I have been given a marvelous gift which has kept on giving for the last few years and during this period of mania is a much-needed anchor of sanity. Although, to most people, the whole story might seem to border on the insane. While Spouse is already moved and I am here to bring the rest along to him, I have help.

A little history: In January of 2001, I went to a meeting of a local group which I'd found online through an email forum. The meeting was in a local billiard hall, which in this case is a good clean casual public place. Always a good idea to pick such a place for online strangers to meet. Nevermind the purpose of the group. I will only say that it had nothing to do with the real impact of that evening.

There was a huge full moon in the sky that night and I stood for several moments just to admire it before I went into the meeting. Then, I strode through the billiard hall toward a refreshment stand at the back where I could get a Coke. On the way, I looked around for the gathering I'd come to participate in.

I didn't really recognize such a gathering until I got my Coke then turned around to scan the hall again. I saw some folks who looked like a possibility and then I saw a man who made eye contact. He smiled and nodded. And I swear, the Universe winked. There was nearly an audible click, like puzzle pieces locking into place.

As I crossed to the gathering and this fellow in particular, I was nearly blinded. I had only vague hints of auras before, by sight. I mean, I 'feel' the auras of other people, sensing their general demeanor or emotional state. But this... was visible. This man had about a two-foot sparkling aura. Even staring right at him I couldn't have told you what he really looked like. I could barely see him through that shining mantle of light. It was marvelous.

As I came close enough to introduce myself and shake hands, I could then feel that aura too. I had an overwhelming sense of comfort, and somewhere in the background, familiarity. I had no clue as to who he was then, but I had instant trust and felt as though I could free-fall into his aura for perfect peace. I was sure that this meeting was something extraordinary, I just didn't know why.

Well, I emailed him and relayed pretty much what I've said here. I told him that if my hunch was wrong, I would never trust my intuition again. I was somewhat confident that he would be open to this little hoodoo boogity side of the meeting. The gathering had proceeded apace that night, and left no room for discussing my experience with the guy. As I said, the gathering had absolutely no connection to anything like what I saw and felt. It was not in any way a spiritual context. However, he and I sat together at that meeting and I think we were shoulder to shoulder the whole time, either touching or nearly so. We were drawn together like magnets, like two halves of one whole, or kindred souls.... though we said not a word concerning anything remotely related to such a topic.

To cut a long story short, he had experienced something too when we met. Unfortunately he didn't get to see his own light show. In the time since, over the last three years, we've spent a lot of hours discussing that meeting and just about everything else in the cosmos, across lifetimes, even millenia. We have some clues about who we are to each other. It is a gift beyond measure for us to be able to spend time together, again, in physical reality.

I must add that as deep as this relationship sounds, this man is not my spouse and not intended to be so in this lifetime. We have work to do, together and separately. It seems perfectly appropriate for us to do it from separate households with separate lifemates, etc. We're both fine with this. Our relationship does not destabilize our lives otherwise. In fact, in some ways, it provides strengthening and support.

I know this would be difficult, if not impossible, for a lot of people to understand, but I am secure in this relationship just exactly as it is. So is he. Furthermore, Spouse knows about this fellow and what we've been up to, at least the stuff he doesn't find boring or too weird ;) He is also fine with it.

Which brings me back to now. Early on, I nicknamed my friend and soul pathmate "Ghost". (Longer story there.) He has been able to come help me with all the things that must be done to this house to make it show and sell well. He has also provided moral support and absolute sanity preservation during this period.

I may later expound more on our relationship, but the main thing to say at this junction, and always, is that I am extremely thankful for Ghost and for this time we have together. No matter where we go from here, we will always have this, and we can store it along with all the other memories we have together from a past too long to recount. In truth, we are well aware that on a soul level we are nearly inseparable. I repeat, I am grateful.