Billie Chainey

July, 2008
Special Announcement

April 19, 2007
A Tale of Two Kitties

For three weeks, in April, 2007, I was mystified as to why one of my cats was urinating on the towel in my therapy room. I became a detective to figure out this mystery. My first thought was their litter box was not being cleaned correctly. My friend Kiro verified that the litter box was clean. Okay, one answer solved.

Next was who was the culprit? Who spent the most time away from me? Who is the biggest sneak? When I analyzed this, there was only one answer, Isis. Now why was she suddenly doing this? I had read before that for every cat you should have a separate litter box. It had never been a problem since Tigre arrived over four years ago. Obviously something in Isis’ head had changed.

I asked Kiro to buy me a new litter box. In the city of Puerta Plata that is not an easy task. There’s very little in this small town. He eventually found one; slightly beat up on the outside, but otherwise in very good shape. Monday afternoon it was cleaned, a new plastic liner inside with fresh litter, and placed in the living room.

I turned on my closed circuit TV and watched to see what happened. Tigre immediately inspected it and went inside to do her business. Later after everyone had left I saw Isis investigate the outside of the box and then went inside.

The next day, Tuesday, my employee checked out the two litter boxes. In the new litter box the cats had only urinated. In the old litter box, in the bathroom, they had only defecated. And there were no accidents on the towel.

The next day, Wednesday, my employee found that one cat had used the bathroom litter box to do both of her actions and the other box in the living room had been used by the other cat to relieve herself.

So Isis has adopted the new litter box in the living room, and Tigre is continuing to use the old one.

You never know what is in the mind of your animals. These two keep me laughing all the time with their different antics. Another mystery solved by the clever mind of Billie Chainey.

February 06, 2007

Many memories came back to me today as I watched the Montel Williams show in which he featured former child members of the cult The Family. I know this program shocked many people because halfway during the program a teacher got up and made his class leave because he felt the program was inappropriate. I think this teacher did his classroom a disservice. It's important to learn about child pedophiles and how cults have these children captured, and use them in what ever sick way they want to. Montel was apologetic to the three women who were willing to expose their past publicly. He was crying as he apologized. People don't realize what courage it took for these women to come forward and say the terrible things that happened to them as a child. The world needs to understand the sick minds of someone who would abuse a child.

I was seduced into this group by the method they called Flirty Fishing. I fell deeply in love with my seducer and we married. What followed were several years of mental and physical abuse as he tried to manipulate my mind and make me a robot willing to do anything that was prophesied by Moses David the leader of The Family. We did not have children which makes me more fortunate than others. As I read the publications every month put out by The Family I became more shocked and disturbed with the graphic descriptions of adults having sex with children. The final explosion in my marriage occurred over an article published by The Family describing the heir apparent having sex at three years of age with his two year old sister (one of the women who were on the show today). Between that and my husband's constant infidelity I reached the end.

Even though I left The Family I felt isolated from the world even though I was in it. For ten years I did what I had to do to survive, but had no personal friends. I didn't know how to relate to people after my time with The Family. I did not tell people that I had been in a religious cult because they would not understand what that really meant, being brainwashed without realizing it.

Three years ago I started writing my book "Heavenly Seduction," about my experience with The Family. For the year that it took to write I went through mental hell remembering everything that I had buried for so many years. Many people would think that it resolved issues for me by writing my book, but it really didn't, a part of me was permanently changed by my time with the cult. Writing my book made me observe my life more closely and see the pattern that led me to succumb to distorted teachings. I definitely understand myself more now and could never be misled again. Why I wrote my book was to let the world know about The Family, and what cults do to individuals.

I hope that today's Montel Williams show opened up many people's eyes to the lies promoted by The Family. Those of us who have survived know that these women today spoke the truth. www.xfamily.org/index.php/Montel_Williams:_Escaping_A_Cult

January 05, 2007

Today it would have been my parents’ 57th wedding anniversary. This also marks the day of my father’s funeral in 1995. It seems like so much happens the moment the New Year begins.

I’ve been looking into alternatives about how to live. I don’t like the options. To return to the United States would be a nightmare. I don’t think I would survive the transportation because of my health problems. Transporting me has always been the most difficult thing. That’s why I love where I live. It’s very quiet and peaceful and I don’t have to be transported because I have doctors, a dentist, and physical therapist that will come to my apartment to take care of me. So I consider myself very blessed.

Some days it’s very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel and this week has been especially so. I have been focusing on seeing the abundance I have and I’m working very hard not to look at any lack in my life.

We are all familiar with the metaphorical story of two people looking at the same glass and one perceiving it as half-full while the other sees it as half-empty. As much as we’ve heard this, it’s still a valuable exercise to really observe our minds and notice whether we are engaged in half-full or half-empty thinking.

When we look at our lives with half-empty consciousness, we perceive a lack and think that the other half of what we want is missing. We are coming from a position of expectation and entitlement. On the other hand, when we look at our lives as half-full we perceive fullness. It is as if we recognize that our cup could be fully empty and so we are grateful for what we see as bounty—not something we expect or believe we are owed, but a gift. In half-full consciousness, we count our blessings. When we look at our lives we see all the elements that are in place and all the things we do have. This doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t seek more, but we seek from a place of fullness instead of from a place of lack. This fullness draws positive energy into our lives and often attracts more abundance.

If you would like to begin to make the shift into half-full consciousness, try imagining your life as an empty glass. This is your life without all the people you know, the work you do, your home, or your current state of physical wellbeing. This is just an empty, open space waiting to be filled. Once you have that feeling of openness in your mind, begin filling it with all the people, things, and places that make up your life. You may be surprised to find your glass overflowing.

What do you think?

Wow, today would have been my twenty eighth wedding anniversary with Gideon. I can't imagine what life would have been like if we would have stayed together. It was inevitable that the relationship was doomed because of Gideon's devotion to The Family. I'm glad that I was able to see the truth of The Family and not be sucked in and consumed by their beliefs. I'm glad that I followed my own direction. I have a much closer relationship with the Higher Power than I ever had before. This came about through years of meditation and learning to listen for the answers.

I'm reminded of the teaching by Native Americans who considered all living beings as brothers and sisters that had much to teach including squirrels. These small creatures taught them to work in harmony with the cycles of nature by conserving for the winter months during times when food was plentiful. In our modern world, squirrels remind us to set aside a portion of our most precious resources as an investment in the future. Though food and money certainly fall into this category, they are only some of the ways our energy is manifested. We can conserve this most valuable asset by being aware of the choices we make and choosing only those that nurture and sustain us. This extends to the natural resources of our planet as well, using what we need wisely with the future in mind.

Saving and conservation are not acts of fear but rather affirmations of abundance yet to come. Squirrels accept life's cycles, allowing them to face winters with the faith that spring will come again. Knowing that change is part of life, we can create a safe space, both spiritually and physically, that will support us in the present and sustain us in the future. This means not filling our space with things, or thoughts, that don't serve us. Without hoarding more than we need, we keep ourselves in the cyclical flow of life when we donate our unwanted items to someone who can use them best. This allows for more abundance to enter our lives, because even squirrels know a life of abundance involves more than just survival.

Squirrels use their quick, nervous energy to enjoy life's adventure. They are great communicators, and by helping each other watch for danger, they do not allow worry to drain them. Instead, they allow their curious nature to lead the way, staying alert to opportunities and learning as they play. Following the example set by our squirrel friends, we are reminded to enjoy the journey of life's cycles as we plan and prepare for a wonderful future, taking time to learn and play along the way.

December 08, 2006

We're close to the completion of the Website and I'm excited to be sharing my story with the world. December is always a difficult month for me, as so many that I loved passed away during the holidays. I know that others experience deep depression during the holidays. Sometimes we have an experience that we don't understand, but if we look deeply, or wait long enough, a reason for that experience will usually reveal itself. All the events in our lives lead to other events, and all that we have manifested in this present moment is the result of past events and experiences. We cannot easily tease apart the many threads that have been woven together to create our current reality. Experiences that don't make sense, as well as any that we regret, are just as responsible for the good things in our lives as the experiences we do understand or label as "good."

This is especially important to remember at times when we feel directionless or unsure of what to do. It is often at times like these that we take a job or move to a place without really knowing if it's the right thing to do. We may ultimately end up leaving the job or the place, but often during that time we will have met someone who becomes an important friend, or we may have an experience that changes us in a profound way. When all the pieces of our life don't quite make sense, we can remember that there may be some hidden gem of a reason that we are where we are having the experiences we are having.

It's fun to look back on past experiences with an eye to uncovering those gems-the dreadful temporary job in a bland office building that introduced you to the love of your life; the roommate you couldn't tolerate who gave you a book that changed your life; the time spent living in a city you didn't like that led you into a deeper relationship with yourself. At the end of every year I write out a summary of the year's events. It's fascinating to go back over the years and read what has occurred and how I dealt with the situations, and what my feelings were at the time. I also like to write my expectations for the coming year. I usually do this on New Year's Eve as a way to stay focused for the coming year. Remembering these past experiences can restore our faith in the present. Life is full of buried treasures. Chances are, you're sitting on some right now.

December 06, 2006

Had a wonderful conversation with WC. It was great to connect with someone who had been through similar experiences to mine. I have never been able to speak to someone outside of The Family and have them understand the experiences of being in a cult. We caught up on people we knew in The Family and I learned more about the current dealings of The Family. Speaking with him made me feel that same special feeling I always had for Family members. The reasons we joined were sincere it was unfortunate we were following teachings of deceptions and lies. I'm happy for anyone who escapes a cult. It takes a great deal of courage to walk away from something that has consumed your whole life.

We formulated our ebook web-publishing ideas, and plans to complete the website. It's so exciting to be working with WC on this project and not feel so alone. I've been battling so many problems alone for so long it's wonderful to have support, a person who puts actions to their words, and encouragement.