Jennifer M. Cameron
Usui Reiki Master/Practitioner
(Lineage - 9 removed from founder, Dr. Usui Mikao)
(Lineage - 9 removed from founder, Dr. Usui Mikao)
"You and Universe are one - you are speaking the same language. The messages are there, you just have to listen."

Growing up, I wasn't a typical girl, nor did I have a typical upbringing.
I am the youngest of 5 siblings - the eldest of my two sisters, being in her early 60's. My family wasn't a typical one either. My father and his first wife married young and they began their family soon after, raising
3 children. Having separated close to 17 years later made for quite a large age gap in siblings by the time he and my mother married and my brother I came along.
I am of mixed ethnicity, Arawak (South American native), Afro-Caribbean and Scottish. My father is a still very capable burly big chested Scotsman and my mother was a very petite and pretty West Indian from Barbados. The convergence of temperate and tropical makes for quite an interesting cultural environment in many ways from music, to etiquette, to sports, to cuisine. Many meals consisted of a combination of a lot of spices unheard of anywhere north of the equator, papaya dishes, smoked fish, boiled ham dinner and shepherds pie...and very little baked goods or sweets. A bowl of fruit topped with vanilla ice-cream was the sweetest thing in our home for dessert.
There was always a lot of curiosity from the kids in my neighborhood with regard to the cultural differences in my family, the most obvious being the color of my mother's dark brown skin and her thick Caribbean accent. Though there was none more curious than the adults...and the rumors flew! It was later divulged to me that a petition was passed around from home to home by a few "disgruntled" neighbours to prevent us from moving in. It was relatively uncommon for a white man and a woman of color to be married at the time, let alone homeowners in an all white comfortable middle class neighborhood. Interestingly enough, no one ever asked my Mother where she was from nor of her circumstances. But as the years went by, they came to fully embrace her as well as the close and loving relationship my parents shared. It was clear that during her final days before she passed away, this was all that truly mattered.
I suppose it might be difficult for one to believe that cultural differences within a family would be a catalyst for early awareness of childhood loneliness and self introspection to begin, but it can be. Thankfully, times have changed somewhat for the better with attitudes and complacency in this regard, but when it takes root, it has a life of it's own...be it the fallout from both the ignorance and the silence.
Spending a lot of time in solitude whether in childhood or adulthood, whether on purpose or unintended, over time, naturally brings about an awareness that dwells within the quiet. I can recall often times I would have "whisper" conversations with someone who, visibly, wasn't there, yet I "knew" someone was. I'd ask questions and receive answers. I'd be asked questions and I'd give my answers in return. A full on two way conversation with, what seemed to be, only me in the room...I must have been out of my mind. But I definitely wasn't. I was completely aware and very much in the moment. This began at about 8 years of age. In this time, I began to experience an awareness of spirit, namely, "shadow people", all of which were benevolent, perhaps just a little lost or simply wandering about in curiosity. It all became second nature and, being only 8 years old at the time, I thought it must be everyone's experience as well.
In retrospect, I believe what lent to my sensitivity was losing those I was closest to at a very young age. My Grandmother, when I was 6, and my Grandfather, when I was 7. In the less than 10 years that followed, I lost my mother when I was 16. She was only 50. Her name was Monica, she was beautiful in every way imaginable and the most beautiful soul I have ever known.
She was not only my mother, she was also my dearest friend.
Going into friends' homes was always interesting...still is.
Seeing people from the past of whom once lived there, hearing the low chatter and the conversations I could barely decipher, feeling chilly drafts, suddenly feeling depressed and sometimes becoming completely distracted by all the commotion of which no one else was aware. I hid it well as I would never have wanted anyone to think I was out of my mind.
All of these sensitivities, I carry to this day, only they are more defined and harnessed now. I'm not one to reach for labels, however, with all of the above it helps to streamline them within one functional word. The term(s) that best describe my abilities in this regard are Clairsentient (clear-knowing) and Clairaudient (clear-hearing) or as I like to simply say, Intuitive.
My working career, thus far, had been as an office professional struggling to advance in the corporate world. After a decade of low energy, lack of ambition and no interest, I kept slogging it out, hopeful that one day I'd somehow just...find my mojo. I knew better than to keep going when I kept coming down with colds, felt unfulfilled, stressed, edgy, anxious and somewhat depressed. Throughout my "desk life", spiritual and holistic healing kept calling to me, but I always brushed it aside, mainly due to a lack of confidence in my abilities. But after many long conversations and quite a bit of prompting and encouragement from my husband and two very dear Intuitive healer friends of mine, I could no longer ignore the call...
So I knew what I had to do...
And here I am.
I am the youngest of 5 siblings - the eldest of my two sisters, being in her early 60's. My family wasn't a typical one either. My father and his first wife married young and they began their family soon after, raising
3 children. Having separated close to 17 years later made for quite a large age gap in siblings by the time he and my mother married and my brother I came along.
I am of mixed ethnicity, Arawak (South American native), Afro-Caribbean and Scottish. My father is a still very capable burly big chested Scotsman and my mother was a very petite and pretty West Indian from Barbados. The convergence of temperate and tropical makes for quite an interesting cultural environment in many ways from music, to etiquette, to sports, to cuisine. Many meals consisted of a combination of a lot of spices unheard of anywhere north of the equator, papaya dishes, smoked fish, boiled ham dinner and shepherds pie...and very little baked goods or sweets. A bowl of fruit topped with vanilla ice-cream was the sweetest thing in our home for dessert.
There was always a lot of curiosity from the kids in my neighborhood with regard to the cultural differences in my family, the most obvious being the color of my mother's dark brown skin and her thick Caribbean accent. Though there was none more curious than the adults...and the rumors flew! It was later divulged to me that a petition was passed around from home to home by a few "disgruntled" neighbours to prevent us from moving in. It was relatively uncommon for a white man and a woman of color to be married at the time, let alone homeowners in an all white comfortable middle class neighborhood. Interestingly enough, no one ever asked my Mother where she was from nor of her circumstances. But as the years went by, they came to fully embrace her as well as the close and loving relationship my parents shared. It was clear that during her final days before she passed away, this was all that truly mattered.
I suppose it might be difficult for one to believe that cultural differences within a family would be a catalyst for early awareness of childhood loneliness and self introspection to begin, but it can be. Thankfully, times have changed somewhat for the better with attitudes and complacency in this regard, but when it takes root, it has a life of it's own...be it the fallout from both the ignorance and the silence.
Spending a lot of time in solitude whether in childhood or adulthood, whether on purpose or unintended, over time, naturally brings about an awareness that dwells within the quiet. I can recall often times I would have "whisper" conversations with someone who, visibly, wasn't there, yet I "knew" someone was. I'd ask questions and receive answers. I'd be asked questions and I'd give my answers in return. A full on two way conversation with, what seemed to be, only me in the room...I must have been out of my mind. But I definitely wasn't. I was completely aware and very much in the moment. This began at about 8 years of age. In this time, I began to experience an awareness of spirit, namely, "shadow people", all of which were benevolent, perhaps just a little lost or simply wandering about in curiosity. It all became second nature and, being only 8 years old at the time, I thought it must be everyone's experience as well.
In retrospect, I believe what lent to my sensitivity was losing those I was closest to at a very young age. My Grandmother, when I was 6, and my Grandfather, when I was 7. In the less than 10 years that followed, I lost my mother when I was 16. She was only 50. Her name was Monica, she was beautiful in every way imaginable and the most beautiful soul I have ever known.
She was not only my mother, she was also my dearest friend.
Going into friends' homes was always interesting...still is.
Seeing people from the past of whom once lived there, hearing the low chatter and the conversations I could barely decipher, feeling chilly drafts, suddenly feeling depressed and sometimes becoming completely distracted by all the commotion of which no one else was aware. I hid it well as I would never have wanted anyone to think I was out of my mind.
All of these sensitivities, I carry to this day, only they are more defined and harnessed now. I'm not one to reach for labels, however, with all of the above it helps to streamline them within one functional word. The term(s) that best describe my abilities in this regard are Clairsentient (clear-knowing) and Clairaudient (clear-hearing) or as I like to simply say, Intuitive.
My working career, thus far, had been as an office professional struggling to advance in the corporate world. After a decade of low energy, lack of ambition and no interest, I kept slogging it out, hopeful that one day I'd somehow just...find my mojo. I knew better than to keep going when I kept coming down with colds, felt unfulfilled, stressed, edgy, anxious and somewhat depressed. Throughout my "desk life", spiritual and holistic healing kept calling to me, but I always brushed it aside, mainly due to a lack of confidence in my abilities. But after many long conversations and quite a bit of prompting and encouragement from my husband and two very dear Intuitive healer friends of mine, I could no longer ignore the call...
So I knew what I had to do...
And here I am.
"I never understood the concept of time, being rushed or frantic.
I was never good at human doing, but I have been good at human be-ing.
I am eternally grateful to Universe to BE."
I was never good at human doing, but I have been good at human be-ing.
I am eternally grateful to Universe to BE."
Our Crow Family
My Inspiration - My Backyard Classroom
Stumbling across our cozy little home just on the outskirts of the bustling city wasn't an opportunity we expected. Nor was the blessing of the beautiful little animal sanctuary that came with it in the backyard. It was bustling with birds of many species, deer, raccoons, skunks (which we could only smell but never catch a glimpse of), field mice, a few neighboring cats, and...our crow family.
Right from the off, it was apparent that the family of crows either perching comfortably in the apple trees or flying about to and fro had taken residence for quite a while. In fact, a couple of years later when speaking with the original owners of the property, we were told that about 30 years ago, an injured fledgling was taken in and hand reared by their youngest son until it was completely healed and subsequently set free. For the 7 years or so that followed, the crow would make daily return visits. It's also the prior family's belief that the crows of whom reside in the yard are descendants from the injured and released fledgling from way back in 1988.
Both my husband and I have been blessed with the ability to work from home, so observing the lay of the land and how things ran in our new neighborhood was fairly easy. It wasn't too long before I became keenly aware of the dynamic of our feathered friends and their family life.
The very first thing I learned about crow life was that their family construct was exactly like ours. Crows mate for life and have a hierarchy relative to age. The male and female (parents) share duties while constructing the nest in early spring (mid March). At times, there can be too many hands on deck, so to speak, as brothers and sisters of years prior and siblings as young at last years fledglings help to gather nesting tools, building materials and food. So much so, that at times, the female has more sticks and materials than what she knows what to do with...causing a surprisingly disorganized mess. Eventually, she somehow communicates that it is time to halt the stick deliveries.
Immediately after the chicks are hatched, the parents are spoiled by aunts, uncles and siblings bringing food to the nest. What really fascinated me was the fact that all members of the family either bring food, snippets of stray nesting materials or visit just to watch the babies simply out of curiosity. The parents oblige by jumping out of the nest for minutes at a time so eager onlookers can have a peek. I couldn't help but share in their curiosity too!
It's incredible to witness these beautiful sentient beings growing bigger and stronger by the day from the loyalty, organization and respect the family display toward one another.
One of my biggest lessons, whether human or crow...we're sentient and nurturing beings.
It takes a village to raise our precious young.
Right from the off, it was apparent that the family of crows either perching comfortably in the apple trees or flying about to and fro had taken residence for quite a while. In fact, a couple of years later when speaking with the original owners of the property, we were told that about 30 years ago, an injured fledgling was taken in and hand reared by their youngest son until it was completely healed and subsequently set free. For the 7 years or so that followed, the crow would make daily return visits. It's also the prior family's belief that the crows of whom reside in the yard are descendants from the injured and released fledgling from way back in 1988.
Both my husband and I have been blessed with the ability to work from home, so observing the lay of the land and how things ran in our new neighborhood was fairly easy. It wasn't too long before I became keenly aware of the dynamic of our feathered friends and their family life.
The very first thing I learned about crow life was that their family construct was exactly like ours. Crows mate for life and have a hierarchy relative to age. The male and female (parents) share duties while constructing the nest in early spring (mid March). At times, there can be too many hands on deck, so to speak, as brothers and sisters of years prior and siblings as young at last years fledglings help to gather nesting tools, building materials and food. So much so, that at times, the female has more sticks and materials than what she knows what to do with...causing a surprisingly disorganized mess. Eventually, she somehow communicates that it is time to halt the stick deliveries.
Immediately after the chicks are hatched, the parents are spoiled by aunts, uncles and siblings bringing food to the nest. What really fascinated me was the fact that all members of the family either bring food, snippets of stray nesting materials or visit just to watch the babies simply out of curiosity. The parents oblige by jumping out of the nest for minutes at a time so eager onlookers can have a peek. I couldn't help but share in their curiosity too!
It's incredible to witness these beautiful sentient beings growing bigger and stronger by the day from the loyalty, organization and respect the family display toward one another.
One of my biggest lessons, whether human or crow...we're sentient and nurturing beings.
It takes a village to raise our precious young.
Crow Feather Animal Haven
For the exception of the Crows, White Tailed Deer and Cedar Waxwings, all of our animals are adopted from both Canadian and American Animal Shelters.
We have daily fresh free range eggs.
All of our livestock is purchased from local free-range Nova Scotian farmers.
Our fruits and veggies are home-grown and are herbicide/pesticide free.
All of our livestock is purchased from local free-range Nova Scotian farmers.
Our fruits and veggies are home-grown and are herbicide/pesticide free.
Bovan Brown & Bovan Black Hens (free range)

Bovan brown chickens are very docile, hardy and gentle. Well known as a “robust” bird, the Bovan brown hen is a pretty bird with light and dark brown feathers and yellow feet. Bovan browns can lay up to 330 large top-quality brown eggs per year. They're very friendly and they love to greet their human family members. These chickens are also gentle with children and they love sitting and roosting on their owner's knees. We've certainly lucked out on may facets, our flock are great with being picked up for their wing clipping or even just a little cuddle.
White Tailed Deer |
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Long Haired Syrian Hamsters |
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♥

This is our beloved little Archie when he was 11 months old, chomping on his favorite snack - raw pumpkin seeds. Archie was a beautifully skirted long haired Syrian hamster. He passed away in September at the ripe old age of 2 and a half. Quite a long life for a hamster as their average lifespan is 1.5 - 2 years old. He was the most gentle, adorable, delightful and chilled out little guy. He lived a very enriched life full of love and cuddles. We'll miss ya very much little man.
Guinea Pigs

This is Baby Kenzie, our short haired Abyssinian Guinea Pig and is the very latest addition to our piggie herd. At only a mere 3 weeks old, she fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. Her fur is silky soft and looks as though she has about 10 cow licks (which actually doesn't seem to be that far off). Since she is only a baby, she is carefully watched, guarded and taught proper piggy ediquette by her siblings, especially Jett. She's one delightful, social, curious and absolutely adorable little piggie - we love her to bits! Her loves are food, following Jett and her other big sisters everywhere they go, chilling with her human family members and...did we mention food?!

The importance of adequate space: ample area to live and exercise means that both guinea pigs and hamsters alike are much less likely to develop medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, bumblefoot, skin issues etc. They will thrive and live a life of greater enrichment, balance and happiness.
Cedar Waxwings
Common Eastern Bumblebee
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Acrylic and Oil Pastel
by J. Cameron