Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

"You MUST have a story behind your avatar," my friend Andy asked earlier this week. He recently installed a new avatar program on his own wonderful blog The Spicy Cauldron and the animated .gif you see above is the avatar I am using. Long time users of the PSICAN message forums will recognize it, and a few already know the full story as to why I've chosen it.

As I began to type my reply to Andy I realised that it would be rather lengthy for a comment, and since the story has a hint of paranormality attached to it, I figured it may just make for a fun entry here.

Firstly for those who may not know the avatar is made up of images of H.R.H Queen Elizabeth I of England, the Tudor Rose, and her tomb in Westminster Abbey, London. Since the animation part does not appear to be working here, you'll need to surf over to Andy's blog to view it in all it's glory.

"The Ditchley Portrait", c.1592. Marcus Gheeraerts, the Younger.

Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry the Eighth, and Anne Bolelyn, the much hoped for prince who was in fact in my opinion one of the greatest of all English monarchs. A short biography of her life and reign may be read here. She is the queen from which we get the term "The Elizabethan Age."

To say I have been having a love affair with this long deceased Queen is to put it mildly. Perhaps weird obsession might be more apt a term to describe my collection of Elizabeth I memorabilia. From documentaries, to films, to every conceivable book, biography, figurine, paperdolls, pub signs and even a large portrait of her Majesty hanging in our livingroom, I collect it all!

Why this obsession? I honestly don't know. I have always loved reading about strong, intelligent women throughout history, and my bookshelves are filled with biographies, and historical texts on many of them, however I am not even remotely as enamored with any of them as I am with Elizabeth. I have even toyed with the idea of dying my hair red on several occasions ... but never went that far!

Since my better half Matthew is a complete Anglophile he has never discouraged this. If anything he has encouraged it, but openly admits to some trepidation about accompanying me to her tomb, lest I breakdown in complete state of mourning. We'll see, although I will bring a rose to leave at her grave.

Now whilst my weird obsession is known by my very close friends and some family it is not something I often discuss unless meeting someone with a similar interest in Tudor English history. I have never discussed it online as the majority of my internet time is taken up with paranormal subjects. With that said ... I will now relate a curious first meeting I had with an over-the-top, rather eccentric psychic by the name of Nikki.

A few years ago, Matthew and I were regular contributors to a radio show here in Toronto, Canada called Mind Shift. Mind Shift was very similar to the US radio broadcast of the Art Bell Show. It covered all manner of Fortean topics, and we were the resident ghosts "experts." More often than not we would cover the three hour long program with Nikki - Psychic of the Stars (so named because of her work with celebs).

I enjoyed the radio shows, and working with Nikki was a lot of fun because of her colourful nature ...but I digress....

The first time I met Nikki was in the backroom of the studio we used at CFRB 1010 to broadcast the show. I walked in with my notes and proceeded to introduce myself. We had never met before, nor did she know who I was.

The psychic gave me a smile and without saying a word sat staring at me for approximately 5 long minutes from across a boardroom style table. It was in a word unnerving! After I ordered a coffee and a water for later on during the show she finally spoke to me. "You are a Queen," she said. She did this very matter of fact, out loud and for the entire room to hear. All eyes turned to me... and I said, "huh, pardon me?" She said it again, "you are a Queen."

At this point I had no clue as to what she was talking about and was rather confused. I asked her to clarify. Never taking her eyes off me, she went on to explain that she felt I was a historical figure that was reincarnated. "A part of the soul of a long dead Queen now resided within me," she stated.

I will preface my reaction by telling you gentle reader I do believe in the possibility of reincarnation, but my immediate and repressed (because I am a very polite person by nature) response was to burst out laughing and roll my eyes!

How preposterous! I mean c'mon! Why is it we never hear of psychics telling people they were a peasant rucking the muck in a former life. Frankly I would have been more believing initially if she said I was a chambermaid and cleaned the chamber pots. Let's face it there were far more folks doing that then there were Cleopatras ...

I stared quite intently back at Psychic Nikki and I asked, "How lovely, which one?"

"You know," she said.

"You are the Queen that you always read about, the one to which you would dye your hair to resemble."

Ok. I admit THAT last statement floored me although I never until this very writing admitted that to anyone with the exception of Matthew. I racked my brain trying to come up with a way that Nikki would have known ahead of time. Particularly the part about dying my hair a specific colour and yes for that very reason! That tidbit I had never told another soul.

Since Matthew was with me at the studio that day, the whole thing has become a bit of a running gag in our house. He will call me her Majesty and I will refer to him as my William Cecil (most trusted advisor of the real Queen) or secretly my Froggie after one of Elizabeth's beloved suitors. And yes, it was Matthew who made me the avatar.

So go ahead ... Ask Me ... Do you seriously believe you are the reincarnation of Elizabeth I.

My answer gentle reader is no.

I do not have fragments of dreams of those times, nor recognition of her belongings, nor other experiences that can be used as indicators of a past life. And even if I did, I must consider the higher probability that they would have more to do with all of my reading than anything remotely resembling a good basis for reincarnation.

The only thing that might be considered strange is my reaction to reenactments of that era. I support them, and understand them, but will also tell Matthew they are all wrong!

In my opinion, Psychic Nikki (who believes herself the reincarnation of the famous seer Nostradamus, make of that what you will) picked up on my obsession somehow and that was the true nature of what or who she felt I was.

Now Matthew on the other hand, with his own bus obsession is something different. In his case I do believe there may be very good and strong indicators for a past life in London as either a driver, conductor, or passenger. That story is for another entry.

Still .... I would be lying if I didn't say that at times ... I think to myself how honoured, and delighted I would be if a small part of this most magnificent Glorianna's spirit resided within my own humble self .....

So there you have it Andy .... the story of my avatar..... and you thought YOU were eccentric my friend ...

Cheers!
Sue