Linda Ristow

Linda Jean Swanson Ristow died at Parker Adventist Hospital on Tuesday, September 27, 2020 of pneumonia. Born October 4, 1948 in Oklahoma City, Linda brought intelligence, sensitivity and a discerning eye for beauty and detail to a richly varied life.

A deeply intuitive and empathetic woman, Linda often saw things in the world that others could not see. Astrology was a central part of that. Her studies of astrology as a young adult led to a career as a professional astrologer in early adulthood. Linda regularly surprised friends, family and strangers with the details she could discern from charts. Linda helped her clients with everything from relationships, to choosing the best time to buy a house, to finding a stolen car. With a particular interest in mundane astrology, the astrological study of world events, she would sometimes write predictions of election outcomes for newspapers.

Her love of the unseen led her to become a student of Vedanta, one of the major schools of Hindu philosophy, and she served on the board of the Vedanta Society of Greater Washington (DC). The Vedantan principle of Sansar, or the cyclicality of life and rebirth, spoke deeply to her. A vivid dreamer, Linda recalled fragments of images from previous lives and said she was often aware of spirit presences around her. Her family largely learned to trust her intuitions and take these things in stride. Twenty minutes before their phone rang with the news that her father had suffered a stroke, she woke them to begin packing to travel from Virginia to Oklahoma.

She completed her bachelor’s degree in English in adulthood, a longtime goal, and worked for years as the head of human resources and payroll for a small company.

Later, a childhood love of horses grew into a profession for Linda. In the late 80’s, Linda began taking horseback riding lessons with her family. Several years later, she bought her first horse, Brisa, an Andalusian. One horse became two, then three, until eventually Linda was known as one of the most respected breeders of Andalusian horses in the country, serving on the board of the Foundation of the Pure Spanish Horse, and managing the operations of Millrace Farm in Marshall, Virginia.

From her house on the farm, she loved observing the wildlife, whose presence and spirits she was deeply aware of. She knew the foxes, rabbits, turkeys and even bears that she saw as the true inhabitants of the land. And while she loved the foxes, she couldn’t help but fear for the rabbits, with whom she felt a special affinity, stemming from her memories of being a rabbit chased by a fox in a prior life.

In 2015, she moved into a beautiful house with a view of Mount Evans in Parker, Colorado near her brother, David.

Linda was predeceased by her parents Mary Helen Swanson and Charles Swanson, and a sister, Kristina Anne Swanson. She is survived by her sister Joy Swanson LaBar (Bob) of Oklahoma City; brother, David Charles Swanson (Leslie) of Aurora, Colorado; and son, Gregory Carylton Ristow of Oberlin, Ohio.