Known to friends by her spiritual name Sophia On Ra, and resident of Dunsmuir, CA for 13 years, Sophia transitioned from this life on Thursday, February 7th, 2013, at precisely 4:44 am. Born Melissa Alden on April 17, 1947 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Sophia resided in the US for approximately the past 25 years. (Some of you may also know her as L. Raleigh, the name she used for business purposes in the US.) Sophia had no known living relatives to her knowledge at the time of her passing. Sophia's greatest passions in life were an enduring love of nature, and a deep devotion to her spiritual life. As a young woman, Sophia worked as a legal secretary while beginning her studies of East Indian philosophy. Later she journeyed to the ashram of Gurumayi in India, where she deepened her spiritual practice, and received her Shaktipat Initiation directly from the guru. She went on to study the healing arts, becoming certified in Emotional Release Therapy and Reiki, among other modalities. Upon coming to the US, Sophia - then known by the spiritual name Salura - broadened her knowledge base by studying with various teachers and attending both shamanic and ancient mystery schools. As Sophia further developed her spiritual gifts, she created the Institute of the Jade Butterfly on the East Coast, teaching classes on the Divine Feminine Principle, offering private counseling sessions, and appearing on various radio and television programs as an intuitive reader and conscious channel. She then went on to found the Shekhina Sophia Academy of Living Teachings. With the development and mastery of her multi-dimensional seership and clairaudience, she was sometimes referred to by friends as a "multi-dimensional cell phone tower". Sophia was affectionately known by those who spoke through her simply as "The Instrument". Sophia landed in the MT Shasta area approximately 13 years ago, and continued offering private counseling sessions for individuals, while also making ends meet by offering pet sitting services, which she enjoyed due to her great love of animals, and by doing the occasional gardening and house cleaning job as well. However, it was in the fields of conscious channeling of spiritual messages and information, spiritual counseling sessions, and Earth clearings where Sophia's true gifts came into play, and where her spirit really soared. Sophia's deep love of Mother Earth inspired her to travel over the years to visit various sacred sites around the globe, wherein she participated in numerous ceremonies related to the healing of the planet. She conducted many such events on her beloved Mount Shasta, culminating her efforts on 12-21-12. As though her work on Earth was complete, Sophia began to experience increasingly difficult physical challenges in January of 2013, and was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Mt Shasta on Friday the 25th. She was lovingly supported there by her friends, by the wonderful nurses, clergy and staff of the hospital, and by many generous and exceptional Mercy Hospice volunteers. Sophia departed her body surrounded by Angels and other Beings of Light, (and with me holding her hand all the while), in a deep state of peace and appreciation for those that supported her throughout her transition process of being birthed into the higher realms. Memorial contributions on Sophia's behalf may be sent to Mercy Hospice MT Shasta, 914 Pine Street, MT Shasta, CA 96067, or to Mercy Medical Center at the same address. Both are non-profit organizations. Friends of Sophia are encouraged to post comments, messages and their favorite Sophia stories on this website. (I will attempt to post photos and possibly a video clip of Sophia at some point as well.) A memorial celebration/service will be held at some point in the spring, and a notice will be posted here as to when and where. Thank you all for visiting and contributing to this memorial to Sophia.