On June 18, 2001 Betty Bethards appeared on the San Francisco cable channel, BAY- TV. This would be one of her last TV appearences before her death on July 30, 2002. The 7:55 clip centers on the third edition of her Dream Book, and Betty gives some down to earth thoughts about different dream topics.
We thought it would be a great tribute to Betty to make this video available again as we approach the fifth anniversary of her death. Pulled from the ILF site in 2002, this video has not been seen in at least three years.
Betty's birthday has rolled around again, and as we celebrate the end of the growing season I'd like to just take a moment and remember the birth of this fascinating woman.
"If we meditate daily, by the time we are ready to shed our physical bodies the process of changing vibrations and entering expanded levels of consciousness will be old hat. It will be something we can look forward to after a job well done on the earth. We can particpate fully in the experience". -Betty Bethards, Be Your Own Guru (@amazon.com)
Betty was both a "holy man" and a "common man". She was as much like all of us as she was different. Many of us have stories about our experiences when someone we know dies. With Betty, even being this far removed from the event, it is just short of unimaginable that she is gone. Those who knew her will attest to her insight and wisdom, her energy and determination, and the common sense way she approached her spirituality.
I learned of her impending death when I received an unbelievable email message from one of her friends. Over a weekend three years ago Betty had led a retreat at Asilomar, and on the way home started to feel ill. On Wednesday it was determined that she had colon cancer and by the following Sunday she was in a coma, the result of a brain hemorrhage that occurred following the surgery to remove the cancer. She died early Tuesday morning.
Betty taught that we all have teachers who come to us from the "other side" during meditation and in dreams, and since her death I have experienced many dreams in which Betty appeared. For the last several days I experienced unusually depressed feelings. I was drawn to the ILF web site, where a note from her husband mentioned her death, and I understood where the feelings were coming from - my biological clock was aware even if my active mind was not quite so attentive.
About a year ago I was reading a series of books about the reincarnation of Buddhist teachers when I experienced a sudden insight that Betty had reincarnated. She had often mentioned how she wanted to get her lessons right this trip so she would not have to come back, but perhaps circumstances were right for her to reincarnate. The insight experience even provided her name (I believe she came back again as Betty) and general geographic location (Midwest or South Central US). I am not sure I buy this, but wouldn't it be great if she were back among us somewhere? Like the Buddhist monks looking for a reincarnated Lama, we should all keep our eyes and ears open. The rhythm of her voice is unmistakable. Just listen for it.
In a nutshell, reincarnation is the idea that we have so much to learn here on the earth plane that we could not possibly do it in just one lifetime. So we keep coming back, incarnating again and again, until we have achieved that perfect physical, mental and spiritual balance we are all striving for (whether we consciously know it or not). - Betty Bethards, "Techniques for Health & Wholeness" @amazon.com
Betty Bethards was also known as the "Gentle Mystic" and her words still inspire now, even as we pass the fifth anniversary of her death. While her physical presence is missed, what she taught lives on through those whose lives she touched. Betty felt that her teachings came from God, and these posts can only offer a glimpse into her insight. They are an alternative source for inspiration from Betty Bethards, and are presented as a tribute to her life work.
Betty's birthday has rolled around again, and as we celebrate the end of the growing season I'd like to just take a moment and remember the birth of this fascinating woman. 
