of “healing” I see focus and intention in a holistic manner which addresses our Mind-Body-Soul. Last summer a beautiful young woman and mother who was thirty years young, came to me in the final stages of pancreatic cancer. She held out hope for a miracle. She had already had her pancreas, gallbladder and appendix removed, all of which left her in a weakened state, yet her spirit was anything but weak. Her will to live for her three year old daughter and husband was inspiring. Her sense of humor and heartfelt optimism, that she, “would beat this disease”, was contagious.
She and I spoke of the difference between curing and healing. I prayed for a miracle on her behalf as I offered her my energy healing services. When she would come to me to find relief from the pain, she would smile and say “I’m going to beat this and prove all the doctors wrong!”
In September of 2010, she called me to Abington Hospital for an energy session for pain relief. As always, I was humbled and honored to have the time with her. The day after I saw her, I was called by my dear friend Margo to come up to Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN . She asked me to be with her during her last week of life after a long battle with metastasized breast cancer. While I was there by her side, I received a call from my young client back in Pennsylvania , asking to see me. I told her where I was but I would come to see her the following week upon my return.
When I returned the following week, I learned of her death. I was deeply saddened by the loss of such a vibrant young woman. I kept asking myself, with all of the miracles I personally witness, often on a daily basis, why couldn’t she have received a “cure?”
I arrived home the night before her funeral, and after the service, I introduced myself to her mother. As we hugged with the similar yet unspoken bond of mothers who had lost their daughters, I apologized for not being able to help her daughter to remain with us. Her mother whispered in my ear, “Kayla, do you have any idea of how “healed” she was during her visits with you? She always returned with a sense of hope and peace.” She then immediately took me to meet her daughter’s husband. During his warm embrace, he said the same thing to me.
There is no “cure” for death. It is inevitable for all human forms. However, healing involves arriving at a place or point in one’s life where you are at peace with yourself and the world around you. It is not unusual when love, peace and joy are accessed, the body heals itself. It happens all the time. Sometimes it is too late for a cure after one’s body has been sliced, diced, radiated and chemo-therapied. It is difficult for our bodies to heal if integral parts are missing or damaged. However it is never too late to experience Healing in all of its forms. Music and Art can be healing. Laughter and Love are healing. Reaching out to someone with understanding and unconditional support is healing. Simply smiling as you encounter another person can be a healing moment in their life and in yours.
How do you define ‘energy’?
I define energy as a “life force”. Every living thing has its own energy within which radiates into the environment around it. Though many times energy isn’t visible to the naked eye, it can most certainly be palpably felt. We can’t see the air around us, but we can feel its temperature and movement.
How can we enhance it in order to live more vibrantly?
The awareness and use of energy in all of its forms is an ever evolving process and science. I believe the best way to enhance it is to begin to recognize and acknowledge its existence and importance in all of life here on earth.
Just as we utilize and access only a small percentage of our brains, I believe we have barely tapped into our personal abilities to access, guide and utilize our individual energy skills and gifts. We are all made up of electrical impulses. We use cell phones which guide invisible data streams to places near and far. Though we may not understand invisible energy, we certainly accept and use it in our technology. So why not seek to learn how to access and use it personally? I believe each of us has the ability and gift to use their personal energy for healing themselves and others.
What examples can you note about shifts in energy creating tangible changes?
I have witnessed so many examples it is challenging to single out a few. A basic example would be when people decide, perhaps after years of inactivity, to actively exercise. It is proven that by simply walking 20 minutes a day, your energy level will increase and you will begin to lose weight and tone up your muscles. This is a common shift in energy creating a tangible change.
Looking at a less visible yet common shift in energy, I would mention this type of scenario: You wake up one day feeling a bit low or sad. No particular reason, but nonetheless, you just don’t feel yourself. You decide to take a TLC day and settle into your low key day. Then your phone rings and it is your best friend who is very upbeat and excited to tell you about a new project that is near and dear to them. Within a few minutes, you feel yourself perking up and end up agreeing to meet them for lunch at your favorite spot. In retrospect, the only thing that changed your day was the “energy” of your upbeat friend. In reverse, if you were to enter a room in an upbeat mood, and the room was filled with sad and depressed people, you would be hard pressed to maintain your cheerful attitude for very long. Energy impacts those around you.
When I have a session with a client, I am in a state of what I refer to as “Holding Sacred Space.” I effortlessly enter an energy state of connectedness to the Source of all Life and from within share this energy with my client. With that exchange of energy, a client is often recharged or reconnected with their inner source of energy. Their life as well as their Mind, Body and Spirit shift visibly and tangibly as my clients verify.
Please speak about the concepts in your book Twelve Bowls: A Teaching in Consciousness.
My first book appeared as channeled wisdom accessed while I was in a state of “Holding Sacred Space” for a dear friend, who asked me a question of what she should do to bring health and well being into her daily life.
What presented was a guide or practice that would initiate or trigger the vibration of Desire. It is my understanding that desire is not an emotion, but rather a vibration that resonates to the very core of our being. When we learn to access desire, you can immediately feel the physical vibration in your body. It is different than simply stating what you want, or need to have in your life. From this vibration, all things are possible!
Due to our culture or upbringing, many of us have not learned how to access our feelings, emotions, hearts and spirits. We have forgotten how to listen to our “gut instinct”, our intuition. In Twelve Bowls: A Teaching in Consciousness, there is a simple, yet effective guide to accessing and activating our desire and intuition.
You have contributed to an anthology by Bernie Siegel called A Book of Miracles. What is your story about?
Bernie Siegel, MD has been a defining presence in my life since I was 19 years old. His compassionate, wise and inspirational books have appeared in my life as I most needed to read them. When I asked him to write a cover blurb on my first book, he graciously accepted and then asked me if I would submit a story or two for his book which was heading for the publisher the next day. I jumped at the opportunity and then had to decide which of the many miracles that have appeared in my life I should submit.
The editor accepted the two stories I submitted, for which I am most appreciative.
“Miracles in the Moments of Life” is about my miracle of finding and meeting a “soul sister” Laura Szabo-Cohen, during what was the most devastating time in our lives after our respective twenty-one year old sons were diagnosed with a rare and incurable, life threatening disease called Gardner Syndrome/Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. It is a modified version of an inspirational story about Life, Love, Family and the Power of Prayer.
“Asking the Ancestors to Appear” is the story of my deceased father’s spirit emerging from the window of the room where he spent his last six months of his life, while we cared for him in Spirit Creek (my home and healing arts center) before his death. A photo of this mystical event, along with a photo of the spirit of our deceased friend encircling his widow only two weeks after his sudden passing from a motorcycle accident, were captured during my wedding ceremony. Each of these photos was captured on film from two different cameras. It is a story about the mystical moments that unfold when Love, Prayer, Joy and Celebration of Life intersect.
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