# The medium, then Donald asked her to dance

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-auntie-medium-then-donald
- Themes: family, destiny, mediums, marriage
- Life situations: family lore, openness to mystery

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

His auntie (cousin to his mum, still alive at 96–97) visited a medium with his mother before a dance; afterwards a man named Donald asked her to dance — they married for sixty years. Family confirmation: it really happened.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

this story my auntie who is amazingly still alive. She's 96 or 97 or something. And when she was out just looking for a partner in life with my mother, my mom and her like grew up together. They weren't sisters. They were cousins, but they were just like sisters. So one evening they went out and before they went to a dance, they went to see this medium, just something to do. And this medium looked at my auntie and told her, he said, "You're soon going to meet the love of your life." Oh, yeah. You've heard that one before. And his name will be Donald, surname Wolfries. That's not like Jack Smith or, you know, John this or it was a really weird name. Donald Wolfries. A couple of days later, she went to a dance with my mom. They went there together and this guy came up to my auntie and said, "We like to dance." That's what they used to do in those days. And yeah, he was they attracted together and said, "What's your name?" Donald. Oh, no. Wolfries. And they were married for 60 years. He only died a few years ago

## Teaching point

Family weirdness adds to the evidence that mind and life are stranger than we allow.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Before a dance, Ajahn Brahm's aunt and mother visited a medium who said a Donald would soon come into her life. That night a man asked her to dance: Donald. They were married sixty years. Family doesn't lie about these things, he says. Whatever you make of it, life is stranger than we allow.

## Source

- [The Nature of the Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhV-6wQdJ8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 43:48 to 45:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhV-6wQdJ8&t=2628s