We tend to believe that waking up to our natural state of joyfulness comes with huge claps of thunder or miraculous events. Yet How Did I Miss All This Before? shows that life’s magic happens in the most ordinary of moments, if only we are willing to see with fresh eyes. The process of awakening involves being fully present to life as it is right now.

A psychotherapist for more than thirty years, author Alexandra Kennedy has written an intimate account of courageous transformation in the midst of life’s common challenges—truly a woman’s path of awakening to the Divine. Alexandra’s three-decade quest begins with an unusual transcendent experience, unfolds through epiphanies at three sacred Earth sites, and culminates in the discovery that her yearning was always available to be fulfilled right here, in the most ordinary aspects of daily life.

Through the medium of a compelling, multilayered story that is both personal and accessible, How Did I Miss All This Before? offers a unique combination of rich prose, deep professional and personal experience, interactive questioning for readers, and a wealth of references from pioneers of both spirit and psychology. Its message is for everyone wishing to find greater openness to life in each precious moment.

Endorsements
"What a deep underground stream bubbling up in remarkable prose & poetry and the compassion and insight at the heart of the evolution of understanding. . . a fine work indeed!”
—Stephen Levine, author of Gradual Awakening.

“Truly a sacred book, straight from soul. I felt I was in sacred space all the time I was reading.”
—Marion Woodman, author of The Owl Was a Bakers Daughter.

“In her beautiful language Alexandra shares her unique spiritual journey with us. Her book serves as inspiration, support in the hard times, and the fruits of divine perseverance.”
—Gangaji, author of The Diamond in Your Pocket.

“Alexandra has written a joyful and refreshing account of a spontaneous enlightenment experience— that most mysterious and fascinating event in consciousness—as well as the not so simple process of how it gets integrated in work and marriage afterward. The Eastern and Western mystical traditions have a happy meeting right here in this book.”
—John Tarrant, author of Bring Me The Rhinoceros.

“Alexandra Kennedy writes a compelling personal story of ‘awakening’ which provides opportunity for deep reflection regarding where one is in his or her own spiritual journey. Thought provoking and inspirational!”
—Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. cultural anthropologist, author of The Second Half of Life: Opening to the Eight Gates of Wisdom.

“Deep and tender, Alexandra Kennedy's How Did I Miss All This Before? is like a beautifully written life-letter from a wise and beloved friend. She leads us through life's spirals: ecstasy and despair, love and grief, confusion and enlightenment—and fearlessly shows us how we can all become free and fully celebrate every precious moment of our lives.”
—Hallie Austen Iglehart, author of The Heart of the Goddess: Art, Myth and Meditations of the World's Sacred Feminine.

“Alexandra Kennedy is a profoundly capable storyteller with the ability to share her soul's journey in ways so that we are all blessed, informed, and encouraged. I am grateful for her life-long work, and eager to engage with the practices and guidance she offers so generously to assist my soul's journey.”
—Christina Baldwin, author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story.

“A life-changing and important work. My dreams and psyche were immediately opened to transformation from this book's insights, the sheer awe of uncovering the layers that were preventing me from being who I truly am. A deep bow and a joyful high-five to Alexandra!”
—Beth Witrogen, author of Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal.

Losing a Parent: Passage to a New Way of Living
June 1991
Harper San Francisco, $16.00
ISBN 0-06-250498-3
Amazon.com

Most people will have to deal with the death of a parent; few are prepared to. Addressing this incomparable loss, Alexandra Kennedy shares her own compelling story and offers innovative strategies for healing and transformation.

Endorsements
"Bold yet compassionate, rich in imagery, this book surprises and inspires in its innovative approach to a major life crisis. . . You will want to refer to its pages again and again."
—Gerald Jampolsky MD author of Love is Letting Go of Fear

'This book will help many people with the hard practical task of coming to terms with the death of a parent so that the death can afford a healing of the spirit."
—Kenneth Ring, PhD, author of Heading Toward Omega

"This is an extraordinary book, beautifully written, instructive, brimming with insights into the possibilities for turning the death of a parent into a rich and transforming life event."
—EastWest Magazine

The loss of someone close to us can shake the very foundations of our lives. We look for ways to rebuild that foundation but our society has little to offer. We hear cliches such as time heals all wounds and you just need to get on with your life. But too often such advice deepens the pain and turmoil we feel. Thankfully, there are alternatives that really can bring us comfort. In The Infinite Thread, Alexandra Kennedy presents remarkable tools that have been helping her clients for over 20 years. She tells how to use our own innate abilities for finding the path through the bewildering experience of loss. From writing letters to creating a sanctuary for the process of recovery, she tells how our creative and intuitive capacities can help us find peace beyond the inner turmoil. Using anecdotes from real-life, she eloquently describes the seven tasks of grieving and offers ways to support partners, friends, and children who are struggling with loss.

• Using imagination to recreate a relationship with a lost loved one in order to heal unresolved issues and regrets
• Creating a simple sanctuary to give form and beauty to the healing process
• Tapping the power of our dreams to rebuild our own lives.
• Learning about ancient, tried and true methods for easing the burdens of grieving
• Finding joy in our daily lives even as we honor our loss.

This book is available from Beyond Words Publishing for $14.95 (1-58270-046-X).

To order by phone, call 1-800-284-9673 or email info@beyondword.com.

Endorsements
"Alexandra Kennedy engages the threshold of dying and death with such sure gentleness. The lyrical subtlety of her writing veils the grain and grit of its truth. She offers mythology, narrative and empirical data as pathways to the embrace of the dying and the retrieval of grief not as a desert but as a slow garden of remembrance, surprise and unexpected novelty."
—From the foreword by John O'Donohue, Ph.D. and bestselling author of the award-winning "Anam Cara" and "Eternal Echoes"

"At last! A deeply real and profoundly wise book on healing a life after loss. In a field overcrowded with pop psychology, The Infinite Thread stands out like a lighthouse, beckoning those who travel in the dark to the refuge of a safe harbor. Alexandra Kennedy's book is a must read for anyone who has ever thought their heart could never heal."
—Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D, author of My Grandfather's Blessings and Kitchen Table Wisdom.

"In The Infinite Thread, Alexandra Kennedy gives us tangible tools and ways to reconcile a relationship with a loved one and how to work through unfinished business. . .This book is an excellent resource guide for healing all our relationships."
—Angeles Arrien, cultural anthropologist and author of The Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life.

"Alexandra Kennedy has written.a groundbreaking book of spiritual and practical wisdom, which explores new uses of the imagination in healing loss. If you ever thought it was too late to express love or forgive someone, try the exercises in this book! This big-hearted book is a gift to us all."
—Gerald Jampolksy, MD, author of Forgiveness.

"To experience loss is a fact of life. Yet, so many of us simply shut out what causes pain, only to learn over time that this shutting out robs us of our very lives. This book offers a path to healing from the inside out. . . a way not only to comfort but to the joy of regaining our own lives."
—Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write from the Heart.

". . .this is a book of real psychic weight by an author who herself has earned a national reputation. . . What makes this book so valuable is the clarity with which she provides guidelines to the more remarkable journey of continuing a relationship with someone who has died...This book accomplishes a remarkable task in providing new ways for us to work with the profoundly difficult issues of processing grief, and provides significant new perspectives on this tender issue."
—The Therapist, May/June 2002

To open to everything as it is, and to see how the sacred shines through the most ordinary moments, this is the gift we are offered here. In this jewel-like collection of poems, we experience the magic inherent in the mundane and are left asking ourselves, "how did I miss all this before?"

Author and psychotherapist Alexandra Kennedy transports us to the edge of ordinary consciousness. She offers us glimpses into a larger world—the one hiding right here, out in the open, waiting for us to be fully present. Through her eyes, we realize the interconnectedness of all things in a spider’s web, experience the devastating grandeur of a hurricane, revel in the antics of shoes in a department store, and enjoy an extraordinary "ordinary" ride down Main Street.

As we read these offerings, we feel the pulse and heartbeat of the mystery that lives in us all, and we taste Alexandra’s view of the essential stillness and joy that is everywhere around us.

Tapes

Losing a Parent, Sounds True Recording
Your Loved One Lives On Within You, Sounds True Recording
Bridging the Worlds: Death as Healing, New Dimensions Foundation
Transforming Grief, New Dimensions Foundation
Losing a Parent, New Medicine Tapes

When a mother or father dies, an extraordinary cycle of experience begins. The outer changes that touch you directly-- the family turmoil and loss--are linked to a profound inner transformation. Losing a Parent is a unique guide to emerging from this chaos with your heart and spirit renewed and awakened to greater possibilities. For as grief therapist, Alexandra Kennedy points out, "This is an unparalleled opportunity to make healthy changes in your life." Her combination of analysis and personal sharing will help you:

• Prepare for the massive life changes created by the death of a parent
• See this loss as a prelude to a personal rebirth, leading to a new life based on higher values and spiritual concerns

Losing a Parent will help you connect with the transformative power of your parent's passing. This tape, different than the book of the same title, offers many of the insights, stories, and guided exercises offered in Losing a Parent workshops.

Learn more about: caring for a dying parent; the sacredness of a parent's last days; fears about grieving; the three stages of grieving; the effects of unresolved grief; when old wounds surface; depression and physical symptoms; creating a sanctuary; grief dreams.

With five guided visualization exercises. 130 minutes

 "This tape is for everyone whose parents are still alive, but perhaps failing. It is for those who are watching and tending to a parent as they die. And it is for those who have lost a parent, no matter how long ago. What Kennedy says bowled me over; it might as well have been me she was talking about. But when she speaks of the grieving process-- its stages and what processes one can do to move through it deeply and completely-- I feel as if I am at the feet of a wise teacher. This is a wonderful production, a true gift." —Isabella:Books and Tools for Reawakening the Spirit.

Losing a Parent
from the Art of Dying III Conference March 2000
Tape # ADX-10 two tape set $20
To order this tape contact Alexandra Kennedy

Explore the psychological impact of this major life passage and methods for grieving without feeling overwhelmed, for resolving unfinished business with a parent and for working with disruptive changes in the family.

After Loss
from the Art of Dying Conference March 2000
Tape # ADX-16 two tape set $20
To order this tape contact Alexandra Kennedy

This workshop presents a method of communication that utilizes the imagination to resolve old hurts and resentments, express love, feel more at peace with deceased loved one and re-open dialogues with family members.

Your Loved One Lives On Within You
from the 1997 Living Well Dying Well Conference
Tape #LWG $10
To order this tape contact Alexandra Kennedy

Grief humbles and humanizes us. We are flooded with raw feelings of such intensity that normal functioning at times seems impossible. Alexandra talks about how we can cooperate with the powerful forces set in motion by grief to transform our lives and heal our relationships--including our relationships with those who have died. Through stories and practical suggestions, Alexandra discusses ways to access and nurture an inner relationship with a deceased loved one, making it possible to heal regrets, express love and feel more at peace with those who have died.

New Dimensions Foundation
Bridging the Worlds: Death as Healing
Tape #2271 $9.95 (member's price $8.46)
To order this New Dimensions tape by phone: (800) 935-8273
Outside USA, call (707) 468-9830
By mail: New Dimensions Tapes PO Box 569 Ukiah, CA 95482-0569

The terminal illness of a parent can often be a catalyst for a profound self-transformation. Connecting inner and outer reality, Kennedy uses her own father's dying process as a gateway to wholeness. Using shamanic rituals and other tools, she embarks on an extraordinary psychological and spiritual journey, which she shares lucidly and with compelling candor. The result is a profound tale of the mind and heart.

Transforming Grief
#1 bestseller February and March 1998
Tape #2629 1 hour: $9.95 (Member's price: $8.46)
To order this New Dimensions tape by phone: (800) 935-8273
Outside USA, call (707) 468-9830
By mail: New Dimensions Tapes PO Box 569 Ukiah, CA 95482-0569

Along with grief, the death of a loved one often brings old resentments, regrets and unexpressed love, which can block our emotional growth and negatively impact our relationships. Alexandra Kennedy shows us how, by using imagination and imagery, we can re-create an inner relationship with our loved ones who have passed away: "If we can access our imagination, we can begin to open to that mystery and allow for things to happen that we don't understand with our rational mind." Because our culture is not comfortable with death and its after math, we often try to suppress our grief, and yet, as Kennedy points out: "Grief is a process that is trying to heal us." The best news is, no matter how long it takes to heal, "it's never too late to resolve unfinished business."

Topics explored in this dialogue include:

• How to keep your living relationships thriving and still allow yourself to grieve
• How to go about "contacting" loved ones who have passed away
• How to help a partner or friend with their grief
• What to do in the face of overwhelming grief
• How to help children deal with death it's never too late to heal wounds
• How dreams work in the grieving process
• Tapping into the energy stored in unresolved grief
• The sacred mystery of what comes along to help us grieve

Losing a Parent
Tape # NMT-45 $9.95
To order this New Medicine tape call (800) 647-1110

The death of a parent is an event of primal power, shattering the world one has previously known. Drawing on her own and her clients' experience therapist Kennedy explores ways of making this challenge a rite of passage to a larger identity, incorporating the pain and growing with it. She stresses the importance of contact with our wider inner worlds and discusses tools for accessing them: dreams, active imagination, shamanic journeys (experiential exercises included). Kennedy's presentation is as lucid and compassionate as it is moving, a clear-sighted look at one of life's major points of transition.